Castle Amber: A D&D Adventure

Gizmog · Post by **Gizmog** » Fri Sep 04, 2015 4:45 am

Voulton shudders at what he's seen, how he feels. "It was Lady Sephora.. the one who did the silver thing to me in the afterlife... or maybe it wasn't Sephora but a demon pretending to be her. She was naked and inviting, but.. she was saying all of the wrong things. Asking me to be something I could never be... something terrible, something evil! And when I rejected her, she killed me, though I still lived and she threw me into a pit of fire and agony! It was no fit and I hope I never see the likes of it again."

Voulton pulls up his pants, feeling very cold suddenly. "If that was truly Lady Sephora, then we may've made a terrible mistake doing her bidding."

Gizmog · Post by **Gizmog** » Fri Sep 04, 2015 4:56 am

And then Voulton realizes something... something he'd said to Sephora. Kalar takes forever to do anything.. he's always waiting till morning. Just like this guy. "Help me get my armor on. I think I'm ready for that fair fight we talked about. I can't consent to my friends going with you, but I can consent to myself. I'd go with you without a fight, if I thought my friends would be okay and I knew I wasn't throwing my life away for nothing."

No use giving him time to get his bag of tricks ready.

EDIT: Note, Voulton is not intending to use his shield for this fight, preferring the big two handed adamant job for this

Post by **Bob the Hamster** » Fri Sep 04, 2015 2:23 pm

With his attention focused on Voulton's pantsless fainting fit, and subsequent story of Lady Sephora's succubussery, Rob almost missed, it, but a few words that the strange man had spoken caught him up short when he remembered them.

"Wait, wait... Don't start fighting just yet!"

"Sir, (what is your name sir?) Tell me again what you said about the city of Vyones being destroyed and re-built? That doesn't make any sense to me. I am 40 years old, I was born and raised in Vyones, and although I have travelled around Averiogne for most of my life, my mother and my half-siblings have always lived in the capital city. It has never been destroyed, and the Graveyard Collosus that Nathiere sent to try and destroy it was the first, and only serious threat of destruction that the city has faced within my own lifespan."

Spoonweaver · Post by **Spoonweaver** » Fri Sep 04, 2015 7:09 pm

"Oh, are you not an adventurer? How odd. I'll still have to take you with me, but I doubt you will be killed," said the tall man as he readied his spiked chain. "To clarify our duel, I have agreed to not use my cloak or ring provided this remains a 1 on 1 fight. That said, attack me when you are ready, sir."

Post by **Bob the Hamster** » Fri Sep 04, 2015 7:19 pm

Rob's mind reels at the understanding that the history of his homeland is shifting around underneath his very feet. How many of the things that he knows are even real? Has everything he has ever known change, change, and change again, and only now he is realizing it?

He suddenly feels a lot more forgiving towards his father's difficulty at remembering anything about his mother.

Rob keeps his emotions inside, and asks one final question.

"What if Voulton beats you in fair combat, and then refuses to kill you? What would you do if that happens?"

Spoonweaver · Post by **Spoonweaver** » Fri Sep 04, 2015 8:49 pm

"I will leave you alone, as I've said. I shall never bother you again, you have my word," said the tall man as he began to spin one end of his spiked chain.

Gizmog · Post by **Gizmog** » Sat Sep 05, 2015 6:24 am

Voulton finishes gettin his armor straightened, makes sure he's got all of his axes where he wants 'em, takes a second to limber up and get an idea of the surroundings (Don't wanna fall into the campfire). "You guys done talking for now?" he asks his friends, drawing out the big axe from home, the one thats smashed swords, tree-clubs and a few horses one crazy time. Been a good travelling partner, maybe the only good thing that ever came out of that certain Queen's armory.

He also thinks about the terms of the fight.. if he wins, I go with him. If I win, he leaves me alone.. but I probably go with him anyway to get some answers. Nobody's agreed to give him the pendant, nobody's agreed to go with him. Doesn't really prove anything. Nothing worse than a worthless fight.

"Alright, here's how it's gonna go. Rob, Rachelle, it's been good travelling with you and if you see Kalar and Lynda tell 'em the same. I don't like being a fugitive, just doesn't sit right with me. And it's obvious these guys can follow our trail no matter where we go. I don't wanna wonder if every noise in the middle of the night is someone coming to stick a knife in my back."

"So I'm going with him to see Azedarc. Hopefully we can straighten this out. I got a clean conscience and nothing to fear. Maybe he still kills me and maybe he doesn't. If he does then we'll all know for sure what kind of a man he is. Know what we're up against."

"Now, that doesn't answer the pendant. Lynda said she didn't steal it from one of Azedarc's men and I believe her. In my book, it's hers and none of us can speak for it. In my book, it's hers and none of us can be blamed for it either. If you wanted me to take it, maybe between me and it it'd be enough for Azedarc to realize we're acting in good faith. I don't think this guy's gonna double cross us the way the last group did and if he does then we know what we're up against. I'm as tired of not knowing as I am of not being able to feel safe."

"If you want to keep it, want to take it back to Lynda, I don't blame you for that either. I trust his offer of a contest still stands, and if you want to take your chances with him I wouldn't blame you. If you want me to fight in your stead I will, and I promise I won't hold anything back. I'll give it everything I've got. You want to put the amulet into that bet, that's fine with me too."

Voulton laughs, trying to present every outcome. "You want to just run, I'll try to hold him back. I don't figure it'll do much good, but you've saved my slime enough times that I owe you that much."

"Whatever you choose, be it fighting him yourselves, me fighting for you, some other avenue of diplomacy or combat we haven't thought of yet, make it fast. I get the feeling that come dawn, none of us are gonna have a choice in the matter."

And then he turns to the man who may yet be his foe, and the man who's going to escort him to the evil queen who runs this place. "I don't know what your definition of a fair fight is, but I oughta warn you about mine. If we come to blows, I'm gonna bust that chain of yours into a million pieces. Better your chain than your skull, that's my philosophy."

For the first time in a long time, Voulton feels that he knows what he's doing and that what he's doing is the right thing. After the hell the demon showed me and the hell I saw when I was dead, I don't think there's anything Azedarc can do to me anyway. Sure do wish that protection offer had played out differently.. and maybe it still can. Voulton takes the silver coin into his hands and offers a silent prayer.

"Lady Sephora, I'm a simple man. When you came to me in the afterlife, I thought I knew how a man could devote himself wholeheartedly to a being higher than himself. The love I felt was honest and pure, maybe the only real love I've ever felt in my life. It gave me hope that there was still good and truth in the world. Without that hope I would never have returned here, would've just tended that lifeless forest for eternity.

I know that the thing that offered me protection wasn't you. It couldn't have been. It was perverse and twisted, a mockery. A trick! No demon could generate the warm feelings I felt in my darkest hour. The warm feelings you gave."

He hefts his axe up a little, towards nothing in particular. "I've got all the protection and power I need right here. But if you've got any of that hope left... things could be about to get real bad for me and my friends, and we can use any that you've got to spare."

Voulton smiles, confident.

Spoonweaver · Post by **Spoonweaver** » Sat Sep 05, 2015 2:53 pm

Voulton quickly glimpsed a dark silver sea. The metallic sea flowed like water. Above, Voulton could see dark swarms flying around. Then the image was gone.

"I don't want the amulet. It's just how I found you," the tall man said. "Perhaps we should move to a better clearing for this. Follow me this way. And, don't run off." The tone was serious as the tall man spoke. Then he left without looking back.

Gizmog · Post by **Gizmog** » Sat Sep 05, 2015 5:01 pm

"We'll fight here or not at all."

Spoonweaver · Post by **Spoonweaver** » Sat Sep 05, 2015 9:54 pm

"As you wish," the tall man's voice said. His chain flew out towards Voulton as he emerged from the darkness of the forest. Voulton was harshly slashed on his hip by the chain's sharp blades.

Voulton took 21 dmg.

Gizmog · Post by **Gizmog** » Sun Sep 06, 2015 12:59 am

"Are you deaf? Nobody's agreed to this yet and I'm already going with you. We're fighting for nothing!" Voulton isn't going to risk taking it lying down though. He launches a full-offensive on the spiked chain. Idiots shouldn't play with dangerous toys... and if there's any offense left over, he directs the remainder of his attacks as non-lethal blows.

Spoonweaver · Post by **Spoonweaver** » Sun Sep 06, 2015 4:07 pm

Voulton's axe slammed into the spiked chain. But instead of slicing through, the chain gave way and swung to the side. Voulton could tell that he would have cut through the chain had the tall man not turned it away at the last second. The tall man stopped at Voulton's word and defended himself against Voulton's non-lethal blows. He caught it in the chest and grimaced from the impact.
"I suppose I should be thankful that wasn't a real attack of yours. I'm sure I'd have more than a future bruise to show for it had it been. You're tougher than I thought you'd be," the tall man seemed to lose a it of his bluster. "I suppose we could work something out. If you give me the amulet and I take at least one of you with me, I can say you were the only one I found. How about that?"

Gizmog · Post by **Gizmog** » Sun Sep 06, 2015 4:58 pm

THIS POST MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE HAPPENED, PLEASE CHECK OOC THREAD BEFORE ANSWERING, ESPEIALYL SPOOPNY
"Yeah, you're not so bad either." Voulton answers, angrily flicking blood from his hip at Azedarc's goon.

"Like I said before, that amulet belongs to a friend of mine named Lynda. She claims to have it obtained it honestly in her adventure at the Castle and if that's the case, no one's got any right to take it from her. I am still not sure why we have it now." His other friends receive an angry glare.

"But as I also said, the last I know of her, she was surrounded by an army of vicious looking insect monsters. It's possible she's no longer in need of worldly trinkets. I can't agree to anything without unanimous consent from these two, but if they think that's a fair deal then I think it's a fair deal."

Voulton is pretty pissed off about being sucker punched and is sorely tempted to smack this guy again for good measure, but good will wins out... FOR NOW.

Spoonweaver · Post by **Spoonweaver** » Sun Sep 06, 2015 10:35 pm

"Interesting," said the tall man. "Of the twenty amulets used by the inquisition, 4 are unaccounted for. It's unlikely that any made their way into the castle, since the nature of the amulets makes them resistant to the types of magic that would get one back to the castle." The tall man says this as he drifts off in thought. "I suppose what you say could be possible though. However, that would mean you have the original amulet made by Bellamy Amber." His eyebrows raise as he considers the notion. "May I see the amulet?"

Gizmog · Post by **Gizmog** » Sun Sep 06, 2015 10:58 pm

"Absolutely. Guys, show him." Voulton requests of whoever has it. "Who was Bellamy Amber and what, exactly, are these amulets anyway?"