Curse

Axe Addict · Dec 03, 2006, 12:27 AM // 00:27

Armour battered and worn covered in grim and dirt the once glowing fire staff was now just a dull glow .
Ascalon was a once proud city with spires and colours of the rainbow reflecting from all surfaces but the Charr had laid waste to it and the monks former home had now been reduced to rubble.Looking around for a sign of something familiar he saw nothing but ruin
"Oh well another night on the ground it would seem"Ironfist begn to unpack his meager possesions , after 2 years on the line all he had to show were a few charr hides he was hoping to sell for some food and a curious ball os obsidion a ranger had given him 8 months ago , with instructions to use it only when he had returned home and was ready to see the truth for what it was , the ranger had appeared out of nowwhere with a large black cat and a glowing longbow and had dispatched the 3 crawl invaders with unearthly speed , the only words spoken were "my associates have a job for you when you finish with this mess , use the orb to let them know you are ready."
And with that he disappeared as fast as he came , sitting under the shelter of a fallen piece of masonry Ironfist turned the ball over in his hands looking for a button or switch .
"it doesn't have a button as such you just shake it"a quite voice came from the shadows to the left , Ironfist rolled to the right his fire staff tracking back to the source of the voice but found nothing , turning to the left 2 figures in brown cloaks stood silently
"He moves ok , but we gotta get him new armour and a staff , he screams noob "
"Noob mabey but hes alive and Darkbow said he had promise"
Quiet chanting from the monk brought a small chuckle from the smaller of the two figures
"Now don't be stupid you'll just get hurt doing silly stuff like that"
Otto quicly incanted and the smiting spell was snuffed out with a small glow of his hand ,
"Heads up people we have company 3 o'clock and closing fast"the cloaks dropped to the ground and a large warrior in blood red armour and a glowing axe began incanting , beside him the smaller one named Otto also began chanting rapidly.

The Shatter Gargoyle could sense the weakenrd monk and was sure of a quick kill , but as it swooped in for the kill it suddenly realised its easy kill was not alone and that a number of powerful spells now had a hold on him , desperate to escape it thru its most powerful enchantment at the group hoping to buy enough time to escape but as the last syllable left its lips a mirad of expanding energy ripped it to pieces ending in a shower of blood and twisted bone.
Ironfist hadn't even had time to begin casting a basic smite spell when the threat was gone and all so fast , and violently , these skills were new to him the mages on the line didn't posses these kinds of power but here were 2 who could clearly hold their own agaianst overwhelming odds and do it easily and the only thing he had heard was the smaller one say "You die now" he was rapidly becoming caught up in something that beyond his skills but at the same time these two had said he showed promise ,and they spoke of the ranger.
"We gotta move now that stupid squishy has brought the watch snopping around"
Ironfist began quickly scrapping together his meager possesions , but a powerful hand grabbed him and spun him around , "Forget this rubbish we move now" as Iron fist began to move forward the large warrior pulled another small orb from a backpack and shook it once , the world shimmered and blurred and the next moment he was standing on a cliff over looking a tranquil sea the sun was setting and a cool breeze gently blew from the east . "whaaa mmmmm eerrr whats going on where am i "looking around he noticed the large warrior in red standing off to side talking to another large warrior in glowing armour that had the stain of dried blod on it, sitting under the tree to right a lone figure regarded him him for a fleeting second and then stood and walked over , coming to a stop a mere pace from him , looking him in the eye he spoke softly and in a voice that could freeze hell itself
"The ranger said you had promise i tend to find out if he speaks the truth , for the time being this is your home , weapons and armour are waiting for you in the armoury a bunk has been set aside for you , don't disappoint me and i might just show you the real story behind the Charr and their unseen masters , screw up and your crow bait"
'Crom sort him out and let me know when Jarvon is ready for the recce to the Keep , full patrol gear and pack a rez this time "
Ironfist stood there as the brooding Ranger walked away he felt like grabbing him and shaking the answers out of him , but a thin smile from the other large warrior told him that it wasn't worth it.
"Ah don't sweat it he likes ya well enough your still on the top side of the cliff aren't ya, "
"Leave him be Mord , the poor sod has enough to deal with , let alone you ribbing him " the one named Crom said , taking him in tow he lead him towards a large fortified keep he was only now noticing where before he saw nothing

Ironfist followed the large warrior up thru lush green gardens and banners of plane brown he tapped Crom on the shoulder and pointed up , a sly smile and a shake of a head was the answer he got , more questions and still no real answers , but the smell of roasting meat switched his attention to the keep in front of him .
Walking up to a flight of marble steps that almost shone as did every part of this structure , it was clean too clean no wear and tear no little nicks or scraps , dam nit more questions but the answers can wait , food was about and it had been many days since he'd had a warm meal , hell a meal of any description .

The Ranger sat under the large maple tree and gazed out over the ocean , his acute senses picking up the approach of 2 warriors to his left , Mord and Jarvon , late as usual but two people he could trust when hell broke loose and blood was called for.
"Our eyes in Piken Square tell of a new guild hiring every Messer they can get , no one knows why , and it is making the others nervous , find out who and why and get back to me in one piece , draw the gear you need and meet up with Otto , he will be the balance in case they have nukers skulking around "
"No worries Cobb , but i'm not sure about our monk friend he is a bundle of nerves and jumps at the slightest sound , and his mouth hasn;t stopped jabbering stupid questions since he got here"
"Mord cut the man some slack he just spent 2 years on the line with the Charr and a bunch of idiots who think dying in battles where you are out numbered and under gunned are glorious , i'd be a little jumpy as well"
Cobb stared off into the approaching sunset , stretching muscles that needed rest and a mind that thought way to much , he turned to his leutenents
"Leave him to me , just get the info and get out, on the way back swing past the dwarves at thunder head and get a sitrep on the summit crew and return here , if you are followed switch to the ice cave and loose them in the snow or deal with them if they get to close "
Turning from the sunset he looked each man in the eyes and nodded , the two warriors vanished , picking up the large longbow he whistled and walked towards the keep , behind him a large bear awoke from its slumber and ambled after him , food was ready .

Ironfist finished his third helping and was settling back with a cool jack of ale , a head poked around the corner and called to him
"Hey newb off your ass and follow me , time to get you squared away"
Well now he was a noob , two years on the line and now he was being treated like a cadet at boot camp .
"Noob my butt , i can handle the charr up close and personel and keep my friends alive while i do it, whats your claim to fame chum , and my name is Ironfist".
"Two things my friend , one , don't raise your voice in the halls and two your not in kindigarten anymore and that means your butt ain't worth squat in the world we run in , so stow the attitude and you might learn something that could save your and our lives some day"
"Oh and the names Shalazar , you use a sword or axe "
"Sword or Axe are you blind i am a monk my order does not allow those weapons , my staff is all i need to keep me alive"
Shalazar smiled , walked over and picked up a fire staff and thru to Ironfist , and reached up and took down a wicked looking Scimitar from a wall rack of weapons , motioned for the monk to follow him into the middle , and raised his voice
"Simple little game you fry me with that and i leave you alone fail and you shut up and do what your told , PERIOD , are we agreed"
"So i hit you with the staff and i get some piece and all you have is the sword , no worries this s going to be enjoyable"
Ironfist wipped up the staff and triggered what should have been a triple blast but nothing happened , instead his opponent blurred forward and with a attack routine that was just too fast to follow sweeped his legs out from under him and wove the blades over his tunic reducing it to ribbons but not marking his skin , then he was gone , as the bewildered monk rose to his feet a sharp crack to the back of his neck brought on a lucid dislay of stars then darkness took him , as he floated down a distant voice could be heard , yeah he has talent boss just a little green and knows too much of the old ways , then all went dark.

Mord and Jarvon arrived with the noise a of a gentle wind blowing thru leaves and immediatley froze , taking in their surroundings and checking for threat , a few scavenging Charr looked up but knew better to mess with Guild members , to well armed and armoured they would stick to stupid human armies who were woefully under gunned.
Watching the Charr shuffle back a few extra yards satisfied Mord that a lesson in pain would not be needed , and caught Jarvons eye to move out , slipping into the human settlement was easy task , the gate guards had seen the pair in action a few weeks back and had wish to anger the imposing warriors who kept the charr at bay just by there presence.

Moving thru to the merchant quarter they sort out the guild contact for the area and quickly questioned him on what was going on with the new guild and the messmer hiring .
"Sorry guys i'm as much in the dark about this as you are , all i know is large amounts of gold are moving thru here under very heavy Tank protection and rumour has it a Necro was seen yesterday morning moving with a shipment of gold , they are scary creepy people and everyone else feels the same but no one is willing to talk , just to much to loose"
"Messmers Necros and Tanks sounds like someone is gearing up for a war but who and where is what want to know" Jarvon shook his head , and turned to Mord
"I think we need to go the Arch and consult the great majority on this"
Mord raised an eyebrow and sighed
"How about we just grab one of Necros and beat it out of him , be easier than trolling thru the Arch trying to find someone that had half a brain"
Jarvon chuckled and gave the large warrior a clip across the back of the head , took out a small obsidion ball and activated it and they both vanished.

"Well i see your back in the land of the living at last , ready to learn are we"
Shazalar leaned over the semi concious monk and passed a small glass with clear liquid in it
"drink this you'll feel a lot better"
Ironfist gazed around the room , not recognising it he slowly sat up and took the glass from Shazalar and drank the contents in a single take, his throat and stomach felt like fire for a fleeting second then slowly a comforting warth spread thru his body and most of the aches and pains he had been carrying for the last few months vanished.
"Smooth , very smooth , let me guess distilled griffin wing and troll tounge"
"Ah the monk knows his cures , he should also know thats the last he will get for the next year unless you like being addicted to something that will sent you insane inside a month"
"So i'm curious , you have build of a mage but move like a warrior , care to fill me in on it"
A slight noise behind him alerted him the presence of another in the room , turning he saw Crom standing against the door way
"From now on you will follow the way of Two , two proffessions , always travel in pairs or more and have two weapons on you always , so what do you fancy sword axe bow or flame"
Ironfist had heard rumors of warriors who had taken the monk path to learn the basic healing skills to last a little longer in battle but what they were suggesting was impossable , surely it couldn't be done.............could it.
"Now you have seen ever so briefly Shazalar there pull the rug out from under you and by all counts you should have had him cold, well if you had been thinking correctly you would have but your thinking in the old ways , forget them or die"
Crom motioned for Shazalar to follow him and was lead down a flight of stairs to large room with walls covered with weapons and armour one wall was split into sections and had a distinct grouping to them, Crom turned and in vioce that left no room for arguement said
"Choose any armour weapons you like but the North wall is off limits unless you own equipment stored there , when you begin to go out and return with trophies and new gear a place will be set aside for you to store them but for now only the three walls are open to you"
Crom turned and left , leaving ironfist to wander from section to section under the watchful eye of Shazalar , the rule of two applies everywhere and to everyone .
Walking past the Ranger Crom nodded and continued past .

Arriving back at there point of origin Jarvon and Mord lnelt down behind broken masonry and statue and removed there cloaks revealing Dwarven forged armour and even deadlier weapons ,both unstrapped large axes from there sheaths on their backs Jarvon stood out the most with Ghostly glowing axe and shield , the merchant had told him that a colony of crazed chaos mages had developed the weapons and shields for trade with the outside world and that they possessed strong magic bond , unfortunately the bond itself was a random thing and the wounds delivered by this axe were usually brutal angonising , the shield was enpowered by the same magics but twisted to turn aside most attacks save those of similar enchanted weapons , versus the charr it was wholesale slaughter , and the stupid beasts knew this .....well the beasts around Piken square had learned the hard way when Jarvon had first arrived and was caught in an ambush by war band , the battle lasted mere minutes and at the end the shredded carcasses of a dozen charr lay bleeding and maimed , a sight that made even the most seasoned captain of the towns militia loose his lunch over , ever since then the Charr kept a wide birth.
Mord on the other hand was a wild card that worried even Jarvon when it came to battle , it was rumored that Mord had spent a number of weeks in the deserts with the damned and what ever hellish creatures that lived there , when he returned to civilisation , just his presence gave a cold chill , something had happened out there , something that he never spoke of and no one asked about but to see him in the middle of a group of attackers swearing at them to hit him , followed by insults about their family until they finally broke and started swinging at him , then it was like watching a wraith moving thru the condemed at the gates of hell his speed increased and a unearthly glow enveloped his body and his axe or large military pick would dish out death at a pace that almost inhuman .

"So are you sure he heard us or do we have to go back in and beat him sensless there" Jarvon smirked at the mental picture of dragging the little weasel out in the open and pommelling him till he was unconcious
"The only way he could not of heard us is if we were using sign language , he was practically falling over himself trying to get closer to us , yeah he heard and should be along shortly , i'll send the signal to the rest , he will be with friends and that should be fun" the almost casual tone Mord used to describe the upcoming events was the same as you might use to prepare a cake or just talk to a friend , blood was coming and Jarvon had no problem with that , as long as Mord was on his flank as usual he had no problem at all.

They sat for about an hour before the first signs of movement were detected , a tap on Jarvons shoulder brought the warrior from relaxed to ready to deal death in a heartbeat , conditioning brought on by countless battles and skirmishes where you waited for hours on end for a few minutes of shear terror and carnage , a handy knack of being able to switch your body on and off at will to get rest , and avoid the sustained adrenaline drain that some soldiers experience , but these weren't soldiers they were the closest thing to family they had and fighting tired would result in injury and death of a brother , that was not exceptable in any form , that was the first rule of two , if you die you have failed your brother and have failed your clan.

Jarvons eyes closed for a second and his axe and shield lost there ghostly glow , it always amused Mord to see the weapons switch on and off , espeacially when it is done a few feet from a unsuspecting opponent , the look on there faces when out of no where a ghostly apparition appears bearing down on him with almost silent movement , the blur of the axe and then death , yes Mord liked the chaos that Jarvon brought to the table . The lead group slowly moved out of the shadows and started to carefully move across the barren and blasted wasteland that a few years ago was a green lawned park with a water fountain as its main feature.......now it was a killing griound and blood was going to flow thru its parched earth once again.

Two large warriors in full chain armour lead the advance party , flanking then were a pair of archers in studded leather , Jarvon looked to Mord and with just flicker of movement he knew the warrior was preparing to launch the first strike on the approaching men .A flash of movement from the right confirmed that Otto was in position to launch a attack of his own , a small man that carried a small staff and little to armour that was visable to the naked eye , Otto was a master of illusion , he would conjure image after image and then make out he would leave the battle and run , well thats what you would think as you began to follow him moving thru his illusions until you struck the catalyst and unleashed a spell borne apocolyps which in turn would trigger a half a dozen spells one on top the other , these spell traps were always lethal and the agony and torture they unleashed on its victims left the bodies in twisted and pain wracked poses long after they had died .A sly grin began to form on Mords lips , if the small man was here then somewhere Cobb would be perching on the high ground readying his bow , capable of raining exploding death down on the battle field , nothing is more effective against spell caster than having flaming arrows punching thru your torso when your trying cast intricate spells , yes the man behind the bow was a master his targets were always picked in advanced and picked to cause maximum chaos and carnage , catching a straggler in the open and pinning him to the ground thru the thigh and waiting for the others to mount a rescue only to rain fiery exploding arrows down on them , yes Mord was beginning to feel like things were coming to a head and as the main group emerged from the shadows and the lead pair were practally sitting on top of the two warriors they raised there axes touching blades in a silent salute and broke cover Jarvon , his axe a glow as it swept down burying itself deep into the helpless guards exposed throat , his partner turned to in time to see Mord launch a large pick at him it tumbled end over end covering the short distance in the blink of an eye ,the force of the blow lifting him 4 feet in the air and dumping him broken and dead , the pick lodged in his upper right chest the spike embedded in a broken tree behind him , the two archers were bringing there bows to bear when from the shadows to the left a barrage of fire balls turned them into human torches , screaming in agony and thrashing about on the ground , trying extinquish the magial flames that would not cease merely burning hotter by the second the main group had frozen in place the speed of the assault had tempory stunned them a mage began to rapid cast and a ball of fire began to form in front of him and in line with Mord and Jarvon as they charged forward the mage gave an evil grin and launched it only to stare in disbeleave as it shrank and fizzled out before his eyes.

Jarvon and Mord split left and right and took up flanking positions on the group the mage in front took a small globe from his robes and vanished , from the centre of the group a string of curses could be heard , things were going badly for them and they had just got worse with the departure of their mage .
Bursting from the front of the group a small man began to run for the shadow to the front of them and made it half way before a single arrow pinned him to the ground, behind him fire and death rained down on the remains of his group , the entire engagement had just hit 3 minutes and was now over , the result of hiring poor people for the job at hand , as he stood screaming in agony , one of the large warriors that had killed his point guards so easily walk past him and wrenched free his pick from the dead body of the guard he had killed turning back to him he stopped pulled the helpless mans cloak up and wiped away the gore from the gleaming spike and took out a small ball and they all vanished , leaving two terrified guards the only witnesses to the brutal slaying , guards that would swear later on too their commander that they were patroling the western wall when the attack took place , they would use there full rum ration tonight , to keep the visions at bay long enough to get some sleep.

Shazalar watched as Ironfist slow made his way around the room picking up various weapons and trying them for size , the short bladed sabre had his attention at the moment but also a pair of ice wands also been items of interest , as for armour the standard monk robes that were common place had been altered and reinforced with dark spells of leeching and absorbtion , bearly noticable was a black mist continually rising from the garment , designed to leech the life from opponents when in tight hand to hand combat and use that life force to sustain the wearer , the bet with the two stewards was currently at 5 to 3 and leaning heavily in favour of the monk getting down with the darken robes .
The monk wandered in front of the display wall and stood transfixed by the power radiating from the items on display the raw power in such a confined area was over whelming and force a slight retreat to keep from passing out , but the monk stopped and began to look more closely , Shazalar slowly sat up and reached into his robes and grasped the hilt of a obsidion blade , surely this noob hasn't guessed the secret already , someone of his power should not be able to notice the glamour , unless he wasn't who he said he was , quietly he began to chant ,calling forth his most destructive slaying spell he knew ,if this was a planted agent he would be a smearing pile of embers in a heart beat , another 3 spells were linked to the first causing a cascade of destruction normally reserved for the high end messers and necro's that tend not to like dying, a hand grasped his shoulder , spinning with the blade drawn and ready to strike , Shazalar was greated with the grinning form of Mord .
"Geez man jumpy today are we , told you to go visit the Scarlet Whisper and chill out for a bit"
A look into Shazalars eyes instantly told him danger was near , and the warrior's hand went for the picks pommel out of nothing but reflex , scanning the room he saw only the monk standing in front of the display case and realised that he was looking very intently , glancing at Shazalar he caught the steel glaze and realised the jig was up , something that should not happen, the mist began to form........
"Well dammit i leave you two alone for two damn minutes and you go shooting off at the hip , by Glints scales , Darkshot said he was worth looking after and he is , i was expecting this so just cool it" the Ranger stood in the door way a tankard of ale in one hand and slab of fresh venision in the other
"Stand down and sort your gear clean and stow grab some chow and be at the glade in 40 minutes for a discussion with our new friend , move out"
"But he..." Mord began to raise an objection
"He knows that its a fake yeah i know , he spent time with a enchanter on the line and learned how to pick when some thing's shielded by magic , nice trick , now get your gear sorted and eat something we leave in 2 hours regardless"
Mord thought about pursuing the topic but knew that once Cobb set the line it didn't get crossed , shrugged his shoulders and followed Shazalar out.

"Ironfist stop gawking and grab your gear we got some business to attend too , i'll fill you in when the task at hand is finished , we travel light and fast , weapons armour and a days rations , see Otto for a travel orb , loose it and you walk home and thats going to be a touch over 500 leauges for this run , be in the glade in 40 minutes for a briefing"
Turning Cobb left the monk to try and grab everything at once , dropping everything at once , Ironfist stopped and dropped into a relaxtion trance for a few seconds to calm his mind , opening his eyes he grabbed the enchanted armour a back brace for the two ice wands and strapped the sabre to his left hip , then grabbing a healing staff from the rack followed by a russack he knew to be enchanted to store a multitute of items in he dropped the staff in and mentally tagged it as help , the travel globe dropped into his belt pouch and he trotted up the stairs to the comon room and grabbed to full canteens and a days worth of dried tack , leaving the rich meats and fruit ,that would only serve to draw preditors by the smell of it, two years in hell had taught him the lesson of simplicity and common sense . Stopping he ran his hands over the armour and wands noting where the weapons lay with his eyes closed , when hell broke loose he would be ready for it.Turning he grabbed an apple and wandered out to the front steps , drapped over one of the top stair banisters a brown cloak had been drapped over , from the left a voice called
"Damn cost me 30 gold , but welcome all the same , its yours till your dead "
Mord gave him a slight grin and grabbing his own gear walked down the stairs and headed out to the glade .

Ironfist regarded the robe with a mixture of awe and fear , donning this would seal his fate and become a member of a highly organised and dangerous Guild , the guilds were held in respect by all , almost legendary status was assciated with them , before the searing they were men of honour and respect , but when the sky rained fire they disappeared , moving into the shadows and legend , only the old vetrens really remebered them as they were, the newer classes made up rumors and horror stories about them to scare each other , and those stories stuck and over the years they embellished and added to , till the Guilds were mighty warriors that could slay the gods themselves , the guilds did nothing to change that , they were able to charge emence prices for their services based on those legends.

As the monk wandered down the marble stairs a piercing scream from the glade brought him from his thoughts , dropping the apple he drew both wands and broke into a flat run , down thru the gardens and thru the glade gate he barreled ahead for the cliffs a smiting spell on his lips and both wands ready to unleash fire and death.
As he got closer he made out the forms of Mord , Jarvon and Otto and another a small man rithing on the ground clutching at a heavily bleeding leg, thru instinct alone , a spell of healing came to mind and he moved quickly to the injured man , none of the large warriors made a move to stop him , as Ironfist knelt by the ingured man , the screaming intensified and the man began to drag himself away from the now confused monk , as he tried to drag himself away his skin began to pale and shrivel ,Ironfist was lost for words the leg wound couldn't do this to a man .........then it hit him the armour was leaching the life force from him , retreating from the ingured man , he stripped the monk robes off and began moving back to the now sobbing man who was rapidly approaching deaths door from blood lose and lack of a life essence from the armours attack.

"Let me help you , im sorry about the armour i forgot , but i can help you"
The look on the dying mans face was one of sheer terror , his body was slipping into shock and would shortly die ,if not attended to quickly.
Ironfist knelt and incanted , casting both of his major healing spells back to back , the man slowly stopped shaking and colour began to return to his skin . his eyes opened and he spat a single word at Ironfist , the world came tumbling down in the form of searing pain and suffering , he could hear voices yelling and then a sharp sream then darkness took him.
Waking up he was were he fell , the ranger was in his face , and that quite voice whispered in his ear
"Stupid , and careless i said to wait for the briefing , not take charge and get yourself killed , Crom drag his sorry ass inside and get him cleaned up , give him civvies and take to the forge , formal wear and a staff , then back here and wait for us to return"
The monk looked around at everyone just as they vanished , none returned his looks , and Crom had a look of a brooding thunder storm on his face.
"Listen Noob you just cost me a chance to visit the dwarves and their ale , you owe me 3 jacks , and intend to collect , "
Reaching down the large warrior lifted the still dazed monk to his feet and began to walk him back to the Guild Hall , he looked for his robe , it was no where to be seen ,he turned to Crom ,
"Have you seen my robe anywhere"
Crom turned to the monk and replied
"You died"

"What do you mean i died i never died , i just passed out that's all "
The large warrior stopped and turn to the monk , Listen to me moron you died because you were stupid , Cobb had to call in a favour with a another monk she wasn't happy at having to expend so much energy to get you back into 1 piece so just shut it ok , and return the weapons to the armoury , where we r going you won't be needing them.
Ironfist stood stunned as the warrior walked off into the hall , i died and im back no scars no limp no nothing , the line mages could mabey bring you back but the process wasn't all healing like this , more and more the monk started to realise just how far he was falling into a world that was totally unkown to the rest of the world , these people were a power to be reacond with , and he was a step away from falling face first into it.
After returning the wands and sword to the armoury , he stood waiting for Crom to return, footsteps from behind signaled the warriors return , but a strange sensation of bitter dread and cold suddenly swept over him , spinning around he he was face to face with 2 women dressed in black and covered in runes and scars , a feeling of dread washed over him , he had heard tales around the campfire of the ones who walked hand in hand with death , Necromancers they were called , masters of the dead and capable of rending foul magiks from the grave , and here he was a lowly monk with no weapons and only a few worthless spells to defend himself with , preparing himself for a agonising death he dropped into a defensive stance when a voice called out
"Ironfist stop gawking and say hello you rude bastard , Ladies sorry for the monk hes a noob"
Shalazar swept into the room and came befoe the 2 necromancers
"My dark sisters may i introduce , our new monk Ironfist"
The peals of laughter that issued forth from the Necromancers painted quite a strange picture to Ironfist , here standing before him were masters of the occult , feared and respected by everyone , almost rolling in the isles with laughter ,
"So Crom where are you taking this mighty monk today, off to slay so dragons maybe?",
More laughter, but this time a glare from Crom let the necro's know that the line had been reached and stepping over would involve some unpleasantness.
"We are off to Droks for gear for our friend here , then on to a meeting with the dwarves maybe"
"Well, we shall travel with you then, the north gate is always the safest this time of year."
Both necros produced orbs and vanished.
"Rule one thruough one hundred monk, while within 15 feet of Droks walls you will not engage in hostilities, the dwarves patron will not tolerate it on pain of death, don't forget it, if you do your dead... period! No coming back."
"Who's the patron that can enforce such a rule?"Ironfist probed Crom for a answer , His name is Glint and thats all you need to know , remeber fighting is death with in his realm.

Triggering the orbs they appeared outside a mamouth set of gates attached to a equally high wall that stretched off in both directions to the limit of visability , the dwarves liked there privacy , and had taken steps to ensure it.
"Ironfist walk to the wall and identify yourself , state your business and follow the instructions to the letter and all will be fine" Crom walked to the wall and after a brief blue shimmer of light he passed thru the wall and vanished.
Ironfist stood for a moment , once again questioning why he was here and if he really wanted to know the truth , the truth so far had a very large tagged attached to it , as he pondered some more , a flare of blue light and a large party of humans emerged from the wall , dressed in armour and robes they took off large packs and began removing weapons and assorted equipment , one of the large warriors looked up and caught his eye , nodded and continued to pull equipment from the bag , after a minute or two the group all produced orbs and vanished , another guild mabey off to rain destruction on some poor soul who deserved it no doubt , he approached the wall spoke his name and business and waiting for the blue glow a voice whispered in his mind , bidding him welcome to the domain of the Deldrimore Dwarves , the voice had a hint of curiosity to it and a accent like none he had heard before , mabey this was the patron Glint that Crom had spoke of before , mabey i am just going mad , either way it was going to interesting to see the home of the dwarves

Droknars Forge was large , it was really large , the first thing you see as you appear is ice and rock but beyond that a ring of steel and laughter and voices , and of course Dwarves , small stocky with eyes that look straight thru u and into your soul , the dwarves fear very little , they have survived in one of the most inhospitable areas on the planet , constantly at war with there kin the Stone Summit , not to mention the mired of beings that inhabit the mountains as well trolls giants whispering undead and of course the minotaurs , all of this was unknown to our Monk well it was until he ventured with Crom on that faithful day , the wheel turns and echo's of life slip between the cogs of the wheel and those who would rise to the challenge will burn bright for that instant , illuminating the darkness and driving it back , only to slowly fade and die , the darkness creeping forth once more , probing , looking for a soul to twist , manipulate and use to drive back the searing glow of the light , and i shall watch the game as it unfolds eon by eon till the reckoning comes at last and the wheel will stop and the choice will be made and then the wheel will turn again , this time only in one direction the winner will rile for a thousand years , the loser will be lost in the echo's of the void , set adrift in the cold vastness that has held the dark in check for so long , the small band of players in this part of the wheel may yet have there chance to shine , or they will join the void , and be lost for all time , i shall watch closely and if the opportunity presents itself i may yet be able to add something to the mix , keeping the flame burning for just that little longer , the darkness will be held in check and the time of legends and heroes may yet have a time to shine , we shall see..