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Messages - Blackspear

#16
In Character Discussions / A Sticky Situation
January 04, 2010, 08:29:16 PM
"Well, since you're going to be up all night, maybe you can help me answer some questions.   During my visit with Whisper, we discussed an ancient mage named Valekai.   He discovered Sorcer 'Nyx and the power associated with it.   During his lifetime he learned to channel the power, but somehow he abused it.   He wrote a treaty about it.    It is called "The Foundation of Sorcerers The Doctrine of Valekai".

In the doctrine he writes (Dale recites this from memory) "To understand the power I have come to understand you must be willing to accept the divine order that I have come to see as the truth.

"As night is to day, as the male is to the female, as the left hand is to the righthand, so too is the physical to the philosophical. They are very different, slightly alike, but each harbors equal power in our lives. There is a divinity that encompasses both of these aspects whom the ancients call Nyx. We are reflections of this divinity in that we are both physical and philosophical. In order that we may better identify with Nyx we must pass through the defined mediums of which we are made. The apparent physical aspects that Nyx is comprised of are fire, water, earth, and air.

"The ancients referred to the divine nature of these aspects as Pyrryn'Nyx, Syrryth'Nyx, Brothac'Nyx, and Venturric'Nyx. The philosophical aspects that affect us are Good, Indifference, and Evil. The ancients referred to these divine perspectives as Volendan'Nyx, Mhalvey'Nyx, and Cusyncuth'Nyx. These Seven Divinities and aspects are inseperable and are also individual.

"The Physical becomes Philosophical, the Philosophical becomes Physical. This translation is done by the power of the fifth child of the physical-magic-Sorcer'Nyx.

"Sorcer'Nyx spans the gap between the two sides of Nyx whereby we become the channel for the manifestation of the aspects of which we are formed. All aspects are inseperately joined. They are bound to move through the mediums of all others and should never be invoked directly.

"I have lived a darkness for my blasphemy against this principle. Question upon this principle for yourself. Know the truth of it. Allow it to scatter the darkness of the path I have taken before you take the path for yourself.

"I am Valekai-faithful servant of Sorcer'Nyx."

"When I asked Whisper about Valekai, she said that she was forbidden to speak of his power.   She did say that the wasted lands to the north and east of Threshold were destroyed by the power Valekai wielded.   Can you tell me anything about Valekai or the wasted lands or his power?"

Dale took a deep breath and looked at the gnome hopefully.
#17
In Character Discussions / A Sticky Situation
January 03, 2010, 11:13:11 PM
After the battle with the strange human like arachnid, Dale and Maccabeus sat around the camp's fire discussing the magical cloak that was found in the creature's lair.   Dale had studied the cloak and discovered that it was a cloak of armor.   Once it was identified, both of them desired the cloak very much.    

Maccabeus was worried that the large cloak was too big for him and altering it might destroy its magic.   Dale was certain that the right person could tailor it to fit the little fellow and told him so.   However, Dale knew that he needed the cloak as much, if not more than the gnome.
Maccabeus suggested that they shoot dice for the cloak, winner take all.

Dale agreed and was greatly relieved when he cast his gaming dice for the high score.    Maccabeus was clearly disappointed but he did not complain.

Knowing that this was no mere trinket, Dale dug through his pack and pulled out an ornate wineskin.   The skin was made of a deer bladder, but what made it special were the beautiful carvings of a tree on one side and a long narrow leaf on the other.   Both carvings were etched in bronze.   They were clearly images of the bronze leaf tree from Whispers grove.

"Maccabeus, this is a wineskin that Whisper gave to me.   It contains water from the spring within her home.   I do not know its value, although I imagine that it is not as valuable as the cloak."   Dale paused as if trying to make up his mind.  

"This skin is dear to me, yet I think that you may find it even more precious.   I would be honored if you would take it in exchange for the cloak.   It seems only fair that you should get something for your efforts today."

Dale smiled at Maccabeus and extended the skin towards his little friend.
#18
In Character Discussions / Lost in Thought
January 03, 2010, 01:08:53 PM
The next night was warmer and Dale  was traveling by the light of Sardior.  The red(?) light added an eerie warming quality to the land.   The spring bugs were active in the night.  A few nagging gnats nibbled on Dale as he headed towards the valley.  

As Dale was busy swatting the nuisances away from his face, he noticed the sounds of spring peepers chirping in the night.   He had no idea what was creating this cacophony, but he was mesmerized by the beauty of the song and he was engulfed by the deafening volume.  

Xorn stirred restlessly in his pouch and began to hop from one side of the compartment to the other.   His primal instinct was heightened by his distant cousins singing near the river.   Soon he began to croak louder and louder to join in with the symphony around him.

"What's going on Xorn?", asked Dale as he reached into his pack and pulled out the enormous toad.   As soon as Xorn was free from his pouch, he jumped to the ground and began to hop to the river.   For weeks, Xorn had barely moved.   Dale had never seen him move this fast.

As Xorn headed down the hill, towards the river, Dale picked up his pack and noisily crashed behind him.   Twice Dale tried to catch Xorn, but the unnaturally wise toad evaded capture.   On the third try Dale was sure he would catch the wily toad.   Just as he reached for him Xorn took a surprise jump to the left and Dale lost his footing in the wet grass.

Sliding and tumbling down the slope, Dale came to a crashing halt against a very large boulder.   "Ooowww...." screamed Dale.    He put his hand to his head where he could feel a trickle of blood and a lump already forming.   As he lay on his back he felt Xorn jump on his stomach and powerfully launch himself on top of the boulder.   Dale felt as if he had just taken a glancing punch to the gut.

As he lay on the ground, Dale noticed that the night had become deathly silent.   The peepers were no longer singing.   Concerned, with the amount of noise he had just made he stopped to listen for any sign that someone or something may have noticed his graceless dash to the riverbank.   Lying perfectly still while holding his breath, Dale listened intently.

"Riiibbbbiiiitttt", came the thundering croak from the rock above him.    "Riiibbbiiittt....RRiiibbbiiittt...RRRRIIIbbbiiitttt.....RRRRIIIIBBBBBIIIIITTTTT"
Xorn croaked louder and louder.   So much for keeping quiet thought Dale.
   
Dale picked himself up and sorted himself out.   Then he knelt next to the rock and watched his toad friend make the loudest croaking sounds Dale had ever heard.   Dale had never seen Xorn so animated.   Since his master had died a few months ago, Xorn had seemed to become depressed, if that was even possible for a toad.   As time passed Xorn's lethargy had increased by the day.  
This sudden burst of activity was very surprising.   Dale had no intentions of squelching it.  So he sat down on a nearby log and began to rummage through his pack.  

 Soon he found what he was looking for.   The strange candle and chalice that Xen had given him back in Kazbourne.

Dale examined the candle first.   It was the most interesting candle he had ever seen.   The candle was shaped into an eight sided compass, with very sharp edges.   It was all black.   So black that it seemed to make the night around it even darker.  The light of Sardior seemed to disappear into the candle.   There was no reflection.      

The wax, if you could call it that, was as hard as iron.   Dale had never seen wax like this before.   Yet, he knew it was a candle, because of the wick standing in the center.  It was black and almost looked charred, but it had clearly never been lit.  

There was also a symbol engraved on the side of the candle.   It looked like three curved blades unified at their base.   Dale had seen this symbol many times before, but he did not know what it represented.

The chalice was large and made from a similarly dark material.   It too seemed to make the black of night even darker.    The chalice was heavier than the candle.   It  seemed to be metallic, but Dale knew that it was not iron or pewter.   He had once watched a member of the coven create a magical dagger.   The blade had been forged from a rock that had fallen from the sky.   The old mage claimed that it had come from the moon of Takhisis.   This metal, while not the same, looked strikingly similar to the dagger that Dale had seen in the coven.

Like the candle, the chalice had the three bladed symbol engraved on its side.   While Dale was not a metal smith, he could tell that this chalice had been made with the finest craftsmanship.   The handle of the chalice was tempered very thin and its edges had been rounded and smoothed for a comfortable grip.   In the center of the handle was carved the three bladed symbol.   When Dale gripped the handle of the chalice, it imprinted the three blades on the palm of his hand.

Dale was sure that there was an important story behind these two items.   Maybe they even related to Valekai.   All he knew was that Xen had told him to keep them safe and that they had been Lady Sondra's most prized possessions.  

As Dale pondered the dark items, he heard Xorn leading a chorus of croaking and chirping the likes of which he had never heard before.   While he listened his heart began to fill with the energy of the night.   His spirits were soaring as he laid out his bed roll and settled in for some sleep.    He didn't even notice the throbbing emanating from the side of his head.
#19
In Character Discussions / Lost in Thought
January 02, 2010, 10:24:48 PM
As Dale lay by the riverside, he began to think about his life with the coven.   He had never felt closer to anyone than Lady Sondra and her students.  
   
Lady Sondra had been a kind woman, always caring for others before thinking of herself.   Despite her strong intelligence, her clear talent for manipulating the currents of magical forces and her statuesque beauty, Dale always admired her most for her caring, matronly ways.  
     
But what did that get her?   In the end her home was destroyed, her coven was disbanded and she was murdered.  
   
 Dale took in a sharp breath and released a forlorn sigh.    It seemed that all the good people of this world die terribly at the hands of greedy power mongers.    Among all things, Dale despised greed the most.   Yet, he knew that quality ran strong in him.   Maybe it was because he never seemed to be able to grasp what he desired.   Friendship and belonging were elusive.   Knowledge comes in great quantity, but always left you wanting more....knowledge is just so addictive...   Maybe his greed came from wanting to help others.   The more power he acquired, the more he could do to protect the innocent and weak.
   
 Dale pulled blades of grass one by one as he listened to the splashing of the river beside him.   As he dwelled upon these uncomfortable thoughts, he tore each blade into tiny pieces, discarding them into a pile in front of him.  
   
 As he pulled the last blade of grass that was within easy reach, he was struck with the most disturbing thought yet.   Maybe he was mimicking what he had learned from his enemies.   Maybe he was becoming like his father, or the Xan Thakians.   Maybe all of their greed started with a simple desire.   Maybe they even originally wanted to help others too.   Maybe that was what happened to Valekai.
   
 Dale didn't want to stray down that path, but how else would he become powerful enough to make a difference?   As he started to brood on these dark thoughts, he began to frown.   Then he started to grind his teeth.   As the tension within him continued to build, he began to clench his fists...
   
  Dale was lost with his dark thoughts for quite a while.   Time lost all meaning as he focused upon his future and especially his past.
   
With a jolt, Dale felt a sharp flick at his wrist.   Dale jumped in surprise.   Looking at his wrist he saw a fat toad staring back at him.
 
 Xorn had a different look on his face.  His usual "feed me" look seemed to be replaced by a look of concern and worry.   Dale felt as if his former master was staring at him through Xorn, beseeching him to stop feeling sorry for himself.
 
 "Bah!!"  Dale stood up and kicked the pile of grass aside.   "Now I know I'm crazy.  I can't believe that I am looking to a toad for guidance!"
 
 Dale scooped up Xorn and held him to his face.   "Your not gonna start talking now are ya?"  Xorn merely stared back at Dale.   As Dale began to relax, he lowered Xorn into the pouch in his back pack that he had made for the large fly catcher.   As Dale began to pull the top of his pack shut, Xorn let out an uncharacteristically loud "Riiibbbiiitttt!!"
   
Dale chuckled and petted Xorn on his forehead.   "Maybe you can talk after all?"  Having his spirit start to lift; Dale set off down the road towards the Valley of the Mists.
#20
Is there more to come?
#21
I am so glad to get back to Griznuq.   I get to read this award winning material:)
#22
General Info / N'arth 07
June 17, 2007, 08:19:36 AM
I would love to get a N'arth campaign started this summer. I plan to take a page from Wildfire's notebook and attempt to run each scenario as a one or two evening session. The characters can be switched in and out as players are available.
For a while now, I've wanted to run a campaign in my world based 150 years before my current campaign. Its a very pivotal and intriguing point in the history of N'arth and I would absolutely love to play it! There are a few major points that are written in stone. These major points will happen to keep my overall history consistent, but everything else is free to be written as we play it out. At Wildfire's urging, I've decided to give it a go.

There are a few class and racial changes that go with my world:

Dwarves, gnomes and halflings are extremely rare, but they do exist.

Humans, Elves, and half Elves are the major races with an overwhelming majority being humans.

There are 2 unique races to my world: Vernman and Welverns. They are half breeds with wyverns which in my world are extremely intelligent and can shape change. Vernman are half human and Welverns are half elf.

Any other race probably does not exist, but feel free to run it by me.

Classes:

There are no barbarians unless you play a human looking half ogre or half orc, which may be heavily persecuted in the realm of N'arth. The Druids of Flaern may even try to kill a half ogre or half orc to glorify their goddess.

Pscionicists I'm working on developing in my world.

Sorcerers are extremely rare, as they are actively hunted by the Zyrithian and Shadan Wizards and occassionally the Druids of Flaern. Their reputation of having dragon blood and their potential power is scary to everyone. If you would like to play one, please do, but have a good disguise and cover story ready if you play a sorcerer.

Druids are modified to be much more militant. See my post on druids.

There is one new class and its an important one to this campaign. It is a Mace of N'arth. A Mace of N'arth is your all purpose cavalier. He or she is a skilled fighter and as he progresses will broaden his skills to possibly include clerical or wizardly magic, thieving/spying skills, or survival skills akin to a ranger. I will draw up a kit and post it shortly.

The Maces of N'arth are an organization of knights formed by King Brennan IV as his personal bodyguard, to counter the growing power of the Zyrithian and Shadan Wizards. They were originally trained to fight magic users and developed highly specialized skills including magic resistance. As time went on the threat from the wizards decreased, but others arose. They became more diversified and acquired new skills and allowed other classes into their ranks including rogues. In short, they became a cross of intelligence gatherers and crack fighting troops.

If you have interest in playing in this campaign, drop me an email. Feel free to ask questions. Again this will be a low pressure/commitment campaign. That way everyone who is interested can get involved when they have time or become less involved when they get busy.
#23
General Info / Northpost
June 16, 2007, 10:54:00 PM
#24
In Character Discussions / Lost in Thought
June 15, 2007, 04:37:04 PM
#25
In Character Discussions / Lost in Thought
June 14, 2007, 09:10:40 PM
#26
In Character Discussions / Purple Haze
July 23, 2006, 01:16:08 PM
"What bowl are ya talkin about Laren?"   Dale looks down at the halfling and notices that he's been in a sour mood all day.   He thinks to himself, [color=green:41b69c1588]I wonder what's got him in a bunch?   He's probably just worried about Kit.[/color]   Dale pats him on the shoulder and purposely slows down to walk at the little man's pace.
#27
In Character Discussions / Purple Haze
July 23, 2006, 05:12:09 PM
Dale gives Laren a strange look as if to say, who would want to eat stew after seeing all of those undead corpses getting mutilated everywhere?
"Uh   Yeah that sounds good....Say I would like to get a look at that ring you found in the castle.   I am pretty good at appraising jewlery and other.. um ...wares.  Maybe we can share a table at the Thornhedge tonight?"
#28
In Character Discussions / Purple Haze
July 27, 2006, 01:15:54 AM
Dale turns and faces his halfling compatriot and says "What's wrong?  You're acting awfully strange."  Dale's face shows a serious amount of concern as he waits for Laren to spill the beans.
#29
In Character Discussions / Purple Haze
August 01, 2006, 11:26:52 PM
"We'll get you fixed up with a beer when we get back to town.   I'm also curious about those pieces of parchment you snatched off the desk back at the fort.  I know you planned on giving them to Sayer, but I'd certainly like to decipher them.   I am fascinated with all different kinds of writings.   As a matter of fact I'm pretty good at translatin' stuff.   Its proven quite handy in more than one situation, if ya know what I mean."  Dale winks at Laren, hoping the halfling won't catch on to him.
#30
In Character Discussions / Purple Haze
July 23, 2006, 09:12:07 AM
"Damn I'm glad to get out of that keep!  That purple fog was really startin to get to me.   It smelled worse than that dwarf in the common room back at that inn...... Come to think of it, it didn't tatse too good either and made me almost as nauseous as that Goldleaf brew!"   Dale says this turning to anyone who will listen to him as they leave the keep and head on the trail back to Threshold.   As he walks along the trail, he fights off the desire to go into the woods and purge himself.