Mataus

Ecetopia: Rzail: Karnorouri’s Pillar

Having been the second person to head down the stairs, Traveller had been able to look, with difficulty in the dim light, over a small section of the carvings etched into the walls. None of the books on the Rzailian empire could compare to the amount of knowledge he found before him. A university or a library would kill for a copy of these walls. In fact, the temple he was raised at would love to add this story to their archive. But for now the story would remain lost to the ages, as those who could record it were surrounded by an army of the dead. His gaze swept over the carvings and the recesses to the door. As Traveller approached the door, he knew he was out of luck. Locks were not his specialty. An ordinary door he could beat down... but not this. It was better left to the others in their group... assuming they could open it themselves.

Traveller turned from the door and went straight back to the doorway, where he could feel Fionn unleashing his arcane armament. On the way up he passed several of the adventures he had met earlier as well as some newcomers. He would have to speak with them later. There was definitely a diverse gathering of heroes; it wasn't a normal Ecetopia group that may form to stop the local bandits. He pondered on the way evil could draw good, like how magic attracted mages. It was a good thing, otherwise the universe would conquered by evil. Reaching the top of the staircases, and without further ado, Traveller released his large sword from its magical bindings on his back, then finally joined Fionn at the entrance. Fionn wasn't the only one up there holding the undead back, there was a dwarf swinging away.

Sword in hand and his arcane shield protecting him, Traveller went into the fray. His sword moved in a blur, cutting through entire bodies and shattering bone where the sword's edge didn't make clean contact. Every time he brought an undead warrior down he would 'blink' to the next nearby one, making him a blur as well. His shield flared here and there when hands swatted at him, but the undead here used numbers to kill enemies... not speed. Not yet at least. That was also a problem. One by one the bodies in varying states of decay went down, but to win any battle here Traveller would have to be killing droves with every swing of his sword. The best he could do was help keep the entrance somewhat clear for the others. At the same time the constant use of magic would tire him out. They would have to close the entrance to the city soon.

Ecetopia: Rzail: Karnorouri’s Pillar

Hearing Fionn mumble and following his gaze, Traveller spotted the newcomers as well. However, he barely had time to study the figures in the distance, not that he would have been able identify them at that distance anyway, before the wind picked up. Then, like Fionn, his head turned to see the building surge of energy at the obelisk.

After the gathering energy was released in a terrifying wave of necromantic energies, Traveller adjusted his stance to something more suitable for the situation, then he stood still in the eerie quiet for a moment, waiting for the inevitable to happen. Sure enough, a hand thrust through the sand near them. Then another and another. Soon enough, there was the beginnings of an army rising from their sandy graves. Fionn yelled to get moving and Traveller did just that. Voph, after what appeared to be a brief hesitation to stay, had already descended and had announced that it was clear, for now. Traveller took a look over his shoulder at the approaching undead before descending as well.

Ecetopia: Rzail: Karnorouri’s Pillar

Traveller caught the gaze of Rosa for a moment as she scanned everyone. It appeared that she was sizing everyone up, figuring out who was capable. He had made his assessments of the others earlier on and still stuck by them. Their group was capable, especially if they on their way to kill a bandit gang opposed to a Lich and its army. They also possessed many different types of weapons: Rosa and Voph carried guns among a few sidearms; Nakreyya had an assortment of daggers; Fionn was a user of the arcane arts as was Traveller, although his spells were still unknown; Grug had an abomination on his arm, the abilities of which were unknown as well. Traveller assumed that at least one of them would hold the weakness of the Lich.

While Traveller did not think that the others could discern what he was thinking, Rosa and Voph's topic of an ego made him wonder. He had been certain about the destruction of the Lich. The thought was one born in overconfidence in himself and the strangers he had just met. He started to realize that he would have to give the Lich more credit. Furthermore, Voph's statement about overconfidence made the choice for Traveller; he would have to cool off a little. "Yes, both of you are correct. If this Lich has an ego then we should exploit it. However, in the process we should also stop to examine ourselves. We need to be precise and calculating in our movements. We cannot afford to make any mistakes out of ego or revenge if any of you seek it." His comment not being directed to anyone in particular, just the group as a whole.

The brief statement distracted Traveller from the plagued magic, but with the distraction gone he once more felt sickened He raised a finger, drawing a rune in the air. It was a simple, nearly translucent, dark blue circle. Once faded, a dark blue shield surrounded Traveller before going translucent. With that, Traveller felt the magic nexus retreat. "This place is corrupted beyond anything I have ever seen..."

Ecetopia: Rzail: Karnorouri’s Pillar

The transition of the terrain they marched on did not go unnoticed by Traveller. The sand became bone, aged half a millennium, split into many slivers. The air seemed almost toxic. The sounds of the wind as it tore through the land brought even more dread to the land. But alas, the monolith, standing above the land around it, came into view. His eyes tracked a raveina obscura as it parted from its murder, only to watch them, its entire existence hating the travelers. This land, Rzail, was a curse to Ecetopia. A cancer. A mark that unbalanced the entire world.

They were there to stop it. The Kindred. Voph. Rosa. Even the caravan would contribute. So many different individuals had come to halt the evil arising in Rzail. Then Traveller's eyes locked onto a tent near the monolith. They weren't the first to reach monolith of Rzail after so long and the man wasn't entirely sure they would be the last. The magic here sickened him more than the air ever could. It wasn't the strength of the magic that sickened him exactly. It was how corrupted, how evil, how unbalanced the magic was. Traveller closed his eyes a moment, taking a steading breath.

Once his eyes opened he noticed another detail which left him uneasy; there was a large arm protruding from the sand of bone. In its arm rested a stone tablet which probably held the the famous words seen in every old book about the Rzail conflict. Before Traveller could recall the stanza from his memory, a cry broke through the dreadful sound of the wind. The bird's harrowing gesture to the cairn could not, would not be missed. "Come then, Karnorouri, you have disturbed the balance of life and will now pay." Traveller thought, his head turning to survey his companions who would help him defeat the Lich. "And the harbingers have arrived."

Ecetopia: Rzail: Karnorouri’s Pillar

Hearing Voph's question about food, Traveller decided to answer: "I don't see anything we may eat in our surrounding environment, but I do see a caravan that might supply us if our luck would have it." Traveller himself wasn't too low on food, but he wanted to have a good cache of food in case he was injured and couldn't use his summoning magic.

Rosa's mention of how the three of them would fall before the Lich made him think. It was a disturbing thought. A truth that would shake any seasoned adventure. They were dealing with a powerful entity, one that would shake the balance of the world.

With Traveller's attention on the conversation between Rosa and Voph, and what he planned to say to the caravan, Traveller missed the entire group heading their way. "Pay attention, damnit," he said under his breath. He stopped walking, turning toward the new group. He thought about whether or not it would harm Traveller, Voph, and Rosa if he gave up their purpose. He decided that the newcomers shared their purpose. "Greetings, we seek to stop the Lich, or so these two with me have said." He paused for a moment, eyes moving between each one of the newcomers. "I assume you seek the same path?"

The other group seemed to be of power. They also appeared to know each other. An organization, perhaps? "With what group are you aligned?" Traveller asked, giving in to his curiosity.

Ecetopia: Rzail: Karnorouri’s Pillar

Traveller looked at Rosa for a moment, his gaze expressionless. "I assumed that you would not aide me when you said it was an issue for me. I see that is not the case. Thank you." With her help Traveller decided he might actually leave the caravan with supplies, although with the way Rosa was moving, he wouldn't have time to hear about the way of life for desert caravans. Rosa was right about stalling, though. He could feel the power of the Lich. It was like a dam was breaking. . . the dam would only crumble more as time went on, further letting out more of the Lich's power.

Voph's straightforward logic was appreciated. What he said sounded solid and he said it in a confident way. Confidence meant a lot in a person as long as they knew some bounds.

Traveller's green eyes shifted to Voph as Rosa addressed him. Rosa was definitely laying it down for Voph. She seemed to be a very cautious person, a person who stood out from the average sword-swinging hero. It made Traveller wondered if she attained those scars from the mistakes of others. Of course, the caution could also be a case of having a strong sense of survival.

He motioned to the caravan, "alright, let's go." With that, he started walking toward the desert caravan.

Kahlan

Just going to save you some time here. You need to assign tiers for your abilities and items so that everyone has a grasp of the characters prowess. I'll put a link to the guide in this post :)

roleplayerguild.com/posts/4322020

Ecetopia: Rzail: Karnorouri’s Pillar

Traveller's eyebrows lifted at Voph's lack of information of the situation. Of course, everything Traveller knew came from street rumors and some old, rotten texts from a library. His eyes locked on to Voph. It appeared Voph didn't even have that much information, which, to him, was a warning. Voph could be a person who went head first without thinking things out first. On the other hand, Traveller appreciated Voph's eargerness to go to the source of trouble in order to figure things out.

At Rosa's words, Traveller nodded slowly, he understood what Rosa was saying. In this wasteland all supplies would be precious, especially this far into Rzail. "Thank you for the information. . . I'll talk to them later," he said, his gaze drifting off from Rosa to the caravan. He would also have to ask the caravan about their way of life when he for supplies. It might make for an interesting story.

Rosa's quick explanation hit all of the important points, so Traveller left it at that. "Others who know more might arrive, but that is the gist of it." He bowed his head slightly after Rosa's introduction. "Well met, Rosa Stoneheart."

Ecetopia: Rzail: Karnorouri’s Pillar

"That they would. I assume that you have chosen the same path as us?" Traveller replied, his voice friendly. If she sought the same path as them then maybe she was not the caravan leader after all. Which meant that she had some influence to be able to travel with one of the desert caravans. With influence came power and that power would he useful. Perhaps, then, she would be of more use than a supplier. Traveller's gaze moved over to where Voph's hand lay on his pistol. That notion, while a smart move, probably wasn't helping the newcomer come to ease.

"We do not wish for conflict," Traveller restated. He then tapped on his tightly attached side bag. "Does your caravan have supplies? Ah, and I am Traveller and my new companion here is Voph."

Ecetopia: Rzail: Karnorouri’s Pillar

Traveller nodded in agreement, "yes, well met, Voph." He said, his voice smooth and slightly deep. With his gaze still locked on the newcomer, Traveller watched as the figure in the distance turned to talk to a caravan he had not seen earlier. Was the figure, a tall female he believed, the leader of a brave desert caravan? Or was she another individual on her way to stop what was stirring in Rzail? If either was the case, then they could have some supplies he would need. He had a tightly attached soft leather bag on his waist, but it could only hold so much water and food.

After a discussion with the caravan the woman started off in their direction at a good pace. She was tall, athletic, and built like a warrior. She seemed to have an air of confidence as she approached. Once again Traveller, as a man skilled in the arcane arts, could sense that there was more to her. However, he could not place what it was, just as he could not place what was strange with Voph. A moment later he heard his newly found companion speak up as the newcomer got closer. "Yes, I too wish you and your caravan no harm."