The tale of the Treasure
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Talos said warily, "The note said that only one should find the treasure. Why should we let a non-Cytherian take all the gold after this work? 'Twould be terrible. I would have to throw my voting pebble away from Grapper."
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<font color="gold">Bronze: the other gold metal.</font> - - 2B| |!2B - More heartfelt C.
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They decide to get rooms and think about it over night.
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After a refreshing night everyone got up and thanked Grapper. Finally, someone asked if he was allowed to come. Avatara said, "Well, I can't decide. How about we put it to a vote?"
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"I'm a controversial figure. My friends either dislike me or hate me."(This message has been edited by Avatara (edited 12-28-2001).)
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"No. Sorry Grapper, but I stand by my reason: it is said only one person can get the treasure, so why should a non-Cytherian perhaps take it all? All this work would be pointless." Talos said.
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<font color="gold">Bronze: the other gold metal.
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"Oh, no I didn't mean that I would take the loot I just like adventure and wanted to have some fun."says Grapper mostly speaking to Talos.
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(This message has been edited by Avatara (edited 12-28-2001).)
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After Lindor notices how small their party is getting, he's suddenly not so objective to having more members. He turns to Grapper
"Well, in these few day you haven't hinted at bad any bad traits. You know, the kind that almost every evil or corrupted being has. I guess you've passed my test, and if the others want you to come, I won't mind."
(This message has been edited by Avatara (edited 12-28-2001).)
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DF was still in a forest. He saw the rest of the group enter the town. Could this be the same place he had visited many years ago? He would have to wait and find out. Meanwhile he would sit back and follow the group and come to help in their next time of need.
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A dogged mercenary captain has uncovered the link between the Confederation, Astex Mining Industries, and an illegal dumping operation at Diphidia II
Visit Gav's forums (url="http://"http://pub47.ezboard.com/bgavsphorumz")http://pub47.ezboard.com/bgavsphorumz(/url) -
Talos, still a little skeptical, says to Grapper, "Fine. You can come with us, but you must swear that you will never come within one fathom of the treasure, by our estimates."
While the rest of the group was still deciding, Grapper ordered two glasses of beer for everyone, apparantly hoping to sway the other's votes.
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<font color="gold">Bronze: the other gold metal.
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The others finally cast their votes, and it ended up being a 3-3 tie. Avatara sighed, and as he didn't vote just yet, spoke to Grapper.
"It has been decided. You can come with us, but don't expect any generous reward for our services. Now that we've all been refreshed (for the last month (/mutter)) we can leave for the treasure."
The group stands up, and walked out of the inn. With one last look at his home, Grapper sighed and turned to go with the adventurers. They stopped at the mountain, and viewed their journey ahead, and the beautiful valley behind. With the mists rising, they set off for the spider's lair.
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"I'm a controversial figure. My friends either dislike me or hate me." -
As the group traveled toward the spider's lair, the morning mist slowly rose, revealing the path ahead: to get to the great caverns, they would have to find a way around a huge, solid, cliff. Everyone looked from one visible end of the cliff to another, but no one could find a way up, whether it would be by sticking-out rocks or a carved stairway.
"I see no way up above that cliff," Avatara stated.
"Grapper, do you know of any way around it? You do live here," DF asked.
Grapper replied, "Nay, if I had known of one I would have said. The caravans which trade with foreign lands pass by the sides of this cliff. It is flanked by two mountains, at least eighty miles from here in each direction. Without some sort of escort, we would most likely be overcome by bandits or pack-wolves."
Rogan, who had just finished sipping a little wine from his flask, said, "We should split up to look for a way over the cliff, as at least I don't plan on travelling eighty unsure miles. We should have two to a group. All of us will meet back here when the sun reaches the horizon on the west."
"I agree with Rogan," Talos concured.
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<font color="gold">Bronze: the other gold metal.
Bacchus Publishing: (url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/cgi-bin/vftp/show.pl?product=evo&category;=guides&display;=date&file;=ChroniclesByJake101.sit.hqx")Chronicles by Jake101: the unposted chapters(/url), (url="http://"http://users.erols.com/alkrauss/Once_Again.html")Once Again: on the web.(/url)
Bacchus Freeware: Olympus Wars, a plugin for EV:N.(This message has been edited by Avatara (edited 12-28-2001).)
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Suddenly a shadow comes to rest over the group.They all look up to see a huge bird.The bird then lands close to the group.Avatara and DF are about to attack when Grapper shouts,"Wait, He is not dangerous.He is my condor."Avatara thinks for a moment,"Maybe your condor can carry us over that mountain."Grapper answers," he doesn't get along with strangers to well but he could look for a place to get a cross the mountain."
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The condor sundenly starts to mutate into a huge harpy with a lich standing next to it. "Bwhahahaha" the lich shreaks out "You have fallen into my trap!! The only way you can get across is to kill me and you wont even harm me with those pitful weapons of yours. The lich goes through a bunch of complicated spells and teleports to the other side of the cliff, with more harpes coming out of thier roosts below.
Tycho Maudd
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There is a theroy which states that if ever anyone discovers exaxrlt what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly diaasppear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.
There is another which states that this has already happened.
-Douglas Adams -
Before the lich could escape, though, a holy arrow pierced it's body and disabled the beast. It had no way of reponding for the attack had come from teh other side. As it fell to the ground, dying, it made a final move, turning to the side to see what had slew it. A man, unknown to what race he was, was standing on a nearby hill with his bow drawn and with an apparent arrogance, approached the lich.
"You thought you could destroy him before I got to him, huh? You foolish beast. I was the one that trained you and you turned on me. Did you think I would not come back? Foolish. What a waste." the man said as he stabbed his sword into the already dead lich.DF knew instantly what was going on and smiled
"The damn thing is dead in a few seconds" he called out as he stepped forward.
Sure enough, the death screech came from the evil lich.
Grapper, theKestral, and Avatara stared increduosly at DF
"How? How did you know?" Avatara asked tentatively
"He wouldn't allow it to kill me. He wants to settle the score himself" DF answered with a slight chuckle "Old Master. Taught me the magics I know now. I went against his wishes and returned to Cythera. He tryed to trap me here but my ability was too strong for him to keep me. Probably was waiting for me to come back too"
"Interesting. Any ideas on how to find him?" Grapper asked as he kicked a stone "He might know where the treasure is"
"No, he guards the treasure. He lives at the peak.Thou shalt find a ruined temple,
That contains what thou seekest,
But be warned of black dragons that guard it,
Immortal against all works of mortals,
May be felled only by a blade fashioned from the same forge as them,
One found deep in the labyrinth of hell.
Slay these foul beasts,
Only then, will this prize be found you seek."He is the black dragon spoken of in the same scroll. He has the ultimate ability to morph into the shape of a human. He will kill all those who approach the peak in groups, which is why we must all work as one. I have taught Lindor dark magic so that he could protect Talos and Rogan. We must work fast for when he detects all of us, he will surely destroy us. They have taken the easier route but we have the quicker one. Also the one with the weapon." DF told them as he started on down the trail
"The weapon?" Kestral asked
"The blade fashioned from the same forge as them! Of course! You must have been the one that started this prophecy. Stealing that sword..." Avatara started but was quickly cut off
"No, not prophecy. I did not steal it. It was granted to me. I left the bastard. Burned down my villiage. The sword is hidden in the Ruined Temple. It is in the holy room in which the dragon nor his minions can ever enter. It is safe there." Df said in a grave voice as he kept moving on down the trail
"You" he said, pointing at Avatara "You must take the sword and slay the evil dragon. You are the only one of us which can do it"
"M..m..me? I already have a sword" Avatara replied
"It will not work. Only that sword will have effect. DF, does this beast have weak points? I don't like my prospects in the battle" Kestral asked as Grapper nodded his ascent.
"His minions will attack us until we reach him and throughout our encounter with him. The rest of the group, which I mean everybody but myself, Lindor, and Avatara, will need to keep them back." Df stated.
The small group pondered over that as Talos and Rogan's group had troubles of their own...------------------
Are you gonna tell him that's a boy cow?
Naw, he'll figure it out. -
Anyway, what do you say we kill these harpies and go off to the spider tunnel as was preiously mentioned. Unless you wish to go to the temple of the immortals and over this mountain. There is no other way.
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"I'm a controversial figure. My friends either dislike me or hate me." -
They had hiked up the mountain, Talos lugging DF's body behind him as they didn't want to waste more time than possible. After a couple hours of gently sloping paths in a wood, they came to the treeline on the mountain. Rocks and boulders covered the remaining height of the mountain, in stark contrast to the forest they had just left. Above, by about a mile higher than their position, was a gaping hole. It was another three hours of tedius climbing over loose and jagged rocks, many of which rolled down the mountain behind them - crashing into trees.
Finally, after what seemed an eternity, the tired group collapsed on the ledge. Beyond was the spider cavern, wisps of white-green cobwebs draped around with an eerie faint light green glow emenating from within. It was deathly silent, except for the panting and the sound of wind whistling in the tunnel. The spider tunnel awaited them, as did the horrors that lie within and beyond...
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"I'm a controversial figure. My friends either dislike me or hate me." -
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm getting tired... I think we should have our minds ready to the fullest when we enter the cavern. Let's get some rest," Talos suggested.
In some mumblings, the rest of the group agreed. They set up camp on a small ledge inside an indentation. It was large enough to hold all of them lying down without rolling over and down the slope, although there wasn't much in the way of free space. Avatara was posted for the early-watch. As everyone else drifted asleep, he heard distant thunder. Heavy clouds blocked the full moon that illuminated the night sky, and rain began to fall. At first lightly, but more and more heavily as time went on. Thunder and lightning were booming and lighting up the maroon-black sky everywhere, but the group was sound asleep. He looked back at the crevice. There was no group.
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<font color="gold">Bronze: the other gold metal.(This message has been edited by Avatara (edited 12-28-2001).)
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Avatara looked back at the looming opening behind him. Dusty cobweb strands hung from the ceiling here and there. An eerie whistling was heard, a whistling that sent chills down the spine. The light rain turned into a downpour and lightning cackled across the sky overhead. The immortal shine on the summit of the mountain seemed to be both the source and main target of the lightning storm.
With a sigh, and a look around to make sure it wasn't just a joke, Avatara stood up and shouldered his pack. A deep breath, and he stepped into the cave. The inside walls looked like the rock you'd see a tunnel made out of and were webbed with slightly glowing lime-green cobwebs.
The ground was covered in dust, it seemed that nobody had walked here in many years. However, looking behind him Avatara couldn't see his own fingerprints making the dust trick obselete. The inhuman howling continued to grow louder as Avatara walked further into the cave. A turn in the cave covered up the remaining light from the interance. The cave's sides had also changed too.
The cave was completely black except for the glowing spiderweb strands were now an angry royal blue, burning fiercely in the darkness. Avatara made his way, almost silently, through the tunnel, using the blue spiderweb strands to see the way. A sticky, warm mass was felt on Avatara's cheek, and the chill air caused him to jump. He swiped off the spider web that had gotten stuck there, and continued, trying to calm his racing heart.
The howling noise was even louder now. Avatara stopped to take a deep breath.
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"I'm a controversial figure. My friends either dislike me or hate me."(This message has been edited by Avatara (edited 12-28-2001).)
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Avatara continued onwards, heading deeper into the tunnel. The air was crisp and chilly, a slight stench wafted from somewhere deeper in. Avatara came to a turn, and he stopped. The turn was made in such a way that one couldn't see anything on the other side until they stepped all the way around - easy for an ambush. Avatara listed for any sound. All that was heard, besides the whistling, was a tree rustling somewhere...odd for a tunnel.
Another chill ran down Avatara's spine, something was definately amiss. With a deep breath, Avatara mustered all he could remember of his foreign training and walked as silently as possible around the corner. Slowly, the opposite wall revealed itself, inch after inch, luminescant blue spider strand after another, an intricate web against the wall of blackness. Avatara walked around, and when he did he came to a stop. From the web designs, it was a dead end. But...that couldn't be, it was supposed to be a tunnel.
Avatara walked up to the cobwebs and stuck his hand through one. Sure enough, his hand went through...there was no wall there. Avatara drew his hand back, it was tingling and itching with a strange warmth to it. Avatara brushed off the cobwebs and started forward. The cobwebs stuck to his exposed flesh as he walked through. Their sticky warmth provided an uncomfortable feeling in an uncomfortable situation. After he was through, Avatara brushed off the cobwebs and started forward, only to bump into a wall. Feeling around, the tunnel had appearantly turned in the original direction again, but the spiderwebs weren't glowing here, making it almost impossible to see anything. Avatara reached up, and brushed at an itch on his cheek, a small spider was brushed away.
Another three steps, no sign of anything, and Avatara had lost all sense of direction. he attempted to use magic to see, but something in the rock, or the spiderwebs, was preventing him from using any magic. Seeing as how nothing deadly was in the near vicinity, Avatara attempted to pick up the pace, but slammed into another wall. Feeling around indicated there was a wall somehow all around him, but that didn't make any sense. Finding an empty gap, Avatara staggered through that, just to bump into another wall. Another opening, followed by another wall. Avatara wished he was carrying the torches.
Before long, Avatara was hopelessly lost. Reaching the ground, amongst small spiders and other bugs that were making a crunching noise, Avatara found a dry piece of bone wrapped in a cloth. Avatara took out a fire-starter and lit the bone, trying to use it as a torch. An odd howl, and a heavy stench were in the air now. Avatara thought he heard breathing, but it was probably his, as his heart was racing.
Now that he could see, the tunnel twisted and turned continuously. Avatara walked around another dark corner, watching the ground to check for any holes or traps. Suddenly, Avatara became aware of something else in the tunnel, and slowly looked up. A giant dark-orange exoskeleton with bony joints and sharp claws stared back. The spider had jaws snapping, the size of a man's legs stretch longwise, dripping with a poisonous venom. The eight eyes were enormous, each the size of a large dinner plate, and all a beady black. The claws too were large, vicious looking they were the length of a fully grown tall man and as wide as the trunk of a tree, ending in needle point and a sharpness unlike that any mortal could forge a weapon with. The spider was appearantly hungry, and Avatara was essentially defenseless, being unable to use his magic. Avatara dropped the torch, and attempted to draw his sword as he backed up, but he tripped and the sword went clattering under and behind the beast. Avatara turned, only to get his feet trapped in a spiderweb set on the wall. Being unable to move his lower body, Avatara twisted around as the spider advanced in. Avatara was trapped. The world spun briefly and faded to blackness as the spider loomed near.
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"I'm a controversial figure. My friends either dislike me or hate me." -
"A-aa-aah y-y-ye-s, g-oo-d, a-a-ano-th-her m-meal f-or-r m-y-y ma-a-asters," the huge spider stuttered to itself, apparantly unaware that Avatara had passed out. The unnatural bone spider jerked down towards Avatara and injected liberal amounts of sleeping poison - it would prevent him from awakening until another dose was given, which would instantly kill him. His masters liked their food recently killed.
It was this spider along with another that had come and taken the group off in the night: the back of the crevice was thick-spun webs, and they had simply come through there. The noise and distraction of the thunder prevented Avatara from noticing. He knew that Avatara would eventually find his friends missing and look for them in the cavern, where he stood, waiting for him. Perhaps "think" isn't the best word for it though - more like "spoon fed". He was not a living creature, just a distorted shade of a more noble race that had once inhabited the caverns. He had little in the way of a mind, and his instructions were given to him through magic, by one of the living spiders.
Avatara was carried through the winding halls by the spider, who was currently being told what to do in a very accurate manner - he was not even intelligent enough anymore to avoid the trap set up for unwelcome travellers. He eventually came to his destination, deep in the caverns: a tall bronze pole. It glowed and the skeletal spider collapsed, leaving Avatara on the ground.
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<font color="gold">Bronze: the other gold metal.
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Visions floated before Avatara. He was standing on what appeared to be the void, and images of past friends floated before him. He viewed his friends from his homeland, and a pang of regret. Once again he could see the Temple of Life in all its granduer. Even wildlife was about the valley and hillsides surrounding the Temple of Life. Avatara smiled, but then frowned as a dark cloud obscured the sunny vision. The ground sank in a small circle around the temple, and the valley grew dark. Grass no longer grew, and the peaceful violet light atop the temple changed to an angry green, then a fiery red. The vally was almost lain bare, nobody moved about in cheer and the village at the foot of the hills had ceased to exist. The hills also had their share of devastation, the last bits of grass and remains of the forest on the far side were rapidly diminsihing. The whole sky was dark now, flashes of lightning lit up the sky in red areas.
So this is what has happened while I have been away. This is all my fault.
The land around the temple was dying, and the plague was spreading around to the surrounding countryside. Soon, everything south of the White Mountains to the north would be a wasteland like this. Its all because of me, I let him go; I should've punished him when I had the chance. Now my home is destoryed, Gathelian is dead, and the remaining nine are hoplelessly scattered across the dimensional plains. I must stop this.
And then, in the flash it had come to Avatara, it was gone again. In its place was a happier memory. Avatara was at the tavern, talking happily with Slayer and Talos. They were discussing something, and Talos was overly excited.
Then, that vision too was gone and replaced by another...and another...
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"I'm a controversial figure. My friends either dislike me or hate me."
