Order of the Dark Flame (Story, No Spam)

dragon wench · Post by **dragon wench** » Mon Jun 18, 2001 9:33 am

Hey, hello from Belize, glad to see it's still going strong. can't wait to read the story when I get back next week (internet cafes are expensive here). hope this doesn't count as spam

tata for now, cheers, dw

Georgi · Post by **Georgi** » Mon Jun 18, 2001 9:53 am

(OOC@DW what are you talking about? Of course it's spam!!

Good to see ya...

)

Darkpoet · Post by **Darkpoet** » Mon Jun 18, 2001 10:15 am

Darkpoet looked at Anomen, making sure he was tied tightly to the horse. Jennabard still hasn't come to, He knew, he had to find the others. Darkpoet picked Jennabard up carefull and taking the horses reigns. He picked the trails carefully, stopping and listening to every sound. A couple parties of Orc and Hobgoblins went by. Anomen started to make some noise, Darkpoet kicked him in the head, to keep him quiet. Twice, Darkpoet wanted to slit Anomen's throat and bury him under a tree. But, he stopped himself both times.

[ 06-18-2001: Message edited by: Darkpoet ]

scully1 · Post by **scully1** » Mon Jun 18, 2001 1:15 pm

Thantor, Loner, and Rusty made their way from the Sapphire City in search of the Wicked Warlock's castle. Manveru had given them rather vague directions; all they knew was they were supposed to go through a forest. Loner went along cursing Manveru under her breath. "Loner," Thantor said. "You ki is disturbed." So she kept silent, and tried to still the mumblings of her mind and heart. At times along the way she felt a strong and inexplicable urge to skip. Thinking, however, that this was likely some dark influence, perhaps even brought on by the Wicked Warlock himself, she resisted it, and walked on.

They finally arrived at the edge of the forest. "Ohhh," said Rusty, shakily raising his battle axe. "I don't like the looks of this place." Nevertheless, they went in. Thantor stopped.

"Look at this," he said, and read aloud: "Danger Ahead. This Forest is Haunted. I'd Turn Back if I Were You."

"Seeeee?!" said Rusty. This place is probably infested with...with...goblins!"

"And ogres," Thantor put in.

"And orcs," said Loner.

"Ehhh...goblins..."

"And ogres..."

"And orcs..."

"Oh my!!..."

"Well," said Thantor, "we must go on nonetheless. Come now. We've been through battles before..."

They went on into the wood, which only got darker and thicker and more oppressive as it went on. "This is worse than Cloakwood ever was," Loner lamented.

Darkpoet · Post by **Darkpoet** » Mon Jun 18, 2001 8:17 pm

Darkpoet set Jennabard down, so as to get the feeling back in his arms. As he checked on Anomen, he felt something hit him the chest and back. As Darkpoet looked to see what hit him, he coughed up blood. He looked at his chest, he could see the arrows in him. He hit the back end of the horse, it took off running. He made sure that Jennabard was hidden, hopefully the Flames would find her. Darkpoet fell staring at the trees, but his eyes saw nothing.

[ 06-19-2001: Message edited by: Darkpoet ]

jennabard · Post by **jennabard** » Mon Jun 18, 2001 10:31 pm

anomen's master watched with amusement as darkpoet captured anomen and tended to the wounds of his once 'beloved' pet. as darkpoet hid jennabard, the master, aimed a few well aimed arrows into him to send him on his way. now that he has found her, anomen will not be of much consequence, just another smoke screen in his grand plans. as the master gather jennabard into the shadows, he could not help but feel, in his ancient bones, that someone has just stepped on his grave. he shook this odd feeling and began to revel at the idea of having his powerful little pet back in his formidable shadows.

thantor3 · Post by **thantor3** » Tue Jun 19, 2001 12:39 pm

"I don't think this Staff of the Wicked Warlock really exists," said Thantor, tripping over another tree root. "I mean, no one has ever seen it and it's probably ..." Thantor never finished his sentence. From behind a tree leapt a large lion, who immediate stood up on two legs and began roaring loudly in Thantor's face. Stepping back, Thantor caught his foot in the root and fell, sprawling on his back. Loner, worried about Kramor, irritated at the slow pace through the forest, and angry to be a this stupid quest in the first place, had had enough. She stormed up to the lion, grabbed it by the throat and shouted, "Do you know how rude that was? Give me one reason why I shouldn't snap your neck like a twig!" The lion started to say something but instead dissolved into tears. "Please don't hurt me. I was only trying to be the king of the forest. It's a genetic thing, really, and it's not my fault."

"That wasn't very regal behavior," remarked Loner, still irritated, but she released her hold. By this time, Thantor was up and brushing himself off. "It's alright. You were trying to integrate your child and parent ego states, weren't you?"

The lion nodded sheepishly. "Well, why don't you come with us," said Thantor. "We are on a grand quest and there will be many opportunities for experiencing large quantities of peak experiences".

"Really," said the surprised lion, "after what I did to you?"

"No harm done, except maybe to my pride," responded Thantor.

Rusty had his head turned to one side. "Can you hear that?" he asked. Everyone in the small band of adventurers stopped and listened. Subtle at first, the sound of rushing air became louder. "I don't like this," muttered Loner, drawing her katana. Suddenly, the air was full of dark winged creatures and ice arrows in the form of little umbrellas, plucked from quivers that looked like Margaritas . Each of the creatures had the words "Hooters" on their skimpy halter tops, which the creatures on the front line were ripping from their chest with lusty abandon. "Run for cover," shouted Thantor, "and don't look at them -- you'll go blind." Breathing hard behind the cover of a large tree, Loner panted, "How are the rest of you going to fight them if you can't look at them?" As if in answer to her question, a huge battle cry went up within the woods and a large squad of halflings, wearing large, multi-color sunglasses, came into view. Slinging twirling, swords and daggers flashing, they soon made short work of the Hooter creatures. The battle over, one of the halflings approached them. "Dagret Carmelciss, First Order of the Lollipop Kids, at your service."

[ 06-19-2001: Message edited by: thantor3 ]

scully1 · Post by **scully1** » Tue Jun 19, 2001 1:37 pm

"The Lollipop Kids?!" Loner exclaimed. "One of you met us when we first started on the yellow road."

Dagret nodded. "We knew all along that you'd bear watching. The Wizard asked us to follow and lend a little hand. Here," he said, drawing some bottles from his pack and passing them round. "Gifts of the Lullaby League."

"What were those dreadful creatures?" asked Rusty, who was really rather sensitive.

"Winged Hooters," Dagret answered. "Servants of the Wicked Warlock."

"So he does exist," Thantor muttered under his breath.

"The Wizard suggested we accompany you to the castle -- if you accept, of course," said Dagret, with a polite bow.

"Your assistance is most welcome," Loner volunteered, and, after collecting the quivering lion from his hiding place behind a large rock, they all set off once again.

[ 06-19-2001: Message edited by: loner72 ]

thantor3 · Post by **thantor3** » Thu Jun 21, 2001 1:51 pm

It was late in the afternoon when they finally made their way out of the forest. They decided to camp for the night before going further, but both Thantor and Loner had a restless night. Thantor found Loner sitting on a rock a little ways from camp at early dawn. "How did you sleep?", he asked conversationally.

"Not well, but thanks for asking. I feel like I will jump out of my skin if we don't get to Kramor soon. This is like one of those bad dreams were you are moving through molasses."

"Well, if it's any help, remember we are in the Shadow realms. Time isn't necessarily consistent with our usual experience of it," Thantor said matter-of-factly. Loner changed her position on the rock so she was now facing him. "You know, I haven't had the opportunity to thank you for so many things. Coming with me on this quest, agreeing to teach me again. But mostly I want to thank you for treating me as an equal. That you would respect me to that extent is a gift I very much cherish," Loner said simply.

"Well met and heartily returned," smiled Thantor. "Shall we eat?"

After breaking camp, the band of adventurers soon found themselves on the outskirts of what appeared to be a small farm. They didn't have much time to explore it because the sky suddenly took on the hue of black, boiling ink. "Oh my, what is that?" asked Rusty nervously. "Looks like another batch of those winged Hooter creatures."

"Actually, they are ogre crows," said a musical voice. Quickly looking around, Thantor demanded, "Who said that?"

"I did." Looking up, Thantor saw a very pleasant looking scarecrow in a striking Anne Kline ensemble composed of a leaf tunic and white pleated skirt. "Crows are my specialty," remarked the scarecrow. "If you get me down from here, I may be able to help." Quickly, Loner, Thantor, and Rusty freed the scarecrow from her lofty perch. "Oh thank you, that's so much better. My, you have lovely hair," remarked the scarecrow admiringly, looking at Loner. "Hello! The CROWS," barked Loner, pointing to the quickly advancing flock. "Oh yes, of course, so sorry." The scarecrow quickly faced the ogre crows, screwed up her face thinking hard, then exclaimed, "Oh yes... *ahem*... Boo."

Suddenly, a strong wind blew up from the ground, catching everyone off-guard. The Order of the Lollipop Kids had the hardest time of it and many of them clung to Rusty so that they would not blow away. The scarecrow, for her part, was having a wonderful time, her white skirt like ocean foam blowing up over her waist. "Ain't it grand?," she said, a bit misty eyed. The crows, for their part, were bumping into each other in a panic, and soon retreated the way they had come.

[ 06-22-2001: Message edited by: thantor3 ]

Gwalchmai · Post by **Gwalchmai** » Fri Jun 22, 2001 1:39 pm

Gwalchmai looked around at the faces of Vivien, Georgi, Dragonwench, Keldorn, Ryan, and about a hundred other Paladins, who all stared back at him. The silence was eerie. Smoke from an earlier fireball drifted slowly past. The sun beat down and glinted off the armor of friend and foe alike. Vivien took a half step toward Gwalchmai, then hesitated. Georgi fingered the pommel of her sword. Dragonwench’s eyes darted from Gwalchmai to Georgi to Vivien in confusion.

“Um, I guess you guys didn’t miss me?” Gwalchmai said sheepishly.

Then the battle began again in earnest. Gwalchmai quickly told Keldorn and Ryan about the false weakness in the enemy’s left flank, and about the illusions in the front. Ryan looked to the Dark Flames, “Can I trust this information? Can I trust Gwalchmai?”

Waverly · Post by **Waverly** » Fri Jun 22, 2001 2:01 pm

“Where the hell is my evil warlock’s staff!” shouted Waverly. He hated it when it was out of his sight too long. Within moments a rather sheepish looking winged hooter’s girl trotted into the throne room, staff in hand. Eyes lowered, and fearful of looking Waverly in the eye, she offered to him without a word. “If you girls insist on borrowing it, you simply must return it when you are finished.” Waverly grabbed the staff and added, “One of these days you ladies are going to have to tell me what all this fuss is over borrowing the staff and gathering in the upstairs chamber, giggling as you bar the door…but not now, I have much to do.”

Georgi · Post by **Georgi** » Fri Jun 22, 2001 5:23 pm

OOC

Originally posted by Waverly:
<STRONG>“Where the hell is my evil warlock’s staff!” shouted Waverly. He hated it when it was out of his sight too long.</STRONG>

LOL

Maybe the Wicked Warlock needs to invest in a microscope...

IC
Georgi looked at Gwalchmai doubtfully, and an idea occured to her... "Uhh, ok, Gwalchmai, this may sound a little odd, but just repeat after me... She sells seashells on the seashore..."

Gwalchmai looked at Georgi incredulously. "Um, battle going on?!? This is no time for nursery rhymes..."

Georgi sighed exasperatedly. "It's a test, you imbecile! We need some way to make sure you're not a doppelganger..."

[ 06-22-2001: Message edited by: Georgi ]

Waverly · Post by **Waverly** » Fri Jun 22, 2001 6:39 pm

[ooc: the wicked warlock's staff is large in length and girth, and is prized throughout the land for it's prowess and multiple charges

]

Georgi · Post by **Georgi** » Fri Jun 22, 2001 6:50 pm

(OOC@Wavy LMAO

Why is it sooo difficult to find then?

)

Waverly · Post by **Waverly** » Fri Jun 22, 2001 6:56 pm

Originally posted by Georgi:
<STRONG>(OOC@Wavy LMAO Why is it sooo difficult to find then? )</STRONG>

[ooc: because we play 'hide the staff' every night, of course

]

Gwalchmai · Post by **Gwalchmai** » Sat Jun 23, 2001 12:24 am

"Um, did you just call be an imbecile?" Gwalchmai said feeling a little hurt, "Never mind. Okay, 'She shells seasells by the sheasore' oh, damn. Wait. I know another, 'City Sheriff, City Seriff, ****ty Sheriff' Rats!" Gwalchmai started to feel a little flustered, but he drew confidence from the fact that his Warlock Wand was impressively macroscopic - of legendary proportions in fact.

"Look, Georgi. Have you been dipping into the Tia Maria too much lately? We kinda have a situation here. Can we get on with it?

Georgi · Post by **Georgi** » Sat Jun 23, 2001 6:19 am

"Uh, okay, I guess this is our Gwally... You can trust him," Georgi told Sir Keldorn, feeling a little guilty. "Tell your men to attack the centre of the line..."

Keldorn bristled a bit at being ordered around, but hurried to organise the attack.

[ 06-23-2001: Message edited by: Georgi ]

Gwalchmai · Post by **Gwalchmai** » Sat Jun 23, 2001 10:06 am

Still feeling a little miffed at not even getting so much as a hug (Didn’t they know he almost died back in that evil camp? Didn’t they notice he was gone?), Gwalchmai watched in grudging appreciation as Vivien and several mages under Keldorn’s command expertly dispelled the illusions in the front lines. The Paladins moved quickly through, breaking the ranks of the Evil Army, whose morale degenerated. Split in two, the Evil Army was no match for the disciplined ranks of the Radiant Heart.

Meanwhile, Dragonwench gathered Vivien, Georgi, and Gwalchmai together, “Ryan and Keldorn have things well in hand. I think we need to get to the bottom of some of our problems, and find out how this Evil Army may be connected with ‘Sir Enoch’ and the other dark happenings of late.”

“Agreed,” Georgi said.

“I thought Enoch had died a long time ago,” Gwalchmai muttered.

“What do you propose, DW?” Vivien asked.

“Let’s find the commander of the army. Any idea where he might be, Gwally?” Dragonwench said.

“I saw his color guard near the right flank. If he were to retreat, they would have to head straight down the valley toward the river.”

Vivien and Georgi cast Improved Invisibility and Improved Haste on the quartet, and they quickly slipped through the main part of the battle. As predicted, they spotted the color guard making a hasty retreat down the valley, a small contingent of ogrillons and ogres dressed in elaborate uniforms with tall feathers in their hats. They carried a brilliant banner with black and red markings mounted on a pole arm tipped with a skeletal dragon with razor-sharp wings. In the center, shouting panicked orders in a high, squeaky voice, was the commander of the Evil Army. His black uniform had red silk facings, and was trimmed with huge quantities of gold braid, medals, and insignias. He road astride a huge black war stallion with a white blaze; but the image of power and authority was marred by the sight of the rider. Ludicrously, almost disconcertingly, the commander of the great Evil Army that had almost defeated the Radiant Heart, was a small Svirfneblin Gnome.

Nippy · Post by **Nippy** » Sat Jun 23, 2001 1:20 pm

Can I join in this thread? I've got a good idea for my entrance in the shadow world? Can anyone tell me yea or nay? (I'll only post if people say yes)

Gwalchmai · Post by **Gwalchmai** » Sat Jun 23, 2001 3:06 pm

OOC: Anyone is welcome to join at any time (IMHO)! If you have a specific question about the 'shadow world'/Oz, you could always send a PM (personal message) to Loner72 - she seems to know what she's doing!

[ 06-23-2001: Message edited by: Gwalchmai ]