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A Dish Best Served Cold
Posted: 05 Aug 2005 01:43 PM |
The Wizardess and the Monk were trapped in a room when he reappeared.
"now then...the shard please. Lay it on the ground, or join the others in death"
"It does not belong to you"
"Oh, I beg to differ."
...
In the end, what really could be done? The group had been betrayed from the beginning. The followers of Menarok had been with the party the whole time just waiting for the opportune moment to reveal themselves and doom the already condemned party.
No way out, no power could save them, until she appeared.
...
"Have you missed your Daughter?", she whispered
Nu'man's face turned cold. "Do not test my patience Lady"
It seems that perhaps there was something that mattered to him more.
"Would you see her again?"
A look of surprise, quickly followed by a smile. Yes, this day was turning into a good day after all. "You would return her to me in exchange for....these people?"
...
And so it ended, a deal was struck on the only thing that mattered. But the Lady could only give so much.
...
"1 day a month, that is all I can offer"
"Very well, but I will keep the shard and you have a deal"
"Agreed..."
The saddened image of Alianda faded, the deal done, the adventurers rescued.
"The shard if you please ...Luther"
...
There are moments when the world around you slows down, when your thoughts move faster than you could possibly dream, when you feel you have all the time in the world and no one can move fast enough to stop you.
Run?
Fight?
Hide?
Smash it?
A Prayer?
It really didn't matter. An etermity could have passed and there would have still been *nothing* that he could do. Nothing.
An eternity continued to pass as he pondered his options
...
"Please do not make me take it from you by force"
...
That was it then. Checkmate.
One way still remained. One way that gave him some hope that the shard could be rescued, if not today, then later, and so he took it. He reached inside his robes to retrieve the gem and with a flick of his wrist, he threw it towards the head of the one who had so soundly defeated them.
The Lord of Nethar'u easily caught the gem...
and then he placed it on the floor...
he smiled his cold smile....
looked around to see that all had his attention...
muttered a word of power...
and in a sharp movement, crushed the gem beneath his heel...
shattering the shard into dust...
bursting the hopes of the one who had given it to him.
The Lord of Nethar'u smiled and faded from sight. Oh, a good day indeed! |
Purpose in life: finding better ways of allowing players to kill themselves. Repeatedly.
--
"...Cause he mixes it with love
And makes the world taste good."
--
<@James42> Lawful good isn't in your vocabulary, it's on your menu.
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An Enemy of my Enemy is still my Enemy
Posted: 05 Aug 2005 01:58 PM |
"MALAKAI LIVES!?"
"WHAT IN HELL IS WRONG WITH THE TWO OF YOU? HAVE YOU GONE OUT OF YOUR MINDS?"
His mind was a whirl of conflicting emotions. He knew what Malakai Fenghuul was, what he had done, what he continued to do and what he would do in the future. He was supposed to remain dead.
Betrayed... Betrayed by those he trusted the most to see that the evil and knowledge of Fenghuul buried forever.
"Luther, but you don't understand, it had to be done"
The little halfling stood her ground, her eyes reflecting the horrors of what she had learned. She had to make him understand.
Explanations, recriminations, resignation. In the end, he had to accept what she said, what Elvalia confirmed. The dangers of Nu'men would be even greater if not for the twisted knowledge of Malakai Fenghuul. He had his purpose.
"He was a good man once Luther, perhaps he can be again."
"You are fooling yourself Eleanor".
Too often, the road to hell is made with the cobblestones of good intentions. Another stone, another step forward into damnation. |
Purpose in life: finding better ways of allowing players to kill themselves. Repeatedly.
--
"...Cause he mixes it with love
And makes the world taste good."
--
<@James42> Lawful good isn't in your vocabulary, it's on your menu.
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Blood and Rage
Posted: 05 Aug 2005 02:19 PM |
The swords, though unfamiliar, felt right for his needs this day. A twin pair, perfectly matched and perfectly suited for what he needed
Sharpened to a fine edge, they severed flesh and bone. No divine fire cauterized the wounds they made. They were perfect tools for an artists' work. Perfect.
Hunting the bloodwood was seldom this rewarding. The ettins seemed to come at him in greater numbers, but it didnt matter. The swords did their work, the arterial sprays of the dead and dying ettins filling the air like rain covering him in blood. Around him, the bodies of the ettins continued to pile up and yet he continued his murderous work.
Some ran, but it didnt matter. His ki fueled rage carried him to them in a blink of an eye and down they went.
More blood rained down over him, washing him clean.
"Nu'men, You're next!"
Shattered Fragments, Cold Laughter, Cobblestones, Pure White Rage.
Blood.
There was not enough blood.
He ran deeper into the woods for he was not done. |
Purpose in life: finding better ways of allowing players to kill themselves. Repeatedly.
--
"...Cause he mixes it with love
And makes the world taste good."
--
<@James42> Lawful good isn't in your vocabulary, it's on your menu.
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Re: Blood and Rage
Posted: 06 Aug 2005 05:47 AM |
Sensei: "Focus, feel your heart and will it to slow"
Eleanor: "He's been learning about ways to kill demons permanently"
Sensei: "Empty your mind of thoughts for they only distract"
Blanche: "You're obsessed"
Sensei: "Passion is wonderful to experience, but serves no purpose in your training, let it go"
Elvalia: "Are you doing it for revenge Luther?"
Sensei: "Seek the truth, and you shall not find it. Wait, and it come to you"
Ireyta: "[You criticize me? At least I am honest enough admit what I am. What do you hide from?]
Sensei: "The eye of the storm is always calm for it is the center. Find the center when all else is a storm around you. From there, you will find the clarity you seek"
...
The turmoil of meditation continued on into the night. |
Purpose in life: finding better ways of allowing players to kill themselves. Repeatedly.
--
"...Cause he mixes it with love
And makes the world taste good."
--
<@James42> Lawful good isn't in your vocabulary, it's on your menu.
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Clarity
Posted: 07 Aug 2005 05:33 PM |
Clarity.
Only the clarity of purpose gives one the chance to make decisions unclouded by emotions or flights of fancy.
It was simple really. Lord Nu'men had to be destroyed. There was nothing else to consider. It had to happen. And, by irrefutable logic, that meant one thing and one thing only.
He needed the assistance of Malakai Fenghuul's knowledge.
All he had to do was to live long enough to make it alive to Malakai's tower.
...
There is not such thing as coincidence. It is all the workings of fate and the Gods. To an impartial observer, their subtle touch was as plain as day, for it was clear then, that was what was supposed to happen. At the exact moment he made his decision, a group gathered where he was sitting on the Great Plains, one capable of making it to the tower, alive.
And so he did what you are supposed to do when fate opens the door, he walked through it.
He hardly even noticed the ettins he slew as the group passed through the bloodwood.
It was all so clear now.
Clarity. |
Purpose in life: finding better ways of allowing players to kill themselves. Repeatedly.
--
"...Cause he mixes it with love
And makes the world taste good."
--
<@James42> Lawful good isn't in your vocabulary, it's on your menu.
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It's in the bag.
Posted: 17 Aug 2005 02:56 PM |
Malakai Fenghuul carefully scanned the pages of the book he had asked for.
"Yes, yes, this will do nicely. It is so simple, why didn't I think of that? Still this other part..."
He carefully closed the book and turned to Luther.
"Luther, I need you to go and make some leather bags. I understand you have some skill in that?"
"I fail to see what this has to do with the forging of the weapons Malakai."
"It is for two reasons. The first of which is that I need more time to study the book and I'd rather you do your waiting somewhere else. You understand, of course."
"The second reason is that from what you told me, Nu'men is aware of your doings and knows you have travelled to the tomb of kings. He will be watching you, so you might as well give him something to watch". The old mage chuckled to himself at some inner joke only he could hear.
"I will need things Luther, but you will not be the one to get them. I've got others in mind who will not attract the attention you will. Just stay in Port Royale and make your bags. You'll have to trust me on this. You do trust me, don't you Luther?"
Somehow, Malakai seemed to find that amusing as well.
With a nod, Luther turned from Malakai and headed towards Port. |
Purpose in life: finding better ways of allowing players to kill themselves. Repeatedly.
--
"...Cause he mixes it with love
And makes the world taste good."
--
<@James42> Lawful good isn't in your vocabulary, it's on your menu.
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Re: It's in the bag.
Posted: 21 Apr 2006 11:54 AM |
...
Luther picked up the skull and popped out the gems that were set into the eye sockets. The skull, he idly tossed aside now that he had the final thing Malakai had asked of him.
"Whutz that forz Lutherz?"
"This, Mr Jessup is the final part needed for a weapon that has been a year in the making"
"Weaponz for whatz?"
"A weapon that will kill the Lord of Nethar'u, forever. It'll be my gift to Nu'men. I hope he likes it as much as I will enjoy giving it to him"
"Lutherz, you're eyez are redz now"
"Come Mr Jessup, we are done here. I thank you for your help."
The two left. |
Purpose in life: finding better ways of allowing players to kill themselves. Repeatedly.
--
"...Cause he mixes it with love
And makes the world taste good."
--
<@James42> Lawful good isn't in your vocabulary, it's on your menu.
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Re: It's in the bag.
Posted: 13 Mar 2020 01:43 PM |
| *bump* |
'The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof.' - Richard Bach, Illusions. |
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