The Curse of Calamus

[Darklord]

Jurax

He had gotten sepreated from his friends during the ensuing fight and now couldn't find them at all. "And why were the dragons leaving?" he thought to himself, "Where are others?" was the second thought acting on that one he began looking around the now very dead littered field. He pulled Gorefiend from the body of a soldier he had spitted with his sword in an act of self defense as the men had charged at him while he had been trying to avoid death.

Grunting he shaded his eyes with a hand and calmly stabbed an orc which had been crawling on the ground toward him, while he searched for the group. Seeing the giant some distance from him, all alone in the field, he decided to go join him. Dropping into a ground eating lope, he soon was by the giant and stopping looked at him and said "Giant, where be the... umm.. uhhh... others? Yes others? Where be the otheres."

 

[bobo_daclown]

Uwef:

Still stuck in the bushes, Uwef watches Kyleen leap over the hedge. The woman, though she may have noticed him, doesn't respond.

"A little help here!?!" Uwef shouts. Before he can get anyone's attention, he falls out of the shrubbery and on the side with Pennindar and Kyleen.

Brushing himself off, the dwarf walks into the midst of his companions. Just then, a shadow falls a couple of feet in front of him and Uwef falls backward as Richard grins a hello to them.

Slightly insulted, the dwarf shifts his weight in an attempt to get to his feet.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Reunited

"Well," Briomen began, "Most of us are here...where're the others...the giant and the dumb one."
Pennindar shot him a cautious glare.
"The barbarian," he corrected.
"Boguras will likely find them." DaSanda replied, looking up at Richard and smiling.
"Until then, we cannot stay here...he'll know to travel into the woods...we'll send scouts back to find them as soon as we're a safe distance away from this field," Briomen suggested.
"Let's do that," Pennindar agreed, "It is best that we keep those with us safe, until we find out the status of our other companions. The orcs and soldiers may not be too tired of war just yet, though I guess the dragons took much out of them."
They began to move then, heading toward where the trees grew thicker together. The old wizard didn't much like the idea of spending the night in these woods, but they would do what they must.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

In the field

Boguras rushed across the blood-stained grass. So much killing had been done in so short a time...so sad, he thought.
He saw the giant then, standing so high above the others, and he rushed toward him, noticing the barbarian as he grew closer.
"Jurax," a voice shouted from just to his left. He stopped suddenly, looking to the source. The soldier that had shown up with the barbarian that morning stood there, leaning on his sword, his leg bleeding profusely from the hip and thigh. The man looked weak, badly injured and rapidly getting weaker.
Boguras reached out and led the man over to the others, helping him walk with an arm around his waist. Once they were there, he said, "We have to get out of this field...is anyone else hurt?"

 

[Quiet_Cool]

In the north

Leaving the battlefield behind, Destiny led the other dragons to the mountains miles to the north. When they landed at the base of one, he turned to the others.
"Well-fought," he announced, his voice hoarse, deep. "We have stung them good enough for one day. Perhaps that will slow their advances north. Into the caves, and we will strike again tomorrow."
They moved single file through a crevice wide enough for them to fit, but barely. Once inside, the caves were lit with torches, spaced fairly wide apart, wide enough that the light was almost too dim to see by. After a brief walk (for dragons that is) they came to a large opening, where Melthar and Constance waited, Constance's head turned to the ground.
"The battle?" Melthar asked.
"A success," Destiny returned. "And it seems the humans have made alliance with the orcs..."
"THe orcs?" Melthar asked. "That's unlike them...the orcs are..."
"Evil," Destiny finished for him. "Yes. It is a wonder things haven't gotten worse already."
"The young..." COnstance began.
"Silence," Melthar thundered. "Not now. The young can wait. The caves are safe for the moment."
"But why should we risk..."
"Silence, I said." He shouted again.
Constance looked to her feet.
Melthar sat and lowered his head, tail twitching as it often did when he was deep in thought.
Destiny moved to where Constance sat.
"DOn't worry, fair Constance," he said. "I will stand watch over them with."

 

[Darklord]

Jurax

Looking at the elf, who was helping barwhatishisname, along, Jurax said "Me fine, giant me not ummm... right... know... sure, yes, me not sure about giant." looking at the man who was being helped he said "Injured and weak, do not live long in world of predators." and reaching out threw the man over his shoulder and looking at the elf said "We need leavum now, or we soon join dead ones."

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Over the river and through the woods...

The trees grew thicker, but only as they went downhill. As they reached the bottom of the slope, where the ground seemed to leap upward suddenly again, the trees grew further apart, leaving them more room to maneuver. The orcs had retreated, but the soldiers might still be wandering through the woods. Especially after Richard's difficulty, which the wizard pretended to have not seen. He was certain there was some explanation for it, but what that could be...?
"How far do you think we should go?" Briomen asked him. "Should we look for open space, or stay in the trees?"
"The trees should protect us for now, should the dragons return. They would do us the most harm," one of the other elves replied.
Pennindar nodded.
"We should keep moving forward, until we find wherever that place is on the map," the elf said, "How much further do you think, wizard?"
Pennindar pulled out the map and skimmed over it, eyeing the place where they were headed and the topography the map indicated to guess their approximate location.
"I should guess it is not too much further ahead...though I could be wrong...the maps made of the north are never very accurate."
He tucked the map back inot his bag, leaving Talbot to protect it.
They moved on, trying not to hurry their horses too much given the work they'd already done that day, but wanting to move quickly.
As they went, DaSanda moved back toward where Richard rode.
"Richard, not to question your wisdom," she began, "But...why did you attack those men?"

 

[The GrandMage]

Richard

"The dragons came. Dragons are the messengers of the Gods. The men were to be killed, the Gods commended it to be. It was not the orcs, for we have seen orcs before. The Gods came to our aid, sending their messengers to help us. But Dragons, being as they are, find it difficult to tell the difference between men that are good, and men that are bad. I killed the men that are bad for the Gods, so the dragons would spare us and attack the orcs instead of hurting us. You saw how dragons took some of the elves, even though elves are a good people. Dragons are very large, and in their eyes, the simple detials which seperate elves and good men and bad men are hard to see. So they must be helped. I attacked the evil men for them, to help them in their task."

Richard continued walking along, talking easilly, as if only explaining what he had packed for a picnic. He looked around at the trees, smiling to himself. It was a beautiful day, and the woods were lovely. He looked at DaSanda, and his smile widened. "How are you, by the way? I hope you are not hurt."

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Barwhatishisname and the others...

"It seems you are smarter than I would have first thought, my barbaric friend..." Boguras returned. "Let's move. They'll probably be gone, but we can follow their path...so many horses, the tracks will be easy to follow."
"Is everyone well enough to move, save our injured human friend there on the barbarian's shoulder?"

 

[Quiet_Cool]

DaSanda and Richard--and--further through the woods...

She looked at him, smiling to her surprise, totally baffled by the man's response. Was he serious? The dragon's had tried to kill them all, not just the orcs...
SHe looked down at her hands, as if the answer to his odd response lie there.
When she looked back to him, he looked to her and asked, "How are you, by the way? I hope you are not hurt."
She smiled then, wondering, just how concerned are you Richard the Brave?
"I am well," she replied, "And I am glad I have met you, Richard. You are a very interesting man."
Ahead of them, Pennindar and Briomen looked ahead to where the land suddenly dropped off again. They cleared the slope and moved toward the bottom of another long grade. Though they could see nothing from where they were, they could hear the trickle of running water.
"Stream must be big," the elf who'd spoken before began. "To be heard from this far up.""What's your name?" Pennindar asked.
"Tellion," the elf replied. "I'm a tracker, like Boguras. He actually trained me."
Pennindar nodded.
"We'll water the horses ahead, then rest a while near the water." Briomen said.
When they grew nearer to the water, until it was in view, they realized it was less a stream than a small river.
"Fresh water?" Pennindar asked.
Tellion jumped from his horse and tested the water, smeling it first, then dipping his finger in and tasting it.
"Fresh," he replied. "looks like we're in good shape afterall."
As he spoke, the water toward the center of the river (in terms of width) seemed to rise for a second, pouring into the water around it. The large head of a water dragon rose before them, supported by a long neck that seemed as though it might go forever beneath the water.
"Who goes there?" The creature asked in a deep voice.

 

[The GrandMage]

Richard

"I am fine. The ones I attacked were far more interested in other things to noticed me until it was too late for them to do anything. And interesting I may be, but still, the situation in which I find myself is far more interesting yet. Living in a city, much farther to the South, I have never actually seen a dragon before. I can understand why some people fear them. But as the wolf will only kill a traveler if they wander too far in their territory, I see no reason to be afraid of such beautiful creatures, even if they were not the messengers of the Gods."

He continued looking around. So this was the lands where one could see dragons. The few he had studied with in his own obscure religion had often spoke of making a pilgrimage here, but had decided to leave the great creatures alone. For, although they may be the embodiment of divine will, they were still living things, and their homes had as much a right to be respected as the one's own house.

When he heard the commotion up front, he turned to look, and drew in a deep breath. He made his way quickly forward to the river, staring at the water dragon. Since it was only asking a question of them, he had much more an oportunity to see it. He slowly went to his knees, bowing lightly forward with his hands before him. "Oh great one! Thank you for the privilege to look upon you. Your magnificence humbles me."

 

[bobo_daclown]

Uwef:

As Richard edges closer to the river, the dwarf shadows away from the water. Quite small, Uwef thinks that he may be just the bite-sized snack for a creature as huge as the dragon's head implies.

 

[Firesprite]

Kyleen

Kyleen looks to the wizard for prompts as to how they would approach (or retreat) from this watery beast.

Sharp begins to make a strange "babbling brook" sound. She looked surprised at the blade. Could it be "talking" to the creature?

 

[Quiet_Cool]

The water dragon

The large creature looked down at the thief, seeming oddly surprised, almost humored. But its attantion quickly returned to the entire group.
"I will not be ignored," it replied, angrily.
"We donot ignore you, our large friend," Pennindar began, raising one hand as if to show he were not armed. "We are merely...humbled, by your prescence..."
"Humbled..." It muttered, its attention momentarily distracted by the odd sounds the woman's sword made.
"We seek merely passage," the wizard explained. "Nothing more...certainly we mean no harm."
It looked through them, its eyes continuously returning to the man before it, bowing as though it were a god.
"We are not the soldiers who attack you, but of a different breed altogether. We wish to end a great evil which is plaguing our kinds alike," the mage explained, but the creature, while listening, did not seem swayed.
" We must get further North, to..."Briomen explained, but the creature cut him off.
"I will speak with the elders, until then, you must wait here..." It responded, then looked at them, wondering if they would agree.
Pennindar turned to the others.
"What say you all," he asked. "Shall we wait?"

 

[Quiet_Cool]

The others

When they saw the scene, they all stopped.
The dragon's head loomed above the others ahead, but Barriste and those with him were a safe distance away.
"Should we wait here, or continue forward?" He asked them.

 

[The GrandMage]

Richard

He looked up at the old man as if he was mad. Asking whether they should go when they had been told not to. "And where would we go, old wizard? Wander off and wait for them to decide we're not the type of people they want around, so they can hunt up down and treat us like they're treating those sinning soldiers? I will wait here, thank You. Although, I do have a question: That dragon scale, that came with the map, is this where we'll need it, or should we keep that ace up our sleeves?"

He Yawned, straightening up as he stretched his arms above his head. He continued looking around. "Interesting place, here. It's very beautiful, isn't it?" He asked of no one in particular. He merely waited, content. The others kept mostly to themselves. Conversation wasn't that big on this trip.

 

[Firesprite]

Kyleen

Eyeing her sword Kyleen dismounted and faced Pennindar. "I think we should wait" she stated. "I have a funny feeling about this. I will stay with Richard."

 

[Quiet_Cool]

The scale...?

The dragon eyed Richard as he spoke of the object, but said noting. Pennindar saw his gaze, then decided it best to show the creature the item. Perhaps he knew of the value behind it...
He reached into his bag and pulled the object out, holding it up before him.
"He speaks of this." The mage explained. "It has been given us by a friend. A reminder of an old promise."
The dragon leaned forward, taking in the item to its full extent.
"I will tell Melthar of this item...perhaps he may be of more service than I," the dragon explained.
"Melthar?" The wise old wizard asked, feeling less wise as the words left his outh. Questioning this beast seemed an unintelligent thing to do, but his mouth had spoken before his brain could slow it down.
"He is our...mentor, leader, and friend. He must decide to let you pass. I will go to him now. Go ahead, to the foot of the mountain beyond the trees, near the rock face. Be careful of the creatures there, and wait for me near the water."
With that, the dragon ducked its head beneath the water and was gone, the water's current speeding away against the natural flow of the water as it moved beneath the surface.
"Well," Pennindar began, "Hopefully we will reach that place before the soldiers find our position."
As they prepared to move, the others arrived from behind, having seen the dragon leave and feeling it safe to approach.
"We must leave," Boguras shouted, "Before the monster returns."
"No," Briomen returned. "We shall meet it up ahead. Get the injured man on a horse, with DaSanda. DaSanda, look after him. We must get moving."
They forded the river, which took some time, then headed into the trees on the opposite side.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

In the dragon's den

The water dragon found its way into the caves through an underground river, which branched off of that which he traveled in. Once inside, he surfaced and climbed from the water, moving swiftly through the caves to Melthar's lair, where he and Destiny and Constance sat.
Destiny looked up as he entered.
"What news, Fargwyn?" The firedragon asked.
Melthar merely raised an eyebrow. Constance, a peaceful creature, wondered if the old dragon was actually enjoying this war.
"Men...from the south have come to me, requesting passage."
"And you've disposed of them?" Melthar asked.
Fargwyn didn't mention his reluctance to attack at first, or his requesting who the men were.
"They have shown me an...artifact, that appears to be a scale made of gold. An old man among them says it is a reminder of an old promise, as he said it. He claims they are on a quest to better the world."
"The golden scale...an old promise." Melthar pondered. "An ancient promise if it is the real scale. Where are they now?"
"En route to the stone face," Fargwyn replied. "I am to meet them there."
Melthar glared at him, furious that he allowed them further North. "I will accompany you there, and see this artifact for myself. Then we shall decide what to do."
"I will come with you," Destiny insisted.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

In the woods

They had stopped as they found it. The path broke the woods seemingly down the middle, one end heading off to their right, slanting back toward the south, the other end straightened, moving almost directly ahead.
DaSanda had taken the injured man from her horse and was chanting to herself, humming in between words, hands pressed against his wounds.
"Well?" Pennindar asked.
Tellion and Boguras knelt opposite one another, looking at the ground.
"Good and bad news," Boguras replied. "It is not a human made path, but we see no tracks to be concerned over. However..."
"We do have another problem," Tellion broke in, pointing at some droppings that dotted the path here and there. "Those are Nimble droppings..."
"Nimbles," Pennindar, "Yes, we've already had our fil of bad luck with them."
"It would appear our luck shall get worse in their concerns. They'll be a threat whether we're on the path or not, though. We might as well follow for now," Boguras said, climbing into his saddle.
"Is he ready?" Briomen asked DaSanda.
"We can go. She can finish later. I'll be okay for now," Barriste replied.
They remounted and moved ahead.

 

[Darklord]

Jurax

As the group waited debating about what the elves had found, he walked over to where Kyleen sat astride her horse. Facing her he bowed his head slightly and placed his hand over his heart, the sign of a barbarian warrior pledging his allegiance to a new chief, looking into her eyes as he raised his head up he spoke. "I saw your... way.. skil... umm.. abil... skills with the sword, and have umm... proven? yesum proven your supe... umm.. betterness with it than Ium."

And drawing Gorefiend he presented it to her hilt first and awaited her taking the hilt, when she did he spoke again. "Me Jurax shall follow you Horde Leader whereverum you gos."

 

[The GrandMage]

Richard

They continued on, moving along the Path. Richard kept himself near the front, watching the land all around them. It was a quiet area of woods, and it brought him a sense of peace. He waited while the others discussed tracks, not really paying much attention. He wondered greatly what the dragon leaders would say, and if he would get a chance to meet them.

He moved with the others, but his thoughts were miles away. Even so, as his eyes moved around, they noticed everything. It would not do to slip up and let himself be killed now. He slowly ran a finger along the handle to his Fang, wondering silently what would come.

 

[Firesprite]

Kyleen

Surprised at Jurax's actions, Kyleen followed the ritual, well aware of the honour and duty that came with it.

Holding Jurax's ancestral sword in her left hand, she drew Sharp, flicked it at Jurax and nicked his ear, drawing a drop of blood. Putting the tip of her sword to her tongue, she tasted the salty metallic fluid.

Sheathing Sharp again, she solemly vowed "The first and last of your blood is tasted. The first and last of your blood is drawn. The fuel that burns the fires of your heart. May it know fulfillment, May it know courage, May it know peace, May your kin be bound also in this blood rite. I offer you my blood in return, mine and that of my ancestors, and my decendants. I offer you a taste, and the recognition of your sword."

Holding Gorefiend, hilt to Jurax, she offered him her blood, knowing that at this moment she was at her most vulnerable.

Sharp, having tasted Jurax's blood, and witnessing the ritual would turn aside any killing stroke aimed at Jurax, but with the ritual only half done, Gorefiend had no such limitation, and had Jurax thought to turn on her, she would not be able to defend herself from him.
Holding herself steady arms straight out to the sides in a sacrificial position, Kyleen waited for Jurax. This was the measure of trust a Battle Lord must have in their people.

 

[bobo_daclown]

Uwef:

Watching the odd spectacle take place, Uwef is glad that he will not need to shed blood for some masochistic ritual. Thoroughly consumed, watching the barbarian and woman, the dwarf fails to notice a very low limb which catches him in the head.

Wheeling from the blow, the dwarf looks around to make sure that nobody had seen him. Shrugging the blow off and blinking a few times to regain clarity, Uwef decides to concentrate on the trees instead of the company.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

A view of Rock Face

As they came to a clearing, the ground rose suddenly, leaving them headed toward what looked like a small plateau ahead. When they reached it, they we high up, and ahead the ground dropped off suddenly, heading downward at a strong angle that they would have to be cautious on, but could still manage.
From there, they could see the journey ahead. The river aparently turned at some point, cutting back across their path, then continued on to presumably turn again to cut thier patha third time, shaping it like a backward "S" or "Z." Directly ahead, at the bottom of the long slope, they could see a large wooden bridge, covered in with thick wood.
"Is that Elvin work?" Pennindar asked Briomen.
"We couldn't be so lucky," the elf replied, "But we must pass."
"Dwarves?" the wizard then asked.
"Possibly, but not necessarily," he replied. "It looks like thier work, but other species have copied their ways given the efficiency of their work. Besides, who built it may not inhabit it still."
He nodded, curious to ask who might be there now, but having heard the only words that really mattered already.
We must pass.
Beyond the bridge, which appeared to span a part of the river that was a good bit wider than the place they forded last, the path continued into woods again. Beyond them, possibly so far as twenty miles away, the mountains began as suddenly as he had ever seen. The trees stopped at what appeared to be the base of a tall cliff that appeared to rise directly into the air, disappearing into some thick clouds. Near the base, just above the tops of the trees, a large Rock Face was chiseled into the wall of the cliff. From where they were, they couldn't make out details of the face, but its shape was clearly there.
"There it is," Boguras said.
"Yes," Pennindar agreed.
"Let's waste no more time than necessary getting there," Brimen said. "The day grows older. It is already past midday, and the orcs might not all have retreated."
They pressed on.