At the behest of King Bronzebeard the Sawed Off militia had braved crazed orcs of the Shadow Labyrinth, the vile naga in their lair dubbed Steam Vaults, and the ethereal and shadowy forms within the floating halls of the Arcatraz, to obtain fragmented key parts. Then they had traveled back in time to save Thrall and preserve history. And finally back again to assist the possessed body of Medivh with the opening of the dark portal, braving the attacks of the Infinite Dragonflight to assure he succeeded.
Now, after all the strife and misery, the secret of what the finished key opened was finally revealed. It was the key to the dark tower known as Karazhan, the fabled home of Medivh. King Bronzebeard requested Ringo Flinthammer have his militia scout the tower and report back on what activites were transpiring within. There was much talk of the tower being haunted and possessed, which, if left unchecked, could cause much grief tot he residents of Azeroth.
When Thane Flinthammer requested a band of 10 to venture to Deadwind Pass and infiltrate the tower a brash young warrior, Vimes, new to Sawed Off, had offered to act as advisor, having combed through hidden texts and tomes concerning the tower and what had befallen it. Nine others were chosen for the first foray into the foul halls. Malikor, the most powerful warrior in the ranks and Danira, his wife and and extremely talented warlock; Guumbah, a druid who was a bear of a fighter when he shapeshifted and Morralea, another new member of Sawed Off and druid extraordinaire; Widge, the most learned mage in the lands and Aliarle, a mage with incredible explosive power; Gaelle, a priestess of keen healing prowess and Lthosalfar, who used his knowledge of shadow magic to inflict large doses of pain on his enemies; and Tieah, a druid from another miltia, Azsocami, who was well known to Sawed Off and had fought beside each other countless times. Tieah was also known for her continued study of natural healing methods and was a very welcome addition.
The band of 10 assembled outside the main gates to the tower and readied themselves. Having only a hint of knowledge in regards to the layout (Vimes had found a floor plan in the vast library of Stormwind and hoped it was at least somewhat accurate) concocted a battle plan. It was also known that the tower was much more complicated from the inside than it looked from it's exterior and would be treacherous to navigate. As the group looked up at the dizzying heights of the tower they decided it was best to not linger, but to venture into the gloomy halls and find the mysteries that were, at the moment, the talk of Azeroth....
To be continued
The Dark Tower...
This world may be another planet's hell.{Aldous Huxley}
After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.{Aldous Huxley}
After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.{Aldous Huxley}
-
goomba_boy
- Lt. Commander
- Posts:1251
- Location:Salt Lake City, UT
- Contact:
The Huntsman
As the band used the ancient key on the massive iron gate they heard, or at least felt, otherworldly sounds coming from within. They forced open the thick wooden door and stepped inside the dank foyer, sensing the foulness and evil within. In the far recesses they heard massive thumping, as if some kind of colossus was walking the halls. They could also hear what sounded like dishes and cutlery banging and clinking together. And, very close, they heard the sound of....horses?
Malikor and Vimes crept forward, seeing a grand staircase to the right and a very tall archway directly ahead. The whinnying was coming from the archway, so they slowly moved closer and peered inside. Just to one side they could see a spectral steed standing unmoving by the door. Cautiously they moved towards the animal?, not knowing what it would do, or if it was even animated. With a sudden primal neigh the stallion charged, but Malikor deftly intercepted the charge with a well placed blow to the side of the horses head. Several more bashes, blows to the flank and slams had the spectre fully enraged and intent on killing the warrior. Malikor then beckoned the rest of the party to dispatch the ghost. Danira, Widge, Morralea, Aliarle and Lthosalfar unleashed the fury of their magic. Guumbah quickly shapeshifted to cat form and let loose a flurry of attacks with 6 inch long claws. Vimes used his sword to hack at the horses legs and flanks, trying to lessen it's mobility. Gaelle and Tieah, however, were the true heroes, keeping Malikor's vitality high and making sure that any crippling damage was quickly healed. With the group working in harmony the animal quickly fell and dissipated. The group looked at each other and knew this was going to test their skills greatly.
They decided to continue through the archway and explore what was obviously the old stable area first. As soon as they walked through, more horses, and also ghostly grooms, could be seen further in. Quickly formulating a plan the group decided to try and lure the small packs out to make progress less taxing, it was apparent that there would be times that two, three or even four or five might have to be taken on at the same time, Luckily Gaelle and Lthosalfar had knowledge of dealing with undead, and the ability to use holy words to shackle them in place for a few minutes, which would give time to kill one or two others without having to worry about too many at once.
Slowly they lured and dispatched the horses and grooms. They then came to a large stall, with one wall having a plaque that could barely be read, Midnight was all it said. Inside could be seen a massive steed, ghostly flames flickering along it's back and hooves. The horse was facing the party, but making no moves to attack, which was very odd indeed. Vimes slowly moved towards the ghostly mount, holding out his hand and making clicking noises, but all the while shield held high and sword at the ready. Just as his hand was near the beast's mouth it reared and lunged. Vimes threw up his shield just in time and blocked the hooves from crushing his skull. He bellowed out a furious battle cry and tore into the horse with sword and shield. As one the rest of the group sprang into action and began the work of taking the horse down.
All at once a deep guttural cry came from the back of the stable, and Malikor saw a leather clad form sprinting to the horses side. The being carried a massive two-hand sword and cried, "Who dares to attack the steed of Attumen the Huntsman?". Malikor once again made a quick sprint towards the ghost and intercepted his charge. Vimes and the rest knew the drill, remain on the first target and dispatch it with haste, thus allowing the party to then focus on the new threat. After several minutes of fighting the ghost rider bellowed, "Come Midnight, let us disperse this petty rabble", and with that the horse sped to it's master's side and the Huntsman mounted.
The Huntsman quickly turned and looked directly at Tieah and Gaelle, who had been furiously keeping Malikor and Vimes healed, but before he could make an attempt to go for them Malikor swung his massive shield and caught the horse full across the snout, which made the horse turn and focus on the warrior. Attumen obviously hated any damage to befall his horse and also focused on Malikor. Having seen that Attumen knew a sweeping attack, and knowing that his massive sword would easily inflict damage to any facing the foe, Malikor worked his way so that the horse faced away from the rest of the group.
Everyone else stopped attacking and waited for the yell they knew would come, summoning them to the fray. Within seconds there was a call from Malikor, the signal for the group to unleash their fury on the Huntsman. Widge's fingers glowed blue and balls of enery shot towards the mounted figure. The air around Aliarle turned white with frost and a bolt of pure frost leapt from her hands. Lthosalfar turned into a shadow and let loose a stream of pure energy to drain the life force from his target. Morralea summoned moonbeams and starlight to burn the attacker. Danira had summoned her imp minion and while it hurled fireballs she threw curses that damaged and enfeebled, while also hurling bolts of pure shadow. Guumbah once again shifted to cat form and clawed and swiped, trying to tear the opposition apart. Vimes swung his sword with reckless abandon, and used his shield to bash and batter. Gaelle and Tieah once again were the foundation of the group, keeping Malikor alive, and also throwing heals as needed when the Huntsman would charge someone else in the party.
This continued for many minutes, the mages, priests and druids started calling out that their energy was fading, they would have to end this soon. Malikor screamed his famous battle cry, spurring all around and re-energizing them. The tide had turned, the Huntsman and his steed were starting to fade away, whatever energy keeping them alive leaving them as the group damaged with everything they could muster. Then, in a low voice, the Huntsman said "I always knew it would happen...someday I would become...the hunted." And with that he fell and slowly faded out of existence. Once he and his steed had faded, there, lying on the ground, was a magnificent crossbow and a pair of sabblebags. Vimes slowly opened one bag and found several gold pieces, and in the other a beautifully crafted set of cloth gloves. The fight, though arduous, was not without reward.
Everyone was still panting for breath or looking drained, so it was decided to make camp and rest for a few hours. When all were rested back to full strength they would go back to the staircase and see what lay at the top.
More to come...
Malikor and Vimes crept forward, seeing a grand staircase to the right and a very tall archway directly ahead. The whinnying was coming from the archway, so they slowly moved closer and peered inside. Just to one side they could see a spectral steed standing unmoving by the door. Cautiously they moved towards the animal?, not knowing what it would do, or if it was even animated. With a sudden primal neigh the stallion charged, but Malikor deftly intercepted the charge with a well placed blow to the side of the horses head. Several more bashes, blows to the flank and slams had the spectre fully enraged and intent on killing the warrior. Malikor then beckoned the rest of the party to dispatch the ghost. Danira, Widge, Morralea, Aliarle and Lthosalfar unleashed the fury of their magic. Guumbah quickly shapeshifted to cat form and let loose a flurry of attacks with 6 inch long claws. Vimes used his sword to hack at the horses legs and flanks, trying to lessen it's mobility. Gaelle and Tieah, however, were the true heroes, keeping Malikor's vitality high and making sure that any crippling damage was quickly healed. With the group working in harmony the animal quickly fell and dissipated. The group looked at each other and knew this was going to test their skills greatly.
They decided to continue through the archway and explore what was obviously the old stable area first. As soon as they walked through, more horses, and also ghostly grooms, could be seen further in. Quickly formulating a plan the group decided to try and lure the small packs out to make progress less taxing, it was apparent that there would be times that two, three or even four or five might have to be taken on at the same time, Luckily Gaelle and Lthosalfar had knowledge of dealing with undead, and the ability to use holy words to shackle them in place for a few minutes, which would give time to kill one or two others without having to worry about too many at once.
Slowly they lured and dispatched the horses and grooms. They then came to a large stall, with one wall having a plaque that could barely be read, Midnight was all it said. Inside could be seen a massive steed, ghostly flames flickering along it's back and hooves. The horse was facing the party, but making no moves to attack, which was very odd indeed. Vimes slowly moved towards the ghostly mount, holding out his hand and making clicking noises, but all the while shield held high and sword at the ready. Just as his hand was near the beast's mouth it reared and lunged. Vimes threw up his shield just in time and blocked the hooves from crushing his skull. He bellowed out a furious battle cry and tore into the horse with sword and shield. As one the rest of the group sprang into action and began the work of taking the horse down.
All at once a deep guttural cry came from the back of the stable, and Malikor saw a leather clad form sprinting to the horses side. The being carried a massive two-hand sword and cried, "Who dares to attack the steed of Attumen the Huntsman?". Malikor once again made a quick sprint towards the ghost and intercepted his charge. Vimes and the rest knew the drill, remain on the first target and dispatch it with haste, thus allowing the party to then focus on the new threat. After several minutes of fighting the ghost rider bellowed, "Come Midnight, let us disperse this petty rabble", and with that the horse sped to it's master's side and the Huntsman mounted.
The Huntsman quickly turned and looked directly at Tieah and Gaelle, who had been furiously keeping Malikor and Vimes healed, but before he could make an attempt to go for them Malikor swung his massive shield and caught the horse full across the snout, which made the horse turn and focus on the warrior. Attumen obviously hated any damage to befall his horse and also focused on Malikor. Having seen that Attumen knew a sweeping attack, and knowing that his massive sword would easily inflict damage to any facing the foe, Malikor worked his way so that the horse faced away from the rest of the group.
Everyone else stopped attacking and waited for the yell they knew would come, summoning them to the fray. Within seconds there was a call from Malikor, the signal for the group to unleash their fury on the Huntsman. Widge's fingers glowed blue and balls of enery shot towards the mounted figure. The air around Aliarle turned white with frost and a bolt of pure frost leapt from her hands. Lthosalfar turned into a shadow and let loose a stream of pure energy to drain the life force from his target. Morralea summoned moonbeams and starlight to burn the attacker. Danira had summoned her imp minion and while it hurled fireballs she threw curses that damaged and enfeebled, while also hurling bolts of pure shadow. Guumbah once again shifted to cat form and clawed and swiped, trying to tear the opposition apart. Vimes swung his sword with reckless abandon, and used his shield to bash and batter. Gaelle and Tieah once again were the foundation of the group, keeping Malikor alive, and also throwing heals as needed when the Huntsman would charge someone else in the party.
This continued for many minutes, the mages, priests and druids started calling out that their energy was fading, they would have to end this soon. Malikor screamed his famous battle cry, spurring all around and re-energizing them. The tide had turned, the Huntsman and his steed were starting to fade away, whatever energy keeping them alive leaving them as the group damaged with everything they could muster. Then, in a low voice, the Huntsman said "I always knew it would happen...someday I would become...the hunted." And with that he fell and slowly faded out of existence. Once he and his steed had faded, there, lying on the ground, was a magnificent crossbow and a pair of sabblebags. Vimes slowly opened one bag and found several gold pieces, and in the other a beautifully crafted set of cloth gloves. The fight, though arduous, was not without reward.
Everyone was still panting for breath or looking drained, so it was decided to make camp and rest for a few hours. When all were rested back to full strength they would go back to the staircase and see what lay at the top.
More to come...
This world may be another planet's hell.{Aldous Huxley}
After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.{Aldous Huxley}
After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.{Aldous Huxley}