dereken

Creatures of the Night (Wick and Dereken)

Murdell Haddock sat alongside a smoldering campfire, hands held out to the orange-red ashes, trying to ward off the persistent mist that had followed him the whole way up to Hoarfell Pass, where a drake had claimed the area as its own. Travelers and Hunters alike were killed or driven off by the beast, and the local baron had offered up a hefty sum to anyone who could slay the thing. From the rumors in the city, Murdell was the sixth Hunter to go up in search of the drake, the last five never coming back. He scoffed, drawing his thick cloak further around himself. He'd not perish to some runty pseudo-dragon. It was just a matter of finding the right ground to fight the thing. The pass wouldn't do, it offered little cover from the air. He'd have to lure it out into the wooded area at the foot of the pass. Murdell stood up, and stomped out the meager ashes that were left, ready to move on. He stopped, however, sensing a presence behind him.

Turning, Murdell could spot a vague figure through the misty air. He could hear the slight clink of armor in motion. Another Hunter? Or just some lost warrior? He called out. "Oy! I dunno where you think you're going buddy, but Hoarfell Pass ain't safe. You'll get ate alive, you hear me?"

Creatures of the Night (Wick and Dereken)

So I figured we'd be like, monster hunters for hire, y'know? We take freelance work and such.

Creatures of the Night (Wick and Dereken)

Name: Murdell Haddock
Age: 24
Appearance:

Murdell Haddock

Murdell stands at a diminutive 5'6", but makes up for his size with armor, weaponry, and mean looks. His dark green eyes stare out from an often furrowed brow, and underneath his wide brimmed helmet he has short, light brown hair. His helmet has a small emblem, A sword and hammer crossed, and contained in a circle, etched on the front.

His back is a mass of scar tissues, with only small stripes of undamaged skin visible.

Gear: In addition to the bastard sword on his waist, Murdell's weapons include a pair of daggers strapped to each leg, a hand crossbow tucked under his cloak, and a brace of throwing knives hanging from his waist. Also inside his pack is a multitude of supplies for surviving long term in the wilderness, including a water skin, a small tent, several feet of rope, an oil lamp, a compass, medical supplies, and a sharpening stone for his blades.

Personality: Murdell is a man of angry spirit, all his actions and words showing a barely controlled temper. His movements are jerky and anxious, as though he were worried he is about to be interrupted. When in combat he fights with aggression, but not without skill, preferring to make a few ranged attacks before charging in with his bastard sword to batter his opponent into submission.

Creatures of the Night (Wick and Dereken)

Far out! Lemme just post my character in the CS page.

Book of Aeos (V1)

Caractacus

Caractacus cocked his head, having missed talks of going to town while out looking for food. "We are going to town? Er, p-perhaps it's best if I stay behind then. I'm sure I wouldn't be welcome, aheh. Especially if I b-brought them." He looked to the pile of murlocs. "Though, if we're together, I suppose I wouldn't n-need them so much. As long as we're quick about it." He delivered the ultimatum as though he were trying to convince himself, and took a moment to think on his options.

Caractacus was shocked from his thoughts by the none too distant sound of artillery. He jumped, spinning to face the source. "Agatha's skull!" He had to get his servants now, whatever that cannon fire was, it meant conflict was far closer and likely on a far larger scale than he was expecting. Caractacus failed to give Kathryn a proper goodbye before breaking down the beach for the corpse pile. He had to work fast. Caractacus slid to a stop, tumbling to his knees to begin the ritual. A mass resurrection would take a lot of energy, but he had no time for the easy way. Switching between muttered swears and oaths, and harried prayers, Caractacus readied the bodies.

After a few minutes of struggle, the bodies were prepared, each one laid separate, with long cuts on their bodies. Caractacus stood, stumbling back into the position, ignoring the miasma of death, and the stench of murloc blood. With his staff planted in the usual position, he chanted as quickly as he could. He held his eyes closed tight, separating himself from the world as the spell took effect. A wave of fatigue washed over Caractacus, and the air around him seemed to darken as sepulchral energy flowed from the necromancer to the bodies. The dead murlocs started to jerk and shake, and one by one, their skeletons burst from the very flesh of the monsters, clambering and scratching out of the long cuts left in the bodies.

"To me...to me..." Caractacus ordered the skeletons while panting for breath. As stoic as any other undead, the skeletons complied without hesitation, surrounding the necromancer. Caractacus fell to a knee, catching his breath. He shook his head, and pulled himself up against one of his servants. "Th-there. I am ready."

Book of Aeos (V1)

Caractacus

Caractacus moved toward the group, in time to hear Alberich give the wild man a bleary rebuke. Caractacus very quickly steered away from the pair. The wild man unnerved him, and his bloodied arrival the previous night did not help the feeling. Soon, however, Elyria awoke, and started preparations for the day. Caractacus tried to wave a good morning, and spoke up when she offered to go out in search of breakfast. "Ahem, I would ah, join you. If you don't mind my doing so, of c-course. I just needed--er, wanted is better, wanted to sp-speak with you."

Caractacus walked with Elyria, trying to find a comfortable place to be. He did not want to trail behind, yet still, to be close beside her would surely be off-putting. He tried to keep to a friendly meter aside her, when the forest allowed. "Last night, I did not take the opportunity t-to thank you. Your assistance, er, or kindness, was greatly appreciated. It made for a m-more comfortable night. If there's anything you need of m-me, of course, you need only ask, and I..." Caractacus stopped, thinking back to the day before. "I completely forgot. Y-yesterday, when I was in the lake, you called out to me. Asking me not to--To ah, well, use your bod--wait no that's wrong." Caractacus cleared his throat. "Apologies. What I mean to say is that I w-will of course honor your request." He nodded, satisfied with the revised statement, and continued along the forest path.

On the walk back toward camp, Caractacus spoke up once again. "I must say, you have quite the precise magic. I do not th-think I have seen its type before." Of course, the only type of magic he saw was his own necromancer, and the magic of the battlefield. Fire and thunder. Caractacus stood near by the fire as Elyria began cooking. He looked around the camp, and spotted Kathryn up and relatively ready. He approached her, and Alberich, as she was talking to him. Caractacus only caught the tail end of her side of the conversation, something about gathering someone or something. "Er, ex-excuse me, Miss Kat...thryn...Ahem. I do hope I'm not interrupting, but I need to speak with you. On a couple, or more, matters of importance. Well, one matter of importance, and a f-few other matters."

Caractacus took a few steps away from the group, looking back for Kathryn to follow. He made sure that the wild man was in his sight line as he did so, and made sure he was well away from earshot of the man. "That man, the one with Alberich just earlier," Caractacus spoke carefully, in a low tone to keep his voice from travelling. "He was out in the forest last night. I saw him return, he was covered in blood. I-I know, I didn't come to help you after you said we should stick together, b-but I still think it's better to have a fr--someone looking out for me, and-and I can help you, right?"

Book of Aeos (V1)

Caractacus

Caractacus didn't even mutter his thanks to Elyria for her help before she walked off. He was unsure of what she was doing until she started casting. If he wasn't miserably tired he would have done something, but no harm came of it. He sighed, wrapping tighter in his cloak, and resolved to thank her in the morning. Eventually, Caractacus drifted off to sleep.

Caractacus slept as well as he normally did, restless and fitfully. The night was long, and the woods were filled with the sounds of creatures, moving, running, hunting. Caractacus snapped awake some indeterminate time in the night, staring down the beach. The group was generally gathered around what was left of the smoldering fire, but there was movement nearby. Blinking several times to clear his eyes, he got a look at the figure striding in from the forest. It was the wild man, who Caractacus never truly met. It was hard to tell by the dim moonlight, but he looked to be covered in blood. Caractacus didn't move, but he watched as the man sat down near the others, and started working on his knives, sharpening and moving them about in their sheathes. Caractacus watched as long as he could, but the wild man didn't change the routine. Sleep slowly overtook Caractacus once more, and despite his efforts, he passed out before long.

The morning came, light filtering through the tree line, painting the lake orange and yellow. A patch of light slowly worked its way through a gap in the trees, until almost all the camp was bathed in direct sunlight. Caractacus groaned and tried to shrink deeper into his cloak to avoid the sun. He fell over onto his side, and stretched out, trying to work the kinks and strains out of his back and legs. A sure reminder of his unpleasant night's sleep. Rolling over, Caractacus pushed up off the ground, and stood up. No one cut his throat in the night. A pleasant surprise.

Book of Aeos (V1)

Caractacus

The zombies did their work with alacrity, grabbing whatever murlocs they could, and dragging them ashore to tear them to shreds. Caractacus watched from the lake, not moving as the woodsman, and yet another newcomer did their bloody work. At this point, Caractacus hardly cared to wonder where the horseman came from. Just another warrior to join the mob, and as bonus, he was doing Caractacus' work for him, skewering and chopping apart murlocs. Soon the lake was silent, the corpses of over a dozen murlocs near or in the water. Caractacus called his zombies to gather the lot and pull them together further upshore, away from the campsite.

Caractacus turned around and faced the shore, looking to Alberich as he approached. "Ah, yes yes, of course, the v-villagers. I suppose they've served a purpose, yes? It is fair I release them. I shall...send them into the woods, and let them lay th-there. That is acceptable?" With the murlocs gone, Caractacus had regained his nervous, awkward nature, as though by transformation. He nodded in quickly, starting toward the campfire. "I do n-not wish to be rude, but I am in sore need of some rest. It has been a rather, shall we say, long day."

Wading his way back to dry land, Caractacus crossed past the horseman. He looked up at the knight, giving a nervous smile. Hopefully he wasn't the pious type, one that'd despise his undead. Caractacus knew they must already unnerve some of the group. All it would take is someone speaking up to get the group to drive him away, he was sure. Caractacus continued past the knight, and went to join his zombies. Safe at last. He looked at the pile of murloc corpses, and shuddered. He hated the things, but if using them over his own kept the others from open hostility, they would have to do. Kneeling by the bodies, Caractacus knew he couldn't animate them all tonight. He would need a night's rest, and a full stomach, both of which he did not have. "Very well. All of you, march into the woods. Do not stop." With a sigh, Caractacus ordered his zombies away at last, loath to be without protection for so long.

Caractacus found a comfortable enough spot near the edge of the wood, wrapping into his cloak to draw whatever warmth he could from the damp cloth. No doubt he'd be unwelcome with the others by the fire. He didn't mind terribly. The cold was a necromancer's home.

Book of Aeos (V1)

Oh, well then. I was hoping to have the zombies do something.

Book of Aeos (V1)

Are those the total numbers? Did I miss the fight?