A Way Through the Dark

[Xarkly 17299]

 

From the southern depths of the snow-capped Sleetfell forests, bright silvery lances sprouted from the the clouds and lit the sky.

 

At first, that was it. That was all. Bright pretty lights; a lightning storm on a particularly clear day; a firework display. Something mundane, no doubt. Nothing to worry about, of course. At first, that was it.

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With one last heave of his axe, the tree heaved, and slowly began to topple.

 

"TIMBER!" Toffer called out heartily. There was nobody there to warn; he just liked shouting timber. With a satisfying crash, the tree collapsed into the ground with a chorus of splintering bark and snapping branches. Clicking his tongue, Toffer shouldered his hefty iron hatchet as he advanced towards the felled tree. He had always found it curiously ironic that, as a Dwarf, he made a better lumberjack than he did miner, but he enjoyed it all the same. The lush, forested hillsides outside Holm, with the open, crisp mountain air was always more appealing to him than cramped tunnels. Whistling to himself, the axe blurred in his hands as he began slicing the splaying branches of the old oak.

 

It was then that something caught his eye.

 

Toffer blinked beyond the trunk, through the trefoil leaves. A gleam of white stone. He frowned; he was far from a miner, but he knew that there was no quartz, diorite or marble so close to Holm. Even from here, he could see the stout walls of Holm thrusting upwards into the pale mountain sky. Curiosity and conflict knotted his stomach as he ran a hand through his auburn hair. "Somethin' of value, maybe," he murmured to himself, though unconvincingly. Hatchet gripped firmly in hand, he vaulted over the trunk, and treaded towards the hint of white. It led into a dip in the land, a small cave in the hill. Standing at the foot of the hill, his breath caught in his throat. "That's nae stone ..."

 

 

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Drok squinted across the rolling plains of sand as he trekked through the Knolls beyond the walls of Krugmar, kicking up pale sand as he went. Occasionally, he glanced up towards the star-studded sky and picked out the largest, towards the north, to ensure he followed the right path. His crimson skin itched as the night cold caressed it; after all these years as a hunting Uruk, he could still not wrap his head around how the desert boiled with heat during the day when the sun was a ball of molten gold, yet at night the moon was a beacon of ice, and the Knolls were as chilly as the Yatl Wastelands. It was ironic, then, that he preferred the heat, and yet the best time to hunt was at night.

 

Yet he was not here to hunt; not tonight.

 

Clutching his spiked cleaver, he stifled a vexed sigh as he spotted the wooden palisades on the approaching hilltop, over which the black-and-red banner of Krugmar stirred limply in the cold wind. He lumbered up the slope, a frustrating feat in the thick, loose sand, and half-sprinted up the final stretch until he stood at the foot of the palisades. As usual, the constant snow that dusted the sun-baked wood unnerved Drok. He had never seen such snow, and he had no wish to see in the depths of the desert. Eyeing the white fluff sourly, he stepped within the palisades, and froze. It was his duty, assigned by the Rex himself, to check on the portal that they kept a close watch on, yet what he saw in the archway was not what he usually saw -- normally, a shimmering veil of bright purple, like a million sparkles, hung over the white arch, but Drok found himself staring into space.

 

 

_______________________________________________________

 

For as long as Ioryth could remember, his mother had warned him to stay out of the ruins of Endmoor.

 

Yet he was a grown elf now - nearly thirty-five years of age! - and he had grown sick at the sight of the walls of Caras Eldar, sick of peddling mushrooms at his family's meagre shop. Surely, inside the ruins of Endmoor just a day's walk from the Dominion, he would find adventure. He wound find treasure. He would find something to lift him out of his ordinary life and into a special one. Of course, he had heard the rumours about the apparitions; whatever had left the fortress city in its ruined state, it had been a bloody affair, and now tormented souls walked the forlorn streets. Ioryth was not sure if he beleived it -- he had never been the superstitious sort, but he supposed it was better to be cautious than dead. Unconsciously, he tugged on the bowstring of his supple yew flatbow, and continued his ascent.

 

Boots crunching against the gravel, he continued up towards the city. Even from the winding pathway leading up to him the abandoned city inspired a sense of unease, of impending dread. Thirty-five years, Ioryth had to remind himself. He was a grown elf, and a grown elf did not hide from old dusty cities. He eyed the pale marble statue of the figure overlooking the cities gates from the hilltop. Briefly, he wondered who might have been, but it was impossible to tell, given the millenia of erosion. Before he knew it, he found himself at the gates. The portcullis stood open.

 

"A grown elf, a grown elf ..." He took a breath, and stepped inside the city. He found his treasure straight away.

 

 

 

[BonesOfTheEarth 2252]

Nice

[Inferno_Ougi 1454]

Nice

[Riftblade 856]

Just now, Merisify said:

Nice

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[wolfdwg 2677]

2 minutes ago, Fury_Fire said:

Nice

 

2 minutes ago, Ougi said:

Nice

 

1 minute ago, Merisify said:

Nice

[Noer 577]

Just now, Riftblade said:

Nice

 

1 minute ago, Merisify said:

Nice

 

2 minutes ago, Ougi said:

Nice

 

2 minutes ago, Ougi said:

Nice

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[Jondead 260]

1 minute ago, Riftblade said:

Nice

Nice

[Unwillingly 18122]

Just now, Jondead said:

2 minutes ago, Riftblade said:

Nice

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[Imperium 3495]

cool

[Chase 3793]

Nice

[DrinkPesticide 52]

nice

[Angmarzku 1251]

gay

[DarkElfs 160]

Well. . . the portals are about once more then huh 

 

[Lark 2227]

time to play with portals

[BannedGecko 59]

I think I found the orc one and maybe the holm one