Hero's Arms, Hero's Heart Redux

Since the dawn of recorded history, the kingdom of Icarest and its people had lived in peace. The villagers of its many little towns and quiet hamlets were happy, healthy and hard-working, its magistrates and guard captains fair and honorable, its rulers just and kind. Many years of prosperity allowed the kingdom to flourish and grow, while the people and the powerful and wild Gods and spirits of nature respected and supported each other in turn. However, all good things must come to an end... and end it did, when the first vanguard of the Dark Lord Gara swept across the land from the jagged mountains to the east.

The invasion was swift, and fell upon the hills and valleys of Icarest like a shroud, consuming all in its path. Villages and farms were crushed beneath the booted feet of the Dark Lord's followers - those that were not destroyed by the horrific monsters raised from the dark depths of myth and legend by the Dark Lord's malefic will. The King's armies were powerless against the beasts, and the Gods of the forests and fields were hunted, run to ground, or turned against their subjects. Powerless to stop the onslaught, the people of Icarest could only watch in horror as the violence spread... until the Hero came.

The sole survivor of one of the first villages to fall victim to the forces of Darkness, the Hero quickly became known as the only warrior capable of striking back against the tide of evil. Growing ever stronger, the Hero faced challenges that would break lesser warriors. It was said that as the Hero hunted and slew the Dark Lord’s monstrous servants, his weapons - the sword Heavensplitter, the spear Mirage, the Hunter's Sorrow, the Solar Maul and the Staff of Strangers' Kindness – grew in power with their wielder, and as the Hero defended the weak and oppressed, the divine armaments - the shield Circe, the armor Suit of Gospel, the Cape of Butterflies, the amulet Regalia of Flame, and the Eagle-Eye Protector – gifted their wearer with renewed righteous strength.

Over time, the Hero opposed, then stemmed, then reversed the tide of the war, rallying the Icaresti troops with victory after victory. Finally the time came; the forces of good laid siege to the Dark Citadel, and the Hero pressed forward alone. Penetrating into the heart of evil itself, the Hero came face-to-face with the Dark Lord himself… who, with a single cowardly blow, pierced the Hero’s great heart. Striding forth from his throne room, the Dark Lord raised his blade, still running red with the Hero’s blood, and the world shook with hideous cries of triumph. Icarest fell within the year.

Nearly a century has passed since then. The kingdom suffers under Dark Lord Gara’s iron fist; his soldiers do as they please without fear of retribution, and the Gods are either in hiding, dead, or have bowed their heads in servitude. The time has come for a new Hero to arise and carry on the will of the fallen champion… and in the city of Lovak, a fortress town built around the abandoned Dark Citadel and now remembered as the site of the Hero’s greatest failure, ten unlikely souls open their eyes for the first time… and prepare to begin a legend all their own.

With a long groan, a very out of place looking patron woke up. He lifted his head slowly, trying to regain his vision. The slit of his helmet didn't provide much, and the already dim light of the tavern proved bright enough to hurt his eyes, so he decided to keep them closed. He thought of a number of things, but first and foremost he thought of a question: Who am I?

He thought for a moment, but didn't come up with an answer. Raising his arm, he brought it to his head and started scratching, the mail coming into contact with the steel producing a unique sound. His next question was, Why am I wearing gloves? The numbness in his body started to ease, and the heavy weight on his entire frame showed that he was wearing a full suit of armor. He opened his eyes again, and inspected his hand: Mail, overlaid with leather and a bright gold gauntlet, lined on the inside with matted fur. The fur felt nostalgic in a way, and he soon remembered why. His name was Calcol Ajshün, and he was a traveler.

He remembered the day that he skinned a few rabbits that he caught in order to line his armor. He did it in preparation for the journey he was on, because the old fur had worn out. It reminded him of where he was in the first place. He had traveled southeast...to nowhere in particular. He obviously stopped in a local tavern to take a rest and a drink, the drunkenness a perfect reason for why the events of the last few days were so clouded. He got up from his stool, gripping the table to help with his groggy balance, and walked over in the direction of the barkeep. He briefly considered taking off his helmet to facilitate better vision, but he decided against it quickly. It just felt so comfortable wearing it, and that comfort was exactly what Calcol felt he needed to get through this hangover.

He successfully maneuvered his way through the dim and sparsely populated bar, bumping into only one other patron on his way (who was far too unconscious to take issue). At the front desk was a portly bald fellow wearing a old and dirty apron, who seemed to avert his gaze when he saw the staggering orc walking towards him. Calcol used one hand to stabilize himself before unbuckling and reaching into one of his bandolier pouches. "Thankz fer ze dreeenkz, keep..." he mumbled briefly before noticing that his coin purse was completely empty. He groaned and quickly unbuckled the rest of his pouches one by one, and they all came up empty as well. Startled, he started patting the rest of his body. His sword was gone. His hammer was gone. His dagger, tanning knife and butter knife were gone. In fact, everything that wasn't an empty bag was gone! He'd been robbed blind!

Growling deeply, he looked the bar owner straight in the eyes and said "Keep, you'z tell meh if you'd seen someone looten meh, right?" The owner, terrified, rapidly nodded. Calcol then sighed, and said, "Well, it's not your fault, then...I'll pay my tab in a few minutes, then." He stood up in a huff and walked straight to the bar's front exit, his anger deafening the owner's statement of "But you never even bought anything!"

Bursting out and ready to ask questions to the first suspicious individual, Calcol exited the tavern and examined his surroundings. A great obsidian tower greeted his eyes, standing tall and stark against the grey skies and cobble of buildings. The Orc's anger subsided into confusion. He had absolutely no idea where he'd ended up. How could he see the Dark Citadel from all the way in this city? Last he remembered, he was three days north in Ochom, a small fishing village, not anywhere near here. He raised his gauntlet to his head and scratched again, the sound of mail on metal becoming a very familiar sound.

A few blocks away, and a few meters down, a man was experiencing a similar awakening... though one that was somewhat less peaceful than Calcol's. Ezekiel regained consciousness with a loud shriek and very nearly lost it again with the powerful blow that quickly followed after it, sending his blurred vision spinning and his aching head ringing loudly. The stout, aproned woman who had shrieked pulled back her broom for another whack at him, doing a fair job of masking her fear behind anger. "What d'you think ye're doin', sleepin' in a woman's wine cellar?!" she shouted, holding the broom up across her chest. "Get yer flea-bitten arse out afore I call Elsy Parchment's son on you, don't think I won't!"

Ringing Ears

Ezekiel clutched his head and hissed in pain as he pushed his body away from the woman, covering his head with his other, muscular arm as he did so. "So sorry ma'am..." He groaned as he stood up, having to crouch slightly to avoid hitting his head on the ceiling. "I was looking for a place to sleep...I didn't mean anyone any harm and...I-I'll just be going now." he said with a nod and a respectful bow to her as he continued to massage the spot she had struck him.

...Come to think of it, I don't even remember last night all that clearly...memory's all fuzzy...I must have been more tired than I thought, then. He thought to himself.

Leil stood on the top of a local tower... hair swaying lightly in the breeze as she kept her marvelous spear at hand. Her keen elven eyes looked over the whole city as she thought... as she perceived and learned of this most curious place she was set upon. And as she reflected... upon the feeling of loss in her heart.

She was up there for a while... not minding the light passage of time as she meditated... as she derived conclusions and got a feel for the place. However... she trusted her intuition... and the elven warrior definitely didn't like this place. Not a bit. Her heart ached... burned with a desire for revenge... for the loss of something...

Still... that was something to ponder at another time, as perhaps she may be drawing some undue attention to herself in her perch. She had seen the overview... now to walk on the streets themselves.

Coincidentally, that patron that Calcol bumped into was Ruve Pappilon, and she's not really unconscious as Calcol would think, she's just woke up, she's just nursing her hangover for a while now and she did not really bother to talk smack of the dude, for had she many other things in her mind.

For one, how did she get so shit-faced that she blacked out. The last time she got knocked down by alcohol was too much 'dirty ale', that is, the already strong dwarven ale mixed with some herbs meant for curing coughs. In short, it was disorienting as hell but that story is for other times, maybe.

No, the thing that bothered her the most was the she forgets her own poem, not just the poem she was brewing in her head about the adventures with the Hero, but all of her poem which, as a locally renowned poet, was frankly embarrassing. Though somehow, a feeling of emptiness were stronger than that, as if her heart had just left a hole in her chest...

"...But I'm just hoping that it won't be much of a pest," Ruve started to mumble as she got up, motivated by her sudden surge of energy and flow of rhythm. "When I go get the Hero do all hit best...and give that dark lord hell up his arse..."

She stopped momentarily when she realized the owner was behind her. It's not the fact that she had just spoken some awkwardly crass line or that she started a verse out of the blue for no discernible reason but that she did not recognize the person or the tavern at all that made her panicked, quickly made her apology to the owner and ran to the door. This is more than a blackout, she thought, this is an entirely new place, where the hell am I? The only respite that sit well in her frantic mind was the cape that flapped behind her, that long silky black cape really danced elegantly in the wind as Ruve opened the door and stepped outside.

This is not even my hometown, she tried to recount, and I'm pretty damn sure I'm not tavern hopping with my friends, where the hell am I, and what the fuck is that tower in the distance?

In the corner of her eyes as she looked that chilling tower in the distance, she saw an orc in a helmet, perhaps he may help with the situation?

"Ey, buddy," she asked. "Where am I?"

There was something very wrong.

Vymia was standing in the middle of her lair. She didn't like calling it a lair, and she didn't even like using the word lair, but there really was no better word to describe the dark, elegant den of decadence and mysticism that was her quiet home. Around every corner, it felt like there was some spirit stirring about, or the chance of accidentally getting hexed. These feelings were familiar and welcome to Vymia, but this new feeling was not. It was as if she was wearing a helmet over her heart, and that helmet was ripped off. She was cold, on the inside.

The lair was not how Vymia remembered it. Nature had taken over the stone walls, plants and vines running throughout, coming up in the cracks. She felt the leaking of little magic, but nowhere near as much power as should be in this place. What had happened to her home? What had happened to her. She woke up here, but things looked completely changed, as if someone had torn through the place.

She started to pace the room, without purpose, trying to place her ill feeling. She had enough experience to know that these kinds of feelings usually meant something, and as such, she would done a robe and hood, something inconspicuous, to walk out into the streets. Perhaps the fresh air and bustle will scramble her brains back to the right configuration.

edited 25th Sep '15 2:06:23 AM by Saturn

Some had already awoken, but others yet lay dormant, still and silent; and in those small souls, something stirred. A feeling, or perhaps a motion... a pulsing, like the lifeforce within a seed ready to burst forth, or the hatching of an egg. The birth of new life.

A young, dark-eyed woman jerked awake as if from a bad dream, not even the frantic motion enough to tip her from her cradle in the worn branches of a tall oak tree. Her fingers found the grip of her bow, a comforting feeling, as she looked up at the dark tower dominating the walled city no more than an arrow's flight away. Her mind was still in chaos, still chasing after the fragments of dark visions.

Some distance away, another young woman stirred as her armor sang to her, a soft song that shifted with the wind's touch and danced along the edges of the swaying wildflowers as they caressed the sun-warm metal. The middle of a field was a fine place to make one's bed... especially when it appeared she had been robbed.

Somewhere in town, a gentle flame of a soul pulsed as well, not yet ready to take its true form...

...and nearby, a young woman startled awake as an armored boot nudged her crossed legs, kicking aside the well-worn ash staff she was leaning on. "Move along," a harsh voice advised, before the sound of shifting metal, creaking leather, and a sharp undercurrent of brimstone moved away from her impromptu sleeping place.

Michael doesn't get a prompt because I've heard from darkdestiny that he'll be posting soon.

Towards the towns northern and outermost edge, a young man lays surrounded by the ruins of what might have once been some kind of shrine. The devotion of this shrine unclear, memorials and writings ruined by both time and purposeful vandalism.

Opening his jade green eyes, the young man sat up to look at his surroundings. He took one hand to his head as it ached strangely and for no clear reason. He turned his head to his side, he had no weapon and his belt pouches were empty. Dispalcing the blackened cloak behind him he noticed a silver necklace on his chest. He paused for a just a brief moment as he examined it a minor glint of recognition.

He quickly stood up and looked around, clearing dust and rubble from his clothes. Ensuring that the many religious symbols were once again clear and visible. He briefly stretched, much like after having a long nap before truly taking in his surroundings.

He knew this wasn't his mistresses shrine, even if the markings around were unclear. Yet this made him consider; "Where is this? How long have I been gone? Is the Priestess okay? Was I robbed? Where did my stuff go?". The young man silenced these thoughts himself; he knew he needed to simply look around and find these answers. That is what he decided to do, slowly walking down the path towards a main street where he could hear the sounds of city life. One hand at his side, the other still examining the necklace.

edited 25th Sep '15 4:27:14 AM by darkdestinysoul

[1]

Adelaide stirred in her sleep, then opened her dark brown eyes and sat up groggily. Her grogginess diminished when she realized she was in the middle of a field, rather than the somewhat high-class tavern she had gone to sleep in, and it disappeared altogether when she found she had been robbed! Her sword, her food, her money; all gone. Wait. If I was robbed, why do I still have my armor? She ran a finger over it, listening to the soft melody it wove. She smiled. Ah well. I can replace what I lost fairly quickly. She stood up and looked around for a town, then, spotting one, she headed towards it at a brisk pace.

Sorry if my post quality is a bit off. I've been under the weather lately.

Calcol turned and started to answer, but something finally processed in his mind: he was within walking distance of one of the most evil locations in the entire world. He had no idea why this person didn't know. Was this a peasant from some peaceful town that never was affected by the war? He felt a chill down his spine, and quietly said "W-well, I can tell you if we do it somewhere private."

His armor clattered as he jogged towards a nearby alleyway, the poor lighting inside he felt would make for a much more secure location. He turned back and waved the stranger over furtively.

"...Ngh..." Sarah took a glance around before anything else, taking in her surroundings again. "...When did I blank out like that...? Sheesh..." Her trusty bow lay down next to her, the sleek black outline mixed in with a yellow stripe looked as pretty as ever. "Guess we're heading off again, huh?" Sarah took a hold of it and tried to get onto her feet, clutching the tree with one hand in order to not fall to death. A few jumps downwards later, Huntress found herself on the ground next to the road she was following. ...Or was she? The blonde's memory was a bit foggy, but she decided to pay no mind.

Sarah followed the road into town, letting out a whistle at it's appearance. "Downtrodden" would be the least of it. "Why'd you decide to go here again, huntress...?" The blonde muttered to herself as she followed down the street. Stone, stone everywhere. Everyone that looked like a citizen hung with their head and were forcibly smiling, if at all. Kind of a bummer to look at. Huntress went straight for the center of town, whistling a song all the while. She'd been wandering for no reason, really. Once there she glanced around, trying to find anyone that stood out.

Ash felt a boot against her shin and took a swipe with her staff without even fully walking up. Even half asleep she should have been quick enough to hit whoever had sneaked up but the staff passed through the empty air. When she looked around there was no evidence that anyone besides her had been to this abandoned looking part of town for decades.
She leaned back against her staff and the crumbled walls to try to get her head to stop spinning. There were some very important questions forming in her mind that demanded answers. First among them was "did she have her staff, cloak, and knife?" The answers to which were yes, yes, and no. The second as "What town?" This answer was proving more difficult to find so she moved to the third question. "Exactly what has happened that left me without a knife and unable to think in a town I know nothing about?" She didn't know the answer to this question either but she knew how to get it.
Ash moved from alley to alley avoiding the crowds. She needed to find an exit with fresh air to clear her head and she needed to find the man in armor who had waken her up. She the first she managed to find was an old orc in armor waving another person over. She pointed at him with her staff and said "Hey you! Say 'Move along.'"

edited 25th Sep '15 12:27:41 PM by Yewleaf

Ruve, on the other hand, felt the opposite of safe when the orc asked her to come with him into the alley. She analysed the situation down a list of fishy things: an orc wearing a heavy ass armor, walked into a dark, creepy alley where its out of sight, out of mind, asking a dainty human to come in with him just to answer 2 simple questions.

Yeah, okay buddy. Bad touch, stranger danger, I need an adult. Need to go somewhere private to rape my ass, more like.

Ruve simply shook her head and walk away from the alley, try and find another person in the streets to answer her questions. That next person happens to be Leil.

"Ey, where am I and what is that tower?" she asked, this time much calmer, if a bit annoyed.

edited 25th Sep '15 1:38:19 PM by sgtpendulum

Adelaide arrived in the town, walking in with the tower to her back. She mentally took stock of it. Run-down buildings, shabby citizens, one gross-looking tavern... Better than nothing, I suppose. She began wandering about, looking for someone who looked reputable. She eventually found Huntress as she explored the town. Oh good, someone who won't knife me in the ribs as soon as look at me. Probably. "Excuse me, ma'am, could you tell me what town this is? I seem to have been dumped here after being robbed."

edited 25th Sep '15 4:19:27 PM by Tojin

Calcol had the great urge to scream, "Kid, what's in that tower is going to KILL YOU," but the other woman's rebuttal and the general atmosphere of the place made him feel like keeping quiet was the best idea. It was time to ponder, he felt, and he never pondered well with his head covered. He slumped against the wall, and started taking off his helmet. The sensation of removing it was less than comfortable, but he managed. He did make sure to keep it tightly tucked underneath his arm, because he wasn't losing something so expensive.

He was obviously in a town next to the stronghold of one of the most powerful forces in the world. No one would be foolish enough to make a copy of the Dark Citadel, lest he incur the wrath of the original owner. Was this all a dream? The thick haze he felt in his head earlier certainly could've fooled him, but right now he felt entirely clear headed. He briefly considered pinching himself, but realized it would only make him look more suspicious to the two in the street.

The two in the street. Right. He needed to clear those suspicions. He walked out of the alleyway with the best non-threatening smile his orcish mouth could manage. He kept his distance, and said, "They call that, in the common tongue, Dark Citadel. Where we are, otherwise, I don't know either." He shrugged, and turned to the staff-wielder. "Do you know?"

Those of the travelers standing in the street by the tavern - whose broken, ill-mended signpost declared it somewhat grandiosely to be the House of Loaves and Fowl - would in due time notice a shift in the air around them. The streets had been somewhat empty in the anemic morning light; now, though, a growing number of people were streaming by. They looked threadbare, thin; most were bent low by habit rather than by age. At the same time, a metallic clanging could be heard from nearby, in the direction the townspeople were heading - a summons bell, by the sound of things. There was a low, humming sense of unease around them, and dread warred with exhaustion in the faces that could be seen under the hats and hoods pulled low.

None of this made it up to the rooftop of the tavern, where a young woman with a sword strapped to her back lay facedown on the brick shingles. Her mouth tasted even worse than usual after waking up from a blacked-out night...

"Hmmm?" Leil walked down the side streets moving lightly away from sight as she carried a weapon that was, under most all circumstances, very hard to hide. A normal spear is not exactly portable... and one as magnificent as Mirage. Then again, it suited the elven woman quite well... though she moved through the back alleys there was a certain boldness to her step... to how she moved armored and armed as she was, eyes certain and honest.

Leil looked at the human girl wearing a cape... a light inkling of having seen her sometime in her long life... still, her response was nice and immediate "Lovak... and that is the Dark Citadel, human girl"

Ash sighed and brought her staff back to normal. It wasn't him. Things were never that easy... "No idea. I was hoping you knew." She took a step back and looked to the newly arrived elf. "While you're here is there anything you can tell me about this town, and why that bell started this depressing little parade?"

The woman slowly opened her eyes, letting her body stop aching for a moment before she let out a groan. "Where am I?" She asked as she pushed herself off of the shingles with a hand to her head clutching from what felt like the mother of all hangovers. "Why am I on a roof...? How much did I drink last night? Fucking hells..." She rubbed her head a bit more before coming up to a sitting position, letting her head stop aching a bit more before shifting ever so slightly to the edge of the roof, looking down at the masses shifting below. "The fuck is goin on?"

"Lovak?" Ruve parroted. "Never heard of the name, so it's a new town, then?"

She looked around for a bit to inspect Lovak in her own eyes. The atmosphere feels like it has been raided occupied recently, though obviously without the gore and destruction. No, instead, the street was filled with people that might as well be ghouls with no necromancer. Or there is a necromancer but he decided to play the ultimate town-wide house games. Also, have their parents ever scold them with a "shoulders back, chest out" rant?

The dark citadel part ringed a massive bell in her, though. Even if she remembered little of it before, it somehow managed to put a chill down on her spine, accentuated by how the elven girl answered it. That's a nice spear she's sporting on, though-

"Wait..." And speaking of elven girl, there was something peculiar about this one that Ruve have to ask."Have we met before? I think I've seen you before. have you been at the clothing shop called "The Weaving Nans" or the tavern called "The Ogre Mate"? Because I used to work in the former and recite poems in the latter...Oh, my name's Ruve Papillon, by the way, sorry that I didn't introduce myself earlier, and you're..."

edited 25th Sep '15 8:32:45 PM by sgtpendulum

Huntress stretched out and was about to leave, right before someone had called out to her from behind. She turned around to meet the one that attempted to say something to her. Seemed to be a redhead girl covered in head-to-toe with platemail armor... How do people even carry those things? "Ah, excuse me. Wasn't paying attention. As for where we are..." Sarah rattled around in her brain for a bit to find a name. "Ah! Yeah, Lovak. That's it. We're in Lovak. Truth be told, dunno why I came here myself... Felt compelled to for some reason."

It was then a bell rang in town, the conversation Huntress had struck upon left her surprised at it. She flinched from the sound coming out of nowhere, then glanced to her side to look at the direction it was coming from. The tower, eh? Everyone around seemed to also have gotten more... Down. Really what other word was there for it? "Wonder what's been happening in this town to get everyone so down on their luck... I know the dark lord is up and running and all, but this aint normal..." ...Dark lord? Huntress toyed around with that name for a bit in her brain. The amber eyes that were normally so focused seemed completely absent while a maelstrom of thoughts assaulted her.

She kinda felt some disgust to the guy. Like, she really wants to give him a good right hook. Y'know what? She was wandering around without aim anyway. Might as well add a goal into the mix. "Ah, sorry. Kinda zoned out there. I haven't given my name yet, huh? Well, it's Sarah. My friends call me 'Huntress', and it doesn't take a genius to figure out why." That last bit was said in more of a joking tone, the blonde nudging towards her bow after she finished. "And what about you?"

Adelaide nodded. "Ah, thanks. My name's Adelaide. Good to meet you, Sarah. Or Huntress, whichever you prefer." She motioned behind her vaguely. "D'you think we should go investigate that bell? All the townsfolk seem to be heading towards it."

edited 26th Sep '15 3:38:32 AM by Tojin

Huh. This stranger was rather friendly. "Call me whatever you'd prefer." Sarah answered, then turned her head towards all the folk marching towards that bell sound. Adelaide made a suggestion to go and inspect whatever's causing the people to flock towards that bell, and truth be told Huntress was curious herself. "Couldn't hurt, I guess. Also, sorry to hear about the bandit thing. Happens to the best of them..." ...And it's also why you sleep high-up at night, idiot. Sarah thought to herself. She led the way, taking the first initiative to go to the place the both of them were headed.

edited 26th Sep '15 7:54:08 AM by Nickpws

Wandering down from the ruined shrine to the main road and looking around. Michael did not recognize the area, none of it made much sense to him. As the bell rang from the tower his attention turned to look at it for a few moments, considering if he had heard of studied about such a area.

He turned his head to look at some people walking by about to start asking them some questions; then he began to notice their unease. Michael only took a brief moment of seeing this to start quickly heading towards the tower. Nimbly moving through the streets, both curious to what this place is and what that tower was. "After all such a grand structure must be of some importance right? A temple or palace or similar place maybe..." At least that was Michael's thoughts.

edited 26th Sep '15 3:57:38 AM by darkdestinysoul