Around Amia, four persons suddenly vanished in the middle of whatever it was they were doing. Where they went... who knows?

// This is a thread for you four, who know what I'm talking about, to post the story of what happened from your char's perspective. Have at it, or else!

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Krimmor Nurad ~ Master of Greed

One moment she had been talking to the drunk and the next thing Dezra Mep’thris knew was that her vision had gotten blurry, her feet growing heavy and being swept up right from under her, along with her body only to drop her in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of somewhere, somewhere dark, so dark that she couldn’t see! In the darkest of rooms, in the moonless nights she could see but here she couldn’t! She blinked furiously, believing something was wrong with her eyes, something must have been wrong, but no… there was only nothingness and voices…

Karl? That sand-lover she had encountered so long ago in Cordor and then again in the same accursed place? What was he doing here? …and the other voice rang in her ears, recollection of her brief conversation in Wiltun, where everything went wrong and threw her in this place that was making her skin prickle and her hair stand on end.

She spoke to them, at first confused, lost, not understanding why they were there and most importantly – why SHE was there, her vision lost to her, but apparently she wasn’t the only one, permanent and impenetrable blindness had struck them all, it was dangling in the air, keeping their eyes shut even thought they were perfectly wide and seeking…and then came the voices…greedy, hungry, their shrill presence making her want to crawl next to the walls and climb, even if there was no chance of reaching an escape route, she felt like she would rather die of starvation than let them approach, let the horrors behind the macabre voices take over her body, her soul (or what was left of it) and her mind.

She tried to put on her helm, to make the shrill wind stop blowing on her face, stop trying to crawl up into her ears and suck the sanity out of her skull, but it only intensified the screeches, it made her ears bleed or at least it felt like it and she almost threw her helmet away, but held on to it, her deep, dark greed and need to preserve her possessions making her place the helm in her bag, tucking it away as…they got attacked.

Fleshy claws sunk into her skin, ripped apart her fancy clothes and drained the energy out of her. She felt weakened, with every strike and she quickly grabbed onto her bow, shooting whatever arrows her hands could grasp before the blows came again, ripping and tearing at her flesh, exposing her ribs… but there was no pain, only fear and confusion, the adrenaline blocking out all other feelings or instincts apart from those of preserving her life as she quickly drank whatever potions were in her possession and used a scroll which soon made her body morph and shift, turning her into a fearsome dragon with a coward’s heart.

As she tried to make sense of her surroundings in the new shape she bumped into another large form, a second dragon. For a moment she considered attacking it immediately but no, it was fighting the undead, the creatures which were trying to sap the life out of her. She joined in the fight, trying to coordinate her newly-acquired large claws and rip the decaying bodies into pieces. She was led by nothing other than her instincts of survival as she sunk her jaws into them, spitting out rotten limbs, before moving on to another until…there were no more, or were there?

She looked around but could see nothing more than she could when she was a mere moon elf. The cave was as dark as ever and the resonance of the voices only intensified, the wind’s howl becoming unbearable to her dragon ears as she shifted back, reluctantly but surely, her wounds healing magically, aided by the ring on her finger.

Her heart was beating at unhealthy rates as the men suggested they move forward, but forward to where? There was nothing to be seen and everywhere she stepped her feet met the cold cave-like floor. The drunk, who called himself Shadow, offered her whisky, to calm her nerves and bring her back to their situation. Even in this bleak place, assaulted by screeches and physically abused by the wind she found it ridiculous, she found him ridiculous but had to agree with the idea of moving on.

Slowly but steadily they advanced and as the sounds came again she bumped into walls, trying desperately to find some escape, some relieve from the attackers, who were coming from the right…no from the left, from above, for her life she couldn’t tell anymore! Dezra pinned her back against the nearest cave wall and waited, there was nothing else she could do, no place to go and no shadows to disappear into in this dark nothingness, this cage that had taken away the luxury of sigh and the hope out of her mind.

And they came again… and she fought, using whatever strength she had, using whatever arrows that had been last strung to her belt, but her efforts were futile, she could barely hit them and they didn’t even seem to flinch, their decaying bodies taking the blows without a care. That was when she started her pointless run, and she ran, around in a circle as the others fought. Some of the beasts were after her, she knew, and she continued her blind rush, occasionally running into the others but bouncing right off and supporting her efforts, her feet carrying her away to anywhere but near the claws that reached for her exposed skin.

And soon it was over…the fight was over but her instincts told her it wouldn’t be the last and they moved on and walked and walked, but the voices never left…they were persisting, even more, becoming familiar! She ran away in fear but the voice followed her around, a voice from her past, a man she once knew or was he? As he spoke to her and reminded her of all that she had had to endure she could not care for the dark anymore, as he ordered her to reenact scenes from her distant memories she growled, her heart pounding with hatred and her eyes burning with it. Soon her bow was in the air and shooting arrows at the nearest wall, and even at Karl when he decided to interrupt her insane insults and growls, all directed at something that wasn’t there, something that had long ago stopped being real.

She took in deep breaths, her chest pounding as she lowered her bow and followed them again, back to the reality of this nightmare that seemed to have no end, in this cave that led to nowhere and nothing but copses, yes, what they were going to become! And… out of nowhere, a voice, a woman, no, a witch, the one that had trapped them in here was standing right before them, asking THEM where she was and pretending not to understand a word of their predicament.

Dezra pointed her bow at the witch (or at least in the direction of her voice), demanding that she tell them which way led back to the real world, back to another world she had left and apparently wanted to return to, but the woman only fled and pleaded for her life, lying and begging, seemingly enjoying this little game of hers. Then Karl…approached Dezra and told her to stand still, commencing to light her clothes up, a light so bright in this eternal dark that it made her eyes burn as she stumbled back and collapsed near a wall.

She cursed in her mind before getting up, her eyes pained by the slightest attempt to open them and she peered around, her poor eyes practically frying each time they observed the air in front of her. The witch was still here and the drunk considered her a sign, a way out, but all Dezra could think about was killing her, making her winy voice stop, making at least one voice cease throwing out another word for her battered ears to hear and send to her brain.

And then she was assaulted again…she was in a cage, a room, she beheld a fireplace and stood on a stool, and before her the ugliest man she had ever seen or was remembering. As the vision went on she was outwardly screaming and cursing again, the hatred filing her eyes and driving her feet kicking at thin air. She told him he was never going to touch her again, not now, not after all that had happened, not after she had escaped!

The vision left her tired, sore and confused as she returned back into the cave. The others were walking again, she could hear their voices…where were they going? Why did they care?

She followed. For no reason. She just followed and hoped to get somewhere or hoped to just keep moving. There was nothing to do and nowhere to go but on, on with the path and wherever it led, on with this pointless life, with every useless step…and then they ran into something, another voice, another lunatic, or maybe the one who trapped them here? He spoke of others, he spoke of an “Out” and he spoke of a village but Dezra wasn’t paying attention, she was threatening him and demanding her freedom, her sanity, her life back!

The others decided to trust him…and there was really no point in killing him, only maybe a final satisfaction, someone to blame before the big and final end and all of a sudden…she could see. It wasn’t much but she could make out their shapes, she could tell where they were standing and what they were holding and the creature was a dwarf. He led them into a room, a room with a sleeping mage. She wanted to kill them both, he had promised to lead them out after they beheld the village and she had. This “village” consisted of other poor sods, their minds clearly gone, their sanity taken, crying and moving like dumb animals which had lost their sight.

In the end this was a pointless action as well, she knew, everything was pointless, they were just avoiding the inevitable and when the dwarf told them that the only way out lied in drinking some sort of potions which was supposed to lead them into a mad wizard’s mind she took it up and gulped down its contents, Karl having done the same before her, and then it all went blank…

Dezra blinked and shielded her eyes with a glove, the sight was blinding. It looked like snow, but no, it was not cold, but warm and soft, everything felt nice, everything seemed peaceful, there were no more voices only pure white clouds moving across the sky. She places her helm on, trying to relieve her eyes of the light as she slowly started relaxing and yet…this was not right, they were definitely getting somewhere but this was an illusion, it had to be, just like all the other tricks.

She looked around at the others…the woman and the drunk were sitting in the snow, sand, whatever it was, looking at the sky like some dumb fools who had died and gone to heaven and Karl was leaning against a plant, his determination of getting out of earlier completely lost to this place. Dezra could feel her heart pumping, her frustration growing, the pointlessness of everything just tumbling all over her. She kicked them and demanded that they walk, she screamed and protected but they didn’t care…so she didn’t care and then they dropped and dropped good… into a fiery place.

This was the end…there was no more places to go from here and the demons were coming, big, hulking demons wielding massive weapons. So this was how it was going to end…this was her fate and her punishment and she looked up at the demon as it struck her and it hurt…it hurt so much that her feet started moving, trying in all their futility to preserve her body and keep her alive despite the fact that she didn’t care anymore.

Eventually, her body gave in and she fell near a wall, her eyes now pinned to the ceiling, blood rushing freely from her slowly closing wounds and.. for the first time in so long she felt like crying...this was the end and there would be no one to weep for her, no one to care, like it had always been. The demons came swiftly and loomed over her for a gruesome moment, his weapon soon coming down upon her already torn body and then there was nothing until she woke up and spit out blood and flesh, her body lying in a pool of her own making.

Before she knew it, she recognized the drunk’s voice and he told her that she was in hell…and she believed him. As she stood there magic worked furiously at closing the deep gaps that were on her arms, legs and abdomen. Soon enough she could walk, but barely, and her walk was pointless as the ground once again rushed from under her feet and planted her in a world of many sounds. Birds, wild animals, whatever it sounded like surely it didn’t seem normal, it’s didn’t even seem insane, it went past that and made her wish for her death.

Soon enough she followed the other because there was nothing else to do…they were even suggesting to make a village here but for what reason? Why did they care to go on living, they were clearly at the end of all things. And there he was…the wizard, saying that he knew their dreams and indeed he seemed to know them, he told her and she could not disagree, he told the others but she didn’t care for them, and then he asked them to bid something for a way out.

She didn’t know what could interest him, all alone in what he said was his mind so she offered her happiness, which was inexistent at that point, but in the end he chose to ask the woman…if she would give her life so that the rest could escape. The foolish woman fell for his tricks and offered her life but then…he imploded and vanished and before Dezra knew it, they were back in that cabin, that room, with the lunatic dwarf. He offered them gifts, another trick, Dezra would fall for no more tricks! She wanted out…or the small part of her that still cared did.

Her life was pointless…nothing mattered anymore and their voices became distant echoes in her mind, just weird arrangements of words swirling around her consciousness or close to subconscious…she didn’t listen, she just said that she wanted out, and that could have meant anything at this point as the world faded away from her eyes for the who knows how many-eth time and her feet landed on a floor.

Dezra looked around and she could see clearly, but she was exhausted, the sounds were familiar, but close-familiar as she beheld the interior of Wiltun’s Inn. The others were there as well…the winged woman, the drunk and the sand-lover, they seemed just as disorientated as she was and she stepped out after the drunk confirmed they were “back”.

She beheld the streets of Wiltun and blinked, approaching the nearest person and asking them if they were real and if this world was indeed real. In the end, and after much needed proof of the reality of her surroundings she dropped down to the ground, her back settled against the Inn’s outer wall, her form rested at the back of the mentioned building and she dragged her fingers through the hard ground…relishing in the feel of dirt.

//and thank you, Infernal_Pain for taking the time and supplying the effort for making this quest, it was fun for me and for Dezra. Also a thank you to the other participants, and bah your characters know too much about Dezra now!

Edit: spelling.

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Get Ready for It
Forum lurker.

I were just standing around in Wiltun, chatting around and drinking as always, When I suddenly appeared in this dark place, unable to see anything. I heard laughter, giggeling, random gibberish and a strong wind upon all that. I wasn't alone in that dark pit. I heard two other voices. Voices I could hear clear, and understand what they said. One of them I recognized from earlier, the one I was talking to just seconds before I ended up in this place. Then the gibbering came closer, something attacked me from the back. Horrible undead creatures came out of nowhere. I managed to draw my weapons and swung at them the best I could.
Then suddenly in the midle of the fight, I heard large footsteps, and growling. I managed to take down the undead I was fighting and then I noticed there are two dragons infront of me. I wasn't sure of what to do, as I knew I'd never survive an attack from -two- dragons, So I just waited for them to attack. But they didn't? One of them unshifted, and then I understood that they weren't hostiles, but the others who had been thrown down here.

We moved on to find a way out. Dez, the one I met in Wiltun before all this, suddenly just became weird, not listening to what we said, not following along. I thought perhaps some whiskey could make her better, it always does, doesn't it? Atleast the thought of whiskey made her following us again.
After maybe hours of searching for the way out, with no success what so ever, I took for granted that I'd never get out of there alive. And even if I do, I would never become a success. Life was just not worth living anymore. I grew more and more depressed by the thought of it. But I managed to pull myself together again, I wouldn't just sit in that dark cave and await my death. I had to try and get out, with, or without the others.

Apperantly the one named Karl was the only one staying sane in this place. As I located the others again, somebody was shooting arrows towards Karl, but I didn't have time to find out who, or why. I had to find the way out. Though it didn't take long for the others to keep on going again.

Suddenly, another shape appeard in the dark, or mostly a voice, as there was still too dark to see anything. I thought it to be the sign, the one who would lead me out of there. But the others didn't believe it to be the sign. They wanted to kill her! The sign was wondering where she was aswell, but I knew that she knew the way out. But thanks to the others she ran away and hid herself.

Then a light appeard, burning my eyes as I watched it. I quickly turned away from the bright light in the dark cave, trying to find the sign to lead me out of here. And then the wind got stronger, perhaps the way out? I rushed towards the strong wind in hope for an exit, but no.. It just went deeper into the cave. The sign had betrayed me. Perhaps the "sign" was the one who brought us down here in the first place? Then Dez out of a sudden started talking about a fireplace that didn't exist. And talking to herself, hitting the air as if someone where there. Then the sign aswell went mad. Saying she didn't want to touch herself? She was just getting so.. Annoying. It wasn't much to do then to move on, I thought.

She, the sign, then led us to a village. A dwarf came forth and introduced himself, wanting us to see his village. But why should I? He might be the "Sign's" minion! Why else would she bring us here? But, it appears he knew the way out. it was about now I felt "the sign" couldn't have brought us here, and neither get us out, as she addressed me as Master Shadow, I felt I had some kind of control over here. So If we already were doomed to die here, why not see what that dwarf can do to get us out? If not a way out, hopefully it'd be a faster way to die.

Then my vision got better, I could see. Atleast more then before. He led us inside a house. And inside there was mage, standing completely still, staring blankly at the wall infront of him. The dwarf, the pothead, said he was our way out, that guy that seemed to be brain dead. Apperantly some kind of potion had made him that way, and the dwarf wanted us to drink it aswell. To make us brain dead aswell? Karl and Dez didn't seem to care much and drank the potion almost right away, though I didn't completely trust it. Karl didn't even react to a hit below the belt. I sure didn't want to be like that.
I orderd "The sign" to drink the potion before me, and she did. Becoming like the others. I thought I could make the pothead drink the potion before me aswell, though he threw it at me before any of it's content touched his lips. As fast as it touched my skin my eyes went black.

We ended up in a bright place. Snow on the ground, or no, It was white sand, nice and warm it was too. A place to spend ones life it was. It was even better then reality. I lied down on the warm, white sand and looked up at the sky. "The sign" lied down next to me, and I put my arm around her and took up a bottle of whiskey to relax. Almost as if I've forgotten about the past, that dark place, and the dwarf.
Someone kicked my legs, wanting us to get up and continue our search for the mage. But why should we? We can't get to any better place then this. I were here to stay. I just told her to stop, and go away.

Then suddenly we ended up in another cave, not as the one before, this one was warmer, and brighter. Before we knew it a big monster with a massive axe attacked us. This was the end, the monsters would kill us all. But I wouldn't go hide in a corner and do nothing, as I almost did once before. We managed to take down the first one, but not soon after that another came. They would probably just keep comming one after one.
It spotted Dez by the wall and it went to kill her. It was a hard battle but we managed to kill the second one aswell. But it managed to kill Dez before we killed it.
Fortunately for Dez I had a raise dead scroll to rise her up from the dead with. And out of a sudden, we were in another place.

Never had I seen anything like it. It was like I was inside a mad gnome's mind which thought he was a chicken, cow, dog and cat at the same time. Sounds from all kind of animals came to my ears from everywhere. And there was all kind of things around. "The sign" spotted a portal, the way out we thought! But no, when we came closer it appeard it didn't work. So we kept on looking, some kind of window were in the air, a sword stuck in the ground. All kinds of diffrent lights shining, a house built on the cilff. Karl went another way without us and found the mage. But this time he wasn't brain dead, atleast.
He knew the way out, finally, freedoom! But.. It wasn't that easy. Why should he just take us out of there? He wanted something in return for it. He didn't care for corpses it seems, he wanted "Valour". So "The sign" offerd him her life so that the rest of us could get out of here.
The mage suddenly imploded and suddenly we were back in the house with the pothead, but the mage was gone.

He offerd us a gift, before we were to get out. A helmet, a helmet with all the horrible voices we had stumbled across. As soon as Karl picked up the helmet we were back in Wiltun. The inn. Could this be another of his illusions? I had to be sure. There were atleast people outside the inn. They seemed to care when I poked and kicked them, so this it could only mean that we were back, home sweet home. I sat down behind the inn, opend a bottle of whiskey. Thinking back of what just had happend to me.

//Aye, many thanks to Infernal_Pain for this quest. It was great fun, and I ain't much of a writer, but I managed to put something up atleast. And thanks to Maias227 - Karl, Maryn - Náriel, Sylfwe - Dezra

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We are all drunktards?

Hurray for the Pink Headbags!

Karl muttered darkly as he sipped some of his exquisite wine. The images of a past journey flowed to him and brought back memories, most unpleasant memories. And to this day he still had no damn clue what had happened.
He had been home when suddenly a strong forced pulled him away. And dumped him into what what very well could have been the realm of the Black Sun. Endless screaming tore down the barricades of sanity. At least that's what happened to both his companions who he found stumbling near him in the dark.
While the screams and the voices echoed through both the cave system and his fragile mind, he didn't succumb like the others. A strange sense of familiarity made him almost welcome the hushed whispers of dark deeds and unspoken fears. With a prayer on his lip he managed to stride forward, even dragging the two others along with him.

In the middle of all this darkness a new shape and form appeared, a woman's voice called out in the darkness. Karl hadn't trusted her, even less than the others. He found it all to convenient for her to suddenly appear.. She might just be the one responsible. Yet the journey into the endless caverns of madness went on. Words were exchanged between them and some miserable victims of the raging madness. A possible escape was mentioned, Karl didn't care how and where, he wanted back to where he might rule his own fate.

And then the revelation came. As clear as lightning on a cloudless summer day, the very gates to life's purpose were laid bare out before him. The plant of destiny sung a sweet song to him in a place where no worries could take hold of him. The plant offered everything Karl had ever dreamed of. Within eye blinks it became his hope and saviour. No matter the perils as long as the plant sang its song he could overcome everything..

Yet someone stole it from him, broke his connection to the revels of the plant. As they plunged into a deep darkness of evil, he suspected the vile mysterious woman. It must have been her plot all along. To deny him the happiness and joy offered to him. Fighting against the denizens of the abyss was of little importance to him.. he wanted to find his plant again, his pathway to salvation.


Even as the scenery changed yet again into a rocky landscape his longing thoughts for the plant was only strengthened. He wandered among tokens of insanity, saw things that could not be yet he knew the worth of accepting them anyhow. The others searched with reason as if not understanding how futile it was to apply reason to a place of madness. Karl walked with a open mind to the tricks played and the absurdities unfolded as he somehow knew it was the only way to achieve anything here. He found what he was looking for, one to blame and demand the return of the plant from.

Pointless words were spoken, threat crossed threat yet in the end it was the words of the suspicious brat that made them free... apparently. Very convenient of her to know.. As the Noway inn came into sight in his memory he forced his mind back to the present. The familiar and howling winds of the Abyss brought a sly smile to his lips as he gulped down the remains of the wine. He could not recall what the plant looked like yet he was sure he could recognize its sweet and calling song. He would find it.. before the very end, he was sure to find it. How could anyone deny him his destiny?

//what the others said and I most sorry for being lazy in posting this:P

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...Hereof follows that the social contract is only beneficial as long as all have something and none have too much...
- Rousseau Book 1 Chapter 9 in "The Social Contract"