Adventure Quest IC: Chapter 1: The Summons

[Nuridia]

OOC: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=422424&start=25

We all love a good old fashioned adventure quest. You know, when a ragtag bunch of people from all walks of life suddenly have to band together to save the world and maybe gain prizes along the way? Now, your motivations may be differing. You may be a true altruist who only wants to help others. You may want untold riches, or to increase your knowledge, or to gain some type of power? To fall in love, maybe even simple thrill of adventure or companionship. Perhaps you want to immortalize yourself forever in the hearts of generations as a great hero, and so you are on this quest to seek glory and immortality.

Regardless, for whichever reason you're on this quest, you're on this quest. And you're on this quest with a whole bunch of people that nine times out of ten you don't even know. Heck, you may even be ancient enemies with some of them, either personally or because of a feud between your races. Like it or not though, you're stuck with them, at least until you're able to get what you came for. But as they say, there are some things that people just can't go through without liking each other at least a little. With great reward comes great peril, and you will certainly be facing peril on these journeys. Will you get what you came for or leave empty handed? Will you find something that you never even knew you needed? Will you bond with your comrades or betray them all the first chance you get? Either way, it's up to you. More races will be added later. Magic is your typical fantasy, DnD magic and stuff.

Now, this story takes place in the land of Edmoria. This is your typical fantasy land. You got your kingdoms, you got your taverns, you got your magic and your quaint little villages. And you got your races. But first...you have to meet up. We can relax before that though, right?

[Skylus]

The Farewell

King Greadal Riverstrat of Gradulas of The Beneranus Fen was looking down upon his kingdom, surveying the land.
My son is to leave home today. the Elf King thought as he turned to gaze up at the large house behind him. A single light was on - his son was preparing to disembark on the traditional "coming of age" quest.
"I hope he's packed accordingly."

"Prince" Sabel Riverstrat

Sabel Riverstrat was in his room, packing various things in a rather large knapsack.
"There. That ought to do it. I wonder how long I'll be away from home for...Or who I shall meet..."
Sabel turned away from his luggage to an oak table, one that had been in his family for untold years.
A sword and shield were resting upon it, which had been the war weapons of choice in his family for untold generations.
The blade was named Demonslayer, the shield; Feranas .
"Everything seems to be in order."
Sabel swung the sword and shield over his left shoulder, turned to pick up the knapsack, and then left his room to say farewell to his parents.

[Axis Asteroid]

The Nightlands, Gravefort

I have a castle. Zanna told herself for the fourth time that day, yet repeating it made it no more believable than the first time. The fact she made it to the Nightlands in one piece and now lived the life of an exile was in itself surreal to her. She was half-expecting any moment now to wake up from a long dream and find herself back into her pitiful life as the student outcast. Her life ever since her now infamous attack on her previous university and the long flight away from civilized lands seemed so fantastical and unreal, she wouldn't have been surprised if it was all the feverish revenge fantasy of a lonely and repressed imagination. If it was, she could only hope it wasn't a nightmare.

Upon first arrival at the Nightlands, she had less than two dozen undead she could call her own, a small fraction of the great warband she once led. Most of her skeletal minions had fallen in the attack against her former peers and professors, with the remainder slowly whittled down by pursuing bounty hunters and errant adventurers during her following escape towards her new home. The pace at which her fortunes turned shortly after her arrival however surprised her.

She came upon an abandoned fort not long after, a modest stone castle resting atop an elevated crag surrounded by jagged cliffs of dead rock and thick woods. She was no military woman, but even she could tell at the value of the fortification at a glance based on its lofty positioning and defensibility. Love at first sight in other words, though it was from a prospecting homeowner's perspective in her case.

Except the fort wasn't abandoned.

A sizable band of bandits and renegades made up of exiled criminals, at least eighty strong, were garrisoned inside, and had shut its gates upon spotting her undead. They even tried to pelt her with arrows. Instead of scaring her away however, it only made her more determined to capture it. Under the cover of darkness, when the clouds shrouded the blood moon, the few skeletons she had were able to approach within ten yards of the walls by sneaking through the woods. Since she had no idea how to build, much less use a battering ram, her skeletons ignored the gates and instead scaled the walls by climbing atop the other in a skeletal ladder. Once they were inside, they were able to quietly dispatch the sleeping bandits and bolster her ranks with the dead. By the time they were noticed, it was too late. The gates were open and the castle was hers with only four dead skeletons on her end and over eighty new undead ghouls, courtesy of the slain bandits.

That was a fortnight ago.

Now, Zanna found herself in the castle solar staring into a framed portrait of her deceased parents, one of the last few memorabilia she had of her loved ones in her posession. When left to the privacy of her thoughts, she often found herself conversing with the smiling faces of her mother and father, at times asking for counsel and advice with the full knowledge that her words would go unanswered. Whenever she wasn't engaged in a private one way conversation with the dead, simple contemplative thought was also another pastime that gave her comfort.

Another reason she was in the solar however was less spiritual and more utilitarian in nature. Simply put, she was hungry and she anicipated the return of one of her undead foraging parties. Her recent palet consisted of rabbit, salamanders, and other creatures found in this cold and dark land. She had yet to eat something more substantial, like elk or bear, and even though she was unsure if those types of animals even prowled the Nightlands, she at least hoped to eat something more filling this evening.

Her thoughts were answered by the whine of the portcullis rising to let in a returning patrol. She could keep track of her minions through her connection, which is why she let out a disappointed sight upon knowing it was not a foraging party that had entered.

More. More. More. More.

The young necromancer sighed as she bid her parents farewell. More gruesome work awaited her. The undead patrol awaited her in the courtyard with a cart filled with a mound of bodies in various states of decay, faces contorted in expressions of pain and anguish. From a glance, the bodies were mostly larger men sporting black brands on their necks. Penal colonists. Exiled criminals.

They did not die gently. Zanna thought uncomfortably, unnerved at the ease at which her undead discovered these untended corpses lying around. This was the third batch this week alone. I wasn't the one responsible for their deaths at least. People kill each other all the time in this place. I'm just making sure their remains don't go to waste. She justified, the dangers of her new home only made more real to her. Life it seemed, was a cheap commodity in the Nightlands and if she wasn't careful, hers could be snuffed out just as easily.

She did her best to ignore the smell as she raised her hand to the bodypile in the cart. I'm only doing what's necessary to protect myself. Undead animation was a relatively simply process for her. She wasn't sure how other necromancers did it normally, but in her case all it required was intent and a little bit of prodding. She wasn't sure if mana or another energy source was involved, since she was partially convinced her inability to cast any other type of magic indicated she had nothing of the sort. Whatever the case, necromancy came very naturally for her, so she had no room to complain.

A shiver. A twitch. A jerk. And it was done.

The bodies spasmed and convulsed as they rose to their new state of undeath, an otherwise normal occurrence when a corpse retained muscle or fat, tumbling and clawing their way from bodily entanglement as they extracted themselves from the cart. Fiery green orbs hovered in their eye sockets, creating quite a haunting and menacing glare. The newly animated undead lined themselves up in front of their new mistress.

More ghouls. Zanna noted, appraising the capabilities of her new minions. As former penal colonists, her new undead were already in above average physical condition from a life of hard crime and violence. Murderers. Rapists. She reminded herself, feeling slightly less guilty of her actions. Only the worst criminals were banished to the Nightlands. Those too violent and threatening to remain in civilized lands. In other words, ideal soldiers to protect her and dispose of when necessary. You'd fit right in. A traitorous thought whispered in her mind before she squashed it. The many dead at her former university would have agreed.

This recent batch had ten in total. Though she personally preferred skeletons, ghouls had better physical endurance in that they could weather more damage than their skeletal counterparts thanks to the muscle and fat they retained. Undead were already hard enough to kill as it was. Conventional weapons, especially of the bladed variety, were more likely to chip and dull when striking human bone repeatedly than successfully hacking away at one or two undead skeletons or ghouls, much less a dozen or more. As far as she was aware, only pyromancy or related fire magic and light magic were significantly potent to the undead. Possibly enchanted or magical weapons of some kind too. Maybe.

Snap.

Almost as if a switch were flicked in her mind, Zanna suddenly felt her connection to her new undead minions severed. She stared dumbly as the freshly animated ghouls swayed back and forth before wandering past the raised portcullis and exiting the keep.

It's as I feared. The disappointing realization came almost immediately. For some reason, ever since she entered the Nightlands, the quantity of undead she could command had been drastically reduced to only around a hundred. Any undead she raised above that figure would break free from her control and mindlessly wander around the surrounding land outside the castle. She referred to these types of undead as "wild undead."

It's a pain in the ass. They don't attack me, but I can't control them either. She complained internally, not realizing that controlling a dozen, much less a handful of undead was already mentally and physically taxing to novice and intermediate necromancers alike under normal circumstances.

It's not as if I'm mentally or physically exhausted. Does this cursed land have something to do with it? She wondered, glancing at the blood moon. No, it could have began as soon as I fled from the university. Her previous warband of undead numbered at least twice her current capacity, and yet she's only now experiencing these restrictions. Perhaps it has something to do with intense emotional turmoil? I'll have to test that out...

Before she could worry about it any further however, multiple signals flashed through her brain.

Food. Food. Food. Food.

The portcullis was raised once more to allow entrance to the returning foraging party. They promptly presented their cargo in front of their mistress.

A Wild Boar! And a dead body...?

Ah, a bounty hunter. She acknowledged with little fanfare, quickly pushing the new information tidbit out of mind. Is that the second one this week? Oh well, one more for my undead collection... After I let go of a skeleton and free up a slot.

The boar on the other hand was quite the magnificent creature. With the meat on that thing, she knew she would have a fine meal tonight! Never had wild boar before... Plus, I always wanted an undead pet. She thought as her guards escorted her into her solar, troubles temporarily pushed aside at the prospect of wild boar for dinner.

She briefly wondered what her parents would think of her if they saw her now. Criminal exile. Budding necromancer. Master of a keep.

They would give me a hug and take all my troubles away. She thought sadly. At least, I like to think that's what they'd do...

[Parcia]

Nightlands
A few miles from Gravefort

One thing Mira Karion happen to like the most, it was Kvass. Specifically, her Husbands Kvass. He often made the drink on their longer rides, were the drink had time to ferment in the inside of their settle bag. It was a good drink, rich, roasted in flavor and with the added spices she loved, made for quiet the evening. Which is why as her husband went about perfecting the traps around their camp, taking care to avoid the magical defenses that she cast before, she took the time to slip in to their large, dark green tent as the night thickened, although the term was rather redundant, as it was always bloody night in this place.

She slipped out of her clothes, and spread out in the furs that covered the floor while the small fire warmed the little room. She dug through her husbands pack until she found his little mason jar and opened it. She downed a good third of the jaw in one swig, feeling the rich, lightly alcoholic drink warm her insides. She heard the tent flap open and she quickly tried to hide the bottle, but to no avail.

"Oh, partaking before I got some of my own stock?" She giggled, the effects of the home brewed beer already setting in. He stood their, his mask off and hood down with a questioning expression at his wife as she lay their, mostly naked save a pair of lacy underwear. "I'm sorry, l-love, but you know what this does to me." His face softened in to a sly smile and he started to undress him self...


Later that night...as they lay together under the fur blanket, they had been whispering sweet nothings to each other, she posed an important question. "Is this the last one, love?" He nodded. "She should net us, this...Gravewalker, enough gold to secure that tavern of yours." He watched her yawn and blink tiredly. "Good, almost thought we were going to be doing this, and I uh....have something to tell you..." Her head dipped, and she snuggled up to his side. He raised an eyebrow, his own eye's barely open. "Hmm???"" His question was never answered, as they both drifted off to sleep.

The next "morning"

They both had heard rumores of Gravefort, the abandoned place up high in the Hinterlands of the Nightlands. With both of them having used it as a base of operations during their own exile to the cursed lands, though only up until a large group of traitors, killers, and all together unpleasant people forced the two of them out. They each crouched low, hidden in the sickly bush. Their armor gave off no light, and while one would see them upon close examination, they would move like black shadows in the perpetual night.

The memories of the last night, and its activities, were far from memory. Out here they were different couple, one of steel, blessed silver, and blood. The happy, love filled married couple they were last night was gone. They had to be professional now, less they risk each other.

She pointed something out to him. "Look at them." She whispered, seeing the green eyed men as they shambled about on the walls and gates. "Ghouls." Whispered Jahk, his voice growing dark. He hated Ghouls, having more then one bad experience with the damn zombies. "They seem slow, almost, dazed, means this Necromancer isn't as powerful as the college mages said she was." He nodded in agreement. He slipped the silver dagger out of its sheath and approached the corner.

Peering around it, he saw the two undead guards guarding the rear door. Why the keep had a rear door on a keep up on a cliff, he didn't know, seeing as the door face only 12 some of odd feet until the ground ended in a sheer drop off. He made a gesture to her, and she had her want unsheathed and ready. They both knew what spell she was going to use.

With practiced timing, he flicked his wrist out, sending the blessed blade in to the neck of the first ghoul, the magical properties of it severing the connection to its master, causing it to drop dead to the ground. The second one turned, and before it could raise the alarm, a bolt of silver lanced out at it, causing its muscles to tense and freeze, paralyzing it.

He had to act fast though, for the spell only lasted a few moments before it relaxed and started to right it self. He drew his sword and with one slice, severed it's head. With the threat now handled, the drow moved up and crouched in front of the door, muttering a spell under her breath, she began to pick the lock magically, while her husband retrieved his dagger and then promptly shoved the bodies, after looting them for gold, over the cliff.

They had a time limit now, for it the more they killed...again, the more their master would notice her flock shrinking.

[Nuridia]

Fliegel and Faegel Ripador, Old Kaldune
"Fae, hurry up! If I'm late because of you I'm kicking your ass!"

"Says the elf who takes three hours to get ready! On hair alone!"

"Fuck you, hair takes time!" There was laughter in that voice.

"Ew, incest!"

Both elves started cracking up, and a tall and muscular drow warrior came from the hallway into the bedroom. His pale hair was tied back, and he was wearing a short sleeved orange tunic with green leggings, knapsack and battle ax slung over his shoulder. The elf at the mirror stood up, his skin was pale blue unlike the nearly ebony skin of his brother. Tall and willowy, draped in robes he had the build of a wizard. Somebody who's specialty was not close range combat. The two smiled and went to go hug each other, they'd been living together since Faegel came of age.

"Why do you not have your bag packed? Aren't you coming?" Faegel asked, setting his own bag down. "Of course I have it packed, I'm trying to choose what to take. What to wear." The wizard was balancing a rather impressive box of potions in one hand and an extra spellbook in the other. "Make yourself useful and help me." Fliegel playfully flicked one of the warrior-elf's ears. Faegel rolled his eyes. "Just because you're my big brother Flieg, doesn't mean you get to tell me what to do." he said, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl. "Yes it does." With a wave of the staff, items were shrinking and packing themselves. "Where's your armor, you're not wearing it?"
"I'll put it on before we go. But we wear things under that armor you know. And Mother and Father will be wanting us to say goodbye."

"Shit, you're right. And I still haven't decided what to wear yet!"
"You're the older one?"
"Shut up. I'm going to go make breakfast, an apple does not count." Another round of laughs and Fliegel cuffed Faegel on the back of the head as he left the room.

[New Roman Empire]

The Faik twins
Witches cave, wilderness
3 week prior to current events

A fire ball hit the wall, and left scorch marks visible. "Damn hunters always trying to kill me off! Hunters for centuries have tried to kill me and to no avail, what makes you think you will be able to kill me!?" Shouted the witch as she unleashed another fire ball at the pinned down witch hunters, the witch in question was a witch queen. These witches had been around for centuries and usually led a coven or a small group of witches with them. Their magic was very old and very strong compared to those of other witches, they were the elders who had experience. They had the time to perfect their craft, that made them one of the most dangerous things to hunt as a witch hunter.

"Brother dear, would you mind distracting this bitch for me?" asked Akinna as she smiled for a second before being pelted by small pebbles from the latest spell sent down their lane. The twins had managed to kill the other witches with ease but, the queen was creating more issues than they had originally thought. Arden nodded and stood up and took a fireball square to the shield which knocked him back a bit. He shook off the blow and started to move forwards towards the queen as she sent another fireball down the towards him.

"Any time you wish to do whatever you have planned would be greatly appreciated sister!" Yelled Arden as he took another fireball to the shield and the flames wrapped around the shield.

"You remember how we took down that witch in Rosentlia? We are going to do the same thing," replied Akinna as she charged forwards towards her brother as the witch queen shifted her attention on her and sent a fireball hurling at her. She slide under the ball of fire and drew her short swords as Arden turned around and lowered his shield. She hit the shield and launched herself in the air and sunk her swords in the witch queen's chest, the queen's eyes went dark for a second before a laughter was heard.

Akinna looked shocked, all the other witches had died after that, "obviously you are not skilled at hunting my kind we don't die like other witches," she chuckled as she waved her arm and sent Akinna flying into a nearby boulder. Arden looked just as shocked as his sister was and was in complete disbelief at the current situation. He shook the shock from his mind as he brought his shield back up and charged at the witch.

A fireball was deflected off the shield and sent towards Akinna as she got up and grabbed a bolt and stuck it into her crossbow as she slid under another ball of fire. She smiled and aimed for the queen's head before she squeezed the trigger sending the flaming bolt straight into the witches head. The queen stopped right in track in the middle of casting another fireball as she dropped and burst into flames.

The two were sent flying due to the force of the blast, after a few moments they both slowly got back to their feet. "What the hell just happened? I never seen a witch not die from getting stabbed in the chest, do you think its true they cut their hearts out to protect themselves from that?" Asked Arden as he retrieved on of her short swords on the ground nearby.

Akinna bit her lip for a moment, "Well I mean what else could it be, though I thought that was only a myth until now. I mean very little information is known on the witch queen due to them exploding if they are killed and the fact few hunters can kill them," she explained as she grabbed her other sword and caught the one her brother sent towards her.

He replied, "Well I guess. We should head back to the village, they probably will want to know." The two left the cave and made their way back to the village.

present time
The Woman's Tit Tavern, Rasco Village

The twins were sitting in the back of the tavern when a courier set down a set of letters on the bar. Arden looked confused as he stood up, walked over there grabbed a letter and then walked back. "Hmm, its some announcement for adventurers, looks like they are needing people for something. Maybe we should check it out," he advised as he slid the letter over to his twin.

She glanced over the letter for a moment, "Yes, maybe we should looks interesting enough." She concluded as they paid their bill and set off for the rally point.

[Axis Asteroid]

The Nightlands,
Gravefort, Dining Room

The taste of wild boar was absolutely exquisite! Zanna never imagined herself ever eating wild boar, or any boar for that matter. After eating the bland food and drinking the bitter swill served to her at university for the better part of a year, she had forgotten how to appreciate food or good taste for that matter until now. Hunger might have been skewing her thinking however, for admittedly she did become somewhat malnourished over her limited diet of squirrels and salamanders over the past few weeks. With that in mind, she made sure to remind herself to push her foraging parties to work doubly as hard to find decent game, or at the very least more boar.

"Ah, that hit the spot..." She remarked as she came to a stand, a nearby skeleton already picking up her used plate. Behind her, the doors opened to reveal two ghouls transporting the skeletal remains of the boar into the room. As soon as they were done with their task, she mentally sent them away to patrol the castle.

The wild boar itself was an impressive size for its species. At the very least larger than what Zanna had read about. The one in front of her reached at least to her waist on all fours and was large enough for someone more daring, with a small frame like hers to ride. She wasn't looking for a mount however.

"Let's see... What should I name you?" She mused, circling the dead animal, happy with her choice of household pet. Her eyes were drawn to its tusks in particular. Long and sharp. Thick too. Must have been quite the little killer when you were alive. She thought. Would have punctured a hole in any living thing it gored.

Too bad my undead aren't living.

"I decided! I'll name you Tusky after your two pointy ends." She declared, raising her hand to animate it as she would any other undead.

She paused.

That's strange... She thought, eyes narrowed. Something's strange about the signals I'm receiving. It was only a slight alteration, so scant, so minuscule, it might have otherwise been unnoticeable. To anyone whose mental connection wasn't as acute or sensitively keen as hers. She did an immediate mental headcount.

100

She frowned. Strange, my connection's reporting nothing amiss. She double-checked just to make sure.

100

All her undead were accounted for. She hesitated, before turning her attention back to the task at hand.

"Oh well. It's seems everything's fine... I think." She mumbled. Since she had all one hundred undead, she contemplated releasing one from her control to bring Tusky under her direct command but ultimately thought against it. It's not a really a pet if it's a empty husk with no free will.
I'll animate Tusky as a wild undead to let him roam freely around the keep. He'll be a true house-pet then.

With her decision made, she quickly animated the dead boar into a proper state of undeath. Her eyes gleamed when the individual bones connected themselves like pieces of a puzzle into a full four-legged skeleton with bright emerald orbs for eyes. Others might have found her flock's eyes intimidating or ominous, but she always found it strangely beautiful, especially in moments of rebirth like this one.

Zanna waited with bated breath, her gaze boring into Tusky. Any second now, and he'll run around the room in a frenzy like a excited puppy.
Or crawl around swaying in a daze like most other wild undead. She thought, hoping for the former.

She waited.

Tusky remained in place.

She waited.

Tusky remained in place. Staring emptily into the wall behind her.

That's when Zanna noticed. Her new "pet" was not a wild undead. She could feel their connection. He was under her command. Under her direct command.

Despite already controlling one hundred undead.

The necromancer's breath hitched. A signal went out to all the undead under her thrall.

Return to me. Return to me. Return to me. Return to me. Return to me. Return to me. RETURN TO ME. RETURN TO ME. RETURN TO ME!!!

Her signal resounded through the collective consciousness of her flock both inside and outside the castle compelling them to stop what they were doing to go to her location. Every outside patrol was rushing back. Every forging party. Every guard running and crawling back to her like a frenzy.

Except it would take them a while.

The doors to the dining room slammed open to reveal two ghouls in a nearby patrol, the closest to her location. They quickly joined her side.

Gods where are they!? She thought furiously, her thoughts running at a thousand miles per hour. Something's wrong. I don't feel all my undead responding... My signals! Something's interfering with my connection!

The realization hit her like a brick and she immediately felt a cold sweat run down her brow. Someone's in the keep! Someone's killing my undead! Someone's within a hair's breath of taking my life. She realized with dread. A cold, primal fear crawled up her spine. No bounty hunter or would be adventurer ever got close enough to enter the keep, much less its interior. None it seemed until now.

How the hell did they get in!? Were one of the many jumbled thoughts scrambling in her mind at the moment. Another one jumped out. If my undead are getting killed... It means slots are open in my flock. A brief flash of realization. In a panic, she reached out with her connection to the wild undead wandering the surrounding woods. Don't underestimate me! One by one they fell under her thrall once more, replacing her lost flock within the castle. They were all mentally assaulted with one command.

RETURN.

It's not enough! She thought, feeling the wild undead rushing back to the castle. They're too far! They'll never make it! Fear and anxiety gushed out of her in waves, further drowning what little remained of the conscious mind within each and every undead under her command with the single goal of returning to her side.

Her mind clouded by fear and panic, Zanna failed to notice that her raw emotions starting to spill beyond the confines of her connection, dominating more and more wild undead into following her command, their number far surpassing her current limit.

110

"I have to get out of here! She eventually decided, directly the three undead in the room outside into the hallway. Tusky, the undead boar led the front with its tusks, while the two ghouls protected her flanks. She was in the middle.

120

Where should I go? She quickly considered her options. There's a panic room in the dungeon. The place is a maze down there and I know of a secret compartment. I doubt the intruders know of its existence. She was replicating her university attack without even realizing it.

130

Her thoughts turned to her parents. I left their portrait in the solar. I can't leave it there to the mercy of the intruders. She shook her head. What am I thinking? Why would the intruders want my parents' portrait? The solar's just a common room with few hiding places anyway. The panic room is the better option.

140

No matter what she tried however, Zanna could not get the portrait out of her mind. I can't leave it behind. I'll never forgive myself. I can always hide in the closet. Or under the bed. She made her decision with a heaving feeling in her chest. With one glance back at the dining room, she disappeared into the darkened hallway, three undead in tow, with her chosen destination in mind.

She could only hope she didn't make a mistake.

Outside, a series of unholy roars blanketed the surrounding woods, splitting the morning air. The leaves rustled and the trees shook as countless boned feet advanced towards the keep.

???

[Parcia]

The Karions


he stood over her, trying his best to use the small flame to light up the lock as she manipulated the the tumblers through her magic. "Hurry up love." She sighed at him. "Not my fault, damn thing is rusted!"

Outside, a series of unholy roars blanketed the surrounding woods, splitting the morning air. The leaves rustled and the trees shook as countless boned feet advanced towards the keep.


They both looked at each other. She got up, dispelling the lock picking spell and drew her sword, the curved, thick blade giving up a shine in the darkness. He drew his dagger, moving it to his off hand and took a few steps back as the rustling sound got closer. He raised his booted foot high and slammed it in to the door, just right of the lock. He did again, and again, each time the hoard of undead getting closer and closer. With the third time, the door gave in and opened with a slam. They both rushed inside just as the hoard. Turning around, Mira pointed her wand on the stone floor, muttered a few words, and pulled a wall of stone upward, blocking the door, the door frame, and extending another 4 feet in both directions.

They turned to each other, seeing the secondary door, and readied them selves. "What is our record for the last print?" He smiled under the mask. "3 minuets if memory serves, although we do know were most of the hiding spots in this one is, granted the witch didn't change the layout." She giggled. "You have the collar?" He nodded and produced the silver, padded collar, this one was pure silver, drastically limiting the magical abilities of one, but also held a binding spell preventing the wearer from getting more from 20 feet from the owner, at this point Mira, by way of electric shock.

She nodded and he pocked the collar in the small pouch on his hip and readied his swords. She readied her wand, muttered a spell under hear breath, and sent a fire ball at the door, blowing it clear of its hinges and shattering the skeletal form behind it. The 3 or so other undead roared and the two black clad figures sprinted out the room. She dropped one from range with another fire ball, while he dropped the next two with two precisely executed slashes at the spine, ducking and dodging their own cumbersome swings.

"Track her!" He yelled as they turned the corner and he readied his blades, standing infront of his wife as she reached out with her third eye, searching out the other magical being. She could sense the undead, the faint, dark blue sparks that were dull and pale compared to the bright red of her and her husband. As for the Necromancer, she couldn't find her exact position, but had a general idea. "She just passed the Solar."

But her ping had one side effect, it was a giant "FOUND YOU!" to the necromancer, one she could feel as well.

[Axis Asteroid]

The Nightlands,
Gravefort, Solar

Zanna clutched the now recovered picture frame in her chest, a visible sigh of relief exiting her lips. At least one thing has gone right. She reassured herself, a small, yet not insignificant amount of tension seeping from her shoulders. It did little to ease her stress however, as her mind was still on overdrive trying to think of ways to dispatch the intruders and possibly escape this ordeal with her life intact. Even now, she could feel her undead flock inside the castle slowly getting cut down. She needed to act fast. First, I have to locate them. But how-

PING

Her head snapped in the direction of the signal, her eyes staring furiously through the floor. Foreign. Alien. Threatening. Those were the words that came to mind when she felt the invading magic assault her senses, which was ironically fitting considering how it was courtesy of the invaders in the castle. They're below me. I'm not sure whether it's one floor or two floors, or if they're in the dungeons but I do know they're below me. She noted grimly. She wasn't sure how she knew their general location precisely, but she garnered that it was insight gleamed by the obtrusive ping she felt. And if I know know their general proximity, then they're certain to have an idea of my location too.

Her grip on the picture frame tightened at the thought. They could use magic it seems. A fairly high level one at that. Did the university send them? Finally decided to get some pay back? Get rid of the outcast and budding necromancer threat in one fell swoop?

She approached the lone window in the room and surveyed the surrounding woods. The outside was alight with approaching signals. So many, so numerous in fact, that she couldn't believe she failed to notice it before. An ounce of her previous confidence returned as she relished in the reassuring signals she felt in her undead network. She could feel each and every individual undead coming to her rescue. She could practically see them glide through the woods, between the trees, howling and screeching. She felt a strange sense of comfort, and for the first time since this ordeal began, hope.

She let out a shaky breath before her lips pursed into a thin line. Whowever you are, think again. You're magic is double-edged sword, since I now know where your general location too. You'll regret revealing yourselves. She thought with more bravado that her trembling body betrayed.

I'll swamp you with undead and hopefully that'll be enough to finish you off. She began with wishful thinking, sending a mental signal to the undead in the keep, save for the three currently with her in the solar, in the general direction of where she last felt the ping. If not, I'll just have to delay you until the surrounding undead arrive. If I can last until then, it's my win. She concluded, hastily implementing her plan.

There was one problem however. She discovered it when she looked around the solar. This was the room where she would make her stand in case the intruders managed to reach her and felt her throat dry up.

Gods, I knew I should have gone to the panic room. She lamented. Furniture like the bed, closet, desk, and wooden table with chairs, turned the fairly open spaced solar into a congested room with little hiding places. I don't stand a chance if I confront them openly. Not with her noodle arms at least. Her undead were her only line of defense.

There is a fireplace. She also noted, not that it helped. The congested nature of the room could also hinder the intruders upon second thought, but she knew she was at a disadvantage due to the presence of her newly revived undead pet Tusky. He was a fairly big bore who needed room to maneuver. Locking him inside the room with her two ghouls would greatly restrict their movements, and by extension, their combat ability.

Should I take a chance and go hide somewhere else? The ping wasn't exactly precise. She considered the alternative before deciding against it. No. We make our stand here. Delay anymore and they'll catch us unprepared. Zanna decided, quickly locking the door. Like that would stop them. I need to free up space for movement. She decided, ordering the ghouls to barricade the door with the desk and table. That should free up some space... It did a little bit. With two of the larger pieces of furniture out the way, the center of the room was clear for the undead boar to charge with is tusks.

Hopefully that's enough. The young necromancer approached the bed and looked underneath. Should I hide under here? No, too obvious. It would be the first place I would look. She looked at the two ghouls. I think I'll hide the ghouls in potential hiding places in the room to trick our guests. She had one of the ghouls hide under the bed in her place. A nasty surprise waiting for whoever looks under.

She turned to the other potential hiding place. The closet. Kinda obvious too. She despaired. But it's kind of outta the way compared to the bed. Shit, it's my only option at this point if I don't want to stay in the open.

Since there was no room for the other ghoul. (She didn't want to stay in an enclosed space with a rotting corpse). She instead had the other ghoul hide at the right corner of the room beside the door that acted as a blind spot from the entrance. Tusky would wait at the center of the room in full preparation to charge and gore any intruders on its tusks if the locked door and its barricade were breached. At the same time, the ghoul hiding in the corner would also attack from the blind spot.

With her preparations finished, Zanna quickly made her way to the closet. The success or failure of her plans also depended on the number of invaders in the keep. From the ping, she could tell it was a small number, but she wasn't sure if that meant a lone attacker or an entire party.

The die is cast... She thought glumly as she opened the doors to the dusty closet. It was empty inside. No hiding behind hanging clothes. If she was discovered, she was finished.

She thought of her parents as entered and shut its doors, darkness filling her vision. She sat horizontally across to allow her to sit down inside, her beloved picture frame clutched to her chest. She closed her eyes and focused on the ongoing battle inside the confines of the keep, her mind fully concentrated on sending strong signals to her defending undead to directly urge them to fight more harder, more ferociously.

I just need to need to last until reinforcements arrive. She told herself, at the moment uncertain of her ultimate fate. Despite her own reassurances, she felt tears gather at the corner of her eyes. She covered her mouth with a hand to prevent an involuntary whimper from coming out. Any noise that would betray her position would spell her doom.

So, there she was, a wanted criminal, budding necromancer, and master of the keep. Hiding in a closet, clutching a picture frame with her eyes closed shut. Gods, what I gotten myself into? Mother... Father...

[Higher Japan]

Unknown time, Unknown location

"Man down!" One of the mages shouted as another one of their comrades had fallen to the order. In the middle of the massive desert, was one of the largest known battles between the remnants of The Light Alliance, against the massive approaching forces of the Order of Mages. On the side of the desert fortress, the alliance soldiers began to raise up fallen soldiers and dead fighters, only for them to all be knocked down by falling balls of flame, blowing them into dust as soldiers slowly began to advance closer and closer to the fortress, now damaged with the watch tower being blown off from the main building. On the outside, balls of fire and energy began to slowly break and crack the shield raised around it, soldiers waiting for the command to charge.

Inside the massive fortress, mages were rushing about everywhere as metal suits were awoken with magic, raising up a small army of puppets that were only meant to stall the soldiers to prevent the capture of Arcania. Suddenly, with a loud crack and a moment of silence due to the nature of the shield which released a large sound wave and blue wave, the shield shattered into pieces and disintegrated into dust. "Charge!" A man in grand armor shouted, raising a golden sword with 4 gems of increasing size from the hilt up, the soldiers and mounted calvary all charging at the gates of the fortress. As Arcania sat in a throne room, listening to the chaos that was happening outside as the soldiers of both sides clashed against each other, metal suits falling apart and men being felled as the sand slowly became red.

"Arcania! The order has broken through, your orders?" One of the head mages, the equivalent to a general, asked as they walked in. She rose up from her throne as she sighed before speaking. "The battle has been lost, there is no hope left. Tell the other mages to rise anything they can to stall the order. They have my permission to run. As for me, prepare my carriage." As she finished, the head mage nodded and ran off as she followed behind, reaching her carriage which was prepared with two horses. Boarding it, she saluted the head mage who she knew was eventually going to die. "May your passing be peaceful." She said, and at that she left as she directed the carriage to her secret fortress.

Unknown Time, The Night lands before conversion

Coming and reaching her final fortress, the sun had already set and she expected the Order to already be trailing her. Signalling to the man driving the horses that he could leave. As she walked in and shut the gates, she could hear the neighing of the horses before she walked down to the throne room. Brushing her hand over a carving in the throne, a the throne was pushed aside as a rectangular coffin appeared. Walking into the coffin, she put the palace under a spell and that all that enter will not survive. Once she was sure that the spell was cast, she let herself into the tomb before lowering herself into the ground as it closed, entering an eternal rest.

Present Time, Night lands, fort

As Arcania slowly awoke from her rest, the throne was failed to be pushed aside, as such the coffin forced itself up by blasting the throne into pieces as it opened, Arcania falling out onto the ground before getting up. Looking around, she had seen that nothing had changed but took her staff and using the curved section with a ball, she looked into it but only saw clouds. Grumbling about something, she heard loud noises throughout and snapped her fingers, causing a crow to fly in as she used it to fly through the fort to look for the source of noise, to find what it was before more came in as they flocked in and began their search. All the while she had rebuilt the throne and waited, sitting on it.

[Parcia]

The Karions

"Hun, i don't mean to rush you, but uh...could you hurry?" She frowned, her eyes still closed and her brow covered in sweat. She felt the slight feed back from the ping, getting the general location, but the suddenly increase in the stream of undead her husband was cutting down told her the Necromancer was powerful enough to send her forces in mass at them. A good tactic indeed.

"She-she disappeared some where in the Solar!" He growled at the sight of the undead streaming in in through the far doorway. "Taking the blue one!" She opened her eyes, "Are you sure, I haven't tested it yet!" He shrugged, already having popped open the the small bottle and downed it in one gulp. HE felt a surge of energy go through his veins, light lightning in his blood and smiled. He started to swing faster, move quicker, and dodge more and more attacks.

The potion was a experimental one, meant to boost ones stamina and fighting prowess. The one he had taken was a light one, meant to not turn the user to ash from the heat created from the formula. Even then, he began to cut down more and more, Mira using her magic to shoot fire balls and lightning bolts, using her area of effect abilities to mow down large swaths. Eventually, they made it to the doorway, which, as their memory told them, would lead to a set of stairs that would take them upstairs. To her count, the two of them had managed to cut down around 40 of the undead before he ran out of things to kill. This left her husband panting and obviously tired.

She put a hand on her husbands back, feeling his heart beat rapidly. "Calm down, shhhh, the'er gone now." Slowly he calmed down, the adrenaline seeping out of him and leaving him tired and sluggish. "I'l take point, we take it slow for now, alright?" He gave her a curt nod and readied his weapons.


Soon, they had managed to climb up the stairs to a large wooden door. They had, as it seemed, managed to cut down most of the undead in this section of the Keep, although she could sense a hoard, even larger then before, approaching from below them. "I'll blow the door down, you enter left, I'll enter right." He nodded, and Mira pointed hr black wand at the door. Muttering a spell under breath, a blast of blue energy shot out and blew the door clear off it's hinges.


They both entered, him going to the left side and her going down the right....only to find nothing. "What..." He shot her a look, then scanned the room, looking for places to hide. The chimney was an obvious choice...but too obvious, and they would have known if the necromancer had left through their.

She put a hand on his shoulder and pointed towards the closet. She used her senses again, and while finding the same generalized magical presence, she felt a growing ball of fear coming from the wardrobe. They both moved closer, but as Jahk stepped, a board underneath his foot creaked loudly.

[Nuridia]

Herrul Ironhand
"Son? Are you nearly ready?" King Amrol Bluebeard made his way into his second son's bedchambers where the dwarf-prince was packing for his journey. Herrul's black hair and beard, with a strong blue tinge that he inherited from his father were practically braided and decorated with silver clips. He was wearing a black and gold tunic with sturdy boots, and turned to look at his father with the famous Blackpave dark blue eyes. "Nearly. Is that my warhammer?" Amrol handed the hammer he held to his son with a nod, and hugged him with a clap on the shoulder.
"I have sent out the summons to the other adventurers, Herrul. They'll be coming here anyway so you can stay." he said with a sad smile.
"Father, I should go. Even if we're coming here to receive our mission, it'll be best for somebody who knows the way to lead them to Aramdoud." Herrul placed his helmet on his head and heaved his knapsack on his shoulder, he now had to say goodbye to his siblings and mother. "Well before you go, at least get your prosthesis checked. We don't need it refusing to function when you're trying to fight." He gestured to his son's iron hand, which Herrul looked down on. "I love you Father."
"I love you too son, and remember what I've said." Herrul went to the Great Hall before he would depart, and meanwhile the dwarf-king's ravens were flying out with the summons in their beaks, to choose their adventurers and tell them of the meeting place.




Fliegel and Faegel
"Well Mother, Father. I suppose we'd best be off now." Faegel was speaking to his parents, Tangie and Jonik in their living room. If you looked at Fliegel and Faegel, and then Tangie's deep purple skin and Jonik's brown-black skin, you can tell which brother resembled which parent. Even though Tangelika's hair was white and Jonik's hair was slightly blonder. Jonik strode over and hugged both of his sons, pushing his glasses up on his nose. "Take care of each other now." he said, pulling back. Tangie went to go embrace them both, kissing them both on the cheek. "Good luck. And what your father said, take care of each other."
"We always do, Ma." Fliegel assured them with a smile, straightening his pointed hat on his head. It was the black one with pink lining. "We love you guys, okay? We'll be fine. And don't worry, I'll watch out for the big doofus." Fliegel said.
"Hey, I resent that!" Faegel quipped back. The two older elves laughed, their sons may tease each other but it was always playful. They were unbelievably close, and for that the parents were grateful. However it's quite amusing about how much they could act like elflings, grown as they were. Especially Fliegel. "He's the elder?!" many had asked. "Yes, he is." they would say.

"Flieg, come here." Jonik beckoned his eldest son over and whispered in his ear. "Are you sure you're going to be alright?" he whispered in concern. Fliegel stiffened slightly, he knew what his father meant. And he was loath to think about it, even now. He knew his father meant well but...
"I'll try to be Da, I'll be okay." he whispered back, voice now containing a slight tremor. Fliegel noticed it and frowned, as elves had good hearing. The brothers walked out together and Faegel put an arm around his brother's shoulders. "He shouldn't have brought that up. I know Father didn't mean it but...he should know by now how it upsets you." Nothing but silence, his older brother was staring at his boots.
"Hey, Flieg? You still with me?" Faegel asked gently. Fliegel shook his head and looked into the red eyes that were so much like his own. "I'm sorry, I was...thinking." his voice was barely a whisper. "You're shaking, when you start shaking that means you've had a flashback." The wizard didn't deny it. "Come on, let's go sit down for a bit eh?" The warrior led his elder brother to the bench in their parents' garden and the two just sat there in silence, Fliegel was taking deep breaths while his brother had a hand at his back. "You sure you're gonna be alright?" Fliegel closed his eyes.
"I honestly don't know anymore Fae. I don't know. I...I feel ill." Faegel felt a flash of anger, he wanted to kill the bastards who made his big brother like this. Fliegel, who was normally so strong. He had to be, but hardly anybody knew he'd been fighting an internal battle for years. The sound of a crow's cry pierced the silence, and both their heads snapped up to see a raven coming right toward them. Two white folded pieces of parchment fell into each of their laps, carrying some sort of seal. Faegel picked up his letter first. "House Blackpave. What could the dwarf-king want?" He looked back at his brother, letter in hand and Fliegel nodded. "I'll be okay, read it." he said. Faegel put a hand on his shoulder before opening the letter. "It's some sort of summons. Apparently a group of adventurers is needed...we meet up at the Tiger Lily tavern and then walk together to Aramdoud to receive our mission. Why is he asking random people? But at the same time, a quest." he said excitedly and then turned back to Fliegel, who was staring at the power crystal in his staff. "Flieg, we don't have to go."

[Song-Lu]

Wormwood
Bear's Paw Tavern
Stranglehold Town

Play Track

Cheers erupted in the air as spectators clashed their wooden mugs, full of whatever alcoholic beverage into each other. The results were varied. Others gunged into the tavern floor, while others simply sloshed back and forth in the safety of their mugs. The spectators surrounded a small wooden table, where two gamblers and a dealer play a card game called Blackjack.

The dealer, human with tanned complexion and brown hair, wore an uncertain expression in his face and black eyes. The other gambler though, well, he simply didn't care at all. He plastered a nonchalant, poker face on his ghostly pale mug, yawning and stretching like a dog as he drew and placed his cards on the table.

The dealer drew his cards to the table. Two tens.

The dealer sighed in relief, winning was certain. The pale-faced dealer yawned once again, grabbing a glass of orange juice and taking a swig. After he finished drinking, he wiped his lips with his thumb and drew a slow, cocksure smirk, which ticked off the dealer and his fellow orc gambler, drawing cold, hard and exasperated looks from them.

But he didn't pay any attention. He still wore his cocksure smirk as he set his cards on the table. A ten and an ace.

OHHHHHHHH!!!

The spectators howled and cheered for the pale looking gambler, clashing mugs once more. The shouted so hard it drew all the other patrons of the tavern, even the waitresses and the bartender had stop and glanced at the general direction of the game. The winner simply brushed his silver locks from his face with one hand, the other hand opened and reached out to the dealer, motioning for the prize.

The dealer was no more but disgruntled, but he had no choice. The dealer stood up, seemingly drained from the untold intensity of the gamble and gave the vampire his bet sheepishly grimacing on his open palm. The vampire gambler set down the cloth pouch full of valuable coins as the dealer sat from where he last came from his eyes never meeting the vampire, offering his hand this time to the other gambler. The orc however, was less tolerant of the defeat, much so than the dealer. The orc fumed, smoke billowing from his cavernous nostrils. He made a fist and threatened to slam the table when the gambler stared at him. Never wanting to cause trouble, the orc simply made his way out of the spectators and patrons into the tavern exit.

At least the orc was wise enough to leave his bet in the table.

[Axis Asteroid]

The Nightlands,
Gravefort, Solar

When Zanna heard the door hit the wall, she knew the intruders were in the room. They're within throwing distance of me. She cringed, both amazed and terrified at their apparent skills. She felt her undead drop like flies at one point. An ordinary bounty hunter isn't capable of that. Who are these people?

She pushed herself up to to a stand inside the wardrobe, and as quietly as she could manage, peaked through the cracks of the door to study the interlopers. There's two of them. She noted, her eyes studying their dark attire. Visibility was poor, but she could tell their outfits were meant to give off an intimidating vibe. A killer's vibe. They looked straight out of a nightmare. Their faces were covered, but from their figures, she deduced she was dealing with a man and a woman.

They know I'm in here. She could tell from the fact the pair were staring directly at the wardrobe. But they haven't noticed the undead hidden in this room. If I wanted to, I could catch them unawares and hope the ambush incapacitates them before they even notice. She thought with a frown. Even if they manage to survive the ambush, I could already feel my undead swarming the lower levels. If I just delay them a bit...

Zanna bit her lip. But my undead still too far. If these survive the ambush and kill the undead with me before the undead below get here, I'm screwed. She'd be left defenseless at the mercy of two pissed off assassins. At this point, she didn't doubt the two's skills. They had killed undead in the double digits in a span of a few minutes prior to arriving here, something that was made all too real for her when signal after signal were severed from here connection.

One of the figures stepped on the floorboard. They were nearing her position.

I'll talk to them. She eventually decided, a cold sweat running down her brow. I'll convince them to let me go somehow. My undead are still hidden. I still have leverage. Even if dialogue failed, it would still give her precious time. With each second wasted, the closer the advancing undead would get. Time was on her side.

Except the intruders were now literally right in front of her.

The young necromancer quickly wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. Her voice needed to be level for this. She would lose her leverage if her voice betrayed her previous anxiety.

"I... I have undead hiding in this room right now." She began, withholding the true number, her voice raised enough to be heard outside the wardrobe.

She then sent a mental signal for Tusky to reveal itself, the large undead bore making quite the intimidating sight with its impressive tusks. The move done in order grant her leverage, bargaining power and to get the intruders to back away from the wardrobe. Behind the two, the hidden ghoul also revealed itself but didn't attack, almost as a sign of goodwill that it could have attacked their blindspot otherwise. Finally, the ghoul hiding under the bed was also came out of hiding, since it was the clear the intruders already knew where she was.

"If you let me go right now, I can pay you double what you were offered for this." They usually do it for the money. She gulped. "You've seen my undead. How many I can control. If it's gold you want, I can have my flock gather as much as required. With just a word, you won't have to worry about dealing with the advancing horde below. I'll get them to back off. You can save yourself the trouble of finding a way out without the risk of dying if you just agree."

When the final word left her lips, Zanna let out a shuddering breath she didn't know she was holding. Her words came out quickly, a spitfire resulting from a sense of urgency so that the two intruders heard what she had to say before they could otherwise act. Even with the knowledge her undead was in the room however, she couldn't stop her body from shaking. "I promise to get you your gold and let you leave unharmed if you agree. You have my word." Please. She almost begged, but outwardly maintained a calm poker face.

She now awaited their response.

[Skylus]

I apologize for using/re-writting part of your post, Nurdia

Sabel Riverstrat

A rather large raven swooped down to the landing where various High Elves were gathered and dropped a letter at Sabel's feet.
"A letter?"
Sabel picked up the letter and read who it had been sent from.
"House Blackpave. What could the dwarf-king want?" Sabel looked back at his parents, letter in hand, and his father nodded.
"Go ahead, read it." he said. His mother walked up and put a hand on his shoulder before Sabel opened the letter.
"It's some sort of summons. Apparently a group of adventurers is needed...we meet up at the Tiger Lily tavern and then walk together to Aramdoud to receive our mission. Why is he asking random people? But at the same time...a quest."
"A quest, eh? Might be to slay a Dragon or two, I've heard they've been a nuisance up north..."
King Greadal Riverstrat of the High Elves walked up to his son, holding a dragon scaled dagger.
"...Son, I want you to have this. It's another relic of ours. Her name is Dragonfang."
Sabel took the dagger and inspected it.
"...I didn't expect this..."
"You're of age now, Sabel. If you are willing to go off on this...quest, then you may do so."
The Elven Prince nodded, hugged his mother, shook his father's hand, and he was off.

[Higher Japan]

Fort, The Night Lands

As crows began to flock through the halls of the fort, eyes searching about for intruders, before noticing the three intruders in the palace. After surrounding them and cawing loudly, they all darted back to the throne room. A stray one suddenly flew in through the window of the throne room, settling on her staff. As she untied the piece of paper that was attached to it's neck and read it, she chuckled to herself as she burned it to crisp before chasing the crow back to where it came from. "Adventure? It has been a while since I've gone on one, not since the alliance." She thought to herself aloud, tightly gripping the armrest of her throne before getting up. Suddenly, the crows began to return after they had finished their mission, before she eventually sent them off into the night. With enough info on the intruders and their whereabouts, she teleported herself closer.

But before she could get close at all for her voice to be heard, she realized that there were more undead soldiers than expected, possibly numbering into the hundreds. She fell to her right knee as she felt the excessive amount of dark energy radiating through the entire fortress, even the crows outside began to caw. "T-This power, i haven't felt anything like this, even during the time of the alliance. I have no choice." Walking down to the lower levels, she could hear the sound of the undead walking about. Lifting up her staff and drawing energy from the spell cast over the fort, or what was left of it, she slammed her staff down as a white wave was blasted through the fort. Soon enough, the undead would find themselves dead once again as massive thorns, covered in spike like that of roses, shot up from the ground and pinned them against the wall.

Realizing that there was still some left, she drew whatever energy she could get from the fort after the powerful attack, walking closer so that she could feel where they were. Once done, she slammed it down once again, causing the remaining to freeze up. Once she could pass them, she shouted down the hallways. "Who are you people? Why are you in my fortress, leave at once!"

Order of Mages

In the massive spiraling hallways of the massive cathedral like building, massive divisions of men marched through the hallways of the massive building, the sound of metallic clanking resonating through the halls as the clanking swords of the soldiers filling the halls. A lone man instead marched down the halls in the opposite flow, down to the grand room which sat the Grand Mages. Once he reached the door, which was blocked by two spears being held by two guards in black armor with black capes. He drew his sword slightly, the guards taking notice and nodding as they moved apart and opened the door for him.

Once he walked into the room, which was a large circular room with a massive combined table fitting the shape of the room blocking him from the sitting Mages, all of their respective elements. As he got on one knee as respect, he rose once they had allowed him to. "Grand Commissioner Excio, we have summoned you here for a very important reason. Recently, we have consulted the oracle," One of them said, pointing to the woman with long hair sticking out from her cloak carrying a crystal ball, sitting at one end of the table. "Arcania, leader of the treacherous Light Alliance has awoken from an eternal slumber. The council worries that soon she will garner more forces to fight against us once again. As such, you will lead your division and capture and kill everyone associated with her, and the witch herself. That is all, begin your search at once. You have command over the dark guards." At that, he bowed and left, the two guards this time following him as he got messengers to issue orders to his men, getting them to begin searches for her, but most importantly they were all bordering the night lands.

[Nuridia]

"No Fae, I'm fine. We should be going." Fliegel said, standing up and brushing off his robes.
"You sure?" Faegel asked.
"Absolutely sure. Let's get a move on, I don't want to talk about this anymore." Silence once again fell over the pair, Fliegel grabbed his wizard's staff and held it horizontally, letting it go as it floated in midair of its own power. "We'll get there faster if we fly." Fliegel sat on one end of the staff and Faegel climbed on the back end, once they were both settled on it rose into the air and took off, much like a witch's broom. A form of transportation as well as a magical and melee weapon, Fiegel's staff was quite versatile. Faegel honored his brother's request and said nothing, merely examined his armor as the two of them headed toward the destined rallying point in silence.

Prince Herrul had said goodbye to his siblings and was now heading out himself, taking one of the horses. "Peace be with you brother." His older brother, crown prince Hubrur clapped him on the shoulder and the two hugged.
"You'll do our house proud, I know you will." Hedgrid, Herrul's younger brother handed him a shield while Princess Thokcha, his sister straightened his cloak. "Come back safe Herrul, or I'll drag you back kicking and screaming myself."
He chuckled. "I wouldn't expect any less from a dwarven princess of House Blackpave. I love you all, farewell!" He then snapped the reins and rode off, his siblings, nieces and nephews waving to him until he was out of sight.

[Parcia]

The Karions

The two of them froze as the creaking board resonated through the room. She pointed her wand at the door of the wardrobe just as their query began to talk.

"I... I have undead hiding in this room right now." She glanced back at her husband, who already put his back to hers and readied him self to intercept any threat that would make it self known. They both knew it was likely a bluff, or rather though it was until the three undead guards...and what looked like some sort of boar, made their presence known. Her husband elbowed her, and Mira spoke, her voice being one that had a certain sultry alure to it, while still maintaining a soft tone.

"We aren't here to kill you, you'd be long dead if we wanted too, no my dear, we need you alive." Now was her counter offer. "You banish these walkers, come with us peacefully, and no harm shall come to you, I can't offer the same if you fight though." To punctuate her point, she flicked her wrist and muttered a spell, the doors flying open to reveal their target, much to her surprise.

"Your barely an adult...how the hell did you manage to summon the amount of undead you..."

They were cut off by the surrounding crows. "Is this her!?" Jahk yelled over the loud cawing. She shook her head, her gaze still locked on Zanna. "Head mage said she was shit in most things, she wouldn't have the power too-"
Then another presence made it self known to her, one of such power that even Jahk, who's abilities were far less refined then hers, could sense the oncoming magical storm.

"Who are you people? Why are you in the fortress, leave at once! The voice boomed from down the halls, one that carried a magical signature that even Jahk could read. "Grab her now, we are booking it the fuck out of here ASAP!" He yelled to Mira, still back to back. Stepping forward, she readied her wand at the girl.

"Look either you walk out of here with us, or im taking you out and carrying you, your choice but you and I both can sense what ever the hell just spoke to us is not happy we are here."

[Skylus]

Sabel

"...We're to meet here?!"
The well-lit building in front of him was somewhere that even he wouldn't be caught dead in.
The bar tavern dwellers - wherever his kind went, it didn't seem to matter - didn't like High Elves.
And if they knew just who Sabel was...
This could go downhill very quickly...I'll have to watch my belongs...
With a deep breath, the Elven Prince walked into the tavern...

The entire room quieted when he entered.
Then a rough looking figure got up and made his way over to Sabel.
"Look what we have here...a waylaid Elf...You know what we do to your kind?"
Sabel could only look up at the man.
"Sir, I swear to you that I only came here to meet a group of people. I won't cause any trouble..."
The man grinned and moved in such a way that Sabel found himself up against a wall.
The man continued to come closer, and closer, and all the Elf Prince could do was merely stand there......

[Nuridia]

Sabel

"...We're to meet here?!"
The well-lit building in front of him was somewhere that even he wouldn't be caught dead in.
The bar tavern dwellers - wherever his kind went, it didn't seem to matter - didn't like High Elves.
And if they knew just who Sabel was...
This could go downhill very quickly...I'll have to watch my belongs...
With a deep breath, the Elven Prince walked into the tavern...

The entire room quieted when he entered.
Then a rough looking figure got up and made his way over to Sabel.
"Look what we have here...a waylaid Elf...You know what we do to your kind?"
Sabel could only look up at the man.
"Sir, I swear to you that I only came here to meet a group of people. I won't cause any trouble..."
The man grinned and moved in such a way that Sabel found himself up against a wall.
The man continued to come closer, and closer, and all the Elf Prince could do was merely stand there......

As soon as Fliegel and Faegel finally arrived at the tavern, they stepped inside and froze at the sight they were greeted with. A young elf, obviously of high standing judging by the way he was dressed was being ganged up on by a group of people. Faegel saw his blond hair and blue eyes and immediately knew. "He's a high elf. What's he doing in a place like this?"
"I don't know, but he's just a kid, high elf or not." the blue-skinned elf said. "You're right, we should help." Faegel gripped his ax in one hand. High Elves disdained their kind, that was no secret. In fact they disdained everyone...but drow were very low on their list. Fliegel couldn't stand people that ganged up on children, so he aimed his staff in the direction of the two , shooting off a purple bolt of magic that sent the man flying across the room, away from the child.
"Hey shithead! Stay away from the boy!" he said, anger palpable in the wizard's voice. Faegel strode over to the figure, ax in hand in case he tried to get up again.
"Sir, you even breathe in this kid's direction again and I will personally fuck you up, got it?" The warrior's red eyes were cold and hard as ruby, glittering with anger and disgust. Looking over and seeing his brother wasn't in any danger for now, Fliegel walked over to the high-elf, cautiously because he knew how most of them were, black and pink robes swirling with every step. "Hey kid, you okay?" he asked in concern, the power crystal on his staff was still faintly glowing.

[Skylus]

Lily Tavern

Sabel found himself looking at two Drow Elves, the blue skinned one holding a glowing staff was lighter in tone than his....Brother?
"...Yes...Thanks to you."
He offered a finger-less glove to shake.
"Name's Sabel Riverstrat. I know what you're thinking, but I'm not like them. Not at all. I received this letter, from Blackpave..." Sabel showed the two said letter.
"I take it you two also got a letter?"

[Nuridia]

Fliegel took the boy's hand and shook it. "Riverstad...I think I've heard of that house. You're related to the High Elf king somehow." he said before introducing himself. "Nice to meet you Sabel, my name's Fliegel. Fliegel Ripador."
"And I'm Faegel, his brother." the warrior said, coming up to shake Sabel's free hand.
"My little brother, I'm the oldest." Fliegel emphasized, making Faegel snort and roll his eyes but the two elves shared a smirk at one another before turning their attention back to the elven prince. "Yeah, we each got a letter. From the dwarven king, but we don't know why. All that it says is something about a quest." Faegel said, going over his letter.

Suddenly another figure strode into the tavern, and both brothers turned to look at him. He was clearly a dwarf, but he carried himself in such a way that you can tell he had an absolute surety of himself and a large personality despite his short frame. He was also very strong looking, he had blue eyes and a long blue-black hair and beard, his fur trimmed cloak swished as he strode toward the small group. A high-elf. Great, what was Father thinking?! High elves despise us. But he doesn't have the haughty look...there are two drow here however. Drow are okay.
"Hello all. I am Prince Herrul Blackpave, I'm here as emissary for my father to take you all to our kingdom. However it looks like that not everybody has yet arrived." Herrul sat himself down in the nearest chair and surveyed the small group. A part of him was a little annoyed that they didn't bow, but he wouldn't get angry. A prince reserved his anger for the battlefield. "Faegel Ripador." Faegel said as he strode over, greeting the prince. Herrul dipped his head in greeting, and looked at the high elf and the black-robed figure that he could only see from behind. "Is she your wife? Not to be disrespectful but her form is quite pleasing." he asked Faegel with some amusement in his voice. Faegel coughed in surprise and he couldn't help the twitch of his lips. "That's my brother." Faegel said, bursting into laughter. Fliegel spun around at that. "Who are you calling a lady, sire?! I mean I know I'm pretty and all, but damn!" the wizard said exasperated. Herrul's eyes were widened in shock. That voice was certainly male. "You're a man?"
"Yeeeess?" Fliegel said, rolling his eyes. Faegel was gasping for air, he was laughing so hard. "This shit funny to you?!" Fliegel snapped at his brother.
"It's...it'...I can't breathe! It's hilarious!" Rolling his eyes in a combination of annoyance and amusement, he turned back to the dwarf. "Fliegel Ripador." he greeted a little stiffly. Herrul regained his composure. "Forgive me my rudeness, sir." he coughed, but kept his voice steady.
This dwarf is kinda cute tho. But..he thought I was a woman. Still...cute. Fliegel thought to himself, shaking the new prince's hand.

[Skylus]

Sabel

During the whole mis-gender fiasco, Sabel was merely sitting at an empty round table, polishing his sword.
"If you three are done, come over here."
When the three would sit down, Sabel would introduce himself to the Dwarf.

[Axis Asteroid]

The Nightlands,
Gravefort, Solar

Is this a trick? Zanna wondered upon hearing the woman's words. The intruder's voice had a velvety quality to it that reminded her of her mother, though the former certainly did have a more sensual manner of speaking than her dearly departed parent did. From the sound of it, it was clear she was clearly trying to get the young necromancer to surrender herself without a fight, though as to why the two want to capture her in the first place, that she didn't know. Perhaps the bounty is greater if I am brought back alive? She mused, unhappy with her situation. Despite her misgivings though, she couldn't help but feel the tension leave her body upon discovering that her life wasn't in any present danger at the moment.

When the wardrobe doors swung open, Zanna had a resigned look on her face. The female intruder made a comment about her age, followed up by her companion but his words flew by her ears. Something else was on her mind. She took a tentative step out, her eyes never leaving the two potential threats in front of her. Mentally, she called the undead to her side.

Either way, I'm not going back to that cursed university without a fight. She thought grimly, knowing the chances of victory against the highly skilled intruders who cut their way across an entire undead garrison to get to her were slim. The lady was right. If they really wanted to kill her, she'd be dead the moment they first heard her offer, undead bodyguards or no. The thought both infuriated and depressed her. It seems no matter what I do or where I go, a peaceful life just isn't for me. She lamented, her lips forming a sad smile. Perhaps I deserve this after what I did at the university. My sins are too heavy for me to ever deserve a quiet existence. Her fists clenched. Despite that though, they're going to have to drag me kicking and screamin-!

Before she complete the thought that would send her undead attacking, and at the same time consign her fate, a great disturbance shook her mental connection with the undead. The sound of several large explosions below reached her ears, and in an instant, she felt hundreds of disparate and erratic signals flicker and wane, culminating in a short burst of terror and agony that deeply shook her to core, before the signals vanished without a trace, her entire flock wiped clean.

250

???

3

Zanna stood shaken at the new information. All but three of her undead remained standing and only because they were in this room. Something or someone had wiped out all of her undead in an instant. With so much force and power that even in undeath, her flock actually felt terror in the brief moment before death.

When she heard the booming voice echo through the halls, Zanna never felt more terrified in her life.

She barely registered the woman approach her with her wand. At her demand for surrender, the young necromancer shakily raised her hands to show her compliance, her beloved picture frame having been placed in her robe's pockets a few moments earlier. With a mental signal, the two other ghouls in the room collapsed in a heap of meat and bones. After a brief moment of hesitation, Tusky quickly followed soon after.

"I-I'll come with you!" She stuttered almost hastily, now overly eager to leave and get out of dodge. "Lead the way and I'll follow! B-But we have to find a way to get out of here! Fast! Whoever that was just killed... everything."

[Tourma]

Cyra
Early Morning
Singing Wolf Inn
Beams of sunlight poured from the tiny window of the Inn's room, awakening Cyra. Yawning, she sat up and stretched skyward, vision still coming into focus. Not much had happened the previous night, other than Cyra managing to trick two drunken adventurers into betting all of their money during a game of cards. Jokes on them, she figured. At least she didn't have to worry about a lack of spare change.

While the inn itself wasn't all that bad, the beds were simply unbearable: how was a naga supposed to sleep on a bed meant for dwarves!? Eventually, she had to curl up on a fur blanket, which was sprawled out on a wooden floor. As her vision came more in focus, she noticed there was a strange black blob sitting on the windowsill. Was it a bird? A spirit? A....oh, it was just a raven. The bird sat there, tilting its head as if trying to get a better view of the sleepy naga.
"Shoo, bird." Cyra mumbled, still very groggy.

The bird promptly got up and left, but not before dropping a strange item. Curious, Cyra went over to pick it up. It was a note, nothing special. Wait, I take that back. It was a summons, from a dwarven king. The directions said to travel to Tiger Lily Inn, a quaint little establishment located just a few miles north.

Cyra blinked twice. Was she dreaming? She had to be. Why would anyone want to deal with a "dark and dangerous monster" like herself? She knew of the rumors people spoke about the Naga, she knew she wouldn't be well liked. But then again, it would be rude to ignore the request of a monarch. After a few minutes of debate, she decided to grab her belongings and set off to find adventure! And also breakfast.

Much later...
After a few minor delays, Cyra finally made it to the inn. Was this the right place? It looked just like any basic inn. A heavy feeling of dread began to seep in. Maybe the note was just some stupid prank. I should just-

Before she could continue, she noticed a group of four or so people sitting at a table. At least one of them had said something about a letter from the dwarven king, or so she overheard. Her confidence was starting to come back to her as she slithered forward, ignoring any glares or worried glances from the other patrons. She found a place at the table, and joined in on the group's conversation. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but did somebody mention receiving a summons from Blackpave?" She asked, hoping not to disturb any of them.