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

Yshania · Post by **Yshania** » Fri Apr 19, 2002 2:52 pm

Yshania momentarily felt herself dissolve, a zillion particles held together more by this ethereal magic than will...a sudden mad rush of darkness tempted her to let go, to remain here in this free and timeless wilderness of atoms. Stubbornly she thought of her friends, and of their purpose here... and as she passed into the dank tunnel beyond the dimension door, she felt herself shimmer then reform...the displaced particles merging...and hopefully back in the same order as they were before 'hmmm' she thought...then 'on the other hand...no...better not'

Collecting her senses from the myriad on offer, she settled herself into form and consciousness. She found Gwalchmai and smiled uncertainly at him. Sheathing her scimitars, she guessed from the stench and the corpses around them that there was no immediate danger...a sparkle of energy and Yshania watched as Dragon Wench and T'lainya emerged from the dimension door...each shimmering delicately before reforming as if they had similar temptations to remain between dimensions...to avoid this inevitable chaos and pain. Moments later Mysteria and her wolf appeared beside them...

She worried for the others...she considered that since Thantor held the wand...once he joined them, their party would be determined....she could but hope that they would make it safely whatever their choice of action...

Aegis · Post by **Aegis** » Fri Apr 19, 2002 2:57 pm

Aegis glanced towards Nippy, and then watched Mysteria enter the portal. He had agreed to help them, and he would never back out of his word. He knew the risk he was taking, but seemed not to care. He checked his quiver one time before going through the portal, making sure he had a ful compliment of arrows. He loosened his sword, and took a breath. He stepped into the swirling mass of light. As he walked through, the magic seemed to make him tingle. His body became excited, his blood surged with adrenaline. His mind was clear, and eager. He stepped out on the other side of the portal. At first, the darkness dazed him, but it didn't take long for his elven night vision to take effect. Before long, he could see the heat singatures of each of his new comrades.

"I suggest those with night vision take lead." He glanced to Gwally who already had torch lit, and was begining to work his way forward. "Jsut so we can provide appropriete warning of any danger." Gwally stopped in his tracks, and acknowledged the sound comment from the Ranger. He took a step back, and waved Aegis forward, who quickly proceded to the front.

He stepped over the bodies of the dead drow almost ignoring them, but carefully noting their equipment. Many had a quiver of arrows laying next to them, more than likely they were coated with the paralyzing venom. They might come in handy in the coming battle. He knelt down, and collected one of the smaller quivers, and hung it off his belt, opposite his sword. He then stopped, and waited for the remaining Dark Flames to enter the portal.

Yshania · Post by **Yshania** » Fri Apr 19, 2002 3:11 pm

Appreciating Aegis' offer - and his determination - Yshania held up her hand and requested they wait...

'our fate will take many, let us be strong in number' She considered the elf's injuries and questioned whether he should not back up the party rather than lead...

'I will be fine!' he said stubbornly. Sorry that he did not appear to want to acknowledge his grave injury, and wondering whether any healing spells she knew could even help, she decided to fall into the party formation wherever she fit...each of them here was driven by purpose...and hers was not to question others...

She smiled at him...thankful he had decided on a clothed non-animal form for this task ahead...

dragon wench · Post by **dragon wench** » Fri Apr 19, 2002 3:28 pm

Somewhat disoriented by her passage through the portal, Dragon Wench remained near a door and quietly waited. She noticed Aegis gathering arrows from the fallen Drow, and she wondered both why Annicka's party had not collected them following the slaughter, and how the elf would successfully aim his bow with the use of a single eye. Yet, he had proven considerable skill in their previous battle, so perhaps all would work out, she thought.

As her comrades began to materialize in the darkness, Dragon Wench considered the battles that seemed to have become a way of life. The reek of blood and decay permeated the chamber, a ghastly symbol of the times in which they lived.

Then, banishing her musings to the darker corners of her mind, she grimly shouldered her pack and went to stand alongside her friends....perhaps for the first time fearful that all might not survive the horrors awaiting them.

Obsidian · Post by **Obsidian** » Fri Apr 19, 2002 5:11 pm

"hmmmm" Grumbled Farscape. No stranger to other planes, portals he was not a fan of.
"Well, I've died once already, what the worse that can happen?" Stepping through the portal, his physical form was warped and twisted, reacting strangely to the phantasmal forces that ran the portal. Suddenly he was thrown bodily out of the gateway. Emerging into the crowd of Dark Flames, he stumbled and tripped, a rare occurance, only to be caught by Aegis who was in the right place at the right time.
"My hero" Grinned Farscape as the Ranger, who looked a little miffed. "Never mind"
"Well, that was allright I suppose, lets role!"

Nippy · Post by **Nippy** » Sat Apr 20, 2002 8:57 am

Nippy pulled in a deep breath as the portal shimmered in front of him. It sparkled and folded, drawing him closer into the doorway.

Torm protect us... Thought Nippy. He nodded to Thantor and smiled to the rest of the group waiting...

I swore an oath, and that oath I shall keep.

"Torm guide my hand!"

Nippy stepped through the portal and felt his stomach wrench from behind as he folded into millions of pieces, being transported instantly...

T'lainya · Post by **T'lainya** » Sat Apr 20, 2002 12:17 pm

T’lainya felt the force of magic as she stepped through the portal. The very fiber of her being was dissolved and reformed. The priestess never minded the sensation, she felt as though she were unmade from herself and formed into a simple thread in the weave of life. She sighed as the feeling passed and she appeared in the dimly lighted room.

She nodded at the others and looked at her surroundings. Her jaw clenched as she saw the drow corpses scattered about. She pondered the warning she had received from the Lady of Mystery and thought of the implications. The drow didn’t usually turn to Moander, even those that had shunned the Spider Queens teachings. She thought of Lolth and her penchant for imitating other Gods and shook her head. She suspected that even the shadow Master wasn’t aware of all the ramifications of his plotting. T’lainya turned and moved silently to stand by her friends.

thantor3 · Post by **thantor3** » Sat Apr 20, 2002 4:56 pm

One by one, Thantor watched as his comrades entered the portal and disappeared. Those that were not too preoccupied, such as Nippy, he acknowledged with a nod or a small smile. These seemingly simple exchanges held a significance for him far beyond what one could perceive externally. He had come to recognize such moments for what they were: perhaps the last intimate moments he would have with this living, breathing person in front of him, a person whose life he had shared, whose company he had come to cherish. This awareness was made all the more poignant by the one person who would not be walking through the portal this day… the one person who should have been here, but was not. As if sensing his thoughts, Jennabard touched him gently on the shoulder. They looked at each other for a moment, then she reached out and gave him a hug. "I am with you, Thantor." she whispered. "I have not forgotten what you tried to do for me when I was fighting my demons. Whatever we need to do to bring Georgi back to us, I will do it." As they separated, she gave him a look of absolute determination, then she turned and stepped through the portal.

"And so the day has come, Thantor," remarked Simbul as she floated down to stand beside him. He could see she was tired from her exertions during the recent battle. It was uncharacteristic for her to stay in the background, working subtle magics to assist in the fray but to not be too overt in her assistance. They had both agreed some time ago that this approach was best, and would allow for the most rapid development of individuals skills as well as a sense of teamwork.

"I am sure you have seen many such days," said Thantor pensively.

She did not reply immediately, but looked down for a moment as if touching something deeply painful inside of her. "There is no such thing as 'many such days', Thantor," she said at last. "Each time you and people you care about put your lives on death's path, there is only that moment… that victory… that loss. Each battle extracts its own pound of flesh, whether it be physical or something much more painful." She paused, sadness passing over her face, then continued. "To collect such experiences as if they were some sort of trophy is to dishonor the sacrifice that such moments require." She straightened, looking up into his eyes. "I had my doubts about your colleagues and it was easy to be disdainful of them at the beginning," she began, smiling a small idiosyncratic smile. "Though I would never tell them this, I have come to not only admire your friends… but to care about them as well. I promise you, Thantor, that I will do everything in my power to ensure that they all come back in one piece." He saw the smile broaden as she added, "Well, everyone except Gwalchmai, who I have fond images of returning as a goat." Thantor chuckled and as he made to reply, she step forward and kiss him. "For luck," she said, grinning at the astonished look on his face. She took the Portal Wand from him and said, "Go ahead, Thantor. Go be with your comrades. I will wait here until all of the Dark Flames are safely through."

Simbul's graciousness, Jennabard's kindness, the sense of honor he experience in being part of the Dark Flames… Georgi … all of this welled up from inside him as he turned to face the portal. He gave himself a moment to experience these things, to consider all that had happened to him in these many months, then quietly said, "Thank you, Simbul." She watched as he unsheathed his maces, purposefully strode into the portal and disappeared.

Bloodstalker · Post by **Bloodstalker** » Sat Apr 20, 2002 6:57 pm

Bloodstalker watched as each entered the portal. His mind was racing, trying to understand what the consequences of stepping through that wall of magic, what reactions his body, his mind may feel. He briefly considered letting the others handle this, the fear welling up inside him threatening to overtake him. The irony was strong in his thoughts, anyone who say the concern lining his face would no doubt attribute it to the enemy waiting beyond. It never would have crossed their minds that the journey was infinately more frightening to him....or would they? He remembered Gwally, how the druid had not use the touch of magic to try and heal him, how he had offered a way out of sleeping in the keep the night before. Perhaps he didn't know, at least he never said anything, but those acts made it seem to BS that he at least recognized an aversion in himself.

Looking around the now quiet and silent battleground, his thoughts reverted to the actions of the day. How many times had these people come to his aid, with no regard for their own personal danger, with the only reason behind theor actions a desire to help a stranger. He thought of the battle with the demon, his ride with Nippy on the back of a dragon, and came to his decision. He couldn't turn his back now, telling himself that he owed a debt to the DF's.

As he strode to the portal, he had to admit it was more than a debt of honor, he actually like these people, simply for the respect and friendship they had offered. For Bloodstalker, that alone, the companionship he had seldom known but often hungered for, bound him tighter than and debt ever could.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped through the portal, as a thousand slivers seemed to engulf his being, threatening to overwhelm him, then, very quickly, he was through. As the group was examining the new surroundings, BS squatted on his heels, his breath shallow, his face pale, as he took a moment to compose himself and gather his strength.

He stayed that way for several moments, waiting for someone to take the lead.

Nippy · Post by **Nippy** » Sun Apr 21, 2002 2:07 am

Nippy arrived at his destination in a dark, dingy place. Light from the torches of the group flickered across the room and battled the darkness for control of the room.

Bloodstalker quickly followed Nippy through the portal, along with Thantor. Thantor was fine but BS's ragged breathing truly confirmed Nippy's thoughts.

"It's worse than getting kicked in the chest isn't it?" Nippy asked sympathetically.

BS merely nodded and tried to smile but a grimace overtook his features. Nippy gripped his forearm and helped pull him up.

"Don't worry my friend, we will stop these scum and then you can rest. I promise to aid you in any way I can, if we can get rid of this... affliction, it will be done."

Nippy's voice took on a strong tone as he looked down the corridor, seeing the assembled group of his friends...

"My friends, I take this opportunity to say one thing. I have enjoyed my time here more than you will ever know, I came here alone, with no one to aid me, and the discovery of you all has filled my life. I thank you all..."

Nippy smiled and he walked forward with Bloodstalker, ready to battle any foe that would dare to attack the Dark Flames...

Mysteria · Post by **Mysteria** » Sun Apr 21, 2002 2:44 am

Getting to her feet, Mysteria gave Fang a reproachfull look for having sent her rolling on the floor, but seeing him backing up from the posrtal, tail between his legs, she quickly forgave him and tried to reassure him. She should have known that he wouldn't like passing through the gate.

As there was a moment of quiet before they set off again, she went over the recent events once more. She'd never used so much magic in such a short time and it made her afraid. What if she had hurt the others, what if she had blown herself out of existence? She seemingly had a knack to avoid hurting herself, but the risk was real nevertheless.

How indeed had it been possible for her to throw so much magic around in the last fight? As she went back over the instants she'd been seperated from her body, from her feelings, she began to understand. They, whoever they were, had had taken profit of her weakness, taking control over her powers, channeling even more power of their own through her. She shivered as she remembered the moment she had taken back control, the sharpness of her feelings. They had perfectly controlled her normally so jumbled emotions, thus turning her magic into a fromidable weapon, eliminating the randomness of it. She shuddered, feeling that there was no way she would ever be capable to harness them in the same way as it would mean to give up all what made her human.

She looked over at her friends, yes, her friends. She still could barely believe this, she had been lonely for so long. All the years wandering, always afraid of other people's reactions to her magic, unable to stop her abilities to grow without ever learning to control them or at least dissociate them from her emotions. Suddenly, she was afraid to let her friends down, to let her magic get out of hand. Her magic ... As she felt for it, she was relieved to feel that it had sunk back to the usual backgroung level she always felt. It had been gone after the last battle, but Ria'ya's spell hed restored it. Almost, Mysteria wished that the woman hadn't cast that spell, but only almost, because without her magic she would feel incomplete.

She saw Thantor joining them now and was glad to see him. He would help her with this, she was sure. But first, they had to deal with the Abomination. A new found determination welled up in her and she stepped next to Aegis, Fang in tow.

"Aegis?", as the ranger looked at her, she offered, "Perhaps you might want to take Fang with you, he has keen eyes and a excellent scent. He might be usefull, he knows how to keep silent and he'll follow you if I tell him so."

Yshania · Post by **Yshania** » Sun Apr 21, 2002 7:40 am

Vivien watched as her friends disappeared one by one through the dimension door. She was proud of them, of their loyalty and courage. She had been slightly amused by the interchange between Thantor and Simbul, and Simbul had obviously not realised Viv had witnessed her momentary display of affection. She looked around, already missing her roof top garden, but she was glad that Yshania had freed the horses...she had tried to find Jinx, her kinder dragon friend, but he was nowhere to be seen. Feeling a little sad, she hoped they would meet again one day.

Simbul appeared impatient with Viviens musings 'why is she always so irritated?' Vivien thought, observing the mage's solemn expression. Suddenly reminded of Simbul's tenderness toward's Thantor, Vivien suppressed a grin then stepped through the portal to join her friends.

Aegis · Post by **Aegis** » Sun Apr 21, 2002 10:37 am

Aegis stopped and turned to Mysteria. His blind eye and scare seemed to bore into her, making her take a step back. She wasn't used to seeing the face of an elf marred in such a way. She recovered just as fast, and hoped that the elven ranger hadn't noticed.

"I thank you for the offer, but I assure you my vision is fine." Aegis stated cooly.

Mysteria fumed inside at this statement. What was he trying to prove? That he was tough? She shook her head. "No, take Fang. If your sure you can see fine, then think of him being their as assitence in case you run into some "friends". As she finished her sentence, she placed her hands on hips in a do-it-and-don't-argue sort of way.

Aegis grinned, and nodded. "Very well. Fang may accompany me at point."

Mysteria smiled, and then returned back to her spot in the group.

Yshania · Post by **Yshania** » Sun Apr 21, 2002 2:52 pm

Yshania felt suddenly weak. She sat down her back against the wall, and placed her elbows on her bended knees and her forehead on her crossed forearms. For a moment this felt all too much, she felt sick and dizzy. This violence...only tempered by the courage of her friends. She pondered on this, on what held them together...was it purpose? pride? fear of being alone? There was some kind of poetry at work, but right now she could see no beauty in it's prose. This bloodshed, sometimes it felt too much. Not for the first time she began to question her own motives...and her usefulness and ability to see this through. She was definitely no hero. She was surrounded by dead drow, the best kind of drow if there was a preferred state, but the stench nauseated her. It lingered and she couldn't rid...she started scratching at her skin unconsciously, she knew the smell of their death was creeping over her and she would soon reek of their black and perverse evil...again...an evil that would never die...that would perpetuate and outlive any mortal flesh...something she already carried and could not be free of...closing her eyes to their mutilated corpses only beckoned older visions to crash down and she felt herself retch. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to maintain control. She was not sure she should be here, she was not sure she could see this through. How she wished, just for a short while, she could be back with her good friend Mael...in the peaceful place they had built after it all happened...

Yshania · Post by **Yshania** » Mon Apr 22, 2002 1:48 pm

Still scratching her skin, she felt she might drown in the images...flashes of violent colour that became dampened and mute where any possible sliver of beauty should have been captured and held onto dearly...she recalled what she had reached for from the barred room she occupied, the scent of the grass…the breath of the wind…the sweet sound of bubbling waters…She came to know the cycles of the seasons without the physical daytime visions. The Mother had given her these things. From her room, she harboured hope of reprieve, of withstanding judgement, of promise of graceful acceptance and retreat. The gods had offered her these. But as time dragged on, she had denied, embittered by her fate, and seeking blame, she had flashed hate, and anger, then total submission to those of the weave that would betray and deny all for selfish ascension.

‘Who are they? Why do they cry like that?’ her desperate questioning, the first nights in the camp. ‘They’ were the line of sacrifices, some willing, most misunderstanding of - or fighting - their fate. And she was locked up blind, awaiting the decision as to whether she would be next in line on this procession….

No answers. Just the heavy stick to quieten.

She heard the pain and torment, the chanting and incantations, she felt the blows of hate and discontent…life offered these things. She believed there was life, there was pain, there was love and there was death. Through it all, the strength of extremes were all that remained of the character built…the softness in-between was transitory and situation dependent….

Banishing the visions back...to the place her dear friend had helped her create, she opened her eyes and leant her head back on the wall. Her jaw set, she tried to refuse the fury that welled within...these were black days and anger would only cloud her judgement, and put herself and her friends at risk. She took a deep breath and held the amulet bequeathed by her mother, how sad the anniversary of her death be overshadowed by this evil. She felt the amulet warm inside her fist, and she started to hum an old elven song she had learned from her mother, and later been surprised to hear sung by her friend, Mael.

Tucking the chain inside her armour she stood...forcing her mind to acknowledge the presence of her friends and deny the slaughtered drow at their feet. Mael's words 'Seek the beauty'. She smiled. They were all here. Studying each at length, she suggested they move on...

thantor3 · Post by **thantor3** » Mon Apr 22, 2002 9:00 pm

Recovering from the disorientation of coming through the portal, Thantor's eyes gradually adjusted to the dark. The room looked the same as when he was last here: the great Lantian clockwork device with gyroscopic attachments spinning on either side, the central holding globe, and the five smaller globes around the periphery. He remembered Anicka's amazement at his ability to operate it, not realizing that he had obtained that information, and his knowledge of the complex, from a mindlink with one of his drow captors. Anicka…. It was the not knowing that was eating away at him, making it hard to stay grounded and focused. With an act of will, he pushed both Anicka and Georgi out of his field of thought. He was the only one who had been here before and knew where the Abomination's lair was… or at least used to be. There were numerous caves in this complex. Though it would have been incredibly difficult, the Abomination could have been moved for security purposes. One thing at a time, he reminded himself. Let's bring the others up to speed.

"If I can have your attention," he began brusquely. All eyes turned toward him. "Let me give you an idea of the layout here." Relieving a nearby corpse of its dagger, he crouched down and began to sketch out the outline of the complex on the ground. He indicated their current location, then began to draw out the countless passageways and tunnels from memory. At various times, we would point out guard stations, patrol routes, and holding cells. "Remember, this information is not up-to-date so things may be different. For example, this complex is built around a series of unstable underground caverns, so some of these tunnels may no longer be functional." He drew a large circle in the far northwest corner. "Here," he said grimly. "This is the Abomination's lair." There was a penetrating silence as each person looked down on their final destination. Thantor broke the silence. "It goes without saying that this is not a simple search and destroy mission. At least one and possibly two of our own are down here. I, for one, am not leaving without them." He stood up and looked around the room, pausing to give Mysteria a brief nod of encouragement. "If there are no questions, let's move out."

Aegis · Post by **Aegis** » Mon Apr 22, 2002 9:23 pm

Aegis watched Thantor draw the crude map, and detail where the abomination was. Once getting his bearings, and the basic idea of the caves, he stood up from the group. He turned from the main group, and began to head down the tunnel that would lead them to the creatures lair, his sword drawn. Sunfang gave off a dull red glow, the enchantment illuminating the caves. Fang followed close to him, as Mysteria had told him too. As he was about to dissappear into the caves, he c0cked his head around to face the Dark Flames, his long blonde hair billowing around him. "I'm going ahead. I'll clear out any resistence I find, and maybe run into one of your lost friends." Both BS, and Mysteria almsot jumped at this. Having faught along side of the Ranger before, they new his prowess. They had also developed a friendship with the elf, along with a sense of worry over his current condition. Before either could protest though, Aegis had vanished from their sight, Fang plodding along side.