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Post by Swim on May 10, 2019 0:44:07 GMT -5
Arc 1 Recap
Silver and Rion meet first, from a stranger attacking Silver. The two meet Aqua, Terra, and Lucas shortly later, and they all participate in protecting the town from a blight attack together. Silver gained the trust of some, and the mistrust of others, by being discreet with her actions. She reveals to Rion she is a dark mage, somehow. Doesn’t really get in to details. The group managed to travel to the town corrupted by blight, defeat all the beasts lurking within, and help Silver deactivate the blight crystal. Aqua questions Rion a bit, but seems to decide to be okay with him. Everyone sleeps, Arc 2 begins.
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Arc 2 Recap
After saving the town of Aldur our heroes spent the night in the inn to recuperate after their battle with blighted creatures. In the morning Silver and Rion answered some, but not all of the questions the party had about Silver's mysterious book, and about the powers the two had displayed during the battle. The party decided to travel together to the larger city of Agrova so that they could inform military leadership about the renewed Blight threat. Along the way they were met by the dragon Celestrus, who shattered the Blight crystal the party had recovered and created protective charms for everyone.
Upon reaching Agrova the party spoke to Captain Cliff who was either unable or unwilling to help. Fortunately they were met by Shin and Enfurnus, who were already acquainted with Rion and Silver, and intervened on the party's behalf. Shin and Enfurnus provided the party with intelligence regarding the Blight threat, as well as the location of the next probable target, a mountainous region close to the town of Eulene. Before leaving Agrova, Terra was attacked by a mysterious group of men, and at some point Lucas Boltin became separated from the party.
The party left that night for Eulene, flying most of the way on Silver and Enfurnus' backs. They stopped to rest for the night, and in the morning they entered a cave in the mountain where they encountered another Blight crystal. This time it affected Silver much differently, shifting her into a feral monster. In the scuffle the cave began to collapse and Terra used the last of her energy to create a tunnel out. Aqua conjured an ice sled to transport the unconscious party members and from there they made their way to Eulene so that everyone could recover. Hours later Lucas Boltin arrived at the mountain and retrieved the discarded crystal.
In Eulene the party discovered that a festival was taking place. Since Shin had no intelligence into any further Blight activity he encouraged the party to relax, recover and enjoy themselves. The party members indulged food and drink, they shopped, danced and played in dunk tanks. Rion and Terra even fought some explosive battles in Yung Fueg's Ring of Doom where they were awarded money and an invitation to train at Yung's mage school. They also met Arne and Etch-Flame who were invited to join the party.
That night before the festival ended Terra and Aqua were ambushed by a group of men. Aqua ran to gather their party and Terra was seriously injured in the ensuing battle. The party reconvened at a special clinic operated by Logan Galford, Rion's father. Logan treated Terra's wounds and Terra revealed to the party everything she knew about the mysterious House of Lords organization. The party enjoyed one final day at the Eulene spa before returning to the inn to receive their next mission.
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Post by Arashi on May 12, 2019 1:00:43 GMT -5
The group had gathered at the Inn to discuss what their next plans would be at this point. There didn't seem to be anything particularly urgent for the time being, but that could easily change at a moment's notice. Whatever the dark mages were doing was still a big giant question mark. They clearly had intentions of making some sort of comeback, but their movements were generally random and not quite predictable still.
The party hoped that Shin had some information for them, or some kind of mission.
However, they would soon have a very strong lead...
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Post by Arashi on May 12, 2019 1:16:57 GMT -5
As the group discussed things, a familiar figure would some come with some news.
Celestrus walked through the Inn door in his human form, looking not quite like his usual mischievous self. He looked concerned and serious this time around, and he walked with a pace of urgency up to the group.
"Look, I don't mean to crash your party here or whatever but we have a problem."
He paused for a moment, making sure he had attention on himself, and then continued. He looked primarily at Enfurnus, directing his words to him, but clearly wanted everyone to hear what he had to say.
"They are planning an ambush. On our home. But...why is it a problem you may ask? Celestrus, didn't you already know about this so weren't you prepared?! Well, lemme answer that now. Yeah, I knew about it. I didn't know the scale of it. They planned big for this one and I do mean big. It's not your ordinary dead flesh sack fodder, no...they have arch mages on this; yes, plural. And they have their own dragons I'm pretty sure, and that's well...a big deal to say the least."
He sighed.
"I did not realize they still had dragons. They kept that hidden a bit too well. This is big trouble and we're going to need all the help we can get to defend our territory, because that loss would be absolutely catastrophic. To say the least. Obviously I can't help fight unless I need to because it will compromise my position, so that makes it even worse. So what I'm saying is, we need to do something. As fast as we can. Please."
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Post by Sorrum on May 12, 2019 5:46:10 GMT -5
Aqua was surprised to see Celestrus so serious when he walked in. As he explained the dire situation, she understood why.
There was an entire army of the undead with multiple archmages and dragons at it's disposal. To think that they had accumulated such a force was unbelievable, as their trail only led them to a deserted site on the outskirts of a city.
Aqua swallowed, and took a breath. "I don't understand. Where did all these mages come from, when we couldn't find even the one?" She struggled to understand how the return of this magic had already reached such potential to take a dragon stronghold.
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Post by Swim on May 13, 2019 4:30:38 GMT -5
Terra raised an eyebrow when Celestrus came in. Something about meeting him in a city instead of out in the wilds seemed strange to her, but as he'd soon explain, the need was urgent. Silver turning into a feral beast had been terrible enough, Terra didn't want to think about the destruction that an army of Blighted dragons could cause.
Frida raised a good question. Before this emergency it seemed to Terra as if a rogue Blight mage was running around causing trouble. They'd been given no indication that any massive force had been raised. It seemed strange to Terra, in the case of both Blight crystals that the party had encountered any risen creatures had wandered off to attack nearby settlements, or else stayed close by the crystal to defend it. It didn't seem to her at least like the person responsible had taken the blighted monsters away to bolster the ranks of an army.
Still, regardless of the situation not quite adding up this was news they couldn't afford to ignore. From the sounds of things the Blight Mages were committing to a huge play. All this time they'd been searching for a mage, now they'd have the opportunity to confront one. To cut the head off the serpent before it slithered back into the brush.
"I'm no expert on military strategy so correct me if I'm wrong; but it seems to me that when you're aware that an attack is coming it ceases to be an ambush," Terra spoke up. "What you have now is an opportunity to lay a trap. We can draw their forces in and go behind their lines to take out their leaders once they're isolated. This could be our best chance to end it all."
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Post by Arashi on May 17, 2019 1:01:55 GMT -5
Enfurnus narrowed his eyes a bit as he listened to the information being given to him, and then he sighed.
"I don't even know what to say. I kind of assumed they still had some, just didn't want to believe it."
He looked at Aqua.
"They are good at hiding. We can never find where they all go...only some of them. And well, they don't die unless something actually kills them. As in, old age does nothing to them. So anything we missed back then...still alive and kicking. And I am sure they managed to grab some new ones, too."
Terra then spoke about laying a trap. Enfurnus nodded in agreement.
"I like Terra's idea, but...I don't know. We need to move fast I think. If Celestrus spotted them, they must be getting ready to move in. They act quick usually once we hear word of them like that, and I mean...I don't think I have ever seen Celestrus be that frantic. Must be no joke. Either way, what do you all think of helping us out with this? Would you be willing? I think an ambush is our only chance...if we're fast enough."
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Post by Tony on May 17, 2019 18:46:18 GMT -5
Arne sits and listens to what this new person, Celestrus, has to tell them. Arch Mages? Dragons? He's never had to deal with anything like that. He starts feeling a bit worried about what exactly he signed up for. "How do you even begin to stop something like that?", he softly mutters to himself.
Hien whines quietly, sharing Arne's concerns over the situation. Arne gently pats his partner's head... attempting to relax him.
"Setting up a trap or our own ambush is probably the best option we have here. I know I just joined you guys, but something like this... there's no way we could take it head on. Trying that sounds like a suicide mission. But if we can catch them off guard, we might have a chance."
He looks over at Hien... who's mood is starting to improve, bring a slight smile to his face. "If we do this... you can count me in. I said I'd travel with your group, and I'm gonna be stick to my word on that."
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Post by Bloodbane on May 17, 2019 22:50:12 GMT -5
Rion watched as Celestrus hurried in and gave the troubling news. Not just one blighted Arch Mage... but multiple? Could this have been part of the group he had encountered the day the Shining Swordsmen fell? He frowned as Celestrus explained where the blighted mages were headed, though the manner in which Celestrus seemed to almost be pleading with the group for aid was perhaps the most concerning. "... So we're going after a group of what could potentially be blighted dragons and Arch Mages..." it was clear by the way he seemed to fidget slightly that he was less than certain about all of this. "Ambush or not, you're talking about something we may not be equipped to handle."
"And yet, going after them for an ambush of your own may be the best course of action..." Rion turned his head to see Shin had apparently made his way inside during the discussion. "Our people have managed to confirm the movement and are working to relay that information to the forces in the area. If nothing else, they won't be caught unaware... but anything you folks can do can only help really." Shin looked to Rion, giving a faint smile before nodding. "Might be a tricky thing to pull off, but you won't need to take them out entirely; anything you can do to stop them from advancing should buy more time for the dragons to work out a counter-offensive. All in all, I think you all can pull it off."
Rion narrowed his eyes slightly at Shin's statement. It always seemed like there was something Shin wasn't saying whenever he spoke like that, from what he gathered about him. He had always figured it was simply part of how Shin operated given the organization he was involved with and how it worked closely with different military forces, but he found it difficult to shake the feeling that Shin might have something more to explain his confidence this time around. "The last time a group of blighted Arch Mages appeared anywhere, the Shining Swordsmen were defeated... they died to make sure the dark magic could not travel further. Whatever we do will be a daunting task... but it seems like everyone's made up their mind." he looked to Celestrus finally. "If what Shin's saying is true, and your people may be preparing a counter attack, then we should do what we can to make sure your people are successful."
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Post by Arashi on May 20, 2019 23:58:38 GMT -5
Silver immediately looked concerned upon hearing the news. Celestrus was never one to be that frantic unless a situation was extremely dire, so this must be something that looked really bad. As he explained further, the concern only grew more. This was sounding a lot like something they had little chance of handling...and something she wasn't sure she could personally handle. Deep down, she knew where some of those blighted dragons had to have come from...because there was absolutely no way that all of those dragons were recently created; it was far more likely none of them were, considering how difficult it is to turn them, or at least the ones that are powerful enough to be considered "worth it".
Silver simply allowed everyone to speak without making any comments, trying to hide her hesitation. Rion seemed hesitant too; she figured he likely knew what would be at stake here...and how difficult it would be. The others, however, seemed to be on-board with helping; even Arne, the newcomer. She couldn't help but wonder if they would regret that. Though...there is no way she would not take a stand for what had become her second home after awhile.
Though, after Shin made his point, saying he thought they could pull it off...Rion seemed to be more in agreement. Silver still wasn't convinced this could entirely work, but maybe an ambush did give them a chance...if they could make it in time.
"Before we do this, please understand...this is dangerous. This will be unlike nothing we have ever faced. I must go to protect my kind, but...please know that by choosing to go as well, you are most certainly putting your lives in grave danger."
She sighed. Of course, she expected them all to agree to going. They all seemed like heroes, and that was something heroes did...make sacrifices. So, she decided, for this fight, she would do her best to protect them.
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Post by Arashi on May 21, 2019 0:08:12 GMT -5
Celestrus nodded at everyone's agreement to going and trying to help with this. He seemed relieved.
"Yes, an ambush. I can help only so much, though. At the very least, I can get you there fast so long as you don't mind portals...just keep in mind I can only put you so close. You'll have to travel a bit so nobody catches me and rats me out."
After making sure everyone understood, Celestrus guided everyone outside to an alley next to the Inn. He then changed to his beast form and faced away from the group. His eyes began to glow a deep, dark purple....and a few moments after, a pitch black portal leaking purple smoke appeared in front of him. Portal magic like that was rare, and often only seen in dark and light mages of high power and rank.
"Yeah it probably looks really shady but just go in. You'll end up where you need to go, and I'll do whatever work I can in the shadows. Just head a bit north and you'll find home. Hopefully it'll still be there..."
His eyes continued to glow as he trailed off.
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Post by Arashi on May 21, 2019 0:11:56 GMT -5
As everyone stepped in to the portal, they would experience a sensation of spinning and a bit of dizziness. It would be pitch black darkness for a few moments...and only for a few, because after a few seconds passed by they would suddenly find themselves standing in the middle of a forest, near some mountains.
They were supposed to head north. No real directions were given, but it seemed Enfurnus knew the way. He lead the group, quite hastily.
At this point, it was best to be ready for anything.
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Post by Swim on May 21, 2019 16:57:17 GMT -5
Terra regarded Arne with respect as the man reached a decision. There had been some shock after learning that 'monster hunters' didn't quite encapsulate the full breadth of the danger their work posed, but the man elected to stay with them and fight against the Blight mages. She wondered if his resolve would weaken after witnessing their horrors up close, but for that matter she had no idea what she was getting into either. Fighting blighted monsters was one thing, an organized group of arch mages and their dragon thralls was something quite different. Hopefully the dragons could do most of the heavy lifting in terms of defending their territory and allow them to target isolated enemy leaders.
When Celestrus led them outside and turned his back to them Terra felt a sense of foreboding. Initially she'd thought him to be the most direct of the dragons in their party but now she wondered if they could actually trust him. After watching him shatter the first crystal and now watching him conjure a swirling black and purple portal, Terra didn't need a Detect Magic spell to narrow down the school of magic that he practiced... It made sense that he'd have to be one of them in order to be an effective spy, but what if he was playing both sides? Enfurnus was the first one through the portal, and Terra trusted him. So for the moment she'd have to put aside the eerie feeling she felt about Celestrus.
The portal was an interesting experience. Terra emerged having no idea of just how far they'd traveled. They were in a forest and she could see mountains, but whether this was the mountain range near Eulene or somewhere entirely different she couldn't say. She did however have a good sense of direction, enough to know which way was north. Enfurnus was already at the front, leading the group in that direction. She wanted to ask him questions about the blight mages they were about to face, but decided to wait until they'd reached the dragon stronghold first. It wasn't smart to stumble through a dark forest making noise when there were surely enemies nearby. She was also curious about this dragon city/town/village. She half expected to see grandiose palaces and marvel at their architecture, yet she would also be unsurprised if they all lived in caves and thatch huts. Her questions could wait, she'd get her answers soon enough.
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Post by Arashi on May 30, 2019 23:55:06 GMT -5
There was an eerie silence as the group walked towards the dragon...city? Village?
Nobody aside from those who had been there before really knew what to expect, with such minimal information that was given. They did have to hurry, after all. Enfurnus couldn't help but have a very bad feeling about this, and likely the others would be uncomfortable at the odd peacefulness of the heavily-planted forest.
A few hours in to the walk they would soon realize they were much closer to the mountains, which were riddled with holes; likely caves. There were no buildings in sight. As they got closer though, things were oddly quite empty still. Even the cave systems at the base of the mountains were emptied out...but a quick peek inside revealed some destroyed electronic-looking system. It was silent. Walking further through the mountains past a group of trees revealed a clearing...of completely destroyed land. It looked as if a battle had unfolded; the land held scars of fire and other magic. The few trees in the clearing were burnt and destroyed. Nothing was blighted though, it was just...empty. Complete silence, but it was clear something wasn't right.
A green dragon urgently flew up to the group and landed in front of them. He looked concerned and serious. He surveyed the group before speaking directly to Enfurnus.
"...General. We did have some warning, so we managed to evacuate as many as we could. They came out of nowhere...we fought them the best we could, but...they are still after those of us that stayed behind. I managed to get away; wanted to make sure everyone escaped. Please...turn back now. Stay safe General, and...your friends, or whatever these humans are. It...it isn't safe up ahead. We have no idea where all this even came from..."
The dragon glanced at Silver, then gave a concerned look to the rest of the group.
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Post by Arashi on Jun 11, 2019 0:17:56 GMT -5
Of course, the group ventured on up ahead, not deterred by the warning. Not too far in the distance, they would see one lone figure, standing in a clearing between the mountains. Behind the figure was a heavy covering of trees; so thick that seeing past them was impossible. It was likely the enemy was using these trees as coverage.
The figure in the distance was simply just standing there on top of a rock, as if it were waiting for someone or something, among fallen trees and burnt land. It was foreboding and had a slight aura of glowing dark purple around it, and seemed to be wearing a hooded cloak. The figure also held a scythe in it's hand.
Where did the fight go?
The figure was facing away from the group and showed no signs of approaching. It didn't even seem to notice them.
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Post by Swim on Jun 12, 2019 4:43:44 GMT -5
The party continued walking through the dark and spooky forest. It sure was mysterious. As before, Terra had no idea just how far the portal had taken them and had no idea how to get to the dragon village/town/city/stronghold/whatever. It bothered her that she didn't really have any idea what to expect, but with the enemy maybe possibly nearby she couldn't press her dragon allies with questions out of fear they'd be discovered. For the time being she had to rely entirely on Enfurnus to lead the party.
It was surprising then that he walked right by the green dragon with barely any acknowledgment. Didn't seem like the right thing for a general not to even regard a soldier under his command. Enfurnus probably had other things on his mind, surely reaching the dragon encampment as soon as possible was of more importance than conversing with this scout about why running away wasn't an option. All the same, the green dragon seemed frightened. Terra could have said something to comfort him but the words would have rung hollow, and it didn't feel like her place to address him when his commanding officer had declined to.
And so they walked some more. The silence was starting to wear on them all. Eventually they reached a clearing where a hooded figure stood on a rock holding a scythe. The eeriness about it made Terra's hair stand on end. She looked to Enfurnus again for guidance. "Should we take this guy down?" Terra asked quietly, "Or do you think you can lead us around him without getting noticed?"
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