Stalwart hearts needed to battle Darkness(tm) From: kitten@sneeze.resp-sci.arizona.edu (Bruce Saul) Date: Fri, 28 Apr 1995 00:00:00 +0000 Notice: I am looking for one, maybe two additional players for my fantasy pbem. It is an AD+D second edition pbem set in the Forgotten Realms. The format of the game is that I post 2-3 updates a week. Players respond to each update by telling what their characters would do. If there is combat I ask for the proper dice rolls and these are used for determining results. This is the second pbem campaign I have run. The first one began in October of 1990 with the final update being sent out in March of 1994. This campaign began last September. So there is a great deal of distance to go before its conclusion. If you wish to play you should have secure net access, the committment to finish a long term game, and most importantly an interesting character concept and playing style. I am primarily seeking a mage character for the group. But I will consider other character classes. Below is the latest update in my game. The party, known as the Lightbringers, has arrived at a tower in the wilderness and has been offered hospitality. Jameson, a ranger, is responsible for the safety of a young woman named Derianth who possesses powers necessary to cure the land of its ills. He said good night to her and decided to stand watch outside her door. ************************************************************************** A menace in the Tower of guard A chair was brought up to the third level. Jameson placed it before the door and sat down. For a space of some minutes the human ranger tried to stay alert. But the combination of long exertion and good food soon had him nodding off. He did not even notice when a frigid wind began to blow beneath the bottom of the door. Down in the common room of the tower the other Lightbringers were relaxing for the first time in days. Asun, Beryl and Patric were in one corner discussing the evils of the land. The cleric of Verena spoke of feeling great evil from the mountain to the north; that a weight from it bore down on his soul. In another corner Max and Rhovana were having fun feeding each other bits of roast. Liara, Francis and Gil were discussing Brettonia with the soldiers of the tower. The doughty gnome listened most attentively to the tales from another land. Lorak was to one side. He had a mug of clear water in one hand. The elf stared at the water, and smiling slyly, brought a thin column of mist up from its surface. A whistling shriek cut through the low conversations filling the air of the common room. "That came from above!" Lorak cried, leaping to his feet. Three levels above the common room where the other Lightbringers rested and ate Jameson was shocked awake by the shriek. "AAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!" SHOUTS Jameson as he bounds to his feet, realizing that she has thrown the bolt, he does the only thing he can think of, starts chopping at the door with the sword of Law, swearing death to anything of chaos as each stroke falls as if to emphasize his hacking. As each frutiless moment passes, his eyes go more steely, his demeanor going more enraged and his bearing becomes very VERY intense, bordering on the insane. Bits of wood flew as the ranger hacked at the door with all his strength. Another whistling shriek tore through the air. Jaye bolts upright at the scream. "Jameson!" Immediately he glances at the leather bracers on his arm, watching the swirl unfold into a vision of the his companion already on his feet, hacking at the thick wooden door with the glowing blade of the sword of law. Without a word, Fred starts for the stairs, taking only a moment to check that Erewhon is coming along... 'Not her...', he thinks harshly to himself. Fred starts some mumblings as he runs to the stairs, not really sure what to expect, nor what magicks he could use... "Wait for me," Francis said. The cleric of Tymora dashed around the side of the table and followed Fred to the stairs. Jaye raced towards the stairs. "I saw Jameson trying to chop through a door. Something must be attacking Derianth." Lorak shot straight up out of his chair. "Even here chaos finds us." "I will guard below," Beryl said. "In any case, five months with child I am not running up stairs." The elf ranger laughed. "Patience, love. It is only a temporary situation." He gave Beryl a quick kiss and dashed after his young mage companion. Once again, Max's revelry is halted. He jumps from where he was seated with Rhovana, grabs his equipment where he left it near the entrance and bounds up the stairs with everyone else. "Disturb my after-dinner entertainment, will you?" Rhovana stayed behind, as protection for those below, with Beryl. Liara also grabbed her weapons but did not head up the stairs. The three women, with Gil, doughty gnome mage waited in the common room and watched that the shriek might not have been a ruse to lure the Lightbringers from protection of Serjeant Valois and his folk. Asun frowns sadly,"Good times and peace seem to be fleeting at best. I have come to relish every moment. . like a wolf in a desolate tundra relishes every morsel of food. "But, that is no reason to be hasty to end what is happening now. More lives may be lost with carelessness . . I will ask Shaylla for aid in finding whatever evil could be causing this." "Screams from above tear at my heart Shaylla, give my eyes the sight to see what could be harming our friends tonight!" His spell cast, the priest of Shallya hurried up the stairs behind his comrades. All the years of living in the wilderness gave speed to the cleric's movement. He soon caught up with the others. "For Law!" Jameson cried, chopping at the door with the glowing sword of law. If the portal had been an artifact of darkness then the burning light of the blade would have torn its fabric asunder. But it was of plain wood and the holy sword was of no more use here than ordinary steel. Fred was the first on the landing, Erewhon the faithful Hlarta close at the heels of the mage. In a rush of footsteps arrived the others. Lorak drew Ranger. Max readied his battleaxe in strong hands. Asun glanced for a moment at the surface of the door. "My Lady reveals no evil here." Another whistling shriek from the other side of the door tore through the air. "Deri!" Jameson cried, chopping at the door again. "Aid me, something within attacks her." ************************************************************************** About half of the update was written by the different players. The other half was written by me in order to achieve continuity and introduce new plot elements. If you have an interesting character concept and believe you have the time to devote to the game send me e-mail describing the character you wish to play. Selection will be on a combined basis of 'First come, first serve' and 'Gee, the dm thinks its neat'. Note: Don't bother with dice-rolling or thoughts of equipment for now. Just send me a description of your character, their history, thoughts, feelings and how they relate to the world around them. Bruce Saul / kitten@resp-sci.arizona.edu Up