RuneScape Forum Archive | [RP] Into The Fire

D F Angel

Posts: 19,587 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Firefall

The blazing inferno that was once the canopy of Myrkviðr rained down flaming embers. The huts of the hag coven were wreathed in a burning cacophony of fire. Floor, ceiling, air, wood, stone. It didn't matter where one looked. The fires were everywhere. Burning streams of spidersilk, snapping from the stress, swung to the ground, bringing great branches undisturbed for centuries down to the floor below.

Etheldredda crashed to one side to avoid a trunk-like branch as thick as a horse's torso from collapsing atop her. A wall of flame followed it, separating her from Joric Ironfist, and from the Great Mother, with whom the dwarf had been locked in combat. She uttered a silent prayer for him, as he was now alone facing off against one of the greatest spellcasters of the era. There was no getting to him now.

Spiralling away, Etheldredda looked and saw Annie. She wasn't hard to miss - though young and small, the once-spy turned demigod warrior now stood tall, facing off against the goliath Hagfather, the god of the hags, one of the forgotten abominations of the world. Etheldredda took steps towards her, but found her way barred.

It was a hagspawn - and one Ethel had seen earlier. Fought? Or had that been Joric who had crossed swords with this one? The battle was so hectic, that Ethel could no longer remember. This one had a distinctive antler-horned helm on. She had been defending the Great Mother. Etheldredda moved to engage.

Which was when she felt the spear in her hand wither and die. It literally died, drying up and greying and turning brittle, then cracking in her hands. It fell to the forest floor as coal. Coal? How was that possible?

"If we don't leave now, we're all dead," came the powerful and wizened voice of Tempora Sage. The enrobed wizard, leaning heavily against his staff, burst into view. His brow was covered in sweat and veins, his exertions at keeping their foes at bay. Hags be hagglin', gods be god damn crazy, it's all happening ogre at Into The Fire

16-Jun-2020 01:29:05

D F Angel

Posts: 19,587 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Etheldredda stared at the man, then back at the other hagspawn. Tempora Sage sighed, though in his fatigued state it sounded more like he was trying to breathe fire.

"Do you wish to die here?" The time mage asked of the mystery hagspawn. The stranger dropped their weapons and ran. Tempora Sage looked victoriously at Etheldredda, and Ethel looked about her.

The hags were dead or dying, the hagspawn dead or fled. The furies that had been unleashed, the direfoxes and the giant spiders, their corpses littered the ground, though some scattered here and there, incensed by the inferno that had snaked its way into their twilight den. And then there were the prisoners - human mostly, those some dwarves and an elf as well, and perhaps others. All male. All captives of the hags.

Etheldredda looked again at Annie. Surely she needed help. She was facing off against a being of myth and legend. Annie may have gotten the final strike on the Dread Lord, but there had been many heroes fighting in Messia that day. Here, she stood alone. Ethel glanced back at some of the freed captives, huddled in fear against a trunk as fire snaked towards them, their only exit blocked by the flames.

One of them could be...

Etheldredda trusted in Annie, trusted in her ability, in her resolve to win. She grabbed her iron-wrought mask, modelled to resemble the face of the Hagfather, and let it drop to the floor. When it hit the ground, so did all thought of vengeance. In the blazing light of the pits of Myrkviðr, Ethel the Dreaded found she had discovered a new purpose.

Turning from the battlefield, Etheldredda went to aid the captives in their escape. Hags be hagglin', gods be god damn crazy, it's all happening ogre at Into The Fire

16-Jun-2020 01:29:20

D F Angel

Posts: 19,587 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Across the field, Joric Ironfist advanced on the Great Mother. Shield forward, he barged through a menagerie of hagspawn that found themselves huddling around their spawnmaster, loyal to the last. The Great Mother herself cackled, streams of lightning flowing from her fingertips at the dwarf - colliding with the magically-repellent shield he sported. Her eyes opened in shock, then her face contorted into a deep snarl. Arms rising, the bone-forged throne behind her shattered and rose, a giant hand in which to ensnare her opponent.

But Joric had already barrelled towards her, crashing into her frail stomach, shattering ribs and knocking the ancient hag prone. The back of her skull collided with the woodland floor, her concentration dipped and the bone claw shuddered into an avalanche. A moment later, composure regained, the bones spiralled up once more, this time interlocking and reweaving into a giant made of bones stood above her, ready to strike down her foe.

And yet, that split second of resummoning her guardian was all the dwarf needed. As the giant's fists swung down towards the skull of Joric Ironfist, the hero's own axe was swinging down as well. The Great Mother howled a scream that split the night, before her own skull was split open by the force of the dwarf's blow. Skull and brain matter and bitter old blood erupted upwards as shattering bones rained downwards, spraying and battering the warrior as before his very eyes he saw the life go out of the crone which he faced. Hags be hagglin', gods be god damn crazy, it's all happening ogre at Into The Fire

16-Jun-2020 01:29:31

D F Angel

Posts: 19,587 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Elsewhile, creeping upon the central bonfire at this summoning - which was now difficult to differentiate from the rest of the hellscape the forest had become - was the Hagfather. Bloatsome, gluttonous, lumbering forth on four limbs as its lolling, engorged tongue sought out the parts with which to reproduce. Its mole-like eyes cast sideways, saw Annie, and struck out with a tyrannosaur claw.

But Annie the Abolisher jumped to the right, dodging the attack. With elven speed she brought around her sword in a wide arc, and struck deep into the Hagfather's chest, aiming for the heart. Her weapon pierced the blubber, but did not go deep enough in the thick skin. As Annie pushed deeper, she allowed her godly energy to channel through the blade and erupt - a rainbow of energy burst out of the back of the Hagfather as Annie's magic struck true - exploding through the creature and sending blood and guts across the forest floor!

The eyes of the Hagfather swivelled lazily, and then the body dropped, the grey glow of magic at the centre of its tongue dulling into nothingness. The creature let out a low groan, and then was silent forevermore. Annie Wells had slain the Hagfather. Hags be hagglin', gods be god damn crazy, it's all happening ogre at Into The Fire

16-Jun-2020 01:29:39

Jul

2011

Annie1227

Posts: 51,224 Emerald Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Annie was shocked that she was able to kill the Hagfather. She felt so happy that she saved so many people prisoners and save so many other lives in the process.She said as smiled weakly,”He’s finally dead. Now I go after Soahc to save Abraxus.” Her body felt so weak from using all her powers. Then she fell to the floor and fainted from all the power she used in this fight. Plus she need more training to be able to sustain the power that she was granted to handle. -Dances-

16-Jun-2020 02:02:10 - Last edited on 16-Jun-2020 02:57:36 by Annie1227

D F Angel

Posts: 19,587 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

It had been a night like no other for the town of Darkreach, which had been founded between the river and the forest of Myrkvior in the days before the canopy of trees had turned to an eternal darkness. That ancient and foreboding woods, its treetops stretching about the steeple of their church and spreading for miles and miles over hill and around river, a nation of its own defended by its unyielding foliage, was completely ablaze.

To the townsfolk it seemed like the sun had never set. A red river was on their doorstep, its fires reflecting red in the smoke plumes above. Ash and spark laden winds blew out from between the trees, carrying with it the scent of fear and death, and the sound of screams. The forest had stood for thousands of years, and had been the centre of terrifying tales and mysterious happenings for the last six centuries. Now, finally, the reign of the hags had come to an end.

Darkreach had become a thoroughfare. First for wildlife; the nocturnal rabbits and badgers and nightjars that were first aware of the problem. Then those that had woken to a hellish night, deer and bears and birds of every colour. After that, were the captives. Most human, though some elves, and dwarves, and others besides. Some teenagers, some old men, all boys. All of them had been slaves, chattel, broodmares, and underlings. All of them had been freed from their eternal torment.

There were monsters too; spike-protruding direfoxes, spiders the size of cattle, and the clawed, demented furies. The guardsmen of Darkreach, aided by those brave and daring few of the town, led a counter offensive. They were soon joined by warriors, the heroes of the day (though that was not yet known,) the adventurers who had walked into a hag coven and usurped a sinister presence that had claimed ownership of this land for generations of human lifetimes. It was a night of fury, of fights, of battle, and of woe.

But it was a night of victory also. Hags be hagglin', gods be god damn crazy, it's all happening ogre at Into The Fire

28-Oct-2020 00:39:50

D F Angel

Posts: 19,587 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Then there was much crying, and rejoicing, and mourning. Death had came to their town that night, but the living had been victorious. Already, the names of the heroes passed through the streets like wildfire. Joric Ironfist, who had slain the Mother of Hags. Annie Wells, who had felled the infernal Hagfather. Etheldredda, who had led their foray into the forests. Drinks were poured, and the heroes saluted, for a great evil had finally been vanquished from the world.

And then there was the reunions. Many of those kidnapped by the hags had been locals of Darkreach, adults who had taken a wrong path heading for a new life, teenagers daring to go too deep into the woods as a dare, children who had stayed outside to play too late at night. Some had been gone only a few years, some had been gone for decades. Children met their fathers for the first time in twenty years, and introduced the fathers to children of their own. Husbands found their wives had waited all these years for them to return, or that they found happiness again in the arms of another.

Many more were not local; strangers and travellers and outsiders had always been easy pickings for the hags, and sometimes the hags would roam far and wide for prey further afield. These had no one to great them on the outside, but took solace with their fellow captors that they were free men once again. They came to Annie, and to Joric, and to the other heroes of the woods. And they thanked them, and cried tears of joy, and hugged them and kissed their cheeks, for they had gotten their lives back.

During this, Etheldredda found herself sat besides a man in his seventies. He had been blond once; his beard stretched down to his tight rib-cage and still held the colour, but the thinning hair on his head had whitened from stress long ago. He had a plain face, and he was half starved. Some of his teeth were missing. His eyes were blue. Hags be hagglin', gods be god damn crazy, it's all happening ogre at Into The Fire

28-Oct-2020 00:40:09

D F Angel

Posts: 19,587 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

"Gods bless you, love," said the old timer. "I thought I'd die there. We all did."

"How long did they have you?" the hagspawn asked.

"I lost count... Forty years, at least."

Etheldredda nodded. It was what she'd expected. "My mother was a hag of the coven. Her name was Ethyl."

Etheldredda saw the look of fear that crossed the man's face, and knew. The old man seemed to realise as well, as he swore, and spat on the floor, and tugged hard at his beard with nerves.

"Well," he said. "I'm Frank." He held out a hand. Etheldredda took it, and shook the hand of her father.

Last to emerge from the forest was the survivors, coming two hours after dawn. There were perhaps thirty of them. Hagspawn, each and every one. They were Etheldredda's half sisters, cousins, aunts, nieces. The ones that had not been loyal to the coven, but had been prisoners, just like she had. Who had turned and ran when the fighting began, rather than defend their parents. An older woman with red hair and an old scar down her face that left her blind in one eye came to the forest edge and spoke to Etheldredda in private. The conversation lasted quite some time, before the hagspawn were walked into the town to eat from the stew pots the townsfolk were cooking in the open. No one dared contradict their hero's choice.

Everyone was exhausted, but there were festivities. Food and alcohol came free - everyone was simply pleased the nightmare was over. And sleeping in the morning sun, they would not rise again until late afternoon, and then have to make a decision of where the road would take them from this point.

It was three days after the death of the Hag Mother that Etheldredda gathered her troop in the common area of The Leprechaun's Foot inn, to break the news to them. Hags be hagglin', gods be god damn crazy, it's all happening ogre at Into The Fire

28-Oct-2020 00:40:18

D F Angel

Posts: 19,587 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

"I'm staying," she told them. "The coven need someone to lead them, and protect them. They wont be accepted in Darkreach. Too much bad blood. And some of the captives, too. They've been imprisoned too long. They don't think they can go back to their old lives."

"I'm going to build a community in the woods. One that welcomes travellers. One that rehabilitates. All my life I've been filled with rage. It led me to follow Br'nard Even'star to the gates of Hell. It took me to Merina, to fight the Dread Lord for the fate of the world. All this time I've wanted vengeance against my mother, and grandmother, and the whole coven that oppressed me. Now... I think I've found where I belong. I think I can say goodbye to that rage."

She pulled Annie aside, and knelt by her. "You were a kid when I met you," Ethel said. "Following us in the bushes, writing in a little notebook. Now look at you. You're a warrior. A better fighter than me. Tempora Sage will teach you magic. I'm sorry that I wont be there, when you defeat Soahc. But I have every faith in you."

With that, Etheldredda would later disperse, taking with her the hagspawn, and some of the former prisoners of the coven, back into the woods. To start a new life, a better life.

-----

When the time came for the journey to continue, the old wizened wizard, Tempora Sage, stood leaning against his staff, looking at the road north. News had spread of the feats at Myrkvior - he wondered if new faces would flock to the town now. He also wondered who would follow them north. Annie, for sure. Her mentor, Abraxus Richardson, was still being held captive by Soahc, DemiGod of Chaos. Perhaps some of the other heroes too?

But if not, Tempora would accompany Annie alone, and they would go north together. He felt now, more than ever, that their two fates were tied together. The Avatar of Arran, and the time wizard. Going from one blazing inferno to the next. Hags be hagglin', gods be god damn crazy, it's all happening ogre at Into The Fire

28-Oct-2020 00:41:11

Jul

2011

Annie1227

Posts: 51,224 Emerald Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Annie celebrated with the survivors and the family of the hags. They where thanking her and the other in her group. She was having a great time as they celebrate. She been drinking and dancing.

Three days later that Etheldredda gathered her troop in the common area of The Leprechaun's Foot inn. She stood there with fear about the news that Etheldredda have to tell them. When Etheldredda told them that she was staying. She stood there in shock. She really don’t want her to go. That’s when she felt Etheldredda pull her to speak to her. She listened what Etheldredda had to said to her. She teared up and gave Etheldredda a hug to say good bye. She watched them go.

She looked at Tempora with tears in her eyes. She asked,” I was wondering,When do we start my training?” She was happy that Tempora was still with her and hoped the other hero’s will stay too to kill Soahc to save Abraxus Richardson. Then she looked at The wizard and said,” i’m ready to leave whenever.” -Dances-

28-Oct-2020 01:19:21

Forums

[RP] Into The Fire