Free-Form Fantasy

[Serris]

Torvin shrugged. ""Why not? You saved our lives," he said.

The Strutho sighed. "I suppose exploring the Quartzon Mine is out of the question?"

"Depends, what do you know about it?"

The Strutho cleared his throat. "The Quartzon Mine is a recently abandoned underground mine. It is a large producer of magical gems but its Fire-Rubies were widely known. It also produces a small amount of mithril and darksteel. Unfortunately, that is all I know about the mine," he said.

Torvin shook his head. "I wonder why I hired you as a draft animal," he said jokingly.

"Hey! You try to forge metal with no arms!"

(OOC - Darksteel is ripped off of Magic the Gathering but this version of it is a bit different. Weaker and more brittle than steel but completely immune to magic.)

[Noname]

(OOC: That's fine. Mithril is also ripped off, from Tolkein, so you can feel free to use whatever name you want. )

"I've heard of the Quartzon mine. We'd have to start moving now if we want to get there before it is dark" Cassia told the rest.

Alima looked around and spoke out with the rest.

"That mine is much more dangerous than the one I'm from" Alima told the rest. "That one is known to be built on an old burial ground. You know what these burial grounds are like when disturbed."

[babidikrakenguard]

"Well, I can purchase those scales and talons. I see that they will act as good components in a number of spells. As for a job, I might have something for you. Are you familiar with astral meditation? It doesn't require use of sight, or any other corporeal senses, for that matter. For it to work, you only need magical powers and the use of one's own mind and soul." Aurescia was a master at ritual based spells done in the safety of her own home, or else a secure location. This was a common kind of magical for Dracon sorceresses, especially those who found combat magic to be distasteful.

OOC: Dang, this RP sure gets alot of posts fast!


"Im afraid i haven't heard of astral meditation." Shal'thzar said, frowning slightly. "Is it difficult?"

[Noname]

"It depends. You and I are sorceresses, so this kind of magic comes more easily to us. You might have an advantage in learning it, as you already are used to not using your eyes. Astral meditation is the process of separating the soul from the body while still alive, and traveling from the material plane to the astral one, a place of pure energy, where one can see all magic, and traverse great distances in an instant. Your body will still be resting in the comfort of home the whole time. I try to do some of that meditation a few times a month, in addition to the normal kind. I can show you how."

Aurescia had taught this secret to only a few pupils before, but she trusted Shal'thzar not to abuse it.

[Serris]

"Well, let's get going then," Torvin said.

The Strutho spotted a dilapidated sign partially covered by overgrown grass. He nudged the grass aside and noticed that it pointed straight to the Quartzon Mine.

"We'll follow this trail," the Strutho said heading off in the trail.

Torvin kept his steel bar heated red hot to provide some illumination.

[Noname]

It took them the greater part of the remaining hours of daylight, but eventually, the four of them made it to the mine. Cassia seemed unfazed by the long walk, given her hooves, but Alima, on the other hand...

"How do you equines go this long without a rest? My feet are killing me!" The little kobold told the rest of the party. "Still we're almost there. It could've been worse."

[Serris]

"Cassia," Torvin asked, "can you do any form of magic or no?"

The Strutho chuckled. "Trying to compensate for something?" he asked.

"Hey, don't make fun of my fire magic!"

"The extent of your fire magic is setting something on fire by touching it."

[Noname]

"No, I don't know any magic. I'm good with a rapier and I'm very fast, but no magic." Cassia replied.

"I've got nothing either" Alima added. "I wish I was a shaman, then I could cast a healing spell. I think that could come in handy. Are you sure you want to do this? We're going into a burial mound! A burial mound with dead things! And you know that dead things can turn into UNDEAD things when enough dirty magic is around!"

[Serris]

"There are few things hot steel cannot hurt," Torvin replied. He held up his steel bar which was glowing red hot from his powers.

Strutho shrugged. "Pretty darn sure I can kick a skeleton apart," he replied.

"Well, here we are," Torvin said standing in front of the Quartzon mine.

The mine entrance was clearly well supported and it sloped down into the ground. Small glowing rods stuck in the ceiling provided a cool blue light.

"Alima, would you prefer a weapon?" the Strutho asked.

Torvin chuckled. Before, Struth wanted to kick Alima across the mine, now he's talking to her. he thought.

[Noname]

"I'd like a knife or something. That spear of mine was never very good. In any case, it is best not to get in a fight if it can be avoided." Alima told the others.

"Did you say you had to compensate for something?" Cassia asked, laughing. "I'm sure you have a pretty good "sword" as well as your weapon." The mare was still interested, even though this really wasn't the time to bring such personal details up.

[Serris]

Torvin handed Alima a small knife. To him it was suited only for peeling vegetables. "Here you are," he said.

The Strutho headed into the mine first. Suddenly, there was the sound of shouting and bones breaking.

Torvin rushed into the mine to find the remnants of a skeletal miner resting against a wall.

"Struth! What happened?" Torvin asked.

"Single skeleton," the Strutho replied.

Torvin looked at the bones. Most of them had been snapped clean in two by the Strutho's powerful kicks.

[Noname]

Cassia drew her rapier, but nothing more happened. No more skeleton came forward. Not yet, anyhow.

"Let's just move on" Cassia told the others, sheathing her blade, but staying vigilant nonetheless. Some time passed and the party walked down into the mines. This time, it was not an open pit, but a deep tunnel, doubtlessly a testament to the hard work of thousands of miners over many years.

Alima walked next to Cassia, on her right side, while Torvin was to Cassia's left. The mare looked down at the kobold, so much smaller than herself. The mine was lit up by glowing crystals that were in the walls. Cassia didn't know how they kept this place lit up after all this time.

"Was it a hard life, Alima? With the other kobolds?" the female equine queried.

Alima responded to cassia, looking up as she kept on walking with the rest of them. "It was all I knew. I didn't like how they treated me, or how I was prevented from enjoying the spoils we took from trespassing adventurers. Heck, whenever I managed to get a little coin or a shiny bauble, it was always taken from me. The males took whatever they wanted from me. I was expected to shut up and bear it."

[Serris]

The Strutho suddenly stopped in the middle of one of the tunnels. "Cassia, Torvin, I detect a deposit of darksteel down one of the side corridors. It appears to be high quality," he said.

Torvin's eyes lit up and he went down the corridor that the Strutho indicated. The corridor opened to a fairly large cave that was littered with rubble on the ground.

The glowing steel bar illuminated veins of a black, almost glassy metal running along the wall. Torvin gently touched the metal and noticed it had a feel like water.

[Noname]

Cassia looked at the steel. Equine eyes weren't the best, especially in the dim light. Kobold eyes, on the other hand, were quite good, even in the dark.

"Torvin... be careful. I don't know what magics are in this cave, but moving a piece of metal that has magic in it, or could have magic in it, might disrupt something." Alima told Torvin this, hoping that the things that were disrupted would not be the dead.

[Serris]

The Struth was busy breaking apart some rocks with his powerful feet. "I found something!" he said.

A small sapphire was lying in a pile of rubble. The sapphire emitted a cool blue light.

Torvin noticed a lump of darksteel lying on the ground. He examined it to make sure it actually was darksteel and he put it in his rucksack.

[Noname]

When all the metals and other materials were gathered... nothing happened. There was no attack of the undead, no violent zombie, nor the awakening of a terrible spirit. None. They seemed to have lucked out this time.

"Well, alls well that ends well. Now, lets get back to the house, and get some rest. I'm tired and sore, and I need a shower. My fur's got all this dust in it." Cassia was accustomed to comfort and cleanliness. Alima, however...

"You live in a HOUSE? You mean, not having to sleep on the ground? We're going to a house? Amazing!" The little kobold was very happy to hear it.

[Serris]

Torvin coughed and spat something on the ground. "Yeah, my pack's getting heavy too and I need to finish up that sword blank," he said.

"Well, I guess it's time to head back," the Strutho said, walking out of the passageway.

[Noname]

Not long after the party left the mine, they found that the path was blocked by a group of men in black cloaks. Cassia took the point as they approached the men, only to find that they were undead!

"Die, you undead fiends!" Cassia shouted as she drew her rapier, stabbing one of them through the stomach. If this hurt the undead in any way, it didn't show it, and it proceeded to calmly remove the sword from itself, then hand it back to the mare. It didn't strike back.

The man in the center was not undead, though. This was a human dressed in a red and gray robe, with a shaven head and fiery red eyes. He spoke in a monotonous voice, calm and flat.

"I don't suppose you feel sorry for stealing from the Quartzon mine. It's a pity, really. I was on my way to claim it with my minions, only to find that looters have gotten ahead of me. I could attack you with my zombies, but that would be rather self-defeating, seeing as even if I win, you are likely to take out a number of them, and they aren't easy to replace." He must have been an amateur necromancer; he wasn't very threatening, and a serious practitioner of the dark arts knew how to replace any mundane undead like skeletons and zombies with great ease.

Shifting his wight from one leg to the other, the necromancer decided that offering a trade might be the more useful option. "Do you have anything to barter with? If not, at the very least you could tell me of the condition of the mine. I'm looking for metals to equip my army and undead to raise to build up my forces."

In the Dracon lands, the practice of death and blood magics were normally forbidden. Of the 8 major cities, only Hekaga openly used those magics, although all of the eight cities would use them if truly desperate. Smaller cities sometimes allowed use of one or both kinds of dark magics, and sold such services to larger cities, or sometimes in the armies of one of the eight larger city which controlled it, if it was a vassal state. Dracon policy was hardly consistent on the ban of evil magics.

[babidikrakenguard]

"It depends. You and I are sorceresses, so this kind of magic comes more easily to us. You might have an advantage in learning it, as you already are used to not using your eyes. Astral meditation is the process of separating the soul from the body while still alive, and traveling from the material plane to the astral one, a place of pure energy, where one can see all magic, and traverse great distances in an instant. Your body will still be resting in the comfort of home the whole time. I try to do some of that meditation a few times a month, in addition to the normal kind. I can show you how."

Aurescia had taught this secret to only a few pupils before, but she trusted Shal'thzar not to abuse it.

Shal'thzar thought for a moment on what Aurescia told her. the thought of seperating the soul from the body sent a slight shiver down Shal'thzar's spine. After thinking things over however, the Dracon nodded. "Okay." She said with a smile.

[Noname]

"Alright then! " Aurescia was happy to hear it. She ushered Shal'thzar inside the house. The two of them went downstairs to Aurescia's meditation room; a small, quiet space with several cushions and a soft green carpet. "First, you need to make yourself comfortable. Relax, sit down, and tell me when you are ready to begin. Do you meditate the normal way? It will help if you've had experience doing the normal kind first."