Curse

HezekiahKurtz · Nov 07, 2006, 03:27 AM // 03:27

Hey everyone. I thought I would post some fiction here. The stuff below is the first part of a projected many. The main character is writing a journal as he explores Elona. The point is not to rehash the Nightfall story, but to tell a new story in the GW world. Comments are certainly welcome.
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Colossus 37, 1275 DR

I arrived in Istan this morning. The journey across the sea bored me, but the salty ocean spray and the crispness of the open wind has refreshed my spirits; it is good to be away from the politics and bickering of the Canthan arenas, and from the guild. That place and those people feel like part of a long-past nightmare, something disturbing yet not worth worrying about.

I still have hope that no one pursued me, although I have no way of knowing if they did or not. For that reason I asked the crew to let me off outside of Kamadan, on a small island to the East: the Island of Shehkah. That way I can approach the city quietly and anonymously, without the fanfare of a ship arriving from across the ocean.

I took my time and explored the island, getting used to solid ground. I met a woman who found it amusing to kill me—I don’t think I understand this Istani humor. She cited a need to demonstrate how a resurrection shrine works. Before I know what had happened, I was laying on the cold stone, looking down at myself. It has been a while since I was last dead. I had nearly forgotten the bizarre, light feeling as you elevate slowly away from your corpse.

The beauty of this land touches me. The architecture is elegant yet solid, the color of the stonework like precious metal. The leaves of bushes look like something that titan servants might use to fan their giant king—perhaps the towering figures I see in the distance. Trees offer generous, wide shade. Distant ruins speak to my soul of time and permanence, foundations and heritage, strength and integrity. Already I feel the desire to explore, to be out in the open and just breathe.

Some Corsairs did give me some minor trouble, especially once I had entered a small village named Chahbek. The problems they caused me are hardly worth mentioning, although the locals probably felt differently. But I easily took care of them. I plan to spend the night here in Chahbek, and then in the morning enter Kamadan.

Aleks · Nov 07, 2006, 04:05 AM // 04:05

Very good. Very little plot for a fiction, but since this is a journal I guess that can be omitted!

On a lighter note, it was too short >_>

HezekiahKurtz · Nov 08, 2006, 03:10 PM // 15:10

Thanks for the feedback! Here is the next entry.
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Colossus 38, 1275 DR

The walk to Kamadan was quick and uneventful—one may as well call Chahbek a suburb of Kamadan—but the first time I introduced myself as Hezekiah Kidron, I discovered that within the last week a Tyrian had been looking for a Tyrian with my name. From the description the amor crafter gave me—a tall, dark assassin with a hooked nose and braided hair—I must conclude that it can only be Guel. So much for escaping without being pursued or leaving any trace of my destination. He must have sailed on a ship that was either faster or that made fewer stops than mine; I imagine he had more time to find fast passage.

I do not doubt that he has been sent to exact revenge. I wish they had listened. I made the pact for the sole purpose of helping the guild, and I made it at great personal cost. I suppose that at this point I am simply fortunate to still be alive.

Asking around revealed that he stayed only for a few hours, and then was off. I don’t know if I should stay here, or if I should leave. Am I at greater risk on the move, or in staying somewhere that I know Guel is not? My name is already known here; elsewhere I can use a different name and that will do some of the work of hiding my presence.

Kamadan itself is more fortress than city—for one thing I could not enter without permission from a guard. Sunspears patrol the courtyards as if today were a time of war. Shorewatchers keep a vigilant eye over the Sun Docks. On all sides the walls meld with natural rock, looming overhead like monuments to wars long past. It is sometimes difficult to tell where man’s work ends, and the Gods’ begins.

Despite the need to keep quiet, I could not resist a quick visit to the calling towers of the Consulate. There I met a leader of the people, Elder Suhl.

“You’ve come far,” he said. “Tyrians do not come here without good cause.”

“I was last in Cantha.”

“A traveler, then.”

I shrugged. “I suppose.”

“Ah, a traveler—but not by choice. A runner, then.”

“Kamadan is a fine fortress you have,” I said. “It is, indeed, a jewel among cities. Ascalon herself could learn a thing or two about beauty from your home.”

He laughed. “I have seen drawings of Ascalon, from days before the Searing. I believe you lie—at least, if you consider Ascalon’s glimmering walls before the Searing.”

“I left before the Searing. My memories of home are unscathed.”

He stood silently for a moment. “We have enough trouble here, already. Whatever you are running from—do not let it disturb our land.”

“I intend to not let trouble find even me.”

I think that in the morning I will leave, and find a place where my name and face are not connected.

HezekiahKurtz · Nov 10, 2006, 11:09 PM // 23:09

Colossus 39, 1275 DR
I think I have found a party I can explore and travel with. It’s a small group—only four at the moment—but that seems large enough to brave the dangers of the current area.

I left Kamadan first thing in the morning. Well, first I stopped by the armor crafter to take a look at the gear I saw yesterday. It’s sturdier that what I arrived here with. So, I whipped out my coin purse and got me some—well, once I had purchased some crafting material. I was amazed that it only took a moment, and then smack! I had the new armor. I would have thought that it would take a day or two to make, and that I would have to come back. I destroyed the old stuff; the armor crafter said it could not be used anymore. I don’t get why not, but I guess that’s just the way it is.

As I left—alone—I was warned about the aggressive plants in the Plains of Jarin. I didn’t believe it, and my suspicions were confirmed. I actually ran past a lot of them. Patted a few on the head, although I avoided the floating radishes because they looked like they might sting a little. Maybe my new armor sent a signal to them that they should simply treat me with a little respect. /flex

It took about half a day for me to make it to the Sunspear Great Hall. I could have gotten there in a shorter period, but I found it irresistible to not take my time and simply explore the land. The savannah captivated me. Rolling hills. Big sky. Still air. I find myself wishing to explore this entire continent, to map out every last mile.

It took about five minutes in the Sunspear Great Hall to know I didn’t want to stay long. It was only a courtyard. I could not gain entrance to see what that monolithic structure hid within. Aside from the sculptures of spears and shields, the place held nothing special for me. I gave no one my name, and quickly left.

Not two hundred yards from the walls of the hall I came across a party of four adventurers—well, three adventurers and one recently killed paragon. I could see they needed help, surrounded by a mob of mandragor slithers, bladed termites, and preying lances. It was a nasty little fray; even the monk took hit after hit. I stood outside and away, casting spears and calling out shouts: Aria of Restoration and Anthem of Flame.

From where I stood, I could see the weakest monsters, so called out a prime target. The warrior and ranger heard, and focused their attacks. The monk slowly backed away, healing like a madman. Once he was back and safe, he gave me a quick nod and called the next target. I followed his lead. Really it didn’t take long from there. The beasties fell quickly, and once the last was down, the monk immediately began to cast Rebirth on the fallen Paragon.

With a flashing spike of gold the paragon teleported to the monk, alive and standing. No sooner had the monk finished his spell, than he turned on the grinning paragon and decked him full on in the chin. The paragon spun to the ground and landed on the side of his face.

“What are you thinking!” the monk shouted. “Rushing into that mob like that!”

The paragon leapt up, his eyes wide and his jaw clenched. He stepped forward as if to rush the monk, but fell again as the ranger—coming from behind—kicked his feet out from under him. The warrior sheathed her sword with a decisive clank and laughed.

“We won’t last a day with you around,” the monk said. He stood over the paragon.

“I simply engaged them,” the paragon said. Although he tried, he failed at looking menacing—mostly because of how he rubbed the side of his head where it had hit the dirt.

“Yes, engaged them by rushing in dozens of yards ahead of us, not stopping to consider that another mob was nearby. You have no idea what your role is, and I don’t have time to teach you.” He shook his head and pointed back at the Great Hall. “You’re not part of this group. Go back and find some other fools to travel with.”

The paragon started to object, but the monk moved as if to kick him, and he quickly scrambled away, stopping only to nab his shield out of the grass. The group watched until he was over the nearest hill, and once the last bit of dust had settled, they turned as one to face me.

I didn’t know what to do, so simply smiled and gave a little wave.

The monk held out his hand, and said, “Welcome to our group. I’m Bruck Broadbone, leader.”

HezekiahKurtz · Nov 15, 2006, 03:12 AM // 03:12

Thanks for the input. Here is the next entry.

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I awoke this morning with my ink spilled on the ground next to me, and my journal laying face down on my chest. I did not realize I was so tired as to fall asleep while writing.

After Bruck introduced himself and invited mo to join the party, I asked, “Are our paths headed in the same direction?”

Bruck shrugged. “Well, where are you going.”

I shook my head. “I am just exploring. Going nowhere in particular at the moment.”

“Well then, you’ll fit well with us—at least for now. We’re doing the same. We plan to clear out this area today, and spend the night in the Astralarium. You’re welcome to join us.”

“Very well—at least for now.”

Bruck introduced the warrior—a lithe young woman who only smiled out from under her eyelashes and nodded—as Kandra Westran. She must be twenty-two or twenty-three; younger than me by a year or two. I don’t know if I will ever get used to women such as her: a slim, shapely figure that would make any man stare; a face of innocence and wide eyes; and a way of carrying a sword that left little doubt as to her ability to use it. Multiple colors of blood smattered her dented armor and shield, telling a story of countless unfortunate enemies.

The ranger stood about a foot taller than me. Scars crossed his bearded face. Though I perceived no danger, he kept his bow in hand, an arrow ready. He must be ten or fifteen years my senior, although it’s certainly hard to tell his exact age. The best clue to his personality is in his eyes. They stare hard, cold, tight—surrounded by fine lines. He stepped up to me, and clasped my wrist in his free hand. “Wez Uly. Melandru’s blessings be upon you, so long as you don’t do anything that will get us killed.”

I nodded in greeting. “I am Jehoaz.” That is the name I had previously decided to go by. “Glad to be with you.”

And as the day progressed, I really did become glad to be with them. There was a marked increase in the strength and aggressiveness of the beasts as we explored the wetland. I would not have been able to make it on my own. It did not take long for me to understand Bruck’s pointing, shouting, and motioning. My role as a support figure became clear, and I very quickly settled into a rhythm of using skills in quick sequence. I feel like I have a place among these three. I’m surprised at how much I have missed it.

I quickly realized that Bruck led the party with no help, and would not put up with any degree of mutiny. When we engaged beasties he would motion for Kandra to go in first, and then the location where Wez and I should attack from. Once I decided to position myself in a different place, on slightly higher ground.

“Not there you fool!” Bruck shouted. He pointed vigorously at a spot about fifteen feet to my left. “Get there now!” His tone commanded immediate obedience.

We first spotted the Astralarium from a distance. Its two towers reached high over the land and ocean. We made our way toward it, zig-zagging back-and-forth. About every thirty minutes Bruck would pull out a sizeable piece of parchment and make a few marks with a crude instrument.

“What is he doing?” I said to Wez as we waited at the entrance to the Astralarium. Bruck stood a small ways off, looking East and marking his paper.

He gave me a wide look. “He’s marking a map.”

“A map?”

“He’s been doing it ever since we left Kamadan this morning.”

Other than the impressive warthog we saw that day, very little else of note happened. I am awed with this small astronomic outpost. The ethereal devices draw my mind to the Gods and their matchless power. I wish I could climb to the topmost tower to look out over the land and ocean.

Ah, I almost forgot. There is something I found very odd. Last night I approached a grizzled old merchant and began unloading the loot I had collected throughout the day. We had a strange conversation.

“You are Tyrian,” he said to me. His sunken eyes did not blink as he looked up at me.

I nodded curtly, and offered him a rather ugly sword.

He gave me two gold pieces. “Tyrian . . . Tyrian . . . .” he whispered to himself, as if considering the meaning of the word. I almost didn’t hear it. Louder, he said, “Have you been here long?”

I nodded, and gave him a half-eaten boot.

He handed me four gold. “What is your—.”

“You talk a lot, old man.” He was making me uncomfortable, and I wondered if Guel had been through here. I held out a few bits of copper. It surprised me when he handed me two pieces of gold in return; I always thought gold was worth more than copper.

He narrowed his eyes. “Just being friendly, my boy. Just friendly.” He motioned behind me. “I see you are with Bruck.”

“You know him?”

He either chuckled or coughed—I couldn’t tell. “Oh, yes, yes. Everyone knows Bruck.”

“Why is that?”

“You might say he has . . . been to this place before.”

“How—.”

“You ask a lot of questions, young man.” And with that, he turned to another customer.

I found the entire exchange perplexing, but haven’t had a chance to ask anyone about it. We are off, now, heading into Zehlon Reach.

Perynne · Nov 15, 2006, 09:36 AM // 09:36

Very nice. Easy and pleasant to read, and interesting enough to keep me waiting for the next part.

HezekiahKurtz · Nov 17, 2006, 03:22 AM // 03:22

Thanks for the input. Just in case anyone cares, I plan on this taking as many as 100 journal entries.

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Colossus 41, 1275 DR, Evening

I died rather unexpectedly today.

We had recently cleared a mob near a fisherman named Lendu, and were talking with him about a giant sea monster when a mandragor slither popped up. I only had time to wonder if we had inadvertently agreed to help Lendu before I felt some rather extraordinary pain in my back. The next moment I lay dead, and my spirit rose slowly up and way from my corpse. It embarrassed me how I lay there—face up with my mouth and eyes wide in shock. Fortunately Bruck rezzed me in half a whip of a Charr’s tail, and I could help kill the offending beastie.

We turned back to Lendu, agreed to help him if we could. As we started to walk away, Wez stepped up to my side.

“Thank him.”

“Huh?”

“Thank him. He brought you back to life. Thank him.”

“That’s his job. He’s the monk. He rezzes us when we die.”

“He didn’t have to bring you back.”

“It’s his job. It’s your job to shoot arrows and pin down enemies. I don’t thank you when you do that. He doesn’t thank me when I throw my spear.”

“This is different. He brought you back to life, for Melandru’s sake.”

“It’s his job.”

“Thank him.”

“That’s silly.”

“You know, little boy—”

“Don’t call me that.”

He yanked on my sleeve and stopped walking. I halted with him. I could not pull my eyes from his.

“I’m old enough to be your father. When you’re acting like a child, I’ll call you that. Listen to me. Not only is he the party leader, he is the monk. The monk is not like other members of the party. If you don’t treat them right, you’ll pay. It’ll be subtle, but it’ll happen. Especially with this one.”

“You two have a problem?” We looked up at Bruck, who stood thirty paces on, knee deep in water. No sea monsters were in sight.

“I don’t,” Wez said, and started walking again—but not without raising his eyebrows at me first.

The rest of the day continued . . . I would like to say uneventfully, but that certainly isn’t the case. No one died, and nothing earth-searing happened; I found very little about Zehlon Reach worth mentioning, although the docks in the middle of nowhere took me by surprise. We traveled through the northern half of the land. Bruck continued to mark up his map. Ridgeback scales and scale lashers teemed over the land and water, but we rarely found ourselves in any true danger, even against larger mobs.

It many respects it was uneventful, but I also found it fun to simply plow through mindless beasts and weakling pirates. We found little need to speak as we fell into a rhythm, sensing without words when other party members were ready to engage, understanding the commands of the party leader without ever hearing his voice, and knowing when to provide what support to our comrades. We flowed from skirmish to skirmish, our health and energy ebbing and flowing with the usage and recharge of skills, our adrenaline carrying us throughout the day and killing any need for rest or food. Monsters fell before us like practice dummies.

It surprises me how easily the four of us work together. It is good to be in a strong group, again.

We decided to stay tonight in a small village in the northwest corner of Zehlon Reach. I have no idea what its name is.

TomD22 · Nov 17, 2006, 01:12 PM // 13:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by HezekiahKurtz

I died rather unexpectedly today.

As an opening line, that's just great

HezekiahKurtz · Nov 22, 2006, 03:23 AM // 03:23

Colossus 42, 1275 DR
I am not sure what to make of Kandra. Well, I am not sure what to make of any of them other than I know we work well together—but Kandra is different than any person I have ever met. Today she initiated a conversation with me—if you could call it that. It’s the first time I remember her starting a conversation with anyone.

We finished exploring Kehlon Reach today. In general it remained as non-descript as the rest of the area. The one exception was the ancient ruins that stood on one shore near the western edge. We had heard from the locals of a djinn known as the Lady of the Dead, whom they spoke of with fear. While she had always guarded the ruins, as of late she had terrorized the land, slaughtering animals and killing villagers at will. The few that had dared to oppose her had either returned brutally maimed or had not come back at all.

From a distance we spotted her hovering near the columns. She floated several feet off the ground, guarding the area with a menacing eye. Upon seeing us she immediately raised her bardiche—the only thing about her that did not appear ghostly. Unusually, rather barreling straight in, Kandra motioned that she would circle the ruins and attack from behind.

“When I see that you are ready, I will distract it,” Wez said as she waded off.

We backed up a bit, fanning out. The Lady swung her weapon as if testing its weight, and watched us for a moment, then turned to look back into the grove of pillars.

Wez let an arrow fly, striking the djinn in the shoulder. With a roar it reached back and yanked the arrow out. Turning around and taking a few steps into the water, she threw the arrow toward us. It fell well short. I can only imagine what vulgar words the Lady called out in her metallic language as she swatted the water with her blade; the spray sparkled in the evening sunlight.

For a moment I saw Kandra between the pillars, and then she disappeared again.

Wez drew another arrow and held it. The Lady floated still, watching with her glowing blue eyes. Wez took a deep breath, and did not let it out. An instant before he released, Kandra started to dart from among the pillars. With a twang the arrow whizzed through the air, but this time the djinn was ready. It dodged to the side and gnashed its teeth. Fifteen feet beyond the Lady, the arrow struck a column not three feet above Kandra’s head and shattered.

She closed the gap, and with water splashing before her, she struck at the Lady’s back. I shouted out Anthem of Flame as Bruck cast Healing Hands on Kandra and as Wez shot a Concussion Shot. For nearly a minute it appeared that the fight would go as usual—Kandra blocking with her shield and counter-striking, and the rest of us supporting as best we could. She moved quickly, shouting and grunting as she dodged and parried; she made it look easy to take blow after blow on the shield, or to stop one with her blade. Occasionally, a shrill challenge or war cry left her lips.

Above the din I heard a deep growl—which was all the warning we had before a tall, slender, rinkhal monitor darted out from among the pillars and struck at Kandra’s legs with its long, whip-like arms. Unprepared, she fell sideways, and her head disappeared beneath the shallow water. The light from Bruck’s healing spells, coupled with the Lady’s eerie glow, illuminated the water with dancing blue.

I darted forward, casting spears as fast as I could.

“Get back here!” Bruch shouted.

I ignored him. Although the arrows and spears rained on the back of the Lady, her attention—and weapon—focused on the water beneath her. The reptilian beast lashed and bit. It took only a few seconds for me to reach the group, and by then I could hear Bruck healing frantically. Occasionally I saw Kandra’s hand or face breach the water’s surface between the creatures.

I leapt into the midst of the fray. Squatting and raising my shield over my head, I reached down into the water to grab any part of her that I could. I heard and felt the beating of the Lady’s weapon on my shield, and felt a sharp lashing at my legs. Everything was a mess of splashing water. Twice I felt something brush my hand, and then the third time my hand closed around her arm. With a grunt I pulled back and up. Vaguely I saw Wez directly opposite me, gaining the attention of the reptile and Lady. Water spilled down around Kandra’s head and face as I brought her up. As she stumbled to her feet she yanked her arm out of my grasp and gasped for air. Not waiting, but coughing once, she cursed and gripped her sword with both hands and charged the Lady.

The fierceness of her attack—one would not think that she had just spent fifteen seconds taking a beating under water—quickly ended the battle. The Lady, already weakened, fell first. The lizard shortly followed.

As the water settled around us, illuminated on one side by the fading Lady’s body, and colored red on the other with reptile blood, I struggled to catch my breath and looked at Kandra. She stood panting hard, her teeth clamped and her angry eyes glaring down at her fallen foes. She still held her sword as if ready to strike. I could hear Bruck approaching from behind.

“Blighted char dung!” Kandra said. Then she did strike—one last time at the lizard’s head.

“You idiot!” Bruck shouted. “Never ever go in like that!”

I turned to face him, remembering how the other Paragon had been booted from the party just two days before. Although I did not like it, I found myself taking a defensive stance. “She never would have survived. I did what I had to.”

He shook his head and frowned. His eyes smoldered with the clear effort of containing his anger. “Listen, you’re no idiot—most of the time. But you‘ve got to use your head all the time. Yes, her life was in danger in the short term, but you’ve got to remember that I can bring her back. It’s okay if she dies. But if you had died, too—and Wez . . . .” He shot a reproving glance at the ranger. “The more of us that are dead, the harder it is for me to bring you all back safely.”

He was right. I had no argument against his statement, so simply nodded and looked down.

“You’ve got to keep your head,” Bruck said. “No panicking!”

I nodded again.

“Never again!”

“I get it!”

He stared at me for a few moments, weighing my sincerity, then turned and started south.

A few hours later, in the darkness of evening as we camped in the Jokanur Diggings, I sat looking away from the fire, into the dark surrounding courtyard. From behind I heard someone approached me.

“Thank you.” It was Kandra.

Somewhat surprised, I turned to look at her; in the few days I’d been in the group, she hadn’t said two words to me without me speaking to her first. She stood in front of the fire. Orange light outlined her form, made her face and body a black shadow.

“Bruck was right. I put us all in danger.”

“I appreciate it nonetheless.” She bent ever so slightly, her hand twitching, but then turned away. She took a place opposite the fire, and started to hum quietly to herself.

HezekiahKurtz · Nov 23, 2006, 04:41 PM // 16:41

Colossus 43, 1275 DR

This morning the first words out of Bruck’s mouth were: “We’ve got to go back. We need to go back to Champion’s Dawn through the Cliffs of Dohjok.”

He and I stood in Jokanur Diggings, at the door of the tent our party had rented for the night. The early morning sunlight danced and glistened off of the tools of the men who clanked and tapped and brushed away on the rickety scaffolding. They worked to unearth a gigantic stone head. Something like an upright canoe framed the rear of the bald head. Two eyes, and half of a nose poked up out of the ground.

Wez stepped between us, out of the tent and walked off.

“What’s there?” I asked.

“Probably nothing.”

“So why are we going there?”

“I always go there.”

“Always?”

He turned his head slightly toward me and grunted; I guess it was a laugh. “You don’t know about me, do you?”

Such a direct question surprised me. “There’s something I should have heard about you?”

Kandra stepped past us, into the sunlight. We both watched her walk away for a moment; it’s really something we couldn’t help.

“I’ve been around this place a time or two. Grew up in Kamadan. The land we’ve been through since Kamadan is practically my backyard. I remember when these ruins were first discovered. People were excited.”

“So you travel through here often?”

“I travel through everywhere often.”

“Everywhere?”

He turned to give me a long, solid look. “I’ve seen it all. Seen all of Elona. Every bit of this island. Every mile of Kourna. All of Vabbi.”

“You’re a cartographer? That’s why you mark that map?”

This time he let out a real, full laugh; it was the only noise in the area aside from the workers tapping away with their tools. A bird in a nearby tree took flight. “No that’s not why I mark up the map. I sure don’t have to; I know the land. I’ve been through it eight times.”

“Eight times!”

“In eight years.”

“That’s—.”

“Crazy, yes. Let’s go.”

I had never heard of the cliffs, and I think now that perhaps it is because they feel like holy ground—so sacred that one does not speak of them out of fear that others will visit them, desecrate their sanctity. They face the ocean in a half-moon of scaffolding, tattered tents, and sheer stone faces. Trees line the top of the rocks, practically melding into each other to form a glowing green halo over the beach. Broken wooden barricades poke from the ground like fingers of dead soldiers never quite buried entirely. No living thing moved there. It was only us four—and we stood still in reverence.

“Many invasions have started and ended here,” Bruck said. He spoke so softly that I almost couldn’t hear him over the swell of the ocean. “There is no need to read books about it—to know the history. Just being here is enough to know it.”

The air moved slowly past my ears; a shiver ran down my spine.

Bruck continued. “I can hear them calling to me. Those that have fallen here, defending and assaulting. I see their ships making the shore; the trebuchets firing burning oil from the cliffs. I see the walls of flame, and the spouts of ocean. I hear the beat of sword on shield; the crush of stone on bone.”

I am not sure how long he kept us there, listening and watching, imagining the things around us. It must have been a long time—we didn’t make it to Champion’s Dawn until well after dark—but it felt like only a few moments.

Hypernecrofear · Nov 24, 2006, 05:43 AM // 05:43

Need... more...

The Slick Rainbow · Nov 26, 2006, 10:37 AM // 10:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hypernecrofear

Need... more...

I second that...

Dross · Nov 27, 2006, 12:36 AM // 00:36

Definitely need more. You're a good writer.

Elite Yakuza Yuki · Nov 27, 2006, 04:17 AM // 04:17

Interesting

HezekiahKurtz · Nov 30, 2006, 02:06 AM // 02:06

Oops, I forgot to post this last night.

Thank for all of the positive comments. They really do mean a lot. Comments on what you like, specifically, or what you think could use improvement, would be fabulous.
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Colossus 44, 1275 DR
I don’t know what tomorrow holds, but after today I cannot imagine I should look forward to it.

We headed back through the cliffs area—skirting well around the beachfront—to the diggings, staying only long enough to replenish a few supplies.

I had expected to enter the city, but did not know if we would—Bruck never discusses his plans with us. I had heard talk of it being a place of shadows and skulking, reek and slime, and looked forward to seeing if it were true. But I never found out.

We just stayed outside the front of the city, moving back-and-forth along the wall and the chasm. We must have covered the same ground three or four times. Bruck could not stand still. Even when we stopped he paced constantly, glancing at the city walls or distant statues, and then looking quickly away. I could not avoid thinking he was nervous to enter the city. That’s unnerving, considering he’s supposedly been all over this continent.

We returned to the diggings long before sunset.

“What’s going on with Bruck?” I asked Wez. We sat on a boulder watching the diggers. It looked like they had unearthed hardly anything in the past two days.

“Acted odd today, didn’t he?”

“What’s in the city?”

He shrugged and looked down. “Dark things. I have been there before. It’s nothing we can’t handle—unless things have changed in the last few years.”

“Are you a cartographer, too?”

“No, no, no. I have never left Istan.”

“But you’ve seen all of Istan.”

“Oh, yes. Many times over.”

Kandra walked up to us, hopped up onto the boulder, and sat next to me. She draped her arms over her knees.

“Have you been in the city?” I asked.

She shook her head. “I am not like our friend, here.” She motioned vaguely at Wez. “In comparison to him, I am something of a n00b.”

“Where is your home?”

“Kamadan.”

“So you have heard of the city?”

She nodded.

“What’s in there?”

She shrugged. “Nothing to be afraid of. I don’t know what’s eating Bruck. I’m beginning to think he’s a lunatic.”

“Not to mention yesterday at the mines,” Wez said.

“The mines?” I asked.

Wez chimed in. “Those cliffs where Bruck stopped for half the day. There’s never been a battle there that I know of, and Bruck talked like there had been many. I’m beginning to doubt his sanity, too.”

“There’s never been a battle there? No invasions by ship?”

“Not one—not in recent memory.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Well, that’s what we mean when we say he’s not making much sense the last two days.”

We sat in silence for another hour as the daylight faded. Perhaps tomorrow when we enter the city, everything will become clear.

HezekiahKurtz · Dec 01, 2006, 12:21 AM // 00:21

Colossus 45, 1275 DR

I have not stopped shaking since early this afternoon. My thoughts are shadowed and foreboding. I can hardly grip my pen.

Around sunrise Bruck led us from the diggings on a straight course to the city entrance. Unlike the day before, no creatures stirred around the city; we saw no field animals, birds, or monsters. The air lay still and heavy over the land—muggy and fetid. The city gates waited open. We stood there for only a few moments, looking up at the flaring, ribbed bulwarks. I could not tell whether they were simply that high, or if they had, in fact, been built to lean together. Either way, the walls blocked out the sunlight.

We saw no living thing in those golden halls, but I cannot say the city lay abandoned. Shadows shifted, light flickered, pebbles scraped. Shapes moved on the edge of my vision. Scampering claws echoed almost inaudibly around corners ahead of us. The breeze of fluttering wings brushed our backs, but we saw nothing when we turned. We moved through the city without speaking, grouped tightly, stepping without sound. I felt like a phantom.

From time-to-time a poison dart would break the silence and zip through the air. I still do not know whether they came from a trap, or from an unseen enemy. More than one struck me. Immediately, my vision would cloud green and my knees would knock; my spear would lower and I would begin to slaver. Balthazar bless that monk. He is fast with the Mend Condition.

We haunted up and down the halls—or streets, whatever they were. I am not sure if we walked a city or a single structure; stone roofs covered many streets and most streets were so narrow they felt more like hallways. I lost my sense of direction as we delved deeper—and by deeper I mean further from the city entrance, more distant from any escape. That’s how I felt. I went because Bruck led us, and because there were two others who did not hesitate to follow. Although we faced no imminent danger, no snarling beasts or chanting elementalists, my heartbeat quickened each time we turned a corner. I repeatedly wiped the sweat from my palms. I looked back often, hoping for sunlight or a glimpse that perhaps we had simply missed seeing the city gate.

Bruck is fast, but he cannot be fast enough when enough darts fly in concerted ambush. As we approached a dark, open doorway, a dart zipped past my neck. I heard it thump into Wez. The magical tingle and glow of Mend Condition filled the air. Before the sound faded, I saw a second dart—a blur that that stopped in Kandra’s shoulder. Bruck cast Mending again. More darts followed. I could not count, keep track of, or dodge them. One pinned me in the arm, another in the leg, a third and fourth somewhere below my neck—I was already loosing feeling at that point.

The green glow enveloped me. The world tilted sideways as my head hit the ground. The ground shook. Walls swayed and rumbled. My head bounced against the stone and my ears rang. Exerting myself, I tried to stand, but only ended up rolling and collapsing on my back, facing the doorway.

Bruck stood there, a dark form against a brilliant light. He held his staff high over his head like a shield.

A voice came from the room. Although it sounded dull in my ears—as if they were stuffed with cotton—it made my head vibrate with visions of winged creatures, of fire and crumbling monolithic statues.

“Have you found it?”

“No,” Bruck replied. His voice came to me as if from across the world.

“Then why have you come?”

“I am bound to you—you commanded me to look in all places.”

“You are obedient to a fault, and waste your time.”

“I have only time.”

A deep, rolling laugh. “Indeed, my slave. Indeed.”

The next thing I knew, I was waking, laying in the grass outside of the city, staring up at the clouds. The trembling of my frame and darkness of my mind started then. It has subsided some in the hours since, but I fear to close my eyes and sleep.

HezekiahKurtz · Dec 07, 2006, 03:33 AM // 03:33

Colossus 46, 1275 DR

I spent a restless night, sleeping little. An eerie green glow shrouded my dreams, and that rolling evil voice woke me repeatedly. As the first blush of dawn touched the Eastern horizon, I stepped out of our tent and found Wez and Kandra huddled a few feet away with their heads together against a gigantic, carved stone head. Wez motioned at me to join them. I explained that I couldn’t sleep.

“I could not, either,” Kandra said. “Wings of darkness haunted me.”

“Do you know how we got out of the city?” Wez asked.

I shook my head. “I must have blacked out.”

“So did we,” he said. “In fact, we have no idea what happened after that barrage of darts.”

“You didn’t hear the voice?”

“Voice?”

With trembling words I recounted what I had heard and seen in my remaining moments of consciousness. My storytelling faltered once, when a shadow of foreboding fell over my mind. I asked them if they knew what Bruck was looking for, or whom he was a slave to. Before they could reply, the monk stepped out of the tent.

“I imagine that all of you are better off not knowing those things,” he said. His eyes looked hollow and sunken in the growing light. Deep bags weighed under his eyes.

“I think you need to tell us what’s going on,” Wez said. He stepped in front of Kandra and me, and placed his hands on his hips.

“Perhaps, but I will not be meeting that need anytime soon. You are certainly free to leave at any time. There are others who can join me.”

“We work well together,” Kandra said. “Nobody wants to leave.”

She was right—for my part, anyway. I feel little compulsion to stay behind, to abandon the party. My only care right now is to make sure Guel does not find me. What better way than to explore the continent, always staying on the move and becoming a cartographer myself?

“What was that voice I heard?” I asked. My impulse was to shudder at the thought of that sound.

He brushed my question off with a wave of his hand. “Since you all are up, we can leave early today. We didn’t finish exploring the city.”

Collectively, the three of us exclaimed our surprised objections, and then Wez said, “We can’t go back there.”

“We can—I am, anyway. It will be safer today. Not that any of us were in danger, yesterday.”

“I don’t see why we need to return to the city,” I said. “Your master said that whatever you’re looking for isn’t there.”

“He cannot see it. He does not know where it is.”

“Where do you think it is?”

He shrugged. “I have no idea—that is why I am a cartographer eight times over. I don’t really even know what it looks like, only that I will recognize it when I see it.”

“What is it?” Wez said.

Bruck frowned. “Let’s get a move on.”

He led us along the Eastern wall and then turned west. The entire situation made me uneasy, but the more we pressed on—overcoming mob after mob—the more confidence I gained. It helped to keep my eyes toward the wall at all times, as if by watching it I could keep the voice and the apprehension away. For a time it seemed promising that we would not enter those streets, but on the Western-most edge of the island, near where the lush landscape dropped abruptly off in a cliff, Bruck led us to a well-hidden entrance. He proceeded without hesitation. The rest of us stopped where the stone pavement began, and simply looked at him.

The monk turned to face us. “I told you it will be safer today.”

“Why are we following him?” I asked the other two. “He’s nuts.”

“Is there anyone else to follow?” Kandra said. She and Wez walked on.

“There should be,” I said to myself. “There should be.”

Bruck was right. The city was safer, and it lacked the distinct feeling of danger that permeated its stones the day before. But I still feel we could have done without re-entering the city.

Perynne · Dec 07, 2006, 09:40 AM // 09:40

Ooh, the storyline is really picking up it's pace. I like how you combine lovely descriptions of the surroundings, while still leaving room for the reader's imagination.

Again, waiting eagerly for the next part.

HezekiahKurtz · Dec 08, 2006, 03:46 AM // 03:46

Colossus 47, 1275 DR

We traveled back through the Cliffs of Dokjok to a small town called Beknur Harbor. It surprised me how many harpies had appeared on the hills above the cliffs over the last two days. It’s almost as if a mass migration had started, or as if they had simply popped up out of the ground. They are disgusting things; I found it a pleasure to put a few of them down. In one of their suddenly-constructed nests I found a diamond. On an impulse I gave it to Kandra. She smiled at me from beneath her long eyelashes, and touched on my shoulder.

Beknur Harbor is a little town, with a small dock. It has one inn, many nets, and—to my surprise—a rune trader. It smells of fish and seawater, and the wind blows as softly and steadily as the sound of water lapping on the docks. As in other parts of Istan, the buildings are elevated on stilts; they must experience floods here. In Harbor, the structures surround a small, grassy commons area and generally form the perimeter of the town, although hills and city walls create a barrier to the wilderness. The city has a gate leading out to the West, which we entered in, and another that leads out to the East. We will leave there tomorrow.

I have not noticed one before, so it may exist in other parts of Istan, but in Harbor a slender tower stands at the southeast edge of town. It rests about mid-way up a hill, and is also built on stilts. Several guards watch from a platform covered by a dark red canvas marked with white stripes. I am not sure what the awning is made of, but it looks almost like dyed drakeskin. Two poles reach from the awning’s center a hundred feet into the air, with the canvas wrapped tightly around it. At the spire’s top, the drakeskin gives way to a leather banner stretched between two poles, with what looks like an insect painted on it. I have not had a chance to find out what the bug stands for.

“I think we’ll wait until tomorrow to head out,” Bruck said as we stood at a counter, eating fish we had purchased from a merchant. It was barely past noon. “I’ll find us some companions worth bringing along. Four more, I think.”

“Do we need that many?” I asked. “We’ve done fine until now with only the four of us.”

“I’ve been through here,” Wez said. “We could make it with four, but it would be difficult.”

Bruck shook his head as a fish tail disappeared between his lips.

“Let’s just try it,” I said.

“No, no,” Bruck said. “We’re not out to prove anything. Best to take it safe. And besides, you’re not the one that has to listen to the ‘rez plz or the ‘I have Deep Wound’ on me all day long. It’s so tiring.”

Not long later, I stood outside a small hut with Wez and Kandra, trying to talk a trader down on his Rune of Major Vigor price. He wanted 5500 gold, which is about normal for a rune of that power. But we were aiming for 4500. I’m still not quite sure how it ended up, because when I looked to away for a moment, toward the western entrance of the town, I saw Guel stride through the gates.

I froze for a moment as fear seized me. I could not fathom any other purpose for his being in Istan than to hunt me down and slaughter me, and knew I was no match for him. In my head, I saw him come at me from behind, with a dagger, from the side with a sword, and from front with a killing eye.

Once the visions of my death had played out in my mind—it only took a moment—I ducked five feet to the right, to hide behind a pillar supporting a building. I peeked around to see that Guel had stopped just inside the gate to survey the town. He stood perhaps a hundred and fifty feet from me.

“What’s going on?” Kandra asked. Wez, too, had stopped his haggling with the rune trader, and looked at me with confusion.

I held up a hand, indicating that I would answer in a moment, and watched as Guel started toward the inn—to the place where I had already been and where I was supposed to stay the night. I tried desperately to remember whether I had talked with anyone there, but my mind could not focus an anything but that moving figure; I did not want to believe that it was really him. But there was no mistaking him for someone else. He wore different armor than I had last seen him in, but it was light blue like he always wore. His distinctive gait and his height, dark skin, and general air left no doubt about his identity. In those moments, I weighed many options—what should I tell Wez and Kandra; should I leave the party immediately, and head back West; should I try to take Guel by surprise and finish him off despite the good odds against me?

In a few moments, when he entered the inn, I motioned at my party members to come to me.

“What’s wrong with you?” Wez asked.

I looked at them earnestly, wondering how much they needed to know. How would they react if they found out that they didn’t even know my real name? Would it be better to not tell them, and risk having them find out from someone else, or simply tell them everything? I like these people, feel that a bond has grown between us in the last week days; I don’t want to lose their company.

“A Tyrian man just entered the city,” I said. “He’s after me. He’s very dangerous.” I held my breath as I watched their reactions. Wez furrowed his brow, narrowed his eyes, and looked at me sideways. Kandra pursed her lips in a frown. Several seconds passed in silence between us.

“What should we do?” Wez finally asked.

“Nothing,” I said, relieved that he had not probed deeper. “I’m just going to disappear for the rest of the day and night. I’ll join the party when we leave in the morning.”

“How will we find you?”

“I’ll find you,” I said. Chancing a look around the pillar and seeing no Guel, I turned to scramble up a hill toward the watchtower. It occurred to me that perhaps I could find shelter in the tower for few minutes to think out a plan, so hurried toward its ladder. By the time I reached the top, a guard waited there for me.

“Stop!” he said. He lowered a spear to the level of my throat.

I halted with one hand on the platform, and another in the air. My feet stopped four rungs from the top. “I need to take refuge here for just a moment,” I said. Standing there, high in the air, I felt exposed, like a harpy perched on her nest: a target for any casual passerby to pick off with a well-placed arrow.

“Back off!”

“I need to rest here for a minute!”

“There is an inn.” He nodded to the space behind me. “Rest there. Now back down!”

“Please!”

“Now!”

“I’m afraid of public beds!”

From the confused look on his face, the plea had the intended effect of catching him by surprise. “What?”

“I’m afraid of public beds. You can never tell who’s slept in them, and what they’ve done in them. Who knows what kind of bugs are hiding in those quilts?”

“Get back you fool!” In what I understood as a final warning, he jabbed the spear toward my head.

Knowing I had lost, and cursing myself for such a reckless decision made in haste, I backed down and headed further up the hill, glancing to see if Guel had emerged from the inn. He had not. In only a few moments I reached the top of the hill, a good fifteen feet higher than the platform of the tower, and forty feet above the level of the city. I lay with my feet toward the outside of town, and watched the inn. In those minutes, as I had a little time to consider just what to, my heartbeat slowed a little. Unfortunately, considering did not get me any closer to a decision.

It couldn’t have been two minutes before Guel appeared in the doorway. He headed to the left around Harbor’s buildings, stopping at every opportunity to talk with all manner of people: merchants, children, fishermen, adventurers, and anyone else he saw. My anxiety rose as he approached the rune trader, who stood almost immediately below my position on the crest of the hill. I could see the features of Guel’s calm face clearly. Luckily, Wez and Kandra were still talking with the trader, so Guel stopped a few feet away, as if waiting his turn to do some negotiating. I don’t know if Wez knew that Guel was there, or even that Guel was the man I had talked about, but as the assassin stood there, Wez became agitated. He waved his arms over his head and shouted angrily. Kandra joined him. The trader yelled back. Guel shook his head and walked on.

But after only a few steps he stopped and turned, looked up at the tower. I got ready to run, knowing that if he went up there to talk with the guard I would need all the head start I could get. But after a moment he shrugged and continued on. He headed directly East, toward the city gate. In only a minute he had left the city, and entered the area I will be exploring tomorrow.

I waited for a little while, and then made my way down the hill and across town to the inn. Without a word to anyone, I found my room, where I am now sitting in this public bed, wondering what I should do.

Shadowfrost · Dec 08, 2006, 12:18 PM // 12:18

keep going... or else