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Bliston Ascor

"I honestly don't care about your justification. Just give me the coin and I'll go kill it."

0 · 2,302 views · located in The Lands of Galderia

a character in “Adventures in Galderia”, as played by Wake

Description

Image
Name: Bliston Ascor
Nickname: The Scourge of a Thousand Battlefields.
Race: Daemon (a derogatory term for half infernal)
Gender: Male
Age: 547
Profession: Freelance mercenary

Description: As an eight and a half foot tall hulking, hunched over, gray skinned creature Bliston is everything most people expect a Daemon to look like. Horns, sharp teeth and a massive body set upon powerful looking limbs. Blood red eyes and redish-brown scales, his visage causes one to immediately think of him as a dangerous beast, and he does little to dissuade the idea.

Personality: Bliston would at first appear very amoral and apathetic. He murders and slaughters for profit, gives little care for the plights of others and has even done some genuinely heinous things over the centuries. He has no qualms about ending another person’s life, or fighting for a not-so-just cause, or switching allegiances as soon as a contract expires, and he does have some very morbid habits. The truth of the matter though is that he isn't so much malicious as he is just completely deadened to it all at this point.

Centuries of witnessing violence, prejudice, and catastrophe have had the profound effect of making him into the callous and bitter person he is now. He views the world in a bit more pessimistic view these days, regarding everything with a heavy dose of cynicism and everyone with an equally heavy dose of dismissal or distrust. He more or less tires to rub everyone the wrong way now, not really expecting a lasting friendship to form out of many. If you have money and a problem he'll listen. If you want something else, take a hike.

Despite that mentality though, some small vestiges of an age lost honor still hide somewhere inside of him. Bliston had always believed in seeing something through to the end and he still does even now. As a mercenary his word is his worth and it is the one means he has to validate his continued existence. So when he is hired under contract, come hell or high water, he will follow through with it until completion no matter what unforeseen complications arise. So iron clad is his instance on this that in the event he receives advance pay on a job and later finds it impossible to finish, he will return and refund all payments to his employer as compensation. Say what you will about Bliston, but he will never break his word.

Inventory/Equipment: Bliston is clad in a fairly formidable set of steel plate-mail, painted red and adorned with spikes to both intimidate and proved a little extra advantage when grappling.

Accessories: shrunken severed heads. He wears a set as a necklace and another hanging from his sword. It used more as a means of intimidation, as most will back down and not bother you if you walk around with proof of your capacity for murder hanging from your neck.


Weapon(s)

Weapon Name: Hevnoraak
Weapon Type: Great Club
Material: stone (mineral unknown)
Weapon Description/Info: Blsiton has held this weapon for centuries. How he acquired it is a mystery he refuses to divulge, but it has since become an iconic part of his image. It is a large club with a spiked head shaped to focus impact into a central point and composed of stone that does not appear terrestrial in nature. Literally called 'brutality' in an olden tongue Bliston has used this massive club to smash and bludgeon thousands of enemies to death, both man and beast, across the centuries. The weapon itself has a curse of wounding upon it, which means that any injury inflicted by it's spiked head will not heal by mundane means. It also means that anything that couldn't be harmed by normal weapons, such as creatures that are incorporeal, can be wounded by Hevnoraak's teeth.

Weapon Name: Ahkan and Grahz
Weapon Type: axe and sword
Material: steel
Weapon Description/Info: Much less mysterious then Hevnoraak, both are just an ordinary axe and sword. When in tighter quarters or in need of a bit more speed and finesse, Bliston will switch to these to allow more flexibility.

Special Traits: As a daemon, Bliston has inherited some of his infernal father's attributes. An incredibly tough and strong body for one that has served him well through many of his battles, but also an astounding reliance in the face of magical effects. Indeed Bliston has shrugged off some magic attacks that would have killed a lesser man. Whats more though is his sensitivity to the polar forces of the celestial and the infernal. He can, for lack of better a term, smell holy or unholy magic in the air. This can be a bad thing however, as a consequence of his infernal heritage his body doesn't mix well with sacred power. As an example, healing magic from the divine is useless on him as it will either not work or even out right harm him in most cases.

History For as long as any living person can remember, as long as there has been war in Galderia there has been a monster of a man spilling blood onto the lands soils. Bliston Ascor. Known as the scourge of a thousand battlefields in reference to the many conflicts he has been a part of, his story is a long and bloody one with tales of violence and death across the continent. He fought during the orc invasion and Ostelhinian war of succession. He lived through three iterations of Londe’s destruction counting their failed war of expansion, the civil war, and the running death. He marched beyond the frontier in the doomed war with the wildlings of the north and was called to stand ground when faced with their reprisal. He was even there fighting in defense of the siege of Kakergash, an event that was personally damning for him.

But for someone so infamous his origins are relatively unknown. For the best really, as there is little positive he has to say about his youth and his personal life isn’t something he is very open to sharing. And outcast from as early as birth, like many daemons, Bliston had to struggle to survive for as long as he can remember. He doesn't remember the place of his birth, and really he doesn’t want to go back that place anyway considering what he ran away from. What he can say that he remembered is being caught by a group of orc warriors in the forest one day and being press ganged into joining the army. Why they didn’t simply kill him when they found him like most daemons has been a mystery to him for a long time.
In those early days the young brat that would one day become the scourge was living a less then renowned and glamorous life style. He was the bus boy, the cleaning runt. He's daily choirs had been to clean and maintain the weapons and armor of all the bigger warriors while trying not to get hit for some small perceived slight. This started to change though when he got older, and bigger, when they started to put a mace in his hand and shove him out onto the front line. He still got flack from the other warriors then, but beating quickly became less common once he proved to be tough enough to take it and strong enough to hit back. During those early years he developed the fighting skills that he would refine later and come to depend on all his life.

Eventually the horde collapsed and Bliston was left at loss with what to do with himself when that happened, having nowhere to go or no practical craft skills to reintegrate into society. Fortunately the choice of what to do was made for him when the opposing military simple found him and pressed him into their service, desperate for strong soldiers to recant their losses in face of another threat they overlooked the fact that he was of fiendish birth. And so from there it went, with each decade Bliston marched in one army or the next fighting in some war or another with no real purpose.

At least until Bliston met another half breed by the name of Amos. It had been just after the running death had devastated the land, with anarchy rampant amongst the hollow remains of the great nations. Old kingdoms were trying to cling onto what they had while ambitious warlords were trying to carve out their own lands. Bliston didn't care much about the overall status of things at the time. But what he did care about was what Amous had shown him. Refugee camps. Unusual not int he fact that they existed, but of who was in them. Half-breeds. Hundreds of them. Them, and mixture of some humans, orcs that did not submit to the leading warchiefs of the time, along with other outcast of less renown races.

And he had heard Amous tell him of a plan he had, to take all these people far away from the prejudice and war that was running rampant at the time, to an unclaimed stretch of territory just south of the elven lands. There they would build the makings of a town, a city, and carve out a small nation for themselves where everyone of the outcast with them could stand on equal footing and decide for themselves what was civilized and respectable, rather than be told at sword point.

Kakergash, a haven for half breads like them. Intrigued, Bliston followed him. And to his surprise they managed just what they had set out to do. A town, small at first but sturdy was built in far edges away from civilized lands. They made it just prosperous enough to survive and grow. Word of it's existence spread as rumor, of the small town in lands untouched by kings, and the attraction of more refugees became inevitable. For the next century Bliston watched as the small community that Amous had started, that he had helped start, grow and swell with numbers into a strong and independent city. Kakergash they called. For the first time in his life Bliston (now called 'Captian Ascor of the city watch') felt like he had actually done something of true worth, actually made a real difference in the world.

But things had a way of not working out the way you had hoped. For you see, in order for Kakergash to continue to grow and prosper, it needed resources and materials. Farmland and lumber. There were small islands a little ways out to sea from them, and long stretches of fertile land along the coast to their north and south. Though Bliston still held blame upon the elves, it could be agreed upon that it was Amous' stubbornness that caused what happened next. Small excursions into the forest, cutting down trees and tearing up the land to lay down farm crop. 'Just a small plot of land' Amous had said. 'Just a small plot there. They wont notice. And if they do, it's too small for them to care.' But the elves did notice. And they did care. Messengers came, angry, demanding immediate eviction from the new taken territory. Arguments sprang up when attempts at a compromise were ignored, and the elven messengers were shortly booted out of the city once it had reached a boiling point.

Skirmishes started after that. A raid here, a scuffle with a patrol there, a retaliations against some other small slight over there. More and more Bliston found himself getting put back into the role of the warrior again, but at the time he thought it all just a minor squabble. The elves, on the other hand, didn't hold the same view though. They wanted the Kakergashian's gone. Not off the land they took, not making recompenses, gone. All the raids and scuffles up to that point were attempts to scare them off, and when they didn't and stood their ground... well...

What happened that night was something Bliston would never forget, nor forgive. Kakergash, destroyed. It's people scattered. Bliston's friends, all dead. What Happened that night 237 years ago was the catalyst for Bliston's now jaded and grim persona. He returned to the so called 'civilized' lands of the kings and their wars, and threw himself back into the bloodshed. He no longer cared about the 'hows' or 'whys'. All thoughts towards the idea of a different tomorrow died in him, and left him with nothing but the more base desires. As if he was rebelling against society as a whole, he embraced the viciousness of the world and earned himself a reputation as a monster who butchered for coin and had no morals to hold back his ire.

So begins...

Bliston Ascor's Story

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Bliston Ascor Character Portrait: Iator Legerdemain Character Portrait: Taethion of Gilfried Character Portrait: Jor The Ravager Character Portrait: Adelheid Character Portrait: Anima Lumen
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Iator

The gnome sighed as Bliston stormed out. "Frustrated or not, Bliston has a point. We should finish with our questions soon, grab whatever we might need to stop these slimes, present company excluded, and be on our way. Animax must be defeated before he can bring harm to the village." He looked at Anima, "Will you help us take down this threat or will you be staying here?"

Jor

Jor was just reaching the top of his own stairs and Bliston came down. "Ack. We've got a problem. Th' slime's na' there."

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Sylphine Mistral Character Portrait: Bliston Ascor Character Portrait: Iator Legerdemain Character Portrait: Taethion of Gilfried Character Portrait: Jor The Ravager Character Portrait: Adelheid
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Day 6

After a discussion about how the strange Anima Lumen had divine magic, the now rather impatient and frustrated daemon let out an outburst before starting to head back down towards the base of the tower.

"...well, that was definitely something," Sylphine muttered, flying after him. As she descended...or ascended?...into the tower's lower floors, the force of gravity pulling her towards ceilings got weaker, until she finally landed back on the floor once again. What a relief...gravity changing was a lot more disorienting than one would think, even for someone capable of flight.

But then, the daemon suddenly halted and started sniffing. Stopping just behind him, Sylphine looked up and opened her mouth to ask if something was wrong, when she suddenly noticed that the bird on her shoulder was starting to fidget. Is something wrong, Pirika? she asked mentally. Are you sensing something?

...there's something strange in the air. Pirika sounded very worried about this. It's absolutely stifling...like the air in here is tainted, almost. I don't like it at all.

I don't think any of us are going to like what we see, Sylphine replied, just as the daemon started moving down the stairs at a hurried pace--clearly, he was being affected a bit as well. But we don't really have much of a choice except to face it! She held out her hand, and her staff appeared in it as she followed the daemon.

What awaited them when they got to the bottom floor, however, was a shock. An underground passageway which hadn't been there when they were previously in this room had opened, and a black trail of...something...led from it. At the same time, the dwarf, looking as though he had a walk through hell, came up from the stairs leading down and revealed that there was nothing noteworthy in that place.

The green-haired maiden, however, had her eyes fixed upon the black trail leading across the room and out the doors into the forest. "Oh, no..." she whispered, slowly starting to realize what could have made it. "I wouldn't know how this happened, but...whatever Animax Malus is, it's most likely on the loose now."

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Bliston Ascor Character Portrait: Iator Legerdemain Character Portrait: Taethion of Gilfried Character Portrait: Anima Lumen
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#, as written by Zalgo
Anima

Though the demonic fellows words were most harsh she was relieved to see this situation had not culminated in violence. She stopped hiding behind Taethion and moved on over to the middle of the room once the mean person left the room.
"Thank you all for your kindness. It is good to see this resolved peacefully. I am your companion isn't a terrible person deep down but the energies within him have negative influences over people such as strong negative emotions and physical changes making one's physiology resemble a demon's own form." She bowed her head to the kind people who helped her before looking up over at the gnome when he spoke.

"Frustrated or not, Bliston has a point. We should finish with our questions soon, grab whatever we might need to stop these slimes, present company excluded, and be on our way. Animax must be defeated before he can bring harm to the village. Will you help us take down this threat or will you be staying here?" He offered her the opportunity to join them. She seemed a bit uncertain. This was a big leap indeed since all her life had been lived in this tower. Since she was first brought to full sentience she lived in her tank, only able to see the world out from the glass cylinder. She had been quite eager to see the day where she'd be let out and able to explore but then everything changed and it's all been happening so fast. It was natural for her to feel a bit cautious about accepting such a big offer. What would the maker want? She wondered to herself, considering the ideals he raised her with as part of what will finalize her decision.


He did ask for her to stay and doing what he says made her a good slime but at the same time her purpose was ultimately to help people. She had been over this train of thought before but it impossible not to dwell on it given what was proposed.
"Yes. I will come and help resolve this unfortunate incident. After all, as a helping slime it is imperative that I help people and positively benefit the world." She answered the gnome's question. With that answered there was something she wanted to bring with her, a small item to remember her maker by as she doesn't know just how far her assistance with this group will take her. She looked over at her tank up on the floor, spotting the case socketed in the base of the tank which glowed with divine power. I should take that! It could be helpful and it should serve well as a memento too. She went over to the end of the room right under her tank.

Compressing her lower body her upper body grew longer as she stretched upwards, her whole body becoming quite tall as she reached for the case with her tentacles. As she was almost as tall as the room itself she managed to grasp onto the case, removing it from the power socket with an audible pop. Her body relaxed and fell back to it's original height, the case now in her possession. Unlike the other slimes she knew that these contained items which were the sources of the magic radiating from them. She remembered an instance where Fumbledorf put something into one of these cases. There was a round clasp on one of the eight sides which could be twisted close, a rather simple mechanism without any real locks or ways of barring someone from simply opening them again. The clasp's effectiveness was revealed as she attempted to move it but found her slimy tentacles were too slippery to get a good grip on the flat twist cap.

Thwarted by this simple contraption she went over to Taethion and held the now rather slimy metal case out to him.
"Um... I do not wish to be a burden but if it is of no trouble to you could you please help me open this? What's inside may be beneficial to you all." She politely requested the kind man to help open the case which glowed with holy energy.



Meanwhile



To any who went outside who could see into the darkness of night would see a scene of devastation. Almost all the slimes around the ground level had fled. Down the trail all along the hill was a massive trail of pitch black unholy slime coating everything in the way. All the trees along the inky black trail were crushed flat, their broken trunks little more than withered dry husks which were barely even good for firewood anymore. It looked as though a massive steamroller had rolled down this side of the hill as the trees, their branches and even the bushes were pressed nearly paper thin against the dirt forest floor. On the abysmal slime path in the distance moved what appeared to be blobs of the same color as the slime which the trail consisted of, shuffling about like silhouettes at the very edge of visibility.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Sylphine Mistral Character Portrait: Bliston Ascor Character Portrait: Jor The Ravager
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#, as written by Wake
"Ack. We've got a problem. Th' slime's na' there."

It took Bliston a second to recognize the voice speaking to him as belonging to Jor. In his haste he had forgotten that the berserker had left down stairs sometime before him. "What do you mean it's not... here." He hadn't spotted it when he first burst into the room, the compulsive need to get the ground floor had given him little time to look around when he entered. But now that he had his attention drawn by the other party member he could see what was behind him. Potent black filth that covered the doorway and the floor, which he now realized was most certainly the origin of what he had smelt.

"I wouldn't know how this happened, but...whatever Animax Malus is, it's most likely on the loose now."

Bliston didn't even respond to or acknowledge the statement of the obvious by the bird mage. He couldn't, because his focus had been completely drawn to the black filth that lay on the floor. He strode over to where the trail of black ooze lightly covered the ground and apprehensively brushed his hand over the liquid. The muck clung to his fingers, and he could feel the sensation of it starting to faintly pulse as reaction to his touch, likely being stimulated in some way by his particular presence. He lifted his palm to exam the ooze, dread slowly filling him as his privet concerns were confirmed. He knew what this was, after all it was similar to what flowed through his veins.

"This has traces of abyssal essence." He said with grim resignation. "That fool of a wizard bred a demon."

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Sylphine Mistral Character Portrait: Bliston Ascor Character Portrait: Iator Legerdemain Character Portrait: Taethion of Gilfried Character Portrait: Randionalia Ashengrits Character Portrait: Jor The Ravager
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Taethion

The Paladin was glad to see the situation dissolve from the intensity. As everyone seem to mellow out and return to the task at hand, he made adjustments to continue as well. It seems the talking slime has agreed to help to boot! She went over to one of those strange tanks to grab something. He wondered it what it was but soon that question would be answered as she brought the case that radiated divine power. It seemed she was trying to open it to grab something out of it. While he made an expression that showed disgust, he nevertheless decided to help her. "Yes, er of course." He spoke shaking his head. He grabbed the case and then looked around the clasp. He then experiment with the cap trying to open it by prying it and pushing it. He then twisted it and managed to open it. "Um what's in there?" He asked, handing the now open case back to Anima.

Randionalia

To her the rest of the room seemed uninteresting and it seemed the party was now moving some what back down stairs. She decided to head down and figure out what move to take next. That and she was becoming rather tired of the heavy force keeping her upside down. After the disorienting experience of the upper levels was removed by heading down lower, not without some difficultly, she managed to reach where Bliston, Sylphine, and Jor where at. It seemed everyone had a rather grim expression upon their faces. She could managed to her Bliston utter something about the wizard breeding a demon. That was something she could figure out for herself. The place reeked of dark force and it thoroughly disturbed her. She had a most sour look upon her face, and looked ready to kill someone. "Whatever this thing is, it must be destroyed." She spoke not to anyone at all. She moved to the open door and saw the destruction laid out before the tower. "Yeah...it definitely needs to die."

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Sylphine Mistral Character Portrait: Bliston Ascor Character Portrait: Randionalia Ashengrits Character Portrait: Jor The Ravager
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#, as written by Wake
"Really." Bliston groused and sarcastically added. "I wouldn't have thought." Standing up straight once more he marched over and out through the entrance. He grimaced at the sight of the devastation before him. It wasn't new to him. Considering what he was and who he was, it would be unthinkable for him to have never encountered a demonic manifestation before. Yet having it play out before him always made him cringe. Things related to the abyss hit very close to home for the old daemon. The reek of infernal magic on the air and the brush of tainted aura against his own. Such things brought up long dormant sensations and memories from a child hood and a heritage that he spent several life times trying to put behind him.

Still... time was of the essence, and he had non to spare on petty dread thoughts of the bygone years. He sniffed the air a few times, trying to get a better gauge of this creature with his ability to smell it's magic and find out where it was. He could catch scent of a particularly powerful presence moving in the direction of the village, but to his displeasure he was starting to pick up the stench of several smaller aura's.

"It's starting to multiply." He stated loudly so the others could hear. "I can pick out the scent of several smaller presences, little broodlings." He turned back to them fully, facing the elf in particular. "Go back upstairs and get the paladin. Quickly. Much as I am dissatisfied to say it we are going to sorely need his help." He looked back over his shoulder for a moment, thinking to himself with a frown on his face. "I'm going to go out after it. Try and delay it a bit. And before you tell me otherwise," Bliston added quickly, "we don't know exactly what this thing can do but it's headed for the village. And I do know that some demons can draw power from feeding of the souls and life force of mortal creatures. So if this thing is of a similar breed and gets there before we do we will be fighting at a severe disadvantage."

And with that Bliston started off at a brisk pace, following the trail of black taint into the dark and devastated woods. As a final parting he shouted back "Don't follow until you're prepared!"

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Sylphine Mistral Character Portrait: Bliston Ascor
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Day 6

Watching the daemon disappear into the forest outside, Sylphine exchanged a look with her familiar. Even if it's him, I doubt the daemon will be able to stand up against Animax Malus on his lonesome for very long...you probably know where I'm about to go with this, don't you?

The bird curled a wing over her head, showing at the very least, she really didn't like what would come next. We have to go help him and all that, even though this is a really bad idea, right?

We're a bit too deep in this to find another option, Sylphine answered in a lighthearted tone, though her hand was actually gripping her staff tightly. The others didn't really seem to be doing much right now, as they had been told to find Taethion, so Sylphine didn't ask for anyone's approval. She took five huge steps and kicked off the ground, surging into the night.

Though it was considerably lighter than before, rain still cascaded from the sky. Sylphine already felt her clothes soaked, but she pressed onwards. With all the clouds lingering about, there wasn't enough light for her to see ahead, so she had Pirika let her know if she was about to crash into anything.

But as she soared through the woods, she couldn't help but feel that it had become a new, more unwelcome place. A trail of foul-smelling, nauseating slime snaked its way through the trees, and even through the rain, both tamer and familiar could still sense it...and it made them dread meeting the demonic slime even more.

Telltale traces of the vile substance also streaked upon random trees and leaves, which, if they took the time to examine, were presently shriveling up and discoloring. Whereas during their trip to the tower, scores upon scores of bizarre slime creatures flocked through the trees to see them, the foliage now seemed to be completely empty. It was all very unsettling...

Presently, Sylphine noticed the daemon up ahead, still trudging alongside the trail of black gel on foot. She started to slow down and drifted just a bit lower, trying not to touch anything covered in slime. Gliding alongside him, she acknowledged him with a nod before speaking. "I figured even you could use some help against that thing," she explained quietly. "We're pressed on time, I know, but...let's not take too many unnecessary risks, shall we?"

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Sylphine Mistral Character Portrait: Bliston Ascor
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#, as written by Wake
The was an unnatural stillness to the forest. Even with the woodland creatures and the slime invaders gone, the relative quiet of the forest had feeling of weight and hardness to it. Bliston had come to expect the foreboding atmosphere though, and press on ever wary of what lay ahead. Over shrived husk of crushed tree trunks and dead patches of dead grass and wither underbrush he trekked to follow the trail of black taint. Idly he figured to himself that this much abyssal essence being left to seep into the ground would probably pollute and corrupt this section of the forest with time. Even if they did bring down this Animax creature, someone was going to need to send for a contingent of exorcist to purge the forest else it become a nexus for spirits of the damned to gather.

He caught the scent again and was removed from his thoughts. They were up ahead, the first batch of taint spawn as he now dubbed them. Another minute of slow and deliberately quite steps later and he finally caught first sight of them. Each one was wrapped around some piece of vegetation or another. He could actually see the color draining from the plants as leaves gradual turned brown and trees gained ever growing splotches of sickly pail white spread across their trunks. Well, that confirmed his theory. of them being able to drain life force. As he got closer they apparently took notice of him. Sensing something with fresh blood and in possession of a sentient soul they disengaged from their respective meals and started to wander over towards him. They seemed to slow as they got nearer, possibly detecting the infernal energy emanating from him and growing curious by it and it's similarity to their own.

Bliston however wasn't going to wait until their curiosity gave out. Lifting his club he brought it down on top of the closes taint spawn. When the spikes punctured it's membrane with crushing force the ball of corruption gave out an unholy screeching noise. Bliston brought the club down on it a second time, silencing it by bursting the little abomination as it's internal essence was forced to splatter out of the previous unsealing hole of the last strike. That however spurred the other taint spawn into action and they sped forward toward the daemon. For his part Bliston took a swing at the first spawn to approach him and sending it flying while he took a step back and set up for the next swing.

When he struck the second one into the brush he stepped back again and repeated the process. Swing and step back, swing and step back, and only occasionally pausing to land a downward smash to finish off one of the previously injured spawn that came back for another round. By doing so he could keep out of the range of the little abomination's reach and still strike back.

But something was happening during all of this that Bliston wasn't immediately aware of. Each time that Henvoraak's teeth bit into a spawns membrane a bit of the abyssal charged fluid inside was splattered onto the weapon's head itself. And each time the taint started to seep into the crevices of the weapon itself, and vanished into the cracks. It was as Bliston finished spilling the insides of the seventh slime that he felt it. Faint shiver that went up the length of the weapon into his hands. His eyes went wide, and he berated himself for not preparing for this. Henvoraak always behaved... unfavorably when used against things of abyssal origin.

Another spawn, this one much bigger than the others, crawled it's way towards the daemon which elicited a curse from him. Henvoraak's responses to demonic entities could be mitigated somewhat with the right procedure. But as this blob of taint was about to prove Bliston just simply didn't have the time to ready it. Taking another step back he swung at the large tainted thing. However this one was to large to be simply battered aside, and was merely pushed aside a bit before it lunged at him again. Bliston growled and swung again and again. Each time his stone club connected the spikes left another set of wholes that refused to close. Each time it opened a new set of wounds it was splattered with more essence charged slime. And each time it was drenched int he black ooze Bliston felt another shiver go through the weapon.

After a few more swings large spawn finally collapsed under it's own weight, no longer able to hold it's structure together with so many wholes in it. Another minute later and the other remaining spawn were dispatched, but not with out more of their essence being devoured by Henvoraak.

When it was done Bliston let out a breath he had been holding and slowly brought his weapon up to eye level. It seemed to be holding for now, but he didn't know how many more of these spawn were between him and Animax. If Henvoraak absorbed to much of that taint before he reach the source of this...

Well, he'd have to cross that bridge when he reached it. With that concern filled away for now Bliston continued his pursuit of the demon ooze, hoping he wouldn't face to many interruptions between him and it.

That hope was immediately dash however when the bird mage showed up.

"I figured even you could use some help against that thing," she explained quietly. "We're pressed on time, I know, but...let's not take too many unnecessary risks, shall we?"

Bliston just stared at her for a while, a slight look of displeasure on his features. "Did I not say to follow me only when everyone was prepared?" He asked in irritation. With a growl he continued "And why are you wasting mana floating around in the air like that? Didn't you say yourself earlier that you were drained from this morning?" He marched ahead for a bit, not saying anything for a while. Though he didn't dismiss her completely either.

After another moment of silence he added "Never mind, just stay behind me for now and conserve your energy reserves. We may need it when we catch up with the creature itself."

Characters Present

Character Portrait: [NPC] Bartender Character Portrait: Sylphine Mistral Character Portrait: Bliston Ascor Character Portrait: Iator Legerdemain Character Portrait: Jor The Ravager Character Portrait: Anima Lumen
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Jor

The dwarf waited only until he was sure the others would be on their way before leaving. He'd done what the daemon had said, at least partially, but his thirst for battle did not mix well with patience. He readied his axe and stepped out into the storm. He hurried towards the town, following the path of destruction. If he moved quickly enough, he would be able to catch up to Bliston and Sylphine before they got to Malus.

Iator

As the others began filing out, Iator elected to stay behind. To anyone who asked, he would simply mumble something about catching up. Anima's box had intrigued him far too much. He was going to get the other cases throughout this tower.

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Character Portrait: Sylphine Mistral Character Portrait: Bliston Ascor
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#, as written by Wake
The progress was slower than the daemon would have liked. While still making as much headway as they could, they were forced to occasionally halt their progress in order to dispatch more of the little taint spawn that Animax had left in it's wake. And each time Bliston could feel Henvoraak becoming slightly more and more afflicted by the abyssal essence it was splashed with. A fact that he felt a twing of growing dread for.

Regardless he pushed on, silent for the most part. Since the bird girl had caught up with him he hadn't said a spoken a word since. The silence must of seemed eerie, even for Bliston. His gaze was constantly focused ahead of them where Animax's trail led off into the distance, a scowling vigil that was only broken irregularly to glance down at the stone club in his hands.

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Character Portrait: Sylphine Mistral Character Portrait: Bliston Ascor Character Portrait: Jor The Ravager
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Jor

Without the added distraction of extra black slimes to deal with, Jor was free to catch up to Bliston and Sylphine. Those two were moving slowly, they had to fight off intermittent attacks. It wasn't long before he caught up to them. He made his presence known by talking. "Th' others 're on th' way. Fer now we'll have to catch it 'n stall it." He eyed Bliston. "Ye havin any trouble wit th' little ones?"

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Character Portrait: Sylphine Mistral Character Portrait: Bliston Ascor Character Portrait: Jor The Ravager
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#, as written by Wake
A few more minutes passed by, broken only by another small skirmish with another pack of the spawn. As the last was dispatched, and left slowly pool out it's black mass onto the ground to putrefy it as the others had, a voice could be heard behind them. Looking back over his shoulder Bliston placed the familiar accent with the approaching form of Jor. He hummed in recognition as the hairier man caught up with them.

"Good, and in good time as well as I can smell the beast we're chasing up ahead." he stated in response to the ravagers announcement. The daemon looked back down at the black muck polluting the dirt. "It's not so much that we're having trouble. Though their touch may be potentially dangerous, if kept at a length they falter under a sustained assault the same as any other." Once more he glanced back down at his war club and again grimaced. "The problem however," he continued as he resumed his stride with the assumption the ravager would keep up, "is that the corruption they leave behind is... difficult to deal with." He shook his head. "To be more blunt, I believe the filth may be sapping away at the enchantments on my club."

It was a half truth, but he couldn't really afford to not dodge around too many questions now that they were reach a critical juncture. He was hoping that Henvoraak would hold out until the reach Malus itself. But with the way things were going he might be forced to drop it lest he risk another... problem being dropped on their hands.

Though unbeknownst to him, or the dwarf, or the mage that said problem was stirring in his hands.

____


In a dark place, locked away from eyes that were best left unable to witness, a shapeless mass shifted in the confines of it's prison. It could taste it. The slithering texture and rotting aroma of infernal blood. It roused it, made it's insatiable hunger gnaw at it's belly once more. In a groggy and uncoordinated manner it press against the barriers that held it in place.

It could smell it. That sweet smell that it long for. The fell blood wet it's appetite, yes, but this, this to prod the sleepy mind of the bound thing enough to keep it from falling back into slumber with it's mere presence alone.

"...thirsty..."

The jailer didn't hear the voice, but the word still escaped the prison none the less and traveled as a whisper the realms of the ethereal in a ripple to be heard by others who also inhabited that realm. The shapeless thing shifted and swayed, blinded yet still trying to peer beyond it's prison. There was another nearby. Another, like it, bound in a cell that was held by a jailor. It tried to reach out clumsily, only to be held back by its binds.

"Thirsty... so thirsty."

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Character Portrait: Sylphine Mistral Character Portrait: Bliston Ascor Character Portrait: Jor The Ravager
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Jor

"Th' sludge be tha' potent?" The dwarf growled, somewhat worried about his own axe. He kept pace with the fiend though it took him nearly twice as many steps. "Ancestors, this thing ain't like anything Ah've seen b'fore." He scratched at his stubble, he'd need to shave soon, "Th' Kuld be resistant t' most things. Ah'll distract Malax as much as Ah can by m'self. You an' th' mage can jump in if it gets too dangerous."


___


The ancestors in the axe felt the presence of an ancient evil far before they heard it. The daemon's weapon called out to them. The Kuld would not have it. In a single voice, like a chorus filled with a multitude of heroes the Kuld spoke to Henvoraak, "Turn back! You are not welcome in this realm. There is nothing here to quench your thirst."

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Character Portrait: Sylphine Mistral Character Portrait: Bliston Ascor Character Portrait: Jor The Ravager
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#, as written by Wake
Bliston grimaced but nodded. "Considering our lack of resources that may be the only option we have." He paused when a sudden a thought came to him. "Although if this thing was made in a similar manner as the talking blob we encounter at the tower, then their might be chance this abomination is also sentient." That opened another can of worms. If it was intelligent, then it might not fall so easily for their attempts to divide it's attention.

___


The voices of the other spoke to it, the many echoing at the bound one through the ether. But dissuaded it was not. If any thing it was piqued even further. Again it pressed against the bindings that held it. Again it called out to the Kuld. "Thirsty... thirsty."

It tried once more to reach out to the other. But the bindings still held it fast and it could do naught but bunglingly slap at the seal holding it, to weak in it's sedated state to fully attempt to break though. Still though it continued to moan. Over and over it repeated it's murmurs of it's 'thirst'.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Sylphine Mistral Character Portrait: Bliston Ascor Character Portrait: Adrian Retter Character Portrait: Jor The Ravager Character Portrait: Anima Lumen
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#, as written by Zalgo
Anima

She climbed aboard the table, her first mate the pineapple slime set right in front of her. With her chair she was ready to go and brave the path of dark slime stretching out into the dark woods. With as much force as her soft noodly tentacles could muster she pushed off the chair, pushing the table they were on forward a bit. She dragged the chair a bit forward and repeated this process, taking a good deal of time but making progress all the same. Outside she could see just what became of everything that stood in Animax's path. It was quite ruinous to say the least.

With a great big push she ushered the table towards the downhill slope. The table didn't stop though as they were still moving forward. "Uh oh, I had better slow down. I don't want to wind up going too fast down this hill." She thought aloud as she reached for the chair to grab on to. Her grasp met only air however and when she turned it was revealed that they had already slid out of reach of the chair. "Oh no!" She reached out for the chair but to no avail as the table started to pick up speed.


What followed was perhaps the most frightening moments of her relatively short life. What had started as a slow yet daunting voyage rapidly turned into an out of control plummet to the bottom of the hill. Her table had gone from a little boat for her and her friend to a sled with no brakes. With the pineapple slime held firm in one tentacle and a leg on the table gripped in the other She did her best just to stay on. The task of remaining on board this sled was by far no mere walk in the park as the winds pounded against them and every bump in the path sent them flying up, her hold on the table the only thing keeping them from sailing clear off it and into the perilous slime. Her voice could be heard all across the hill as she basically was screaming the whole way down.

"aaaaaaaaAAAAaaaaaaaahh!"

Bliston, Jor and Sylphine could hear the Doppler effect as Anima rocketed by them at breakneck speeds. Just as fast as she approached them she was off, rapidly approaching the town.


She had never seen the village before so she could not have known that she was even passing through it. All she saw was a large flat area with bit's of wood and lumps in it. The entire area much like the path they were on was completely crushed flat and buried in abyssal slime residue. What she couldn't see was the buildings, the belongings and the people all crushed beneath the carpet of darkness. She simply rode through the now deceased Appleton, her table only just starting to lose it's momentum as the land leveled out.

A bit further down the path that continued on her ride came to a slow as they reached the end of the slime path. Were it not for the slime which now gripped the face of the table it would of come to a dead halt upon reaching plain dirt and thrown them clear. As it was there was still a rather sudden stop as they crashed into a bush, albeit slowly. She had stopped her cries as this roller coaster of a ride had come to it's end. "C-c-come o-on f-f-friend. L-let's g-g-go." Her whole body was shaking as she slowly loosened her grip on the leg and set the pineapple slime down by the table. The pineapple slime had been just as scared as she was though it was unable to express itself in any way. It just started crawling it's way into the woods which remained, away from the dark slime's influence. Anima on the other hand got off the table and looked back at the path she had sped down. After a minute or two of calming down she was able to start analyzing just what she was looking at.

Now that she thought about it this scene seemed very strange indeed. "The path just stops... How?" She vocalized her thoughts to help herself better reflect on them. From all appearances the slime that must of left this trail should of been at the end but it was nowhere to be seen.

It's almost as if Animax just... Disappeared.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Sylphine Mistral Character Portrait: Bliston Ascor Character Portrait: Iator Legerdemain Character Portrait: Taethion of Gilfried Character Portrait: Pravus the Grave Tender Character Portrait: Adrian Retter
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Taethion understood what needed to be done. He looked towards his fellow companions and spoke, "Alright my comrades, we must now head into the thick of battle! We have a great challenge ahead of us and it is up to us to see it through. I hope all of you are prepared because I haven't the slightest clue what we are up against, but just as my Lord leads me into battle, I shall do the same for us. Let us not be afraid and if we should fail, then Dedarius will welcome us in the next life. Let's go!" Taethion spoke rallying his comrades as he pushed forward. Only to stand quickly aside when Randi yelled that Anima was coming in fast. He was worried about the Slime and his friends that seem to be rushing into a most perilous scene.

Taethion quickly rushed off flowing the path, and trying his best to avoid the deathly residue. Randi quickly followed, along with his comrades that sought to face this Animax Malus. He saw much destruction on the way and began to grow incredibly fearful for the town, it could be destroyed by now. Unfortunately the worst has happened. After a good sprint down the hill, he met his friends, completely unharmed but as for Appleton...it was gone. "No." The only words to escape from his mouth. "We were too late." He spoke somberly. He had pledged to stave off this town's destruction but to no avail. He had failed them and now he has suffered the taste of defeat. It was a bitter taste, one so acrid and unpleasant, the paladin wishes for it to end. He could fall and give up hope from this sight. Yet, his conscience and his sense of duty would not allow him too. Yet, he would shed tears for the fallen and began to pray for their souls. He prayed that they would met providence and live in eternal splendor, free from fear and free from harm.

"May the Gods be with them all." Taethion spoke as he looked around him. He had wondered where Animax was, if he couldn't save these people, then he could at least avenge them. Yet this option was too unattainable. The monster responsible for this carnage was no where to be seen. His trail of destruction literally ended here and without any clue as to where it went, Animax escaped the party's vengeful attack. Taethion could almost beat himself up over this travesty of a failure.

Randi was a bit solemn herself, she wasn't one for failure and often disliked it. She felt sorry for those that died but was more enraged over the fact the beast escaped. She could only hope that it won't strike again, but if it does, she hopes they will be there in time to finish it off.

There wasn't much left to do here, with the town destroyed and Animax escaped, they are of no use here anymore. Taethion decided to see if he could at least find his horse, Herod was intelligent, he most likely escaped before he could be harmed. He decided to call out to him and prayed he at least found safety.

Randi looked around at the other members of the group. She then spoke, "What do we do now?" she could only ask. She sort of felt that the group would move on, after all, they still have a Dragon to slay.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Sylphine Mistral Character Portrait: Bliston Ascor Character Portrait: Iator Legerdemain Character Portrait: Taethion of Gilfried Character Portrait: Pravus the Grave Tender Character Portrait: Adrian Retter
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#, as written by ____
"T-Th-This c-can't be..." Adrian muttered with a shakey voice. "No... No... Why..." Adrian slowly shook his head, refusing to accept the horrible reality. Looking around, his legs gone weak and knelt on the ground as reality slowly sinked in. "No! No! No!" He shouted as he knelt on all four and repeatedly smashed his clenched fist to the ground in frustration. "Again! I can't do anything!" He shouted. He couldn't hold back his tears, but he forced himself to stand back up. He can't show weakness, he don't want to get left behind.

"Quite a horrible sight..." Selena thought, still with a frozen stiff face. Death is nothing new to her, and an entire village getting destroyed as well. "Let's move on and continue with our mission, this is just a side job anyway." She said, as cruel as it is, that is the truth.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Sylphine Mistral Character Portrait: Bliston Ascor Character Portrait: Iator Legerdemain Character Portrait: Taethion of Gilfried Character Portrait: Pravus the Grave Tender Character Portrait: Adrian Retter
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Plot

After the devastating loss against Fumbledorf's creation, Animax Malus. The Party was more or less, disheartened from their first real failure. Some more so than others, as some took it to heart and others placed it to the side as something that is all too common. Taethion did his best to comfort his comrades after this failure, but it seemed everyone was just ready to place Appleton and it's Leaky Tower behind them. Taethion could not find Herod and without much other form of transportation, it seemed the party was forced to walk. The entire town was leveled, and with whatever was inside it. This made Taethion really worried about their supplies. They were most likely destroyed with the rest of Appleton. He wasn't quite sure what they were going to do now. There was nothing here of use that wasn't tainted by the residue from Animax.

It seemed they would have to hope they would find another village before too long. Otherwise this trip may end before it really truly began. They left the ruined town behind them and fortunately no more Slimes seemed to stand in their way. This could be thanks to Animax who most likely caused the Slimes to leave since much of their territory was ruined. They most likely migrated to a more lively area, becoming someone else's problem. As they moved down the path, they were met by one fortunate occurrence. Randi noticed that horse tracks were found alongside the road. Feeling hopeful, Taethion investigated. What he would find was the party's horses, including Herod. Apparently, the people of Appleton did try their best to save all they could. The Stable Master went inside and placed some hastily packed provisions on the horse's saddles. He tried to get the women and children by placing citizens on horseback. Yet the confusion of the attack and the unsettling aura of Animax, caused the horses to go into a frenzy as they ran away. The Stable Master tried to calm them down, but as he opened the pen they trampled him down as they ran for their lives. Some didn't make it but those that did, the party came across.

There wasn't much provisions as some fell out of their containers from the horse's frenzied running. Yet, the provisions that did survive would be enough for a couple days until they found a town to resupply. It would seem once the horses felt safely away from Animax they stopped to chew on some grass. They were nervous when the group approached them, but they did calm down enough to be mounted. It would seem this was the only good thing to come out of all of this. The party, riding or walking, exited the forest around Appleton and found themselves on the open road. It wouldn't be too much longer when the party decided to stop for the evening. With whatever provisions they had, they managed to start a fire. As the group sat around the fire, the events of today kept everyone solemn and silent. No one seemed open enough to talk, or at least talk about themselves. Taethion and Randi would find their sleep uncomfortable that night.

The following day, the group rose with the sun and decided to move on. They would come across an outpost by midday. Here the group scrounged whatever gold they had and bought some much needed provisions. Unfortunately, they had to pack them tight to their saddles, since they could not procure a new cart. They moved on, even after all the strange looks that passed them by, they still didn't find much to talk about. Night soon descended upon them and talks arose over finding a spot to camp in. They would discover a soft patch of grass not too far off from a stream. They decided to set up camp here, as the group raised their new tents and started a fire. After a day removed from the events in Appleton, their atmosphere was a bit somber but perhaps they would be more open to discussion? The fire seemed to dance before them as the sun went down and the stars began to light up the evening sky.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Sylphine Mistral Character Portrait: Bliston Ascor Character Portrait: Iator Legerdemain Character Portrait: Taethion of Gilfried Character Portrait: Pravus the Grave Tender Character Portrait: Adrian Retter
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Seated close to the fire, the weary has-been templar absentmindedly ran a hand through his sandy blonde hair. It had been a day already, but what happened in Appleton still occupied his mind, wondering how it went wrong. When he had originally planned to undertake the tower on his own, he expected to fail. When he joined the company he now finds himself in, he genuinely thought they could do it. So as he ran down the hill, back towards Appleton, he never expected
it to be leveled to the ground, and the supposed culprit just having vanished into nothing. the sheer finality of the situation left him feeling powerless, and had him eventually dwell on the day his order betrayed him, a memory ever so fresh in his mind, a situation that had left him in similar- no, a far deeper sense of powerlessness that he still hasn’t been able to recuperate from.

Many things buzzed through his mind as he stared vehemently at his backpack, focusing primarily on the tabard inside. Part of him wants to be rid of it, as it stood for the forsaking of him by his god and order, but another part of him could not, as it also stood for all it used to symbolise, and for the ideals he still believed in. One of the many things that went on in his head was quite simple; what to do now? He initially joined the group to do something about the slime menace, but now after what has happened, he isn’t too sure. He heard one of the group members talking about a dragon, something he’d enquire about eventually for at the moment, he is in no mood to start a conversation. Naturally he’ll politely reply when asked, but for now, he’s content with staring at his bag, as he tries to make sense of the tumult in his head.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Sylphine Mistral Character Portrait: Bliston Ascor Character Portrait: Iator Legerdemain Character Portrait: Taethion of Gilfried Character Portrait: Pravus the Grave Tender Character Portrait: Adrian Retter
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#, as written by ____
Watching the wood burn, Adrian quickly peak at the the others every now and then. The air was so gloom, just thinking about it makes him feel down. He wants to do something about it, but if he acts all merrily, he thinks it might have an opposite effect. The incident left a terrible mark in his mind. It was the biggest failure he had, many lives was lost. He stared blankly at the fire, thinking deeply about what to say to the others and also to take his mind off the incident. Then suddenly, he broke the silence with two questions, questions that is so simple, but would be unexpected considering their current situation, but it just sort of popped out of his head. "Where do you guys live?" He asked followed by a short pause before asking the second question. "... What kind of place is it?" He continued. He knows Taethion's hometown by his name, but he is unsure if he heard about the other's hometown.