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

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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V and Grim watched as Nhur stood over Arial’s bloodied remains. The Mahjarrat was breathing heavily, his staff slanted at his side.

“It’s over,” he said.

“Not yet,” V said. The undead launched a barrage of skull shaped bolts at the Mahjarrat. Nhur fell back as they struck him repeatedly, though once he regained his footing he deflected a few of them to the side with his staff.

“So another supposedly extinct race comes out of hiding,” he snarled.

V charged the Mahjarrat, and jumped as he got close to Nhur. The Mahjarrat tried striking him with his staff, but V twisted expertly to the side before the deadly weapon could connect with him. Grim on the other hand charged to meet Nhur, and the two collided with a loud crash. The pseudo-elemental was punching Nhur repeatedly, and for his part Nhur began to speak an incantation that V didn'trecognize.

“Let’s see how much punishment you can take,” Nhur growled. A blast of yellow energy erupted from his staff, which shattered Grim into pieces of rock and crystal. The Mahjarrat stood up, and turned to face V. “And what about you?” he asked. “Do you wish to die as well?”

“Aye, but not today,” V answered. “I have another prize to get first.” The undead aimed his weapon at the Talisman on Nhur’s chest, and fired a volley of bolts. He also began casting necromantic spells and slinging more skull shape bolts, and eventually one of the attacks connected with the Talisman, and sent it crashing to the ground.

Nhur looked surprised. “It’s off!” he exclaimed.

“It’s mine now," V replied as he barked a word of power. The Talisman began to shake, and it flew right into V’s outstretched hand. He was careful not to touch any of the spindles on the side, and he stared at Nhur once more.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

05-Feb-2011 04:12:17 - Last edited on 06-Feb-2011 03:34:41 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Nhur didn't move. “What’s the matter?” V asked. “The cats get your tongue?” When Nhur didn't reply, V looked around warily. The Ordinators did*’t move, and neither did the Hounds. For that matter, everything seemed silent as well.

“So you have it at last,” he heard someone say.

V turned around, and wasn’t even surprised to see the blue-robed man standing in front of him. “I do,” V said. “Now if you don’t mind, I sort of have a promise to keep.”

“Give it to me,” the man said, indicating the Talisman with a nod of his head. “You simply can’t hold onto it for too long. It’s too dangerous.”

V tossed the artifact to the man. “Take it,” he said.

The man caught it, and smiled. “Good,” he said. “Now we must leave. Time is of the essence.”

“What?!” V asked. “What about Nhur? He still has to die!”
The man nodded. “He still has a role to play in this,” he replied. “Unfortunately, one he must live to fulfill.”

“It’s because of them isn’t it?” V asked, nodding at the Lukil-creature’s unconscious form. “What does he have to do with them?"

“That’s not for you to know,” the man replied. He walked over to a piece of Grim’s shattered form, and picked it up. “It’s not for him to know either, though I feel he shall be useful for our future endeavors."

"What if I refuse?” V asked.

The man nodded, and snapped his fingers. “I’m sure they shall have something to say about it,” he answered as V heard growls coming from behind him. He spared a glance over his shoulder, and saw a few Doomhounds inching closer, ready to attack.

“So come with you or die?” V asked. “I thought I had a choice.”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

05-Feb-2011 04:13:44 - Last edited on 06-Feb-2011 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

“You do,” the man said. “But nobody ever said that the choices will be favorable to anybody involved with them.”

“When you put it that way,” V said as he glanced at the Hounds. “Alright, count me in. When do we leave?”

“Right now," the man replied.

V saw his vision grow dim as he felt the ground disappear from under him. “Don’t worry,” he heard the man say. “You’ve made the smart choice. You’ll see why in time.”

~^+^~

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

05-Feb-2011 04:14:52 - Last edited on 06-Feb-2011 03:35:54 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Nhur looked around in confusion as the undead man disappeared from view. “What just happened?” he wondered out loud.

“Lord Emperor,” he heard Uthalion call out. “Something’s happening!”

Nhur regarded the conscripted Hunter, and followed his gaze to see something happening to the Doomhounds. At first they were laying on the ground shaking rather violently, and coughing. Then their exoskeletons began growing lighter in color as their fur receded back into their skin. The horns disappeared almost instantaneously back into their heads, and in a manner of minutes they were no longer Doomhounds, but rather Shades and Drow and other races which had fallen victim to the infection.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Nhur said.

“Sir!” he heard a Red Heart Ordinator cry. “Incoming flier! It looks like a Jabberwocky!”

“Jabberwocky?” Nhur asked. “Gods... everyone get out of the courtyard, now!" The Mahjarrat did*’t have to repeat himself twice, and in a manner of seconds everyone was either making their way out through the drawbridge, or hiding in the Imperial Palace.

Lord Talon slammed to the ground, and stared intently at Nhur. “I’ve come,” he rumbled.

“So you have,” Nhur replied. “Pray tell, what brings you here?”

“Two things,” the Jabberwocky said. “First, our deal. It is done. The Dagon cult in Egrissa is scattered, and the city lies in ruins thanks to those creatures.”

“I assumed that much naturally,” Nhur said. “Have you any news from the other cities and settlements?”

“I am not a free information service,” Talon replied. “I was not paid to gather anything from them, so I do not have anything to say about them.”

“Fair enough,” Nhur said. “But what was the second reason for coming here?”

Talon nodded at Arial’s corpse. “He hired me to bring me here. I am here to collect an extra payment that I did*’t tell him about.”

“And mine as well, I assume,” Nhur said.

“Yes, yours as well.”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

05-Feb-2011 04:15:26 - Last edited on 06-Feb-2011 03:36:53 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“Well, I don’t have it now," Nhur said. “I’m sorry, but my city-possibly my entire empire-has been attacked and needs their funds to rebuild. Surely you can’t wait any longer?”

“I have many lifetimes to wait, Bones,” Lord Talon said. “But I warn you: should you renege on our deal, there *will* be consequences.”

“How long do I have?”

The Jabberwocky tilted it’s head sideways. “One month,” he answered. “One month, and if the payment is not ready by then, consider yourself the prime example for those who dare cross me.”

“I’ll try,” Nhur said defiantly.

“You’ll do it,” Lord Talon said. “Otherwise, you know what shall happen. And it shall be your fault. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must be off.” The Jabberwocky scooped Arial’s corpse up with it’s tail, and took to the sky. Soon enough Lord Talon was a speck in the distance, and Nhur saw that dawn was quickly approaching the Empire.

“So,” he heard Uthalion ask. “What happened? Did we win?”
Nhur shook his head as he watched the Jabberwocky finally disappear in the distance. “I’m…not sure,” he answered. “If we did…what price did we pay for our victory?”

~^+^~

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

05-Feb-2011 04:15:53 - Last edited on 06-Feb-2011 03:37:17 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

Two weeks had passed since that fateful night in Ukrosha. After the sudden disappearance of the Hounds, the general population had begun rebuilding what they had inadvertently destroyed themselves. Some collected the bodies of the dead and threw them into piles which were eventually burned under the excuse of keeping another outbreak from occurring. Others rebuilt the actual structures themselves, while those who were either old or just didn't have the skills to do anything useful had found themselves acting as unofficial guards and escorts into areas deemed too dangerous by the Ordinators.

All in all, Ukrosha had been more or less restored to its former glory in those two weeks, which was no small task. Even though the city had been pretty much leveled and subsequently rebuilt during and after the Invasion of Kamiah’s reign, back then it had been smaller, more compact than what it was today.

And despite the assurances that the threat was finally over, a constant state of paranoia seemed to permeate the very air of the city. Everyone seemed to jump whenever an animalistic growl or wolf cry in the middle of the night, and the mood even seemed to have an effect on the Ordinators who patrolled the city constantly. Which was why Nhur had eventually deemed it necessary to hold a surprise audience with the general population one day.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

05-Feb-2011 04:16:35 - Last edited on 06-Feb-2011 03:38:12 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

The speech was to be held in the courtyard of the Imperial Palace, and that was where Nhur himself was standing as what appeared to be the entirety of Ukrosha filled the area to hear what their Emperor had to say. The Mahjarrat himself wore the traditional Emperor’s Dragon Armor, which appeared as a set of black metal etched with gold arcane and divine runes which ran all around the ceremonial clothing, and a cloak of purple velvet draped over his shoulders.

To his side stood Joran, who now wore the trenchcoat made of black dragonhide afforded to the Royal Spymasters who served the Emperor himself, and the Shade appeared none too happy. Many theories ranging from the conspiratorial to the reasonable types tried explaining just what it was the Emperor said to convince him to take the now deceased Erevin’s role, but none were even close to the truth. Or if they were, he wouldn’t admit to any of it.

When Nhur was certain the courtyard was full with as many people as possible, he cleared his throat, and addressed the massive crowd with a magically amplified voice. “My fellow citizens,” he began. “I’m sure you’re wondering just why the hell I’ve called this audience. And I don’t blame you one damn bit."

The crowd murmured amongst themselves as the Mahjarrat continued. “I’ve called this to ask each and every one of you a simple question: How long?”

The crowd stared at the Emperor in confusion before shouting out questions and random answers. Nhur flinched as he heard some of the less savory ones, and laughed a little on the inside as the crazy ones met his ears, but after a while he held up his hands in the air and signaled for silence.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

05-Feb-2011 04:17:02 - Last edited on 06-Feb-2011 03:38:27 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

“I ask that question, because I truly wonder. How long will it take us to clean up our act? How long will it take us to realize that the events we’ve spent two weeks recovering from were a sign, and not just of our weakness, but of our inability to deal with sudden life or death situations?"

"What are you talking about?” one man in the audience shouted when a brief moment of quiet presented itself. “We’ve survived, so what’s the big deal?”

“Silence!” Nhur shouted as the crowd began getting riled up once more. The crowd quieted down a bit at his command, but just a little bit. “Are you people really that daft?” he asked. “Do you really think that our enemies *won’t* hear about this? Pray tell, are any of you even aware of our position in this world!?”

The crowd grew silent as the Mahjarrat continued his ravings. “I ask these questions, because they’re important!” he screamed. “Let me tell you something. The Shade Empire is *hated* because of the actions of the past rulers! Some see us as little more than imperialistic invaders thanks to the efforts of Ix, and others think us as a bunch of weaklings who’ve only joined together to form an empire because Kamiah nearly caused us to become extinct during the Kin's Invasion!

And some of you may claim that I’m wrong,” Nhur continued. “Some may think that I’m mad or that my mind has shattered because of what happened. But heed my words: word of the outbreak and subsequent attack will spread. Many will see that as an opportunity to resurface old grudges, and if we don’t pick up our act, we *will* fall, and it *will* be because of our own doing.”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

05-Feb-2011 04:17:56 - Last edited on 06-Feb-2011 03:40:05 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

The crowd was livid at this point. Some shouted curses at the Emperor for daring to blaspheme the glory of the Empire, while others praised the fact that an Emperor finally had the guts to say what was on their minds for the past few years while Ix still ruled.

“But that doesn’t mean we can’t avoid an uncertain fate,” Nhur said as the crowd settled down. “Because we can. It may take some effort from everyone involved, but we can make our enemies think twice about attacking us again!”

The crowd began chanting a single phrase as Nhur began concluding his speech. “I have promised to defend this Empire,” he said. “And by the gods, I will! But it will require us to start a new age together. So let the Age of Weakness be put behind us! Let the Imperialist Age of Ix become a memory best forgotten!”

The crowd became louder by the minute. Nhur held his hands in the air as he proclaimed his goals to the audience, least among them one simple cry.

~^+^~

“The Golden Age of our Empire begins here and now! My fellow Ukroshans, my Shades…the Age of Nhur begins with us!”

The crowd kept chanting as the Mahjarrat ended his speech, much to the pleasure of the draconic form in the sky at that moment. The unnatural eyesight afforded to him by his makers allowed him to make out every tiny detail despite being miles above the scene at that moment, which he was glad for.

A beat of skin-like wings carried the draconic being across the Empire’s continent. Passing over many cities on it’s unholy tour via flight, it caught many sights in it’s memory that day. Many of the lesser settlements had begun rebuilding as well, their homesteads having been destroyed by Hound attacks mere weeks ago. Some farmers herded their livestock back into half-fixed holding pens, and Rakshasa hunters stalked their prey in the Bloodgrove Forest once more.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

05-Feb-2011 04:18:31 - Last edited on 06-Feb-2011 03:41:03 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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

The seaport city of Omi’r had suffered catastrophic damage as well, and the being saw Ordinators and civilian alike working side by side to rebuild the docks so trade could start flowing once more. And in Egrissa, monks of the Masked God greeted a group of patrolling Ordinators before returning to search for any bodies in the destroyed ruins of the once pitiful city.

And even the Chantry wasn't unaffected. He saw many mages gather around the site of the fallen tower, conducting some sort of arcane ritual while a tower made of earth sprang up ever so slowly. Possibly to replace the old one, he thought.

But no matter where Lord Talon flew that day, one cry seemed to reverberate around anywhere he found a Shade. He knew nothing of the meaning behind it, but it interested him to some paltry degree.

All hail the Oceanborn.

~^+^~

Lord Talon’s vision cleared as he flew out from a red portal he had conjured, and saw that Phalarax was waiting for him in his lair. The black half-dragon mage bowed, his celestial robes clinging loosely to his boney form as he did so.

“My lord, he’ssss back,” he said.

Lord Talon snorted. “Good. Send him here.”

“I’m already here,” Koreth said as he stepped out from behind a nearby rock. The Warlock was dressed in blood red armor with demonic and infernal designs which seemed to be crawling with live hellfire, and his natural shadowstuff seemed…faded, in a way.

“Ah, good,” Lord Talon said. “And what news does he bring?”
“My master accepts your terms,” Koreth replied. “He realizes that Nhur poses a danger to his plans for this world, and one that must be neutralized.”

“So he has sense,” the Jabberwocky said. “This is good. Does he realize the price for not paying?”

“He does.”

“So when does he plan on arriving?” Lord Talon asked.

“He does not plan on coming personally, because he says he has…other plans. Plans that could dictate his success in this endeavor, no less.”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

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

05-Feb-2011 04:19:10 - Last edited on 06-Feb-2011 03:42:22 by A Mad Hatter

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^+^ The Age of Nhur ^+^