Post by Harkker on Aug 9, 2013 4:15:24 GMT
Post by: Oak on March 26, 2013, 01:19:27 PM
Wiston be'Leowes, aka The Bard of Lomar, has been retired from adventuring for several years and has been working behind the scenes establishing a network of fellow Bards in several Lomarian taverns to gather information and organize aid when necessary. His wife and young child have returned to the Aquarian Commune on a far distant island, though it is believed that Wiston has traveled to there and back to his adopted home in Lomar on several occasions.
Despite being out of action for many years, Wiston kept his skills as sharp as he could, sparring with several of the Royal Guard; studying at the libraries through the kingdom and often visiting Sargon's Tower to work his magical abilities. Wiston was determined to be at the ready in the even his brother Hugmush or any of his friends came calling for help. What Wiston didn't expect was for a wounded and exhausted Pae-Poe Willowbark to come a calling.
Miss Poe, as the Bard affectionately referred to her, was carried by one of the ranking Guards to Wiston's home in Kalleman. She told him that she was overwhelmed by a vast contingent of during a recent visit to the south to see her friend Momo. Poe shared that despite the efforts of the young Brass Dragon Momo and herself an elaborate trap was sprung and Momo's mother was somehow subdued and taken away. Poe left the little Dragon in a secure cave with a Displacerbeast that Pae-Poe has on several ocassions recruited to help in her journeys. Poe summoned the last of her strength and flew straight as she could to Kalleman and Wiston's home seeking aid.
Wiston called for medical attention and made his friend as comfortable as he could (though quite frankly Poe never felt all too comfortable in constructed structures she was in no condition to argue and was soon unconscious). Wiston knew that Pae-Poe would be angry if he were to leave without her, but he also recognized that the wounds suffered by the Pixie-Halfling hybrid were severe and it would take several days of medical care to get the little Ranger back to traveling condition, let alone ready for whatever fighting they were to encounter. No, he could not delay. If he remembered well enough the cave and Displacerbeast that Poe mentioned he knew that Momo would be well protected, but Poe's empathy with animals and beasts would eventually fade and who knew what the result would be if the beast turned on the Dragon, one would certainly fall in the skirmish and that fact would agonize Poe even further. The best course of action would be for Wiston to set out immediately, he had ways of traveling the kingdom quickly and the cave was not far south of Fort Hawthorne. He could be there and help the Dragon before the sun readied itself to set. Poe would have to understand and forgive his abrupt exit.
Post by: Oak on March 26, 2013, 03:22:58 PM
Wiston did arrive in the cave well before sunset and was immediately greeted by the little (for a Dragon) Brass Dragon, Momo. Momo went on to describe everything that has transpired (even going back several weeks in the story to describe times spent with his mother, lessons that she has taught, stories told and well more than Wiston thought pertinent). Wiston was weary of the contented Displacerbeast and feared that Poe's influence was already diminishing so the made use of the remaining light to travel to the southern Druidic shrine dedicated to the summer. Wiston believed that a safe haven for the night, he even knew of a particular gypsy friend who might meet them there with a camp set nearby. Wiston still had a few methods at his disposal to relay his travel plans ahead of him and make some modest arrangements.
Wiston played a soft tune on a small brass horn that he brought and knew that Momo enjoyed the tones that came forth, it was always best to keep a Dragon of any age pacified when ever possible. Momo enjoyed the music and used it as backdrop to his continuing tales which eventually led to the revelation that the undead horde was most likely headed off towards long abandoned caverns along the far western rim of the south desert.
At daybreak the two thanked the nomadic gypsy and made for the area of which Momo spoke. Travel was now a bit slower going though Momo could take flight he was still to small to carry a passenger, even the Hin Bard. Even so, the travelers were at the north-west edge of the desert in time for the high noon sun to make the Bard perspire greatly, Momo however, lavished in the warmth and even comment about the relative coolness of the day.
They continued south until the found traces of recent passing by many, many slow and lumbering footfalls. Wiston spied evidence that something quite large was being dragged, but there was no sign of blood so that gave them hope. In the back of his mind Wiston though about the lack of evidence of any struggle by what he assumed was Momo's mother being dragged toward the surrounding cliffs. How did the undead horde manage to subdue an aged Brass Dragon so easily?
A few peculiar rotting things appeared as the two followed the sandy trail, and Wiston soon discovered that these were very different things from anything he ever encountered, nor even read about. Zombie like the things moved too quickly and utilized weapons of uncharacteristic strength given the amount of rust. Wiston could understand how Momo and Poe were no match for the horde, but by the looks of the tracks leading out compared to those returning less than a third of the original number survived to complete their mission.
Better yet, another large number of the odd zombie things were crushed and released from their cursed existence under a few piles of boulders. Wiston looked and spotted a Sand Nomad waving it's long wooden pole atop a cliff where the path narrowed. Momo commented as he spotter a few others on the opposite side. It would seem that Momo's mother had a few other friends in the region that sought her release, or at the least slowed the diminishing army down as best they could in hopes that others would be able to catch up. Both Wiston and Momo returned the wave as they made their way over the heaps of rubble and twisted rotting limbs.
Rounding a few more bends in the cavern they finally caught sight of what remained of the horde and the still, large mass they struggled to drag towards an opening in the rock wall. Wiston sounded the small brass horn in a violent blurt that unleashed a wave of sonic energy at the mouth of the cave and large pieces of the cave wall collapsed the entrance. Momo rushed after the creatures with an unexpected fire in his young eyes, claws and teeth ripping through disgusting flesh and splintering bone like twigs. Wiston pulled his rapier and followed the enraged Dragon hacking a path toward Momo's mother.
The battle raged for hours until the sun began to descend and all but a scant handful of the creatures were dispatched. A large rusty chain wove around Momo's mother, cutting her bright scales in several places. The cold emanating from the chain was unbearable to little Momo, but Wiston began loosing the restraints while Momo went back after the remaining zombie creatures dispatching most of the few survivors and holding the last few at bay.
When the last of the cold, rusting chain was removed Momo's mother slowly began to stir. Too slow, unfortunately, to warm Wiston of the dark form that approached behind him. Wiston felt the cold hand of death reach through him and saw black fingers emerge through his chest, a still beating heart held tightly within its grasp. The heart fell into the sand at Wiston's feet and he felt his soul being drawn back toward whatever stood behind him. In moments all life would be lost, his soul would be consumed by an immeasurable evil and he would become like those things they had fought most of the afternoon. His mind races as time felt like it had slowed to a crawl, there was one chance and as Momo's mother turned her gaze toward Wiston he knew it was the only hope for his eternal salvation.
Wiston had Dragon blood, it has been diluted over the generations but it was still there. In all likelihood that was the reason Bardic magic came so easily to him. That small amount of Dragon blood may now be his only hope to salvation as his life energy was being drained. Momo ran fast as he could toward Wiston as the Black figure backed away, still tethered to Wiston's soul working to consume it.
Momo felt, more so than heard, Wiston's instructions. It was an ancient rite that Dragon Kind could employ in the most dire of emergencies...
Momo was about to enter his next age and with the current curse on Dragons he would loose all memory. It was unlikely that Momo's mother would survive the damage done by the cold rusting chain that cut into her and burned with an icy heat to her organs shutting them down even as she was freed from captivity. If it weren't for the rite that Wiston planned to enact Momo would be left alone with a fading mother and no memories of who he was or why he was here. Momo would be completely vulnerable to whatever the black thing was that was trying to consume Wiston's soul and do whatever it had planned for Momo's mother. So not only was the rite Wiston's only hope, it turned out to be Momo's only hope as well. That was the final piece, the last necessary bit for the rite to be called upon, one to save two.
Momo had to consume Wiston's soul before the Blackness claimed it.
Wiston guided Momo's senses and instructed him on how to devour a willing soul. Scared, but enraged, Momo complied without hesitation. One saved two.
In the initial flash of energies released, and in-conjunction with the Black form still being tethered to Wiston during the rite, spiritual energies mixed with fires of life and followed the tether to engulf the Black form. Despite it's overwhelming power the thing had no chance of survival, it was ripped by the flame and energy unleashed by the rite. Its time of horror ended.
Momo stood dazed for a moment or two then remembered his failing mother and rushed to her side. "I am so very proud of the two of you... I love you Momo, I always will... Be safe and be well, we shall meet again... I love you..." Momo's mother took her last breath, but she died free and escaped whatever fate the terrible black thing had in store for her. And most importantly, Momo's mother got to witness her child take one further step towards becoming an adult Dragon, Momo was now a bit older and even managed to bypass the curse, at least this one time. It would be a difficult road for Momo, but he had a decent start, he still remembered who he is.
Momo began to move his mother's body so that he could bury her properly in her cave and seal it off for all time. But Momo remembered his friend Wiston and went back to gather his body as well (though Momo had no idea what kind of ceremony Wiston would desire or to who he should deliver the corpse). Momo searched but found nothing, no sign of the Bard anywhere...
"Its OK Momo, I'm with you now. I'll be here if ever you have the need, there's no body to concern yourself with. Let's tend to your mother and that'll be it."
Momo struggled with the body of his mother for a time until the Sand Nomads came and with a makeshift cart helped Momo transport the body back to her cave. Deep inside with her horde Momo said a silent farewell and left the cave one last time. Outside one of the Sand Nomads presented Momo with a small Brass Horn, it was the one Wiston played and later used to seal the undead cave. not sure how he did it, Momo reached out with small Halfling fingers, grabbed the horn and blew a violent note. The cave closed in a fury of rock and thunderous noise. Mother was sealed within, and Momo just knew that no one would ever beable to make their way inside ever again. Momo tucked the horn under his arm and again felt his full size return. "Thank you Wiston for the help", Momo thought to himself and he flew off to find shelter in the night wondering what the Fates had in store for him next.
Wiston be'Leowes, aka The Bard of Lomar, has been retired from adventuring for several years and has been working behind the scenes establishing a network of fellow Bards in several Lomarian taverns to gather information and organize aid when necessary. His wife and young child have returned to the Aquarian Commune on a far distant island, though it is believed that Wiston has traveled to there and back to his adopted home in Lomar on several occasions.
Despite being out of action for many years, Wiston kept his skills as sharp as he could, sparring with several of the Royal Guard; studying at the libraries through the kingdom and often visiting Sargon's Tower to work his magical abilities. Wiston was determined to be at the ready in the even his brother Hugmush or any of his friends came calling for help. What Wiston didn't expect was for a wounded and exhausted Pae-Poe Willowbark to come a calling.
Miss Poe, as the Bard affectionately referred to her, was carried by one of the ranking Guards to Wiston's home in Kalleman. She told him that she was overwhelmed by a vast contingent of during a recent visit to the south to see her friend Momo. Poe shared that despite the efforts of the young Brass Dragon Momo and herself an elaborate trap was sprung and Momo's mother was somehow subdued and taken away. Poe left the little Dragon in a secure cave with a Displacerbeast that Pae-Poe has on several ocassions recruited to help in her journeys. Poe summoned the last of her strength and flew straight as she could to Kalleman and Wiston's home seeking aid.
Wiston called for medical attention and made his friend as comfortable as he could (though quite frankly Poe never felt all too comfortable in constructed structures she was in no condition to argue and was soon unconscious). Wiston knew that Pae-Poe would be angry if he were to leave without her, but he also recognized that the wounds suffered by the Pixie-Halfling hybrid were severe and it would take several days of medical care to get the little Ranger back to traveling condition, let alone ready for whatever fighting they were to encounter. No, he could not delay. If he remembered well enough the cave and Displacerbeast that Poe mentioned he knew that Momo would be well protected, but Poe's empathy with animals and beasts would eventually fade and who knew what the result would be if the beast turned on the Dragon, one would certainly fall in the skirmish and that fact would agonize Poe even further. The best course of action would be for Wiston to set out immediately, he had ways of traveling the kingdom quickly and the cave was not far south of Fort Hawthorne. He could be there and help the Dragon before the sun readied itself to set. Poe would have to understand and forgive his abrupt exit.
Post by: Oak on March 26, 2013, 03:22:58 PM
Wiston did arrive in the cave well before sunset and was immediately greeted by the little (for a Dragon) Brass Dragon, Momo. Momo went on to describe everything that has transpired (even going back several weeks in the story to describe times spent with his mother, lessons that she has taught, stories told and well more than Wiston thought pertinent). Wiston was weary of the contented Displacerbeast and feared that Poe's influence was already diminishing so the made use of the remaining light to travel to the southern Druidic shrine dedicated to the summer. Wiston believed that a safe haven for the night, he even knew of a particular gypsy friend who might meet them there with a camp set nearby. Wiston still had a few methods at his disposal to relay his travel plans ahead of him and make some modest arrangements.
Wiston played a soft tune on a small brass horn that he brought and knew that Momo enjoyed the tones that came forth, it was always best to keep a Dragon of any age pacified when ever possible. Momo enjoyed the music and used it as backdrop to his continuing tales which eventually led to the revelation that the undead horde was most likely headed off towards long abandoned caverns along the far western rim of the south desert.
At daybreak the two thanked the nomadic gypsy and made for the area of which Momo spoke. Travel was now a bit slower going though Momo could take flight he was still to small to carry a passenger, even the Hin Bard. Even so, the travelers were at the north-west edge of the desert in time for the high noon sun to make the Bard perspire greatly, Momo however, lavished in the warmth and even comment about the relative coolness of the day.
They continued south until the found traces of recent passing by many, many slow and lumbering footfalls. Wiston spied evidence that something quite large was being dragged, but there was no sign of blood so that gave them hope. In the back of his mind Wiston though about the lack of evidence of any struggle by what he assumed was Momo's mother being dragged toward the surrounding cliffs. How did the undead horde manage to subdue an aged Brass Dragon so easily?
A few peculiar rotting things appeared as the two followed the sandy trail, and Wiston soon discovered that these were very different things from anything he ever encountered, nor even read about. Zombie like the things moved too quickly and utilized weapons of uncharacteristic strength given the amount of rust. Wiston could understand how Momo and Poe were no match for the horde, but by the looks of the tracks leading out compared to those returning less than a third of the original number survived to complete their mission.
Better yet, another large number of the odd zombie things were crushed and released from their cursed existence under a few piles of boulders. Wiston looked and spotted a Sand Nomad waving it's long wooden pole atop a cliff where the path narrowed. Momo commented as he spotter a few others on the opposite side. It would seem that Momo's mother had a few other friends in the region that sought her release, or at the least slowed the diminishing army down as best they could in hopes that others would be able to catch up. Both Wiston and Momo returned the wave as they made their way over the heaps of rubble and twisted rotting limbs.
Rounding a few more bends in the cavern they finally caught sight of what remained of the horde and the still, large mass they struggled to drag towards an opening in the rock wall. Wiston sounded the small brass horn in a violent blurt that unleashed a wave of sonic energy at the mouth of the cave and large pieces of the cave wall collapsed the entrance. Momo rushed after the creatures with an unexpected fire in his young eyes, claws and teeth ripping through disgusting flesh and splintering bone like twigs. Wiston pulled his rapier and followed the enraged Dragon hacking a path toward Momo's mother.
The battle raged for hours until the sun began to descend and all but a scant handful of the creatures were dispatched. A large rusty chain wove around Momo's mother, cutting her bright scales in several places. The cold emanating from the chain was unbearable to little Momo, but Wiston began loosing the restraints while Momo went back after the remaining zombie creatures dispatching most of the few survivors and holding the last few at bay.
When the last of the cold, rusting chain was removed Momo's mother slowly began to stir. Too slow, unfortunately, to warm Wiston of the dark form that approached behind him. Wiston felt the cold hand of death reach through him and saw black fingers emerge through his chest, a still beating heart held tightly within its grasp. The heart fell into the sand at Wiston's feet and he felt his soul being drawn back toward whatever stood behind him. In moments all life would be lost, his soul would be consumed by an immeasurable evil and he would become like those things they had fought most of the afternoon. His mind races as time felt like it had slowed to a crawl, there was one chance and as Momo's mother turned her gaze toward Wiston he knew it was the only hope for his eternal salvation.
Wiston had Dragon blood, it has been diluted over the generations but it was still there. In all likelihood that was the reason Bardic magic came so easily to him. That small amount of Dragon blood may now be his only hope to salvation as his life energy was being drained. Momo ran fast as he could toward Wiston as the Black figure backed away, still tethered to Wiston's soul working to consume it.
Momo felt, more so than heard, Wiston's instructions. It was an ancient rite that Dragon Kind could employ in the most dire of emergencies...
Momo was about to enter his next age and with the current curse on Dragons he would loose all memory. It was unlikely that Momo's mother would survive the damage done by the cold rusting chain that cut into her and burned with an icy heat to her organs shutting them down even as she was freed from captivity. If it weren't for the rite that Wiston planned to enact Momo would be left alone with a fading mother and no memories of who he was or why he was here. Momo would be completely vulnerable to whatever the black thing was that was trying to consume Wiston's soul and do whatever it had planned for Momo's mother. So not only was the rite Wiston's only hope, it turned out to be Momo's only hope as well. That was the final piece, the last necessary bit for the rite to be called upon, one to save two.
Momo had to consume Wiston's soul before the Blackness claimed it.
Wiston guided Momo's senses and instructed him on how to devour a willing soul. Scared, but enraged, Momo complied without hesitation. One saved two.
In the initial flash of energies released, and in-conjunction with the Black form still being tethered to Wiston during the rite, spiritual energies mixed with fires of life and followed the tether to engulf the Black form. Despite it's overwhelming power the thing had no chance of survival, it was ripped by the flame and energy unleashed by the rite. Its time of horror ended.
Momo stood dazed for a moment or two then remembered his failing mother and rushed to her side. "I am so very proud of the two of you... I love you Momo, I always will... Be safe and be well, we shall meet again... I love you..." Momo's mother took her last breath, but she died free and escaped whatever fate the terrible black thing had in store for her. And most importantly, Momo's mother got to witness her child take one further step towards becoming an adult Dragon, Momo was now a bit older and even managed to bypass the curse, at least this one time. It would be a difficult road for Momo, but he had a decent start, he still remembered who he is.
Momo began to move his mother's body so that he could bury her properly in her cave and seal it off for all time. But Momo remembered his friend Wiston and went back to gather his body as well (though Momo had no idea what kind of ceremony Wiston would desire or to who he should deliver the corpse). Momo searched but found nothing, no sign of the Bard anywhere...
"Its OK Momo, I'm with you now. I'll be here if ever you have the need, there's no body to concern yourself with. Let's tend to your mother and that'll be it."
Momo struggled with the body of his mother for a time until the Sand Nomads came and with a makeshift cart helped Momo transport the body back to her cave. Deep inside with her horde Momo said a silent farewell and left the cave one last time. Outside one of the Sand Nomads presented Momo with a small Brass Horn, it was the one Wiston played and later used to seal the undead cave. not sure how he did it, Momo reached out with small Halfling fingers, grabbed the horn and blew a violent note. The cave closed in a fury of rock and thunderous noise. Mother was sealed within, and Momo just knew that no one would ever beable to make their way inside ever again. Momo tucked the horn under his arm and again felt his full size return. "Thank you Wiston for the help", Momo thought to himself and he flew off to find shelter in the night wondering what the Fates had in store for him next.