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| The Tower of the Archmage [P]; Jadile | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Wed Jul 18, 2012 11:56 am (351 Views) | |
| Arothan | Wed Jul 18, 2012 11:56 am Post #1 |
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Wisps of silvery mist coalesced at Arothan's feet; an unusual sight, indeed, for it was as if his presence in the ruined city called the ghostly display. Despite his affinity for the arcane, he was nowhere near proficient enough to attract the unearthly specters, so he supposed his ego and his eyes were working together to play a cruel joke on him. But in the early hours of the morning, the twilight hour, he knew that was not surprising. Even in the civilized towns and cities dawn and dusk had different personalities than did night and day, and strangely enough, despite the feeling of power and importance he felt as he wandered through the misty ruins, he was quite comfortable there. Few things scared him in life, but the ruins elicited little response from him other than curiosity. Suddenly, something shifted off to his right, and his caught a glimpse of a shadow in between fallen columns and shattered walls. He stopped for a moment, trying to decide if it was a figment of his imagination, or something else. In the end, however, he knew he had to move on, or else his iron will would begin to rust and chip, and lines of worry and fear would emerge and fracture his calm. Of course, it would take more than one little shadow to undermine his entire persona, but it was a start. Arothan took a breath and continued on, one hand now on the sword at his hip. He gripped the soft leather and ran his thumb up and down the length of the handle, and it seemed those few strands of doubt were shaved away. So, he turned, and began up towards the ruined structure before him. At one time it seemed as if the building had been monstrously tall, but whatever cataclysm that had occurred here left it in shambles. Now the stonework only raised up a few hundred feet in the air, and what remained of the rest of the building lay pointing north, half submerged beneath dirt and overgrown with plant life. Supposedly, this was the place to find the elephants heart. This had been a tower once, white like ivory, with silvery inlays in every wall, and diamonds embedded to reflect the suns light. Somehow, the builders managed to make the walls smooth, without cobbling together quarried rock. The story went that a powerful archmage found the heart in this very place, and when he picked it up it amplified his power ten-fold. So, to protect it he ripped open the earth and pulled the stone from the heart of the planet, hence the smooth sides. Arothan thought it was likely all a crock, and that the heart didnt exist, but his employer thought otherwise, and a mercenary did his job. So here was his task, then. Did he try to enter the front door, or slip in elsewhere? The ruins of the tower left few entrances not covered by rubble or by growth, but as he circled around to the west side he found an opening barely big enough for him to fit through. However, before he could, another shadow shifted around him, this time causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on in. Arothan had the uneasy feeling he was being watched, but he wasnt sure if it was another figment of his imagination or not. Still, standing and staring into the darkness would do him no good. So, putting his torch through first, Arothan slid inside... |
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| Jadile Nata'a | Wed Jul 18, 2012 8:17 pm Post #2 |
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Back in Norwood, Jadile's boss had been uncannily specific and, up until this point, all of the intelligence turned out to be perfectly true. The sorcerer, Leo she called him for his shaggy mane of pale locks, had indeed left Taras aboard the Riffled Sturgeon at the supposed time. Jadile tracked him through the podunk coastal towns and up beyond fringe wood pine barrens. Her pace quickened as she tried to keep up with the rangy sorcerer, messily picking her way over clutches of ruined superstructures and tangles of unkempt brambles. Leon, so engrossed with the rumors of the elephant's heart, never noticed the bounty hunter: She could have been riding a royal white worg, playing the tambourine naked, and Leo wouldn't have turned his head in her direction. It was no wonder why Leo had become a marked man, Jadile thought. She had been on enough pointless hunts in her years to know never to question the command, but a part of her, a deep cloistered part, pitied the clueless sorcerer. He must have crossed words or wands with the wrong person: though if flippant, baseless reasons were good enough for her boss, they were good enough for Jadile's conscience. But she had grown too comfortable in the hunt and when she awake with the rising sun, Leo was out of sight. She darted off in search of her quarry's fresh spoor. In her hurry, she failed to notice another, a man, approach. She deftly swung around into cover and tried not to tremble. Jadie held her breath when clumsy feet and loose rock betrayed her position. She tucked her body closer to the broken pillar, silent and still as the stranger stopped in his tracks. The bounty hunter waited patiently, calm despite having made a mistake, until she heard hollow footfalls moving away. Minutes later, Jadile lifted her jade colored eyes and glared at the man's back. She crept wildcat low, her staff drawn down into the folds of her cloak, the muddy end level with her forehead, and squinted into the fading daylight. This wasn't the Leo. The sorcerer Jadile sought was a great deal taller, with stringy blonde hair and gold sandals; and he was never without the telltale blue and white robe of his arcane order. Who was this other fool climbing the slope to the fabled tower of the archmage then? Still crouched and creeping covertly, the bounty hunter found a clump of dense thorn vines just outside the ruin and waited once again. Jadile, joints aching, shifted her weight and pressed her knees into the damp soil. The man's gaze shot to her hiding position; she was certain their eyes met. Nevertheless, a few, long, heart-thumping moments later, the stranger lit his torch and moved into the unsettling darkness of the wasted tower. Jadile found herself hesitant to follow. She could assume Leo had already entered, no doubt unaware of his tails. And she could assume this other man had no idea that a power-hungry sorcerer was stalking the underbelly of the archmage's tower in search of omnipotence. Or maybe...maybe her slag of a boss questioned her competency and sent another guilder to clean up. He seemed paranoid, or alert rather; perhaps he was expecting her. Jadile cursed under her breath and stood in the morning light. She pulled her hood from her head and let it fall to her shoulders, her mouth tight, eyes searching. Kicking the end of her staff with her soft-toed slippers to bring it to bear, Jadile calcified her fears and padded through the west side entrance of the ruined tower. Her eyes took too long to adjust to the sheer curtain of blackness and she felt her guts roil as she used her staff to guide her feet. Seconds before her body would have been flooded with raw adrenaline, panic clutching at her throat, Jadile saw the flickering light from the man's torch. She came up fast on him, chin tilted insolently in the air, "Why are you following me?" Jadile's voice was as steady as her contemptuous glare, "Don't deny it, cur. Eddie sent you didn't he?" Tanned features moved into the torch's light; squinting green eyes lined with delicate crow's feet, toothy smirk on thin lips, pulse throbbing along a slim neck. She opened her mouth to speak once more but a muffled thump followed by a crash shocked her to silence. The man's torch hiccupped in the stale air, and Jadile seemed to shrink away. Another crash, the sound coming from empty darkness. Jadilie held her staff in front of her in a mock defensive gesture and swallowed. Edited by Jadile Nata'a, Wed Jul 18, 2012 8:19 pm.
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| Arothan | Thu Jul 19, 2012 11:53 am Post #3 |
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It seemed as if this was going to be a simple excursion, a quiet trip to recover an ancient artifact that left little room for opposition, but it seemed that fate had other ideas. Out of nowhere the woman appeared, and had he been looking more closely for her, he wouldnt have been so surprised. But, as it stood, he didnt even have time to snatch his sword out of its sheath before she was on him. Questions flew like arrows, raining down on him so quickly he might have died had they been sharper, and had he been any slower in his response he thought she might have thought him touched in the head. Luckily, after recoiling from her and pausing with a dumbfounded look on his face, he managed to stammer out a response. What? he asked, No! What!? What are you talking about!? Who in the nine hells are you? Eloquent, yes, but he supposed it got some point across. Keeping his torch raised, he turned slightly, stepping back with one foot. If she decided to attack he postured himself so that the torch would intercept her first, hopefully giving him time to draw his weapon. However, as quickly as she appeared, he wasnt so sure he could do even that. She did get the drop on him, but still Suddenly, the first loud crash rang out, and Arothan looked around. He could see nothing in the early mornings light, but something else was out there. Apparently he was not the only one in the ruins, he thought to himself throwing a glare her direction, but he dropped it finally. There were more important details to figure out first, starting with the mad-woman who looked about six sentences from bludgeoning him to death with that little stick of hers. So, since it seemed the most prudent thing was to avoid that happening, Aro took a step back and raised his hands to show he meant no harm. This time when he spoke, he wasnt quite so shock: Now, I dont know who you are, and I dont care, but youre in my way, and that is screwing up my business. Ive got work to do, and it doesnt involve being threatened by well anyone. This one was about as subtle as a ships cannon; it seemed, but no matter. Another shockwave hit the ground just a few moments after he finished speaking. The crashing noises were becoming louder and louder, echoing through the ruins and, subsequently, through their feet, and it seemed they were getting further and further away despite becoming more intense. The ruins had safeties of different kinds, he was sure, but Arothan didnt know what. Perhaps there were mechanical traps, or perhaps there were constructs; either way he wasnt looking forward to it. This was supposed to be so easy, he mused. Now, if youll excuse me, he said calmly. Brushing her off with a shrug of his shoulders and a wave of his torch, Arothan strafed around her to avoid getting in reach of her staff, but before he could escape her striking distance the ground began to shake underfoot. Then, without warning, a fifteen foot chunk began to disintegrate. Grass and dirt gave way to the hollow ground underneath, and the few bits of stone holding the area up disappeared completely. The entire area from where hed just entered to several feet passed him began to fall, and a quick glance back at the woman before the ground caved in gave him a moment to scowl. He hoped she saw it. |
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| Jadile Nata'a | Sat Jul 21, 2012 7:36 pm Post #4 |
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In your way? Jadile sneered before offering the man a facetious snicker, Oh, Im sorry, I must have frightened you. There was an unfriendly darkness behind her lovely eyes, an appraising sharpness without the heat of curiosity. Still, the bounty hunters attention waned when the disembodied crashes and thumps put the mans sputtering torch to shame. She lowered her staff and leaned heavily against it, cocking her hip into its yew carved comfort. Perhaps he was telling the truth; maybe he wasnt here to lick Eddies palm and steal her bounty. As Jadile watched him, the way his hands wanted to move to the sheathed blade at his side, the way he instead remained impassive, she felt more and more like she had made a miscalculation. But a proud woman is proud and Jadile feigned similar indifference when the man shrugged her off. A heady smile pulled her tanned features taut. Well hell sugar, dont let me keep you from your work. Sarcasm dripped like watery ink from the tip of a quill, Make sure to excuse yourself from the batty sorcerer wandering these ruins too. Honeyed simper, velvet tones. Jadile banged the butt of her staff against the floor for effect; the shockwave that met the action was exponentially more terrifying. Her smile faded with comical grace when the ground beneath her feet fell away. She shrieked, the dreadful sound mostly muffled by the roar of collapsing earth. Jadile felt herself falling; her staff was forgotten, small fingers desperately reached out as the soil crumbled away. Jagged rocks and ancient roots tore bloody gashes in her palms, frantic soft-soled shoes scrambled to find purchase before a long plummet into an unknown abyss. When the loam rain stopped, Jadile was nowhere to be seen. Yet, a string of foul vulgarities drifted upwards from the opened chasm; no more velvet tones, but a horrible mewing of curse words and hyperboles describing a questionable upbringing. The bounty hunter clung precariously to a wall of loose dirt, both hands wrapped around a bend of gnarled root, about five feet down. She pressed her chest to the earth, shoulders screaming from the effort, breath coming in quick gasps. Dirt in her mouth, molars grinding it to powder as she clenched her jaw, Help! Help! She yelled in a panicked, rapid staccato. Help! Fearful, stupid eyes looked down into the fissure and found nothing but swirling darkness and cloying swirls of earth....and...something sparkling. At first, the bounty hunter thought she was hyperventilating, thusly causing her vision to swim with glittering motes. But after blinking a dozen times or so, she realized there was indeed something shiny beneath her, far far down. She quickly tore her gaze from whatever it was pulsing with light from below when her hands, slick with blood, began to slip. Let me fall and I will haunt your dreams until the day you die. Jadile swallowed a mouthful of sand and spit, Then Ill haunt your children. And their children you son of a b-! The root she was clinging to popped and she gave a clipped yelp. Pleeeeeaaaassse! |
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| Arothan | Wed Aug 1, 2012 4:21 pm Post #5 |
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Arothan cried out in surprise as the ground shattered like glass, and dropped him into the dark abyss. Contrary to popular belief, there was no brief pause before gravity sucked him down, no feeling of euphoria; the only thing he felt was the terror of his impending death. His hands groped for anything as he fell, and a few roots and twigs were all they could find, but there was little there more than the falling debris. To his good fortune, at least one root did not break under his weight, and Arothan grabbed it and went swinging through the abyss. He slammed into something hard, and or a moment he hung dazed, but finally his grip loosened and he fell again to land in a heap on a muddy outcropping meters below him. Moments went by, moments where he could not differentiate between seconds and hours, but something broke through. Something got to him. Shrill cries woke him from his daze and brought him blinking back to the real world. Lying in damp soil, nearly hanging from the structure, Arothan was greeted by the sight of a huge sink-hole below him, diagonal walls flowing down to an underground stream. He cursed under his breath, before blue eyes began scanning the area for the sound of the womans screams. Clambering to his feet, he found her hanging not far above him, almost in the same predicament hed found himself in. Hang Before he could finish his sentence, she fell. It was something of a surreal moment for him, and Arothan found his body moving on its own accord. He grabbed the length of root that had brought him this far hanging just behind him, and he swung himself sideways off of the ledge. Perfect timing brought him right on top of her as she sailed downwards, luck brought his hand down on top of her own, and only the Gods knew what got him back to the ledge Hanging there for a moment with a baleful grimace, Arothan got his foot back onto the ledge, and pulled himself on. He hefted the womans weight up next, still holding onto the root, before finally collapsing down on the ledge. A moment later, when they were both safe and still, the root finally broke off from the ceiling above. Breathing heavily, cursing loudly, and shaking his head, the mercenary made a point of waving his index finger to emphasize his point. You know, this is why I hate people, he complained, Loud, intrusive, and completely helpless! He coughed, Gods be damned! Risking my ass for some woman whos gonna get in my damn way, he continued. Eventually, however, the curses and bile-filled insults trailed off, and he sat there steadying his breathing, and finding his center. So, finally, adrenaline returned to normal, the man stood to his feet and began examining the chasm. Below them, he could make out a faint shimmering, but he wasnt quite sure what it was. His torch had disappeared somewhere down there, but where, he wasnt sure. There were no light sources visible in the immediate area. Alright he remarked calmly, There are a few more ledges down below that we can jump to. It doesnt look like going up is going to be an option |
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6:58 PM Jul 11

