Riel Stories Epic

[Maharg67]

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Riel Stories Epic

One 21.5[76]

Of Burning Deaths

 

There were other large sets (of items) as if from other realms, like Tamriel, and one that seemed to be of modern Tamriel itself.

 

"All the sets show folks suffering from the burning deaths but also suffering but not dying." The Imperial Guild Sage spoke. "At least that is what I see."

 

Mulder frowned hard. "Terrariellan scientists created hitech drugs that lessened the 'burning effect' but the drugs have such terrible side effects that many die during the curing process anyway."

 

Olisha matched the hard scowl with one of her own. "Our technomages created processes, for non-mageborn, that save their lives but often leave them twisted of mind and-or body. Dealing with the burning deaths has been a near impossible challenge for both of our civilizations and also the Septum Empire, or so I suspect."

Edited February 4, 2014 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

Riel Epic Stories

Two 3.1[77]

Of Hawkhaven Challenges

 

"Find the Lake of Ever Laughing Tears, find the missing Fifty Thousand Genuine Fakes, discover where Master Juno dwells, seek the Path of Oldest Hawkhaven and Awaken the Hawkhaven Guardians!" Jadekia repeated, word for word, what the LittleFatMan had told the Hero Demidivines. "So, where do we begin!"

 

The other four women were also adorned in special armor, powerful and well designed, and were just completed fight practice. They had practiced with each others' special weapons along with more general ones. They had practiced against household nymphs, who attacked in amazingly well coordinated groups. They had also fought solid illusionary projections of a wide range of enemies; some of those foes had been made up for the five warriors were not sure what they would end up facing.

 

"The Lake of Ever Laughing Tears!" Gabrielle spoke even as she put away a quarterstaff that she had been using, placing it neatly onto a rack of such weapons. "This Hawkhaven has an archive-library building. Perhaps we can find information there."

 

Household nymphs were preparing a meal for the Demidivines.

 

The head servitor approached the Demidivines and bowed briefly before speaking. "Our people dwell in another aspect of Hawkhaven, named Lakehaven, where there is a large town facing many lakes. One of those is the Lake of Ever Laughing Tears but it is a most hazardous place to go so that even water nymphs (our cousin people) avoid it. The part of Lakehaven that faces the town is walled off by high, strong, magical walls with the exception of only one large, two medium and three small strong magical gates. Warrior nymphs, and companion creatures, guard the wall and the gates in large numbers. There is much chance that you will be refused permission to go to the ancient mystical lake through the town. The Lakehaven Elders know why the Lake of Laughing Tears is so feared but they rarely share such knowledge."

 

"Where does the name come from" Gabrielle asked eagerly for she loved learning things. "Is it to do with some story linked to the lake?"

 

The household nymph shook her head. "Please follow me and I will show you."

Edited February 4, 2014 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

Riel Story Epic

Two 3.2[78]

Of Hawkhaven Challenges

 

The great crystal sphere was transparent and a third full of bubbling water, or so was the amazing illusion. From the surface of the water rose upwards tear drops of glittering, glimmering, waters. As they fell upwards there was the sound of terrible laughter; the laughter was incredible sadness, fear, rage and other emotions but mostly of sadness.

 

"The name is a description of what observers experience but the real experience is sharper, harder and can send people insane or even kill them, especially if the observers are mortals." The household nymph looked troubled, which said much for a people who prided themselves in remaining calm. "It is whispered, amongst my peoples, that once we sent a large expedition downwards into the depths of the lake. The few survivors, that returned, were badly wounded of mind-body-spirit and all died only a few days after returning. One spoke of a great monster of a multitude of features including great eyes from which the tears came from before shooting upwards towards the surface of the lake. The creature did not attack the expedition but they were overwhelmed by the 'emotional storm' generated by it in an almost mindless manner. I can tell you no more."

 

The Demidivines 'sensed' that the nymph had risked herself saying what she had done so they placed no pressure on her to say more.

 

Xena indicated the monster, as the illusion globe showed it. "The creature's skin is made up of millions of platelets just like those of the bonekynes except that these are a flowing mixture of red, purple, black and off white. I wonder if this thing is a kind of living dead as are the bonekynes but much greater and more potent."

 

The observation was a very good one but they had no answers to the question posed. It was soon decided that Xena, and Gabrielle, would go to Lakehaven to seek some more information and to talk with the Lakehaven Elders.

[Maharg67]

Riel Stories Epic

One 22.1[79]

Of Burning Deaths

 

The LittleFatMan walked amongst the total devastation that was left of the army sent by the corrupt Imperial Guilds. The battleground was at one end of a vast glowcrystal cavern and was on high ground where the defenders had set themselves up. It had been a desperate, and ultimately useless, gesture but they had destroyed a multitude of enemies. Not just bonekynes but other creatures such as bigger, more powerful, armokynes and weapon using humanoid noidkynes. The burned remains of them, and even more massive monstokynes, stretched out for over a kilometre of ground.

 

Golems, humans, golemites, orcs, others, all were dead or smashed. Kynes, of different kinds, had fed on dead flesh but surprisingly few had survived the battle and so only relatively few corpses had been fed upon. The battle had been a large blow against the twisted plans of the Nameless Enemy as it strived to send as many Kynes, as possible, to a particular point in Northern Cyrodiil.

 

Why had the corrupted Imperial Guilds sent such a large force? The answer lay in the distance in the form of a great lake high-burn oil. High-burn oil could generate amazing power with engines and heat in furnaces but it produced a terrible, toxic, side product. The Alchemists Guild had used only a relatively small amount of the stuff, in research and development mostly, so the effects had been minimal. Greed has led to the expensive risk of sending the large army.

 

What the fools had not realized was that the so called high-burn oil was food for the kynes and that it was there, in the depths of the lake, that many were created in a bizarre, unnatural and often failing form of reproduction. The truth was that the living-dead kynes did not belong in Mundus and they suffered because of it. The kynes had ignored small groups, of intruders, collecting small amounts of kyneoila (high-burn oil) but would never have done so with a large army of intruders.

 

There were two other kyneoila lakes in fairly close glowcrystal caverns and he would do his best to seal them up, along with that cavern; the problem was the existence a bigger source of the stuff that he could not effect because of the 'balances'.

 

The LittleFatMan went to work to seal up the first of the three great caverns.

Edited February 6, 2014 by Maharg67

[Robert55]

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :ohmy:

[Maharg67]

Riel Stories Epic

One 23.1[80]

Of Burning Deaths

 

The beautiful bard woman, who had played for Jagar Tharn many times naked, arrested him in the name of the Empire and the Imperial Fist, a newly formed agency of special enforcers neither like the Imperial Eye, or Imperial Hand, but linked closely to both. Supporting the Imperial Fist Soldiers were Blades. Not only Jagar Tharn was arrested but so was Ventus Voria, some cronies, workers and guards. Yet none were badly treated as they took them all to a hidden holding set of chambers in the Shades. Equipment, and supplies, were also brought from the raided chambers.

 

The beautiful woman, who was actually an Imperial Eye agent, sat in plain clothes and studied the tank with Jagar Tharn in it. It was cleaner now, the liquid having been given some refreshing treatments from the greater resources of the Empire. She smiled warmly at him. "The Emperor knows that it was not you who tricked him into exile in the Realms of Oblivion but he could not advertise the fact as he did not want the real culprit to realize that he knew the truth. What happened to you to make you as you are?"

 

Jagar Tharn scowled. "I was a fool of petty corruption, arrogance and half knowledge; that is I knew enough to get deeply into trouble but not enough to get out of it. Something more deadly, more cunning, more intelligence, more powerful replaced me and attacked me with such terrible power that I was left this way. Instead of killing me it delighted in leaving me like this and trying to get the Emperor to believe I was the one who betrayed him. How did Uriel discover the truth?"

 

Tankina shook her head. "I do not know! I am merely an agent of the Imperial Eye. Do you know anything about the entity that attacked you, that took your place?"

 

Jagar Tharn shrugged. "I glimpsed a powerful, mostly concealed woman full of rage, pain and arrogance. She was once human, once immortal, once quite familiar as if I had met her before on more than one occasion. Except that 'she' was no longer the one that I had met but somehow warped, somehow made deeply unnatural."

 

The woman studied Jagar with an intensity that made him nervous for she was no mere Imperial Eye Agent and he could 'sense' it strongly.

Edited February 6, 2014 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

Riel Stories Epic

One 23.2[81]

Of Burning Deaths

 

Tankina spoke again. "Ventus Voria, and yourself, created the new version of the skooma called shakooma for what reason?"

 

He shrugged. "I suspect you know the answer but very well; the Red Splash Plague left the 'red infestation' in people through out the Shades. The shakooma was meant to cleanse away the infestation and yet we did not manage to make any real inroads. The Imperial Thirteen Guardians supported our first two trials with resources but after promising to send stuff for our third trial, they vanished and nothing arrived. This was a pity for, while our first batch of shakooma was a complete failure, our second batch had survivors, even completely healed ones."

 

The woman half smiled. "We will provide you with the resources for you, and others, to carry on your researches and to create more batches of shakooma. The Septum Empire wishes to avoid a terrible cataclysm to occur in the Shades, one that could spread beyond the Undercity despite the attempted quarantine that has not been totally successful; such a quarantine, that is not totally successful, is not really successful at all. The source of the bonekynes has not been found and, the flow of the creatures leaving the Grand Imperial Undercity has declined, many continue to escape. Who do you test your shakooma on?"

 

Jagar Tharn frowned. "Victims of the red rashes, a sign that such people are experiencing a rise in the infestation, are getting closer to a burning death or perhaps some other horrible fate. We convince them that they face little real choice." He paused before he went on. "The shakooma brings on the effects of the burning death but not all the time. Of the first batch testing, all perished of the burning death. Of the second batch testing The second batch, of 100 bottles, caused 89 burning deaths and five burning injuries but six subjects survived with the burning infestation being cleansed away. Two of the injured one had to be mercy killed but the others are being healed back to some kind of reasonable life. Any of our research subjects who began to suffer the burning death where given mercy deaths before the agony could really begin."

 

The woman smiled. "You have done well and will be rewarded." She stripped naked with great speed and picked up her lute. "Now, what music would you like to hear?"

 

Jagar Tharn grinned!

Edited February 6, 2014 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

Riel Stories Epic

Zero 7.1[82]

Of the Orbis Observing

 

The Orbis observed the corrupted Imperial Guilds surrender to the Imperium, confessing many crimes but also speaking of how they had been gambled and had lost. They also spoke of being 'seduced and cheated' by a dangerous entity that turned out not to be as they though it was. The Septum Empire needed the guilds so certain guilty individuals were sent to the Exile Estate Islands while a large scale reformation began. The Empire found it could not take any wealth from the guilds because they had been bled dry by the mysterious entity that they had known as Lord Byron Juno. The more the Imperium investigated the situation, the worse it turned out to be.

 

The Orbis observed Jagar Tharn, Ventus Voria, and others working on the third batch of shakooma. This time they worked with far more resources of many kinds. This time they aimed for 1,000 bottles instead of 100 as they had with the first and second batches.

 

The Orbis observed Xena, and Gabrielle, as they headed towards Lakehaven with the company of 10 household nymphs. Getting from the Hawkhaven, that they had been in, to Lakehaven was not straight forward. They had to carefully pass through a half destroyed, heavily haunted, version of Hawkhaven that was called Ghosthaven. Only the friendlier ghosts came near them as the others rightfully feared the Demidivines.

 

The Orbis observed bonekynes continue to leave the Grand Imperial Undercity and stream across Tamriel towards the one mysterious destination. Other kinds of kynes began to join the flow. There were bigger, heavier armored, armokynes. Strange weapon using humanoid noidkynes were also there. Monstokynes were even more massive than the armokynes. The bigger the kynes, the less frequent they were. The noidkynes were about as common as the armokynes.

 

The Orbis observed the housement being slowly, carefully, taken apart to expose more hidden areas. There were more FirstOne cave chambers but also a metallic stone chamber made by the same people. They also found an Aldmer made chamber that led to a network of chambers, and tunnels, that had been abandoned since the Grand Aldmer had vanished so very long ago. The mysterious magical gateway remained unused but the twins were gaining more information on how they could activate it safely and then use it the same way.

Edited April 1, 2014 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

Riel Stories Epic

One 24.1[83]

Of Burning Deaths

 

The twins stood carefully before the magical doorway, holding hands, and as one placed their free hands on the hand prints. They then spoke certain ancient words, most strange to the human ear, in a careful sequence. There was a odd buzzing sensation, a sparkling shimmering dotted with rainbow flashes, and then the gateway vanished along with the wall. It had been a trick all along, a dangerous test created by the Imperial Thirteen Guardians.

 

A short metallic stone hallway, of FirstOnes mind-magic creation, led them into a big chamber that 'felt' quite odd. In the center of this chamber was a metallic stone Waygate as created by the FirstOnes. It was big but was actually one of the smaller, most common, kinds of Waygates. Waygates had been created by the FirstOnes but not just by them as the Grand Aldmer had copied them. Others may have done so, as well, but such details were lost in history.

 

They walked carefully around the great square shaped frame of the Waygate. The Waygate was inactive so the frame was empty in appearance and without the showing of any Waygateway between Waygates.

 

There was a series of metallic stone mechanisms half melded, merged, into the metallic stone walls of the cube shaped Waygate Chamber.

 

Everything was well ordered, well positioned, except for disturbing symbols burned into one wall, a set of vertical lines followed by a set of horizontal lines of FirstOne symbols. It was clear that the symbols were designed to attract as much attention as possible and the twins 'sensed' strongly that this was a harsh warning but of what? They began to study the symbols.

 

Others soon joined them, including Mulder and Scully.

Edited February 12, 2014 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

Riel Stories Epic

One 25.1[84]

Of Burning Deaths

 

Willow was suddenly standing in the Waygate Chamber and studied the ancient structure. Then she turned, with her normal amazing gracefulness, to face the twins and others, including Scully and Mulder. She sighed softly and heavily. "The Waygates were sealed for good purpose after some were used unwisely to breach the Mundus Boundaries. Through the boundaries came undeath, unlifen and other forces never meant to exist in Mundus. The zombies, the vampires, the other undead things commonly known of in Tamriel were one result of the event. The ending of the FirstOne, and Grand Aldmer, civilizations was another result. A great powerful entity first glimpsed Mundus, in its true multiple form, and began to hunger for life; in its addiction it became twisted to become the Nameless Enemy. It tried to invade but did not fully succeed, instead having smaller parts of its self cut off from its larger self."

 

Olisha spoke. "What of our ancestors, the first mageborn who made a deal with the Nameless Enemy before turning upon it, along with many allies, in a great war?"

 

Willow shook her head. "That was a cut off part of the Nameless Enemy and, in the end, you mageborn crippled it so badly that it slipped away into hiding and became transformed into something far more harmless. I hope you will not attempt to harm it."

 

Olisha shook her head. "We can only speak of a few factions, of the mageborn, but we will do no such thing."

 

Willow smiled and raised both hands up into the air. Beams of pale rainbow energies struck all in the chamber, even a couple of guard dogs. The energies shimmered, sparkled, around and through them. Even as it happened Willow spoke and all, in the chamber, found they could hear her and understand her. This was even true for the dogs and some cockroaches in a corner.

 

Willow stood, smiling warmly, as the entities in the chamber tried to get used to the changes that had taken place. Most of the lifeforms were enhanced of mind-body-spirit in a general fashion, did not look much different than they had. The twins also looked much the same but they were both generally enhanced and had gained special enhancements along with improvements to old abilities. It was the cockroaches that had been transformed into larger, furry creatures with wings and of adorable ugliness.

 

They did not have the final answers, to more than one mystery, but they now could move far more safely through the Waygateways and the furroaches would go with them.

Edited February 14, 2014 by Maharg67