Dragon's Keep: The Story

[Musekaze]

This topic belongs here, as it is a story i wrote, not anything to do with the Dragon's Keep Module.


Dragon’s Keep


The sun had risen in front of Isaac’s house. The cock was crowing and the dog was barking. The cattle were grazing in the fields slowly munching on their grass. Isaac had procrastinated as always to get up in the morning, but the townspeople didn’t care, as he had slain a roc jus the week before. Isaac slowly crept out of bed only to get a splinter in his foot from his Elderwood maple flooring. He grabbed his sickle and axe in hand and walked out into the fields. The dew was still on the grass from the previous night, glistening like stars in the morning. A blanket of fog was in the ditch next to his house where he held bonfire cookouts in the summer.
The cattle mooed with delight when he placed a fresh bale of hay in the barn. He had noticed a rodent scuttle across the ground and into a hole in the wall. Having a strong dislike for the little vermin, he threw some caltrops into the hole, knowing that the rodent wouldn’t dare cross over the sharp spikes. Isaac grabbed a flask of oil and lit it a flame. He threw the oil into the little hole in the ground and watched the rodent be roasted alive. He tossed the charred rodent into the sky, then watching his hawk swipe it from the air and land in her nest. He could tell that his raptor was pleased with the meal by the way she dug into it with ferocity.
Becoming bored with his old farmhouse, Isaac set out for town, knowing there would be some odd job for him to handle. The butcher, the baker, and even the carpenter all waved in his direction, offering him some sort of reward, a ham, a fine wooden desk, but Isaac was sick of being settled down, what he wanted was adventure. He saw a notice on the side of the town hall: “Seeking adventure? Want good money? Come to the abandoned farmhouse this Friday.� Today was Friday. Isaac saw the opportunity as a sign, the sign he had been waiting for. This was the adventure that he sought.
As Isaac approached the farmhouse, he could already sense something gloomy about it. The paint was blackened from smoke and the boards creaked with the wind. A dark figure emerged form the shadow wearing a black cloak. A raspy voice spoke. “So you are the only one who has arrived? How I am so disappointed.�
“Who are you?� Isaac spoke.
“That is none of your concern for now. But I have an offer that you cannot refuse.�
“And what would that be? You promised adventure and fortune.�
“All I ask is a simple task of you. I have evidence that Mayor Driedlock is trying to kill me. He thinks I may be a ‘threat’ to his political status.�
“So, what are you asking me to do then?�
“I’m asking you to eliminate him before he eliminates me.�
“Are you crazy? I’m no murderer!�
“Now what would does a million gold say to you?�
“That changes everything!� Isaac eagerly grabbed the bag of gold from the stranger’s hands. “It’ll be done by sundown.� Isaac ran out of the farmhouse and back to town.
He approached the Town Hall with a smirk on his face. He felt the blade of his axe, sharpened and ready for blood. Isaac walked up the steps slowly, almost as if you could hear a faint scream in his step. He drew his power from within, activating his instinctual rage. The door was bashed down with a cheerful Mayor behind it. “Greetings, Isaac. What brings you here today?� Soon the mayor could tell by the red of Isaac’s eyes that he was not there for conversation. Isaac made a simple one word reply: “Blood…� With that Isaac made swift swing with his axe, making a huge gash across the Mayor’s chest. The body dropped to the ground. His axe dripped with the fresh blood, seeming to burn it away in satisfaction. That is how his axe came to be known as Bloodthirst. Guards had rushed in when they heard the thump of Isaac dropping to the ground. His rage came back. With blind fury he slit the guards’ throats, but not before a tracking spell could be cast. Isaac rushed out of the room with cat-like speed. He hit the nearest pawn shop grabbing anything he could afford with his new fortune, but the guards were on his tail.
As soon as he had stepped out of the shop nearly a hundred town guards had him surrounded. The throwing darts he had purchased were quickly depleted. Now it was time for slice and dice. The guards were no match for Isaac’s superior equipment, until the Dragon’s Keep Elite Guards came. It was vise versa in that case. The guards knocked him over and tossed him in a sack, then carried him off to Dragon’s Keep Prison.
The day of Isaac’s execution had come. Yet he had cleverly devised a plan. His guard came to feed him his last meal; he grabbed a torn cloth and strangled the guard. He grabbed the key and let himself out. Isaac grabbed some basic equipment form the armory and managed to escape with a few minor injuries. He navigated his way through the many forests and riverbanks to the outlet of the Greyhawk sewer system. He saw a shady figure rush past a corner; again, and again. This time he managed to time a dart and pin the creature’s clothing against a wall. “Vy are joo bozering me?� It was another Halfling. “I’m the one asking the questions here! Now what’s your name?� The Halfling hesitated. “I said, what’s your name?!�
“I’m eeeh Pandemonium Overlord, of zeh Pandemonium Clan.�
“So what’s your real name then eh?�
“Sparky.�
“Why do you sound like a goblin?�
“Joo see? My mazhar is a goblin, and I vas raized by her. My fazhar is a Halfling, of this clan. He is zeh leader.�
“May I speak with him?�
“Eh, ves! Right zis way!� The half-goblin led him through passage ways and hidden rooms to a large mass of room, the size of a cathedral. “Fazhar, zis vone vishes to speak wvith joo.�
“And what would his name be, Overlord?� The shady figure asked.
“I am Isaac, a runaway from Dragon’s Keep Prison.�
“Oh, another, you’re lucky we don’t give a poop about what the government thinks.�
The Halfling stood up from his chair and began to walk toward the door. “Follow me…uhh what was it? Isaac? Follow.� The two walked down a corridor and into a temple like room. “This is going to hurt. A lot. I suggest you don’t look.� Isaac turned around to feel a burning sensation in his back He let out a loud scream, “Ah! What on Tyr’s earth was that!�
“A brand. You’re officially one of us now.�
“One of what?�
“The Pandemonium Clan. You shall henceforth be known as Pandemonium Arbiter. Sorry for not introducing myself earlier, Pandemonium Archer.� He walked out the room. Isaac’s back was still stinging. He managed to find a room with a bed in it and laid down to rest.
Isaac awoke with his back still stinging. He found some equipment sitting on the floor. The hand-axe had an engraved hilt. “P. Arbiter� A book had been placed next to it as well. “The Runestones of Dragon’s Keep� He spent an entire day to read the entire book, learning about the Runestones that had been hidden by the ancients of Dragon’s Keep. Apparently one had been hidden in the very area of where the sewers were located. On the way out of the room Isaac tripped on piece of raised concrete, sliding it forward with him. An eerie glow came out of the cavern he had unearthed. He followed it down into a large chamber with dripping stalactites covering the ceiling. Bats flew down into his face and out of the cavern. He walked over to a large glowing rock with various inscriptions on it. He touched it with his hand, only to be turned rock solid. But just as quickly the life came back to him. His skin slowly turned from stone back to its fleshy texture. It seemed to be harder than usual. When he dropped to the ground he barely felt a thing. That’s when Archer ran in. “What in blazes have you done in here?� Isaac didn’t reply. Archer helped Isaac stand up, only to notice the Runestone and drop him back to the ground. “You… you found it. I’ve been searching for years down here and you finally found it!� Archer had run over to the stone and touched it as Isaac had. “I thank you Arbiter, now each of our clan is more powerful.� Isaac was still shaky from the transformation and had trouble standing up. He managed to limp back up to his room and doze off again.
“Damn it, news sure travels around here fast!� Isaac had woken up to Archer shouting. “Those damned gnomes have been trying to break in here for years, and they finally found their way to our fortress.� The ground shook as violently as an earthquake. Isaac could hear battle cries coming from various Halflings of the clan:
“Joo die tzoo me!� The unmistakable cry of Overlord, “My steel will strike true!� Death Bringer raging into battle, “All right crew, lets take them down,� Spine Snapper casting her buffs, “I want to see… suffering…� the usually silent Crescent Reaper, “Their time has come, destroy them all!� Dark Samurai drawing his katana, and finally: “Time to spill some blood!� Archer was grabbing his quiver and heading to battle. It was Isaac’s turn. He grabbed his hand-axe and charged down the hallway, only to be knocked over by a rather beefy gnome. “I crack your skull silly Halfling!� the gnome had shouted. He dragged his axe up off the ground preparing to swing it towards Isaac. Suddenly the gnome fell over. “Try not to die too early,� it was Archer bringing his bow down. Isaac knew he had killed the gnome by the arrow in the back of its skull. Isaac thought “Now it’s time for some action!� He drew forth his instinctual rage and charged into battle. He was reckless. Countless times he was knocked over by the gnomes’ variety of spells, but he just stoop up and kept on carving up bodies to corpses.
It was not long afterward that the gnomes had retreated. Isaac was tired and had some bad bruises, but nothing serious. Isaac thought it was time for a little rest. When he returned to his room, he saw the cloaked figure that had put him up for the Mayor’s murder. Isaac wiped some blood from his lip. “So what are you doing here?�
“Is my end of the bargain not holding up?�
“Well all my cash is gone if that’s what you mean. The damned guards got me.�
“I mean the adventure. Are you not having an adventure?�
“Well, If finding the Runestones, running form guards, and killing a bunch of gnomes isn’t an adventure, than I don’t know what is.�
“Gooooood.� The cloaked figure grabbed Isaac’s arm and pulled him to darkness. Isaac could see nothing, not even his hand in front of his face. He couldn’t tell when he was blinking or when he had his eyes wide open. When light finally came back, Isaac could see he was back in the Dragon’s Keep Prison. “What-? Why the hell are you taking me back here?!� There was no response. Isaac struggled for freedom but the cloaked figure’s grasp remained firm. Isaac was dropped from the ground and the cloak was removed. “You’re- You’re Ma-Ma- Marcelus!� A dragon-like voice erupted “You are foolish to have listened to me! Mwahahahahaaa!� The human-like figure wearing a black robe and hood with the glowing green eyes, began to morph. It grew, and grew larger than Isaac’s very own house. “Mwuahahahah!� the creature laughed again. It was definitely the legendary silver dragon of evil, Marcelus. “Well this is going to be interesting!� Isaac shouted. He drew forth his instinctual rage once again to battle the legendary dragon.
The battle never seemed to end. No matter how much Isaac slashed the dragon’s hide, it never seemed to do anything. Isaac could hear the word’s of Archer in his mind: “When your axe does nothing, trust in the bow…� A bow with a heavenly glow came down from the skies, shining as bright as the sun. Artemis’ Bow. Isaac drew back the string and an arrow of light appeared within. He let go and the arrow soared off. Right into Marcelus’ heart. “No! The power of the gods is on your side! I cannot be defeated like this! Roaooooooarrr!� Marcelus dissipated into a pile of glittering dust on the ground. “That’ll teach you to mess with Isaac- No, Pandemonium Arbiter!�
That wasn’t the end of it. Dragon’s Keep Elite Guards came into the room, yet they did nothing. A familiar figure came from behind them. A black shroud surrounded the figure, and Isaac could tell what had been done. He had been cloned. The clone had the glowing red eyes of Marcelus, yet the small stature of Isaac himself, with everything down to the scar above his right eyebrow. His axe was not like Isaac’s though. It was glowing with negative energy, dripping blood form nowhere. Spider’s blood, of the Reaper’s Plateau; poisonous blood. Isaac had no more rage within him, as he had wasted it all in the previous battles. But he felt something different inside of him. Not rage, but chivalry, the power to destroy evil. The gods were still on his side. Isaac ran toward his clone with divine might slashing his axe against that of his clone’s. The clone had dissipated into black powder. That’s when Isaac knew that the purpose of the clone wasn’t to kill Isaac, but to poison him. The blood form Isaac’s chest seemed to drip with the beats of his heart, slowly sinking into his blood. He collapsed…
Isaac woke up in the infirmary of the sewers. Archer was looking down upon him. “Well, our clerics were able to extract the poison from your veins but there was a side effect that we cannot cure. Your mental will has been depleted, and your will to fight is lost. I don’t think you’ll be as strong a fighter as you used to be.� Archer sighed and walked out of the door. That’s when a feminine figure walked into the room. It was rare to see a female in the Pandemonium Clan, but there were a few, Spine Snapper being one of them. “Spine Snapper, what are you doing here?� Isaac asked. “Please, call me Julie, I don’t like that whole nickname thing. So how are you feeling Isaac?�
“Well, I’m a little bruised but I think I should be okay. But what’s up with Archer, he was sounding rather glum when he was talking to me.�
“Oh, you’ll just have to get by Felix; he’s rather sensitive when it comes to other members of the clan nearing death. But you’re going to be okay, the other clerics are some of the finest in the land.�
“If you’re a cleric why don’t you work in the infirmary?�
“Well, I’m what one would call a Battle Cleric. I use my spells to improve my combat abilities and take out mages and easy targets. I can heal too, its just im better off sticking to one thing at a time. I’ve also taken training in monk so I can get out of nasty situations.�
“Ah, well I see…�
Isaac and Julie talked for hours on end, everyday until Isaac recovered. Eventually, they got married and had two children, Isaac Jr. and Sera. Isaac Jr. was more of a by-the-book child and tried to control Sera’s outbursts. Sera, however was rather jumpy for a girl and loved to smack around the combat dummies in her spare time. Archer had stopped by every week or so to see how the couple was doing. One day, he brought great news. “Arbiter, our clan has located three more Runestones. We believe that one of them may be able to cure your ‘magical’ mental illness. But the question is, are you up for it?� Isaac had a simple reply: “The question is Archer, are you up for it?�
“Well I don’t see why not.�
“Well then, let’s get going!�


PS i already told you A95, there was no room for you. maybe my next story ill send Me, Torm, you and anti off to kill teh evil casas.

[Terpeh]

Wow they got married fast lol.
Btw i think Mercules, since he's evil, is betetr off as a Black Drag.
But a good story, although everything is fast paced.
And I dont fight evil, I is evil

[AntiChristMofo]

i liked it it was pretty good and i wouldnt say it was fast or slow but it was okay battle sences are sketchy you dont really read about battle axes clashing together and sparks flying of the longswords as it scrapped the victims steel plated armor but its good i like it

cant wait for the next one

[Rary]

You win the award for the longest post. Thats for sure.

[Terpeh]

Lol rary.
Hey Muse give Rary the part of the evil Prison Warden

[Musekaze]

who siad he already wasnt the evil prison warden?

fast paced? thats 9 pages of double spaced MSword text! i tried to go as slow as i could. the otehr story i wrote is alot shorte because i had a 4 page limit to it. i had to use 11 point font and stretch the margins so it would fit on the 4 pages.

and id like to thank my vreative writing teachers for my award....etc....and if i made hte battle scenes to my potential, the sotry would be 50 pages long. and that would just be the battles.

[T3hRedMage]

I wrote a descriptive essay on a boy staring at a door from his bed in Creative Writing and it ended up being twelve pages.

[Musekaze]

lol. except im in high school, and thats my major. yeah a high school with majors, pfft. and i got 3 mroe years left.....

[Terpeh]

3 more years left in school?

Lool, I can stop if I want after these exams and start working, but im continueing. I luv the education system here.

[Musekaze]

thats not what your scores said *cough*

[Terpeh]

those exams werent important, the ones im doing now ARE VERY IMPORTANT. They will decide my future.....rawr!

[Musekaze]

they say that you will fail at life and become a WoW junkie and get carparal tunnel and you will die at the age of 35 form a heart attack.

[Terpeh]

Hell no I aint failing anything, and yea im getting WoW next week, so I'll cut down EW even more.

[Musekaze]

I want to play WoW soooooooooooooooooooo bad. not really get into it, i just wonna try it. ill prolly get it when us kids get a better computer, otehrwise ill have to monopolize my moms again, and when i get a job so i can pay my parents for it.

[Terpeh]

Heres another good part, I'm getting the game from my frieend for free and I dont have to pay the monthly subscriptions >=)