Netherworld Nightmare

[Dark Whisper]

Darkness, heavy like a shroud, attempted to stifle the light that glowed from pools of lava and the flames flickering within them. It was like the stereotypical version of a world where evil reigned and the forces of entropy had forever crushed the forces of order.

The landscape was barren, devoid of vegetation, imps danced a macabre jig into the molten magma, tormenting skeletal remains of humanoids who had surrendered their souls long ago, but their boney bodies continued to forever writhe in the agony irrevocably etched into them when the flesh was seared away ... the first time.

Fissures would open, without warning, and hot gasses would escape into the air. Only a fool, or the damned, would dream of a place such as this. It was enough to drive a sane man into a gibbering fool.

The sky was a cavalcade of colors -- red, purple, and even jets of yellow. It was as if the sky itself was alive and the colors fought with each other for dominance. Winged creatures of horrific visage soared into these same skies, shrieking forth challenges to each other and invisible enemies.

Yet, these were not the greatest things to fear here, for there were more ominous and palpable currents of fear and dread emanating from the humanoid figures in the distance. At this range they were but shadows, yet the keen sighted could tell that these shadows were only humanoid in name, for some walked upon bird's feet, spiders legs, and -- yes -- even cloven hooves.

This was the land of the damned, where the demonic hordes did battle for dominance and savored the occasional mortal's visit. Multitudes of glowing eyes stared malevolently from the inky darkness while a visitor's ears were assailed with whispered warnings to flee.

[Andolin]

Perhaps the books in the forbidden library at the University of Magic had effected him more than he knew. He realized that he had to be dreaming, for their was no way he could be in the netherworld otherwise. Perhaps it was his memories of Khar-Naahrn's tale that transported him to such a godless place. He could imagine how the poet went insane, yet Andolin, having confidence in himself, felt he was made of sterner stuff. Thus, he ventured forth undeterred.

[Ryalda]

Bleak was perhaps the best word she could find to describe her surroundings. Bleak but certainly not cold, she thought as she pulled a hanky out of her sleeve and dabbed her the droplets of moisture forming on her forehead. Somehow, this dark alien place reminded her of the imp. Darius would fit in here perfectly and she wondered where the imp was hiding. It almost never left her alone, not in the truest sense of alone. Oh sure, she went to her room alone and occasionally out in the garden but the little demon was always nearby, in spirit if not in form.

A small chill ran down the ex-governess' spine as she surveyed the land and saw the humanoid forms off in the distance. Briefly the fearful thought flashed. What if Ramirez were here? What if he'd brought her here? She'd not done well as far as making him happy though she wasn't sure if she'd exactly made him an enemy. Still, it was disconcerting – the thought of meeting him here without any preparation and no book to assist her. But what else would explain her presence in this god forsaken place?

Turning further to scan the rest of the grounds, she noticed what appeared to be a human male, wandering about or at least moving though in this setting it was hard to tell if he was headed towards some destination or just roaming.

“Hello?” she called out, hoping this was indeed another like herself and not some demon seed of Ramirez that she should shun.

[Andolin]

Looking at himself, Andolin found himself draped in an ebony robe with golden brocade. He looked the part of some demonic priest here. Of course, his natural aspect was dark. At the sound of a voice, he turned and saw a woman nearby. His eyes squinted to see her better. He did not recognize the face, though it was pretty. She had a white shock in her hair, yet she stood on human legs, which was a good sign.

"Hello, are you a seccubus then?" he asked in an amused way. Most of the female demons he knew were beauties who ached to suck the life out of men." Still she did not have the requisite glint in her eye. "If not, what are you doing here then?" he called out. He began to approach her slowly, feeling about for some weapon on his person.

[Ryalda]

Succubus? Stopping dead in her tracks, the sorceress glared at the man, studying him. Hands on her waist, she cursed quietly to herself. A nobleman, it had to be. Only a nobleman would be so crass and think himself humorous. By all that was unholy, this was not going to go well if he were. Then again, here in this foresaken territory, who would know or care if she eviscerated him?

"I see no need for you to be insulting, sir and I assure you I use that term loosely at this point in time," she replied, standing still, head held high.

"I am curious why you are in this realm with me. Your face is not known to me and certainly not your crass attitude. Who are you? Did the imp send you here?" She would lay odds that Darius had something to do with all this.

[Guest]

Telnas opened his eyes, and was surprised at what he saw, This is not the Citadel Dungeon he thought. He found himself staring over a barren plainand bright coloured skies, a sea of horror all round.
He stood carefully, and took a closer look around him. What he saw put fear in his heart and turned his stomach cold. A myriad of strange creatures and shapes on the ground and in the air.
What sort of torture is this he wondered, for he belived it could be no more than that. Somehow his mind had been taken over and had forced him to believe he had been transported to this unwordly place. Checking himself he found he had all his items with him, as he had in the dungeon. This must be a dream he kept repeating to himself. and tried all he could to wake up. Pinching himself and even stabbing the point of his dagger into his arm. All that did was hurt and draw blood.
Reluctant to move anywhere, he looked around a bit further afield, and saw what looked like two people, talking nearby. Two normal looking people he decided. He stood still for a moment, hesitant in what to do.
This is daft, either they are friends or they are not, I will play this game for a short while, but on my terms, it is my dream afterall. (though he was not convinced with that last part). With that he moved hesitantly, and still feeling very scared (despite his outward calm look) towards the two figures, calling out to them "Er hello, who and what are you doing in my dream?".

[Andolin]

Well, isn't this a spirited one. "My apologies then," he offered with no sincerity in it. "If you are not a demoness, then what are you? I'm curious as to why you are in this realm with me," he corrected her. This was his dream after all. Because it seemed unreal, he imagined he could be flippant with her. He so enjoyed doing it, but the etiquette of court would not permit it.

"I do not traffic with mere imps, I'll have you know. I summon full demons, and my father summoned a demonlord. You might just say that I am taking a tour of the place, since these demons will soon be doing my bidding." He appeared nonchalant in his boasting. If it was a dream, perhaps he could control demon lords. Why not?

It was then that he heard Telnas speak. Turning, he surveyed what appeared to be a half elf. "You have it wrong sir. You have appeared in my dream." Turning to Ryalda, he muttered, "I suspect this is the one the imp dragged in." He gave a small laugh and awaited her reaction.

[Ryalda]

Obviously, the man was a fool and his babblings totally insane but that didn't stop the ex-governess from wanting the strangle the life out him. Slowly of course. Death that came too quickly was no punishment at all. About to open her mouth in reply, another human sounding voice broke in and she turned to see another man approaching. If Darius was behind this, he would pay dearly. She could throw more than vases at the four eyed monster. Taking a deep breath, she attempted to compose herself and let go of her ire over the situation and the little monster who had sent her here, still sure the imp had something to do with this. For now, she closed off those thoughts that tried to suggest it was Ramirez himself.

"Dream?" she scoffed at them both. "You think this is a dream? How would you find strangers in your dream. Do you dream about the underworld and demons often?" she asked incredulously.

"No gentleman, I fear this is no dream, but the real thing but why the imp pulled you here with me I haven't a clue," she rambled on, the paused thinking. Could it be the imp had more than one "student"?

"Do either of you know Darius? Or," she shuddered at the thought but had to voice it. "Have you had dealings with... Ramirez?" she brought her voice down to almost a whisper.

[Guest]

"Oh bother," Aden sighed fiercely, lifting himself slowly from the ground and dusting off his clothes lazily. His intake of breath more than was quite necessary to complete the action of sigh, and so the remainder spent itself in the form of series of coughs which caused the young man to double over. "I wonder when this series of visions will end." He sniffed the air and wrinkled his nose. "Things are certainly not changing for the better. This place smells worse than Hamsey's forge."

But then the lad looked up, and realized he had worse problems than the smell of the place.

It was as if someone had taken all of the stories of faeries from his homeland of Dort and made them into reality- but somehow twisted them into a farse. Where was the beautiful Sidhe? Where were the graceful winged forms of the Merrow? Of these he could see no sign. There was only fire, ash, and the eyes. Freakish forms which, by their mere presence, threatened to overthrow his conciousness... it was his idea of a personal hell, and then some.

But there were people here, too- a rather severe looking woman, a fair haired elf, and a dark haired man, all of whom- for some reason- Aden did not trust. The elf at least seemed fairly nice, but the other two... they were rather unsettling in their calmness despite the surroundings, as if this were something both of them expected to see. They appeared to be having some form of disagreement, but not a heated one.

The barren landscape and glow from the magma pools didn't seem to be conducive to hiding, and so Aden did the one thing he knew to do in the situation.

He collapsed into a feeble bundle, cradling his knees as close as possible, and just hoped that the creatures in the shadows had an appetite for livelier things than a scared fool from Dort. He would have prayed- but he knew no god, except a few mentions of Pan on the Isle. Of course, he doubted a god of sexual pleasure would be of any use when surrounded by shadowy forms. Especially when said formed looked more than capable of eating one without having to chew at all.

[Andolin]

"Nay, I do not dream such dreams often, madam, but I have just read some forbidden books on the netherworld and I am sure that it caused me to come here." That or the undercooked poultry I had for dinner, with the peppers.

"So you see, you two ... er three, are either just figments of my imagination, or there is a place in the dreamworld where persons can meet when they share nightmares." He thought on the subject and it sounded intriguing.

"I know not the names you mention, but why do you think you are here?" He looked at Aden curled up on the ground. He could not help but feel the desire to put the lad in harm's way.

[Ryalda]

At least the haughty tone of nobility had gone from his voice. A place where persons shared dreams, it was a intriguing thought even if totally impossible and merely the stuff children's stories were made of.

"I assure you, I am no figment but I can prove it to you if you wish," she smiled at the darkhaired man, a wicked smile of challenge.

"I think a demon brought me here," she answered the man curtly. "But I can't imagine why you were brought here unless..." she trailed off thinking. It wouldn't be unlike Darius to set her up with some sort of learning experience. But why did he do this without warning her? He could be irritatingly obtuse with his instructions and answers, but he'd never done anything without some sort of instructions, even if they were close to worthless.

Why would the imp bring these three in particular to her? What common tie was there she pondered as she studied the inert form curled up on the ground. He looked to be all of 16 or 17 and completely lost. Something about him, his age, his plight, touched the ex-governess.

Bah! she thought! He is just trouble and most importantly you must figure out why the imp brought him here... for what purpose.

"I am Ryalda of World's Mouth," she introduced herself with a sideways nod of her head. "Perhaps we can discover why we've been brought here if we compare our experiences. Who are you gentlemen and where do you hail from? Are you also magicians?" she posed the questions for all of them.

[Andolin]

"I am Andolin, of the Citadel," he replied. He really wanted to invent some powerful title for himself like Chief Sorcerer to Caesar or the like. He thought better of it however.

"I told you, I came here because I read the forbidden texts and the exploits of a poet who traveled the netherworld, went insane and wrote his account on his own flesh before dying. I cannot seem to find that last book. Perhaps a copy is here." His eyes roamed the landscape briefly before deciding that no book was likely to be anywhere near.

[Ryalda]

One arched brow was brought back into place quickly. Madman who wrote of his experiences here? Surely it couldn't be the book that brought them all here.

"You are a mage then?" she pressed her previous question. "What book is it that you seek? What is the title?" she asked casually though the knot in her stomach told her she already knew the answer. He was looking for the Liber, her Liber! But why? And how had he heard of it?

[Guest]

Telnas listened to the bickering between these two Oh dear, it is going to be one of those dreams I think. Telnas heard them speak their names and interupted before they could continue. "My name? my name is Telnas Quotana, formally from a community in TAQ, currently a resident in the dungeons of the Citadel. You Two ramble on so about demons, Darius and other things, what does it matter, we are here. It is simply that someone has created this world, as a dream, perhaps for one of us and the others are part of that dream, nightmare really I suppose" He paused to take a breath. "Be that as it may, we will only solve this by working together. You say [indicating Ryalda] you were working with an imp and you [indicating Andolin] are looking for a book, I'm being tortured, and this poor sole whoever he is [points to Aden], is obviously completely out of it".
He was about to continue when he felt a tug, and he found himself back in the dungeon fo a short while (to the others, all they could see was his eyes have a distant look for a second or two).
With a shake of his head Telnas looked at the other two once more, "Perhaps we should move from here, there must be someone or maybe something in charge of this place, who can shed light on whatever this all means".

[goldentree]

Goldentree was sleeping on the ground, somewhere in the forests of TAQ. He had a long day and he needed his sleep. After a while he felt that he's waking up, No! i want to sleep!. He kept his eyes shut, wanting to come back to the dream from which he came from.

The air around him was hot, hotter then he remembered, But the soft ash that he was sleeping on was so.... wait a moment! Ash????.

Goldentree suddenly woke up, and found himself somewhere that was obviously not the place where he went to sleep. Actually it seems that this place in not even in Tazlure!

Goldentree looked nervously around him, Where am I??. All he could see was miles and miles of nothing, nothing but horror. Suddenly he heard voices, not familiar ones, but certainly humanoid voices. He ran for a little while and reached a place with four people.

He stoped and catched his breath, speaking in the meantime: "Do.. you know... where we are?... what is... this place?"

[Andolin]

"I seek the Liber Malefacous by the poet Khar-Nahm. Heard of it? Yes, I am a mage. There is a demon lord who is free and needs to be contained again." Though he spoke softly, he realized that he needed to be careful in this place.

Looking at Telnas, his eyebrow raised. "You are in the dungeons of the Citadel? With the Rose students I assume? Who else is with you? Perhaps you are here because you bear a message for me?" He stared at the elf from TAQ more closely before adding, "you are a long way from home."

It was then that he noticed the arrival of a young wood elf. What are these elves doing in my dream? "Where are you?" he repeated in a none too warm manner, "you are in your worst nightmare!"

[Guest]

Aden looked up slightly. "Sorcerers. Bah. So you can mumble pretty words and speak in riddles. Do you honestly think that any of that will help you against this? I am Aden of Dort, and I have no claim to anything except that I am being tossed from one location to another. Apparently, things are not changinf for the better." He gestured vaguely all around. "This is more than a bad dream, Andolin of the Citadel." He felt an odd anger rising inside him, although he could not be sure what it was exactly- he had been tossed around from place to place and time to time. It was a bit much for him, especially this particular locale- what with flames and demons and whatnot.

He stopped then, standing up and looking at the other four figures (four... had there not been three?) and laughed, almost hysterically. "You come here looking for a book and you dragged us all with you. That's the only guess I have, although quite frankly, I must admit that I don't even know what reality is anymore. Getting tossed around from place to place." His laughter took on a fanatical edge and he spun lazily around.

"This isn't exactly a library, Andolin. You perhaps hope that those friendly faces over there will hand you a tome in exchange for looking pretty?" He tilted his head back, crooning softly. "And you! Making deals with an imp." He shook his head. "The risk was always there, yet you couldn't see it?"

He sighed then, the sheer comedy of the situation somehow eclipsing the fear. "You play with fire, and you get burned. Is it really that hard to understand?" He said, his eyes narrowed and set upon the two self proclaimed wizards. "I'd think that such consequences come with the title."

His tirade finished, he closed his eyes, wondering how exactly he would get out of this place, and move to the next one.

[Ryalda]

Though she somehow knew it was coming, the sorceress felt the blood drain from her face as this man, Andolin, spoke the name of the tome and spoke it so casually. Face ashen, she held her chin up and glared at him - it was her book, given to her!

"The Liber Malefacous?" she stuttered, cursing her tongue as it stammered over the words. The title of the book was not something she had ever uttered out loud and it sent a chill up her spine.

"I've heard of it," she nodded. "I doubt it will help you contain a demon lord however," she smiled wickedly, her high cheekbones casting deep shadows, making her slightly anorexic face look even thinner in this garish light. Turning to the newest arrival, she looked him up and down and almost snorted. This truly was a nightmare, she mused. Stuck here in some sort of hell with four men. Ignoring them all, she started looking around the landscape.

"Darius," she hollered. "Where are you? This isn't funny!" she chided, an edge of something besides anger to her voice, perhaps fear or frustration.

"What lesson is this supposed to teach?" she growled and folded her arms under her breasts, tapped a foot and waited for the imp to do his appearing trick. It was only then that she noticed her gown. Gone was the deep blue she'd had on earlier. Now, she wore something scarlet that had the sheen of satin in a very fashionable style with the form fitting torso to the dropped waist where the skirt flared out with a slight train on the back.

[Guest]

Telnas turned to Andolin "Message for you?, I have no message, I fell asleep and now I am here, that is all I know".
Looking at Aden "As for you my friend I suspect sorcery got us here, for although I know I'm dreaming, I also know somehow this is real, as real as it can be. So sorcery may be the only thing that can get us out".
With a sigh he turned the the newcomer (Goldentree) "Your question where and why? We debate that now. I think we all belive this to be a dream or sorcery of somekind. Who's? that is the question we would all like to know".
Adressing them all he continued "I still say that standing here does us no good, we should move, and find out more about this place. Though I know we will now argue as to where we should go, ah well".

[Vale Mira]

Vale opened her eyes to a foreign landspace of black ash and bright red lava. She found herself laying on the floor against a large dark boulder, wearing an decorated exotic red and black gown. Her mind drew a blank, she couldn't remember where she had been or what she had been doing. Vale felt as if she couldn't even recall her own being. Had she traveled to the ends of the earth? Had someone brought her here?

Feeling numb emotionally, no fear or confusion, her bright green eyes stared and wondered at the scene. The air was suffocatingly hot and unclear and it seemed nothing lived in this land. Suddenly, she heard some voices coming a few yards away. Without thinking, she got up and walked towards it.

[Zhavon Mikhalrian]

Cursed, sulfurous air was the first thing to awaken her frail form limp against the unforgiving rockbed of this place. Eyelashes opened and parted and closed again quickly as though the sight was too much for such a battered psyche to bear. But then, there was nothing that she could do, and there was a particularly sharp stone digging into her ribs. Once more, her eyes opened and she gazed despondantly into the air before her, choking on the bitter taste of this place.

Sluggishly rising to her bare and bruised feet, Zhavon finally glanced down at her clothing. She was dressed in some ragged garmet of some colour she could not even determine beneath all the dirt, the cloth covering her adequately enough though nothing to protect against the elements. Her own red hair was tangled and matted at her neck, somehow hacked off and roughly done at that. Wrists when lifted to examine, bore signs of chains and shackles, the joints red and inflamed from what had probably once rested there.

Was this hell?

The stir of voices attracted her attention, the girl slowly turning her head to catch the noise from her solitary place. Where there were voices, there was a way in which to find a way out of this place. With a determined set of her mouth, her bottom lip split in some abuse, she set to scrambling over the shards of rock, ignoring every wave of pain that lanced through her.

Finally reaching them, however, Zhavon gave them all wide berth, especially Andolin in his garb of some priest or another. With bleeding feet and ragged appearance, she remained on the fringe of this conversation, listening for the time being, much like a frightened animal might.

[Raevyn D`Altamooriana]

Awakened once again from what the dark elf had perceived to be nothing more than some horrid dream, Raevyn opened her eyes to something that was even more disturbing. The sky was swarming with colors, colors that didn't sting her eyes as bad as they normally would this time of day. It was day she concluded, as she hardly ever woke up in the middle of the night anymore.

Raevyn sat upright only to realize that she was still in her armor. This baffled her as she knew she spent the better part of a candle getting out of the stuff before she laid her head down for the night at camp. Wait! That was it, the noise she heard in the woods, that large black cloud! Somehow Kelrick must have sucked her down into whatever hell her and the other Emerald Guard members had sent him to. Which meant they had to be here as well. Kael, Draydis, and, THEORN! Raevyn could care less about Sarendara and Windrunner, and a slight grin formed on her face under the belief that they where here as well, somewhere.

As the assassin rose she heard voices off in the distance, her eyesight was acclimated to her surroundings as of yet, but their figures were discernable. It wasn't until the dark elf drew closer did she realize that the voices weren't familiar, and these weren't the people she thought they were.

Raevyn approached the group with feline cautiousness. They were well within her crossbow range and she was certain that she could dispatch of them with relative ease should they show any ill content. However Raevyn showed an uncommon restraint, and the trigger happy dark elf spoke first while keeping her hands close to her daggers, and herself prepared for only Mother knew what.

"Who are you, and where are the other Emerald Guard members?"

[goldentree]

Goldentree wanted to response to what the man (Telnas) but three other people arrived, This is getting weirder and weirder by the moment!. He looked at each of their faces, they also looked confused and scared.

When the dark Elf spoke Goldentree quickly answered, he had several things to say: "I just wanted to introduce myself: My name is Goldentree and I came to here from TAQ, I guess that each one of us has a story to tell but I think this man here.." he pointed at Telnas, ".. Is right, we need to go from here before the someone or something that might brought us here will return and seek us. I say that we need to find some kind of a shelter where we can talk in quiet."

[Raevyn D`Altamooriana]

"Action, not words are what is needed," the dark elf replied to the wood elf. Wood elf, Kelrin and Windrunner were wood elves. Both of which had tried in someway or another to cause her death. this one she would keep a very sharp eye on.

"We need to get out of here plain and simple," the trainee said. The dark elf still couldn't see signs of her fellow trainees. This concerned her, yet she dared not speak of her mission to any present.

[Dark Whisper]

As the band stood around discussing the nature of this place, one of its denizens approached on spider legs. It had the upper torso of a man, if one could say that, and the lower body of a spider. The man part was naked and he had a giant scimitar in each hand. Jet black hair and skin, with red glowing eyes completed the picture, except for the sharp and pointed teeth that revealed themselves in a sinister smile.

"Well, well, what have we here? Have we lost our way then? Your timing is good ... as we have not had mortals here in ... some time. He eyed each of the group in such a way as if to be choosing which ones might be the tastiest.