“You see!” Palayon speaks up suddenly, as though to someone you cannot see. “I told you they were made of the right stuff!”
Immediately in a shimmer of dark blue light a radiant female figure appears. It is the Sapphire lady, smiling pleasantly at you. “Perhaps, but they’ve many more tests to face first.”
“One’s I’m sure you’re cunningness will concoct shortly!” a dark voice replies, and you turn to see the shadow master emerging from the darkness between the bookshelves.
“Indeed!” Palayon replies “But from what I’ve seen, these young ones are more than able of creating their own adventures without our help from us!”
“You remember, Old man” The Lady speaks. “We were the last ones, some 50 years ago, as I recall. We four braved the world outside to bring light and hope…
“And food!” The shadow master pipes in, she gives him her sternest scowl, but it is lost in his mischievous grin from ear to ear. Slowly, the patrician façade melts, but only slightly.
“And food, to all the people of the city. It has been a long time.” She agrees.
“Indeed!” Palayon replies. “But our time is long spent! It is time for us to hand the burden, and the blessings, to younger hands.”
“Ah, those were the good old days!” The shadow master sighs happily “When the four of us were out in the multiverse, causing trouble, hoarding treasure, felling foes! Sad the minotaur couldn’t come today eh?”
With a sudden gasp the shadow master is swept up from his feet, and you hear the minotaur speak as she leaves her invisibility.
“And miss a chance to torment you, child man?” Miraculously, he somehow wiggles free and huffs, feigning indignantly as he stands surefooted on the floor.
“But sorry I’m late” She says. “I had some… work to attend to.”
“We’ve all become busy nowadays, haven’t we? No time for heroics now.” The sapphire lady speaks, and were she not the picture of serenity you might think you hear the edge of sadness to her tale.
“Pah!” The shadow master retorts cheekily. “Speak for yourself, blue pants. My life is still an adventure!”
“Perhaps,” Palayon replies, a mischievous smile playing on his lips, “but not even you have been able to travel outside the walls in many years, have you, master of shadows?” Then he sighs reticently. “It is time, and long overdue, for… others… to take on the adventure. We need trade. We need food. We need raw materials... "
He turns to face you all “Well young ones, do you accept your choosing? Are you ready to take the adventure outside the city walls and explore the wider world?”
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Saturday, February 13, 2010
The Birthing
You hold out the Orizon crystal to the white mote of sand on the Loremasters desk, and suddenly the shuddering in the city ceases, and is filled with instead with a profound silence, as though time itself would stand still in reverence for what you are about to witness…
Instantly, all the colours fade from the crystal and it crumbles to dust. A glowing fountain, the full spectrum of colours, leap from your hand to fill up the shard… black, brown, red, then all through the rainbow to purple, then silver and finally gold. They all fall into the little grain of sand which begins to glow a brilliant white.
And that glow gets brighter, and brighter. Within moments the room is filled with the most blindingly brilliant white light you have ever seen, and you suddenly sense you are surrounded by a vast multitude of other souls – you are not alone in the room.
Then, suddenly, completely, the light disappears.
For a moment you all stand there, wondering what happens next.
“Oh.” Says Palayon after a moment pause. “I wonder if that’s …”
He is cut short by an enormous explosion. You are all flung backwards as a kaleidoscope of colours burst form the room, shattering the windows. At first the light itself seems to be tugging at your clothes, threatening to tare you apart, but after a moment it begins to subside.
Daring to look up, you see bright star trails of light heading towards the outer walls, imbedding themselves like meteors into it. The citizens of the city look up in amazement.
“Quickly! To the scopes!” Palayon instructs, pulling you up to look out at magical telescopes which allow you to see the outside wall of the city.
And all over that outer wall, hundreds, no, thousands of bulges are now clearly visible. It is as though the stones are tearing themselves from the rock, and indeed they do. First one, then another, the city wall fusing back together where the clods of earth and stone emerge. Some are huge, larger than a three story house, while many, many dozens are no larger than your fist. Some are like polished stones, some are clumps of dirt, and some few are glowing crystals.
Gently, the offspring of the city silently float around her perimeter, some few emerging to ‘peer’ curiously over the wall. They float down among the citizens, greeting them with affection and faith, never straying far from the city they call mother.
The majority of the birthing is completed in an hour, yet still for many weeks stones are emerging from that wall.
Finally, Lauresia has given birth.
Instantly, all the colours fade from the crystal and it crumbles to dust. A glowing fountain, the full spectrum of colours, leap from your hand to fill up the shard… black, brown, red, then all through the rainbow to purple, then silver and finally gold. They all fall into the little grain of sand which begins to glow a brilliant white.
And that glow gets brighter, and brighter. Within moments the room is filled with the most blindingly brilliant white light you have ever seen, and you suddenly sense you are surrounded by a vast multitude of other souls – you are not alone in the room.
Then, suddenly, completely, the light disappears.
For a moment you all stand there, wondering what happens next.
“Oh.” Says Palayon after a moment pause. “I wonder if that’s …”
He is cut short by an enormous explosion. You are all flung backwards as a kaleidoscope of colours burst form the room, shattering the windows. At first the light itself seems to be tugging at your clothes, threatening to tare you apart, but after a moment it begins to subside.
Daring to look up, you see bright star trails of light heading towards the outer walls, imbedding themselves like meteors into it. The citizens of the city look up in amazement.
“Quickly! To the scopes!” Palayon instructs, pulling you up to look out at magical telescopes which allow you to see the outside wall of the city.
And all over that outer wall, hundreds, no, thousands of bulges are now clearly visible. It is as though the stones are tearing themselves from the rock, and indeed they do. First one, then another, the city wall fusing back together where the clods of earth and stone emerge. Some are huge, larger than a three story house, while many, many dozens are no larger than your fist. Some are like polished stones, some are clumps of dirt, and some few are glowing crystals.
Gently, the offspring of the city silently float around her perimeter, some few emerging to ‘peer’ curiously over the wall. They float down among the citizens, greeting them with affection and faith, never straying far from the city they call mother.
The majority of the birthing is completed in an hour, yet still for many weeks stones are emerging from that wall.
Finally, Lauresia has given birth.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Chapter 1 part 1 - The Shard of Light
Your dreams are disturbing this night, tossing and turning in your beds you repeatedly hear a woman crying out with birthing pains, but her voice echoes in a silent wilderness. You call out to her, but she does not seem to hear you. Stumbling through the darkness you see a deep shadow that fills you with terror. Emerging from the blackness are huge tentacles that block out the sky and a single inhuman eye that does not, for now, seem to notice you. Straightaway you begin to flee – the shadow brings a solemn fear that you have only known once before, when you heard the name of the enemy. Whatever it is, it is seeking the woman. But you are the first to find her. You come across a beautiful woman dressed in grey, but there are none to assist her to give birth. She sits down on the earth, and looks up at you with pity and fear in her eyes. She looks tired. It seems she is in desperate need of help, but you do not know what you can do…
Friday, January 8, 2010
Chapter 0 - over to you!
Hey gamers!
Now it's your turn, feel free to put up any questions or comments, in character or as players, about your gaming experience in the Hidden City! You can't say anything wrong so go for it! Just pop it in as a comment to this post.
Joe
Now it's your turn, feel free to put up any questions or comments, in character or as players, about your gaming experience in the Hidden City! You can't say anything wrong so go for it! Just pop it in as a comment to this post.
Joe
Ending to Chapter 0 - Incursion
As you look over the broad expanse of your magically enhanced vantage point, a strange world come into sight. The sky about it is oddly… black… but filled with strange unmoving pin points of lights that seem to glimmer and twinkle as you approach. Floating effortlessly among the sea of stars is the world, a continent many hundreds of thousands times the size of the city. It is boarded by barren mountains, and covered with oceans of water, more than you ever thought possible to exist. There is land as well, with vast stretches of grass the size of a sea, and wide tracts of forest with trees far taller than the city itself. Towards the middle of this world, the green verdage gives way to red sandy deserts, running for miles towards a great stone pillar wider than the city itself, where atop sits a blazing, fiery sphere that spreads its light for miles through the sky.
And the sky, the sky is Blue! A thousand different hews from Rich sapphire to pale tourmaline, broken only by a light and fluffy substance that glows white in the bright light of the pillared fire.
All too soon, the wondrous scene diminishes in size even as it increases in detail, the City moving towards its destination. It is the joining of two great rivers in an enormous lake, which then forms a third river. Three expanses of land enclose the rivers. On one expanse, a mighty forest rises. The tree’s are at least a hundred people in girth, arms outstretched, and rise to such a height as to touch the sky! The second expanse is a desolate stretch of earth, cracked and broken, with fractured stone monoliths reaching towards the sky like clutching hands. The third stretch of land is a verdant wilderness of endless grass as far as you can see – ending with a large cliff overlooking the lake.
Again the Loremaster speaks.
“Now, our three great concerns, and they are at odds, are secrecy, trade and defence. As fortune would have it, we have at least three choices – the grassland cliff, the great woods, or the broken lands. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. The high council has actually debated for many months over this decision, and in the end decided to leave the decision up to the ‘wisdom of the eldest among them’. Pity is, I could not decide either, so after much personal deliberation, I have decided to leave the decision up to you!
“So, where do you think we should park? And, um, you’ll need to decide rather quickly, as it appears the power crystals that cause this city to fly are getting… somewhat diminished right now!
And as they speak, the city gives a peculiar shudder from deep within its stone foundations you’ve not ever heard it make before…
And the sky, the sky is Blue! A thousand different hews from Rich sapphire to pale tourmaline, broken only by a light and fluffy substance that glows white in the bright light of the pillared fire.
All too soon, the wondrous scene diminishes in size even as it increases in detail, the City moving towards its destination. It is the joining of two great rivers in an enormous lake, which then forms a third river. Three expanses of land enclose the rivers. On one expanse, a mighty forest rises. The tree’s are at least a hundred people in girth, arms outstretched, and rise to such a height as to touch the sky! The second expanse is a desolate stretch of earth, cracked and broken, with fractured stone monoliths reaching towards the sky like clutching hands. The third stretch of land is a verdant wilderness of endless grass as far as you can see – ending with a large cliff overlooking the lake.
Again the Loremaster speaks.
“Now, our three great concerns, and they are at odds, are secrecy, trade and defence. As fortune would have it, we have at least three choices – the grassland cliff, the great woods, or the broken lands. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. The high council has actually debated for many months over this decision, and in the end decided to leave the decision up to the ‘wisdom of the eldest among them’. Pity is, I could not decide either, so after much personal deliberation, I have decided to leave the decision up to you!
“So, where do you think we should park? And, um, you’ll need to decide rather quickly, as it appears the power crystals that cause this city to fly are getting… somewhat diminished right now!
And as they speak, the city gives a peculiar shudder from deep within its stone foundations you’ve not ever heard it make before…
Lost city of the Exiles
The Hidden City of The EXILES
You are the exiles. You have no home.
The first time you can ever remember hearing the story was when you were barely an infant, sitting safely on your mothers lap, the tears caressing her eyes as she spoke of a place you knew she had only seen with her heart, yet deep inside your heart you knew every word was true.
“Millennia ago, from a time not even your grandparents remember, our people lived mighty city of light. There was no sun there, not even candles, because the glorious light never stopped shining. People were happy there, and lived their whole lives in peace. And when they died, their bodies rejoined the light that shone day and night, and we could hear them speak if we really really listened, so we never really lost those we loved.”
“The elements themselves were our servants there. The stones would shape themselves new each day just to suit us, and the water could rise up so you could drink it. No enemy could come to that place. Nothing bad or scary. And beauty, light, power and wisdom filled every heart and home. Best of all, the Gods themselves walked among us as our friends, our protectors, and our exemplars.”
“But then, one day, something terrible happened. We don’t know what it was, but we know our Gods were betrayed. The Great Enemy came one day with his hoards of terror. He slew or enslaved everyone he saw, and the rest… he exiled! In a single day the mighty city of light was split into a thousand shards like a broken crystal, and scattered among the universe.“
“He hunts those that remain for sport. Now, we don’t even know if we’re the last shard remaining of that once great City of Light. In respect, the place we call home is named “Lauresia” – the shard of light, or just the City. But this is not our home, this is not where we belong. Somewhere in the universe is the place where our souls go to when we die. It is a city where the light never stops shining, that is our home… and we… we are the exiles.”
You are the exiles. You have no home.
The first time you can ever remember hearing the story was when you were barely an infant, sitting safely on your mothers lap, the tears caressing her eyes as she spoke of a place you knew she had only seen with her heart, yet deep inside your heart you knew every word was true.
“Millennia ago, from a time not even your grandparents remember, our people lived mighty city of light. There was no sun there, not even candles, because the glorious light never stopped shining. People were happy there, and lived their whole lives in peace. And when they died, their bodies rejoined the light that shone day and night, and we could hear them speak if we really really listened, so we never really lost those we loved.”
“The elements themselves were our servants there. The stones would shape themselves new each day just to suit us, and the water could rise up so you could drink it. No enemy could come to that place. Nothing bad or scary. And beauty, light, power and wisdom filled every heart and home. Best of all, the Gods themselves walked among us as our friends, our protectors, and our exemplars.”
“But then, one day, something terrible happened. We don’t know what it was, but we know our Gods were betrayed. The Great Enemy came one day with his hoards of terror. He slew or enslaved everyone he saw, and the rest… he exiled! In a single day the mighty city of light was split into a thousand shards like a broken crystal, and scattered among the universe.“
“He hunts those that remain for sport. Now, we don’t even know if we’re the last shard remaining of that once great City of Light. In respect, the place we call home is named “Lauresia” – the shard of light, or just the City. But this is not our home, this is not where we belong. Somewhere in the universe is the place where our souls go to when we die. It is a city where the light never stops shining, that is our home… and we… we are the exiles.”
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