Beyond Average Prequel [DiceRPG]

 

Rank Gained
Bronze

Paul had left early in the morning, taking with him a small group of Iyrmen who had been willing to assist him. It hadn't been hard to convince them, for Paul was a respected member, and there had been many Iyrmen who had asked him for the honour of assistance.

Adam met with Asomin early in the morning, who had brought along four others. Three were familiar faces, Alten and Robert, as well as the gnarled face of Oshgar. The last was an unknown face to him, a man that was tall and strong, built like a mountain.

"I have heard you've met Oshgar already," Asomin said, "but I will introduce you again. This is Oshgar, he is of the Steel. His story is linked with Jurot, though I suppose you know that already."

"If I recall correctly,” Adam said, “Jurot and his father, Surot, once met Balrog. They found you and your brother, and brought the pair of you home, though your brother was dead."

Oshgar nodded. "It was not just Surot and Jurot, for Arit here had journeyed with them."

Adam glanced at the mountain man, who carried with him a great-axe. The man greeted Adam with a nod of his head and that was that. He was a man of few words, that was the feeling that Adam could feel emanate from the mountainous man.

How curious it was that they were all entwined in such a way, as though destiny had brought them together. He glanced towards Robert and Alten, wondering why they were coming. He would have preferred to be surrounded by Iyrmen.

"You are all ready, yes?" Asomin asked as he glanced between the three foreigners.

"Shouldn't we speak of how we'll split the loot?" Adam asked.

"Six men, six ways," Asomin replied, as though it was as simple as that. It was.

With everyone ready, they headed out. As they made their way through the Iyr, they found themselves being cheered on by the Iyr. Many were clapping and hollering, wishing them fortune and luck.

Turot had appeared from the crowd, shouting out something in their language, though it mostly sounded like a battlecry. Adam nodded, and Turot returned the nod. The boy’s eyes were gleaming, no doubt expecting stories when the group would return.

If they returned.

The group of six left the safety of the Iyr walls behind them, welcoming the forest as they marched onward. Adam could smell the difference of air between the Iyr and the forest. It was subtle, but being in the Iyr for so long, he could smell it with ease. It was far earthier in the Iyr, whereas in the forest it was far more woody, obviously.

The group followed Asomin, who had been picked as the leader. Adam didn't know what entailed, but he assumed Asomin called the shots, and they would obey. Perhaps there was something more to being a leader, though he doubted that Asomin would have the foreigners follow those ways so rigidly.

The group travelled for a long time, following a path that the Iyrmen seemed used to. It wasn’t a beaten path, but a path that perhaps he frequented every few months, as though going for a hike.

"You're from Esther?” Asomin said. “I've been to Esther, it is a place of wonder. The tower of Arshblack, yes?"

"That's the one," Robert replied. "The mage is alive and well. He has been since my grandfather's time."

"I heard that he can rain down fireballs all day.”

"Knowing him, it's quite likely."

"You have met the mage?"

"Once, when I was a boy,” Robert said as he nodded. “I saw him one day, there had been a dragon attack nearby and he went to observe."

Adam stood a little taller. What kind of place was Robert from if he could speak of dragon attacks so casually.

"Did you see the dragon?" Adam asked, unable to control his curiosity.

"No," Robert replied, surprising Adam that he spoke with little to no hostility. "The attack was at a nearby village, a few miles away. We heard of it a little later, and by then the dragon had already finished dealing with it. Esther is well protected against such matters, especially with Arshblack, but the village wasn't quite so fortunate. They had offended the dragon with their offerings, a small stash of rusty weapons.”

Asomin shook his head and tutted. "Rusty weapons? What folly."

Even Adam knew that handing over rusty weapons to a dragon was a bad idea. Unless the dragon was a grey dragon, which loved all types of weapons, but he doubted that the dragon had been grey if it destroyed the village.

They continued along whilst chatting, and hours passed by, they eventually arrived at a small outpost. It was an area that was fairly large, with a half-wall, a circular camp, and in the middle was a small circle for a fire pit.

They rested, eating some rations. The Iyr had provided them with a week's worth of rations, though Arit and Asomin had also picked some berries and fruit as they trekked through the forest.

"We will meet with the other groups near an old fort by tomorrow dusk," Asomin said. "We shouldn't encounter any undead for some time, for even the undead aren't so stupid that they would walk so close to the Iyr."

"Are undead a common sight around this area?" Adam asked.

"Not for some generations. There have been a number of creatures that have claimed the forest, even a dragon at one time. We have driven them away each time, for this forest belongs to we Iyrmen."

A dragon? So close? Adam wasn't sure he wanted to meet a dragon as of yet, he wasn't too powerful, and his gear was still very much the gear of a novice. If he had full plate, a magical weapon, access to more powerful spells, he would have been more confident about such a meeting.

"How many Iyrmen will there be at the fort? Thirty?"

"That's right," Iromin said. "Did you meet a fort of Iyrmen on the way?"

"We did," Adam said with a nod. "Mirot had spoken with Paul and then brought us to a ruined area, not quite a fort. Then some undead attacked and the Iyrmen dealt with it as though they were up against donkeys."

"Undead are not so difficult, especially if you have a warhammer or a maul."

"Oh?" Adam asked. "Why is that?"

"They are weak to such weapons, the blunt force can scatter their bones easily. This is only specific to skeletons, which is most of what we have seen so far. The undead minotaurs, those of flesh, and those of a similar nature, are not so weak against blunt weaponry.”

Adam made a mental note of that. "Charging minotaurs are quite an issue," Adam said.

Asomin smirked. "Yes, I have heard. The minotaur you faced was flesh-like, yes?"

“I’m fairly certain it was real, not undead.”

“We have heard such tales, minotaurs and undead working together. Perhaps it is the same?”

“Perhaps.”

The group finished their food and then made their way onward. The sounds of the forest accompanied them, the bustling of various creatures, the swaying of branches bending to the whims of the wind, the tweeting of birds in the distance. It was as though Gale was watching them on their journey.

They followed the dirt path for a long while, with Asomin cutting away some branches here and there with his blade. Adam hadn't spied his blade in its full glory yet. It was a metal blade, though there was a sheen of blue, as though during the process the steel had been melted and then a single drop of blue was allowed to taint it. The blade was a little shorter than his own longsword, by a few inches, but it was also wider by about a thumbs width. It cut through the branches with ease, the branches falling away as if they were charmed by the blade to do so.

They approached the small camp in the distance, though the shadow of a figure could be spotted. The sun was still high in the sky, though was arching its way to the side. Asomin raised a hand to stop everyone, paused for a moment and inspected the figure, before he dropped his hand and continued onward casually.

The figure was a man, tall and lean. No doubt he was a man of the Iyr, from the way that he sat, his posture, as well as his overall disposition. Dark hair, furs of crimson, a pair of short-swords against their side. Against his neck was a sliver of gold.

"Heinov," said Asomin, "it is good to see you returned."

"I have not yet returned," Heinov replied. "Undead plague the lands, there is work to be done yet.”

"We have accepted a quest to deal with the matter as well," Asomin said.

The group then began to make their camp for the night. Heinov hadn't lit the flames, but Arit did so in order to cook for them.

This was the first gold ranked adventurer that Adam had met. The gold token was similar to his own token, though a little thinner and smaller. It was so… heavy? Adam wasn’t quite sure if that was the word, but it was as though the item held with it more than just the weight of its material. Adam noted that the rest were also wearing the tokens, though he hadn't seen many within the Iyr actually wear them.

Asomin introduced the four strangers to one another. "Heinov has been gone from the Iyr for over a decade," Asomin said. "One of the very few who had left with a complete party of our own kin."

"We have moved our separate ways for now, for there has been much trouble in the world."

Asomin then introduced the others to Heinov, speaking quite highly of both Robert and Adam.

"What stories can you tell us?" Asomin asked as they sat about the camp, the crackling flames warming them up.

Arit cooked and Oshgar took watch as Heinov spoke of his stories. His latest conquest had been a wyrm off in the east, where men wore a single piece cloth around their body, and the women wore scarves, which hid them from the heat. The wyrm was a mindless thing that had been under the control of a mage, harassing a number of villages. He and Leeniv, a distant cousin, had gone to slay it.

"The beast was no matter," he said, explaining how he had slain it. “My cousin and I had allowed it to come attack us freely, and the moment it was within our grasp, we struck it with such ferocity that it was dead before one could have blinked. I tore into its neck with my blades, piercing through its neck and allowed it to bath me in its blood, for a bath in the blood of a wyrm is a great bath.” He paused for a moment and smiled, as though reliving the memory. "The mage used his magics to slip away from us. He is further east now, I hear, but our task was done, and we had revealed the true criminal."

"Have you brought any scales with you?"

"A few, for the children. The wyrm’s carcass is with a confidant." Heinov revealed a scale. It was the colour of sand, though perhaps a shade darker as though there was the lightest of shadow falling across it. He passed it around as each person felt the scale. It was hard, though that was to be expected, and rather smooth to the touch.

Soon they were all sharing a stew together, speaking of many stories, most that Adam and never heard, though there were a couple that seemed familiar. He wasn't sure if they had been told by Sonarot, or if they were unrelated but with how many Iyrmen went out, there was bound to be some crossover in beasts they faced.

Watches were handed out. Heinov, Oshgar and Adam, Asomin and Robert, and finally Arit with Alten. Adam would have preferred to take the first or last watch, but he didn’t complain.

Adam found himself a nice tree to curl up beside. He sank into his bedroll and then stared up at the stars for a short while, thinking. He wasn’t thinking about anything in particular, just bits and pieces of thoughts, as though his thoughts were a shattered cup and he was picking up the shards of thoughts, one by one, and placing them aside. Then the darkness came to him.

Heinov shook him awake. “There was a bone dragon flying overhead not long ago,” he said. “It passed by.” The man then turned and found himself a tree, wrapping his blanket around himself to sleep.

‘Excuse me? A bone dragon?’

Adam’s eyes darted up to the sky as he looked around it to see whether or not he could spot it, or anything else.

Perception
D20 + 4 = 19 (15)
Success!

He saw a sea of stars in the sky, even finding himself the brightest star, but there were no bone dragons. He did, however, spy that some of the stars were being blacked out by something.

“Oshgar,” Adam whispered, motioning with a hand as he raised his other hand to point. Oshgar crept up close, throwing a glance around, before following Adam’s finger with his eyes. “Do you see it? The stars are being blocked by something…”

Oshgar stared up into the sky, squinting. He nodded his head and then looked to Adam. “It is a roc,” he said.

“A rock?” Adam asked.

“Roc. A giant winged beast, the size of a village, with the appearance of a bird.” Oshgar’s eyes fell across the camp, making sure nothing was coming towards it.

Adam raised his brows in surprise. ‘The size of a village?’ the half-elf thought. “That’s a big bird.”

“Not a bird, but a demon. It is not native to our world.”

“Why is it here?”

“This one? I do not know. Rocs appeared in the world many years ago. They often are at odds with younger dragons, though they leave the land if there is a stronger dragon in its territory.”

“They sound terrifying,” Adam said.

“They are,” Oshgar said, turning to stare Adam in the eye, “to normal men.”

Oshgar held no fear within his eyes. He had spoken of the roc in the same way that Heinov had spoken of the bone dragon. Iyrmen were just built different.

“What’s a bone dragon?” Adam asked.

“A dragon that has been resurrected, though only it’s bones.”

“Oh…”

“Not quite as dangerous as a living dragon of the same age, but dangerous still. It has no abilities to breath its magic, but it’s bite and claws are still powerful.”

“Could we take one on?”

“Yes.”

Adam was surprised by that. With the group of them they could take one on? That was interesting.

“With Heinov, I am uncertain how many of us would live after…”

“Oh.”

Perception
D20 + 4 = 21 (17)
Success!

The rest of their watch went by uneventfully, with Adam certain he would have been able to spot anything. He could see as though it was day thanks to the moonlight out, so he was confident in his assessment. Eventually they awoke the next lot up, Adam waking up Asomin.

“A roc?” Asomin asked, his face in a foxly grin. “What a sign,” he said, his eyes flashing with excitement.

Adam wasn’t entirely sure if that was good or bad, but he went to sleep regardless. Again he welcomed the blackness, sleeping in the dreamless slumber he had only experienced so far in this world.

“I wonder what other creatures have come,” Asomin said as the group gathered around the fire, Oshgar keeping an eye out. “A bone dragon and a roc…” he whispered in child-like wonder.

The group ate together, and he noted how excited the Iyrmen were with potentially facing such creatures. Adam wasn’t entirely enthused about it, though he was hoping to earn some experience during the journey. The breakfast was a heavy meal of meat and vegetable soup, which was about what he expected. He wondered how they were keeping the meat so fresh, though considering it was quite salty, he assumed it was connected to that.

They group moved together, Asomin still leading the group as Heinov brought up the rear. Adam remained near Heinov, though would find that the man would sometimes disappear into the wood before returning a short while later. He left the man to his business.

As the sun swung overhead, beating them down with its heavy rays, they finally came across a fort. It was built from stone and earth, with half walls that surrounded it. It jut out the side of the hill, giving new meaning to hill fort, and the only way to get up to it was to move along some stone steps that jut out the side of the hill.

Adam stared at the steps, sweating profusely. He didn’t like heights, they weren’t his cup of tea, and so as he stared at them, his armour threatened to rust due to how much he was sweating.

“Are you alright?” Asomin asked, approaching the half-elf.

“I’m fine,” Adam said, trying to sound confident. “Would you mind if I go last? I don’t want to slow anyone down.”

“If you go last, no one will be able to catch you.”

“Good point…”

The hill fort was about a hundred feet off the ground, and Adam was not a fan of those steps. If there had been a rail, he wouldn’t have minded so much, but there wasn’t, and there were small gaps between the steps. He felt his stomach churn, his body grow colder, and his need for a nice cuppa heighten.

“Very well, we will take the long way around,” Asomin said, noting the half-elf’s nerves.

“Oh, no, it’s fine.” Adam inhaled deeply. “I just need a second to prepare.” Adam cleared his throat and then paced about, clasping his wrist with his other hand in order to keep both from shaking. ‘Be sensible, Adam. Just increase your health, pray for luck, and get to it. You don’t want to embarrass yourself in front of the Iyrmen, and especially not Alten and Robert, those pri-’

Omen
1, 12

He didn’t trust that twelve, even if his modifiers were pretty decent. If this was a quick check, he’d rather have a higher number. He checked his spells to see which would work best for this scenario.

Counsel, Half Life, Aid, Invisibility

Counsel would give him a small bonus to his checks. Half Life and Aid both increased his hit points, plus he could increase anyone else's that may need a little extra in case they fell. Invisibility… well, if he fell, at least he could hide his embarrassment.

“Behind you!” Asomin exclaimed, cutting Adam out of his thoughts..

Adam turned, and-

Health: 122 -> 104

Might Save
D20 + 8 = 22 (14)
Success!

A charging skeletal bull slammed into him, pushing him back a few feet before he grabbed onto its mighty horns and braced himself. The pain wasn’t too unbearable, as his armour had taken most of the blow, though he could still feel himself bruise.

“To battle!” Asomin exclaimed.

Battle Order
D20 - 1 = 8 (9)

Adam reached down and grabbed onto his blade, noting that there were a large number of skeletal beasts that were appearing. ‘Oh dear,’ he thought. There were more oxen, or whatever this creature was, as well as wolves, even larger wolves, and elks. There were dozens of them, all charging towards the Iyrmen. Beyond them Adam could even spy a sea of more skeletal beasts.

Mana: 18-> 16
Spell: Shatter
3D6+3 (1, 3, 4,)
11 thunder damage!

“We need to move!” Adam exclaimed as he reached out a hand, his other hand reaching for his die, and then summoned forth his powers. The arcane powers travelled from his core and to his hand, before his open palm formed into a fist. “Scatter!” It was a statement towards both his party, as well as to draw out the arcane power from within.

The thunderous might struck many of the wolves and the larger wolves, wolves scattering to a thousand pieces, though the larger wolves continued to charge forward through the thundering magic.

The skeletal ox ahead of him tried to force itself through him, but Adam stepped aside and then let it fall past him. Adam quickly looked back to see that the Iyrmen hadn’t taken his words to heart, instead engaging into battle with eager glee.

‘Of course...’

Attack
D20 + 8 = 10 (2)
Miss!

Attack
D20 + 8 = 10 (2)
Miss!

Adam drew his sword and then swiped twice towards the behind of the ox, though each time he swung he somehow managed to swipe between the bones of the creature. Adam froze for a moment, utterly astonished by his luck, or lack thereof. He could hear thundering behind him, but it seemed distant, and he was too preoccupied with his embarrassment.

‘Oh, please…’

As he was pondering his poor luck in the moment, dejected by his lack of ability, when the creature turned and managed to glance off of his armour, causing him to stumble backwards.

Health: 104 -> 87

“Oof!” He winced, but inhaled deeply. He would not allow a skeletal cow be the end of him. A wolf? Perhaps. A tiger? Perhaps. A cow? No.

Turn Undead: 1 -> 0

If he was going to be unlucky, then he may as well not roll at all. “Begone!” he exclaimed proudly, pulling up his Belle amulet with his free hand, revealing it for all to see. It glowed white and then flashed the area, the light seeping into the bones of the nearby skeletal beasts.

He stared down at the cow, who looked up at the amulet. The skeletal wolves that had charged towards Alten and Robert, skid to a halt and then turned to flee. The giant skeletal wolf that had charged the pair of men was undeterred. The cow remained there, staring up at him. It tried to headbutt Adam, but he stepped aside. Adam’s mouth fell open in astonishment. He didn’t even need to roll and he failed!

Samurai Spirit
3 -> 2
Health: 87 -> 92

Tough Spirit
1 -> 0
D6 + 7 = 11 (4)
Health: 92 -> 103

Attack
D20 + 8 = 18 (10)
D20 + 8 = 19 (11)
Hit!
D6 + 7 = 10 (3)
10 damage!

Attack
D20 + 8 = 13 (5)
D20 + 8 = 13 (5)
Hit!
D6 + 7 = 9 (2)
9 damage!

Adam’s blade clattered against the creature’s ribcage, causing shards of bone to fly through the air. He brought his blade down again, this time striking against its horn, cracking it with his blade.

“You don’t have any meat on you either!” Adam growled out, frustrated from the embarrassing display, though now feeling much better about himself. With his newfound confidence, he stepped aside the creature as the pair continued their bout. It had been angered by his insult, no doubt, perhaps he had unnerved it? It wobbled on its legs, trying to catch him, but Adam continued to dodge and weave, the creature barely managing to strike his chain.

Attack
D20 + 8 = 26 (18)
Hit!
D6 + 7 = 11 (4)
11 damage!

Attack
D20 + 8 = 20 (12)
Hit!
D6 + 7 = 10 (3)
10 damage!

Adam swung wildly with the next two blows, as though he himself were an Iyrman, and struck the creature twice with his hard blows. The bones scattered across the air before he finally cut the pair of horns off, allowing the creature to drop. He glanced behind himself to see that his party were doing quite well. He could see lightning all about Arit as he fought with his giant axe.

‘Whoa…’

Adam charged up towards the large skeletal wolf, ready and eager to join the battle. Then came a roar, which stopped him in his tracks. It was not the roar of a beast, no, it was the roar of a mighty creature, crying out in shame. From the heavens descended a creature made of bone, it’s wings out, somehow able to fly even though there was no sinew or flesh to aid it. The body was long, from it’s face jut out several spikes, which matched the spikes along its spine.

A bone dragon.

Arcane Lore
D20 + 8 = 15 (7)
Success!

“Oh no…”

The bone dragon wasn’t just any bone dragon. The features it possessed were that of a silver dragon, arguably the most noble of the dragons, or at the very least, the friendliest. The silver dragons were those who would often assist the mortal folk of the land, or secretly walk amongst them, though often aided them. A deep sadness filled Adam, seeing a once mighty and beautiful creature falling this low.

As it approached, the various bone creatures nearby began to falter and then dropped until they were just a pile of bones, save for the various cow creatures and the larger wolves. The elks had seemingly disappeared, though he wasn’t sure if that was because of him, or because they had been dealt with.

The bone dragon dove down towards them, speeding with every passing second.

“Gather!” Asomin called out, motioning an arm. The group had a moment to prepare as they finished up defeating the remaining creatures with ease.

Instead of assisting them in dealing with the bone creatures, as they were more than capable of doing that without him, Adam raised a hand and called out a prayer.

“If you wouldn’t mind assisting us,” he said, calling out to Belle.

Mana: 16 -> 14
Spell: Aid
Health: 103 -> 108

The comfort spread through his body, filling him with warmth. Robert and Alten inhaled sharply as strength filled them once more, glancing over in Adam’s direction as the creature continued its descent.

Adam was just about to don his shield when the creature veered off course slightly, aiming for him, and the other non-Iyrmen.

‘Oh dear,’ Adam thought.

He had just managed to bring his shield up above his head when the creature stopped its descent, spreading out its wings, and then twisted in a most unnatural manner, crashing it’s hefty claws against the pair of men nearby.

Adam thanked his lucky stars it wasn’t going to atta-

There was a coldness that clung to the back of his neck, before he managed to bring down his shield just in time. The giant maw snapped at him, but he punted it away with his strength. His heart thundered within his chest, his eyes wide as he stepped aside. He swallowed, but his mouth was dry.

“Oh my god!” Adam exclaimed, a jittery laughter escaping his lips, his eyes wide.

Yet there was another shadow that loomed over, several figures approaching them from the heavens quickly. Adam could hear the clattering of metal against bone as the creature was assaulted by all sides by the various Iyrmen, thundering from Arit no doubt, ready and eager to slay such a might creature. Already its mass of bones decreased to about half of its mighty form, it now shambling from side to side.

Mana: 14 -> 12

Spell: Spectral Weapon
D20 + 4 = 20 (16)
Hit!
1D6 + 1 = 7 (6)
7 force damage!

Samurai Spirit
2 -> 1
HP: 100 -> 105

Attack
D20 + 8 = 16 (8)
D20 + 8 = 24 (16)
Hit!
1 (Unarmed) + 6 = 7
Vulnerability exploited!
14 damage!

Attack
D20 + 8 = 13 (5)
D20 + 8 = 18 (10)
Hit!
1 + 6 = 7
Vulnerability exploited!
14 damage!

Onward Soar
1 -> 0

Attack
D20 + 8 = 12 (4)
D20 + 8 = 24 (16)
Hit!
1 + 6 = 7
Vulnerability exploited!
14 damage!

Attack
D20 + 8 = 19 (11)
D20 + 8 = 25 (17)
Hit!
1 + 6 = 7
Vulnerability exploited!
14 damage!

Adam inhaled deeply, his heart pounding like a thousand drums. “Come to me, Excalibur!” Adam called forth, summoning the divine powers from deep within him. The spectral blade swung through the undead beast, blasting bones asunder.

Adam inhaled deeply and called forth his inner spirit, trying to calm himself. He recalled what Asomin had told him, about how certain weapons would deal more damage to skeletal beasts. He only had one weapon that could deal such damage.

His fists.

So Adam, clenching his fist, shoved it into the maw, screamed in utter terror, and then flurried blows against the creature’s throat. The bones shook and shuddered under his blows before it began to crumple before him as four figures cut themselves against the bones as they dropped a hundred feet on top of the now defeated bone dragon, bones flying off into the air.