Arkania: A New Quest

[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]

On the last episode: The team was deciding if they should attack or flee from the King of Denmark.

Sister C's argument won out in the end, as she - Vayshen Panda, Zubon Ratkiller and Augratin Nerdly (site no longer active) managed to find passage onto a ship to take them to the distant land of Arkania and hopefully finally out of reach of the King of Denmark. Eventually they found themselves at the port city of Thorwal where, while relaxing at a local tavern, they met the local warrioress Shintar Winter and Iron Dagger the scraggly rogue.

Tales of a ghost ship and a haunted keep in town rekindled their adventuring spirit, but what truly called to all of them into action was a crier sent by the local Hetman (the lord of these lands) on a most dangerous quest.

Ah, ye olde tavern quest hook.

Scouts report that the orcs from the wild lands were amassing their largest force in history and all signs pointed to invasion. It was up to the adventurers to find a lost magical sword, Grimring, which would somehow eliminate this threat. With only a breadcrumb worth of information in their possession, the party decided to come up with a plan - back the same tavern where their minds could be refreshed with ale.

Darklands: King of the North

This is part of The Darklands story.

When Zubon and Augratin returned to Flensburg to report to the King of Denmark he merely laughed in their faces and had his guards throw them out to the street (specifically into a puddle). This, along with suddenly being accosted by random guards made the pair hold weight to the recently deceased Liore's fear that the King himself was allied with evil - or at the very least just wanted to be rid of them. Zubon openly wondered if the reason for this was that their unit, while killing rats in the castle, accidentally slew the king's pet mouse while Augratin suggested it may have been because of Rakuno's decoration suggestions.

With the tide they took passage on the next ship across the expansive river to Naskakov to lessen the ire of Denmark's monarch but even then, they were accosted by pirates most likely hired by the same king, who were only fought off with the help of the travelling hermit/bard "Vayshen Panda" and a mysterious nun who only introduced herself as "Sister C". Even there the soldiers of Denmark and the wiccan Wild Hunt chased them in the (small) lands across the waves. With no luck finding shelter they took another ship back to the mainland, jumping off near the shore to avoid unwanted attention. Sister C suggested they could try to outrun the long reach of the King's influence while Zubon voiced that they should try to put an end to the evil king in a near suicidal attempt on the city.

There must be some way to trick the King of the North...

Either way, their decision would have to wait for the light of day (since I'm taking a break from Darklands here) so they camp out in the woods and hole up for the night.

Darklands: Seige of Castle Schauffelin

This is part of The Darklands story.

After telling her tale to the King, the Church and anyone else who would listen, Liore was tasked with simple clerical duties while authorities looked into the matter. Days passed but she heard no word about her allies left behind in the monastery. Her persistent questioning began to draw the ire of the castle officials often leading to her expulsion from the premises.

It struck her as odd then that one day the King of Denmark summoned her to accompany the soldiers "Zubon Ratkiller", "Rakuno Shardim" and "Augratin Nerdly" to hunt the robber knight Felix Schauffelin. He said her previous experiences made her ideal for this task, but something felt very off. She shared her doubts and her recent past to her new company, whom she learned were also all out of favor with the court for various reasons.

Still, Rakuno was a man of honor and led the party to their goal defeating a few of Felix's thugs on the way. At the robber knight's castle for the first time the party was denied entry, so Zubon suggested laying seige to starve him out. After setting up camp out of bow shot a large group of scum came out of the castle trying to break the defensive line. They mostly failed, but Rakuno was cut down in the skirmish.

Two groups of bandits then tried to resupply the castle and only once both were denied did Felix himself and his last man-at-arms come forth. Liore's fear of having been sent here to be "erased" proved true as the robber knight decapitated her before Augratin shoved her spear through his face.

Spear to the face would count as mortally wounded right?

Darklands: The Great Escape Part II

This is part of The Darklands story.

At the courtyard Liore and Syncaine decide to separate, as it would increase their chances of someone surviving to get help. The pursuing templars follow suit, half their number going after each fugitive. Liore spots a staircase to the South West while Syncaine rushes North East to a red door which he crashes through, finding another staircase up beyond it.

Both scramble up their respective flights of stairs and strangely are not pursued by the templars. Syncaine finds himself in a tight stone corridor, finding two doors at the end - one wrought from red metal and the other made of wood. The red one is locked, and he can't bust it open this time so he moves over to the other door. It's his only option as going back downstairs means meeting the templars again. He opens it and finds a room full of demons waiting for him!

If only he had a gatling gun!

With a wry grin he readies his mace and holds his ground as they come swooping towards him - he knows he has no chance of outrunning the things anyway. With a thunderous roar Syncaine engages in battle for the last time. Meanwhile in the graveyard outside, a secret passage opens and Liore finds herself outside the monastery once more. Panting, she flees back to Flensburg to seek aid from the King of Denmark.

Darklands: The Great Monastery

This is part of The Darklands story.

It is an uneventful journey from Hamburg to Lubeck (same city as in Stalker Online I wonder?) and again to Flensburg which is ruled by the King of Denmark himself. Unfortunately all the monks within the walls (of all those cities) have no knowledge they wish to share of St. Thomas the Apostle, which Liore diligently checks to avert any Wild Hunt attacks. This doesn't bother her though as the Wild Hunt hasn't chased them recently, and more importantly because their destination was in sight.

After resting up at Flensburg the team journeyed across a large plain to the Great Monastery, ready to face anything. The exterior simply had a graveyard and two guard houses. Opening the door to the first they are surprised to find a squad of templar knights!

The bad ass kind, like the ones you find in Priest!

These traitors are well trained and well equipped, and the team just scrapes through for a victory with River sustaining heavy,  near death damage. After looting their chamber with Liore finding a strange bone they then come across a second group of templars and having been so weakened from the first fight Syncaine and Doone get knocked out early. Before anyone is killed Liore decides to surrender instead of abandoning her comrades. They are taken prisoner and brought to the dungeons below.