The Sacrifice of Imbus
Originally written by Seer Nighthawk, the end of Imbus is upon us.
Its raining.
Well some might call it rain, or a heavey drissle, you cant decide. It always seems to be raining on those few nights of the month that you decide to go out and treat yourself to a fresh pint or a warm galss of mulled wine.
The night is overcast and the full moon flitters in and out from behind the clouds as the chill wind blows them towards the east and other lands.
You manage to keep yourself fairly dry dashing from awning to awning and jumping over the bigger puddles as you make your way to the local pub. The night seems to be unusually quite as you round the last bend and see the lights of the bar shining like a beacon to a wayward sailor lost at sea.
As you sprint the last 50 feet of open road, the normal sounds of merrimaking and drunkin revelrie seem strangly absent and Chip, the local drunk, is missing from his usual spot just outside the doors sprawled out and comepletely inebriated. You slowly approach the swinging doors and peek in to find a large crowd of the town locals all huddled in the corner and facing a strange man.
You look over curiously as the man speaks and walk over to the bar to get something to drink. Strangly Karl is missing and as you look over you notice him near the back of the crowd wringing his bar rag in nervous hands. As you start to walk over to demand some service you cant help but hear what the stranger is saying and unconsciously you wander towards the crowd all thoughts of a drink banished from your mind.
"...mighty was the struggle as the evil lich fought to bring forth his minions from the underworld to do his bidding. A beast of great power, with a gaze to turn a mans innards to jelly and his legs to worthless sticks was his self professed "love" RAVENSBLOOD!" the man shrieked dramatically as the crowd let out a collective gasp of fear.
"Ravensblood was an ancient beast of a long forgotten time. A dragon amoung dragons, that the evil Lich Lord Ajhere managed to bring back from the dead. Long they had planed this day and after dooping some unknowing heros into recovering his precious Dragon Talisman she was by his side again! They attempted to seize control of the City of Britiania not so many months ago if ye remember the news and were only thwarted by the combined forces of the whole city and just barly at that! Mummies and Liches and Undead beasts of all sorts where his to command with this powerful artifact! I scarcely believe to this day that we were able to beat back his horde and banish him to the otherlands!" the stranger continued.
You nod appreciatively knowing full well how closely the lands were to being lost to the undead horde. Looking closer at the cowled figure you cant help but notice the dark green sheen of his velvet robe and the power eminating from his stance and bearing. You wonder if you have met this person or one like him before but soon you are again caught up in his tale.
"We managed to banish him yes, but never destroy him! Not with the accused Talisman still present in our lands. And to this end we went out in search of a weapon able to destroy it. First of course the Talisman had to be locked up and protected for and from the people of these lands. Since the threat came initially from Imbus it seemed only fitting that a stasus chamber be errected there to contain this evil and so it was, in the city of Delucia. At the time we had many a valiant knight and even denzins of lesser reput to him guard and insure the safety of the lands and its people while this evil was contained."
"We left the idol safe in their hands and went in search of a hammer of a titan god to help aid us in its destruction. Once again the people of Britiania were called apon and again they answered! In the form of a band of brave knights who slew the evil titan and his minions and help me retrieve the hammer. Much time has past since that day and the lands guardians had slowly vanished or succumbed to the power of the evil talisman. I have tried to find where all these evil creatures have gone but to no avail! I could not in good faith let these tortured souls live on in a shell of their former selves but how can I put them to rest without being able to first find them?" the strangers shoulders slump and he lets out a long and shuddering sigh. Slowly someone hands him a glass of water and he nods his thanks as he greedily gulps down the revitalizing fluid.
He begins shaking his head slowly back and forth,"All for naught I say, all for naught. I had thought the containment stasis we had placed the idol in suffiecent to hold the evil Lich Ajhere. However I underestimated his cunning. True he was stuck physically in the resesses of the idol however his WILL honed these many millinia was still able to roam free throughout the lands and contact and influence many a trusting souls. He has gathered an army of people just like you all here gathered now listening to this story to do his evil bidding. I only know that he sent them here to these lands to work on something of vast import to his plans. Not knowing how far his reach had gone I had little choice I set forth on a journey just 1 week past that I never expected to return from.
"There are many unexplored and new lands throughout the world as many a traveler can attest and the finding of a way to Imbus was a wonderful and great journey that has blessed many of the people. The bridge between our two worlds is maintained solely on a etherial plane even if it appears solid to the likes of you or I. Ajhere's will worked even in that distant plan closing off portals of his choice that confounded and confused us. No matter what we tried we were unable to undo what he had done. With this new and unidentified threat I traveled to this distant plane to speak with its higher beings in an attempt to facilitate their help.
"It took the better part of 3 days before I was able to learn how to effectively communicate with them and what I found out chilled my very blood. Indeed many had traveled the lands back and forth since this bridge was built however a large group of them had come out not a month prior and set sail for some distant and unknown land. They spoke of an evil presence thats power rivaled there own trying to follow these people but up to this point they have been able to keep it in the lands of Imbus. Their power and strength however, after a month long battle, has rapidly begun to wane. They bade me to quickly travel to the lands of Imbus and get any that I could to flee from that land back here so that they would not be traped."
A young man obviously just past his middle teens sqeeks out "what do you mean traped?"
The hooded man looks in your direction and finaly his eyes settle apon you. Their golden sheen steal your breath and you can feel your very will flutter as he slowly and ominously replies,"My friends I have grave news indeed. The bridge between our worlds is no more. I come from there this very night to tell you that in order to contain his evil and to protect not just our lands but the lands of thier etheral plane, the planar beings have severed all ties with the lands of Imbus and it shall never again be seen!"
Many of the woman and more than a few men cry out in protest and absolute denial. A pair of boys run out the tavern doors yelling for their friends or parents or anyone who will listen to this grim news.
"I travel the length and breadth of the land" the Sage continues,
"Looking for any and all to insure they did not get traped by this evil and I did find many who heeded my call. Towards the end however there was less and less people to find and the sky had turned a dark and ominius black and the seas rose and fell in ever increasing urgency. I could tell that my barrier was weakening and that Ajhere was close to breaking free from his prison. Towards the end the lands had become so foul and polluted with his evil will that the very mountains trembeled and fell to the earth and whole islands were swolen up by the sea! The earth quaked and the heavens raided down torrents of water in such ferousity that to stand beneath the tulmut would spell certain death for any mear mortal! I escapted with my life to tell the tale to you my friends so that we can spread the word of his evil way and try to further stem any corruption of our lands."
The sage fell back heavily into a wooden chair appearing thouroughly exhausted. For many minutes no one dared move or speak so stuned was everyone by this revelation of doom and destruction. You slowly sink into a barstool nearby and blindly grab behind the bar for something to drink. Slowly you pull a bottle of rum from the counter and bite off the cork. As you shackily raise the bottle to your mouth the Sage suddenly jumps back up startling everyone who had just walked away. Amid the sudden cries of alarm the man cries out,
"BEWARE! This threat is not yet ended! The evil Lich Lord Ajhere's minions have been running rampant in these lands for well over a month doing The Virtue's know what! Tell your friends and neighbors to keep a wary eye out and make sure to tell all the tale I have spoken to you this day. This chapter of Imbus may be closed but the book has yet to be finished! Keep your eyes to the sea my friends and be ever vigilant, we have not yet heard the last of Ajhere and his doings. Mark well my words..."
With a sudden explosion of smoke the tall Sage was gone leaving you and half the town stuned and perplexed. Imbus gone? Followers of some dead lich roaming free about the sea's? Slowly you start to digest all this new information and as you start to put the bottle to your lips for a much needed drink it is snatch from your hands and you see a not-to-happy Karl glaring at you and rubbing his fingers together in the universal sign for payment.
__________________
Originally written by Seer Nighthawk, the end of Imbus is upon us.
Its raining.
Well some might call it rain, or a heavey drissle, you cant decide. It always seems to be raining on those few nights of the month that you decide to go out and treat yourself to a fresh pint or a warm galss of mulled wine.
The night is overcast and the full moon flitters in and out from behind the clouds as the chill wind blows them towards the east and other lands.
You manage to keep yourself fairly dry dashing from awning to awning and jumping over the bigger puddles as you make your way to the local pub. The night seems to be unusually quite as you round the last bend and see the lights of the bar shining like a beacon to a wayward sailor lost at sea.
As you sprint the last 50 feet of open road, the normal sounds of merrimaking and drunkin revelrie seem strangly absent and Chip, the local drunk, is missing from his usual spot just outside the doors sprawled out and comepletely inebriated. You slowly approach the swinging doors and peek in to find a large crowd of the town locals all huddled in the corner and facing a strange man.
You look over curiously as the man speaks and walk over to the bar to get something to drink. Strangly Karl is missing and as you look over you notice him near the back of the crowd wringing his bar rag in nervous hands. As you start to walk over to demand some service you cant help but hear what the stranger is saying and unconsciously you wander towards the crowd all thoughts of a drink banished from your mind.
"...mighty was the struggle as the evil lich fought to bring forth his minions from the underworld to do his bidding. A beast of great power, with a gaze to turn a mans innards to jelly and his legs to worthless sticks was his self professed "love" RAVENSBLOOD!" the man shrieked dramatically as the crowd let out a collective gasp of fear.
"Ravensblood was an ancient beast of a long forgotten time. A dragon amoung dragons, that the evil Lich Lord Ajhere managed to bring back from the dead. Long they had planed this day and after dooping some unknowing heros into recovering his precious Dragon Talisman she was by his side again! They attempted to seize control of the City of Britiania not so many months ago if ye remember the news and were only thwarted by the combined forces of the whole city and just barly at that! Mummies and Liches and Undead beasts of all sorts where his to command with this powerful artifact! I scarcely believe to this day that we were able to beat back his horde and banish him to the otherlands!" the stranger continued.
You nod appreciatively knowing full well how closely the lands were to being lost to the undead horde. Looking closer at the cowled figure you cant help but notice the dark green sheen of his velvet robe and the power eminating from his stance and bearing. You wonder if you have met this person or one like him before but soon you are again caught up in his tale.
"We managed to banish him yes, but never destroy him! Not with the accused Talisman still present in our lands. And to this end we went out in search of a weapon able to destroy it. First of course the Talisman had to be locked up and protected for and from the people of these lands. Since the threat came initially from Imbus it seemed only fitting that a stasus chamber be errected there to contain this evil and so it was, in the city of Delucia. At the time we had many a valiant knight and even denzins of lesser reput to him guard and insure the safety of the lands and its people while this evil was contained."
"We left the idol safe in their hands and went in search of a hammer of a titan god to help aid us in its destruction. Once again the people of Britiania were called apon and again they answered! In the form of a band of brave knights who slew the evil titan and his minions and help me retrieve the hammer. Much time has past since that day and the lands guardians had slowly vanished or succumbed to the power of the evil talisman. I have tried to find where all these evil creatures have gone but to no avail! I could not in good faith let these tortured souls live on in a shell of their former selves but how can I put them to rest without being able to first find them?" the strangers shoulders slump and he lets out a long and shuddering sigh. Slowly someone hands him a glass of water and he nods his thanks as he greedily gulps down the revitalizing fluid.
He begins shaking his head slowly back and forth,"All for naught I say, all for naught. I had thought the containment stasis we had placed the idol in suffiecent to hold the evil Lich Ajhere. However I underestimated his cunning. True he was stuck physically in the resesses of the idol however his WILL honed these many millinia was still able to roam free throughout the lands and contact and influence many a trusting souls. He has gathered an army of people just like you all here gathered now listening to this story to do his evil bidding. I only know that he sent them here to these lands to work on something of vast import to his plans. Not knowing how far his reach had gone I had little choice I set forth on a journey just 1 week past that I never expected to return from.
"There are many unexplored and new lands throughout the world as many a traveler can attest and the finding of a way to Imbus was a wonderful and great journey that has blessed many of the people. The bridge between our two worlds is maintained solely on a etherial plane even if it appears solid to the likes of you or I. Ajhere's will worked even in that distant plan closing off portals of his choice that confounded and confused us. No matter what we tried we were unable to undo what he had done. With this new and unidentified threat I traveled to this distant plane to speak with its higher beings in an attempt to facilitate their help.
"It took the better part of 3 days before I was able to learn how to effectively communicate with them and what I found out chilled my very blood. Indeed many had traveled the lands back and forth since this bridge was built however a large group of them had come out not a month prior and set sail for some distant and unknown land. They spoke of an evil presence thats power rivaled there own trying to follow these people but up to this point they have been able to keep it in the lands of Imbus. Their power and strength however, after a month long battle, has rapidly begun to wane. They bade me to quickly travel to the lands of Imbus and get any that I could to flee from that land back here so that they would not be traped."
A young man obviously just past his middle teens sqeeks out "what do you mean traped?"
The hooded man looks in your direction and finaly his eyes settle apon you. Their golden sheen steal your breath and you can feel your very will flutter as he slowly and ominously replies,"My friends I have grave news indeed. The bridge between our worlds is no more. I come from there this very night to tell you that in order to contain his evil and to protect not just our lands but the lands of thier etheral plane, the planar beings have severed all ties with the lands of Imbus and it shall never again be seen!"
Many of the woman and more than a few men cry out in protest and absolute denial. A pair of boys run out the tavern doors yelling for their friends or parents or anyone who will listen to this grim news.
"I travel the length and breadth of the land" the Sage continues,
"Looking for any and all to insure they did not get traped by this evil and I did find many who heeded my call. Towards the end however there was less and less people to find and the sky had turned a dark and ominius black and the seas rose and fell in ever increasing urgency. I could tell that my barrier was weakening and that Ajhere was close to breaking free from his prison. Towards the end the lands had become so foul and polluted with his evil will that the very mountains trembeled and fell to the earth and whole islands were swolen up by the sea! The earth quaked and the heavens raided down torrents of water in such ferousity that to stand beneath the tulmut would spell certain death for any mear mortal! I escapted with my life to tell the tale to you my friends so that we can spread the word of his evil way and try to further stem any corruption of our lands."
The sage fell back heavily into a wooden chair appearing thouroughly exhausted. For many minutes no one dared move or speak so stuned was everyone by this revelation of doom and destruction. You slowly sink into a barstool nearby and blindly grab behind the bar for something to drink. Slowly you pull a bottle of rum from the counter and bite off the cork. As you shackily raise the bottle to your mouth the Sage suddenly jumps back up startling everyone who had just walked away. Amid the sudden cries of alarm the man cries out,
"BEWARE! This threat is not yet ended! The evil Lich Lord Ajhere's minions have been running rampant in these lands for well over a month doing The Virtue's know what! Tell your friends and neighbors to keep a wary eye out and make sure to tell all the tale I have spoken to you this day. This chapter of Imbus may be closed but the book has yet to be finished! Keep your eyes to the sea my friends and be ever vigilant, we have not yet heard the last of Ajhere and his doings. Mark well my words..."
With a sudden explosion of smoke the tall Sage was gone leaving you and half the town stuned and perplexed. Imbus gone? Followers of some dead lich roaming free about the sea's? Slowly you start to digest all this new information and as you start to put the bottle to your lips for a much needed drink it is snatch from your hands and you see a not-to-happy Karl glaring at you and rubbing his fingers together in the universal sign for payment.
__________________
