The Warlords of Krahl - A Collaborative Writing Adventure

Krahl was a small kingdom of no significance sandwiched between two mountain ranges. It was difficult to reach, and the few explorers who made the journey reported nothing interesting when they returned - it was just a kingdom like any other.

And so no one paid them any attention until, quite suddenly, they attacked the neighboring kingdom of Zadal. The attack caught Zadal by surprise, and their capital fell after only two weeks of fighting.

It didn't end there. Krahl continued expanding, installing powerful warlords in every new territory. The Kingdom of Krahl became the Empire of Krahl, and in the space of just five years, they were the dominant power on the continent.

And they showed no signs of slowing their ambitions.

One last hope remains. A small group of adventurers have infiltrated the stronghold of one of Krahl's warlords. Should they prevail, perhaps the tide of the war will start to turn against Krahl, and the kingdoms can be free once more...

Welcome to Warlords of Krahl! This is a hybrid roleplaying/collaborative writing game, inspired by Grand Battles. It does not follow their structure, however.

Here's how this is going to work. Some number of people will sign up with members of an adventuring party. You can come up with any sort of character you like for this. (And feel free to contribute to the details of the world while doing so!) I don't have a hard limit on signups right now, I'll just leave this open a few days and see how applications are going.

After our characters are picked out, I'm going to immediately dump everyone into a dungeon run, in order to skip past the part where everyone meets up and jump right into the action. I'll provide a general description of the place and come up with the warlord in charge. Everything else is going to be up to you.

However! There's a little more to it than that. As in a Grand Battle, you're going to have your writing quality evaluated, and this will have consequences! Not as severe as losing your character, but when the first area starts wrapping up, I'm going to take opinions on writing and figure out which players are in the bottom half of quality overall. So if we have six players total, I'll pick out the three who are doing worst.

I'm then going to come up with punishments for those players. They'll get to continue on, but they might end up being magically cursed, or losing some important piece of equipment, or something else drastic. These may be worked in during the final moments of an area, or early on in the next area. What matters is that they're going to be relevant for a good chunk of time.

(Of course, players are free to inflict these sorts of things on their own characters for fun! The difference is GM-inflicted punishments can't be lifted until I say so. I'm also willing to be flexible if I assign a punishment and you don't feel able to work with it at all; in that case, let me know and I'll try to come up with something different.)

Then this will keep going until we feel like stopping, basically. I haven't really planned this out much in detail, mostly I'm thinking "let's try this out and see where it goes".

So here's a signup form! Fill this out with character information.

Name: Self-explanatory.
Race: Human? Elf? Martian? Something else entirely? Put it here! Make something up and explain how it fits into the world! Go crazy.
Gender: Male? Female? Neither? Something else? Say it here and explain if necessary.
Color: Yeah, we're still doing text colors. For those not familiar: Pick a text color that you'll write for your character in. Make sure it's readable and doesn't conflict with other players' colors. (This can be adjusted before the actual game starts, so don't worry too much about it.)
I'm using #425B78 for administrative purposes, so please don't go with that or a color that closely resembles it.
Equipment and Abilities: What can they do? What do they have with them?
If they're an unusual race, this is a good place for explaining what members of that race can do.
Description: What do they look like? More importantly, what do they act like?
Biography: What were they doing before Krahl decided to take over? Why did they join the fight? Do they have some other goal besides stopping Krahl? Explain it all here!

Feel free to put Equipment/Abilities, Description, and Biography in any order that seems appropriate to you. You're also more than welcome to reference things that get mentioned in other players' profiles, or even to collaborate with them! Go crazy!

So let's see what you can come up with.

Players:

Username: Look, I'm putting this here anyway! SleepingOrange
Name: Quick Cloudmoon
Race: Grey elf. Grey elves are like elves, but more elfy and less colorful.
Gender: A well-read male
Text Color: The very funnest #333333 possible
Equipment and Abilities: Covered below
Description: Quick is a fairly standard-issue elf run through a greyscale filter. He's tall and thin, attractive in an ethereal sort of way, has long, pointed ears and long, less-pointed limbs, and a general air of ease and grace that can make less-elfish sorts kind of want to punch him without realizing why. His skin is a bloodless-looking white, his hair ashen, and his eyes a dull cloudy grey.

On top of all that bland elfinity he piles gaudily-trimmed and eye-catchingly-dyed robes, covered in belts and pouches and holsters. His slender frame is dominated by an enormous backpack that forces him into a near-constant hunch, always leaning on the ornate staff he carries. Even his ostentatious wizard hat has a number of pockets and devices around the brim, as does the billowing multicolored cloak that flutters beneath his pack. All in all, the impression is of an elf who wanted his outfit to say on no uncertain terms "Hello, I am a wizard, pay attention to me", and was then attacked by a mad tailor with a pocket fetish.

Despite his overtly-magical appearance and bearing, Quick isn't as imposing a personality as he'd like to be. He does his best to effect the brash, near-power-mad cackling sort people often expect from traveling mages, but in his heart of hearts he was designed to be a quiet, bookish sort. He's knowledgable on a number of subjects, both magical and mundane, but not apt to speak up about them unless prompted or he feels like he needs to put on a show.

Inventory and Abilities: Quick is a wizard. What abilities do you expect him to have?

If you answered the obvious way, you're wrong. Well, you're also a bit right, but mostly wrong. Quick suffers from a condition that makes it impossible for his body to accumulate mana in large quantities or at any kind of reasonable speed. If he spent a few weeks carefully not exerting himself, he might be able to throw an unimpressive fireball or levitate for about thirty seconds. He knows how to cast many spells; he simply can't manage to cast them very often, or – in the case of the more powerful or esoteric ones – ever.

To that end, he has become an expert in the creation, maintenance, and use of magical devices. Wands, staves, rods, orbs, and all sorts of obviously-magical trinkets that pull mana from the air and channel it to one specific use are his particular specialty, but he's also a fair hand at magimechanical creations and other, more unusual fields. The fact that his only spellcasting ability is tied to the use and creation of tools and devices – most of which have little or no flexibility in their usage – combined with the fact that most of his pride is tied to his spellcasting ability account for the frankly ridiculous amount of gear Quick forces himself to carry.

In a more advanced world, he might have been called an arcane engineer; in a more traditional one, an enchanter. In this one, you'll call him a wizard or he'll make you regret it, or – if nobody's around to save face for – just quietly pout.

The sheer quantity of Quick's trinkets and tools mean it's impossible to describe everything he has on him in a reasonable space. Instead, it bears mentioning that his favorite combat tactic involves the use of wands that spray bolts of the various elements, so he's likely to have quite a few holstered at his belt. His greatest accomplishment, and what would be his pride and joy if he weren't ashamed of his specialty, is his staff; unlike most devices that store or channel spells, it can be used for seven different spells on a given theme, and with some time and materials, that theme can be changed. It's currently air-themed, with flashy spells like lightning bolts, whirlwinds, flight, and invisibility; he mostly uses it to appear to be a normal spellcaster to laypeople and casual acquaintances.

He also has a number of grimoires on his person and in his bag; it's hard – but not impossible – to make a device that effects a spell or effect he's not familiar with, so having references makes the design process a lot easier. He also has a personal diary and some research journals, the current one of which is filled with what sparse lore he could gather about The Device.

Biography: Quick was born to the prestigious Cloudmoon family, a clan of aristocrats in the Dun Timberlands. A traditional lot, the Cloudmoons considered that the only suitable occupations for an elf were wizard, archer, or thief; naturally, a career in archery was simply too low-class for a noble Cloudmoon, and thievery didn't even bear mentioning. Elves have unusual ideas about theft and property, as evidenced by the Cloudmoons' belief that "thief" is an acceptable occupation in polite society, but it's still not something your average highborn would take up occupationally. This left Quick, as it had left his elder sister and the siblings that would follow him over the decades, with little choice, and he was shipped off to a prestigious magical school at the earliest opportunity.

It was here that his condition was discovered; it wasn't severe enough to allow him the opportunity to become a nullmage, but it was much too severe to make traditional magic a reasonable path. Were it not for his gift for magical theory – and more saliently, his doggedness borne from the reality that he'd leave the academy a wizard or a disgrace – he'd almost certainly have quit or been expelled. Instead, he simply adopted a courseload more suited to those abilities he had, growing over time to become the talented but self-denying artificer he would become.

Naturally, summers and holidays back home were tense and awkward affairs, filled with unsaid words and meaningful looks and an instinctual dislike for his siblings, but even a trinket-mage son was better than an archer or, god forbid, an alchemist.

It was a foregone conclusion that Quick would, upon graduating, not become a court sage or local wizard for anywhere within the Dun Timberlands; it would simply be too embarrassing for him and for his family. For a time, Quick considered settling down in a human settlement somewhere on the Emerald Plains or even taking up an ambassadorial exchange program with one of the dwarven kingdoms; humans had a much greater appreciation for devices both magical and mechanical than elves, and rumor had it that the dwarves had recently been coming into more and more fascinating applications for and knowledge about external magic. In the end, though, neither the thought of running a shop in some prosaic village or living a life on his knees in the dark appealed.

Instead, Quick settled into the life of a traveling wizard; it was a good one for someone with an eye for magic items, and he'd always enjoyed learning about things from experience as well as from books. It also gave him the chance to give the appearance of a normal wizard, and to spread the Cloudmoon name beyond its native forests. He had long felt the only way to gain his family's respect was to increase its reputation by his actions, and if he got some excitement in the process, who was he to complain?

Of course, that became more and more difficult over time: when the Krahlian invasions began, travel became more restricted, places became more dangerous, and adventurers became more and more frowned upon. Quick wasn't particularly interested in the politics of it or who ruled any given area, and barely noticed the wars anyway: he was too busy with his latest obsession, a search for a magical item known only as The Device. It was said to greatly empower any wizard who wielded it – and more importantly, gave the wielder the ability to store vast amounts of magic even if they had previously lacked the capability. It was only when he heard from a priest from a recently-subjugated town that The Device had been housed there but had been taken by the Krahlian warlords and ultimately delivered to the emperor himself that Quick became interested in revolution.

Name: Seraeus Avengir

Gender: Male

Race: Lizardman

Color: #006600

Equipment: He has only a set of light armor that does not actually serve to cover his body, but to enhance it. His style of magic requires him to devour a small portion of the monster in question in order to gain its powers. As such, he might carry a few basic weapons, such as daggers, small bow and arrows, but nothing too fancy, as he fights with his body most of the time. He keeps it all on his belt, and he has a small bag of various trinkets that he's picked up on his journeys.

Abilities: His kind are known for their natural proficiency in magic, and he is capable of using a few basic spells, like Fireball, Healing, etc. His particular school of magic is known as Carnomancy, where he eats the raw meat of a monster, and gains that monster's abilities, or if the magic is practiced to a high enough level, the ability to transform into that monster. He is also capable of mimicing spells that he sees, if he pays close enough attention. Among his kind, he is known as somewhat of a storyteller. He seems to have a natural way with words that allow him to endear himself to any passing traveler, provided, of course, that they are willing to listen. He also has unusually acute senses, able to see a mile away on a clear day.

Description: He is a lizardman, an unusual offshoot of the human species that has narrowed down to a few extant species. He has a narrow frame, a triangular snake-like head, murky greenish scales, and a lithe, powerful, tail. He has dexterous hands tipped with sharp claws. He has bright gold eyes, and he's always sporting an unreadable expression. Seraeus is at his core a curious and inquisitive individual. He enjoys traveling all over the world and learning more. He is somewhat distrustful of people, however, because of the massive amounts of prejudice he had to suffer through. So, he has formed a somewhat cynical shell between him and the outside world. If you ran in him, he would closely and coldly anyalyze you before finally letting loose a curt greeting. It is tough to get him to open up to you, but once he does, you will find that he has much more emotions than you would have expected, possibly even more than the average person. He is a dreamer and a poet at heart, and he does not like fighting that much. In fact, he's a bit of a coward. But, he is willing to do what it takes to protect his friends, if their lives ever came in danger.

Biography: Seraeus is a lizardman, a once proud race renowned far and wide for their proficiency with magic. A genocide committed some 100 years ago has severely dwindled his numbers, however. Since then, his race has retreated to the silence of the swamp, preferring to stay far away from humans. He was constantly advised not to wander out of the swamp, but he did anyways when he was 15. He got lost, and he couldn't find his way back to his hometown. Eventually, he blundered out into the open fields that the humans call home. He was wary, but he eventually went inside one of the cities, only to be treated with massive amounts of prejudice and hatred. Torn, feeling truly alone, he ran away. He bumped into another traveler, a young female scientist who then took a genuine interest in him. He was unsure, but he decided to accompany this woman on her travels anyways. Together, they learned a lot, not just about the world, but about each other as well.

Name: Ana Kyubey

Gender: Identifies female to more comfortably fit in with the culture.

Race: Crystal Elemental, typically forms into the shape of a fox or can form the classic elemental form: head-arms-torso of a humanoid.

Color: Amethyst #9370DB

Equipment: Wears a collar for her bindings to this plane. Destroying this can banish her back to the Earthen Planes she hails from. She often uses a tough, steel Kite Shield as well to help her block attacks, and has a spare collar on hand most of the time which only needs mana to charge.

Description: Ana Kyubey is made entirely out of pink crystals of various sizes and shapes. Her arms are made entirely out of pink diamond, and are her main weapon. She's naturally a draw for greedy eyes.

Ana naturally glows, which helps when you fry magic lamps just by getting too close. This glow is comparative to an old, pink light bulb.

The arrangement of crystals can differ to suit various purposes. Ana tends to prefer either your standard top half of a humanoid or, less conventionally, a fox made of crystals, although there isn't a lot she can't be.

The most important crystal is her Eye, a large, central crystal which she hears, speaks, and sees from. This has an inner glowing light, the sign of her presence. The light has her control spread like veins across her entire body.

Abilities: She's a fantastic melee combatant, hard and tough. Being able to rearrange her crystals at will, as well as her naturally hard body, allows her to take a lot of punishment.

She's also a natural magic conduit. Any elemental is naturally a good source of their relevant magic, but Crystal elementals are made of one of the best magic conductors around, leaving Ana surrounded by a field of mana at almost all times. This is a mixed bag. She can't control who takes her mana very well, so she's been known to be just as much an advantage to her enemies as she is to her allies. She's more than once "short-circuited" any number of small magic-powered devices or magic storage devices.

Being made entirely of crystal, Ana has no need for food, water or air but no sense of smell or taste.

Personality: Ana is very much the elemental edition of someone who is trying to pretend that she does, actually, have a clue about what is going on. Don't be fooled. Even stuff like ice and water is pretty weird to her, and organic life is outright alien.

Biography: Ana lived a fairly peaceful life in the Earthen planes until she was summoned with a bunch of other crystal elementals by a Krahl warlord. The summoning was dodgy, however, and while Ana came out with more of her power than most elementals mass-summoned do, she also came out with more freedom, and started a breakout of prisoners and elementals. The resultant meltdown eventually wrested the tower from the warlord.

Now called Amethyst Tower, the foolish Warlord's old home is one of the last bastions against the Krahl. The mass-summonings from the earth plane are still practised, with more freedom-allowing modifications, making it a good source of troops, but the elementals have no need for food so the actual use as a stronghold for many organics seeking refuge is heavily dependant on the supply lines that can be arranged.

Ana eventually left the tower to more directly attack the Warlords. She's still not sure exactly how she ended up with THIS group of vagabonds, but she's decided she'll have to whip them into shape and into line before it's too late.

Name: Leon Zin
Race: Mostly Human
Gender: Male
Color: An Earthy Brown #8B4513.

Equipment and Abilities: Leon is mostly human, but has a bit of elf blood in his veins. He is a little more agile and dexterous than other humans and has excellent handwriting. He is knowledgeable in history and natural theory and carries several books covering a variety of subjects. He has some basic arcane ability and can create minor magical effects. Leon carries with him a simple short-sword and crossbow which he is fairly proficient with. Filling his pockets and much of his pack are a variety of odds and ends, randomly gathered from his travels.

Description: Leon is a messy and disorganized person. His thick brown hair is unkempt and a bit dirty. A short scraggly beard and damaged leather coat make him appear as a beggar or vagabond. He has a variety of tools and writing utensils poking haphazardly out of every one of the multitude of pockets that adorn his person. Curious blue eyes peak out from under an old, tattered, wide brimmed, hat. Leon is rarely seen without a book or journal. He is always reading or writing, constantly formulating new theories or examining this or that. He often becomes quite obsessive whenever he finds something that interests him. Who knows the lengths this man will go in pursuit of his passions.

Biography: Before the Krahl attack Leon would travel from place to place, exploring and studying anything that happened to catch his fancy. His parents had been quite wealthy in their time and had left him a significant fortune which he used to sustain himself for a time. Eventually he spent almost all of it on books and items for his collection. He began to sell various relics from his travels to support his lifestyle.

Once again running low on money, Leon turned to selling some of his notes and research. The local College of Grammewen took interest in some of his theories, and before long Leon found himself teaching history in one of the largest Colleges in Zadal. He quickly consumed the College Library and gained no small renown for his theories, not to mention his eccentricity.

Despite this success Leon was afflicted by an insatiable wanderlust. The small trips allowed by the college were no longer enough, he wanted something more. His eyes turned to the nation of Krahl. The secluded nation intrigued him. Soon he made preparations for a long journey and set out on a grand adventure.
His exploration was cut short by the advent of war. Trapped in Krahl, and now hunted by its local peoples, Leon was forced to go into hiding. He managed to avoid capture for the better part of four years, but found himself lost in the Krahlian wilderness, unable to return home. Eventually he was captured by a military patrol and forgotten in a dungeon with only his books to keep him company.

Name: Arkhan Irgish
Race: Sundmerling

The Sundmerlings were originally created as servants to the Suulian Wizards, whose experiments with golems and artificial life were well-known to scholars and rulers alike. The Suulian Order held several schools across the various kingdoms, and soon Sundmerlings, hard to create as they were, became a common sight in cities where wizards congregated. The Suulian school of thought fell out of favor, though, when some of their experiments regarding death became clear. They were purged with ruthless efficiency, and the Sundmerlings were left masterless. Most were slaughtered as well, since they fought to defend their masters, but a fair number managed to escape. Rogue Suulians managed to give them the ability to reproduce on their own, splitting the Sundmerlings into several types to allow them to function in society. As such, they do not have gender characteristics, but due to societal norms, most identify as Male or Female depending on preference.

The types are Tinker, Hunter, and Scholar. Tinkers are builders and inventors, who are naturally predisposed to mediation. Hunters are fighters and free-spirits, who defend and uphold the standards of the community. Finally, Scholars are curious and inquisitive, always seeking out new ideas to introduce.

Sundmerlings can reproduce in two ways: Type-Copy, and Type-Meld. Type-Copy mating requires two of the same type, and will produce an offspring of the same type. Type-Melding requires two of different types, and produces the third.

Each Sundmerling also has a color. How colors mix, nobody knows for sure, but the most common seen are Blue, Violet, Red, and Orange.

Gender: Hunter (Prefers Male Pronoun).

Color: A proud member of the People of Blue (#00BFFF)

Equipment:

Bronze Lance
Round-Shield
Leather Armor
Javelins
Dry Rations
Bandages

Strengths:

Improved Reflexes: In order to fight and hunt effectively, the Hunters have fast reaction speeds and better peripheral vision.

Spear-Shield Fighting: Arkhan is trained in combat with light weapons, using his lance and his shield in combination to block attacks and push enemies out of the way while he stabs at them.

Throwing Accuracy: Having trained in hunting animals for years, Arkhan can effectively use a javelin in combat, able to hit a moving target at a fair distance.

Hunters' Vitality: Hunters have naturally improved healing and high pain tolerance.

Combat First Aid: Arkhan can give wounds basic treatment, though anything serious requires professional medical attention.

Weaknesses:

Ravenous Appetite: In order to sustain his body, Arkhan needs twice the food a human would doing the same physical activity.

Single-Minded: When focused on a task, Arkhan ignores everything unrelated to it. For example, if he is fighting, he might not notice that mage casting a spell, or if he is disarming a trap, someone sneaking up behind him might have a better chance to kill him.

Blood-Thirst: Fight to kill. This is a philosophy Arkhan subscribes to wholly. He is quick to engage a perceived threat, and will not take prisoners, or even fight non-lethally, without a very good reason or someone to restrain him.

Tactless: Arkhan cannot handle negotiation, or even basic social interaction, without insulting someone, implying his superiority, or making sure he is unwelcome.

Physical Description: Arkhan is a lean, compact humanoid, shorter than the average human. He is in peak physical condition, with well-developed muscles showing through his pale blue skin. His arms are tattooed with marks, representing his group and his name. There is a curious symbol burned into the skin of his chest, on which he refuses to comment. He keeps his black hair just long enough to be tied into a ponytail behind his head. His yellow eyes pierce with anger, and his face is sharp and pointed. Arkhan wears practical clothing, especially his well-worn leather armor, which bears the signs of mending after many battles. His weapons seem out of place, as they are shiny and well-maintained.

Personality: If he could be described in one word, that would be abrasive. Arkhan is definitely a polarizing person, as he cares little for others beyond his immediate goals. He has a strong loyalty for whatever group he is in, and to his people, favoring other Sundmerlings over any others. Despite not being an intellectual, he has a long memory for those who have crossed him, and delights in taking his revenge. Otherwise, he only has a mind for martial matters, preferring to leave planning and diplomacy to others.

Biography: The Sundmerlings spread across the kingdoms after the end of the Suulian Wizards, and they mostly kept to themselves. Arkhan was born in a small, isolated village built by some of the first free Sundmerlings, or Old Ones, who were immortal due to their magical nature, but had mostly disappeared or gone into a deep slumber. They were subjects of the crown of Zadal, paying minimal taxes in return for keeping down the bandit activity in the mountainous Zadal-Krahl border.

Arkhan was on an important hunt. He was alone, stalking his prey: a prized White Hart, a rare deer which grew large enough to feed the entire village, and whose magic, while often weak, helped wake the Old Ones for a little while to provide guidance to the Sundmerlings in times of need. The rest of the Hunters had lost the trail, but he managed to keep on it, trekking for days across the rocky landscape in search of it.

The hart was ahead, grazing on a patch of grass. It had not sensed him yet, and as it stood, he crept towards it, crouched in the brush, javelin ready to fly. The deer shot up. Could it have heard him? Then, the smell of smoke on the wind turned his attention away, just for a moment. When he looked back, the White Hart was gone. But the smell remained.

The trees in the glade were tall, tall enough to give a good view of the landscape. He scanned the horizon. Perhaps some bandits were nearby, or some idiot had left a fire untended? He would need to report it to the village, tell them to be wary. And yet he could see nothing in the surrounding forest. He turned to climb down, when his eyes caught a plume of smoke in the distance. But wasn't that in the direction of the village?

Only ashes remained. They had tried to fight, but it was clear that the attackers were more numerous. It looked as if one of the Old Ones was awake, but even that could not stop them. Whoever they were, the enemies were organized and thorough. Not an emblem remained. Arkhan turned to leave, when he spied a figure standing in the burned-out remains of one of the only stone houses. It wasn't a friend, he thought. He reached for his javelin, intending to kill at least one of the interlopers.

A constellation of pain exploded into his chest. He could not see, he could not hear, he could not feel anything but the burning above his heart. And yet, a voice pierced through his mind.

"Your arrogance is astounding. You were built to serve, and yet you think you deserve freedom like any other? Fools. The rest burned for their sin. But you... you might serve some purpose yet. Go forth, and bear forever the mark of your sin. Tell your kind that their purpose is to be bound in servitude. This is your punishment."

Arkhan's revenge against Krahl is personal. He will avenge his family, his village, and hunt down the wizard who shamed him. And maybe, when the tyrants are overthrown, his people can have a land of their own to call home?

Okay! We've got five people in about a week of signups. I think that's a workable number.

I'll give it another three days and see if anyone else submits a profile, otherwise it's just you five. In which case two people will be selected after each "round" to receive in-character punishments. That's going to a while away, though, so don't worry too much about it right at the moment.

My aim will be to give you problems that are interesting to write about, so hopefully it will end up being more of a writing aid than a punishment per se. We'll see how that goes.

Anyways! Three days to get a profile in. If you're thinking of joining this, now's the time to act!

The plan was hatched in the Amethyst Tower - one of the few strongholds against Krahl, taken from them by the very elementals they summoned.

It was clear by this point that Krahl had an interest in the lands of Bren that went beyond mere political territory. While most of Krahl's conquests ended with a warlord marching into the capital and forcing the current ruler to surrender, Warlord Gring had adopted a different approach. His siege engines utterly destroyed the capital without any attempt at negotion, and then his army continued past the ruins until they reached the abandoned Brynwynd Keep.

Under Gring's oversight, the Keep was converted into a prison and soon began taking on prisoners from all over the Empire's vast territory. This was puzzling, as many of the prisoners hardly even seemed important; rumors started to surface that something more was going on at Brynwynd. The stories told of everything from sacrifices in a dark ritual to slave labor on a massive engine of war, but no one outside of loyal Krahlians had ever returned from the Keep to confirm a tale.

Yet all the stories had one thing in common. Whatever Krahl was doing in Brynwynd, it was of great importance to them. Stopping it would deal them a great blow.

The plan soon came together when someone realized there was a very simple way into Brynwynd - as part of a prison convoy. There was debate on the exact method of infiltrating it, but after a while it was settled, a small convoy located, and the plan was soon carried out.

Now, as a result of that plan, five adventurers are somewhere in Brynwynd Keep, hoping to defeat Warlord Gring and stop whatever scheme Krahl hopes to accomplish here.

SpoilerShow

So a summary of all that, and an explanation of things not made explicit in there. Brynwynd is an abandoned castle converted into a prison, and taking prisoners from all over Krahl's territory for unknown reasons.

Now, my intention is that Leon was a prisoner on the transport coming in here. If you want, others among you can opt to be involved as now-rescued prisoners as well. Or if Truegreen wants to have some other explanation for how Leon ended up here, that's fine too; I'm just providing a convenient option for the backstory they gave.

The exact details of how you got in and where you are in the castle right now are left up to player discretion. You are also free to make up whatever you want about Warlord Gring that I haven't specified, and to devise an explanation for why, exactly, Krahl is bringing all these prisoners here. And pretty much anything else.

If anybody's stumped on what to do, feel free to ask other players for ideas. Work together! If you want to talk to people about ideas in-thread for whatever reason, or to clarify things that happened in a post, please do so in spoilers.

You can also feel free to hop on IRC to talk to other people about Krahl. You can go to #grandbattle or [url=https://mibbit.com/?channel=%23eagletime&server=irc.esper.net]#eagletime to attempt to find them, or if it turns out we have a lot to say about this game-thing in particular, I might make a channel specifically for Krahl-talk.

Confiscated items, be they weapons or other objects of value, are all kept just across from the cells prisoners are thrown into. It would have been folly to expect the group to make it in with their items. Fortunately, this had been planned in advance.

The sole, albeit well-trained guard twisted his head from the prisoners at the sound of a disturbance. One of the loot bags had just moved. A thief? Or someone hiding in the bag?

He naturally came over to investigate. Not being one for foolishness, he jabbed his spear into the bag first. Opening it up would take both hands and leave him exposed to anyone in it.

The only thing which dropped out of the bag were a variety of pretty gems. All pink, too. The guard did wonder where they had grabbed so many when it was brought in here.

So that left thief. He turned around to find the source of the thief, keeping his back to the weapons and loot. Maybe that window, there-

Being well-trained is no substitute for experience when Elementals are involved. The guard didn't even have time to register the impact before pink diamond shattered his skull.

Ana, for her part, was trying not to be disgusted by this. Apparently, whatever she had hit had killed him instantly. But it was so... squishy. She nevertheless gently let the man fall down, taking his keys and examining the surroundings.

Apparently, they were in a small Cell Block ET. Considering that the keyring she found was labeled with the same letters, it seemed a reasonable assumption that another Amethyst Uprising would need a lot of elbow-grease.

Fortunately, all her allies - and a good number of their weapons - were here. Sending one hand to grab her shield, she waved the keys at them, speaking with a happy tone.

Ready, boys?

Quick hadn't been enthusiastic when the plan had involved getting arrested. He'd been even less enthusiastic when it had occurred to him that being arrested would separate him from his tools, literally the only things that made his facsimile of wizardhood plausible. He had been supremely unenthusiastic when the plan had continued to unfold in such a way that they were going to have to rely on a rogue elemental to break them out and get them reequipped.

But, as had been pointed out, the only other real option was mounting a frontal assault on the castle and being pincushioned by ballistae before even getting within spellcasting range. Invisibility couldn't be counted on to get the group inside, since Gring doubtlessly had mages of his own. And so Quick had allowed himself to be divested of much of his gear (although consolidated into several carefully-nested bags of holding so as not to draw suspicion for being so heavily-armed), and carefully painted a few runic tattoos on his hands for emergencies.

Fortunately, it seemed, those emergencies wouldn't be arising. The capture went smoothly, no suspicion was aroused, and the elemental failed to go berserk or betray them. Ana flicked brain matter off her fist in a manner that mirrored the distaste on Quick's face, but with a cheerfulness that clashed with his cynicism and worry. As soon as the gates were unlocked, he scuttled into the storeroom and gathered up his bags and cloak and trinkets; he quickly lost focus on his surroundings as he catalogued what was present and what condition it was in. It wasn't a wave of Ana's wild mana short-circuited a minor orb of scrying that he snapped back to the present.

Quick edged closer to the wall, trying not to eye the elemental unpleasantly. The others had joined them, but there were a number of other faces he didn't recognize filtering into the storeroom. He'd known that there were other prisoners in the cell block with them, but he hadn't really payed them much attention or considered what would happen when they were freed. It occurred now.

"What," he quavered, buckling a belt with a dozen wands holstered to it to his belt, "are we going to do about them?"

A number of "them" looked at him at that, and he cringed nervously. He'd felt it had been a pretty fair question; a larger group was more likely to draw suspicion, especially an unorganized one. He just wished he hadn't sounded so callous saying it.

A man rested against the cold stone wall of his cell. It was damp and coated with a slick gooey moss but the man hardly seemed to notice. He was engrossed in the thick tome in his hands. It was one of his favorites. He did his best to ignore the distracting noises emanating from the hall. Probably just another fight. The others got so rowdy sometimes and he found the disturbance quite rude. There was a loud CLINK and the irritating screech of twisting metal. The man, distracted for a moment, peered at his cell door which now hung by significantly fewer hinges. A figure stood silhouetted in the torchlight. "C'mon Leon" the figure hissed. "Someone's staged a riot, it's the perfect chance to escape!" Leon turned back to his book. "Just let me finish this page John" The figure just stared his mouth agape. He really shouldn't have been surprised, that was just the way the professor was but John wouldn't have it. "C'mon professor! we have to get moving! Damn your page!" John insisted grabbing Leon by the arm "But I'll lose my place!" Leon cried. "If we don't get moving you'll lose your head!" John exclaimed dragging the protesting professor down the hall.

SpoilerShow

John is one of Leon's students and friends. He has travelled with the professor several times before and jumped at the chance to go to Krahl, especially since he was writing a thesis on the ancient cultures of the region. John is of Corvan descent. Like his kinsmen in the jungles of Corva John is quite a bit larger and stronger than the average human.

"Yeah, yeah."

Seraeus looked impatiently around the storehold. Upon finally finding his meager bag of goods, he rejoined the group, only to find them grimacing in disgust at the brain matter. He scoffed. Amateurs. Although he shouldn't have been saying anything, as he was fairly new to this whole adventuring thing, he had seen his fair share of gore, most of it inflicted by him. It was all in self-defense, though, so he was slightly uncertain about this whole invasion thing. Really, he had only taken the job for money, and because she had suggested that he do so. He supposed it was easy enough for a lizardman to look like a prisoner, as his kind were often arrested for little reason, so he took the job. First, they had bought a small bit of Lesser Dragon from a butcher, so he would have something to work with. True, Lesser Dragons were just big lizards that could breathe fire and not fly, but breathing fire was always useful. It was kind of expensive, but the payoff from this would be well worth it. Thus, he took it from his bag and ate it, fully expecting a fight. It would take a couple of minutes before his magic took place.

"What are we going to do about them?"

Them? Oh, those prisoners. Not many of them looked very useful, and he was best suited to a small group. So he hatched a plan.

"Hey, you lot! The exit's back that way!"

This would be enough. The mass of escaping prisoners would suit as a distraction. Now all they had to do was to run off in the other direction, deeper into the fortress. He gestured towards the door.

"Quickly, now. Before someone notices."

SpoilerShow

Lesser Dragons are totally Dodongos

"I think we're lost." Leon mumbled absentmindedly scraping at the moss coated walls. "We're not lost" John replied, "Just...a little turned around." "Well if we had asked for directions...""Those guards would have KILLED us professor! and if you hadn't been so obsessed with that damned book of yours we wouldn't have had to run from them in the first place!" "Well I'm sorry for appreciating fine literature!" John sighed deeply, the anger draining from his face. "Alright professor, what's your plan?" "What makes you think I have a plan?" "Professor, you always have a plan." "And don't you forget it! Now John, what can you tell me about Brynwynd Keep?" "Um...one of the most famous forts in Bren, supposedly it was built during the Brennish rebellion against the Grand Suulian Magocracy...""Now stop there, The Brens built the castle then?" "Um....yes professor but I don't see why that's important" "Because it isn't, What's important" The professor rambled, lifting a smooth rock from the ground. "Is who built the dungeons" In a quick swipe Leon carved a large chunk of the moss from the dungeon wall revealing an oddly shaped sigil built into the wall. "Wait...Ancient Xiran characters? Multileveled wheeled design? This is Suulian...Brynwynd Keep is built on Suulian ruins? Wait...why do you think we're in Brynwynd Keep?" "The crests, the Brens are absolutely obsessed with crests didn't you see all the engravings when we were brought here?" "...but that means..." "Yes, Krahl has invaded Bren, and probably most of the rest of the world. That's not what's important right now. What's important is that I've found us a way out that conveniently avoids the guards." "All I see is a Suulian light rune, how does that get us anywhere?" "Simple, like this" Leon waves his hands over the sigil and smiles as it shines with a bright white light. He shifts a few glowing nodes around and the wall shifts, moss dropping from stone. A cavernous opening yawning before the two explorers. John stared in amazement. "A hidden passage? But won't the Krahl know about this already?" "Of course not, The mages who built this were master artificers and enchanters. You'd need someone trained with arcane devices or someone with an in depth knowledge of ancient Suulian history to even realise the sigils did anything, let alone open passages. The Krahl are more beast tamers and summoners than historians or artificers. I wouldn't be surprised if I was the only one in the keep with the knowledge to open these things! Now come along, we have a long walk ahead of us." "So...where does it go?" John asked, stepping into the opening. "I have no idea" Leon replied, sealing the passage behind them. "But I have a good feeling about this." In the hall a glowing sigil dims and goes out.

I do not like prison cells. They are too damp, too constraining for my liking. I want to tear these bars out of the wall. But I wait. Finally, the elemental comes. Another creature of magic. Just like me. Heh.

I step out into the room. The smell of blood is in the air. The guard? Dead. At least the crystal is serious. My lance is near. There! And then my shield and pack. Good. I am ready.

One, one of the others sets the prisoners loose. A distraction? If the enemy is good, they will notice some are missing - us. Well, it will buy a little time.

"Careful. More guards could be ahead."


I listen at the door ahead, spear ready. They will not hear my strike before it is too late.

Leon slipped through the dark tunnels. The soft glow of a magelight barely illuminating the smooth stone walls. Every so often he stopped to examine an engraving on the wall or a crack in the floor before shuffling down another tunnel mumbling to himself. John trudged uncomfortably behind him. The tunnels had not been designed for someone of his bulky build. He was forced to hunch painfully occasionally scraping his shoulders along the wall as the two pushed deeper and deeper into the maze of tunnels. "Professor, do you know where we're going?" John asked, carefully avoiding a painful collision with a low archway. "Don't worry my boy!" The professor replied cheerily, "I'm sure these signs must lead somewhere." "But WHERE?" John hissed in exasperation. "You keep telling me we're making progress but you have no idea where we're going! We could be walking in circles for all we know!" "Aha! Now here's something!" Leon replied cheerily. "I told you they would go somewhere, see this symbol, 'Armory' I'm sure the contents of this room will be useful!" Leon made a few passes over a rune and the wall before them shifted aside. The room they were presented with was not what either had expected. Light runes struggled to illuminate the area, flickering on and off irregularly. A thick layer of dust had settled over everything, floating up in great clouds as the pair moved through a scene of desolation. Skeletons were scattered throughout the room. The room was littered with weaponry. Some conventional, some obviously arcane. Some were held in the hands of the dead, some remained on decayed and broken racks, others were scattered haphazardly upon the floor. Burn marks coated the walls and the entire room held a wavering magical charge, as though some great catastrophe had once swept through it. Very few things seemed to be in order, One was a statue, vaguely humanoid and coated in dust standing at the back of the room. The other an orb, resting upon a pedestal in the center of the room, even through the dust a myriad of colors danced across its surface in an almost hypnotic display. Leon stumbled in, surveying the scene with awe and barely contained excitement. John held back. "Professor..." he said tentatively. "We should leave, head somewhere else..." "Whatever for John? Look at this place, what a story it could tell us! All that we could learn" He stepped towards the orb, watching the colors shift. A skeleton rested below it, A bony hand stretched out towards the pedestal, a bolt resting between its broken ribs. "hmm" the professor mused "Someone didn't want you touching this orb, I wonder what could be so important..." "PROFESSOR!" "What?" "We should really go, I have misgivings about this place." "Just a moment John, I just want to see something" Leon slowly extended his hand, reaching for the orb. He pressed his palm against its surface, and at once a jolt ran through him. It felt as though every particle of his being was being pulled towards the orb, his very essence being sucked away. This wasn't strictly accurate, Leon had come into contact with draining spells before, he knew it was only forcefully pulling magical energy from his body. This, however, did not stop it from being immensely painful. "AAAAAAGH!" Leon cried, trying desperately to pull his hand away from the cursed sphere. "PROFESSOR!" John rushed to him, pulling him away with all his might, but it was too late. The professor fell backwards suddenly released from the enchantment, and exhausted. For a moment all was still. "Professor! Are you alright?" "Just a bit...tired...nothing to wor-" Suddenly the orb sprung to life, a bright green glow emanating strongly from its center. The dust that previously surrounded the orb was lifted and held balanced around it. There was movement in the darkness. The statue shifted. "Authorization received" A voice echoed from the darkness, "Destroy the invaders." The statue stepped forward, dust blossoming around it as it moved for the first time in centuries revealing a bright red coloring across its stone form. Its arm lifted, a large sword held in its stone hands. John quickly retrieved a large blade from the ground and stood in a ready stance. There was a clash of metal against metal, and Leon slipped into unconsciousness. All across the dungeon, walls slid open, bodies of clay, stone, and metal moved once more to carry out orders delivered in centuries past. The legacy of their ancient creators had awakened this day, once again ready for battle.