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

The rest of the session went on in a similar manner as the merchants’ case was handled. Nhur had to hear petty squabbles between neighboring farmers involving livestock, concerns from woodcutters about the Rakshasa tribes expanding their territory into logging zones, and even one crazy old lady insisted that a creature called a Jabberwocky had burned her house in the farmlands of the city down and had demanded he send a squad of Ordinators to deal with the menace.

Of course, she wasn’t helping matters by claiming that the creature was a being similar to a wyvern, which only narrowed the perpetrator down to the couple hundred species of the race that could be found in the plane alone, so he had dismissed that case outright.

One by one the petitioners had left the room, eventually leaving the two Chantry seers as the last to approach his throne. One seer was a bearded old man wore robes woven from ectograss. He walked with a limp, and had to lean on his wooden staff just to stay upright.

The other was a man as well, but was no shade. The being was bipedal like nearly every other race he had seen in the plane, but it had a dragon-like visage, with ridges extending from his skin where eyebrows would normally be, and the catlike eyes studied him as if it was sizing up a meal. Goat-like horns protruded from its scaly black skin, and its mouth hung open a bit to reveal needle-like teeth. It also had a stench of brimstone and something else, probably some kind of exotic acid, about its person.

Hell, the Mahjarrat thought the thing would seem complete with wings, and was in fact betting that its hunched stature was probably meant to hide that fact underneath its celestial robes.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

04-Aug-2010 03:33:19 - Last edited on 20-Jan-2011 00:33:41 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“So,” he began. “I hear you two were sent by the Archmage for important business?”

“Huh?" the old man asked as he cupped his free hand to his ear. The dragon creature elbowed his companion, and replied, “Yesss, Emperor. Archmage saysss that the time isss near.”

“Um…for what?” he asked quizzically. The creature shook its head and said, “Assss if you weren’t aware. The trialsssss of the passst emperorsssss. You need to take them to prove your worth assss a ruler.”

“They sent me seers to tell me this?” he snarled. The old man laughed manically. “What’s this guy’s problem?” Nhur asked.

The man continued to laugh, and carried on for a bit before he managed to say in between coughing fits, “The Oceanborn holds strange powers captive, my boy.”

His partner looked at him in confusion, and the old man looked around as if he was confused. Then, the man seemed to become aware again, as if he had just woken from a trance. “You must go to the Chantry tower and pass the tests of wisdom so you can take the mantle, or else the Divine Ones will seek to remove you from power!”

“I assume you mean to say these ‘tests’ are a rite of passage?”

The dragon creature nodded in agreement. “Yesss. Passs, and the Chantry will ssswear allegiance to the throne asss it agreed to under the rulesss of our charter by Ix.”

“How soon must I take these tests then?”

The creature shrugged, while the old man said, “The sooner the better, aye? How about two days from now, that sound good to ya?”

Nhur thought for a moment before answering. Two days seemed like a reasonable request, but something seemed wrong about the idea of passing tests just to earn the favor of gods he didn't even worship, let alone mages he cared little for. Then again, what’s the worst that could happen?

“Alright,” he agreed. “I shall leave for the tower in two days.”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

04-Aug-2010 03:35:00 - Last edited on 20-Jan-2011 00:35:29 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

The old man seemed overjoyed. “Oh, boy,” he said. He turned to the dragon creature and tugged on the sleeve of its robe, which visibly annoyed it greatly. “We’re gonna have royalty over for dinner! Dinner, I say! I better prepare!”

With that, he lifted his staff, and vanished in a burst of light. The act caught both Nhur and the creature off guard, and his vision danced with colors before almost instantly clearing. If it was one thing he was thankful for, it was that creatures that could use magic for sight had the luxury of being highly resistant to going blind.

The creature rubbed its eyes before turning back to the Mahjarrat. “I am ssssorry,” it began. “My companion issss…mad. He touched a magic ssssstone a while back and wasssss never right ssssince.” Nhur laughed. “Touching rocks can do that to people now?”

“It wassss a powerful sssstone. But it’sss gone now, sssso it won’t bother anyone anytime sssssoon.”

Nhur shrugged. “I’m sure it is. So, Phalarax, I assume the deal between your master and I is still valid?”

The mage nodded. “Yessss. Lord Talon sayssss that he will deliver on hisssss word. But you shall need to pay like the othersssss.”

Nhur smiled. “Good. Tell him that I intend to pay once everything is said and done, but only after the fact. Not before.”

“He wouldn’t have it any other way. Remember, it all endssss in blood when dealing with Lord Talon.” The creature smiled crookedly, bowed to Nhur, and walked out of the room. Nhur sighed, and stood from the throne.

He noticed that time had literally just flown by, for at the start of it all the room had sunlight streaming in through the windows, whereas now no light dared to creep across the floor. Odd, he thought to himself. It was almost as if the light had known of the monstrosities he had just dealt with, and feared it. Then again, most sane beings would feel the same way of anyone who’d dare traffic with half-dragons and their masters.

~^+^~

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

04-Aug-2010 03:36:51 - Last edited on 20-Jan-2011 00:36:40 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

To Kaz’s surprise, it turned out that she and Rajh had entered the meeting room well ahead of everyone else. The two had only sat down when Lukil entered the room and looked around in a confused manner. He calmed down when he saw that he wasn’t the only one who was late, and had taken a seat next to Kaz.

“Sorry,” he said. “I was still finalizing my part of the plan.” He looked around, frowned, and asked, “Where’s Joran and the others?”

Kaz shrugged.

Next to enter the room were Azi, who appeared in a puff of smoke, and some of the representatives of the various merchant houses and other concerned powers that had a stake in Ukrosha’s rebellion. Kaz kicked herself for not knowing their names by now, but she had also never counted on Arial getting captured and forcing her to deal with them in his absence as a result. The room was almost full, and eventually Joran burst in the room, panting and sweating. He looked around at the assembled rebels, and cursed. “How is it I’m the one who’s always late?” he whined.

Kaz shot him an angry look. “It doesn’t matter now that you’re here. I think everyone had some sort of miscommunication about the timetable, but hopefully we should be able to make up for it.”

“She’s right,” Azi chimed in. “Now, are we all ready to start?” Everyone murmured in agreement. “Alright, then,” she said. “It’s been a week since we last met, and now we’re told the plan is ready. Care to do the honors, Kaz?”

The raven haired mage nodded and stood up to address the rebels. “Yes. As you all know, Lukil has been working on a way to get in and out of Skyvern Keep.” The members and representatives looked at each other with worried eyes. “Yes, we know it’s next to impossible to get into, but it’s important that we make the effort to get Arial back since he’s the one who’s holding us all together.”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

04-Aug-2010 03:37:47 - Last edited on 20-Jan-2011 00:37:52 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“Now, I’ll admit that I did help them,” she continued. “Lukil and I have talked, and we both did various tests on various magic sponges. As a result, we think we can get in, and possibly out, but it won’t be simple.” She motioned her hand to Lukil, who then stood up and cleared his throat.

“Yes, it’s true,” he began. “Over this past week, Kaz has come into possession of a Skiven crystal. Despite my concerns, we believe that the best way to enter the Keep would be to use a Psionic Anchor to open a portal that leads to our destination. Of course, the only way that could work is if my abilities are highly enhanced beyond my normal limits.”

Azi hovered over the table, and emitted a small beam of white light. The light expanded into a small shaft, and blueprints of Skyvern Keep appeared in its wake. The Keep appeared to be no more than ten stories tall to the average viewer, but the blueprints showed much more than ten floors, most of which were underground. Of course, it also went without saying that each floor would take a while to navigate thanks to the strict security measures enacted to keep the prisoners in.

A dot appeared on what was labeled ‘4’, which Lukil pointed to. “We believe the best location for the portal would be in the fourth floor supply room. If we act fast, we can slip past most of the Ordinators without them knowing we were there, and quietly subdue the ones we come across.”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

04-Aug-2010 03:38:59 - Last edited on 20-Jan-2011 00:38:44 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

A cyan dot appeared on a higher floor. “We believe that the eighth floor is where Arial is. If past experience serves correctly, they tend to keep political and high profile prisoners near the Ordinator barracks and Hippogriff stables in case anything goes wrong.” A yellow dot appeared two floors above the cyan dot. “The plan is simple: make our way to floor eight, get Arial out of his cell, and make a run to the stables while the Ordinators are out in the front during their lunch break. It’s during this time that security is the lightest, which gives us an advantage in small numbers.”

A merchant representative raised his hand. “No offense Lukil, but you keep saying ‘we’. Who’s ‘we’, and what makes you think things will be as easy as what you described?”

A smile crossed Lukil’s grubby cheeks, which stretched his shadowstuff wide. “When I say ‘we’, I mean the volunteers who signed on for this: Joran, Rajh, and I. As for your second question, keep in mind that this is Skyvern Keep we’re talking about. The Ordinators there are more or less arrogant enough to believe themselves impenetrable, which gives us the element of surprise.”

“I see," he replied. “But are any of you guys even qualified to raid this thing? I mean, there’s that magic sponge field thing surrounding it, and last I checked you guys were tied to magic in some way.”

Joran snorted while trying not to laugh. “Sorry man, but that’s a common mistake. You see, I may be a Changed One, and it’s sorta true that magic did that to me,” he flexed an arm. “But these muscles I got from the deal sure as hell aren’t magic in the slightest.”

Lukil nodded. “The same stands for my Psionics. They may appear magical, but the field they utilize is far different from what mages use.”

Rajh nodded too. “Yeah. I have magic, but it ain’t good. I use zis crossbow instead,” he patted his hand on his side.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

04-Aug-2010 03:40:09 - Last edited on 20-Jan-2011 00:40:28 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

The merchant representative sighed. “If you say so, then so be it. Just be aware that House Verona wants nothing to do with this operation.” The other representatives agreed with the sentiment.

“Guys, you don’t have to do anything with this,” Kaz said. “The entire reason we called this meeting is because we’ll need you all to pull strings to keep eyes away from the Keep while this was going on. That means no mercenaries show up to try and kill the invading party when they land at the safehouse with a Hippogriff, and most importantly, no Ordinators. If we want to kick Nhur from the throne, then we need each you as much as you need us. So if there are any more objections, speak up now or else we go ahead as planned.” Nobody argued. “Very well, then. Meeting over, I guess.”

The rebels stood from their seats and left with hushed whispers. No doubt they all thought the mission was suicidal.

Kaz looked at Lukil, who was the only one who stayed behind. “So,” he said as a yellow gleam shone in his eyes. “When do we leave?”

~^+^~

The next day, Kaz stood in the meeting room with Lukil and his team. The mind mage wore purple robes, which did little to hide his corpulent figure, but he didn't seem too concerned. Joran and Rajh both wore nondescript black ranger leathers, and in the case of Rajh, the Rakshasa had strapped some knives and crossbow bolts into his vest for easy reach. Kaz reached into her pocket, and produced the crystal, which she handed to Lukil.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

04-Aug-2010 03:41:08 - Last edited on 20-Jan-2011 00:41:43 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

He set the crystal in the palm of his hand, and closed his eyes as he concentrated. At first, nothing interesting happened, but suddenly the crystal began to glow. Lukil opened his eyes, and held out his hand, which sent the crystal flying into the air. Kaz gasped at the sudden movement, and the crystal stopped and hovered in mid air. It stayed there for a few moment before expanding its glow, and suddenly a wall of reflective energy appeared where it was a moment before.

The mind mage turned to his team and said, “This is your last chance. If you want to back out now, then do it. Nobody will think less of you for it.”

“Hell,” Joran said. “I’d like to, but I have a score to settle with some of those punk ass Ordinators anyway." Kaz looked at him with surprise. He smiled and said, “Long story. It involved a girl from my days in the military.”

“Ha!” Rajh laughed. “Vhy am I not surprised?”

Joran gave the Rakshasa a dirty look, but decided to drop the matter. For some reason, Kaz got the feeling that the two would sort it out violently later. Lukil coughed. “Alright, then. Let’s go.”

Joran stepped into the portal first. As he entered it, the wall bubbled a bit before consuming his being. Rajh went in next, and Lukil last.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

04-Aug-2010 03:43:02 - Last edited on 20-Jan-2011 00:42:27 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Kaz sighed as they left, and turned to leave the room. However, a voice interrupted her thoughts. “So, the little shadow stays behind while her friends ride off to die.”

She turned, and saw the Inner Demon in the reflection of the portal. It was even uglier in full view than what could be seen in a mirror on the wall. “They made their choice,” Kaz replied flatly. “They didn't have to do it.”

The demon laughed. “You keep telling yourself that, little shadow. I assume that’s why you didn't go with them.” The creature disappeared from her sight as the portal vanished, though she knew it would never be truly gone. Kaz ran out of the room, almost knocking over some bystanders as she went. Despite people calling out to her, she didn't hear them, and was close to tears. She was used to the Demon trying to torment her this way, but for some reason, this time felt…different.

She knew that she couldn’t go with them. The magic sponge surrounding the Keep would literally render her useless. As much as she kept telling herself that, why did she get the feeling that she had just made a careless mistake by staying behind?

^+^ End of Chapter 9 ^+^

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

04-Aug-2010 03:45:36 - Last edited on 04-Aug-2010 04:01:29 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Right. Gonna use this post to say some things since it's the 200th post and I want to finish this page out for the hell of it.

This will be the last chapter update for about a month or so. School's coming up soon which means I have to find out wtf is going on as far as homework and all that goes. Another reason is the fact that I want to make sure that Translation I ends on the note it deserves, as well as make the second interlude run the plot right into the second (and most likely much longer) half.

I'm also going to be doing some minor editing to some older chapters to try and get the little censor asterisks out of the way. So if you look back at them for whatever reason and see anything that's been updated recently, that's most likely what changed (assuming it actually works right the first time).

And....crap, think that just about covers 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-Aug-2010 03:58:21 - Last edited on 04-Aug-2010 17:30:40 by A Mad Hatter

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^+^ The Age of Nhur ^+^