En Dharasha Everae RP thread

[mrm3ntalist]

With weary steps and bloodied weapons and armor after their long journey north, three elven figures, Thaedras, Nemtynal and Takash, step into the glade leading into the village En Dharasha Everae. After spending a moment to marvel at the eerie beauty of the place and the majesty of its most remarkable feature, the ancient tree in the middle towering above all others, Thaedras, by far the most heavily-armored and battle-ready of the trio, sends his gray wolf companion, Ardan, up the slope with a simple message to the wood elves. "Bring elves here. We want in." While they wait, the three elves take the time to sit and calmly chat by the beautiful patch of red flowers.

((This is the beginning of an IC request to enter the village and establish contact with the EDE elves.))

Hidden: show

The elven rangers guarding the village, follow Ardan towards the trio. After making certain the visitors were alright they invite them inside where they can meet with the Seluonal (Speaker) of the village. The three elves are offered water and fresh fruits and are kindly asked to respect the environment and the native elves till the meeting takes place.

// you can pm me on this account (mrm3ntalist) about the times you can meet and do this IC. I will try to have other members attend as well, depending on your playing hours

[Invoker]

And The River Ran Red...

His allies were discussing, defining the last details before the battle as the enemy advanced towards the bridge they had to hold in defense of Doron Amar. In the distance, faint metallic noises of the kinslayers' force became audible, and more and more distinct with every passing moment even to those who did not have his keen ears.

He paid the voices and the sounds no heed. As war was upon him, he gave himself over to the Art. Whispering the words of power found in ancient formulas written in obscure grimoires as old as time itself, he began tracing the arcane glyphs that would ward him from any and all sources of harm, and spell his enemies' doom.

His companions had timely taken up their strategic positions, spells and steel ready to strike. Ordered, competent, prepared. He could barely perceive them, as his focus was elsewhere. As soon as the first enemies appeared out of the haze on the other side of the river and tried to step on the bridge, they were met by his conjured snaring weaves.

Their attempt to push through his trapping spells was foiled by a massive discharge of magical energies and arrows, and by drawn blades. Turning his back on the killing field, the Archmage moved a hand circularly, almost dismissively, as he muttered: "Voidal Pyroclasm". A celestial inferno of rocks and fire hit the area, sparing only his battle-hardened allies, who continued the slaughter without flinching, in its fury.

The bodies began to mass on the far end of the bridge, the blood flowing thick as limbs were cut, pierced and charred.
And the river ran red...

[DM Golem]

A sun-elf is seen in the environs of the village, dismissing the arcane wards of concealment which brought him safely through the forest. Despite the timeless nature of the Tel-Quessir, his aspect displays a youthful exuberance, tempered by what seems to be a serious task.

He presents himself to the rangers when hailed, and introduces himself as Morassien Larésil, out of Evereska. He requests to speak with representatives of the village.

There is some curiosity in the village at his arrival, given recent events. Word is sent to summon the Darashans.

[Solaris]

Ithilwen arrives late in the village. She walks directly to her rooms without giving much attention to any who would address her. Her cold demeanor seems even colder than normal. Once in her rooms she wards the doors and stays in for the rest of the night and the next day.

[Invoker]

Following the arrival of a large, pitch black bat, the dark figure of Archmage Kael of the fallen Kalinor emerges from the shadows of the forest, stepping into the Dharashan glade as he lowers his face mask under the watchful eye of the rangers. He barely acknowledges their presence, as Ithilwen forges on towards her room leaving a deep winter chill in the air as she walks by. Narrowing his eyes, the archwizard proceeds to follow her with the aim to knock on her door, using his endless magical expertise to...try not to get killed by anything she might have warded the area with...

[Solaris]

Shortly after he touches the wards with his magical gift, an icy voice sounds from the other side of the door.
''I know you are there... You do realize those wards are there for a reason? To keep...people...out...''

From outside the door, she can hear the familiar muttering of blasphemies in some dead dialect of a deader language, before he replies: "Good...good...keeping people out is a respectable practice, I do it all the time. However, I am not people, therefore I am coming in. Don't make me dispel your wards...

It remains silent for a long moment. Just as he is about to attempt to dispel the wards, the blue glow fades slowly from the door. A muttering from the other side can be heard containing the words ''stubborn'' and ''archmages''.

Sighing heavily, he takes a look around to gauge the Dharashan folk's reactions, and then he pushes the door open with his right hand after the briefest hesitation.

"Good day to you, dear! I could not help but notice your rather foul mood... Is there anything you wish to share? Anything I may be able to help with?


''Shut the door...''
It remains silent once more after those three chilling words. She sits on the ground in front of the window. She then turns towards Kael, her eyes cold with a hint of rage for the keen observer. ''Foul mood? By the Seldarine I have no idea what you are talking about... I...am the embodiment of sunshine and rainbows.'' Her voice sounds flat as she turns back and stares out of the window.

"Really? Well, I cannot really say I possess the keen eye of Mendel, but when you pass by the village and flowers freeze in a warm day, even I can tell something is off...You will save your time, and most importantly mine, if you tell me what is going on right now...

As he speaks in a sardonic tone, he waves a hand almost casually and the door closes behind him.

Ithilwen turns towards him abruptly. ''Save your time? Save your time... then why would you come in here in the first place? Did I ask you to come in? Save your time and leave...''

"I said save time, not give up. You know what you mean to me, and you know I will not leave..."
He glides towards her, slowly, his left arm gently touching her shoulder as his glove already begins to freeze
"Talk to me. Whatever it is, it's better shared than kept inside, evidently..."

She sighs. ''I just had a rough day. A giant red dragon decided to land on me.'' A slight chuckle escapes her which causes a jolt of pain searing through her. Her hand moves to the left side of her ribcage. She grimaces. ''The odds of that...'' After a short pause she continues. ''I...almost killed someone today....Someone I considered a friend.''

"I take it the Dragon part is a joke, because if it isn't, tell me where it happened and I will bring you dragon soup for the evening dinner. The latter, however, is far more complicated..."

He sits beside her, ice crystals already forming on his black mantle and hood, puffs of smoke escaping his bloodless lips as he speaks close to her ear:

"Tell me everything" he whispered, almost inaudible. Outside, Nightwing was preparing for his dusk to dawn hunting session, circling the homestead...

[Solaris]

It is dark outside as Ithilwen returns to her chambers. In one hand, the piece of parchment she had brought back with her. After closing the door and throwing her mantle aside, she reads it over and over again. She sits down on the cold floor of her chambers. Her familiar spot right under the window. She glances out over the village that seems to rest under the night sky. A smile appears on her lips at the sight. Her home, her people now. She was theirs and they were hers. She did gain here...then lost, then found back once again...

She found him too...

She lets out a sigh as she stands up and walks over to her desk. She closes her eyes and concentrates to touch a trickle of her gift. A piece of parchment with a quill float towards her. She stares at the parchment and the quill hoovers over it, moving, forming words.

Kael, my love.

I write you these words so you will not be worried. I have to search for something. I do not know how long this will take or if I return with what I seek at all. I might be away for a few days.

Yours,

Ithilwen.

The letter folds itself in the air and she lets it float out of that same window. towards its destination.

At first light, the First Mage can be seen leaving the tranquil village. No emotion shows on her frozen face as she nods to the last of the rangers who guard the elven settlement. A white flash engulfs her, and as the light dissipates, the elven maiden has vanished with it.

[Invoker]

He once more unrolled the parchment with his gloved hands, and read the message. And again. The rock boulders kept raining around him, some even crashing against his wards, but he seemed not to mind. All that existed was the parchment, and its content:

Kael, my love.

I write you these words so you will not be worried. I have to search for something. I do not know how long this will take or if I return with what I seek at all. I might be away for a few days.

Yours,

Ithilwen.

The cold wind coming from the Cloud Peaks lifted his black mantle. He raised his masked chin, his emerald eyes scanning the mountains in the distance, his mind wandering. The boulders were more frequent now, and more accurate. He whispered something, moving a hand as an afterthought and a large rock aimed straight at his head was pulverized and subsequently blown away by the same wind tugging at his cowl.

The Hill Giants had gathered a critical mass, and were now charging towards him with large spiked clubs the size of tree trunks. Perhaps they were tree trunks. Still, he paid them no heed. He was already in the kind of trance every mage knew full well, invoking in his mind the arcane formulas, speaking the words of power in forgotten languages written in time-eaten tomes, and tracing in the air the glyphs of power required for spells of the complexity of the one he was casting.
A dark mist enveloped him, cracking with arcane energy. The first Giant reaching him was also the first one to regret it: his oversized cudgel met a steely-muscled forearm, and splintered almost as his very head suffered the same fate, when a powerful fist connected with his face.

Seeing their fallen comrade, the other giants accelerated the pace as two red eyes watched them from the dissipating darkness. They were too late. The frail-looking humanoid shape that was their target was gone, leaving a large, dark-skinned Devil in its wake. Roaring with the guttural sounds typical of the Infernal Language, the creature spread its huge bat-like wings and bolted into the air, cutting straight through the closest Giant as it took off in a rain of blood and knocking down two more with the air blast it created. In moments, it was out of sight, flying at supernatural speed towards the Speartop Mountain.

[TheKai]

"Faerun,
So large and wide,
We may run and try,
But we can never truly hide.

For the fate that is made for us,
Whether brutal or blessed,
Will be our own,
Different from the rest.

We work in our daily toils,
For what? Some do not know,
For gold or sustenance,
To reap the networks that we grow.

Through it all,
Sometimes we are alone,
Through it all,
We find just how much we have grown.

Through hardship and trial,
Our spirit grows stronger,
Across the oceans and miles,
Our kinship last ever longer.

We choose who we deal with,
That was Corellon's gift,
Some choose our own,
Other decide to start a rift.

Myself? I chose the People,
I have and always will,
When the fates come calling,
I know they will stand by me still.

The Elves I hold in kinship,
In friendship and in hearth,
Are the ones I would gladly ride into battle with,
Right from the start.

In the heat of battle,
When enemies flood,
You will truly find,
That family is determined by more than just blood.

Dharasha...

[Invoker]

He once more unrolled the parchment with his gloved hands, and read the message. And again. The rock boulders kept raining around him, some even crashing against his wards, but he seemed not to mind. All that existed was the parchment, and its content:

Kael, my love.

I write you these words so you will not be worried. I have to search for something. I do not know how long this will take or if I return with what I seek at all. I might be away for a few days.

Yours,

Ithilwen.

The cold wind coming from the Cloud Peaks lifted his black mantle. He raised his masked chin, his emerald eyes scanning the mountains in the distance, his mind wandering. The boulders were more frequent now, and more accurate. He whispered something, moving a hand as an afterthought and a large rock aimed straight at his head was pulverized and subsequently blown away by the same wind tugging at his cowl.

The Hill Giants had gathered a critical mass, and were now charging towards him with large spiked clubs the size of tree trunks. Perhaps they were tree trunks. Still, he paid them no heed. He was already in the kind of trance every mage knew full well, invoking in his mind the arcane formulas, speaking the words of power in forgotten languages written in time-eaten tomes, and tracing in the air the glyphs of power required for spells of the complexity of the one he was casting.
A dark mist enveloped him, cracking with arcane energy. The first Giant reaching him was also the first one to regret it: his oversized cudgel met a steely-muscled forearm, and splintered almost as his very head suffered the same fate, when a powerful fist connected with his face.

Seeing their fallen comrade, the other giants accelerated the pace as two red eyes watched them from the dissipating darkness. They were too late. The frail-looking humanoid shape that was their target was gone, leaving a large, dark-skinned Devil in its wake. Roaring with the guttural sounds typical of the Infernal Language, the creature spread its huge bat-like wings and bolted into the air, cutting straight through the closest Giant as it took off in a rain of blood and knocking down two more with the air blast it created. In moments, it was out of sight, flying at supernatural speed towards the Speartop Mountain.

Judging by the eternal, harsh white waste all around him, the ice crystals long as a giant's blade and every bit as sharp and the chilling wind that shaped the Cloud Peaks into what they were, and would keep shaping them as the ages went by, it was not hard to imagine the place was definitely cold and inhospitable. Imagine, because he surely did not feel a thing.

The persistent ward against cold he had woven was extremely powerful, and nothing short of the First Mage's mastery of the element would be able to pierce it. Safe behind his magical bulwark, the black-robed figure studied the mountain once more, blazing green eyes scanning the dark mouth of the cavern all over again, as if waiting for it to speak, to answer his many questions.

The trail of power was leading here, but it was faint, and hard to follow. It had costed him time...too much time. By now, his kin would be engaged in battle against the enemies of Doron Amar. A battle he should have taken part to...He dismissed the thought, angrily. He would apologize later...now, he had problems to solve. Searching this complex of caves was out of the question. It could take days, or months...he absolutely did not have the time. Besides...Traveling from the inside was going to be complicated, if at all possible, therefore he had no intention to venture forth only to get lost and being forced to level the Cloudpeaks to the ground to get out. As he pondered, a weary sigh escaped his pale, thin lips as the solution came to him. Back to basics it was...

As the gate he had opened, seemingly sliced out of thin air, vanished all of a sudden, his emerald gaze met the red eyes of the summoned mastiff: "This is hers. Smell it. Find her. And do not worry about me keeping up...I will know when you do". Oh yes, he would...he only hoped to hear the explosion before the mastiff's pieces started flying towards him...

[mrm3ntalist]

After the battle against the mercenaries, Mendel sits at his desk writing a report of the events that transpired. A half empty bottle of elven wine, keeps him company while putting his thoughts onto paper

"Most were gathered outside Doron Amar. Shynt, Kai and myself along with the newcomers to Misty Forest Kirias and Thaedras. Even Rai held up her promise of helping out, which felt a bit odd. I am sure the rest would be on our side, if they didnt have important matters to attend. Together we walked inside Doron Amar, together we fought later on.

The Knights of the Order of the Silver Rose were already there. They are a consistent ally to the People, always there when we needed help. The Mathora of Doron Amar was prepared and in position, so once we were settled in, Diana begun to explain her plan. It was a simple plan - a good thing since simple plans are most likely to work. We were to march to the Keep, destroying any patrols we came upon. Once there, a group of fighter and the Knights would create a diversion, while a group of those able to move into the shadows, would place explosives at key points. Hoihe was responsible for the explosive causing some of us to be nervous considering everything he has been through,

Just about when the briefing was over, Morassey a familiar figure to the Northern elves, made his appearance. He asked a couple of quesstions and was curious to learn more about us. After most of his questions were answered and was allowed to stay, he informed us that he was to stay back and help Ivae'ess in any way he can.

On our way to the keep, we encountered a group of the mercenaries in a clearing, much earlier than we expected. What was odd about this encounter was the fact that most of them were annihilated and left for dead. The elven arrows we found on their back suggested as much. While examining the bodies we heard movement and another mercenary patrol attacked us. Again the mercenaries seemed they were running from something. The patrol was quickly destroyed by our combined efforts after a fierce battle. We decided to keep on moving but those of keen senses could tell we were not alone. Along the way more of the enemy was found dead.

When we reached the farmlands with the keep in our sights, we came upon another odd sight. It seemed the mercenaries were already under attack. Buildings were on fire and mercenaries running around like crazy. Chaos! We decided to use this situation on our advantage so a stealth group went ahead to scout the area and guard Hoihe while he set explosives at keypoints of the Keep. Once the explosives were set the group went back to join the rest as they were marching against the mercenaries.

Just when we made contact we heard the explosions. A couple of us smiled looking at Hoihe as his explosives dealt a crucial blow to the mercenaries. The Battle was fierce and bloody, all the way to the center of the keep till we could see our objective - the moonblade that was stolen from Ivae'ess. Slaying the bearer of the moonblade our task was done. But as we were about to leave and return the blade to its rightful owner we were confronted by a group of Elves. They expressed some radical views and admitted that they were the ones that helped us all along. The leader of those elves had a message to send to the Dukes, in the form of decapitated human heads. Elvina was asked to "deliver" this message. That message, but most importantly the radical views they expressed had left us with mixed feelings about them.

The elves left in peace, so did we. Once we returned to Doron Amar and while the others returned the moonblade to Ivae'ess I went looking for Morassey. His timing and the views he expressed had already raised my suspicions so i confronted him directly. Morassey did not want to speak in front of the Knights so a private meeting was quckly arranged at the outdoors temple. Those gathered were Morassey, Shynt, Thaedras, Diana, Alyndra and me. There was a long debate and most questions were left unasnwered. We decided to take a break since the discussions were leading to nowhere.

One thing is for certain... this is not over yet. In fact, it has just begun."

[Solaris]

Judging by the eternal, harsh white waste all around him, the ice crystals long as a giant's blade and every bit as sharp and the chilling wind that shaped the Cloud Peaks into what they were, and would keep shaping them as the ages went by, it was not hard to imagine the place was definitely cold and inhospitable. Imagine, because he surely did not feel a thing.

The persistent ward against cold he had woven was extremely powerful, and nothing short of the First Mage's mastery of the element would be able to pierce it. Safe behind his magical bulwark, the black-robed figure studied the mountain once more, blazing green eyes scanning the dark mouth of the cavern all over again, as if waiting for it to speak, to answer his many questions.

The trail of power was leading here, but it was faint, and hard to follow. It had costed him time...too much time. By now, his kin would be engaged in battle against the enemies of Doron Amar. A battle he should have taken part to...He dismissed the thought, angrily. He would apologize later...now, he had problems to solve. Searching this complex of caves was out of the question. It could take days, or months...he absolutely did not have the time. Besides...Traveling from the inside was going to be complicated, if at all possible, therefore he had no intention to venture forth only to get lost and being forced to level the Cloudpeaks to the ground to get out. As he pondered, a weary sigh escaped his pale, thin lips as the solution came to him. Back to basics it was...

As the gate he had opened, seemingly sliced out of thin air, vanished all of a sudden, his emerald gaze met the red eyes of the summoned mastiff: "This is hers. Smell it. Find her. And do not worry about me keeping up...I will know when you do". Oh yes, he would...he only hoped to hear the explosion before the mastiff's pieces started flying towards him...

Ithilwen touched the iced wall of the small chamber within the cave complex. There must be something...some clue as to what happened to him. The message was not complete. Where was the other part? Perhaps it was still around. She had made a sweep of her surroundings multiple times now. There was nothing...no trace but the old iced over furniture, books and artifacts. What had happened here, and most of all... when.

She reread the parchment again. ''The girl is far away now. Hopefully out of her reach, forever.'' This didn't bode well. So he knew of her past all along? Why didn't he tell her before? A splitting headache was forming and she decided to sit down on the iced floor. She felt helpless.

Candlemarks passed as she just sat there, staring at the paper. She heard something then. Something in the distance, scraping on ice...
She stood up rapidly, gathering the shadows around her instantly. She pressed herself against the wall after tugging away the small piece of parchment. The sound came from up ahead the tunnel. There it was again. Scraping, sniffing... Closer this time. Her breathing picked up. ''Steady...steady... slow...'' She whispered to herself. She moved closer to the sound, foot by foot. Another scratchsound on ice, as if nails moved over it. An animal? In here? Normally they don't venture this deep into the cave systems...

She could hear a yelp now, growling and more scratching on the frosted floor as if it was running. A wolf? She moved on towards the sound. Then she saw it around the corner. A mastiff! Sniffing around, running from one corner to the other as it caught a smell, venturing closer and closer. What by the Seldarine was a mastiff doing down here in the mountains? The question lingered only shortly in her mind. The creature was venturing closer and closer...to her!
Ithilwen took a deep breath and gathered her gift. She could feel the energy build up inside her, gliding down her arm as a soft blue glow grew brighter in her hand. The mastiff came closer, was about to turn around the corner where she stood in shadow. She waited only a moment longer until the beast was right in front of her feet, sniffing where there was nothing to be seen. She unleashed some well placed icedarts on the creature. Empowered by her special gift. One dart pierced through its skull, the other through its spine, a third in the middle of its back, killing the beast within a heartbeat.

A cold feeling creeped up along her spine. A dog, was hardly far away from its owner... Immediately she gathered the shadows around her once more. She moved away from the corpse to keep an eye on the tunnel of who or what might follow. Ready to unleash more deadlier magic.

[TheKai]

Kai'enrai sat and smiled, lost in thoughts of the future. The villagers of the Misty Forest has welcomed Thaedras Valarian and Kirius Avlanti into their fold. They could not have chosen better guardians.

[Albatross]

True to his earlier words to his elven brothers and sisters, Thaedras leaves the village early in the morning, before the sun has risen, in the company of a large, ferocious-looking gray wolf. The pair's destination is the High Moor, where the veteran elf makes mobile camp to stand guard both on the border with the Misty Forest and the edge of the bog leading to the Netherese ruins, and keep an eye out for any unusual activity, especially on the part of human followers of Talos who make their presence known. During their patrols up and down the moor, the two friends, elf and wolf, leave the earth awash with blood and hobgoblin corpses, all killed brutally and without mercy.

[Invoker]

Reunion

Right when the mastiff's body began to disappear, sent back to its far from enviable plane of existence, a black robed figure glided into the cold chamber. A humanoid figure judging from shape and size, but spectral, as if cloaked in mists and shadows. The sinister, wraith-like being turned towards the location the infernal hound was dispatched, and he began raising his hooded head just as the arcane words were spoken in the darkest corner of the cave, and an immensely powerful Polar Ray was woven right towards it. The being lifted one shadow arm to protect its face, and was frozen solid exactly in that position, subsequently falling down and shattering in countless ice shards scattering across the large room.

The First Mage of Dharasha stepped forth to inspect the catastrophic damage inflicted by her deadly spell in the subsequent silence, when a chuckle came from the entrance of the chamber, just as a large bat flew in and began circling the scene. "Since last time, in the forest, during the Shovotar days, in a situation like this one I received exactly the same treatment and I barely managed to deflect the attack, I thought to take some precautions this time...I hope you don't mind...dear."

The Archmage's voice had an amused tone, as if considering the possibility of his own destruction were some incredibly funny jest. He reflexively dusted himself off and adjusted his sleeves, tightened his gloves and touched his hood before adding, as he slowly moved towards her: "Let us leave aside the fact we are missing the battle for Doron Amar, and even more annoyingly I cannot snatch the life out of all those pesky human mercenaries personally, leaving Mendel all the fun yet again...What are we looking for?" he paused a moment, before raising his glowing emerald gaze towards her: "You...did not think a note like that one would cut it, did you?"