Rel's Faded Glory III: Glory Reborn (FINAL UPDATE 6/22 - SHE'S DONE, BABY!!)
Riggs
First Post
He *loves* chicken ice cream soup! But only sugar-free.
My German is bad too, but are you missing a verb there or is it an expression?
Such that "Er ist wahrscheinlich verbraucht bei der Arbeit" would insert a verb 'consumed' that 'work' could refer to.
Hey, no criticism, just wistfully wondering at something I should have learned better...
My German is bad too, but are you missing a verb there or is it an expression?
Such that "Er ist wahrscheinlich verbraucht bei der Arbeit" would insert a verb 'consumed' that 'work' could refer to.
Hey, no criticism, just wistfully wondering at something I should have learned better...
Funeris
First Post
Well, my original statement was: He is probably at work. At least that's what I was going for....so i hope it turned out alright. My German is about as good as my Latin now (which never having a Latin class you could probably imagine my Latin is horrible 
...not that I don't try).
...not that I don't try).
Rel
Liquid Awesome
Old One said:One might think he is working for a living
~ OO
He has indeed been working for a living. I've gone the entire length of the state over the last week doing various whatnot. It will be good to have some "Administrative Time" for the next couple days (this is when I sit in my home office and do about 2 hours of work in an 8 hour day).
I'll see if I can't get an update done in the next couple days.
Rel
Liquid Awesome
Well, folks, there will be an update but not today. Today is my 10th wedding anniversary and I have some chores to do for the little party we're throwing tomorrow as well as a few nice things I'm doing for my wife. One of her gifts was actually made by a fellow ENWorlder:
Check it out.
If you're totally jonesing for some Faded Glory action then I STRONGLY recommend you read Henry's account of the one shot game that Old One ran at the last NC Game Day, in which both Riggs and I participated. Riggs played Vercinius and I played Brandis and we had a blast. You can find this Story Hour HERE.
I hope you all have a nice weekend and I promise a definate update by Monday.
Check it out.
If you're totally jonesing for some Faded Glory action then I STRONGLY recommend you read Henry's account of the one shot game that Old One ran at the last NC Game Day, in which both Riggs and I participated. Riggs played Vercinius and I played Brandis and we had a blast. You can find this Story Hour HERE.
I hope you all have a nice weekend and I promise a definate update by Monday.
Rel
Liquid Awesome
Cross posted from Henry's new Faded Glory Story Hour:
I'm afraid that isn't going to happen. I got "babied out" today (though technically I guess she isn't a baby anymore). Samantha the Red would not take a nap this afternoon and that equalled no time for daddy to do any writing. So you'll have to be content with 2 out of three Faded Glory Story Hours updated. Still not bad...
Old One said:Woot!
Two Faded Glory updates in one day...now we just need Rel to get off of his duff and we will have a hat trick
Good update, Henry...hooray!
~ OO
I'm afraid that isn't going to happen. I got "babied out" today (though technically I guess she isn't a baby anymore). Samantha the Red would not take a nap this afternoon and that equalled no time for daddy to do any writing. So you'll have to be content with 2 out of three Faded Glory Story Hours updated. Still not bad...
Rel
Liquid Awesome
Yikes! Nearly a month since I got this thing updated. Well, unlike the last several weeks this week is fairly lite for me in the work department. So hopefully this won't be the last update you see this week....
Finding the lair had not been difficult at all. The Dragonmount was easily the tallest peak at this end of the Dragontail range. And now the entrance yawned before them, ancient and pitted with age and acid.
It was a far cry from Nan’s Tavern where they had been just a scant two turns of the hour glass prior. Speaks thought back on that place that had now become so familiar. The tables were old and all the rough edges had worn off. The beer was just a bit watery but it flowed in generous quantities, day and night. And it was where adventures were born.
He cast his memory back to what seemed a lifetime ago when he and two boys from Glynden had eavesdropped on the Town Council as they met to determine whether or not to come to the aid of the Fodor Tribes against the Orcs. They had journeyed for over two weeks to travel from Glynden to meet with the Coritani then. And this morning they had covered the same distance in an instant as Lazarius had Teleported them back to Glynden for their ascent of the Dragonmount.
Those simple times, less than two years past, seemed a lifetime away. And in many ways they were. None of the three who had departed Nan’s Tavern for the barbarian lands had survived unscathed. Krase was nearly a year dead. Rhys now wore the body of an Elf and it remained to be seen if his sanity would survive the transition. And Speaks had to admit to himself that he was not the same man either.
His early days near Glynden had held the simplest sorts of tasks. He kept the wolves from eating too many of the villagers sheep and he wandered the closest edges of the Darkwood, marking places that held the glory of the Wild with small, stone markers and noting them on his map that he intended to give over to the Druid Circle. And now that Circle had collapsed upon its own rotten core. It had killed his father in his youth and his mentor as an adult. It had tried to kill him too. And though Speaks had survived this attack by those he had trusted the most, he could not say that he was the same.
In the face of such betrayal, entering the Dragonmount seemed like not so great a task after all. They alighted upon the small ledge at the entrance and dread swept through him like the harshest winter wind.
The signs of crippling fear were easy to read upon the faces of Marius and Lazarius too as they returned to human form. Speaks huddled close to them and [/i]Spoke[/i] with the Animal who was now his companion, commanding it to return to its natural form. Beside him the small bird became a fierce Dire Boar, snorting and eagerly looking for a foe. Speaks gripped at the coarse hairs of Trufflesnout’s flank as he tried to conquer the lump in his own throat.
The darkness coalesced into a stygian horror before Marius and dark power roared from its hate-filled jaws to wash over him. But Marius’ reflexes were enhanced, not dulled by the fear and with a cry of desperation he hurled himself out of the blast of blackness. The battle was joined.
Marcus strode boldly forth, his mace held high and the Shield at the ready. Marius by turn dashed to take cover behind a huge pillar that ran from floor to ceiling. Cathal joined him there a moment later as the pair tried to gain an understanding of the layout of the room and their foe who still remained indistinct against the darkness. From the deep shadows of the cave they heard the voice of the Dragon, dripping with venom.
“It bears the Mark of the HATED ONE!”
Enormous blackness launched itself with incredible speed and closed its jaws upon Marcus. The Warrior-Priest felt bones creak under the pressure but his armor kept the teeth at bay for now. As he swung his mace at the great creature he could see that it was indistinct, as though born of the shadows themselves. His weapon found no purchase upon the creature and he began to feel a sense of dread.
The draconic nightmare burst into greenish flames as Speaks’ loosed the Fire of the Fey upon the creature. Lazarius loosed a blast of Lightning upon the creature but it fizzled as it touched the immortal blackness. The illumination showed all of them that what they dealt with here was nothing like they had expected. This creature wore shadows, not scales and it moved in ways no creature of flesh could have, seeming to melt back into itself before springing forth with impossible speed.
But swift or not, Marius and Cathal charged forth to engage it. Each of them felt their weapons bite whatever lay beneath the shadows but telling blows these were not. Lazarius’ next magic caused frost to fill the air as the blast from a Ball of Cold erupted next to the creature. Whether this had any effect upon the creature could not be told but it certainly did not act as though injured.
Speaks released his hand from the flank of Trufflesnout and the giant boar launched itself into battle but its tusks passed harmlessly through the Shadow-Dragon. Speaks attempted to fling a fiery acorn at the creature but succeeded only in adding a scorch mark to the floor nearby.
The Dragon ignored these petty assaults and focused on its hated foe, a minion of St. Cuthbert. It sank its jaws and claws into Marcus’ armor and the man felt the icy grip of undeath in his soul. He shrank back away from the great beast and warded himself against the cold he had felt in its grasp.
Marius and Cathal continued their assault along the Dragon’s flank but with little results. Those of their attacks that found purchase seemed to do little damage. Lazarius and Speaks fared little better as each of their spells seemed to evaporate just as it touched the shadowy skin of the Dragon. Failure was not yet assured but tendrils of doubt began to wind around each mans courage.
The Dragon had no such doubts as it flew into another series of attacks on Marcus. Black teeth, claws wings and tail swirled around the man and everywhere he was touched he felt the evil shredding at his flesh. He gave up any attempt to harm the creature and instead just did what he could to survive, hoping that his companions would find a way to kill it as it concentrated its attacks upon him alone.
Marius and Cathal kept up their attacks but still found it almost impossible to score a sound strike against the indistinct Dragon. Another Lightning Bolt flew into its flank from the flying Lazarius but it was again brushed aside by the creature’s innate power. An instant later, the Dragon vanished as it dove right down into the stone of the floor.
The party reeled as they attempted to recover from the sound whipping they had been receiving. Marcus healed some of his wounds with magic as Marius and Cathal spread out, eyes peeled for the return of the dragon. Cathal noticed that there were heaps of treasure including a rather odd looking piece of sculpture that seemed made from a mass of weapons. Any chance of getting to explore such loot seemed distant at best.
Lazarius began using his magic to try and locate where the Dragon had vanished to. He was bombarded with a sense of Magic as he Detected it all over the room, scattered throughout the piles of treasure. Speaks used the calm to Summon a Unicorn guardian of the Darkwood. He pleaded with it to give succor to Marcus’ wounds and the Unicorn did so just as the Dragon reappeared.
It sent another blast of black energy sweeping through the room, this time catching Speaks, Marcus, Trufflesnout and the recently summoned Unicorn within its blast. Each could feel the strength being sapped from his bones as the dark magic did its evil work. Marcus knew that his companions had fewer defenses and would never withstand the damage that had been inflicted upon him. He had to draw the Dragon away from them.
“Is that the best you can do?! I thought that you were the ‘Terror of the Dragontail’?! If you think you can best me then my mace awaits you!”
The Dragon let go an evil laugh and bunched itself, preparing to strike. Cathal charged the creature before it could move, his battlelust throwing aside all caution. The blade strike something within the creature’s form and felt a faint sense of satisfaction that comes with knowing that if you must die that your foe at least suffered from doing battle with you.
Speaks began to Summon more aid feeling that strength for this battle would lay in numbers. He reached out toward the plane of Fire and called for help. Marius moved closer to strike but before he could close the final distance, the Dragon launched itself at Marcus.
Trufflesnout tried to gore the Dragon as it hurtled by but was trampled by the enormous shadow beast. But the break in the attacks momentum was enough to allow Marcus to escape the jaws of the Dragon for at least a few moments longer. He tried to strike the Dragon in return but was off balance and barely managed to avoid hitting himself.
Cathal charged again, attacking from the Dragon’s rear. He suffered a vicious tail-slap for his efforts but managed to sink his blade into the creature’s hide, again feeling the resistance that told him something had been hurt by his attack.
Lazarius continued to soar over the battle, marveling at the enormity of the magics he was detecting. He continued searching for anything that might be The Bloodstone Blade so that they might escape with it even if they could not defeat the Dragon. Beneath him, he saw a new ally appear, wreathed in flames, as Speaks’ Summoned Salamander charged into battle against the Shadow Dragon. The Unicorn dug its horn into the Dragon’s flank as well while Trufflesnout picked himself up an charged into the fray once more. Speaks immediately began to Summon another Salamander, determined to bring an entire army against the Dragon if necessary.
The Dragon single mindedly attacked Marcus, ignoring all other foes. A series of blows rained down on the warrior and nearly drove him to his knees. Only by the strength of the Shield did he remain standing. But the attacks had done their work and he had no choice but to forego any counterattack in favor of healing himself further.
The Brigante Warrior continued to unleash all his fury at the Dragon’s flank, this time his shield spikes came away with shreds of Shadow clinging to them. He looked to his left and saw a flaming Salamander dig a spear into the Dragon’s form and suddenly another fiery ally appeared to his right. The Unicorn lunged forward again, stabbing deep with its lifegiving horn, anathema to this creature of death. Marius appeared alongside them and the Dragon was now nearly surrounded by enemies.
And still it ignored these enemies and focused its hate on the only one that mattered. For hundreds of years its shame of defeat had festered and now it had a chance at some small measure of revenge against the one who had slain and imprisoned it all at once. Bones cracked as the Dragon once again closed its jaws upon Marcus.
Marcus strained to keep conscious and gave ground again to buy himself room to heal from the terrible wounds inflicted by the Dragon. He didn’t know how much more he could take but he steeled himself to give all that he had in the service of their cause.
Cathal howled in rage and triumph as he buried his sword to its hilt in the Dragon’s shadow-flesh. He twisted the blade and drew it out again leaving a wound that he could almost see against the blackness of the Dragon’s body. Inspired by this attack, Speaks’ many minions struck with a vengeance. It seemed that the Dragon’s form was starting to tatter.
But the creature wasn’t done for yet. Its black teeth descended upon Marcus once more and left terrible wounds in their wake. This time Marcus did not yield. He had no more healing magic anyway and he could not face his lord in Celestia if he didn’t at least try. He struck out with his mace with every ounce of strength he could summon. The weapon smote the Dragon on the side of its head and it seemed to waver for a moment…but it was not enough. The evil visage of the Shadow Dragon grinned down at the exhausted Marcus and it bunched for the killing blow.
Such a blow was struck but not by the Dragon. Cathal struck for a final time and this time he leaned into the strike, pushing forward with arms and legs, driving his blade to find something within the Dragon that could be cut and broken and destroyed. The Dragon’s black heart was pierced and it became like so much smoke, drifting away on the wind as the triumphant warriors tumbled forward and fell panting to the ground where the Dragon had stood an instant before.
Finding the lair had not been difficult at all. The Dragonmount was easily the tallest peak at this end of the Dragontail range. And now the entrance yawned before them, ancient and pitted with age and acid.
It was a far cry from Nan’s Tavern where they had been just a scant two turns of the hour glass prior. Speaks thought back on that place that had now become so familiar. The tables were old and all the rough edges had worn off. The beer was just a bit watery but it flowed in generous quantities, day and night. And it was where adventures were born.
He cast his memory back to what seemed a lifetime ago when he and two boys from Glynden had eavesdropped on the Town Council as they met to determine whether or not to come to the aid of the Fodor Tribes against the Orcs. They had journeyed for over two weeks to travel from Glynden to meet with the Coritani then. And this morning they had covered the same distance in an instant as Lazarius had Teleported them back to Glynden for their ascent of the Dragonmount.
Those simple times, less than two years past, seemed a lifetime away. And in many ways they were. None of the three who had departed Nan’s Tavern for the barbarian lands had survived unscathed. Krase was nearly a year dead. Rhys now wore the body of an Elf and it remained to be seen if his sanity would survive the transition. And Speaks had to admit to himself that he was not the same man either.
His early days near Glynden had held the simplest sorts of tasks. He kept the wolves from eating too many of the villagers sheep and he wandered the closest edges of the Darkwood, marking places that held the glory of the Wild with small, stone markers and noting them on his map that he intended to give over to the Druid Circle. And now that Circle had collapsed upon its own rotten core. It had killed his father in his youth and his mentor as an adult. It had tried to kill him too. And though Speaks had survived this attack by those he had trusted the most, he could not say that he was the same.
In the face of such betrayal, entering the Dragonmount seemed like not so great a task after all. They alighted upon the small ledge at the entrance and dread swept through him like the harshest winter wind.
The signs of crippling fear were easy to read upon the faces of Marius and Lazarius too as they returned to human form. Speaks huddled close to them and [/i]Spoke[/i] with the Animal who was now his companion, commanding it to return to its natural form. Beside him the small bird became a fierce Dire Boar, snorting and eagerly looking for a foe. Speaks gripped at the coarse hairs of Trufflesnout’s flank as he tried to conquer the lump in his own throat.
The darkness coalesced into a stygian horror before Marius and dark power roared from its hate-filled jaws to wash over him. But Marius’ reflexes were enhanced, not dulled by the fear and with a cry of desperation he hurled himself out of the blast of blackness. The battle was joined.
Marcus strode boldly forth, his mace held high and the Shield at the ready. Marius by turn dashed to take cover behind a huge pillar that ran from floor to ceiling. Cathal joined him there a moment later as the pair tried to gain an understanding of the layout of the room and their foe who still remained indistinct against the darkness. From the deep shadows of the cave they heard the voice of the Dragon, dripping with venom.
“It bears the Mark of the HATED ONE!”
Enormous blackness launched itself with incredible speed and closed its jaws upon Marcus. The Warrior-Priest felt bones creak under the pressure but his armor kept the teeth at bay for now. As he swung his mace at the great creature he could see that it was indistinct, as though born of the shadows themselves. His weapon found no purchase upon the creature and he began to feel a sense of dread.
The draconic nightmare burst into greenish flames as Speaks’ loosed the Fire of the Fey upon the creature. Lazarius loosed a blast of Lightning upon the creature but it fizzled as it touched the immortal blackness. The illumination showed all of them that what they dealt with here was nothing like they had expected. This creature wore shadows, not scales and it moved in ways no creature of flesh could have, seeming to melt back into itself before springing forth with impossible speed.
But swift or not, Marius and Cathal charged forth to engage it. Each of them felt their weapons bite whatever lay beneath the shadows but telling blows these were not. Lazarius’ next magic caused frost to fill the air as the blast from a Ball of Cold erupted next to the creature. Whether this had any effect upon the creature could not be told but it certainly did not act as though injured.
Speaks released his hand from the flank of Trufflesnout and the giant boar launched itself into battle but its tusks passed harmlessly through the Shadow-Dragon. Speaks attempted to fling a fiery acorn at the creature but succeeded only in adding a scorch mark to the floor nearby.
The Dragon ignored these petty assaults and focused on its hated foe, a minion of St. Cuthbert. It sank its jaws and claws into Marcus’ armor and the man felt the icy grip of undeath in his soul. He shrank back away from the great beast and warded himself against the cold he had felt in its grasp.
Marius and Cathal continued their assault along the Dragon’s flank but with little results. Those of their attacks that found purchase seemed to do little damage. Lazarius and Speaks fared little better as each of their spells seemed to evaporate just as it touched the shadowy skin of the Dragon. Failure was not yet assured but tendrils of doubt began to wind around each mans courage.
The Dragon had no such doubts as it flew into another series of attacks on Marcus. Black teeth, claws wings and tail swirled around the man and everywhere he was touched he felt the evil shredding at his flesh. He gave up any attempt to harm the creature and instead just did what he could to survive, hoping that his companions would find a way to kill it as it concentrated its attacks upon him alone.
Marius and Cathal kept up their attacks but still found it almost impossible to score a sound strike against the indistinct Dragon. Another Lightning Bolt flew into its flank from the flying Lazarius but it was again brushed aside by the creature’s innate power. An instant later, the Dragon vanished as it dove right down into the stone of the floor.
The party reeled as they attempted to recover from the sound whipping they had been receiving. Marcus healed some of his wounds with magic as Marius and Cathal spread out, eyes peeled for the return of the dragon. Cathal noticed that there were heaps of treasure including a rather odd looking piece of sculpture that seemed made from a mass of weapons. Any chance of getting to explore such loot seemed distant at best.
Lazarius began using his magic to try and locate where the Dragon had vanished to. He was bombarded with a sense of Magic as he Detected it all over the room, scattered throughout the piles of treasure. Speaks used the calm to Summon a Unicorn guardian of the Darkwood. He pleaded with it to give succor to Marcus’ wounds and the Unicorn did so just as the Dragon reappeared.
It sent another blast of black energy sweeping through the room, this time catching Speaks, Marcus, Trufflesnout and the recently summoned Unicorn within its blast. Each could feel the strength being sapped from his bones as the dark magic did its evil work. Marcus knew that his companions had fewer defenses and would never withstand the damage that had been inflicted upon him. He had to draw the Dragon away from them.
“Is that the best you can do?! I thought that you were the ‘Terror of the Dragontail’?! If you think you can best me then my mace awaits you!”
The Dragon let go an evil laugh and bunched itself, preparing to strike. Cathal charged the creature before it could move, his battlelust throwing aside all caution. The blade strike something within the creature’s form and felt a faint sense of satisfaction that comes with knowing that if you must die that your foe at least suffered from doing battle with you.
Speaks began to Summon more aid feeling that strength for this battle would lay in numbers. He reached out toward the plane of Fire and called for help. Marius moved closer to strike but before he could close the final distance, the Dragon launched itself at Marcus.
Trufflesnout tried to gore the Dragon as it hurtled by but was trampled by the enormous shadow beast. But the break in the attacks momentum was enough to allow Marcus to escape the jaws of the Dragon for at least a few moments longer. He tried to strike the Dragon in return but was off balance and barely managed to avoid hitting himself.
Cathal charged again, attacking from the Dragon’s rear. He suffered a vicious tail-slap for his efforts but managed to sink his blade into the creature’s hide, again feeling the resistance that told him something had been hurt by his attack.
Lazarius continued to soar over the battle, marveling at the enormity of the magics he was detecting. He continued searching for anything that might be The Bloodstone Blade so that they might escape with it even if they could not defeat the Dragon. Beneath him, he saw a new ally appear, wreathed in flames, as Speaks’ Summoned Salamander charged into battle against the Shadow Dragon. The Unicorn dug its horn into the Dragon’s flank as well while Trufflesnout picked himself up an charged into the fray once more. Speaks immediately began to Summon another Salamander, determined to bring an entire army against the Dragon if necessary.
The Dragon single mindedly attacked Marcus, ignoring all other foes. A series of blows rained down on the warrior and nearly drove him to his knees. Only by the strength of the Shield did he remain standing. But the attacks had done their work and he had no choice but to forego any counterattack in favor of healing himself further.
The Brigante Warrior continued to unleash all his fury at the Dragon’s flank, this time his shield spikes came away with shreds of Shadow clinging to them. He looked to his left and saw a flaming Salamander dig a spear into the Dragon’s form and suddenly another fiery ally appeared to his right. The Unicorn lunged forward again, stabbing deep with its lifegiving horn, anathema to this creature of death. Marius appeared alongside them and the Dragon was now nearly surrounded by enemies.
And still it ignored these enemies and focused its hate on the only one that mattered. For hundreds of years its shame of defeat had festered and now it had a chance at some small measure of revenge against the one who had slain and imprisoned it all at once. Bones cracked as the Dragon once again closed its jaws upon Marcus.
Marcus strained to keep conscious and gave ground again to buy himself room to heal from the terrible wounds inflicted by the Dragon. He didn’t know how much more he could take but he steeled himself to give all that he had in the service of their cause.
Cathal howled in rage and triumph as he buried his sword to its hilt in the Dragon’s shadow-flesh. He twisted the blade and drew it out again leaving a wound that he could almost see against the blackness of the Dragon’s body. Inspired by this attack, Speaks’ many minions struck with a vengeance. It seemed that the Dragon’s form was starting to tatter.
But the creature wasn’t done for yet. Its black teeth descended upon Marcus once more and left terrible wounds in their wake. This time Marcus did not yield. He had no more healing magic anyway and he could not face his lord in Celestia if he didn’t at least try. He struck out with his mace with every ounce of strength he could summon. The weapon smote the Dragon on the side of its head and it seemed to waver for a moment…but it was not enough. The evil visage of the Shadow Dragon grinned down at the exhausted Marcus and it bunched for the killing blow.
Such a blow was struck but not by the Dragon. Cathal struck for a final time and this time he leaned into the strike, pushing forward with arms and legs, driving his blade to find something within the Dragon that could be cut and broken and destroyed. The Dragon’s black heart was pierced and it became like so much smoke, drifting away on the wind as the triumphant warriors tumbled forward and fell panting to the ground where the Dragon had stood an instant before.
Elder-Basilisk
First Post
Hooray for the heroes! But surely that can't be it...
