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Aasmir Dhampir
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Post by Raoul O. Ardelean on Nov 15, 2023 18:32:59 GMT -5
Raoul closed his eyes and entered deep sleep, even entering a dream, in his case a nightmare. He was in Moonveil forest covered by long red chains that held him back as he stood in front of his childhood home. He saw her, he saw his mother as serene and graceful looking as the day she lived. He tried running towards her screaming and shouting, “Mom, please hold on, just give me a second” but the chains that grappled didn’t budge they held him in place as he saw her begin to burn up alongside his childhood home. He screamed enraged as he continued to fight against his chains but there was no use he couldn't escape their grip.
Suddenly he heard a voice, a familiar voice, her voice, “It’s all your fault, Raoul, you could’ve saved me if you just tried a little harder. You’re just like your father having so much power but so little will to use it”.
He jerked awake sitting up and breathing heavily as he held his chest, his eyes wild looking around the area in a panic.
Everything seemed fine. Astrid seemed sound asleep; her golem was on high alert for some reason.
Quest Name: Calls in the night
Participants: Two or more
Location: Marsh Flats
Post Requirements: 4 post per person, 200 words per post
Description: A night or two into your search, you begin to hear voices coming from the woods, but only at night. These voices are faint and far, but are calling out for you! You can occasionally hear your name being beckoned into the void of the swamp, and while this would normally be enough to send you running the other way, you know this is the work of a Bogaboo, the very thing you are after. So, to do your job, you trek out into the swamp hoping to find this mysterious monster. But its a very elusive creature and finding it comes with it's own obstacles. Mud, bugs, thick vines, thorny bushes and more stand between you and your goal.
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Nov 19, 2023 17:51:12 GMT -5
Getting camp set up is easy enough since they found what seems to be the only patch of dry land for miles. Astrid throws out a bedroll, not bothering to set up a tent, and has Buttfellow keep watch. Though the golem is largely inert without commands or being in a combatant state, it can at least look intimidating to prevent anything out in the swamp from coming too near while they sleep.
Astrid’s sleep through the night is largely peaceful, or at least an average night’s sleep outdoors, something she has become less accustomed to since having easy access to her home with a roof over her head. Still, she sleeps soundly, curled up on her bedroll without armor, using her cloak as a blanket. The night in the swamp seems still save for the croaks of frogs and the singing of crickets. That is, at least until Raoul shoots up from a nightmare. Being a lighter sleeper when not at home, Astrid’s eyes open, her irises glistening golden in the darkness. She sits up and looks at Raoul, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
“Raoul? What’s wrong?” she says through a sleepy yawn. A small breeze rustles the thick canopy of trees overhead. Besides their fire, the swamp around them is pitch black.
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Tradesfolk
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Aasmir Dhampir
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Post by Raoul O. Ardelean on Nov 19, 2023 22:11:08 GMT -5
Raoul’s eyes are wild as he scans the area, everything's pitch black around them, “This isn’t good, no good at all”, he then glances at an awakening Astrid, “Don’t worry little buddy nothing’s wrong. Sorry I just had a nightmare and woke up but there seems to be something bizarre going on look around”, he motions.
“I don’t remember it being this dark out when I closed my eyes. Could this be the work of a spell? A cursed item? Something’s not right here, nothing too dangerous, just a little weird. I think we’re fine, you can go back to bed, I’ll stay up just in case this turns out to be something bigger”.
He then sits up, places his trench coat to the side, and looks into the shadows glaring at whatever matter of mischievous wood spirit has decided to prank the two adventurers.
Suddenly his ears perk up as he hears someone crying and whining in pain coming from the pitch black behind them, “Please help me! Anyone please my leg’s been caught in this hunting trap please help me before it’s too late please”.
Raoul stands up slowly leaving his trench coat trying not to wake up Astrid and looks over to Buttfellow nodding at him confident in him keeping her safe in case he didn’t come back and something happened. He then bolts into the darkness madly in search of whatever poor soul needs help, they were in a pretty dangerous place and he was not going to let anyone get hurt on his watch.
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Nov 21, 2023 18:23:07 GMT -5
Worry immediately crosses Astrid’s face as the bleariness of unconsciousness fades from her mind. “Huh? Raoul, it weren’t dark when ya went ta sleep ‘cause the sun ain’t set yet,” she says, trying to reason with him. “Don’t worry about it, I can see in the dark, so if anyone should go back ta sleep, it’s you.” The girl offers him a reassuring smile, the best she can as a kid trying to comfort an adult.
When she looks around into the darkness of the Marsh, she feels like she can hear whispers, a chorus of hushed voices from the shadowy darkness lingering over the swamp. Her smile fades. Maybe something is wrong. Carefully, Astrid gets to her feet, staying low and going over to Raoul.
Suddenly, someone’s screams for help snatch their attention. Before she knows it, Raoul is up on his feet, and she isn’t far behind, touching her wolf pendant to summon forth her armor, which manifests around her in a flash. And in that same flash, Raoul is gone into the swamp. Isn’t he the adult in this situation? Why is he not thinking with his head?? What if it's the bogaboo??
“Wait, Raoul, if ya can’t see clear out there, it ain’t a good idea ta just go–”
And he’s gone.
armor storing pendant
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Post by Raoul O. Ardelean on Nov 22, 2023 20:44:49 GMT -5
“Gotta save them, gotta save them, I have to help them no matter what”, is the only thing that repeats in the dhampir's mind.
He sprints as fast as he can into the darkness not caring where he’s going or for anything else. Someone needs him and that’s all that matters right now. Even if he couldn’t see it didn’t matter he was going to sprint as fast as he could until he found them. He could still hear their voice call out it was a young boy's voice from what he could hear, “Help me please my leg I think I twisted it while I was running”.
“I’ll be there in a second just hold on kiddo”, he yells out as he nears the source of the noise.
He looks down only to find nothing, “What? But I could’ve sworn I heard it here”, he stammers out before he’s taken aback by another scream, this time an elderly woman shouting, “HELP ME, I’VE FALLEN AND I CAN'T GET UP”.
He sighs a little out of breath and jogs forward determined to help the old woman even if he can’t see where he’s going, only following her voice as she whines.
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Nov 24, 2023 13:11:02 GMT -5
In his non-combat state, Buttfellow can’t move particularly fast, so Astrid instructs the golem to follow her. Then she opens her wings[1] and flies off into the darkness, staying low enough to avoid branches but high enough to avoid being snatched by a creature of the swamp. Her eyes flicker golden in the darkness[2] while she searches for Raoul. Luckily, his voice makes him a beacon. Well, that could be both good and bad, couldn’t it?
“Raoul, I don’t hear no one shoutin’ fer help!” she calls. “Ya need ta come back ta dry land! It ain’t safe out here! Ya know we’re huntin’ a creature that’ll mess with yer mind, right??” She hopes to Avasha that the detective listens to her, but his determination keeps him moving forward. No one ever reads the dossier.
Below the water, the swamp is murky, full of weeds and brambles, and the mud slips and slides in every direction. Traversing quickly on foot is challenging at best. Buttfellow is slowed significantly by the waters and can’t keep up with Raoul to try to snatch the man out of the water. With every turn the man makes, the golem has to slow itself and readjust to keep from sinking.
1. Bat Wings [post 1/3] 2. Night Vision
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Post by Raoul O. Ardelean on Nov 25, 2023 2:31:39 GMT -5
He continues rushing forward, his hair disheveled, his clothes getting dirty from the bog water, but still, he continues, determined to help the source of the new voice. He could hear the old woman’s voice as it guided his way towards it, no matter what was going on with this weird darkness he was determined to get these mysterious people to safety. The dhampir man had a weak spot for weak people in need, always feeling like he had to contribute to the world positively. Helping everyone he could no matter how small or big the situation was. He knew what it felt like to need help to want and desire anybody to look his way and to give him a helping hand. He was never going to let someone hang in his life because he wanted to be the person that man was. If it weren’t for him sticking out his hand and giving him a new life he wouldn’t be where he is today. So even if it was foolish, even if it was silly, the man was determined to help whatever people were out there struggling against the swamp itself it seemed.
He stood in his tracks as he reached the area where the old woman’s voice came from; he quickly crouched down, allowing the bog water to enter his boots when he noticed nothing there.
“What?”, he stammers out before hearing the sound of Astrid's voice call out a bit confused, “What do you mean? I can hear their voices so well as if they were just right here? Are you sure Astrid?”, the man says puzzled as he stands up.
He was about to follow Astrid’s voice before he froze where he stood, “Raoul come to me, I’m hurt my body aches", a gentle woman’s voice called out from the bramble behind him. A voice familiar to the man, his late mother.
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Nov 25, 2023 22:51:48 GMT -5
Raoul keeps changing directions in the darkness, chasing voices that Astrid can’t hear. She takes to tapping on her buckler to track him in the darkness, but she also uses it to keep an eye on anything in the immediate vicinity.[1] “Aye, I’m sure,” she calls out. “Ain’t no one else out here. No one that’s alive anyway. I ain’t detectin’ ‘em.”
Finally, he seems to relent, and she lets down her guard for a moment. The tapping against her shield slowly comes to a stop, and her relief distracts her from noticing a new sign of life on the edge of her radar. “Let’s go back ta camp,” she says. “It ain’t safe out here. We could get ambushed by the creature easy out here.”
As she turns to head back toward the camp, marked in the darkness by Buttfellow’s glowing red, beady eyes, something makes her stop in her tracks. A voice she recognizes. A voice she hasn’t heard in half a decade or more.
”Astrid? Astrid, where are ya? I told ye te stay put, girl! Where’ve ya gone off te now?”
She freezes in place. That’s…her mother’s voice. She always told herself that she would be brave if she ever heard from her or saw her again, but a wave of pain washes over her immediately. Rational thought leaves her mind. Most of the time, her instincts tell her to fight. This time, they don’t have an answer for her. Don’t run, don’t fight, just stay put. Just like mama said.
"M-Mama?" she squeaks out.
As her eyes dart around to find the source, she doesn’t notice the gnarly hand reaching up out of the water towards her foot. Suddenly, it snatches her ankle and drags her into the murky water.
1. Bat Wings - Echolocation
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