RuneScape Forum Archive | ^+^ The Age of Nhur ^+^

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

"Ok, big bad treasure hunter guy,” Smithe said sarcastically. “Have you seen anything like this in your time with the infamous Ruby team?”

Uthalion shook his head. “No, the only thing I’ve seen that comes close is a Werewolf, but last I checked those didn't have horns and skeleton-like things on their fur.”

“Great, so we find a tomb that even Rakshasas are afraid of, and it looks like the only thing they were afraid of was some screwed up werewolf pictures. So, can we just get what we came for and leave already?”

“Sure. Do you know where it is though?” Uthalion asked. Smithe shook his head. “Thought so. Now, start looking, and the sooner we find it, the sooner we can leave.” They split up and began to search the room, with Uthalion covering the western half and Smithe on the eastern half.

Uthalion searched the walls, and on inspection he noticed that the strange symbols from the door and pillars outside also covered the walls in this room. His eyes followed a few of the lines, and found that they led to a certain brick in the wall.

Deciding to act on a theory, he pushed against the brick, and was surprised to see a section of the wall open up to reveal another dark hallway. Looking back, he noticed that Smithe was bent over looking at something on the ground, so he decided to just go ahead and walk into the hallway and turn around if he found nothing important.

The hall was relatively short, because the next thing he knew, Uthalion found himself in a much brighter room, which had some kind of pedestal in the middle, along with a few chairs and a table in one corner, with a bookcase in another. Looking back, Uthalion found that the hall he came from had somehow closed up without making a sound, leaving him stranded in the small room.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

04-May-2010 04:55:34 - Last edited on 20-Oct-2010 04:06:10 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Alright, he thought. This isn’t the first time he got trapped in a room, and if past experience was of any use, it taught him that there was usually some sort of clue to get him out if he looked hard enough….

….or, if he looked at things in a different way, he thought to himself. Speaking a command word, he noticed his sight get a tad sharper, and a blue haze invaded his peripheral vision. He immediately noticed some glowing symbols on the walls, and as he gazed at them and spoke another command word, their meanings began to flow into his mind as the glow emanating from the symbols faded one by one.

What he heard alarmed him. Ghostly voices invaded his mind, each one carrying words of dismay from a bygone era.

*Hounds of He’rkhine. Destroyers of worlds and harbingers of great change at once. We thought them but a myth….*

*It began with a flash of lightning in our sky. Our heroes had fallen sick with the illness which spread soon after…*

*The Hounds came with the sickness….*

*The Dark One himself returned to The World to lead them in the Hunt….*

The voices seemed to trail off as his spell ended. Uthalion began to look around again now that his vision had cleared, and found that the pedestal in the middle of the room was gone, with another staircase replacing it. He began to descend, even though he had a gut feeling that he wouldn’t like what he found.

~^+^~

Smithe sighed. He soon realized that after he and Uthalion split up to investigate the room, his companion had disappeared, seemingly leaving him behind in the creepy room. He started to head back toward the staircase, but then a thought hit him: he hadn’t actually seen or even hear Uthalion head out. So, following that train of thought, maybe that meant he found a hidden doorway that separated him from the room. That made sense, Smithe thought. Ancient tombs, especially those made for mages, were designed to deter grave robbers, so a hidden door wasn’t out of the question.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

04-May-2010 04:57:16 - Last edited on 20-Oct-2010 04:06:48 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Now, he just had to figure out how to find it, let alone open the thing. He began to think, and he recalled hearing a while ago from Uthalion that certain designs could be used as magical conduits to power hidden doors that might otherwise be inoperable. He started to look around, and noticed that the designs on the walls seemed to converge in the northern end of the room, which held a strange altar seated on a stone platform, which was draped with a red cloth embroidered in gold trimmings.

He ran over to the altar, and as he reached it, he saw that the designs began to curve towards the center of the platform, somehow showing themselves through the fabric of the cloth itself. Smithe began to run his hands over the cloth in an attempt to find anything out of place, and his efforts met with nothing. He stomped in anger with a huff, and he suddenly found himself off balance. He leapt back, and saw that the area he stomped down on had sunk in. He inspected the depression, and found that it was a switch hidden underneath the cloth.

He didn't have to wait long to see what it did, because as soon as he began to straighten up he heard a grinding noise coming from the direction of the altar. He looked over, and found that the altar had slid towards the front of the platform, revealing a small hole with a ladder going down as it went. Smithe figured he had nothing to really lose, so he began to climb down.

The descent was short, and he soon found himself standing in a small room, which had murals painted on the walls, and had a small pool in the center, which had clear water flowing into it while four crystals which were equally as clear as the water seemed to stand guard over it.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

04-May-2010 04:57:55 - Last edited on 20-Oct-2010 04:07:09 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Smithe heard the altar grind itself back into its original position above the ladder, and he began to panic a bit. He began to look around the room, and despite there being no obvious source of light, he found that it was pretty well lit. In fact, now that he thought about it, the entire tomb itself wasn’t very dark, and he didn't see any torches or light orbs hanging around, let alone any fairie fire.

He noticed a glow coming from the pool, and approached it to investigate. Smithe noticed that the strange symbols allowed him to find the room were also present in the walls of the pool, and they seemed to meet at the center of the bottom. However, he figured that the designs weren’t going to help him if they led into the pool, so he decided to try and find a clue that could help him escape elsewhere in the small area.

He began his search at the murals, though he wished he hadn’t. Various scenes were depicted across the different walls, but all of them showed either the same dog-man hybrid which was present in the tapestries in the room upstairs, or some kind of humanoid abomination dressed in elaborate robes, as if it meant to lord its position or power over someone or something of lesser social rank.

All murals also showed cities burning, or dead bodies being consumed by either one or both types of beings, or a gruesome combination of various tortures which might have been inflicted on the poor souls from the scenes. One mural in particular had what appeared to be letters smeared across it in blood, though he couldn’t be sure since time had taken its toll on the coloring.

He heard something scraping, and to his surprise a door had appeared in the room, leading down a dark hallway. Since Smithe figured he had nowhere else to go, he proceeded deeper into the tomb.

~^+^~

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

04-May-2010 04:58:27 - Last edited on 20-Oct-2010 04:08:01 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Uthalion found himself in a bigger room than the one he came from. There was a set of stairs in the far northern end of the room, and as he looked up, he saw that they led down to a platform housing a small box, which seemed to be magically protected by some kind of shielding bubble conjured around it. Just to make sure that he wouldn’t get caught by surprise courtesy of a trap, he spoke a command word and his vision once again became clouded by an azure haze on the edge of his vision. He noticed only three glowing symbols this time, and he did*’t even need to channel his inner power to translate them, for the ghostly voices came into his mind unbidden anyway.

*As the Dark One began his onslaught, the Mad Minds came to us from the stars, and offered aid and sanctuary…..*

*The Onslaught could not be turned. The Mad Minds knew this….*

*So it came to pass….we were betrayed due to our own folly…..*

The magical bubble seemed to fade at the same time the voices did. Uthalion ran down the steps, skipping some as he went, and rushed to the box, as he feared the bubble might return and do….well, whatever magical shields did to trespassers. He opened the box, and found what appeared to be a squared chip off of some kind of red block nestled neatly in the creases of a silken sheet which was lining the interior.

He reached into the box to pick the strange object up, and as his hand closed around the object, a voice entered his mind once more. The voice was new, and had a somewhat feminine quality to it instead of the dreaded whispers he already experienced.

*We sealed the evil within our holiest of Treasures…..*

*The Keys…..Four we hid, to insure that the evils bound within our Treasure stay buried…..*

*The Mad Minds did not like this, for their fate was tied to the Treasure as punishment for their crime…..*

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

04-May-2010 04:59:18

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Uthalion quickly pulled his hand out of the box as the voice faded, and noticed that the box seemed to sink into the platform it was seated on. The platform then began to depress into the ground, forming yet another set of stairs as it descended. A white glow emanated from the doorway which was revealed by the quick transformation, and he began to head towards it.

~^+^~

Smithe soon found himself on a balcony overlooking a room which looked like some kind of chapel. There were no stained glass windows which usually adorned such rooms, though bright light filtered through four crystals hanging in the rafters overlooking the entire room. He noticed that various colored banners depicting ancient symbols hung from the balcony, as well as two gold ones depicting a pentacle with what appeared to be an eye in the middle which hung behind a raised area holding what he guessed was the coffin of some important person. Hell, if he didn't know any better, he’d say that the prize was staring him literally in the face, but he couldn’t say for certain.

He went over towards the stone railings, intending to jump down into the room below, but as he reached them, a wall of force appeared to block him, and knocked him back. As he finished collecting himself, Smithe noticed that the wall disappeared from his sight shortly thereafter. “Damn,” he said. “Whoever built this place seemed to know how to defend their territory. I’d hate to see how they kept their homes locked.”

He decided to leave the room, but as he turned around, he saw that the door he entered from was barred by an orange wall of force, which was crackling with some kind of energy for what he thought might be some kind of defense mechanism. As there was no other way out of the room, Smithe decided to sit down and wait, all while hoping Uthalion had better luck than he was having so far.

*^+^*

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

04-May-2010 04:59:41 - Last edited on 20-Oct-2010 04:09:27 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Uthalion walked through the hallway at a brisk pace, never stopping to look around. Not that it would help anyway, because as far as he saw, there was nothing on the walls anyway, and he didn't see any doorways to go through, so he could only go straight as it is.

He eventually reached a doorway, which had some very strange, and very glowing, runes inscribed on it. He knew that he’d have to channel energy into the door, but he wasn’t sure how successful he’d be- after all, he wasn’t a mage, just a treasure hunter for hire- though he decided he didn't have much choice in the matter. Uthalion closed his eyes and began concentrating, imagining the energy in the runes slowly streaming out of their shapes. He felt them disappear, and when he opened his eyes, he was elated to see he was successful.

He kicked open the door, and found himself in some sort of chapel. Crystals in the rafters emitted lights of various colors, and a few of them seemed to have been specifically trained on a coffin of sorts, which was located on a raised portion of the floor for all to see. As he looked at the crystals, he noticed that a lot of colors were present: greens, blues, yellows, purples, and a few that defied description…..

....But, he saw no reds, and as he looked down the aisle, he noticed that various pillars were present at the end of the benches to his left and right, and all save one held some sort of gem that matched the colors coming from the ceiling. Acting on a hunch, Uthalion strode over to the empty pillar at the end of the benches immediately to his right, fished out the red chip from his pack, and put it in the empty hole. The chip glowed for a few seconds, and as it died down, he found that it was fused to the pillar.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

04-May-2010 05:00:02 - Last edited on 20-Oct-2010 04:10:07 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

As if on cue, a crystal in the ceiling lowered down over the coffin, and a red light shone down on it. A few beams representing the other colors converged on the crystal, and the red light then became a white line. Various designs, apparently defensive glyphs of some sort, began to glow on the coffin, and they vanished just as soon as they appeared. Uthalion quickly approached the coffin, and stared in disbelief as it opened by itself. Looking inside, he found not a corpse, but rather some kind of jewelry piece.

It was gold, and shaped like a circle. The center held what looked like an eye, and Uthalion also noticed that four prongs stuck out on the left and right sides of it, giving the object a spider-like appearance.He couldn’t help but reach to pick it up, but before he could, a voice roared in his head.

*STOP!*

He turned around, and saw a vague white shape floating before him. He couldn’t tell if it was male or female, but from the sound of the voice it projected into his head, he knew it was angry. “What?” he asked. “Are you the same one who’s been whispering in my head this entire time?”

The shape flickered for a brief second, and as it reformed, a man who looked like a sage of sorts, dressed in robes showing the same odd designs which were in other parts of the tomb, along with a long, clean white beard, stood before him. The being spoke.

*I’ve tried warning you and others like you. Please, don’t release it again, I beg of you!*

*Ok, but what or who the hell are you?” Uthalion demanded.

*Me?* the voice asked. *I...can’t remember my name. Tell me; is the empire of The Sleeper still active? Have the others who came before you succeeded in the Awakening?*

Uthalion looked at the apparition with a puzzled expression. “Umm...No? Sorry pal, but I have no idea what you’re even talking about. I just came here for this gold trinket...I think...so I could make a living.”

Neither of them noticed the talisman start to glow in the coffin.

~^+^~

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

04-May-2010 05:00:42 - Last edited on 20-Oct-2010 04:12:30 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Smithe was growing bored quickly. Shortly after his initial imprisonment, he started pacing, and that eventually gave way to him kicking pebbles around to scatter them, and that eventually gave way to him sitting against the wall, only to drift in and out of sleep. His short naps were frequently interrupted by sharp jolts of pain in various parts of his body. The most recent one was agonizing enough to make him start to cry.

The shade began to get up, only to double in pain. It felt like something was trying to get out of him, and it hurt like hell. Smithe then noticed that his arms began to itch as if they were on fire, and he thought he saw the shadows on his arms move and form fur on their own accord.

He managed to scoot himself over to the balcony, and saw Uthalion confronting some kind of ghost, and the contents of the coffin he saw earlier- probably what they came for, judging from the looks of it since that was the only remotely valuable thing he’d seen in the tomb- was glowing. Apparently the two hadn’t noticed, but Smithe had a feeling that was the source of his pain….he just knew it had to be. Before he could call out to his friend, a blinding pain hammered inside his head.

As Smithe’s vision faded, he thought he heard an animal-like howl. Whether it was coming from his mouth or something else nearby was a mystery he would never solve.

*^+^*

The ghost seemed appalled at the statement. *So you seek the Treasure? Even after the warnings? Did you not listen to the tragedy of our people on your journey here?*

“All I got out of it was that you guys had a bad case of lycanthropes and accepted a deal with some insane mages that got you killed off. I’d like to think my employer can handle a few werewolves with horns.”

*Then go, seek out the Treasure* the ghost said with remorse in its voice. *I pray for your soul that the Keys do not meet together where they fell.*

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

04-May-2010 05:01:16 - Last edited on 20-Oct-2010 04:13:11 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Uthalion nodded to the ghost, and turned to pick the object up. He noticed that it seemed to be brighter than he remembered. Was it always like that, or was it a trick of the light? He didn't know, and as he moved to put it into his pack, the eye in the center seemed to move of its own accord. Uthalion shoved the item into the deepest part of the pack, disturbed by the thought of what the thing might be.

A feral howl echoed through the room. Uthalion turned around, and saw the ghost still standing there. *It looks like the time for judgment comes. I wish you luck, fool. Nobody should have to face what comes next.*

“Wait, what?” Uthalion asked.

Before the ghost could answer, a black form smashed into the space the apparition occupied. The ghost flickered in and out of existence, and after a few seconds it dissipated completely. Though his armor wouldn’t allow him to betray any emotions, Uthalion looked at the form in horror.

Before him stood a wolf-like creature, with horns protruding from its head which curved backwards. The creature also had bone-like protrusions on its arms and legs, which contrasted with its coat of black fur, and he noticed its stomach looked as if the ribcage was on the outside of its stomach. The creature got up on its hind legs, and began to walk towards him. Uthalion noticed that its eyes were red, and full of malice, and they hinted of an almost alien intelligence driving the beast.

“Oh, crap,” he said. He noticed that the beast was also wearing a set of torn gray robes marked with the symbol of the Masked God. The same robes Smithe wore that day.

~^+^~

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

04-May-2010 05:01:47 - Last edited on 20-Oct-2010 04:14:13 by A Mad Hatter

Forums

^+^ The Age of Nhur ^+^