Shadows of the Ancient Empire

[Sir Kerag]

Kerag found the path he wished to follow, yet tried to infer what the symbol meant with no luck. He audibly sighed, glaring at some of the knife-ears as they passed him. He didn't like things he couldn't swing an axe at, and decided he best be on his way before the Thing used another route to track him. The orc went to the functioning door, wondering what the symbol could possibly mean.

[Margrett]

Margrett nodded again.

Yeah. Just wanted to make sure.

She started to strap on her armor, putting on her hat and looking at Alec playfully.

Later I wanna try for light purple. You up for it?






As Kerag moved into the next room, he saw that it was a church. Rows of low stone chairs were facing a pulpit. Behind the pulpit was an enormous stained glass window, all shades of blue, glowing faintly and lighting the room up. Across the church was another door, presumably leading away.

[Alec]

"Light purple," Alec says, rolling the words around his head, tasting them. "Slow and gentle," he says, shooting her a look. "That's the key." Walking to the door of the bedroom, he smooths the back of his hair down, and pushes the door open. "You still up for it? I figure that's not your usual style."

[Sir Kerag]

Kerag admired the beauty of the church.

"For a bunch of knife-ears, not too shabby."

The orc walked across the room, kneeling before the stained glass window, muttering first an orcish battle oath, and then a prayer to the old gods of war to look upon him in victory. He rose heading for the door.

[Margrett]

She tightened the last strap on her gauntlet, smiling faintly.

We'll see. I'm pretty sure I can surprise you.

She paused, and then took some of the jewelry from the table

Maybe we can sell this. Grab some of it as we go.

She walked out and headed downstairs.

Let's keep in the direction Kerag was going last we saw him. Maybe he looped around.






The door ahead of Kerag was suddenly blocked by a black, misty fog just as he reached it. He couldn't reach through it, or break it. Behind him, in the door he just came through, came the Thing, its whispers chittering and maliciously joyful. It crawled in on four legs, a thick black tail behind it, tendrils of darkness obscuring its body. What may have been called its head was featureless, but he could feel it looking at him, piercing his heart. It cocked its head once, glaring at him, as if studying him.

[Sir Kerag]

Kerag's path was obscured by the black fog. He cursed underneath his breath, dreading to turn around as the all too familiar whispers filled the church. The Thing arrived like Kerag guessed it would. He looked over his shoulder and cringed at the sight of it, it's tendrils and otherworldly nature leaving him speechless. The orc's glowing eye fixed on the Thing and he beat his gauntlet against the armor of Oktai, snarling at the creature maliciously.

There was no running from it now. Kerag braced himself for battle when a flood of thoughts and memories washed over him, his eye rolling in the back of his head, only white showing as he felt generations of experience fly past his mind's eye. There were several orcs he saw, bearing this armor at one point in history or another, and he focused on each of their conquests and exploits, unknowingly asking them about the creature he stood against.

[Alec]

"Hooray for petty theft!" Alec calls, stuffing some of the choicer looking pieces into his pockets. "Right. And....which direction was that, again?"

[Margrett]

And they answered. None had faced this particular creature, but its kind was familiar; this was a creature of malice, of rage, of sorrow and hate. It was pure, condensed malice made corporeal. This was all that remained of the elves in this place.

It crawled closer, somewhat suspiciously, its body writhing as it walked.


Margrett chuckled.

It's not petty theft if the owners have been dead for hundreds of years.

She headed down the stairs, calling up to him.

Aren't men supposed to have a better sense of direction?

[Alec]

"Maybe, but plundering ruins can take a lot out of a guy," Alec says, bringing up the rear. "I think," he says, twisting around at the waist for a few moments, "it was..." pointing over his shoulder and to the left a bit, "that-a way."

[Sir Kerag]

Kerag silently thanked the armor's predecessors for their insight, his eye returned its gaze on the malicious manifestation of the knife-ears. It was coming closer. Kerag decided, as much as he didn't like elves, that the thing must be destroyed and the remaining essence of the elves be put at rest. The orc growled at the creature, his glowing eye darting to one of the low stone chairs. Kerag picked the chair up and threw it at the dark thing, standing on another chair as he leaped into the air, axe raised, a scream issuing forth from his lips, swinging the axe in a downward arc at the beast's featureless 'head'.

[Margrett]

Margrett froze, looking up alertly.

Did you hear that? That was Kerag!

She grabbed Alec's hand and practically threw herself down the stairs, her metal boots clanking on only every few steps as she ran down towards the scream.




The Thing recoiled in pain when the chair struck it and burst into dust, but lithely moved left when Kerag's axe came down, then rammed its head into Kerag, batting him away.

[Sir Kerag]

Kerag was knocked back, crashing into the pulpit and shattering it with the sheer amount of force from the strike combined with his weight. He groaned, wincing a little as he struggled to stand, glaring at the Thing with unparalleled animosity. The orc regained his composure, bellowing a guttural battle-cry as he charged the thing, swinging the axe again across in a big horizontal arc, drawing the knife from the lower shaft of the weapon as he followed through with the attack, aiming the six-inch blade at the Thing's head.

[Alec]

Falling for a second, Alec manages his feet under him then begins bounding down the stairs in step with Marg. "Wonder what he's screaming about," he wonders aloud.

[Margrett]

The thing again dodged the axe, but was not expecting the knife. It slashed through the thing's featureless face, spilling thick black blood as it screeched and flailed back. It back up a few paces and then tripped over one of the seats, apparently blinded in at least one side of its face. It hissed at Kerag, keeping its distance for the moment.




Margrett sprinted to the bottom floor, running towards the end of the chamber.

I don't know, but whatever it is, if Kerag screamed, it's not good.

The door at the end of the room was covered in the same black energy that Kerag's side was covered with. Margrett growled and pounded on it to no avail.

Kerag? Kerag! Alec! See if you can get this open.

The door was made of metal, but the darkness covering it would be hard to remove.

[Alec]

Examining the door for a moment, and the layer of black over it, Alec shrugs. Taking a step back, he drops into a low combat stance, legs spread far apart, hands clenched into fists before him at waist level. Breathing deeply, he slides one foot forward, barely, then the other swings forward quickly, and he slams both fists into the door.