|
And Still It Hungers...
Posted: 25 Sep 2008 08:01 AM |
The Black Tide settles over southern Vives, stretching from the eastern coast over the Great Plains and as far as ancient Mirghul.
It broke through under a veil of confusion and uncertainty: an alien, unfamiliar thing defying every belief and expectation, hitting the proverbial shores of the waking world with crushing waves of darkness and shadow. Now it rests quietly beneath the skin of the earth, wading into the world of dreams.
A lingering cloud of dread pollutes the air, taunting the imagination and burrowing into the subconscious.
A disease hiding in dormancy, waiting for the right moment to waken… |
|
|
  |
|
|
Re: And Still It Hungers...
Posted: 25 Sep 2008 08:02 AM |
~ The Stand ~
They have spent weeks in wary observation; precious moments wasted tracking the corruption as it circulated through the forests like diseased blood, spreading its infection to even the most remote corners of the woodlands.
It results in a silent war fought beneath the surface of the world: silent but not entirely invisible, as is always the case when fighting sickness.
Three years ago, it would have been enough. Experience passed on through generations has taught the Sunbringers of their place in the grand scheme of things, and true victories were no longer theirs. The days when the Defenders of Mirghul pioneered the war against Syn and his shadows are long gone, leaving them as little more than preservers of the status quo.
The true victories now belonged to others.
But the darkness is nothing if not insidious, always finding new ways to creep into the world and spread its poison. This was not a thing born of the ancient shadows and nightmares, which have grown so old and twisted and black that their origins were forgotten; it is young and hungry, born of new pain and suffering and fear.
This time, there was no fateful moment waiting to take place, no miraculous intervention to face the shadow and banish the night. If they did not stand against the darkness, now before it is too late, then there is no telling what could happen.
And gods help them all if they fail… |
|
|
|
|
|
Re: And Still It Hungers...
Posted: 25 Sep 2008 08:06 AM |
Event: The Stand
Time: Monday, October 6, 00:00 GMT / Sunday, October 5, 19:00 EST
Location: Syn's Caverns |
|
|
|
|
|
Re: And Still It Hungers...
Posted: 05 Oct 2008 06:25 PM |
| * |
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about dying."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means lying in the ground with dirt on your face and holding your breath forever."
-Burt Reynolds, "The End" |
|
|
|
|
Re: And Still It Hungers...
Posted: 05 Oct 2008 06:41 PM |
| ((Event sorted out, thank you all.)) |
|
|
|
|
|
Re: And Still It Hungers...
Posted: 07 Oct 2008 05:47 AM |
Throughout the forest of Mirghul and its surroundings, the Mirghul Sunbringers and Rangers have intensified their patrols. Strange rune stones, glowing with a warm bright and light, can be seen standing next to Brandibuck, the Eagle’s Nest Ridge, the Ranger’s Lodge and Khadros Manor, offering protection and respite from the darkness.
Though few dare to do so, those who cross the woods continue to be watched by silent figures from a distance, their presence felt but not seen.
Against this small spot of hope, Syn’s Caverns have plunged back into darkness.
* * *
Citizens of Brandibuck and others across the South continue to drop into comas while they sleep at night, and the Ye ‘Ole In The Ground inn is now filled with victims of this strange affliction.
People have begun to avoid sleeping altogether, fearing the increasingly terrifying nightmares that visit their every dream or the danger that they may never wake up again.
* * *
The haunted regions of Southern Vives remain plagued by strange visions and illusory realities experienced by those who travel them. Every night appears to be longer, darker, and colder than the night before, and some feel as if they may never end. |
|
|
|
|
|
Re: And Still It Hungers...
Posted: 07 Oct 2008 04:22 PM |
~ The Nightmare ~
They hurried through the woods, crossing from place to place, fighting the darkness as they go. They never considered, not even for a second, that it was not only the new darkness they fought, this formless shadow they named ‘Great Creeper’.
These shadows were older, trapped in Maldovia for a thousand years, yet craving to walk once again across the face of Vives.
When the new darkness emerged, it tore down the powers that kept the isle of shadows at bay. It was only a matter of time before this rattled hornet’s nest unleashed its swarms into the world, and the results of all that effort – all those sacrifices – spent millennia ago would be undone.
They reached out with a purpose, to break through the borders that for so long had held them at bay. Though they failed, one place was not spared the onslaught. Even the greatest light casts the darkest shadows, and within Syn’s Caverns the Mirghul Sunbringers have cast the strongest light yet.
When dawn came after that long night, the shadows returned to their accursed prison, but the message rang loud and clear: Syn has set his eyes upon the world.
On their own, the Defenders of Mirghul have faltered. Now was time to put all cards on the table: they will not get a second chance.
* * *
Alistair watched as the shadows swarmed out of Maldovia, the forces holding them at bay failing under the influence of the new darkness.
The southern lands of Vives have too often been visited by calamities, the air of tragedy and devastation still hanging over these places like a cloud of grief and terror. Things both new and old have left their scars on the psychological fabric of the world: a well-fertilized land for the seeds of the new darkness to grow.
To him, it was such a fascinating thing: all that death and sorrow and destruction coalescing into a single black mass of sheer horror and dread. It was the very essence of Syn.
It was also the last thing he would ever have to do with the Void. Those many years of study all came down to this one unexpected opportunity: to stare into face the nightmare he has for so long sought to understand, and then walk away from it.
There are, in this world, far more wondrous and far less terrible mysteries to uncover.
The only thing left was to find the right volunteers to take the plunge into nightmare. |
|
|
|
|
|
Re: And Still It Hungers...
Posted: 07 Oct 2008 04:33 PM |
Event: The Nightmare
Time:
Prelude - The Convocation of Mirghul: Friday, October 10, 00:00 (GMT) / Thursday, October 9, 19:00 (EST)
Main Event - The Nightmare: Saturday, October 11, 00:00 (GMT) / Friday, October 10, 19:00 (EST)
Location:
Prelude: Mirghul - Ranger's Lodge
Main Event: Brandibuck Vale / Onyx Stockade - Underground |
|
|
|
|
|
Re: And Still It Hungers...
Posted: 09 Oct 2008 04:01 PM |
| ((Three hours until the Convocation of Mirghul prelude.)) |
|
|
|
|
|
Re: And Still It Hungers...
Posted: 10 Oct 2008 04:19 PM |
((About three hours until The Nightmare. Players can meet up at Brandibuck Vale, or any other safe location of your choosing, before moving on to Onyx Stockade.
A note for players who may join in later during the event: due to the unique circumstances of the event, don't seek out the player group by yourself. Instead, send a message to me in the DM channel.
P.S.
The Nightmare only "officially" begins when the players arrive at Onyx Stockade.)) |
|
|
|
|
|
Re: And Still It Hungers...
Posted: 10 Oct 2008 07:43 PM |
| ((The Nightmare has started. Never too late to join in, though, folks.)) |
|
|
|
|
|
Re: And Still It Hungers...
Posted: 26 Oct 2008 07:04 AM |
Event: The Darkness
Time: Friday, October 31, 00:00 (GMT) / Thursday, October 30, 19:00 (EST)
Location: Brandibuck Vale |
|
|
|
|
|
Re: And Still It Hungers...
Posted: 28 Oct 2008 06:04 AM |
| ((Time for The Darkness decided on Thursday, keeping Halloween clear. Details shown in the above post.)) |
|
|
|
|
|
Re: And Still It Hungers...
Posted: 30 Oct 2008 03:53 PM |
| ((Two hours until The Darkness, I believe.)) |
|
|
|
|
|
Re: And Still It Hungers...
Posted: 30 Oct 2008 04:25 PM |
~ The Darkness ~
The festivities and merriment at the Party Hall continued throughout the day and night – in spite of the deepening darkness, and the nightmares that haunted both dreams and waking moments.
There was no time for worry and despair.
They had to stay happy, or else they would lose.
Bibbido had to remind that to everyone three years ago, with his magic tricks and wagons loaded with pumpkins. Now it was time for them to remember that lesson on their own.
While guards still roam the silent, gloomy roads of the vale, the Swiftfoot Hall is abuzz with noise and activity. Halflings work tirelessly on preparations: from costumes and music to the Syn-o’-Lanterns and beyond. It was time once again to move the party out of the hall and take it everywhere and to everyone.
It was time to spread the light that will cast away the darkness. |
|
|
|
|
|
Re: And Still It Hungers...
Posted: 30 Oct 2008 05:30 PM |
| ((Correction: The Darkness starts at one hour and forty minutes from now. Lets all thank Father Time for messing around with us.)) |
|
|
|
|