Author Topic: Epic Tales of Clashing Empires  (Read 57284 times)

Jenia

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on: September 22, 2010, 05:16:49 AM
CHAPTER 1


-Obsidian City-

It is an early evening hour in the core of the Grari power, the one remaining empire in the known world of Memad, and home to the racial queen of the grarim race and her Obsidian Palace.
The market's bustle has died down, and pairs of various races walk the streets, some within it's walls, others in it's outskirts.
A lone figure can be seen from some of the towers, standing quietly in a hill overlooking the city.

With many colorful birds still chirping overhead, grasshoppers beginning to make their presence known, and wolves howling to the three moons from nearby woodland, a small anthro wearing imperial uniform rushes past the city gates, leaving behind an atmosphere of calm, as if he were never there.


-Obsidian Palace, Throne Room-

A single piece of china falling and breaking was enough to warrant only a moment of stunned silence in the grarim audience chamber, doubling today as a ball room, which really was more of a party room at the point.
With remains of aged wine and exotic foods littering the round oak tables, several maids trying their best to replace the quickly emptying plates of food, and one little greenscale, probably no older than ten, making a futile attempt at removing the caviar stain from the polished blue obsidian floor, this was one of the new queen's more successful parties.

For some reason many would fail to understand, this white-furred woman, which appeared to be some sort of hybrid between a lisk and a shilton, appeared to appreciate the sight of drunk, happy aristocrats making fools of themselves all around her.

Her green, catlike eyes slowly moved from side to side, like some metronome, as she admired the scene she had created, until one of the patron's would once again get her attention. Having no muzzle, her black anthro nose and lips looked like some sort of curious stain on her otherwise snow-white face, her pointy canine ears standing at attention as she listens patiently to that one count again as he complains about the scarcity of fish.
No one dared assume that the short, uniformed ruko running into the room would be of any significance. Some took offense when the queen rejected the drunk barons in favor of lending the little soldier her ear, and while many decided to ignore her when she left the room, few failed to notice her sweet, enticing aroma grow scarce.

The previously festive party fell to whispers.


-Obsidian Palace, War Room-

The queen shook her head, not sure what to say or do, leaving a worried-looking ruko to stare at her in anticipation.
The Obsidian Castle's War Room has seen no use whatsoever since the days of the previous-previous queen-empress, but has been kept in pristine shape by the slave-maids, leaving it completely lacking in the dust department, which, for some reason, irritated the queen, who frowned at her reflection on the polished glass table dominating most of the room's floor.
“So... Until my generals show up...” the queen sat down on one of the chairs facing both the table and the way out “...What exactly are we expecting?”
The ruko's ears perked up.
“Well, your highness, like I told you earlier, a large group has been spotted heading towards the capital as we speak. They will most likely arrive tonight, from the south. We estimate it to be roughly a hundred men, most of which are slaves armed with farming tools. I can't imagine them getting past the walls...”
The ruko tried very hard not to snicker. He wasn't looking at the queen, but rather at the large banner adorning the wall – deep blue, with silver vertical stripes at the sides, and a silver circle within a silver diamond in the middle.
His efforts weren't required, apparently, as the queen didn't seem to notice, instead drifting off into her own thoughts.
“I don't understand – why would anyone want to rebel anyway?” she asked herself, out loud “It's not like we're treating the slaves badly-”
“For freedom, your highness” the lowly ruko cut the queen off, leaving her blinking at him with an expression of shock has he smiled far too innocently for a soldier and wagged his tail.
“...Well, I-” the queen began saying something, but was interrupted by the doors swinging open.
All four of her generals stood at the doorway, clad in their armor, prepared as always. Or, at least, that seemed to be the case. Most of the stranagrari military has not seen actual combat, so their experience stemmed from drills developed and documented several generations earlier.
“...Ah, my warriors are here.” the queen settled in her chair and smacked her hands against the table “Please be seated, we have much to discuss!”
A loud bang sounded across the castle, the sudden tremor causing nearly everyone to jerk in surprise.
“...And little time.” the queen added, horror dawning on her.


-Hill overlooking Obsidian City, Southeast-

Kigar gazed at the obsidian city.
Ironic he thought, to be named after obsidian but have simple stone walls, his old, ancestral cape fluttering in the wind.
An old shilton bandit knelt behind him, his chipped axe laying aside, beyond which stood the combined forces of most of the east's bandit gangs.
“Please, allow me to apologize again.” the bandit muttered in a gruff, hoarse  voice with a hint of a heavy smoker “I didn't realize you are of-”
“Forget it.” Kigar interrupted him “The dragon empire is long since vanished, the land it occupied is long since vanished, and with those, any meaning to the respect you offer me.”
The bandit stood up, adjusting the padded leather he wore.
“I grew up constantly remind by my father how great our people used to be...” the bandit spat aside, gazing at the bright orange light of the setting sun “To see us reduced to mere slaves of those damn...”
He was about to say furries. Kigar knew this. But this one old bandit was smart enough not to – he had lisks and rukos among the bandits who answered to him.
“...Well, either way.” the bandit continued, narrowing his bright green eyes “I feel it is us, and by extension, you and your kin – who should be the ones doing the ruling! I mean, the very thought makes me...!”
The old bandit pulled at his thick, graying blue beard in frustration, but Kigar only sighed in response.
“There is no need to be concerned.” Kigar finally turned to look at the old man who finally opted to pick up his axe “Though our past is no longer of any meaning, our future is still ahead of us. Look-”
He pointed towards a woodland west of the city. Numerous armed folk – appeared to be mostly composed of well equipped farmers – have began to emerge... Followed by rams and catapults.
“There is no way those slaves could've assembled this alone.” Kigar smiled “They've had some sort of benefactor. So, what say you, Raven?”
The old man, identified by Kigar as “Raven”, scratched his balding head, not sure what the djuni meant. So Kigar decided to spell it out for him.
“Shall we join the party?”
'Raven' narrowed his eyes, but grinned, showing several missing teeth.
A roar and a wave of his axe followed, and the outlaws charged.
Kigar stood by, leaning on a tree, chuckling.
“The Shadow...” he muttered “...The fire, and the storm, eh...?”
Old man 'Raven' had already left, leaving Kigar to stand alone as bandits charge by him. He thought the visage was beautiful.
With a deep breath, and few words of self-assurance, Kigar joined the charge.




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Jonas

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Reply #1 on: September 22, 2010, 11:13:45 AM
-Road outside Obsidian City-

Sennel’s tail swished in time with the rumblings of the carriage. Two hours had already been spent over rocky ground so it was a welcome relief to feel the stability of even paths. He looked up idly from his book.

“How much further is there to go?”

The driver looked back, “Just a few more minutes, sir! City’s just over the hill!” the holim’s eyes lingered on Sennel’s muzzle longer than they should have, causing him to almost lose control of the horses.

Sennel chuckled as he bounced in his seat from the brief disruption. His appearance had that effect on people. Lupes weren’t very common this far west, but it was something he had long ago dealt with. He fumbled around in his breast pocket and pulled out a worn list. This was mostly out of habit—he had long since memorized the names tasked to him to find. Hopefully the Obsidian City would have some results.

A tremor suddenly shook the carriage as the horses let out a terrified whinny. Sennel was knocked over as the carriage flipped onto its side and crashed into the ground (“Oof!”). Coughing, he pulled himself up and kicked open the carriage door. Climbing out, he caught the retreating view of the horses fleeing.
“Well, I dare say that’s going to be an inconvenience.” He remarked reassuringly. “Don’t worry about the fare though, you can keep the full—what is it?”

The driver was still on the ground, his head slightly raised and staring at something in the distance. Sennel followed his gaze and raised a hand to block out the sun. It looked like some kind of crowd was gathering outside the city gates with what looked like... catapults!?

“Oh blast, it seems we’ve arrived in the middle of a battle. Does this happen often in these parts?”
 
A sudden cry made his head turn to the east. Tearing down a hill in the distance was a throng of farmen and anthros swinging a variety of blunt and sharp weaponry. If Sennel were to guess, they would be headed for the group outside the city gates—which put him right in the middle. Oh blast...
« Last Edit: September 22, 2010, 12:02:16 PM by Jonas »

"Technically speaking, phoenixes are actually pretty flammable." --Donnie


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Reply #2 on: September 22, 2010, 01:30:23 PM
-Pavestone-

Dusk begins to set over a small town straddling an unnamed road, far from the Obsidian City, and the strife unfolding there.  Weary travelers stopped by here on their way to and from distant cities, refreshing themselves at the tavern.  Rumors were just beginning to circulate of unrest to the north, and some even whisper of rebellion, but for the most part the small town remains untouched by war, for now.  Some are making their way to the inns, to rest before continuing their journey, while some of the more ambitious travelers have set out to brave the night on the road.  Pavestone was founded during the construction of the Great Road, named after the stones mined from its quarry.  The quarry has long since shut down, and been allowed to fill with rainwater, creating a lake beside the town. 

Simon arrives after a long day's travel, a well-worn musket slung over his shoulder.  He shakes some dust from his fur before walking to the nearest inn.  He walks up to the innkeeper and clears his throat,

"Excuse me, I'd like to get a room please."

The innkeeper,  a rather tall Shilton, smiles and looks down at the somewhat short Lisk.

"Ye look like ye've come a long way, lad, where ye be heading at this time o' year?"

Simon brushes some more dust off of his right shirt sleeve and replies,

"Obsidian City, to apply for my guild membership."

The innkeeper arches his eyebrows at that, then says,

"Ye be careful lad, they say some foul things are afoot up north, rumors of war all about.  The room'll cost ya five, by the way."

Simon pays the fee and accepts the room key, a look of worry on his face as he finds a table to sit down at.

"Old soldiers never die, they just fade away for a little while..."


Geary

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Reply #3 on: September 22, 2010, 04:44:20 PM
-Roadside Southeast of Obsidian City-

Ril'Trag stirs from his sleep. The korg quickly looks around the burrow he hastily made on the side of the road, having traveled a great distance overnight and needing a rest, and noted that nothing was visually out of place. The korg, however, knew the world too well to be fooled by that, what was wrong was what he felt. The ground was shaking, however lightly is was, but it was growing, and whatever it was would be far to large to simply hide out in his burrow, and definitely much too large to confront directly.

Ril'Trag dug his way back to the surface analyzed his surroundings. To the southeast, the rumbling, to the northwest, a broken down caravan. All rational though told him that the caravan's passengers would be fine and have already fled, but instinct demanded that, until it was beyond a shadow of a doubt that no further harm to allies and neutrals would come, he must provide all the assistance he can. Today he listened to the latter.

A quick scuttle later, the korg arrived at the caravan in time to catch the tail end of the lupes' question. "Are the two of you alright? Were there any other passengers?"
« Last Edit: September 23, 2010, 01:25:07 PM by Geary »

Geary: That means you get a companion for four levels, then it gets an upgrade.
Draykin: A very PAINFUL upgrade.
* Digital_Vulpine eeps, since the rules don't specify that I'm exempt from the psychic link that Wizards have with their familiars. o_o;
Geary: GET YOUR PET DRUNK.


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Reply #4 on: September 22, 2010, 08:02:03 PM
-Forests Edge Southeast of Obsidian City-

Among a small thicket formed to hide him within sits Vandme, in meditiation. The greenscale slowly scans the area around him, looking for the souls of the forest, and "pinching" small pieces of it to collect for himself. It was a standard practice of Sages to collect energy.

His focus however, was disturbed as the a sudden roll of vibrations and raging souls fill his sight. Shaking it off, he opens his eyes, and slowly unnattaches himself from the thicket, allowing the plants to return to normal size.

Curious about the disturbance, he steps out of the woods to see whats going on, and comes upon the war machines. "How curious..." he says to himself as he looks over them, completly ignorant to any one that might be gaurding...



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Reply #5 on: September 22, 2010, 10:21:20 PM
-PaveStone-
Joshua scans the room and sees a table with 3 chairs, he motions to Simon that they should sit over there. They walk over to take a sit. The Djuni, Kicking up his feet on the table notices that his Lisk friend seems a bit uneasy.

"Hey Simon, Something on your mind?"

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Reply #6 on: September 23, 2010, 02:39:01 AM
-Obsidian City, The Market Place-

"But that price is outrageous!" exclaimed Altais to the peddler. "I would not pay half that much for this beast!"

"So you have previously stated, good sir. The price remains what it is." replied the peddler in question. The two of them were standing next to a corral containing various beasts of burden and had been arguing over one of them for a good ten minutes now. By now a small crowd had gathered to watch the lisk and the greenscale argue over this admittedly overpriced donkey. It was a well known fact that this merchant had a tendency to up his prices for non-natives and 'slave folk' so a few of the locals were hoping for the foreign traveler to get a good price and give the gossip mill a bit of extra grain to grind.

Unfortunately this did not seem to be the case as the merchant was remaining steadfast with his price and not even bothering to bargain down as per the usual custom. Unfortunately for Al, this was really the only nearby place selling livestock and he needed to acquire a pack animal for the journey away. As they argued however, Altais' brother Eltanin had finished his own list of things to do and arrived on the scene.

"El! You're good at getting people to do stuff!" Al exclaimed. (He was in a rather exclaimy mood what with the being angry at the stubborn merchant thing.) "Get this man to lower his price, he's being unreasonable!"

"Al, you're just as good with bargaining as I am, maybe better. If you're not getting anywhere, I doubt I will either. Besides, we don't need a pack animal anymore. The city guards have sealed off the gates. They won't say why, but we won't be able to leave just yet. We should find an inn to stay the night.

The merchant sputtered, annoyed at losing this customer he had over a horse and dismayed that his business would have to be delayed. He grumbled a little and then offered the brothers a heavy discount if they bought the horse today as opposed to waiting to see what other merchants might show up.

Heading away now, El looked over his shoulder and laughed. "And pay overnight stabling fees? No thank you sir!"

Of the four elements,
None is predominant.
Of the four seasons,
None lasts forever.


Jenia

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Reply #7 on: September 23, 2010, 08:38:53 AM
- Obsidian City Outskirts -

One of the things that bothered Kigar the most was the amount of dust those brigands are kicking up in their charge. It was everywhere - and keeping it out of his armor was a pain.

I wonder what will become of this land, now that it will fall into chaos...?

His contemplation was interrupted when he noticed a small caravan by their charge path. With a telekinetically aided jump, he left the charge, and approached the caravan, spotting some kind of gray-furred anthro, a holiim, and some sort of giant bug, which, from the obviously artificial equipment it was carrying, was surely sentient.
Freaky he thought I feel like I'm looking at some sort of dangerous critter, despite logic dictating otherwise...

The charge passed just by the caravan, never actually hitting it directly, but creating a small cloud of dust obscuring view of the city. Kigar turned back to the strange trio, and realized they're still talking. The holiim nodded to him, probably in recognition of his lineage, so Kigar nodded back, but decided to just stand there, arms folded, until they notice him - he wasn't about to tell what was obviously a group of seasoned adventurers that it's not safe...

Meanwhile, the sound of rams ramming began to echo across the area...


Wanna buy something? I sell pineapples, counsel, hugs and self esteem, usually for souls, but this is open for bargaining and haggling.

Or you could repay me with service. Got talent? I want it.
Don't be shy and beep me! The Jenia wants to research meet YOU!


Jonas

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Reply #8 on: September 23, 2010, 10:58:19 AM
-Obsidian Road-

Sennel jumped. “YIPE! The devil are you?” He asked. A moment passed before he shook his head. “Actually, that doesn’t matter right now. I was the only passenger and the horses bolted. The driver though—“

“Is fine.” Interrupted the holim as he pushed himself to his feet.

“Right. Well, guess we aren’t going anywhere either way.” Sennel said with a shrug. “Carriage is trashed and the city is definitely sealed off. Any idea what’s going on?” He glanced inquisitively down at the wasp-thing.

"Technically speaking, phoenixes are actually pretty flammable." --Donnie


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Reply #9 on: September 23, 2010, 01:27:21 PM
-Obsidian Road-

"Not sure what's going on, but escape doesn't seem to be likely..." Ril'Trag looked at what was available to them at the moment and tried to botch together a plan to keep them out of harm's way. "...Tell me, quickly, do either of you know magic? I might have a plan."

Geary: That means you get a companion for four levels, then it gets an upgrade.
Draykin: A very PAINFUL upgrade.
* Digital_Vulpine eeps, since the rules don't specify that I'm exempt from the psychic link that Wizards have with their familiars. o_o;
Geary: GET YOUR PET DRUNK.


Jonas

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Reply #10 on: September 23, 2010, 03:05:29 PM
Sennel nodded. "Yes, I can. What do you need?"

"Technically speaking, phoenixes are actually pretty flammable." --Donnie


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Reply #11 on: September 23, 2010, 03:52:48 PM
"Can you make this carriage have the appearance of a large bolder? I can dig us a hole to hide in under it, and the incoming army will simply go around it."

Geary: That means you get a companion for four levels, then it gets an upgrade.
Draykin: A very PAINFUL upgrade.
* Digital_Vulpine eeps, since the rules don't specify that I'm exempt from the psychic link that Wizards have with their familiars. o_o;
Geary: GET YOUR PET DRUNK.


Jonas

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Reply #12 on: September 23, 2010, 04:05:56 PM
*whump* *whump*

Sennel turned his ears away from the battering rams being thrust into the city gates further down the road. "Yes, I can do that but--"

*crick*

A twig snapped nearby and Sennel turns round. He leaps to his feat and draws a small knife upon seeing the bandit poised nearby.

"--but I think you might find a ward more immediately useful!"

"Technically speaking, phoenixes are actually pretty flammable." --Donnie


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Reply #13 on: September 23, 2010, 05:13:31 PM
Ril'Trag pulled out his crossbow and made a pot-shot at the bandit, though missing the center mass he was aiming for, it managed to land on his right shoulder, which was enough to convince him to retreat. "Anything is useful at this point! Do what you can and I'll hold off anybody who comes near."

Geary: That means you get a companion for four levels, then it gets an upgrade.
Draykin: A very PAINFUL upgrade.
* Digital_Vulpine eeps, since the rules don't specify that I'm exempt from the psychic link that Wizards have with their familiars. o_o;
Geary: GET YOUR PET DRUNK.


Jenia

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Reply #14 on: September 23, 2010, 06:16:20 PM
- Scene with the Caravan -

Kigar turned to look at the poor bandit who stopped alongside him, suddenly shot by the bug in the shoulder.
"...That was unnecessary." he finally spoke, his voice carried a tone of disappointment.
The one shot was retreated, and Kigar could only hope that one will be fine.

A battlefield is no place for meaningless deaths.

"...I suggest you hold your horses-"

He then realized the horses those people had already fled.

"...Or lay down your weapons. Unless you're the queen's assassination squad?"

The bug, which he found reminiscent of a hornet, was the main focus of his gaze, but he attempted to keep the gray anthro just as much in his sights.

Wanna buy something? I sell pineapples, counsel, hugs and self esteem, usually for souls, but this is open for bargaining and haggling.

Or you could repay me with service. Got talent? I want it.
Don't be shy and beep me! The Jenia wants to research meet YOU!