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[Adventure] Madness at Gardmore Abbey
- Thread starter Son of Meepo
- Start date
Son of Meepo
First Post
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Neurotic
I plan on living forever. Or die trying.
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Illarion bows to the lady as he orients toward her voice.
"They were doing their job, My Lady, not something we can keep against them.
We apologize for coming unannounced, but there was hardly time to summon a messenger, we traveled light.
My name is Illarion Meriele, we were charged by Mayor Brunt of Daunton to bring you this package. You may find it familiar."
He steps closer and extends the package, just a little bit off to her left.
Son of Meepo
First Post
Minor Quest Complete: Deliver the card to Lady Oakley
Lady Oakley takes the package and carefully opens it. Revealing only a corner, you can tell that she is not happy to see the contents. She opens the package half way and then sighs, closing it again.
"Marra!"
Mere seconds later, the matronly lady appears.
"Yes, milady?"
"Please see make sure we are not disturbed."
"As you wish, milady."
Marra turns and exits. You hear her muffled voice somewhere further into the manor.
"You have delivered to me an ominous portent... There is a place in the hills not far from here, in a land now the domain of the savage orcs known as Gardmore Abbey. It was founded by my ancestor Gardrin the Hammer. He was a paladin of Vulkar. The Abbey was built to be part temple, part fortress. It was a place where a great many magic items were forged. Legends say the priests of the Abbey began to hear the walls whisper to them, driving them slowly mad. One day they severed all contact with the outside. Few knew what had happened, but I do..."
"Gardrin told his wife," Lady Oakley gestures to the painting that dominates the room, "that Vulkar himself told him in a vision to build a great temple there. But we suspect that it was no god, but a malign being of Chaos that tricked him. Essa, was not convinced, but he would hear none of her protests. He gradually spent more and more time in his workshop. The guards were instructed not to let even his wife interfere. When Essa discovered that he was creating an artifact of Chaos, she left and built this keep to defend the rest of the island from whatever was corrupting the Abbey. That artifact was a deck of cards that spread Chaos wherever it turned up, spreading both boon and curse with little regard for consequence. Eventually no one would enter or leave for over five years... Then, the first demons emerged from the Abbey. Lady Essa's forces were able to keep the demonic threat contained, and eventually it disappeared."
"That is, until a few years following Lady Essa's passing. Athea, my great-great-grandmother, Essa's oldest daughter found one of Gardrin's cards in her favorite childhood book in the library. No one recalled seeing it before and had no idea how it had gotten there. Lady Essa certainly would not have taken it. But misfortune began to fall upon the House of Oakley, sickness, strife, and strange accidents weakened the keep. When the demons came again, it almost fell. Only Athea's noble sacrifice won out in the end."
"The same thing happened each generation since. Pieces of the deck would appear, misfortune followed, and then the demons came. We've managed to repel the demons each time but at ever greater cost."
Lady Oakley takes a breath and grits he teeth.
"I am to be married this summer, but I cannot think of bringing a family into this world knowing the curse that would fall over them. I am determined that this artifact will be destroyed or that the House of Oakley will end with my generation. But I have no hope of doing this alone and I do not believe that your arrival was accidental. Mayor Brunt was one of only a few people that knew of the curse outside my immediate family. I am hoping he chose you wisely and that you would be willing to help."
Lady Oakley takes the package and carefully opens it. Revealing only a corner, you can tell that she is not happy to see the contents. She opens the package half way and then sighs, closing it again.
"Marra!"
Mere seconds later, the matronly lady appears.
"Yes, milady?"
"Please see make sure we are not disturbed."
"As you wish, milady."
Marra turns and exits. You hear her muffled voice somewhere further into the manor.
"You have delivered to me an ominous portent... There is a place in the hills not far from here, in a land now the domain of the savage orcs known as Gardmore Abbey. It was founded by my ancestor Gardrin the Hammer. He was a paladin of Vulkar. The Abbey was built to be part temple, part fortress. It was a place where a great many magic items were forged. Legends say the priests of the Abbey began to hear the walls whisper to them, driving them slowly mad. One day they severed all contact with the outside. Few knew what had happened, but I do..."
"Gardrin told his wife," Lady Oakley gestures to the painting that dominates the room, "that Vulkar himself told him in a vision to build a great temple there. But we suspect that it was no god, but a malign being of Chaos that tricked him. Essa, was not convinced, but he would hear none of her protests. He gradually spent more and more time in his workshop. The guards were instructed not to let even his wife interfere. When Essa discovered that he was creating an artifact of Chaos, she left and built this keep to defend the rest of the island from whatever was corrupting the Abbey. That artifact was a deck of cards that spread Chaos wherever it turned up, spreading both boon and curse with little regard for consequence. Eventually no one would enter or leave for over five years... Then, the first demons emerged from the Abbey. Lady Essa's forces were able to keep the demonic threat contained, and eventually it disappeared."
"That is, until a few years following Lady Essa's passing. Athea, my great-great-grandmother, Essa's oldest daughter found one of Gardrin's cards in her favorite childhood book in the library. No one recalled seeing it before and had no idea how it had gotten there. Lady Essa certainly would not have taken it. But misfortune began to fall upon the House of Oakley, sickness, strife, and strange accidents weakened the keep. When the demons came again, it almost fell. Only Athea's noble sacrifice won out in the end."
"The same thing happened each generation since. Pieces of the deck would appear, misfortune followed, and then the demons came. We've managed to repel the demons each time but at ever greater cost."
Lady Oakley takes a breath and grits he teeth.
"I am to be married this summer, but I cannot think of bringing a family into this world knowing the curse that would fall over them. I am determined that this artifact will be destroyed or that the House of Oakley will end with my generation. But I have no hope of doing this alone and I do not believe that your arrival was accidental. Mayor Brunt was one of only a few people that knew of the curse outside my immediate family. I am hoping he chose you wisely and that you would be willing to help."
Not thinking of protocol, young monk comes forward and without introduction butts in the conversation
"Milady, Chaos is a good thing, it gives us change, adaptation and cycle of life and death. Too much Chaos is of course a problem and I will freely help to get rid of your problem. Clearing demon and undead infestation is what the Dragon Temple is known for."
"Milady, Chaos is a good thing, it gives us change, adaptation and cycle of life and death. Too much Chaos is of course a problem and I will freely help to get rid of your problem. Clearing demon and undead infestation is what the Dragon Temple is known for."
Neurotic
I plan on living forever. Or die trying.
"I don't like the sound of that. It looks familiar with an event on one of the Near Islands couple of years ago when I helped closing the portal to Chaos Realms. If it follows the same pattern, demon incursions will get stronger, closer together until finally an army appears on your doorstep and portal opens to let one of the Great Lords of Chaos into the world.
I have some experience with this, I'll go if you'll have me.
Your ancestors knew about the threat, but still they married and passed the torch from one to another to you. It would be abandonment of duty not to produce a heir even if we fail. It's not my place to tell you your obligations, but allow on old elf his say. The future may seem bleak, but if you give up it gets worse. For the Chaos to triumph it's enough that good people who value order do nothing. In other words, everything can get dirty without anything getting clean, but you cannot clean something without something else becoming dirty. It is our job to get dirty and clean the world. Same for the Oakley family. Consider the proud heritage of the family before deciding."
I have some experience with this, I'll go if you'll have me.
Your ancestors knew about the threat, but still they married and passed the torch from one to another to you. It would be abandonment of duty not to produce a heir even if we fail. It's not my place to tell you your obligations, but allow on old elf his say. The future may seem bleak, but if you give up it gets worse. For the Chaos to triumph it's enough that good people who value order do nothing. In other words, everything can get dirty without anything getting clean, but you cannot clean something without something else becoming dirty. It is our job to get dirty and clean the world. Same for the Oakley family. Consider the proud heritage of the family before deciding."
Son of Meepo
First Post
"There is a difference between the chaos you describe and Chaos of which I speak. One comes from the Natural Order, the other from the spawn of Thartharus and even the Children of Azathoth. That type of Chaos wishes to make everything... dirty as the elf put it. It will not end until all is destroyed."
"It may not be up to me to decide the future fate of my house," Lady Oakley continues. "In past generations the cards always appeared after the first female heir was born. But it appears that the deck has learned that the House of Oakley is not so easily corrupted from within. I fear it intends to prevent my heir from ever being born"
"It may not be up to me to decide the future fate of my house," Lady Oakley continues. "In past generations the cards always appeared after the first female heir was born. But it appears that the deck has learned that the House of Oakley is not so easily corrupted from within. I fear it intends to prevent my heir from ever being born"
"So, if we fail, you'd have to be constantly on guard for demonic assassins. Same for your husband. Luckily, the mayor had good foresight to hire the adventurers for simple delivery, we already passed a band of orcs. If you can give us more information about what to expect, we should be able to get there and see what can be done."
Mewness
First Post
"Oh, well, we're happy to help," says Papolstaanas. He starts fidgeting uncertainly, as he is very confused by the discussion about one form of chaos versus another form of chaos. "S-s-sooo, this artifact is a deck of cards? Should we, um, find it and tear it up?"
[sblock=temporary absence starting Thursday]I'll be out of town from Thursday the 29th to Tuesday the 2nd and may not be able to post much if at all. Please NPC me if necessary.[/sblock]
[sblock=temporary absence starting Thursday]I'll be out of town from Thursday the 29th to Tuesday the 2nd and may not be able to post much if at all. Please NPC me if necessary.[/sblock]
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