Although I am not posting this as soon as I origianally mentioned I would, here is the first of three story snippets I have ready to share, showcasing what I can do writing, as opposed to my usual visual medium of 3D renders. This first one is currently entitled "Ravenloft Snippet - Eludicia". I hope you enjoy it!
The spot chosen for this evening’s camp was adequate, if not acceptable. The pilgrims were unable to reach their intended camp site, due to one of their few wagons needing some repairs. The teamsters were preparing to see to that, while everyone else saw to their regular duties. Whilst this was going on, Eludicia of the Road, a fledgling Paladin, wandered among the people she decided to accompany, in order to help them reach the end of their journey as safely as possible. Smiles, waves and greetings were exchanged while she meandered through the site, helping out with setting things up when needed, offering suggestions for placements, and looking for the best spots for those on watch to position themselves.
Although a novice adventurer, Eludicia seemed wise beyond her apparent youth, and most of the people under her care deferred to her judgement. When the pilgrims’ leadership offered her a place on their council, she declined, saying that she was there to help ensure the good of the pilgrims, not decide upon what was good for the pilgrims. A few of the leaders were quite happy to hear that.
Suddenly, there came a crash and a scream of pain, followed by calls for aid. Eludicia rushed off to find that the damaged wagon had fallen onto one of the teamsters working on it, and he was now trapped underneath. The others were trying to hoist the wagon off of the unfortunate pilgrim, but were not able to get quite enough hands on it to raise it far enough to pull the man out.
“You and you”, Eludicia pointed to those closest to the injured man, “Be ready to pull him away when the wagon is high enough!” Looking at one of the men trying to lift the wagon, she said “Kindly step aside and let me take your place! The rest of you, pray!” Space was made for the tall, muscular holy warrior to get a grip on the toppled wagon.
“Alright,” she shouted, “lift!”
With groans from all those lifting, the wagon rose far enough to pull the trapped man free. As he was freed of the weight of the still loaded wagon, another scream of pain escaped his lips, and he passed out almost immediately. The wagon was quickly set back on the ground, and Eludicia knelt beside the unconscious pilgrim. Taking his hands in hers, she closed her eyes and prayed. Only a few syllables had passed her lips, and she could feel the divine energy coalesce inside her, and transfer into the man, healing him of most of his injuries.
Standing back up, Eludicia addressed those around her.
“He should finish the journey in one of the wagons or carts, so there is no risk of him injuring himself further. For now, make him as comfortable as you can.”
Looking at the other teamsters, she continued, “Please, I beg you all to be more careful. I am currently limited in what I can offer each day in healing.” She smiled at them all, as they nodded and murmured their assent. After that, Eludicia began a perimeter check of the camp, verified the rotation of the watch and spent some time socializing with the pilgrims. Having originated in the Outer Planes, the novice Paladin had very little in common with her charges, but believed it was best to be a friendly, approachable member of the group, rather than a silent and stoic guardian.
Finished with her rounds, Eludicia moved to what she believed was the approximate centre of the camp to prepare for her nightly observances. Once again, she knelt upon the ground, placing her glaive beside herself on her right, removed her travel pack and great sword from her back, placing the former in front of her, and the latter to her left. Although it was uncomfortable to remain kneeling in her armour, the holy warrior made no move to divest herself of its unyielding parts. Eludicia accepted the discomfort as a mild form of penance for the evil she committed before starting to walk the long, lonely road of redemption. To further add to her penance, Eludicia would remain like this through the night while she prayed: prayed for guidance and strength on her road of redemption, and for the safety and forgiveness of the pilgrims she protected on their journey.
As an Outsider, Eludicia had a number of abilities she could rely on to help with her protection over the pilgrims, one of which was the ability to read the surface thoughts of any intelligent creature within thirty paces of her. Before becoming a Paladin, she would have used this to search the minds of her victims, to find things that would make it easier for her to ensnare them in her web. She now considered touching the minds of those that were not her enemies, without permission, to be a sin. So, while she prayed during the night, she cast a part of her mind out near the edges of the camp to be aware of the state of those on watch, and to search for any minds that intended harm to the pilgrims. This tactic caused more than a few bandits to regret their choice to attack those under Eludicia’s protection.
A few hours after the rise of the gibbous moon, something touched the edge of Eludicia’s awareness. It was faint, but there. Halting mid-prayer, Eludicia focused more on where the intrusion was. She interpreted it as a susurrus of quiet whispers, speaking in multiple languages, almost daring the novice Paladin to find them. Eludecia reached for her glaive while quickly reaching out to the minds of the pilgrims around her, to see if they were aware of the whispers as well, or if any of them were in need. What she learned, was the minds of the pilgrims were becoming quiet, as if they were voices of people walking away from her.
Alarmed, Eludicia’s eyes flew open as she set her glaive butt-first on the ground, in preparation to help her stand. What she saw caused her to suck in a breath of air. She could no longer see the camp or pilgrims around her. Instead was a thickening, cloying mist, which seemingly moved with purpose around her. The susurrus of whispers she sensed with her mind was now audible enough for her to hear. She began to discern sobs, screams and laughter mixed in with the various words and phrases. Although the moon was obscured by the dense cloud enveloping her, Eludicia’s sharp eyes still made out whorls and eddies in the unnatural fog, seemingly indicating something moving nearby, even though her telepathy could find nothing there.
Eludicia was about to call out to challenge whomever or whatever was there, but stopped on forming the first word. There was a subtle, yet verifiable sensation passing through her, one that, as a creature of the Outerplanes, she was intimately familiar with: the crossing of a planar boundary. She was now beyond the reach of the pilgrims she promised to protect.
Reaching down, she found the pack and blade in the obscuring mist. Grasping them and tightening her grasp on the glaive, she pictured the camp in her mind, and focused on opening a doorway back to the camp.
The door refused to form for her. It was being blocked by a more powerful entity.
The laughter of a crowd of voices made itself heard, in varying intensities, and ranging from maniacal, to dark to that of the mad.
“Wanting to leave so soon, little fiend?” seemingly asked the mist itself. “Stay and play with us awhile. We promise to draw the game out as long as possible….”
As the laughter began again, Eludicia’s eyes went wide, and she froze as still as a stone statue. Fear took root inside the Paladin, as she once again felt the subtle sensation of crossing a planar boundary, this time, possibly returning her to the very realms that birthed her. If so, she knew her welcome would not be a pleasant one, to say the least.
No comments:
Post a Comment