Writing
&
Role
Playing –
Narrative
Workshop
By: Jamal Chandler
I
find one of the greatest things in the world to aid one's writing
(besides, obviously, writing and reading) and something one cannot
recommend enough is role-playing. My own experiences with
role-playing came primarily from Dungeons and Dragons. In D&D,
one gathers with a group of friends and work together to craft and
partially act out a story. There is one player called the Dungeon
Master (DM) who creates the world (D&D is a fantasy setting) and
populates the world with characters and history. The players explore
this world through a single character (PC) they create for this
express purpose. Whereas the DM creates the world's and it's history,
the player creates the PC's history and personality.
In
essence, the main benefits one gets from D&D are the same one
would get from any other kind of improvisation, save that it is done
in the company and safety of friends, who let go of any mistakes
(although to this day there are some embarrassing things my friends
will not let me forget – the nature of friends, sigh). This safety
is priceless to developing confidence in one's creativity – the
ability to take risks is necessary to being a writer, but having
others accept the failures, allows one to move past them.
Okay,
I'd rather avoid talking about my failures but in the spirit of
acceptance and all...
Once,
in the first campaign I was the DM of, set in a post apocalyptic
future, my players were exploring ruins when they were attacked by a
displacer beast (a panther-like cat with several tails, that blurs
where it is through teleportation) being ridden by a mutant zombie
baby... I'll just let that sink in... they were attacked by a mutated
zombie baby ridding a teleporting panther. On the one hand it was
distinct enough that they still remember it despite the years; on the
other hand, it had nothing going for it despite its distinctness
(read: strangeness), and no real reason, no history, no greater point
for being there besides me randomly and arbitrarily thinking “cool,
seems like fun”... If I were to do it again, I would either not
include it, or tie it to the narrative better, by giving it more
grounding in reality, maybe tease it out more; as it was, they were
simply walking through the ruins, when out of nowhere it attacked
them.
As
a DM you experience story as a writer does, with complete control
over all features, but the lack of control over the protagonists
(i.e. players) teaches you how to let your characters lead the story
rather than serving as mouth pieces for the story you planed and
that, as both DM and writer, is invaluable for making one characters
feel true. I remember once, I, as DM, had this long drawn out
story in which the players were to be the guardians of their world,
when upon meeting the villain, one of the players decided on becoming
evil and helping him – this split up the PCs and convinced some to
also become evil, working, not necessarily against the world, but at
least for their own interests before all else – and in the end the
world did end up destroyed but also some of the PCs
managed to escape to other worlds.
The
world you create, as a DM, and the features you populate it with must
be given special care and attention, otherwise you take the players
out of the fictive dream and the enjoyment of the experience. I have
had many experiences where I failed in this regard. For example, I
had a horror campaign in which the players were rarely scared. I had
over-saturated it with 'scary' elements to the point where they were
becoming more and more bored with it; I ramped up the difficulty to
compensate – a poor choice. But, I learned from it regardless: one
of my friend said, laughing, “It was like an abusive relationship:
you keep hitting me and I keep coming back for more” and along the
same lines another of my friends told me “You're not that good a
DM, but your stories are awesome; I kept coming back to find out what
would happen next.”
As
a player, you get a much more intimate experience, the opposite
experience from the DM – you get to experience the character,
focusing on developing the characteristics (personality, history,
tone, voice, ect...) without having to worry about anything else,
giving you the time to give the character the attention it deserves.
Although
I cringe reading some parts of it I now dislike, to show an example
of the player experience effecting writing, here is background
information (i.e. backstory) for a character named Fate, whom I made as a player for a
2008 game (my friends think that I put too much
effort):
THE
MOTHER
The
Following was found on the corpse of Flora Dean Cleric Ioun…
My
hand trembles to write this but I suppose that only shows how
important it is that this is written. My friends and family told me
to write these thoughts down, to write all I remember of this entire
sordid affair. In order to unlock the memories that lies hidden
within my mind. All the known Magic of Ioun’s chosen have failed in
that regard both arcane and divine alike, this is our final hope, my
final hope.
From
early childhood I hungered for knowledge and had a curious mind that
was only matched by my inquisitive nature. I remember rushing every
free moment to the temple of Ioun to learn from the libraries and the
cleric’s teachings. It was no wonder to those who knew me when I
joined the ranks of the clergy but it was much to my parent’s
disappointment when I swore an oath of chastity to prove my
dedication to Ioun. I look back at those times as the greatest of my
life and look to them as the foundation of my mind, my shield from
the insanity my life has become…
I
suppose that it began when I was chosen to lead a party sent to
retrieve sacred texts stolen by worshippers of Vecna. After three
weeks of searching we found them and after a fierce battle that
claimed the lives of half our company we recaptured the stolen books.
In addition we found books that the vile worshippers of Vecna must
have stolen previously and would have hidden away from the world. I
decided to claim the books that were not stolen from the temple to
see why they would have interested the cult of Vecna.
All
of the books save one were religious texts of Vecna and those I
arranged to have sent to a more major temple to be used in the fight
against the cult. The final book was obviously magical covered in
arcane symbols that writhed and snaked all over the cover and back. I
took the book to the most powerful clerics of Ioun but they, for all
their power, failed to tell me anything of the book except the
cryptic phrase “Dreams lights shatter the shields of ignorance,
truth drives gods mad and free the mad from fate” the cleric whose
spell casting revealed these word died after uttering them. Later
when I opened the book I saw the phrase written in blood at the top
of the first page.
Three
years passed and every day I spent trying to unlock the secret of the
book. Until one day, inspired a dream I had the previous night, I put
the book near heat and the hotter the book became the more book began
to show. The book was apparently resistant to fire and its pages only
showed all it’s secrets when fire touched it. The secret symbols on
the pages seemed so unnatural something no human could have ever
conceived and as I watched the symbols began to whisper maddening
secrets into my mind and I slipped into the sweet oblivion of
unconsciousness.
The
following is what I was told happened from that point on:
I
was found screaming in a language that no one could understand and
the book had disappeared. When I recovered, it became apparent that I
had lost all my memories although I took pains to appear although I
hadn’t. I had to relearn even the most basic things such as eating
and drinking. I proved an exceptional learner I read the entire
library of Ioun within two weeks a task that would take a normal
person years. Curiously, the only thing I retained was my ability to
speak and read although my speech seemed awkward and foreign as
though I was still trying to master the basics of the language.
Something in my speech and actions seemed to vaguely terrify every
one around me even people I met only for the first time. I looked at
everyone as though they were enemies and sometimes I looked at them
as if laughing at some vile hidden joke. I broke off all the ties I
had and left for unknown parts. Rumours were heard that I went to all
the major centers of knowledge and spent time in the farthest and
most remote corners of the world. I was reputed to have even been
seen with leaders of vile cults and to have strange powers although I
tried to keep it secret.
After
a few months I returned obviously pregnant and claimed that I had
returned to stay and raise my son. I spent the time of my pregnancy
preparing for the coming of my son and avoiding talking of my time
spent away. After giving birth I slipped into a coma and when I
finally awakened I was myself again. I had no recollection of
anything after seeing the hidden words in the book and I had to be
told of my leaving and pregnancy.
After
a few months I managed to return to my old routine although there was
some distance between me and everyone I had known. I began to have
nightmares that grew worse each night and I began to feel weary and
sick. The only positive thing that came out of this was my handsome
baby boy.
After
a time, months and days began to blur together and eventually my
illness became noticed by the general community. The highest clerics
I met found themselves at a loss as to how to cure me but their
divinations revealed that my illness, lost memories and nightmares
were tied together. My finale hope is a ritual I have created and
will attempt to use now.
I
am going to try to channel Ioun’s divine power and my waning
life-force into my mind while meditating on what I have written to
attempt to find out what I am repressing. I am combining this with a
ritual that I altered that will cause my thoughts to written on
paper.
If
the worse should happen I wish for my son to know that despite all
that has occurred to me, I loved him from the first instant I saw
him.
It
worked my thoughts are writing themselves even at this moment…
KNOWLEDGE
BRINGER help me the child born nine months after opening the book
exactly nine months
after opening the book Dreams lights shatter the shields of ignorance
truth drives gods mad and free the mad from fate the book opens a
gate way reality alters around them the laws of fate are broken I see
beyond the Astral Sea and the Elemental Chaos the vow of chastity
never broken. I see the FaR ReAlm no no something sees IT’s coming
its entering me the tentacles are inside ME IT’s in my mind the
dream of fire dreams lights IT was calling the child born nine months
after opening the book IT’s son kill me kill IT kill the CHILD…
Nyarlathotep
Shub-Niggurath is its son’s true name
Wielding
truth is my son’s destiny
IOUN
NAMES MY SON FATE
=========================================================================================================================================
THE
SON
From
since I was little I was told that I was exceptional because of the
rate which I learned. I advanced at such a high rate that by the age
of ten I was renowned among the intellectual community for my mental
prowess. I humbly said to those who met me “The reason for my
academic capabilities was due simply to being raised by clerics of
Ioun after my mothers passing and her paying in advance for my
schooling.”
I
always seemed to be calm, collected, and dispassionate because of
this I was assumed to have either few emotions or tremendous
self-control. Both assumptions were wrong. I felt intense emotions
but internalized them almost completely. I never felt revulsion
towards things everyone else disliked. I had no distaste for insects,
serpents or worms, even when I found a man’s sun baked corpse in
the local forest I didn’t pause before dragging it back. Later that
same day, in exchange for access to some secret city files, I deduced
who had killed him for the local law enforcement. If I believed in
any way eating maggots would somehow help me I would not hesitate for
even a second to do so.
By
the age of twelve I was learning in classes beside people twice my
age. By the age of fifteen I became a teacher at the very school I
had attended. My rapid ascension to a prestigious position sparked
admiration in some and jealously in others. After barely avoiding an
assassin and dealing with the one who loosed him I quietly resigned
my post. Unfortunately the assassin decided to give me chase but I
lay a trap for him. After he had fallen into the pit I had dug I sent
a barrage of crossbow bolts after him and was surprised to see him
still barely alive. I nursed him back to health in exchange for his
oath that he would teach me what he knew of the art of combat. As he
was recuperating I informed him of his master’s death and that
there would be no payment for killing me. I had always had a sixth
sense about peoples’ motivations and knew I could let him train me
without worrying about betrayal. It’s too bad that he didn’t have
the same sense after burying the body and taking his gear I decided
while a occasionally handy tool the martial path was far to archaic
for my taste. Allowing myself a moment of pride over killing him with
only one bolt I began to turn my horse toward home.
I
would never have considered myself malicious since I never committed
acts that others would have found evil simply for the sake of doing
evil. I regarded myself as exempt from any notions of morality or
decency. I would have argued that notions such as good and evil are
simply relativistic, self-determined, and ultimately pointless
exercises. I had no sense of justice to which anyone might hope to
appeal although I might have pretended to. I generally thought that
it’s a liability to keep anyone who once called themselves my
enemies alive. I have always been clinical, detached, and brutally
logical and I prided myself on my cunning.
By
the age of sixteen I joined the clergy of Ioun. Being raised in the
temple and my love for knowledge decided the issue. One night, when I
was alone in the library making conjectures on the nature of fate,
prophecy, and divinity and the lack of power in divinity to change
destiny, I was attacked and left for dead by worshipper of Vecna.
Crawling on the floor knowing that I would die any moment I simply
said “Fear lives in ignorance I do not fear death for now I know
it.” As I finished speaking my flesh completely healed in divine
light. Over where my wound had been appeared the glowing supernal
words:
“And
those who bath in the light of knowledge fear not death ~Book of
Truth 2:34”
For
the month I spent all my time searching for information on the book
of truth the following is what I found:
Reputedly
held by Ioun, this book holds the true name of every creature created
in our world, the astral sea and the elemental chaos and their
prophesied place in the world. According to some sources, it also is
the shield that keeps things that are nameless, creatures from
beyond; from entering this universe, for the true names of the
nameless are symbols that are the bane of the book. In addition, it
is rumoured that the threads of fate held by the Raven Queen are
somehow related to the book.
At
the age of eighteen I was given by my dying grandfather a piece of
parchment written by my mother. It was her last words and last
thoughts before she died and the bottom was written using the common
tongue for the spelling was “Nyarlathotep Shub-Niggurath” and
somehow I knew without any training in Deep Speech it meant “The
Cursed Nameless Who Grasps The Father”
At
the age of twenty while travelling abroad I was captured by orcs.
Although orcs eat meat raw they generally prefer meat cooked which is
what they planned to do to me while I was still alive. They tied me
up and threw me into the fire as I lay there in the fire I noticed my
skin was not burning as it should have but changing into a deep
black. After my flesh finished becoming almost as dark as the night
sky above me, I saw ashes begin to land on me. The spots where the
ashes landed almost seemed like tiny stars against the black skin and
suddenly I realized I could see constellations in my flesh. The
secret symbols in the darkness between the stars seemed so unnatural
something no human could have ever conceived and as I watched the
symbols began to whisper maddening secrets into my mind. As I
screamed the fire went out. The orcs watched awed as I began slowly
ascending into the air as if some invisible hand was pulling me into
the heavens. Above me a shimmering portal appeared and I saw the
indescribable monstrosity, so large that it blotted out the sky
reaching out its tentacles and claws in an almost tender way and I
knew, with the same knowledge I had when I first read deep speech,
that this creature was my father. With that realization in my mind I
felt the final vestiges of my humanity leave as I sprouted a tentacle
and two horns that seemed just like two of the claws of Father.
As
one of the fingers of Father finally touched me I knew the name
Nyarlathotep Shub-Niggurath was the name he had given me and I knew
in that name lay the power to change was must be. As I slipped into
despair over what I had brought about I remembered my mothers writing
“IOUN NAMES MY SON FATE” I saw the glowing supernal words,
remembered that the words were from the book of Truth, remembered a
magical theory I had devised and thought of a final desperate plan.
Throwing caution to the wind I delved into the mind of Father. Using
the power and knowledge my mind could barely contain, I tied the
ritual of flesh into the power of the book of truth’s marking on my
flesh this in turn resonated with the real book within Ioun’s realm
and shielded the power of father and it held the last moment of the
ritual of flesh at bay but if the ritual were to restart it would
only take an instant for Father to get free. As the boundless power
slipped away leaving behind a single droplet of what could have been
I began to laugh because “The truth had set me free.”
The
weight of my chosen duty has changed me. I now take everything
seriously and have little sense of humour. I remain unfazed even in
dire circumstances. I am relentless in the pursuit of anything that
will let me stop my prophecy from coming true. Disturbingly I have
begun to hear faint whisperings in deep speech from time to time and
I somehow know it’s not Father. The voices speak too softly for me
to understand and I can’t figure out who or what it is. At times I
find myself wondering how much longer my sanity can last or if I have
already lost it.
All
creatures sense Father in me and it makes the protectors of nature
and non-sentient creatures of nature fear and hate me instinctively.
Strangers find me disquieting and mysterious. In addition to the
memories I saw when I briefly dived into the ocean of Father’s
mind; it appears I inherited a seed of racial memories that included
a time before the creation of the known universe and memories that
have not yet happened. Knowledge has lost much of its allure for me
after the way it has warped and corrupted me. I find myself more and
more musing that “Ignorance was bliss”.
I
view each dream as a chance to learn something of the destruction to
come; no two dreams are exactly alike in terms of angle of perception
and moments in time viewed. If I have spare time without something of
importance to do I use it to sleep. I always meditate on the thin
line between light and dark before sleeping. I find meditation helps
make the dreams clearer. When I wake up I am covered in sweat and
told that eyes glowed while I slept. When looked at in askance I only
ever say that I am of a cursed heritage and change the subject. I
accept that I now longer can pretend to be a creature of light and
belong in the shadows. I shall destroy the creatures that hide in
darkness and protect the world that I am not truly part of. Father
has called out my rage by using my mother and me as pawns. I will not
be forced to bow to anyone or anything! Ioun saved me and for that I
serve him… for now at least.
I
now have one all encompassing goal; to protect reality. Father and
other far-realm creatures, demons, and the gods Vecna and Tharizdun
are my personal nemeses. I truly fear that opening the blood way may
be the reason reality is destroyed in the future, I may have delayed
the ritual but I did not stop it, Fathers power might be enough to
break down the patchwork defences I made at any moment. If Father is
not the end bringer then I must find out who is. In order to protect
the universe (or take steps along that path) I would do anything but
I already know that I will have to journey if I am to tap into the
boundless power of father that lies hidden within me. I serve Ioun in
order to gain the knowledge I need to change the destruction of
universe from occurring. In fact I would harm the innocent if that’s
the fastest way because I view it as necessary. I take no pleasure in
it but view it as my grim duty. I justify it to myself by saying “The
blood on my soul is worth it if I can save the future” and that
“moral choices are irrelevant if death comes to all creatures.”
From
the night I met Father on I went by the name Fate, a strange creature
that could see the strands of time and change them, a creature who
wields the power of his heritage, a creature who is the eldritch
power stolen from a creature beyond the stars. Ioun sends me visions
of where to go in order to avoid the horrid futures my dreams are
plagued with. I see a world made of points of light and that it is
destined to be extinguished. I now make a pact with this universe
that I will protect it. My actions can change fate and now its time
for to me to act.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Destroyed,
it’s all destroyed,” muttered the guide shaking his head in shock
of the corpse covered ruins, “What could have done this?”
He
turned only to see me staring down wordlessly. “Alice, are you
okay?”
“Yes
I’m fine Jacob, it’s just I hadn’t steeled myself for it, I
mean isn’t this town reputedly renowned for its safety.” I said
as I ran my fingers threw my long raven black hair for a moment.
“Yeah
I guess so, this is overdue in a way it’s been safe since ancient
times.”
“Well
we had better head down and find out what happened.”
“Um…
technically… I was only paid to get you here and,” He began
hesitantly, “no amount of gold could be enough to get me into
there.”
“I
understand, thank you for helping me get here,” I said with
disappointment dripping off my words, “Goodbye.”
Turning
away without looking back, Jacob said simply, “I am sorry, I will
tell the counsel what I saw,” and with that he rode back into the
surrounding forest.
Once
alone I tightened my scale armor and I descended from my high perch
on the hill overlooking the town, I struggled to keep my face
composed as I entered the town but I could not hide my disgust when I
found some half eaten corpses and even occasionally lone organs and
other body parts left behind with no hints of what happened to their
owners.
For
two days I did my best to gather and bury the dead. After I was done
I began to search for information as to what happened to the town. By
nightfall I had still had not found anything of importance and with a
heavy heart I set camp planning to leave in the morning.
I
was awakened in the middle of the night by the sounds of my horse
panicking. I rose as quickly and quietly as I dared, I listened for a
moment at the entrance to my tent and heard my horse suddenly
collapse. Grasping my sword I leapt out of the tent. Heart racing I
took quick stock of my surroundings. My horse was lying on the ground
unconscious but alive with no sign of what knocked it out and with no
strange tracks around the campsite.
Bending
over the horse to see what was wrong I suddenly felt an aura of
discomfort around me as I heard a soft yet strangely compelling voice
whisper “Who are you?”
I
looked around and pinpointed the sound as coming from the forest. The
speaker was not bothering to hide but thanks to the darkness I could
barely make him out.
“I
am Alice Ravenroar martial seeker under the merchant counsel of
Isomer and in their name I order you to announce yourself and step
into the light.”
“Your
foolish counsel of backstabbers has no power over me.”
“Insult
the counsel I have pledged myself to at your own peril I ask again
who are you.”
“I
thought you wanted me to step into the light,” he said mockingly,
“You may call me… Fate.”
“Why
are you here, Fate?”
“Why
you are here, Alice?”
“I
asked you first.”
“True
but a gentleman always lets a lady go first.”
“You
will answer my questions.”
“Really
I don’t think…look out behind you!”
Suddenly
I felt a sharp pain on the back of my head and the ground rushed up
to claim me.
************************
The
first thing I noticed when I awoke was that my hands were bound, my
head wound was tended and I was lying on the ground. The second thing
I noticed was that a horned humanoid monster with long green hair was
standing in front of me slowly walking towards me with its piercing
blue eyes staring at me. I could feels power radiating from it in
waves. I could not pull my eyes away and after a few minutes of
staring it looked away and said “You’re finally awake; I can
barely believe you were taken down by a single shot from a kobold
scout.”
I
recognized the voice as the one that came from the darkness of the
forest. His black skin with white dots took me by surprise because I
could almost see constellations on it. I wondered where this creature
came by its tattered pants and leather armor. I found his scar on his
forehead shaped like a third eye very disconcerting.
Ignoring
my obvious discomfort he said “So to pick up where we left off,
Alice, why have you come.”
“Right
now I’m wondering that as well. I suppose since you saved me and as
it’s not a secret, I can tell you. I was ordered by the counsel to
find out the reason no one has been seen from the village of
Blackwater for sometime. When I arrived my cousin Jacob went back to
tell of the devastation that we found. I went down to bury the dead
and search for answers but the truth eluded me. I was about to
surrender and leave when you came. Now it’s you turn, tell me, what
are you?”
“I
am of a cursed heritage and trust me when I say that you are better
off not knowing any more than that.”
“Alright
I will accept that but why you are here?”
“I
have it on good authority that something I need is here.”
“What?”
“I
don’t know, perhaps some important knowledge or maybe a powerful
magic item.”
“What
led you to believe this?”
“You
are very strange.”
“What?”
“What
I mean is most people would have begun screaming if I was the first
thing they saw upon regaining wakefulness.”
“You
don’t scare me in the slightest,” I lied casually.
He
raised a questioning eyebrow “and I really don’t understand why
you just bothered to lie about something so trivial. Anyway, I
obtained directions as to where the creatures that destroyed the
village went from a kobold I captured. You may accompany me as long
as you don’t slow me down.”
“Don’t
worry I have travelled my fair share.”
“Then
we leave at dusk,” he began as he freed my hands from their
restraints, “Rest up.”
With
those soft words scarcely of his lips he turned and left the tent but
not before I was shocked to notice a long tentacle protruding from
just above his rear end.
************************
After
three days of journeying we came across an ancient ruin worked by
decrepit shambling skeletons being overseen by some sort of hovering
wraithlike creature. The skeletons were searching for something and
had obviously been digging for days. After a brief discussion we
decided to watch to see what they were looking for. After three hours
of watching, the skeletons unearthed a large glowing crystal orb six
feet in diameter.
The
wraithlike creature telepathically screamed “Success! Finally I
will gain a new body and the world shall tremble at the name Ackatoss
once again! Negative energies come unto me!!”
The
skeletons began to crumble and an orb of dark purple energy began
building above him. He then reached up and began to absorb the
energy.
Fate
reacted first by whispering urgently, “you keep the few remaining
skeletons busy and I’ll try to stop its plan.”
“You
better have a good plan or neither of us is walking away from this,”
I quickly stated as I ran out and forced the skeletons to surround
me.
Even
the hovering monster turned and said “An intruder! You are too
late! All I need do is enter the amplifying forging crystal!”
He
then collapsed the skeletons around me sending the negative energy
into me burning my flesh and holding me aloft, paralysed and awaiting
my death. He flew at the crystal but just before he could reach it, a
fist-sized orb of energy flew around him sending painful rays at him,
preventing him from moving. Fate then ran out from part of the forest
closest to the crystal and leapt, shrouded in supernatural darkness,
on to it.
“You
really
should not yell out your plans Ackatoss” Fate began with a grin,
“Fear
lives in ignorance! I do not fear death for now I know it!”
Silvery
light rushed down from his chest into his finger tips and then into
the crystal. A maelstrom of pure silvery energy exploded from within
consuming the entire battlefield.
When
I awoke I could hardly believe my eyes. The ruins were covered in
green plant life and my wounds and flesh were miraculously healed.
Fate was sitting watching me nearby beside him was a floating
humanoid construct appearing to be composed of silvery energy.
“Good,
you’re awake,” Fate said
“What
happened?”
“I
sent some of my soul and some holy energy into the crystal, which in
turn amplified it, expelled the excess positive energy, and in turn
destroyed Ackatoss, because he was composed of negative energy, and
also healed our wounds. In addition it did its main function and
created this creature, the child of my spirit if you will,” He
turned to look into my eyes “and this is, my dear, is where we part
ways. You must report to your …merchant counsel, of what has
occurred, but as a favour may I ask that omit me and the construct
from your tale.”
“I
will” I said visibly stunned
“You
can tell them that after being destroyed in ancient times Ackatoss,
the undead monstrosity, partially manifested again thanks to a
strange wave of energy of aberrant origin and destroyed the town
founded by its slayer. When the power trickled out it tried to find a
body to live in but you stopped it in time.”
“Thank
you”
“It
is I who should be thanking you” Fate said as he bowed
I
stayed the night with Fate and left in the morning shaking my head.
“Fate,
the holy monster,” I mused aloud to myself as I left him behind.
Fate, I decided, was someone I would never understand.
************************
Two
years passed quickly since the day I met Fate. I retired soon after I
returned and opened an Inn with Jacob. One day I was awakened by
screaming. I drew my sword and ran to the window and saw Fate
hovering outside my window and hordes of monstrous minions in the
street killing everything they could reach. The town was obviously
doomed. Fate looked into my eyes and shoved himself in my mind,
rending it until I found I could not move.
“Watch,”
Fate said as he grabbed me and ascended into the sky while forcing
painful energy into my body and soul, “Bare
witness”
I
could see that there had not even been time to begin fleeing and that
everyone I had ever known was dead or would be in a few moments. I
gave in to the seducing madness Fate had left in my mind, anything to
stop the pain. As my sanity slipped away I heard Fate say “I
have a message to Fate I want you to deliver. In this world at least,
for every action there is a reaction and an echo, for every good
there is an evil. I am the echo of what you would have become had you
embraced Father and served as you should have, I will destroy this
world as you should have.”
=========================================================================================================================================
BONUS
“How
dare you could steal from the Spider Queen!” The undead drow
screamed, “You shall be devoured utterly by Lolth!”
“I
think that listening to you monologue is worse then being in your bug
queen’s gullet,” I yelled in return as I slipped into the forest.
It
had been a horrendous battle that had claimed the lives of all my
adventuring colleagues but I had done it, I had escaped with my life
and amulet of cosmic deception. According to legend while worn it
would hide my aberrant nature. I ran through the forest bloody and
weak until I found a clearing and slipped the amulet on. Abruptly I
transformed into my old human self. I then attempted to call on my
powers but found that only the weakest of my abilities worked. When I
was done I left the clearing intent on finding the elven village of
Sheirnalar. A vague vision sent from Ioun made it clear that
something I needed was there. I had gathered adventurers and plumbed
the depths of the dungeon of Webs to obtain the amulet of cosmic
deception so I could enter the treetop village. I did this because
the elves would have sensed father in me and bared me entrance.
After
three hours of travel I heard sounds of orcs cheering, the sound of
which reminded me of my own capture and drew me near. Two orcs had
captured a young elven girl who had obviously wandered from the
village. As one of the orcs raised its club to crush the child I shot
it through the head with a crossbow bolt before it even knew I was
there. The second orc then choose to charge into melee but I slipped
under its swinging club and buried a dagger into its neck. The elf
child stood shivering in fear as I drew near.
“It’s
okay little one I’m here now” I said with caring dripping off my
words as I held her “you’re safe with me”
When
I felt her calm down I released her and said “if you show me the
way I’ll take you home”
She
nodded and led me in silence to the village. When we arrived the
child fled from me into her parents’ arms. The elves welcomed me
with open arms and I spent the night in their beautiful village that
morning I spent the day being led through the village by the little
child. In the center of the treetop village was wooden archway
covered in fey symbols, and with a little nudging my enthusiastic
guide launched into telling me the history of the archway.
According
to her, the archway is an artifact created by the fey druid lords to
protect the legendary first tree, from which all fey and nature
itself was born. The artifact itself is indestructible. All the fey
lords save one merged with the tree. The final druid and all his
descendants were the only ones who could open the gateway and draw
the power of nature from the tree. Unfortunately one thousand years
ago, the final descendant upset the queen of the Unseelie Court and
was killed horribly. The queen gave the village the archway to
protect but warned them if the archway was ever opened she would
destroy them.
She
had just finished her story when we arrived in front of it. She gave
me a moment of silence to look the archway over. As I gazed upon it I
felt a vision well up and wash over me. The King secretly had a son
with a human woman. The son fled to his mother’s village when his
father died. He lived the rest of his life in the small village and
so did his child and his child’s child and so forth until one
child, who had no fey features and was ignorant her heritage, went
into the service of Ioun. She was my mother. I came out of the vision
reeling in the shock and surprise of learning I have fey blood.
Without any hesitation I opened the archway, even though I knew all
the elves in the village would die, and stepped within.
I
was floating. It felt like an eternity until I sensed others floating
around me.
“Who
are you” They said as one
“I
am the final descendant. I have come for the power of nature. All
worlds and all life will be destroyed soon, I am the only who can
stop it.”
“Swear
an oath before us and the seed of power shall be planted within the
fertile ground of your fey soul”
“I
swear before you, druid lords, to protect creation, all I need is
power.”
“We
sense the determination in your essence, the seed of power is yours.”
When
I awoke in the shattered wreckage of the Sheirnalar the amulet of
cosmic deception and archway were missing and the only body left
behind was that of the child I had saved.
As
I buried the body I swore a promise to the corpse and somehow that
promise was more important to me that any other. I left the village
with renewed purpose.
***********
Unnoticed
by Fate as he walked away a single green rose arose from the grave
=========================================================================================================================================
APPEARANCE
A
horned man with long dark green hair walks into the room; he appears
to have a four foot long tentacle come out from just above his rear
end. His skin is of a black that almost matches the night sky and he
has tiny white specks on his flesh that almost seem like stars. If
anyone focuses on his skin they may fancy they can make out
constellations on his flesh. On his forehead there is a distinct scar
shaped like a third eye. Both his pants and his leather armor have
holes and large rips in them. His small well kept grey backpack is
casually slung over one of his shoulders. Diminutive red writing is
on the back of his hands and on his chest there is a diminutive white
glowing writing. He holds a warped metal rod with the symbol of Ioun
engraved (a book with an arcane symbol on it). His ever vigilant blue
eyes scan the room lingering on every face so quickly that most would
account it to their imaginations. Any who match eyes with him feels
corrupt power radiating from him in waves. He walks with the poise
and grace that is not indicated by his monstrous appearance. He
carries himself in a carefully controlled and purposeful way that
invites no conversation and carries a faint malice for any who would
dare to… at least this is how he appears to an average observer.
