The Sereni-Tree: Quest For The Giant Firebreathing Space Chickens!
POSTED BY: TheRealMe
UPDATED: Thursday, September 21, 2006 06:07
VIEWED: 19701
PAGE 14 of 18
IN THE HIDDEN FORTRESS: The Immortals
Sir Devan continues his talk with Wisp:
“One day, about a century ago, there came a great earthquake that was felt throughout the world, followed by a year of darkness. Wizards could detect that this was a magical disturbance of the highest order. Plague and famine scoured the land. It was soon after that when the Immortals first appeared. There were only a small number of them, perhaps as many as six or eight, each known by the color of robes he or she wore and the type of magic that he or she specialized in. They were wizards far more powerful than any that had been known before, and they seem to be impossible to destroy permanently. I give my oath that I once had the Blue Wizard, Zorander the Storm Caller, at my mercy. My band killed him, chopped him to pieces, and burned the remains to ashes. He was seen again less than a year later, in a mood for bloody revenge.
“At least some of the Immortals were from the Guild of Shapers, and they continued their research, warping animals and humans into strange things. They created warrior races of trolls and orcs and started their armies marching across the land. The Knights of the Octagonal Order, who had helped to maintain peace until that time, were slain, pushed back, and driven underground, literally as you can see. Before long, the Empire was formed under the rule of Arinda the Empress, who began as the ruler of one of the petty kingdoms of the north. Why the Immortals support her is a great question. She maintains some hold over them. We believe that she is an Immortal herself.
“For long, we have been searching for the key to their power and amazing durability, in vain. We suspect that the Immortals have used magic to remove their souls from their bodies, and so we need to find the soul jars of each to harm them. If such soul jars exist, then they would be well hidden or well protected or both.
“Today, in the Imperial court, fawning courtiers flatter the Empress and participate in an endless game of intrigue and backstabbing. Meanwhile, the Empress rules with an iron hand, supported by her Immortal lieutenants. The most terrible of these are Karg the Bloody and Adelle the Burner. However, the Immortals squabble and plot one against the other, each seeking more influence. Here is a list of known or suspected Immortals:
Adelle the Burner (Orange) – Fire, Smoke, Energy
Alatariel the Lurker, of the Black Tower (Black) – Communication, Transformation, Illusion
Arinda of the Silver Eyes, the Empress (Violet) – Mind Control, Knowledge
Karg the Bloody (Red) – War Magic
Krysta the Ice Queen (White) – Cold, Ice, Water
Magnus the Maker (Gold) – Crafting of Magical Items
Ouroborous the Infinite (Green) – Life, Plants, Animals, Earth, Stone
Zorander the Storm Caller (Blue) – Air, Wind, Storm, Weather
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IN THE HIDDEN FORTRESS: The Prophesy
Sir Devan continues:
“One of the early members of the Octagonal Order was known as the Oracle. His or her name was not recorded. He or she was quite mad, but gifted with foresight. Some say that he or she saw the future so accurately, and what was seen was so terrible, that it was the cause of the madness. His or her writings were discredited, but I have come to study them. Here is one of interest:”
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THE PROPHESY OF THE HARBINGER OF DARKNESS
Violence in the earth, darkness in the sky, and a rainbow appears. It is as eternal and certain in the sky as the sun, moon, and stars. It is a spectrum all broken and wrong, with no color touching another. Its light shall shine forth to warp the bodies and souls of all that dwell below it.
A hundred years, and comes the Harbinger of Darkness, a thing of shadow and flame so terrible as to defy description. Upon great wings it takes to the sky and rains devastation upon the world. It is a world without hope, as sturdy walls are shattered and not even eight can be found to continue the struggle.
But hope remains! From a tree like no other, seeds fall upon the earth, to take root and grow. The lesser monster shall betray the greater, and with the proper key, doors will open, the great weapon shall be loosed from its sheath, the rainbow will be shattered forever, and the people shall rejoice once more.
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“In my mind, the first paragraph tells of the rise of the Immortals. The rainbow mentioned must be the Immortals, who are each represented by their color, but who fight and bicker constantly amongst themselves, so they are always separate and apart.
“The second paragraph speaks of some new terror that is yet to come, and perhaps the fall of the Octagonal Order and this hidden fortress. Whatever this Harbinger of Darkness is, it seems to be a terrible force of destruction.
“The third paragraph tells how we might combat this evil. It involves some monsters, some weapon, and some key, none of which we have yet identified. It also involves the seeds of a tree like no other.
“Now, when I found you about to be transformed into something unpleasant, I was eavesdropping on Alatariel’s telepathic sending. She mentioned something odd that she read from your mind, something about a tree in the sky. Now, a tree in the sky is a tree like no other, if you ask me! And that is why I saved you. I believe that you are caught up in this prophesy.”
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"Of course, mistress," 13 mutters dutifully, removing the chains. "Follow me, guests. I believe you'll find the suite most appealing. It is often reserved for royal guests."
13 hadn't been working as the Baroness's bodyguard for long, and had no clue what the guest suite looked like. Or, in fact, the general direction of the west tower.
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general logic dictates in a westerly direction?
but then, english castle builder logic dictates that the route to it lies to the north east, then to the south before eventually turning west just before you've given up hope and decided to turn back..
http://www.myspace.com/seryndippyt
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After several wrong turns and what seems like miles of corridors, 13 eventually leads Seryn and SR into a large spacious but simply furnished room.
No one seems more surprised that they actually made it than 13 himself. Even with the fact that no one is quite sure if he's actually there or not.
Seryn goes immedietly to a bell pull marked 'water - pull twice for hot' and pulls it twice, then twice again for emphasis.
"So...."
"So... what?" SR grabs her around the waist and tries to snuggle.
"Oh no, before any of that you are going to bathe, you've been locked up in a dungeon - you're smelly by association"
SR frowns and pulls a hurt face. "oh don't try that with me mister, besides, it'll make for a fun evening.. you with the bathing, me with the watching you bathe..."
Water arrives (very speedily, yey!) infact, it arrives twice. "well, waste not want not" she says as she dives into the second tub "oooooooooh, good lord, water! clean water! warm! ok, do not disturb for the next three hours."
Ten minutes later, bored, she gets out and goes to look see what they have in the way of clean clothes. She finds a soft wool dress to put on, and drops a shirt and some breeches onto the bed for SR.
"OK, I fold, I can't not ask... are you going to do what the baroness wants?"
(ooc - was that a lot of random detail? I think my edit function is offline)
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Quote:
Originally posted by seryn:
After several wrong turns and what seems like miles of corridors, 13 eventually leads Seryn and SR into a large spacious but simply furnished room.
No one seems more surprised that they actually made it than 13 himself. Even with the fact that no one is quite sure if he's actually there or not.
Seryn goes immedietly to a bell pull marked 'water - pull twice for hot' and pulls it twice, then twice again for emphasis.
"So...."
"So... what?" SR grabs her around the waist and tries to snuggle.
"Oh no, before any of that you are going to bathe, you've been locked up in a dungeon - you're smelly by association"
SR frowns and pulls a hurt face. "oh don't try that with me mister, besides, it'll make for a fun evening.. you with the bathing, me with the watching you bathe..."
Water arrives (very speedily, yey!) infact, it arrives twice. "well, waste not want not" she says as she dives into the second tub "oooooooooh, good lord, water! clean water! warm! ok, do not disturb for the next three hours."
Ten minutes later, bored, she gets out and goes to look see what they have in the way of clean clothes. She finds a soft wool dress to put on, and drops a shirt and some breeches onto the bed for SR.
"OK, I fold, I can't not ask... are you going to do what the baroness wants?"
(ooc - was that a lot of random detail? I think my edit function is offline)
"Do we really know what she wants? We know what she told us she wants. Be very careful not to confuse low technology with a lack of sophistication. A flow chart of convoluted mechanations of a typical power struggle on this planet it would make the wiring schematic of a mainframe computer look simple. So I guess the answer is no, for the moment we will play along with the Baroness and we may even get the whatsit, but I want a lot more information before I make a solid decision. Of course I might change my mind once I put on some pants, doubt it though. She could be setting me up as a fall guy. What do you think?"
OOC: That was just fine.
Scorpion Regent
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TheRealMe awakens in the village inn common room. He attempts to rouse Cozen, Jake7, Mai, and Xander/Ash, then heads downstairs to join Jadehand (and LMD?) for breakfast.
TheRealMe, Captain of the Sereni-Tree
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Quote:
"Do we really know what she wants? We know what she told us she wants. Be very careful not to confuse low technology with a lack of sophistication. A flow chart of convoluted mechanations of a typical power struggle on this planet it would make the wiring schematic of a mainframe computer look simple. So I guess the answer is no, for the moment we will play along with the Baroness and we may even get the whatsit, but I want a lot more information before I make a solid decision. Of course I might change my mind once I put on some pants, doubt it though. She could be setting me up as a fall guy. What do you think?"
"I think it's a distinct possibility.
I also think that we need to look at this from the other side. And maybe a neutral corner. Identify the players, isolate the pertinent thread on this flowchart of yours, and make an educated guess at who is most likely to stab us in the back first. I'm also thinking, do we want to get the others involved?"
She gets up and goes to look in the mirror at the pretty dress, but then something else catches her eye...
"On the other hand, a small part of me is thinking, why not just make a run for it?...
... look!" She stands sideways on to SR and smooths down the front of her dress to reveal a distinct bump "Now is that baby or is life on the tree just making me flabbier?"
http://www.myspace.com/seryndippyt
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Quote:
Originally posted by seryn:
"I think it's a distinct possibility.
I also think that we need to look at this from the other side. And maybe a neutral corner. Identify the players, isolate the pertinent thread on this flowchart of yours, and make an educated guess at who is most likely to stab us in the back first. I'm also thinking, do we want to get the others involved?"
She gets up and goes to look in the mirror at the pretty dress, but then something else catches her eye...
"On the other hand, a small part of me is thinking, why not just make a run for it?...
... look!" She stands sideways on to SR and smooths down the front of her dress to reveal a distinct bump "Now is that baby or is life on the tree just making me flabbier?"
http://www.myspace.com/seryndippyt
"Involving the others could prove very risky. It's not really the time to make a run for it. We are behind too many walls of rock here. The time for running will present itself. It's too late to go into denial now. You are really pregnant. In fact aren't you over due now? Now I know that I have not been with you 24/7, but it seems to me that you have had one of the most low maintenace pregnancies ever. You are just so magic. So when will the cannonball burst forth and claim the title 'Spawn of Seryn'?"
Scorpion Regent
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Quote:
Originally posted by TheRealMe:
TheRealMe awakens in the village inn common room. He attempts to rouse Cozen, Jake7, Mai, and Xander/Ash, then heads downstairs to join Jadehand (and LMD?) for breakfast.
**jake7 yawns mightily, stretches then gets up. After a quick shower she heads off to breakfast with TRM and Jadehand. Spotting them at a table, she joins them.**
Hey, guys! Anything good on the menu?
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MAL: Everybody's makin' a fuss.
***********
"They just float out there, sending out raver breeding parties..."
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