Atlantic Roleplay Community Boards

[Alexander the Elf]

---

After the Sanctus tournament and having rested awhile in his new home, Alexander decided to stop by Hanse's Hostel to see if anyone was there. He was met with the sight of Yavie, Baratus, Toadslick, Azin, and a few other stragglers outside. It seemed to him that more and more people began to gather outside the tavern than inside on a near daily basis. Who knows why they would do that. Maybe the nice weather. Either way, today he was met with a slight surprise. Toadslick had opened up a stand and was saying he could tell people's fortunes or give them information on various things. Yavie approached the fortuneteller and asked him quickly about the gems. At first Toadslick seemed a tad reluctant, or maybe he was just thinking, but eventually he began to describe a place he called the Temple of Knowledge. It was said to be somewhere near the water, he was not sure whether it be in, around, or under. Also this temple consisted of much marble. It sounded like an interesting place, but no one seemed to know exactly where it would be. Soon the questioning began.

"Has anyone seen a place like this?", Alexander asked his fellow Kingdom members and a few others that had gathered around.

Someone mentioned a Shrine of the Virtues. Yet another mentioned a place called Reg Volom. The last place that was mentioned was a place called Terort Skitas.

"Terror Mosquitoes?", Alexander asked.

He was met with an odd stare and was puzzled as to why. Eventually it was decided that they should just wander around and find the place that was mentioned as Terort Skitas. One of the journeyer's with them knew of it's whereabouts and the entrance to an odd cave was soon found. Upon entering the cave, undead of all sorts began assaulting the party and trying to hinder their movements.

Fighting past the undead, they came to a set of stairs. The blood of a fallen warrior began to pile up and formed the shape of a new beast. Fighting through the monster and descending the stairs, they came to the next level of the odd castle-like cave.

Exploring the areas they had now come to, a room with a flock of something that looked like tentacled eyeballs came into view. They didn't take too kindly to the journeyer's and began to attack upon sight. The party soon dispatched of the monsters and found nothing in the room they were in. Travelling onwards, humongous daemons began to appear from a distance. One of them seemed different. He was silverish colored and seemed to be collecting the essence of all the fallen beings around him. Whether they be monster, beast, human, or elf, it did not seem to care. All he wished was to devour their very being. Fighting long and hard to vanquish the fiend, the group consisting now of Yavie, Baratus, Hannibal, Alexander, and Roc, was beginning to think it just could not be done. The daemon seemed much more powerful than all of them combined and a great deal of healing had already needed to be done. Pushing onwards and giving as much of themselves as they could, the monster finally was sent back to where it had come, leaving the group in a small hallway with two stairways.

Opting to take the stairs upwards, they soon found themselves in a quiet serene room. Marble walls and a small pool of water in the corner was what the room consisted of. Noticing yet another set of stairs off to the other side of the room, they all made their way up them.

The sight that stood before them could be described as beautiful, but that would be doing the scene no justice. It was more than beautiful. So much so that it seemed rather indescribable. They found a small grassy area to rest for a short while and began looking around for a gem. They all knew they must be in the right area. It fit the description that the fortuneteller had told them exactly: Waterfalls flowing from an unknown source and walls, ceilings, and floors of pure marble. They searched the wonderful place and could not seem to find a gem.

Finally, Baratus of the group discovered that some crystals in the corner acted as a teleporting device to another floor in the area. The group used them and came upon Baratus, who was standing over the gem. Picking it up and handing it to Alexander, they decided to meet in the original room that they had come into after slaying the monstrous daemon. It was then decided that the gem would be put with the spear that Alexander had been holding and a search for more gems would begin in the days to come. Using a bit of magicks, Alexander landed himself at the spot where the Spear of the King was placed. Tucking the jewel safely in with the spear, he cast some more magicks and soon found himself at Asur'Herenion. Looking about, he knew the finding of the first gem had helped greatly. The water had turned clear again, unlike it's murkiness before. Also, parts of the walls had begun to turn marble again.

The gems were working, although just one was found. Hopefully in the upcoming days after more were found, and then after the last was found, the palace would turn back to it's old self. The elves relaxed and looked around at the castle. It was beginning to feel as it had before, before any of the recent happenings had occured. It was beginning to feel a little bit like home again.

[Roc]

---

In the middle of a forest in the heart of nowhere, Roc was sitting by a tree, reading a book under the shade. A pidgeon landed by his side bearing a message. Roc quickly unfolded the message. Seeing that he was needed, Roc stood up, grabbed his shield and war fork, and cast the paladin's spell of travel. After the usual flash of white light, Roc found himself at the meeting place, Hanse's Hostel.

The first thing he saw was Alexander, speaking to Toadslick with a serious expression on his face, who was sitting in a chair behind a small table with a crystal ball on it.

"What is that nutcase up to now," Roc thought. He approached Alexander, and quickly spotted several other elves nearby, who were watching Alexander and Toadslick talk with some interest.

Alexander turned back to the assembled elves. He then told the group of the 'fortune' that Toadslick had told him of - one of the gems required to restore Asur'Herenion.

The 'fortune' contained information of a place made of marble. A place with rushing water. A place that contained much knowledge, knowledge of power neither good nor evil.

Roc tilted his head back, suddenly flashing back a few years. A memory surfaced above the impassable surface of his amnesia - A memory of his childhood, of his parents. The vague image was of a place of marble indeed, with a magical waterfall that flowed through the marble, down into the river. He also remembered his parents stopping him from running inside the dungeon... Deep into the dark cavernous dungeon where daemonic cries echoed, and a dark stench that bewitched the senses.

"Yes, I remember a place like that." Roc said suddenly. Everyone just kind of looked at him, wondering if he had any further information. After a few moments of thought, the elves just kind of paced around the street while humans just wandered about their business. Kind of an odd moment, Roc thought, as he glanced around. Close by was Azin Rosewind, the Shadowform Empress. She was eyeing the other elves. She was within earshot, Roc thought. Does she know something? Hrm... Maybe I need to think... Darker, more evil, Roc thought to himself. He remembered the place was secluded, his parents had not recalled in with a rune. Where was a place like that? Of course! Ilshenar. "Ilshenar." Roc said. The other elves quickly agreed, as if this had already been mentioned.

Roc paced around a bit in thought again. The place had a name, a very odd name. 'Req Volon?' another elf offered. The odd ilshenarian name unlocked another part of Roc's memory of Ilshenar, and the words rang clear in his mind. "Terrot Skitas!" Roc said. The rest of the elves seemed slightly confused. "Terror Mosquitoes?" Alexander asked worriedly. Roc thought... What was in that dungeon? Maybe terror mosquitoes indeed...

Hanse seemed to be getting more and more crowded, and the brainstorming session was moved to Alexander's house. After some more discussion, a gate was made to the moongate, and everyone found themselves at Valor shrine in Ilshenar.

They wandered aimlessly, silently for a while. Not a monster in sight, nothing. They seemed to be following the lead of the river. They arrived at Sorcerer's Dungeon. "In there?" someone asked. We wandered inside.

The assortment of undead and monsters was not too bad, Roc thought. Nothing much beyond the norm of his hunting. After some time delving around twisting turns and corners, fighting fierce packs of gazers, relentless hell hounds, powerful blood elementals, and the most unholy of daemons, the balrons, they had pushed their way through, emerging in a short tunnel of blue and white marble with a pool of water in the corner. Light shone in through the doorway, and something told Roc it was safe from here on out.

After several comments on the beauty that is Terrot Skitas, the elves fanned out all over the location. Upstairs, roc found two glowing purple crystals. Upon touching one of them, he was transported to the top floor. Excitedly, he found two matching crystals, went back downstairs, and quickly ran to find his friends. He ran into what looked like a bedroom, where two others were searching for Baratus, who they had seen go into the room, and dissapear. Roc quickly pointed to the glowing green crystals by the bed and explained how they worked. The majority of the search team was now on the top floor, inspecting the things on the table, looking for any sign of a gem. Roc was drawn to the waterfall, which flowed down the mountain, and flowed from thin air. Alexander and Roc quickly spotted Baratus, who looked at a brightly glowing green gem in awe just a few feet in front of him.

After much excited talk on the first floor, the few of them returned to the palace with the Gem. Asur now looked different indeed - the water had turned clear, and some of the marble walls were visible through the stony cursed decay.

After more uplifting talk, Roc was dismissed. He cast his spell of paladin's travel with a smile on his face. A shaky unsure smile, as it was only the first of fourteen gems to be found. He also knew Narae and the Drow would not stand to let them acquire the other thirteen so easily. Roc collapsed on his bed, tired from the tests of the day, mentally and physically exhausted. He could only hope and pray that the rest of the journey went as smoothly as the ending day.

But a part of his heart, deep down, knew there would be trouble ahead. Dark times, hard tests. Regardless of these dark thoughts, Roc fell asleep almost instantly, still clad in his armor.

[Isilmea]

---

The Elven Palace was crumbling. The search for the gems had begun. Alexander was doing his best to locate them and gather support of friends and Elves. Each day that passed that the gems were not discovered a bit more of Asur’Herenion fell into ruin.

A cold wind whipped into the Palace as snow blew in. Though even with the condition of the elements it was not the snow that gave one a chill when they entered the once Grand home of the Elves, it was the smell of evil. Narae’Dran deeds where in full swing and his plot to once again bring the Drow and the Elves to war were at hand. Time was repeating itself and this time he would stand the victor. Least he thought so in his own insane mind.

And now the next phase was at hand, the war. The reason Narae’Dran felt was his justification was that his son had stolen his Kingdom and the Drow, his new friends and allies, should rightfully control it. He felt the Drow were above the Elves and felt the Elves had betrayed him. The scuffle at Hanse the night before was a prime example of the Elves trickery. They did not draw a single weapon till their friends gathered. And in this Narae’Dran used to his advantage to incite the anger of the Drow.

Many times Isilmea met with Alexander to see where they stood in the quest and to give whatever information on Narae’Dran she could. Many a night Narae’Dran would rant on in his insanity about what was taking place and Isilmea, who was hiding from his view, was able at times to get bits and pieces of information however most of it did not make sense.

War was close and Alexander and Isilmea knew it. Time was indeed repeating itself as if a once old story was again playing out before them. They both hoped that the ending would be the same as it was 400 years ago when the Elves of Asur’Herenion had fought the Drow. There is where the spear crafted by Ancient Elves brought Narae’Dran to his knees, the same Spear that now rested in the hands of King Alexander.
_________________