Forbidden Paths - Previous Turns Turn #1 - posted 11/01/1999 Intro [applicable to all characters except Shade, Tilara, and Kiara]: You twitch violently as if suddenly awakened from a terrifying nightmare, and stagger to your feet from the cold earth where you must have collapsed. Your head throbs with pain, and you sway as you try to recall what happened - where are you? A sharp memory jabs at your mind and jolts you to full consciousness. Frightened, you try to slow your rapid breathing. You strain your ears to listen for others present, but only your heart beats with deafening sound amidst the deathly silence that immerses you. You realize that you are alone in what looks to be the same room where ten tall figures cloaked in black surrounded you only moments before. The room feels somehow - wrong, and your eyes dart to the only door as an unnatural chill begins to seep into your flesh. You don't know who or what might be outside waiting for you; but an eerie, prickly feeling running up your spine convinces you that there is no time to hesitate. In a sudden flurry of movement, you bolt for the door and throw yourself against it. The exit opens easily, and what you see next stops you as effectively as if you had run into a stone wall. A new thought enters your mind, and with its arrival, all others disappear. ...And so it begins... Your surroundings seem hazy and unstable. Objects glimpsed out of the corner of the eye only solidify once they are in your direct line of vision. Attributing this to your recent unconsciousness, and panicked state, you tightly close your eyes, then slowly open them. This time everything looks normal, except you seem to be in an entirely different place. You whip around to face the dome you just exited only to find it gone! Again your surroundings blur, and you shift locations... --------------------- [The following applies to Randoer and Zizzle]: The wind howled through the trees like a million disembodied voices crying out in anguish. It toyed with the camp's fire, threatening to extinguish the weak flames and leave the human alone in the dark woods. Although it wasn't a cold night, Randoer rubbed his hands together to warm them from a sudden chill in the air. He did not know how he arrived in this place, nor did he remember setting up camp and starting a fire. Randoer was no stranger to trouble, and he sensed it near tonight. His keen ears caught a rustling sound in the bushes some distance away, and he prayed it was Tjalve, his wolf friend, returning from his nightly hunt. The animal had been gone for longer than usual, and Randoer was beginning to worry. He had raised Tjalve from a pup, and the wolf had saved his life more than once. It would comfort Randoer to have his furry friend near tonight. A peculiar glow shone from the sprite's eyes as she hid in the night. Shades of violet swirled in one eye as she blinked, and the other emitted a bright emerald green. Her metallic blue hair danced with the breeze as Zizzle countered for a sudden gust of wind. Zizzle hovered silently in the trees - observing a young human as he tended to his small fire. The boy wore neither shirt nor shoes, revealing a muscular upper body - well bronzed from what had to be long hours outdoors. His black leather pants were faded and worn, and ended at his knees. The studded leather harness that adorned his chest held arrows and a sword, and a dagger hung from his belt. The boy's weapons and alert posture spoke of one familiar to hunting and tracking - that, along with his tattered clothing labeled him a rogue. Zizzle wondered how this human had arrived in this place (the heavens knew where or what it was!). Her innate curiosity as a sprite overpowered her sense of caution, and as she moved closer to the camp, she accidentally brushed against the thick foliage. --------------------- [The following applies to Tigre, Shade, and Telchar]: The crowd in the arena erupted into cheers of delight and bloodlust as Telchar's blade sliced through the air where his black-clad opponent's head had been only a moment before. Telchar seethed with anger. The figure he fought must have been one of those in the dome who sent him to this horrid place, but the full-hood he wore secured his anonymity. Now, they were trying to kill each other. Telchar's rage inhibited him from noticing that he wore an identical costume himself. Tigre glared from beneath his dark hood at his black-clad attacker. The hood slipped lower, and he pushed it back a few inches to better see. He did not remember donning the outfit he now wore, but there was no time to think about that now. His opponent had to be a magic user-all those who surrounded him at the dome were - yet; he fought like a warrior. Tigre shook his head - it was impossible, no magic user could fight like that. The thought nagged at Tigre's mind, but he continued to battle the figure he believed to be his captor. A third figure moved in the arena, and the combatants paused to consider its potential threat. This figure wore no cloak, nor hood, but shadows played around its features like a mistress flirting with her lover. The figure was obviously human - a thin, tall man with black hair whose dark eyes seemed to bore through to the very soul. Shade's body placed his age in the mid-twenties, but his face said otherwise. His was the face of someone that had experienced tragedies beyond his years, and aged him accordingly. A matching set of scars accentuated his cheeks, and seemed to deepen his ever-present scowl. "Fools!" The force with which Shade intoned the word caused both Telchar and Tigre to step back in surprise. "Neither of you are of any use to me dead - come with me if you wish to live again." The crowd cheered on, seemingly unaware of the intruder's presence, while Tigre and Telchar processed Shade's words. --------------------- [The following applies to Amber, Gismo, Zanth, and Thurzig]: You find yourself continuing to shift realities, seemingly unable to latch onto any particular one. Something seems wrong, as if this were a dream - better yet, a nightmare. You can't shake the feeling that you are not really physically here and try to concentrate on touching anything solid. You are unable to do so-everything you touch, including yourself, feels immaterial. As you are about to scream out in defeat and give in to whatever has you in its power; two figures appear in front of you and motion for you to follow. What should you do? ------end--of--turn------ back to top Turn #2 - posted 11/08/1999 [The following applies to Amber, Gismo, Zanth, and Thurzig]: The images of the figures in front of you flicker one final time and fade out of existence. Where they stood only moments before, a ball of swirling light now hovers. You begin to sigh, releasing mixed feelings of relief and frustration, but stop short when you realize three other figures have appeared near you. You notice that the four of you stand in the form of a cross, the center of which intersects where the ball of light rests. These other figures do not seem to be apparitions, but physical beings just as yourself. --------------------- The four figures remained solid amidst their ever-changing surroundings. Each carefully studied the others, wary of the glowing sphere that separated them, and mentally noted what they observed. To one side crouched a small dwarf - Thurzig Luscan. Thurzig was unusually thin for a dwarf, and clad in blue and white cloth, unlike the normal browns and grays a dwarf would normally wear. His rich brown hair was tied back in a single ponytail that fell to his waist, and his chestnut eyes stared inquisitively at everything about him. The small, neatly trimmed beard protruding from his jaw twitched as if he were about to speak. Directly across from the dwarf stood Zanth DarkChyld - a human. Zanth stepped back, seemingly uncomfortable near the other three. He obviously did not like to be where he was, and hatred burned in glowing red eyes from beneath the hood of his black cloak. The others involuntarily shuddered as they remembered the black-clad figures that surrounded them before they came to this place. The other two figures who stood across from each other were both human, and obviously female. Gismo had long, black hair and brown eyes. She was in her late teens, and approaching true womanhood. She wore a red dress with white lettering embroidered on the hem. Although no one else present could read the writing, they knew that only a priestess would wear the decoration. Gismo seemed to be in a sort of trance, as though intoning a spell, and her eyes constantly scanned the sky. The other girl, Amber, stood about five and a half feet tall, and wore a dress that both allowed her to move about easily and accentuated her highly feminine figure. Gorgeous black hair framed Amber's smiling face, and her green eyes were almost seductive. At first glance, Amber seemed soft and fragile, but a more careful study would reveal nicely toned muscles, and the stance of someone trained in the arts of combat. Gismo suddenly lowered her eyes from the sky and leveled them directly at the ball of light in front of her. "I sense nothing here," she said, "but from the three of you, and a kind of echo from this light. It's as though everything around us is dead." "Not dead - it was never alive." Zanth spoke so softly that the others barely heard him. "I can't stand this...need to get out!" Amber frowned, these two made no sense. She preferred action to talk. Suiting her actions to her mood, she stepped toward the light and reached out as if to touch it. As she extended her arm, the light bent toward her as if to draw her in. The movement caught Amber off guard, and she withdrew her hand. The light returned to its previous shape. --------------------- [The following applies to Randoer and Zizzle]: Randoer strained his ears, but did not hear anything more from the direction the sound had come. Looking around nervously, he decided that investigating the noise was better than sitting and doing nothing. Randoer truly hoped to see a large timber wolf emerge from the woods any second, but was not optimistic. Everything that had happened since coming to this light-forsaken place had filled Randoer with fear and dread, and venturing into the unfamiliar woods at night was not his idea of fun. Yet, he could not rest until he found Tjalve, or dropped from exhaustion. Zizzle watched as Randoer stood up and turned to face her direction. She couldn't help but wonder who he was and how he arrived here. The rogue started moving towards Zizzle, and she readied herself for a quick escape - after all, who knew what he would do if he found her. Just then, another, stronger gust of wind overtook the sprite in her thoughts and sent her spiraling toward the ground. With a crunch of dead leaves and twigs, she landed within twenty feet of the boy. After regaining her wings, Zizzle decides to show herself to the boy and take her chances - it's likely he noticed her when she fell anyway. As the noisy culprit emerged from the foliage, Randoer's face fell in disappointment. It wasn't Tjalve. However, his sorrow lasted only a moment as he realized that his visitor was a beautiful young sprite. Randoer smiled and spread his arms to show he had no intention of harming her. He knew enough about the faerie kind to know that they would never harm another creature, except in self-defense. Perhaps she had the answers he needed. Randoer opened his mouth and blurted out the one thought that had occupied his mind all evening, "where's Tjalve?" --------------------- [The following applies to Tigre, Telchar, and Shade]: Telchar faced the new intruder and said, "Who are you good sir? And what service is it that you wish me to do for you?" As he speaks, Telchar begins to twirl his sword in-hand as if to ward off a possible attack. His swinging motion skips a beat and he almost loses control of his sword when he notices his own black clothing. Tigre seems less affected by the interruption, and moves to attack his opponent while he is distracted. An instant before Tigre engaged anew, Shade spoke again. "Quam plays you like a toy flute, and you are dancing to his tune. If you wish to face your true opponent, follow me, and I will show him to you." Tigre jerked his head around at the mention of Quam's name. "Who are you, and what do you know of Quam?" Only a moment before, Tigre seemed intent on killing both Telchar and Shade, but now his anger flared around the subject of the person responsible for his current circumstance. ------end--of--turn------ back to top Players' Page - A resource and info page for players, lurkers, and visitors Turns - Description of turn posting mechanics Who's Who - Who's playing Forbidden Paths now Story - A brief history Characters - A description of the characters available Magic - An explanation of magic Battle - A rough description of how battles work Invitation - Info about joining the game and a form to submit a character Chat - Forbidden Paths now has its very own chat page! 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