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Post by wanderingmagus on Jul 11, 2014 20:29:02 GMT
Nar grinned at Bane. "Aye, I'll keep that in mind, lad. Thank ye!"
He then looked over Asha's weapon with a discerning eye, then pulled out a jeweller's glass and peered closely.
"Third Law an' True mix, mostly True, runnin' on pegasus magic an' a few enchantments. Cloudsteel alloy, Equestrian make, unicorn-modified. Sturdy, sharp, but not too quick, nor long-range, as far as I can see. Me glass says it's got self-healin', possible lightnin' an' some heat, an' a sharp edge, but that's about th' extent o' Third Law. Not bad. Require some good pegasi equipment ta craft. Come ta think o' it, it's almost all True."
"Mortal or no, you have helped to protect us, sirs, and that is all we ask" smiled the mare. "I am inclined to believe that this was an isolated incident, not to be repeated upon our journey West. We insisted on assisting this caravan, and assist it we did, without any loss of life or injury. As for your weapons, I believe that Dame Thundercloud will soon have something of use for your squire, if I am not quite mistaken. If we expect greater trials, Lord Paragonis will see to it that a few enchanted armor sets are attained when we arrive at Orod Khazad for the two of you, and perhaps an enchanted sword to help as well."
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Post by Midnight_Aurora on Jul 11, 2014 21:35:29 GMT
Asha nods smiling.
"To make this blade one only needs Pegasus magic and a Cloud Forge, or as it is known now, a Sky Forge. This blade is a heirloom of the Thundercloud family. All mares on my mother's side of the family had this blade as their weapon at some point. As for the Pegasi bit, I think it is time to explain why I had asked to visit the old Thundercloud Tomb."
Asha adopts the look of a determined and proud knight.
"The tomb holds this blade's twin weapon. The Storm Shield, when wielded along side this blade, is said to be able to let the wielder, if a Pegasus, wield their ancient birth right. The ability to control the weather, be it on a passive level. However, with active magic and the two items together, a Pegasus would be able to create and control all kinds of weather. I know that in the time ahead and for our mission to be closer to success, I would have to call upon my full Pegasus heritage in order to wield both at the same time. Mom had always told me that Thunder here liked me. When I held her the first time back when my parents died, She let me tap the Pegasus portion of her power from a close range. Now that I have wielded her for a time, She is even more trusting of me and had told me of her counterpart's location. The location of Strike, my mother didn't even know. It seams only Thunder ever knew the location of Strike."
When Asha mentions the blades name, she points to her Cloudsteel Katana. After showing the blade to the dwarf, Asha respectfully sheaths it, allowing Thunder to rest.
((Does anypony notice what I did here? Hint: the weapon's and shield's names.))
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Post by Clockwork on Jul 11, 2014 21:37:19 GMT
An aged dwarf sits in the centre of the wagon circle, back to a cart wheel and covered in furs of many kinds. He was a wise dwarf, and the others respected him as such, but he kept himself to himself. His wisdom was welcome in peaceful times, not in battle. As he puffed his pipe he saw newcomers aid them against the goblins, such skill, honed in battle of their homelands, and a few of the sorcerous type.
Sorceries...
What could be seen of his face beneath a large fur hat and a kempt beard blanched, they couldn't be searching for that, not with that thing roaming those lands!
Calm, he thought, they may be heading to the city. They are weary, they may have travelled far, and fought hard.
Still.
He stood upwards, not far mind. Even as a dwarf he was a stocky fellow, and the furs only accentuated such a fact. He exited the ring of wagons.
Though Nar, an old friend, but not so old, was a little occupied with the wizard, the aged dwarf moved next to him. Neither wanting to interrupt nor ask later, the dwarf stood, radiating heat from the furs to all those around him.
He knew these people would not last long in Rakazath's Folly, especially with that creature lurking the ghostly earth.
So sure was his name Urrod Smithhammer...
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Post by wanderingmagus on Jul 15, 2014 3:16:21 GMT
Paragonis turned and smiled as he saw Urrod Smithhammer approaching. The centuries-old Blue Wizard bowed respectfully.
"Greetings to you, Master Dwarf! Archmage Varius Paragonis the Blue, of the City. And these would be Mage-Knight Dame Tienasha Thundercloud, Geomancer Wizard Petronella Brown, Sir Silentium, his squire Fides, and Mr. Bingo Fallowfoot."
"Greetings, sir," bowed Nellie. "We were just discussing our plans to approach Rakazath's resting place on behalf of the High Council. Archmage Lord Paragonis suggested that the Custodian might be persuaded to part with the Barrow should sufficient evidence of kinship and proper purpose be portrayed, but Master Nar here has suggested that the situation may be a bit more dire than previously thought."
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Post by Clockwork on Jul 15, 2014 20:57:41 GMT
Paragonis turned and smiled as he saw Urrod Smithhammer approaching. The centuries-old Blue Wizard bowed respectfully. " Greetings to you, Master Dwarf! Archmage Varius Paragonis the Blue, of the City. And these would be Mage-Knight Dame Tienasha Thundercloud, Geomancer Wizard Petronella Brown, Sir Silentium, his squire Fides, and Mr. Bingo Fallowfoot." " Greetings, sir," bowed Nellie. " We were just discussing our plans to approach Rakazath's resting place on behalf of the High Council. Archmage Lord Paragonis suggested that the Custodian might be persuaded to part with the Barrow should sufficient evidence of kinship and proper purpose be portrayed, but Master Nar here has suggested that the situation may be a bit more dire than previously thought." The dwarf's pipe puffed a stormcloud as his fist thudded his chest, an old dwarvern greeting from his younger days now a means to clear the chest. " Dire indeed, yer wizardlyness..." said the aged dwarf, scratching his beard " ...th'...Cus'odian as ye call it would lis'n t' no man I seen in those parts. I doubt th' creature canne ev'n be reas'n'd wit'..." He took pause, the Wizard seemed well equipped, and so were his emmissaries. Still they had to be raw of might and crafty of defence in order to judge the blows of the centaur beast of Rakazath's Folly... " Still..." he said finally as he surveyed the aid the dwarvern gods had given them " ...ye do look a' able bodie' troop, jes' be wary of th' speed o' the beast. 'e looks 'eavy an' slo' at first, but 'e'll cut ye down th' instant 'e catches a sniff of ye. Th' way int' the folly is a danger'us one. Th' wind blows int' th' beast's path, 'n y' can be sure 'e won't be long 'fore gettin' y'..." |
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Post by Bane Emural on Jul 15, 2014 22:37:49 GMT
"That sounds like a challenge, but what is the Custodian? I have never heard of a creature called that before. I've heard many names given to powerful beasts and monsters, including beast kings and monster kings, but never this one. I am very intrigued by this 'Custodian'." Bane listens in on what the aged dwarf has to say.
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Post by wanderingmagus on Jul 15, 2014 22:38:41 GMT
The geomancer nodded gravely. "I am all too well-acquainted with those sorts of difficulties, sir. I hope, of course, that we would be able to resolve the situation peacefully, but we are prepared for an armed assault on the Barrow if it should come to that. Rakazath's Folly, I've heard it called? A rude term, but I can see how some might think of it so. You know the situation, Master Dwarf. And you know as well as we that centaur is simply a bit cracked in the head, or so I would expect, sir. What's truly occurring with that repository?"
"Even more quietly, friends," intoned Paragonis, leaning in. "Wouldn't want to be upsetting the locals, after all. We're here on business from Merlin Lord Silvian and the High Council to fetch that little artifact of Rakazath's, presumably for research purposes if I understood the Council's decision correctly. Is there a particular logic to the Custodian's mannerisms, or is he simply... mad, now?"
"If he were well and truly insane, that would pose some difficulty," sighed Nellie. "And he could be a valuable ally on our journey West. You've heard of that, I'm sure, yes?"
She turned to Bane. "The Custodian was an... augmented centaur who served as Wizard Rakazath's assistant for a few centuries before the old man passed away. From what I've heard, which wasn't much to be honest, he suffered from some sort of mental instability that only grew worse with time and increased augmentation. He apparently began to believe that he was, in fact, a golem or artificial being created by his 'master'. Unfortunately, I know little about the matter, and did not anticipate such... undue difficulties."
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Post by Bane Emural on Jul 16, 2014 15:16:28 GMT
Bane lowers his voice towards the conversation. "Considering the fact that he has been alone for a few centuries without this Rakazath, it's understandable that he would think that. Solitude is one of the deadliest weapons of the mind and soul. If the Custodian was to believe that he was a golem or some artificial intelligence, it would mean that he was on the brink of insanity. That factor is to be expected for a creature of solitude. This will be quite troublesome if we end up fighting him."
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Post by Wavelength on Jul 18, 2014 4:32:07 GMT
Fides snapped out of his daze after a few moments and blinked. "Something for me...?" He couldn't believe his ears. One of the wizards had a gift for him? A squire?
Silentium nodded thankfully to Nellie and smiled discreetly. Weapons forged by the wizards had actually occupied an awful lot of his childhood dreams...
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Post by wanderingmagus on Jul 18, 2014 5:22:56 GMT
The Blue Wizard nodded grimly. "And with all the research material available in that research facility, the Custodian must have quite an arsenal for keeping would-be robbers at bay. Rakazath himself was somewhat paranoid as well, as I recall. All the more reason to seek out information about the Custodian's current mental state, the prerequisites for entering peacefully, and what amount of force would be necessary should peaceful measures prove unattainable."
Meanwhile, Nellie smiled at the eager young squire. "You both deserve it, after all that you've been willing to go through by our side. Valor in battle through strength of arms is one thing, but facing overwhelming odds with determination and fearlessness is another thing entirely, and to be commended. I know how discouraging it must have felt at the time, but the important thing was that you fought, and kept fighting even when it seemed the enemy was endless."
She reached into her saddlebags, and pulled out two seemingly empty sword hilts, engraved with all manner of strange runes and magical sigils.
"Take these. This is the Saber of Light, and this is the Sword of Fire. They will cut through almost anything not shielded by magic, but they may take some getting used to. The enchantment is called forth with just so:"
She placed the Saber of Light gently on the ground, with its convenient handle made specifically for Earth Ponies to use effectively. She then tapped it lightly in an easy-to-reach location and whispered Luceat. Immediately, a blade made of pure light, yet by some strange wizardry of the same balance as a metal sword, appeared out of the hilt, hissing as it vaporized some of the earth before it.
She did the same with the Sword of Flame, whispering Fuego. A similar sword of pure fire appeared, flickering and whipping like a thousand wildfires compressed into a single blade.
With a simple sheathing motion, the swords became simple hilts again.
"I know not what dangers we may face in the future, but I hope that these weapons will aid you and be a light for you wherever you go," smiled the mare.
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Post by Wavelength on Jul 22, 2014 7:31:37 GMT
Fides and Silentium accepted their weapons with a bow. It was difficult to tell if they were stunned by the gift or simply didn't know what to say, but Fides spoke after a momentary pause. "Thank you, Milady... may these blades allow us to better serve you and the fellowship!"
They both tested the swords' activation, not understanding it in the slightest but succeeding all the same. As Silentium tested his sword's balance with a few swings at the air, Fides was about to tap the tip of his own blade experimentally but thought better of it; his days of playing with fire as a foal--and their consequences--hadn't escaped his memory. If today was any representation of this trip, it wouldn't be long before they got to put these weapons through a thorough stress test.
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Post by wanderingmagus on Jul 25, 2014 1:56:37 GMT
Nellie smiled. "I'm sure they will, Fides. You will make a knight yet, I think! How does it feel, Sir Silentium? I hope it is intuitive to use?"
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Post by Wavelength on Jul 25, 2014 5:34:51 GMT
Silentium quietly nodded, rather surprised at the balance present in the hilt of some kind of ethereal blade. Cut through nearly anything not shielded by magic..., he mused as he gazed at the blade. The knight kicked a rock up off the ground and swung his new sword at it.
While the results weren't quite what the man expected, they certainly weren't disappointing. The rock hadn't exactly been sliced in two, but the whole thing now lacked shape and was glowing red... fortunately, he remembered to step back before the apparent ball of molten slag splashed on the ground and re-hardened. He looked over at Nellie with a clearly impressed expression.
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Post by Bane Emural on Jul 28, 2014 6:06:44 GMT
Bane looks at Paragonis. "So what kind of defensive measures are we talking about? If the Custodian is the only one left and this Rakazath is paranoid as you say, then there is bound to be some challenging obstacles in our path. It wouldn't be as easy as defeating a giant air battleship with nothing but a sword. But then again, I have mentioned that part where we crash landed it after blowing up the engines. As well as destroying mechanical beasts in the bridge of the ship."
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Post by wanderingmagus on Jul 31, 2014 3:00:29 GMT
Paragonis smiled slightly. "If I know Rakazath, shields, rail-engines, lightning-coils and poison gas would be the least of our worries. Personally, I fear more for the Truemagic Forbidden Spells he may have used. The Nevernever was never a safe place to be wandering about to begin with, and the Outer Gates are locked and guarded with ten thousand spirits for good reasons. There are ways around even the Gates, however, roads not even Fate Herself knows, and the insane, or extremely paranoid, may find or make up reasons for turning to such beings, such as it is."
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