UO: Exquisite Corpse

[canary]

It took only two more minutes for the shrill, piercing screams of Michelle's voice to begin bellowing through the halls of the demon's lair. Every one was seemingly louder and more intense than the last.

"Your trickery knows no bounds, as does your cruelty," an imp, bound in magical servitude, said coarsely to the demon as he rested upon his throne, crafted of the bones of many victims, in the main chambers. Shadows from the braziers, located in the corners of the room, created illumination that danced upon the lines of the demons cragged face.

"She is of no consequence, but her helpless wails do bring a certain ambiance, don't you think, my pet?" the demon laughed darkly. "Besides, I had been grooming her for so long to entice the other woman... Claire. I do enjoy keeping playthings around, if only to take in the delight of their pain."

"Of course, master," the imp agreed, flying to the demon's side.

"Besides," he continued to laugh with a bellow," you would have thought that the human woman would have caught on years ago that it was not even the REAL Ra'Dian Fl'Gith who attempted to take her heart. Humans... so easily tricked. While that filthy elf went about his business, she believed a mere imp such as yourself was trying to LOVE her!"

He turned back to the crystal ball near his right side that allowed him to see the polymophed imp, posing as Ra'Dian, torturing Michelle. "At least she was right about one thing in this facade. He IS indeed a monster, and no man."

A deep, thunderous cackle permeated the halls, almost drowning out the still howling Michelle.

"But if we truly wish to make this a most entertaining game, perhaps we should introduce this Ra'Dian Fl'Gith as a player... what do you say, Xenarlyn?" the demon asked.

The imp merely struck back with a devilish smile of his own...

 

[watchertoo]

The night air was cool, wisps of mist hanging over the Yew countryside. Claire would have wished for a moonless night in which to take her soundless leave. Instead the orb hung full and bright half way between the horizon and the heavens.

No matter, she would stealth from this refuge; it wasn't right to be here and it wasn't right to be parted from Kali. Claire made her way through the woods, easily bounding over bushes and logs in her wolven form, many thoughts passing rapidly through her mind. Kali, Lady Michelle. One was in pain, this she could feel, and both were in danger. Who was the creature she tended at the house in Yew? She had known instantly that it was not human. Claire had been blessed with an empathic ability, more so for the animals of the land, but also for humans and elfs, and the minute she had touched the imposter she had known it was not Michelle. Such deliberations would have to wait, concentration, focus, silence and stealth were the priority now.

She approached Azlynn's house with great care as one could never tell when a minion of Minax would appear either making their way into the base or stalking the well supplied sanctuary. She slipped through the entry, up the stairs and made her way to the small chests against the wall. Claire cringed as the hinges creaked and even the rustling of contents seemed deafening. She blessed the virtues for her friend.

There were supplies of all nature; bandages, potions of healing, cure, strength and stamina, smoke bombs and, most importantly, the silver. Many hours had Kali and Claire spent killing the followers of the Shadowlords, deep in the dungeons, surrounded by the vile demons. For that unpleasant duty they received a bounty of silver, most donated to her faction, some given to Azlynn's Whisper for safe keeping, for today.

Hastily she gathered supplies, selected suitable pieces of armor, portioned enough silver to commission the making of a few specific faction items, and, just as she entered, she left. The silent wolf running through the Sosarian night had a long journey ahead of her.

 

[aoLOLita]

… groaning and dry retching, the bedraggled figure crawled away from the magical portal’s eye smarting aura. The smell of fresh grass and his own sour vomit nauseated, the cacophony of the bustling city’s noises assaulted his ears, and he felt totally disoriented without a pitching wooden deck beneath his bare feet! Squinting at the majestic building nearby, he laboriously mouthed the words etched on the placard hanging there: “Bank of Luna”.

Crikey, how in Hades did I wind up here in this haven of landlubbers, Billy the Bilge Rat wondered …

 

[MalagAste]

Elaugeth Arken'ep wasted no time in heading through the woods to catch up to his prey. He paused only long enough to saturate himself in the smells of the forest. He wanted nothing to warn them of his approach.

He wrapped his cloak about himself concealing him completely though his stood in plain view. He touched the hilt of his "prize" sword and felt it's power. It was as strong as the rock from which it was crafted, the magic inside it's ebony exterior was so delightfully strong. He shuddered as he felt the blade's hunger for more power. He could feel it draining his own magic into itself growing ever stronger. What a gift it was indeed, he grinned.

It took him little time to pick up the trail of the great beast as it lumbered through the wood. Patience, he told himself. He longed to be done with this deed so he could return home with his "prize" in hand. Surely this will please his Queen. Enough perhaps to earn him rank over the other wizard of the house, he hoped, daring to dream that he could be the head wizard of the house of Arken'ep.

 

[Lady Michelle]

Ra'Dian Fl'Gith would never ask, or order her to marry him. She knew this demon was not the real Ra'Dian Fl'Gith. Demons don't understand human life, if they did this demon would of never ordered her to marry him. A long lost Uncle would never order you to marry him in 3 days of just meeting him for the first time. Setting her plan in action by provoking this fake Ra'Dian Fl'Gith to torture her. By refusing him again before he ordered her again to marry him.

After spending over 5 years with a person you learn alot about them, and from them. Knowing Claire would never fall for the impostor being her, but Claire had no idea that Michelle was actually alive. Her plan worked out perfectly Claire will feel her pain, and know its her because she as felt her pain before. A smile crossed Michelle's lips as she whispered the words might as well turn me into a squirrel again.... closing her eyes she falls asleep.

 

[watchertoo]

Peace. A restless peace, aye, but at least it had brought a blessed release from pain. Claire was still, eyes closed as if to force a connection to her friends. Which one had been suffering the pain, she still didn't know. Why it had stopped, that was indeed a worry. Was her friend slipping away from this world?

Panic rose in her throat as if to choke the life from her, tears began to well in her eyes. Voices of friends filled her ears; those who needed her, those she had lost, those who had taught her well. Claire wrapped her arms about her as if she could hold onto reality. She was slipping, the swirling darkness about to consume her.

Breathe. A single voice made itself heard above the others.

 

[Lady Michelle]

"I WANT HER GIVE ME WHAT I WANT". Screamed the demon child as she knock over things. " I'M THE ONLY FEMALE BESIDES HER, AND I WANT HER".
Michelle listen to this demon child carry on.
"YOU NEVER GIVE ME ANYTHING!!!". The demon child bellowed as she knocked another thing over.
"Now you know that is not true".The demon lord said patiently to his only female daughter. " she will bite you she is not tamed"
"No she won't bite me". The demon child ran over to Michelle, and placed her arms around her.
"Get away from her now before she takes a bite out of you". The demon lord said with a raised voice.
Michelle knew this was her only chance to get off this wall. She turns, and sweetly places a kiss on top of the demon child's head. Thinking she would get a nasty taste in her mouth, surprisingly she smelled, and taste like cherry blossoms. Taking notice to that the child was wearing human plain dress the color pink, that kinda clashed with her lightly pink skin tone.
"She kissed me she likes me". Smiled the demon child.
" Fine I'll think about it, now run along". said the irritated demon lord.
Once the demon child left he turned to Michelle.
"Hurt her in anyway I will make the last torturing seem like a walk in the park as you humans would say it". Demon lord said through clenched teeth. " Do I make myself clear"?
" Crystal clear." whispered Michelle.

 

[RaDian FlGith]

The demon paced back and forth in a long passageway. As he walked, the roughshod walls reflected in a million tiny sparkles any small amount of light that made its way in. Had another seen him from a distance, perhaps the description would have been passed along in prose of a gigantic winged beast storming through the midnight sky. The demon, however, paid little attention to his surroundings, more pressed with how to deal with the most recent turn of events with regard to his captive, the Lady Michelle. He stopped, let a smile come to his lips, and licked his upper right fang with his ebon tongue. "Yes. That shall suffice."

Less than an hour later, the demon set in front of his "daughter" a plate covered in a dark, torn piece of cloth. Yanking the remnant of Michelle’s robe away from the plate, a huge haunch of meat was revealed. "You wanted her, my child," he spoke in a deep, evil tone, pointing to the hunk of flesh, "you may have her."

As he lowered himself down upon his own stone seat at the other end of the rough table, he smiled at a similar chunk of meat on his own plate. "Now, Lady Michelle, you shall serve me properly."

He ripped a huge mound of flesh off with his teeth, and began to enjoy his meal. "Ah... The orcish chefs have seasoned you well, Lady Michelle. In death you are far more delicious than your agonizing screams were in life," he mused to himself, and then took another bite.

* * * * *

Claire Elizabeth awoke with a start, a spine-chilling scream echoing within her head. She sat in her bedroll, ever so still, hardly breathing, listening to the world around her. Her head racing to collect consciousness, she couldn't quite remember where she was. She could remember leaving Yew, but where had she headed? And what about the sound still resounding in her thoughts? Had it been a dream? Had she awoken to something outside? Had it been something even more sinister?

A few moments passed, and Claire shook her head, trying to clear the last echoing remnants from her mind. It was then she realized a tear had rushed down her left cheek. How had I not known I was crying? she thought silently to herself. What has happened?

Every hair on her body felt then as if it stood on end, for a breath, not even a whisper, but a single, solitary rush of air passed over her. In it was a sound, a cough, a sputter perhaps, but more so a feeling. Michelle, she knew, was gone.

The tears began to flow freely, and she could not control the soft sound of her own sobs.

 

[Lady Michelle]

The demon paced back and forth in a long passageway. As he walked, the roughshod walls reflected in a million tiny sparkles any small amount of light that made its way in. Had another seen him from a distance, perhaps the description would have been passed along in prose of a gigantic winged beast storming through the midnight sky. The demon, however, paid little attention to his surroundings, more pressed with how to deal with the most recent turn of events with regard to his captive, the Lady Michelle. He stopped, let a smile come to his lips, and licked his upper right fang with his ebon tongue. "Yes. That shall suffice."

Less than an hour later, the demon set in front of his "daughter" a plate covered in a dark, torn piece of cloth. Yanking the remnant of Michelle’s robe away from the plate, a huge haunch of meat was revealed. "You wanted her, my child," he spoke in a deep, evil tone, pointing to the hunk of flesh, "you may have her."

As he lowered himself down upon his own stone seat at the other end of the rough table, he smiled at a similar chunk of meat on his own plate. "Now, Lady Michelle, you shall serve me properly."

He ripped a huge mound of flesh off with his teeth, and began to enjoy his meal. "Ah... The orcish chefs have seasoned you well, Lady Michelle. In death you are far more delicious than your agonizing screams were in life," he mused to himself, and then took another bite.

* * * * *

Claire Elizabeth awoke with a start, a spine-chilling scream echoing within her head. She sat in her bedroll, ever so still, hardly breathing, listening to the world around her. Her head racing to collect consciousness, she couldn't quite remember where she was. She could remember leaving Yew, but where had she headed? And what about the sound still resounding in her thoughts? Had it been a dream? Had she awoken to something outside? Had it been something even more sinister?

A few moments passed, and Claire shook her head, trying to clear the last echoing remnants from her mind. It was then she realized a tear had rushed down her left cheek. How had I not known I was crying? she thought silently to herself. What has happened?

Every hair on her body felt then as if it stood on end, for a breath, not even a whisper, but a single, solitary rush of air passed over her. In it was a sound, a cough, a sputter perhaps, but more so a feeling. Michelle, she knew, was gone.

The tears began to flow freely, and she could not control the soft sound of her own sobs.

Staring at the platter of food that's Michelle's body. The demon child turns to her father with a icy stare as the rage, and fury builds up in her. She releases it on her father with just a flick of her finger sending him crashing into the wall behind him. "YOU BETRAYED ME FATHER, YOU KNEW I WANTED HER AS A PET, AND NOT SERVED ON A PLATTER". The demon child wailed as she flicked her finger again making the make shift temple shake. as she flew out the window. The last words he heard from her " YOU MADE A ENEMY OUT OF ME".
The Demon child flew away, and knew what she needed to do find claire.

 

[canary]

The cool morning air dried Claire's tears, but could not erase her memories.

She had decided earlier that the city of Dawn would be her destination. The city state of Dracona, ruled by the noble yet enigmatic Emperor Valeryx, had a reputation for being somewhat aloof from the affairs of men; in truth, the idea of paying visit to its ancient halls was an intimidating notion. That ruled Ra'Dian Fl'Gith out, in her mind. The island city of Magincia was besieged; for years it was a dangerous place to travel, though somehow the estate of Lady Silverbrook stood defiant against the darkness that existed there. Dawn rested in the old lands of Felucca, but it was, to Claire, the safest place to travel. While not a city that was under proper Britannian rule, WildStar, Dawn's current Duchess, was well known throughout Sosaria for her kindness and dedication to the Virtues. Her friend Norius' insistence that WildStar also was skilled in the magical arts and might provide some assistance with answers was a definite boon.

Yes, Claire thought. WildStar would have to do... she'd have to help. She simply would have to.

She leaned over, reviewing the potions again in her backpack before she set off. She realized this was the third time she had went over them. Her nerves were on edge. The loss of Michelle, the dream of her finally succumbing to a tragic fate... Kali's departure away from her. It wore upon her soul and heart. Like her world was unraveling before her. She did not want this.

Breathe.

Her mind wandered to the animals, to her friends. Hers was a world where she was kin to the creatures of the forest, creatures of the sky. She had to center herself.

A familiar sound caught her ear. A moongate was being activated nearby.

 

[RaDian FlGith]

As the demon watched his tempermental "daughter" fly away, he laughed, noticing that only bones remained on the plate, and that his "child" had eaten well.

"You'll settle as soon as your stomach does," he laughed. "And when you do, I shall teach you proper Common as well."

 

[RaDian FlGith]

"Claire!"

She stepped quickly through the moongate, turning to see the Lycaeum behind her, now barely able to make out the shimmering, iridescent robes of the elder sage through the distortion of the dimensional fold. She turned back around, and called out again, "Claire!"

The shapeshifting tamer seemed at first confused and then, her hand thrusting into her backpack, ready to act. Holding her own hands up in front of her, she shook her head, her long, braided ponytail brushing against her neck. "Please, Claire Elizabeth, there is no need for defense. I come from Moonglow. There is much we must discuss."

Claire Elizabeth's expression shifted from fear to suspicion, then faded to mild distrust. "I have had little sleep this past eve, and affairs of the wilds seem bent to evil," Claire spoke. "Yet, you seem familiar to me."

"Indeed," she spoke. "I am Myara Oakmoor. I have been sent from the Lycaeum to bring you news. You have been watched, and already, we suspect, a close friend of yours has paid the ultimate price."

She went to take a step closer to Claire, but as she raised her foot to move, her ears heard a twig snap heavily from behind. Without much more than instinct, she pushed off with her planted foot, and spun around to face her rear, drawing two glimmering katanas from sheaths upon her back.

As her eyes met with a figure, Myara's voice grew grave. "Claire, run."

 

[Lady Michelle]

The demon child landed on the side of a mountain to rest. Patting her bag with Michelle's remains that she switch with the platter of picked human bones of her fathers pet that the servant never removed off the floor.
She knew there was someone she needed to seek. That could even bring Michelle back from even this state. Just as powerful or even more powerful than her own father. The demon child sat there weeping, not knowing the one she seeks is herself, she has the powers in her to do anything even to restore Michelle. All she needs is the one who will help her with her new found powers. Closing her eyes she clears her mind and hears a voice travel north, and find Dawn. Not knowing what that meant she flew off in the direction the voice told her to go.

 

[canary]

Two orcs lunged out from the brush, both wielding clubs and wearing tattered cloth over their thick, greenish muscular frames. Startled, Claire stumbled back, her mind still rattled from both her emotional state and the confusion of Myara's arrival. Landing on her side, she felt the air knocked out from her lungs. Looking up, and saw a dark green leather boot. As her eyes followed upwards, the familiar face of Norius, bow in hand, stood above her.

"Myara said move," Norius said, nocking his bow. "You left in the dead of the night, Claire. You had me worried."

"Do not come any closer!" Myara stated coldly, her katanas at the ready for any sign of possible attack. "I have had what can only be described as an incredibly bad morning, though presenting your heads to the taxidermist might turn things around."

"Stoopid humiez!" one screamed, waving his club to motion the other forward to fight. "Gyiv uz humie gurl!"

The orcs ran forward, putting their incredible strength into the heavy clubs. With a deft, quick slash, Myara killed the first, separating his head from his body. Norius let an arrow from his lightweight shortbow fly, and as it struck the other orc in the chest it emanated a shock of blue hued lightning. With a smell of charred flesh in the air, it keeled over dead.

"Orcs," Myara said with a sigh, surveying the bodies and nudging one with her boot. "Only ever effective in large groups."

Claire still looked stunned. She went to open her mouth but realized nothing was coming out. She knew she needed to focus, but it was as if her head and body were two separate entities.

"But two orcs mean its part of a larger search party," Norius said to Myara, noticing her blades painted green with the blood of orc. He reached down to assist Claire up, which she readily accepted.

"Lycaeum," Myara ordered, pointing at the shimmering gate nearby.

With that, the trio entered the moongate, allowing it to dissipate and entered the Isle of Verity.

 

[siyeng0]

Hah, this is why I could never do forum RP.

 

[canary]

Hah, this is why I could never do forum RP.

(OT: boo!)
(On Topic

The gate shimmered to nothingness, leaving Norius, Claire and Myara in the marble underground chambers of the Lycaeum. A stocky yet muscular dignified looking man, perhaps judging by earth years in his mid forties, was before them. Claire noted he wore the robes typical of a high ranking scholar from the Lycaeum, though oddly iridescent. A leather bound spellbook was held tightly in his hand. With his free hand he adjusted his spectacles.

"I was going to the Kingdom of Dawn. This isn't Dawn..." Claire sputtered, some of the contents of her backpack she was holding absently falling to the floor.

"Nor is it the headquarters of the Council of Mages," Myara said, arching her brow. "Norius was kind enough to share your plight."

"Norius..?" Claire responded, turning to the youthful looking elf as he pushed back his raven colored hair with an unusual white stripe running in it.

"Like I said, you left in the dead of the night. On the advice of my friends here, they thought you might be better served if we intervened," he replied, removing the quiver from his back to get more comfortable. "You left before I... we... could talk to you."

"Who is 'we'?" Claire asked, bending over to collect the spilled items of her backpack that were strewn upon the floor.

With a wry though serious smile, the solidly built scholar who had apparently conjured the moongate approached Claire. He extended his hand in a gesture of friendship. Standing, she cautiously accepted his invitation.

"I am absolutely delighted we could collect you before any more of those nasty, dreadful creatures could find you and potentially have your soul harvested. You may call me by my appointed title, the Illustrious Elder Sage Lord Byron Evenquill the Third, Protector of Truth, Guardian of the Secret Vault, and Commander of the Order of the Sacred Moons. At your service," he smiled broadly. "We wish to help you."

 

[RaDian FlGith]

The demon watched his "daughter" sleep, her wings curled around her violet body, twitching as she laid upon the cavern floor. Perhaps man would not describe the nocturnal state of a demon as "dreaming," but it would be the only word even close to accurate in the human tongue. He reached out with his mind, and witnessed her dream of having rescued Michelle. "Such fantastic thoughts, child. It's amazing how your mind reels with events that could not have occurred."

He smiled, reached down, and snapped her neck.

"You are of no further use to me." He continued the snapping action, bending the demon child's head to an impossible angle. "I shall not wait for you to grow strong enough to betray me."

 

[Lady Michelle]

The demon child sat straight up eyes wide open was only a nightmare. Shaken she crawls out from under the yew tree, and starts to fly towards the North.
A magical gate open up in front of her having no time to stop the demon child flies right in, and it closes. She hears you are now safe child No one will find you here.
"Where am I"? asks the demon child "Is this Dawn"?
" No this is not Dawn, but you will be save here come rest" said the lady with the wings.

 

[canary]

The demon child sat straight up eyes wide open was only a nightmare. Shaken she crawls out from under the yew tree, and starts to fly towards the North.
A magical gate open up in front of her having no time to stop the demon child flies right in, and it closes. She hears you are now safe child No one will find you here.
"Where am I"? asks the demon child "Is this Dawn"?
" No this is not Dawn, but you will be save here come rest" said the lady with the wings.

The demon child was led by the hand, her bag of bones still on her shoulder. The woman, her robes a white gauze, sported long, flowing feathered wings. She smiled, reassuringly, at the child. The woman led to to a large, open room with a vast ceiling that seemed to stretch forever. In the center of the room was a small fountain, which they serenely walked to.

The woman, still with her soft smile, waved to the fountain. It swirled, pictures forming in its visage. An image of the child, dead by her fathers hand, could be seen. Her neck twisted and distorted as he coldly stood over her lifeless body. The demon child, if it was capable of tears, would have cried at the revelation.

"You no longer live on the physical plane," the woman said with a tinge of sadness in her otherwise melodic voice. "As you ceased to live on that plane, your soul believed it was escaping, and so you thought you were going to Dawn."

"Dawn is not a location. I am Dawn," the woman explained carefully. "You were coming to visit me."

"Be not sad, little one. You have passed into the beyond, through what some call the Gate of the Eternal Dreaming. You are safe, you are welcome here. For there is no turning back to the world that you knew," the woman said delicately. "It is beyond your... or mine.. or anyone's grasp, beyond ever going to again. But there are other places, other things, to explore in this new world."

The demon child felt a stirring in her bag. Gone were the gnawed bones that were once Michelle. Opening it, she saw an actual live squirrel moving about.

"You and this creature, Michelle, are now here forever. I brought her with you, as your act of sacrifice was so noble and just. I would not let her linger in the limbo your father sought for her. There is no pain, no hurt in this plane. The world you left is not one that can be returned to, for you... and what you were... just as your friend Michelle, have come to an end on that world," the woman explained.

"Th... thank you, Lady," the demon child said. She looked down into the bag with Michelle, chirping away happily. "And Michelle? I'm sorry I ate you."

"It is time that we continue to walk, child," the winged woman said. "We have a long journey ahead of us. Your story may be over in one land, but, believe me... it is just beginning in this one. And there are so many, many things for us to see together."

Overjoyed, the demon child agreed. Michelle also squeaked in agreement, wanting to see this new world, as well. The three of them, content with this new adventure, continued to walk into the room, beyond it, and finally into the unknown.

So ended the tale of Michelle the Squirrel and her demonic child friend.

 

[Lady Michelle]

The demon child was led by the hand, her bag of bones still on her shoulder. The woman, her robes a white gauze, sported long, flowing feathered wings. She smiled, reassuringly, at the child. The woman led to to a large, open room with a vast ceiling that seemed to stretch forever. In the center of the room was a small fountain, which they serenely walked to.

The woman, still with her soft smile, waved to the fountain. It swirled, pictures forming in its visage. An image of the child, dead by her fathers hand, could be seen. Her neck twisted and distorted as he coldly stood over her lifeless body. The demon child, if it was capable of tears, would have cried at the revelation.

"You no longer live on the physical plane," the woman said with a tinge of sadness in her otherwise melodic voice. "As you ceased to live on that plane, your soul believed it was escaping, and so you thought you were going to Dawn."

"Dawn is not a location. I am Dawn," the woman explained carefully. "You were coming to visit me."

"Be not sad, little one. You have passed into the beyond, through what some call the Gate of the Eternal Dreaming. You are safe, you are welcome here. For there is no turning back to the world that you knew," the woman said delicately. "It is beyond your... or mine.. or anyone's grasp, beyond ever going to again. But there are other places, other things, to explore in this new world."

The demon child felt a stirring in her bag. Opening it, she saw a squirrel moving about.

"You and this creature, Michelle, are now here forever. I brought her with you, as your act of sacrifice was so noble and just. I would not let her linger in the limbo your father sought for her. There is no pain, no hurt in this plane. The world you left is not one that can be returned to, for you... and what you were... just as your friend Michelle, have come to an end on that world," the woman explained.

"Th... thank you, Lady," the demon child said. She looked down into the bag with Michelle, chirping away happily. "And Michelle? I'm sorry I ate you."

"It is time that we continue to walk, child," the winged woman said. "We have a long walk ahead of us. Your story may be over in one land, but, believe me... it is just beginning on another."

With a reassuring look in her eyes, the demon child agreed. Michelle also squeaked in agreement, wanting to see this new world, as well. The three of them, content with this new adventure, continued to walk into the room, beyond it, and finally into the unknown.

So ended the tale of Michelle the Squirrel and her demonic child friend.

The lady with the wings nudges the Demon child awake" Child your dreaming"

The demon child wakes up and tells the lady with the wings her dream.
"No worries child you are safe here no one can touch you here not even your father, and Michelle is here to we need her remains, to do the ritual to make her one of us".The lady with the wings tells the Demon child.
The demon child hands over Michelle's remains.
*and the story continues *

 

[canary]

Claire was brought to one of the conference and lecture halls of the Lycaeum by the individuals who had recently saved her from a potential ambush in the forest. She had a lot of questions, and they only grew in number as time progressed. Ushered in by a guard garbed in shining Virtue armor, they went inside. Two guards, both in the same regalia, made their way to the door, ensuring none would interrupt the assembled from their discussion.

"Sacred Order of the Moons?" Claire asked quizzically, taking a wooden chair that was offered to her. "I've never heard of you before."

"We do not attempt to go about making our presence widely known," Myara explained. "It is sometimes that things are better left to the shadows. The Sacred Order is an organization within the Lycaeum itself. They are sworn to guard and protect. So, please, worry not. We are here to understand what is going on ourselves... and if we can, help."

"Indeed. It is our understanding you have been the victim of strange arcane phenomena?" Lord Evenquill said, going instinctively to one of the bookshelves in the room to check for something.

Claire nodded. Again, it was an eerie feeling to be in the company of so many people. The forest continued to call to her, her friends. Yet she knew that, out there, answers were not going to be as forthcoming.

"My dragon friend, Kali, and I have been attacked repeatedly by... something. A presence? It feels as if it wants something from me, but what I have no idea. I lead a simple life. I dedicate my life to the Virtues, as do many. I enjoy my time with the kinship of the wood. What would I have of any importance?" Claire replied, shrugging her shoulders. "And yet I feel an odd sensation as if something else, some other presence, is guiding me."

Norius turned to Lord Evenquill, who still seemed to be searching for something. A stoic expression crossed his face. "And she had a friend who was slain by an attack and vanished. Oddly, that same friend appeared alive, days later in Luna."

"That wasn't my friend," Claire stated emphatically. "I do not know what it was, but it was no friend... human, animal or otherwise. I could feel it. Where is... that... Michelle, anyhow?"

"She is at the Healer's Home here in Moonglow. She's being taken care of, and away from potential prying eyes," Norius reassured her.

A chuckle of satisfaction came from Lord Evenquill. He pulled a very worn book from the bookcase. "Aha! I think I may have something."

 

[Lady Michelle]

Months have passed since the demon child ran off.

"Hows the training going?" Asked Ourie

"She's flicking her finger a little to hard." Michelle answered fluttering her wings." she does like her new name Nedra"
"Yes I do very much" smiled Nedra.
Michelle smiles back and says "Why don't you go feed Kali".
As Nedra ran off to feed Claire's Dragon, Michelle hopes that Claire is also safe. If she could she would have brought Claire here to
least she could keep Kali safe.

 

[Crag Toadystoner]

A black glove reached out and placed a perfect, four-inch replica of the Lady Michelle onto the glowing, pentagonal dais. As the figurine touched the platform, a slight humming sound emanated from a nearby device. The area upon which Michelle's figure touched began to glow a brighter amber light, pulsing slightly.

Elsewhere in the Death Zone, Lady Michelle appeared in a waft of smoke. She struggled to figure out where on Sosaria she had suddenly been dragged to, but before she could think for much more than a moment, she heard a strange, almost mechanical voice call out from behind her.

"EXTERMINATE!"

A sound much like a tarred harpy lit on fire and shot from a canon using far too many explosives cut through the air, and a blue-green pulse of energy coursed through her.

As the Lady Michelle plopped to the ground, dead, a small bowl of petunias thought to itself, Oh no... not again.

 

[RaDian FlGith]

Somewhere in a fortress upon a mountain nearly forgotten, whisked away by time, nearly destroyed by The Shattering, a figure in a long, brown robe dangled his legs over the side of a short wall, wiggling his toes in the clear, crystal water below. Neither too warm nor too cool, the water was just perfect, and he smiled softly, looking down to the book at his right-hand side that rested near him. Its deep emerald cover, dyed with what had to have been a natural pigment, was aged, the leather cracked, but not quite fading. The silvery pages within were turning a strange, deep gray-blue at the edges, but, he knew from his previous cursory fanning of the pages, they were otherwise untouched by the ravages of time.

He shook his head slightly, and picked up the tome. "Of course it would be here," he said aloud more to hear something that resembled conversation than to hear himself speak. "There are so many mysteries here in the lands of Ilshen, but we know this for certain. The Followers of Armageddon are inextricably tied to this place in some manner."

Turning to his left, he opened the flap of his backpack and carefully slid the tome inside. Closing it, he shifted his position so that he could swing his legs over the short wall and to the blue floor behind him. Standing, he didn't bother waiting for his feet to dry before slipping them into his brown, leather sandles. Walking back toward the cave entrance he had passed through before, his only thought turned to that of the demonic hells that he had ventured through just to find the place. And he smiled again.

"Vas Ylem Rel," he spoke as he walked, and looked down as his fingers swiftly began to grow dark brown feathers. Now, he thought to himself as he took to the skies as an eagle, Now to get this back to the Order. Safely.

 

[watchertoo]

Days had passed but she can remember the details vividly. The peaceful walk through the Lycaeum, the red gate, the sound of fighting, the "call" to battle. For all the time since the gate closed Chloe had searched for the one "with the long blond braid", the one that was her height and so familiar.

She had followed the trio back to the gate, the two protecting the one, and to the Lycaeum. She felt she was more than an expert at the art of disappearing but she had never seen the likes of how those three had vanished. She had searched every corner, in every door, tracked with her skill and her heart, she had found nothing.

The mage stood on the shore of island, eyes cast down at the waves, hoping the salty breeze would clear her mind. She closed her eyes and sought the counsel of her spirit guardian, her maternal grandmother, long parted from the world.

"Is she here grandmother?" Chloe Marie could almost see her gramma Beth's smile and hear her voice.

"Eldest daughter of my daughter, take heart. You will find the one that shares my name."

She raised her face to the breeze, breathed deeply and opened her eyes. An eagle, such a beautiful creature. "I wonder where it is going?"

 

[Lady Michelle]

A black glove reached out and placed a perfect, four-inch replica of the Lady Michelle onto the glowing, pentagonal dais. As the figurine touched the platform, a slight humming sound emanated from a nearby device. The area upon which Michelle's figure touched began to glow a brighter amber light, pulsing slightly.

Elsewhere in the Death Zone, Lady Michelle appeared in a waft of smoke. She struggled to figure out where on Sosaria she had suddenly been dragged to, but before she could think for much more than a moment, she heard a strange, almost mechanical voice call out from behind her.

"EXTERMINATE!"

A sound much like a tarred harpy lit on fire and shot from a canon using far too many explosives cut through the air, and a blue-green pulse of energy coursed through her.

As the Lady Michelle plopped to the ground, dead, a small bowl of petunias thought to itself, Oh no... not again.

OT
HAHA!!! can't kill someone who is already dead. I never brought her back to life.

 

[canary]

"What have you found, Lord Evenquill?" Myara Oakmoor asked, readjusting the black leather gloves upon her hands.

"The Complete Love Poems of Horace Haargoth, Volume 41," Lord Evenquill replied with a look of satisfaction of his face. His iridescent robe shimmered from a shiny brown to a cheerful yellow as he opened the tome.

Norius, still concerned for Claire and who was seated beside him, attempted to hide any look of annoyance upon his elven features. Unfortunately, this failed miserably. "Lord Evenquill? Now may not be the best time for love poems..."

Lord Evenquill dismissed Norius, waving his hand at him. The robust Commander of the Sacred Order of the Moons placed the aging book upon a finely crafted wooden table, one of many in the lecture hall. He took a chair which was right beside Myara to sit in, and continued to thumb through the pages.

"Pish, boy, " Lord Evenquill retorted. "Though I do love Haargoth's poem 'A Kiss For A Bloodworm', I'm looking for... this," He said, and stubbed his finger on a page near the end of the book.

Myara looked over Lord Evenquill's shoulder, and he continued to stub his finger on the page and began to mutter something under his breath. She smirked.

"I may not have walked the path of a mage, but that appears to be the words to a spell of some sort," she said, then looking to Norius.

"Indeed it is, Captain Oakmoor," Lord Evenquill replied, noting Myara's station in the Sacred Order. "I surely wouldn't put this spell in some old, standard spellbook, would I? That surely is asking for all kinds of trouble!"

Myara simply nodded, the smirk on her face still evident for Claire and Norius to see. Lord Evenquill was Commander of the Sacred Order of the Moons for a reason. Though he was often very eccentric in his ways of thinking, he also was keenly intuitive and incredibly knowledgeable in a host of subjects. Still, she never seemed to fully understand his methods. Norius, a more recent member of the Sacred Order, was often put off by Lord Evenquill's demeanor, which oddly amused the swordswoman to no end.

Lord Evenquill coughed to clear his throat and adjusted his glasses. "Now that I've found it, let's put this spell to the test, shall we?"

 

[Lady Michelle]

Lovely first assignment, as to be sitting at a bank with a spell weaver. Instead of with a spell weaver in a battle. Can't talk to know one, because they don't understand chimes, and jingles. Michelle starts fluttering about.
"All Stay" commands the Spell Weaver
"Chimes jingle chimes(Oh great now I can't move)". mutters Michelle to herself.
Michelle thinks she sees Claire turn the corner by the stairs she tries to run to her, but is being held by the stay command. a lot a good that would of done Michelle since Claire can't understand her, and would never know it was her. Claire would think summoning fey gone mad. Finally the spell weaver releases her, and she is immediately transported back up to the summoning feys head quarters.

 

[RaDian FlGith]

Deep within the mostly secret tunnels running beneath the Lycaeum, Byron held open the aging tome of poetry, looking not at one of the passages of prose, but rather at the spell he had hidden within its not so secret pages. There had been more danger of a felonious teenager scribbling notes of unrequited love on top of the spell than of anyone ever stumbling upon the particular bookshelf and upon that particular book and then upon that particular page. As many scholars would agree, the best place for potentially dangerous information is right out in the open, completely unprotected. Mostly because evil is often illiterate, and often because who, other than a librarian, would ever know where to look within a cavernous, magnificent collection of thousands upon thousands of books. And who would have ever suspected an innocuous little book of underworld poetry?

"Des Por Tym," Byron called out, looking about the spellcasting chamber. At three other points, West, East, and South, three other elder scholars from the sacred order had joined him, each looking over a bowl of sand. They each echoed the words of power he had called out, and then mimicked his action of dropping a smooth piece of pumice into the sand.

As each rock hit its respective bowl of sand, a ripple shot forth briefly within the sand, but then with a flash of amber light, resounded out into the chamber as if sand and water and air had all become one. The ripples reached outward, each merging with each other, each brushing over everyone and everything within the room. As their paths merged, the ripples slowed. Byron noticed that as the ripples crossed over candles lit along each wall, the flames within also slowed, no longer flickering but rather moving with determined, steady motion.

"Ort," Byron called out, his own movement now more laborious. "Ex," he added, hearing his own voice echoing the first word of the second spell back upon him. "Wis." The cacophony of his own voice reflected back upon himself joined with the casting of the other three scholars became nearly deafening. "Tym!"

His own actions no longer hindered, Byron winced a little in advance of the wave he knew was about to come. A powerful flash of bright yellow light shot forth from the center of the chamber, the point where the four ripples had converged between the four mages. There, a visage appeared for all to see. A visage that Byron, as a frequent traveller to the lands of Ilshen in the earliest days of their discovery, recognized immediately. The high mountain, he knew, was home to a hidden fortress of knowledge.

"Sanct Ex Por Tym," Byron intoned with his three brethren, and the amber moongate began to sparkle with a silvery outline. No sooner had the gate itself changed than an eagle flew through. At nearly the same moment, the four scholars chanted the words "An Des Por Tym," and the eagle transformed into the visage of a tall, lanky man with long, gray hair. Byron smiled as the gate dissolved, and he stepped forward to greet the fifth scholar, smiling, clasping him on the shoulder. "Edward, was our mission a success?"

Edward reached out and placed his hand on Byron's opposing shoulder. "Indeed, brother. As you suspected, it was exactly where no one would look." He lowered his hand, reaching into his pack, and produced a dark-emerald tome. "It was sitting right out in the open."

"Exactly where I would have hidden it," Byron smirked.

 

[Jhym]

"Exactly where I would have hidden it," Byron smirked.

Behind a pillar, a silent glint of light shifted, almost in careful examination of the scene. Slowly the glint moved into the darkened chamber, unnoticed by the excited scholars as they moved to surround the man holding the emerald book, that also glinted, as though it WERE pure emerald.

"Ah brother, our hopes begin to solidify..." Byron laughed as though he hadn't in a long time. He waved his hand.

"Brothers, let us give thanks to those that guide us for the return of the first shard of our Purpose." They bowed their heads and murmured as one.

The glint touched the book, still in Edward's hand... and suddenly, it was not.

Pandemonium broke out as Edward screamed, "A THIEF!" and clouds of noxious fumes suddenly appeared around the room. Coughing, the men as one raced towards the only opening into the room as it quickly closed with a grinding thump.

Byron hit the secret wall with his fists, screaming in frustration "In Por, In Por!"

Several dozen meters above them, a shadowed figure burst from a bookcase and tumbled out a window, scattering books and papers in its wake.

 

[MalagAste]

The shadowed figure ducked quickly and quietly around the nearby corner. "Uh!", he exclaimed, looking down to see a slick black blade now firmly buried in his belly.

Elaugeth Arken'ep grinned looking at the pained face of the theif. "Pitiful creature." he spat as he yanked the ebon blade free. Blood poured from the wound and the thief sank to the ground. He quickly grabbed the emerald book from the dying grasp of the slick thief. "Dos ph' jal folt oolos cu'thezth ulu l' Ilythiiri (You are all fools compared to the Drow)." he whispered pulling his piwafwi (drowish magical cloak) over himself he vanished into the shadows.

"Now I have all I need to destroy the Dragon and bring the house of Arken'ep the greatest of gifts. Soon I will be the most powerful wizard in all of the Underdark". He would give the blade to the house but the Emerald book, that would be his and his alone. "None will stand in my way", he thought to himself smugly as he vanished into the night.

 

[Jhym]

He would give the blade to the house but the Emerald book, that would be his and his alone. "None will stand in my way", he thought to himself smugly as he vanished into the night.

Below, in the chamber, the brothers sorted themselves out and reopened the secret doorway.

"Trevor, clear the room, the rest of you, fan out upstairs and look for the thief, discreetly." Byron walked through the rockway followed by Edward and the others. Trevor sighed.

He cast a few cantrips to wash down the polished stone, then dry it. Murmuring, he gathered the remainder of their evidence of occupation in a small pouch.

Looking out the door, he carefully pulled a glinting emerald book from his robe, opened it, and cut out all of the pages to replace in his robe. Splitting the cover with a spell, he dropped the shattered pieces into the pouch and then left the room. Carefully he sealed it with the spell lock and pressed the four plates that made up the standard lock.

Trevor walked discreetly back to his room, dropping the pouch into one of the convenient magical "trash chests" that the realm provided for junk. He knew it might reappear somewhere, but it was not likely anyone would understand what the emerald chunks actually WERE. He smiled slightly at the commotion that most likely was the finding of the now dead thief and the implication of the quite manipulatable Drow.

A message left in his belongings near his bed was enough to misdirect again, if anyone got that far. Trevor walked to the moongate, directing it to Britain Felucca. He exited the portal and silently flitted from tree to tree on his way to his further studies, not even alerting the birds and squirrels he passed. There was much to do, to translate, and then work on the next piece of the puzzle.

 

[watchertoo]

It was no use. Chloe watched the graceful tilt and glide as the eagle became a dot in the distance. She had tried; four wolven legs running over rocks, stumps, dirt and sticks were no speed match for an eagle in full flight.

She slowed her breathing, controlling her heart rate and her emotions, head tipped slightly down, golden wolf eyes transfixed in the direction of the eagles course. It was oddly silent in the Moonglow forest and Chloe quickly changed back to human and hid herself. Why were the creatures absent? What did they sense? She checked her pack for her potions and her spellbooks, they were readily at hand.

The unknown ahead may well dictate the use of her legendary abilities, those that cannot be used in an altered form. With a silent command A Whisper appeared beside Chloe Marie. The young mage took hold of the ethereal mane, sung up gracefully and stroked the ghostly neck as A Whisper settled into a ground eating canter.

 

[Lindae]

As pets go, this one didn't seem to fit into a nice neat category. It was a little bit horse, a little bit mongbat, with a pinch of nightmare thrown in for deliciousness. The legs were definitely those of a ki-rin, the tail undeniably lupine. But the soul... the soul was that of a hellbound daemon.

The sky was clear and lucid. The birds were singing, the trees gently waving, the wildflowers of the meadow were all a-bloom with the springtime and the slavegirls of the orc camp were singing tra-la-lally, and the sun shone gently down upon the smoking ruins of Luna.

It was a glorious sight. Chunks of sandstone lay strewn like hideous corn, ripped from their foundations and tossed by some immeasurable force. Paladins ran shrieking in useless circles, their incompetence revealed finally in their hour of greatest need. The remains of a thousand neon-bright vendor robes fluttered in the wind like hideous flags. Priceless wares were scattered on the roadside, attracting hordes of greedy looters like bright and inarticulate vultures.

Singing with the voice of a thousand demented angels, the hybrid monstrosity paced through the alleged city, shooting white-hot bolts of flame at the occasional catatonic banksitter and melting them where they stood. Its legs were feathered with flames, its mane alight, and its eyes glowed golden like the Termir Flam at dawn. Haloed by the inferno, it frolicked amidst the carnage as the hideous sandstone buildings blazed and crashed down into ashes.

"What a glorious success," said Hoosnitch the traitorous High Mage (who later went on to have a successful career as a romantic novelist specialising in the obscure Meer noir subgenre, father seventeen healthy children and two with more than the accepted number of heads, and finally become a born-again Balronic Scientist and die tragically during a routine virgin sacrifice at the Chaos Shrine), cackling over his crystal ball in the dark recesses of what had been the Luna Bank but was now nothing but a blackened cavern. "Go, my pet! Destroy! Destroy! Burn this wretched place to the ground!"

And it did away with Luna and it was just amazing, all the Umbrians stood around and laughed, you really should have been there.

The End.

 

[Omnius]

I think it's time to unsticky this.

 

[Ezekiel Zane]

I think it's time to unsticky this.

Me too.

Along with a few other stickies. When the list takes up half a page, what's the point? I'd also like to see the stickies NOT carry-over to every page after the first page.