Avalon/Roleplay Section/Hector/The old Man of Henhower, part I
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The Old Man of Henhower, part I
Hector, Arian, Revan and Xaero start out towards Henhower. They have some investigating to do there, as it is told, the tree that protects them resides in Zod. However, they have to go to Henhower first, to talk with some locals about the founding of the tree. There is an elder in the camp who knows a bit about it. Arian is quite knowledgeable of the subject, but is missing some details the old man might be able to provide.
See, the old man once broke into the Druid stronghold in Wudenkin and stole several chapters from the History of the world. These pages he took about 39 years ago, held secrets to the origin of the tree, and the ceremony performed to first lock the Monsters behind the gates of the Colony Tree. Although, the Elves know a great deal, humans and Elves over the past several years have begun to hate each other. The Elves blame the humans for the disease that engulfs the lands now, and the humans think the Elves think higher of Nature and Trees than they do the intelligent creatures of the world. As the relations soured between the races, so has the communication. Even though the Druid, Arian, has some trust of the Elves, for some reason, they do not tell him the rights required to rebirth the tree. Arian suspects because he too is human, they don’t fully trust him, either.
With the fate of the world at stake, the Elves have come to accept the inevitable overrunning of the Monsters. For they have a secret land, that lay behind the misty Marsh, that is well protected and no dead thing dare wonder there.
As Arian tells the tale to the men he rides with, their anger is prevalent. “Why would they be so selfish?” Hector barks.
“I don’t understand their reasoning.” Xaero interjects.
Followed closely by Revan, “Morons! Why would they risk our continent out of spite for humans? It makes no sense!”
Arian smiles calmly as they unleash their anger towards Arian. Who, veiled in his cloak, allows them to vent. There is nothing he could say, anyway, to relieve their anger. What they say is part true, but there is much more to this then any of them may realize yet.
Jessica is some 50 feet behind the men, in a lavish carriage. She rides with a servant girl and a body guard. “Jasper, I hope you don’t mind riding with me.” Jessica says to her Body Guard. “Ma’Lady, my pleasure is to serve Lord Hector, and the woman he loves. I have nothing but pride in my heart right now.”
Jessica blushes a bit and goes back to staring out the window at the beautiful country side.
At the front of the march to Henhower, the 4 men ride close, discussing possibilities. Arian remains silent most of the time, allowing the men to embellish future possibilities. He smiles a bit, laughing at the almost adolescent behavior of these Nobles.
As the men approach the town, they notice a sign post that reads, “All you varmints turn back. This here town is a free town. Free from oppression and your Tyranny!” The men smile, knowing that their army will be conquering this region soon.
Arian turns and finally speaks, “Gentlemen, the man we seek is very old, and will be easy to spot. He will probably be in a Tavern across town. Once we arrive, I will take Hector with me to find the man. The rest of you stand guard over Jessica. It is important that under no circumstances, you allow any undead or hideous creatures to lay eyes on her, or hear her talk. She must remain completely silent and out of sight.”
The men all look at each other, “Why would that be, Arian?”
“The creatures are drawn to women of stature and beauty. They believe female Royal blood gives them more power, and they can tell royalty! She may not be directly Royalty, but she has the presence of Royalty. So guard her with your life gentlemen.
Revan turns to Xaero, “Maybe we shouldn’t have brought her then.”
Xaero shrugs. “I dunno, I kinda like seeing my cousin again. My whole family thought she was dead for the longest time!”
Revan shrugs too. “OK, but, there sure is a lot of waste here. I’m sure Hector and Arian could use our help.”
As the two men stand side by side, they watch Hector and Arian wonder off into the mist, down Main Street, heading for the other side of town. They left their horses with them, pushing forward on foot. As they disappear into the mist, the tow remaining men get an uneasy feeling, something, somewhere is watching them, they can feel it.
The Old Man of Henhower, part II
As Xaero and Revan watch Hector disappear, a messenger comes galloping up on a horse. “Lord Xaero?”
“Yes?”
“Urgent message for you from our General. He intends to take over this region and requires you head to your region to take care of some matters!”
Xaero and Revan look at each other then turn to walk back to Jessica, who is sitting in her carriage with Jasper. “Cousin, I regret that I must go, but Lord Revan here will watch over you, and Jasper, your body guard, will also take good care of you. I have been ordered back to Ormobo to tend to matters there.”
“I will miss you cousin. Perhaps when we meet up again, you and I can have some time alone? You know, like when we were kids. Remember how we used to go fishing, but always forget our bait, and you’d spend hours digging some up, and just as you finished, our parents would call us to sup?”
“Of course, cousin. But for now, I have to depart. Take good care, dear cousin. Revan, guard her with your life. Please don’t let anything happen to her.”
“Of course. Rest assured, it’s not as if anyone or anything is after her.”
Xaero dropped his head and smiled. “You are right. Silly to be nervous. Take care you two!” With that, Xaero mounts his steed and his men follow him out of town.
Revan spreads his men out around the area of town they are in. It’s just at the entrance of town, and there are a lot of houses. Two of his men are good with arrows, and he places them on the tops of two guard towers that are abandoned. “Lot of something for nothing, really!” Revan murmurs to himself. He almost laughs at how he’s setup this protection. It’s setup as if a king were being guarded.
Across town, Hector and Arian wind down several streets, looking for a small potion shop. When they finally come to it, Arian turns to Hector and says, “Now, be patient with this man, he may speak many crazy things, and even act odd, but do nothing, unless he bolts for the door. I will do all the talking, just watch for anyone to come in, or watch for anything strange.”
Hector gets a chill up his spine. Why does this man frighten him so? He studies Arian for a few seconds. His face is rugged yet almost wrinkle free. He’s old, but no telling how old. He has a beard that has a bit of silver in it. It is neatly cropped and his eyes could penetrate the finest armor in all of Avalon. The man wears almost all black, save a silver bracelet with blue gems about it. He has many little bags that hang from his belt and the inside of his cloak has many hidden pockets. Potions hang in the bags, no doubt. He moves very controlled and quick. He is very strong, yet not menacing. Hector can remember the tight grip he had on his arm and around his neck. He is obviously trained in a stealth type fighting style, very similar to what an assassin would learn. He is pretty tall, maybe a full hand taller than Hector. As Hector studies him, Arian turns away, opening the door to the potion shop, and they both enter.
Inside it is cluttered with steaming bottles, bags of powder and glass jars strewn about the place. Many books are opened and stacked all about the main table in the center, while around the room are shelves that go some two-full persons high. The shelves are full of various boxes, and jars filled with different potion ingredients.
An old, hunched over man comes shuffling down the isles. “Yes, yes, I’m coming. We have many specials this week, what are you looking for?” The old man has not made eye contact yet.
Arian coldly says, “The book of the Whispering Grove.”
The old man stops and slowly looks up to make eye contact with Arian.
“You? I-I never thought the druids would survive. How did they survive?”
“They didn’t.”
The old man stares, stunned. “It’s been almost 40 years, and I haven’t seen a single one of ya. How on earth did you make it out.”
“I didn’t.”
The old man stares mystified. Puzzled by the man’s statements.
“I stayed, and defeated her. I was the last one left. No thanks to you.”
The old man turns and looks at Hector, then back at Arian. “What are you doing here?”
“Not all of us were cowards, Max, we made a plan, and it worked. Had we had the entire circle together, it would have happened without the loss of the entire grove, had we stuck to my plan.”
The old man looks guilty. Hector is thinking to himself, and trying to decipher what the two men are trying to say. Hector realizes, Max, this old man, used to be a druid too. He must have left them when this terrible thing attacked the Druid grove.
“You do realize, Max, this was all a setup from that day. A Caldron Creature is one of the fiercest of the netherworld, and seeing as the Colony Tree had been healthy prior to that for hundreds of years without withering or dying, something else was released that day, something far worse than the Caldron Creature. The answer is going to be in the pages you took.”
The old man looks up, stunned by the revelation. “I did not think your plan would work, Arian, I was not afraid but for this world. I have no fear of death; I feared if we were all gone, who would spread the truth?"
Arian looks right through him, “Just me.”
The old man’s eyes look at his feet. There is a long silence and the old man looks back up. “I have it. It’s in the back. Follow me, please.” The three men go down the narrow hall flanked by large book shelves and disappear into the back room.
The Old Man of Henhower, part III
Hector and Arian follow Max to a back office. As they enter, it is dark. The old druid claps his hands and whispers something inaudible, and a large glass tube starts to glow. The room is illuminated a bit.
Arian walks past it, but Hector is astounded by this glowing tube. He looks closely at it, and it appears as though there are thousands of tiny little lights moving around inside this tube. The light is actually floating.
Max reaches into a cabinet, and pulls out a leather binder. He drops it on the desk, and dust scatters everywhere. He opens the book. The old Druid squints and finally sighs a bit… clap clap The light from the tube suddenly floats out of the tube, into a hanging lantern over the table. It floats quickly, almost like smoke, and it gathers in the lantern, illuminating the room even more. “Ahh, there we go.” Max says.
Arian glances at the paperwork. Hector looks, but it is written in a completely different language. And from the way Arian is tracing his fingers, it looks as though it is written vertically on the paper.
“… verbgla chizka minkalbooo …” Arian reads in a low tone. It is definitely something very old. Arian looks it over carefully. They are there no more than ten minutes and Arian looks up. “Max, I must take this with me. It will be well protected. I need to study this even more, then, possibly visit the mooreshade.”
“Very well, Arian, I suppose I owe you much more than that!” Max drops his head and starts to leave the room. clap calp The swirling lights start to dim. “Come on, it’s time you fellas should be on your way.” Max says.
Arian ducks through the doorway with the documents in a pouch he carries under his cloak. And swiftly, he’s through the door.
Hector turns to take one final look at the strange light, as it fizzles, then poof it is out. Hector shakes his head. Druids are so strange.
The two leave the shop without even saying goodbye to Max. Hector looks up at Arian. “What’s the penalty for desertion of a Druid Conclave?”
“It’s a Grove, conclave is for the lesser druids. The penalty is becoming a Mooreshade. Eternally bound to help out the druids whom you’ve deserted. However, they are not happy to do such a service. Once Max dies, he will take the place of Orthono, the current Mooreshade.”
“What is a Mooreshade.”
“It is an apparition from a past Druid, who helps guide you. They are very mysterious and never fully reveal what it is that needs to be known. They more or less, ‘guide’ us.”
“So, let’s go ask what this is all about.”
Arian stops and looks over at Hector. “There’s a price to pay for asking questions to a Mooreshade. It could come in the form of death, or knowing your own fate to the point of driving one mad.”
Hector looks down as they walk. I don’t feel right, I think something is wrong, I think we should head back to Jessica and the rest quickly.
“I agree. Something is definitely not right.”
Hector and Arian pick up their pace as they head back to Jessica and Revan.
On the other side of Town, a fog starts to roll in. The General arrives into town with several other Troop Leaders of Revan’s.
“What’s this? Why have you setup a perimeter around this carriage?” Michael, the General asks Revan.
“Oh, sir, personal reasons. We’re protecting the lady in the carriage.” Revan is quite impressed with Michael being able to, first, spot the perimeter, and second, figure out what they were guarding.
“What’s so important about her?” Michael asks.
“Nothing, sir, just someone Hector cares a lot about. There’s something going on, here, and I feel uneasy about it, sir.”
“I agree. Say, if you need some of my men, take them, I only need about 40 of them to take over this town. Once we initiate it, I would appreciate your men scouting the area to help protect it.”
“Certainly sir, as you wish.” Revan says. As the men finish their conversation, something loud booms in the forest. The sound is of crashing trees and marching soldiers.
Michael turns towards Revan, “If that woman is important, you best get her to safety!”
The Old Man of Henhower, part IV
Revan looks out into the mist, trying to spot the first of the creatures. Just then, behind him, he hears a commotion and turns to see some of his men attacking two stray creatures. They are small in stature, but quick and they rush the men, who try to cut down the creatures. Revan turns, and sees the monsters bursting through the forest. There are 16 of them or so crashing out onto the large meadow that grants entry to the city. They huddle together, waiting for the humans to charge.
Revan’s soldiers continue to cut down the two creatures who are trying desperately to fight the men off. Just then, Jessica screams. All of the creatures turn their heads. They look at Jessica from the meadow, and the two fighting Revan’s soldiers pause for a moment, then start to attack, barbarically.
Revan looks out to the mist. High above the Monsters he sees a wraith. The creature floats, staring towards the carriage where Jessica is sitting.
Revan's men cut down the two creatures, then a horn sounds. “Charge!!!” A scream is heard, and Revan’s men start towards the monsters. At once, Claim the Darkness’ men send a hail storm of arrows down on the monsters. A strange groan is heard from above the monsters, and they all brace together, holding up home-made shields, deflecting the attack. Revan can’t believe what he is seeing.
Suddenly, Hector is there with Arian and his men form up. Revan, charged by Hector’s presence, sends his men towards the monsters. Storm, minsc and Hector form together. Claim the Darkness’ forces charge with Revan.
Hector, Storm and minsc sound their own battle cries and charge a few paces behind Revan.
The Monsters are extremely coordinated and are forming, what appears to be, a defensive line. That is odd Hector thinks to himself. He glances up and sees a wraith. Hector then looks to his side and sees Arian looking at the wraith as well. He reaches for something inside his cloak.
Revan reaches the monsters, and attacks, but not one of his men land a blow. The Monsters move backwards a step, not attacking. Hector hears an odd sound coming from the wraith, and the Monsters split and open up creating an opening in the center, drawing Revan’s men inside.
Revan sees it too, but too late, he’s flanked on both sides already. His men will be crushed!
Arian suddenly leaps into the air, throwing a hard object towards the wraith. A huge burst of light ignites the air, sending the wraith reeling and the Monsters all stumble, giving Revan a moment to pass all the way through the Monsters.
The Creatures reform, and face Hector, minsc and Storm. Together in unison they attack, some breaking through, but it is still very difficult. Arian turns to Hector and say, “Hold them here, I am running to the back to do something.”
“But of course, your majesty!” Hector says sarcastically. The men hold the front line while Arian dashes around to the side. Another bag goes flying from Arian’s hand towards the wraith, this time, Arian murmurs something, and another burst of light, bright red, engulfing the wraith in a fire. Not a normal fire, but one of bright blue and white flames. The wraith screeches in horror as it is consumed and then falls to the ground in a pile of ash. The Monsters are suddenly disoriented and begin to attack, uncoordinated and radically.
Hector, Storm and minsc slice the monsters to pieces. As they finish, the Troop Leaders sheath their swords and walk to Arian. “What was that?” Hector says to Arian.
“Just a little potion. Quite simple you see, we love to study the sciences of this world.”
Hector studies Arian for a moment, “I thought Druids were a religious cult, not scientific?”
“That would be untrue. Our Religion is science, you see, as well as the study of the supernatural, which is why I knew what to do with that wraith.”
All of the men nod in unison, “He sure did.” Minsc says as he turns to Storm. “We appreciate your help very much, you probably saved Revan’s entire troop.”
Revan turns to Hector, “How were those creatures so coordinated, we’ve never seen them that organized before?”
Hector looks at Arian and replies back to Revan, “It appears as though they’ve been practicing. Something has been getting them to work together, and that is VERY bad for us. Don’t worry, we’ll get to the bottom of it.”
With that, Hector and Revan fill Minsc, Storm and Claim the Darkness in on what they’ve learned so far.
Next: Return to Zod
