G
Guest
Guest
"Scuse' me, mate..." The deeply tanned man gruffly grumbled as he shuffled past me at the bar on his way out. "There's a man in da back... that wants'a speak wif' you..." *hic* I nodded my thanks as the drunken farmer stumbled out the door and into the cool, early evening air. Sadly, the stench of rotgut wine on his breath did not make as quick a departure. I spun on my stool towards the back of the tavern to see a pair of dark eyes peering out from beneath a shadowy hood. I finished my ale, ordered another from the haggard bartender and approached the back corner cautiously.
We sat quietly sipping our ales for a few moments before he finally broke the silence. "I am told you are one who deals in... information?" I merely nodded and met his gaze. "And you have connections with the various news gazettes and journals?" Another nod. Satisfied, he continued,"I do believe I have the story of the year for you... News of a great movement." His lips split into a grimace at this, a gesture that I could only assume was an attempt at a smile. "I would tell you all about it, but I think it's best I show you instead. Come along, we don't have much time, though we have far to travel..." Abruptly, the hulking man rose from the table and made a beeline for the door. I was far too intrigued to object and hurried after him, only briefly regretting leaving my half-full ale behind. As I emerged into the waning light, the mysterious gentleman turned in his saddle to look me up and down. "Your insurance is paid up, right...?" The heartiness of his laugh should have reassured me, but the glint in his eyes convinced me otherwise...
<center>*****</center>
After a short but disorienting journey, we arrived on the shard called Sonoma. I had not made a such a trans-shard journey before, but fortunately it was rather painless. Apon arriving, my companion murmured some words of power and opened a portal from a rune in his pack, through which we passed into Feluccan lands. A giant stone structure loomed before us in which dozens of people were milling about, strapping on armor and stuffing various items into packs slung on their backs. I turned to ask the mysterious gentleman what they were preparing for, but before I could speak, he lowered his hood to reveal a visage of stark and hardened, yet noble features. As he did so, a glint of light on his finger drew my attention to a golden insignia ring. My eyes widened in recognition of the stylized monogram. He looked me straight in the eye and with that same grimaced smile spoke his first words since leaving the tavern on Pacific...
"Welcome to the newest colony of The Empire of the Fallen Lords... Tell anyone else where we are, and I'll gut you myself." There was no malice nor even a hint of threat in his tone... merely a promise. I nodded a silent agreement, acknowledging the fact that I had come too far now to turn back. It was then that the Fallen Lord bestowed upon me the Fallen Lords banner and tag.
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"This will keep you from safe from accidental harm by our spells. Of course, nothing will keep you safe from intentional harm... see to it you give none of us reason." He brusquely turned on his heel and I and fell into step behind him as he entered the stony keep. I recognized a fair share of the grim faces in the stronghold from our home shard of Pacific and yet many more were new to me - members acquired in the Empire's voluminous travels.
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"So is this FL's 'World Tour: The Sequel'?" I quipped as we passed a group of mages frantically grabbing reagents and stuffing them into pouches and bags.
"Let me be perfectly clear. This is not a tour..." he grumbled over his shoulder at me. "For better or worse, we are here to stay." We arrived at two enormous iron doors which swung easily outward on well oiled hinges. "Our assembly hall. The rest will be joining us shortly." His gaze flicked to a tinkered clock hanging on the wall. Mere minutes before midnight.
From here on, everything was a blur... Last minute preparations and checks were being yelled out by commanders and battle leads. Gear was checked and rechecked. Supplies were crammed into packs in anticipation of a drawn out fight. Suddenly, flickering red portals began opening up all over the keep and the Fallen Lords began streaming through. "Try and keep up," were the sponsor's parting words as he too charged into a nearby gate. <center>
We first charged thunderously into the Fire dungeon and from there took the teleporter to the Dungeon Despise. I was most impressed by how quickly and orderly the Empire moved as one solid unit from location to location. No one was straggling behind, no one was haphazardly rushing ahead. There wasn't even any pushing and shoving at the teleporters... Frankly, I expected less civility from this savage group.
It was mere seconds before the first victim of the night took a dirtnap... Ahh, to have seen their expression when 50 or so Fallen Lords came galloping down on them at full speed. Several other unsuspecting spawners met their untimely demise shortly after. Again, I was amazed at how quickly the guild reacted and moved as one, each with their own role.
The Champion's island was sealed off from potential intruders in the blink of an eye and the Champion of the Vermin Horde, Barracoon never had a chance.
A horn sounded and the Empire made their push into the Star Room, securing it in a flash. The Fallen Lords paused briefly to see if the native Sonomans would challenge their attempt to summon the fearsome beast known as the Harrower. When no opposition came, the Champions' skulls were mounted into their places.
The Harrower spawned in the depths of the Dungeon Deceit. The first to arrive set up a perimeter as the first line of defense in the anticipated battle to come.
Just inside, another surprised victim was quite literally run down and run over by the marauding Fallen Lords on their way to set up and secure the Harrower.
The designated spawn kill team worked quickly to bring down the tentacles and harrower to reveal the true harrower's form.
Meanwhile, the team in charge of keeping would-be raiders at bay were doing just that. A few halfhearted attempts at a push were made by various kamikazes to no avail.
It was on our way out, after having secured the Stat Scrolls safely, that we discovered the natives had finally risen to the occasion with an assembly of members of various guilds. There was simply no stopping the Empire, however and this cursory force was quickly slain.
It was at this point that word came from Pacific that attempts were being made in FL's absence to run a few spawns. A small, elite group was dispatched to handle it whilst the rest made ready for Harrower #2...
This time, the Harrower spawned inside the dreaded Terathan Keep, site of the eternal struggle between ophidians and terathans. While all the same steps to secure the immediate area against a raid were followed and the same teams set up as before, the native Sonomans had taken advantage of the distraction on Pacific to spread the word and amass a stronger force, consisting of mainly COP, WAKA, and MOO. They put up one hell of a fight.
Persistence prevailed at first and the Sonomans began to edge closer and closer to the harrower's location.
Experience and teamwork won in the end, though and the Fallen Lords began to not only regain lost ground, but managed to surge forward to break the enemy's ranks, forcing them back into the Champion's area.
Eventually, the battle was taken to the bridge and down into the Star Room where the remaining natives staged their final stand. Alive one minute...
Gone the next... I believe it is safe to say, the Fallen Lords have made quite the entrance on Sonoma... Time will tell when, and if, they make an exit.</center>
<center>*****</center></center>
After the battles had at last subsided, I dragged my bone-weary body back to the Empire's Colony stronghold where I bid my gracious hosts adieu. Upon my return to the Pacific, I made a quick stop at the bank to unload what little loot I had time to grab in the skirmishes. As I stood sorting my items, a short troll of a man elbowed his way past... Recognizing him for the clumsy amateur that he was, my hands flew to the pack at my side to see if he actually managed to grab anything. Much to my surprise, instead of missing something from my possessions, I discovered I had indeed gained something... a tightly rolled parchment scroll. I spun around but he was nowhere to be seen. As my hand closed around it to draw it from my pack, my fingertips brushed against the wax seal and I instantly know from whom it came. The quality of the parchment and the embossed seal were all too familiar... I held my breath as I broke the seal and unrolled the parchment...
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</center>
We sat quietly sipping our ales for a few moments before he finally broke the silence. "I am told you are one who deals in... information?" I merely nodded and met his gaze. "And you have connections with the various news gazettes and journals?" Another nod. Satisfied, he continued,"I do believe I have the story of the year for you... News of a great movement." His lips split into a grimace at this, a gesture that I could only assume was an attempt at a smile. "I would tell you all about it, but I think it's best I show you instead. Come along, we don't have much time, though we have far to travel..." Abruptly, the hulking man rose from the table and made a beeline for the door. I was far too intrigued to object and hurried after him, only briefly regretting leaving my half-full ale behind. As I emerged into the waning light, the mysterious gentleman turned in his saddle to look me up and down. "Your insurance is paid up, right...?" The heartiness of his laugh should have reassured me, but the glint in his eyes convinced me otherwise...
<center>*****</center>
After a short but disorienting journey, we arrived on the shard called Sonoma. I had not made a such a trans-shard journey before, but fortunately it was rather painless. Apon arriving, my companion murmured some words of power and opened a portal from a rune in his pack, through which we passed into Feluccan lands. A giant stone structure loomed before us in which dozens of people were milling about, strapping on armor and stuffing various items into packs slung on their backs. I turned to ask the mysterious gentleman what they were preparing for, but before I could speak, he lowered his hood to reveal a visage of stark and hardened, yet noble features. As he did so, a glint of light on his finger drew my attention to a golden insignia ring. My eyes widened in recognition of the stylized monogram. He looked me straight in the eye and with that same grimaced smile spoke his first words since leaving the tavern on Pacific...
"Welcome to the newest colony of The Empire of the Fallen Lords... Tell anyone else where we are, and I'll gut you myself." There was no malice nor even a hint of threat in his tone... merely a promise. I nodded a silent agreement, acknowledging the fact that I had come too far now to turn back. It was then that the Fallen Lord bestowed upon me the Fallen Lords banner and tag.
<center>
"This will keep you from safe from accidental harm by our spells. Of course, nothing will keep you safe from intentional harm... see to it you give none of us reason." He brusquely turned on his heel and I and fell into step behind him as he entered the stony keep. I recognized a fair share of the grim faces in the stronghold from our home shard of Pacific and yet many more were new to me - members acquired in the Empire's voluminous travels.
<center>
"So is this FL's 'World Tour: The Sequel'?" I quipped as we passed a group of mages frantically grabbing reagents and stuffing them into pouches and bags.
"Let me be perfectly clear. This is not a tour..." he grumbled over his shoulder at me. "For better or worse, we are here to stay." We arrived at two enormous iron doors which swung easily outward on well oiled hinges. "Our assembly hall. The rest will be joining us shortly." His gaze flicked to a tinkered clock hanging on the wall. Mere minutes before midnight.
From here on, everything was a blur... Last minute preparations and checks were being yelled out by commanders and battle leads. Gear was checked and rechecked. Supplies were crammed into packs in anticipation of a drawn out fight. Suddenly, flickering red portals began opening up all over the keep and the Fallen Lords began streaming through. "Try and keep up," were the sponsor's parting words as he too charged into a nearby gate. <center>
We first charged thunderously into the Fire dungeon and from there took the teleporter to the Dungeon Despise. I was most impressed by how quickly and orderly the Empire moved as one solid unit from location to location. No one was straggling behind, no one was haphazardly rushing ahead. There wasn't even any pushing and shoving at the teleporters... Frankly, I expected less civility from this savage group.
It was mere seconds before the first victim of the night took a dirtnap... Ahh, to have seen their expression when 50 or so Fallen Lords came galloping down on them at full speed. Several other unsuspecting spawners met their untimely demise shortly after. Again, I was amazed at how quickly the guild reacted and moved as one, each with their own role.
The Champion's island was sealed off from potential intruders in the blink of an eye and the Champion of the Vermin Horde, Barracoon never had a chance.
A horn sounded and the Empire made their push into the Star Room, securing it in a flash. The Fallen Lords paused briefly to see if the native Sonomans would challenge their attempt to summon the fearsome beast known as the Harrower. When no opposition came, the Champions' skulls were mounted into their places.
The Harrower spawned in the depths of the Dungeon Deceit. The first to arrive set up a perimeter as the first line of defense in the anticipated battle to come.
Just inside, another surprised victim was quite literally run down and run over by the marauding Fallen Lords on their way to set up and secure the Harrower.
The designated spawn kill team worked quickly to bring down the tentacles and harrower to reveal the true harrower's form.
Meanwhile, the team in charge of keeping would-be raiders at bay were doing just that. A few halfhearted attempts at a push were made by various kamikazes to no avail.
It was on our way out, after having secured the Stat Scrolls safely, that we discovered the natives had finally risen to the occasion with an assembly of members of various guilds. There was simply no stopping the Empire, however and this cursory force was quickly slain.
It was at this point that word came from Pacific that attempts were being made in FL's absence to run a few spawns. A small, elite group was dispatched to handle it whilst the rest made ready for Harrower #2...
This time, the Harrower spawned inside the dreaded Terathan Keep, site of the eternal struggle between ophidians and terathans. While all the same steps to secure the immediate area against a raid were followed and the same teams set up as before, the native Sonomans had taken advantage of the distraction on Pacific to spread the word and amass a stronger force, consisting of mainly COP, WAKA, and MOO. They put up one hell of a fight.
Persistence prevailed at first and the Sonomans began to edge closer and closer to the harrower's location.
Experience and teamwork won in the end, though and the Fallen Lords began to not only regain lost ground, but managed to surge forward to break the enemy's ranks, forcing them back into the Champion's area.
Eventually, the battle was taken to the bridge and down into the Star Room where the remaining natives staged their final stand. Alive one minute...
Gone the next... I believe it is safe to say, the Fallen Lords have made quite the entrance on Sonoma... Time will tell when, and if, they make an exit.</center>
<center>*****</center></center>
After the battles had at last subsided, I dragged my bone-weary body back to the Empire's Colony stronghold where I bid my gracious hosts adieu. Upon my return to the Pacific, I made a quick stop at the bank to unload what little loot I had time to grab in the skirmishes. As I stood sorting my items, a short troll of a man elbowed his way past... Recognizing him for the clumsy amateur that he was, my hands flew to the pack at my side to see if he actually managed to grab anything. Much to my surprise, instead of missing something from my possessions, I discovered I had indeed gained something... a tightly rolled parchment scroll. I spun around but he was nowhere to be seen. As my hand closed around it to draw it from my pack, my fingertips brushed against the wax seal and I instantly know from whom it came. The quality of the parchment and the embossed seal were all too familiar... I held my breath as I broke the seal and unrolled the parchment...
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