Shadowland - The Vanguard Issue #1B The Lion and the Lightning

Admin wrote:Lionheart"So. Make your choice."

There was another pause, then "You care for these sheep? They are dead. All of them. I shall free them all. The Earl will stay my ... guest. The others shall be... are... being released. Now."

The woman shuddered, then collapsed at Lionhearts' feet!

Seeing how Morrigan spoke, clearly she cared nothing for anyone save the swords. Handing the sword across, Lionheart said, "Know that I help only as a matter of convenience, I don't agree with your course of action, but it serves me to get these swords back as much as you. But don't think of betraying our agreement, or you will end up having to stay here, whether you like it or not."

With that he handed the sword across. "And let this girl go to...enough playing games."

Although the last words were said in such a way as to try and not give away that he himself was playing a very dangerous game with Morrigan himself.

OOC:
Ok better hand over the fake sword and get on with the next destination.


Sj

The Shadows parted and a human figure in cloak and hood stepped forward...

Lionheart couldn't make out features, but the person simply held out their hands to accept the sword. He then scooped up the woman and flew her through the darkness back to the village of Caer Alwyn. With the world locked in absolute darkness, the glow of the village shone brighter than ever. It was getting cold again though, and the light covering of snow on the hills would soon be added to. The unnatural darkness had plunged the eco system of the world into chaos.

Lionheart could guess the Devourers plan. Have the world screaming in terror long enough for it to feel sated, even for a time, then wipe them all out before moving to another world.

He landed in the village, opened the door to the pub and walked inside. The people there looked alarmed and rushed to the aid of the young woman whilst asking questions of Lionheart. He simply said "I found her on the hills. Look after her, stay indoors, everyone. There are unnatural things happening this night!"

With that he stepped outside, and to the astonishment of those gathered, took off into the night sky!

=========



The Cave entrance would have been impossible to find were it not for Lionhearts incredible superhuman senses.

As it was, it took time. The intense darkness (OOC not shown...), the covering of snow (OOC not shown...) and the wildness of the Welsh valleys conspired against the hero as he flew time and again over hills which looked the same, and valleys strewn with rocks but little else. There were no animals out. What animals could be retrieved were safe in farms.

The rest had met a grisly end in the darkness, thanks to falling after panic stricken runs on the dangerous ground.

Lionheart stepped up to the cave entrance. Some... Intuition made his skin crawl. There was something ancient, and old, living deep under the ground in this cave...

OOC How do you want to distribute your powers before heading into the cave?

Admin wrote:OOC How do you want to distribute your powers before heading into the cave?

OOC:I will go for a basic array, of force field = 1, Str =3, Speed =1, Flight =1, Psi blast=1. I think that will be sufficient for now.

Lionheart floated near the entrance, he let his mind drift forward as he did his body. Mindful that to touch the ground might alert others to his presence. Besides if he didn't touch the ground he was less likely to make a sound.

Peering into the total darkness, Lionheart knew his eyesite would likely let him down. So he let his other senses help him lead the way.

Sj

Lionheart in the deepest cave in the UK looking for a long lost sword for a mad sorceress...

The hero from the future had to blank out the constant dripping of water, which blunted his keen superhuman hearing. His sense of smell was working just fine though, and that told him something old, big and somewhat smelly lived down here in the depths. The going was slow - stalactites and stalagmites blocked the way, and the cave itself was open only as far as a child might slip through in places. Nonetheless, with his incredible agility and superhuman powers Lionheart crept through the darkness. The only light cast was that from the glow on his chest, his symbol seeming to come alive when the stygian blackness grew too black even for Lionhearts dog like nightsight.

With light cast only a few feet in each direction, it became more difficult to navigate the cave, and more than once Lionheart had to backtrack and try another route. Ever he was going down, where he felt, rather than sensed, his destination to be.It was getting warmer too, but thanks to his force field that wasn't an issue yet.

When he came to a dead end, Lionheart sighed, and turned to retrace his steps, thinking he'd missed somewhere. That's when he heard something - like screams. They echoed through the caves in such a way as to make it difficult to pinpoint, but he was sure that... yes. He leant up against the rock wall he'd come up against that barred his progress. There must be another cave behind this wall, accessible perhaps through another route or... he flexed a fist and sized the wall up. He felt whatever was behind this wall, be it a cave or tunnel, housed whatever had been screaming, now silenced...

OOC Or he can retrace his steps to find another way. Posted from the delights of Drax power station. In case you'd not guessed already, in the middle of a 60 hour killer week, hence delay and posting all over the place, time wise...

Admin wrote:Lionheart

OOC Or he can retrace his steps to find another way. Posted from the delights of Drax power station. In case you'd not guessed already, in the middle of a 60 hour killer week, hence delay and posting all over the place, time wise...

OOC:Good ole Drax. Yeah no worries about posting, I've replied to you PM, just in case you hadn't noticed.

Lionheart was tired of subtlety and drove his super Psyched fist into the wall before him. Hoping to make a quick shortcut to whatever was beyond.

OOC:
Ok go for blasting my way through, without trying to bring the whole place down around my ears. But also weary of what was behind the screams.

Sj

Lionheart, deep in a cave in the heart of Wales...

Forming up his forcefield to protect his fists, Lionheart shifted his powers to build up his strength (OOC Grade 4 I think he can manage) and slams his fist into the previously unyielding stone!



There is an explosion of rock and dust, and the result is a human sized hole in the stone wall, a cloud of thick blinding dust, and shards of rock falling from the ceiling!

Sure that the cave would not fall in, Lionheart stepped through the breach and looked about. He was in a vast cavern, stood on a ledge that circled around it. Some 100' below him the cavern floor was occupied by what looked to be hundreds of strange clay like creatures, looking very much like P'utinarians!

In the middle of that throng were the remains of Elesieths' party, including the former Queen herself! She was staked out, hands and feet, over a pit from which fiery heat emanated. The glow suggested there was lava below, and a number of Elesieths' companions must have been cast into its depths already! There looked to have been a fight here - which the Elfs party had lost, though the dark stains of vanquished Clay men suggested they'd not been taken easily!

Across the far side of the cavern, a clay man some twenty feet high glowed with energy - an unmistakeable Lunarium hue if Lionheart wasn't mistaken! He looked across the darkness to where Lionheart glowed and shouted something unintelligible to his followers!

Two hundred pairs of coal black eyes turned to look at the dashing figure stood in the smoke with the glowing Lion on his chest! He didn't need to understand whatever language they spoke to understand the meaning - get him!

OOC Can't have an adventure without a) saving the princesss and b) battling some mole man/underminer type knock off on another note, if they other guys don't post today there may well be more updates, so keep an eye out. Waiting for my train to turn up, do some shunting, take train to Immingham, put black stuff in grey things with wheels on, deliver grey things with wheels on containing black stuff to place that kills trees in Norway, job done

Admin wrote:Lionheart

OOC Can't have an adventure without a) saving the princesss and b) battling some mole man/underminer type knock off on another note, if they other guys don't post today there may well be more updates, so keep an eye out. Waiting for my train to turn up, do some shunting, take train to Immingham, put black stuff in grey things with wheels on, deliver grey things with wheels on containing black stuff to place that kills trees in Norway, job done

Lionheart looked down on the captives, wondering if he could free them with the use of his Telekinetic powers. As he floated forward he began to distract the assailants with his usual banter.

"Well, well greeting your highness, looks like I got to the party on time. What this then, China clay and the crack pots! Looks like they were going to try and do sort of bake off. My, my these are my friends gentleman, I need you to stand down and let me get what I've come for. Or else I'll end up like a bull in a China shop."

OOC: Ok so lets bring up telekinesis, with my strength so high, it should be easy to snap the bonds and lift up the crew toward me and away from being harmed.

However if things should prove otherwise then I take the fight directly to the big guy. Lift him up and float him over the massive crevice of lava and see how he likes it for a bit. If Lifting him telekinetically won't work I'll fly down and go for a grab, use hero points liberally as needed and do the same.

Sj

Reaching out with his mind, Lionheart starts to pull on the ropes that are binding Elesieth and the others...

With his strength transmitted through his telekinesis it would be a simple matter to...

OOC Lionheart [10,8,18] = (36) vs the K'atinarian [9,7,30] = (46). 10 points difference, x3 damage. Lionheart takes 15htk, 15htc

BANG!!!

The mental bolt struck Lionheart with the force of a triphammer! He looked up and over at the 'king' of the Putty men. The glow of red - from lava he assumed - was actually the colour of that things skin! When it spoke, the sound seemed to echo in Lionhearts ear!

"When I read the minds of these... manlings... I was interested. Why do they want trinkets? When... my friends up there are going to end the world? And now... a hero! Tell me, where is the one called Frostbite? His friends, too ... Quickly, before I kill you!!!"



Suddenly Lionheart realised... he was facing a creature that was symbiote to a Shadow Demon!

Admin wrote:Suddenly Lionheart realised... he was facing a creature that was symbiote to a Shadow Demon!

OOC: Oh no!

Lionheart moved quickly seeking to put himself between the creature and the others. Before then rearranging his abilities to swap in his Psi bolts. He very much doubted he had anything that could take this thing down. The Putinarian body that it seemed so well adapted to, with its unlimited power meant, Lionheart was in well over his head. If only he could locate the sword, perhaps he might be able to call on its ancient power to aid him and protect the others.

Sj

OOC Arrgh best laid plans. Had intended to fully update all threads, but the apparent death of my laptop power supply means the battery is on borrowed time Well, until Ebay turns up with another one. Enough to get an update for the Lion Hearted one hopefully...

Lionheart faced a foe he couldn't beat - one that his team mates would struggle with even if they could call on their Dark Power!

Changing to PSI Power blast Lionheart wondered how best to defeat a foe that fed upon the suffering of others and turned it into the Dark Power that allowed it to do virtually anything!

The 'mud men' - enthralled P'utinarians Lionheart presumed - turned and sluggishly oozed towards Lionheart. They could adhere to walls, stretch over gaps and ooze through small gaps! Wounds needed to punch hard enough to shock their system of they would simply reform around the impact! Slashing them into many pieces would reduce their ability to ignore wounds as they concentrated on reforming,

Lionheart possessed no special ability to sense magic... he cast his eyes down at the captives he'd not, as yet, freed. They squirmed in constant agony from the intense heat below them. One of them, the Elf Elesieth, could detect magic! She'd be able to lead him to the weapon in no time - if she was free!

The K'atinarian called out to Lionheart "You are a special one! Perhaps after your mind is broken I shall use your form to house my spirit! I can use these sluggish slime creatures, but they wear out so quickly!"

Even without his empathy, Lionheart could sense the suffering of those in the cavern all around - the P'utinarians being controlled against their will and the former Elf Queens party as they slowly roasted over a fire pit!

Admin wrote:Even without his empathy, Lionheart could sense the suffering of those in the cavern all around - the P'utinarians being controlled against their will and the former Elf Queens party as they slowly roasted over a fire pit!

With little time for the evil creatures monologuing, Lionheart leapt into action, speeding toward Elesieth to free her from the bounds that held her and to try and place here were she might be less likely to face danger. Which right now might just be with Lionheart. As he sped toward her, covering the intervening distance quickly he tried to speak to her mind, mindful not to shout in his urgency, "Quick if you can detect where the Sword is let me know, it might be the only way to defeat this monstrosity."

OOC: What is it with you and computers, I've never known anyone have so many die on them. Hope you get it sorted soon.

Sj

OOC My computers get abused, and in the case of the laptop it gets lugged about to work ever day in the hope I get chance to update the game threads when chucked into sidings. In this case it was the power cable that went kaput - changed the fuse, still dead. Got a replacement power supply and a cable, tried cable on old supply and hey presto, up n running again. Oh well, got another spare power supply now (that makes 3 ) I'm half expecting the gfx card on the motherboard to go belly up as they are notorious on the model of laptop I have for dying. Anyway, I'm waffling again... (don't get me started on hard drives dying or I will be here all day...)

Lionheart sped towards Elesieth and she blinked through tears of pain, sweat running from her face from the searing heat! The hero reached the edge of the fire pit, and he slashed through the ropes with a simple karate chop!

The slimy creatures seemed to move in slow motion compared to Lionheart, but the blood red monster had no such limitation!

OOC [5,5,18] = (28) for Lionheart (DOUBLE!) plus [9,8] = (17) (45 total) vs [6,1,30] = (37)

The mental attack came with the crashing certainty of a tidal wave - only this time Lionheart was more prepared, and stood steadfast against the onslaught! With teeth gritted he helped Elesieth to her feet. She closed her eyes, concentrating, then pointed "THERE!" to a place below the throne - behind the K'atinarians' feet! The thing looked like a stalactite, muck encrusted with the sludge of ages! Lionheart hoped that the monster didn't know what it had but Elesieth turned and grabbed Lionheart by his shirt "You must free my people! They don't deserve to die like this!"

With oozing monsters closing in, the K'atinarian preparing another mental onslaught and stood between Lionheart and his target and the aides of the Elven Queen staked out over the fire, the hero had hard choices to make!

OOC you have 2 frames then the oozing P'utinarians are on you. The K'atinarian then gets another two mental attacks against you! Hey, no one said being a hero would be easy...

Admin wrote:OOC you have 2 frames then the oozing P'utinarians are on you. The K'atinarian then gets another two mental attacks against you! Hey, no one said being a hero would be easy...

"No, if I don't get the sword I'll free your people only for them to be devoured by that thing. It would be better for them to die as they are. I have to get it, it might be the only thing I can do to make sure any of get out alive. Believe me."

With that Lionheart leaped, sped and did what he did so naturally aiming toward the location Elesieth had pointed to.

OOC: Ok consider liberal use of Hero points as needed to make this work. Got to jump with Elesieth to some point she'll be relatively safe, and then onto the weapon, without being pummeled to a pulp in the process.

Sj

Leaping across the huge cavern, Lionheart placed Elesieth at the relative safety of the ledge overlooking the pit where he'd come in...

She cried out "No! My people!" as the P'utinarians fell on them, eliciting screams from their tied, prone forms! The oozing creatures didn't get away scott free though - the blazing heat from the pit dried their bodies out, causing them to harden and solidify almost immediately, and lose limbs that broke free from their liquid forms and fell into the fire pit far below!

The heat kept them at bay for a few seconds as Lionheart turned, leapt then ran like the wind, around and past grasping arms to slide along the floor and grasp out an arm to grab the muck encrusted weapon! He stood, looking at a long mass of lava and feeling, somehow, that the enchanted blade was somewhere in its midst.

That's when the mental attack struck!

Lionheart was prepared though!

OOC Liberal use of hero points... ok, you have 69, let's say you use... 5 per attack? Your roll 7,9,6,5,1,9,3 (18 double) plus 4,9 (13) + ego (18)= 49. K'atinarian 1,5 + 30 Ego (36). Attack failed... Second attack...2,4,10,8,1,5,4 (double 4) plus 6,4 (10) = 18 + 18 ego (36 total). Bad guy 3,4 + 30 ego = 37. Lionheart takes 3htk damage. Lionheart has 59 hero points remaining... Will calculate his htk/htc totals as he may well have healed since the last time he took any major damage.

Despite his efforts, Lionheart felt some of the creatures second attack get through his considerable mental shields, and heard the K'atinarian chuckle. "You cannot defeat me mortal." it rasped. "I shall flay the skin from your bones, and you will beg for death! Only when I have toyed with you and your mind is broken shall I inhabit your form and repair it, then wreak havoc on the world above!"

OOC Lionhearts remaining frames (3) this round, then initiative.

Admin wrote:Lionheart OOC Lionheart's remaining frames (3) this round, then initiative.

Lionheart shrugged off the attacks and focused on the object before him. Inside he thought to himself how was he supposed to activate this thing. If ever he needed something more than his beligured resources against the alien menace, then this was it.

OOC: ok not sure how to do this, so if shaking the thing and mentally projecting at it doesn't work, I think I will try and break off the muck and get free the sword. If all else fails I will have to try and force the sword to help by using it as is to club or attack the monster before me. Anything less is going to allow it to attack Elesieth.

Sj

Lionheart was somewhat nonplussed - the realm of magic was so far removed form his area of expertise that it felt scarcely believable - despite all he'd been through!

Even so, he brandished the block of hardened sludge, gave it a whack against a rock and was relieved to find that the stuff broke free, and at least he was holding it at the right end, with the silvered blade point shining through!

Another blow saw the muck of ages fall away, and the sword gleamed in his hand! Turning to where the K'atinarian was, he wondered if the sword might help him, somehow. What happened instead was rather surprising...

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Lionheart whirled about. Was that... drums?

'The land has need of you, champion! NOW!' said a voice inside Lionhearts head! It was neither male nor female, and felt otherwordly!

Elesieth turned, sensing something. "No! No don't leave us Lionheart! You can't go!" she wailed!

Lionheart was about to respond, both in word and action, when there was a bright flash!

And he was suddenly in the dungeons/sunken keep under the manor at Caer Alwyn, halfway across Wales!

His eyes adjusted near instantly, but flames burst to life on the walls as torches lit themselves... He was in a large oval room with an old solid looking oak table and 13 stone chairs sat round it! In the table were indentations where swords would rest in front of the chairs...

Lionheart looked about, shocked. Where had... what...?

Suddenly the hairs on the back of his neck stood up!

He looked about, and the glow from a ghostly figure, a knight of old clad in chain mail from head to foot and wearing a tabard with a crest Lionheart had seen previously upstairs on various carvings of the Earls house.

'My ancestor is in dire peril, Sir Knight! You are not chosen by the land to be a Lore Knight, but I beseech you - save him! If the line is broken the quest must begin anew to find a new custodian, and there is no time left! You must choose, warrior, between the fate of the few... or the fate of all!' said the ghostly figure, sad look on his old face. Lionheart could clearly see the stone wall through his body. There were solid looking oak doors to the North and South of this room, and they must lead to other rooms in this base of sorts. But what of Elesieth and her people?

Lionheart groaned. Once more the impossible choice had to be made - save the world, or save his friends!

Admin wrote:Lionheart

Lionheart groaned. Once more the impossible choice had to be made - save the world, or save his friends!

Within himself he wanted to shout, why couldn't he save them both, why always a choice! But all that came out was a half scream of frustration and anger. For a man who was so quick, why did he constantly feel all he was ever doing was arriving too late, feeling impotent and unable to save anyone. And in the end if he couldn't save those closest to them, what was the point of saving those so far away.

He felt like he had an impossible choice, damned whichever way he turned but choose he must. Doing nothing wasn't an option, of only he had some means to circumvent the laws of time, as he did when he first came here and be in two places as once! But he felt that things were changing, one way or another things were never going to be the same.

"OK..." He said in a sort of numb voice, his words thick with emotion as he felt the weight of what guilt and sharp pain of anxiety as turned to face the ghostly knight to take on his mission. "but this had better be worth it, I've..." But unable to go on without chocking on the words, he simple signalled hurriedly to encourage the ghost to get on with what he had been summoned to do.

OOC:

Oh that was nasty, asking Lionheart to leave, it wasn't like fighting that thing wasn't going to be tough, now I've had to betray them all. I can see this coming to bite me in the bum whichever way it went.

Sj

The Ghost nodded, a sad look on his face. "Sometimes the best choice isn't always the right one, a riddle that continues to confound me even from beyond the grave."

"My life was ever thus - ride to battle evil and save hundreds, or save the one I love. I made the wrong choice, though from the perspective of the hundreds, it was the right one." said the Ghost.

His spectral hand reached forward. It landed gently on Lionhearts shoulder, through his forcefield! Where it touched felt cold, but not painfully so...

And the scenery shifted about him!



Lionheart stood on a windswept hill with rain driving into his face. He looked about, but could see no sign of the ghost! Instead he saw a large group of people, fifty or so, digging near the ruins of a castle!

All about were moorland, heather and gorse. It was a wild overgrown area, far from the lights of towns and villages. Rolling hills and mountains filled the view as far as he could see in the darkness...

"You've brought the sword" purred a voice behind him!



Lionheart turned and saw Morrigan, stood only feet away! Instantly his superhuman senses revealed the rain and wind was going through her... She narrowed her eyes, and smiled, seeming to relax. "Nothing escapes your notice. Your friend the Earl is over there." she said, flicking her head towards the ruins. "They are digging for the final sword. Once that is attained I shall be able to open the great gate at Stonehenge to pass between worlds and find a new one. When the gate is open, there will be nothing to stop you and your friends passing through... providing they do not tarry! If you have loved ones, close friends... direct them to the site at Stonehenge."

She looked, admiring, at Lionheart then sighed. "This world had potential, but is dead now. The powers that dwarf my own will tear it asunder and move on. To them it is sustenance, nothing more. I may be evil, but when I kill it is for a purpose. To them? It is sport, food, enjoyment. They leave a ruined world full of husks in their wake, and feel nothing save the desire to find more. I can save some of the people of this world, but there is a price..."

Suddenly the Ghost reappeared at Lionhearts side! "The price is the Earls' life! You must stop her, Lionheart!"

"Foolish spirit!" barked the Evil Queen. "The Earl - and everyone else on this world, will DIE! There is nothing you can do to stop the power that blocks out the sun! This land is spared only because one of his friends used his power when he still had it to form a charm over it - the rest of this world burns and tears itself apart!"

She turns again to Lionheart. "I must have that sword. When the last one is dug up, I shall open the gate when the Earls blood is spilled on the altar at Stonehenge! Then ye shall see the last of me! You can still save hundreds of lives, perhaps more if the gate remains open long enough, but every second we waste brings us ALL closer to oblivion!"

She pointed at the sky, and where the sun would be. It seemed there was the first sign of light from the sun, but it was wrong. The colour was wrong, and there was no heat. Indeed, the sun was dark red... the colour of blood.

The Dark Emissaries were flocking to Earth for the final, fateful feed!

OOC We're nearly there. Frosty and Sentinel have a part to play, as does Anyman. Will the plan all come together, or end with the death of our heroes on a dying world?

Admin wrote:OOC We're nearly there. Frosty and Sentinel have a part to play, as does Anyman. Will the plan all come together, or end with the death of our heroes on a dying world?

OOC: Err, knowing you, yes probably both!

"Oh here we go again the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one. Great speech, but when the ends justify the means, soon the ends themselves no longer look like they once did. Destroy innocent lives once, why not again and again. No once you cross a line you don't come back. I'm ending this, go or you will die. This is your only warning."


Lionheart didn't wait for a response, his saying the words we perfunctory, as he knew the Queen would brook no questioning of her plan. He simple launched at her to attack but then swerved away toward the Duke, whilst she had him she had a means of leverage against Lionheart and that made all this dangerous in the extreme.

OOC:Ok so go for the duke, sword firmly clutched in hand, not sure if I should use it, or it will allow me to make use of it, but for now not letting it or the duke out of my sight.

Sj

With inhuman speed Lionheart diverts to the Earls side!

The Earl, watched by a pair of men in hooded cloaks with 'bastard' daggers in hand, widened his eyes in surprise at the sudden appearance of Lionheart!

The guards reacted as well - too slowly as Lionheart batted them aside with a powerful blow to each!

They were ordinary men and women, under the thrall of Morrigan. The Earl smiled sadly. "My friend... I have thought this through. For these people, and hopefully others, to have a chance at life, we MUST surrender the swords of the Lore Knights and I must die on the alter to release the magic of the swords in order that a gate be opened!"

Lionheart was momentarily surprised by the announcement and turned to find a dozen or so cloaked guards closing in around him with the daggers in hand!

Behind, an enraged Morrigan glowered but held back.

"Her plan makes sense, of a kind. She is evil, and seeks to save herself, but in doing so will provide a lifeline, a gateway for others to follow through and seek like on another world. I am old, and my time past. The best thing you can do is to help them find the final sword hidden in these ruins and gather as many of your friends to you as you can. Get them through the gate. This world is thrashing in its death throes. Whatever magic dispels fear from this beloved land of mine has crushed the spirit and replaced it with false hope of those who live therein! The rest of the world cries out in terror, whilst Britain looks on impassive, and ready to step in to lead for the rest of the world to follow? It is unnatural! Our time of Empire died with Victoria..."

Even as he said the words, he gave a wink. The old Lore Knight knew the Queen yet lived in the grounds deep under Buckingham Palace, kept alive by the weird and wonderful steampunk like technology of the 1800s!

"You heard him!" shouted Morrigan, and she kept her followers back - but still poised. "The Earl has accepted his fate! in order to save others, he will lay down his life! Will you let his sacrifice count for something, and save hundreds, perhaps thousands of lives, or will you fight to thwart me, and sentence us all to a doom beyond any power that we here can think of fighting?"

"No! You must fight on!" wailed the ghost, appearing nearby. "My ancestor has been ensorcelled! No true Lore Knight would submit to the whim of evil!"

"Agree" said the Old Earl. "But no true Lore Knight would choose to fight and gamble away the life of even a single innocent if there is a chance, albeit slim, that one or more lives can be saved at the expense of my own! It is part of the Oath I took, aye and you, Sirrah, all those centuries ago! Defend the weak, downtrodden and helpless with all that I have, including my own life! And so it is here... But this man is not a true Lore Knight, though his spirit and soul is just enough to make him a proud and valued member of our small band. He makes his own path. He must choose..."

The Earl, the Ghost, Morrigan and her cultists all turn to look at Lionheart...

Overhead, the sky boiled...

Admin wrote:Overhead, the sky boiled...

OOC: Err, what! Ok it was thrown in there very subtle like that the Earl winked, so I guess I've got to play along assuming the old man has a plan - gulp I hope so anyway.

Lionheart nodded imperceptibly to all but the Earl, whose face he'd not removed his eyes from the whole time the man spoke. Incredulity fought with anger and rage as Lionheart fought for control. He had risked so much, given up on Elesieth for what. But even as the Earl spoke, Lionheart had seen him wink! At least he believed he had.

Looking back to Moriggan, Lionheart then said, "This had better be good Earl, lots have people have already died, to get me here. One more life doesn't mean much, unless it can make a difference and get us all out of here."

The last words were said to the Earl's face as Lionheart had turned back, making it clear that he saw the signal but had no idea what he was supposed to do. Did he offer the sword to kill the Earl or let the men either side do it? Deep inside guilt gnawed at him, as he considered the dread he felt as it felt he played games for an old man's life, whilst he'd abandoned someone very special to his closest friend.

OOC:
Ok it looks like I go to try and find the sword and play along as requested.

Sj

With a sad look on his face the Earl nodded. The Ghost looked distraught, and turned away before vanishing...

Strangely enough, the image of Morrigan did not appear triumphant, or gloat. Instead, she just nodded, looked at the sky with a scowl, and vanished.

The cultists continue to hack away at the stone cold frozen earth. It was slow, hard going.

With his superhuman strength and speed Lionheart made it faster.

Doing the work of dozens of men, he hacked and chopped at the ruins, tossing rocks aside and tirelessly pounding away at the debris of ages.

=========

"You're close" said the Earl as he walked, escorted by cultist guards, to where Lionheart dug

He ignored his guards and laid hands on a worn slab of rock, half covered by fallen earth and debris. "Yes... Sir Albrin lay here... the final sword is with him."

He turns to Lionheart. "The woman is evil. The motives for opening the gate are purely selfish but... it can be used to send people away, to a place not of this world. Like it, but different. There are powers, ancient enemies of this land, which will seek to use the gate for their own ends. You must take the swords and... yes, see me sacrificed on the alter to release the magic. I am old and have lived a long life, serving and guarding my country. This will be the final sacrifice I make for the people of Britain, and I make it willingly. No tricks, no plans. Open the gate, get people through."

Lionheart saw the old mans noble face, firm, unwavering gaze... he meant it. He'd given a lifetime of service to the Lore Knights and the land of Britain, and now he would end his life with the ultimate service...

"Get digging!" hissed a cultist as he raised a dagger in threat to Lionheart and the Earl!

The Earl smiled "Fool." he said to the man with the dagger. He turned to Lionheart "If you know anyone special who needs to be saved, or important, or innocent, now might be the time to help them. I will retrieve the final sword.. and see you at Stonehenge."

The Cultists eyes widened, and he raised his dagger in threat again! All around, the other Cultists stood with shovels and picks. The Earl smiled. "We don't have long, Sir Knight."

Admin wrote:The Cultists eyes widened, and he raised his dagger in threat again! All around, the other Cultists stood with shovels and picks. The Earl smiled. "We don't have long, Sir Knight."

Lionheart stumbled away, unusual for him. He then took to the air, intent on trying to find a way to save Elesieth and her people. Somehow deep within him the notion of killing the Earl, however noble the sacrifice seemed repugnant.

But for now, he had the opportunity to have one last try of putting down the Putinarian monstrosity. However he had to wonder without a sword, to help how well he'd do? He had to hope that the Devourer would sense what the creature intended to do, and have far more interest in absorbing it into itself.

However if the worst came to the worst, then Lionheart would have no need to worry, he'd be dead, if he failed. It just burned him within that he'd left his friends love, to that creature. He sped on faster, willing his flight to exceed its previously known limits.

OOC:
Intriguing, not sure that Lionheart will let the earl sacrifice himself in such a passive way. But we'll have to see how things turn out, anyway lets see if Elesieth and her people have anything remaining to rescue. This could be very messy. Nothing subtle, no point, I'm simply outclassed by the creature. So I want to get it to use its power, as much as possible to draw the Devourer's attention to it.

Sj

OOC well I'm sure you played Call of Cthulu (as did I, though I think I GM'd more than played). Aside from slaughtering the PCs willy nilly or sending them stark raving bonkers, there were times when they actually got the upper hand on some oozing nightmarish monster from the depths of your worst nightmare. Usually with a stick of dynamite and a roof to collapse in on top of the thing. Sure, it'd not kill it, but the next best thing would be hightailing it out of there with your SAN intact (until the PCs saw the next multi eyed nasty and rolled again) and let someone else deal with it in the future after they dig it up by mistake Duking it out mano a mano was only going to end one way, and with Lionheart, it might go likewise...

Though Lionheart is aware of the Dark Powers' general way of working. Find a bunch of people/creatures to terrify and feed off them. So there's another way - remove the source of the food and see how long the thing lasts Of course, that's even riskier than crazy plan a) as you have to stay alive long enough for it to have an effect...

Lionheart couldn't say anything to the Earl. The Old Mans' sacrifice was noble, selfless... probably something along the lines of what Lionheart himself would do in fact...

With inhuman speed he ripped through the countryside, lighting it up in patches as the gorse caught fire in clumps. It wouldn't burn for long - the rain and snow on high ground saw to that - but it marked his passing.

Back at the dig site the Old Earl looked at the receding fire trail from the fastest man in the world and smiled. "Your problem, boy, is that you care too much. Ever it was with us Knights. You wouldn't have made a good knight after all. Our souls are stained with the hard decisions we've had to make, and the lives sacrificed for the greater good. I'm not giving my life away cheaply. It's my way of atonement, and my soul will rest easy in return, if this works out."

"Talking to your self old man?" asked the shade of Morrigan, who appeared beside him. "get digging!"

The Earl smiled "And hasten my doom? You know as well as I, witch, that I have only weeks, perhaps days left. This old body is worn out, wasted and done. My soul is ready to take flight, and I will live on. If not here, somewhere else. You? You need me, and that brave lad racing off to save his friends! So curb your tongue, woman, lest I snuff your plan out in a heartbeat with a swift thrust of a dagger!" snapped the old man.

He watched Morrigans face darken, then she smiled. The witch nodded "You are formidable, old man. I am glad I did not have you for an enemy." She mock bowed, though the respect was there, and turned to lash her cultists with her insults, driving them to greater efforts in their search for the final sword!

=========

Lionheart stepped warily into the caves, determined to save Elesieth...

Instantly he felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise, and he turned, seeing the attack before it was launched! Around him the walls seemed to come alive as P'utinarians, enslaved by the K'atinarian, the evil offshoot of their peaceful race, peeled away from the walls to form into humanoid shapes! There were half a dozen here, but far more in the caves beyond! Would Lionheart tackle them or use his inhuman speed to race into the cave proper and confront the evil demi god that awaited?

OOC Any special plan or get in there and start swinging?

Admin wrote:OOC Any special plan or get in there and start swinging?

Lionheart knew that if he tried to duke it out, all he would do is invite the Putinarians' to swarm over and eventually overwhelm even his speed and strength. Whilst giving the real problem a formidable head start to beating or enslaving him. No he needed to get them to where he could make more use of them. Besides he had to know this wasn't in vain and that the group, such as it was, even remained alive. Still he took comfort from the fact that the Putinarian's were still here, that meant there was still a reason to remain.

Dashing forward, he swung, ducked, dipped and sought to stay out of reach of the grasping limbs as he moved toward the chambers where he last saw Elesieth and her companions.

OOC:
Ok lets keep this moving, it might be that I need to work out what to do, once I've got inside as I don't want to waste resources, only to find its for nothing, so onwards to the chambers.

Sj