Tales of Faerun

[AurianaValoria1]

Rhaine glanced towards the harbor at Amendale's warning, eyes widening. She then quickened her pace, following Sybille back to the Greys' household. Conall and Dagny brought up the rear, the former thinking about Tak'we's words with a slight smile; if only the world was as simple as the thri-kreen saw it...

 

They piled into the house just as the downpour started over the city, rain falling in heavy sheets and obscuring everything more than five feet away in a wall of grey.

 

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Argyros roared in agony as lightning bolt suddenly slammed into him. The water that already coated his body saved him, spreading the electricity over his skin rather than blasting a hole through his wing. It wracked his nervous system, causing his vision to blink in and out and his limbs to go numb. As he turned his head to the right, he saw another bolt flash at his wing, the brilliant light illuminating the silhouette of a giant creature in the clouds...

 

Wings...a long snout horn...

 

Blue dragon...

 

The lightning surged into him where it had moments before, and his wings reflexively retracted. Totally numbed, with his muscles twitching violently, he was unable to keep his wings spread wide, and he plummeted towards the sea below with an astonishing speed. The silver dragon screamed as he fell, his roar filled with pain and rage. Still, he locked his silvery eyes on what he knew was the perpetrator, twisting and writhing as he kept falling and falling...

 

At last, feeling returned. His wings snapped wide open just as his tail and feet splashed into the frothing waves, and he pushed off into the air again, gaining momentum at a surprising rate. The strong winds served to propel him faster, and he took the easiest currents to even higher altitudes. Turbulence pummeled him, and electricity crackled around him, but he remained focused on his target. He had already flown far above the blue dragon, and he felt an iciness building up in his breast as he dove straight towards it...

 

Argyros struck from behind, opening his beak-like jaws just as he reached the blue and unleashing his frigid breath in a massive cone. He bathed the dragon from tail to snout in it, roaring again as he flew straight overhead...an obvious challenge. Not giving it time to react, he called upon the magic of his blood, throwing a massive fireball from his curled paw directly at the blue's face.

Edited February 6, 2014 by AurianaValoria1

[Flipout6]

"What in Helm's name...?" Weyland listened to the roars out over the harbor. "Hey, there's a dragon out there!"

"No use worrying about it until we're on safe ground." Sybille advised. "Even if it's a silver. We can't help if we're dead." By now she was running back to the house as the massive wave became visible on the horizon, even through the ships. "We need to move!"

 

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Elaril growled with pain as she felt ice so cold it felt like it was burning hot hit her in the back and stretched almost onto her wings. She barely managed to prevent herself getting hit directly in the head by the fireball the zoomed for her face, and instead it impacted her shoulder, searing it but also melting some of the ice off of her back. She challenged Arygros right back, and as she summoned another bolt of lightning from the storm to hit him from behind, she charged her own lightning breath weapon and flew out to about ninety feet and let it go, but the weapon missed, and when she had to dodge one of his fireballs, so did the lightning she'd summoned. She huffed, tucked her wings in, and dove before spreading them suddenly and arching herself upwards, flapping her wings to gain altitude very quickly. Doing a sort of backflip above the clouds, buying herself time to cast a Whirlwind spell. A mid-air tornado appeared, the wind gusted to incredible speeds and traveled in a violent cyclonic motion...more than enough to throw Argryros off as she began casting a spell. Suddenly, a huge being literally made of clouds appeared, at least thirty-five feet tall, with two glowing white pinpricks for eyes. Seeing Argyros below after a few second of searching, it blasted through the air right towards him, about to attack.

[Deleted6317247User]

"I do speak drow," Nawen said as she hurried towards the Grey's house, "my guardian tought me and I wasn't born on the surface but I grew up here." She was always curious why did her guardian knew the language if he disliked the dark elves so much but then in a way it explained why the words he said in drow language sounded like cusses.

 

She then heard someone screaming about the huge wave and spun around to see a massive wave coming towards them. The people that hadn't yet reached the higher ground started to panic. They ran as fast as they could, pushing each other just to reach it faster. Quickly, the drow looked around hoping to spot large enough building that would be able to withstand the wave.

 

"Go to the watch's tower!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. Some people who heard her changed direction and started running towards the tower instead. Seeing that not everyone heard her, Nawen gently put Rhegar on the ground. "Follow the scent of our friends. It will be safe there." She said to the wolf pup. Rhegar seemed hesitant at first but eventually left. He managed to catch up to some of them and run inside before they closed the door.

 

Nawen stayed behind and helped everyone she could to reach the watch's tower but there was no time for her to reach the Grey's estate so she had to stay in the tower.

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Shalena and her men reached the Grey's house successfully. The captain placed the Sea's Compass carefully on the table but stood nearby just in case. If it wasn't her actual ship, she would gladly keep this minature ship in her cabin.

[Quintatas]

Xundus didn't pay too much attention to Nawens words as he was distracted by the storm, though he did follow her when she went to the tower. He gave her a hand as she helped people find safety in the tower as well.

 

"Hopefully the flooding won't knock down the tower," he said to her, doubt crossing his face as he observed the towers structure. "If it does, well, we can say goodbye to Westgate, and Toril, for that matter."

[Deleted6317247User]

Nawen looked around the tower to see if anyone heard Xundus. They weren't in the best location to begin with and everyone inside were scared that their shelter won't withstand the hurricane and Xundus's words didn't make it any better.

 

"Have a little faith, Xundus," Nawen said and smiled at the drow, "nothing will knock down this tower. We're safe here." She said. It seemed for the best not to scare these people and if she'll have to, Nawen will pretend to be confident for everyone inside even, though, she was scared and worried herself.

 

What made their situation a bit better that most of the people inside didn't seem to mind that Xundus and Nawen were drow and those who did were smart enough to stay quiet. When everyone settled in, Nawen sat on the crate and looked at the ceiling. It was quiet in the tower as nobody spoke and they could hear what was happening outside.

 

"Let us hope that the storm will end soon."

[Quintatas]

A grim look crossed Xundus's face as Nawen mentioned faith. "I had faith in Lolth, and look where that got me. Still, I suppose you have a point," he said, sighing. "Without faith, what are we?"

 

At that moment, he began to pray. Maybe Selune would extend her influence over the seas, and help Westgate in this new crisis. "Too bad I didn't choose to be a mage," said the drow, chuckling. "Perhaps I could put some sort of shield around the base of the tower. I've heard of some quite powerful rituals capable of doing things like that."

[tokyobiohazard]

Ianthe stood with her arms stretched off to her sides, twirling in the rain and dancing on her toes in the downpour. She then looked all around herself as she realized the group was running for cover. She ran with the group toward the Grey's house, Arva holding on to her arm for dear life. Aera held on to Arva, much to her disdain, as the three made an odd chain that moved in unison.

Soon, the crowd outside grew to an immense size, and the three had no choice but to branch off from the group and move with the crowd, which was moving toward numerous tall buildings. The rain was pouring down horribly hard and the wind was intensifying, blowing small children over and sending a few unfortunate small animals flying into walls.

Pressed into the wall of a store by a section of the crowd which was no longer moving, Aera began to bare her sharp mouth full of tiger's teeth at people who dared to bother looking over at her. Most recognized her and felt no need to let a homeless street performer through the crowd. She could take no more of the crowd and snapped. She stood two heads above grown men, so why couldn't she bully her way through the crowd?

She snatched up Ianthe, threw her over her shoulder, grabbed Arva by the forearm with enough force to yank him toward her, and powered her way through the crowd with her lips pulled back to expose her teeth. Arva was, of course, quite smitten by this, and did not protest.

"Gods dammit, which house did the others go into?!" Aera was by now growling in her throat, which caused several nervous people to back away. She singled out one of them, and growled, "Where does the Grey family live?"

The woman turned white as a ghost and pointed toward the Grey family home before fainting and being picked up by her husband. Perhaps her bodice was a bit too tight.

Aera stopped at the Grey's door and looked at Arva.

"What?" he said, staring at her with an enthralled gaze.

"The doorknob's too low for me to reach without bending, and your WIFE is heavier than she looks."

Arva's attention turned to Ianthe, who had fallen asleep over Aera's shoulder, and shook his head, grinning like an idiot. He opened the door, and he and Aera bent to enter the doorway.

 

She checked to make sure the knife was still in her boot and the weapons were still on her companions' (she supposed that's just what they were to her now, and sighed) hips, and nodded in greeting to her new group of friends.

Edited February 7, 2014 by tokyobleach

[josh900]

A collective shriek in the tower signaled Tannin's arrival through the tower window. Soaking wet and looking exceptionally miserable he crawled through the window and plopped down onto the floor with a splash, sending water droplets in every direction. "If ever.. there was proof, that there are gods that hate us." He said in a surprisingly lower classed accent as he took off his shoes and pulled off his soggy socks. "It's wet socks." He grumbled as he wrung the copious amount of water out of them.

"Waterproof socks, I'd be the riches man in all the realms if I had the sense to make them." He said to himself, not caring about the state of panic the people around him were in. A smirk cracked on his face as he looked at his feet, examining the severe burn scars that covered them. "Not like a little pruning's gonna hurt em eh?" He asked, looking around at the people until he saw Nawen and Xundus standing nearby.

"Oh.......Hello, didn't see you there." He said, quickly switching back to his high Waterdhavian accent.

"So...... Odd weather we're having isn't it?" He asked innocently, clasping his hands behind his head and swaying his bare feet from side to side.

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When they made it inside the Grey's house Hexol was thirty different kinds of excited. "I've never seen a storm come in that fast before! It was like-"

"Magic, yeah." Azuris interrupted. "This area shouldn't be having hurricanes in the first place, what in the hells is with this city anyways?"

"I was gonna say it's like something a Dragon would cause." Hexolk pouted as he folded his arms.

"A dragon is the LAST thing we need right now, Please don't jinx us!" Azuris begged, completely unaware of what was going on up in the skies above.

[AurianaValoria1]

The Greys' parlor was now properly soaked from all the water that had been tracked inside and that was still dripping off of the party's clothes. Just as Aera came in with Ianthe slung over her shoulder, a small form zoomed by her, illuminated by a flash of lightning. Aodh, who had been fast asleep as the group left the inn, had scrambled to catch up, and now darted indoors like a frightened cat, shrieking all the way in a high-pitched squeal. So panicked was he in his flight that he didn't notice when he was safe again, and he slammed headfirst into Conall's pauldron with a wet smack. The paladin jumped at the sound before carefully peeling the almost flattened pseudrodragon from his armor. Aodh shook his head rapidly and blinked twice before crawling up around Conall's neck, his claws clicking on the werewolf's breastplate. The constant howling of the wind around the eaves of the Grey residence seemed to frighten him, and he crouched low about Conall's shoulders, flattening himself and changing his skin to match the warrior's armor in color.

 

Dagny chuckled heartily at the little pet, "Well, that's all of...wait. No it isn't." Her hazel eyes widened as she counted the heads in the room, "We're missing some folk...Nawen, Tannin, Xundus, and Argyros!"

 

Conall moved swiftly to a window and peered out through the downpour, "I can't see any movement out there. There's too much rain. I pray that they found shelter."

 

Rhaine, stunned, moved to the window as well, pressing her nose against the glass as she squinted, trying to find the smallest hint of her companions' forms in the storm. It was in vain. The sheet of water concealed all, and the wind rattled the panes dangerously, forcing her to step away. The Doomguide began to worry; she had just seen them all right behind her moments ago...

 

The wind intensified, the howl transforming into a solid and steady roar. The buildings on the west end of the city all protected each other somewhat, but it did nothing to stop that terrible sound. It threatened to drive them mad with its constant drone, putting Conall and Dagny both on edge. The rest of the party seemed anxious as well, and worried about the source of such a fearsome storm.

 

Only Xallistine, striding up to Rhaine in his smooth way, seemed unaffected by the sudden and alarming turn of events. Folding his arms inside his sleeves, the Ulitharid said musingly, "I do sense that this is not a natural occurrence. If whoever was causing it happened to be eliminated, I could turn nature back to its proper course. But we are unable to find out who or what is even behind this storm...and so I am afraid we must ride it out for now."

 

She nodded silently and moved to lean against the wall, her gaze falling upon the faces of her companions; some of them still stood awkwardly, as if they did not know what to do. Feeling it to be her duty to bring comfort to them however she could, she thought for a moment, remembering some of the old songs that she had learned in Waterdeep. There was one in particular that had a soothing and calming melody...a song she would hum to herself as a teen whenever she felt alone. Rhaine closed her emerald eyes for a moment and let the words surface from the depths of her mind, then opened her mouth and began to sing.

 

It was a hymn...a soft, slow, reverent one, in Celestial. Her voice moved fluidly over the words, barely heard above the roar of the hurricane's wind. Her hands were flat against the wood behind her, as if she were drawing support from the building itself. She had no idea if her friends would even enjoy what she was singing, but if it took their minds off of the raging chaos outside, it would serve its purpose...

 

==========================================

 

Meanwhile, Argyros was fighting for his life against the murderous blue dragon. The whirlwind had slapped him off course and directly into the path of the raging Air Elemental headed his way. The spirit slammed into him with an incredible force, tearing into his wing and bloodying his shoulder. Thinking quickly, Argyros snarled and cast Dismissal, roaring in triumph as the summoned creature was immediately banished back to its home plane. He circled around the place where the elemental had been and flung his front legs wide with another roar, the clouds far above raining a hail of jagged icicles upon his foe as he called upon an Ice Storm.

 

In an attempt to protect himself, Argyros then cast a Lesser Globe of Invulnerability, a shimmering force field surrounding his shining body. It would do no good against more powerful spells, but it would at least prevent the blue from using any lesser incantations against him. Rolling midair and twisting upwards even higher, he summoned a Flame Strike, a massive column of fire and divine energy blazing from the heavens and headed directly at his enemy. As he did so, he could feel his breath gathering once more...

Edited February 7, 2014 by AurianaValoria1

[GrueMaster]

Dri quickly weaved through the crowds of panicking people that now swarmed the streets, nimbly squeezing through and keeping up with the others. Finally making it to the Grey residence, the thoroughly soaked girl went inside sitting down in a chair shivering and trying to warm herself. "By the gods! Has it ever been like this before?" she asked of nobody in particular.

 

 

Tak'we, meanwhile, was chattering angrily every thri-kreen curse he knew as he tried reach the Greys' home. *NRAK'TCK! KRAT'CHI! TAK'CHE'TCKTCK!* Stupid softskins! he thought, raging silently. This is what happens when you live near deep waters!

 

Seeing that he wouldn't be able to easily make his way through the crowds, the thri-kreen climbed up the side of a nearby building. He reached the top quickly, but began cursing and sputtering when the gutter at the top broke away and thoroughly dowsed him in water. *NRAK'-AGH- TCKTCK!*

 

Dangling for a moment, he finally managed to regain a grip and pulled himself up... and instantly regretted opting for the top route, as the wind and rain mercilessly began pounding him. Already committed, however, the warrior began running and jumping across the roof tops carefullly, nearly slipping once or twice to a decent fall below.

 

Thank the spirits! Tak'we thought when he spotted the Greys' home. Wet and miserable, he walked in muttering unintelligibly about softskin stupidity and deep waters, and offering prayers to Mother Moon. He wandered to an empty corner and leaned against it, stretching so to get all of the salt water out of his joints. "My jointss are going to crust."

 

What is that? the thri-kreen thought curiously, suddenly hearing something, albeit barely, over the howling wind. He looked around and finally saw Rhaine singing in a language he couldn't understand but still felt the comforting tone it had.

 

Reminded of an old song, Tak'we now felt like playing his strings because of this. Pulling them out (and making sure they were dry), he fiddled with his double-scythe for a while, listening for proper positions, until finally they sounded good enough for his clutch-mother's song.

 

Slowly, Tak'we played a calm, sobering ballad that matched surprisingly well with the winged pointy-ear's song, with a rhythm pounding softly with each thump of the scythe and a low, almost-mournful whistle. The song was meant to thank the spirits for their blessings and as a prayer for protection. Continuing to play, Tak'we silently offered his own prayer, hoping his missing clutchmates would be alright...