Dungeons and Warhammers (updated March 17th)
- Thread starter NiTessine
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NiTessine
Explorer
Here, the beginning of Chapter Three, for your enjoyment.
Chapter 3 – Row, Row, Row Your Boat…
The trial was short. The judge was a red-bearded priest of Ulric, with a great warhammer he used as a gavel. The merchant noble family of Dzugashvili wanted the party's heads, for the assault upon the young Liut. It was soon pointed out that they acted only in self-defence, and actually healed the man after wounding him. Both Khuritsa and Predeslava spoke for the adventurers, praising their honour and valiant deeds, and saying that Liut himself had been at fault, for attacking them.
In the end, the judge banged his great warhammer, and gave his verdict: the adventurers were banished from Kislev for twenty years, and were to be escorted to the border by a man named Khaelas. As it turned out, he was a wood elf, clad in green, and claiming to wield sorcerous powers.
By the end of the day, they were well on their way up the river Lynsk, in a small, leaky wooden barge, captained by a greasy man of impressive girth. Kase calculated that if they were to chuck him overboard, not only would the boat travel faster, but the river would flood, and with all that fat, the man would float. However, as they found no way of lifting the fellow, let alone extracting him from his cabin, they resigned to their fate of spending the next week watching the idyllic and monotonous Kislevite countryside slip by as the barge ponderously made its way downstream in the slow-moving water.
During the voyage, it quickly became clear that Khaelas couldn't have cared less about his duty. He'd got his gold already, and was to leave country along with the heroes. He was also an adventurer who'd had disagreements with the law, after some irresponsible spellcasting.
As they sat in the boat, day after day, confined to the company of each other, and forced to listen to Fisibbei teaching Kase how to speak Reikspiel, tensions began to rise. Franz was irritated at the two elves, for being elves, and at the world as a whole, for getting him exiled of Kislev, where he was on a mission from the church.
The barge's skipper didn't help things. He was rude, smelly, and made constantly fun of the elves and Franz. The corpulent man was so large he could barely fit inside the small cabin where he steered the barge, and apparently was unable to leave it. Huge, drooping folds of flesh concealed his legs.
All that considered, it wasn't such a surprise when Franz got it in his head that the man was tainted by Chaos.
They were a day away from their destination, when the Sigmarite decided to take action. With great protest from the captain, Franz smashed apart the cabin that held him. The others were too afraid to stop him. Immediately, like a huge glob of jam, the captain's flesh expanded out of its constraints. It was as if he had no muscles or bones at all. Now, thoroughly disgusted, the others joined in, and with a great wail, the strange, jelly-like man was hurled overboard, to disappear into the black waters of Lynsk.
The next day, they arrived in Erengrad. The great port city was bustling with traders from the Empire, Marienburg, Estalia, Tilea, and even Araby, all peddling their various wares. As the five adventurers were jumping to the pier, a great tendril of flesh shout out from the water, wrapping itself around Khaelas' leg. The elf cried out in pain as he was violently yanked from the pier to the barge.
Fisibbei was the fastest to act, taking his sickle and jumping down in aid of the elf to hack at the strange tentacle. As the weapon drew blood, the creature rose out of the water. It was their former captain, now grey-skinned and looking like a drowned corpse. Yet, it was still very much alive, as proved by the wicked grin and red-glowing eyes. It formed its fleshy body into more tendrils, attacking the halfling druid, who was quick to dance out of the way. From the pier, Kase was shooting arrows at the creature. Franz and Frederich joined their comrades in the boat, bringing their weapons down on the creature's body, prompting a great scream of pain. The creature still had fight left in it, though, and it hauled its entire body on the barge.
Repulsed by the creature, Khaelas cut off the tendril holding his leg, and scrambled away. Fisibbei and the others stabbed it again and again, and the deck ran red with the unholy creature's blood. However, the fleshy mass of the creature was still coming forward, forcing the heroes to jump back to the pier, all the while fighting off the pseudopods trying to snare their limbs. Finally, it was Khaelas who brought about the creature's death. He flung a ceramic jar from his backpack at the barge. It shattered, spraying the creature and the deck with black fluid. Oil, the creature realized, but too late. A jet of flame burst from the elf's hands, and the liquid caught fire, prompting another scream from the Chaos-tainted captain.
Soon, the barge was a blazing inferno, and the smell of smoke and charred flesh filled the air. The adventurers, along with the crowd of onlookers they had managed to collect, watched the grim bonfire, departing only when the last the boat had sunk in the deep waters of Erengrad's harbour.
Chapter 3 – Row, Row, Row Your Boat…
The trial was short. The judge was a red-bearded priest of Ulric, with a great warhammer he used as a gavel. The merchant noble family of Dzugashvili wanted the party's heads, for the assault upon the young Liut. It was soon pointed out that they acted only in self-defence, and actually healed the man after wounding him. Both Khuritsa and Predeslava spoke for the adventurers, praising their honour and valiant deeds, and saying that Liut himself had been at fault, for attacking them.
In the end, the judge banged his great warhammer, and gave his verdict: the adventurers were banished from Kislev for twenty years, and were to be escorted to the border by a man named Khaelas. As it turned out, he was a wood elf, clad in green, and claiming to wield sorcerous powers.
By the end of the day, they were well on their way up the river Lynsk, in a small, leaky wooden barge, captained by a greasy man of impressive girth. Kase calculated that if they were to chuck him overboard, not only would the boat travel faster, but the river would flood, and with all that fat, the man would float. However, as they found no way of lifting the fellow, let alone extracting him from his cabin, they resigned to their fate of spending the next week watching the idyllic and monotonous Kislevite countryside slip by as the barge ponderously made its way downstream in the slow-moving water.
During the voyage, it quickly became clear that Khaelas couldn't have cared less about his duty. He'd got his gold already, and was to leave country along with the heroes. He was also an adventurer who'd had disagreements with the law, after some irresponsible spellcasting.
As they sat in the boat, day after day, confined to the company of each other, and forced to listen to Fisibbei teaching Kase how to speak Reikspiel, tensions began to rise. Franz was irritated at the two elves, for being elves, and at the world as a whole, for getting him exiled of Kislev, where he was on a mission from the church.
The barge's skipper didn't help things. He was rude, smelly, and made constantly fun of the elves and Franz. The corpulent man was so large he could barely fit inside the small cabin where he steered the barge, and apparently was unable to leave it. Huge, drooping folds of flesh concealed his legs.
All that considered, it wasn't such a surprise when Franz got it in his head that the man was tainted by Chaos.
They were a day away from their destination, when the Sigmarite decided to take action. With great protest from the captain, Franz smashed apart the cabin that held him. The others were too afraid to stop him. Immediately, like a huge glob of jam, the captain's flesh expanded out of its constraints. It was as if he had no muscles or bones at all. Now, thoroughly disgusted, the others joined in, and with a great wail, the strange, jelly-like man was hurled overboard, to disappear into the black waters of Lynsk.
The next day, they arrived in Erengrad. The great port city was bustling with traders from the Empire, Marienburg, Estalia, Tilea, and even Araby, all peddling their various wares. As the five adventurers were jumping to the pier, a great tendril of flesh shout out from the water, wrapping itself around Khaelas' leg. The elf cried out in pain as he was violently yanked from the pier to the barge.
Fisibbei was the fastest to act, taking his sickle and jumping down in aid of the elf to hack at the strange tentacle. As the weapon drew blood, the creature rose out of the water. It was their former captain, now grey-skinned and looking like a drowned corpse. Yet, it was still very much alive, as proved by the wicked grin and red-glowing eyes. It formed its fleshy body into more tendrils, attacking the halfling druid, who was quick to dance out of the way. From the pier, Kase was shooting arrows at the creature. Franz and Frederich joined their comrades in the boat, bringing their weapons down on the creature's body, prompting a great scream of pain. The creature still had fight left in it, though, and it hauled its entire body on the barge.
Repulsed by the creature, Khaelas cut off the tendril holding his leg, and scrambled away. Fisibbei and the others stabbed it again and again, and the deck ran red with the unholy creature's blood. However, the fleshy mass of the creature was still coming forward, forcing the heroes to jump back to the pier, all the while fighting off the pseudopods trying to snare their limbs. Finally, it was Khaelas who brought about the creature's death. He flung a ceramic jar from his backpack at the barge. It shattered, spraying the creature and the deck with black fluid. Oil, the creature realized, but too late. A jet of flame burst from the elf's hands, and the liquid caught fire, prompting another scream from the Chaos-tainted captain.
Soon, the barge was a blazing inferno, and the smell of smoke and charred flesh filled the air. The adventurers, along with the crowd of onlookers they had managed to collect, watched the grim bonfire, departing only when the last the boat had sunk in the deep waters of Erengrad's harbour.
Great story hour! The writing really sets this apart from many story hours which have failed to hook me despite otherwise interesting content. In the end, it is the writing style that really grabs me. This one is particularly well written. NiTessine, I notice you live in Finland, is that correct? Is English your first language? If not, then your work here is even more impressive. Please keep it up, I'm hooked.
Last edited:
NiTessine
Explorer
'Ere you go... Chapter III, part II. I have lots of biology and geography classes during the next month or so, so I should have lots of time to write... 
---------------
Despite their escort's indifference to whether they were going to leave Kislev or not, the party soon began seeking passage aboard a ship bound for the Empire. After a few hours of touring the waterfront taverns and buying people cheap ale, they found the captain of such a vessel, in one of the better inns of the area, where the ale wasn't quite so watery, and the rats were fatter.
The captain, Hans Versenkung, was a portly man, with the strange accent that seems to develop to all who spend long times at the sea, regardless of where they actually grew up, and a great, bushy white beard. He regarded the adventurers thoughtfully for a moment, and then said:
"The price of tickets be ten gold, each. If ye can 'elp us fight 'gainst pirates or monsters, ye'll get yer coin back when we reach Marienburg."
It was a deal.
The captain's ship was a small and fast merchant vessel, with the name Das Minnow written on its side in bright red paint. After the party of five had taken their heavy backpacks and cumbersome armour to their cabins they soon found themselves in the dining hall of the ship. Since the ship was primarily a mercantile one, it rarely carried passengers, and the hall was almost empty, with the notable exception of a large noble family occupying the long table in the middle of the hall. They were a noisy and boisterous bunch, and were already deep in their cups. Frederich and Franz could identify quite a few popular drinking songs from the taverns of Nuln and Altdorf. The remains of two large pheasants were lying on their silver platters.
Kase, in his heavily accented Reikspiel, inquired about the noblemen from the cook, who supplied him with much information on them. It was the Von Hedon family, he knew, from Nuln. It was the entire family, apparently, every member of it, right down to the house priest, the jester, and their own halfling cook, returning from Kislev where they'd spent a holiday.
The adventurers quietly finished their fish stew, and then retired for the night, to the three cabins assigned to them, on the second deck. Kase and Khaleas took one, and Fisibbei and Frederich the second. Franz was quite vehement on sleeping alone.
It was good to sleep in a proper bed, after long weeks of bedding down with blankets in forests and waking up stiff and sore after a night spent on the deck of a riverboat. It was nothing compared to Khuritsa's silken linens, but compared to the other places they'd spent nights lately, it was a definite improvement. They were determined to enjoy their night's sleep.
Hence, it should've come as no surprise when a shrill cry cut the night after less than two hours afterwards. Running feet were heard in the hallway, and a woman's voice cried:
"He's been murdered!"
---------------
Despite their escort's indifference to whether they were going to leave Kislev or not, the party soon began seeking passage aboard a ship bound for the Empire. After a few hours of touring the waterfront taverns and buying people cheap ale, they found the captain of such a vessel, in one of the better inns of the area, where the ale wasn't quite so watery, and the rats were fatter.
The captain, Hans Versenkung, was a portly man, with the strange accent that seems to develop to all who spend long times at the sea, regardless of where they actually grew up, and a great, bushy white beard. He regarded the adventurers thoughtfully for a moment, and then said:
"The price of tickets be ten gold, each. If ye can 'elp us fight 'gainst pirates or monsters, ye'll get yer coin back when we reach Marienburg."
It was a deal.
The captain's ship was a small and fast merchant vessel, with the name Das Minnow written on its side in bright red paint. After the party of five had taken their heavy backpacks and cumbersome armour to their cabins they soon found themselves in the dining hall of the ship. Since the ship was primarily a mercantile one, it rarely carried passengers, and the hall was almost empty, with the notable exception of a large noble family occupying the long table in the middle of the hall. They were a noisy and boisterous bunch, and were already deep in their cups. Frederich and Franz could identify quite a few popular drinking songs from the taverns of Nuln and Altdorf. The remains of two large pheasants were lying on their silver platters.
Kase, in his heavily accented Reikspiel, inquired about the noblemen from the cook, who supplied him with much information on them. It was the Von Hedon family, he knew, from Nuln. It was the entire family, apparently, every member of it, right down to the house priest, the jester, and their own halfling cook, returning from Kislev where they'd spent a holiday.
The adventurers quietly finished their fish stew, and then retired for the night, to the three cabins assigned to them, on the second deck. Kase and Khaleas took one, and Fisibbei and Frederich the second. Franz was quite vehement on sleeping alone.
It was good to sleep in a proper bed, after long weeks of bedding down with blankets in forests and waking up stiff and sore after a night spent on the deck of a riverboat. It was nothing compared to Khuritsa's silken linens, but compared to the other places they'd spent nights lately, it was a definite improvement. They were determined to enjoy their night's sleep.
Hence, it should've come as no surprise when a shrill cry cut the night after less than two hours afterwards. Running feet were heard in the hallway, and a woman's voice cried:
"He's been murdered!"
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