- achtungnight
- Oct 5, 2014
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I get my fun here. Enjoy!
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Avoid if possible.
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Mar 24, 2018 02:26
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- Adbot
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ADBOT LOVES YOU
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Jun 5, 2024 20:40
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- nelson
- Apr 12, 2009
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College Slice
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Hide brave Sir Lonewolf, hide.
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Mar 24, 2018 02:51
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- Comstar
- Apr 20, 2007
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Are you happy now?
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Hide brave Sir Lonewolf, hide.
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Mar 24, 2018 03:27
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- Mister Perky
- Aug 2, 2010
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Only bad people would lay an ambush with a silent alarm.
Let's kill them. This alternate plane of reality probably doesn't accept our currency but the iron price is universal.
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Mar 24, 2018 04:04
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- Helios Grime
- Jan 27, 2012
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Where we are going we won't need shirts
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Pillbug
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Danger, Will Robinson!
Hide
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Mar 24, 2018 11:02
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- achtungnight
- Oct 5, 2014
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I get my fun here. Enjoy!
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Hide. And it looks like we found the monolith’s monkeys.
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Mar 24, 2018 15:18
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- Comstar
- Apr 20, 2007
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Are you happy now?
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Hide. And it looks like we found the monolith’s monkeys.
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Mar 24, 2018 16:15
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- nelson
- Apr 12, 2009
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College Slice
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Hide brave Sir Lonewolf, hide.
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Mar 24, 2018 17:37
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- moosecow333
- Mar 15, 2007
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Super-Duper Supermen!
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Everything we've met so far looks like it could kill us in two second. Let's not push our luck and hide.
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Mar 24, 2018 19:46
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- Guy Fawkes
- Aug 1, 2014
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Lvl 62, +5 meadow defense
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Let's play some Hide and seek.
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Mar 24, 2018 20:33
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- Tiggum
- Oct 24, 2007
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Your life and your quest end here.
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Hide brave Sir Lonewolf, hide.
The Prisoners of Time posted:You hide beneath the leafy canopy of a flowering bush and wait in silence for the creatures to pass. Through a chink in the leaves you watch as two of them approach, sniffing the air with their ape-like noses as if they were trying to detect your scent.
Drawing on your mastery of Invisibility, you use your skills to evade the searching eyes of these strange anthropoid creatures. They pass within a few feet of you but fail to detect your presence. Only when you are sure that the coast is clear do you leave your hiding place and hurry away from the monolith and its protectors.
You are eager to put a good distance between yourself and the monolith, so you decide to run beside the stream for as long as your legs will allow. Time passes rapidly, although the terrain changes very little until you reach a line of low hills, spread out before you like a sleeping colossus. Here a path ascends from the bank of the stream to the crest of the hill and you follow it. On reaching the crest you stare down at a remarkable and daunting sight.
A walled city of low, pyramid-shaped dwellings lies spread along the centre of a narrow, wooded valley. Near the middle, rising high above the other buildings, stands a citadel, its colour identical to the drab grey of the sky. Admiringly you observe the intricate carvings which adorn its surface, but your enthusiasm is soon dampened when you see that the streets are teeming with the creatures you encountered at the monolith. You turn to leave but a strange compulsion draws your eyes back to the citadel: it is your Kai Sixth Sense and it is telling you that Serocca, the one who can aid you in your search for the Lorestones, resides here in this tower of stone.
The path leads down to an open gate in the city wall where two of its ape-like inhabitants stand guard.
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Mar 25, 2018 03:02
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- achtungnight
- Oct 5, 2014
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I get my fun here. Enjoy!
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Approach the gate. Time to see if these monkeys are hostile.
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Mar 25, 2018 03:55
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- nelson
- Apr 12, 2009
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College Slice
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Approach the gate. Time to see if these monkeys are hostile.
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Mar 25, 2018 04:24
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- Maugrim
- Feb 16, 2011
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I eat your face
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Search for another way.
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Mar 25, 2018 09:25
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- Comstar
- Apr 20, 2007
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Are you happy now?
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Hail and well met, my monkey friends!
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Mar 25, 2018 10:32
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- Tiggum
- Oct 24, 2007
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Your life and your quest end here.
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Hail and well met, my monkey friends!
The Prisoners of Time posted:As soon as the guards see you approaching they shuffle inside and quickly shut the gate. Moments later they reappear on the battlements above, from where they direct a stream of twittering noises at you.
Your Kai skill of Pathsmanship enables you to comprehend their curious language. They are demanding to know your name and your reason for wanting to enter the city of Thas, and they warn you that they will call out the city guard and arrest you if you do not give them the information they require. You tell them that you have come from the Beholder of Yanis and that you seek she who is called Serocca. Immediately upon hearing her name the two guards order that the gate be re-opened. The portal of grey stone swings back and they beckon you to enter. As you pass beneath the archway, a dozen of their kind gather round you, chirruping and twittering excitedly.
‘Come,’ says one of the guards, pointing to the tower. ‘We will escort you to Serocca.’
In a frenzy of excitement the citizens of Thas press forward on all sides, pawing, prodding, and staring slack-jawed, as you are brought along the main street, which leads directly to the grey tower. Your escort are hard-pressed to keep the crowd at bay and, by the time you reach the tower door, your clothes are dishevelled and you are scratched and bruised: lose 2 ENDURANCE points.
With a loud, grating rumble the stone door moves inwards and you are given into the charge of three bronze-clad Ookor wardens. They usher you up a winding stair to a bare chamber, floored and walled with smooth stone slabs. Silently a section of the drab wall moves aside and silhouetted in the opening stands the tall, feline shape of a remarkable creature. ‘I am Serocca,’ she purrs, hypnotically, ‘and I bid you welcome, Lone Wolf. Come, enter my chamber, so that we may discuss your reasons for journeying so far to seek my help.’
Endurance: 35/37.
Your Discipline of Psi-screen allows you to sense that Serocca is imprisoned in a cage of psychic energy which surrounds her chamber and prevents her from passing through the opening. This energy is extremely powerful and has been synchronized to react to her brainwaves alone. To enter the chamber would cause you no injury, but if she ever attempted to pass through the invisible wall, the resulting release of force would be enough to destroy both her and the entire city of Thas.
Healing: +1 EP (36/37).
Cautiously you pass through the opening and follow Serocca into a tall, domed chamber that is supported by a circle of huge, rose-veined marble pillars. At its centre stands a large table and, from the ceiling directly above, a flood of light pours down, reflecting and refracting upon its crystal mosaic surface and bathing the chamber walls in spectral colours. She bids you take a seat at the table and, as she lowers herself elegantly into a seat opposite, you cannot but admire her beauty. Her face has the feline characteristics of a young lioness, yet her eyes and her youthful body are distinctly human, save for the soft, velvety nap which covers her flesh. She bears an aura that is powerful and confident, and yet at the same time she seems vulnerable and sad.
‘How do you know my name?’ you ask, slightly unnerved by the familiar way in which she welcomed you to her chamber.
‘There is much I know about you,’ she replies, veraciously, and at once you sense that you are in the presence of a god-like being. ‘Your land, and your fight against the forces of darkness who threaten to conquer it, are but a part of the struggle which rages throughout the Planes of Existence. Yet it is your world and your fight that has become the focus of this conflict between the powers of Good and Evil.’ She pauses, and then staring deeply into your eyes, she continues: ‘Upon you depends the future of us all.’
Stunned by the enormity of what she has said, you shake your head in open-mouthed silence: ‘No! How can this be?’ you breathe incredulously.
‘There are those who seek to shape destiny and those upon whom destiny falls. Destiny has chosen you, Lone Wolf, and you cannot refuse it, for it will force itself upon you.’
‘But how have I become the focus of such a struggle?’ you reply.
‘We are all a part of it,’ she says. ‘The worlds of Aon and the Daziarn are shaped by the actions of those who exist there. Yet the time has now come when the actions of one individual will shape the future of both worlds. You are that individual, Lone Wolf, and your actions are destined to shape the future of every living thing.’
‘But what if I refuse?’ you say, nervously. ‘What then will happen to the future?’
‘You cannot refuse,’ she says, softly. ‘For everything you do is bound up with your destiny. Your vow to complete the Magnakai quest and restore the Kai, will you give that up? Will you forsake your country and its future security? Will you abandon Magnamund to the evil of the Darklords? No, by your very nature—because of your honour and your courage—you will act out your part.’
‘What then must I do?’ you ask.
‘You must do what you have always done. You must listen to the words of those who will help you and you must let your skills and instincts be your guide.’ She leans forward and sweeps her hands slowly across the surface of the table. The light dims and patterns take shape among the tiny squares of crystal. ‘Observe and learn,’ she says. ‘For the images will impart knowledge that will aid your quest for the Lorestones of your ancestors.’
Healing: +1 EP (37/37).
The flickering patterns draw into focus and you see before you a panoply of strange scenes, and the faces of many unknown creatures, some human, some bestial, and some that defy description.
‘Many of the events which have befallen your world are mirrored here in the Daziarn,’ says Serocca, as you watch, with growing fascination, the image of a battle taking place between men and beasts. ‘We too are threatened by the forces of darkness. Many ages ago we triumphed over evil, but our victory was incomplete. Now our nemesis has come in the guise of the Chaos-master. Everywhere his seething corruptions encroach upon the goodly realms of the Daziarn, twisting and consuming all they touch.’
The vision of the battle fades and is replaced by a living map, similar to the light-picture you were shown by the Beholder of Yanis. ‘Here are the realms that lie between the elemental strongholds of Earth and Water. Once this region was rich and populous with the creatures of light, but now it lies ravaged by the cancerous Realm of Paradox. Only Vhozada and Meledor continue to resist; the others have either disappeared into the Neverness or been transformed into desolate wastelands. Here … ’ she says, pointing to the middle of the table, ‘is the Nahgoth Forest, once the most fertile of the great timberlands; now the scourge of chaos splits it asunder. And here, the Plain of Guakor, the mightiest realm the Daziarn has ever known, reduced to dust by a plague of fire-breathing Zhengha.’
Tears well up in her eyes and you sense that the vision of Guakor has stirred painful memories.
The encounter with the creatures at the monolith can actually go three different ways. You can avoid them as we did, you can fight them, or you can actually just stop and talk to them and if you tell them the truth then they bring you straight to Serocca.
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Mar 25, 2018 11:39
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- achtungnight
- Oct 5, 2014
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I get my fun here. Enjoy!
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What troubles you, cat-lady?
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Mar 25, 2018 13:12
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- Comstar
- Apr 20, 2007
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Are you happy now?
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What troubles you, cat-lady?
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Mar 25, 2018 14:25
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- nelson
- Apr 12, 2009
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College Slice
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What troubles you, cat-lady?
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Mar 25, 2018 15:17
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- moosecow333
- Mar 15, 2007
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Super-Duper Supermen!
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I've always wondered how many people have died to those mandatory EP loss section such as you getting escorted through the streets.
How embarrassing it must be for Lone Wolf to survive all of the previous adventures just to die to some curious people in the streets.
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Mar 25, 2018 17:11
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- Kangra
- May 7, 2012
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I think in this book all combat has been avoidable thus far, but coming in from the last book without full health could put you in a tough spot.
Don't be a Percival. What troubles you?
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Mar 25, 2018 18:28
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- Guy Fawkes
- Aug 1, 2014
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Lvl 62, +5 meadow defense
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What troubles you, cat-lady?
This.
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Mar 25, 2018 18:53
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- Tiggum
- Oct 24, 2007
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Your life and your quest end here.
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The Prisoners of Time posted:‘It is the cruelty of the Chaos-master that saddens me so,’ she says in a whisper, as if fearing to be overheard. ‘Before his coming, the Plain of Guakor was ruled by a great warrior called Sinay, whose only fault, it was said, was a surfeit of pride. He loved me and wished for the union of our realms, but, alas, his love was unrequited; the joining of Guakor and Vhozada was not to be. To win my love and restore his injured pride, Sinay struck a bargain with the Chaos-master, for in keeping with the paradoxical nature of that god, he is obliged to indulge in the granting of wishes to those who would dare demand them of him. The Chaos-master wove a spell to enchant me and Sinay was granted his wish: I became enamoured of him. But the bargains of the Chaos-master are in keeping with his nature—they are cruel and fickle. Upon the hour of our wedding he appeared and demanded that Sinay pay for his wish by ceding him half his realm. He was refused, and in retribution he imprisoned me here in this tower and wrought upon Sinay such physical mutation that he fled Guakor and hid himself in shame.’
‘Do you know what became of him?’ you ask.
‘Yes,’ she replies, sadly. ‘He is the ruler of a new realm. He has regained his power but his body is forever a cruel reminder of his pact with the Chaos-master. He is the one who sent you to me—he is the Beholder of Yanis.’
Serocca blinks away her tears and forces herself to concentrate on the matter in hand. Again the image fades from the table and a new one takes its place: a picture of forested hills and steep-sided valleys. ‘This is where the Lorestones emerged from the Shadow Gate,’ she says, her voice now calm and controlled. ‘I detected their presence immediately, for the power they radiate is extraordinary.’
‘Where is this place?’ you ask.
‘It is the Nahgoth Forest, close to the border with Meledor. I estimate that the Lorestones lie within a few hundred yards of Tolakos, the ancient burial ground of the Meledorians,’ she replies, but with caution in her voice.
‘Is this not good news?’ you ask, relieved to know at last where the objects of your quest are situated.
‘Yes, it is, but for the struggle now taking place in the region. The Meledorians are locked in battle against the forces of the Chaos-master, who is determined to claim all of the Nahgoth for himself. Tolakos is but a few leagues from where the fighting is fiercest.’
‘Then I must retrieve the Lorestones quickly,’ you say, rising from your seat in your eagerness to press on with your quest.
‘Indeed you must, but it would benefit you nought if you were to reclaim them and then be unable to return to your home world for the lack of knowing where to go. Be patient a little longer, Lone Wolf, and I shall show you where, in all this vast region of the Daziarn, you can find the one Shadow Gate that leads to Magnamund.’
The vision of the Nahgoth Forest dissolves and a new one takes its place. It is of a city, perched atop a rocky cliff, surrounded by a wall fortified with towers and grim bastions. Red flames glare from a row of tiny windows and its huge stone gate is emblazoned with the symbol of a fiery dragon.
‘This is Haagadar,’ says Serocca, cheerlessly. ‘Once it was the home of the Sandai, the rulers of the Great Plains that stretched to the very edge of the strongholds of Earth. They were the first to fall to chaos and now their plains are dead and empty wastelands of sterile rock and poisoned sand. Haagadar was claimed by the Chaos-master and it became his abode but, as his foul empire expanded, he grew tired of it and abandoned it for other, less remote, cities. It lay deserted for an age before outlaws and refugees from Guakor sought sanctuary there from the creatures of chaos. It is now a forgotten city, yet within its heart there lies a secret that even the Chaos-master failed to discover: the Sandai were the guardians of a Shadow Gate. Long had they kept hidden this portal whilst they searched for a means to enter it, for unlike the Shadow Gates of your world, those of the Daziarn are closed. Only those who possess a key can pass from this realm into the universe of Aon.’
‘Where is this key which allows entry to the Shadow Gate of Haagadar?’ you ask, anxiously.
Serocca raises her eyes from the table and smiles. ‘Power is the key, and the power is now within your grasp. The two Lorestones of Nyxator are the power—they are the key to your escape from the Daziarn. You must retrieve them from Tolakos, in the Nahgoth Forest, and then go to Haagadar. The Shadow Gate is to be found in the Temple of the Sandai at the centre of the city. I can help you reach Tolakos but beyond the Nahgoth my powers of vision grow dim. You must let your skills and this map be your guide there.’
From the pocket of her silken robes she produces a Map which she presses into your hand (mark this on your Action Chart as a Special Item which you carry inside your tunic). You unfurl the parchment and study its contents (see the accompanying illustration), noting with dismay the great distance which separates the Nahgoth Forest from the city of Haagadar.
‘Come, you must rest before your journey to Tolakos. I shall arrange for my Ookor to take you there after you have slept and recovered your strength.’
Serocca rises from her seat and bids you follow her to an adjoining room where there is food, a bath, and a comfortable bed. There she leaves you, returning to the table to consult its visions, while you try to relax despite the heavy sense of foreboding that haunts your mind.
It seems as if you have only just closed your eyes when you are woken from your sleep by the sound of Serocca’s voice echoing in your mind. ‘The time has come for you to begin your journey, Lone Wolf.’ Quickly you dress and gather together your equipment before joining her at the Table of Visions. ‘I have chosen T’uk T’ron, my most able and trusted Ookor captain, and a company of his best Thas guards to escort you to Tolakos. He is familiar with the forest tracts of the Khat Trisect and he will ensure that you do not lose your way.’
She brings forth a black box inlaid with sparkling gems and unlocks it with a star-shaped key, which she wears on a slender chain around her neck. ‘Take this, Lone Wolf, and keep it safe,’ she says, handing you a pyramid-shaped Obsidian Seal.
‘The war against the Chaos-master has made the Meledorians suspicious of all save their own kind, and they are wont to attack anything they fear could be an agent of chaos. When you meet them show them this seal and your safety will be assured.’ (Mark the Obsidian Seal on your Action Chart as a Special Item which you carry in your pocket. If you already possess the maximum number of Special Items permissible, you must discard one in favour of the Obsidian Seal.) ‘Do not speak of your quest to anyone except their leader—Lorkon Ironheart. Seek him out. In him you can place your trust. While you slept we communicated with our minds and he has vowed to help you find the Lorestones.’
She puts down the black box and gracefully walks towards the narrow exit from her chamber. In the room beyond you see a stocky Ookor clad in polished bronze armour, waiting patiently for you to appear. ‘There is T’uk T’ron,’ she says fondly. ‘He will be your guide.’
The creature brings himself stiffly to attention and salutes you with pride. ‘I am honoured to have been chosen,’ he says, using a language that approximates to your own. You return his salute then bid your thanks and farewell to Serocca.
‘You will succeed,’ she whispers, as she kisses your cheek. ‘You must succeed.’
You leave Serocca’s chamber and follow T’uk T’ron as he leads you out of the tower and along a busy street towards the city’s main square. Three gleaming bronze chariots, each drawn by a team of strange, horse-like creatures called onipa, are ready and waiting to take you to Tolakos. With the Ookor captain you climb aboard the leading chariot and grab the hand-rail as its driver cracks his whip. The onipa surge forward and, in a cloud of thick dust, the chariots race out of the city and along a stony road that cuts through the centre of the valley beyond.
Three hours pass before you catch sight of a village on the road ahead. T’uk T’ron grins and points repeatedly at his open mouth. ‘You want eat here?’ he says, shouting to make himself heard above the incessant rattling of the chariot wheels.
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Mar 25, 2018 22:43
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- achtungnight
- Oct 5, 2014
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I get my fun here. Enjoy!
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Keep going. All that exposition took precious time and wore me out.
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Mar 25, 2018 22:58
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- Maugrim
- Feb 16, 2011
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I eat your face
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Keep going. All that exposition took precious time and wore me out.
Seriously. Feels like Dever has been developing his cosmology in secret for a dozen books and now he finally gets to show us his amazing creation and he just. Can't. Stop.
But hey, I'm all for stretching things out. Let's eat.
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Mar 26, 2018 00:03
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- nelson
- Apr 12, 2009
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College Slice
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Mar 26, 2018 01:45
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- Adbot
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ADBOT LOVES YOU
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Jun 5, 2024 20:40
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- Tiggum
- Oct 24, 2007
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Your life and your quest end here.
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I'm not sure they have those but we can ask.
The Prisoners of Time posted:T’uk T’ron slaps the driver’s shoulder. Immediately he hauls on the reins and pulls at a lever which activates the wheel brakes, bringing the chariot to a squealing halt. The others stop nearby and the guards clamber down from the riding platforms unsteadily, their legs weak and trembling after hours of riding along the bumpy track. They are familiar with this village and without hesitation they head towards a thatched hut that is set back from the road.
You accompany the captain and his driver into the hut, stooping to enter the Ookor-sized doorway. The villagers seem delighted to receive you as their guest and ply you eagerly with food and wine. One of them, an elderly female with kindly eyes, hobbles to your side and places a deck of cards on the table. ‘She is teller of fortunes,’ says T’uk T’ron. ‘You want she tell your fortune, yes?’
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Mar 26, 2018 09:54
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Mar 24, 2018 02:26
