Figures slinking through the brush were masked by the darkening sky and cloaks camouflaged with browns and green. The clothing they wore hardly resembled shirts or pants, but seemed to be extensions of the woods themselves. Light did not show the bright fair skin of their elven heritage, it was dimished by mud and concoctions devised specifically to conceal flesh from the eye. They stole from shadow to shadow, unseen to any that were unaware of their presence, even other wood elves, creeping to the bodies of the fallen sylvankind. These fallen wood elves were part of Lord Hannibal’s host. The scouts hoped to find some of the missing men and women alive.
A man stood silent, further back from the scouts, his waywatchers. Black armor of leather sheathed his entire body, a black cloak billowing behind him in the cold sea wind. His dark brown eyes surveyed the scene before him with placidness, the ire that roiled behind them reserved for someone else. Several companies of the forests best archers scattered or fell today, the result of a brilliant charge by a smaller unit of errant knights. The rest of his forces failed to commit or were harried by battlefield confusion. This impart to the misdirection of one Highborn elf. The elf arrived early in the morning, just before the battle and caused havoc among the ranks with regards to the battle plan. Sent by arrogant lords and nobles of Athel Loren to right what they believe Hannibal was wronging. With his crazed machinations for the battle the original plans were shattered as the fighting reered its ugly head. This caused the day to be fought to a draw with Lord Rincewind’s forces, and the death of the Highborn himself.
“I never liked him much anyway,” commented Hannibal as he looked down at the lifeless body of the elf. To the elf lord's credit, he fought and slew a great number of knights, before another contingent ran him down. Hannibal’s black charger pawed the ground beside him, snorting her dissatisfaction. The man’s hand patted the hard flank of the horse. “Easy, this was not our mess, but I am afraid it is now.”
“That is right.” A voice came from behind him. The lighthearted voice of Princess Ilyara felt diminished, burdened with grief, “There is more bad news.”
“To achieve victory the “lords of Athel Loren” needed a much greater victory.” Disgust lined the words as the man spoke. “With such a loss of force we will not hold all of the ground we took, and I am willing to wager the item our illustrious nobles wanted so badly, is not what it appeared to be.”
“Right, right, and right again.” The elven maiden nodded slowly, with still more to come. The man said nothing, letting her speak instead of talking for her as he usually did. The news she needed to tell him next affected everyone that was left in his army and it was hers to bear to him. She took a step closer, her smaller frame dwarfed behind him. ”We are being blamed for this failure. We are outcasts now, unable to return to Athel Loren on pain of death, even hunted by some of our bretheren.” Her voice started to crack, the pain she must feel from all ties being severed from her home and family was something Hannibal was unable to share. He was still a man, and she an elf princess, but he knew she might be lacking in that title for remaining loyal to his army. She said we, Hannibal knew full well it was his burden to bear and rightfully he should let it fall upon him. A smile crossed his lips that she did not see, but he would not let her loyalty go unnoticed.
“Much of our rear forces are intact. They maintain a heavy presence along the forest that is growing. The range of the chaos relic we found did not manage to taint it and our casters concealed the vile magic as best they could. I sent runners to everyone loyal to you to rally there.”
“Princess.” The man interrupted her. She stopped immediately, lowering her head as if to receive more punishing words.
“I am not a Princess anymore,” she said so softly the wind almost carried her words away before Hannibal could hear them.
“Princess Ilyara,” he started again his voice much softer than before. “Are you hurt?” His head turned and he adjusted his body to look back at her. She stared up at him, her silvery eyes shining happily at his effort to show her the respect he knows she deserves.
“I am fine, perfectly fine, my Lord.”
“That makes me very happy,” he said. “I was worried.” With a motion of his hand he indicated the blood of men and elves splattered across the field, and the fallen lord at his feet. His face looked much harder now, his mind set to the mission of survival. He lifted his slightly, and let a smile creep back to his lips. She moved closer and let him embrace her tightly. With a hand he wrapped the cloak around her and started to walk away from the lonely field. It was warm inside the heavy material and she took comfort there, knowing that harder times lie ahead.
10.30.2009
November and Battling for Time
November is two days away, which means after those two days Dragon Age: Origins is 3 days further! My writing skill is insufficient to begin to tell you how well Bioware made Mass Effect. It is probably my preferences that make it such an awesome game to me, but no one can refute the list of awards it received either. A Sci-fi epic RPG game, character customization, interaction with companions, a variety of skills-weapons-armor, tons of background and lore, an interesting story with a vast world to traverse, should I go on? What can we expect from Dragon Age: Origins? I believe we can expect everything that made Mass Effect successful, in a Fantasy setting, and more. I dig a nice side romance story in all my RPGs, when a game throws one in that is done well, I am a very happy gamer.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is due out the 11th. I am not the die hard COD player that so many people out there are, I recently jumped into COD4 for the Xbox 360 when it was first released. I played COD3 for computer, so this was the first leap back onto the console. What attracted me most was the adaptation from WW2 and previous wars to the Modern Day. The weapons are familiar, the game was done well, and I actually succeed (to a point) in the online multiplayer game! Many of my friends play it and are eager to jump onto Xbox live and hook some people up!
November 21st, a day that will rock the Warhammer world as several armies converge on an area sandwiched between Bretonnia, Athel Loren and the Eastern Mountains. Several forces are arrayed and will possibly be present to wage war, High Elves, Wood Elves, Brettonians, Ogre Kingdoms and Dwarves. We might see an appearance by Dark elves, and maybe even lizardmen if my brother shows.
There was already a minor skirmish of Wood Elf and Dwarf forces. The Wood Elves closed the flanks swiftly and routed two warmachines, but just as they turned to smash the Dwarven center, a beautiful but foreboding elven horn sounded from the forest. The general of the army looked to his Wild Riders and sounded the retreat, the elves vanished into the forest, lacking a few Dryads and wardancers from the encounter. This game was to help the commander of the Dwarf forces to cut his teeth on the warhammer rules. It is one thing to see them on paper and another to experience them on the game table!
I read Rosario+Vampire Four and started on book five. The manga is great! Tsekune, a human, gets involved with different types of monsters at his new school. Moka - a vampire-the most powerful monster, Kurumu-hot succubus-my favorite!, Ginei(aka Gin) a werewolf and hot shot, and Yukari-11yr old witch who has the hots for Moka. Awesome cast of characters, GREAT drawings, a good fun story with great encounters. It is a really good Manga and I would recommend it to anyone interested in chasing down a new book!
10.24.2009
The Brigand War - Campaign Traits
Warhammer Campaign - Starting post http://loreseeker.blogspot.com/2009/10/chaos-prince-war-campaign.html
Below are details for the upcoming Warhammer campaign. This post details traits that can be applied to warhammer units based on points scored during the campaign. Below is a tentative list of players in the campaign.
Myself as Lord Hannibal - Wood Elves
http://loreseeker.blogspot.com Rysm - Bretonnians
http://finklestale.blogspot.com Finkle – Dwarves
Thiridhren, Warden of the White Tower - High Elves
Castion (possible Warriors of Chaos player)
Borgoth - Dark Elves (possible)
Sir David – Ogre Kingdom Player (possible)
Warhammer Campaign Traits/Upgrades
-Points are earned for every +20 points gained through battles.
-When a unit gains a level 1 trait it must wait until three other units are upgraded before upgrading to a level 2 trait.
-Each upgrade costs 1 point.
-You cannot stack level 1 traits with other level 1 traits. Once a unit has a level 1 trait it stays with it until the end of the campaign or it is destroyed.
-A level 2 upgrade costs 1 points at the time of purchase.
-Any unit with this bonus that is destroyed, fleeing at the end of the game or flees off the table loses the trait/traits.
-A unit that is destroyed in the previous manners gives 1 victory point for each trait it has to the opposing general.
Level 1 Traits
Lucky – be it protection of a diety or just plain luck, these guys can credit a piece of their survival to it. Once per battle reroll successful to hit rolls in the shooting phase and reroll scatter dice for templates that hit the unit.
Fated- This unit is destined for greatness making them tougher to kill. Once per game this unit may reroll failed armor saves.
Steady – This unit has weathered encounters with fierce units and thus may reroll panic tests. If this unit rerolls panic test it must reroll at its own leadership, not that of a general or other modifiers.
Bloodthirsty – This unit craves battle and doubles its effort to cover the battlefield with their enemies blood. This unit may reroll failed rolls “to wound” during the first round of combat.
Dirty Fighting – This unit knows how to cheat to win and is not shy about tossing dirt in their enemies face, going for the knees or biting. In the first round of combat one enemy engaged against this unit is -1 to hit
Nimble Blades – This unit has customized their weapons to be lighter or they are just naturally faster with weapons. This unit gets +1 to their initiative.
Unit Fighting Style – This unit has learned several tricks throughout their campaign and improved their methods of dispatching foes. This unit receives +1 to WS.
Marksmen – this unit does not suffer the first -1 penalty incurred when shooting. If the unit is shooting over half range, it does not suffer -1, If the unit is shooting at skirmishers, under half range it does not suffer -1, but if the unit is shooting at skirmishers over half range it suffers a -1, instead of a -2 total.
Level 2 Traits
Hardened – This unit is tough as nails and will stand to the last man. This unit can reroll all break tests.
Feared – This unit has made a name for itself among its foes for being ruthless in combat and relentless in its treatment of enemies. This unit causes Fear. If the unit already causes fear it then causes Terror.
Protected – This unit has scavenged the battlefields and improved their armor in vulnerable places enemies like to strike. The unit is protected by a +6 ward save.
Deadly Ammo – sharpened arrowheads, heavier shot, regardless of the type of ammunition used, this unit specializes in dealing death from a distance. All armor saves caused by this unit are taken at an additional -1.
Divine Intervention – These fellows carry religious or divine trinkets with them to battle. They know in the time of their greatest need they will be protected. Once per game the unit takes armor saves normally, but is also allowed a +5 ward save.
Dire Charge/Expeditious retreat – this unit throws caution to the wind to get into the fight and adds +1 inch to their charging range, in contrast they also know how to break contact, gain altitude and return to base, receiving +1 inch to their total flee distance.
Expert Flankers – This unit is adept at maneuvering around the battlefield unseen and taking their foes by surprise. Do not deploy this unit normally, instead it is placed in reserves until it is called upon. Starting in the movement phase of turn 2, during compulsory movement sequence, rolled a D6. On the roll of a 4+ the unit enters on the table edge of a flank. Determine the side of the table based on a D6. A roll of 1-3 represents the owning players left side, 4-6 is the right side. If the unit fails to enter on turn to, continuing rolling, turn 3 roll on a 3+, turn 4 a 3+, turn 5 a 2+ and turn 6 an 2+. If the unit fails to enter by turn 6 it is considered destroyed for scoring purposes, obviously they lost their way, were hindered by enemy movements, or went to the local tavern for drinks. The unit enters during compulsory movement phase, thus can not declare charges. The unit may move in the remaining moves phase, but only at regular speed. The unit cannot march due to the cautious nature of its arrival due to surrounding enemies. No characters can be included with the unit, the unit may still shoot or cast magic if it is allowed. The unit counts as moving even if it does not move in the remaining moves phase, for the purpose of calculating shooting.
Players of the campaign feel free to comment publicly on thoughts, changes, questions and concerns in the comment section here, and please follow up with an email to the entire group of players.
~Rafe of Wolf's Rest
10.11.2009
Wednesday's Social Event
This Wednesday's gaming event will be held at my abode. I, Don Raphael - Inwood Ranger and scoundral extrodinaire and my wife The Duchess of Kentuckiberry, will play host to a miriade of avid game players.
Now cutting to the chase, a bunch of my friends will be coming over the 14th to get in on some gaming action. We are taking a small break from Rysm's Dungeons and Dragons game to play some warhammer. I will be playing Rysm in the final scenario of our five battle campaign. This will start around 4pm so we can be well into the game as the other players arrive.
For a fluffy version of the battle, see the previous post; for a general run down, keep reading. The battle takes place in Mousillon, well inside the borders. The elves mission to seek out a powerful slumbering relic and claim more territory for the forest seems almost complete. The defenders valiantly continue to bring the elves to battle in an effort to send them packing from their realm and claim it once again. The score sits at 85-10 pts, Wood Elves (me) with 85 and the Bretonnians at 10. The 100 point mark needs to be reached for the campaign to be successful for one side. If the Wood Elves march to victory, they should reach 100 points.
That being said, the elves relic is of questionable background. It is quite possible the relic may be of chaos origin. In light of this news, some wood elven units may be unhappy with the path the elves are taking and join against the effort on the side of the Bretonnians.
In another light, many knights have lost their lives bravely at the numerous battles against the wood elves. Some defeats stung much deeper and left many knights dead or severely wounded. A few knights have offered their flag to the wood elves, on the stipulation that Lord Rincewind be brought to justice for his flagrant waste of the Lady's knights.
Now back to the rest of the gaming night. Several of our friends, who we play D&D with, are coming over. Two of them will be learning Warhammer Fantasy on the Battle for Skull Pass. Rysm and I will be assisting, once our game is over, in their knowlegde of the game mechanics and rules. We also may try to get a small game in if there is time.
After the Warhammer Fantasy we will be moving onto a separate Pathfinder RPG game hosted by our friend, Finkle. This game takes place in the world of Pathfinder and may take parts of the adventures built by the creators of Pathfinder. I will be playing a dwarven fighter for this game. A dwarf is a step out of my usual comfort zone of playable races. I usually play a character I think I would like to play, dwarves usually do not fit into that category, but I think I've found a character I may enjoy using. I guess we will see after I come back and post how it went playing him.
That is about all on the list that is on the docket. There will be some Xbox 360 action and who knows what else might pop up into existance. I'll recount the story after the event.
Now cutting to the chase, a bunch of my friends will be coming over the 14th to get in on some gaming action. We are taking a small break from Rysm's Dungeons and Dragons game to play some warhammer. I will be playing Rysm in the final scenario of our five battle campaign. This will start around 4pm so we can be well into the game as the other players arrive.
For a fluffy version of the battle, see the previous post; for a general run down, keep reading. The battle takes place in Mousillon, well inside the borders. The elves mission to seek out a powerful slumbering relic and claim more territory for the forest seems almost complete. The defenders valiantly continue to bring the elves to battle in an effort to send them packing from their realm and claim it once again. The score sits at 85-10 pts, Wood Elves (me) with 85 and the Bretonnians at 10. The 100 point mark needs to be reached for the campaign to be successful for one side. If the Wood Elves march to victory, they should reach 100 points.
That being said, the elves relic is of questionable background. It is quite possible the relic may be of chaos origin. In light of this news, some wood elven units may be unhappy with the path the elves are taking and join against the effort on the side of the Bretonnians.
In another light, many knights have lost their lives bravely at the numerous battles against the wood elves. Some defeats stung much deeper and left many knights dead or severely wounded. A few knights have offered their flag to the wood elves, on the stipulation that Lord Rincewind be brought to justice for his flagrant waste of the Lady's knights.
Now back to the rest of the gaming night. Several of our friends, who we play D&D with, are coming over. Two of them will be learning Warhammer Fantasy on the Battle for Skull Pass. Rysm and I will be assisting, once our game is over, in their knowlegde of the game mechanics and rules. We also may try to get a small game in if there is time.
After the Warhammer Fantasy we will be moving onto a separate Pathfinder RPG game hosted by our friend, Finkle. This game takes place in the world of Pathfinder and may take parts of the adventures built by the creators of Pathfinder. I will be playing a dwarven fighter for this game. A dwarf is a step out of my usual comfort zone of playable races. I usually play a character I think I would like to play, dwarves usually do not fit into that category, but I think I've found a character I may enjoy using. I guess we will see after I come back and post how it went playing him.
That is about all on the list that is on the docket. There will be some Xbox 360 action and who knows what else might pop up into existance. I'll recount the story after the event.
10.08.2009
A Battle Approaches
This part of the forest was deathly quiet. The hour was late, the moon and stars masked by heavy clouds and the earth pitched into a deep darkness. Through the thick undergrowth and misshapen trees shone the only light. A few torches and small fires surrounded a small clearing. The flicker of the fire cast unsettling shadows from the twisted and bare trees.
Several sentries, undetectable without the keenest eye, kept vigil hidden from view of anyone unlucky enough to stumble upon this place. Their elven hoods were thrown up and bodies camouflaged with pieces of the forest. In the midst of the clearing stood two individuals, one much larger and broad than the first. Beside the tall man stood a heavy black charger, pawing the soft earth anxiously. The smaller woman, an elf, beside him watched the hole carefully.
"I don't like it." the man said at last. "Nothing about the forest feels right, are you sure about this relic?"
"The Spellweaver and lords of the forest seem sure enough. That is good enough for me to come to this place." she replied. "Why, do a few gnarled trees and shadows put you on edge, Lord Hannibal?"
The man clenched his jaw, considering the area around him a moment before replying, "No, they do not, Princess. What might come out of this ground does." He finished speaking and hefted himself up into the saddle of the charger. The princess looked over at him, unwillingly to express unwillingness to remain in this part of the forest alone. It was Mousillon, as the humans called it, and who knows what they might find. It was suppose to be a lost artifact to return to Athel Loren, but she felt, skeptical.
"Going so soon?" she started to say and tried to devise a method to keep him here.
"Yes, any moment your scouts will be coming to tell you Lord Rincewind is preparing for battle." Lord Hannibal indicated with a hand at a figure slipping through trees towards their position.
"Again? These humans are most frustrating, they must breed like orcs!" The princess turned to intercept the elven runner.
"Yes, but if they were orcs they would have killed Lord Rincewind by now, and elected a stronger leader." Hannibal added pointedly. "Unless Lord Rincewind is strong enough to behead them first, and thus remain in power."
Princess Ilyara frowned and was glad they did not have any other such armies to contend with. The scout rushed up to her and knelt.
"My lady, I bring word of an approaching host of Bretonnian knights." the elf finished between breaths.
"Rise my brother and send another to carry the word, we assemble for battle." The princess moved beside Hannibal and shifted into a wolf. The man looked down at her and smirked, "Not staying to watch the dig?" The wolf snarled and rushed off into the forest, followed closely by the black charger.
Several sentries, undetectable without the keenest eye, kept vigil hidden from view of anyone unlucky enough to stumble upon this place. Their elven hoods were thrown up and bodies camouflaged with pieces of the forest. In the midst of the clearing stood two individuals, one much larger and broad than the first. Beside the tall man stood a heavy black charger, pawing the soft earth anxiously. The smaller woman, an elf, beside him watched the hole carefully.
"I don't like it." the man said at last. "Nothing about the forest feels right, are you sure about this relic?"
"The Spellweaver and lords of the forest seem sure enough. That is good enough for me to come to this place." she replied. "Why, do a few gnarled trees and shadows put you on edge, Lord Hannibal?"
The man clenched his jaw, considering the area around him a moment before replying, "No, they do not, Princess. What might come out of this ground does." He finished speaking and hefted himself up into the saddle of the charger. The princess looked over at him, unwillingly to express unwillingness to remain in this part of the forest alone. It was Mousillon, as the humans called it, and who knows what they might find. It was suppose to be a lost artifact to return to Athel Loren, but she felt, skeptical.
"Going so soon?" she started to say and tried to devise a method to keep him here.
"Yes, any moment your scouts will be coming to tell you Lord Rincewind is preparing for battle." Lord Hannibal indicated with a hand at a figure slipping through trees towards their position.
"Again? These humans are most frustrating, they must breed like orcs!" The princess turned to intercept the elven runner.
"Yes, but if they were orcs they would have killed Lord Rincewind by now, and elected a stronger leader." Hannibal added pointedly. "Unless Lord Rincewind is strong enough to behead them first, and thus remain in power."
Princess Ilyara frowned and was glad they did not have any other such armies to contend with. The scout rushed up to her and knelt.
"My lady, I bring word of an approaching host of Bretonnian knights." the elf finished between breaths.
"Rise my brother and send another to carry the word, we assemble for battle." The princess moved beside Hannibal and shifted into a wolf. The man looked down at her and smirked, "Not staying to watch the dig?" The wolf snarled and rushed off into the forest, followed closely by the black charger.
10.06.2009
Kiira Delving
Below is a small bit of writing based on our previous Dungeons and Dragons game. My wizard received a kiira, a gem used to store spells, enchance with magical properties and be used for other good tasks! It is an awesome find and I wanted to write about it, so I finally accomplished that task. I am sorry for any grammatical errors, I rushed when reading it over so I could publish it before leaving work. Enjoy!
The ocean waves crashed angrily against the hull, only thick planks of wood separated Talindra's small compartment from the frigid depths. She looked around the room, filled with stores and crates of goods. The ship was very swift, a modest vessel built for carrying cargo, not passengers. The crew bunked entirely together in overlapping hammocks, while an officer or two might have a room to his or herself. The captain might have offered his quarters to her or the other women of the company, but Talindra did not give him the chance. There were five extra souls aboard, who had seen far worse in the last few days than she and her friends. They deserved what comfort that could be spared, Talindra simply needed a place where she could manage to avoid interruptions. Come to think of it, she might need to reiterate to Borgoth the need to be undisturbed while resting. It was a tedious and often grueling process to commit spells to memory, leaving only a fraction of the spell left upon the time of casting. It was difficult to concentrate without proper rest, in a few minutes she would try to trance, but right now, the small clear gem in her hand intrigued her.
Around the ship outside the gold elf could hear sailors recounting the scenes from the battle that took place earlier. They were less hurried now, the repairs they toiled tirelessly on would hopefully last until the ship could reach port. Some spoke in high, swift voice in awe of the fireball that struck the Zhent ship and wounded her sails, others shouted a saying "wizard see, wizard do" in reference to the return fireball that struck their own ship and set fire to its sails. It took Talindra by surprise the immediate return volley, but it was what she probably would have done. She cursed herself for not anticipating that move before launching her own spell, maybe she could have prevented the damage. It was said once if the sun elves felt something was worth doing, they'd take fifty years to decide how to do it.
It was true that her gold elven kin were the most slow to act, or methodical in their thought process. With hundreds of years to live, why rush head first into disaster, when there is plenty of time to think the problem through. Some of the other elven races were more quick to act, but more of the rest of the elven race occupied Faerun and lived among human realms. Evermeet was where almost the entirety of gold elves abide. There they would stay stationary while the world rushed past them. Perhaps in Retreating is where the elven race had failed, the rest that stayed on Faerun were too small in number to fend entirely against very real and terrible threats. Talindra found herself wondering if her exposure to the human lands had affected her, making her judgement hasty. Then again, when you were running and time was a luxury you did not have, haste meant the difference between life and death. She did consider there was a difference in a hasty act, and a rash one.
Again she found herself lost in thought, staring off the short distance to the wall of the small compartment. Shrugging closer under the winter blanket she was wrapped in, she looked again at the faceless gem. A warm bronze elven reflection stared back, the images hair was tousled and dirty from exposure to battle and the elements. The face was dirtier than it usually was allowed, but the golden eyes retained all the shine and fire that drove Talindra. She could simply tidy up her cloths and image with a quick use of prestidigitation, if she had noticed she was dirty. Right now her mind was a mass of questions, concerns, and intrigue. The gem in front of her was special, when she inspected it she almost immediately knew it was a kiira, and would increase the mental powers of those who used it. She could store spells inside it as if she had placed them in a spellbook, and study them from it just as readily. This precious little piece would be the item she needed to test her newly completed studies. A smile couldn't help but cross her weary face, it was almost the mirror image of a child experimenting with a new toy.
Gently cupping the prize in both hands she eagerly clasped the gem and touched it to her forehead. The gem willingly began fusing with her mind and appeared as only a slight pyramid like point from above the center of Talindra's brow. Once the binding was complete she closed her eyes, again a smile crossing her small lips, and pressed her mind towards the gem. Suddenly the world around her blurred, and she found herself in an empty space void of everything, no ship, no sound, no cold. The expanse could go on forever, or appear to end just in front of her nose. She wondered if she was standing or floating, but preferred to be on firm ground and then a realization later, she felt like she was standing on firm ground. She glanced downward and saw her smooth slender legs, caressed by flowing fabric of a red dress. Her boots had been traded for soft supple sandals. They were very elegant she appraised and noticed there was no ground visible beneath her, but she felt like she was standing. She gazed in awe at the area around her, knowing she was helpless back in the reality she knew, and could not spend much time here while she was vulnerable. Setting her mind to the task she spoke an incantation to reach out to the magical properties of the gem.
Several filaments of translucent white material as thick as a finger appeared from an area of white representing the ground and reached upward. The fibrous threads sprung together once forming a central node of sorts level with Talindra's shoulders. There was a single string among the twist that was colored, it was a soft blue and she felt it humming with constant energy. Reaching towards the center ravel of cords she touched the blue one and instantly the fibers untwisted and appeared vertical, side by side, spaced evenly apart. Her soft bronze fingers caressed the blue strand that was centered before her, she instantly felt the spells woven into it, giving life to the magical property of the kiira that increased her mental prowess. The care that went into the creation of this spell was exquisite, a perfect blending of the spell and its host, giving the first life to the creation of this wondrous item.
Next she touched a translucent piece of the kiira's nexus, beside the blue. It was empty as she imagined the rest were, just waiting to be worked with magic and flowing with the power of Mystra and the weave. She brought the final words of a spell to memory and saw the piece extend like parchment. Immediately the recalled phrases and words of power glowed with a golden hue and were written upon the strand like it would appear in her spellbook. It would take some time to detail the entirety of the rest of the spells and she would come back for those as soon as possible. For now she would make the first of her changes to the kiira, a simple cosmetic gesture.
She let the strand with the spell go with a simple thought, it quickly twirled back to a smaller piece, exactly like the rest of the filaments aside from a symbol that appeared wrapped around it. Talindra knew it immediately to be her arcane mark, a heart inside a small tiara with a single gem in the middle, and the initials M and D etched in elven upon either side of the heart. She reached for another filament, one that would hold future enchantments for the gem. There were only so many to hold spells and realized the power of the kiira was limited to the amount of cords appearing in front of her. A few days study would tell her the extent of what she could empower the gem with. The spell she intended to use would hardly summon a fraction of the kiira's ability.
With a careful phrase and gesture Talindra cast her spell of prestidigitation. She was most interested in the spells ability to change colors. Reaching out she touched one of the empty white lines and with a quiet word the small cord spread into even thinner pieces. Taking one gently between her fingers she began working the words to a spell of preparation. The spell would use the power of the weave to allow her access to the small thread before her. She finished the final words and felt the thin line open, she spoke softly and gestured with her free hand. Mystical colors swirled and the line began to become an icy, sky blue color. As the thread changed the white world around her began to spring to life with the same color. When finally the white was gone and the blue remained she spoke the words needed to seal the spell within the kiira's thread. It accepted the spell and with a thought of release the line swirled together into its original filament and the rest of the strands whirled together into the hourglass shaped node before her.
Talindra smiled at the small achievement, this color now be the color of the gem itself back in reality. She was just about to separate from the gem when she felt a small tug from the tangled node behind her. Her head turned to the right and she saw as clear as day a memory of her childhood. The world around changed and she felt herself standing in sand and watching waves crash on a lonely shore. The sand was pristine and the water clear as a diamond. A small sun elven child with blond hair played happily on the dunes. She knew it was her, and this was Evermeet. The kiira was showing her that she could store memories, almost like a journal. If she could do that she might also be able to create an image of herself to recount important events she would not want to forget, or even to protect the contents of the kiira.
As Talindra thought the world changed around her and she looked up, suddenly she was in a very real room that she knew was one from the gambling hall back in Hillsfar. There she was walking through the door, being led by Myla. Talindra not only felt her heart racing faster, she heard it pounding inside her head. Both the sun elves entered the room and Talindra swore under her breath. How could she be so stupid. Talindra winced as she watched Myla pin the image of herself against the wall and force open her shirt. Talindra recalled the strength of Myla and cursed silently to herself, though she was sure the kiira heard her. Talindra's heard was racing and she turned away as Myla kissed her image, the memory vanished as the kiira somehow knew she did not want to recall what came next.
The elven wizard was angry, frustrated and scared all at once. She felt her arm trembling and wondered if she was trembling outside the kiira as well. The gem emitted a reassuring ebb, almost what felt like an apology. A soft smile appeared and Talindra shook her head, "No, no I know you did not mean to upset me. I am not angry with you, but myself. You showed me what I needed to see, how I missed signs and become careless. Thank you. I do need to go now, but I will return." She felt warm and touched her hand to her chest, lips and then forehead and let herself fade from the kiira.
The ship came back almost at once, as if she never left. The cold touch of winter and the rush of the sea crowded her senses. There was a knock at the door and she stepped over a crate to answer it, wondering if it was Castion wanting to learn more about "fireballs" or Borgoth who was very interested in a new book he acquired, maybe one of the others...
The ocean waves crashed angrily against the hull, only thick planks of wood separated Talindra's small compartment from the frigid depths. She looked around the room, filled with stores and crates of goods. The ship was very swift, a modest vessel built for carrying cargo, not passengers. The crew bunked entirely together in overlapping hammocks, while an officer or two might have a room to his or herself. The captain might have offered his quarters to her or the other women of the company, but Talindra did not give him the chance. There were five extra souls aboard, who had seen far worse in the last few days than she and her friends. They deserved what comfort that could be spared, Talindra simply needed a place where she could manage to avoid interruptions. Come to think of it, she might need to reiterate to Borgoth the need to be undisturbed while resting. It was a tedious and often grueling process to commit spells to memory, leaving only a fraction of the spell left upon the time of casting. It was difficult to concentrate without proper rest, in a few minutes she would try to trance, but right now, the small clear gem in her hand intrigued her.
Around the ship outside the gold elf could hear sailors recounting the scenes from the battle that took place earlier. They were less hurried now, the repairs they toiled tirelessly on would hopefully last until the ship could reach port. Some spoke in high, swift voice in awe of the fireball that struck the Zhent ship and wounded her sails, others shouted a saying "wizard see, wizard do" in reference to the return fireball that struck their own ship and set fire to its sails. It took Talindra by surprise the immediate return volley, but it was what she probably would have done. She cursed herself for not anticipating that move before launching her own spell, maybe she could have prevented the damage. It was said once if the sun elves felt something was worth doing, they'd take fifty years to decide how to do it.
It was true that her gold elven kin were the most slow to act, or methodical in their thought process. With hundreds of years to live, why rush head first into disaster, when there is plenty of time to think the problem through. Some of the other elven races were more quick to act, but more of the rest of the elven race occupied Faerun and lived among human realms. Evermeet was where almost the entirety of gold elves abide. There they would stay stationary while the world rushed past them. Perhaps in Retreating is where the elven race had failed, the rest that stayed on Faerun were too small in number to fend entirely against very real and terrible threats. Talindra found herself wondering if her exposure to the human lands had affected her, making her judgement hasty. Then again, when you were running and time was a luxury you did not have, haste meant the difference between life and death. She did consider there was a difference in a hasty act, and a rash one.
Again she found herself lost in thought, staring off the short distance to the wall of the small compartment. Shrugging closer under the winter blanket she was wrapped in, she looked again at the faceless gem. A warm bronze elven reflection stared back, the images hair was tousled and dirty from exposure to battle and the elements. The face was dirtier than it usually was allowed, but the golden eyes retained all the shine and fire that drove Talindra. She could simply tidy up her cloths and image with a quick use of prestidigitation, if she had noticed she was dirty. Right now her mind was a mass of questions, concerns, and intrigue. The gem in front of her was special, when she inspected it she almost immediately knew it was a kiira, and would increase the mental powers of those who used it. She could store spells inside it as if she had placed them in a spellbook, and study them from it just as readily. This precious little piece would be the item she needed to test her newly completed studies. A smile couldn't help but cross her weary face, it was almost the mirror image of a child experimenting with a new toy.
Gently cupping the prize in both hands she eagerly clasped the gem and touched it to her forehead. The gem willingly began fusing with her mind and appeared as only a slight pyramid like point from above the center of Talindra's brow. Once the binding was complete she closed her eyes, again a smile crossing her small lips, and pressed her mind towards the gem. Suddenly the world around her blurred, and she found herself in an empty space void of everything, no ship, no sound, no cold. The expanse could go on forever, or appear to end just in front of her nose. She wondered if she was standing or floating, but preferred to be on firm ground and then a realization later, she felt like she was standing on firm ground. She glanced downward and saw her smooth slender legs, caressed by flowing fabric of a red dress. Her boots had been traded for soft supple sandals. They were very elegant she appraised and noticed there was no ground visible beneath her, but she felt like she was standing. She gazed in awe at the area around her, knowing she was helpless back in the reality she knew, and could not spend much time here while she was vulnerable. Setting her mind to the task she spoke an incantation to reach out to the magical properties of the gem.
Several filaments of translucent white material as thick as a finger appeared from an area of white representing the ground and reached upward. The fibrous threads sprung together once forming a central node of sorts level with Talindra's shoulders. There was a single string among the twist that was colored, it was a soft blue and she felt it humming with constant energy. Reaching towards the center ravel of cords she touched the blue one and instantly the fibers untwisted and appeared vertical, side by side, spaced evenly apart. Her soft bronze fingers caressed the blue strand that was centered before her, she instantly felt the spells woven into it, giving life to the magical property of the kiira that increased her mental prowess. The care that went into the creation of this spell was exquisite, a perfect blending of the spell and its host, giving the first life to the creation of this wondrous item.
Next she touched a translucent piece of the kiira's nexus, beside the blue. It was empty as she imagined the rest were, just waiting to be worked with magic and flowing with the power of Mystra and the weave. She brought the final words of a spell to memory and saw the piece extend like parchment. Immediately the recalled phrases and words of power glowed with a golden hue and were written upon the strand like it would appear in her spellbook. It would take some time to detail the entirety of the rest of the spells and she would come back for those as soon as possible. For now she would make the first of her changes to the kiira, a simple cosmetic gesture.
She let the strand with the spell go with a simple thought, it quickly twirled back to a smaller piece, exactly like the rest of the filaments aside from a symbol that appeared wrapped around it. Talindra knew it immediately to be her arcane mark, a heart inside a small tiara with a single gem in the middle, and the initials M and D etched in elven upon either side of the heart. She reached for another filament, one that would hold future enchantments for the gem. There were only so many to hold spells and realized the power of the kiira was limited to the amount of cords appearing in front of her. A few days study would tell her the extent of what she could empower the gem with. The spell she intended to use would hardly summon a fraction of the kiira's ability.
With a careful phrase and gesture Talindra cast her spell of prestidigitation. She was most interested in the spells ability to change colors. Reaching out she touched one of the empty white lines and with a quiet word the small cord spread into even thinner pieces. Taking one gently between her fingers she began working the words to a spell of preparation. The spell would use the power of the weave to allow her access to the small thread before her. She finished the final words and felt the thin line open, she spoke softly and gestured with her free hand. Mystical colors swirled and the line began to become an icy, sky blue color. As the thread changed the white world around her began to spring to life with the same color. When finally the white was gone and the blue remained she spoke the words needed to seal the spell within the kiira's thread. It accepted the spell and with a thought of release the line swirled together into its original filament and the rest of the strands whirled together into the hourglass shaped node before her.
Talindra smiled at the small achievement, this color now be the color of the gem itself back in reality. She was just about to separate from the gem when she felt a small tug from the tangled node behind her. Her head turned to the right and she saw as clear as day a memory of her childhood. The world around changed and she felt herself standing in sand and watching waves crash on a lonely shore. The sand was pristine and the water clear as a diamond. A small sun elven child with blond hair played happily on the dunes. She knew it was her, and this was Evermeet. The kiira was showing her that she could store memories, almost like a journal. If she could do that she might also be able to create an image of herself to recount important events she would not want to forget, or even to protect the contents of the kiira.
As Talindra thought the world changed around her and she looked up, suddenly she was in a very real room that she knew was one from the gambling hall back in Hillsfar. There she was walking through the door, being led by Myla. Talindra not only felt her heart racing faster, she heard it pounding inside her head. Both the sun elves entered the room and Talindra swore under her breath. How could she be so stupid. Talindra winced as she watched Myla pin the image of herself against the wall and force open her shirt. Talindra recalled the strength of Myla and cursed silently to herself, though she was sure the kiira heard her. Talindra's heard was racing and she turned away as Myla kissed her image, the memory vanished as the kiira somehow knew she did not want to recall what came next.
The elven wizard was angry, frustrated and scared all at once. She felt her arm trembling and wondered if she was trembling outside the kiira as well. The gem emitted a reassuring ebb, almost what felt like an apology. A soft smile appeared and Talindra shook her head, "No, no I know you did not mean to upset me. I am not angry with you, but myself. You showed me what I needed to see, how I missed signs and become careless. Thank you. I do need to go now, but I will return." She felt warm and touched her hand to her chest, lips and then forehead and let herself fade from the kiira.
The ship came back almost at once, as if she never left. The cold touch of winter and the rush of the sea crowded her senses. There was a knock at the door and she stepped over a crate to answer it, wondering if it was Castion wanting to learn more about "fireballs" or Borgoth who was very interested in a new book he acquired, maybe one of the others...
10.04.2009
Work in Progress
For those werewolves out there and those interested, lastnight was a full moon! Burglars and foodpads beware, its bright out there! No this is not a picture of it, this is acutally called the Blood Moon, or Hunter's moon. The first full moon after the Harvest Moon(full moon nearest the Autumn Equinox).
Does anyone else ever feel like they never complete any of the things you set aside for yourself? I have a million things go through my head daily, many of them involve setting aside a small amount of time, or a greater bit of time, and doing that task. The task could be writing about something, practicing drawing, getting some time in on an Xbox 360 game, painting some miniatures, working on D&D stuff, gaming on the computer, working out! Notice I did not add anything on there that involved housework or chores, because those suck and I usually get them done before the rest, usually...
So I had a few things that I wanted to do over the weekend, despite my being at work for the last half of it, I wanted to throw them up somewhere I can recall them. If I don't, my attention span will be overloaded and I'll forget them, always happens. So here they are:
Write thoughts up on Harry Potter Parody.
Write some Talindra notes/spells (current D&D character)
Work on drawing my hand a couple times.
Start and continue painting my Warhammer Fantasy Wood Elf army.
Paint up my miniatures for Talindra.
Brainstorm some D&D stuff for future campaign.
Post Talindra's character sheet - 3.5 version and Pathfinder version.
Prepare training regiment for Triathlons and begin training for the Spring.
Ok, enough of this for now. I tell you that small list of items is hardly a fraction of the train wreck that is my head. I won't bother you with details on those, presuming the previous writing hasn't bothered you already!
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