RP:Blocked At The Pass

From HollowWiki

Part of the Saurian Onslaught Arc


Summary: A massive mysterious runed door is built on the border of Venturil and Craughmoyle, keeping people from leaving and entering Venturil. Caravans of cargo traders discover it, and anger and panic sets in. Some take to assaulting the door and soon everyone is witness to the strange Cathabraka door's destructive properties.

The Dark Tunnel, Craughmoyle-Venturil Border

Aetherclaw :: Nexura’ gaze was transfixed upon the size of the gate that was to be installed. Already the immense structure would stand almost 22 and a half meters in height with the remaining 55 meters merged into the rock wall used to act as a root to prevent siege weapons from simply knocking it over. The immense door lay upon a several flat bed carts which had been linked together and pulled by six long necked dinosaurs. The sheer weight of the mass, would have to be runicly phased through the rock while at the same time the framework around it would have to be rendered weightless to ensure that the Browns and Reds would be able to lift it into place. The work would have to be swift once the go was given. Already she turned her head to the north, the moonlight against her ebony skin, and the neon green stripes that ran down her head and neck seen briefly as she turned. Already the northernmost fortress was being besieged, by corps of white, fifty Razurath against the twenty one guards. The number not out of fear but out of caution, as not all the guards were human, or so the information had been revealed, mostly a band of mercenaries as the original guard were no longer paid by the ealdorman, a fact that the Razurath found disrespectful to whatever kings who had once reigned these lands, but she knew Aetherclaw would be honorable and merciful to the man who had paid the mercenaries out of his own pocket loyally still trying to hold the fortress. As for the mercenaries she knew, they had signed on to defend, whether they did so loyal to their job or ditched it at the first sign of trouble, that was not for her decide, she was in charge by Rathal, to place and hold the door, and then she was to hold the ground by the entrance and fortress once it was secured with the growing encampment the browns were eagerly constructing. Already whatever forests nearby were being chopped down and broken into bits to be fed to ovens to be made into charcoal for the furnaces, sheet metal was being melted down to form the foundations of the wall around the encampment as she watched the Cathabraka door frame be lifted by the escort of 30 razurath brown and red, slowly but surely fitting the gravity defying frame around the door, and then lifting it. The encampment was forming and the door was being fit, such as the door was to be constructed, entrance and exit from the panels of bracket shaped door, an uncanny design meant to prevent siege engines from battering down the door in the close confines of the passage way. It would lay in front of the old fortified doors, which would be removed and as they had fallen into disrepair as the ealdorman had bled the economy of venturil dry for their own lavish pockets. Nexura turned to her tent, as soon as she saw the door in place and the brown signal with a light stick in his hand, that all was go. The door was in place, the encampment was being built, just like the others that would soon be built, and the fortress, yes the fortress was theirs, no smoke arose, only the short flashing of light stick confirmed its capture. The night was still young, but she was antsy, as she moved to her metal dome shaped barracks for her own personal use, she tapped one of the razurath males and beckoned to her building, the night was still young and the dark razurath in her needed to be relieved.

Aetherclaw :: That morning for those that traveled through the pass to venturil for trade and then onto chartsend, must have first found it odd that they could not see the light at the end of the tunnel, and it was only when the animals stopped did the merchants realize that they could go no further. “What in the name of Sven?” The door stood omnimously in front of the carts, what little lanterns had existed on some carts where brought forward to examine the door, and the and the smooth walls on the sides of the door. Like a giant black wall where grey whispy lines seemed to phase in and out of metalic door. “What is this? Who put this here? What does it mean?” the voices of the crowd would say as the tension grew frantic for some who lived beyond or amongst those fleeing from other lands to them. Upon the door a single emblem reigned, A four fingered talon, glowing mysteriously against the metal, as if the door had a signature that sealed it.


Khitti || Those in the caravans that travelled all over Lithrydel would come to a halt at the strange door. “What is this? Did the vampires set up a portal here too?” This looked nothing like the way into Vailkrin, however. Nor was there any reason for the nobles of the city of the dead to flex their dark magic skills all the way out here. Some of the drivers would get down from their carts and wagons, while others sent their family members or assistants to check things out. One woman in particular, a rather surly half-orc, banged on the door, loud enough for anyone to hear. Or, she’d hoped they’d hear. “What the hell is going on here?! I’ve got cargo that needs to go through here. Open this damn door!” Mog’bal the half-orc wasn’t pleased. How else was she going to get the money she needed to send back to Gualon? More people left their carts and gathered at the door. More shouted along with Mog’bal. Others panicked, fearful of their future in cargo delivery should their wares be late. “Let us through!!”


Meri was a cloaked figure in the area, just passing through. Or at least attempting to, but it seems some sort of blockade has been set up preventing passage into Venturil? It was causing quite a bit of confusion. Venturil may not have been Meri's original destination, but commotion being caused as a result of this blockade has certainly been enough to pull Meri's attention for the moment. However she does not put herself up in the middle of all the mess. The woman stands back so that she can observe from afar, having no real need to stick her nose fully into this mess. She is not entirely sure how much it really concerns her, thus she is not sure how much she really cares. She'll remain a silent and cloaked observer.


Aetherclaw :: The door was deaf to their cries every pounding against it did not sound as if it were hollow, as if it were solid all the way through. A mage who had been traveling between Xalious and Venturil or some time said, "Out of my way, if a door won't budge by force then it will break before magic." he began to chant as briefly some would abandon the door, he would aim high, and strike the door with a barrage of lighting, but then as the bolt flew it entered touched off the door, but it didn't explode it stood and it stayed. No explosion no impact. It was gone. The mage stared dumbfounded. The people around gasped. "Thats not possible."


Gevurah :: The drow are generally thought of as being isolated from the surface, and when it came to culture and politics that was certainly true. However, little food grew underground and the drow were materialists as much as the next civilized race. Drow traders did follow the surface’s trade routes in search of gems, food, magic, cloth. Sensitive to the sun, they usually traveled the surface at night. And on the night that the saurian erected the blockade a small caravan of drow merchants (commoners) were caught on the Venturil side of the blockade. Feeling ill-equipped to fight through so many beasts, they wisely retreated. They sent word via carrion spiders to their bosses in Trist’oth. A few hours later, the largest trade organizations in Trist’oth suspended trade for the evening and recalled all traders on the Craughmoyle-side of the road. “Disturbance on the road,” they said vaguely. No one talked about the dinosaurs much. Surely the drow had been mistaken? The traders would wait and see what the ruckus was all about, and hope that it would be resolved by morning. Unfortunately, by morning, the situation was worse. House Mizzrym, a lower house deeply dependent on trade with Venturil, sent three scouts: the priestess Shurnia, and two warriors Baruel and Vabal. The three drow are heavily cloaked and stand about 20 feet behind Meri. They listen and wait. That’s when the mage casts lightning and Shurnia sees something new: stone that eats lightning. She gasps and rushes forward toward Meri. “What is this?” she barks a heavy accent. “Is this the doing of the dwarves?” Rumors of massive dinosaurs did not yet reach House Mizzrym, and even if the rumors had, who would have believed it?


Khitti || “Can’t ever count on magic. It’s never done me any favors and it doesn’t seem to be now either.” Mog’bal glared at the door, and then the mage, then anyone else that dared look in her direction. “Hm.” The half-orc stomped back to her wagon, shooing her assistants that sat in the back with the cargo, “Get the hell out of my way!” Mog’bal would emerge eventually, carrying an enormous, spiked club--because what sort of orc doesn’t carry a giant scary weapon? “I’m gonna knock this damn thing down if it’s the last thing I ever do.” Angrily, the female started to bash the hell out of the door, shouting a slew of curses as she went about it. So many things depended on her getting through this door. Others took up their own weapons and helped. If magic couldn’t touch it, then maybe brute strength could? It was likely not meant to be, but… they couldn’t not try.


Meri :: Back in Meri's days as a human, she probably would not have noticed that the three drow were lingering about twenty feet behind her. As a werewolf, it's different. She does not know who, or of what species, but she is aware that there are individuals behind her based on scent alone. It is also a detail that is not very alarming to her, not in this current scene. Why would she be the only one gawking? One of the drow approaches her and Meri has to resist the urge to sneer and respond with some sort of snarky command. She's still not the biggest fan of drow, but has learned that maybe...one or two..are...kind of tolerable. Encara may have been a rare exception, but it is enough that Meri will respond in a civil way since this drow seem more curious than stab-happy. "Naw, I don't think this is the doing of the dwarves. If the dwarves did it, we'd be able to pass through? Or be better informed as to why this was put up? I'd think. Whoever put up this big old fortified gate is probably on the Venturil side of this thing..." The cloaked woman does not let her gaze linger on the drow more than need be. If they did, then Meri would not be able to witness all the failed attempts to break through. Mages and their spells. Orcs and their strength. Strong barrier. The psion is smart enough that she'll not even to try and employ her telekinetic abilities.


Aetherclaw :: The door stood, the blows unknown to it, not scratch upon its surface, a cold menacing image as if it were impentrable. A thing beyond the nature of what was known, as if it was, is, and were, it stood. A dwarf who was amongst the group would look about and study the door. "This was not by my or my peoples h'ands, I have never seen anything like it, nor these runes over, wait... why are runes appearing on the side walls....what kind of complex runic language is this..." Then they began to glow, and the air between the sides of the door began to glow. something was happening. "Everyone back back back!" The mage screamed as the dwarf ran from the door. As arcs of sparks began to inhabit the air around the door. Then, in seconds later, a bright light filled the area in front of the door, and second later it was gone. along with anyone and anything that had been within the proximity of the door and its side walls. the smell of ionzide air, was all that remained and the door, unheated and unscathed.


Khitti || The door made its own move in retaliation to his combatants and poor Mog’bal did not make it out in time. Others had scattered, panic ensuing, but once an orc saw red, it’d take a lot to pry them away from their onslaught. Mog’bal, her precious club, and any ounce of her existence was vaporized… and then the screaming began. It was not quite like Kahran’s attack on Cenril, but it was enough to stir the various cargo haulers and traders into action to get the hell out of that tunnel. Most left their wagons and carts, unless turning them around and leaving was an option, but that was really only for those that was closest to the Craughmoyle side. Crates and boxes and barrels would be left behind. Food would rot away unless otherwise picked by scavengers. But who would dare go near that door again? There’d likely be a few brave enough to do so, but it didn’t seem like any of those were amongst the people here today.


Gevurah :: Shurnia nods stiffly at Meri for the information - or lack thereof but Shurnia does not begrudge the human-apparent for this. The dwarf confirms Meri’s guess that the dwarves are not responsible. That’s when the runes light up, and all but a few flee the immediate vicinity of the door. Shurnia witnesses a brand new horror for the second time in a matter of minutes: entire beings were disappeared by light. By gods, what magic is this? Who would know how to handle something so immovably and recklessly powerful? *He* would know. The God of Death. Vakmatharas. The End of All Things and the Beginning of the Ever After. “Move aside!” Shurnia barks at the mage and half-orc. Vabal and Baruel follow their priestess and flank her to protect her as she shuts her eyes and shuts out the noise of the crowd. She chants in the old language of the drow to summon His power. She asks not for a fleeting, quick, flimsy thing but something more terrible and powerful. After five uninterrupted minutes of chanting Shurnia extends a hand towards the door. A skull crossed by one scythe flashes on her palm in bright white, then a gray swirl obscures the emblem like a hand-sized marble. Suddenly the drow symbol for power flashes in bright black, like a hole in the universe at the center of her palm. A sonic boom erupts from her hand and the black symbol and gray swirling marble erupt forward from her hand. The marble grows into the size of a two-story house as it launches at the massive door. Those in its path risk being bowled over by a large force, even as it moves through them because they are not the spell’s target. Those hit by the spell feel less than a hundredth of the spell’s full force, and yet even the half-orc may be knocked over by the marble like a cat knocking over a spool of thread. But the full force that collides against the Cathabraka door is one hundred times the force necessary to knock over a half-orc. And just like the door did to the lightning, it eats Vakmatharas’s power and nullifies it. The door barely vibrates from the collision. It remains firmly fixed in place. Shurnia gasps in disbelief and after a few minutes of gaping backpedals away from those unpredictable runes. “Run, you fools,” she says to the mage, dwarf, and Meri. “If I could not move it, then what chance have you?” (Even in fear the drow are astonishingly arrogant.)


Meri was already some distance away from the crowd that was gathering in front of the gate. She was positioned that way from the start and it seems that her intuition was right, getting to close to this gate was probably not a wise idea. The few who were not vanished by this light seem shocked and even fearful, even the drow who is now encouraging people to run. Meri does not turn heel and run though, she tries to take in as many of the details as possible. Was there any scents associated with this light? Any changes in temperature? Did it roast everyone at such an intense heat that not even their bones and ash remain? Or were they teleported somewhere else? Being held captive maybe? Meri herself is not so curious to approach the gate so that she can find out first hand. The cloaked woman lingers another couple of minutes while the rest seem to be going, before finally turning and walking away herself. She'll have to report this incident to Khitti.


Aetherclaw :: The door stood, the Door was. Is and were to be, so it seemed. Immovable, magic resistant, perhaps this represented a new age dark or otherwise in the Lithrydale, who could know. Who indeed?