Yeoldebard
-
Posts
2,013 -
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
Help Center
Writing
Gallery
Events
Everything posted by Yeoldebard
-
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
-
They stood outside Bookmaker, taking in the large three-storey building. “Take him to a book store.” Coradiel’s voice played back in Godwin’s mind. He had a bad feeling about this, but Arlo had told them to act natural. This was anything but normal. Still, the excited gleam in Arlo’s eye at the sight of the store made Godwin’s stomach flip. No matter how many Grey Maidens they’d had to pass, no matter what nebulous traumas awaited in the future, Godwin could have this moment, here and now,
-
“Announcing the Korvosan Four: Master Arlo of the Orisini Academy, Mistress Rusne, Dame Sera of Pharasma’s church, Sir Godwin of Iomedae’s church. Each a distinguished individual, united in the defence of Korvosa.” The herald’s words fell on deaf ears. Quiet conversation continued between the gathered nobles, each clustered in tiny groups throughout a wide hall. It made the throne room feel much larger than it actually was. Flickering braziers offered a warm light that stretched into the mage-
-
Arlo left before dawn. A hastily scribbled note explaining his departure was weighed down by twenty gold sails. The creaking door no doubt told the whole house of his absence, and Arlo melted into the shadows before Tayce could catch him. He just knew she’d argue about the money. But the Soldados would need all the help they could get in Magnimar. Arlo was happy to offer a little more. And he was eager to move. Fragments drifted in his mind, disembodied voices that starred in his latest nigh
-
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and... Opium?
Yeoldebard commented on Yeoldebard's story chapter in Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and... Opium?
One must imagine the poor crocodile being utterly confused when its tasty morsel vanished mid bite. -
Andaisin’s body crackled with unholy power. Torrents of phlegm and bile congealed around her, and boils and pustules grew before exploding across her body. A claw formed from the rainbow of revolting humours, growing steadily into a scythe on the undead’s hand. It hissed through the air as Andaisin rose above the ground to float just out of melee reach. Arlo’s pistol shattered the eerie silence of the undead’s transformation. Andaisin’s head snapped back as a hole punched through her skull. Sh
-
He floated in darkness, waiting, watching. Sakis remained between realities, and for only one reason: Louis still lived. They slumped in on themself, utterly ignored by the soldiers splashing through the river while officers futilely tried to restore order. Under the shade of a tree, the worst of the sun was diverted, and with a mild breeze whispering off sea and river, Louis was in the best spot they could be under the circumstances. But would it be enough? Sakis knew the drill — the instan
-
Warmth. Weight. Comfort. “Arlo, I need to pee.” “Mhm…” The bedroom flickered around them, though there was no sign of a candle. Wrapping an arm around Godwin, Arlo sank back into the mattress, letting it engulf him- “I really need to pee.” “Okay,” he murmured, holding Godwin tighter. A soft gasp… then, “Do… you want me to…?” “Go pee...” Oblivion hovered, then swooped like a hawk, knocking Arlo off a cliff. Warmth. Weight. Wet. Arlo swam in a sun-baked lake. Heat sprea
-
Magic had no grounding in scientific fact. It operated on its own rules. Given enough experience, a wizard could fundamentally alter the entire universe. Alchemy suffered similar problems. How was horse hair supposed to cure blindness? At least some things were realistic: Saltpeter and black powder still went boom no matter what plane you were on. Even with bumping his [Craft: Alchemy] as high as he could get it, Arlo still found the notes he dug through confusing; not least because some wer
-
“Alright, let’s get this party started.” Arlo strode up to the double doors, reaching for his bag. He froze as his stump bumped the haversack. Right… two handed operations were flat out. No disabling traps, no unlocking doors. “I don’t suppose anyone else knows how to disarm a magical trap,” he said, looking around at his companions. The Deer stepped forward, raising his hands. A sonorous chant rumbled from behind his mask, and the air changed. Gone was the miasma of death and despair. Gon
-
Torchlight spilled out from the guard post, properly illuminating the carnage before them. “How did you two see them?” Godwin demanded as Arlo explored the guard post. “Darkvision,” the kitsune brushed off, prying open an empty crate. Nothing. Not even any proper weapons. He was more than a little disappointed — what kind of guard post was this? Stepping over the dead bodies — bodies he had killed — Arlo motioned to the other door. “We need to find a way around these doors,” he said. “Th
