The Order of the Dark Flame: Book 5. (story, no spam)

Aegis · Post by **Aegis** » Mon Jan 21, 2002 1:02 pm

Aegis' music was shattered by the voice of Yshaina, a Dark Flame he hadn't yet met. though he was still a fairway up the keep, his sensitive ears heard it loud and clear. He replaced his ocarina into his cloak, and stood, looking over the ramparts. He saw three (four?) figures standing no more than fifty yards away, and one of them clapse. He took that as a sign of trouble. In an act of sheer stupidity, or dexterity, he flung himself over the ramparts, and began to scale down the rugged keep edge. It took only a moment, and he lighted softly on the ground. He then borke into a sprint towards the group, arriving just after T'lainya's introduction. He stood, slightly dumbfounded, and only the halfling recognizing him.

"I heard a someone call out.." He started, a look of concer. "Is something wrong?"

dragon wench · Post by **dragon wench** » Mon Jan 21, 2002 1:19 pm

Still somewhat preoccupied, Dragon Wench nodded.
"Yes, she also uses magic....why is that?"

Then she felt something....almost unearthly....a deathly sense of quiet permeated the entire room....She had only felt this same sense of absolute emtiness when...no she would not think about that....

Brushing her hair out of her eyes, she tried to suppress the shiver, and observed Mysteria and Fang.

Vivien · Post by **Vivien** » Mon Jan 21, 2002 1:56 pm

Vivien had since pushed herself into the heart of the kitchen, trying to neaten what Yshania had torn out. As she dug within the cabinets, she found, completely hidden behind a piece of woodwork, what looked to be a very old bottle of fine red wine. She wondered idly who had put that there, while setting it on the counter top.

She turned to the stove and gently stirred the creamy cheese sauce she had been cooking over the fire. It was not ready yet, but would be a fine accompaniment for the freshly cut bread after it reached bubbling.

It occurred to her that this little bit of peace might be all she would have that night, with Yshania in trouble, and new arrivals needing aid, Harry gone, Georgi disappeared? She sighed over the fire, the steam almost at her face disappearing into the air while she thought of all there was to do. Could they even think of doing all this?

She shook herself slowly and turned to sip from her glass of white wine. As she turned back to the stove, the glass fell from her hand, crystal shattering on the ground at her feet with an almost unreal sound. The stove was now overtaken by fire, a huge column that seemed to hungrily devour the wall and counters. Viv took a step back, trying to shield herself from the heat with her hand over her eyes, the air now crisp and tart and she blinked to stop the tears from forming in her eyes.

And it was gone.

She stood still, the savory smell of the cooking in the air, all other smells gone, and wondered if she was going crazy.

[ 01-21-2002: Message edited by: Vivien ]

Der-draigen · Post by **Der-draigen** » Mon Jan 21, 2002 2:06 pm

So the witch cast Detect Evil, Der-draigen mused. Was that especially for my benefit I wonder?... Obviously however the talisman had done its work, for the priestess approached and introduced herself. A good sign, Der-draigen thought, though she could tell the Elven woman was still wary.

Hatred welled up in her blasted heart at the mention of Corellon Larethian...Aloud, she said, "I am honored, priestess," and made a slight halfling-style bow. T'Lainya's clear eyes never left Der-draigen's face; and Der-draigen returned the gaze fully and openly, but with respect. She did not want a challenge to be read in her expression.

She drew her sword and held the hilt to her chin in salute. "I would be happy to do whatever I can," she said, "with whatever strength I have." Then, realizing she hadn't yet answered T'Lainya's question, she continued: "I do have some ability in the healing arts, but..." She looked at the...what, animated corpse??..."I'm afraid this may be quite beyond my skill."

"But not for long," she addressed the heaviness in the air. "I assure you, you yourself are quite within my reach."

That was when the elf, Aegis, showed up.

[ 01-21-2002: Message edited by: Der-draigen ]

Mysteria · Post by **Mysteria** » Mon Jan 21, 2002 2:17 pm

Once inside the room, Mysteria knelt by Fang and let him take Georgi's scent from one of her clothes. "Now search", she told him. Approaching the bed, he began to growl low, he had clearly picked up a scent. Now, she didn't think it was Georgi's scent as he bared his teeth.

"I'll better get the dagger", she announced."I'll be back in a moment." "Stay", she told Fang. Running downstairs, she soon found Gwally. "You still have the dagger you found in Georgi's room, yes?"

"Sure here it is, why? What the ...?" , Mysteria had snatched the dagger and it's wrappings from his hand before he could prevent it. She had seen the like of it before! Running back to BS and DW, she didn't care if he followed or not.

"I've got the dagger.", she announced upon her return. Throwing it onto a table, she continued. "Look at this, I know this sort of dagger. In fact, I myself have two of them, don't worry, they're not evilly enchanted. We have to find Georgi quick, follow me. Fang, search."

Fang instantly started down the corridor, still growling low, and she told them as she went. "I fought a creature carrying two of them once, I still have them.", she removed one of the knives strapped to her forearm, it was the twin of the one found in Georgi's room. "It took a priest a whole day to remove the evil from them and he was still reluctant to give them back to me. But he did his job well, I never felt any evil in them after he was done. But, I digress.", she put the knife away.

"You have to know about the creature I fought. It was... I don't know what it was, but it resembled a cat, but as big as a human, and throughoutly evil. It had no claws, but carried these daggers instead. They deal wicked wounds that take ages to heal without priestly healing. Be careful, if indeed this is what we are up against.", she shivered slightly.

"The night I fought it, I barely escaped. I had two wolves at the time. Fang here was only half grown, the other was called Night, as she was jet black. She saved my life, she attacked recklessly, taking the thrust that was meant for me.", she still felt sad about this.

What she didn't tell them was that she had tried to use magic against the creature, but somehow she hadn't been able to channel any. But she had to warn them somehow. "You say, you don't feel any magic in that room? It might be that this strange beast can create anti-magic fields wherever it wants to. So, better not count on magic for help."

"Never found somebody who could tell me what it was, I suppose few live to tell their tale. At least it lost one of it's daggers." Suddenly aware of the concern on their faces, she added, "I don't think it wants to kill Georgi, it would already have done it back in there, and taken it's dagger too. No, it's goal was probably to abduct her, for what purpose, I cannot fathom. She must have struggled to keep it from retrieving it's knife."

Following Fang, she had unsheathed her sword and taken a torch with her. Now, Fang, who had been prowling ahead, suddenly came to a halt against a wall. Puzzled, she looked at the dead-end. "Got any secret passages round here? Let's take a closer look, perhaps there is a switch of some sort..."

{sorry I didn't post earlier}

[ 01-21-2002: Message edited by: Mysteria ]

Bloodstalker · Post by **Bloodstalker** » Mon Jan 21, 2002 3:19 pm

Bloodstalker had been caught off guard by Mysteria's sudden departure, and even more so when she returned. What she related to them both worried and interested him. If indeed this creature she spoke of was the reason behind the abduction of Georgi, they had best be careful. But the thought that a being was able to create a magic free zone intrigued him. It also relieved him somewhat. It had worried him slightly that perhaps they would find themselves in a battle where spells would be flying, he was sure he could handle it, he had often enough, but doubted he could conceal the effect such a fight would have on him. He was already trying to figure out how he was going to answer the questions that would likely arise from his previous comments on Georgi's room being a dead zone. He had known it would make the others wonder, but he really hadn't had a choice in the matter. Well, he would worry about that when they were done here.

he watched the girl and her wolf folllow the scent, again admiring the skill in the beast. he also found himself admiring the determination of Mysteria. he had to give it to her, once she set her mind, she seemed the determined sort.

he stopped alongside DW when they came to the dead end.

"Got any secret passages round here? Let's take a closer look, perhaps there is a switch of some sort..." Mysteria had said, and immediatly set about seaching, as did DW. He peered intently around , looking for something that didn't seem to fit. They searched for what seemed a very long time, though in actuallity, only moments had passed.
Just as he leaned against the wall in impatience, he falt something catch his boot. "What the..." was all he managed to get out bfore hearing a groaning sound and felling the wall give way behind him. As he was currently leaning on that very wall, he had no recourse but to go with it, into the blackness that had been masked by the stone, he felt himself falling, vaguly aware of bouncing once or twice on something that felt like stairs.......

dragon wench · Post by **dragon wench** » Mon Jan 21, 2002 4:54 pm

As the wall vanished, and Bloodstalker along with it, Mysteria looked startled.
Remembering the last time a tunnel had suddenly appeared like this, Dragon Wench paused and spoke to Mysteria.

"This has happened before...tunnels just suddenly manifesting out of nowhere...I need to go and tell everyone else what has occurred before we leap in there."

With that she raced downstairs and informed the others of this new discovery. Grabbing some torches she started back up, but before she made it to the stairs Jerren caught her.
"Wait a minute...is it wise to go diving off into the unknown with so much haste? Perhaps we should at least wait until Yshania has been healed, and everyone is assembled, before following strange tunnels."
Dragon Wench began to object and then realised that he was making sense. As she returned to Georgi's room, Jerren accompanied her, and together they helped Mysteria pull the now unconscious Bloodstalker out of from the darkness.

[ 01-21-2002: Message edited by: dragon wench ]

T'lainya · Post by **T'lainya** » Mon Jan 21, 2002 6:24 pm

T’lainya returned Alreths bow with a slight one of her own. She greeted Aegis,

“Well met, we need to get Yshania back to the keep. It’s not safe to stay here and I am concerned that…” Her voice trailed off suddenly as Yshanias body was wracked by a violent convulsion.

T’lainya knelt by her side again as the fit ceased. She murmured a few words under breath and watched as the other woman relaxed.

“We should be able to move her now. The spell I cast earlier showed no traces of the possession. Hopefully that will be the last of that, but I can’t be sure.”

Yshania spoke through Thantor again. “Am I ok? Why would I react like that?”

Thantor spoke now, disconcerting both Aegis and Alreth. “I believe it to be a reaction to the evil leaving your body. We’re doing all we can Ysh.”

Aegis · Post by **Aegis** » Mon Jan 21, 2002 6:56 pm

Aegis looked puzzled towards Yshania/Thantor (Just to clear up, whose body is seen?) but quickly shook the confusion out. He nodded towards T'lainya, and knelt beside the body, slowing gathering it up, and putting an arm over his shoulder, using it as a prop to lift the shaken Yshania. She shakily, but was standing none the less. The four began to make their way back towards the keep, Aegis' free hand resting on the hilt of his blade in case of trouble.

He turned to T'lainya, and eyed her casually. "Your not pure elven, are you?" He questioned, no disregard for the matter.

Der-draigen · Post by **Der-draigen** » Mon Jan 21, 2002 7:06 pm

What in the nine hells is this?? Der-draigen wondered on hearing the ki master hold a short conversation with himself. How many people does he have in there??... Then she began to understand. The "empty" body had indeed been vacated and its life force, spirit, or what-have-you was now inhabiting the ki master's body. Weird, she thought, her eyes narrowing slightly. She had seen a lot, but even she was now somewhat disconcerted. Within the space of an hour, she had been attacked by masonry, assaulted by a vacant suit of armor, recognized by a corpse, and witness to some kind of possession. What kind of place was this after all??...

And there was something else...the vacated body had itself been possessed by some alien entity. Apparently its proper spirit had been pushed out and into the ki master, while the foreign spirit took over. Well, Der-draigen had known as much when the thing had looked into her eyes and nearly given her away. She had commanded it to silence. Now the priestess was saying she could find no trace of it. Where had it gone?...

Der-draigen smiled inwardly. She found it all rather challenging.

She walked along back toward the keep with the rest of the group, sword drawn.

[ 01-21-2002: Message edited by: Der-draigen ]

Obsidian · Post by **Obsidian** » Mon Jan 21, 2002 7:12 pm

"Nippy, I am taken aback by the lack of lore a paladin of you rank should possess."
Stepping up and dropping the upper part of his armour, Farscape revealed the entry wound
of Maharlika's sword, but instead of a scar shaped like a sword, the dark outlines of a symbol were being brought to the surface of the skin.
"It is the sign of the Undead Lord" The Knight Errant explained. "He is from a different plane, as is our friend Maharlika, if you haven't guessed."
He paused for a moment.
"This mark explains now my origin and my power." He paused once again, his voice numb and cold.
"I am the son, of a demon"

Maharlika · Post by **Maharlika** » Mon Jan 21, 2002 7:31 pm

"It is as I suspected it was, Farscape, though I was taken aback how a noble warrior would have such a vile spirit within you.

Now I know of your origin. Be at peace, you haven't added a new enemy to your list.

Your desire to purge of this sentient being in you with the use of Deathstryke has earned you my respect and support. There must be a reason why I'm here too."

Sees Yshania and the others and hairs stood up upon hearing the unearthly voice from the lady before falling in front of the surprised halfling.

"What the...?!!!"

Mysteria · Post by **Mysteria** » Tue Jan 22, 2002 1:14 am

Grinding her teeth, Mysteria had to admit that it would probably be better not to rush into the darkness without preparations. If the creature hadn't killed Georgi back there, it would probably not kill her now. She didn't like leaving the passage unwatched though, so she set Fang as a guard some way down the corridor. He would howl to alert them when something happened. Then she helped Dragon Wench carry Bloodstalker down. Somehow, she was glad about the anti-magic field, it had prevented her from causing weird incidents upstairs.

Maharlika · Post by **Maharlika** » Tue Jan 22, 2002 1:47 am

As Yshania's body is carried into the Keep, Maharlika quickly went unbidded and signalled to T'lainya that he takes her place instead (he couldn't stand seeing the "fairy"-lady carry Yshania and not offer assistance).

"Farscape, I get this weird feeling that the key to my major queries would point to this fallen lady over here.

I sense some familiar aura about and Deathstryke is emanating a very weak tinge of light blue. Thank goodness this blade of mine concurs otherwise I end up as one of those paranoid paladins I know back *ulp!* home."

Nippy · Post by **Nippy** » Tue Jan 22, 2002 4:18 am

"Farscape, I am no ordinary Paladin. I was raised in Kara Tur as a Monk. I only recently converted to the role as a Paladin. I have much to learn and do. I am no man of rank. I hold no power. I am here to serve the Flames and help them in their quest. After that, who knows? I serve Torm, law and order and that is all that matters..."

Nippy stood, proud at his heritage. He had nothing to hide. He had his faith and that is all that he needed. He would walk into the abyss for Torm, and he would walk back out with a demons heart if he had too...

Der-draigen · Post by **Der-draigen** » Tue Jan 22, 2002 6:56 am

Back within the...err, safety of the keep's walls, Der-draigen sheathed her sword and concentrated on looking worried. She swallowed hard at the gushings of the two paladins, Nippy and...who was the other one? She sensed he was a foreigner, in the most extreme sense of the word..."I serve Torm, law and order and that is all that matters..." Nippy had said. All these goodlings make me absolutely ill, Der-draigen comforted herself. Should she just leave? Let whatever was here take them over. She would stand at the edge of the woods and watch.

But the realization dawned on her then...It had seen her, it knew who she was, it knew what she possessed -- the talisman -- the stone of Rohais. And it wanted that. It would never leave her alone. It would hunt her down till it found her and took the stone. She knew it.

She shivered. She was getting tired of being afraid of this thing, whatever it was. She was not accustomed to fear. But she also knew her fear would make her cautious. The enemy could not be underestimated, that was always a mistake.

She forced an inward smile. She would stay and face it. A good chance to test the fullness of her power, to test her oneness with the stone -- to bind her essence to it completely.

This would be an interesting match.

[ 01-22-2002: Message edited by: Der-draigen ]

Vivien · Post by **Vivien** » Tue Jan 22, 2002 9:56 am

Viv backed away, feeling the reassuring fabric of her mage robe brush against her legs. She looked around the room, eyes passing in a blur, until they caught on Gwally, who was looking at her in some confusion.

"It was..." She trailed off feeling uncertain. Was she really going mad to see fire suddenly overtake the kitchen? Seeing darkness around people? Dreaming during the day of shadows chaining Harry?

With a sigh she sat next to the steady Druid, taking comfort in the heat from his nearby body. They sat in silence for a few minutes before she lowered her head to his shoulder, and felt the warmth of his arm give her a hug.

She smiled into his chest, feeling better by the warmth of her friend, again knowing the truth.

Alone she could do nothing, but with her friends, with the DarkFlames...well they could topple the world...

T'lainya · Post by **T'lainya** » Tue Jan 22, 2002 3:20 pm

T’lainya smiled at the stranger and said “Thank you.”

She thought of having them put Yshanias body on a sofa, but worried that if she convulsed again, she would fall. She motioned for them to set her gently on the floor. Thantor put a small embroidered pillow beneath Yshania’s head.

“What should we do now?” Thantor looked at T’lainya. “I don’t think a simple cure spell will work. Perhaps Freedom?”

T’lainya thought for a moment, unconsciously touching the necklaces she wore. “Greater Restoration is a possibility. Heal might work too. Perhaps if we cast both simultaneously? We also might consult one of the mages as to procedures for reversing spells like Magic Jar and Soulbind.” She thought for a moment. I suppose a carefully worded Wish or Miracle spell might work too. Thantor and I can cast the healing spells. I can also cast Miracle if needed. The mage spells are a different matter."

Aegis · Post by **Aegis** » Tue Jan 22, 2002 4:00 pm

Aegis listend, silently, after placing Yshania's body on the sofa. He listened as the two began to discuss possible ways to revive the comatose, or at least he believed, woman. He shook his head, gathering the attention of the two.

"Perhaps a Preist of high standing could do it, but not a mage." He turned to T'lainya. "there is another option, though." T'lainya looked at him, and something sparked in her eyes, almsot as if she new what the Ranger was about to suggest, but not sure enough to say anything. "The Mythal." The room went silent at the suggestion.

Mysteria · Post by **Mysteria** » Wed Jan 23, 2002 10:40 am

Carrying Bloodstalker downstairs, Dragon Wench, Jerren and Mysteria passed Georgi's room and Mysteria took the occasion to take up the black dagger. "Not a good idea to let this lie about", she commented.
Finally, they had hauled the still unconscious Blodstalker downstairs, just in time to hear Aegis say "The Mythal". Laying Bloodstalker down on an unoccupied couch, Mysteria wondered what or who that was. Well, no doubt he would explain it shortly.
She also noted that Thantor was back inside the keep, he still looked familiar, she had to talk to him once he had some spare time.