Castle Landsview - Chapter 2
Ghosts! Ever since Jensu and I had dealt with that little problem in the cemetery outside Cross’ Peak, I’d not been too fond of ghosts. Orc ghosts at that! I wasn’t sure what they were doing here, but did not plan on stopping to ask questions. I wondered briefly if this was what Nethervoid had been so obsessed with the last few weeks. All thoughts of that went to the back of my mind however, as one of the sentries noticed me.
Roaring he raised a crossbow and fired but I had already begun to move. I leaped forward and rolled on the ground as the bolt passed harmlessly over head. Finishing the roll I launched myself toward the orc, completing a second roll in mid air, driving my feet hard into its chest, and then rebounding. The orc remained on his feet, though he did look a bit stunned. Feigning fear I turned and ran back along the corridor. I heard the sound of another bolt being released, but I’d been counting on that. Shifting my weight slightly to the left, I dropped my arm to my side just as the bolt came in, narrowly missing me. Pinning the shaft to my side with my arm, I allowed myself to twist and fall forward into a dead heap on the ground. I lay there motionless for several moments, and I could hear the orc approaching. His footsteps stopped and although my eyes were closed, I knew he stood directly over me. He grunted with satisfaction and then I opened my eyes and smiled up at him. The look on his face changed first from confusion, to surprise, and finally to fear as I pointed to my right. He turned and found himself staring down a side corridor directly into the smiling faces of my allies. His chest suddenly sprouted a half dozen arrows and bolts before his entire body was consumed in a magical blue flame.
“Oh for the love of the Warbringer! I didn’t even get a chance to stab at ‘em!” bellowed the Paladin in the group. I smiled and stood up, wiping some very nasty dirt off of myself.
“For but a moment, I though we had truly lost you,” said Nethervoid, picking a stick out of my collar.
“Serves you right for not knowing me better by now,” I replied with a smile. “It will take more than a lone Orc to fell me. Ghost or not.”
Nethervoid chuckled, “What did you see?”
I scratched at my chin, thinking. “That was just a sentry,” I said, giving myself time to work out a plan. There were a lot of orcs in that room. No matter how we did it, this was going to be painful.
“I think that once we’re in, we will be fine. That entry way will be a challenge though. They’ve erected defenses to hold back an assault, and orcs a plenty to make us pay dearly for the foothold. Tis a big room however, longer than it is wide. If we do it right we can take the front ere the others know we are even at their doorstep.” I grimaced.
“What bothers you? It sounds like a good plan.”
“Aye, but there be no way to sneak up on them. We’ll have to fight the whole front of that room at once. A good eight to ten orcs.”
Nethervoid simply nodded, then turned to speak with the others. She returned a few moments later carrying a small crystal that pulsed a mage’s blue color.
“I doubt not your prowess, nor that of our companions,” she said, not looking at me, “but with so many foes, I am sure to work some healing prayers.”
“Aye,” I said softly.
“And once I do,“ she continued, “at least one of those orcs will know me for the healer I am. You can’t distract them all.”
“Aye, the thought had occurred to me,” I replied.
She looked at me then. Looked directly into my eyes, and I saw the truth in here. She knew she would fall this day.
Castle Landsview - Chapter 1
We had been traveling for several days, stopping for the nights at impromptu camps along the road. We were all tired and the horses needed to be watered. Our supply situation didn’t look so great either. As we passed the remains of Castle Landsview Nethervoid pointed out that there was an outpost ahead that we could stop at.
When we reached the outpost, I saw to our mounts while the rest of the party spoke to the local militia. I got the horses watered and fed, and picked up some supplies before rejoining the others. They were already getting ready to head out again. It seems the local militia had asked us to investigate some reports of trouble at the ruins we passed earlier. Since they were just down the road, we had agreed to take a look.
As we started down the road I wondered how anything much could be happening there. The ruins I saw were fairly small and not much more than a few crumbled walls. More than likely all the fuss was being caused by local ruffians using the ruins the ambush travelers.
When the ruins came into sight at the bottom of the hill, Nethervoid called for us to stop. We moved off the road and began to prepare ourselves for a possible confrontation. While my friends busied themselves casting various magical wards and enhancements, I knelt on the ground, closed my eyes, and focused my energies inward. Some of the most powerful energies in all of Telon come from the very center of our being. This energy, known as Jin, could only be harnessed by those few like myself that devoted their lives to learning mastery over both body and min. as the energies built within, I directed them outward hardening my skin and coating my hands and feet in a magical flame that would increased the strength of my attacks. I stood up, grabbed the sword strapped to my back and the flames spread to cover the blade as well.
As we approached the ruins they seemed just as unimpressive as they had at first glance earlier that day. Once we were within the ruins however, Nethervoid noticed a partially concealed set of stairs leading down to tunnels underground. Rhywadd pulled a torch from his satchel and we proceeded down. The corridors were dark, and cold, and seemed to suck the heat away from the torch.
We moved forward cautiously, myself in the front, all my senses alert for trouble. We rounded the corner and I caught sight of movement ahead of us. Quickly I held up my hand, signalling my party to stop, and dropped into a crouch. Peering ahead into the darkness I saw what appeared to be a large foyer with hastily built bulwarks at our end. What I saw in that room however sent a chill down my spine. Wandering amongst the erected defenses were the ghosts of Orc soldiers!
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