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

Not to hijack the thread, but I've tried to find the threads that have generated the most buzz (roughly 50ish replies), stories that have strong followings but are completed before the arbitary 50 posts, or stories that have gone "epic" either completed or unfinished. I know this leaves out some early promising efforts, but I wanted to highlight the more 'addictive stories' on our thread.

Well, I'm scheming most of the rest of this story as I type. Dunno when I'll have a brain fart big enough to make me write, but be assured that when I do, I'll be slamming out the majority of the rest of this tale. . . Hoping to get to that point within the next 5-10 chapters, rounding out this story at about 300+ pages in book form. Like I said, dunno when it'll be, but I've been doing some brain storming and chatting it up with my fav. dorf (Ereviz) and getting inspiration from strange sources. Peace, people. p.s. Thinking of re-writing the first few chapters to flow with the style I've implemented as the story's gone on. Dunno yet though. And as far as typos, I don't have the time to check all through the stuff I wrote when my writing skills were still rusty, but as I've gotten more into it i think you'll find fewer mistakes unless you're one of those editor-types who fret over needless stuff Thanks for the encouragement and if you DO run across any typos or story-flow elements that make parts of the story unreadable let me know so I can correct things as needed.

[p]Once again, thank you for the story. I enjoyed all twenty-four chapters of the story and looking forward to see what happens when Elhonna joins the fray before Cazic-Thule. Fried lizardman tail anyone?[/p][p]I don't see any trouble with her being a great fighter since the first chapter. My opinion, Freeport is the kind of place if you don't know how to fight, then the chances are you won't survive. Divine and latent talent can always be awakened later.[/p][p]Thank you for keeping your writing standards high and suitable for most readers. You even starred the dwarf's explicative whereas I don't think that the moderators would have even bothered to "ninja" it had it been written in its whole. Even though I, and undoubtably many others who have read this, know what word was used, I appreciate your thoughtfulness for younger audiences. Perhaps the ones reading from the mom or dad's lap...you never know.[/p][p]The only down side I see is the use of a familiar character and name from the D&D world. When I first read her name I thought, "Is this really a unique character with just a similiar name, or is it going to be another knockoff?" If it was up to me as a dev or GM, I'd root and boot out every variation of a certain dark elf ranger and his relations with a vengeance. There's just way too many out there, and most are insults to the characters we enjoy reading about. Plus the whole "parallel universe" borders too close to the sci-fi genre, in my opinion.[/p][p]Planes of Power? Sure, the gods got to live somewhere right?[/p][p]Inhabited moons? Why not? Just as long as magic portals are the method of travel and there aren't any UFO landing sights and the like on it.[/p][p]Parallel universes? Eh...well if I got to strictly roleplay with one it might go like this. "Who are you? You look really familiar?...Oh, really? I've seen several others with the same story and profession. I guess the only real difference between you all is the variation of your names."[/p][p]My point being: your Ellohanna isn't going to be the only Elf, or Elf realation, on Norrath claiming she's a nature goddess from a parallel universe. At least yours has a fantastic story to back her claim up.[/p][p]Parallel goddess or not, I'm still interested in reading what's to come. Keep writing, and I'll be happy to keep reading.[/p][p]~Silverclaw of the Six Swords...the Fourth[/p][p]"Always glad to be of service."[/p]

Aye, aye, you got me. But here's the kicker. El's been around a lot longer than EQ2 has been . As far as parallel universes, I always look at that as fantasy personally...since all the gods in EQ and DnD seem to simply be really powerful and not all powerful, I figure they don't really have the means to control ALL the planes of existence, or even all the planets in one universe. So where do all those other people's gods live or exist? I don't know, but I have always liked tie-ins to an extent. Also, for background, she's not the true Ehlonna from DnD, simply a descendant of her escapades on the material plane who in my world, eventually was raised to godhood, and took over a portion of Ehlonna's portfolio. I also don't see parallel universes as the are written in Robert Jordan's books, where each parallel is caused by events that could have happened in the main existence (if there is a MAIN one). I see it more as completely different and alternate realities that have nothing to do with each other. Just take it as an adventure of a fallen goddess who was banished to a random plane of existence....which just happens to be the EQ universe.

For anyone wondering, I've not abandoned my story, I've just not had any inspiration for finishing out the rest of it. I'll come out with something not too long from now, I'm getting that writing itch more and more. Later people, Ferunnia

The ending always is the roughest part isn't it? I've gone like 2 weeks now myself without a post as i wrap my mind around how i want to end the part that I'm on.

Glad to hear that you're still thinking about it. It took a year and a good reason for me to stop playing for sometime before I got back to my story. Boy, did it change! Anyway, thanks for letting us your still breathing.

Chapter 25: Reunion
A momentary widening of his eyes and a leap of his heart was all Ereviz was allowed, because between one glance at Elhonna’s streaking form cutting a swathe through the lizardmen and his look back at his hulking, scaled opponent, he almost lost his head to the massive sword the creature swung down with enough speed to whistle. Throwing himself backwards, he still took a graze along one thigh as the lizardman’s sword swept down and buried itself in the bloodied, muddy soil beneath their feet.

Righteous rage swept over his face and his counter-attack took the creature from its feet and left its chest a bloody ruin as his magically imbued warhammer connected with a dull thump, releasing its power. Swinging his hammer in a tight figure-eight, he parried the blows of at least three more of the creatures, dashed in and shield-bashed one of the towering beings in the knees, breaking both of them with a stomach-wrenching sound. Swinging his warhammer down, he crushed the mewling creature’s skull in and spun to catch one of the remaining one’s blows on his shield.

Too late, he started raising his hammer over his head to catch the blow he knew was coming from the other, his battle-wearied limbs failing to respond with enough alacrity. His eyes widened at a light flicker of green sweeping over his head from the side, and the blow he had been sure would split his skull was beat back with a high pitched clang of steel on steel. Beating back the one enemy remaining in his immediate area, he finished it with a quick three blow combination of swings and turned back to see what had saved his life.

His breath left him as he was overcome with awe. Elhonna had once described the movements Matthias used in combat, but he had doubted at the time the possibility of a human moving with such speed, attributing her story to youth and lack of battle knowledge. The display he witnessed took all doubts from his mind. For the first time ever, he witnessed her in full battle rage. As he watched her silver hair stream nearly straight out behind her due to the speed at which she moved, he almost lost track time after time of her weapons blurring, then meeting with weapons or flesh. She seemed to not have taken a wound cutting through at least a half-dozen enemies in the time he had fought briefly with his three.

Then he noticed one of the many enemies surrounding her finally get a blow in, but her wound re-knit itself in moments before his eyes, as a green radiance surrounded her briefly. A sudden flash of light burst from her palm in his direction as she cast a spell on him without ever looking his way. Vitality washed over him in an almost overwhelming stream, and he felt himself almost lifted from his feet with the fierceness of the empowering spell. Time felt as if it had slowed, and he could follow her movements more easily.

As the spell left him, he noticed the energy stream out to the rest of his companions. Wounds healed themselves as the healing qualities of the spell rushed through him and he felt better than he had in days. He rushed into the fight with his friend, and slaughter ensued.



Near the end of the battle, clouds that had threatened all morning finally released a torrent of rain. As they stood there in the rain, half-elf and dwarf faced each other for what seemed the first time in ages. For Elhonna, it had been nearly sixty dream-like years since she saw the blunt-faced features of perhaps her only friend in the world. For Ereviz it had been only little over a month, though the time had felt much longer.

Tears shone in the eyes of each, many unspoken words passing between the friends. After a few minutes of this, with the other companions wondering what the exchange meant, Elhonna and Ereviz stepped together. She dropped to one knee in front of him, putting her at eye level, then she slowly bowed her head until their foreheads met.

“Thank you, my friend. I never doubted for a moment that you wouldn’t keep your oath. I’ll never be able to repay you,” Elhonna said quietly. She closed her eyes to enjoy a few more seconds of feeling his touch, his breath on her face, and reveling in the feel of being alive and at his side again.

“’Tis the least I could do, El. I couldn’t save you…” His words trailed off as she placed a hand over his mouth. Tears still glimmered in his eyes, but as he met her eyes, he felt them evaporate without having fallen. She seemed calmer, more sure of herself than he had ever seen her. A slight smile touched her lips, as she said, “I should have known, though, that you would need help taking care of yourself. You always get in over your head.” A merry twinkle entered her eyes at that.

“Phaw, we had em, El,” Ereviz stated firmly as she stepped back and straightened up. “Few more minutes and they’d a been wishin’ they were back in their eggs.”

“It’s your story…” she trailed off at the look of indignation that swept over his face, then burst out laughing at the same time he did.

“Bah, stuff it, elf,” he said as they walked back to Maggie, Fiona, and Noris.

Back clapping, and tear-filled eyes were abound as the old companions reunited. As they gathered up hastily tossed aside backpacks, the group related what they had found of Loriana’s captors, followers of Cazic’Thule who planned to use her to bring the god’s avatar back to this plane. El’s eyes flashed with fury for a long time after they related the facts they had gathered, but she eventually gathered control over her emotions to give a fairly detailed description of her time in the Plane of Growth.

A small frown was on Fiona’s face as she listened and Elhonna asked what bothered her.

“From what you say, if I’m any judge of the amount of time it takes to master some of the spells you describe…how long were you in that place?” The gnome asked, in perhaps the slowest paced voice any of the group had ever heard.

“I’d have to guess over half a century, somewhere in the range of sixty years,” came El’s reply.

“Truly!?” Fiona gasped. “I need to note this! Do you know how you got there and back? How about how to twist time while you’re there? Do you think Tunare would be willing to accept gnomes in her land? Think of the research I could do…” She spouted words in her usual stream of never-ending meandering that scarcely left time for breath. Elhonna tried answering questions during the few times the gnome stopped talking, and the group continued south, eventually meeting up with the stream Ereviz told her led to the section of forest the city of Cazic’Thule was located in.





The other members were asleep when Ereviz walked away from the small camp fire they had built from wood Fiona dried using minor fire spells. Elhonna sat on a small boulder in the middle of the creek, staring at the intermittently cloud-covered moon and stars, lost in thought. The dwarf, finally taking a break from wearing his much in need of repair plate armor, walked quietly up to her and sat down on the opposite side of the rock, laying his head back and closing his eyes.

His voice grated quietly over the sound of the stream rushing past the rock on either side, “I remember bein’ a boy, back b’fore tha Rendin’, near enough a cent’ry n’ a ‘alf ago, and sitting in me ‘ome in Kaladim, listenin’ to the sounds of an underwater river rushin’ past the rock only a few paces from me. Made me feel small, it did, but I still remember that sound, ‘twas all the peace I remember as a lil’ ‘un. You e’er wish ya were a kid agin?”

She was silent for so long he thought she hadn’t heard, but just as he opened his mouth to perhaps change the subject she answered.

“I don’t know. It’s been a long time since I could afford to think on things like that. From the time I was seventeen I’ve fought and fought until it seems that’s all there was to life…other than my short time with Matthias. I missed out on the pleasure of motherhood getting revenge…I feel as though I was cheated. Though it’s no one’s fault but mine.”

She stopped a moment then continued on.

“I came to terms finally, as far as my feelings over him. Sixty years is a lot of time to heal, especially when you have a human’s world-view, if not their short lifetimes. I’m happy for the time I had, and would do it all again. I guess now that I think about it, it would have been nice to have had a normal childhood, with friends and laughter all around. Hard to imagine my life like that though,” she added with a soft laugh.

“What brought on that question, if I may ask, Ere?” she spoke over her shoulder, having laid back like him, so that their heads nearly touched at the top of the rock.

“I’m jus’ thinkin’ bout what livin’ in the middle of a world-encompassin’ war was like. You think yer girl’s gon’ be ok?”

The temperature around them dropped enough that it startled the dwarf into jumping over the rock to El’s side, ready to protect her if some wizard was attacking. What he found was her sitting there, arms around her knees, tears slowly falling down her cheeks, then freezing in lines as the otherworldly druid powers she had gained flared with her emotions.

Eyes the color of a cold winter sky, laced with lightings enough for all the storms in the world looked at him as she bleakly responded.

“If she is, then I will kill them quickly. If she’s not, or if they kill her, I will rip their living souls out and use them to undo the hurts they have given.”

yea!!!! was good to see a new entry thanks

I miss the days when there was a "click counter" so I'd know if anyone was actually reading what I type Seriously though, any comments? Gripes, likes? Been a long time since I wrote, 'tis nice to know if I made your eyes bleed or something Edit: Amethest, thankee for the response, nice to know at least one person checks on this story from time to time

[p]I check, and read.[/p][p]YOU, however need to write more often. 8)[/p]

lol I am a travelers tale junkie, I check daily and you are on my list of fav authors to check huggsss I love your work so keep it coming

Brainstorming up some stuff, been slow going with my imagination at a low...guess I been feeding it too much with other works. Re-read the Wheel of Time series...Finished the Potter books (awesome, and I'm not giving any spoilers), bunch of Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth books, and others...Need to stop reading I suppose, lol. It makes me less interested in my own works and I become immersed in theirs. Any new readers I hope you enjoy, old fans I've been considering re-writing the early chapters to follow the styles of the latter half because it seemed more liked the way post-chapter 12 stuff was written, so give me some feedback.

[p]A Druid's Story is the first "Traveler's Tale" I've read on these forums and I must say it made me actually want to go and read some more![/p][p]Great work on this =) I can just picture what I'm reading in my head while I'm reading it since this is so nicely done![/p][p]Keep up the great work and I'll definitely be coming back to read more as it continues![/p]

It's always nice to get new fans =D I'm glad you like what I've posted thus far. I'd have to recommend the kinslayer stories (one is stickied at the top, the first one, the other is in the works usually close to the top of the board).

[p]Dammit, I thought you'd posted there.[/p][p]Thanks, however, for the shout-out, Ferrunia. You sweet thing, you. :thumbup:[/p]

Chapter 26: Push to the City




The party woke to a light drizzle and weak sunlight filtering through the canopy. As they packed up their camp gear and tossed dirt on the ashes of their fire from the night previous, the rain slackened, and then stopped. They turned to the trail Maggie had scouted out while on watch and continued on their way to Cazic'Thule.

As the sun approached its zenith, the party arrived at a large pond fed by the stream they had been following. Standing there in the shade of the tangle of massive trees the comprise the Feerrot, the party was still dripping sweat in the midday heat of the jungle, made worse by the slackening of rain and following humidity. A haze rose from the small pond, making details hard to make out on the mountain wall on the other side, which, according to their map held the cave leading to the section of jungle housing the evil god's city.

Ereviz spoke quietly, "We'll take a bit o' a break here. Accordin' to the map, we got another day an' a ‘alf to the city. Methinks it'd be a good idea to travel all through today and most o' the night, restin' up and getting' there ‘bout midday o' tomorrow.

Everyone acquiesced to the idea, and the party made rest.



* * *



"So, is it really her?

"Seems like it, can't see them being able to fake her aura for this long.

"This changes the plans slightly.

"Of course, I never thought she'd be back this soon. We need more time to prepare.

"How long? We can't hold her back forever.

"Give me four days, the girl should be biddable by then. We can't have her here before she can be used properly.

"That may be stretching it. Scouts report them as less than two days out.

"Then send the Dreadnoughts. I don't care. Nothing must interrupt the ceremonies. The portal is almost open.

"I shall inform the squad leaders. Who should lead them, though?

"Why, yourself of course, I did say it was of the utmost importance did I not?

"As you say, High Priest."



* * *



Bloody priests, the black-armored figure thought to himself as he stomped down the eye-twisting hall leading from the priest's abode. His mind ran through a number of scenes, none pleasant for the sickeningly powerful half-dead man that was his leader. How after who knows how many centuries the man still lived with his ghastly wounds, no one could remember. Longer than living memory he had been thus, burned and scarred beyond any hope of recognition.

So he expects me to put my neck out on the line again, fighting a being of near god-like power, who is accompanied by companions who would be heroes in any story written about them. How lovely. I guess I missed that part of the contract when I signed on. Continuing his glum thoughts, the man took a right and walked down a five pace-wide hall decorated in a skull and blood motif; the skulls being polished white after their previous owners gave them up, no doubt with great complaint, and the blood running in the furrows between the skulls glistened wetly in the torchlight. The source of said blood was most likely being butchered and fed to the mutated lizardmen who served as mounts for the squads living in this section of the city.

Barely noticing the lively decorations, due to having partook in much less palatable decorating himself, the man walked up to a pair of massive, metal-shod doors at the end of the seemingly endless hallway. Eight lizardmen the size of overgrown ogres stood guard there, two on each side of the doors and four more in alcoves off each side of the hallway. They stood a little straighter as he stopped and looked them over.

He snapped off a few words in their native tongue, "Report, is the Major-Lieutenant in?"

One of the door guards replied, "Yes, Commander, he is with the beast-trainers, most likely. There is supposed to be a rider shift-change today. He prefers to be there to stop any stampedes if need be."

"Of course, I gave him those commands myself. When I took over command you were losing three or four trainers and riders each shift change. It was no wonder you were the smallest group of warriors in the complex, even if you are the toughest. Well, carry on, soldiers. And you there," he said, pointing out one of the alcove guards, "go to the animators and tell them to prepare a Vaz'Gok grade golem with accompanying support golems."

The lizard man swept a stiff bow and stood to his full height of near two and a half paces and sprinted down the hallway, his massive weight making flakes of stone fall to the ground from the ceiling five paces overhead.

The commander walked up to one of the huge doors and casually laid a hand on it. Shoving hard, he easily forced open one of the doors it usually took two of the door guards to open.

He looked out over the vast room beyond the doors, taking in the scene of frenzied activity taking place in the midst of a shift change. He hated the fact that he had to keep up this chaotic practice, but if he didn't the mounts would become too attached to their riders and their purpose would be defeated.

The creatures were designed well by their creators. As long as they had a good supply of fresh humanoid meat, they never tired, could run substantially faster than a horse, and could carry the massive members of the Dreadnought squads easily. But even considering their formidable stamina, a Dreadnought could only ride for perhaps two days before they were exhausted, so unlike normal cavalries, who tend to keep remounts, this elite cavalry had to have more riders than mounts. In times of war, massive carts pulled by a few of the squads' mounts carried dozens of the riders each through the paths the squads had cleared. Each two days, the current riders would un-mount for a relief from the carts.

All of this was necessary because the mounts were nothing more than lizardmen magically mutated into huge, almost horse-like forms, albeit with lizard skin and features. If given the same rider for training for more than two weeks running, they would not let anyone else ride them. They were most likely designed this way on purpose to keep their riders tough, and to keep them from being bored during long times of inaction.

The section these lizardmen and their mounts lived in let into a nearly mile-wide pen, sectioned off, that was open to the sky, a massive natural depression in the ground that had been used well when planning the city. Stepping from the dank, smoky, ill-lit hallway, the commander had to shield his eyes for a moment. Spying a large group of lizardmen through squinted eyes he headed in their direction, passing numerous buildings used to house the members of the squad, as well as huge cages in which partly sentient offshoots of many of the races of the world lived, kept like animals as fodder for the mounts.

A lizardman who stood nearly head and shoulders taller than any of his companions was wrestling a mount into a shackle-and-rope system that held it in place while a new rider mounted up and sat there for about an hour while the beast calmed down and got used to a new rider. Once the beast stopped heaving about in its restraints, one of the trainers, well used to reading the beasts movements and knowing when it was faking or not, would let the beast go and it would run off with its new rider.

It seemed the beast currently being held was misjudged, though, because as soon as its tethers were released, it bucked off its rider, stomped down on the lizardman's helmet, crushing the unfortunate's head into pulp, then sprung toward the commander. Screaming lizardmen tried to stop it as they saw who it was about to charge into, but to no avail.

Fifteen paces from the man, the beast lowered its head, and sharply-pointed, metal-shod horns on its head shone in the midday sunlight as it charged at the only thing impeding its forward progress. At five paces, observers saw the man reach up to his shoulder, and as the beast closed to within two paces, the man swept a sword over his shoulder in a motion too quick to follow, while at the same time stepping to the side in a blurring motion. For one endless moment, all the light in the area seemed to be sucked into that blade, which pulsed evil in a way that made most of the lizardmen in the area weak in the knees.

A moment later, that over-bearing pressure let up and time seemed to resume its normal pace. A gout of green blood poured from the mount as its face separated from its head from the chin up, and a large slab of its shoulder meat slid to the ground. The commander swept his sword in a tight circle, ridding it of the acidic blood of the creature, and then swept it back over his shoulder to sheathe it.

Moments later a flock of trainers and riders, accompanied by the Major-Lieutenant ran up to the commander to make sure he was ok.

Annoyed at having to kill one of the precious mounts, the man snapped out a punch into the face of the trainer who had released it, killing the lizardman as its face and neck crushed under the blow. Without even taking the time to wipe his gauntlet off on the now dead trainer's robes, he looked up at the huge squad leader and spoke.

"I have a mission for you."

The lizardman's red eyes gleamed in the bright light and its mouth opened into a wide-toothy grin.



* * *



"I hate manticores, El. Can't ya use yer newfound power fer something asides healin' an such? Like ta keep these blasted things from attackin' us e'ery five minutes?" Ereviz growled as he stomped on the tail attached to the stinger that had pierced through his shield and was almost in his arm on the other side of said shield. His warhammer swept down near the haunches of the creature and he squinted against the shriek the creature let out as his blow ripped the tail off and crushed must of its hindquarters.

"No, Ere, I can't I already told you," she replied as her glowing green swords swept out smoothly to either side of her, incapacitating two more of the creatures, "I have to try keeping my mana usage down so we're harder to track. Maggie's already killed probably ten of their scouts. If I used magic we'd stand out like we had a beacon shining on us from the heavens. I draw power from the land around me, and any magic user can feel that from a considerable distance. You notice Fiona's only using spells that directly target the enemies while using small amounts of power, and Noris is only healing us singly.

"All to keep us hidden as well as possible, though it doesn't seem to help too much, the jungle's swarming with lizardmen this close to their city. At least they can't concentrate on us any more, you know how tough that was."

Ereviz grunted sourly, but agreed. Less than a day out, they had had Elhonna use a large spell to root down a number of manticores that attacked them by moonlight. Within minutes of finishing off the beasts they were beset by dozens of lizardmen. Only by using Maggie's knowledge of their back-trails and smaller spells cast by Elhonna to enhance their speed had they escaped. They had been finding signs of scouts the whole time they traveled, and had been killing them steadily. Their planned one-and-a-half days had turned to three already, and they were finally within sight of the aboveground complex over the massive underground city.

As they finished off the last of the small pack of manticores, the group stopped a moment to catch their breath, and as the last beast stopped thrashing and the tangle of woods around them quieted down, they all heard a dull thud, followed by another. As they prepared their weapons for another battle, the sound of the thuds became more audible, and now they could feel the concussion of each beneath their feet.

Off to their side, towards a massive lake Maggie had spied after climbing a tall tree to do some long-distance scouting, trees started tumbling over, each seemingly ripped from its place and tossed aside.

A long sigh from Ereviz was followed by "Oh hell," was heard as a six or seven pace tall form pushed through some more trees into the large clearing the group had fought in with the manticores.







*Measurement breakdown is given at the end of Chapter 10, by the way.

Very nice. I always did hate the Feerrot.

Ekuth if it wasn't for you, I'd think no one read my story anymore. /sigh. Any feed back from other old fans? Or are any left on the board? New chapter not too long from now, also.

[p]Well I am still stuck on chapter 16 so I have a LOT of catching up to do but you're story is still being read. And trust me the feeling is mutual. I remember a time when I'd have 7, 8 , 9 peeps all posting on the thread and now I'm lucky to see 1 or 2.[/p][p]I'm jsut not sure whether it is summer drawing to an end or people are jsut not posting. But int he end know that I feel your pains as well. And as to Ekuthh.... well if he didn't write the best damned story on the boards (That is a fact not an oppinion hehehe) Then I'd have to hate him. Because he still has the most posters of anyone.[/p]