A Druid's Story {Graphic Violence, Some Sexual Content}

200 posts yay...Also breaking my own 100 post mark in this forum . P.S. when did we all become loremasters? Is it based on you starting a story in this board or do you have to have a popular one going on or?

We became "Loremasters" when SoE finally fixed the bug that had us all showing as "Forum Users." New ranking system Grimwell explained they changed the system w/ new forums, now based off account age vs post count. While there were issues with people playing lots of games to inflate their post count (Done it, but I was sooo tired of the yucky green title color I had right before forum-flop...I just wanted the pretty blue color).... Well now "Loremaster" doesn't show how active we are on the board, just that we have been playing the game probably wayyyyy too long .

Chapter 23: Preparation

Screams of the dying and tortured echoed down the lichen covered walls of the temple complex. Outside, the sun shone down on a place at once majestic in its wasteful splendor, but also a center for evil unknown to the world. Soaring towers and massive ziggurats dominated the skyline of the place known as Cazic Thule. Vines, trees and other greenery occupied the places within the temple complex not often trod upon.

To one side of the main entry through the massive wall surrounding the place, a pristine waterfall tumbled its way down the side of the terraced square that rose a dozen paces above the earth, and which all the other buildings were built on. A gigantic ramp led from the ground level at the main gate to the top of the main square of the complex. To the side of the ramp opposite the waterfall, a tall, rectangular portal had been cut into the earth that composed the raised square of the place.

It was to this entrance that the heavily laden group of lizardman cultists headed, carrying at once their materials, research papers, and the body of a small, dark-skinned girl. Their teleport signature still making the air near the main gate shimmer as in high summer, the group hastily marched through the entrance and into the rough-carved tunnels under the more visible part of the complex. However, it was in these musty, smoky, sparingly lit passageways that their true work was to be done.

The massive lizardman who had met the mysterious mage under Fallen Gate turned back to his companions and hissed out a long string of commands, which the minions scrambled to obey. Two, carrying the girl and a large amount of magical research material in their large, powerful scaly hands, followed the leader as he made his way further into the tunnels.

They walked through passage after passage bustling with many cowled magic-using lizardmen who were usually accompanied by plate-encased warriors bristling with many different sorts of weapons. Many turns and twists later, the small party arrived at a pair of heavy, bronze-encased doors carved with the visage of Cazic-Thule surrounded by prostrate servants who were being tortured and then fed, still living, to many of the dark beasts comprising the border of the door frame. In the fitful light of the torches along the passage, it seemed the pitiful souls depicted on the mural were writhing in agony and wailing silently, mouths wide open.

After laying a hand on the door for a moment, the lizardman stepped back as the door swung silently open in response to his magical signature. Signaling the two guards accompanying him to wait close to the door, the lizardman stepped through a small archway into a square room about five paces to a side. A motif of death and suffering covered the walls, but they were nothing to the pure fear emanating from the small statue on a pitch black altar in the middle of the room. A formless face with many eyes down its elongated head, apishly proportioned arms and shoulders, along with heavily muscled legs and a thick tail represented the Avatar of fear, Cazic’s main servant on the mortal plane. For many years now, the statue had lain dormant, but the long process the magician now bowing before the statue had undertaken was coming to fruition, and the god-servant would awaken again.

A shivering ran through the lizardman’s bones as he recalled his bloody rise to the top echelons of the hierarchy of the temple. Only five stood above him now, and none were mightier in the arts of dark healing he partook. In his mind he contemplated the deaths of those five, especially the man he had met weeks earlier at the secondary altar of Cazic located in Fallen Gate. That man, High Servant Me’ilthal, was present leader of the legions of worshippers Cazic could claim, even in his prolonged absence. His insistence that all under him grovel in his presence made it an even more sublime fantasy. The thought of eating the man’s entrails while he screamed his last made the lizardman’s hands clench and unclench in ecstasy.

After paying homage to the image of his god’s favored servant, and the god himself, Ssiithius, as this lizardman was known, stepped out of the room and motioned for the two guards to follow him with both the magical items and the broken body of the girl in tow.

The three stepped into a room far beneath the earth, a room which seemed to rise impossibly high and stretched the length of a small town. In this cavernous area, the main underground city that comprised the center of Cazic’s worship housed the multitudes of priests and warriors pledged to the god’s causes. A large building to one side of the area was the center for magical research, and it was there that the girl was taken, then subsequently handed over to the many magicians eagerly awaiting their chance to exploit the girl’s power. After seeing that she was hooked up to the magical bindings that would also serve as the conduits to steal her essence, Ssiithius made his way back to his own quarters, to contemplate what he would do since the girl was no longer his responsibility.

Arriving at his permanent lodgings, the shaman settled down to a meal brought to him by ever-waiting magical servants and decided on what he would do now. A thought occurred to him and a wicked grin passed his fanged, scaled countenance as he stood up suddenly, a malicious intent gleaming in his eyes. Walking to a large cabinet, he rifled through the disorganized contents until he found what he was looking for, a large mirror inlaid with humanoid teeth around the edge. Calling upon his divinatory powers, Ssiithius commanded the crystal to show him the beings he had caught a glimpse of while escaping Fallen Gate.

Almost instantly, he was shown a picture of the mighty dwarf who had almost single-handedly slain over one hundred of his many necromantic accomplices’ creations in a single ferocious encounter only hours earlier. The backlash from all the deaths of their creations had driven two competent mages insane and outright killed two of them, when their brains exploded from internal pressure caused by magical buildup as their pets’ animating forces returned to them en masse.

Accompanying the dwarf on the ship crossing the ocean in the direction of the Feerrot were his powerful companions who had helped in the battle, a high cleric of Marr, a gnomish female who seemed to be a quite competent magess and a ranger who the shaman had watched rain down a shower of death from his powerful enchanted bow. Mighty heroes all, he thought to himself. Let’s see how they fare against my personal shock troops.

Summoning one of his many magical servants, Ssiithius sent a message to the captain of his own personal army of about two score* handpicked, battle toughened veterans and battle healers.

* * *

Two weeks after setting out from Fallen Gate, and once again passing through Nektulos Forest, Ereviz and his trio of companions arrived at the shores of the Feerrot. Partway through their oversea travel, the group of adventurers defended their ship against an incursion by sea goblins. Other than that, the trip was an uneventful one, and quiet, as each of the party was locked in their own minds, thinking back on the circumstances that had brought them together.

Ereviz spent the whole trip remembering the time he and Elhonna had made a trip much like this, as the only two people on the small sailing ship his brother left to him in his will. Her love of the sea had been apparent, and he was saddened greatly to remember the look of bliss on her face when the ship was dancing on the tops of waves in stormy weather, or just skimming along at full speed on clear days. If somehow he managed to survive saving the girl, he swore to teach her much as he would have her mother, if only to give the child something to remember her mother, who never having known her, still sacrificed everything to keep her child safe. Lost in his miserable thoughts, Ereviz was uncommunicative most of the trip.

In the odd times the other three spoke to one another, they shared stories of the girl their guild had raised from an infant, from the time she somehow ended up hanging by her shirt tail from a windmill’s blade to when she learned her first magic spell. They made sure Ereviz was included in those rare conversations, and he would share his knowledge of Elhonna. They all knew unconsciously that some of them might not make it through the upcoming fights and so they made sure anyone who survived could still relate to the girl and teach her well, since it was never assumed she wouldn’t be rescued. All knew that either she would be rescued or the entire group would be dead.

As the ship finished docking, the four grabbed their packs and readied their weapons, then stepped onto the dock. Looking back for a moment, all of them observed the sun setting far out at the edge of the ocean, the faint clouds in the sky tinged pink purple and gold as the dying sun’s final rays tried to stave of the coming night.

Turning from the sight of the setting sun, the group looked about and observed the beach surrounding them for a moment. For many miles in either direction one could see nothing but unbroken yellow sands along the coast of the great continent. Roughly a hundred paces down the massive dock, which ran on stilts the entire length three paces above the beach, the beach ended abruptly at a sheer cliff that surrounded much of the forested continent. Where the dock met the wall, a large rough-cut hole had been shorn through the solid rock, giving the travelers from the sea access to the forest beyond.

For a long moment none spoke, then Ereviz broke the silence.

“This’s it I suppose. Me hammer aches to be buried betwixt the eyes of the scum what took El’s life and her daughter. Let’s finish this, I tire of the chase.”

Seeing no need to respond in spoken words, the other three nodded their agreement and they all headed through the tunnel in the massive sea wall that led into the forest proper.

*Score is 20

I loved the description of the necromancers' mana feedback. I had never quite thought of the mana return to the creator (never played a summoner-class), but your image was wonderful.

Glad you liked it. Can't remember where I got that idea from or if I made it up a long time ago in my DnD heydays. Either way, it isn't the first time I've written about mana feedback. I think it was DnD because you can counter spell other mages by casting the same spell and it cancels theirs. So it kind of means there will be a mana backlash because the unspent energy needs somewhere to go. Also, epic spells in that game tend to have side effects which include casting devastating spells that can cause destruction and ruin for hundreds of miles but cause instant backlash that in some cases nearly kills the user. Imagine this as an example: A spell caster waves a hand and with a single word the area around him becomes a roiling mass of flames that burn even the bedrock itself. For a hundred paces all things are incinerated, yet the massive strain required to control this mighty power pushes the mage to his limits, and his eyes bleed and his skin crawls as he barely contains the potent energies he has summoned forth. That's a typical DnD epic spell description.

[p]Excellent, as always. I may not always post, but I do read regularly.[/p][p]And fear not, you have a fan base. For each lurker out there who says something, there's like 10 more who never do. I found that out firsthand with Kinslayer's. ;-)[/p]

Yeah I'm pretty poor about profiving feedback myself. I had your story favorited (still haven't figured out how to witht he new forums) on teh old forums and check it. I'm not as nice as valkry to read every post on here. Well i do, sorta jsut not int eh timely mannor. But yes I've been reading all along. You're story Really picks up about halfway through and it's had me hooked since then.

Tis nice to have fans, but it's a bit more meaningful when some of them are also some of my favorite writers on these forums. Thanks for the kind words guys, and fear not, sometime during the weekend I might have time to toss out another chapter or three

Keep it up... loving it so far... i am back from a long time away.. nice to have a good read

[align=center]Chapter 24: Departure [align=justify] “I must leave. I can feel the pull of my daughter’s suffering even across the planes. Surely you understand?” Of course I do. I am a mother myself, and if I hear my children cry out it takes all I have not to whisk myself to their side and set right whatever it is that causes them distress. Alas, though, I am held by oaths even more powerful than the death that keeps you here. Death can be reversed, oaths to gods, however, are much harder to overcome. Elhonna looked at the exquisite beauty standing before her in mortal form and hesitated a moment before asking a question she had asked many decades earlier, as time was reckoned in this place. “Who are you? It seems you are much more than meets the eye. Who are you that could drag me across the planes and save me from death, and know the things about me you know? The same sad smile passed across the woman’s face as had occurred when first asked this question. I have no doubt that once you’ve set things right on Norrath, and have time to look into things, you would eventually figure out almost without a doubt who I am. Rather than leave you with that shadow of a doubt, I will let you know who I am, who it is that has assisted you in your time of need. My name as you mortals know it is Tunare. I helped you for many reasons, but first among them is this: Many millennia ago, Innoruk, the progenitor of the dark elven race, stole from my arms the pinnacle of my creations, the king and queen of the elven race. He spent centuries torturing them, twisting them, until one day they were to reappear on Norrath as the mother and father of the whole Tier’Dal race; the strain of elves your unlamented father hailed from. I watch patiently, waiting for the few rare instances I can bring the people of that race back into my fold, because regardless of the evil many do, I’ve not lost my love for my creations. So when I saw you, a small half-Tier’Dal girl, cast aside by your father, I bestowed my powers onto you, long before your latent, otherworldy powers showed themselves. I’ve watched over you, sending emissaries from my many followers when I could. I sent Matthias to help you along your way, never knowing the pain that choice would cause. Tears in her eyes at the remembered pain, Elhonna interrupted to speak a moment, “I forgive you for that, Mother Tunare. The pain I feel every day at his loss is only selfish longing. I know that he’s in a much happier place than Norrath, and I will one day meet up with him again, at least, between reincarnations. The happiness I felt for those few years have sustained me, and made me stronger than I would have otherwise been. Your choice made me who I am today, and gave me a beautiful child. One I hope to rejoin soon and love until the day she or I pass from the world. Don’t be sad for me, beautiful lady. It means much to hear you say those words. It lifts a bit of the burden I carry over the eons. Tunare paused for a moment, then continued, To continue my story, I’ll now relate one last tale. When you were flickering, about to pass into the oblivion of death once again, I reached out and shielded you. That was the green light you saw for a moment before waking up drowning in the sea. I had to wait for you to rout the enemies before you before I could bring you into my embrace here in the Plane of Growth. I cannot directly interfere much in the events of everyday Norrath, but when I saw Cazic’Thule starting to move back into Norrath I decided it was time for me to once again get an upper hand in the eternal battle of the gods. Such was my purpose for rescuing you. I need strong mortal champions once again, and you shall be my first, for as long as you want, until you die once again. All the while, I shall see what I can do to restore you to your former existence as a fellow nature goddess, albeit in another, parallel universe. Now, I shall do what I think I should have done to begin with. I shall ask of you, will you be such a champion for me? Many things ran through Elhonna’s mind in a few fleeting moments, but she came to one conclusion doubt-free. “Yes, I will do this for you and for the world my daughter, and hopefully, one day, her progeny, will live in. I think, though, that it is time for me to be going. Even though each moment that passes on Norrath comprises many days, even weeks here, slowly but surely, I’ve felt my daughter become weaker and weaker as the priests of Cazic perform their evil deeds upon her. “Now I need to go, before it’s too late, for once she’s in Cazic’s grasp, not even your powers will be enough to save her.” Of course, my daughter. I will send you there, fully geared and knowing all that you’ve learned here. Remember, however, that on Norrath there isn’t as much pure nature energy to draw on, and you shan’t be able to do some of the feats you’ve performed here under my tutelage. Elhonna nodded, and raised her hand in farewell then closed her eyes against a sudden flare of light surrounding the goddess. When she opened her eyes, a frightful sight befell her. Ereviz, along with three of her former companions: Maggie, Fiona, and Noris, was fighting a brutal battle against an onslaught of man-sized lizards armored in black spiked mail and carrying evilly glowing weapons. Drawing energy to her, and drawing the pair of exquisite glowing-green scimitars hanging at her hips, Elhonna rushed to join the fray. [align=center][align=justify][align=center]* * * [align=justify] [/align][/align] After more than two weeks of trekking through the hot, humid, rot smelling forest that comprised the majority of the continent of The Feerrot, Ereviz and his companions were exhausted. Most of their waking hours were spent looking out for and then fighting masses of giant spiders, swarms of over-sized insects, groups of lion-bodied and headed creatures with bat wings and goat legs, and bands of scrawny-looking man-shaped lizards a little taller than a dwarf. Ereviz gazed blearily at his friends. Fiona looked nearly ready to fall over, her small countenance etched with weariness from the many times she had called upon her magic, yet still ready to back the group with her spell arsenal at an instant’s notice. Maggie’s fingers had been bleeding for days, his much callused, toughened fingertips unable to take the repeated strain of unleashing arrow after arrow into their many foes. Maggie spent much of his free time, while at rest and not sleeping, making arrows. Noris’ once gleaming armor had been battered and scuffed by clubs, dented by warhammers and stones cast by the lizardmen who accosted them on a regular basis, and even had rents from oftimes broken swords wielded by the same creatures. Holes showed where more than once he had been stung by the barbed tails of the lion/goat/bat creatures Fiona had identified as manticores. Manticore poison had nearly killed everyone in the party more than once, and Noris had spent much magical energy purifying the group members’ bodies. Ereviz himself had taken more damage, and been healed of it, than all of the other party members combined three times over. He was at the forefront of every fight, blocking the enemies with his body to keep his party safe. His powerful arms were tired with the strain of swinging his heavy hammer times beyond counting. A gaunt look had come over his face as he sweat and worked away any leftover weight he had carried from his sometimes easy years of living in Qeynos and working as a guard on dwarven ships. The group as a whole, though, had persevered. Prevailing over their many foes had strengthened their resolve, and served to bind the group even closer together than they had been in their common cause. This day found the group almost all the way to the nearly lost temple-city of Cazic’Thule, the center of the evil worshippers of the same god. They traveled along a small, high banked stream, using the natural cover the high banks provided to effectively sneak through the tangle of forest that led up to a sheer mountain blocking the way only a half day’s walk to the south. According to a map bought at the dock of the Thundering Steppes, this stream would wind its way into a cave that led through the otherwise impassable mountain. Coming around a small bend in the stream, the group was temporarily taken aback by the sight that met their eyes. After having suspected that the small lizardmen they had been fighting to this point were runts of their race, their suspicions were confirmed by the cluster of lizardmen greeting their sight in a clearing not twenty paces away. Standing nearly two paces tall each, the group of at least two score lizardmen towered head and shoulders over even Noris, the tallest of the group of adventurers. Grimacing, Ereviz turned the three people who had held firm through all the trials the dreary jungle had offered and spoke what he thought might be his last words. “We may nae make it, but they’ll know we were there, by the gods. I say we take the fight to ‘em, not let ‘em get the ‘nitiative. I’ll do me best to bury me hammer betwixt the eyes of yon ugly helmeted one. Mebbe wit’ the leader gone, they’ll nae fight as ‘ard. If’n ye see one ‘ealin’, direct me to ‘em. I’d as soon nae kill ‘em all thrice. Noris spoke shortly, “Till my blood lies in a cold pool on the ground I’ll be at your side, noble dwarf.” The cleric slapped his weapon on his palm and stood firmly at Ereviz’s side. Maggie piped in as well, “I’ve a quiver o’ arrows waitin’ for a new place to rest. You point and I’ll put an arrow in its eye, Ereviz.” The ranger moved to one side and started drawing an arrow even as the enemy noticed them and moved in their direction, shouting battle cries that would have chilled the blood of lesser heroes. As she gathered arcane energy into a ball of flames in the palm of her hand, Fiona spoke briskly with a wan smile, “I feel her still, Ere, she hurts. And I’ll take out my anger on these lizard freaks!” She ended the last word at the same time as she flung her hand outwards, sending the first of many fireballs into the ranks of the oncoming enemy. Ereviz streaked along right behind the path of the fireball, and moments after it impacted the front rank of the enemy, immolating two hapless lizardmen, he burst through the blazing sheet of flame to emerge, flame coursing down his body, beard throwing off sparks, in the midst of the next rank of ememies, his hammer flickering faster than the blink of an eye. With these first blows, and as arrows flew close over the top of his head to strike down more enemies, the fight was joined. [/align][/align] [/align][/align]

[p]HA HA![/p][p]Made you post! 8)[/p][p]Excellent, as always. Now write some more.[/p]

Your reply made me lol. Of course reading you made me write. You inspired me to start up again in the first place. Keep up Ambrosious' tale. (I like the evil surety more than the unsure goodness of Ekuth ). I like this chapter I just wrote myself for some reason. Dunno if it's the image of a final battle (don't believe it ) or getting Elhonna back into the main picture, but I kinda see this as a turning point.

read it all in one sitting , and loved it....good stuff will be adding you to my list of stories to lurk and stalk daily twitch .....

[p]Great story,characters,and rich detail..... I luv being able to track the story from my knoweldge of Norrath...[/p][p]Is there really a dungeon inside of Gultex Citadel ? ...When will Elhonna start to weild her druidly powers more? she must be from the Fury side of the powers of nature.[/p][p]I like the duel classing ... Im gona go searching for that secret entrance out of the sewers ...but maybe you hid it to well?[/p][p]But alas ... I must put the proverbial book mark here ...chapter 12 page 3 ...Am looking forward to reading more later. [/p]

Nope, no dungeon, but I always felt there should be more to Gul'Thex. And as far as that hidden entrance to the sewers...well, there is one in game, but not in the way I described. And yep, Elhonna is a fury in game. See my sig . And thanks to both of you new fans for putting a smile on my face and letting me know that people still read this drivel I call a story edit: p.s. you'll see El's powers soon.

twitch twitch...I just need a little fix.....shakes just to hold me over for a little while..please lol hugs and waiting patiently see?

[p]here is a little trade (addic) secret that I learned. Just jump back a few pages to an old post that is 3 - 4 months old. it's generally old enough to be familer but still fun to read. Oh yeah if it is not just go out and get a concussion or two. Kill off a bunch of them brain cells there and it'll be that much better to reread.[/p][p] [/p][p] [/p][p][size="xx-small"]>>Shut the %^&* up Productions would like to offer the following legal disclaimer: Do not take anything that Niko says seriously. he is jsut screwy int he mind and says things liek the above statement because he things that it make him sound cool. Futher more.... *Three loud wacks followed silence and eventually Niko's voice.* <Censor> you, you <Censor><Censor>. where the <Censor> do you think that you get off <Censor> saying <Censor> like that.<<[/size][/p]

look here tea get your butt back to your story .less lurking and more writing......revs up ekuths weed wacker....tea yoo hoo tea I have a present for you ;p muwhahahahaha

[p]I am enjoyng this story completely. I can't wait to find out what happens. [/p]

[p]Ah, thank you for sharing this marvelous story. I've read up to Chapter 11 (or is it 12?) and have so far enjoyed reading.[/p][p]I feel that some sentences are missing some commas or have too many. But who am I to say? This little rule has been a bane to my own writing since I could type. I still get the picture and I am kept entertained and not thrown off by the "squeamish" chapters, but I still appreciate the warnings.[/p][p]Things that do throw me off stories are love scenes that are described in disgusting detail, topics that border on the taboo (especially those of sexuall nature), and descriptive and prolonged torture scenes.[/p][p]So far, so good. Even the description about the Freeport assassin and alleged ****** didn't throw me off. Got the sense he was perveted, but I'm glad you didn't take me any deeper into his thoughts.[/p][p]Seen a couple of the usuall typos such as "on on" (missing e for "one" somewhere I think) in the previous chapters, but these are nothing I think that need fretting about unless you'd really like me to.[/p][p]Hoping to finish all twenty-four chapters soon and reading any future chapters and giving some more feedback.[/p][p]IMO, this story truly belongs in the RECOMMENDED READING of the forums.[/p]