Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Joshua Randall" data-source="post: 768493" data-attributes="member: 7737">Of Crocaryx and CiqualiThe chief was a large reptilian wearing a crude gold collar around his neck. He too spoke Durenese, as did some of his priests and advisors.The creatures were called the Crocaryx, and they had lived in the area for "a great number of years" as their chief put it. Some time ago, they had abadoned this lair in favor of a far superior one even further north. But a few months ago, the Ciquali came, driving the Crocaryx out of their lair and forcing them to re-occupy this old one.Brogun had never heard of the ciquali, or the crocaryx for that matter. He learned that the former were rapacious marauders of the seas, so wicked that they numbered only sharks among their friends. They had set upon the crocaryx suddenly, killing so many that the chief was forced to withdraw, for the good of the tribe.Now the crocaryx were trying to arm themselves, train for combat, and recruit allies among the aquatic races. They must make war on the ciquali, for if they did not, the ciquali would gain control of the area and "do terrible things."Brogun rubbed his chin. The crocaryx's story did explain why the Sea Ghosts had been running weapons, and if the ciquali were half as bad as they sounded, Lof could be in serious danger. He cleared his throat."On behalf of the Baron of Lof, I wish to apply for entrance into your anti-ciquali alliance."The crocaryx chief sat back in his throne and smiled toothily. "Excccelent," he said. "There isss just one sssmall problem. We are bothhhered by a group of sssavage men. They kill my warriorsss and eat many fishhh. If you hunt thhhem down and take care of thhhem, then I will consssider your request to join our allianccce.""We'll do our best," Brogun replied.= = =Brogun, Tomás, and Guillermo returned to their boat, gathered their supplies, and set off up the river to confront the "savage men" who had been discomfitting the Crocaryx. Their plans made, the three men felt confident they could handle a fight.About two miles up river, Brogun spotted a thin plume of smoke rising into the sky. "Must be their campfire," he mused aloud. "Let's put ashore here and continue on foot."They crept forward, taking cover beneathe two large evergreen trees. Peering through the branches, they could make out a crude camp, with seven rough-looking figures sitting or standing around it. The figures wore filthy furs and carried strange looking whitish swords."Ice Barbarians?" Brogun wondered. Tomás nodded, then motioned to Guillermo, who quietly loaded his crossbow.Brogun whispered the words of several spells. In quick succession, he had warded himself with a shield of faith, protected Tomás from chaos, and enhanced his companion with bull's strength. "Now, watch this," said Brogun, grinning wickedly."GALOR BRAKATH!" he roared, aiming his outstretched arm at the center of the Ice Barbarians' camp. A tremendous boom burst forth, the wave of sound knocking the Ice Barbarians off their feat.For a moment, no one moved, as the soundburst dissipated with a groan like far-off thunder. Then a few of the Ice Barbarians began to stir, hauling themselves painfully to their feet, clutching their bleeding ears. Brogun and Tomás were already charging their position, even as Guillermo fired his crossbow, dropping his target.The two Ice Barbarians already on their feet rushed to meet their adversaries, crashing into them and flailing about with their swords. Brogun ducked a slash, noticing as he did so that the sword was made of bone, with sharp teeth set along its edge. He struck out with his axe, catching the nearest Ice Barbarian in the side and sending him crashing to the ground. Out of the corner of his eye, Brogun saw Tomas skewer his foe with a neatly placed thrust of his bastard sword.By this time the remaining Ice Barbarians had regained their feet. One of them, a slightly larger specimen in slightly less filthy furs, threw his head back and roared, flecks of spittle flying in all directions.Great, thought Brogun, an Ice Barbarian barbarian. Should've prayed for calm emotions.Tomás and Brogun stood side-by-side to meet the second wave, while Guillermo sent a few bolts flying harmlessly wide of their targets. "My brother's aim is off today," Tomás remarked. Brogun smiled eagerly, saying, "That just means more fun for us."Then the battle was joined in earnest, and there was no more talk. It was eerily quiet to Brogun's ears. He could clearly make out the grunts of the combatants, his own breathing, the creaking of Tomás' armor nearby, even the stretching of Guillermo's crossbow string as he reloaded. Savage forms loomed into Brogun's vision as he hacked and hacked and hacked. Swords were turned aside on his shield, one of them splintering into fragments. Bursts of pain assaulted Brogun's leg, his side, his arm, but he gritted his teeth and fought on.In moments, the battle was over. Brogun leaned wearily on his axe, his vision hazy and blurred, his breath ragged. Tomás knelt nearby, wiping off his sword blade on the furs of a fallen Ice Barbarian. "All dead," he remarked unnecessesarily.Guillermo was unhurt, but the other two were badly wounded. Brogun used what little divine energy he had left to heal Tomás and himself a bit, and then the companions set off back to their boat, carrying the Ice Barbarian swords as trophies. Behind them lay seven corpses, their blood already beginning to congeal in the chilly air."Is this what being an adventurer is like?" asked Guillermo."Sometimes," Brogun replied grimly.</blockquote>

Verification