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Within and around Iglavik and Narrowdep, an increase in lunatic children is reported. Numerous children claim a Voice spoke to them, when they were near the portal stone light beam. Adults are skeptical about these stories. Healers, priests, philosophers, and exorcists have begun to gather within these two regions, proclaiming causes and attempting cures.
Over the last two years Iglavik had accepted the light column as a mundane local landmark. Perhaps pets behaved bizarrely. Perhaps commanders knew not to march beasts past the stones. Perhaps local wildlife avoided a square mile around the light beam. But otherwise life went on as normal.So it was just another day in Iglavik when a young boy ran away from his mommy and daddy to climb a peak of the Snaketooth Mountains. He wasn't paying a lot of attention to the fact he chose the peak bearing eight portal stones assembled within a circle shooting a beam of light into the sky. That is until the buzzing got louder. But by then he was committed to the climb. He soon reached the summit and cast his gaze upon that below. Tired from his long hike, he sat down to rest his legs and enjoy a snack."Hey, little boy, come here," whispered a Voice.Jumping to his feet in surprise, the boy failed to see anyone around, "Where are you?" he shouted."Come to the light," was the response.The boy's eyes widened unconsciously as he clambered towards the light beam, getting within arm's reach. He remembered when the portal stones were first set there had been many town notices, and a couple stern lectures from his parents, about avoiding anything to do with it. But that had been two years ago. Little care regarding the column of light seemed to exist now. Besides, his parents were mean. What did they know about portal stones anyway? They were only coopers. Why he had heard an adventurer passing through town explain that you could use a portal stone to..."Gellin Kye, you have been chosen for a quest," the Voice loudly interrupted the boy's thoughts, addressing him by name.The boy was excited, "A quest? Really?!? What for?!""Where for," the Voice replied matter of factly. Continuing, "You are to travel to each capital. At each capital and along the journey to each capital, tell the tale of what happens here today. When in Corali Forest, warn them of grave danger for messing with that they do not understand.Seek out those fond of cold. Gather those with the spirit of a fox. Find those who excel at sprinting. I want those of an innocent, loner, direct temperament.Summon adventurer, knight, lord, duke, and royal alike. Let adventurers bring their most prized unique item, knights donate the best ware of their estate, lords present the most esteemed export of their region, dukes gift the pride and glory of their duchy, and rulers offer the most excellent of their realm. Let all sacrifice that most valued to the Pyre of Plenty!"The Voice deepened, "It is paramount that more and superior sacrifices are brought here than are brought to Narrowdep. Should the Pyre of Plenty be superior to the Bonfire of Bounty, perhaps, perhaps, perhaps I will be able to bless those in Iglavik.""What type of blessing?" Gellin inquired.The Voice ignored his question, "Hey, thanks for not running away screaming when I spoke like all the other boys and girls did before you. But now, Go!"The air was getting chilly. Still mad at his parents, and excited for adventure promised by a voice from a light beam, six-year-old Gellin set off down the mountain and out across the Colonies upon his journey.
Life had acclimated to the light beam within Narrowdep in a short time. Why hadn't there been such a light beam within Iglavik for over two years with no strange occurrences besides abnormal animal behavior the closer one got to the column of light? So it was not unusual that a young girl was gathering water from a well at an oasis, about thirty feet from the portal stones.It was unusual that a Voice spoke from the light column, "pssst, come here".The little girl was given such a fright she spilled the water she'd just collected. After not seeing anyone around, she felt both reassured and yet scared of what may lurk out of sight. With a timid, terrified voice, she meekly called out, "Hello?""Yes. You. Come here, little girl," came the response.Sensing the voice's direction more clearly now, she gingerly approached the column of light. It hadn't ever been discussed, but she'd always had the impression she was to avoid it as much as possible.Her guilt mounting, she stopped about ten feet from the portal, then retreated a few more feet and stood around awkwardly, when the Voice spoke again, "What's your name?""Henri," the little girl peeped up.There was a long pause."Is your brother Sue?" the Voice finally spoke, when the little girl impatiently prepared to leave."No, I don't have any brothers, at least not...", she skeptically answered.The Voice interrupted, "Nevermind that. Anyway, what's your clan? Your people? Your surname?""I am of the Tandaros, desert-dwellers as long as family memory holds," she stated with defiant pride, hands upon her hips."Well, pleased to meet you Henri Tandaros of Narrowdep. I have chosen you for a very important mission," the Voice paused for effect before continuing, "You are to travel to each capital. At each capital and along the journey to each capital, spread word of this moment. When in Frundi, warn them of grave danger for messing with that they do not understand.Seek out those fond of heat. Gather those with the spirit of a snake. Find those who excel at marathons. I want those of a cautious, communal, polite temperament.Summon adventurer, knight, lord, duke, and royal alike. Let adventurers bring their most prized unique item, knights donate the best ware of their estate, lords present the most esteemed export of their region, dukes gift the pride and glory of their duchy, and rulers offer the most excellent of their realm. Let all sacrifice that most valued to the Bonfire of Bounty!"The Voice deepened, "It is paramount that more and superior sacrifices are brought here than are brought to Iglavik. Should the Bonfire of Bounty be superior to the Pyre of Plenty, maybe, maybe, maybe I will be able to bless those in Narrowdep.""Who are you?!?" Henri interjected incredulously."Go," the Voice commanded.Try as she might to get the column of light to reply to her, it spoke no more, and she soon began to feel a bit silly shouting at the light beam to say something. Returning to the oasis, she fetched herself a drink, being parched from all that desert dialogue. As she drank the cool water, she thought upon what had just occurred.It didn't take long for her to conclude that she was not crazy and that she, at a whole seven years of age, was going on an adventure across the Colonies regardless of what her parents had to say. Actually, probably better not to tell them about any of this until she got back from her adventure. Still, she had been spent to gather water for the household. She may be plotting to run away on an adventure once her parents were asleep, but she had always been taught to finish her chores, and finish them before leaving she would.
Letter from Rolf Cruscavas Message sent to everyone in Iglavik (4 recipients) - 5 days, 10 hours, 43 minutes agoSir Jitney, Sir Zane, greetings.While we would enjoy hosting you in our dungeons, the experience will be considerably less pleasant for you. So leave. Now. For Oritolon,Rolf CruscavasKing of OritolonRoyal of Oritolon
message to everyone in the vicinity of Narrowdep - 5 days, 7 hours, 25 minutes agoAltard the Adventurer was camped near the magic beam when a Voice from within announced, "Sacrifice your Best". Such was the loudness of the Voice that it echoed through The Arakir.
Roleplay from Zane Ilwaukim Message sent to everyone in Iglavik (4 recipients) - 5 days, 5 hours, 15 minutes agoZane points at the magic beam and shrugs.
message to everyone in the vicinity of Iglavik - 5 days, 4 hours, 36 minutes agoMid-shrug, the Voice from within announced, "Sacrifice your Best," and fire scorched the air above Zane, singeing his hair.
Roleplay from Zane Ilwaukim Message sent to everyone in Iglavik (5 recipients) - 5 days, 2 hours, 6 minutes agoZane looks over at the stone gargoyle statue next to him, seemingly oblivious to the smoke coming off his hair."Mortimer, you've improved your ventriloquism. I could have sworn I heard that coming from above me."Zane pauses and cocks an ear toward the statue, as if listening to a voice nobody else can hear."Oh fine, I'll play along. 'Sacrifice your best' you say? I seem to have left my best in the pocket of my other robe." Zane looks around and his gaze falls on Jitney. A thoughtful, and somewhat evil, grin slowly spreads across his face. "Take Jitney. He's twice the knight most realms seem to produce. There's a reason we call him Jitney Two-Times."Zane dope-slaps the statue on the back of the head, "Shut up Mortimer. Get those rocks you have for brains out of the gutter."
Roleplay from Mortimer Message sent to everyone in Iglavik (5 recipients) - 5 days, 1 hour, 44 minutes agoNobody knows where the granite statue of a gargoyle came from or how it arrived in Igalvik. One moment it was just an empty spot next to a crossroads. The next, a granite statue of a gargoyle was sitting there. When Zane breezed through in his palanquin the statue appeared completely uninterested. Unsurprising since it is a statue. Strangely, though, when the bystanders looked back at the statue after looking away something seems subtly different. As if the statue moved when nobody was looking.When the light spoke of sacrificing our best, everyone looked up - if for no other reason than to mock Zane and his smouldering hair. When the noise died down, however, someone noticed the gargoyle was now holding a matte black arrow in its hand. The arrow was held up in gesture of giving or offering of a sort, although a peasant who tried to grab it was unable to pull it from the statue's fist. As night fell the gargoyle nearly disappeared in the darkness, silhouetted by the burning light, its stone arm outstretched.
Pyre of Plenty message to everyone in the vicinity of Iglavik - 3 days, 20 hours, 59 minutes agoSeveral peasants had attempted to free the arrow from the statue's grasp. All had failed.Another group was trying when fire flared from the column of light towards them. They scattered away just in time.As the flames reached the arrow, the statue's hand was activated by the heat and released the arrow. The tendril of fire extending from the beam of light followed the arrow's fall to the ground, where it consumed the arrow.The fire-tendril withdrew back into the column of light upon the Dark Arrow's destruction, yet the ground remained afire and kept burning without any fuel source. The Pyre of Plenty had begun, ready for sacrifices to be added to its flames.The Voice then spoke, "Zane does not own Jitney."
Roleplay from Oak Message sent to all adventurers in the vicinity of Narrowdep (8 recipients) - 3 days, 10 hours, 50 minutes agoSmiling as he walks to the bonfire of Narrowdep, Oak proceeds to offer Brilliant Aegir to the bonfire.
Pyre of Plenty message to everyone in the vicinity of Iglavik - 2 hours, 47 minutes agoThe Pyre of Plenty crackled in approval at Grob's sacrifice, consuming his black diamond, wyvern scales, two golden idols, ancient documents, and wootz.When Raziella brought her sacrifices, there was a roar of approval. Yet as she disrespectfully tossed and threw her sacrifices into the Pyre, the fire was only satiated by the variety of her sacrifice. It seemed she had brought her whole estate with her. Dates, figs, bananas, mangos, coconuts, papayas, coffee beans, tobacco leaves, ikrif leaves, corn, rice, sugarcane, and yams at first. Yet if you thought she was done, next were sacrificed a basketful of tilapia, three ducks, a goat, two large turkeys, four iguanas, seven chameleons, a giraffe, and twelve monkeys. All living when sacrificed except the giraffe. And then priceless emu oil! Yet still was she not done. Cookies baked the night before and freshly-made pancakes were sacrificed too. And for the final sacrifice, her estate's best cook, an elderly woman. The Pyre of Plenty grew and grew.Bonfire of Bounty
message to everyone in the vicinity of Narrowdep - 2 hours, 35 minutes agoThe Forbidden Mallet was dropped into the Bonfire of Bounty by Altard and the flames seemed to sing a delightful melody while consuming the forbidden hammer. As Oak tossed his first 30 gold, then 60 gold more, the flames sparkled as they consumed his sacrifice.Grob mimed sacrificing the same items he had sacrificed in Narrowdep, but he didn't possess any of the actual items. The Voice in the light-column growled. (OOC: My apologies for the slow response)Oak joined Grob in mime-sacrificing, preparing to contribute 100 more gold to make sparkly flames while he only possessed 14 gold coins. Flicking those 14 golden coins into the fire, he proceeded to act as if he were flicking another 86 coins he didn't possess into the fire. The Bonfire of Bounty flared at Oak, knocking him backwards.
Roleplay from Zane Ilwaukim Message sent to everyone in Iglavik (5 recipients) - 2 hours, 20 minutes agoZane climbs down out of his palanquin and watches the lesser folk tossing their meager belongings into the Pyre. He glances over at the gargoyle statue, "You too, Mortimer? How very ... plebeian of you." Zane sighs dramatically. "Oh very well. I suppose you're right. Mistress Blüdyknückles!"A tall, cadaverously-thin woman in a severe black dress steps forward from Zane's entourage. She bows silently, awaiting her lord's command."Have the eunuchs take my beloved palanquin into the Pyre."The four huge albino eunuchs holding the palanquin's poles all look at each other. They likely would have objected had Zane not had their tongues removed years ago. After their moment of mutual dismay they bow their heads in resigned acceptance, knowing the agony inflicted upon them for disobedience would last far longer than whatever effect the Pyre would have on them. So for the last time they lift the now-empty palanquin and march forward into the Pyre.star
Seven Days Remain - Team Iglavik or Team Narrowdep? message to everyone on Colonies - 1 hour, 36 minutes agoAcross the Colonies two Voices speak, so close in sequence to one another that it sounds like one voice echoing, "Seven days remain to sacrifice the Best that you own in," the last word is garbled.Some claim they heard 'Iglavik' while others claim they heard 'Narrowdep'. Furious debate upon what was said arises.
Roleplay from Mortimer Message sent to everyone in Iglavik (5 recipients) - just inSeveral enterprising peasants put their heads together and decide the gargoyle statue itself would make a fine sacrifice in the Pyre. They gather up a mob of strapping young farmers and laborers and attempt to drag the statue into the Pyre. After several hours of sweating and straining they have been unable to move the statue at all - much to the amusement of the onlookers. Unwilling to be bested by a chunk of granite, several of the farmhands run off to their farms to retrieve their draft teams and some harnesses. After collecting an impressive array of horse and oxen power, the would-be sacrificers tried once again. Oxen lowed, horses strained, peasants cursed, harnesses and ropes broke, onlookers laughed and laughed. Exhausted and dejected, the mob shamefacedly melted back into the surrounding lands.The statue remained. Unmoved.
When Danya set her eight portal stones in a circle within Iglavik and initiated a second column of light within one region, concern spread throughout the encampment surrounding the Pyre of Plenty. It was known that a second set of active portal stones within the same region as another often resulted in chaotic instability and light columns collapsing catastrophically. Had Danya just ruined everyone's sacrifices by setting her eight portal stones in a circle?The two columns of light seemed to struggle against one another, flickering on and off, magic-lightning flashing across the clouds at each other. The Voice in the first light column shouted angrily at the second light column. The Pyre of Plenty's flames receded. The first column lightened in its purple hue to a soft lavender.But the combined magnitude of sacrifices within Iglavik sustained the first column of light. The first light column's magic-lightning struck the second column of light's portal stones at its base, shattering the column of light and throwing magical light-shards across the Colonies. These light-shards found themselves attracted to the most magical of Colonial regions and to portal stones carried by adventuring commoners.Throughout the Colonies, portal stone carrying adventurers find themselves wounded proportionally to the quantity of stones carried as their stones are zapped by magic lightning, thus exploding their mystical rocks. Aethelgyth, Altard, Louise, Moshe, Oak, and Newton find themselves lightly wounded, Aodh, Erya, Macguyver, and Sven find themselves wounded, Hogni the Undying finds himself seriously wounded, and Colin, Jasper, Joan, Ludmilla, and Yallbin find themselves critically wounded. Eleanor is left nearly dying.From the most magical of Colonial regions to the least:In Frundi, light shards activate Eleanor's Curse of Rust scroll which randomly targets the Black Bolts with its curse. Light shards kill 1200 people and nourish the growth of more monsters and undead in the region.In Corali Forest, light shards kill 800 people and nourish the growth of more monsters and undead in the region.In Nidalery, light shards activate two of Colin's scrolls, blessing Blackpike with magical armour, but also striking fear into Blackpike. Monsters are summoned by Colin's third activated scroll. Light shards kill 1022 people and nourish the growth of more monsters and undead in the region.In Naan Forest, McTavish Weisz accidentally confuses their bottle of poison with their bottle of beer, and then slips and falls in the bath, due to being randomly targeted by two of Kharyn Kye JeVondair's Accident scrolls. Yet there remains a happy end for McTavish Weisz as the light shards also activate Kharyn Kye JeVondair's Healing scroll, which fortunately selects him for its blessing. Light shards kill 280 people and nourish the growth of more monsters and undead in the region.Light shards kill 1729 people in Outer Tilog, 360 people in Maira Merani, 784 people in Hulaferd, 720 people in Asker, and 176 people in Vir el Mari heights, while monsters reproduce and undead infect.In Hilly Holes, the light shards illuminate a lost unique item. Nobility decide to determine its owner by playing a game of headball and Gerald tentil becomes the proud new owner of the Thrice-Blessed Oil. The Thorns of Lancaster are blessed with magic weapons by Edwin Burep's Magic Weapons scroll. Light shards kill 498 people and nourish the growth of more monsters and undead in the region.In Irdalni, rotten food is discovered and thrown out after Sapiens Dulcis's Decay scroll is activated. Light shards kill 684 people and nourish the growth of more monsters and undead in the region.Light shards kill 414 people in Grentzen and 300 people in Drenga, while monsters reproduce and undead infect.In Rollsovar, rotten food is discovered and thrown out after Turloch Spearhawk's Decay scroll is activated. Light shards kill 480 people and nourish the growth of more monsters and undead in the region.In Rola Sierrie, rotten food is discovered and thrown out after Macguyver's Decay scroll is activated. Webin suffers two splashes of acid from Macguyver's Splash of Acid scroll. Light shards kill 420 people and nourish the growth of more monsters and undead in the region.In Narrowdep, Oak is bitten by a scorpion thanks to Aethelgyth's Accident scroll. Undead are summoned, and if that isn't enough, some good ole morale panic is spread throughout the region due to Aethelgyth's Panic and Summon Undead scrolls. Light shards kill 180 people and nourish the growth of more monsters and undead in the region.In Reckrandi, light shards kill 360 people and nourish the growth of more monsters and undead in the region.In Giblot, monsters are summoned by Godric Altenahr's Summon Monster scroll. Light shards kill 848 people and nourish the growth of more monsters and undead in the region.Light shards kill 477 people in Abaka, 350 people in Briarull, and 270 people in Bode Batura, while monsters reproduce and undead infect.In Alowca, Alec Moore is in a building when it collapses due to being randomly targetted by Cassandra Foxglove's Accident scroll. Myles Vilanova is playing in the city's canal when a flash food goes by as a result of Idaho Gildre's Accident scroll. The Carpi are splashed with acid by Cassandra Foxglove's Splash of Acid scroll while the Launchers are splashed with acid by Idaho Gildre's Splash of Acid scroll. Myles Vilanova finds himself healed by Idaho Gildre's Healing scroll. Light shards kill 585 people and nourish the growth of more monsters and undead in the region.In Alebad, light shards kill 774 people and nourish the growth of more monsters and undead in the region.In Iglavik, monsters are summoned by Elrond Edain's Summon Monster scroll. Light shards kill 180 people and nourish the growth of more monsters and undead in the region.Light shards kill 150 people in Windaria, 120 people in Helsera, 140 people in Wirkfyr, and 80 people in Krunari, while monsters reproduce and undead infect. in Highglades, light shards miraculously miss everyone - all 23 of them.In Oritolon, the Special Forces are splashed with acid by Ares Manor's Splash of Acid scroll. Light shards kill 306 people and nourish the growth of more monsters and undead in the region.Light shards kill 156 people in Portion, 90 people in Koolaris, 40 people in Dalverdy, 90 people in Adaria, 50 people in Crifts, 40 people in Pirht, and 80 people in Kadnala, while monsters reproduce and undead infect.In Lukon, the light shards illuminate a lost unique item. Nobility decide to determine its owner by drawing sticks, and Gama Wader becomes the proud new owner of the Grisly Codpiece. Light shards kill 96 people and nourish the growth of more monsters and undead in the region.By the time its over, the Colonies' regions have been drained of their existing magic and the second column of light within Iglavik is gone.
