RuneScape Forum Archive | ^+^ Onslaught ^+^

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Prologue
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“The Onslaught is what we refer to as times of great change…and great duress. We pray for the souls unfortunate enough to go through such an ordeal and survive.”

~Skarjil Datashade Glyph [Lore]: Beginning of the End
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Arain lay motionless as he watched Commander Rakin fly out the door and begin banging on something in a frantic call to arms. It was mere moments ago that the demon known as Delrith had stolen the Talisman of He’rkhine, which was an ancient prison for an even more ancient power. He didn't truly know how or why the demon had chosen to infiltrate Nethraka, nor did he care. At this point, all that mattered to him was making sure that the artifact didn't leave the stronghold. Or, failing that, making sure the right people knew what had just happened.

The elf had managed to force his way out from under the pile of rubble Delrith’s attack had caused to fall on him. Rummaging through his pocket, Arain produced a small crystal reminiscent of the ones from his homeland. He struggled to speak as pain wracked his body, and he heard a small squeak in between his gasps for air.

Looking over, Arain saw the small red scaled dragon-like creature that had rode in on Delrith’s shoulders. The creature looked at the elf with curiosity shining in its eyes, and Arian stared back.

“H-hel..” he managed. The creature hopped closer, its gaze fixed on the small crystal the elf held. Arain tried to hold it out further in an effort to tempt the creature closer, but to no avail. The small animal had sped out of the room, making chittering sounds as it left.

Sighing, Arain drew the crystal to his mouth instead. He knew he couldn’t fight in his current condition, so that left only one course of action to take. “C-code…Code Red,” he coughed. “Activate warning signals and call to arms.”

-^+^-

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

08-Feb-2011 03:43:48 - Last edited on 25-Sep-2013 05:46:06 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

“Moo”

A young lad was in the middle of the cow pens east of the River Lum as the sun rose over the horizon to greet the sky. He was looking around warily, holding a bronze shortsword in his hand, and only had a wooden shield to protect himself with.

“C’mon, boy!” he heard his trainer shout. "It’s simple! Just smack the cow with that sword of yours and it’ll die nice and easy!”

“Gee,” the boy replied. “I’m not so sure about this. They look…nasty.”

The trainer sighed, and approached the boy. “See here,” he said as he took the youth’s weapon and shield. “All you have to do is what I’m doing.”

The trainer approached a nearby cow which was grazing, and the animal looked up blankly at him. Inching close as to not scare the animal away, the trainer drew back to strike…

“Moooooooooo,” the cow cried as it paced nervously when the ground started shaking.

“What the hell?!” the trainer yelled over the rumbling. He began stumbling around as the shaking grew more violent, and the cow started looking around in confusion.

A loud popping sound followed by a startled “Moooooooo” surprised the trainer as a giant pillar had appeared from under the cow, launching it high into the air in the process.

The pillar appeared to have been made from slate, and had odd designs covering it that the trainer had never seen before. In the middle of the pillar sat the engravings of what appeared to be a single eye, though it may have been multiple ones for all anybody knew since the pattern repeated itself in a chain around the same general area of the pillar.

“Now what the hell do we have here?” he wondered to nobody in particular.

-^+^-

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

08-Feb-2011 03:56:21 - Last edited on 25-Sep-2013 05:46:17 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

“Hey, I think we got this!”

The axe of an ivory ork statue smashed to the ground between Aiden and Caden as the brothers jumped to the side. The pair glanced at each other knowingly and nodded, and Aiden charged the cursed statue. The construct reared back at the approaching human, who was a somewhat built young lad who looked like he hadn’t seen more than twenty winters yet.

His short, brown hair gave others the impression that he was much younger than he actually was, but he preferred it that way. Even though his brother looked more or less the same as he did, the pair preferred to be underestimated when it came to combat. At least that way they could savor the thrill of taking down an arrogant opponent, or at least a beast stupid enough to misjudge them in their worth as an easy snack.

The ivory statue before him drew back to strike with its axe. Everything about the creature was almost flawless, from its likeness of some ork general that nearly nobody knew for sure, to the intricate detailing on the hilt of its weapon. But yet, a dark aura seemed to emanate from the being, which caused many people to feel uncomfortable around them. Then again, that was yet another draw for the brothers, who were avid monster hunters as it stood.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

08-Feb-2011 03:56:40 - Last edited on 25-Sep-2013 05:46:24 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Aiden stood still as the ork brought its axe slashing down, and stepped to the side at the last moment. The ivory weapon sunk deeply into the ground, and the statue attempted to pull it up once more. Aiden drew his axe, and began chopping at the construct*s arms as his brother rushed to join him.

“Man, these things must be stupid or something,” Caden remarked to his brother as he made quick work of one of the statue’s arms.

“Yeah,” Aiden replied, finishing off the other arm. “But maybe it’s because the fairies were involved with these things somehow. It’s not like they’re exactly normal or anything!”

The ivory ork statue looked at the brothers with an emotionless stare, and sent Aiden sprawling to the ground with a swift and unexpected kick.

Caden began laughing. “Ok, maybe they’re not so stupid after all,” he said as he stepped out of the statue’s reach. But that wasn’t enough to keep it from charging him at that very moment. Caden rolled to the side as the statue nearly ran him over, but he was left defenseless as he felt his axe slip out of his grasp.

It was now Aiden’s turn to laugh hysterically. “My turn,” he cried joyfully as he rushed the construct's back. His axe bit into the statue, but it didn't cry out in pain. Instead, it suddenly turned around, wrenching Aiden’s weapon from his grip.

Both of the brothers stared at the statue as they slowly backed away, Caden going towards his weapon, and Aiden just trying to not provoke the construct into charging again. The statue lowered its head for another charge, but stopped short as flecks of fire danced across its shoulders, suddenly causing it to burst into flames.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

08-Feb-2011 03:57:38 - Last edited on 25-Sep-2013 05:46:31 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

The statue groaned as it fell over, shattering on the ground and freeing Aiden’s axe in the process. Behind the statue stood a beautiful desert woman dressed in battle robes. Her tanned skin and dark hair seemed to complement the purple material of her robes as well as her perfectly white teeth, which stood revealed in a whimsical smile.

“Told ya magic would be handy here,” Azura said triumphantly.

“Alright girly, we believe you now," Caden said as he walked over to her and bent down to inspect the statue’s remains. “Hey, looks like something got stuck in the rubble!”

“Really? What is it?!” Aiden cried as he rushed to his brother’s side, bouncing with joy.

Caden shifted through the rubble and pulled out a small seed. Turning it over in his hands, he inspected it thoroughly. “I dunno what it is, but it’s obviously a seed," he said.

“Lemme see," Azura said.

Caden handed it to her, and she examined the seed carefully. “Hey, it’s Snapdragon!” she exclaimed.

Aiden’s hand shot out and snatched the seed from her delicate hands, and he stuffed the seed into his mouth and began chewing. “I dunno," he said with his mouth full. “It doesn’t seem so snappy to me at all. Or dragon…like….thing…or something.” He winced as he tried swallowing the seed, which seemed determined to go down with a fight.

Azura shot the boy a disproving look, but he and his brother ignored her. A glow from the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she turned around to see what appeared to be a portal glowing against a nearby rock.

Turning to see what the brothers were doing, she saw that they were fighting another statue which had wandered over to their area.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

08-Feb-2011 03:58:44 - Last edited on 25-Sep-2013 05:46:40 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Deciding that they could handle the threat in the meantime, Azura turned her attention back to the portal and began walking towards it. She saw the greenish hue growing brighter as she drew closer, but the landscape seemed to change the closer she got to it as well.

The sky turned from the whimsical blue of Zanaris to a bloody red color, and the ground seemed desolate. Well, even more desolate than what was at Ork’s Rift, at least. Shoots of glass-like plants shot up from the ground, and she saw that a few trees looked like they were made from metal and bone. Some of them even seemed to be a merge of the two substances, and they seemed to moan as an odd wind blew through their branches.

Azura decided to turn back, but when she did, she saw that the odd landscape stretched far into the other direction as well. The brothers and ivory statues were gone, instead replaced by what appeared to be an altar of sorts decorated with blood and other vile substances. She saw a prone form on the altar, and decided to approach it.

Azura saw what she supposed was a young woman tied to the altar. Her face was extremely pale and withdrawn, and brittle black hair clung to her face alongside what she guessed had to be the dirt of…well, wherever ‘here’ was.

Even odder was some kind of inky black substance which clung to the woman’s features, and it seemed to come alive as Azura extended her hand towards the woman.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

08-Feb-2011 04:00:11 - Last edited on 25-Sep-2013 05:46:48 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

The woman’s eyes looked around wildly, and fixed on Azura warily. She opened her cracked lips as if she was trying to speak, but strange sounds came out instead of actual words. Or if they were words, Azura had no clue what they meant.

“Are…are you ok?” Azura asked, unsure if what she saw was even real.

“A-azi?” the woman croaked.

“Umm…my name’s Azura, but you can call me Azi if you want to, I guess,” she replied.

“S-sor..” the woman managed.

Azura looked to the woman’s hands and feet, which were bound to the altar by some sort of chain made from a metal she couldn’t identify. “Are you a prisoner or something?” she asked.

The woman nodded, and leaned her head to the side. The odd shadowstuff seemed to crawl over her eyes, giving them a more demonic appearance. “It…Belial,” she answered. “Run…”

Azura turned to see what the woman was looking at, and saw what she guessed was some sort of demon standing in the distance. She couldn’t make out many details except for the fact that instead of arms, it had some kind of curved tusk or claws for arms, and it’s ever changing eye colors made it seem angry. Possibly at her, she thought.

Azura turned back to the woman and began trying to work the chains furiously. “I dunno who or what the hell a Belial is, but I’m sure we don’t wanna be around to see that thing over there up close,” she said. The woman groaned in pain as the chains came loose from the altar, but she didn't move. Hell, Azura wasn’t even sure if she could walk, even without the chains holding her down.

A piece of the strange shadowstuff jumped from the woman’s ankles and onto Azura’s hand as she accidentally brushed her hand against her clammy feet. Azura let a yelp escape her lips, but the shadowstuff sloughed off of her just as easily as it jumped onto her in the first place.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

08-Feb-2011 04:01:09 - Last edited on 25-Sep-2013 05:46:53 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

“Just what in the Nine Hells are you doing with my…friend?” she heard a wicked voice say from behind her. Azura turned around, and saw a mockery of a woman. The creature’s features were obviously feminine, but every bit of its body seemed more in line with a feral demon than an actual woman, chief among them coal black eyes and really sharp looking claws on its hands and feet.

“Hell if I know,” Azura replied. “I just sorta ended up here somehow.”

“Ah…a dreamer, then,” the creature said. Azura saw it motion to more strange creatures behind it, ranging from what she guessed was some sort of zombie with an open chest cavity all the way to some kind of bodiless head which had a lashing tongue filled with glass shards embedded in its jaws.

“I don’t think this is a good dream,” Azura said to herself as she backed into the altar.

The creatures began running towards her, and Azura flung out her hand as she called her magic forth. At first nothing happened, and she felt her heart begin to beat faster.

“Crap,” she said to herself as she looked at her hands. “Why won’t it work here?”

She smelled one of the zombies close in on her first. The rotting corpse put its rotting hands on her shoulders, and she looked up to see empty eye sockets and a slack face staring back at her. Azura screamed, and she felt a sudden surge of power as green flames began to eat at the zombie creature.

Next was a group of the heads. The creatures were wailing loudly as they zoomed in on her, and Azura dropped to the ground as they came near her head. She heard a whooshing sound as the wails ended, and when she got back up she saw that green spikes made from some odd energy she had never seen before had nailed the creatures to a stone pillar behind the altar.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

08-Feb-2011 04:01:48 - Last edited on 25-Sep-2013 05:46:59 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

“Well done,” she heard the female abomination say. “I can say that was unexpected. Very unexpected.”

Azura turned to see the she-demon smiling. “What the hell was that about?!” she screamed.

“Oh, I assure you,” the demonic female said. “It was the beginning of something beautiful. Something…useful.”

Azura’s vision began to sway as she saw the sky change color alongside the ground. She thought she saw the strange shadow woman walk towards the demon screaming something as she cast some sort of spell, but she couldn’t be sure if she really saw that or was just dreaming.

But yet she thought that she heard the Overlord’s words repeat themselves as she saw the scene rapidly change. “I will not be here much longer, and I want to share my knowledge with someone who cares,” it had said. After the whole Karamthulhu incident she had always remembered those words, but hadn’t told anyone else about them.

So why did she hear the strange shadow woman say the exact same thing?

~^+^~

“Hey, wake up girly!” she heard someone scream. Azura’s eyes fluttered open as the alien landscape gave way to blackness, and she saw Aiden and Caden standing over her.

“What…just happened?” she asked as she stood up.

“I dunno," Caden said.

“But something cool just happened,” Aiden finished.

“Wait, what did?” Azura asked.

The brothers stepped aside, and Azura saw a strange looking pillar in the middle of Ork’s Rift. It had a set of eyes engraved on various parts of it, and they seemed to be glowing.

“Damn,” she muttered to herself.

“So, any clue what it is?” the brothers asked at once.

Azura shook her head. “No, but maybe Pikkupstix will,” she said. “It looks like something a summoner would use, to be honest.”

~^+^~

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

08-Feb-2011 04:02:48 - Last edited on 25-Sep-2013 05:47:14 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

The blue robed man stood at the edge of a volcano in what he heard referred to many times during his stay in the New World as ‘The Wilderness’. He was currently overlooking what was left of a strange cemetery that he had almost forgotten about in the intervening years of the Ukrosha incident, but yet felt compelled to visit again now that he had felt the call make its way through the magical weave which surrounded the worlds.

He also saw the same eye-engraved pillars that had began popping up around the New World recently in the middle of the graveyard. At first he didn't want to admit that they existed, but their call was just too strong to ignore. Not anymore, and certainly not after he had read the Datashades engraved in the ones he had already seen.

Worst of all, they had all said the same exact thing. “Delrith has the prison,” they warned. “All Grave Watchers move to Primordial Risk Level Black.”

“So it begins again,” the man muttered to himself. “Gods help us, I thought the Talisman would have remained hidden for good after the incident with Nhur.”

The man tapped his staff to the ground, and disappeared. He could only hope against hope that this time things would be different.

^+^ The End of Prologue ^+^

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

08-Feb-2011 04:03:13 - Last edited on 25-Sep-2013 05:47:49 by A Mad Hatter

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^+^ Onslaught ^+^