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Author Topic: "The World of Visions" : A series of inevitable events  (Read 9941 times)

GeekyBoof

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"The World of Visions" : A series of inevitable events
« on: January 13, 2019, 04:12:55 pm »




::: TALES OF RULUSHSODEL "SPLASHEDSHIELDS" :::




Tale 1 - News from Atir



Rulushsodel "Splashedshields",
Ulolinod "The Last Gates",
Teyo Asada "World of Visions".

20 Sandstone 250

Her Majesty The Queen, Shem Balancemined,
Estanokir "Smithelder",
Ulolinod "The Last Gates",
Teyo Asada "World of Visions".

May it please Your Majesty,

I am delighted to report that we, the Treasure of Doctrines, have safely arrived at our destination and successfully founded Rulushsodel “Splashedshields” in your honour. We have already made significant progress in our grand mission to build the ultimate monument to Ulolinod. At first, we encountered the minimum expected trouble. In this occasion in the form of keas stealing our picks; which delayed us a couple of months, but now, that the first caravan has arrived we have been able to procure new tools.

Cilob Steambridged is a great leader; he is a bit too gentle, but everyone has great respect for him. He has devised ambitious and fantastic ideas for our fortress. We have been striking the face of the mountain with all our might building a great bridge to serve as the main entrance to the fort. In time a colossal waterfall will fall on one side of the bridge while magnificent blobs of magma will pour down on the other. It will be a fearsome sight that will fill every visitor with awe. I can already imagine how hundreds of our foes will fall to their death and be eternally encased in obsidian blocks, that then, will be used to adorn impressive temples for every deity in or pantheon. Oh! by Dorian god of wealth, it makes me tremble, just to think of the splendour of Splashedshields once Cilob leads us to success.

Forgive my impertinence, your majesty but I must appeal to our old relationship and allow myself to write to the queen in a more personal fashion. I am just too excited to contain myself.

By now you might have already guessed; I am in love with Cilob. There is something about his thick lips and his brass eyes that makes me feel like everything is possible. It all started after an accident caused a pile of dirt, fall on the wagon killing a few chickens and a cat. Cilob and I were knocked down and I must have been thrown against the edge of the wagon which severed my hand. Once Cilob was no longer stunned he stood up and carried me away from the rubble. I know it seems terrible to have a right hand mangled beyond recognition, but really, it only made me feel annoyed, like when I had to drink without a goblet. And now together with Cilob three hands are much more than sufficient. He has become a legendary miner and I am satisfied to have had plenty of masonry to do.

The rest of the Treasure of Doctrines are in very high spirits too. Meng Workcreatures has become quite adept at carpentry, Nomal Netposts has taken charge of our mechanisms, Tholtig Oiledearths and Zuglar Caverush have kept us well fed. Zuglar proved to be incredible at pretty much everything: Digging, caring for the animals, gathering plants, farming, Cooking and brewing, and she is even well underway to fulfil her cheesemaking dream. I have never seen anyone gaining so much experience in so many skills and at that speed. She truly is an inspiration to all of us.

Only Edem Aceirons turned out to be a complete loafer. He does everything he can to avoid doing anything at all. We also had seven new dwarfs joining our ranks in summer and with them, the legendary metal crafter Melbil Bustlauded, who crafted: The History of the Economy and Mysteries of the Water Cycle two incredible first additions to our future Great Library. And Olon Drillarmors the legendary armourer creator of the Earthen Play.

More people arrived a few days ago fourteen of them. I haven’t had time to meet them, but I recognised Zuglar Towersilver the legendary gem cutter creator of Chokemuted the Hall of Tiredness. I guess news are spreading fast of our noble cause and the most skilled dwarfs around are coming to give a helping hand and have a share of our glory.

I must rush to give this letter to Outpost Liaison Rith Alnisdodok before he leaves for the Mountainhomes. I hope this letter finds its way to The Queen unhindered and I would be humbled if Your Majesty found time to reply.

I have the honour to be, Madam, Your Majesty's humble and obedient servant.

Atir Shootdrum



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« Last Edit: October 31, 2019, 04:35:58 pm by GeekyBoof »
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Superdorf

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Re: "The World of Visions" : A series of inevitable events
« Reply #1 on: January 13, 2019, 05:21:33 pm »

Grand ambitions, legendary dwarves, random bloodshed-- the makings of a glorious fortress. I'll be watching this one.
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GeekyBoof

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Re: "The World of Visions" : A series of inevitable events
« Reply #2 on: January 14, 2019, 04:59:40 am »

Grand ambitions, legendary dwarves, random bloodshed-- the makings of a glorious fortress. I'll be watching this one.
Don't forget romance
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Imic

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Re: "The World of Visions" : A series of inevitable events
« Reply #3 on: January 14, 2019, 07:16:53 am »

I give you my wishes of luck and speed.
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GeekyBoof

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Re: "The World of Visions" : A series of inevitable events
« Reply #4 on: January 18, 2019, 02:56:12 pm »




::: TALES OF RULUSHSODEL "SPLASHEDSHIELDS" :::




Tale 2 - A meeting with the founders



Sweat trickled down Stinthad’s face as she lay down her battle axe. It had been a cool spring morning but as the day progressed it had become warmer and with the exertion of her rigorous training, she had started to feel a little uncomfortable. She lifted her head and took a deep breath, she wished they had an underground barracks instead of having to train outside and sleep in the crowded dormitory.  She promised to herself to convince Cilob to prioritize the construction of… -For the love of Sod the Twig of Oranges. The council meeting!- She had forgotten that as the Militia Commander she was required to participate in council meetings. She had only been at Splashedshield for a week but since she was the most skilled fighter in the fortress, she had been chosen to lead The Treaties of Pine the first squad of their army.

In search of fortune, Stinthad and Catten, her husband, had travelled a great distance to reach the famed Rululushsodel “Splashedshields”, the future capital of the kingdom of The Last Gates. But she had never imagined she would end up in this important position. She had not imagined either, that what they would find when they got here, was a meagre whole in the ground. All the work so far had been focussed on a project of a scale incomprehensible to her. 

When she opened the stone door, she was feeling a little anxious.  Inside Expedition Leader Cilob’s office, Nomal Netposts was complaining about the amount of Monster Slayers that had been allowed to reside in the fortress. “All they do is eat and drink and fall sleep everywhere...” Nomal sounded annoyed, but still collected. Stinthad entrance interrupted Nomal at that moment and they all looked up at her.

Edem Aceirons was there as was Cilob Steambridged; the three of them were part of the Treasury of Doctrines the seven founders. Mighty Nomal the mechanic, sleazy Edem, woodcutter and broker and the cleverest dwarf she had ever known: Cilob Steambridged, legendary miner, Famed architect and Rululushodel’s Expedition Leader.

Stinthad felt intimidated. Cilob gave her a big smile and signalled her to sit down. “Oh! Stinthad, we were waiting for you” he said. “I am sorry Expedition Leader, I lost track of time while training. I...” She started to say but was interrupted by Cilob “please, no need for such formality”.

She would not allow herself to relax in front of the founders. “I beg your pardon sir, but this is an official meeting” she said lowering her head. “you are my superiors and is my duty to bestow on you my respect”.

The three dwarfs looked at each other and Edem even betrayed a mocking smile. “I admire your discipline Stinthad but I hope one day you’ll feel like one of us” Cilob said, and to the whole room he said: “Alright we should start; no one else is joining us today. Nomal, I think you are right; we should deny any further petitions from Monster Slayers and should start thinking of an expedition into the caverns, hopefully, the slayers will be useful against those cave swallow people that roam in there and we might find valuable resources. I understand the cavern has been sealed for now, so we can ignore it for a while as we have more pressing matters. In the meantime, Stinthad keep training your squad”. 

“Yes, Expedition Leader” she replied. She only had four scrawny idlers to work with at the moment, but she was keeping an eye for anyone else who might be useful; she hoped some more dwarves would immigrate soon. This reminded her to say: “I beg your pardon Sir, I request the construction of a barracks and...” She started hesitantly but was abruptly irrupted by Edem’s high pitched voice, “The first thing we have to do is to build bedrooms Cilob. At least seven to start with, and Atir has been creating some outstanding stonework; I bet if she made a few coffers they’d be of the highest quality and if incrusted with gems they’d be exquisite additions to our…”

“We are building a whole bedroom complex” Interrupted Nomal irritably. If you weren’t so high up in your own arse you would have noticed. Damn! Even YOUR help would be appreciated at this point” and turning to Cilob she said “progress has been slow. We have too many idlers” she gave Edem a glance, he took no notice. “We need more picks” Nomal concluded.

Cilob directed his gaze at Edem “did we order more picks from the caravan last autumn?”.

“Erm! ...sure” Edem replied.

Cilob continued, “the elves wouldn’t have brought any with them, I am sure, and most likely didn’t bring anything else of use anyway, have they?”.

Edem seemed a little nervous at this and replied “well... hmm, they have already gone those twig-spined simpletons”.

“What?” shrilled Nomal “but they just got here. Did you offer the masterful food specially prepared for them by Zughlar?”.

Edem was unable to completely hide his fear “Erm… yes but they didn’t like it was in a wooden barrel. It was an exceptional one I might add. And how else…”. Nomal gave an exasperated growl “you idiot! what in the World of Visions were you thinking?” she banged the table with her fist as she stood up.

Cilob placed a hand in Nomal’s arm and she, reluctantly, sat down again. Cilob solemnly said “Edem, that was a very stupid thing to do. Elves regard trees as sacred and cutting down a tree to  build anything is to them akin to murder. This might cost us dearly at some point in the future... But it was an understandable mistake. We’ll forget it for now but you as our… diplomat, will have to be the first to confront the elves next time they show up. Besides, I’d love to have been there to see the envoy’s face when he saw the barrel, Ha!” Cilob laughed heartily while he imitated the elves’ silly walk.

This was the first time that Stinthad had seen first-hand the dynamics of the relationships between the founders. She couldn’t stop the unexpected smile, that came to her face at that moment, and let it turn into a discreet laugh. Nomal let the laugh wash away the rage and Edem laughed in relief. Stinthad felt a warm sense of belonging. 

“You must have, at least, heard some news from them” Cilob asked Edem once he controlled his laughter. “Yes Cilob, not great news I'm afraid” He replied, “The Safe Scorpion from The Curled Wickedness attacked the Sacred Vault last autumn” Stinthad was very surpriced to hear this. The Last Gates had been living in peace since The Everseeing Road was lost to the goblins of the Decesive Poison long ago, In 77 if she recalled her history lessons. Edem continued with a worried expression “The attack was deflected but goblin activity has increased as the Realm of Crystals and the Confederacy of Murk, the humans that have kept them under control all this time, have suffered some significant defeats”.

Cilob thought for a moment. He looked at Stinthad briefly without saying anything, but she knew what was in his head. There was now, even more of an incentive to get the army in good shape, as soon as possible. Cilob then said “Conflict is still far from Spashedshield and with the human’s Coalition of Luck being close by, the goblins would have a hard time getting here. By the time they do, we will be more than prepared” He seemed so confident that Stinthad’s own confidence was raised.

“Alright, enough of that. Let’s talk about the fort” Cilob said. “Edem, it’s not only you who have made mistakes”. Nomal tightened her thick lips. Cilob continued: “My waterworks designs were flawed and that has delayed construction. So, we still have no bedrooms, no barracks no proper dining hall. Hell! we don’t even have enough room for our stockpiles. So, I have decided that we are to pause any further waterfall work and concentrate on making this fortress less of a dirt-pile. We must make it able to support our 69 citizens”. This amount surprised Stinthad. She knew the fortress was overcrowded but the current quarters would have felt overcrowded with 30 dwarves. Nomal seemed to want to protest at the idea of suspending work on the waterfall but seemed to realise it was for the best and didn’t say anything.

After a brief silence, Stinthad felt it was her turn to speak: “The main entrance bridge is already quite defendable Sir, so I would agree that work at the face of the mountain can also wait for a while” She paused in case anyone had anything else to say before adding: “I regret to inform you, venerable founders, that Olon Drillarmours has been missing for a week. And there is talk in the Hall of sightings of his ghost haunting the fortress”. No one said anything for a few moments. They all knew that Olon was most likely dead. “We’ll build a tomb fitting his legendary armourer status, we can’t wait any longer”. Said Cilob.

“We have not been able to locate the artefacts that have been disappearing, either”. Continued Stilthad. “This has angered their crafters Melbil Bustlauded and Zuglar Towersilver. Also, that is what might have caused Obok Usolustuth to enter his strange mood”. 

“By Limul the Earthen Steel, how is the old fellow doing?” Interjected Nomal, suddenly remembering the fay aspect that had afflicted the legendary clothier for more than a week. “He has requested ten thousand yarn pieces”. Replied Stinthad. Edem gave a gasp, everyone else was quiet. 

Edem’s blunder with the elf folk might have thwarted the only chance to save Obok’s life, but Stinthad knew that even the elves were unlikely to have provided that much yarn. All possible sources of yarn in the fortress had been depleted already and that had not supplied Obok with even a 100th of his request. The meeting ended shortly after that. Stinthad regretted to have been the bearer of the reproachable news that caused the meeting to end in a sombre tone.

As she made her way to the barracks, she saw her fellow dwarves working hard despite the lack of comforts. She started to feel more uplifted. After all, the fortress was in not too bad a shape: There have not been any monster attacks despite it being quite expected. The caverns were safely walled, and the decisions made at the meeting were going to take the fortress in the needed direction, soon their grand mission would be resumed. Splashedshield would one day become the celebrated citadel that Cilob envisioned. And who knows, future generations might even sing songs of her own contribution to the glory of the kingdom. It was all going to be alright.



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« Last Edit: October 31, 2019, 04:55:33 pm by GeekyBoof »
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GeekyBoof

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Re: "The World of Visions" : A series of inevitable events
« Reply #5 on: January 20, 2019, 01:10:58 pm »




::: TALES OF THE WORLD OF VISIONS :::




Tale 3 - A vision



Shem suddenly became aware of the horizon. She could see distant hills past a vast valley. This was familiar. She recognised the sight of the hillocks that surrounded the fortress. She was looking north west; a few days travel in that direction, would bring her to the human settlements and further north the dwarves of The Influential Torch
Awareness reached her, at first, like mountain mist condensing on magma warm rocks and then trickling down the face of the cliff to fall on her hair. The horizon, the hills. But almost immediately, the dripping dew had become a small waterfall, now showering her. The window she was looking out from, the luscious room she was in.  And then a cascade. The ceremonial robes, the jewelled artefact crown. And, finally it was a cataract. She was Shem Balanceminded the queen of The Last Gates. One of the only two dwarven civilisations left in Teyo Asada. She should be getting ready for a busy day in Court.
But what had happened. What had removed her from reality? Where had it taken her? She tried to remember, still looking out the window, focusing her gaze at a distant point north west. A small expedition, a clever and charismatic leader. Letters from a friend. Yes…  Atir?
That’s right a settlement. Splashedshields. Something had happened. Cilob the leader had failed to maintain the morale of his people and to make much progress on his ambitious projects. A harsh winter forced the dwarves to rush to the caverns in search of water. A forgotten mosquito beast. Death.  Olon Drillarmours had been atomized under a bridge. Could it be? His ghost assailed Obok Somberportals who had deposed Cilob and taken over Splashedshields as its mayor. But that cannot be. She knew those names, they were legendary dwarves. She had met them. Obok lived in Fillbolted and Shem had seen Olon recently in Roughnesspraises. And Atir. Atir was here in the capital, Smithelder. Those letters she had sent did not exist.
But why did this feeling persist? Splashedshields, ambition, passion, idiocy, madness, dehydration, hope. She knew this was not a memory. Not recent nor distant. Had it been a vison? Were the gods trying to tell her something? Was it a warning?
As a child she had overheard priests talking about the power of Armok who could manipulate time and space, distorting and reshaping the very fabric of reality should it displease him. She had also heard the ravings of the old alchemist who insisted in the existence of infinite dimensions that permit the manifestation of every reality that is possible. Suddenly, that which had been nonsense seemed… inevitable.
But no. Whatever strange mood had possessed her, had passed now. Even the memory of it had already started to fade. An outpost close to the human civilization linking The Last Gates to The Influential Torch and perhaps unifying dwarves and humans wasn’t a bad idea. She should remember that much and give it some thought once she could spare the time. It might be a good move considering the growing threat that was The Curled Wickedness.
She walked towards the window that faced east. There, far in the distance, Otdaamxu “Findseduced” the goblin capital grew in size, influence and strength. That is where her focus should lie. Right now, seven brave dwarves “The Hammer of Judging” were on their way to The Points of Partnering, the barren peaks that had so far remained untamed. They will claim those rocks in the name of The Last Gates and from that strategic position they will keep a close eye on the actions of Ijat Hobbledslunk the demon and its filthy following. She only hopped it was not too late.
She left the window and stood before the mirror. She must go now. It would not be proper to delay her duties any longer. She hurried to leave her chamber but not before throwing a last look north-westward.

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« Last Edit: January 26, 2019, 08:51:25 pm by GeekyBoof »
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GeekyBoof

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Re: "The World of Visions" : A series of inevitable events
« Reply #6 on: January 21, 2019, 02:45:52 am »

I give you my wishes of luck and speed.
Thanks Imic. Hey also noticed and NordicNoob pointed out how your profile image had become the image displayed in reddit when I share updates to this thread.  Awesome image, thanks for that too
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Imic

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Re: "The World of Visions" : A series of inevitable events
« Reply #7 on: January 21, 2019, 04:01:32 am »

You’re welcome. I used to have a wizard, but he was too pretentious.
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GeekyBoof

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Re: "The World of Visions" : A series of inevitable events
« Reply #8 on: January 21, 2019, 04:12:07 am »

Haha! Can't have that!
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GeekyBoof

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Re: "The World of Visions" : A series of inevitable events
« Reply #9 on: January 25, 2019, 01:18:46 pm »




::: TALES OF "THE WORLD OF VISIONS" :::




Tale 4 - Obok Tunneltheaters' Journal



250-02-19 Set out on our journey. I was selected as the leader of Zatthud (The Hammer of Judging). It doesn’t make sense but have I no choice; it was the queen’s decision. I guess being in charge means no one is in charge of me so it can’t be too bad.

250-2-22  Arrived at destination at the east side of the highest peak in the points of partnering. Chose a good spot, I think. It is mostly flat. No trees at all up here but brought a lot of wood with us. A brook is born close by, its an interesting sight. The south half of this location is all rock and the north is soil. That way we can carve us a good fortress and have somewhere to do some farming.
Yetis roam these lands and we need to be prepared so we quickly mined a stair down the earth and built a fence around it. This is why we called our site Idkikrost “Rockstockade”.

250-5-22 Three months have passed since we got here. It is now midsummer. Today a bunch of new people arrived to help us out, 6 of them. Mostly useless idiots. There were two supposedly famous crafters but what makes them think we need crafts now? No matter, they all can dig and haul, so they are welcome.

250-6-16 All running smoothly so far. Got farming running and we get plenty of eggs from the geese, so there won’t be any food shortages any time soon. We are running out of wood so hopefully we find a good cavern with fungiwood or something.

250-8-21 We finally found a cavern with plenty of wood. Most of it is hard to reach but we’ll think of something. Started looking for seeds down there too as we started to run out of them. Four more people arrived today. Athel Rainwhips a ranger came with them, so I’ll have some mountain goat to cook with. Now we are 17 we will need many more to get things rolling faster. Started work on the bedrooms and most importantly an underground forest. It will take a while before it is done and we don't need to venture into the cavern but needs to be done. That cavern is a massive maze, we are not ready to make it safe yet.

250-9-04 The queen has sent Rith Alnisdodok to check up on us. There won’t be much to report to her. We offered some of my best dishes to the traders in exchange for some wood and seeds. I am proud of my cooking and is good to see that my food is highly valued. We really needed that wood.

250-1-17 Today 21 people arrived. Finally, we have enough workers to construct a proper fortress, who knows maybe some of those whiny crafters can start practising their profession soon. After almost a year I’d say we have done OK. we have plenty to eat and drink and good enough bedrooms and already working on a more decent dining room and soon will have a forest and grazing grounds for animals. Have had no mayor incidents and we have coped without wood, fairly well.

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« Last Edit: June 13, 2019, 12:56:57 pm by GeekyBoof »
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Re: "The World of Visions" : A series of inevitable events
« Reply #10 on: January 26, 2019, 08:32:45 pm »




::: TALES OF "THE WORLD OF VISIONS" :::

Rockstockade




Tale 5 - Vucar Wallmob's story



Kubuk and I went into the cavern to forage for plants. I had been happily married to him 116 years, and we still did everything together and this morning we had a special reason to be even happier.

We walked through the narrow corridors created by giant pillars of schist, and by the pond, only accessible between three enormous stalactites, we found Meng. She had collected a great number of plump helmets and had stopped for a drink of water, before going back to the kitchens. I had not yet told her the news.
I called out to her, though she was only half my age, we had travelled here together and had become good friends. The excitement of revealing the news to her was overwhelming and before I could even formulate the words in my head, my eyes filled with tears and I couldn’t help embracing her.

As I did, I could see behind her the water of the pond stir momentarily. Terrible foreboding replaced my enthusiasm.

Meng pulled out of the embrace and looked directly at my eyes with a radiant smile. She had read, in my actions, what I wanted to tell her. She knew I had always wanted to start a family and now I was finally going to have one.

Her smile died as soon as she saw my face.

I scanned the surface of the water I have been in situations like this and can smell danger from far away. That was when I saw it.

A huge mouth, under two bulging eyes, lodged atop a grey slimy mass. The giant cave toad emerged at great speed out of the water coming straight at us.
I do not know how I managed to react so fast. I threw Meng aside and received the full force of the attack. I blacked out for a moment but when I came to, the toad had me in its mouth. Pain spread out from my stomach to the rest of my body. I beat my fists against the monster with all my might, but it did not relent.
Kubuk was then next to me. I had never sensed in him, as much hate as I did at that moment.

He kicked the foul beast in its abdomen and made it release me. As I fell to the ground, I did not see but heard Kῠbuk groan and the cracking of bones; then a thump some distance away. I turned and saw Kῠbuk bleeding profusely from his mouth. He stood up and spit out several of his teeth.

I stood up and faced the toad. It bit me again, but I didn’t let it grip me.

I was not going to die.

I could not let my little Tirist die before he was born.

I stood up again and jumped at the toad scratching and punching. I would kill this beast with my own hands if I had to.

I hadn’t noticed but Meng was attacking it too and Kubuk had also joined us.

There was someone else, two of them. Two young recruits had joined the fight.
The military had come to rescue us.

Relief vibrated through my body replacing rage with exhaustion and I let myself fall on the ground.

But I had been wrong. The military had not come to our rescue. It was only those two recruits Tekkud and Mosus. They had joined recently and didn’t even have weapons. They had no better chance against the toad than we did.

I could not sit this out. The toad might be still rampaging, but it was obviously hurt; we might be able to do this, but only together.
It didn’t matter. Tekkud landed a precise punch that forced the Toad back into the water. It took me a disproportionate amount of time to realise that it had taken Mosus with it.

I stood at the edge of the water hoping to see Mosus emerge safely. I knew this was not possible. Kubuk run towards me checked all over me for injuries. I had been very lucky, I only had bruises. He on the other hand had lost his front teeth. I tried to wipe the blood off his face with my sleeve but failed.
Tekkud and Meng were standing next to us searching the pond. She gasped and he screamed pointing at the other side of the water. The toad appeared there with Mosus still in its mouth. It wasn’t too far off and I could see clearly that Mosus was still alive. It felt that we could reach them in seconds but none of us were swimmers.

Mosus punched the toad in its head repeatedly. It was obvious that it had been badly injured already as it struggled to keep its prey in its mouth. The rest of the military finally arrived and joined us, hopelessly watching from the wrong side of the small lake, at Mosus struggle.

The young recruit frantically punched and scratched the toad. The creature could not contain its pain any longer and retched. Mosus splattered to the ground, covered in bile and filth.

Someone behind me ordered to dig through the rock so a rescue party could reach Mosus on the other side of the lake. I kept anxiously watching and hoping that they’d be in time.

The toad stepped on Mosus with a massive webbed foot. Trying to pin him to the ground so it could catch its breath. but the boy kept throwing his frenzied punches, he was not about to give up.

Mosus suddenly bit the toad’s foot, so ferociously, that it heaved again in pain and collapsed on its side. It seemed to be unconscious.
Mosus was now free, he screamed enraged then jumped on the toad’s head and surprised us all by biting one of its eyes and pulling it until he tore it from the brute’s head.

I had never seen anyone fight for their life with such fury. Mosus, drenched in blood and toad vomit, kept punching repeatedly at the fiend, for what seemed an eternity.
It is rumoured around the fortress that Mosus is descendant from the kings of Ulolinod, and I could imagine everyone attributing his perseverance to his royal blood. I think it is most likely the fight he had against a giant dingo at the age of 7; to be responsible for his grit.
But one thing is for sure: today’s events will be forever engrained in the minds of the people of Rockstockade.

The giant toad regained consciousness and in its clumsy attempt to stand up threw Mosus to the ground. Mosus hit the cavern floor feet first and immediately jumped back up with a raised fist. He gave the toad a last punch of such force that it twisted its head backwards breaking its neck.
Toad and dwarf fell to the ground with a thump that shaked the entire cavern. The toad was dead and Mosus had passed out from exhaustion.
Only then did the military finally reach him.

After that, life carried on in the fortress.

Mosus started to heal. Kubuk, Meng and I went on foraging in the caverns. the military continued to train and equip its recruits. Miners kept on digging.
But in all our hearts we knew that no matter what the harsh world threw at us we would always persevere, because it wasn’t Mosus royal blood that made him victorious that day; It was his Dwarven blood, it was his Hammer of Justice tenacity, it was him being a citizen of Rockstockade. We will always come on top because we are all Dwarves, we are all The Hammering of justice, we are Rockstockade.

And so, are you, my son.

Tirist Glazeddrills had listened intently to his mother’s story He had heard it over and over again, but he still felt the fright, the anxiety, and the thrill and specially he felt triumphant at the end. He loved that story.

His mother went back to work and he went off to play make-believe, in the role of the mighty Mosus, fighting against the Giant Cave Toad.

He did not realize that the scarred mechanic in the crutches he just crossed in the fortress tunnels was Mosus ‘toadmeal’ Guildtool on his way to pull some lever.

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« Last Edit: August 20, 2019, 09:55:02 am by GeekyBoof »
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Re: "The World of Visions" : A series of inevitable events
« Reply #11 on: February 03, 2019, 07:28:02 pm »




::: TALES OF "THE WORLD OF VISIONS" :::

Rockstockade




Tale 6



The hunter’s curse

Athel Claspcrimson was a happy dwarf child for his first two years in the World of Visions.  But his common fortress life was thrown into chaos when the terrible Night Creature, Conibo Tuftchanneled rampaged through his home, Quakecolumn. The devastation caused was too much to bear for his fragile, infantile mind and Athel grew fearful of every shadow.

But he was a wilful soul and worked tirelessly to learn to confront his fears. He read every parchment he could find on night creatures and other beasts of legend and with sticks and stones he imagined himself training a martial art. His nervous disposition, taciturn nature and daydreaming tendency alienated him from his kinfolk; so when he was an adolescent, he had no friends and no much in common with anyone else around him not even with his own parents. However, he was not exempt from the longing that puberty brought to every dwarf, and one day, he decided he was ready to leave the nest, once and for all defy the terrors that had assailed him his whole life, and at the same time, escape constant mockery.  So, he set off to wonder the world.

He visited many a place, and eventually found an old forgotten volume that told of how, the feared night creature Conibo, who’s attack had left him so mentally scarred, had once been a noble elf, that had fallen victim to Oce Shademurk the Crypt-Abysses of Fate.
It also told of how she had kidnaped countless more like Conibo and had turn them into creatures of gloom and engendered with them countless abominations. This knowledge made him decide that Teyo Asada, The World of Visions, would never be safe as long as the Crypt-Abysses of Fate was alive. So, he declared himself a Monster Hunter, got hold of a crossbow and sworn to kill the ancient fiend.

His search led him to confront The Abyssal Shade of Crypts. A pitiful child Night Creature. His incompetent guide had confused the target, but it was a good opportunity to rid the world of such a monster. 
He only just managed to slay it, but this gave him great confidence in his ability. For a while he boasted, in hamlets and hillocks, of his achievement, but when his services where required to engage in battle some beast or another, he could never repeat the feat and instead barely made it out alive.
He disregarded those failings as not being part of his destiny. He believed that his, was a divine mission, his prowess would only manifest in the presence of Night Creatures, so he focused his efforts once again to find the Crypt-Abysses of Fate.

Two years he scampered through mountains and forests unaware that he accidentally had evaded Nonure Cryptskulls. The Night Creature had started to track him upon discovering that he had killed one of her daughters and she ultimately caught up with him. Athel fought ferociously but only achieved a nasty injury; so chose humiliation over death, and escaped before Nonure could launch her first attack.

Athel then, felt ready for the next chapter of his life; he had had enough adventure. It was time to settle back into the life of a nice fortress; he could learn a new craft and find himself a wife. Besides, the monster was sure to catch up with him again and he wanted to be safe, deep underground when that happened.
He decided, to visit his parents. He had got word that Meng Wheelwaves and Tekkud Relieflanced had moved to the Peaks of Partnering and had made their home in a recently founded fortress.

It was a long hard trek, but he was a seasoned traveller, so he soon found himself standing atop the mountain looking at a long wall in the distance. Rockstockade, He had heard a lot about it in his way here. It was said the fortress had dug so deep that they had discovered an underground cavern, many monsters must lurk in those depths, so scores of monster hunters were making their way there for a chance to claim the glory that came with slaying them. He felt his stomach sink when he heard that, and for a moment, he considered turning back. But he concluded that his days as a monster slayer had ended and he was only going to join his parents in a quiet farm life so there was no reason to worry about caverns and such.

He sensed a dwarf approach behind him. Another monster hunter. Athel picked up his pace. Some of the monster hunters he found on the way had recognised him and had laughed and ridiculed him and he was anxious to see his parents so decided that he should avoid getting distracted in conversation with a stranger.  The dwarf behind him picked up his pace too. He must have identified him, Athel increased his own speed; surely the traveller would not see the point in chasing him and would leave him alone, but instead Athel felt the stranger run towards him. This startled him so he turned, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw a werelizard leap at him.

It had bitten him in the neck and left him there prostrated. He tried to scream but only heard the spurting of blood. The curse of the werebeast was now within him. He would become that which he hated the most.
Athel would not allow such fate to befall him. He turned face up to look at the stars, he would not call for help; he should wait to bleed to death and then everything will be left behind. That would have to be his last triumph. He felt all his strength leave him, taking with it his pain and his fears. He would soon be free. He thought of Rockstockade, the notorious fortress he would never see was about to be assailed by a werebeast. Horror struck him suddenly, his parents where there, he had to warn them. At that moment, he gave his last breath.


The hunted

Likot Parchedsabre was born in the middle of great commotion. Cudgelpaddles rarely went a season without turmoil but in this occasion this large Hillocks, once a thriving metropolis, suffered near complete destruction.

The day Likot was born she also died and was born again; for the werelizard who destroyed her home also destroyed her and in so doing conceived her anew. This cycle was repeated every moon; Likot would start as a dwarf, she would thirst the thirst of a dwarf and hunger the hunger of a dwarf, until this thirst and hunger killed her; and Likot the dwarf would be dead, and Likot the werelizard would be born; and then she would hunger and thirst the hunger and thirst of a werelizard; and the moon would set and Likot the dwarf would re-emerge, and she would start to hunger and thirst all over again.

From the day of her birth she wondered the ruins of her home all alone. Then, the Dwarven civilization, The Influential Torch reclaimed the place and she was forced to flee.

From afar she watched Cudgelpaddles grow and from afar, she longed to be like those creatures that now occupied her lair. But fear of the unknown prevented her from approaching them.

Another five years of her cycle of hunger went by, until one night of full moon, she went into town following, a dwarven child who resembled her own reflection in the murky brook. She was so absorbed with the new sights and smells that she did not feel the change come.  suddenly she couldn’t help getting closer to other children; and she couldn’t help feeding on them; and the feeling of, finally, having satiated hunger filled her with ecstasy; and she fed more and more. But dawn came at last; and Likot was reborn as a dwarf; and she saw the devastation she had caused; and flashes of a memory she didn’t know she had, came to her.

The same day that Likot felt ecstasy for the first time, she learnt despair. And she saw despair in the faces of those still alive as she left the place. There was horror too in those faces and she also felt horror. She run and she hid, and she hungered. But she could not bring herself to quench that hunger ever again.

Likot found that she was being followed, so she hid even deeper in the wilderness. She did not know much about the world, but she knew how to remain hidden from others and she knew how to watch them; so, for ten years Likot was followed obstinately by Zutthan Spiketomes and for ten years she evaded her.
Zutthan, had started the hunt without any experience but revenge is a limitless motivator and ten years, a long time. She learnt how to survive in the wild, how to track, how to hunt. And she learnt Likot’s habits, so one day, Likot could not avoid her pursuer any longer.

They fought viciously; one with rage, one with desperation, and when Likot realised she was losing, she let her hunger take over; and she fought even more ferociously but in the end she did not conquer. She run away with grave wounds but still alive.

Likot sworn that from then on, she would live. She would kill so that she would live. And she would feed so that she could live. So, she rampaged through Minefrills, and through Mirrormaster, and Growlcloisters. Zutthan followed her trail of death to Paddlejoyus, to Combinedem. But Zutthan destiny led her to confront other beasts, and Likot continued ravaging everything in her path: Rampartplain, Manorscrape, Fortuneships and she killed many a monster slayer. And she learnt to enjoy breaking them. And she got stronger, she lay waste to Sparkledplotted and Bronzebrother and Willhawks and one day, following the scent of a monster slayer to the peak of the highest mountain she had ever climbed, she arrived to Rockstockade.

She killed the hunter swiftly and entered the fortress unseen.


The curse hunter

Sarvesh Channelfigures was born in Bellroots and there, he gave birth to his daughter Aban Treatycradle, and there he watched her grow in size and in attitude and eventually saw her grow tired of the farmers life. She decided she would become a monster slayer and despite Sarvesh and her mother Cog’s opposition she trained and became a proficient macedwarf.

Aban assisted Bellroots in resisting numerous werebeast attacks and her success convinced her to pursue her career in the wider world. So, against her parents’ wishes she embarked in her journey.

The next autumn an outpost liaison visited Bellroots bringing news of Aban’s death. She had been slain by a giant cougar. This news devastated Sarvesh and he could no longer work the land or tend the animals. He had to go out there and avenge his daughter. So, against any misgivings that he might have had; he armed himself with a crossbow and set off to slain Pillarcherish the Steppe of Temples, the giant cougar.

Sarvesh never found that beast but he did succeed in killing many others. His name had started to be known across the land and when he was bestowed the name The Complex Urns, he dedicated this accomplishment to Aban’s memory.

One day he heard of a fortress high on the Peaks of Partnering which had discovered a cavern deep underground. Word had it, that many foul monsters lived in the vowels of that mountain so various monster slayers made their way there. Sarvesh had learned to enjoy his profession so he also made his way to Rockstockade, looking forward to fighting exotic beasts.

On arrival he was impressed by the magnificence of the fortress. He had rarely seen one of its kind; it had a gigantic and opulent dining hall where they served superb food; it had a vibrant tavern and a comfortable inn and according to the locals they were working on a grandiose project that he would not want to miss. Unfortunately, the fortress was not accepting petitions from monster hunters and the caverns were closed to all. However, he was having a great time and he met very interesting people in Rockstockade so he decided to stay a bit longer.

One day, there were screams booming around the fortress. Sarvesh came out of the tavern to see what had happened, and saw people running up and down yelling “werelizard, werelizard”. He lost no time, readied his crossbow and run toward the main stairway. Passing the hospital, he saw great commotion and many wounded. And ahead a great fight. How did a werelizard sneaked this far into the fortress? Had it been inside before its transformation, the fight would have started sooner. He decided to ponder on this question later and went to join the fight.

This werelizard was no common werebeast. They were always crazed for blood but that made them wild and sloppy. This one fought with the determination of a conscious being. It killed and wounded many and avoided harm with incredible skill. Sarvesh was so bewildered that he did not notice the fiend approaching him. The pain of a bite to his arm brought him back to his senses. It was too late, he had been infected. He fought the beast with his fists and his own teeth, while the fortress military slashed and shot at the monster. It took an inordinate amount of time to put it down. It was finally struck down by Vabuk Allypage one of the fortress founders.

The fortress was in chaos. The dead were being tallied and the wounded were being gathered in a room near the hospital. He could not let them lock him up. He was now a danger to anyone around him and his life would not be the same ever again, but he would not die, or worse, live the rest of his days locked up in some room.

Sarvesh left the fortress making sure no one noticed. He did not know if there was a way of getting rid of the curse, but he would not rest until he found a way of doing it. He travelled the world in search of an answer.
He decided that he would follow the curse trail all the way to its origins and kill every single werebeast in its lineage. If that did not help to lift the curse, at least he would rid the world of its evil.

He soon found that the monster that cursed him was Likot Parchedsabres who had been infected by Iden Lessonoar. Sarvesh had seen Likot go down he needed to find Iden.

One day, while searching through scrolls in Trammeledmalign a goblin city; Sarvesh saw an artefact cabinet of no much interest except its masterful craftsdwarship. It had an image of a dwarf and a child and they looked so plain that he wondered what warranted their rendition. He was told that its creator was Momuz Gildrivers and it depicted the dwarf Catten Mostwords and his son Iden Lessonoar.

Sarvesh couldn’t believe the coincidence; he had met Momuz Gildrivers in Rockstockade; he had to talk to him to find out the whereabouts of Iden and maybe he would know who had passed the curse onto him. That night, Sarvesh stole Fatalsaviour, the cabinet, and made for Rockstockade.

It was a long journey, made harder by the weight of a cabinet on his back so Sarvesh lost track of time. He finally arrived and made his way to the main entrance. Everyone recognised him and welcomed him back and he felt an unusual sense of belonging. He saw Momuz by the gates playing with his son who must have been born while Sarvesh was away.  Momuz looked up at him and smiled, and as soon as he spotted the cabinet his face brightened. Sarvesh suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head and Momuz expression changed to one of utmost horror; that was the last thing Sarvesh would be aware of.

The werelizard killed Momuz before he could react. Then devoured the child.


The cursed

Meng Wheelwaves had moved to Rockstockade with her husband to work as farmers; but a fortress this close to the goblin capital in a barren land like this proved to be far more difficult and dangerous than she expected, and things did not go as they had planned.

First there was that giant cave toad that attacked them in the cavern. It was a risk of the type she was used to take, but this time it came too close and if it wasn’t for Vucar’s fast reaction the toad could have killed her. It nearly killed Mosus and the whole affair was quite traumatising. She didn’t know that it was only the beginning.

The fortress closed the caverns while it got its security in place. Meng relaxed as everyone else did. She received a message from her son Athel; he was on his way to settle with them in the fortress. She felt relieved that he had decided to do so. He wasn’t exactly the smartest of her children, nor was he the strongest so knowing that he was out there in the wilderness chasing monsters was a constant source of worry. Things seemed to be looking up.

Then it happened again. As she was hauling some stone through a narrow corridor, she saw it coming towards her. A lizard twisted in humanoid form. She knew of this type of beasts; if not dealt with swiftly they could be the downfall of an entire fortress. She dropped the boulder, prepared to wrestle the beast and screamed the alarm at the top of her voice.

The monster came at her fast. Meng managed to dodge, tried to swing a punch at it but failed. The monster turned and almost bit her arm. It was hard to anticipate the werelizard movements; it attacked with tremendous skill. Meng took a severe beating, but she was able to evade its bite.

Later she was praised for her actions; she had given the military enough time to arrive and contain the monster. However, the beast caused significant destruction before it was put down. It had killed  many and wounded even more, possibly infecting them; but worst still, at the gates of the fortress, it had killed her son.

Tekkud her husband did not take the news well. He fell into depression and the thought of her wife having been attacked twice in a year was not a comforting one. He was kind and funny but had never been a strong dwarf; so, when she decided to join the military to help keep the fort safe it must have been too much for him. He withdrew form society and eventually died of dehydration. She did all in her power to help him but sometimes there is nothing anyone can do once a dwarf had taking that path.

She was not going to give in to grief, though. There was so much to do. She was strong and disciplined but she needed a lot of training if she was to become a true warrior. Her conviction was reinforced when the cyclops Lun Dashdiamonds stomped in trying to enter the fortress and thanks to their training Meng and her squad easily took care of the brute.

Then once again the werelizard curse came to haunt the fortress. Servesh Parchedsabres a monster hunter that had been in the fortress while the werelizard attacked returned, turned into a werelizard and killed three dwarfs including a newborn baby before dying.

An order to lock up the cursed dwarves was passed and Ahdo Arisen complied of her own accord, but some of them were too wounded to move so remained in the hospital. Time run out and various civilians had to fight and conquer the turned beasts. Two more dwarves lost their lives and three were bitten during that fight.

Things at this point seemed to have spiralled out of control. In an enormous effort the cursed where locked in a room. Families and friends were separated. Everyone had someone to mourn and  in the end no one knows for sure what happened. But after the next full moon only Ahdo remained.

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« Last Edit: August 20, 2019, 09:47:11 am by GeekyBoof »
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GeekyBoof

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Re: "The World of Visions" : A series of inevitable events
« Reply #12 on: February 07, 2019, 09:07:03 am »

Hey peeps, I am having a great time writing these stories and playing the game. The stories take a lot of work as I am just sort of starting with the whole creative writing. It's stuff I'd be doing regardless of people digging it but some feedback would be very appreciated . So if you could let me know how I am doing it would be awesome.
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Re: "The World of Visions" : A series of inevitable events
« Reply #14 on: April 04, 2019, 01:08:12 pm »




::: TALES OF "THE WORLD OF VISIONS" :::

Rockstockade




Tale 7





The following is an excerpt from ‘Civilization: A brief history’ By famed historian Fath ‘Howlbolt’ Idoralath. It is her transcription of a text found by Fath in her exhaustive research. The text is incomplete, and its author is unknown, but it is considered to be of great historical value.

The Beginning

In the beginning Armok created the heavens and the earth.
He named it The World of Visions and in its centre was the Umbral Continent surrounded by The Dipped Orbs Waters. And Armok saw this was good.   
Now the world was empty, and stillness was upon the surface of the land and the sea and in the deep.
And Armok wished to populate this world and there were gods populating the world. There were rock and water gods. And Armok saw this was good.
And Armok said “let the water be teaming with carps and other living creatures and the skies be filled with kias and many more living things and let there be beast in the deep and trees and elephants and other less dangerous things across the land”.
And there were foul and beautiful creatures filling the world and with them gods of nature and gods of desires. Armok saw this was good.
Then Armok said, “Let us make Dwarves so that they may try to rule over the creatures in the skies and under the waters and all those that move on the ground”.
So Armok created Dwarfkind and made them short and sturdy. Male and female and everything in between he created them.
Armork ‘blessed’ them and said “be fruitful and fill the earth and subdue it. I give it to you so you may strike it and build your strongholds within it and I give you seeds that you might plant in it and make alcohol with, so that you might live a worthy live”
And then Armok said, “and I give you the trees that you might cut down without limits and all the creatures that swim, fly and walk; everything that has the breath of life in it so that you might mince and make food and clothing from them”.
Armok saw all that he had made, and it was very good.
Thus Teyo Asada “The World of Visions” was completed and Armok was satisfied with his creation so he rested from all the work of creating he had done.

The Civilisations

This is the account of the creation of dwarfkind and other entities in Teyo Asada.
Armok formed seven dwarves out of strands extracted from the depths and breathed into them the boozy vapour of life.
Now Armok had made the earth erupt heavenwards producing high mountains in the middle of the continent. The highest ones on the east he called The Points of Partnering and the lower ones on the west he called The Hills of Shocking and this is where he put the dwarves and commanded them to build there a civilisation.
Now the dwarves called their civilisation Ulolinod “The Last Gates” and Mebzud Mirrorpatches became their queen.
The group called itself The Influential Rocks and they founded Eshtanokir “Smithelder” as the capital and from there they claimed The Hills of Shocking as their home and founded many a site, expanding westwards as far as The Swamps of Glee.
Armok formed another group of dwarves who called themselves The Influential Torch and put them in The Escorted Fields to the northwest where they founded Nimakeshtan, "Quillsmith”.
Armok said “Its not good for the dwarves to be alone. Let there be other sentient creatures to pay tribute to them”
Now Armok had made a swamp further south and called it the Intense Mire and west of the swamps he had planted a jungle on a great island and called it The Reticent Jungles.
So he took three, thin, twisted and rotten twigs and from one he formed the spines of the elves that he called The Incinerated Path and put them in the island. Then he used the second twig as the spines of the elves of the Divine Humility and put them in the swamp. At last Armok used the final twig to form the elves of the Sheen of Lashes and placed them on the northeast of the continent at the foot of the tall mountains of the Points of Partnering and he called this region the Hills of Illness.

Armok said, “These are not worthy creatures to share the world with the dwarves, let us create other sentient beings to cooperate with them or to compete with them so that they might prove their power”
So Armok took dust from the ground, mixed it water and made a statue then took a group of apes and waited a long time until they had lost most of their hair and had slightly more intellect and then he named them mankind. By then he had forgotten what happened to the mud statue.
Now some humans created the Realms of Chrystals civilisation and settled among the dwarves in the Escorted Fields and the Swamps of Glee and others created the civilisation, the Confederacies of Murk and settled to the south in the Jungles of Extrication.
Now some gods were more crafty than any of the other creatures Armok had made. The goddess Dothrem, who is depicted by the Realms of Chrystals as a female human, felt bored with the stability of the world Armok had created.
It was no longer enough for her to induce nightmares in the sleep of men, so she looked to bring those nightmares to the physical world.


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