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Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2009 10:40 pm
The streets of North Castle Town were festive--people were celebrating everywhere, and they were pressed against cordons on either side of a lane. The lane led straight through the town, up the steps, and into the Castle. At the entrance of the castle were appearing, one by one, the victors of the battle against Gohma. In flashes of green light from Farore's Wind came Kasei, Sheila, Victor, Aiden, Orpheous--all bloodied, bruised, weary. It had been two days since the world had seen these brave men and women. Leading the way were Valens and Veldam, the two surviving Knights of the battalions sent into the cave. The bodies were still being found and removed--the process would be a long one.
Though the adventurers were injured, hungry, and weak, some probably leaning on others or barely able to stay conscious, to the people of Hyrule they were the epitome of strength, wisdom, and courage. Every member of that group, whether a lowly nomad or a renowned mage, or perhaps even an enemy of the Kingdom, was a hero. Surrounded by the deafening roars of the adoring public, they made their way into the palace.
When they arrived, they were met with ranks of Hylian Knights--most of them young, as many veterans had been sent into the fray. Traversing the grand staircase to the Royal Chamber, the adventurers then lined up before the King of Hyrule, Harkinian II. Though he wore a bright smile and tender expression, his face was creased more than usual, and there were noticeable shadows beneath his eyes. It was clear that the King had spent plenty of time worrying for the group of warriors that had disappeared for two whole days. Raising his robust body, the King looked at each adventurer individually--starting with Valens on one end and Veldam on the other--before speaking.
"You have succeeded. I, and all of Hyrule's inhabitants, are overjoyed by this. We have lost many brave men, however. Many families are broken, many tales left untold. There is no repairing these injuries." The King turned his head, looking at a stained glass window of the Goddesses. "However, for all the pain, for all the suffering, we've finally taken a step towards ending the suffering in South Hyrule. Through your efforts, there is hope for liberation, hope for recovery, hope for many more lives to be saved, and tales told. As I'm sure many of you saw, South Hyrule is not in a favorable position."
The King looked back at Valens, who nodded in return. Harkinian cleared his throat. "Ganon's minions have a firm hold on just about the entire country, from what we can tell. Our speculations have been confirmed. We may have opened the path to South Hyrule, but there is still the matter of freeing it." Clutching a healthy, well-adorned fist, his tone rose in disgust. "We cannot give these...creatures...time to make preparations against us. We must strike now, while the iron is hot. That is why tomorrow, we shall launch our attack. All of you, rest tonight. Heal your wounds, make any arrangements you need to. And ponder this. Those of you who are not in my service, you have the option not to battle for South Hyrule."
His tone was gentler now, and he seemed to stare off, beyond the castle walls as he spoke. "No harm would become you. You've done more than enough already. Every one of you performed with the valor of the most well-trained knight. I cannot demand more of you. However...this was only the start. The real battle begins now. We will need every bit of strength we can garner. If you wish to participate, meet at the pass tomorrow. General Richard Valens, Brigadier Horren Veldam...If I might ask, I would like you to help lead the operation. We need all the leaders we can get, and you two have proven yourselves to be two of the best." Both Knights nodded, and the King smiled warmly in return.
"Truly, Hyrule is blessed to have adventurers such as you. The Goddesses have been kind. Now that all this Gohma business is out of the way, let us change to a more pleasant topic--for your service, you all shall receive one Talent Point, and a medal. I would also be very pleased if you designated one among you who has performed above and beyond the call of duty, who may receive another Talent Point as well. You are dismissed."
<center>* * * * * * *</center>
Darkness.
The chamber was pitch black, a realm straight out of a person's most horrific nightmares. Deep beneath the earth's crust, the licking of small waves was the only sound to be heard, and shadows were the only sight to be seen. Here, in this darkest and most silent of halls, he waited.
There was a second being already present, but that one prided himself in coming and going unnoticed; at any rate, he had no desire to greet the creature and try to make friendly conversation. That was not his style, nor was it a task he had any reason to begin. Not yet.
It was a soft rumble at first, but by the time the underground lake erupted forth it had grown into a quake that made the entire cavern shudder – a force had been approaching for some time, and now, as it arrived in a ferocious tsunami, the armor-laden creature rose from his position on the ground and stood at attention. With no light it was impossible to actually see the new arrival, but he knew the newcomer well: from serpentine tail to sharpened fangs, he could picture his ally vividly in his mind's eye.
He did not waste their time with formal greetings; they were above that, creatures drawn together for a singular purpose that transcended the need for such frivolous actions. He simply spoke aloud the words that they had all known would one day have to be said:
"Gohma is dead."
The other two turned to face him; he could sense it in the way the air moved and their presences focused in on his simultaneously. Slowly, a rumbling from the largest of the three made its way forth into his ears. "The Hero?"
In a slow motion he shook his head. "Not with them. It was but a team of adventurers and mercenaries, accompanied by a few Hylian Knights. Skilled, but not divinely blessed."
"The poisson?"
"Circumvented," he replied as he turned to face the third being, a creature more at home in this netherworld than even he could ever hope to be. It floated there before him without sound, a creature born of the darkness which they served. "We cannot know how at this point, but it appears the Hyruleans developed some sort of antidote."
"Then they will be on their way here."
"They will not resst until they retake the Ssouth or die trying."
"Agreed, my brethren." He pondered for a moment, then slowly raised his head. "The days we have known were coming are upon us. Hyrule's forces shall sweep through the Pass; nothing will stop that now that the spider lies dead. Therefore, we must return and prepare for them. Saria Town?"
"Secure."
"Midoro?"
"Firmly under our grip."
"And so I shall return to Moruge. The time of reckoning is upon us – we can and shall stand strong, and in the process avenge our fallen master." He gazed out at the pair and bowed his head solemnly. "For Ganon, we will prevail."
He turned and strode from the conference chamber, hearing the wisps of the moving shadow disappearing into the darkness and the sounds of the draconic beast disappearing back beneath the waters. They had no time for idle chatter; now was the time for preparation.
At the entrance to the chamber, he found the entourage who had accompanied him still waiting there, bowing his head as the armored man approached. "Wizzrobes," he said solemnly, "return us to Moruge. The time has come to make our final preparations."
"As thou wishest it, my master," they replied simultaneously. One creature paused for a second though, causing the greatest of them to focus on the bird once more. "My lord, forgive me, however I must ask thee: dost thou think we can truly prevail?"
"It will be difficult – make no doubt of that." He crossed his arms, metal sliding atop metal as he drew himself up to his full height – a good ten feet tall, ominous and fearful to gaze upon, power being seen in his very stature. "But they will fall against us. So decrees the Darknut Warlord – my blade shall be their bane should they ever manage to reach me."
"As you say, Lord Imperyen."
<center>
IS PROUD TO PRESENT
</center>
OOC: South Hyrule has fallen to Ganon's hordes, and is now divided amongst the greatest of his remaining creatures: Warlords who will not stand for the intrusion of adventurers into their realm. Thus, it is my pleasure to unveil to you the newest of the features that we have been planning for a long, long time: the Crusade.
Crusades are essentially defined as a collection of episodic, Event-worthy topics. You won't get TP in every one of the topics in a Crusade, but rest assured that there will be several Events littered throughout the chapters of each part of the Crusade.
The Warlord Crusade will have five different parts, one for each Warlord that must be faced and defeated. At the beginning, only three of these parts will have their Initiator (Chapter 1 of that part) available; the other two will be unlocked as time goes on and you all manage to get further into the story of South Hyrule. In Crusade topics, you will only be allowed to use a single character – preferably your main character, but if you choose to use an NPC that's fine too, provided you only use that NPC throughout the topic.
In a related note, you'll find upon entry to South Hyrule that there are numerous topics already posted by the RGs, all of them fight topics. We ask that you only post in one topic at a time; there's no rush here, and it'll lighten the load on us mods who have to GM every fight. So if, say, Alpha posts in one of the fight topics, we would ask that Alpha not post in any other fight topics until the one he's currently in is completed.
Other than that: congratulations. The Imperyen Initiator has been completed, and as a reward, you all get 1 TP and can vote for the RPer of the Event, who will earn a second TP.
Oh, and you get South Hyrule. Victor's already updated everything so that we can finally access it.
Start the voting!
P.S. - Oh, and you can thank Tayro for the SH screens. You'll see when you get there.
Though the adventurers were injured, hungry, and weak, some probably leaning on others or barely able to stay conscious, to the people of Hyrule they were the epitome of strength, wisdom, and courage. Every member of that group, whether a lowly nomad or a renowned mage, or perhaps even an enemy of the Kingdom, was a hero. Surrounded by the deafening roars of the adoring public, they made their way into the palace.
When they arrived, they were met with ranks of Hylian Knights--most of them young, as many veterans had been sent into the fray. Traversing the grand staircase to the Royal Chamber, the adventurers then lined up before the King of Hyrule, Harkinian II. Though he wore a bright smile and tender expression, his face was creased more than usual, and there were noticeable shadows beneath his eyes. It was clear that the King had spent plenty of time worrying for the group of warriors that had disappeared for two whole days. Raising his robust body, the King looked at each adventurer individually--starting with Valens on one end and Veldam on the other--before speaking.
"You have succeeded. I, and all of Hyrule's inhabitants, are overjoyed by this. We have lost many brave men, however. Many families are broken, many tales left untold. There is no repairing these injuries." The King turned his head, looking at a stained glass window of the Goddesses. "However, for all the pain, for all the suffering, we've finally taken a step towards ending the suffering in South Hyrule. Through your efforts, there is hope for liberation, hope for recovery, hope for many more lives to be saved, and tales told. As I'm sure many of you saw, South Hyrule is not in a favorable position."
The King looked back at Valens, who nodded in return. Harkinian cleared his throat. "Ganon's minions have a firm hold on just about the entire country, from what we can tell. Our speculations have been confirmed. We may have opened the path to South Hyrule, but there is still the matter of freeing it." Clutching a healthy, well-adorned fist, his tone rose in disgust. "We cannot give these...creatures...time to make preparations against us. We must strike now, while the iron is hot. That is why tomorrow, we shall launch our attack. All of you, rest tonight. Heal your wounds, make any arrangements you need to. And ponder this. Those of you who are not in my service, you have the option not to battle for South Hyrule."
His tone was gentler now, and he seemed to stare off, beyond the castle walls as he spoke. "No harm would become you. You've done more than enough already. Every one of you performed with the valor of the most well-trained knight. I cannot demand more of you. However...this was only the start. The real battle begins now. We will need every bit of strength we can garner. If you wish to participate, meet at the pass tomorrow. General Richard Valens, Brigadier Horren Veldam...If I might ask, I would like you to help lead the operation. We need all the leaders we can get, and you two have proven yourselves to be two of the best." Both Knights nodded, and the King smiled warmly in return.
"Truly, Hyrule is blessed to have adventurers such as you. The Goddesses have been kind. Now that all this Gohma business is out of the way, let us change to a more pleasant topic--for your service, you all shall receive one Talent Point, and a medal. I would also be very pleased if you designated one among you who has performed above and beyond the call of duty, who may receive another Talent Point as well. You are dismissed."
<center>* * * * * * *</center>
Darkness.
The chamber was pitch black, a realm straight out of a person's most horrific nightmares. Deep beneath the earth's crust, the licking of small waves was the only sound to be heard, and shadows were the only sight to be seen. Here, in this darkest and most silent of halls, he waited.
There was a second being already present, but that one prided himself in coming and going unnoticed; at any rate, he had no desire to greet the creature and try to make friendly conversation. That was not his style, nor was it a task he had any reason to begin. Not yet.
It was a soft rumble at first, but by the time the underground lake erupted forth it had grown into a quake that made the entire cavern shudder – a force had been approaching for some time, and now, as it arrived in a ferocious tsunami, the armor-laden creature rose from his position on the ground and stood at attention. With no light it was impossible to actually see the new arrival, but he knew the newcomer well: from serpentine tail to sharpened fangs, he could picture his ally vividly in his mind's eye.
He did not waste their time with formal greetings; they were above that, creatures drawn together for a singular purpose that transcended the need for such frivolous actions. He simply spoke aloud the words that they had all known would one day have to be said:
"Gohma is dead."
The other two turned to face him; he could sense it in the way the air moved and their presences focused in on his simultaneously. Slowly, a rumbling from the largest of the three made its way forth into his ears. "The Hero?"
In a slow motion he shook his head. "Not with them. It was but a team of adventurers and mercenaries, accompanied by a few Hylian Knights. Skilled, but not divinely blessed."
"The poisson?"
"Circumvented," he replied as he turned to face the third being, a creature more at home in this netherworld than even he could ever hope to be. It floated there before him without sound, a creature born of the darkness which they served. "We cannot know how at this point, but it appears the Hyruleans developed some sort of antidote."
"Then they will be on their way here."
"They will not resst until they retake the Ssouth or die trying."
"Agreed, my brethren." He pondered for a moment, then slowly raised his head. "The days we have known were coming are upon us. Hyrule's forces shall sweep through the Pass; nothing will stop that now that the spider lies dead. Therefore, we must return and prepare for them. Saria Town?"
"Secure."
"Midoro?"
"Firmly under our grip."
"And so I shall return to Moruge. The time of reckoning is upon us – we can and shall stand strong, and in the process avenge our fallen master." He gazed out at the pair and bowed his head solemnly. "For Ganon, we will prevail."
He turned and strode from the conference chamber, hearing the wisps of the moving shadow disappearing into the darkness and the sounds of the draconic beast disappearing back beneath the waters. They had no time for idle chatter; now was the time for preparation.
At the entrance to the chamber, he found the entourage who had accompanied him still waiting there, bowing his head as the armored man approached. "Wizzrobes," he said solemnly, "return us to Moruge. The time has come to make our final preparations."
"As thou wishest it, my master," they replied simultaneously. One creature paused for a second though, causing the greatest of them to focus on the bird once more. "My lord, forgive me, however I must ask thee: dost thou think we can truly prevail?"
"It will be difficult – make no doubt of that." He crossed his arms, metal sliding atop metal as he drew himself up to his full height – a good ten feet tall, ominous and fearful to gaze upon, power being seen in his very stature. "But they will fall against us. So decrees the Darknut Warlord – my blade shall be their bane should they ever manage to reach me."
"As you say, Lord Imperyen."
<center>
IS PROUD TO PRESENT
</center>OOC: South Hyrule has fallen to Ganon's hordes, and is now divided amongst the greatest of his remaining creatures: Warlords who will not stand for the intrusion of adventurers into their realm. Thus, it is my pleasure to unveil to you the newest of the features that we have been planning for a long, long time: the Crusade.
Crusades are essentially defined as a collection of episodic, Event-worthy topics. You won't get TP in every one of the topics in a Crusade, but rest assured that there will be several Events littered throughout the chapters of each part of the Crusade.
The Warlord Crusade will have five different parts, one for each Warlord that must be faced and defeated. At the beginning, only three of these parts will have their Initiator (Chapter 1 of that part) available; the other two will be unlocked as time goes on and you all manage to get further into the story of South Hyrule. In Crusade topics, you will only be allowed to use a single character – preferably your main character, but if you choose to use an NPC that's fine too, provided you only use that NPC throughout the topic.
In a related note, you'll find upon entry to South Hyrule that there are numerous topics already posted by the RGs, all of them fight topics. We ask that you only post in one topic at a time; there's no rush here, and it'll lighten the load on us mods who have to GM every fight. So if, say, Alpha posts in one of the fight topics, we would ask that Alpha not post in any other fight topics until the one he's currently in is completed.
Other than that: congratulations. The Imperyen Initiator has been completed, and as a reward, you all get 1 TP and can vote for the RPer of the Event, who will earn a second TP.
Oh, and you get South Hyrule. Victor's already updated everything so that we can finally access it.
Start the voting!
P.S. - Oh, and you can thank Tayro for the SH screens. You'll see when you get there.
Last edited by Royal Guard on Wed Jun 24, 2009 10:58 pm, edited 2 times in total.
