(Seasonal Quest)Signs in the Mist: Ancient Cries Pt. I

Seasonal quest Pt:1; Finale players will be drawn from those that participate in this thread. Levi will be working on another chapter:pt 2. ;) Watch for it.

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A lawless town of anarchists, built on the ruins of an ancient mining city. [Lore]

Moderator: Morose

(Seasonal Quest)Signs in the Mist: Ancient Cries Pt. I

Postby Archelon on November 3rd, 2011, 5:39 am




ooc note :
TEAM: B.E.D.Z. – Bob, Eridanus, Zenai, and Darik
Shall be known as : Team Snurglepuffs XD
TEAM: Survivors – Lyth, Shai, Tikon, and Zandelia
Shall be known as Team whistledorfs XD
Team: Deathdealers. – Rayage, Cade, Darian , and Eryrss
Shall be known as Team Rampage and Damaging XD
Okay… I jest, the first two names are fine, but R n D is definitely Rampage and Damaging :P


Within The Majestic…
“I’m Sorry about that Doler, where was I before we were so rudely interrupted?”
“You were telling me what I need to know, and I told you I’m not ready yet. It will be at least two days before I am prepared.”
”Yes Doler, but do you understand I was explaining why you must be prepared?”
”I’m sorry, please continue.”
The thin haze of a woman smiled at the man as she began, “How much of Sunberth’s history do you know fleshling?”
”It was once a center for mining production for the Alahean Empire but destroyed during the Valterrian. That much even old wives tales can tell anyone. People say the overseers did horrible things to the miners and populace, hence that’s why the townsfolk today abhor anyone who seeks to rule over them all. In fact they can react rather violently towards any sot who tries as they view such a desire as a threat to them all.”
A mournful look passed between Doler and the figure floating above his desk, ”Indeed, you are right; though I cannot gainsay the old tales. I’m sure the alahean nobility who were derived from the original overseers did do some horrible things to the populace. They were required to keep the mines going for the war efforts of course, and later the Oath required it for materials to be sent to Sahova. I make no excuses for their actions, my family has had a long history of abuse towards the common people but there is one thing we excel at: we strive to keep them safe from what they cannot do themselves, even if the current threat is merely one facet of Our Interest here.”

”Then why do the other ghosts seem to hate this action you are taking to protect this gods forsaken town!?“

Doler was cut off with a raised hand,”My dear man, the dead are just as divided as the living; even more so. For some will attempt to allow the threat to kill off the people in this town, one by one if it has to. Heck over the past hundreds of years of strife all these new ghosts were created in this town. Some simply who wanted to protect their families in the valterrian, others wanting to just raze it all down to ash and slay the rest of the living; we call them the Craven. Horrible sorts, always moaning and trying to kill everyone they see. No fething manners at all. We cannot stop all their efforts, not and keep the catacombs contained. That is why you fleshlings are required now. You will have to gain the way into the catacombs themselves to deal with this threat, while we do our best to distract it’s presence away from the streets. With the condition the ancient undercity is in the Journeyman may very well make it to the streets and begin using the deaths of others to call others of its kind here. But hopefully we can prevent that. It was two days for you to be ready yes?”
”Yes”

”Very well, we will buy you the time you need and offer aid when you are ready to end this threat to help you. Until then I suggest we activate the Keys to the pedestals in the Temple. You have the means to see if any are still active though, Don’t you dear?”
”Of course… I’ll check that now…” The man named Dolor turned towards the other side of the office where a thin choldera of water lay with a series of runes around it. In the center a needle of ancient metal lay floating on its surface. Touching a glyph on its edge the strange needle was activated and it began to spin within the water basin, at first slowly, then faster and faster until finally it came to a dead stop pointing at something off in the distance as it flashed red.

”One… looks to be to the north, perhaps the blood pits or the Wolf’s Den.”

”Probably the blood pits, they were part of the old quarries. I’ll send some fleshlings to look there. There was quite a few outside a moment ago causing a ruckus, but that’s certainly what the chattery things like fleshlings tend to do, Don’t you think? Oh nevermind, it was a random question. Please continue Doler Dear. Find out if there are any more, at least those not on the Isle.”

The man nodded once and began the task again, and the needle spun this time pointing to the southwest before it pulsed green light. South west, somewhere near the river, good lord knows where.”

”Probably on the old islet in the river. It’s was a fancy place sometimes from what I was told, I never did live before the Valterrian unlike others of Our Family. I just know we had to have a guard for the ruins there. Especially during festivals. Are there any more?”
Once more the needle spun, and then fixated on a point far to the southeast before it pulsed another color.”One, probably in the graveyard…”

”Ahhh… that makes sense then. A couple of those old graves were guarded as well. Alright , thank you Doler dear, now it’s my turn to uphold the bargain. Give me a second and I’ll find some people lickety split to help us. You just worry about your preparations , okay?”

”Very well Lucerne, Kelwynn be with you; I think you’ll need it.”
With a mischievous sort of amusement in her eyes the woman’s ghost waved goodbye to him before popping her head out the stonework and right back behind the party of the B.E.D.Z. Her radiant smile was wonderfully bright(at least for a ghost’s that was) as she looked at the four of them there…
Last edited by Archelon on November 3rd, 2011, 5:51 am, edited 2 times in total.
Thank you all for the privildege of moderating, unfortunately with deaths in the family and ailing health I am retiring. All thread grades I had on my pc have been forwarded to founders and paragon, so expect them posted soon.
It's been a mixed bag at times , but with all the good and the bad and mixed signals, I can honestly say: Thank you. Please support the next mods of sunberth as well as you have done me.
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(Seasonal Quest)Signs in the Mist: Ancient Cries Pt. I

Postby Archelon on November 3rd, 2011, 5:41 am

Attention Team B.E.D.Z.

It seemed her sudden reappearance had caught them off guard and the ghost smiled as she capitalized upon every moment of it. She even floated down to the point of where her incorporeal nose was almost touching Darik’s as she looked into his eyes.”Ah well take a look at you all now… such a fine foursome of handsome young fleshling lads. Even got a nice looking kid here I must say and the smallish man seems friendly enough. But enough for pleasantries! Business first as they say.”

From behind the group a shadowy grey form began to rise from the cobblestones, its ghostly wailing deafening the party as it began to force itself up through the earth. Unperturbed the woman blinked out of existence long enough to appear a moment later over the still form as a flashing of white light appeared in her hands. A vague sight of a wisp like hammer formed of soulmist appeared and the ghost grunted with effort as she cocked it back like a golf club to swing it down at the Cravenly ghost. The greyish apparition sailed sideways into a house and the woman popped back out of existence a moment before reappearing back in her original spot behind the party.

”Ah well as they say, business first. A proposition for you all, great rewards too. Go to the Stone pits north of here, where they do all the bloody wailing and killing and things you barbaric fleshlings call sport and find the First Key. Take it the temple… Don’t worry you’ll know what it is when you find it. If you don’t do it- well… I’d say pretty much any fleshling’s in this town’s chances of survival after this night might be about Oh… Zero. Nada, Zippo ! Zilch! Not in existence anymore, Got it?" The woman’s figure rose slightly in the air before she looked down at them all, ”Oh Beware the Craven, they’re real bastardly sorts of ghosts that won’t mind killing you dead. The sentinel ghost’s should let you pass now. They’re just trying to keep everyone from the temple. Now be a good set of Dears and just go… don’t mind the risks though. I promise: rich rewards. Lots of good things too. Otherwise, well I’ll just have to find someone else to make good today.” The woman waited there a few moments for some assents to be given before waving goodbye once more and begin to rise again above their heads before stopping herself once more to look down as a curdling scream came from within the domicile she had hammered the Craven into. Within moments the sound of crashing glass came and a village thug’s body fell heavy to the alley floor. His eyes were red, shining from being possessed and his bones began to crack as the spirit inside him began to use his djed to morph him into a clawed figure, ”Oh dear, you might want to start running, it seems it found a host and caught the scent of you all. I won’t be able to hold it off forever so just Go. It’s probably already told others to begin the hunt , and I still have to find people to help with the other keys, so Hurry Up and Run!”
The hammer of soulmist formed again and the ghost popped out of existence once more to flash back behind the wriggling body of the changing man. In another second the hammer came down once more, piercing into the body and jettisoning the grey shade sideways over the heads of the party and into the shields of Dolor’s creation where it fizzled into a fine grey dust.

The woman would turn to look back at the party to see whether they had gone to their missive but the sound of pattering footsteps receding into the distance told her of their fleeing feet. Smiling a slight smile she let the hammer come down to rest upon the ground to wipe facetiously across her brow with an unearthly hand. Lucerne seemed to look down at her hand resting on her hammer and she pouted a little.
”Oh dear, I think I broke a nail on that one!”

A momentary flash of befuddlement came across her face as she spoke to no one in particular, ”Wait can a ghost even break a nail anyway?”

With a bit of perturbation she skipped out of existence only to appear moments later above the rooftops of Stumble Alley as her eyes began to search the city for others to enlist to her aid.
Moderator Note:I Assume you will all accept this task. :P

Within The Blood Pits...
Gray ghosts flitted down towards a protrusion in the wall of the stone pits, deep within the mining tunnels. In their passing, Rats eyes began to glow cherry red and their tails swished as they began to gnash their teeth and grow violent. A few of the ghosts even entered some of the largest ones and used the animals baser instincts to drive the rats into a frenzy.

From the soiled walls, a groaning sound began to be heard, and soon after the clanking of gears and clockworks would echo through the area as an armored figure in red tore itself from the bedrock of the mining tunnels. It’s eyes glowed red, simply standing there as it waited, watching, waiting amidst the shifting pile of rats as it pondered the reasons for its reactivation. A golem, a guard, and a key for the mysteries of the ancient temple of the unknown.
Last edited by Archelon on November 3rd, 2011, 5:58 am, edited 2 times in total.
Thank you all for the privildege of moderating, unfortunately with deaths in the family and ailing health I am retiring. All thread grades I had on my pc have been forwarded to founders and paragon, so expect them posted soon.
It's been a mixed bag at times , but with all the good and the bad and mixed signals, I can honestly say: Thank you. Please support the next mods of sunberth as well as you have done me.
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(Seasonal Quest)Signs in the Mist: Ancient Cries Pt. I

Postby Archelon on November 3rd, 2011, 5:41 am

ATTENTION: TEAM SURVIVORS:
The rooftops were soon a very dangerous place for shai and the rest, a series of grey ghosts were whirling about them, pushing them slightly, taunting them as they sought to bring them down off the roofs. Yes, the rooftops were a dangerous place, not only for their usually shoddy construction in the boroughs of the ‘Berth but also in their affinity for high places. To the Craven, Fleshlings did not belong on the rooftops, or in the sky. They belonged deep within the earth, dead and buried and slaughtered and maimed for all their juices to feed the plants, and their fleshy organs to feed the animals.

To the Craven’s views: that was where the Fleshlings belonged.

Dead, Deader than dead, and something that even Time forgot.

But soon enough as the four were pressed back to back, waving their claws, and weapons blindly into the dark shrouds that threatened to bear them down another ghost made its presence known. A presence that came with all the swiftness of a hammer of Izurdin to side of a mortal’s face!(okay not really :P). Through great swings the hammer began to pierce the clouds, bowling the Craven far and wide like golf balls towards distant parts of the city and the four would soon find themselves alone save for the image of one ghostly woman, seemingly out of breath as the hammer dissipated into nothing as she stood there breathing deeply a moment as her ghostly words came out in gasps that were a mile a minute.
" River Island. Key. Need Help. Fleshlings. Go. Get Key. Take to Temple. You four help , please? Danger, great danger. City. Destroyed. People Killed, Unless. Find. Must get. You go. Rewarded. You shall be. Beware Dangers though. Craven. Craven not good! Bad craven. They’d Hurt you all if they could. Go. You .Must. I Beg You. Find Key take to Temple.”

Straightening up to take a deep breathe Lucerne would squeeze her eyes shut and smack her ghostly cheeks a little to compose herself before floating serenely once more, ”I’m sorry that was uncharacteristically rude of me, Fleshlings to not speak so you could understand me. There’s great dangers about. Big danger. Danger I can’t even explain to you all yet but it could wipe out the entire town! We need help from you fleshlings! There’s a Key by the river Islet, Take it to the Temple Quick. We have to stop this… We’ll make sure you’re rewarded, I promise you that. Beware the greys, they’re Craven. Dangerous They’ll stop at nothing to help this town be obliterated!”

A look of concern flashed across the young woman’s face as her eyes looked through the heavy mist towards a point in the far off distance… “Ohhh!! There’s another group of you fleshlings in trouble. Just help! Please! I beg you all! Just get the Key to the Temple. You’ve already been targeted by the Craven, they’ll find you all even if you’re hiding. Just please help!” A plaintive whine came to her voice a little as she pouted out the last of her words.“Ohh, If I knew this was going to be so much work I would have stayed home today!”

Without another word the ghost of Lucerne turned from the party and ran to vault off the roof before she flashed out of existence. A short time later she appeared above the roof of another house nearby, and then another, and then another before she receded from sight. The party was left with her words, an enigma, and a warning of further dangers brewing. But would they heed her words to face the perils of their task? Only time would tell…

By the riverside... River Isle Ruins/(location is still being worked on, you’ll be the first here. AKA=-= I’m making this up on the spot XD. :P)

Down by the riverside, south of Robern’s rotting mansion, a small island in the midst of the river, covered in thickets and brush lay dormant and unwelcoming towards any foot slogging trespassers though fisherman and beggars sometimes feasted on the blueberries gained from bushes on its shores. It was a small isle, barely three hundred feet across and six hundred feet in length and at its highest point on a fifty foot hill an old stone monument of a circle of stones lay covered in moss choked scrawlings and sigils. Most of the city would not dare to trespass upon the soil around it, thinking it to be the grave of some abomination held over from the ancient era. Others merely thought it was a way to mark a passing of the seasons, or a calendar from the time before the watchtowers flared. Some still merely viewed it as some ancient artist’s work, trying to make a name for himself.

Whatever the case may be; it’s presence was a sight to traveling river boaters bringing crops from the fields to the market and then to the docks for shipping elsewhere.

But in the mists, grey ghosts passed, and some of the vegetation began to wilt and blacken to dust. If they looked close enough would see a small stone bridge make its way out towards the island as the waters inextricably were forced away as the bridge rose out of the river’s surface.

Amidst the stone ring the ground moved as a gauntleted hand thrust itself up into the night as the earth began to move. Slowly a golem, in green armor unearthed itself from the mire and the muck which held it to stand amidst the night. From the waters surrounding the island a hissing of reptiles and snakes could be heard as they began to slither upwards towards the bridge… their eyes glowing faintly as they spat venom at each other, and hissed their unpleasantness as the largest ones hissed them forwards to take guard around the statue upon the top hill.

Together, the mighty slithering forms began to rise together and the largest of them wriggled, it’s eyes blank as it began to take a dhani’s form. The grey ghost inside it beginning to force its newly possessed body to mutate and change as the head of its dhani began to elongate to include the hood of a snake.
Last edited by Archelon on November 3rd, 2011, 5:56 am, edited 3 times in total.
Thank you all for the privildege of moderating, unfortunately with deaths in the family and ailing health I am retiring. All thread grades I had on my pc have been forwarded to founders and paragon, so expect them posted soon.
It's been a mixed bag at times , but with all the good and the bad and mixed signals, I can honestly say: Thank you. Please support the next mods of sunberth as well as you have done me.
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(Seasonal Quest)Signs in the Mist: Ancient Cries Pt. I

Postby Archelon on November 3rd, 2011, 5:41 am

ATTENTION: Team Deathdealers…

Behind the Nuit grey tendrils of mist began to stretch across his form, as the spirit gently probed him sensing his undead state. ”You are dead, like us… Help us… Kill the fleshlings. Kill them all. Start with the ones here and you will be our brethren. Our equal… Kill them…. Kill them all… Let us join with you… Together we shall have Power. Power to kill the fleshlings, and then you will be removed from the cursed form of your undead state to join as in the pyres as this town burns. Surely that is what you would wish?”

Whether or not the words would be heeded by the nuit or not they would be interrupted from a woman’s voice high above shouting out a visceral scream as a shape of glowing white plummeted through the mists towards the greyish figure below. A giant hammer rammed the greyish apparition into the ground and the ghostly woman stood a momentum, her feet hovering slightly over the ground as she struggled to catch her breath.”Don’t listen to them! Please! They’ll just lead you to your deaths or your unmaking! Look there’s something I need you to do, I’ll make sure you’re all rewarded. Richly rewarded. In the graveyards to the southeast of the city, where the mists thin is a Key. You’ll know it when you see it. It needs to be taken to the Temple or everyone and every living thing in this town is going to end up dead faster than a drunken midget can drown in a barrel of winter ale! Just beware of the Craven. They’ll try and stop you. Hell, kill anyone that’s possessed by them if you need to. Just get that key.”

The mists behind the group swirled that oddish grey and a keening sound came again before the woman looked at Rayage and the other robed man. ”Look, you seem to be a nuit, maybe even one from sahova. If you finish this task I might know someone that can help you understand a bit about some magical oddities around here. Holdovers from the Pre-valt empire. A couple of alloys and splitter things to they used to use. You might not be as easy to bribe as a fleshling but I’m sure you might learn something good. I just hope you can petching help enough to see this through.”

The howls came again and the woman straightened up to hoist the soulmisted hammer over her shoulder again. ”Look, you guys really need to go, whatever you’re going to do you better do it now. Those Craven have your scent and won’t stop coming after you until you’re all dismembered and dead. So think about it like this: If you get the Key from the graveyard and bring it to the Temple then you’ll at least be able to survive the night. I’m sure even a moron would understand how that would work. Vie Alahea and Sunberth, and all that nonsense and don’t die! I need your help!”
Without further ado the ghost leapt past them and vanished into the mists, swinging her hammer at the grey ghostly wall that had been creeping closer to the party who had been unaware of its enshrouding presence. The nuit was right about one thing though, the mists were not natural: They were soulmist. The white mists the soulmists of the ghosts of the Isle, clouding over the city to suppress the Craven while they tried to coordinate some means of saving the city… perhaps the nuit would realize that fact now that he had met one of them.

Within the Graveyard and the Hillside cemetery of the Dust Pit…

Wolves were howling as dark shades passed them, shades that were born of hatred and wished nothing but the end of the town of sunberth. The end of all living things. Their numbers began to blur as their shapes moved amongst the graves, pawing at the earth, gnawing at the headstones as their ire began to grow.
Upon the highest hill, amidst a large stone catacomb with drawn runes etched upon its surface, a creaking sound of stone breaking could be heard as a large rocky hand clenched itself amidst the stagnant air. The last golem had awakened. It’s eyes burned Red amidst the mists as it strode out towards the top of the hill and stood there, as if awaiting orders. Orders which might never come; It just stood there: One more silent sentinel of the ancient town standing amidst the darkness… waiting for a hand to guide it back into the fray of battle. A key that would hopefully take its place on one of the platforms in the temple to open the way to the Catacombs…

Player Notes:
Whew ^-^ That was a long haul to read all that, but I’m caught up to here on grading this thread in progress ;). Anyways. OBJECTIVE TIME:

It’s really pretty simple: Take your respective groups and get to the respective locations while encountering any troubling ghosts, or possessed people or craven. Remember: the Lodestar ghosts won’t actually hurt you, just try to keep you away from the temple before the keys are delivered there ^-^. The real problem will be all the nasty little grey ones that just want you all dead :P. Have fun, and remember: also you should have fun :)

These threads have been split at this point, but I'll have the grading cumulative throughout to the following for the individual groups :).
Thank you all for the privildege of moderating, unfortunately with deaths in the family and ailing health I am retiring. All thread grades I had on my pc have been forwarded to founders and paragon, so expect them posted soon.
It's been a mixed bag at times , but with all the good and the bad and mixed signals, I can honestly say: Thank you. Please support the next mods of sunberth as well as you have done me.
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(Seasonal Quest)Signs in the Mist: Ancient Cries Pt. I

Postby Ablation on May 26th, 2014, 4:53 am

Image
Zandelia :
Experience:
    Stealth +2
    Leadership +1
    Tactics +1

Lores:
    Stealth: Caution is Building Block
    Sunberths Geography (Deep Understanding)
    Mist: Seeing Its True Nature
    The Mist is Alive
    The Mist Screams
    Danger of Grey Ghosts


Rayage :
Experience:
    Observation +1
    Intimidation +1

Notes:
    I found it very difficult to find XP to award you, though I thoroughly enjoyed your writing. If you see something that I have missed feel free to PM me.


Shai :
Experience:
    Stealth +2
    Observation +2
    Socialization +1
    Leadership +1
    Climbing +1

Lores:
    Sym: Weakness and Strengths of Senses
    The Mist is Alive
    The Mist Screams
    Danger of Grey Ghosts


Please don't be afraid to PM me with any questions ^-^ and please don't forget to remove your grading request from the list to keep My office spick and span.
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