Tales of Faerun

[Naktis]

"I don't suppose this Miora will tell us willingly where Ravenna is." Nawen said as she stared at the piles of ashes where undead used to be.

 

"You need blood to summon Sune? That is... odd." Aedan said. "I thought she was different kind of deity." He added. The Fallen was getting tired of this adventure and hoped it will end soon. As he walked, Aedan rolled a coin across his fingers. He picked a few useful items for himself when they were in the banshee's cave. A coin was one of them.

[Ithildin]

Mahira dismounted, pulled flint and steel from her saddlebag, and dutifully set to work burning the carriage. Echo remained in her saddle; the muscles near her mare's withers twitched nervously, and Echo could see that her nostrils were blown wide. I'm glad you didn't run and take me with you, the halfling projected. You're quite a brave soul.

 

White-Nose tossed her head. I promised I'd be careful with you, came the reply. Knowing how frightened the mare had been, Echo felt even more embarrassed to have cut and run from the banshee's lair, while this gentle animal was able to stand her ground in the presence of the undead. When those abominations had suddenly sprung to life, Mahira's gelding squealed and nearly threw his rider, but at least he hadn't bolted, and the Calishite had been able to get him under control. "More than I can say for myself," Echo muttered, feeling about as useless as a sack of spoilt vegetables.

[mythicdawnmaster]

Xallistine looked at the gates, and noticed they were opened ever so slightly, the drawbridge still down. Nawens remark burnt Xallistines head... they had to get it from the sorceress... but, no it made no sense, Miora was dead, she couldn't tell them anything. Unless of course she was some undead monstrosity, which didn't seem too unlikely. "There is only one way to find out, lady Nawen, Miora my not even be bones after all this time, but i suppose unless we try and find her, there will be no answer." Xallistine set off towards the doors of the vast keep, pushing them open with a loud creak.

 

The smell of death was fresh, as the bloodied bodies of Sefris and Aedans victims lay scattered around.

 

Aricia followed Xallistine, hoping that this nightmare would end, such necromancy was... sickening.

 

------------------

 

"She's not, but she will hardly return a prayer to me, will she?" The witch commented, as they reached their destination. before them, on the banks of the Rauvin river, stood a chapel to Sune, Goddess of love, beauty, and pleasure. it was constructed of bleak limestone, accented with golden patterns on the doors, and bell tower. Priestesses of Sune ran inside as the evening bell rung. The sky was beginning to turn a dark blue, grey clouds stalked the sky as moonbeams searched for ways through. Ravenna's face cracked into a triumphant smile. She was finally there, at the end of her journey.

 

She turned her head in a deep gaze, as she stared at the town of Everlund in the distance. It had been her home for almost 20 years, it was there she killed Lady Everdawn, took her children, and married her now widowed husband. She pulled the strings of her thrall, Lord Everdawn, with a mask of purity, of white-clad beauty, and had the whole of Faerun perceive her as a benevolent maiden. How wrong they had all been, how easy it had turned out to be, to trick them all. But that had ended. Her thrall was useless to her now, as was the city. Perhaps it would be destroyed. She gave one though to the genuinely good life she had found there... before her dip into delusional immortality, she may have been happy, she might have, genuinely became the Lady Everdawn everyone had perceived her to be. Another life, but not for I.

 

"It has been a fulfilling experience, gracing this land with you Aedan... if i survive this, i shall not forget such acts of loyalty... Some call me evil, deluded, a menace... But i am just fighting for what i hold belief in: A world without gods. I wish only to purge every single one of them, and allow the mortals of this realm a chance to build their own future, upon the new face of this planet... There will be blood, massacre, the screams... oh they shall pierce the sky. But thank you, Fallen, for this is the end. I hope your blade ends the lives of the Doomguide and her companions should they appear." Ravenna spoke her words with conviction and resolve, she meant every word. Her final remark bore a strong hint of seething rage, they were venomous, her words more a hiss.

 

The main door of the chapel swung open with bone-cracking force, it's hinges nearly snapping under the rage. Ravenna stepped in, her head dropped, but her eyes facing forwards, she looked monstrous as her black cape trailed behind her, every footstep echoing with loud, heeled claps, deliberately slow. In her left hand was the hair of one of Sune's initiates, a girl in her early twenties, with strawberry blonde locks, and beep blue eyes. She writhed in pain as Ravenna dragged her through the gilded chapel, the faces of the onlookers contorted in fear and confusion. Once the altar was finally reached, the girl was flung forwards, still gripped tightly by her mane, her head bent upwards and her throat directly over the offering bowl.

 

Her blood flowed like wine.

 

Ravenna's personal dagger, the lords bane, had cut a clean, deep wound, severing the jugular, and killing the girl within seconds. her youthful body slumped to the ground, pushed aside like a weed in the grass. "Who's next then?" The sorceress said, a look of questioning on her face, as if she were waiting for an answer. That answer never came, every woman in the temple died, until the offering bowl was nearly overflowing with hot, pure blood, it's scent like honey as the divine blessings of Sune swam around in this red sea.

Edited January 7, 2013 by mythicdawnmaster

[GrueMaster]

"That'sss it." Tak'we cleaned the dead bird quickly, wanting to cook the thing before they left. "Thisss one cannot wait anymore." He spitted it on a stick and held it over the quickly burning carriage, fat running down the plump meat. He couldn't stop himself from salivating as the burning carriage rapidly cooked the bird, which released an mouth-watering aroma (mouth-watering to him, anyway). The thri'kreen pulled the the roasted bird out of the fire, and was about to devour it when he noticed Echo: she seemed to be sulking. He walked over to the halfing softskin. "Why isss Echo sssad? Isss ssshe hungry?" he asked, holding out the bird on the roasting stick. "Thisss one doesss not mind sssharing. Thisss one alwaysss becomesss ssssad when without food. It may be a little burned, though." Tak'we glanced at the ruins, and continued. "Bessidesss, there may not be another chance for a fire anytime sssoon."

[AurianaValoria1]

Rhaine lingered long enough to answer Tak'we's inquiry, "It is a journal...a book that chronicles the life of the Lady Everdawn. But it alone is not enough to give us the answers we need. We must find Miora and quickly."

 

With that, she followed Xallistine into the keep, her sword at the ready.

[GrueMaster]

"That 'book' hasss memoriesss in it?" the thri'kreen mused absent-mindedly at Rhaine's answer, half distracted by the bird roast in front of him. "How isss that posssible?" Then he registered her other words and saw her following after Xallistine. *Ssssss...,* he sighed. "Yesss, Rhaine." Tak'we sighed again and looked longingly at the raven he'd just cooked. He had been hoping that they would have paused long enough for him to dine on his meal. Oh, well. Take what you can. He ripped off a decent sized chunk of the bird and handed the rest to Echo, then followed Rhaine, holding his gythka in one hand and the meat in the other, scarfing it down as he went.

[mythicdawnmaster]

Xallistine looked around, quite surprised he was leading the party's venture. he was so used to seeing Rhain'es black wings in front. As he stepped forward, he moved a body out of the way with his foot, turning it over to reveal a weathered old woman. Knowing that many of the newcomers to their party had not seen what the witch did to those beautiful, he made a point of showing the dead woman to them all. "This woman was once young and youthful; A bandit, yes, but she had her entire life ahead of her. This is what Ravenna can do, what she must do to sustain herself, you see she was not blessed with long life as the elves were, she is human... and yet her age surpasses all of ours." He spoke informatively, pointing to the woman's scared expression, and completely weathered face.

 

As he continued on, more bodies appeared, and seemed to come to the highest in a large, circular throne room. A large man lay dead, a crude crown atop his head, and iron-clad guards scattered the chamber. Clearly the leader of these brave bandits. He looked around, searching for ways out, until he found a trap door, that led to the lower levels, but that didn't feel right, there was something about the throne that drew him in. Upon a closer examination, he found gears and cogs slightly protruding from it's side, he fingered around, until his hand slipped on a concealed lever. The stone chair rose into the air, and it's pedestal descended into spiralling steps. There was a gust of air as the tunnels to Miora's tomb were revealed. "This air is fresh... come on! this must lead to something important!" he remarked hurriedly, descending the stairs into a surprisingly well lit corridor...

[Ithildin]

Echo held the blackened lump of flesh that was once part of a raven, and felt her gorge begin to rise. "Er ... thank you, Tak'we, but ... I'm not feeling hungry at the moment. It's very kind of you to offer." She swallowed, managing to contort her face into something more like a smile than a grimace for the thri'kreen's benefit, and tried to return his gift to him.

 

As they entered the well-lit corridor behind Rhaine and Xallistine, Echo murmured, "I hope the horses will be all right without us."

 

Mahira fell into step with the halfling. "They'll be safe enough," she said. Her face was grim and set. "There is more danger in here, for us, I think."

[AurianaValoria1]

Rhaine took little time to take in any of the details around her, though she did look with pity upon the poor aged corpses at her feet. The Doomguide breathed prayers for each of them as she passed. Though she did not approve at all of their lifestyle, they were undeserving of such frightening and painful deaths. She flexed the hand that held Touch of Death. The more she saw, the more she was determined that Ravenna would pay dearly for her crimes.

 

She followed Xallistine down the spiraling stairwell, feeling her hackles begin to rise again. There was more undead here...certainly more powerful than the piddling steeds and driver she had slain outside. Steeling herself, she prepared for a much bigger fight.

[Naktis]

Nawen followed the rest of her companions silently. She was horrified to see how many corpses just lay there, left to rot. Ravenna and their former companions must be stopped. Who knows how many more innocent people might suffer because of them. She had her duskwood bow ready, just in case.

 

"More words like these and I'll start crying." Aedan replied to Ravenna's speech. He couldn't care less about letting other people built their own futures or better lives without having to fear being stuffed in the Wall of Faithless afterwards. He was out for himself and didn't care about anyone else.

 

The Fallen looked around the temple, for some valuables while Ravenna bled the life from priestesses of Sune. He wondered how big the bowl was if she needed to kill all the women inside. He then decided to wait for Sune to show up as he had never seen a real deity in his life as a Fallen.