|
Vanguard
|
Spoiler warning: Details about a player-created storyline, or information currently unrevealed about a character, follow.
The whole and complete Mariel Martog
-a short story about Mariel in 2005 for COH
The world of changing skies and lands that Mariel came from had no name for itself that was constant. Depending on politics of its nations, empires and cities, the name world changes often. Nevertheless, the reoccurring name that seemed to sometimes take hold was Oerth. This world was a beautiful world with Swords and Sorcery, where you could find Humans, elves, Dwarves and kinder (kind of like gnomes).
On 583cy 11th of Coldeven that's about 15th of April 1539c.e Mariel Martog was Born to a Noble Elvin family In a land know as “The Valley of the Mage”, all the races that lived there had sworn alliance to a powerful evil sorcerer who planned to become a dark god.
The elves of this land where Called “Valley elves” they where taller than the standard elf of the world and looked more human like with only the ears being a giveaway, the closest relative elves to valley elves are the drow who are a dark skinned race of elves that live under the earth. Mariel’s Birthday also fell on a dark Holiday called The Festival of the Blood Moon. As she Grew up she studied Magic and Swordsmanship she was studying the art of a “war wizard” it is similar to being a “bladesinger”, being able to cast spells and fight with a sword at the same time, just without the singing.
While she was still young at 118 years of age, (she would be like a 16-17 YO human) Part of her training to become a full and trusted Member of the Valley’s Elvin Guard, and serve in the protection of the Mage and defense of the homeland was to go on a seasonal culling of the humans on the borderlands. Depending on how she would perform on such a raid, would show if she was ready to take her place with the Guard.
The raid this time was on a small Farm village that had sprung up over the summer, already they had cut down a large portion of the border forests. The raid was to kill all of the men and take the women and children as hostages. For the Mage knew best how to deal with human politics.
During the Raid, a human witch cursed Mariel, while she was fighting a town guard. even though the curse was strong it didn’t really hurt her much, and she won the fight, but afterwards she went to find the witch and kill her, unfortunately while Mariel was looking for the witch she was hit by a very powerful fireball spell, while crossing a bridge that ran across the Javan river that went through the heart of the village. This caused Mariel to fall in the swiftly moving waters.
When Mariel awoke, it was apparent that it had been many days since the battle, and she felt weak.
Standing next to her bed she saw a human Paladin, he was the definition of a good looking human, he was tall 6’4” 250lbs of muscle, Blonde hair and blue eyes
“Ahh I see your awake,” he said “an elf from the Valley of the Mage” he smiled
Mariel sat clearing all thought from her head, as to prevent mind readers from finding anything out.
“good,” he continued “ they have taught you well, and you do have a strong mind” he winked at her then continued “I care not about the secrets in your head or that you thought I was gorgeous,” he let out a small laugh” what I really need is a strong sword and a decent spell user, and what I saw on that raid was you are both,” he gestured at her armor and gear at a table on the other side of the room where a human female in priests robes, a Drow elf in all black leather and a dwarf in battle scared amour sat staring at her.
“You see where a band of “he smiled and looked at the priestess “merry men, whom steal from the rich and give” he paused” well we give to our selves, well to be truthful, we don’t always steal from the rich, sometimes the poor as well.”
Mariel could help but wonder what kind of paladin would steal
“Ahh” he said “an honest thought from our princess, you see I’m not that kind of paladin, not all the gods are the wishy washy weaklings that most humans worship, as it happens I serve a ‘god’ who wants me to become as powerful and strong as possible, and to leave to corpses of my enemies as a offering to him.”
“As I was saying before I got distracted, we need a battle mage, and with your flawless swordsman, swordswomanship, and casting, I feel it was fortuitous that you fell in the river when you did, sadly our witch died when she cursed you, seems she was stabbed in the back when she did that” he smiled and put his hand on his swords hilt. “Griselda, can you introduce yourself and the rest of the party.”
The priestess stepped up to the bed “aye, my lord. Young lady I am Griselda, this is” pointing at the Dwarf “Bernie…”
“ be careful woman I hate them elves and if this one steps out of line I shall cleave her in two, ya know it took me half a life time to even sort of like ol’ darks” the dwarf blurted out.
She continued ‘umm’k, and this is Dhaun’Rylafaeduis, or “Darkling” as he likes to be called,”
“M’har’eil M’Taug of the valley, I care not for you high and mighty royalty types, but the master has given me word that I can trust you to fallow your orders, but if you shall falter or refuse, then you shall find out why I was named the infested omen slayer of the whip, miss shout of the triumphant house of earth builders, yes I know your name and its meaning.” The drow said.
“Now Mariel,” the Paladin continued “I am Llednar Rendiw, and while you have been unconscious I sent a letter to your valley, and I have gotten the reply” he pulled a scroll out of his armor it had two magical seals on it, one was the Elvin council and the other was the mage himself. Llednar handed it to her, and Mariel opened the scroll the 1st part of the scroll was in the human common language ‘My son I wish you had let me know you where in the region I am glad you have chosen this one to replace that witch, you’ll find she is a good mage I even tutored her myself for a time, and she is brilliant with spell craft,’ the rest of the human part was a personal letter from father to son that Mariel just skimmed not wanting to be rude, the second part was in High Elvin and she read ‘ M’har’eil M’Taug, we hear you had shown yourself well on the raid, and we grant you full status as a body guard commander and War Wizard, also since you have been chosen by our lords son and our lord has agreed you are herby ordered as fallows.
On this the 5th day of Good month in the year 701, you are in the service of Llednar Rendiw, you shall do all that he commands and shall protect him with your body mind and soul, all that you are, all that you have is at his every wish and command, until that time when he is no longer desires you, or your service.’ The rest was the signature of each of the council members.
Mariel then handed the scroll to Llednar and he read the letter, and gave a slight chuckle. Then he pulled the covers away exposing Mariel’s unclothed body, and he smiled.
“Now the wording is most interesting on your orders and yes I like the way you look, but I am not interested in pleasure from you just your skills as a warrior and a mage, now get dressed we have work to do” he motioned for the rest of the party to leave, then sat in a chair, “ ok lets go over all of your gear as you get dressed, I need to see what needs to be improved, since the fire blast did some damage. And well most of your gear is older.”
Two years later in the Kingdom of Nyrond, about a thousand miles from the barrier peaks where the Valley of the mage is located. In the nights sky a hole in time and space is opened and a silver shield like object flights through and crashes in to the woods near a castle keep. The fires and destruction destroys whatever it was but there is a lone survivor a humanoid, she seems to be close to death as the keeps guards find her and take her to the keep.
“Llednar, milord, I have word” Mariel said while bowing her head.” the rumor of the fallen star is true, and that whatever they caught was alive but its body has died, but it still lives in a glass jar, the jar is held in the lowest dungeon, and the guards are succubus’s” “Good work Mariel, have you got the map?” Llednar asked. “Yes sir” she smiled pulling out the map of the Keep “if this creature is what I believe it is, then soon we’ll have more power than even my father has, I may become a God before he finishes with the ‘dragon king codex’, if this goes well Mariel, I may finally take your body as well, because I will need a good calibration” he winked at her.
“yes my lord, if that is what you wish when we are done with this next mission’ said with apprehension hoping he wouldn’t, even though these last two years with this band of rogues she has never wanted, to be close to them. Llednar looked at her and chuckled “Ahh so maybe I should have done that to you long ago, you seem afraid of my jest.” He commented
As darkness fell on the keep you could see fires and hear screams of people dying, you could always count on two things with Llednar he never made jokes and he never showed mercy, after twenty minutes the band had nearly killed all the humans in the keep before even trying to go to the underground dungeons. Nevertheless, when they got there they found that not only succubus but also werewolves where used as guards and all the false rooms had zombies in them. This was a very hard battle, but the band of raiders never slowed and never stopped.
Soon they had reached the lowest room of the keep where a man in dark black armor stood in the center, to his right-sat twenty succubuses’s and to his left was a jar with a dark vaporous liquid in it. In Mariel’s head, she could hear someone asking for help. However, was unsure as to who was saying it. “Ahh you are the crude creature that disturbs my home I shall make you all zombies for this.” The black armored person said “Lets fight” Llednar ordered and charged the black knight. Just then, the succubus's attacked the rest of the party. The fight was slow, every time Llednar cut the knight the knight healed back the damage, and soon Llednar was getting very tired, with the rest of the party the dwarf and drow fell first, they were unable to fight the lust that the succubus’s where putting in their minds and they died for it, Mariel and Griselda used all their abilities to try and stop them but soon even they were starting to circum to the powers that the succubus where wielding.
“What manner of creature are you?” Llednar finally asked.
“Ahh so you realize your failure now do you anti-paladin. I was once like you,” the death night said, as he got ready to cut off Llednar’s head “but I am undeath now”
Mariel realizing the fight was lost did the one spell she hoped she would have to use “delayed Fire Blast” she said while holding out her hand and pointing the heel of her palm at the death knight.
The room started to swell with fire and then exploded, but in a medium sized room the blast had nowhere to go and everything was destroyed, Mariel was badly burned and was dying, the death knight was reduced to damaged armor and dust, the rest of the party where burned beyond recognition and Llednar was still burning, one of the succubus who somehow didn’t even seem to be hurt walked over to Mariel, “Ahh this is sad the pretty one is damaged, and you burned the jar, but the power in it is ok, I can use it to save you if you’d like, you’re the master now” In an almost unbearable and raspy voice, Mariel said, “help me…” and passed out.
While she was unconscious, Mariel could feel someone giving her a drink of some kind of oil.
Later Mariel could her someone speaking in an odd and flowery language and then she was feed a bitter and metallic tasting liquid.
Last edited by Mariel_Martog : 08-28-2009 at 01:52 PM.
|