RuneScape Forum Archive | [RP] Into The Fire

NotFishing

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Then he went silent. That was the most open he had ever been in decades - it wasn't like him to just dump his life story on people like that. It felt odd to finally let all of it out.

-----

Alicia Vendal - The Road North

Alicia had said nothing during that exchange. At first it had looked like the ogres were charging, but then they stopped and attempted to try diplomacy... only to immediately try and attack the creature again.

But the demon had fled and soon everyone would be going on their way. So, she put away her crossbow and climbed back down the tree.

"I'm just going to pretend these last five minutes didn't happen." She said as she made it to the bottom, dusting herself off. "Anyone else agree?" Beneath the gold, the Bitter Steel.

14-Oct-2015 22:19:27

D F Angel

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The Farmlands

Monsieur Federico raised a quizzical eyebrow as Annie launched into a tirade against him. "Oui, I am the bad man? You are absolutely right, I am the man who has been complaining. I am also the only man who didn't want to be coming, but was forced along by your friend, but sure, I am the bad one. Oh please Annie won't you teach me respect? Weren't you the one who was arrested at Copperdale, then ten minutes our local prison has witnessed a break out and an innocent guardsman found dead? Or was that a different ten year old demigod?"

The man huffed, crossed his arms and pointedly turned his back towards the girl.

Etheldredda spent a moment staring fathomlessly at the guildmaster, her expression a shadow behind the grotesquery that was her iron-wrought mask. However it seemed she decided against speaking her mind, and also tactfully chose to brush past the dwarf's comical remark, because once again she was facing Rovaan.

"Half demon," she repeated, the words giving her some elation. Etheldredda had thought that the contraption on the man's arm was enchanted to give him the form he took, that he was conspiring with demons to gain more power. That this was his natural ability, and that the device was in fact keeping tabs on the power he used, was much to the hagspawn's relief. Being half a monster herself, Etheldredda could hardly justify exiling Rovaan from the group anyway, even if you didn't consider they had another half-demon in tow.

"Yes, we have a mission," Etheldredda agreed. They were wasting time standing around here. She saw that Siera was writing them some message, perhaps reporting back after having her dog sniff around at the pile of skin, but of course Etheldredda could make no sense of the symbols in the air.

It was the flamboyant fencer himself that responded to Siera instead. Hags be hagglin', gods be god damn crazy, it's all happening ogre at Into The Fire

14-Oct-2015 23:46:28

D F Angel

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"Oui, oui, very good! I always said she had a natural talent for these things," he told no one in particular. "But who is it that is doing what they should not?" He did not air his own opinion that the answer might be them; the hags of Myrkviðr had lived in their coven for near half a millennia, perhaps longer. Of course, Monsieur Federico wasn't being paid to make suggestions of his own- in fact, he was not being paid at all (bah!) so he kept his mouth shut.

"We move out," Etheldredda told the group, having no answer for the riddle either. Other men had been made to be of the quizzical sort, but the hagspawn warrior was not one of them. "Conleth, if you're coming with us, I want you up front with Siera," the better to watch you . "Everyone else on me. Federico, you get the horse and the rear." Rolling his eyes theatrically, Federico obeyed his orders and began leading Kuro's horse, with an unconscious Kuro slumped across it, from the designated position.

Once again they set out, with the vague words of the riddle plaguing their mind and the fear of being ambushed again, though no more bandits or shape-changing trolls happened upon their path that day. As afternoon turned to midday turned to dusk, they left the farmlands behind and rediscovered cobbled roads, barns being replaced by the stately homes of those that wished to live just outside the loud and busy streets of a populated town.

"You must not be being seen," Monsieur Federico told them all sternly as they entered into Hamstead . "From here came the peasants that many of you murdered outside Copperdale," he nodded specifically towards Rovaan and Joric, who most likely had the highest kill count from that scenario, "And many that were there ran away to tell the tale. The Lord of Hamstead would be liking your pretty heads on spikes, I am thinking, oui." Hags be hagglin', gods be god damn crazy, it's all happening ogre at Into The Fire

14-Oct-2015 23:46:49

D F Angel

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The guildmaster seemed to revel in the idea of them being decapitated and presented to the town on the top of sharp sticks, but didn't dwell on the topic too long. "You should be staying inside for rest, and leaving in the depths of night. I shall be finding my good friend Amair Zone, who will be paying for your rooms-"

" Zone ?" Repeated Etheldredda, and she made the word sound like a curse. "You said you'd bring me a warrior, not-"

"You should be finding yourself more relaxed, dreaded dear," Monsieur Federic* cut in, raising his hands up in defensive surrender. "Amair Zone is my bodyguard for the journey home. Yes, I will be leaving you all shortly," he informed the rest of them dismissively, as though knowing how much he grated on their nerves. "And the help I've sent for is not for you. The man named Abraxus, he comes to me asking for help training the girl, so I figure I should be getting her that training, it is the least I could do after he..."

Looking sideways at Annie, Monsieur Federico stopped himself just before he aired his opinion that the self-proclaimed High Priest of Arran was most likely dead.

"Well anyway, I shall be getting you into an inn, and then I shall never be seeing your faces again." Striding forth with the gusto of a man who was very nearly about to escape a horrible fate, they advanced further into the town until they came across a small bed and breakfast. A quick word to the owner about the promise of some of Amair Zone's well-known gold was enough to convince the proprietor to exile their other customers out of the establishment so that the group could get some well needed privacy.

With a slavish kiss of Siera's hand and a genuine well-wish for Joric Ironfist, (who had the guildmaster's respect due to his membership of the Champions Guild,) Monsieur Federic* went out of the door and out of their lives. Hags be hagglin', gods be god damn crazy, it's all happening ogre at Into The Fire

14-Oct-2015 23:47:10

D F Angel

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It was getting late, but the sun was still in the sky and it didn't seem too promising that any of them would be able to sleep so early, despite the physical and magical exertions they had experienced earlier that day. The prospect of having to stay trapped in here with nothing to do for hours whilst they waited for night to fall was equally unappealing. It was not long before Etheldredda was getting antsy.

"We need to know if anything's changed," she said. "Any news about the coven, or if there's been any sightings of the Hagfather." She has hoping the latter would be a resounding no- the Hagfather did not fatigue, it needed no sleep and no other sustenance than the magic that it fed off of. If it had been seen nearby, there was no way they could reach the coven on time. But we might be able to slow it down...

"Tomorrow we travel by river boat, someone will need to arrange that as well." Etheldredda pulled out a scarcely filled coin purse, her meagre earnings from her past six months as a blacksmith's apprentice. It would be enough for their passing, but little more. "And we'll need to stock up on supplies, we'll be leaving civilisation behind after this."

She considered the group in front of her. Kuro didn't seem to be in any position to travel, and apparently Joric and Rovaan were both wanted men in these parts. That left Zed, Conleth, Judy, Siera and Annie at her disposal.

"Bards overhear a lot of things," Etheldredda told Siera pointedly. "Especially when men are in their cups. Annie, go with her, see if your past life as a spy will come in handy. Zed, Judy, go out and find what food you can. Conleth, with me, we'll get the boat. Any objections?"

The question seemed like less of a question and more of a challenge, coming from the lips of the determined hagspawn. Hags be hagglin', gods be god damn crazy, it's all happening ogre at Into The Fire

14-Oct-2015 23:47:30

D F Angel

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The High Road

Soahc grinned as Ubaid mentioned the Sepulchral City. It had fallen so many millennia ago that it was more mythology than actual history in the minds of most historians and scholars, its true name long forgotten. Soahc might have felt pity for all the knowledge that had been lost, if not for the fact that he had been directly involved in its destruction. Little the armour-clad ghost said had any interest to the demigod, save for one word. Undying. Was that just Ubaid bringing attention to the fact that he was undead, or did it mean...

" Nektekhat?" Soahc repeated the word in Ubaid's own tongue, so as to make certain there had been no error in translation.

Soahc laughed aloud when Kira made her comment about burning him. God of Fire was one of his many epithets, so doubtlessly there would be some difficulty in the burning process, but the demigod did not doubt Kira's desire to see him die within the flames. No doubt she would try before the plot was finished. But Kira knew enough of the plan to sate her pyrophilia for the moment, to postpone the kindling of a god in order to reap a much greater reward in the long run.

"I see you all can't contain yourselves with my guests, so I'll do the gentlemanly thing." The gentlemanly thing certainly wasn't releasing them, apparently, but simply to explain who they were and then continue their abduction. "The one on the front," by on the front, he meant tied to the front of the carriage like a figurehead, "is named, uh... Caddy? Something like that. Kain? No... Maybe Bruce. Completely unspectacular in himself, but he has the most interesting traces of magic about his person. As for that one," this time indicating the priest tied by the wrists to the back of the carriage to be dragged along if he didn't have the energy to keep up, "I think he's called Shaun." Hags be hagglin', gods be god damn crazy, it's all happening ogre at Into The Fire

14-Oct-2015 23:47:51

D F Angel

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"Abraxas, you b******," corrected the prisoner.

"Ew, I would have stuck with Shaun." Soahc pulled a revolting face before continuing. "He's a runaway from The Unified Church, a religion that's probably younger than he is himself and just as insignificant. They believe that there are no gods, and that me, Tyrrus, Janus, the whole shebang, we're all in fact that the same person!" He threw his head back and laughed to the heavens at that. "No wonder he ran away, eh? Now he styles himself High Priest of Arran, though I distinctly remember killing Arran about four hundred years ago."

"Liar!" Shouted Abraxas. Soahc just rolled his eyes and swung a hand towards the priest- the hem of the demigod's robe shot out like a snake and threaded its way through the man's lips, sealing his mouth shut so that his screams of objection and then pain were muffled out and forcefully internalised.

With the interruptions finished, Soahc turned his attentions back to the group- specifically at Brodus to respond to his own tales. "Peculiar circumstances indeed!" He flashed pointed teeth at the knight. "Ancient sorcerer swords are a rare thing. Having made a few myself, I'd recommend considering whether you're wielding the sword, or if the sword is wielding you." He gave a polite chuckle at that, not enough as to seem mocking, but more in a brotherly way that one couldn't quite trust, considering whom the noise was originating from.

It was very important in this line of business to know your team mate's strengths, and more importantly their weaknesses. Soahc was not actually planning to double cross any of his underlings, a fact which surprised even himself, but was well aware that most were probably planning on double crossing him. Now that he knew that Brodus's sword was the key to his power, Soahc felt much more comfortable around the knight. Hags be hagglin', gods be god damn crazy, it's all happening ogre at Into The Fire

14-Oct-2015 23:48:13

D F Angel

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With little else to add to the conversation, Soahc carried on his merry way, followed by Ethyl, Kira, Ubaid, Brodus, Sileo and Ryokin, his lieutenants, and by the mercenaries and cultists and undead and hagspawn, his personal army, between them being pulled the prisoner-carrying wagon which rocked and swayed violently as whatever that was inside it thrashed at its enclosure in the hopes of escaping.

This is how they progressed through the day as it turned to midday, and then to evening. Soahc consulted his dagger, upon the tip of which was the blood of Abraxas and which pointed him in the right direction like a compass, occasionally stopping to make a joke that very few people seemed to appreciate.

The village they arrived at was much unlike the hamlet they had destroyed before. It stood on a hill so that it could survey anyone approaching. It had high walls built all around it, with bowmen and spearmen marching along, as though expecting to be raided by a spontaneous band of mercenaries, undead and hagspawn.

"This is where the fun begins," Soahc told them all. His smile shrunk on his face, his cheeks knitting themselves back together to form small, wry lips as his nose crooked forwards, his brow-bone intensifying and his eyes becoming a quiet grey. A mop of black hair covered his scalp which matched the unshaven features of his chin, and the once resplendent red-and-yellow robes were now leather hide, over which a travelling cloak was tossed. Only the man's smile remained to him, the only feature discernible as he put the hood up on his cloak.

"Not all gods are as lazy as Tyrrus," he said to the group. He had already commanded that the grunts wait behind as they got nearer to the village, in order to not draw anymore attention than their murderous ransacking already had. "So it's best we do this without drawing attention to ourselves." Hags be hagglin', gods be god damn crazy, it's all happening ogre at Into The Fire

14-Oct-2015 23:48:44

D F Angel

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He conjured up some more travelling cloaks for those whose attire would clearly draw attention to themselves- mainly Kira Vesteros.

"Over the walls there'll be regular patrols, no doubt, seeing as they know I'm in the area. Mages too, I expect. A Lord's Keep if you're wanting coin. Tyrrus's soldiers will be closing in on us, so we'll have to move fast. There's an Engelite Church and a Nunnery, but the religious building we're aiming for is brand new. There's six towers on the walls on the outer walls of this village, we each take one and meet up in the middle. If you're found, make as much noise as possible and draw the others off of the rest of us."

Cold Ethyl had slunk away but now returned with all three of her sisters in tow. They chanted in an arcane tongue, their speech harsh and unforgiving, and clouds began to roll in from over the horizon at a fast pace, to blot out the failing sun.

"A little Espionage never hurt anyone," Ethyl pruned, laughing ghastly at the thought. "Your whip-cracking pet is looking after the others."

"How lovely," said Soahc absentmindedly, eyes focused only on the prize ahead. "Feel free to join him for now, this shouldn't take too long." With that, he began marching up the hill with the full expectation that the others would begin making their own way as well.

----

Meanwhile, whilst the group was recounting to one another their own backstories, Raspur Cain, mercenary captain was pointing his flintlock pistol directly at the undead which carried Ubaid's sarcophagus, and having an entirely separate conversation with the ghost through his enslaved corpse. Hags be hagglin', gods be god damn crazy, it's all happening ogre at Into The Fire

14-Oct-2015 23:49:06

D F Angel

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"Soahc can get f***ed up his lopsided arse," Raspur told the ghost in no uncertain terms. "Thinks he can pull the wool over my eyes. I'm fifty f***ing one, ya think I'd still be in the business if all I did was follow wretched c****s like him about? There's more affection in a spider's left ball than there is in him, an' I'm not sticking around to be the fall guy when this all goes t*ts-up."

He coughed up as much phlegm as he could muster and spat his distaste on the witch's foot.

"But you- you can get me what I want, just as much as he can. And an extra ally will go along way when surrounding by these dog f****ers. The fire *****, the hag, they'll all turn on each other the first chance they get. You might need a friend."

"So tell me truly you see-through spook, can you bring back someone who's died? Exactly like they were. Only one person, only one." There was a kind of mad desperation in the mercernary's eyes, as though this was the turning point in a quest he'd set his whole life to- although Raspur's whole life had involved leading outlaws and thugs and other ne'er-do-wells. Hags be hagglin', gods be god damn crazy, it's all happening ogre at Into The Fire

14-Oct-2015 23:49:27

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[RP] Into The Fire