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

Nhur looked around before locking gazes with the young woman. “Well,” he said with a sigh. “I suppose you have a problem?”

“Why, yes,” she replied. “A mirror of mine was stolen. I know the thief is still around here somewhere, and that it was a goblin who perpetrated this ghastly crime!”

“So I need to find it?”

“If you would kindly do so, Lord Emperor.”

“Alright. What does the mirror look like then?”

The girl excitedly explained its appearance in detail. The object was apparently just a plain mirror with a golden frame. It seemed nondescript from what he was told, and Nhur wondered why the hell she couldn’t just buy a replacement.

“Alright, I’ll be back when I find it,” he answered gruffly. The Mahjarrat hurried away before the girl could say more. Looking around, the Mahjarrat found that he might not have that much of an area to search. As the guide had warned, the ground seemed to just end in some areas, forming an unmistakable barrier between solid ground and the oblivion which surely awaited those who would dare to step off the path. He also noticed a thick grove of trees not far from his current position, so he made that his first destination in the search.

Not surprisingly, the grove wasn’t too big either. The Mahjarrat noted that only a small handful of trees actually circled a small clearing, which had a dead tree trunk in the middle of it. He was about to turn back, but before he could, a small, green head popped out of the trunk before pulling back as it laid its eyes on Nhur.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

15-Oct-2010 04:50:55

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Ha! Found you, little thief!” Nhur cried. He ran over to the trunk, and grabbed the goblin by its ear as he fished the creature out. The goblin was obviously famished, as it sported a bony frame that was only covered by its green and knobby skin, as well as a small loincloth which was wrapped around the torso. It even had no hair, much less any teeth still in its mouth. As he suspected, it also held a golden-framed mirror in one of its hands, which it clutched tightly to its chest.

“P-pl-please, sire,” the goblin rasped. “I-“

“Took something that did*’t belong to you?” Nhur finished.

“Y-yes! I swear though…I had no choice! I saw a chance, and I took it! Please, believe me!” The goblin was shaking violently as it neared tears.

“We always have choices,” Nhur said. “Tell me, what could be so important about this mirror that you had no choice but to steal it?”

“B-because…my bride…she’s...gone. Gone to…land of goblin spirits. Land of a god that came to claim her soul for a coming battle she has no wish to fight!” The goblin began crying.

“So is this thing magic that could bring her back?”

“N-no. If it were, I would have given it back to the lady with shiny things after bringing her back to me. This I swear.”

“So I ask again. Why did you steal the damn mirror?”

“I-I have nobody else,” the goblin continued. “My bride, gone. My family, gone. My tribe is all gone as well, thanks to the servitude of the damn god. This shiny…when I saw it, I saw another looking back at me.”

“Your reflection?”

“Some would say so. But it’s been so long…and I’ve been so lonely.” The goblin closed its eyes and hugged the mirror tightly.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

15-Oct-2010 04:52:53

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Nhur put the goblin on the ground. “Stay here,” he commanded. The goblin nodded, still hugging the mirror.

The noblewoman came into the grove as Nhur called for her. Her eyes lit with fury when she saw the pathetic creature, and screamed, “There he is! That little thief stole my mirror!”

Nhur grunted in response. “So tell me,” he began. “What’s so special about this mirror that you want it back so badly?”

“Because it’s mine!” she pouted.

“So there’s nothing special about it at all? It’s just a normal mirror?”

“As far as I know,” the woman answered.

Nhur thought for a moment before replying. “Alright, I’ve made my choice. Here’s what shall happen.”

~^+^~

“Who dares invade Belial’s realm?” the possessed Rainelle asked.

Uthalion couldn’t help but shake in his spot. He figured that possession was one thing, but seeing the Fade Witch literally transform in a matter of seconds before his eyes shook him to his core. He no longer looked at a woman, but rather what appeared to be a somewhat massive creature with goat horns protruding from various places on its face and back, as well as the end of its arms, which replaced its hands. The creature was covered with a thick, white fur that seemed coarse from years of abandoning any form of hygiene, and its feet ended in huge, diamond-encrusted hooves. Or at least, he thought they were diamonds.

Romulus was the first to answer. “We do not intend to invade your world,” he insisted. “We merely placed this talisman into the Fade Realm in order to study it safely.”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

15-Oct-2010 04:54:56

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

The creature looked at the Talisman, and its eyes widened. “You…you’d dare?”

“You have my word that it won’t activate,” Romulus said matter of factly.

“The word of a Fallen Scholar has no meaning to me,” the creature hissed. "But the words of my Other which echoes in my mind does. She confirms your story.”

Marik looked almost visibly relieved. “So does this mean you’ll give us our Fade Witch back?”

The demon laughed a macabre laugh. “Aye. But take heed, fools. The Old Scholars hid this…this…abomination…this…” he motioned towards the Talisman. “Traitor! The one who served THEM! Of all the beings, he chose to serve THEM!” It roared with an unholy fury.

The creature’s words echoed in Uthalion’s mind as it transformed back into Rainelle.

“Keep your wits about thee, Fallen Scholars. The Old Scholars kept his power over his minions separate from his natural magiks…and his skin…for a reason.”

The Talisman began to glow.

~^+^~

“This next test involves insight,” the guide said.
Nhur blinked, and found that he was on a piece of land that was similar to…well, whatever it was that he was standing on in the last test. However, instead of a grove of trees, he saw that a mountain dominated the majority of the land, and a small cabin stood at its base.

“Let me guess,” the Mahjarrat said. “Someone is being helpless, and it’s now my job to sort their problem out?”

“Should you wish to see it that way, yes,” the guide answered curtly. “You’ll find the trial starts in that cabin.” The spirit vanished as Nhur began to make his way over the surprisingly rocky terrain towards the wooden cabin. Though, he thought it looked more like a wooden shack, personally.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

15-Oct-2010 04:56:08 - Last edited on 20-Oct-2010 03:40:36 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

He didn't bother knocking on the door. With a swift kick, the door flew open, nearly tearing itself from its hinges. The cabin looked like it had been ransacked, as clothes and various bits of pottery and leaves were strewn all over the place. He also saw some kind of dried liquid, which was most likely blood, but he couldn’t say for sure since there was little in the way of light to see by.

A small whimper came from behind an overturned chair near the back corner of the cabin. Nhur began to pick his way through the debris in an attempt to see if it was a survivor or stranded animal, but before he could a tiny voice piped up, “You’re a stranger. Gran says that I shouldn’t talk to strangers.”

Curious, Nhur asked, “Who are you? What happened here?”

A small girl wrapped in a red cloak appeared from behind the chair. He couldn’t make out many features, save for a pair of dainty hands which brushed a strand of blonde hair back into the hood of the cloak. As much as Nhur knew he shouldn’t have been surprised, he was for some strange reason taken aback at first.

“They came earlier,” the girl said.

“Who?”

“Dog-men. Gran called them ‘wer’…’ware’...” she visibly struggled to pronounce the word which Nhur was all too familiar with.

“Werewolves?”

“Yeah,” she exclaimed. “They took Gran. Pappa was out killin’ trees, but he hasn’t been back for…umm…” the girl counted her fingers before holding four of them up in the air. “This many days.”

“I see...tell me, did they kill your Grandmother here?”
The girl shook her head. “No. But my brother tried hitting some with a shovel. He got broke in half though.” She gestured at the stains, confirming that they were indeed blood.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

15-Oct-2010 04:57:21 - Last edited on 20-Oct-2010 03:41:00 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“Do you want to see your Grandmother again?” Nhur asked. The girl nodded. “Alright,” he said as he brought himself down to her eye level. “I can help, but I need to know some things first. Are there any other people around here?”

“No. Just me and my family.”

“What about any adventurers? Or strange people? Anyone that you might have seen but did*’t think much of when you saw them?”

The girl seemed to think for a moment before answering, “Nope. But there were some strange birds flying with dogs on the mountain not too long ago.”

“Is that where the wolf-men took your Grandmother?” he asked.

“I think so. There’s no woods nearby since daddy killed them all a long time ago, so I dunno where else they could be.*

"Then let’s get going. You’ll have to come with me since I’m not sure if the creatures will be back for you, and I can protect you better if I can see you.” The girl seemed pleased at this, and ran out of the cabin. Nhur began to chase her, but found that he did*’t have to go far since the girl stopped at the door. “Come on, we have to hurry!” she cried.

The Mahjarrat shook his head, and began walking, the little girl falling into pace beside him. They began to ascend the mountain, and had made decent progress before the girl had started asking him questions. Too many questions, in fact.

"So why are you all bony?”

Nhur winced as his thoughts turned to the encounter with the former General and his comrades back at the parade. “I was in a fight with some people. I got hit with magic.”

“Were they bad people?”

For some reason, the question threw Nhur off guard. He honestly didn't know how to answer it. “Some of them weren’t,” he began. “They were just…misguided. The man who caused my appearance to be like this, he’s under the assumption that I did something terrible. His friends believed his words over mine.”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

15-Oct-2010 04:58:42 - Last edited on 20-Oct-2010 03:41:38 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“Why?” the girl asked with a hint of curiosity in her voice.

Nhur shrugged. “I’m not entirely sure, truth be told.”

“What did you do that was so bad that made them wanna fight you?”

The Mahjarrat shook his head as he picked up his pace. “It’s a long story. Let’s just say that I…choose one man’s freedom to save others, if he could even be called a ‘man’ in any sense of the word.”

“Was he a bad man?”

“It depends on how you want to look at it,” Nhur replied, thinking the girl was referring to Arial. “In his eyes, he was doing what he thought to be right. But he doesn’t know the entire story.”

“Why did you do what you did to him if he doesn’t know the entire story?”

What passed for Nhur’s eyes widened as he realized who she truly referred to. “I’m sorry, girl, I misunderstood your question. The man which I had taken action against was not a nice man at all. He seemed that way to others, but the truth was far more complicated.”

The pair came across a pile of rocks surrounding a crack in the mountainside. Even though the girl didn't seem to notice it, Nhur’s superior senses saw it clearly. He also smelled something coming from the opening. Many somethings, in fact.

"Stay here,” he said to the girl as he readied his magic.

Needless to say, he was glad to find that at least his powers had carried over into this realm, which was more than he could say for his armor and other gear.

A pair of golden eyes appeared from the opening, followed by a long muzzle as the owner of the eyes slowly revealed itself. Dull brown fur covered the lupine head, and Nhur noticed the girl cower behind him as the werewolf fully revealed itself. “That’s one of them!” she cried.

To Nhur’s surprise, the werewolf bowed low enough so its head touched the ground. Coming up from the bow, it grumbled, “Careful, Bones. We don’t want any magic to backfire now, aye?”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

15-Oct-2010 05:00:05 - Last edited on 20-Oct-2010 03:42:16 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Nhur felt his magic fade away at the creature’s words. “I’ll do what I must if it means taking care of this business and moving on,” he solemnly said.

The creature chuckled. “Then by all means, feel free to attack. Just know that you might endanger the little girl by accident. We have no quarrel with her.”

“We?” Nhur asked.

“The pack. What, you mean you didn't know?”

“What the hell is going on here?” the Mahjarrat shouted furiously.

The werewolf sighed as it replied, “It’s not my place to say. Come, the leader shall fill you in. The girl can come too if she so wishes.” The creature disappeared into the opening. Nhur turned to the girl, who hugged his leg.

“Come. Let’s see if we can use this to our advantage,” Nhur said.

“But I’m scared!” she cried. “What if they eat me?”

“Then I’ll protect you with my life if it comes to that,” he replied. The girl seemed to accept that, and loosened her grip on Nhur’s leg as she began to shake in fear. The pair entered the cave, and followed the twisting path. The interior of the cave was dark, and also very damp, but the *ahjarrat’s sense of sight was good enough to see in near total darkness.

Out of nowhere, Nhur felt a dainty hand clutch one of his own. He wouldn’t have thought much of it if a voice hadn’t materialized from nowhere proclaiming, “Aww, how quaint. The unsuspecting valiant hero and his ward come to my domain.”

The pair turned a corner, and entered a brightly lit cavern. Several werewolves lay scattered around the area, their fur accentuated by the flicker of a dull light provided by a few crude torches which surrounded the perimeter of the room.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

15-Oct-2010 05:01:12 - Last edited on 20-Oct-2010 03:43:04 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

In the center of the cavern stood a massive werewolf, whose fur was graying to the point where it almost appeared to be completely white. Amber eyes peered down its snout, which housed razor sharp teeth, though Nhur noted that some of them were missing near the back.

“My, Grandma, what big teeth you have,” Nhur sarcastically replied. “I assume you know why I’m here, no?"

The werewolf, obviously the pack leader if his size was any indicator of such a position, snarled, “Swifttail told me you’re not aware of the situation. I plan to rectify that before you make another mistake.”

“The only mistake I see here is your pack attacking this poor girl’s house and slaughtering her caretakers.”

The leader looked dumbstruck. “Bones…you truly mean to say you believe everything you see?”

“My senses say that everything is as it is. Though I get the feeling that you speak some truth. What the hell happened here?” Nhur asked.

“Part of what the girl probably told you was true,” the werewolf said. “my pack did attack her hut. And we did take her Grandmother. However, I swear to the gods: we acted in retaliation.”

“Go on.”

“The girl is not to blame for the atrocities of man,” the leader continued. “But the Grandmother…her caretakers…they are the reason why we came to live in these mountains. You see, Bones, her family were foresters before we made them our meal.”

“I take that as a bad thing? No offense, but a society needs foresters in order to expand.”

“That’s just it: we have no place else to go. We were driven to live in these mountains because our forest was gone! We have no source of food up here, because nothing even lives up here naturally! Before you say that there are other forests to live in, know this…the men may have cut those down as well, and if they didn't, they will. Mark my words, nature was not meant for this!”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

15-Oct-2010 05:02:49 - Last edited on 20-Oct-2010 03:43:32 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Nhur considered the leader’s words carefully. He looked down at the little girl holding his hand, and asked, “Tell me, young one. What do you want to be when you grow up?”

“I want to be like my papa!” she replied.

Nhur sighed, and met the pack leader’s gaze. “I see you speak the truth, but I get the feeling I won’t be able to leave here without a fight.”

The werewolf leader replied, “You have my word, if you leave the girl here for us to finish off, you can leave in peace.” The other werewolves perked their ears up at the mention of food, and more than a few eyed the girl hungrily.
Nhur looked back at the girl. Though he couldn’t see her expression, she was visibly shaking, and he heard her whimper in fear.

Considering his options, he looked back to the werewolf leader with a sadistic smile on his face. “Let’s make a deal then, shall we?”

~^+^~

Mori snuck through the halls of the tower easily that night. She knew she shouldn’t disobey orders and attempt to find out what was going on with the Archmage’s plans, but she just couldn’t resist. Something told her that it would be a worthwhile distraction at worst, if not the perfect opportunity to gain favor with her master at best.

She entered an open study room, which she was glad to see was completely empty. The last thing she needed was someone interrupting what she was about to do, and what perfect chance to do it than this late at night?

As the shade sat down on a long couch, she saw that someone had left their robes on it. The robes were a bit tattered, but looked little worse for the wear as she scooped them up and hurled them onto the floor. “Damn first years,” she muttered to herself.

As Mori began the casting of her spell, she closed her eyes to concentrate. She never saw the dog-shaped shadow crawl across the ceiling and into the halls from which she came.

~^+^~

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

15-Oct-2010 05:03:41

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^+^ The Age of Nhur ^+^