Long Live the King (Story Arc)

[The Sosarian Standard]

Introduction

The crimson sun shone brightly, just before dusk. The forest was quiet, except for a strange creature lurking back to its den.

The creature was dressed in tattered robes. It may have once been human, but those days had sadly passed. The creature gripped a gnarled staff tightly in its decrepit hands, fighting to stand on its feeble legs. As it crept along the ground, several flowers shriveled and decayed under its feet.

As the sun continued to set, it glowed over the land one last time before hiding behind the mountains of Britannia. The creature groaned, curled its lips and cursed loudly:

"I hate the sunset....I absolutely hate it!" the creature spoke with a shrill, tired voice.

"Do not bore me with your emotions. We have work to do, stop faltering behind"

This voice was deeper and more demanding than the first. As it emanated from the strange being, one could have easily thought it had come from a different person.



The creature continued onward to a cold, damp cave. As it hobbled on inside, a piece of flesh fell from its leg and landed on the rocky ground, making a sickening, slopping sound.

The creature stopped and held its leg in front of its face to examine it. A look of anguish spread across its face as it noticed exposed bone that had been covered by flesh just moments earlier.

Suffering from a humiliating defeat of losing yet another piece of itself, it continued onward down the cave.

Before long, it made its way to a crude den. A group of skeletal knights greeted the creature with revered nods. In the grotesque kitchen, rotting corpses gathered maggots from their putrid flesh and began placing them on a plate.

The strange creature apathetically tossed its gnarled staff to the floor, then proceeded to sit angrily on a ruined throne. As it sat, it uttered a painful cry, reaching down to its abdomen in an attempt to dull the pain.

It pulled its hand away from its abdomen, revealing a slice where a blade had once been run through.



The creature impatiently drummed its fingers on the side table situated next to it. As one of its bony finger cracked off, it became even more enraged.

"I am tired of waiting...Where is he?" Yelled the creature in its deeper, booming voice.

A bone knight carried over a plate of maggots and presented it in front of its master. As the creature grabbed the plate and began eating the filth, a look of conflict spread across its face. One side of it devoured the maggots gleefully while the other side retched at their look and taste.

"Enough, no more of these vile things! I have had enough!" The creature spoke in a softer voice.

"Very well" the deeper voice boomed, as it sent the plate of maggots back to the kitchen.

"If I am to turn down a perfectly good feast...you had better search inside you for more answers. I am tired of waiting.....when are you going to fulfill your end of the bargain?" The creature spoke to itself.

Just then, a human figure in a dark red and black robe entered the chamber of the cave. The creature stood up and greeted her excitedly.

"Melissa, tell me you have good news!" The creature said in a softer voice.

Melissa covered her nose at the stench of decay. While still holding her nose, she presented a scrap a parchment to the creature, who began to read it out loud:



The creature spied Melissa incredulously. Without saying a word, Melissa presented a gift before it. A magnificent white dove lay breathless before the creature. A tuft of feathers barely covered a hole where a magic arrow had passed through.

The creature ripped off a piece of fabric from around the dove's neck and walked back to its chair. It examined it over candlelight. The gold trimmed snake confirmed it to be the seal of royalty. The carrier dove had been intercepted.

"We must prepare then. Return tomorrow with the others, Melissa." The creature said once more.

Melissa nodded and turned to leave.

"If you play me like a cheap fiddle once again, I will ensure that your fingers bleed. Both of you" The deep voice spoke harshly.

There was an uneasy silence within the room. Melissa could feel the words stab into her. She dared not fail. From across the room, she looked deep into the creature's eyes, looking to find any familiarity of the one she once knew.

"We shall not fail my lady" Melissa whispered, then left the cave without speaking another word.

Archived topic from AOV, old topic ID:6422, old post ID:37714

[keltrick]

AWSOME


Archived topic from AOV, old topic ID:6422, old post ID:37716

[The Sosarian Standard]

"You've made a terrible mistake coming here. Tell me, what is your name stranger? I would like to know what to call your corpse, once it smoulders to ash on my castle floor"

The sinister voice of a sorceress called out. Without hesitation, fields of flame rose up from the ground.

He soon found himself surrounded. Dressed in light, but protective chain mail, he danced across the floor to avoid the flames. With a tremendous leap, he soared over the flames before they could close in on him. As he landed, he twirled his blade to get a better grip on the hilt. Holding his serpent crested shield close to his heart, he called out to his foe.

"We shall end this and avenge the countless lives that were taken by your hand"

"Die, fool!" The sorceress screamed.

Large bolts of energy soared across the room, hitting bookshelves and knocking over candelabras as the stranger dodged them.

The warrior sprinted across the room, fearlessly making his way toward the sorceress, despite the power of his nemesis.

As he prepared to land a fatal blow, she vanished in a cloud of smoke. He scraped the heals of his thigh boots against the red marbled floor of the castle, then spun around to locate his enemy.

He searched around the room, but she was nowhere to be found. Grabbing his cloak, he wiped the sweat from his brow as he cautiously walked down the hall of the castle.

Soon, he found himself in another chamber of the castle, seemingly identical to the first. As he approached the chamber, he barely dodged a ball of lightning.

"I should have taken care to ensure your demise with the rest of your people." The sorceress called out to the warrior.

There was no mercy in her maniacal fervor. She continued to attack with all her might.

"You will pay for those lives. May your works perish with you. Vanish from this land, sorceress!"

The warrior sprinted towards the sorceress once more. As she fired a ball of lightning towards him, he held up his metallic shield to block the attack. As the ball of lightning hit the shield, it conducted with electric energy. The warrior flung the shield at the sorceress, temporarily stunning her with her own electric energy.

Leaping into the air, he prepared his sword for a killing blow.


<hr>

The strange creature jerked out of its slumber, gripping its abdomen tightly. It let out a blood curdling scream of agony. Not long after, the room fell silent as though nothing had happened.

The creature angrily knocked a healing potion from the bedside table. Its shattering glass echoed through the cave.

"Why must you torment me with these nightmares! Every night the same thing. It's a wonder I sleep at all!" The creature said enraged, through its female voice.

"Perhaps you would like to sleep forever.....is that what you are trying to tell me?" The creature spoke to itself, in its deeper voice.

The creature shook its head in refusal. There was a momentary silence in the cave.

"That was the day everything changed. It's as much a part of me, as it is for you." The creature continued, in a deep voice. "If you continue to deny the promises made that day, then continue to relive your nightmares."

Still drowsy and clutching its abdomen, the strange creature desperately struggled to stay awake.


<hr>

The sea shone brightly with the morning sun as the gigantic ship sailed through peacefully. Aboard the ship, a ruckus of laughter could be heard as stories of home were told amongst the crew.

A proud king stood on the deck of the ship. He was clad in silver armor, with trims of gold. He held a golden shield with the mark of a serpent emblazoned upon it. His armored horse whinnied as he patted its head.

"My lord, the captain informs me that we are on schedule for our arrival at the Britain docks."

"I thank thee." The king responded.

A group of warriors approached their king. One of the warriors held in his hands a magnificent paladin sword and a shield with the mark of honor.

"Ohhh how I have missed my home. I hope Trinsic is in good standing when we return." Dupre spoke.

Another warrior, equipped with a heavy crossbow, turned to his king and spoke:

"What shall we tell the people of our absence, my lord?" Shamino inquired.

As the king prepared to speak, an old man in a long purple robe cut in

"It would be wise if the people did not know of the battles we have faced. I fear that it would only cause panic and uncertainty".

The old man excused his interruption to the king. Lord British waved his hand, and with a "thank you old friend", he spoke to the group.

"Nystul's words of wisdom we shall take to heart. It is best not to alarm the people with the horrors we have faced. When asked, it is best to let the people know that we have ensured that Sosaria remains a peaceful place to live. Speaking of the horrors of the past in greater detail may lead to chaos and panic."

The group nodded in agreement. As they all stood on the deck of the ship, recalling their best memories of their home, the king thought silently to himself:

"I pray for the sake of Britannia that they will never have to relive the nightmare of Fire Island"



Archived topic from AOV, old topic ID:6422, old post ID:37723

[The Sosarian Standard]

The morning dew was forming just as the gigantic Britannian galleon settled into the Britain docks. As the king and his companions stepped onto the docks, they were greeted by the citizens of Britain.

As Lord British took his first step onto the cobblestone streets of Britain, he took a deep breath to absorb the scent of fresh air and the campion flowers that had been prepared for his arrival.

The streets were lined with purple and gold to announce the arrival of the king. There was much rejoicing and waving of the citizens of Britannia. Many people had arrived from the outlying villages to celebrate the return of the king.

"Tonight, we shall have a great feast! There will be celebrations in the streets of Britannia. We welcome all of you, whom we have missed dearly!" Bellowed the king.


<hr>

The king, his group of warriors and closest friends entered the castle courtyard and were greeted by Clainin, the court wizard acting as leader of the Royal Council while the king had been away. A white dove sat upon his shoulder.

"Clainin, it is good to see you old friend. I see you have received the message from my carrier dove" said the king.

"Oh yes, loyal as usual she flew and handed me word of your arrival. We are all thrilled to see everyone return." Clainin responded.

"Sadly, not everyone returned.....There were many deaths and horrors of battle. We must not dwell on the past however, we need to move towards the future, strong and hopeful" the king responded with an air of chagrin.

"Come your highness, the council has much to discuss with you before the celebrations begin."

Clainin lead Lord British and his companions into the castle. Nystul walked slowly behind them, examining the dove perched upon Clainin's shoulder.

"Clainin....What happened to the royal scarf around the carrier dove's neck? It seems to be missing it" Nystul inquired.

"Hmmmm you are correct Nystul. Now that you mention it, I did find it peculiar that the dove did not arrive with it around its neck. I assume it had fallen off during the voyage." Clainin responded as they continued to walk.

"May I see the message that arrived with the dove?" Nystul inquired.

Clainin shifted his eyebrows, perplexed at the request. He handed the letter to Nystul who began examining it in detail.

"Is something wrong Nystul?" Asked the king.

"Perhaps not. It seems as though everything is correct in this letter. It does contain your penmanship. Just peculiar that your dove would lose its scarf on such a voyage. It has made far more dangerous flights before, I had momentarily suspected that it had been intercepted."

Nystul returned the letter to Clainin. Clainin began examining the letter himself in an effort to spot anything peculiar about it as well. Finding nothing interesting about it, he shrugged his shoulders and returned the letter to his robes.

"My mind must be getting foggy, my lord. Too much sea air, I apologize."
Nystul said.

"Think nothing of it, we are all exhausted from the voyage. We must all relax and look forward to the celebrations" the king said enthusiastically.

As Clainin walked, he thought more about the dove and the letter he had received. He did notice a few unusual circumstances in which the letter had been delivered. As he reached up to the dove to grab hold of it for examination, it flew off his shoulder and out of the court yard.

Dupre and Shamino exchanged good mannered laughter as Clainin swatted at the air, attempting to grab the dove before it took off.

"Clainin, you should know by now that Precilla startles easily. She'll be back when she's hungry though, don't you worry about it." Said Dupre.

The dove soared through the crowd of people gathered around the castle to catch a glimpse of their king. As it flew through the crowd, it spotted an arm outstretched in the air and swiftly proceeded to land on it.

Melissa examined the dove, smirking as she placed it upon her shoulder whispering "good work". She turned to leave the crowd of people when a boisterous group of citizens approached her.

"The king has returned! The king had returned!!!!" They called to her.

"Yes.....Good news indeed" she responded, not looking back at them as she walked away.

She marched out of the city at a brisk pace, concealing her face behind her cloak as she passed the guards. The white dove bobbed up and down on her shoulder as she ran down the dirt path, away from the city.

"An Quas Kal Xen" she whispered. The dove on her shoulder vanished in a cloud of smoke, leaving a single ruffled feather. The feather danced in the air, floating gently to the ground, as she recalled away.


<hr>

"The time has come at last" the strange creature responded excitedly.

"The dove decoy worked my lady. They do not suspect a thing." Melissa responded.

The creature turned to face an audience of followers. Many of them carried weapons and spellbooks and were flinging curses at each other.

"Silence!!!" the creature hissed. They all stood dead in their tracks, paralyzed by fear. Not one of them dared disobey.

The creature lifted its decaying hand in the air, summoning forth the group of undead followers which made their home in the dank cave.

"The celebrations have begun for the return of the king. We wait until their guard is at its lowest...then we infiltrate the castle. You will gladly sacrifice your lives to ensure my success. Fail, and you will be eternally punished."

The creature grinned maniacally and several skeletal knights slammed their shields with crudely made swords.

As the creature pointed its gnarled staff towards the horizon, they all began to march.



Archived topic from AOV, old topic ID:6422, old post ID:37727

[ggkthx]

Can I get a tldr version of this please?

Archived topic from AOV, old topic ID:6422, old post ID:37737

[The Sosarian Standard]

Can I get a tldr version of this please?

King returned, sinister plot unfolding against the king.

Archived topic from AOV, old topic ID:6422, old post ID:37739

[ggkthx]

Can I get a tldr version of this please?

King returned, sinister plot unfolding against the king.

Archived topic from AOV, old topic ID:6422, old post ID:37741

[keltrick]

oooh a cliffhanger
when will the invasion begin?

Archived topic from AOV, old topic ID:6422, old post ID:37774

[Death]

oooh a cliffhanger
when will the invasion begin?

Hopefully soon. The next portion of the storyline is almost complete so you should start to see differences around the world.

The event is progressive so there will gradually be more changes to the world as the storyline progresses.

Archived topic from AOV, old topic ID:6422, old post ID:37778

[keltrick]

britian is all colored up and artifacted

Archived topic from AOV, old topic ID:6422, old post ID:37781

[The Sosarian Standard]

The sorceress lay on the ground, crying in pain. She cupped her hands over her waist as the dark blood poured out of her wound. The knight stood above her, victorious. There was no time to be pleased, soon everything would fall.

The warrior wiped the blood from his quicksword and sheathed it. A rumbling was heard as the castle began to fall.

The sorceress desperately attempted to heal her wounds, but to no avail. Every healing mantra she muttered would fizzle before her. The magical sword had been her bane.

"This is not possible.....nothing can defeat me." The sorceress cried as she looked up at the warrior, her eyes burning with anger.

"Curse you! Curse you and Lord British!" She yelled as the warrior turned and ran down the hallway of the crumbling castle.

The sorceress lay dying on the floor of her castle. She stared helplessly as the sun set in the distance, her life slowly ebbing away from her. Using the last of her strength, she began to draw an elaborate triangle on the floor with her own blood.

"Liffffe...Deaaaath.....Void" she muttered. Streamers of light and darkness circled around her as the rubble began to fall around her. Just as she was about to be crushed, time had stopped.
<hr>
The sorceress found herself in a state between life and death. All time had ceased to continue for her. Around her, an endless void could be seen, except for a strange figure that walked toward her.

The figure stopped in front of her as she lay on the ground.

"Rise to your feet and greet me" the figure said.

As the sorceress got to her feet, she stared at the being before her. A skeleton in tattered rags and a gnarled staff stood at her feet. His appearance was grotesque, a thing of nightmares. Had she still been alive, the fright alone would have been enough to bring a swift death to the faint of heart. The sorceress felt a strange connection between them.

"I find it interesting that you do not let go of your soul so willingly. One so bold as to call me before death to ask a favor." The figure walked silently around the sorceress, analyzing her power.

"Your death has been fated. Let go of this illusion you have conjured. There is no hope for you now" the skeleton grabbed the sorceress' arm and began to drag her to a dark moongate. The sorceress chose not to budge.

"Interesting sorcery you possess. You may have been gifted in life, but you will soon be in the realm of my mistress. Do not think that your magic can keep you here for all eternity, now move".

The skeleton tried once again to get the sorceress to move, but he was unable.

"I have called for your help. I cannot leave my power to die with me. My death must be reversed." The sorceress requested.

"Then become a lich and serve my mistress. A sorceress of your power should have done so already and not wasted my time." the skeleton snapped.

"Lich are weak to the elements as their corpses continue to rot. I want my full body and power to remain in tact. I know you can accomplish this gatekeeper", the sorceress responded.

"What makes you think I would ever deny my mistress of such a prestigious soul and aid in your cause?" the skeleton asked incredulously.

"Because I know what you seek. You seek your own kingdom to rule over. In the underworld, you are but a mere gatekeeper amongst the rest of your kind. I can give you what you desire"

The sorceress' offer peaked the skeletal gatekeeper's curiosity.

"Think about it, you could rule over the land and send many souls to your mistress. Would that not please her?" the sorceress said.

"I seek revenge against the one who slayed me and the king who sent him. The kingdom of Lord British would be a fair price for my life I think". the sorceress continued.

The skeletal gatekeeper extended his bony hand to the sorceress. As they shook hands, he spoke:

"Should you fail me, I have a spot for your soul to rot in the underworld."

Wisps of light and dark swarmed between the skeletal gatekeeper and the sorceress as their bodies and minds merged together. Soon, an endless blackness overcame them, and they woke up in a deserted forest.


<hr>
The sorceress turned around to examine her location. She stared, confused at her surroundings.

"We are in a place called Sosaria, several years after your death. The souls of the underworld spoke of your "Lord British". He resides in this land. Find him and give me what you have promised."

The voice of the skeletal gatekeeper spoke from her own lips. The sorceress was momentarily frightened as she heard him speak. Staring down at her body, she became mortified by the transformation.

In life, she had been beautiful. The body she now possessed was torn and rugged. The putrid stench of decay emanated from the tattered robe she wore. Each bone creaked as she walked, threatening to turn to dust at any given moment.

"My body, what has happened to it?!!" the sorceress cried enraged.

"Give me what you promised and your body shall be returned to you. You are my servant until your task is complete." the skeletal gatekeeper said.

As the sorceress continued to examine her current form, the skeletal gatekeeper continued.

"Your willingness to be my host has allowed me to escape the underworld. Binding to a soul is the only way I can exist on this plane. Once I bind to the king's soul, I will free you from your lich form."

"Well then, getting to the king will not be so easy now! If I am to wander around in this decrepit form, I will need help from my followers. Surely some of them still exist."

The sorceress grabbed a stick from the ground and balanced her weight on it, then began to hobble in search of her minions.


<hr>
The strange creature woke up peacefully from its sleep. It could not remember the last time it slept so peacefully. As it sat upright, it could feel movement from underneath. Several undead creatures of increasing grotesqueness, marches as they carried the creature in a hollowed out coffin.

"This is taking an awfully long time. All this marching, we should have been there by now!" The creature growled to itself.

"The first group has almost arrived at the city. Once they have cleared the way, it will be easier to get to the king. Patience my lady" said Melissa, who walked diligently beside the coffin.

"Excellent, then we must rest some more and gather our strength."

The creature grinned as it witnessed its army marching forth....a large castle could be seen far in the distance. It would not be long before it was all over.



Archived topic from AOV, old topic ID:6422, old post ID:37796

[DOCTOR THUNDER]

cant find them, went from trinsic to cove to yew then back to brit.

Archived topic from AOV, old topic ID:6422, old post ID:37797

[keltrick]

but i fear they are just the foot solders. the worst has yet to come
the coffin is there too but the leader is nowhere to be seen
i killed the escorts but they spawned as fast as i killed,
(i warned lord British but he wouldn't listen )

Archived topic from AOV, old topic ID:6422, old post ID:37812