Varrel rises from his place amongst those gathered. His irritating and throughly irritating familiar, TALON sitting on his shoulder, with his tail around the back of his neck and stinger swaying across the other shoulder in a perpetual threat.
The consular limp whispers into his 'Masters' ear.
Don't die in this. Sadly you are not yet corrupted enough for me to drag you back to hell.
The elf purposely steps forward, The hells will not take you back. There would be no reward for you. You will continue to serve as I have bound you and the lower realms will continue to laugh at the imp who couldn't corrupt a slave. Now, shut up and ready yourself. There will be blood this day.
The Herald appeared one day. A Pillar, 50 feet of crystal bright with power shining like a beacon across the land. His voice a deep rumble heard in the back of the mind calling all to him to fight for Boi the great and powerful god. Boi would reward the winner with immortality and powers of mythic levels as his champion. His voice has whispered in your mind for close to a year drawing everyone near and far to this place on the battered rocks above the stormy shore of the Inner Sea.
Atop the pillar stands the herald. 20 feet tall scarred and hard faced, he is the living embodiment of war, but there is something more. The twitch of a grin or the gleam of his eye you are not sure, but he is more than he appears to be. His gold and leather armor is covered in runes that seem to pulse like a heartbeat. his forearms are wrapped in black chains also rune covered.
He Roars out drowning out all other talk "Step forward challengers! It is time to receive the mark of the champion and enter the game."
Confidently and with no sense of urgency Hustar walks towards the luminous creature. "It was about time...messenger."
The armored knight just advanced silently toward the herald.
Meredith looked up into the sky from her bloody mid-day meal. For the first time in a great many months the dark whispers in the back of Meredith's mind were drowned out by the booming voice of the Herald of Boi. Save one.
She could almost even hear her own thoughts.
The one voice, darker and more terrifying to Meredith than even Boi's "pet titan," urged her forward. Though the voice somehow felt far, far away--impossibly far--it sounded as though it were coming from right beside her, always jumping just out of her line of sight when she would turn towards it. It whispered promises of aid during the events to come, and sweet rewards for them both should she succeed.
Meredith dropped the boy farmer, his corpse to fertilize his own field, climbed into her nearby cauldron, and began to fly towards the pillar of light.
With practiced footsteps, Hanzou silently stepped forth onto the clan destined battle ground. He was wary of the others, but he knew he had tricks up his sleeves that few of them could imagine. His decades of training and fighting would finally be shown to the world in this unlikely of places.
Standing towards the back of the group is a tiefling with what appears to be an imp on his shoulder attempting to mimic its masters appearance. As the others begin to step forward the imp turns to its master and in a screaming piercing voice shouts WHATS GOING ON? To which his master responds in an equally loud and piercing voice WHAT DID YOU SAY? After a minute or so of loud bickering about not being able to hear, the imp just points to the direction of the others stepping forward. The tiefling nods and walks that direction.
Once with the others steeping forward the tiefling will ask, in a yell, any and everyone what is going on. However, he seems to never hear the response of those that answer and continues to ask his question.
Varrel walks steadily forward and casts a glare back to the tiefling and his pet imp. Talon empathically noted his masters wary eyes.
Imps make fine familiars. Hellspawn are particularly like to summon my kind. Do you know the Half-Breed?
Varrel answers back in heavily accented infernal
No. Nor would I associate with any who'd keep with devils.
Talon smiled at that, You are a hypocrite then, slave.
Varrel did not respond to the comment. He was a hypocrite.
A slave who killed his master, and in his quest for Vengeance against Cheliax, summoneda devil to help him gain power.
Varrel puts memories from his mind. Go invisible and remain close, but hidden. It may not be long.
Bloodshed. Shed in pursuit of a goal. Talon's favorite pastime.
So it is time. There aren't as many people as I thought there would be...
Gorik stood still, looking up at the towering pillar, contemplating it, before turning his head and looking impassively over the others approaching. So, these are the others who have been urged here, as well. Challengers.
He stood a moment more, before a breeze blew from behind him, flowing over his skin like the blue runes and lines that patterned it. It seemed to push against him, urging him forward, and he nodded.
"Very well," he muttered, quietly.
He began to move forward slowly, and groaned, with a visible limp in his right leg clearly causing him pain. But he had become used to it many years before, and he went forward steadily.
Sir Oktain proudly rides three-prong forwards, ready to recieve whatever "mark of the gods" might mean...
Urdavan, too, gazes up at the pillar from a bit behind the crowd. Impressive. I wonder how they got it here. After a few moments of contemplation, he shifts his woolen backpack higher on his shoulders and strolls forward towards the crowd. Despite his short legs and casual pace, he quickly catches up with the tail end of the bunch, at which point he slows down even more, to permit others to pass before him.
Not much grazing up there, he muses as he walks. I'm glad I didn't bring the flock.
So what is this Mark Of The Champion?
As everyone approches the Pillar the light begins swell. shining as if daylight. The Herald jumps high and comes down wish barely a sound. He looks down at you all.
A goblin, still smelling of half cured hides, flies down on the back of a large bat.
"I've got to fly to Magnimar in the morning and give a lecture on tanning, but I think there is still time for the likes of you."
(OOC: I should have time for a few post each day. If that's not enough though, I'll bow out)
The herald chants until a rune of light forms and is floating in the air before you.
"touch it and you will receive the mark and begin your challenge." His voice is loud over the crashing waves and the winds whipping up around all of you. The wind all seems to be blowing toward the pillar.
(OOC: thats fine. we have to go through all the bouts so it will take time. As people get their rune they will enter and be matched up.)
Gorik watches the floating light take shape before him. Turning back now seems like a waste, he thinks to himself, then stretches his hand out to touch it.
As Nu'Raahl touches the rune he feels a tingling in his hand. when he looks at it he sees that there is now a copy of the rune on his palm. The light of the rune expanded and envelopes him. all he can see is light. Then there is a clap of thunder and he is gone.
The clap of thunder echos off the hills as the Herald laughs. "The first challenger has entered the game!"
Sounds like the Guild Marks...
Gorik Touches the rune floating in the light and he too sees the glow surround him and is blinded by the light. The thunder hammers above merging with the one just before. Gorik is gone transported someplace else.
As the Imp and tiefling continue to bicker the Imp finally pulls out his master's earplug and says, still screaming, THERE IS A FLOATING GLOWING THING OVER THERE, as he points to the rune. The tiefling then directs his attention in the direction his imp is pointing and approaches it without caution. Studying it over for a second he says to his companion, Hmmm, this is interesting. I haven't seen something like this before. As he continues to study it for a second he finally reaches out and haphazardly starts to poke it.
Gorik and Nu'Raahl have the feeling of falling incredibly fast through the light. wind rushing around you but it is quiet. As if the sound is very far off, like you are racing ahead of it. Then suddenly there is a floor and you land on it hard enough to stumble. Both of you are in separate 20' circular rooms. looking around you see that you are in towers. The windows are covered in a silver looking latticework. Beyond the window you see fires and smoke across the land. The tower is part of what looks like a massive fortress raising into the clouds. below you see massive shapes forming and raising along the side of the towers. There is but a single archway leading to wide set of stairs. the stairs are covered in broken glass from the ceiling and windows.
Brice begins to glow as the rune transfers to his hand. The tingling on his palm is also felt on his Imps hand. as they look they both bear the rune.
"Hold on tight Imp" The Herald laughs as with a clap of thunder they to are whisked away
"You must bare the mark to enter the game, but you must also have it to return home." The herald shouts.
Gorik grunts as his leg takes the force of the sudden stop, before looking around. Now where the hell am I? he wonders.
He turns to the stairs and begins to slowly make his way down, cautiously.
Meredith didn't recall touching the rune, but she must have, for the world around her faded into the light. The crowd, the hills, the whole of the world slowly vanished from her sight. Left alone in the light with nothing but the alien voices in her minds she grew increasingly terrified. The dark whispers tried to keep her focused, calm, in the moment.
It didn't help. She lost herself to fear and confusion, swallowed by the light. Like the world, her mind began to fade, leaving only the dark voices.
They had done it. They were finally free.
Ezra touches the rune and the light travels up his body and he too is blind to all but the light.
Ezra and Brice have the feeling of falling incredibly fast through the light. wind rushing around you but it is quiet. As if the sound is very far off, like you are racing ahead of it.
Then suddenly there is a floor and you land on it hard enough to stumble. Both of you are in separate 20' circular rooms. looking around you see that you are in towers. The windows are covered in a silver looking latticework.
Beyond the window you see fires and smoke across the land. The tower is part of what looks like a massive fortress raising into the clouds. below you see massive shapes forming and raising along the side of the towers. There is but a single archway leading to wide set of stairs. the stairs are covered in broken glass from the ceiling and windows.
She readies her shield and draws her sword. Then she begins walking towards the stairs staying as low as she can and holding the shield to protect most of her form.
She has been through plenty of sieges to know not to rush things. She advances slowly and militantly.
Each of you appear alone in your towers. There is no one with you and looking outside the window you can see other towers but smoke and that black shape block the view. The shape looks like a massive tentacle. 20 feet across Meredith hasn't seen it's like since she first saw a Kraken stalking a ship years ago. But these dwarf even that mighty beast. The tentacles raise from the darkness and smoke and even as you look sends more glass falling down upon the floor. It is probing for a way in.
The armored knight streches to the light. A big smils is hidden under his helm.
To kill or to die...
"Hmm... Wonder if these are what the 'Old Man' calls the Great Old Ones"
She slowly looks out on the stairs.
Gorik and Ezra walk up the stairs. Alone except of the breaking glass and faint sounds of battle down in the darkness. It takes you a few minutes to reach the top.
The heralds voice echos. "To advance you must defeat your opponent. Their blood will open the gate."
His voice fades.
You climb into view of an immense room at least 100 feet or more across. High arched windows Surround this tower and pillars of fine stone raise up to beams that hold up a ceiling of glass and latticework. Most of the glass is missing and now covers the floor. In the center of the room you can see a statue of a woman before a wide pool of water. beyond her you can see a gate leading to another set of stairs.
The Dark Voices ducked down, using Meredith's broad hat to keep falling glass from entering her cauldron. They then will the cauldron to float up the stairs to the next level, curious to see what wonders this new world might provide them for their entertainment.
Gorik looks around for a moment as the voice of the herald booms. With a quick movement he unslings his bow, and looks around, searching for whomever his opponent might be.
She scans the room for danger. Shield raised and Sword ready to strike.
Both of you hear something of to your side you can see another archway obscured by pillars and a tree growing in earth that has sprouted out of the tiles
Nicoslaus and Gus have the feeling of falling incredibly fast through the light. wind rushing around you but it is quiet. As if the sound is very far off, like you are racing ahead of it. Then suddenly there is a floor and you land on it hard enough to stumble. Both of you are in separate 20' circular rooms. looking around you see that you are in towers. The windows are covered in a silver looking latticework. Beyond the window you see fires and smoke across the land. The tower is part of what looks like a massive fortress raising into the clouds. below you see massive shapes forming and raising along the side of the towers. There is but a single archway leading to wide set of stairs. the stairs are covered in broken glass from the ceiling and windows.
[ooc http://www.icheckfortraps.com/azaelas-meredith.html let me know where you move to. each square is 5 feet. so 30 moves 6 squares, 40 moves 8 squares. diagonal costs 2 moves.[/ooc]
Meradith and Azaelas roll perception
Are we using the diagonal 1,2,1,2 rule or straight 2 rule?
Readying for defense, Gorik waves his hand to the side, warping the air around him until he is invisible. Cloaked as such, he slowly stalks to the side, ready to fire.
Nicoslaus turns to the stairs and begins walk his way down. In his right hand is his trusted shield, in the other a net.
@all. i posted maps of each pair. although all of you are fighting similar battles you are not in the same room. From what you can see the fortress is made up of rings of these towers. the smaller ones you came in through leading in to bigger ones and these leading into yet other ones.
Are we using the diagonal 1,2,1,2 rule or straight 2 rule?