Dreaded Kingdom

[Thaelasan]

As Xavier had his sudden spasm, Castor watched on with mute interest. He supposed he should go and see what was wrong but half of him still held a grudge against this man.

Yet, as a leader, he was forced to take action. He ran over to Xavier and withdrew one of his canteens, putting it to the man's lips.

"Drink. It's water." he promised, holding it for him.

 

-----

 

Malfaul's crusade had only begun. In a few short months, thousands fell before him as both servants and bodies, his kingdom growing to monolithic sizes.

Alstain still knew not of Malfaul's treachery. Dalmar may have known but it is not certain.

[Dragonhatchling]

((Yes yes Thael, DH is aware She's just communicating where Layel was coming from in case she didn't make that clear before.))

 

Layel heard Castor but made no acknowledgement of it. She didn't wish to. But, apart from what was going on with Xavier, she didn't care to. She did worry slightly about Xavier's condition, knowing that the castle was going to try and use the more fragile of mind to turn against everyone. That would probably be her, but she would be damned a thousand times over if she succumbed to this irk. She wouldn't allow it. She couldn't.

The torch, though, pulled her out of that slight brooding she was starting. She needed to figure some way to hold this burning thing without burning herself, others, or restrict her fighting. Sadly, she didn't bring any rope with this trip. But, she did have the belt that used to contain a sword she had fought with until it shattered in an unfair fight. That was still around her waist, always a habit to never be gotten rid of. Perhaps the frog could hold the torch? Heck, it was dangerous but worth a shot. If anything, Venril probably could relight the blasted thing. Or she could, considering Veserae had mentioned having the same powers as that crazed dragon.

So Layel threaded the torch's stake through the frog's loop. It looked somewhat odd, but hung just angled enough to not burn herself and made it easier for her to fight with her staff. She still had to be careful about it, but she could deal. Maybe she could find something to make Venril a pouch to hold the torch. That probably would be safer. But for now this would hopefully work.

 

The dragon whined slightly when the girl she was inquiring about sank into shadow. Definitely a shadow-walker. She cocked her head to the left, sitting with her wings slightly outstretched to create a bit larger shadow of herself that attached to the shadow the girl had gone into. Her tail rose to cover up a section that had light. There. Now how to get her back?

Do you know the girl?

Layel looked over to Venril for a second, having noticed the sudden sitting motion. Shae. Her name's Shae. She was given a dagger to walk in the shadows with... that's all- why? The dragon's arrow-head spade on her tail moved slightly for a second. She seemed ready to pounce on something to Layel, but to Shae the dragon seemed to be sitting curiously. Creative. Interesting. Scared though.

It didn't make sense. Don't hurt her unle- Unless she hurts one of us or someone else. Like Castor. The one you used to know for a little.

Now the dragon was finishing her sentences, and delving into her past!? The sentence finishing wasn't a huge surprise, but the sorcerer sort-of wished the creation hadn't known her past. She knows more than you think. Se'kals are smarter than you give a dragon credit. Small size doesn't mean dumb. This one's probably one of the most crafty I interrogated.

Veserae's words were not exactly comfort. You... Dont. Layel quit. She interrogated dragons? It couldn't leave Layel's mind.

[lycrawaterz14]

Tybalt was trying to see what was wrong with Xavier. "Castor! What is happening to him?!" He asked, trying to figure it out himself. Poor Xavier seemed hurt. "That better be water." He growled to Castor. This was a slowly dissolving team... And they had already lost one member. Poor them... They had only wanted to help.

[KittyKat]

Xavier gulped the water furiously, grabbing the canteen off Castor and writhed like a child suckling from a bottle, a small amount of water dripping down the sides of his face, then he held out the canteen, and breathed heavily to recover, with his other hand he pulled out a pouch of trail mix, which he ate from, he sat silently for a moment,

 

"My god... what the... was that?" Xavier remarked, still heavily breathing, "It must be the castle, but why is it only affecting me?"

 

He then remembered what had happened before, his pocket, it had a... shard of the door! and the door turned into shades, so... that means that... He looked down to his pocket, and turned it inside out, except he couldn't touch any tangible pocket, only skin.

 

"What the?" Xavier questioned, but he put it to the back of his mind, he wouldn't let this be the thing that puts him on the blacklist.

 

Xavier stood up, stretching his limbs,

 

"I say... we keep going, I'll be... fine... I guess."

[Thaelasan]

(( Xavier, that wasn't what the shard would have done to you. You actually should have had your character keep it for much, much later.

Also the door didn't turn into shades. The door didn't shut. The shades just filled it up, creating a new door and locking themselves together into a tangible barrier.

As for your shard.. ))

 

Castor was about to say something else and perhaps even ask for some sort of thanks when he suddenly looked down, his eyes drawn to the floor.

Upon the ground, next to a few pieces of burnt cloth that resembled a pouch of some sort, lay a dark, red, sinister shard.

Castor frowned and removed a leather glove from his pack, placing it upon his right hand. With a silent prayer to the gods, he clutched the shard and waited for something.

Something never came. The shard simply pulsed red and seemed to be oozing shadows. In fact, the torchlight did not reflect upon its surface but instead the light seemed to be devoured by the stone. Castor realized this with a small bit of dread and frowned even more intensely for a moment.

Yet, something about the stone seemed familiar. Hadn't Xavier picked this up from the fragments of the door? He recalled something of the like.

He turned the stone over several times, admiring the facets. For all that it was, it was also very well made, he had to admit.

He made a mental note to look it over in more detail later. He opened up a pouch on his belt that he had had consecrated by an enchantress many years ago and placed the stone within it. Hopefully, it stayed put.

He then looked up, pulling his blade from its sheath yet again and holding it aloft with his right hand.

The stars upon the blade began to glow strongly, mixing with the torchlight to provide a stronger luminescence.

"That's much better." he commented, pleased. "Keep the torch, though. He said we must have it specifically."

He then began to look around in detail, admiring the craftsmanship of the castle. Though they were within the dark castle of a mad tyrant, Castor was never one to give up on history in any of its forms. He had read about Malfaul many years ago and had always enjoyed the legend of the Herald of Ank'kahen, the dread king of Shades. No one had entered the king's castle for over six-hundred years, since it had first been made, besides Malfaul himself. His shades honestly didn't count as people. It was said he had murdered every man who had crafted the castle in order to prevent their secrets of architecture from being used to help anyone else.

Bloody but effective.

The part of the castle they were in seemed to have originally been built to host the citizens and nobles of the kingdom - if Malfaul had ever actually done such a thing. As it had already been said, the castle wasn't for pleasantry - Malfaul had built it specifically for defense and warfare. He had had a very good idea in mind of how it would be used when the first stone was laid.

Though the room was large and well-crafted, sprawled with atriums and vaults that gave an air of size and texture, there were many things that stood out to Castor's eyes the most.

For one thing, there were three mosaics that decorated the inside of the three main domes in the room, each vastly different. Castor held up his sword below each one, admiring their make and work.

Within each dome was a large crystal of a different color, which shined dully when Castor's sword's light hit them. The first was yellow, the second was orange, and the third was purple.

The first mosaic, the yellow crystal one, depicted a beautiful kingdom which hit Castor's memory immediately. It was definitely the one from his nightmare before it became one, almost as radiant in glass as it had been in his mind. Large citadels and great, beautiful walls surrounded the peaks of the castle of the king, bringing to mind a man who knew of the light and walked in its path. As Castor's light hit it, it was notable that the mosaic was made of brightly colored glass. Another notable thing was that the people in the mosaic actually seemed to be moving and dancing in the picture, performing normal acts and seeming content in their home.

The second mosaic, the orange, was a little bit different. A normal kingdom, not too flashy or too simple, stood in the center of what appeared to be a sort of desert. The castle in the middle didn't really invoke a major emotion but seemed to be made of sandstone and glass in certain places besides the average stone. Large hourglasses dotted the ramparts. The people seemed to be completely at peace. It was also notable that the mosaic was made entirely of well-cut sand that reflected only a small amount of light.

Yet the final one Castor knew even quicker than he knew the first. It was not only the castle they were in, it was also what the castle in his dream had become before it had been destroyed. It was the dreaded kingdom, bringing to mind fear and dread the moment one saw it. Ramparts covered in spikes and dangerous traps sprawled around the maw of a massive gate, which led into the castle itself. The castle was large and pronounced, almost crafted just to look abstract yet still keep an air of defense. The people of the castle looked absolutely dreadful and oppressed, if they could be seen. Most of them were hidden in the castle, unable to leave freely. The entire castle was even covered in the shades, hidden unless Castor shined his light on them. They even seemed to move to other areas of the castle when he did.

The worst part was that from the shade-crystal of the mosaic itself, which it was made of, the eternal chant of "Take. Fester. Live." echoed within Castor's mind.

He shook slightly as he heard it and hoped he wasn't going insane.

"Well, that's odd.." he said, nervous.

Finally, the biggest thing Castor noticed was a Cathedral, decorated in bone and spikes rather than in holy marks. He stared at it for a moment and immediately knew that's where they had to go. He remembered the texts saying that the Cathedral led into the underscape of the castle, which is where the first level of the castle was located. Malfaul had made most of his prized building - especially the throne room - underground, to prevent any true attack from destroying him. The castle was just for show.

Yet, the door of the Cathedral was locked. Three glowing crystal shards beamed from the huge stone door.

Purple, Orange, and Yellow. Castor began to make connections.

"It has something to do with the mosaics but what?" he asked, confused. He turned to the group.

"Give me a moment." he said, thinking. "Take a break or something. I'm going to try to figure out this riddle."

 

----

 

(( If you want a good song or two that describe Malfaul's kingdom, look up No More Tears or Bark at the Moon by Ozzy Osbourne. :3 ))

[KittyKat]

((Sorry, I misunderstood what you said before, I could... try? to fix it? (I thought the shard was kind of the embodiment of what the castle was, the deceit and lies of the place :L) And to the extent of my understanding, I have now seized control of Thain.))

 

Xavier looked to Castor as he picked the shard up, the shard glimmered in front of his eyes as he watched it shine in the light, he was again overcome by the same Want for the shard, he still needed it, but he didn't want to cause another argument like before, so he swallowed and suppressed his desire, he listened as Castor looked towards the mosaics, he thought for a moment about the puzzle, with a blank mind.

 

"You have to understand," Xavier mumbled, embarrassed, "I'm not very good at the... Intellectual side of things, so I hope you can handle this"

 

Xavier then sat down and ate more food from his pack and left a pouch with an assortment of nuts and berries on the floor, gesturing to whoever wanted it.

 

-----------

 

Thain had done nothing to this point, he was slightly hesitant to speak or do anything because he was sizing up the dedication of the people with him, he noticed that Catherine did not seem very dedicated whatsoever, he noticed Shae sneak away from the group, and he saw how Xavier, Layel and Castor were very adamant in their goals and wouldn't likely budge in reference to their view, he simply tagged along, contemplating the strengths, weaknesses and unknowns of the group. Up until this point, he was mainly outcast from the group, remaining silent and cautious.

 

"This... minor god epidemic is merely a construct of Malfaul, I believe that the gods are pure and would not be corrupted by Malfaul, or the demon in which he bargains with, we need to remain holy and righteous in our actions, and redeem ourselves from the hatred and anguish our actions during the shadows caused."

 

((I'll try to get into character for Thain l8r, I honestly thought people would be eager to jump in on this...))

[Thaelasan]

(( Me too man. I'm waiting for everyone else to respond before I do mah thang. ))

[Dragonhatchling]

Layel had noticed what Castor was looking at and found it odd herself, but, since he was at it already and obviously working to piece together whatever it meant, she decided to stay where she was and sit on a broken section of what she guessed was a wall at some time. He did say to take a break afterward, but she'd beaten him to that. They'd be a bit.

 

Venril, however, being the curious dragon she naturally was, strode over to where Castor was and sat beside him. She followed his gaze wherever it went, occasionally commenting sights or thoughts to Layel so not to keep her out of the 'close-up loop'. Or that's what she called it anyway. She occasionally added her own puff of fire when light caused the shadows to move, watching in awe when things did seem to be actually shrinking away from it. This, specifically, she commented to Layel multiple times. So much so that Layel had to request that every character who moved in that wall not be mentioned, which worked- merely for a few seconds- before the dragon found something else to tell her every detail about.

 

The last details she ended up sharing were of the crystals and the odd door in the mural. That much Layel found even more intriguing than anything afore mentioned. The door was odd from Venril's description, but she doubted the portrayal was wrong. It was what Castor was trying to figure out.

Could I help? Maybe Layel could too? The dragon asked Castor in all suddenness of surprise without ever looking at Castor as she studied the details further. She held that question to Layel's mind as well, surprising the creator when she did it.

So the dragon trusted Castor too. She feeds from your memories. Veserae's comment broke the thought. I never said I trusted any of these here. But your past says otherwise.

[Soleas]

any weapon still un-used?

open sopt

[mipuppy1]

(Recap? Can we pretend Catherine had fainted or something?)

[Dragonhatchling]

((Errrm, open spots I don't think there are....

 

Recap: Well, since Catherine miracuously appeared again, there was a fight with a shadow thingy, we're now trapped inside the castle thanks to a door shard, the shadow-thingy fight, Malfual showing up and trapping us here, his ability to teleport us to a new room that apparently was living quarters.... which weren't actually used for that.... and we're still in this different room, still trapped, Xavier went nutts and accused Castor of working for Malfual but Castor calmed him down. In the scufflethatwasn'tascuffle the same door shard was found that Xavier originally found by Castor, who now is trying to piece that together with this new mural/mosiac on one of the walls (his most recent post). He's ordered everyone to take a break at the moment, while he figures out what the mural is meant to say.

 

That's the vague gist... but it'll get you where we are.))

[Thaelasan]

(( For Open spots, if you make a good enough sheet, we can act as though Thain never existed and you took his place, or perhaps there was a ninth weapon.

That depends, however. Make a sheet as literate as you can and I'll decide. ))

 

Castor rubbed his hands together and then raised his sword. Three quick slashes. Three rifts appeared in front of him, one cut in front of each crystal.

He reached into a rift and touched each stone. The light one filled him with a sense of deep harmony and tone, as though he could take a nap right there and worry not about the world.

The neutral one filled him with deep peace and wisdom, a sense of self-awareness that told him much of the future and past.

The third, however, he dreaded. He placed his hand upon it and immediately felt immense fear and broke into a cold sweat.

Well, nothing for it then.

He grabbed each stone (the third he grabbed with his glove) and pulled them from their sockets. As each one was pulled, the mosaic it was attached to went dull and unpowered.

He took each stone and fitted them into the slots that were their color.

The circle slid clockwise and clicked. As the door began to open, Castor grabbed the gray and yellow crystals, leaving the purple one to be sucked within the door as it opened to reveal a portal.

"This hasn't been opened for years." he remarked as he held a piece of cloth to the void. It was absorbed quickly, falling into nothingness.

He held on to the two crystals and felt no fear. He leapt into the void.

Silence filled the room.

[KittyKat]

((So... I'll just leave Thain until Soleas writes his character sheet?))

 

Xavier quickly lept up as Castor opened the portal, He remembered what he was told at the beginning, Stay together, because the rooms change randomly, He dashed over to the portal, intending to grab Castor before he leapt in, but he couldn't get him, he turned around, a sudden urgency on his face.

"Quick guys! Get in the PORTAL!" He exclaimed hurriedly, gesturing towards the portal.

[Thaelasan]

(( BUMPITY ))

[Dragonhatchling]

((Been busy modding, with marching band, and with school. I don't know about anyone else though :/ ))

 

Venril didn't hesitate to jump through the portal right after Castor, even before Xavier shouted to them. In fact, she didn't even hear it as she jumped through. Her last thoughts relayed what she saw before the portal to Layel, which caused Layel to get over there even faster.

The sorcerer had gotten up before, noticing Castor's movements and the spectacle he was creating. She was about to offer her help when he jumped through the portal, along with Venril and something inside her compelled her to do the same. Perhaps it was just Venril's innate sense of adventure, or worry for Castor, but either way she didn't need Xavier to tell her to jump through. She'd almost missed his yelling completely but got an earful when she lept into the portal as he yelled at the others.

Following the dragon could get you killed.

[Thaelasan]

Castor landed in a room filled with nothing but shadow. The hallways echoed with silence beyond. The room was empty and vast.

It was a void. Castor grunted.

"Where the hell..?" he whispered, confused. He began to look around, just as Xavier landed on him.

"WHAT!" he yelled, trying to stand.

Then came Layel and Venril, who landed on Xavier.

"OH MY GOD!" Castor gasped. "HELP!"

[KittyKat]

Xavier realises his location, holding the torch away from his comrades, using his strength, he stands up slowly, allowing for Venril and Layel to gain their own footing while he awkwardly stands up, attempting to not hurt Castor.

 

"You OK?" he mumbles

[Thaelasan]

"I'm fine.." Castor replied, wiping his tunic off. "Just.. jarred."

He turned to admire their surroundings, fascinated. A sprawl of rooms surrounded them, each different, each the same. There were eight of them, their doors changing shape of a different aspect.

Now this is where my game begins!

Malfaul's visage appeared before the group. He wore the same grin, unaffected by the recent events. He waved his sword, gesturing to the doors.

"Each of you was given a power." he stated, turning to look at them in a line. "Those above us will join us shortly. You will explain what I'm about to tell you."

His voice began to become real, again. No longer was it distant. It was as if he was standing in front of them.

"Each of these doors is a trial. Each trial is made to test the power of a select individual. I will not tell you whose doors are whose but I shall tell you this.. if you pick the wrong door, you may end up dead.. both of you.

The first door is a test of dexterity. A race against one of my greatest shades. He will not be easy to defeat. You will not be able to leave the trial until you beat him. You will have three chances to race him before he is free to kill you. Should you win, he will submit and allow you through.

The second door is the test of sight. My most acute shade will hunt you down while you search for three crystals in the trial. Once all three are found, you will be allowed to leave.

The third door is a test of courage. A hundred of my shades, horrifying and despairing, shall face you. Your fear will make them stronger.

The fourth door is a test of magic. You will face one of my most intelligent shades in a magical duel. He is... quite skilled.

The fifth door is a test of skill. You must show your greatest ability and you will not be allowed to use your magical skill. My most critical shade shall overlook your work. He will know if you shall be allowed to pass.

The sixth door is a test of time. One of my quickest shades will play a game with you.

The seventh door is a test of health. A warrior, long sealed within my kingdom, has been annoyingly facing one of my most mighty shades within for years. If he defeats the shade, you shall emerge victorious.

The final door is a test of accuracy. Targets will be spread around a difficult terrain and you must get a perfect shot upon each one.."

He finished, still grinning, and began to disappear.

"Your first round of my game BEGINS!"

 

----

 

Castor grunted, thinking about the first trial Malfaul spoke of... A race...

He was pretty fast due to his teleportation. Would that give him an edge?

[KittyKat]

"Well... I'm pretty sure that I'm either suited to the test of skill, or the test of health, I'm more leaning towards the test of health, in which I will be able to fight the best," Xavier assured

 

Xavier then put his hand into his other pocket, while he was on top of Castor, he quickly and stealthily cut the pouch that held the shard loose, he was now comforted, but was then overcome by a wave of dread.

 

He drew his sword, which now that he was isolated from his wimpering comrades, was a massive broadsword which one would wonder how Xavier, with his tight figure, was able to hold the sword up.

[Dragonhatchling]

Layel had stood up after shoving the stubborn dragon off of her person. Venril had enjoyed a little extra time just to sit there, even if it had meant most of that was on her creator. It was fun seeing her a bit annoyed from time to time.

They both listened to Malfaul, each thinking about what might be best for them. Veserae had gone silent, probably to test if Layel could figure it out, and offered no sign of speaking up.

 

One look at the dragon showed Layel that the small creature was thinking the same thing- which usually didn't happen. "I'm probably more suited to the test of magic." It was really all she could think that would fit. Her mind wondered though; was Malfaul trying to trick them more? There wasn't much incentive to make the 'game' fair, let alone make describing what each trial entailed completely accurate. He could have easily left something out, something crucial for their decisions, and no one would be the wiser.

[Dragonhatchling]

((*prods*))

[Thaelasan]

(( I have to wait for everyone else.

Still, I'm very amazed that ProNinja made his character select the two WORST things for him to pick as a trial. Either he did it on purpose in order to play as his character, or I did a horrible job explaining the doors. ))

[KittyKat]

((Yeah, I meant that, the trial of skill would appeal to Xavier's desire to prove himself and the test of health would also appeal to his need to feel stronger than everyone else, and I do realise that the trials co-ordinate to their "ability" so he would have to approach the trial of fear. I also found it funny that these people who joined never really made it past 4 or 5 posts, It's really just been Hatch, Thael and I this entire time, Lycra popped in every now and then, and we had to continually provide re-caps in order to "catch-up" people, who proceeded to not reply))

Edited October 8, 2013 by TestingProNinja

[Dragonhatchling]

((Pm's sent to those who aren't around then maybe? I could do it... I don't mind doing that sort of thing ever. Somewhere's along the lines of saying we need them back and asking if they intend to actually stay, instead of coming back for a day and disappearing for five months (not that they did- just making an example). Of course, that'd be asked as if they were still seriously interested in the rp... and intend to post as often as possible.

 

On top of what ProNinja said: I too am surprised. Granted, I've seen my fair share of people just 'falling out' of rps without ever noticing (hence the interesting check in the pm too) anyone to why they left, or when, or even if they were actually leaving.

 

As for me: I'm still highly busy.... but after October, marching band is over.... so I might have more time here... or my teachers crank up the homework and I loose the same amount of time :/ it's a 'wait and see' game.))

[lycrawaterz14]

(Lycra is always here... ((For real though, my phone logs me out unless I'm postng.)) PMs don't work on Thael, he's in college now, but I'm still about.)