What happened so far....... and what will come.

Summary of the adventures our brave heroes had to undergo till now

A note to all who read this and wonder, why some magic artefacts are used here which are quite strong (Talia's sword and flute) or why the char description of some players are not up to the standards or even not allowed anymore:

This is the oldest story on the board, it started soon after the Thirsty Herald was invented and before any major rules and restrictions were set up. And because this story runs without interruption since then, these things are still allowed here and nowhere else.

The plot Capher created before we started and how you can read it underneath the title:

A new, yet old evil has arisen from the ashes of Tak'Dinal. The Wizard in the White Tower sends his faithful companion Capher to find Three lost artefacts of power, Thalambath's Heart, Kruik's anvil, and the Sword of Fury. Their adventure will take them to places they have never been and face dangers, and trials to test their mettle...

Chapter 0: In the Thirsty Herald and
Chapter I: Infiltration
Chapter II: Encounter with Bium

Please read the char de*****ions to know who travels with you. Here you find just a short characterisation.

Capher , an older, human looking cleric. Find out who he is. He is at the beginning of the story in the Thirsty Herald looking for companions to help him fulfil his task.

Koldar, Knight of the Moonlight , a skilled human fighter of unknown origin with a mysterious past, who doesn‘t want to talk much about himself .

Terra Artemos , an excellent human warrioress of Sophronia with a partly lost memory of her past, her moonblade being her favourite weapon, very true and reliable to her friends. Her familiar is a black war horse called Coór.

Talia Sturmwind, a Shendar , lost her distant past as well, more adventurer than fighter, though carrying a special sword. She doesn‘t admit to herself, that she is in love with Koldar (he is younger!), but there is never time for a romance either. Her riding animal is a Aj‘nuvic called Swing.

Avour, half elf, half human, a female ranger, nothing can describe her though, personal encounter necessary.

Gean Firefeet and Silfer Darkflare start with them but get lost in Strata, as do two others they rescued during their trip to Strata, Almenda and ..

The story:

Capher, true servant to the Wizard of the White Tower, has a task to fulfil he can‘t manage alone, and so he sits in the Thirsty Herald looking out for companions. He finds a small group which is willing to help him, though he doesn‘t reveal much what the tasks are really - just that a big evil arising has to be fought. It helps though, that he has a lot of jewels to cover the expenses they have.
Their first goal is Strata. On their way they have an encounter with Bium, a gorba who is about to have a meal - two poor adventures which the group rescues, but who disappear in Strata - as do Gean Firefeet, who is sent to fulfil other task and Silver Darkflare, who vanishes soon after they have arrived in Strata as well.
On this trip the group learns, that Capher is a shapeshifter, but they don‘t know his true form though.

Chapter III: Strata, Thieves, Romance and Jewels
Chapter IV: Sewers, Thieves, Brownies and Hero's

Important NPCs.

Alvazarius
Chief of the „Dockers“, strongest band of thieves which dominates the underground, the sewers. Description lost. The Heart though is in the posses ion of another group and kept in the sewers in a hidden room.

Soya Merell
Soya is an about 25 year old thief from the streets of Strata. She has long, red blonde hair and green eyes and from slender build. She has joined the Dockers already long ago and was promoted in their hierarchy pretty fast. She now has the responsible position of the "nightwatcher" of the guild having to deal with all kinds of partners, spies and business men at the official meeting place of the guild.

The story:

Shortly before they arrive in Strata, Capher tells them their first task (or maybe he did this already in the Herald): To retrieve an artefact out of the famous and feared sewers of Strata: Thalambath‘s Heart, a fist-sized green emerald.
After a fight at the quay and some inquiries of Koldar, who meets an old love - Soya - they finally step down into the sewers. They manage to steal the artefact Capher wants to have and to escape and to get on the ship they hired the night before to travel up in the north.

One thing has to be mentioned here: The flute Talia wants to buy a flute in a shop, but decides against a special one the shopkeeper offers her. Later she finds it in her pocket. The flute is a magical item which has to be covered well, otherwise it affects the mind of the person who touches it. It hums, when friends are in need, the louder the bigger the danger is. When taking it in your hands, you have a vision of where your friends are and what endangers them. But using it too long can drive you insane - or give other, maybe evil forces access to what you think as well.

Chapter V: The Dangers of a voyage at Sea

However, the owners of the ship, the dwarves betrayed them. Their intention is to enslave them and sell them in the port of Shan‘Thai. They don‘t succeed of course, but are forced to disembark the group at the beach near Chylikis. During this stay, Capher however is overtaken by something evil and shapeshifts into a Chasm Demon, nearly (just nearly, something holds him back) killing his friends. He is not seen afterwards. On this ship, the friends met another passenger, who is in their company for the next time:

Hajarian Ryelliin, an old ice-elf , a male sorcerer with a high skill level. The friends are not sure, how far they can trust him.

Chapter VI: Dangerous Paths

Meanwhile they have arrived in Chylikis , but instead of a nice rest, a bed for the night and some stories, Koldar and Terra have managed to run in their enemies, masked and black dressed elven riders, and all the comfort an inn can provide is again lost. Terra is hurt severely in their fight later in the town and stays in Nehtor‘s temple (god of healing),

Chapter VII: Heading North

Important NPC.

Shati
A elven fighter, with black armour/clothes and black mask - like the ones who were obsessed by a demon back in Chylikis. However, she seems more friendly and more interested in information about Koldar , the group and their goal than in killing Talia or any of the group.

Talia leaves Terra to get their belongings, but when in the inn she decides out of a quick intuition, that it might be better to bring the Heart away to not to endanger her injured friends any more. Maybe the enemy who seems to search the heart will cease hunting them. Her riding animal is extremely fast, so she hopes to escape them. She rides till the night is nearly over and rests then for the last few hours near the road not far from the river.
Meanwhile Koldar leaves with Terra northwards to ask an eremite on the way to help him solve the puzzle of the black elves and to bring Terra to a healer who might help with her head injuries.
Hajarian stays with Avour in the temple, but it is attacked by the people who Koldar and Terra had to fight earlier who turn out to be demons. They can flee successfully.
Hajarian follows the track of Koldar and Terra, but when he arrives there, Koldar has already left to search for Talia on his own. Avour stays with the old man, Terra and Haj leave soon heading north.

Talia and Shati
Unfortunately most of the posts with Talia and Shati, another black masked elf (Koldar's‘ NPC) is missing. Shati wants to know what Talia knows about Koldar , their plans and secrets. Talia doesn‘t want to say anything to a strange woman, but now and then something escapes her. Still at the place where Talia rested over night, she takes out her flute, because it is humming slightly. She is afraid her friends are in danger and wants to see, if she should return back. But when touching the flute, she just feels an evil presence which causes her to get unconscious and, sitting already on her aj, she falls down. Shati brings her back by pouring a bucket of cold water over her face. They travel both northwards along the river and then carry on in the direction of the Quallian after the bridge over the Thaehelvil to Vezash. They don‘t cross the bridge and the river!
Finally they decide to rest. In this clearing near the road they meet Teri. Some time after they have gone to rest - let‘s say it was guardoran - Talia awakes, for her sword is humming and she feels, that something is totally wrong. The air had been humid and sultry the whole day, but now something is pressing on the soul itself. She gets up, shouting at Teri and Shati. The campfire seems to come to life again and gets bigger and higher, something forming in it. Talia's sword is humming loader and loader till it nearly emanates an very unpleasant noise as well. Talia pushes it in the ground towards the fire and calls Teri and Shati to hide behind it, for the sword has protective qualities, but only Teri follows her call. But it is obvious, that the sword can‘t stand up to what is forming in the fire, and so Talia grabs Teri and they both flee on the back of the aj‘nuvic which gives its best and runs for hours and hours till they reach exhaustedly the border of the Quallian. Just inside the Quallian they both - and the aj, collapse on the ground and sleep where they are. Talia had to leave back three „things“ in this clearing: the sword, she lost the flute - and her dune mouse was hunting and away while the demon appeared.

What happened to Shati is not known (Koldar left the story for some time).

The sword
It is a magical item as well, but with Talia not having many magical abilities if any, it is used only in extreme situations. It can protect its bearer and all who are standing behind him against magical attacks of all kinds and strength by simply reflecting the magic back to the originator. It acts like a shield. And it hums - like the flute, if danger of any kind . but mainly magical is coming up.

Back to
Hajarian and Terra

Both leave the hermit, leaving Avour back and travel northwards as well. The accidentally find the clearing where the demon appeared, and Terra finds Talias burned sword (which seems to be quite ok) - and a little animal - the dune mouse. They go on and enter the quallian about a day later than Teri and Talia.

Chapter VIII: In the Quallian

Garrek, brother of Aueniteri, who hates her and tries to threaten her and bring her into trouble wherever possible ,

Important NPCs

Furchego
Quallian's most gifted fire mage, with the flaw of being obsessed from power and easily deceived by evil forces.

Kurrun
An elder of the high circle, gifted with Oh‘Mod, wise old elf

Siroled Seer of Seyella, has visions of the current events and about the significance of the group and their goal and helps so to takes actions against the coming.

Yllfiri
A young elven woman who finds first Teri and Talia, later Hajarian and Terra and brings them to Geaf-a-ch'ian, the door to the southeast.

Melor Assassin, helps Garrek to terrify Teri.

The story:

Siroled, a gifted seer of the Quallian, has visions about a thread from the south, about fire and a burning woman. Therefore Furchego, a mighty firemage, a man in his best years, is sent to protect the Quallian,
While Teri and Talia find in the Quallian the protection from the fire demon, Furchego,stands at the border of the forest and fights the demon, preventing him to enter the Quallian in his natural preferred or any other form. However, what he doesn‘t realise is, that the demon has taken over part of him, influencing his mind, that the demon has found a way to infiltrate the Quallian.

Teri and Talia are found by a young elven woman, Yllfiri, who brings them to the border town of the southeast, Geaf-a-ch'ian. There Talia claims, that they need to see the high circle and the Leias of the Ylfferhim. They are heard, because Talia claims to know their former Leias, Wren.

Furchego, back in Geaf, is ordered to bring the two to Aer'Ylferian, where the high elven circle resides. They are followed by Melor, at the behest of Garrek, who wants to terrify Teri. They all leave and ride all day long, till they reach a clearing, where Furchego leaves the two woman, promising to come back in the morning to lead them the rest of the way to Aer‘Ylferian.

Melor is in the nearby forest and teases first Teri, then Talia during their nightly watch.

Meanwhile, some hours later, Hajarian and Terra reach the Quallian as well and are led by the same young woman to Geaf‘. There they hear of Talia and Teri and decide to ride through the night to meet them as soon as possible.

Garrek follows these two as well, but has earlier in the day already ordered three boys to follow Melor to control, what he does actually. These boys are near the clearing as well hiding in the trees and watching.

Siroled, in the Aer'Ylferian can‘t sleep anymore, for the visions of the coming evil fill her dreams.

*******************************************************

Nightsban is nearly over, when Furchego arrives at the clearing. But he is not his old self. During the night the demon in him has - due to his greed for power - overtaken him. But what Talia and Teri are seeing is still the firemage.
Furchego demands, that Talia (who has the heart with her) gives him the gem, but Talia refuses to do so.

I can‘t recall, how it was exactly, did Haj and Terra see talia still standing, or was I already burned to my near-liveless stage?

Furchego sends a wave of heat towards Talia, burning her clothes and hair away, the gem, which she was holding in her pockets in her hand, falls to the ground.

Terra and Hajarian arrive at/near the clearing while Talia is burned. Seeing Furchego use his power to burn Talia prompts Terra and Hajarian to try and attack Furchego. Terra is knocked from her horses in the initial attempt of attacking and begins succumbing to her old wounds and decides it is better to safeguard Talia and the Heart instead of attacking directly. Haj‘s efforts show some result, but only to a small degree , he is thrown back, but tries to get up and attacks a new.

Terra standing next to Talia, tries to retrieve the heart, lying on the ground, but Furchego prevents this - suddenly a boy runs out of his hiding, snatches the heart and vanishes in the bushes again, giving the heart to his older brother.

Melor gets into a tangle with Coore, at this time Terra is busy chasing the young elf into the forest trying to recover the Heart. Terra catches the young elf after he passed off the Heart while he is watching the fight, and brings him before Hajarian.

From about here on, the posts have reappeared!

The demon in Furchego realises , that the heart is now out of his reach. Haj attacks him, melting the ground on which he stands . that is the end of Furchego. He begins to transform - into the fire-demon Faerhorál. Nothing seems to be able to prevent the demon now from eliminating the whole group.

Quote:
Suddenly, blue-white shimmering arrows are flying towards Faerhorál , coming from three directions around the clearing, arrow after arrow, icicle after icicle is hitting and penetrating the Lord of Fire. However, not for long, and then the unimaginable happens, Faerhorál transforms, he stays no longer in the form of the gone Furchego, but shows his true form - or one of his true forms, the most terrific one:

A ray of fire is emerging his head, downward curved horns are framing a face which is not more than fiery red eyes and a mouth of melting metal. Huge wings with the colour of fresh blood just dried fill the clearing suddenly. The upper body seems to consist of black armour, full of hooks and spikes, though this is no armour, but the demon itself. No lower part is seen, for now the ground has opened and the demon is hovering in a blaze of fire.

Lieofin, one of the most potent elven mages of the Quallian has come to rescue the group, and along with him, all the magical power the Quallian has to offer. And Faerhorál is forced to return from where he has come.

The party is looked after by elven healers and brought to Aer‘Ylferian.

Chapter IX: In the Quallian: Aer‘Ylferian

The wounds are tended and Haj and Terra recover soon, though Terra still suffers from her old injuries. Talia however is still unconscious, terribly burned and at the edge of death.

Hajarian leaves, though asked to stay, Aer‘Ylferian to search for sword and stone on his own.

Teri and terra are interrogated by a group of high level elves, but after that, they are unsure, what to do now. Terra feels the urgent desire, to go back to the place , where the demon appeared to chase Talia and Teri away, the elves agree and give them Lieofin as company.

***Astropic of the day***
"For me there is only the traveling on paths that have heart, on any path that may have heart. There I travel, and the only worthwhile challenge is to traverse its full length. And there I travel looking, looking, breathlessly. ~Don Juan"