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Tides of Darkness
Topic Started: Aug 7 2008, 11:55 AM (111 Views)
Vincent Valentine
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Avatar of Insanity
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The ocean weaved wildly, the waves crashed against the rocks, nearly breaking them apart. Above the dark ocean the clouds blocked out any trace of light. None knew if it was day or night, and lightning was all that broke through the darkness, cutting through it for only mere seconds.

A lone figure stood on a small peninsula sticking out above the waters. The crashing and violent waves nearly reached the top of where the cloaked figure stood. The being wore a large cloak which seemed to stiffly hold its place, unmoving in the heavy winds. The cloak’s bottom edge was tipped with razor sharp pieces of steel, each having a small blue gem embedded in them. The hood of the cloak was pulled over the figure’s head, the cowl pulled down low and the edges trimmed in a thin layer of gold. The cloak was pulled tightly about the figure, allowing none to see what was under the covering garment.

The cloaked figure wielded a large staff, made entirely from the Death Tree, the ebony wood seeming to blend in with the darkness about the figure. At the top, the wood seemed to bend about a decent sized orb, also pure black like the staff, two pieces of wood wound around the orb, one laying flat atop it, the other sticking out just slightly. On the mage’s other hand it wore a large golden ring, a red gem embedded into it, which seemed to glow slightly as each wave came close to the top of the peninsula.

The mage stood perfectly still, his scepter tightly in hand. The bottom of the staff rested atop the dead grass, black and lifeless, just like everything else in the world. This man was a Death Magi, one of the most horrible creatures of the Underworld. None had ever risen to as great a power as he, Mal’thekk. His scepter gave him even greater power of that which he loved to control: darkness. The gem imbedded in his ring gave him power over fire, which he had stolen from the greatest Fire Magi, Kakaron. Mal’thekk’s boots, hidden under his robe, were taken from the goddess of the winds, Aris, and allowed the Death Magi to control the powers of the winds. Many other items the Death Magi owned gave him other subtle powers over other elements as well, and the magi had become far too powerful for anyone, or any group, to combat. Mal’thekk could counter any attack the other magi threw at him.

Effectively, due to his rise in power, Mal’thekk had been able to literally control the world, and bend it to his will. The entire planet had been thrown into chaos. No torches could emanate a light bright enough to counter the Death Magi’s powerful darkness. Crops died, famine and disease spread through the countries, and those who had enough food to last them for a little while, died from the cold.

Quickly, a group of the finest soldiers left had decided they needed to put an end to the Death Magi’s reign, or they would all perish either way. Their leader, the only other magi alive, went by the name Etris. He was a powerful force to be reckoned with, even to Mal’thekk. Etris commanded the powers of both Life, his primary study, and had achieved something no other magi had done: he controlled a second element without the aid of items. Etris also commanded the powers of Death. The two opposites worked in perfect harmony through Etris’s years of training both of them.

Etris had gathered together a group of nameless heroes, all of which held a different profession, none of them magi though. One was an archer, the most skilled of the bunch. She could shoot up to four arrows at a time, taking out at least four enemies per shot. She never missed, and even through the impending darkness, she was still able to get a bull’s-eye on any target. Another nameless hero, a powerful, tank-like warrior, could take as many hits as even the toughest skinned animal, and could deal out as much damage as five men.

Another, the strangest of the group, was an assassin, who normally wore a white hooded cloak, which barely reached below his lknees. His eyes could never be seen and many wondered if he could even see at all. Over the tight cloak he wore black arm bracers, and out of the left bracer, one sharp claw stuck out, able to stab through his opponent’s heart at any time. The assassin wore black cloth pants, tucked tightly into large, brown leather boots. Upon his left hip rested a large sheathe, which only the hilt could be seen. The hilt consisted of some black materiel, and the pommel of which was a large, sharp tooth. The guard of the blade was two ‘L’ shapes, each pointing either to the hilt or the blade.

Also accompanying the group was a druid, capable of changing into any animal, large or small. He had felt the pain of the lands dying, slowly, as Mal’thekk’s grasp came upon them. The druid was the one who hated the Death Magi the most, and was willing to do nearly anything to put a stop to him.

Nearly as soon as the group had been assembled by the Magi Etris, they had set out to kill Mal’thekk. The Death Magi, knowing many things in the world he commanded, knew of their approach, but greatly underestimated them. As the group came upon the peninsula he called home, they had realized quickly how easily they had reached Mal’thekk. As the dark man spun slowly to face them, some began slowly thinking that their plan would fail. Etris, sensing this, held them steady, forced them to stand their ground. The druid, his hatred at the sight of the man who had killed that which he swore to protect, changed into a large bear, the fur upon his back sticking up, his sharp claws gleaming. The archer, drawing up her bow, knocked four arrows, each of them pointing at Mal’thekk. The warrior pulled his great warhammer from its sheathe upon his back, and spread his legs wide, ready to face death. The assassin, even his white clothes not bright enough to counter the darkness, slipped to the side, the small claw sliding into place and his blade slowly coming forth from the sheathe. The only other Magi, Etris, stared Mal’thekk down, beginning to conjure his most powerful spell of light.

As the battle waged on, Mal’thekk quickly came to the realization he had greatly underestimated these heroes. Those who had nothing to lose fought without fear, without mercy, and fought for lost loved ones, or loved ones they knew would die if they did not succeed. Etris was the first to go, giving his life to counter a spell which would have eliminated them all. Mal’thekk, weakened from the powerful spell, realized that his reign would fall on this fateful day. The warrior was the next to go, having taken the brunt of Mal’thekk's spells after Etris died. The druid was the next to go, his rage proving to be his downfall, but he had done irreversible damage to Mal’thekk, and died knowing his part was done. The archer was the last to die, her arrows having sliced through the air four at a time, each of them cleanly hitting the Death Magi. The assassin was the one to make the finishing attack, and was the only one to live. As the battle had waged on, the assassin had made countless attacks on his opponent’s back, and as the archer fell to the ground, he saw his final opportunity. Using all the strength he had left in his battle weary arms, the assassin shoved his blade through the back of the Death Magi’s neck, severing his head from his spine. As the deathly thing died, all that remained was his cloak, no body at all. As soon as the Death Magi was killed, the entire planet regained its normal light. Torches were able to once again cut through the darkness, and as if the angels were finally able to view the land and do some help, the plants, all the crops, all the trees, sprung back to life.

The assassin fell to the ground, far from dead, but very tired. He was the only hero left, the only one who could tell their tale, and he knew he would not die this day. The angels were watching over him, quickly healing whatever wounds he held. The assassin would live.



***********


Many years later the planet was still full of life. No other magi ever came, all the magics fully lost. None knew where the items of Mal’thekk had gone, and the assassin had long since fled the lands. Many thought him dead, as he very well should have been due to age. Most believed that when the remaining hero had told his tale to a few, he had gone into seclusion, and most thought he had taken the items along with him.

As the years passed, a few Magi began popping up across the land. Nearly everyone feared them, but the Magi assured them all they had no intention of becoming like Mal’thekk. Most didn’t believe them at first, but as they years passed on further, they began to accept them, and more and more came along. No Death Magi ever even appeared, or so they all thought.

One day, exactly 300 years after Mal’thekk’s downfall everyone felt something wrong in the air. A small village a few miles south of where Mal'thekk had made his home, was where it was felt the most.

The village was named Arcaea, and had a small population of about sixty people. The village wasn't poor, though, far from it. It was the last stopping place from the large city of Malyca to Caspysis, and many traders and adventurers loaded up on goods there.

The village of Arcaea was also the closest settlement to the aptly name Death Peninsula, where Mal'thekk had once stood in reign. For a short while after the Death Magi's fall, business in Arcaea had slowled, as no one wanted to go that close to the peninsula. But, after only a few years, people once again started coming through, having no choice but to stop there on their way to or from the other big cities.

But, on that day, not a single person came in or left the village. Everyone in the village, or apparently near it, felt the presence of something truely evil, something they hadn't felt since the days of Mal'thekk. The villagers had all boreded themselves up in the city, and one odd traveler, a man long forgotten, adorned in a pure white robe reaching only just below his legs, the hood pulled far over his head, had wandered into the village.


------


((Okay, now that there's an opening, I hope people will be able to join. The RP is going to start in Arcaea, and you can say you were already there and had seen the "odd traveler" or you had come from one of the larger cities to investigate the odd presence, or anything else you can come up with. You can come in with almost anything you'd like, just nothing too powerful, please.))
Vincent Valentine
 
Cool?
Hmm...I guess that's just the way I am, sorry."


Vincent Valentine
 
I don't care what you are doing, so much
as the idiotic way that you are doing it.


Too much hope is the opposite of despair. An overpowering love may consume you in the end..

More nightmares will come to me now. More than I previously had.
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Malkavia
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Meister des Grauens
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Aesir ran his fingers through his hair making his already shaggy hairdo even more raggy looking. It wasn't so much long as it was just uncared for, but he cared little about his outward appearance, he had bigger fish to fry and lots more important things on his mind. "Ra." He said, calling Ra-Jul by a shorter nick name of sorts. "Yessss?" Ra-Jul asked, stretching the last letter like how he often did. The letter S was the hardest one for him to get around, but some lizard-men were able to sound perfectly human, but it took a lot of practice, something he really didn't see much use in. "Are you certain this is the town we were supposed to be in?" Aesir asked, taking a long hard look at the boarded doors and windows. Ra-Jul nodded and pointed at a nearby sign they had just passed. "That ssssign sssaid thissss wassss the town of Arcaea." He struggled to get out, returning to silence after making his point.

Tarker looked around and saw a few people moving quickly into their homes, what few were still out anyway. "I don't like this, somethin's not right here." He said, getting his hand ready to draw his sword. "Easy there, Tarker, I don't think we should make these people nervous or wary of us right away." Lilith advised, moving her hand to his shoulder to get his attention. The group stopped as Aesir halted his movements, moving his hand in a "halt" signal. A man who appeared to be a guard was standing near a building, relunctantly standing in position to disallow anyone from entry. "Is this the mayor's office? We were hoping to speak with him." Aesir asked politely, receiving an answer quickly. "You mean 'her', not him, secondly, no one is allowed in her office at this time." "When will she allow people in?" Aesir asked. "Never. Now leave while you still have a life." The guard said, not sounding like a threat, but as a warning, as if he was trying to help them honestly. The party was puzzled by the look of fear on the man's face and Tarker finally asked, "What is happening here?" The guard looked around nervously and said, "I am not one to spread rumors or defy those with great power, but evil lurks in the dark corners of this town. You would do well to leave now. Please, I say this only to help you."


OOC: That's all I can do for now. Hope it wasn't bad, Vince.
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Vincent Valentine
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The assassin had been standing on the edge of the town when his fine tuned ears, though old as they were, picked up a soft hissing sound in the distance. As he began walking forward, he heard what sounded like a soft murmur arise. As he came closer to the voices, he saw what looked like a group of travelers, who obviously seemed puzzled by an odd expression the local guard had just given them. The assassin quickly sheathed his blade and pulled the claw back into his black leather bracer.

"Who are you?" The assassin asked, his voice carrying more age then it should have.
The man, from what could be seen of him, looked as though he was still in his 20's, but his voice was one of an aged and very well learned magi. His white half robe could be seen through the dark of the night, wet in a few spots by the light rainfall that had just started.
Vincent Valentine
 
Cool?
Hmm...I guess that's just the way I am, sorry."


Vincent Valentine
 
I don't care what you are doing, so much
as the idiotic way that you are doing it.


Too much hope is the opposite of despair. An overpowering love may consume you in the end..

More nightmares will come to me now. More than I previously had.
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Malkavia
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Meister des Grauens
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Ra-Jul had heard the man approaching and was keeping an eye on him, but remained calm and waiting for Aesir's response. ((I'm switching to first person perspective.)) "Uhm, hello. My name is Aesir and these three are Ra-Jul, Tarker and Lilith, my small yet dedicate band of heroic adventurers. We were going about trying to, if you pardon the expression, look for trouble. We've heard of some odd magical upheavel and a strange disturbance, we were hoping we could investigate it starting here. Do you know of what I speak?" I asked, trying in vain to fix my wild brown hair.
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