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

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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“This shall be one of the last tests,” Nhur’s guide said.

Once again, the Mahjarrat found himself on a floating mass of land. However, this time it was different. The ground he stood on was little more than a single block, and the only way to proceed was forward. Ahead of him lay an old, abandoned building, which had no front door of any sort.
From what he could see of the interior, the walls were caked with blood, and the floors were cracked to the point where he got the feeling just blowing on the ground would make it crumble.

“This test is different,” the guide said. “Here, you shall have to make a choice. You see, this mausoleum is guarded by jealous spirits of the damned. They demand sacrifices of those who wish to pass safely to the other side.” The elf maiden produced a pair somewhat large eggs in her hand, which she gave to Nhur.

“If you pass to the right, you shall have to sacrifice life,” she said. “These wyvern eggs will appease the spirits.”

Nhur examined the eggs carefully. He sensed something odd about them, and then realized what it was that made him suspicious.

“These things are fertilized,” he said. It wasn’t a question, just a fact.

“Yes, and think…sacrifice these lives, and the world is a bit safer for it.”

“There’s another way isn’t there?” he asked.

“Very perceptive. Yes, however taking the left path requires a sacrifice of a personal level.”

“I get the feeling I shall find out when I make my choice,” he said.

He entered the building, and after what seemed like an eternity, he appeared at the exit situated on the opposite end of the building.

“I swear to all that is holy, I’m never doing *that* again,” he breathed.

~^+^~

^+^ 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 05:04:46 - Last edited on 20-Oct-2010 03:20:23 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

What happened as she finished casting her spell surprised Mori. A somewhat skeletal, horned wolf-like creature suddenly burst through the door of a circular room, which tore it off of its hinges, but she didn't recognize it at all.

A group mages that she took to be Romulus' assistants immediately began slinging spells at it, but they didn't seem to work at all. Some of the magic just sizzled out uselessly, while the spells that did connect just seemed to irritate it more. The wolf-creature lunged at the closest mage, and disemboweled him completely with only a flick of its claws.

The other mages looked stunned at this, and one drew a wand from his belt. He didn't have time to react, because the creature was on top of him the next instant. The pair wrestled around the ground, and soon the creature let the hapless mage roll out from under it.

She was about to wonder why it did that, but then she saw the reason almost instantly. The mage doubled over, and in an instant another wolf creature stood in his place, which caused his robes to tear as he transformed. The first creature had managed to kill the last of the students in the time it took the second one to get its bearings, and she saw Marik and the man in the Black Guard regalia rush towards it as it streaked towards Romulus.

The Archmage just waved his hand, and both creatures just disappeared from view. Marik and his ally looked around in confusion, and Romulus turned towards them.

^+^ 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 05:05:20 - Last edited on 20-Oct-2010 03:27:11 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

She heard muffled sounds,which came from Romulus himself. What was said was unclear, but the men nodded before running out of the room with their weapons drawn. The Archmage turned towards the table, and Mori noticed that the Talisman was no longer there even though she had seen it just mere seconds ago during the struggle.

He didn't seem to notice as a shadow above him. He looked up as another wolf creature dropped on top of him. The Archmage made a sound, but did*’t make a move to defend himself, and as the creature pinned him to the ground, a bright flash filled her vision.

Pain flooded Mori’s senses. She blinked her eyes, and found that she was back in the lounge, her spell having ended apparently because of the flash. Her ears were ringing, and it took her a while to realize someone was talking to her.

“Come on, Mori…we need to go, now!" She looked around, and saw a female student standing to her right. She didn't know the girl’s name, but she knew she was a first year student thanks to the green trimmings on her robes.

“Wha- What’s going on?” she asked, confused.

“Didn't you hear that blast? Something happened, and it’s bad enough to the point that the Prefects are telling everyone to get outta the tower!”

That explained the ringing ears, she thought to herself. Then a thought came to her. “When did this happen?”

“The order came just a few minutes ago. I tried telling you, but you were like, really out of it. It was like you were in a trance or something. What were you doing here anyway this late at night?”

“Studying,” she replied. “Look, I have to get something from my room real quick. Just go and I’ll meet up with you in a few minutes.”

^+^ 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 05:07:45 - Last edited on 20-Oct-2010 03:35:35 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“I don’t think the teachers would like that, but ok,” the girl said before she ran off down one of the hallways.

Mori stood from the couch, and picked up the tattered robe she found on it earlier. She wondered who it belonged to, and if the previous owner was a victim of that…thing…she saw in her scrying. Or maybe, she thought, the owner was the thing. She didn't know, and thinking about it only raised more questions. What was Romulus doing that caused the things to target him specifically? From the looks of things the creature only attacked the mages because they were the closest threat at the time, but it ignored the two men and unconscious Fade Witch while streaking straight towards the Archmage.

Discarding the robe, Mori began to run in the direction of her room. She knew her master had told her not to abandon her assignment in the Chantry’s tower unless something big happened, and, well…if an unknown creature appearing in the same area as a powerful magic item did*’t qualify as ‘big’, she didn't know what would. And she knew it had to be big. Why else would Romulus have looked straight at her and acknowledge that he knew she was watching him before he died by the creature’s hand?

~^+^~
“Fight!”

Nhur found himself suddenly staring down the maw of a massive creature. It looked like a white dragon, but smaller, with a stinger-like tail, and its arms were tiny compared to the muscled limbs of the normal wyrms he was used to seeing. He immediately recognized it for what it was.

^+^ 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 05:08:38 - Last edited on 20-Oct-2010 03:32:52 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“A Jabberwocky? Here?” he asked, suddenly confused. He knew that it should’ve been impossible for one of the creatures to be here, much less alive. From what he knew, most of the Jabberwocky wyverns were killed off during the invasion during Kamiah’s reign. Not because they were necessarily weak…quite the opposite.

The wyverns were one of the Kin's more sinister creations, for they were bestowed with many unnatural gifts, chief among them a high level of intelligence that allowed them to view the world with an insight that rivaled that of gods. Because of that insight, they were able to effectively bring the Shade Empire under Kamiah nearly to its knees, and would’ve succeeded if it wasn’t for a major flaw in their design: the wyverns were also power hungry, which made any attempts at teamwork between the species near impossible. Of course, there was only one facing Nhur at this very moment, which did*’t help to raise his spirits.

Speaking of spirits…

“Alright, guide. Where the hell are you this time?” he called out.

The elf maiden appeared in front of the Jabberwocky, her face a mask of fear and hatred at once. “This creature is the final test. You must slay it with your axe to pass the gate over yonder.” She pointed at a hallway behind the Jabberwocky, and Nhur saw that it was sealed shut by a mithril-wrought gate.

Nhur looked down, and saw a small hatchet hanging from a belt that appeared on his waist. Looking at the guide, he asked, “How the hell am I supposed to do this?"*That’s for you to figure out.” With that, the guide left.

The Jabberwocky shambled towards Nhur. The Mahjarrat drew his hatchet as he backed away. “Alright, I know you probably don’t wish to do this, but trust me…neither do I,” he said.

^+^ 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 05:09:29 - Last edited on 20-Oct-2010 03:38:59 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

The Jabberwocky stopped in midstride. It looked curiously at Nhur, and growled. “Really? Do you expect me to believe you when others have lied about the same thing?”

“Others?” he asked. The creature talking wasn’t a surprise, but maybe he could avoid the fight if he chose his words carefully. He decided to stall so he could form a plan.

“Aye. Others came before you, Oceanborn. Shadowmen who sought power, but failed to account for the real test before them. They lied to me about not wishing to fight, and instead deceived me to steal my nest!* it roared.

“Eggs? Wait, wait a second.” Nhur held out his hands in the traditional sign of truce among the shades. The wyvern nodded in acceptance, and Nhur began to search through his pack. He drew out the pair of wyvern eggs that the guide had given him for his last trial and placed them gingerly at the feet of the massive creature. “Are these yours by any chance?” he asked.

The wyvern lowered its head and sniffed the eggs. “Yesss,” it hissed. *The smell is faint, but I’d recognize my mate’s scent anywhere. In fact,” it sniffed the air in front of Nhur. “You have her scent as well. What trickery is this?”

“None on my part, I assure you,” he calmly replied. He took his hatchet and threw it at the creature’s feet next to the eggs. “As you can see, I am now unarmed. I have no wish to fight, and I believe that you will want to be around to tend to your hatchlings once they come out of the shell. So how about you just let me pass safely, and I won’t be around to bother you further?”

The Jabberwocky eyed the hatchet warily. Suddenly, its stinger-like tail swept down towards it, and shattered the hatchet. Blue sparks flew everywhere, and a small white orb floated up from the weapons remains. It stopped at the Jabberwocky’s eye level before disappearing from view completely.

^+^ 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 05:10:18

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

The creature’s tail lashed against the gate, shattering it into little pieces. “You…you are the first to show me any kindness. Why?”

“What are you on about?” Nhur asked suspiciously.

“My mate…she was slain years ago by a shadowman. Though she was lost to me, I vowed to protect our younglings, but yet more shadowmen have stolen them from me in time. I have wept for their loss, but resigned myself to an existence without them in time, for I took solace in watching the others fail over time. But you…you have reunited me with not only my surviving offspring, but the spirit of my mate, if only for a little while.”

Nhur shrugged. “Believe me, I had no idea about any of this. To be quite honest, I’m only doing this so I can ensure my goals are met to satisfaction.”

“I see."

"It’s a long story. I’m sure you won’t be interested in it.”

“Quite the contrary. I’ve wondered, but now I see it. You’re him. The Oceanborn. He who shall ride forth to confront the Invader from Beyond at the Gate. This explains much.”

“Alright, now you lost me,” Nhur said. He began moving towards the hall so he could just get the trial over with.

“Go, Oceanborn,” the wyvern said as it turned its attention to the eggs. “Just know that though you may pass these trials yet, the true challenges are yet to come. Keep your wits about you, and most importantly, never lose sight of your goal. You may not be the one who decides what transpires, but more than one fate may very well rest on your efforts.”

Nhur reached the hall, and the world went white. He found himself surrounded by five hooded figures, all of which were dressed in the same black robes as one another. They were different heights of course, but that didn't mean much when he had no idea who or what they were.

^+^ 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 05:11:26 - Last edited on 20-Oct-2010 03:36:52 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

The figure in front of him was the first to speak. “Ehn Sathba Nhur,” it addressed him by his full name. “You stand before us because of your wish to complete the Trials of Emperors Past. Your judgment shall commence immediately.”

The figure to the speaker’s left stepped forward. A green, warty hand drew the hood back to reveal the goblin from the first trial. Though it appeared as frail as he last left it, its voice was full of power. “The Trial of Wisdom,” it said.

~^+^~

Nhur’s sight blurred along his peripheral vision, and he saw himself back at the grove with the goblin and noblewoman.

“My choice,” his double said. “You, goblin. Tell me, what do you do in your free time?”

“I’m a druid, sire,” it said. “I tend to this grove, though it’s not much. I see nobody around here anymore.”

“And you?” he asked the woman.

“Why, I shop, of course. It pleases me so. Oh, and gossip with my friends. And flirt,” the woman began to yammer on and on about what she did before Nhur stopped her in midsentence.

“My choice is thus,” he said. He looked towards the goblin. “Keep the mirror, druid. You have suffered much loss, and yet persevere in a task that remains thankless. I trust you shall find both a personal and practical use for it in ages to come.”

^+^ 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 05:12:07 - Last edited on 20-Oct-2010 03:37:19 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“What?” the woman screamed.

“You could easily buy another one,” he shot back. “You said as much yourself.”

“Why, I’ll have your head!” she screamed.

~^+^~

Before she could utter more threats, Nhur’s sight returned to the present. The robed goblin spoke, “You have shown considerable wisdom in this trial. Should you have chosen to side with the noblewoman, the druid would have perished the coming winter as he would not have been able to ignite fire in his grove to keep warm.” Visions of a goblin corpse frozen in snow filled Nhur’s head. He shook them out as the goblin continued. “As well, you have also shown that there’s more to every story. Though the laws on the books demand that thieves be caught and handled, the laws of the heart demand the innocent are taken care of. For this, you have passed the Trial of Wisdom.”

The robed figure vanished into the white void, and one to the original speaker’s right stepped forward. A slender hand reached back to pull its hood off, and before him stood the girl from the second trial, though she was now much older. Her voice was filled with the same power which filled the goblins. “The Trial of Insight.”

~^+^~

“Tell me,” Nhur’s double asked the werewolf leader. “Can your pack travel into the void surrounding this land?”

“Aye,” it said. “We’re aware of other isles such as this, though this one is to our liking the most. It had everything we ever wanted.”

“Can you take passengers?” the werewolf nodded in response.

“Then let’s make a deal. I know of a goblin druid who lives on another isle. I’m not sure where it’s located at in relation to this, but I know that he might be willing to take on an apprentice to teach his craft to. He’s so lonely, after all.”

^+^ 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 05:13:36

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“I see…we know of this druid,” the leader replied.

“Here’s what shall happen. This girl shall learn the druidic arts, and help your pack survive as she does so.” The little girl looked frightened at this.

"What if I don’t wanna?” she asked.

“Child,” Nhur said. “From what I gather, these wolf-men ate your grandmother. Does that make you sad?” The girl nodded. “How would you feel if other kids lost their grandmothers to these creatures as well?”

“I suppose they’d be sad like me,” she said. “And they’d hate the wolves like me too.”

“And I suppose that hating makes you even sadder?”
The girl seemed to think for a moment before replying, “Yeah, it does.”

“You see, child,” Nhur began. “These creatures don’t deserve to be hated for being what they are. They’re just doing what they need to do to survive, just as a cat kills a mouse for food. Hating them won’t bring your family back, but my plan…why, if it works out, then I get the feeling your grandmother would be proud. Don’t you wish to make her proud?”

The girl nodded eagerly. “Then it’s settled,” he announced. “This child will pay for her family’s crimes, but not in blood. Even if you eat her now, you may not survive the winter once food becomes scarcer. So, alpha male, what say you?”

The werewolf looked around the room at the other wolves. They each mulled over the Mahjarrat’s words, and nodded as they thought them over. After what seemed like a while, the leader turned to Nhur and announced, “I promised to lead my people and keep them safe. If this is the best way to go about keeping my promise, then you have my word that this girl shall not be harmed.”

^+^ 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 05:14:26 - Last edited on 20-Oct-2010 03:38:19 by A Mad Hatter

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^+^ The Age of Nhur ^+^