RuneScape Forum Archive | ^+^ Onslaught ^+^

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Chapter 11
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“The next step of my secret is thus: manufactured divinity shall be more than ample a weapon against the Onslaught. That shall pave the way for the final act of painting the participants of the catastrophe with the blood of the innocent.
But those who read this must beware once the steps have been taken. For while the secrets to survival will allow one to stand against the Onslaught, they will not be enough to truly banish the Gate. That, I am afraid, requires another strategy which is most undesirable to all but a select few.

For, you see, victory shall not come without the proper sacrifice. Such is the cruel reality of the events I have witnessed. How else could He’rkhine have spawned?

~Skarjil Datashade Glyph [Lore]: Survival VI
<><>
Augustus the Inquisitor could barely bring himself to look over the many reports and statements which cluttered his desk over the past three days. He had known that the events described in some of them seemed to correlate with what he had seen with his own eyes. But at the same time, he had trouble digesting some accounts that had described seemingly impossible sights and encounters that had happened during the Baron’s siege on Falador.

Some spoke of ironclad giants (or only one. The witnesses couldn’t seem to agree on just how many there were during the initial cleanup) in hooded cloaks wandering around the city to seemingly no real objective despite the frenzied madness which followed the sightings shortly after. Other reports spoke of shadow men fleeing from a few houses near the park, and of course some of those very same statements seemed to describe the supposed “demon” that was fighting the defending forces before a mystical event had somehow subdued it and managed to exorcise the one it had in the grip of possession.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

02-Oct-2013 02:28:41 - Last edited on 02-Oct-2013 03:37:07 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

But what puzzled him the most were allegations from Sir Albert and a few other senior Temple Knights about a few of the more suspicious adventurers and prisoners they had taken in during the aftermath of the battle. Sir Albert seemed particularly interested in the battlemage who identified himself as “V” and his elemental familiars, while Sir Tiffy himself had recommended that the possessed man that the Nightblades had taken into custody be subjected to magical inspection to ensure that the mage that accompanied it from the earth below wasn’t somehow controlling it from captivity.

And the Allivierion agent was another matter entirely. A quick inspection of Temple Knight intelligence concerning the agency currently acting as Varrock’s de facto ruler had confirmed that this Myra Stilkra’, despite having a sketchy background in the Fremmenik Providences, was indeed employed with the bureau as an active agent, and thus subjected to at the very least standard courtesy that was to be extended to visitors who were linked to foreign ruling parties. She had yet to cause any real trouble, and in fact seemed instrumental in aiding the battle between the Nightblades and the demon from the glowing reports given to him. But yet, the idea of potentially causing an international incident by simply trying to make sense of the chaos over the past few days wasn’t one that could be discounted just yet.

Nevertheless, she was actually the least suspicious of the people that had been rounded up (relatively, of course), and so he had been ordered to allow her limited access to the visitors area of Temple Knight HQ as well as escorted access to the jail cells to aid in investigating the formerly demon possessed man that the reports called ‘The Vigilante’ or ‘The Spider’.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

02-Oct-2013 02:30:49

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

A sharp knock startled Augustus out of his thoughts, but he did*’t bother turning to acknowledge the newcomer. He already suspected Sir Albert would visit his meager quarters - which were little more than a tiny, stone walled cell furnished with a simple bed, desk, and lantern - and the strange magician never failed to disappoint any amateurish premonitions the Inquisitor had managed to cultivate about the man when he thought nobody was around.

“I take it your man is ready?” he asked plainly.

“Why, Augustus, of course he’s ready,” he heard Albert reply. “But I’m afraid you and I need to talk, and I am on my way to a meeting with others who hold my station across the globe, so I must insist you at least accompany me on my journey down these damnable boring hallways your order insists on using.”

Augustus pushed himself back from the desk, and stood to regard the foreign mage with grudging agreement. As much as he hated dealing with the mage, who merely seemed to be little more than a tanned, balding man with strangely dark spectacles obscuring his eyes and a neatly trimmed goatee of blue hair framing his mouth, he had to admit that he needed someone to consult with for a bit regarding his work. And seeing how the strangely dressed man (who always seemed to wear robes with archaic and unknown designs that seemed foreign to Augustus’ feeble knowledge of mages in general) always seemed to know more than he concerning mystic events, he might as well talk with a professional over any of his fellow Inquisitors.

“I don’t see why you’d need me for a talk,” Augustus said as the pair left his quarters and ventured into the pale stoned halls. “Your area of work is admittedly way out of my area of expertise.*

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

02-Oct-2013 02:32:09

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“And yet, Inquisitors hunt down the supernatural in the name of Saradomin, am I right?” Albert replied.

“We hunt down rogue mages from our own ranks, yes,” Augustus admitted. “But other than the occasional demon worshipper or idiotic summoner who went in over their heads, my work tends to lean more towards the human side of things. But that doesn’t answer my question anyway, so I feel I must ask again: why talk with me now instead of yesterday or the day before?”

“I’ve been busy,” Albert said. “You see, I*** been monitoring some of the people your order has taken in, and I’ve noticed…peculiar…magical emanations from more than one.”

“Your team did bring in a man who may or may not be possessed by a demon, you know,” the Inquisitor replied. “But I’m no mage, so would you care to elaborate in a manner that I can understand without needing to sell my own soul to afford a crash course in magic speak?”

“Then I will not waste your time,” Albert said. “First off, yes, the Nightblades did round up a man possessed by a demon. He’s actually not the one that I am interested in, because so far my scans have shown that he is clean of any dark influences. Though his armor does bear enchantment, the fortifications the Temple Knights have are more than enough to make sure he won’t get the chance to use them at all.”

“Do you at least know why or how he got possessed?*

*Not at all,” Sir Albert answered. “Demons work in strange ways, and I am afraid I cannot know one’s intentions without asking it. Which can be hard now that it is gone, though not entirely impossible. Either way, I was more interested in the ones that claim to be ‘Sword Brothers* that were involved with the confrontation with the Baron and Wererat. One seems to radiate pure hatred from his presence, and I believe it is linked to an amulet that was confiscated from his person. The other for now seems unaffected, but mad.”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

02-Oct-2013 02:33:19

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“But have any of your men managed to determine if they’re Kinshra or not?* the Inquisitor asked. “That’s our main concern right now, because quite frankly the lack of obvious involvement from them this far into the incident has most of the knights on edge.”

“If they are Kinshra, they are well hidden agents. So far, all signs point to them being adventurers, and in fact may have been involved with the Karamthulhu incident that we lost Anjel a few years back. That could mean nothing, or it could mean that they were conscripted into the Black Order not too long after the fact as a sort of twisted reward for their service against Saradomin’s chosen.”

“Or, it could mean that they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“That too,” Albert admitted. “But I must say, they seem concerned for the one that calls herself Azura. I believe it is the desert lass we have in solitary confinement being questioned as we speak. Which brings me to the entire reason I have come to you.”

“Just get to the point, then,” Augustus snapped. *I don’t have all day to play your mind games, and I still have my own work to do!”

Albert shrugged. “Very well. Simply put, according to Pwent’s account of the battle between the Nightblades and demon, this ‘Azura’ was responsible for aiding an agent of Allivierion in subduing it alongside my own forces. Not taking the presence of the brothers and this ‘V’ into account, that would not be much cause for alarm. But yet, they were. So now we have a possibly undead mage surrounded by necromantic energy in lockup, and his two elemental spirits resist all attempts to dispel them from this plane. Meanwhile, we have at least one other man who has been tainted by a dark power, and he has a direct connection to the mage somehow. At least, if the magic that’s been sensed on his person truly is from the same source the woman draws her power from.”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

02-Oct-2013 02:34:11

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“I think you might be grasping at straws here,” Augustus said. “I haven’t talked to this ‘V’, nor the mage yet. To jump to the conclusion that she might be behind the demon attack, the incident with ‘V’, and a potentially corrupted man is just outright asinine at this point.”

“One cannot be too careful in my line of work,” Albert retorted. “Believe me, I have seen many seemingly unrelated events tie back into the presence of one single person. Now, I am not saying she is directly responsible for everything that has happened on the mystical side of things. But I am saying that the timing is suspicious, especially given the recent strange power that has taken many in the land by surprise.”

“Now you’re trying to blame a potentially innocent woman for a worldwide event too?!”

“An event of that magnitude just doesn’t happen by itself,” Albert replied. “And again, I have no hard evidence of anything yet. All I am saying is that something bigger than the Baron is going on. Maybe this desert mage is an innocent bystander in it all, or maybe she isn’t. In my line of work, anything’s possible, but I know this: something doesn't smell right, that girl is permeated with it, and I intend to find out what it is and how to stop it from growing out of hand.”

“Then keep your suspicions to yourself until you have evidence,” the Inquisitor said angrily. “I know what you’re trying to do, and I won’t authorize any execution or long term imprisonment for anyone until I’m certain of their intentions!”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

02-Oct-2013 02:35:04

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Sir Albert regarded the Inquisitor with what must have been amusement in the strange man’s world. “Good sire, I never said anything about killing anyone, let alone depriving them of freedom. In fact, that was not my intention at all.”

“Then what was?” Augustus asked suspiciously. *To get me riled up so you could run back to whatever enclave of sorcerers who forced my order into keeping one of their kin on our payroll so you can get rid of the big bad Temple Knight who wronged you somehow?”

“Actually, quite the opposite. You see, I have learned many things over the years, and my favorite tactic in particular is a simple one. In order to solve a problem, you try to trace it to its source. If I’m right, the desert mage will run off the first chance she gets, and in effect lead us to the source of the magical phenomenon she was involved in, if not at the very least a major clue that points us to the source. But that requires special permission on your part.”

“For what?” Augustus asked. Despite his mind telling him that he already knew the answer, he still had to hear the words come out of the devious man’s mouth just to be sure. One could never be too wary around spellcasters these days, after all.

“Conscription,” he replied. “I wish to make this Azura and her friends…allies…minions….whatever they are… an honorary member of my team for just one test mission.”

~^+^~

Darkness surrounded V just as well as his cloak did over the many years of adventuring and war that he had endured. Naturally, it was of little bother to him at this point. Considering some of the things he had seen over the past few years (and more recent days), the darkness of the Temple Knights holding cells was almost comforting in its own way. At least there he too could feel right at home as one of the monsters hiding under the collective nose of humanity, and that fact wasn’t lost on his current hosts in the slightest.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

02-Oct-2013 02:35:46

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

In fact, he was rather surprised at the hospitality that the pious knights of the city called Falador had shown him after their initial meeting. Where most holy orders of the planes were prone to overreacting and calling for him to burn at the stake once they found out about his true nature, the Temple Knights had merely confiscated his weapon and more or less gave him free reign of his very own well furnished cellblock. Sure, there were no windows to mark the passage of time, but the two guards stationed at the only door leading out of the block were more than happy enough to at least keep him informed of what day it was.

Or rather, he sensed that the humans answered his inquiries because they feared him, and for good reason. One of the perks about being touched with undeath was the numbing of mortal flesh that allowed him to shrug off pain that would cause most mortal creatures to at least ache for a few days. The unfortunate jailers and interrogators that came to him during the first few days of his arrest had the unpleasant experience of finding out that little fact firsthand, and it was then that they also learned his condition also granted him enough strength to crush a man’s head with very little effort on his part.

Needless to say, the flow of knights coming to his old cell slowed as the hours passed after the incident, and after what seemed to be an eternity, a rather portly man in ill fitting garb with a star stitched into the back of it had arrived to inform him that he was granted some privileges that weren’t afforded to normal prisoners of war. The only stipulation was that he couldn’t attempt to escape(not that he actually had a reason to yet), nor was he to harass any of the other interrogators and jailers who would attend to him in due time.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

02-Oct-2013 02:36:12

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

He was currently stalking a random hall close to a cell he had dubbed “the library” due to the books its former occupant had randomly scattered around before being evicted. The air was usually warm for a dungeon around that cell, but he felt it drop in temperature suddenly as he felt a surge of necromantic power manifest itself.

“I fear that this isn’t going as fast as we should be moving,” V heard someone say from seemingly nowhere. He wish he could say he was surprised, but having Old Ghost as his only true companion for the past few hours allowed him ample time to get used to the unnatural air that followed the revenant wherever he went.

“I wish we could leave too, friend,” V replied. “But we have unfinished business here, and it would be a good idea to at least get the support of these Temple Knights and their subordinates before we court the likes of Vampyres and whatever fills the remaining ranks of the Zarosians.”

The shadows shimmered as Old Ghost’s vaguely human-shaped form emerged from thin air. His features switched between that of a pale, thin man caught in the throes of agony and that of a bearded knight that had seen better days in life. Although no matter which form he took, the revenant appeared to focus all of his attention on V instead of the rest of the world.

“But do you really think they’d become allies with two dead men and one cursed to live as a rock?” the revenant rasped. “The men of light are not as welcoming to our kind as they are to those who serve their own ends, after all.”

“That’s what the treaties Samael gave us are for,” V said. “I still have them in the folds of my cloak, so once they see what they signed they’ll have no choice but to comply for fear of invoking the Right of Conscription.”

“I am afraid I have not heard that term before.”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

02-Oct-2013 02:36:43

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“Basically, we can get in touch with someone in the Grave Watchers, get backup over here, and force them into helping us,” V replied. “But I’d rather not bring an entire army to this world just yet. As far as anyone knows, we’re just an undead mage and his elementals that had the bad luck of coming into Falador during a damn siege. That cover alone has its own advantages, one of which is hopefully the enemy not paying us two minds if they happen to spy on us randomly.”

“And yet, we might be courting the likes of villains with it instead,” Old Ghost remarked in disgust. “Have you thought about that at all?”

“If Samael is right, then we might have to make allies of them too,” V replied. “The real enemy behind the Hounds doesn’t discriminate about its victims. So it stands to reason we shouldn’t discriminate when the time comes to pick our allies.”

“And that seems to be a wise choice,” V heard someone say from down the corridor. “I must say, for a dead man in league with unholy powers, you seem to possess a lot of otherwise human qualities.”

V turned around as Old Ghost began to sink back into the darkness, and saw a Temple Knight who was dressed in finely tailored clothes marked with holy symbols that he recognized were meant to ward off the dead and evil. The man was of thin build, and had a rather narrow face capped by a hawkish nose and greasy black hair which seemed to somehow glisten in the low light of the chambers. It took all V had to suppress a fit of laughter at the man’s awkward frame, and actually succeeded. Though the man’s demeanor did*’t change from the stern interrogator that his employers apparently paid for over the years.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

02-Oct-2013 02:37:59

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