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

Chapter 21
<><>

““Beware the Jabberwocky, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”

[Further translation has proven to be filled with gaps and repeats due to the glyph being severely damaged ~A]

~Sk…il D.ta….. ..yp. (.a..ing) ..ware the …on.

<><>

Snow kissed Ur’Droj’s whiskers as he stood on a shale shelf overlooking the Parlathas Mountains. Where most places of the Plane of Shadows were smothered with shadowstuff to one degree or another, the mountain range which was claimed as Lord Talon’s territory was bare of…well, anything that wasn’t either rock or snow. For reasons unknown to many, the shadowstuff could not dwell on the range, though the many theories about the reasoning behind it were in no short supply.

Some said that the Gods themselves had at one point blessed the mountain, making it into a shadowless paradise for the Rakshasa tribes as a last gesture of kindness before their withdrawal from the physical plane.

Others said that the place was in fact a piece of land from another world that had gotten stuck in the Plane of Shadows somehow.

And there were those who said that the range was cursed by the foul magic of the Kin during their invasion. The fact that one of the most feared wyverns on the plane lived there only strengthened that particular belief, though nobody really did anything to actually prove it in the years following the end of Kamiah’s reign and subsequent rise of Ix.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

26-Jan-2011 19:54:19 - Last edited on 31-Jan-2011 19:01:09 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

A clawed hand brushed against the chieftain’s shoulders, causing him to jump in surprise. His keen ears hadn’t picked any sign of an approach, though the hissing voice that followed already confirmed his suspicions as to who the mystery guest of the day could be.

“The Lord wishesssss to know your progresssss,” Phalarax said.

Droj turned to regard the black half-dragon mage with a hint of contempt. He knew a few things about magic from listening to the shamans of his tribe before, but he didn't trust Lord Talon’s servant in the slightest. He already had a sneaking suspicion about his fate once he outlived his usefulness, and no doubt lingered in his mind about just who might be the one to sway the opinion of his captors given the chance.

“Zey are amassing quickly,” Droj replied. “But ze Scaled Legion is in position to meet them vith force!”

“Show me,” was the half-dragon’s reply.

Droj walked past Phalarax, and nimbly scaled down a set of small, rocky outcrops that acted as natural steps leading up to the shelf. Phalarax took to the air and hovered close to the chieftain, and the pair made their way down a narrow, winding path that had led them to the mountain’s edge on more than one occasion.

Soon they had stopped at a small flat surface which was overlooking a valley, and the sight there was still enough to take the Rakshasa chieftain’s breath away even though Phalarax seemed indifferent to the whole thing.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

26-Jan-2011 20:01:02 - Last edited on 31-Jan-2011 19:01:46 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Waves of color stood at rapt attention before the pair’s eyes. Greens the color of moss, Blues which matched the color of the oceans and lakes, fiery Reds, abyssal-like Blacks, snowy Whites... all of those colors and more were present in the form of the half-dragon centric Scaled Legion of Lord Talon.

“Impresssive,” Phalarax commented. “The Sssscaled Legion issss fully prepared to meet the creaturessss?”

“I’ve trained zem myself,” Droj said. “I stake my life on ze claim.”

“Asssss you should,” Phalarax replied. “Lord Talon hassss requesssted you to train them persssonally, and he will not tolerate any lessss.”

“I zink he shall be pleased,” Droj retorted. “Now, come. Zere is one more thing to see.”

Droj led Phalarax from the overlooking flat surface and onto another winding mountain trail. The pair ended up traveling around the edges of the valley until they had reached a point where the trail stopped. Phalarax looked out into the valley, and saw nothing besides the legion at first.

“What am I ssssuppossssed to ssssee?”

“Zere,” Droj said, pointing to a point in the opposite edge where the trail had veered off into another path. Both sides of the path loomed ominously in the distance, and a good deal of fog was present near the furthest parts of the trail which were sloping downward.

“I sssee nothing,” the half-dragon replied.

“Zen fly over zere and see for yourself,” Droj answered.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

26-Jan-2011 20:01:25

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Phalarax sighed a hissing sigh, and took to the sky. The beat of his large wings echoed in his ears, and his flight was somewhat swift, which was surprising considering the bleak weather conditions which permeated the mountain range.

At first the half-dragon didn't notice anything. No signs of a threat were present on the ground or walls, he didn't smell anything in the air, and he did*’t even hear anything. At least, that was until his enhanced eyesight caught a few shadows darting in the fog. Eyeing the apparitions warily, the half-dragon swept closer to the ground as he went on.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” he said. Below him were hundreds, if not thousands, of Doomhounds. The creatures for the most part seemed disorganized, but they were everywhere; on the walls, in the deepest crevices of the mountainside, out in plain sight on the ground. The wave seemed endless, and for all he knew that could very well be true.

Phalarax beat a hasty retreat back to Droj. The Rakshasa chieftain stood where he was when Phalarax left, wearing a knowing grin as he did so.

“Thissss doessss not look good,” he said as he landed next to the tiger-man.

“Aye, ze fog hides zeir movement,” Droj agreed. “Zat is vhy you must tell ze legion commanders to hold zeir attack until zey see ze whites of zeir eyes!”

~^+^~

“Well, here we are!” Koreth said.

The group had arrived at a plain looking cave as the sky started growing darker. In all honesty, Arial was surprised at how close the thing was to the capital, and that the entire time it had been in existence nobody seemed to know of it.

“So, this is it?” Joran asked. “Just a cave? I thought the place was called the *House* of Portals, not cave.”

“Looks can be deceiving,” Koreth replied. “I had hoped that you might know that by now."

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

26-Jan-2011 20:01:56 - Last edited on 31-Jan-2011 19:03:08 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“He has a point,” Rajh agreed. “Remember what happened with Nhur?”

“Ugh. Don’t remind me,” Joran said. “That had to be the most painful night of my life.”

“So how big is this thing anyway?” Arial asked, intending to change the subject.

“It’s actually not too big,” Koreth said. “We just keep walking straight, and the portal should be right in front of us after…say, about half a mile? Somewhere around there.”

“Might as well get started then,” Arial replied. The group agreed, and began filing into the cave. The path was narrow, but yet big enough for even Grim to get through, and the warm air reeked of death…and something otherworldly.

Arial noticed odd designs on the walls as he went. Some of them seemed to be little more than arcane markings made by mages, possibly those who made the portal in the first place. Other markings seemed more alien in nature, making no sense to anyone in the group as he pointed them out. Even Koreth seemed confused as to their meaning; though he acknowledged that they most likely dated from around the time the Sovereignty disappeared.

Eventually the group had reached a point where the path widened. The air seemed thicker there, and a charge seemed to hang in the air. Looking forward, Arial saw a massive pedestal that was raised above the ground by chains which were melded into the nearby walls, and a pulsing glow was floating above the center.

“Here we are,” Koreth said. “All we have to do is go into the glowing thing if we want to get into Lord Talon’s lair. It’s a one way portal, so nothing can really go wrong.”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

26-Jan-2011 20:02:21 - Last edited on 31-Jan-2011 19:04:08 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“Oh, gee," Joran said. “It’s not like I distrust magic or anything, but…”

“You first then, wimp!” Grim cried. The elemental scooped Joran into his arms effortlessly, and tossed him into the pulsating glow. Joran let out a yelp as he disappeared into the glow, and Grim stepped onto the pedestal.

“I always wanted ta’ do that,” he said with a hint of glee in his voice. He then stepped through the glow as well and disappeared just like Joran did.

Arial looked around at his group. “Errr…anyone else want to go next?” he asked.

“Sure, why not," V said as he stepped forward. “Today seems like a good day to die anyway.”

~^+^~

“Wait, are-are you sure this is necessary?”

Nhur nodded at Kaz’s question. “Unfortunately, I see no other way,” he said. “This…thing…has some sort of control over the creatures. I’m sure it’s also trying to possess me, or at least find a new host who’ll do what it wants, and this is the only ritual I know that can possibly get it off of me.”

“Surely there’s another way," Kaz replied. “I mean, the original creators of the talisman probably would’ve put some sort of back door in case someone used it and didn't want it later, wouldn’t they?”

“Seeing how this is of Skarjil make, I doubt it,” Nhur said. “But they also had a penchant for rather noble acts, so that’s why I’m coming to you.”

“Azi knows what you're asking, doesn’t she?”

“She volunteered. Of course she knew the risk going in beforehand, but it didn't make her balk in the slightest.”

“Then I guess I accept your proposal,” she said. “But I’m warning you: if this is a trick, I won’t hesitate to kill you.”

Nhur smiled. “I’d like to see you try, witch. But enough talk. Time is of the essence, so we need to get to the Ritual Room immediately.”

The pair left the dark throne room, though the darkness did little to quell the ever brightening lights of the fire that night.

~^+^~

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

26-Jan-2011 20:02:52 - Last edited on 31-Jan-2011 19:05:38 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Arial emerged from the portal and was greeted by darkness. The air seemed lighter in comparison to the House of Portals, though what the air lacked in thickness was more than made up for in stench. He had the feeling that the occupants of the rather spacious cavern they had found themselves in at that very moment hadn’t made much of an effort to clean up after themselves, but that mattered little when they considered the fact that there were also quite a few ticked off half-dragons in full battle regalia staring at them as they finished exiting the portal.

“I thought you clossssed the portal,” a red one had said to a black-scaled comrade.

“I thought it wasssss you,” the black answered.

The half-dragons spoke amongst themselves in their hissing native tongue, and seemed more confused than anything.

“I think we should just find Lord Talon and get the hell out of here,” Joran said. “These guys don’t seem too friendly to me.”

“Do you know where he is?” Koreth asked. When Joran shrugged, he replied, “Exactly my point. The last time I was here was a few years ago, and I really can’t remember where his ‘court’ is. So we’d be better off just asking these guys now instead of just wandering around and being mistaken for intruders.”

“You wish to sssssee Lord Talon?” the red half-dragon asked.

“That’s why we came through the House of Portals, yes,” Arial said. “We wish to make a deal with him.”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

26-Jan-2011 20:03:15 - Last edited on 31-Jan-2011 19:06:52 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

The assembled half-dragons laughed heartily. “I take it you have not heard?” one of the black half-dragons asked.

“We were stuck in the wilderness for the past few weeks, so no, we have heard nothing,” Koreth replied. “What’s going on?”

“We are at war asssss we sssspeak, Warlock,” a red answered. “Wolf creaturesssss are engaged in battle asssss with the Ssssssscaled Legion!”

“It has to be the Hounds,” V said. “At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised one damn bit."

"Come, we will take you to the Lord,” the black half-dragon said. “But he will asssssk for a price in return. Consssssider yourssssself warned!”

A group of blue and green half-dragons in battle armor stepped forward as the red hissed something under its breath. Arial and his allies followed the half breeds as they were led out of the cavern via a series of twisting tunnels which made everyone dizzy as they tried to keep track of their bearings. Were they now facing North? South? East or West? Nobody, not even the half-dragons, knew.

At last a small bit of light had begun to illuminate the tunnels, and it grew brighter as they pressed on. Various sounds echoed loudly in the tunnel as they got closer and closer to the source of the light, chief among them the animalistic howls of what seemed like a very large amount of Doomhounds.

The scene before them as they exited the tunnels was chaotic, to say the least. It was nighttime, and the source of the light was no more than two bright torches which were situated near the entrance. Half-dragons of different colors filled the air; each spilling their breath weapons of choice onto the ground below, causing many Hounds to either melt or disintegrate on the spot, although some were merely shocked into submission or horribly burned.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

26-Jan-2011 20:04:00 - Last edited on 31-Jan-2011 19:08:18 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“Zat’s it, lizards!” a voice rang over the carnage. “Show zem ze power of ze Scaled Legion!”

“Ah, hell,” Rajh muttered. “Not him. Not now.*

"Wait, ‘him’ who?” Arial asked.

Ur’Droj jumped down from his position on a nearby rocky outcropping, and landed a few feet in front of the party.

“Ah, Rajh,” he said. “It is so good to see you alive after all.”

“Droj,” Rajh spat. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Vell, I’m commanding a great battle, of course,” the Rakshasa chieftain said with no small amount of vanity in his voice. “And right now I see spies amongst ze honorable legions of Lord Talon.”

“Ah, dammit to the hells!” Joran said as the half-dragon escort began eyeing them warily. “What next, my long lost stepbrother I never knew I had ends up being Lord Talon’s mate or something?”

“You’d dare inssssult the Lord in ssssuch a manner on hisssss doorssssstep?” a blue half-dragon asked.

“Well, not really,” Joran admitted. “Just sayin’, I wouldn’t be surprised if that ends up being the case after all of the crazy stuff we’ve just been through.”

“Enough,” Droj said. “Guards, kill zem while zey are still here!”

“That’s it,” Rajh snarled as he drew his fighting knives. “Run!” he cried to his friends as the half-dragon escort began drawing their weapons.

“We’re staying with you,” Arial said as he snapped his weapons into existence.

“Fool!” Rajh said. “Run now! I’ll be fine!”

“Against these odds?” Koreth asked as he began slinging spells at the nearest half-dragons. “You’ll surely die.”

“You don’t get it!” Rajh cried as he began parrying the half-dragon’s blows. “Droj can’t fight what he can*t see, and power has blinded him long ago!”

“Poetic,” Grim said as he barreled into a crowd of black half-dragons. The creatures squealed in pain as the elemental trampled them into the ground.

“Well,” Rajh admitted. “It’s true. He’s blind from power. That, and arrogance!”

~^+^~

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

26-Jan-2011 20:05:16 - Last edited on 31-Jan-2011 19:09:50 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

The ritual room stood silent as Kaz and Nhur entered it. What surprised the raven haired mage as she looked around the room was not the fact that the room was devoid of any shadowstuff, but the fact that Nhur had left it unchanged completely. The familiar purple and green pillars still held a domed ceiling of glass cradled in their grasp as gently as a newborn babe, arcane markings and tapestries still lines the walls in equal amounts, and she could even see the dried and faded bloodstains of past sacrifices in a darkened corner.

Azi was floating in the middle of the room, her glass orb shining bright with the rays of a full moon which hung in the sky that night, and Kaz’s breath was stolen at the sight of her friend. It was then that she had realized what Nhur was really up to that night, and felt more the fool for going along with it…willingly, no less.

“I presume you’re ready?” the Mahjarrat asked with impatience.

“I’ve already made the preparations,” Azi replied, her orb darkening despite the shining light. “We should just…just...”

“Get this over with?” Kaz asked.

“Y-yeah, that,” she answered.

“Well, ladies, I suppose this is it. The moment of truth,” Nhur muttered under his breath.

Yeah, Kaz thought bitterly. Play the noble hero. It suits you perfectly. But she couldn’t bring herself to say the words. Not now, and definitely not while she was alone with the creature.

Nhur stepped into the moonlight, and onto a sigil inscribed on the floor depicting a serpent, the animal associated with the Empire to symbolize the cunning and viciousness of Emperors past. The sigil began to glow a greenish hue similar to that of ectoplasm, and Kaz began the ritual.

At first nothing happened as she spat out each of the requisite arcane syllables. But then the room had began to grow hotter, and the air, thicker. Arcane energy began to sizzle and crackle along the pillars, and Nhur began his own chanting.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

26-Jan-2011 20:05:57 - Last edited on 31-Jan-2011 19:10:22 by A Mad Hatter

Forums

^+^ The Age of Nhur ^+^