Private Tales Orcish Ruin

[Maridis Va Dori]

Maridis walked down the lone path, pulling his coat tighter too his body, attempting to fight off the cold air. As he walked down the dirt road, he glanced up at the tall trees all around him, noticing how sinister they looked in the dark they created, ignorant of the fact it was the day. As he walked, he opened the letter he had folded in his pocket and reread it for the fifth time.

To whom it may concern,

The Ring of Drawa is an artifact of great value, it is a golden band ring with a red ruby tip, it is capable of boosting the energy of the mage who wears it and I will pay a large sum of coin to the person(s) who brings it too me, be warned however, for the ruin it is hidden in is said too be laden with magical and physical obstacles in the way. You may find me at my residence most days inside Molthal.

Sincerely, Morst Gorgan

Maridis folds the letter and tucks it back in his jacket pocket, he keeps walking and peers into the darkness, he is nervous and is expecting anything. He hears a branch snap and spins around...

 

[Vereshin]

A breeze, laced with the whispers of leaves, traveled through the forest and lifted up Vereshin's shawl with a shapeless reach. Flattening down the edges of the shawl on the exposed sleeves of his tunic, he looked over his shoulder and watched as the breeze carried blades of dried grass down the road which split the trees. Arts of ill-repute held the forest with a curse. In his hand, he held a large stick which he used to shove debris out of the way.

Shifting his eyes from one side of the road to the other, Vereshin continued to follow the whispers emanated by the forest. He looked upward and noticed the road turn around a corner, where the voices pressed him even louder. Pausing to gather his sense of direction, which had failed him at the best of times, he placed one foot forward and felt a large stick snap beneath his sole. A veritable snap echoed throughout the forest and drew Vereshin's attention to the stranger in front of him.

A pause held the air between Vereshin and the other man. Lime green eyes glowed amidst the shadows and locked with traveler's own gaze. The ends of his mouth turned upwards into a sly smile and parted, revealing two rows of pitch black teeth.

"Lost, traveler?" Cocking his head to one side in a suggestive manner, Vereshin's voice floated towards the man, barely lifting a syllable above the breeze. "Be wary in these woods, or else you might come across a wayward mage snooping around for souls." The space between them dispersed as Vereshin continued to walk forward. He raised one thick, arched eyebrow as he spoke in a jovial tone, gently pressing the stranger's nerves and teasing him out of his stupor.

"Don't worry, I don't bite." Following another pause, Vereshin allowed his tone to relax. He waved a hand dismissively at his previous comments, shaking off the unsettling vibe which he had intentionally conveyed. As he walked towards the man, he gently gripped the silver clasp holding his shawl in place and adjusted the position of the garment around his neck. "I'm just looking for the next shrine." He mused aloud as he stopped beside the stranger.

Vereshin creased his top lip in dismay as he craned his neck. Although he could hear the whispers emanated from the soul trapped in the shrine, he saw no sign of the structure. Briefly ignoring the man's presence, he walked towards the trunk of a tree and uttered an incantation, all the while banging his stick against the bark to see if he could trigger an illusion. Nothing happened.

"Bollocks!" The dark mage cursed aloud as he took a step backwards. Scratching his head in thought, he tried to connect the locations of the previous shrines to deduce any kind of pattern which might lead him to the next. Simple trial and error, it would seem, was the only solution. He turned back around and looked at the man. "You're looking for the ruins aren't you?" Vereshin's eyes narrowed in presumption. In the event that the man was seeking the same thing, Vereshin and himself may be useful to each other.

"They are guarded by souls trapped within a series of shrines erected along this road." Tilting his head to the side, he banged his stick lightly on the ground as he explained the puzzle which warded away trespassers from the ruins. "The souls ward away intruders, that means us." He raised both of his eyebrows and chuckled slightly. "A rite must be preformed at each shrine to release them." Placing the stick in front of his feet, he rested both hands on the top. "Release the souls and you break the spell." With the final segment of information, Vereshin swung the stick sideways and banged it on the ground.

With the impact of the stick, a strain of voices surged through the trees, accompanied by a wave of energy which threatened to knock both Vereshin and the traveler off their feet. Deep within the trees, the trapped soul of a being who had once been walked upon the earth threatened to ensnare and dissipate any curious individual bold enough to wrench away the artifact buried within the ruins.

"Hear that? They're angry." As Vereshin maintained his balance, he held onto the stick and placed a hand by his ear. Feint shrieks coursed through the streets and gave a final warning to the two adventurers, a warning which Vereshin did not heed.

Maridis Va Dori

 

[Maridis Va Dori]

Maridis turned around and stared at the man coldly, looking straight into the green eyes. As the man talks and walks around, Maridis reached his hand up to the back of his neck and scratched it casually before putting a hand on the hilt of his blade, and drawing it slowly, lowering the well treated blade into the ground and resting his hands on it.

"By ruins I assume you mean the ruins of Drawa? If so, then yes, I am." He pauses and thinks about his next words carefully. "I don't know what you hope to find, but if we're looking for two different things I'm sure we can help each other out, you don't seem particularly gifted at physical things and I lack any aptitude in magic, the name is Maridis Va Dori, it's probably not a pleasure too meet you." He smiles softly and thinks back to the row of black teeth he saw.

"What exactly are you looking for out here? I'm looking for the ring of Drawa, and what exactly are you doing? Should I prepare for a fight?"

Maridis said as he watched the strange mage do some sort of banging on a tree, he felt a chill run down his spine as he heard the cries of the voices and stumble backwards a couple steps, he stood on edge as he listened to the voices surging, he cried out, not knowing what was happening.

"They're angry? Well...calm them down or something, this is all you, I can't exactly stab a spirit to death, if I can somehow, let me know but I don't think that's how it works."

Vereshin

 

[Vereshin]

As Vereshin opened his mouth to speak, he noticed the hand of the stranger rise to scratch his head in bewilderment, a gesture not entirely inappropriate considering the eccentric approach of the man. His words were cut by the slide of steel against sheath as the man slowly drew his sword. Vereshin's eyes widened at the sight of the blade, which caused him to back away slowly, his fingers flexing by his side in preparation to cast.

The mistrust was momentary. He watched the man lower the sword into the ground and rest his hands on the hilt, not in a manner which suggested that he wanted to harm Vereshin, but rather, a subtle warning. With his hands resting on the end of the stick, he turned around to face the man, who inquired about the ruins which he was seeking.

"Yes, the ruins at the mouth of the Drawa river." Still fixing his eyes on the sword planted in the ground, Vereshin spoke in affirmation. He turned away from the tree and walked towards the man, placing the stick on the ground with every step he took.

"I am looking for a series of amulets, very special amulets which are to be used in a ritual." The space between them dispersed and Vereshin regaled what he hoped to find. He mentioned nothing more than the amulets themselves, without inferring their use or what the ritual entailed. The stranger suggested that they work together in order to find their respective treasures and a pause held the air them. "Indeed." Vereshin cooed, observing the man's build. He internally confirmed that he was certainly skilled with that sword of his.

"You have a keen eye stranger. On my way here, I had to flee a dozen Orc scouts, had they caught me I may have been done for." His tone lightened to a jovial pitch as he regaled his lack of aptitude for combat. "Are you good with that sword of yours?" He raised an eyebrow with the question. When Maridis introduced himself and mentioned that he had no pleasure in meeting Vereshin, the dark mage rose both of his eyebrows in exclamation.

"My name is Vereshin." He placed a hand on his diaphragm and lowered his head in a slight bow. "... and whether or not it is your pleasure to meet me, depends entirely on how you treat me in return." He spoke with a slight ring of warning on his tone. He could be perfectly pleasant if Maridis was the same. "Come now, I don't bite." Waving a hand in dismissal of his previous sentence, he brushed away the warning he had given Maridis before and relaxed his voice.

"The ruins are guarded by souls trapped within a series of shrines built along this road. Vereshin explained what he was looking for as he tilted his head to one side, motioning to Maridis to follow him. "That is what I am looking for. I suppose by finding the shrines, we will uncover the Drawa river." Cupping his chin in thought, he mused on the possibility of the shrines being erected as a form of guide. As the voices of the spirits surged through the trees, Maridis shouted, becoming visibly distressed by their presence.

"Shh, calm yourself." Vereshin pressed a finger to his lip and hissed. "Orc scouts guard these roads, now you can't stab a spirit to death, but you can cover me while I release them from the shrine. He continued to walk forward and combed surrounding energy for any sign of the next shrine. The voices became loud as the trees parted, revealing a rock formation adjoining with the side of a cliff. In the face of the rock, a runic circle had been carved, which Vereshin recognized as the sigil of the mage who had erected the shrines. "Found you." Vereshin chimed to himself.

Maridis Va Dori

 

[Maridis Va Dori]

Maridis grins at Vereshin. "Well that's perfect! We're looking for different things completely, so I won't have to stab you in the back once you get me through the magical traps."

Maridis watches as the strange mage taps his staff with every couple steps, absorbing the knowledge that he is unwittingly sharing with Maridis, he chuckles at the squeaky voice which retells how Vereshin had to hide from the orc scouts. He thinks of his own encounter with them, seemingly after Vereshin had almost run into them.

"You mean those 5 orcs, and the one had that clanky bone necklace? Well I can answer your question of my ability by telling you that I am not as stealthy as you, and the orc scouts had no trouble finding me. Of course, I was planning on it and killed them all before they even realized what had happened." Maridis smiles at the memory, he loved ambushing enemies with the advantage and then defeating them swiftly. "Well, that's a lie. I didn't kill all of them, one of them is still alive but he's missing a hand and has a dagger buried in his thigh, so I doubt he'll be an issue."

Maridis listens as the man introduces himself and chuckles when he mentions he doesn't bite. "Don't worry, Vereshin, you need not worry about me harming you, I too, don't bite. Although when you say it, it sounds a little less true and a little more ominous. I think it's something to do with the pitch black teeth and the overall strange look you have."

Maridis lifts his sword and begins to follow Vereshin, after he gestures for Maridis to do so. Maridis heads the warning Vereshin hisses and silences himself, seeming embarrassed over his outburst, Maridis pivots so he is viewing behind Vereshin and watches the road. Maridis hears Vereshin mumble something about finding it. "You found it? That's perfect, can we get off this road now? I can hear footsteps and smell orcs, well I can't smell them but you know what I mean." Maridis glances over his shoulder at the rock formation Vereshin had uncovered "That's the sigil of the mage who made the ruins! I saw it on the information my client gave me."

At that moment the footsteps could be heard more clearly and a dust cloud from a group of footsteps could be seen. "Either we get off this road now, or we fight."

 

[Vereshin]

When Vereshin described the amulet which he sought, he caught Maridis grinning from out of the corner of his eye. He retracted his hand from the tree, the stick still in his hand and pressed his hand against the bark, muttering the remnants of a skill which might trigger any illusion and reveal the shrine in plain site. The tree remained unmoved and no hidden markings made themselves visible. He turned around just in time to catch Maridis' retort, the ends of his mouth stretching upwards in a smile to match Maridis' own.

"Allow me to rephrase, I don't bite mostly." Holding a finger upward, he drew a point on the air to mark the subtle warning which he intended to convey. He moved away from the tree, jabbing the stick into the ground with each step he took. A pause followed his words before Maridis revealed that he encountered the very same scouts which had chased Vereshin within an inch of his life. "Ah yes." He smiled and looked up at the distance, remembering the ordeal with a zeal which was almost fond.

"Charming lady. Chased me into a cave where I had to curl into a ball and sit for hours." With a slight chuckle, Vereshin referred to the female Orc with the bone necklace who had cornered him in a cave only wide enough to fit a human. "Stealth was not the advantage which I had, but rather, size." He rested his hands on the stick and responded to Maridis' statement regarding his ability with a sword. When the explorer told Vereshin that he had already slain all but one of the Orcs, the dark mage's eyes widened.

"You fought and killed four of them already? All by yourself?" Vereshin exclaimed with a genuinely impressed voice. "My assumption was correct, then." He remarked, pulling his neck backwards slightly with emphasis. "You are a talented swordsman." The sentence was optimistic and sincerely friendly, expressing Vereshin's desire to not only work with Maridis, but remain on good terms with the man as well.

As the two of them walk along the road, Vereshin continued to scan the area for any sight of the shrine. The voices emanating from the shrine coiled the air, invading both the ears of Maridis and himself the further they ventured along the road. Mouthing the syllables of an incantation, he erected a barrier between the voices and himself, diverting them elsewhere. He released a bout of laughter when Maridis described him as strange, a comment which he did not find insulting in the least.

"Well thank you, I hardly claim to be conventional in that regard. Vereshin's cheeks turned purple as he lightly bashed the air with a hand. "Do forgive my discerning manner, I was wary when you said that wouldn't have to stab me in the back should I be able to disable the wards." He admitted as he walked beside Maridis, using the stick to shove leaves out of the way. "Now that I know you are sincere, I'm no longer inclined to do the same." Vereshin winked.

Within a clearing, the distinctive shapes of runes glowed with a violet light which filled their markings. A breeze hurled through the leaves, almost knocking the two travelers off their feet. The wind carried the voices from the souls trapped within the runes, threatening to dissipate the minds of both Vereshin and Maridis if they did not retreat. As Maridis cried out against them, Vereshin pounded the stick into the ground and uttered a vocal incantation. The runic command shoved back the voices, sending them away from Maridis and onto a different path.

Just as he motioned forward, Vereshin's halted in his stride. Heavy boots crushed leaves as they marched through the forest, threatening the dark mage and his newfound companion with the presence of Orc Scouts who had come to clear the area of trespassers, or avenge their comrade's death. Vereshin's eyes became the size of plates. He froze like a deer facing down an arrow, glancing around to every angle of the forest, contemplating the situation as it unfolded at the very moment.

"Fuck!" Vereshin hissed. "I'm not going back to jail again!" He threw the stick down with all the force he could muster with his slim arm. He ran towards the shrine and bent down, quickly reading the runes surrounding the ritual circle. They displayed the instructions needed for the rite to disarm the trap and the necessary sacrifice. "A live sacrifice is required to release the spirit guarded within the shrine. He spoke with haste as he ran a hand across the runes. "The Orc whom you left with a dagger in his thigh. Lead me to him." Vereshin ordered following a pause.

"Quickly now! Let's get out of here!" With the footsteps fast approaching, Vereshin flailed his hands towards the trees, where he ordered Maridis lead him. While they found the Orc whom Maridis left injured, they would give themselves time to wait until the approaching scouts had cleared off, leaving them with the key they needed to release the soul from the shrine.

Maridis Va Dori