World of Terrabia

[josh_manga]

ooc: SORT OF. NOT REALLY. but seriously, are you back now? And where's Diamond? Did the two of you decide to run off together and fight Predators on Mt. Kilimanjaro?

You spot a young man, average height and build, moving down the caravan toward the two of you. His sword is in its sheathe, but his shield is on his arm. His wavy hair is tossed in the light breeze and a quick grin flashes across his face, but eyes retain a hint of alertness. You notice every few steps he takes he glances with one eye off to the south.

"You two must be the additional recruits! Welcome to our little tea party. My name is Peregrinus, and i'll be your host this evening. Right this way ladies and gentlemen!" he says in a joking tone, and turns to keep up with the caravan, glancing over his shoulder to make sure you are keeping up.

[raider~joseph]

Occ:Idk...you might wanna pm her.

[Diamond Dragon]

ooc: Sorry!
BIC: Iriai Was stunned by what happened. Everyone here might have been killed if they had stay for a few minutes more! she thought. She looked up when she saw Peregrinus walking up to them. She didn't say anything, and wondered why he kept glancing Southward.

[josh_manga]

ooc: hey! sorry, my email is no longer sending me notifications that people are pmming me or posting in the thread, so...

ic: the caravan proceeded to the east along the main road for almost an hour without incident, the constant sound of cannon fire echoing behind you. Looking back at the town, you see the blue glow of magic flashing periodically, it seems to coincide with the cannon fire as it hits the city.

As you march onward, glancing curiously toward the south you see occasional poofs of dust that erupt from the grassy plane, though you cannot see what is causing them.

Around midday, the report of cannon fire is reduced to mere rumbling in the distance, and the Worldspine Mountains loom before you, dark and misty on the eastern horizon. At their base, you see the dark green of a forest peeking into sight. Having come this way before, Iriai knows that the village of Stromburgh is there on the edge of the forest, and the caravan should reach it safely by noon the next day, if all goes well.

Unfortunately, it does not. Suddenly, two clouds of dirt and grass erupt from the earth next to the caravan. As the smoke clears, you see two, giant worm like creatures towering 35 feet over the road, one on each side. Their hides are tough and leathery, their backs covered in thick chitinous carapace, and their heads, eyeless gaping maws of teeth.

Peregrinus readies his sword and shield, shouting: "it's the Terra Wurmlings! Quickly! They'll eat the cattle!"

[raider~joseph]

Joseph attempts a lunging attack.Roll it Josh.

[josh_manga]

The giant wurmling reels and thrashes about from the deep gashes inflicted by your short swords. It attempts to retaliate, lunging with its circular mouth to eat you, but misses.

Joseph Sarrows deals 14 Damage.

[Diamond Dragon]

Iriai made a flying rush at the huge worm and struck it across the face with her quarterstaff, manipulating the air to make it strike harder.

[josh_manga]

Iriai's charged attack knocks the wurmling's head backward, slamming it into the ground. It's body goes slack and stops moving.

The party gains 14 Experience!

The second Terra Wurmling hisses angrily at its mate being killed. Viciously, it retaliates against Iriai. Lashing out swiftly, it crushes her body in the maelstrom of her teeth.

The Terra Wurmling deals 15 Damage.

Peregrinus sees Iriai's bloodied body in the teeth of the monster and shouts: "No!"

Twirling his sword over his head, Peregrinus hacks his broadsword into the side of the creature with all his might, a fiery light in his eyes.

Peregrinus deals 19 Damage.

Over the next hill, a wingless Saurian appears running in the caravan's direction. He has golden scales, short blunt horns, and is dressed in orange robes, a sword in one hand, and a staff in the other. An intent look is in his eyes, and you can see that his right hand glows with magic.

[Diamond Dragon]

Iriai screamed in pain and rage at the crushing attack. She suddenly stopped when the gold saurian ran towards them.

[josh_manga]

As the golden saurian drew close to the creature, he raised his hand. The air around his sword began to ripple and bubble, then the air seemed to draw close around the blade of the weapon as he aimed it at the wurmling, letting loose a jolting of invisible energy that hit the creature with such force that its body was knocked back so hard you could hear its spine snap.

The party gains 8 Experience!

Standing over Iriai, the gold saurian offers his hand to her.

The daughter of the great Dunadon? Fancy meeting you here. Come, let's get you patched up, my lady.

Now that he stands closer, Iriai recognizes him as one of her father's primary pupils. Though he never held any office of importance, you remember your father spending much time with him and Acting Primarch Scurdon.


The caravan master comes over to the four of you.

You all alright? We're not going to make it to Stromburgh tonight, so we'll make camp here. You'll have plenty of time to rest up and heal your wounds. I think we have a healer in camp.

The sun has begun to set below the western sea.

[Diamond Dragon]

Iriai's eyes widened as she recognized the saurian before her. Wordlessly she took his hand and stood up slowly, painfully.

[josh_manga]

That evening, the wagons circle up, campfires are lit, small groups gather everywhere to rest and eat.

As they sat around a campfire, a healer tended to Iriai's wounds, Peregrinus ate his food slowly, savoring each bite of the small meal, and the Saurian sat opposite Iriai, firelight illuminating his golden scales brightly, and dancing in the darkness of his eyes as he stared at her intently, a pensive expression on his face.

"I had heard that you had disappeared from the city, your highness, but i did not expect to see you making a return journey so soon. Are you in fact returning home, or are you still journeying?"

[raider~joseph]

Joseph looks over his shoulder several times throughout the meal.He has a frightened look on his face.

"Has anyone here seen a oh I don't know...undead dragon?"

[Diamond Dragon]

"I'm not ready to go back yet." answered Iriai quietly. "If I went back now, I'm sure my father will forbid me from ever leaving again." Iriai glanced up, her purple and orange eyes that inspired her name were reflected by the fire like a flaming sunset.

[josh_manga]

Peregrinus: "Undead Dragon! Aint no such thing around here bud. Though, i've heard tell of one over on the western continent, across the sea. Mostly unsettled territory and ancient ruins."

A quizzical and unsettled expression comes across his face for a moment.

Peregrinus: "You... haven't been there have you?"

The golden saurian sits still, absorbing the fire's warmth into his body.

"Far too cold this far away from the volcano, isn't it? No, i don't reckon Lord Dunadon would allow it at that. Though... you might not want to stay away for too long. He's changed since you've left. He's getting old, Princess Iriai. Far too old, and far too soon... Eveyone is worried he might not last much longer. Everyone, except that blighter, Scurdon. You know how eager he was to assume the role of Acting Primarch in your father's stead. I think he's just biding his time till he can assume the throne, permanently. And with you gone, there's no one to stand in his way. Our Lord has many children, but he only blessed you with the Seal of the Empyreans, the royal birthmark."

Gazing up into the starry night, he breathed a sigh.

"Tell me, what brings such a large company as this into the wilderness this time of year? The Festival of Spirits in the Human city, Tuo'Rath, was several months ago, and yet there were not this many travelers then."

[Diamond Dragon]

"I'm just not ready yet..." repeated Iriai, looking away. When the other mentioned the company, she looked back. "Atlantica declared war on Ravenwood, and launched an attack on Portsmouth. These people just barely escaped."

[josh_manga]

"I see... That is most unfortunate. My own task takes me in that direction."

Turning his head to look at Joseph.

"Is this true? You were on the western continent? Tell me, this... undead dragon... was it in the frozen wastes, in a valley where the sun does not shine?"

[raider~joseph]

"Yes...and if you know that then you must have a guess of to who I am?"

[josh_manga]

The golden saurian closes his eyes and lowers his head, pensively.

"Who you are... Ah, yes, you refer to the rumor of the fabled Citadel of Lewt. So you are a treasure hunter then? And, by your reaction, you've found one of the sacred treasures? Other than that, I cannot divine any other knowledge about you, I am not a mind reader after all, and I am not well versed in... Human interests. Indeed, one of the four Dragon Lords held one of the sacred treasures required to open the gateway to that world. Though he has since disappeared..."

Peregrinus suddenly interrupts.

"What? Another world? How did I miss this legend?"

He seems visibly disturbed by the thought, while the saurian cops a slight smirk.

"There may be many worlds, boy, not all of them pleasant. As I was saying, the Dragon Lord who protected one of the thirteen sacred treasures has disappeared, and it has long been thought that he may have died somehow... This also pertains to my mission."

Turning to Iriai, he continues.

"As your highness should be aware, ours is a diminishing race, though the reason for it is unknown. Around the world our kind has been silently vanishing, as though some mysterious force were working against us, simultaneously throughout the planet. It is my duty to uncover this mystery."

[Diamond Dragon]

Iriai stiffened. She was dimly aware of the fact her race was dying out, but she hadn't quite realized the importance of it until now. Maybe she should help too.

[josh_manga]

After a night's rest without attack, everyone fully healed. However, during the night you notice Peregrinus did not sleep well, but in the morning, he acts like nothing's wrong.

As the caravan packed up to head on to Stromburgh, the golden Saurian packed his own meager belongings and prepared to head out in the opposite direction.

Before he left, he slipped a note over by Iriai's bedroll where she could find it.

The note reads:

"When you reach Tuo'Rath, please visit an old man who lives there, by the name of Andre Crowsworth. Please give him my regards concerning the events that happened there. Be sure to ask him about the Grand Arcana. I don't know what it is, or what it means, but people seem willing to kill over it. My own mission is too pressing to stop and investigate, and I'll not encourage you to find it yourself, but keep an eye out for your own safety. The people involved in this have no scruples."

As the caravan rolled out, the unnamed Saurian could be seen, walking resolutely toward the invaded city of Portsmouth in the west.

The rest of the day passed without event, and the caravan reached Stromburgh that evening, just as a storm began rolling in over the jagged peaks of the Worldspine Mountains to the east, and beyond them, Tuo'Rath.

[josh_manga]

ooc: i'd like to get this rolling again, but if we need to wait till after new years holidays, just let me know. I'd like to play before then though.

[josh_manga]

Well, it seems people have moved on, and rather than keep a sidewards glance at it to see if anyone is still interested, i'm just going to suggest that the Mods go ahead and take it down (not that i can see it in the listing anyway, but i just thought i'd come out and say it).

As Joseph suggested, it's a more old school style RP, and i think that would require a more dedicated forum.