Appollo
Part of the furniture
- Joined
- Dec 22, 2003
- Messages
- 1,651
I dont normally do roleplaying much, but after reading this i was so impressed i thought id share it with you lot.
Written by our GM and leader Javai Pendragon it details our adventure into Dartmoor to kill 1 mob which had always got the better of us...............
Javai stared across the table at Lord Adribard, she would scarcely have believed the stories of the fire-breathing monster had she not witnessed it with her own eyes. ‘Will you help us?’, he asked. She knew she could not refuse, the people of Cornwall grew hungry, denied their supplies of horse meat from the plains of Dartmoor they were too reliant on the grain produced by their remaining few farmers in Lyonesse. But unbeknown to Lord Adribard she had tried to defeat the beast before and failed, only just escaping with her life. A shiver ran down her spine as she recalled the encounter and the terrible smell of burning flesh as it unleashed wave after wave of dragonfire on them, it had taken all the skills of their Alchemists and Healers to repair the damage to the body, she was unsure if the mind would ever heal. ‘Well?’ said Lord Adribard, bringing her back to the room with a jolt. ‘You have my word’ she whispered ‘we will not fail you’.
On her return to Whernside she drew her most trusted advisors to her, they too knew how difficult the task she asked of them was. ‘It is possible’ Bobiskey reassured her ‘but we will require the services of others outside the Church’. She knew immediately what he meant, ‘I will not endanger him’ she replied, ‘he must not know what we face, I will travel to Snowdonia in the morning and seek out the services of hired blades from Captain Rhodri. Tell no-one of our plans until my return.’ That night was difficult, she was distracted, knowing Bobiskey was right she could not do this alone, nor relying solely on the help of the church. She would need a strong mercenary to fight alongside her, as she had so many times before. She looked across the room to where Vladimir was sharpening his blades, he was the best, she knew that, yet she loved him too deeply to ask this of him, to endanger his life. He had been her companion and soul mate for almost as long as she could remember, the Church of Albion forbade marriage, yet he was precious to her as any husband could be.
She felt a hand on her shoulder, ‘What ails you tonight?’, it was Hippocrate, she forced a smile ‘I am just weary my old friend, I think perhaps I should retire for the night’, he lowered his voice ‘I have heard from the Church, you have agreed to face Golestandt again, can this be true?’. Her face paled, she had hoped to have time to gather a force from outside her immediate friends, if the word was already being passed around the Church how long before it would reach the ears of those she sought to protect. ‘It is true, I could not refuse’ she replied. Hippocrate nodded, ‘When do we leave?’ he asked, ‘We? I….of course….we leave at the break of dawn two days hence’. His faced was grave, ‘I will have Dancan prepare healing balms, we will not fail.’ He left her again alone with her thoughts, she looked around the room, littered with trophies from their epic battles and remembered fondly those expeditions. But this was different, they had never succeeded against this evil and she was not sure they could.
****************
The next morning she woke early, trying not to disturb Vladimir as he slept at her side, she knelt at the foot of the bed, first to say a silent prayer then to carefully unlock the chest that lay there. It was all she had gathered, a few platinum pieces and several handfuls of gold, she scooped them up into a leather pouch and tied it around her waist. She could only hope it would be enough to persuade the mercenaries under Rhodri’s command to serve her purpose. As she turned to leave Vladimir stirred, reaching for her in the weak light of dawn. She moved to the bed and whispered ‘I must perform an errand for the Church, I will not be gone long’, she kissed his cheek and hurried away before he could ask more questions.
The ride to Snowdonia was not one she enjoyed, she had always preferred to travel on foot but the need was too urgent and she must make haste. As she passed through Ludlow and onto the Black Mountains she smiled as she recalled the carefree days spent hunting the wildlife of this area, a time when life had seemed simpler. She approached Snowdonia Station and looked out over Lynn Barfog, remembering fondly hunting there and her prized Frenzied shield, now beaten and out of shape and good only to hang on the walls of the guild mansion as a reminder of bygone days.
Eventually she arrived at the border fortress, the command post of Captain Rhodri. She suspected his network of spies would have already warned of her arrival and she was not surprised to find him already fully armoured and awaiting her. This was not their first meeting, she had often travelled to Snowdonia with Vladimir as he underwent his training as a young mercenary, but that had been many moons ago and he had angered Rhodri when he chose to ally with her and not pursue the life of a mercenary at Rhodri’s command. Rhodri led her silently to his private chambers, though they seemed alone she knew all too well that the eyes of his infiltrators watched them from the shadows. She did not wish to waste time with Rhodri going over old wounds, untying the pouch from her waist she dropped it onto the desk between them, ‘I need blades’ she said ‘How many will that buy for 2 days?’. Rhodri’s eyes narrowed, he picked up the pouch weighing it n his hands but not opening it. Then he tossed it back to her. ‘A paltry sum, but in any case my men are all engaged in fighting in Hadrian’s Wall, the enemy are gathering for an assault I can spare no-one, I am under command to the crown’. She tried to remain calm, yet her heart fell how could she achieve this now? Arguing with Rhodri would only further delay her mission and she would soon be missed by her friends at home, so she reclaimed her leather pouch and left without another word.
She arrived back at Whernside at dusk, tired and dusty from the journey she longed for nothing more than to refresh herself in the waters of the lake, yet as she return her horse to the stable she heard raised voices from the far side of the lake. She immediately recognised Vladimir’s voice, though the second was not immediately familiar. She was not well trained in the arts of espionage, but crept as silently as she could fortunately the sound of voices provided some cover. Inside the crafter’s villa Vladimir was clearly disturbed by something, as she strained to hear what she realised he knew of her plans. One of the infiltrators at Snowdonia had returned to Rilan, an old friend of Vladimir’s from his days in training at the Guild of Shadows he had, inadvertently, let slip that she had been visiting Rhodri. He was angry, unable to understand why she should seek out the services of another. Dismayed she realised she must now tell him the truth for he would sense a lie and misinterpret her intentions.
With heavy heart, she climbed the stairs into the villa. ‘Where have you been?’ snapped Vladimir as she entered. ‘Sit down’ she spoke softly, it is not what you think. She sat on the floor, her back resting against the unused forge and told him of her conversation with Lord Adribard and her desire only to protect him and the others closest to her. When she reached the end he took her hand and said simply ‘When do we leave?’
**********
At daybreak the next day she stood at Cornwall Station watching the sun creep over the Lyonesse horizon. Vladimir was inside making final adjustments to their weaponry, Hippocrate and Bobiskey checked their supplies of healing herbs and balms. From behind she heard the sound of horses approaching, her hand went immediately to the hilt of her sword, it was early for people to be out this way. As she turned she was amazed to see 12 of her bravest friends unmounting. Each dressed in the distinctive purple of her guild, each bearing the same determined look in their eyes. Fugue spoke ‘Did you think to face this evil alone sister?’. She was not sure if she felt relief or fear. With this force they would have a chance to survive but still the cost could be great to those she held dearest. She looked around at the assembled group Appollo stepped forward ‘My shield is yours’ he said. ‘The path we must follow is dangerous’ she said ‘I cannot guarantee our safe return’. She looked at each in turn, Calaenscout, his quiver full and bow taught; Artorus, tall and unwavering; Enjoy and Adwaemar, checking their backpacks for soothing balms, Oldgit and Pao, their shields emblazoned with the Pendragon colours; Elvo the Sorcerer newly joined yet still stood firm with them, and Jojje silent as ever yet as determined as the rest. None wavered as she spoke of what they must face together, ‘Very well, we must make our way into Dartmoor on foot as the way is not safe for horses. It is a long walk, I pray only that we have the strength to walk back’.
As they made their way through Dartmoor the group was, on the surface, in good cheer. They took the direct route, cutting down all in their path but as the burnt forest came into view their resolve hardened and the mood became more sombre. They reached the Dragon’s Lair unscathed and Javai caught her breath as she laid eyes on the beast again, it was beautiful to behold, despite the evil that lay beneath its shimmering blue scales. ‘We will approach from the north’ she said ‘keep close to the beast do not let it unleash its fire on you at range for I do not know if we have healing skills enough to survive such a blast’.
No one spoke as they entered the lair, yet Javai felt a surge of power in knowing they were all united in this effort. As she landed her first blow on the beast, the ground shook as it turned to face she and she felt its hot breath on her face. Yet she was not afraid, she gritted her teeth and concentrated on taking it down one swing at a time. As the fight went on, her friends began to suffer though none complained. Despite their best efforts they could not entirely prevent the dragonfire from being unleashed and her men suffered burns to add to the cuts and bruises. The healers had no respite constantly tending the wounds of the fighters to get them back into battle with the beast. Each man that fell from the weight of his wounds was rapidly tended to and none flinched from getting back into the fray as soon as they were able. Yet progress was slow the beast seemed to barely feel their attacks. As it began to seem as if they could never triumph a terrible blow was dealt to them, the dragon roared and waves of stunning gas filled the air. The wounded could not be tended to as the healers unable to move stared in disbelief at the scene. Yet somehow they managed to quickly tend wounds as the stun faded and they recovered their senses. The dragon too seemed to weaken, and began to roar in anger, causing many of the surrounding giants to be drawn to it. These were terrible moments for it seemed as if the odds were too great. Javai tried in vain to draw the giants away from her men to allow them to heal and to finish what they came for, but somehow one by one the giants fell. The dragon flipped its tail and Javai let out a scream as Vladimir was tossed into the air, but some miracle prevented him for being crushed as he fell to the floor and she gritted her teeth as she silently thanked god for his protection.
As daylight began to fade, it seemed as if the beast would never die, the clerics backpacks were empty it seemed as if there was no hope, then suddenly the dragon staggered backwards, with one final push they assaulted the dying beast, swords smacked against its broken body and final with a thud that echoed throughout the surrounding lands it fell.
Javai looked around, amazingly though badly beaten none had been fatally injured, they had done it. As she collapsed to the ground she spotted a glint under the dragons dead body. ‘Treasure?‘ she questioned and Elvo went over and picked up the dragon’s horde gathering through years of torment. Gathering her final strength, Javai walked over to the beast and with all her strength swiped her sword down to remove its head, ‘That is mine’ she whispered. Then summoning the last of strength she held the head aloft, ‘we did it’ she exclaimed and a cheer went up throughout the camp.
Written by our GM and leader Javai Pendragon it details our adventure into Dartmoor to kill 1 mob which had always got the better of us...............
Javai stared across the table at Lord Adribard, she would scarcely have believed the stories of the fire-breathing monster had she not witnessed it with her own eyes. ‘Will you help us?’, he asked. She knew she could not refuse, the people of Cornwall grew hungry, denied their supplies of horse meat from the plains of Dartmoor they were too reliant on the grain produced by their remaining few farmers in Lyonesse. But unbeknown to Lord Adribard she had tried to defeat the beast before and failed, only just escaping with her life. A shiver ran down her spine as she recalled the encounter and the terrible smell of burning flesh as it unleashed wave after wave of dragonfire on them, it had taken all the skills of their Alchemists and Healers to repair the damage to the body, she was unsure if the mind would ever heal. ‘Well?’ said Lord Adribard, bringing her back to the room with a jolt. ‘You have my word’ she whispered ‘we will not fail you’.
On her return to Whernside she drew her most trusted advisors to her, they too knew how difficult the task she asked of them was. ‘It is possible’ Bobiskey reassured her ‘but we will require the services of others outside the Church’. She knew immediately what he meant, ‘I will not endanger him’ she replied, ‘he must not know what we face, I will travel to Snowdonia in the morning and seek out the services of hired blades from Captain Rhodri. Tell no-one of our plans until my return.’ That night was difficult, she was distracted, knowing Bobiskey was right she could not do this alone, nor relying solely on the help of the church. She would need a strong mercenary to fight alongside her, as she had so many times before. She looked across the room to where Vladimir was sharpening his blades, he was the best, she knew that, yet she loved him too deeply to ask this of him, to endanger his life. He had been her companion and soul mate for almost as long as she could remember, the Church of Albion forbade marriage, yet he was precious to her as any husband could be.
She felt a hand on her shoulder, ‘What ails you tonight?’, it was Hippocrate, she forced a smile ‘I am just weary my old friend, I think perhaps I should retire for the night’, he lowered his voice ‘I have heard from the Church, you have agreed to face Golestandt again, can this be true?’. Her face paled, she had hoped to have time to gather a force from outside her immediate friends, if the word was already being passed around the Church how long before it would reach the ears of those she sought to protect. ‘It is true, I could not refuse’ she replied. Hippocrate nodded, ‘When do we leave?’ he asked, ‘We? I….of course….we leave at the break of dawn two days hence’. His faced was grave, ‘I will have Dancan prepare healing balms, we will not fail.’ He left her again alone with her thoughts, she looked around the room, littered with trophies from their epic battles and remembered fondly those expeditions. But this was different, they had never succeeded against this evil and she was not sure they could.
****************
The next morning she woke early, trying not to disturb Vladimir as he slept at her side, she knelt at the foot of the bed, first to say a silent prayer then to carefully unlock the chest that lay there. It was all she had gathered, a few platinum pieces and several handfuls of gold, she scooped them up into a leather pouch and tied it around her waist. She could only hope it would be enough to persuade the mercenaries under Rhodri’s command to serve her purpose. As she turned to leave Vladimir stirred, reaching for her in the weak light of dawn. She moved to the bed and whispered ‘I must perform an errand for the Church, I will not be gone long’, she kissed his cheek and hurried away before he could ask more questions.
The ride to Snowdonia was not one she enjoyed, she had always preferred to travel on foot but the need was too urgent and she must make haste. As she passed through Ludlow and onto the Black Mountains she smiled as she recalled the carefree days spent hunting the wildlife of this area, a time when life had seemed simpler. She approached Snowdonia Station and looked out over Lynn Barfog, remembering fondly hunting there and her prized Frenzied shield, now beaten and out of shape and good only to hang on the walls of the guild mansion as a reminder of bygone days.
Eventually she arrived at the border fortress, the command post of Captain Rhodri. She suspected his network of spies would have already warned of her arrival and she was not surprised to find him already fully armoured and awaiting her. This was not their first meeting, she had often travelled to Snowdonia with Vladimir as he underwent his training as a young mercenary, but that had been many moons ago and he had angered Rhodri when he chose to ally with her and not pursue the life of a mercenary at Rhodri’s command. Rhodri led her silently to his private chambers, though they seemed alone she knew all too well that the eyes of his infiltrators watched them from the shadows. She did not wish to waste time with Rhodri going over old wounds, untying the pouch from her waist she dropped it onto the desk between them, ‘I need blades’ she said ‘How many will that buy for 2 days?’. Rhodri’s eyes narrowed, he picked up the pouch weighing it n his hands but not opening it. Then he tossed it back to her. ‘A paltry sum, but in any case my men are all engaged in fighting in Hadrian’s Wall, the enemy are gathering for an assault I can spare no-one, I am under command to the crown’. She tried to remain calm, yet her heart fell how could she achieve this now? Arguing with Rhodri would only further delay her mission and she would soon be missed by her friends at home, so she reclaimed her leather pouch and left without another word.
She arrived back at Whernside at dusk, tired and dusty from the journey she longed for nothing more than to refresh herself in the waters of the lake, yet as she return her horse to the stable she heard raised voices from the far side of the lake. She immediately recognised Vladimir’s voice, though the second was not immediately familiar. She was not well trained in the arts of espionage, but crept as silently as she could fortunately the sound of voices provided some cover. Inside the crafter’s villa Vladimir was clearly disturbed by something, as she strained to hear what she realised he knew of her plans. One of the infiltrators at Snowdonia had returned to Rilan, an old friend of Vladimir’s from his days in training at the Guild of Shadows he had, inadvertently, let slip that she had been visiting Rhodri. He was angry, unable to understand why she should seek out the services of another. Dismayed she realised she must now tell him the truth for he would sense a lie and misinterpret her intentions.
With heavy heart, she climbed the stairs into the villa. ‘Where have you been?’ snapped Vladimir as she entered. ‘Sit down’ she spoke softly, it is not what you think. She sat on the floor, her back resting against the unused forge and told him of her conversation with Lord Adribard and her desire only to protect him and the others closest to her. When she reached the end he took her hand and said simply ‘When do we leave?’
**********
At daybreak the next day she stood at Cornwall Station watching the sun creep over the Lyonesse horizon. Vladimir was inside making final adjustments to their weaponry, Hippocrate and Bobiskey checked their supplies of healing herbs and balms. From behind she heard the sound of horses approaching, her hand went immediately to the hilt of her sword, it was early for people to be out this way. As she turned she was amazed to see 12 of her bravest friends unmounting. Each dressed in the distinctive purple of her guild, each bearing the same determined look in their eyes. Fugue spoke ‘Did you think to face this evil alone sister?’. She was not sure if she felt relief or fear. With this force they would have a chance to survive but still the cost could be great to those she held dearest. She looked around at the assembled group Appollo stepped forward ‘My shield is yours’ he said. ‘The path we must follow is dangerous’ she said ‘I cannot guarantee our safe return’. She looked at each in turn, Calaenscout, his quiver full and bow taught; Artorus, tall and unwavering; Enjoy and Adwaemar, checking their backpacks for soothing balms, Oldgit and Pao, their shields emblazoned with the Pendragon colours; Elvo the Sorcerer newly joined yet still stood firm with them, and Jojje silent as ever yet as determined as the rest. None wavered as she spoke of what they must face together, ‘Very well, we must make our way into Dartmoor on foot as the way is not safe for horses. It is a long walk, I pray only that we have the strength to walk back’.
As they made their way through Dartmoor the group was, on the surface, in good cheer. They took the direct route, cutting down all in their path but as the burnt forest came into view their resolve hardened and the mood became more sombre. They reached the Dragon’s Lair unscathed and Javai caught her breath as she laid eyes on the beast again, it was beautiful to behold, despite the evil that lay beneath its shimmering blue scales. ‘We will approach from the north’ she said ‘keep close to the beast do not let it unleash its fire on you at range for I do not know if we have healing skills enough to survive such a blast’.
No one spoke as they entered the lair, yet Javai felt a surge of power in knowing they were all united in this effort. As she landed her first blow on the beast, the ground shook as it turned to face she and she felt its hot breath on her face. Yet she was not afraid, she gritted her teeth and concentrated on taking it down one swing at a time. As the fight went on, her friends began to suffer though none complained. Despite their best efforts they could not entirely prevent the dragonfire from being unleashed and her men suffered burns to add to the cuts and bruises. The healers had no respite constantly tending the wounds of the fighters to get them back into battle with the beast. Each man that fell from the weight of his wounds was rapidly tended to and none flinched from getting back into the fray as soon as they were able. Yet progress was slow the beast seemed to barely feel their attacks. As it began to seem as if they could never triumph a terrible blow was dealt to them, the dragon roared and waves of stunning gas filled the air. The wounded could not be tended to as the healers unable to move stared in disbelief at the scene. Yet somehow they managed to quickly tend wounds as the stun faded and they recovered their senses. The dragon too seemed to weaken, and began to roar in anger, causing many of the surrounding giants to be drawn to it. These were terrible moments for it seemed as if the odds were too great. Javai tried in vain to draw the giants away from her men to allow them to heal and to finish what they came for, but somehow one by one the giants fell. The dragon flipped its tail and Javai let out a scream as Vladimir was tossed into the air, but some miracle prevented him for being crushed as he fell to the floor and she gritted her teeth as she silently thanked god for his protection.
As daylight began to fade, it seemed as if the beast would never die, the clerics backpacks were empty it seemed as if there was no hope, then suddenly the dragon staggered backwards, with one final push they assaulted the dying beast, swords smacked against its broken body and final with a thud that echoed throughout the surrounding lands it fell.
Javai looked around, amazingly though badly beaten none had been fatally injured, they had done it. As she collapsed to the ground she spotted a glint under the dragons dead body. ‘Treasure?‘ she questioned and Elvo went over and picked up the dragon’s horde gathering through years of torment. Gathering her final strength, Javai walked over to the beast and with all her strength swiped her sword down to remove its head, ‘That is mine’ she whispered. Then summoning the last of strength she held the head aloft, ‘we did it’ she exclaimed and a cheer went up throughout the camp.
Clap 
