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

Arial felt something moving behind him, though he didn't know how he felt it in the first place. He turned to see a purple tentacle hovering in place, coiled to strike.

*I am sorry…..But you have…..No part to…..Play in this……Tragedy to come.*

The tentacle lashed out at Arial, who attempted to jump out of their reach, and grabbed him by his ankle. His thoughts were racing as the voice sounded one last time.

*Worry not...I reward loyalty...Go now...To your group...Fight The Captor...If you must...But be warned...Should you do...Death will be..your prize...As for me...My part here...Is merely...To come...But not now.*

The tentacle dragged Arial into the darkness, his screams echoing in the void as it smothered him.

~^+^~

Arial woke up in a sweat. He noticed that he was back in the Keep, and was thankful for it even though he would most likely die in a few days. He looked across the barren stone room and saw Grim in his usual corner looking at him with an uncanny interest. “Oh yay, sleepin’ beauty woke up at last.” He rumbled.

Arial rubbed his eyes and asked, “How long was I out for anyway?”

“Not that long actually,” the creature replied. “But ya was tossin’ and turnin’ like my little girl used t’do. She only did that when she had bad dreams, so I’m assumin’ it’s the same fer ya. Not that I’m callin’ ya a girly, mind.”

“Gee, thanks for the sympathy,” he replied sarcastically.

“Sheesh, man. What’s yer problem?”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

30-Jun-2010 19:20:38 - Last edited on 23-Oct-2010 04:20:42 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Arial thought for a moment. In retrospect, he probably shouldn’t have snapped at Grim like he did. As he had come to find out during the few days after his imprisonment, the guy was actually a Shade before his innate magical ability had manifested itself and bound him to the form of an earth elemental, and had lived a life which sounded far worse than the one he had lived so far.

From what he learned, Grim’s family was on their way to Egrissa, and was waylaid by a mage who summoned an earth elemental to fight by his side. It turned out that he had slain the mage and his elemental familiar, but not before the spellcaster had uttered a curse that would kill everyone who heard it.

Luckily for Grim, the curse had awakened the natural magic that was dormant in most shades instead of outright killing him. Unfortunately for him, the curse wasn’t so kind on his family, and it turned out that his dormant magic involved binding his form to a single element as well.

Apparently after the incident, Grim knew that he couldn’t show his face in most of the Shade Empire at the time due to his appearance. So instead of trying to make the best of things, he had apparently tried getting himself killed instead, hoping that a passing Ordinator or Bounty Hunter would be able to end his pain for good.

Of course, things didn't work out even then, and instead of death, he was rewarded with being locked up in the Keep for assaulting a royal family member at the annual Festival of Mokosh, only to be forgotten about by the ruler and his successor until two hundred years later when Nhur would take over.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

30-Jun-2010 19:21:20 - Last edited on 23-Oct-2010 04:22:53 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“Well,” Grim interrupted. “Ya gonna talk at all?”

Arial snapped out of his thoughts. “Sorry,” he said with a hint of remorse. “I find it hard to believe that I could die at any moment now."

Grim made a noise that sounded like a grunt. “Oh yeah? Try bein’ locked up fer a few hundred years with no food or water. Not that I need to eat or anythin’, but a guy has to look forward to somethin’, right?”

He nodded in agreement before putting his head in his hands. “True, but what could I possibly look forward to now? I can’t manifest any weapons because of that damn spell sponge thing surrounding this building; my armor’s probably either locked up tightly or destroyed by now, and there’s the little problem of a few hundred guards who know how I fight being stationed right here with us. It would take a miracle to get out at this point!”

Grim laughed as he responded. “Damn, an’ I wondered why you haven’t thought of it yet.”

“What?” Arial was curious to know if the stone man had figured something out that he didn't.

“Well, think. You got that little group of yers, right?”

“Yeah. But still, even if they could help, how the hell would they do it without getting slaughtered almost instantly?”

“Didn't ya say one of yer guys was a mind mage or somethin’?”

Arial thought for a minute. Unlike Kaz and Azi, he knew little of how magic and psionics worked. He knew they both manipulated some kind of energy field, but that was about it. “Yeah. Again, why do you ask?”

“Just think, kid. It’ll come to ya soon.”

~^+^~

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

30-Jun-2010 19:23:03 - Last edited on 23-Oct-2010 04:24:11 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Nhur walked through the dark hall slowly, his steps echoing off of the stone walls. He knew he was in no danger in this place, but even then he couldn’t fully convince himself that he was truly safe in the catacombs underneath the Imperial Palace. Then again, he might never fully be safe as long as the Traitor was down there with him.

Like the palace, the catacombs were made from a completely alien material which was devoid of any natural shadow. Of course, shadows were still cast, but they couldn’t be manipulated in the same way shadowstuff could, and for that Nhur was thankful. That meant he could walk the intersecting and winding halls of the catacombs without fear of any supernatural reprisal courtesy of the dead family members of the past rulers, which was necessary if he wanted to ensure his prisoner stayed where he was.

A flapping sound came from behind Nhur, who stopped and turned to see a dreadlocked Shade dressed in a black dragonhide trenchcoat standing in his presence. “Ah, Erevin. How pleasant of you to join me.”

Erevin tilted his head to the side and replied, “No time for pleasantries today. I have news.”

“Then by all means, feel free to spit it out,” Nhur said as he continued walking his steady pace. “But be sure to keep up. I’m not sure the enchantments here would protect one who’s already been touched by the grave.”

Erevin followed, matching the Mahjarrat’s stride perfectly. “Ok. First order of business, my spies have recently captured some rebels. They didn't talk under torture as originally expected, but I did manage to find this on one of the bodies.” He pulled out a small necklace, which had a small symbol engraved into it depicting a broken sword buried in a crown. “If I’m right, we can have the royal mages reverse engineer this.”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

30-Jun-2010 19:24:21 - Last edited on 23-Oct-2010 04:25:12 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Nhur took the necklace and studied it for a minute before frowning and asked, “That’s nice, but I can't seem to figure out what magic this uses.”

“I knew it was likely you’d say that, so we ran some tests,” Erevin replied with a grin. “You and I both know that our guys have had a hard time thus far in our scrying attempts to locate their base, while the rebels always seemed to catch us with our pants down. After I left the torture room with this little beauty in hand, one of the mages pulled me aside and told me that he was able to scry the room successfully, but yet when the rebel was alive, they couldn’t even get a clear picture on the glasses and orbs.”

“I see. This should prove useful.”

Erevin nodded in agreement. “Indeed. Moving on, I’m sure you’ve heard of the multiple murders that have been reported to the Ordinators recently, no?"

"By all means, yes,” Nhur said nonchalantly. Of course, he didn't really care too much since a dead shade was one less obstacle to worry about, but the intensity of the acts in question piqued his interest. “I’m told there were bodies literally ripped to shreds in out of the way areas. An act that could be blamed on the rebels, I’m sure. Or at least the Rakshasa savages."

"That’s what we thought at first. However, I fear that there’s something else that might play a role in this…’incident’, for lack of a better word.”

Nhur turned his gaze to Erevin, the curiosity in the flame red orbs which passed for his eyes evident. “Oh? Do you know this for a fact?”

“No, I don’t,” Erevin admitted in a worried tone. “But better to be on the safe side than sorry later down the road. I’ll start from the beginning, when the reports first came in.”

“Go on, but we near our destination. Make it quick.”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

30-Jun-2010 19:26:43 - Last edited on 23-Oct-2010 04:26:37 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“Alright, the cliffnotes then. The first report came in three days ago, right around the same time you sentenced our dear general to death. The body was that of a woodsman in the employ of one of Ukrosha’s merchant houses, who was found in the woods to the north of the city. Cause of death was loss of blood, obviously caused by his mutilated state.”

“And the others?”

“The next report came in a day later. Three bodies were found in the land claimed by the Roaring Sun Rakshasa tribe, all mutilated in the same way as our first corpse was.”

“So it’s a Rakshasa tribe behind this? Excellent news, spymaster!”

“Actually,” Erevin said. “The three bodies were that of Roaring Sun tribesmen who were apparently decorated warriors of the tribe. They all exhibited the traditional markings of the clan, and when we investigated the tribe, they confirmed our suspicions.”

“Bah, they’d say anything to get the blame off of them. It’s what they do!” Nhur retorted.

“There’s more to them, too, but I’ll get to that in a sec. Moving on, two more bodies were found yesterday in the Great Bazaar. One shade child, and an elf. The child was apparently dead for quite some time before the elf came to the scene, though whatever killed him must have been there still, because the elf displayed the same claw markings that were present on the child. Though for some reason, they weren’t as bad on the elf’s corpse.”

Nhur nodded, obviously lost in thought. “From the sound of things, the elf must have managed to put up a fight and died of his wounds as his attacker ran off.”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

30-Jun-2010 19:27:59 - Last edited on 23-Oct-2010 04:27:52 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“Yes, that’s our assessment too,” Erevin replied earnestly. “But as I said, there’s more to this than meets the eye, some of which the Rakshasas might know of. When we investigated them, they told our men about a ritual hunt that was underway around the time the warriors must have died. They gave no specifics, but the tribe’s shaman had said something about the clans banning together to end the ‘Demon Plague’, which supposedly plays a major role in their mythology.”

“Superstitions, I assume,” Nhur said. “I remember a time when they claimed that flaming dogs were to immediately fall from the sky and destroy civilization within days, but that has yet to pass.”

“Alright, take a damn minute to think,” Erevin shot back angrily. His frustration was apparent, which made a surprised look cross Nhur’s face as he suddenly came to a stop. “I know the tribes are superstitious as hell, but let’s look at the facts here. So far we have six dead bodies, all ripped apart by some kind of animal,or probably lycanthrope. At the same time, the local tribes have sent out their warriors in pursuit of something that they fear greatly, which hasn’t happened since I took this job.”

“You better have a damn good point, Erevin,” Nhur said menacingly. The tone of his voice hinted that it was obvious that the Mahjarrat wasn’t used to, or even tolerated, outbursts such as Erevin’s from anyone, let alone from those who served him.

“If you’d let me finish, then you’d also know this: Around the time the first body was discovered, the Chantry sent two seers to the palace with important news. Of course, you were too busy working these damn shadow people over at the time, so you ignored them, and continue to do so. It might be within all of our best interests if you at least heard them out. It definitely wouldn’t be the first time a disaster was averted by their foresight.”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

30-Jun-2010 19:30:07 - Last edited on 23-Oct-2010 04:29:11 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

The duo began walking again before Nhur replied. “If there’s one thing you should know about me, spymaster, then it is this,” he looked Erevin directly in the eye. “I don’t trust the mages or their damn Chantry. I suspect that they’re still loyal to Ix, and the last thing I wish to do is get into a civil war with any magic users still loyal to him as I finish my work.”

“Work?” Erevin asked.

“Of course. In fact, we’ve just arrived at my pet project,” Nhur replied.

They came into a big, square room. Etchings of shades doing battle with dragons and Rakshasa warriors from ages past decorated the room, as well as a raised stone surface which was covered by an ornate quilt made by someone in the Ronak Dynasty, which was possibly the most legendary age in the history of the empire thanks to its sweeping epic battles and tales of heroics on both sides.

On the quilt sat a coffin, which seemed to have been made from a turquoise colored crystal which was still unable to be identified by the best sages that were still alive. Engraved into the coffin were various runes and wards, some of which promised a quick and painful death to those who dared touch the container without first speaking the proper phrases. Luckily for Nhur, he had managed to change the phrases to his own liking, thus ensuring the contents would never see the light of day for as long as he existed.

Erevin looked around the room before replying in a confused tone. “Umm…what exactly is this?”

Nhur waved his skeletal hands in a sweeping motion. “This, my dear spymaster, is a tomb. A very special one that holds a very special enemy.”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

30-Jun-2010 19:31:45 - Last edited on 23-Oct-2010 04:30:05 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“Obviously,” Erevin replied. His gaze was drawn to the warded crystal coffin. He didn't know what it was about it that made him uneasy, but he did know that anything capable of making him feel that way was to be taken seriously. “I have to ask, though. What ‘special enemy’ could be so dangerous that it has to be kept in this…..thing? Hell, is it even in there?”

“Oh, I assure you, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” Nhur said with a maniacal grin on his face. “Now, unless you have anything else to report, I’m afraid you’ll have to take your leave.”

Erevin hesitated before replying. “There’s one more matter that must be discussed. I’ve invited a...’special guest’, if you will, to Skyvern Keep.”

Surprise crossed the Mahjarrat’s face before he managed to compose himself and ask, “What?”

“Oh, I assure you, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you who it was,” Erevin replied sarcastically. “Let’s just say that I have the perfect way to not only weed out the ranks of any rebels that may try to free the general, but at the same time another enemy of the throne will possibly die in the process.”

“Another enemy to the throne? I’m afraid I must admit, outside of the rebels, I’m not aware of any others who would be worried about whatever happens in this backwater plane.”

Erevin’s features began to blur as his form became more obscured by a faint mist. The Mahjarrat could barely make out a grin on the creature’s face before hearing him say, “Not to worry, emperor. That’s why you have me as a spymaster.” Then, just as suddenly as Erevin arrived, he was gone.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

30-Jun-2010 19:33:09 - Last edited on 23-Oct-2010 04:31:21 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Nhur sighed, and turned towards the coffin. As he approached it, the wards began to glow in warning, but he didn'tt dare touch it. He already knew what would happen if he did. "So,” he addressed the coffin. “Liking your accommodations, Invader?” The container did nothing, and Nhur didn't expect it to.

He stayed in the room for a few minutes, thinking recent events over. He knew he’d need to speak with the spymaster again shortly. Of course, an official investigation into the string of murders would have to be announced. He knew if it wasn’t, then the merchant houses and their retainers would most likely withdraw their operations from Ukrosha, and he couldn’t let that happen for fear of cultivating any more unrest than what was already going on.

Then there was the matter of the seers that the Chantry had sent over. As much as he hated to admit it, Nhur knew that they wouldn’t bother the emperor himself unless it was something of grave importance, or else a lesser clerk would’ve collected their message and passed it on to him personally.

Maybe, he thought, the seers might know something that he and Erevin missed. Maybe there was something at work that only they could see, and they needed to warn him immediately. Or maybe it was connected to the enemies to his throne which the spymaster had mentioned.

The Mahjarrat turned and left the room as he spoke a command word, which caused various glyphs situated around the room to glow an orange glow before dimming once again into nothingness. “Rest well, invader,” Nhur mockingly said. “Your imprisonment shall be like this for quite a while.”

He never noticed a rune that was constantly glowing as he left. One that was different from the rest, yet still managed to blend in with them as it glowed the same orange glow which was given off by all. The rune which depicted an open eye seemingly encircled by the flames of a sun.

^+^ The End of Chapter 6 ^+^

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

30-Jun-2010 19:34:30 - Last edited on 23-Oct-2010 04:32:42 by A Mad Hatter

Forums

^+^ The Age of Nhur ^+^