G1 "I have been slain"

[Ghostly]

Lastnight a group of adventurers, myself included slew the mighty beast known as The Great Wandering One

[Azeel3]

Chapter Two the Epic Beginning


In this life I am know as The Sandman,I cannot with clear promise of sound mind remember what many believe to be incornations of ourselves from past lives. I as many others have searched for the promise of home, or any method other than death that will return us to our loved ones.

This day found me as many other deep in one of the lost caves of FrostDale a village far to the North of my new home Sleet. The cold weather did not agree with my dragons blood but some things must be endured. Today I was deep in what we call the Troll caves, a place much feared an hated by the locals for the trolls that inhabit this area are mean self centered creatures that are constantly on the prowel for their favor meal, young children.

Almost anyone that stumbles to these shores that is as like myself slightly a tilt in the brain will take money form a local; to kill off trolls. What they don't tell you for the mere 1000gps that they offer is that trolls have no spine or caritlage, which makes them almost impossible to strike to begin with, let alone bash with a mace, morning star or club. As my religion forbids a slashing weapon upon harsh penilty's to ones abilities akin to a monk wearing armor in nature. Most clerics chose a blunt edged weapon such as the morningstar I use. Troll's have a thick rubberly spine that almost always them to fold upon themselves to aviod damage of any sort and if one ever advances to the level og MooJoo and learns to speak encantations forget it the party may soon find an icey grave if they are lucky, a nice fire pit based in oil's and spices if not; Trolls liek their food still mostl wiggling, much to the dinnee's regret.

I had spent four hours working my way into the heart of the this cave's lowest layers to find what I was told was a cryptic Statue to a fallan Guardian who some say once was trapped here as we all find ourselves, but in the end was said to have found his way home.
I heard the flapping of wings followed by the faint odor of smoke I knew at once someone unwanted had some unreasonable request of my clerical services, should have gone into Rogue business like my cousin Boom.

No sooner had the smoke piegon landed and looked hard into my eyes did it burst into flames and a small cloud of smoke. The message as it had to be was simple. Sandman, come to the FrostDale Inn as soon as possible, we may have found a way out Shamed {FON}. The small pilliar of smoke assended into vaulted cave cielings only to disappear into dark unseen areas.
"This better be good or Shamed will find himself on the worng end of my Morningstar." I said in a low compaining voice to myself. It took three hours to trek back to the camp collect my 1000gps form the weeping old woman, and find Shamed in another corner of the large crowded room.

To my horror Shamed eyes appeared to me to have been burned our and only a dark red color sparkled within the hollow pitted sockets.
"Don't ask , had a rough nite last nite fighting half the villiage of Avendale and more than a dozen Gods...and yes I WON, I always win....even if i lose ...IWIN !" Shamed went from normal pitches to muttering to vocal tributes to himself, the kid never changes.
"Right so whats was so important that I had to trek all the way back to this hell ?" I asked.


"My friends..." He began to say before one of the drunken lost souls that burn out on their personal journeys end up here in this Inn a sad sight and a perfect reminder to never give in to the weight of responsibilities.
"You have No firends you Murderer...cold blooded killer he is..hic, cold bloooood.' His white fur covered head found the cold wood of the table as he passed out once more.
"Khargrum has journied across the whole of Atheria and gathered the parts I require to preform the right of AiTellia (All Tell yeah- allows and protects mortals on plains of exsistance that would in most cases kill them at once.). with these artifacts we shall cross over to teh DRagons realm and find our way home, I thought that might be worth the price of my company you interested?" He had a devilish grin now, a hold card so to speak. I hate games of chance for the house always wins.

"And My role in this quest is what?" I asked coly.

"Simple we take the parts though the rift here, the one of your home city the nexus of the AO faction and find the rift portal to the Dragons realm. Khargrum and a few of his friends are coming here shortly befroe dark. Others like yourself have been sent for to fill certain roles. I need healers, lots of healers, and your compatant in your own right..." Shamed was as usual blunt. But reguardless of my personal feeling, if this kid as found a way out of here i wanted a ticket, even if it meant ridding shotgun with the devil.

"So my role is to what heal the whole world?" I asked.

"No I need a battle cleric to heal the fighter and protect the casters, your good firend Archael of PWnD is coming so I know you will watch over him, and I have another friend of your Sassey, Archael said she was an Excellent archer; so is that reason enough too come along, and oh you can carry the loot as well most people trust you, and you're a good pack mule."He giggled at his own punch line the nerve.

"If anyone gets near them kill'em, heal whoever is near to you and bring back the dead, can you handle that?" He asked flippantly.
"Aye, and if this does not lead where u promise, run little one for you shall have more than Loth to worry about." I sat down to have a meal and wait for the rest of his party to arrive.

"HAS he corrupted you as well Feszick {FON} ?" he was tall and then rippling with musles hard as stone, a broken grin denoted many a hard battle fought and won, no one need prove to me that Feszick was a proven warrior of great ilk.

"Aye the lure of adventure, and the promise of new lands to conquire have brought me here this day." Feszick replyed with resound spirit. he sat down and ordered the roasted boar and more ale for the table.
"Eat, drink for tonight...."He did not finish that toast but rather downed half a flagon of warmed ale.

No matter how many times one heard that barrel rumble it still send chills down one spine. Bloodwine,if there was Blood wine here then the Innkeeper was expecting a large infulx of elf, dark elves love their bloodwine. I wonder what that tastes like, maybe before we go we can sample a little bloodwine. Feszick slipped a large open challis of the wine form the barmaids busy tray, leaving a few pieces of silver for its purchase. He was about to take a small sip when a firm but this silken hand firmly grasped his wrist.

"Hey guys !" Her cheerie nature, was far removed from the normal deminor Sassey held when she took aim with her bonestrike. We nodded to her and made room as she took the challis form Feszick.
"Humans should not try to drink U'rtomortalis( thats as close as i can come to saying bloodwine in dark elf a tongue that still escapes my ear even with five long years of havig to listen too it off and on.)
"But it looks good ?" Feszick said with a pout.
"Oh it is, but if you don't have a second stomach to diguest its strong herbs, it will kill you."She said coldly more along the line of tone I was use to hearing form she small delicate mouth. Needless to say Feszick lost all taste for the drink.

"So whats in it Sassey?" I ask as i watched what i could only determine to be a small drop or two of a thick blood like substance run form the corner of her lips as she downed half of the liquire in one swallow.
"Everything an elfvine girl needs to see a her enemy at a thousand yeards with ease."she did not say more but rather let Shame once more take over the conversation as that horid barrle rattled yet again. He spoke of our parts int ehupcomng battle and what was expected of each of use to make this work, and return with our lives.

"ALE !" The door flew open to find a small wide musle of a stump waddle in from the cold towards our table. He was followed by a tall, thinner , younger wisp of a man in my firend Archael. Khargrum was amn of few words and a quick axe that never missed. This worldis full of wonder one nite you are trying to kill a man or woman and the next you sit in a protected town and eat dinner with him as you plan to storm a castle or village or forrest fair.

"DID you get them ?" That was Shamed in a nutshell no how are you today or are thee well; but did you retrive what I sent you for, let me see !
"Aye, we did laddie." he said before taking an over sized flaggon and downing it so fast that Archeal barely had found a chair and a place ot sit near Sassey. My eyes looked at the large bloody sack of organs and parts all from teh dead bodies of cursed Dragons scarttered through out Atheria.

"Remember to place mine deep in my home land of Reganar Kin so that all f the young can come and see a dwarfs deeds and know of my name." That was the last he spoke the entire trip. the man is a tomb of mysteries and silence guarded but a bloody axe that can rip one in half in a blink of an eye. The barrel rattled again this time loud enough to make a barmaid scream and make many of the elfs laugh, or rather smile for few have heard dark elfs laugh out loud and live to tell of it, but those cold ghost like eyes that they all seem to have all flash different colors of red or ice blue or emerald green when they become aroused in battle love or excietment. Even Sassey could not contain a small flash of lite as the woman shreiked outloud dropping her tray.

"What is in that barrel anyways?" Archeal asked what everyoen wondered in thought.

"herbs." was all Sassey would say, man could she keep a secret.(Bloodwine was made form the earth of the temple of Loth, hundreds of victums are captured sacrificed on her dark alter, a pure heart still beating is placed in a large barrel long with a small amount of dark earth form the temple, many posionous herbs are used to keep the heart beating, and then
the salt water is poured into the hudred gallon barrel to kill off the thing that grows form the heart, but the side effect is the salt water turns to a think red wine that has the consistancy of blood.) Sassey smiled for humans would never find out what was in that barrel and live to tell about it.

The door opened once more bringing with it the chill of nite as day gave way to the darkness. Soon the Inn would fill with everyone wishing to live th enite in this god forsaken land. She filed the doorway at almost Seven feet, and a face that could stop the sun in its tracks. Half healed scares of battle won covered her large powerful arms and neck. I have met few of their kind and had been warned of their appitites for blood, fighting, and art of love. The advice was simple give them what they want or be prepared to fight for the rest of your life until death and after as well for Half-Oger's had a saying...Kill everyone that is not of you.

Her name I later came to find out was approperitatily labled Berzerk Wolf. She had with her the smell of death and a lust outlook as peered the room looking for her next fight, she made Khargrum seem like a late nite talk show host form a past life for all she said during the entire battle. Her long blonde hair was striking compaired to other of her kind I had run into before hand, but her voice could best be found in her weapon, and her battle roar.
"Good you could make it you know your part we leave in the next two hours we have two others coming almost as far as yourself."Shamed said coldly.

"Nice eyes." Was all she said before finding a room and grabbing two men froom the bar area to go relieve the streeses of the day. the screams of teh men could be heard form down stairs much to the alarm of many of the locals, but this was a protected town. Orges revire scares and marks that others would find repusive. So now the question would be asked.
"Shamed what happened to your eyes?" All turned ot hear this story.

"I fought Loth last nite, and then took on the God's themselves, I won!" He grinned but did not say why his normal eyes of blue wher enow black pits with small red smoky flames in them.
"Helm appeared to me yesterday and told me that in a great battle to come that nite I must kill the Cranstons. Kill them dead in his name for thier souls are trapped in a living hell possessed by unseen demon's the only way to free them was to implode them quickly, my only mistake was not sharing Helm's plan with the others in the party or the God's present. I FOLLOW MY GOD PRAISE HELM ! They had to die and as a reward i was blessed with inner knowledge i believe will show us a way home or take us one step closer to understanding why we are here. Sandman should remake yourself to follow Helm." He nodded as he filled his mouth with one last slice of meat before it cooled upon his plate.

"So Helm told you to do it huh thats why you where acting so wierd last nite wow." Archeal added.
"Yes. We have a close and powerful friendship." Shamed added.
"is that why whenever he appeared on this plain he struck you down all those times in your past life?" I added.
"He said it was to prepare me for the tests to come smart butt." Shamed shot back.
"Right." I replyed.

We did not hear the last of the group arrive but there they were sitting together quitely it seems that elfs can forgive a lot when they are away from their homeland. Borris-Ette a female dark elf of great report sat with her glimmering kamas, as did Pylia Sent. Their elfine names where completely beyond me and this was as close as I could come to pronouncing their dark names.
"Guess its going to be a quite group tonight."Archeal said as he peered about the room.
"No my friend, if Helm has a hand in this and the Gods are truly after Shamed, it will not be a quiet nite...besides Shamed talks enough for everyone." I added much to the amusement of the others in the group and the bufuttled muttering of Shamed.

Four hours we treked through the dark frozen wastes fighting wolves, polar bears, and the cold. The crused dragon was not here when we arrived but while the others worried it was lurking in some dark shadow Archael whispered in mine ear, Khargrum killed it earlier, it was not pretty, and what he did after..."He shook his head as if he could still hear the screams of the cursed Dragon. Apparently Dragons here in this realm server two purposes.
The one's that leave of their own will come and go as they wish, allow all to freely fly with them as they go here and there for gold of course. But the cursed ones, and their are just as many cursed ones here as anything else. They are doomed to guard a place kill all that enter their domain and now it seems they held a deeper secret. Shamed had been told to kill certain dragons in the realm and gather different parts for a dark ritual that would allow us entrance to where we must go.

We entered the rift once more daring death to be our companion this night once more, each step could be our last should be our last, and with that each step was more important that the one that fell before it. Borris-Ette servered as our tracker leading us through the rift with Sassey watching over her every step, Khragrum was not happy in a place further in the pack for he liked to be in front ever ready to meet danger with is blood soaked axe. Neverthe less Shamed had told everyoen where he wanted them and what they needed to do. I foud myself flanked by Feszick and Archeal while Berserk wolf brought up the back with Pylia Sent. Sassey hummed some old elfvine toon for marchig that was quickly picketed up by the other elf's inour party their voices are so soft and beautiful that one has remeber Elfvine woman are more dangerious than the men.

Finally on the other side we preformed the ritual as Helm had told Shamed. Praising many of the old ones and singing chants as Khargrum opened his sack and remove the bloody stumps form wiht in his bag of holding. The heart of a dragon as large as a mans chest and still it beats, a scale of another dragon easily determined by the different color. it was as big as a tower war sheild and such a deep color it shined with as well, and last but not least Beserk wolf, myself, and Khargrum lefted the skull of yet another dragon out of the seemingly emptiless bag. Archael motioned for me not to ask.

A rift portal opened and allowed us to enter into a new and strange realm filled with nothing but amazing. We fough tour way fromone end of this magical land to the other killing all that stood in our path. Shamed touched Khargrum with the gift of inner sight and he suddenly knew where we had to go and now lead the way with Berserk at his side. It was liek watching a two person army scythe and axe blood and death, what was not cut down was hacked apart. Several lizard like men attack the archer or wizard only to find my enchanted morningstar as there final reward. Arrows whisked through the airdropping any that would flee for reienforcements or sound the alarm, enchanted spells dropped large hordes of cursed Blackguard Knights and minoins alike.

Screams filled my ears as Berserk hacked down one vile creature after another leaving Feszick myslef and Shamed to heal and cast when needed.Archael unleashed a flurry of magic spells that held our enemies for a quick death by axe. no sooner had he held an enemy did Khragrum slashed out and chopped it down. They made an unerving team for in life Archael was always quiet and well mannered, but here he was a hell beast dispatching death at every trurn.

After many long battles and the retieval of some magical seal that Shamed said we must aquire. We headed for the Great wondering one, G1 as he was called by all those too fearful to beyond guarded gates and into his lair.
"We must take this path staight ot the Pillars of Heaven." Shamed eyes now glowed with bright flames, I now knew we were close to teh end of this journey one way or another.

We ran up a endless series of hills with grass so thick and green that one would expect halflings to pop up at any second and attack us with blowguns to kill us and make us their supper. Berserk Wolf and Khargrum heard the call to battle and charged up the hill like poscessed manicans. Bloodcurdling screams echoed form their lips as they began to run up the hill. As they charged others followed.

When we got to the top Pylia Sent lay dead by a huge statue. I quickly raised her as others searched for the assaisn. Boris-Ette said she found no tracks of another assasin by shaking her head and all looked to Pylia who only made a frown and moved on to rest.
"Everyone rest, we prepare for battle within the hour, our fate lay beyond those mighty gates of ivory and jade." Shamed said.

We had one last meal, rested, sharpened weapons and said our prayers. the clerics and wiz casts spells of protection to watch over ourselves before we entered the lair of the Great Wondering ONE.
"and so it begins..." Feszick was heard to say as we crossed the smoke filled gates upto teh brightest stage of light I have ever seen.

Khargrum, Berserk wolf, Borris-Ette, Pylia Sent surrounded the creatur if you could call it that by any means. A halfling is to a man, is to a dragon as all woudl appear to the Great Wondering ONE. This thing is so mean its breath can kill you before you ever see it. Shamed, Feszick, where just a little further back than our first line to heal them. i stood between this monster and Archael and Sassey. We layered our attacks so that ht eGreat Wondering ONE was always recieving damage.

No matter what type of damage we attacked with this mountain just kept coming. It power porduced a cirlce of magic that forced even the mighty Berserk wolf to her knee's at one point. Plyia and Borris-Ette slash and hacked at teh monster while i swear Khargrum was ready to take the long climb up its back to chop at its throat with his axe.

No matter what we did the battle ragged on, this thing was not going done easy, but go down it must. Shamed let out a war cry that was picked up by many of the NC faction members, while Khragrum was trying to figure out if he could still do damage while he drank some ale, he though better and stopped long enough to finish off the skin he over his left shoulder to quinch his thursty throat.

Finally after three hours of battle the Great Wondering ONE dropped to its death as if in shock that any mortal would come here, let alone strike at, and kill something as old as time itself. covered in dragons blood, and glory Shamed eyes cleared just a little but those dark pitted still hid many secrets. Secrets that must be left for a later time for nwo we must divide up the loot and look for a clue to a portal home. Home does any word ever sound as good to you ?

Faithfully submitted,
The Sandman,
Cleric at large, city of Sleeth
Home of Profiters of War and Destruction

[Alkapwn]

well done! kudos and grtz

[LinuxPup]

Had some fun tweaking appearance.2da while I was developing 1.69 content.

Here's G1 fighting Lord Drakmarr and an Ancient Mercenary...

Unfortunately not all 2DAs work server-side... while I was working on Dragon Eyrie this is what G1 looked like:

Note her wingspan is greater than the hellball explosion!



Here's me trying to fight her... I'm not much bigger than one of her claws.

[Rainswept]

I'd be more like toejam than an opponent to that thing.