The Red Dusk - Join-in

[Avenlia Silvershade]

"The wind is blowing coldly from the east. The sky is red as the sun sets on the seventh day. The horses are weary, two are already dead and a third one is dying. Our company barely talks anymore. You can feel the fright in the air and see it on the cold sweat coated foreheads of every man. The mountains of Sternum is reaching savagely in front of us, casting a dooming shadow and reminding us about the night. We will rest until it is dark, and then we ride again. Hope is failing us."

"The ninth morning has come and gone. Four men were lost during an ambush on the bridge of Sternum. Another six were forced to leave us on foot, as their three horses died from the exhaustion of carrying double weight. We can not carry the ones that fall behind. They are on their own. Our company grows smaller and the men that remains are merely shadows of themselves. For the first time in my life I dont want to know what tomorow brings."

"What frail thing life is. Contained only by the crimson liquid that soaks my clothes. I have had to put an end to two of my mens' lives today. We can not carry the injured, and leaving them to the darkspawn is a fate worse than death. All the remaining horses have been ridden to death, except for the two we use as mules to carry some meat from the dead horses. Lighting fires is not an option, so we consume the meat raw. I have lost count of days, but I think it has nearly been a fortnight. The sounds of horns are getting closer every moment. The sound of our condemnation. But we are not dead yet."

"Only six men of our company remains. Fourteen were lost to the shadows in the night. Their screams will torment me forever. I am running out of ink, paper, and will. We are getting closer to the city gates, but without horses its at least three days away. What shall we do? .. The horns, they are here. ... They are upon us. ... Banor save us."

"I'm alone in the night. I will send my letters with the last of our horses and I desperately hope it will make it to the city gates. My life ends here, but if you read this letter please tell my wife and daughters how I died. My last thoughts will go out to them. Warn the king, warn the city! Blow the horns and light the beacons! The orcs are coming! The orcs are coming!"

[Avenlia Silvershade]

Quoted from Sir Balder's "An Inspiration to Roleplaying"-thread:

3) Join-Ins: In the forum, you can take part in a story that is yet to unfold! By each new post, by one of the participants, the story may take a whole new and unexpected turn. This is a very very good way of getting to know your own character better, as well as others’. Also, it gives you a chance to experience things that you might not be able to in-game, for one reason or another. It is very inspiring to use what others have written before, and then incorporate your own character in the story. As a beginner, it may feel more comfortable to start out within, say, our own guild. Here you have only friends, and we will only encourage and come with tips – no risk for trolling. Remember that we all have to try out new things and learn by our experience, noone is perfect in the beginning, or even after a long time.

This is a join in - please include your character in the story and write what will happen next, and what choices you make. You will affect the story, and so will everyone who writes. Everyone can join!

My start is not so obvious, as it does not include Avenlia at all. The first post is just a letter sent to Thais under dramatic circumstances: who will find the letter, what will you do? I suggest that the first who posts after me finds the letter. E.g. "Avenlia trembled as she finished reading the letter. What did this mean? Was it a joke? She was unsure of what to do.". You get the idea. Now get to the pencil and join-in roses!

Best regards,

[Sir Mats]

The battled scared and worn out mage, entered the gnomergan transport system.
With a flash he appeared in the cellar of the ancient temple of Thais.
His shoes where ragged, old and worn, his feet smelled like a tousand rat corpses. And they hurt.
He slowly made his way to the surface, with simply a few goals left to achieve - A hot meal, a bath and a newly made bed.
The long think hair fell down before his eys, as he nearly could hold his head up, Sir mats was tired, so tired..

Passing frodo's pub, he nearly bumped into the blue mailbox. He stopped for a few seconds, just to catch his breath <sight>
What was that on the pavement? - A letter had found it's way out of the box. knowing this letter was certainly not meant for his eyes,
Sir mats couldn't resist picking it up. He drew his magic light wand and examind it closley, he could read trough the thin paper and make out the content "The orcs are coming! The orcs are coming"...

The tired sorcerer stared at the letter...with his silver dagger he opened it, the letter was covered in blood. This was no ordinary thais scam.
This was the real deal. With his last energy, he ran his hair back and straightend up. Thais was in grave danger, everyone had to be warned!
With the letter in his hand he ran as fast as he could, the king should know what to do and hopefully even find the authors family.
yes, that must be the smartest thing to do .. . A speed spell was cast, he ran to the castle with the speed of a hundred horses.

- Hail king Tibianus! We're in grave danger, the orcs are coming!!!
Gather your men and be ready to defend yourself. . Sir mats gave the letter to the king.
I found it just ouside the mailbox .. my feeling tells me this is not a joke, you can feel it in the way the writer is forming his words..
he was terrified ..

Tibianus: Slow down, you terribly looking mage, you smell like a ratta!
And now you're handing me this letter, all dirty..
This is probably just a hoax, I don't really trust you magic user you see..
And this letter was "found" you said.. begone before i throw you in my personal dungeon along with the other thieves.
Pathetic mage.

Sir mats was speachless, he had known the king was a hard nut to crack, but he had no idea he would be so arrogant.
He would have to take matters in his own hands, warning the citizens was his priority, he could care less about this stupid king.

He bought a few hundreds of scrolls and started writing,
"WARNING, THE ORCS ARE COMING! sharpen you blades and fill up your potion supplies, get ready for battle! I cant underline the importance of this enough, so please all who care for our childrens tomorrow, gather outside the potion store. And please, all additional information can be vital, a matter of life and death.
Tell the king, tell your friends, protect your family!

He nailed the scrolls all over thais, hoping people would read them and take them seriously.. so far noone had showed up at the gathering
outside of the potion store and King Tibianus still had the letter which he thought was a fake..

[Lady Silverheart]

Little did she know of the day to come, as Lady Silverheart got up that morning.
The fireplace crackled nicely and she went to get some more wood from the basement to make sure, the warmth would not fade during the day and keep her little neat home cozy.
After cleaning up her place and sweeping the floors, which was a neverending task in dusty old Thais, she started to wonder. The clock told her it was already close to noon and she has had expected her mentor to show up for a chat about the newest of her tasks. The last months task was lost on her due to so many reasons - life just kept her busy and she could not fulfil her duty as he had told her to do.
" Thankfully no one is going to rip me apart for this in the Red Rose!" she thought smilingly.
Never before had she been amongst people so nice and so loving and understanding and with that in her mind she decided to make sure, that she would work hard on her time schedule the next month.

Time passed slowly and she got more nervous by the minute. Where was Sir Mats? And why did he not show up as she thought he would? Yes, he had mentioned that he was going to be busy at the gnomes and probably very tired and worn out - but it was so not like him to skip an appointment or break his word. And combined with the terrible feeling in her guts rising, she quickly packed her bundle and went to go for a walk through Thais, trying to find out where he was and hoping she was wrong with her sensing of the things to come.

Out on the streets she could almost taste it on her tongue, something was terribly wrong here. The birds did not sing like usual and even the sun did not shine on the blue autmn sky like it was supposed to... only tiny little changes and most likely coming from her own mind... but unmistakably something was ging on and she did not like it at all.

Taking a deep breath she decided to go see if she could find anyone on the local tavern and hopefully run into the old wizard she honoured so much - if something was up, he would know.
Sir Mats definetly would know...

Normally passing by all the people she knew in Thais was something she highly enjoyed. She would stop and meet her friends outside their houses, hold a chit chat here and buy some goodies there... but not today.
Highly alert she set one foot before her other and made sure, she would not lose any time. People stared at her back, wondering what on earth has gotten into her, pacing the road wearing her concerns on her facial features so clearly.
As she just turned right and passed the tower at the paladins academy, the sun darkened from a huge cloud and in the shadow of the narrow streets it got almost dark. Silver cuddled into her fur cape and pulled it around her shoulders tightly, stopped for a short moment and leaned against the wall in her back.

What was that? Had she heard a scream???!!
She stood still and listened, her heart beating in her chest like mad and her breath coming in rags.
"Damnit!" she thought. She did not even think of her equipment at all - not that she was much of a fighter anyways but some of the knight training still stuck in her. What in three devils names did she think, running from home with already bad feelings and not even thinking about bringing her sword along? Good grief! She shook her head on her self as she suddenly sensed the hair in her neck standing and the sudden impact of danger creeping along her skin, up her spine and manifesting in her throat.

There it was again... a high pitched scream coming from outside Thais, most likely behind the city walls and she instantly knew, that was not a good sign at all. Rapidly she ruffled her skirt and got ready to run home to turn into the warrior that she deep down still was. Silver turned around and started to run ... back down the road, passing the tower, left at the crossing - and then the world moved upside down for a moment.

Someone rushed out of the shadow right at the entrance of the paladins guild and caught her off guard, put a strong arm around her waist und covered her mouth hard with the other arms hand. From the speed she had, this strong arm knocked every bit of air out of her lungs as she felt him drag her into the shadow and she was so shocked, she could not even scream for help... the last thing she saw, when she struggled for life with all power she had was that huge fist about to blow a hard strike on her cheekbones. Then came the fire of a fist - exploding right in her face...
... darkness came and she faded away, not having any idea about what was going on at all.

[Sir Mats]

The high pitched screams and the darker groarings was starting to become more intense.
Orc kin had been spotted close to the gates, they where on the branch of starting their attack. The citizens of thais could no longer ignore the danger and even the king had been seen wearing a magical plate armor. Ignorant old geezer, he'll think twice before ignoring the words of a Red Rose again.

The kings militia where gathered, the outposts and defence towers armed and all the hired guards where on duty, day and night.
Thais was as ready as it could be, hopefully it would be enough to withstand the first wave. The only thing worrying Sir mats was the lack of archers, According to the news courier, the queen of carlin had been payed to send her finest archers to thais, the archer possitions on the wall remained empty yet. That was a real weakness in the Thaian defence..
Let's hope the king reaches out to the queen of Carlin in time..

He had to find Lady Silverheart, her apparment was empty and he he had not seen her in a while. The window was opened and a large piece of blueberry cake left on the table. The cream tasted a few days old. Yet the fine apartment was impressively clean and tidy.
He had lost touch with her due to the intense few days, trying to warn Thais of the orcs, he felt bad. And seeing her empty aparment left in such a weird state. He was getting worried..
It was like she cleaned the place, brought out the cake as if she would have guests.. oh snap! I was the guest..now he remembered..
He had missed their appointment few days back.

Sir mats went by the potion store, bought as many great potions as he could, an arsenal with runes with deadly magical powers.
He went berserk with the spell "exiva" - find person.. where could she be.. "Lady Silverheart is on a lower level to the east" ..

on a lower level.. the sewers ? .. ..

[Ullric]

Thirst, hunger... these things were less worried, Ullric was chasing the Orc army were already a few days. It started with a strange movement of battalions in Ulderek 's Rock, that amount of Orcs was not common, so Ullric thought it best to leave the mission that Sam had granted him and see what was happening. He chased the army at a safe distance for most of the trip, just one night a group of Orc Warriors pulled away from the army for some reason. They never returned, and apparently no one has given the lack of them.

But now the story was different, the Orcs had already reached Thais, a bloody battle had begun. It took some time for the Orcs to realize that they were being slaughtered for behind, Ullric succeeded to clear about three dozen of them, a blow for each. But nothing lasts forever, so a lot of Orcs surrounded him. He tried to fight for some time but they were many, then thought better at least try to divert attention from the city. Then the Knight focused... "Exori Mas!"

The impact was great, most of the Orcs fell to the ground, who were closer could not stand the hit and died right there. So Ullric had a chance to get away, and he would not waste it. A huge group of Orcs followed, and our young knight had no choice but to take them to Mont Sternum. Ullric managed to reach his horse and then the race started, he was not sure what he would do when reached the entrance, but it was over a hundred Orcs less for Thais to account.

A great army was still attacking the city, but there was nothing that could be done at the time. Ullric would come back, as soon as find out how. Orcs were many, he needed help. Although the entry of Mont Sternum was tight and let the battle fairer, he could not spend so much time there. Only Banor could send help now.

[Avenlia Silvershade]

The moist floor of the cyclops dungeons let out a nasty smell that made Avenlia's nose twitch in disapproval. Fresh cuts spread across her arms and legs, but it was nothing she wasn't accustomed to. Chasing foul creatures in dark places was no bussiness for the feint hearted. Step by step she approached the light that confirmed the exit of the mountain cave. The soft breeze caught her hair as her head poked out of the dungeon. Avenlia stood still for a moment, admiring the red sun that was slowly denouncing its claim to the sky. She let herself drift away into the thoughts of an alternate reality, where her past choices had been different, and where there were only good endings. The top of the clear moon was entering the darkening sky. Heavy breathing snapped her out of the digression from her present. Light as a feather she approached the sound, which seemed to come from the very entrance of Mount Sternum. An arrow was softly laid across her bow, and she was ready to fire at the charging creature. She pulled the bow string firmly behind her ear, feeling the arrow feathers brushing against her cheek. A shadow appeared in the mountain entrance. "Who walks there?" Avenlia said, her arm vibrating from the strain of holding the loaded arrow. "Who walks th...Ullri... Noooo! " she said as she let the arrow slip. She tilted the bow, but a little too slow. The arrow pierced the air with a sharp sound, heading straight for Ullric.

[Ullric]

The horse was already out of breath, his muscles contracted, sweat dripping, he seemed to realize what was happening around. Ullric was well ahead of the Orcs, but that did not give him much of an advantage. The boy knew that they would not lose sight of it, and this really should not happen. The armor was bothering him, the clothes has absorbed a lot of sweat and now seemed to be tighter against the body of Ullric and chainmail. The plate armor that covered everything else dont seemed to feel uncomfortable, it was doing its part well in battle, saved the life of his owner at least three times just today.

The knight asked himself a few times along the way if Thais really deserved to be saved, if his life was worth it... but the thoughts were soon drowned out by the cries of the Orcs and the sense of duty. Finally the crack seemed to be right in front, Ullric shot with his horse into Mont Sternum with the intention of turning around after a few meters and take the first Orcs by surprise, but it all happened in a flash.

Some voice, a female voice, perhaps known, lost somewhere in the boy's head. Maybe his mind was playing tricks, but that was not relevant in the current situation. Ullric could hear the Orcs approaching, feel the vibration in the mountains, smell the enemy into the air. Smell of sweat, blood... and something rotten. Maybe the smell came from himself, could not tell, then it happened. First came the shock, an arrow from nowhere, fast, sharp, few people in the lands of Tibia could shoot an arrow with such precision. Ullric tried to raise the shield, but in vain, the arrow hit the knight armor at the junction between the arm and chest. The plates did not help, the arrow pierced chainmail, clothing and flesh. Then came the pain, a sharp pain, deep, so strong it was almost impossible to react accordingly. But he could not stop, not with the Orcs approaching... the ground came last, fast and hard, striking.

[Lady Silverheart]

"Who walks th...Ullri... Noooo! " screamed a voice and a feathery arrow rushed right through her ghostly figure as she was standing in the Mount Sternum cave. She snapped her head to the left and saw her friend Avenlia standing there with a terrified look on her face. Sheer shock emerged not only from Ave's eyes but evaporated out of her whole being, surrounding her with an almost unreal aura of tremendous pain.
Avenlia's face fell in pieces and she shook her head, for a moment not even able to run or move, a frozen figurine of horror.

Slowly following the direction of Ave's eyes, she looked to her right to see Ullric fall. His face one of desbelief and at the same time sheer will. But this was not any arrow shot from anyone... it was an arrow of precision and meant to strike - and it did.
When Ullric hit the ground with a single rattling sound a cloud of dust raised around his body and a sickening silence hit the scene.
She screamed and wanted to move towards him but Ave was already on her way to reach the fallen Rose.

She desperately wanted to assist but felt her vanishing shadow drawn into a whirlwind, away from the cave, carried outside into the light that stung her eyes. It dragged her over the mountains and the grassy fields, that once were green and blossming but now covered in a bleeding mass of slaughtered bodies, both orc and men.
The smell of blood and death lingered above the land like a dome and she started to feel like throwing up, tears streaming down her foggy face...

Still thinking of Ullric and the terrible accident Ave and him encountered in te cave now far behind her, she was soon blown over the city walls of Thais, towards X-Road and from the corner of her eyes saw Sir Mats running out of the potion store, spellcasting to find her.
She wanted to scream to him, tell him to look out for her but her cries went unheard. A force so mighty drew her through the air, past the Paladins Academy and through the houses beneath her. And then darkness engulfed her misty shadows. Muddy, earthy walls passed her sight as she was drawn towards the unknown.

And all of a sudden she snapped back into her body, threwn into a corner deep below the Thaian surface.
Silence.
And then...

Sharp pain woke her up and she tried to open her eyes, bloodcrusty strands of her hair hanging over her face. She tried to move and breathe and scream all at the same time but her battered body would not listen to what her brain desperately demanded.
Her stomach tilted over and she nearly threw up, bitter memories of the dream she just had still running through her mind as she finally fully touched reality again.
The fear was unbearable, panic shot through her veins and she finally managed to look around. It stunk and only a little bit of light creeped into the place... where was she? A cell? Was she alone? She could not remember how she even got here and honestly did not care. What counted was, to get out of here... and fast.

Her mind racing, her heart beating like mad, she wanted to fight her bruised existance and flesh and find a way out but soon realized, there was no way on earth she could flee... the metal rings tore on her legs and arms and now fully conscious of the fact, that she was chained and unable to move she felt her mind slip away...

"Hello?" she whined, more croaking than speaking... "Hellloooo?"

A faint laugh came from what sounded like a mile away but soon she heart thomping feet come closer.
With a sharp pang, the metal bars flew open and thundered into the stone walls, causing her head to shoot bolts of hellfire through her spine as she froze inside out.

"So, so..." spoke a deep voice from the dark shadows that surrounded her place, as the person walked into her cell.
"Awake is the warrior of blueberry cakes."
Sarcasm and disgust lay heavy in the air, as he went on.
"Look at you... brave Lady Silverheart. You, of all Thaian women... it had to be you. The bright chatting about you, how nicely people spoke and adored you for all the so called good deeds, made me sick for the longest time. And my patience paid off all the waiting. Ha, what a sight."

"Who are you?????" she whispered, her voice shaking uncontrollably.

"That, my dear Silverheart, is none of your concern. I am the shadow of the night. I am the enemy from hell and I am your worst nightmare, sweet little princess. What's more of importance is...what am I going to do to you... now that I finally have you. Look at yourself! Unarmed and beaten, you smell... you look disgusting!" He spat those words into her face and moved towards her.

Her eyes got big, as he emerged from the shadow and a scream stuck in her throat.

"No... please Banor no... what is going on, what on earth is going on...you cannot be here!!!!!" she whispered... and felt her last bit of will slip away as he threw his fist hard into her stomach. She felt the taste of blood on her lips, no able to breathe, unable to defend herself. Something tore inside her and she knew, this was going to be her end.

Only god could help her now.