Advanced search  

News:

There is no news - all is well.

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Members: 35  •  Posts: 8037  •  Topics: 486  • 
Please welcome Fallen Templar, our newest member.

Author Topic: Shadowhaunt: The black Crusade (Part I)  (Read 36683 times)

Offline Archdemon Stu

  • Veteran Sergeant
  • *
  • Posts: 427
Re: Shadowhaunt: The black Crusade (Part I)
« Reply #120 on: September 24, 2012, 06:26:56 PM »
Having finished the somewhat makeshift maintenance of his equipment, and his belly satisfied for the time being, The Gorger settled near the boundaries of the barrier, in the darkness of the trees.  He had tried to rest many times before to no avail, but it would not stop him from trying.

As his eyelids closed, recent memories rushed back to him.  Fangs, claws, and blood.  A derelict arena filled with chains and steel bars.  Ghouls who wore the armor of crusaders, pitted against one another.  The bittersweet victories over countless others who shared his past.  A village... a brave knight.

The Gorger opened his eyes.  Perhaps another night.  And so there he sat, restless, maintaining vigil in silence.

Offline Radobe

  • Marine Sergeant
  • *
  • Posts: 333
  • Make games, not love!
Re: Shadowhaunt: The black Crusade (Part I)
« Reply #121 on: September 26, 2012, 05:44:18 AM »
Rau enters his tent and quickly lies down. Still feeling uneasy from today’s events, he is having a hard time falling asleep. There was much on his mind. The necromancer at the tower, the creatures that may attack at any time and the unknown holy energy, all of this was troubling him. Was it all a coincidence? Everything has happened so suddenly and yet this is most likely only a greeting from The Badlands.

Reflecting on what has happened and thinking of what is to come, the priest slowly drifts off into a slight sleep. It was an eventful day and regardless of what has happened, he is still looking forward towards what the next day will bring.
An eye for two, a tooth for a jaw, a hair for a head! Fight to be respected!

Offline Shadow Chorus

  • Warboss
  • Captain
  • *
  • Posts: 608
  • The Rampaging Chorus of Shadow
Re: Shadowhaunt: The black Crusade (Part I)
« Reply #122 on: October 01, 2012, 08:26:16 PM »
The next morning was...Interesting, to say the least.

The first noise that reached Seth's ears in the morning was the cry of an angry nord woman.

"SEEEEEEEEEETH!" Shani shouted, shoving past the barely waking soldiers to approach the wizard who was just now waking up.

"Did you do this?" the werewolf asked, bringing a hand down to smack what was once a well-toned abdomen, but now was the resting place of a rather soft paunch. The entirety of Shani appeared a few shades thicker, in fact, though she didn't seem to have lost any weight. "They told me all wizards were twisted, but I didn't quite believe them." she said, her bad mood giving way into good humour as she recalled the numerous times this has happened before. "It's always a fuller frame or plumper breasts, isn't it when you wizards cast spells on women?"


"I assure this was not at all intentional." Seth said, getting to his feet. "Though I must say you look rather lovely with the extra curve to your form. But you know how my magic works, and that it won't hinder you.

"I don't know how it works, so could you care to enlighten me?" asked Ser Athen, who walked up with a full beard that reached down to his belt.

Seth stifled a chuckle and proceeded to explain. "Well, you should understand that mathematically, addition and subtraction are opposites. You can't do one and the other at the same time. If you try to add a negative number, you are in fact subtracting and not adding. You cannot work your way around this fact. The same is true of magic. Magic that adds things and magic that removes things are completely different sects. And while I can see that my spells have certainly 'added' things to dear Shani." he said this with another quick look at her frame. "I can see it hasn't subtracted anything at all. So while she does have a bit of extra girth, underneath it all is still the same hard-earned, toned musculature she has always had. She will still be able to perform at the same level, and at the rate we've been going, she'll likely have lost all of that extra weight within a week."

"I see. So is this permanent? I'm debating whether to go shave."

"Well, that depends. Certain effects are, certain ones aren't. While I'm fairly certain Shani is stuck with her curves until she works them off, and you will need to shave that beard, other people will be more than likely afflicted with less permanent maladies. Such as--"

"AAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!!!! GIANT PURPLE SPIDER!!!! Oh and look, a cute tiny pink elephant."

"Hallucinations of oddly-sized, strangely-coloured animals and plants..." Seth finished, moving off to go see to the hallucinating person in question.

"Right, well, it doesn't seem like everybody was bothered." Athen said, watching Axel emerge from his tent completely unaffected. "Guess I'd better count myself lucky and go shave this off." with that he went to his tent to rectify his facial hair.



Sir walter appeared out of nowhere it seemed, completely unphased and unaffected by the happenings around him, and apprehended Seth.

"What happened, Seth? This is the first time this has happened in months."


"I'm...not quite sure, sir. It may have been the lack of sleep getting to me, but that feels unlikely. It seems more that there is something out there, deliberately interfering with my magic." the wizard responded as he pressed his hands to a delirious soldier's temples, his soothing magic doing its job correctly this time and alleviating him of his hallucinations.

"Hmm...Perhaps this is a sign we're getting closer to our objective." Walter said, stepping outside to survey the damage.
« Last Edit: October 03, 2012, 05:16:23 PM by Shadow Chorus »

Offline Archdemon Stu

  • Veteran Sergeant
  • *
  • Posts: 427
Re: Shadowhaunt: The black Crusade (Part I)
« Reply #123 on: October 02, 2012, 08:48:25 PM »
The Gorger arrived at the center of the camp where the commotion was starting, though he seemed... unaffected by his surroundings - he was in his own world.  He would rub his hands on his body, and then inspect his palms afterward, confused.  "Whoa... hey... hey guys... why is there so much bant everywhere?" He spread his fingers, and watched between the webbing.  "Such slimy bant!"

Nobody seemed to know what "bant" was, but they knew now that it was slimy.

Suddenly, he looked at the people around him, and his eyes widened, revealing dilated pupils the size of dinner plates.  He approached Sun Wu, "Hold on... I can fix this..." The Gorger cupped Sun Wu's cheeks, and pushed them up on the monk's face.  He paused, and after a brief moment, repeated this action, staring quizzically.  "Okay... okay I think I got it." He quickly turned to Seth.  "Whoa, whoa... hold on... your face is melting too.  Let me just... wait... let me just... there... wait... hold on..."

On the bright side, he seemed less intent on murdering everyone.
« Last Edit: October 03, 2012, 02:09:21 AM by Jorumn Fargazer »

Offline Kitharsis

  • Tirthandaran
  • Primarch
  • *
  • Posts: 1729
  • Who wants to build a sand castle?
Re: Shadowhaunt: The black Crusade (Part I)
« Reply #124 on: October 03, 2012, 11:21:25 AM »
"SEEEEEEEEEETH!"

Sun Wu sits up on his sleeping roll quickly.  The motion unsettles his pack which sends it toppling backwards.  It knocks into one of the tent poles and brings the whole tent down upon his head.

He sits still for a moment under the canvas to collect himself.  Things like this do not normally happen to him.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!!!! GIANT PURPLE SPIDER!!!!"

What in the current is going on outside?  Wu grabs his pack and hauls it out from underneath the collapsed tent after him.  As he stands upright a tree branch wet with morning dew snaps off and falls directly above him.  Wu groggily sidesteps the falling timber and frowns as it lands with a "Thud" next to him.

"Hold on... I can fix this..." The Gorger is suddenly in front of him with a concerned look on his face.  The Ghoul's large hands cup Wu's cheeks and he pushes them up on his face.  He pauses for a brief moment.  Wu merely stares back at him unblinkingly in disbelief.  Still at it, The Gorger repeats the action, staring quizzically.  "Okay... okay I think I got it."

The Ghoul is away just as quickly as he appeared.  As Wu stares after him a boot lands squarely on his head.  The mouth of it slides down over his ears and it sits like an odd helmet.  He reaches to remove it but a rock knocks it off of his head before he can.  His arm stays half way in the air, mid reaching to his head.  This is becoming ridiculous.

Just as the thought crosses his mind, an owl lights out of a nearby bush headed straight for his noggin.

Wu shouts as he runs through the camp, arms folded over his head, "A helmet, blast it!  I need something to cover my head!" 

Offline Radobe

  • Marine Sergeant
  • *
  • Posts: 333
  • Make games, not love!
Re: Shadowhaunt: The black Crusade (Part I)
« Reply #125 on: October 06, 2012, 03:22:58 AM »
A familiar smell wakes Rau from his slumber. As he stands up and yawns, he feels something is odd. The priest reaches for his staff but unfortunately for him, a roasted chicken is standing next to it. While being relieved that the deadly creature has not yet spotted him, Raul needed to be cautious and leave the tent while he still had the chance. Knowing that roasted chickens lack agility, he quickly jumped to the side and rolled out of the tent. What the priest saw next would from now on be the definition of true horror for him. A pack of roasted chickens had laid waste to the camp. Flames, smoke and the smell of roasted chicken filled the air. Many had already fallen to the chicken’s onslaught. The shock from the gruesome scene that unfolded before him was too much for the priest and he just stood frozen. In a few seconds he was surrounded by roasted chickens. Slowly making its way towards him, was an elderly roasted chicken wearing Seth’s hat and dragging his staff behind. Rau tried to move but he couldn’t feel his legs any more. Reluctantly he looked at his lower body only to find, that his legs were now those of a roasted chicken. Unable to flee, Rau stood terrified as the elderly roasted chicken had begun casting his spell. The only thing that disturbed the night was Rau final scream.

The priest wakes up from his nightmare. Breathing heavily and covered by cold sweat, he quickly looks for his staff and is relived from the lack of the presence of a deadly roasted chicken. His relief lasts only a second, because when he inhales the smell of roasted chickens fills his nostrils. Rau grabs his staff and dashes out of the tent.

“BEWARE THE CHICKENS! BEWARE THE CHICKENS!” Feverish, dazed and still half naked, the priest runs through the camp giving warnings and franticly searching for the source of the smell.

Unbeknownst to the rest of the group Rau had now developed a roasted chicken phobia.
An eye for two, a tooth for a jaw, a hair for a head! Fight to be respected!

Offline Shadow Chorus

  • Warboss
  • Captain
  • *
  • Posts: 608
  • The Rampaging Chorus of Shadow
Re: Shadowhaunt: The black Crusade (Part I)
« Reply #126 on: October 07, 2012, 08:24:31 AM »
"Get everyone as set as you can. I'm bringing the barrier down." Walter said, leaving Seth, who merely nodded.

Sir Walter moved to the edge of the camp and began the same ritual he had begun to create the barrier in reverse. When the last rune had fallen, the barrier shimmered, and fell in a grand, sweeping wave.  That was not to be the only spectacular event this morning, however.

Thunder cracked, and the sky darkened. Clouds began to swirl overhead, and the sky turned the color of blood. The wind kicked up, blowing things around, and the smell of sulfur filled the air...Well, for anyone who wasn't Rau. Lightning struck in the center of the camp, where the great fire had been. Fortunately Wrynjolf had been moved in the night because from that strike point burst a column of flame, towering into the sky. Inside the pillar of fire there was a shadow, incomprehensibly dark. As the flames died down, a black trench coat and a wide-brimmed hat stepped out of the smoke and ashes.  Alucard made his presence in the camp known.


All of the insanity died down almost instantaneously. Objects flying at Sun Wu's head stopped and hit the ground mid flight. Everything Rau inhaled now smelt of chicken that had been terribly burnt beyond all repair. To the gorger, Alucard appeared to have sprouted demonic horns and wings of fire, a flaming crown floating above his head as if he were the prince of hell itself. Sir Walter stepped from the crowd of men and women frozen in fear and stood before Alucard, who kneeled.

"My master, I have dire news.."

"What is it, Alucard?"

"Dracula is on the move."

This sentence struck the world silent. The king of vampires, who never left his castle, on the move? The crusade's worst fears had been realized. They weren't ready to fight Dracula at this juncture.

"How do you know?"

"Master, there are only four great shadows in this realm of darkness. Myself, William, Fenrir.......And him. I have always sensed where each was, and he has begun to move. But strangely, his trace disappeared from my senses somewhere near the Black City."

"Then he has concealed himself. We have all the more to fear now, for he may even choose to walk among us."

"That is my fear, master."

"We had best move..."

Offline Archdemon Stu

  • Veteran Sergeant
  • *
  • Posts: 427
Re: Shadowhaunt: The black Crusade (Part I)
« Reply #127 on: October 07, 2012, 02:29:12 PM »
The Gorger, slowly but surely, was beginning to comprehend how his mind was taking any information in with his senses, and portraying thoughts visually.  The slimy mucus that seemed to cover everything was a feeling of unfamiliarity with his new visual surroundings, but soon, the hallucinations grew stronger.  The fire and horns of Alucard portrayed the power that even The Gorger knew he could not touch as of yet, and a symbol of his demonic nature. 

Everywhere The Gorger looked, there were chains that rooted into the ground, and when he looked... they all connected to shackles on his arms and feet, and to his leash.  From Walter's armor dangled the keys of The Gorger's "prison."

Hardly able to understand speech at this point, he did not perceive the exact words Sir Walter and Alucard spoke, yet he understood what they were talking about.  Dracula.  A sudden anger rose within The Gorger, and the chains that surrounded him began to burn and twist, turning yellow as his rage engulfed them.

With a deep breath, the world around him expanding as he inhaled, and contracting as he exhaled... "Let's... move.  Holy energy... awaits." Speech was proving difficult, but his thought processes were clear.  If what Seth said was true, that holy energy could be their only hope for an encounter against the ruler of these lands.
« Last Edit: October 08, 2012, 04:45:37 PM by Jorumn Fargazer »

Offline Radobe

  • Marine Sergeant
  • *
  • Posts: 333
  • Make games, not love!
Re: Shadowhaunt: The black Crusade (Part I)
« Reply #128 on: October 08, 2012, 03:42:29 AM »
Rau was confused. No one seemed to take his warnings seriously. What was the meaning of that? Have they not faced the threat of the deadly roasted chickens before? Have they not witnessed their power? It would be foolish to continue to ignore the priest’s warnings. Now the fate of the whole party was in his hands, he had to find proof of the inevitable roasted chicken invasion and open the eyes of everyone!

Unfortunately, before Rau could set out on his quest, a lightning struck the camps fireplace and a pillar of flame erupted from the ashes. A shadow resided in the flames. The priest could feel a terrible dark presence. He had felted it before and just as it had happened back then; shivers went down his spine once more.

Thanks to Alucard’s appearance, the dazed priest had his sanity returned. The fact that he had the smell of a charred chicken stuck in his nose, also gave him a hint something wasn’t right. He quickly realized that what he saw was a dream, horrible, horrible dream, and slightly embarrassed he strode off into his tent to put his robes on.
An eye for two, a tooth for a jaw, a hair for a head! Fight to be respected!

Offline Kitharsis

  • Tirthandaran
  • Primarch
  • *
  • Posts: 1729
  • Who wants to build a sand castle?
Re: Shadowhaunt: The black Crusade (Part I)
« Reply #129 on: October 09, 2012, 02:37:33 PM »
Wu has taken to fighting back.  The objects are consistently careening towards his head.  With a known target it is easy to knock them away.

He swats down a dinner plate, with no regard to how in the world a dinner plate made it all the way out here.  A half dozen rolls follow, each swatted away just as quickly.

The barrier of the camp shimmers, then falls in a wave.  As soon as it falls a spectacular display of thunder, wind and lightning begins.  A crimson sky is the backdrop to a pillar of flame.

Alucard, Wu recognizes the man as he steps out of the smoke.

An anvil hits the ground hard behind him, leaving a sizable dent in the forest floor.  Several horse shoes and a toad fall in a circle around him.  It seems the plague of objects aiming for his head has passed.

Still wary, Wu walks back over to his pack, looking over his shoulder constantly.  With a long sigh, he gathers his things and prepares to leave.

Offline Shadow Chorus

  • Warboss
  • Captain
  • *
  • Posts: 608
  • The Rampaging Chorus of Shadow
Re: Shadowhaunt: The black Crusade (Part I)
« Reply #130 on: October 15, 2012, 09:48:57 PM »
"We move." Walter called to the group as a whole. Everyone was awake now, even Wrynjolf, who stood next to Shani for support. As the group finished packing up, Alucard turned to his master.

"Orders?"

"Complete your previous task."

"As you wish, master." And with that he was gone into the shadows, disappearing into the early morning darkness. The resulting void in the air almost seemed to absorb itself, the oppression of the being that had formerly inhabited its area lingering and causing that section of existence to be forever warped. Looking at the space he had just been was like looking at a mirage through a lens of nightmares, and would be so for long after the group had departed.

Shani was the first to move. "We have to get that artifact, correct? And I've got some miles to walk." she said, prodding her protruding stomach.

"Aye. We should go." Wrynjolf said, walking beside her as the rest of the party fell into step behind them, with the exception of Walter, who took point.

The group walked for hours, typical conversation prevailing over the strange events of the morning, until sir Walter called for a halt.

"Do you hear that?" Walter asked, and the group strained to listen.

In the distance, they could hear a bird sing. A bird, singing its happiness in the dismal darkness of the blacklands. It was almost unheard of.

"Look there." Shani said, pointing deeper into the forest. "The trees almost seem healthier." she was right. In fact, the trees seemed to have a lighter shade of brown on their bark and a healthier shade of green on their branches, almost as if this forest were new and unaffected by the foul darkness of the region around it.

"I'll bet my shield whatever Seth sensed is somewhere in that mystic forest." Ser Athen said, looking into it.

"I fancy you're correct, Athen." Sir Walter said, leading the march into its confines. The world around them seemed to be revitalizing as they walked deeper. The grass turned greener, birds sang, the sun actually shone through the darkness, and wild animals strut about without violence or fear.

While there was nothing physically deterring the monsters of the party from entering this place, the less peaceful among them felt uneasy.

"This place is...unnatural." Axel said, looking around.

"Yessss...Monssters were not meant to ssset foot here..." Hggranath hissed, feeling as if his presence was an affront to the magic of this realm.

"I don't know. I feel at home." Shani said, feeling welcome in the forest. It was almost as if her purer nature made her an exception. Her and Wrynjolf actually felt more at home in this place than most of the humans, perhaps a testament to their inner nature as animals combining with their purer nature as good-hearted human beings.

Whatever the case, this place clearly had a magic about it.

Offline Cameron

  • Knight-Elemental
  • Caretaker
  • *
  • Posts: 5041
    • Twitter
Re: Shadowhaunt: The black Crusade (Part I)
« Reply #131 on: October 16, 2012, 09:45:11 AM »
Greetings. My name is Cameron, and I will be your Administrator today.

I am closing this thread due to it's impressive length. Refer to Part 2 for further posting joy.