Yeoldebard
-
Posts
2,004 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Forums
Stories
- Stories
- Story Series
- Story Worlds
- Story Collections
- Story Chapters
- Chapter Comments
- Story Reviews
- Story Comments
- Stories Edited
- Stories Beta'd
Blogs
Store
Gallery
Help
Articles
Events
Everything posted by Yeoldebard
-
It took a third day to end the massacre. When Louis returned to camp, they discovered a massive bonfire blazing as soldiers threw cloth, leathers, even some jewellery into the flames. All the spoils of Jaffa were cleansed in fire, and the French even seemed happy to be rid of them. A vicious campaign started through whispers. The army had clearly caught the plague! No, it was just a cold; the plague couldn’t spread in the desert heat. Louis paid little attention to the rumour mill the next d
-
The siege began early in the morning. Set to monitoring the Mediterranean coast against any looming naval support, Louis entertained themself instead by watching the artillery corps heaving guns into place atop low hills, aided by the unfortunate infantry who wandered too close. Fortifications were built against answering fire, and somehow, the army managed to get most of the cannon to within 150 metres of the wooden wall enveloping the hilly city. Officially, the siege didn’t actually start
-
Yep! I had a lot of fun researching the varieties native to that region. Apparently someone recently found a seed that was around 2,000 years old, and was able to make it sprout.
-
Lines scrawled across a parchment, fluctuating between smooth and shaky as Arlo’s ability scores bounced between normal and cursed. He wasn’t directly moving against the crown yet, and the [Geas] wasn’t happy. At the same time, he couldn’t act until the heroes led the charge into Castle Korvosa; Arlo needed their distraction to locate Ileosa and have any chance of besting her. Charging at a well guarded queen with the intent of simply snatching her crown wasn’t exactly conductive toward succes
-
Well into that Egyptian winter, rest eluded Louis. They suppressed revolts in the fall, marching from village to village and burning those who refused to surrender, and marching back upon those who had surrendered but who proceeded to change their minds the second the French had moved on. By the time the revolts had been thoroughly quashed, the 2nd Demi-Brigade was sent along the Nile to the coastal city of Damietta, marching near the entire length through steady rain. There, vague promises we
-
“My strength is not in my sword, but in my heart. If I lose my sword, I have lost a tool. If I betray my heart, I have died.” “We will search. But resurrection is against his wishes. Not only would it dishonour the dead, but it is unlikely to succeed because his soul is unwilling,” Sera said, gently driving the stake into Godwin’s heart. “We will burn his body, and sell his gear when we return to Korvosa, after finding Serithtial and dealing with the undead threat.” The paladin stared at a c
-
They went in hot. Godwin charged through the wide gap in the wall, heading straight for the dragon lurking in the shadows while Arlo covered him with a pistol. Laori’s [Stone Shape] finished a mere second before Sera finished a [Dispel Evil], testing a theory she’d had. If she was right, the dragon would get the hell out of Dodge. If she was wrong… well, the element of surprise was enough to put the wyrm on the back foot. Hopefully. The Pharasmin leapt willingly into the ensuing melee. Godwi
-
“First item of note: the castle is under a [Dimensional Anchor] spell.” The group sat under the dubious shelter of the castle’s barbican, on the mainland side of the causeway. A good distance away, orc bodies burned on a massive fire, all that remained of the tribe that had barred Sial’s and Laori’s approach to Scarwall. Their new allies were definitely powerful enough to help Arlo’s group through the castle. They just had to find a way inside. Arlo turned the Pharasmin swirl over between hi
-
As it turned out, getting a dozen terrified women to follow him had been the easy part — and that was including having to track them all down. The hard part was barring stone doors from an enemy who had no problem commandeering scrolls of [Stone Shape] and flat out deleting the barriers. Arlo thanked Desna’s lucky stars that the sewer entrance was so well hidden. Only one breach in their defences, and that was feasible to plug with his body. And potions. Over a dozen potions. He wasn’t fight
-
Several glass vials shattered on the floor, tossed carelessly over Arlo’s shoulder as he walked. Waste of resources, but also a nice ball of yarn in this labyrinth. He didn’t know where Godwin and Sera were, they didn’t know where he was, at this point, Arlo was going to assume the worst and do what he could to finish the mission. Well, finish part of the mission, at least. Come what may, he was freeing Commander Endrin. If he could, Arlo would add a couple more assassinations to his list, but
-
They met at dusk in the sewers. It was the best Arlo could think up. Dawn? Too obvious; every sneak assault happened at dawn to capitalise on tired guards. Midnight? Nah, that was a pretty standard shift change and they’d probably hit four guards instead of two. Dusk? Start of the watch. Eyes were fresh, guards were ready and waiting. It would be beyond stupid for someone to assault their defences right now. Which was exactly why Arlo had picked dusk. So stupid, no one would ever think they’
-
Here's hoping Louis is one of the lucky ones.
-
They were forced to leave Rusne behind. Arlo all but demanded the Shoanti do everything magically possible to return her to Janderhoff, to bring her home so her family could mourn properly. Ceta assured him he’d see her personally to the Karrow Mounds, their ancestral burial grounds, where representatives from the Skoan-quah could prepare her body for long travel and return her to the dwarves. Not mollified in the slightest, Arlo spent the next day speeding through the skies in a fog. Literall
-
The next week saw a long march along the Nile. Compared to the race to Rosetta, this trek was made in relative comfort. Louis was able to dunk their coat into the river — albeit under supervision of Sakis lest their arm be claimed by the river as well — and soak their pants, ensuring a cool march through the desert heat and warm nights cocooned in their heavy fabric. By now, Louis was adept at reading the signs of fortune. When they were pressed onward in an overnight march, they determined ba
-
When the Moon Maidens said their tribe would take a few days to arrive, Arlo hadn’t realised they meant actual DAYS. He was a swashbuckling Vigilante, not a ranger. What was he even supposed to do out here? Arlo had snapped off a [Sending] to Coradiel the morning after his vision — well, Sera had snapped off a confused message on his behalf — telling Coradiel to browse Jorgenfist for an immortality artefact used by Runelord Sorshen, and to make sure any information he found was erased permanentl
-
Arlo touched his new rapier. The world slowed. He pulled his hand away, and the world sped up again. Ah, [Speed] weapons. He’d never realised they were so incredible. Wait, that wasn’t true; seeing Coradiel blur into action against giants was pretty damned incredible. Arlo just had never experienced that benefit for himself. Hells, with one touch to his new rapier, Arlo could take a moment to breathe and ponder any question he was asked. And it gave [Dexterity] to damage, AND its [Brilliant En
-
Dwarves were famous for their smiths and warriors. The concept of dwarf mages was laughable. Divine casters, sure; they had [Wisdom] by the bucketful. Arcane? Nah, baseline [Intelligence] and the average dwarf was well handicapped when it came to [Charisma]. Though… where did all the dwarf-made magic weapons and armour come from then? Maybe Rusne had a point. There weren’t a bunch of dwarves in the Theumanexus College, but upon request, one dwarf was summoned to the guest hall — can’t have tho
-
Arlo had never bothered with a familiar. He just was not good with pets. Or children, for that matter. Too messy. He wasn’t sure what exactly a familiar offered its master, but looking at Godwin, there had been a lot more going on than Arlo suspected. Some sort of empathic bond? The paladin had constantly been talking to Zuriel since the Hospice, in a way that heavily suggested a language barrier had dropped. And she had been a pet. Losing that was hard enough without the extra baggage. Arlo
-
Sera pulled the lever. Arlo crouched as the world turned slowly. Thunderous grinding erupted, a sound that was sure to be the rakshasa’s dinner bell. So be it. He scribbled across a large scroll, signalling a short, wide hall with two passages at the end. Raising his hand, Arlo closed his eyes as the thunder returned, as the world swayed. And another passage appeared within the stone, a narrower passage that widened into another short hall, with a right hand turn. Arlo scribbled that onto th
-
Arlo stared at the rolling waters 20 feet below, trying to divine their depths through sight alone. His spider sense was tingling. Okay, it tingled maybe eighteen hours out of the day, but still. He didn’t like the look of that water. Godwin knocked sharply on the sealed door once more, third time’s the charm. Except it wasn’t. Arlo pulled himself away from the water to rejoin the group by the warden’s room. “No answer,” he noted pointlessly. “I say we head for the double doors instead. Th
-
Breakfast was a tense affair. Arlo sat back against a wall, munching through a biscuit idly while the rest of the group watched with varying degrees of hostility. He didn’t mind — he’d already explained his plan, his reasoning. They were on a schedule, and that schedule meant they couldn’t hit the Arkonas until at least 9 o’clock. Eating breakfast was a great way to kill some of the time left to them. They were still on the move by 7, hopping the Jeggare River to Endrin Isle once more. Weaving
-
They refused to approach the river after Sakis’ death. It meant Louis’ throat dried out again, their head started aching once more, as they drained the last of their water, but Louis was adamant. Whatever was lurking in that river, whatever had ripped off Sakis’ arm nearly to the shoulder, it was not getting a taste of Louis. The army slept once more in the field. Louis curled up in a cart, clutching their coat tight around them to ward off the desert cold. They were on the move before dawn br
-
Careful eyes swept around the desolate street. Only when it became obvious no one waited in ambush did Arlo emerge from the alley they’d teleported into. “So, bit of accounting to settle before we begin,” he said, still looking around. “That rod is not a Lesser Enlarge Rod. It’s a normal rod, for one simple fact: [Dimension Door] is a Tier 4 spell, and lesser rods can only accommodate Tier 3 spells or lower. The price, then, runs closer to 10,000 gold.” His eyes settled on Rusne, who had mad
-
A week passed in interminable slowness. A week sitting on his ass while the city drove deeper and deeper into the schemes of a tyrant. A week of Godwin asking, “What do you hope for this day? What tasks do you hope to accomplish?” He rarely had an answer. Days like these, days in between action, when all could be quiet and calm, when he could indulge in a fantasy of peace and safety, there was little Arlo could think to accomplish. Small things, Godwin suggested. “I hope to have the wall p
-
Arlo woke in a puddle of warmth. Limbs tangled within limbs, chests rose against each other, fading back upon contact, and naked crotches rubbed tiredly, pleasant dreams stoking the heat of very real thrusts. He lay across Godwin, Coradiel’s lips exhaling softly against his lower back. A cock poked into Arlo’s stomach, grinding helplessly, and he breathed out slowly, taking it in hand. The member throbbed in his grasp, and Arlo wasted no time stroking, easing Godwin’s body into a quick, tight
