[BH] Storyline: Latent Lexicons and the Hunting Harvesters

[Lendri]

Lately, the library of the Harvest has been going unnoticed. What better way of bringing more attention to books than looking for them? It's time to supply the empty and dusty shelves of which the Reapers have long forgotten. Jared Richter, Executor of the Black Harvest, has suggested that the library needs more books to allow the more intellectual types learn another thing or two.
And of course.. those savvy romance novels, mm.

This is a storyline I am working on to get the Harvest into more fun adventures. Also, it goes along with the training regiments that are being set up, as the primary objective of the groups setting out to look for books are to find spell tomes. If you think your character would be interested in such a journey and experience, you can go ahead and sign up below to be in one of the groups that go out and look for books.

Unfortunately, I can't have 10 people all together in a group. That's just too much! So, I'm setting the limit of 5 per group per each adventure to better respond to emotes more thoroughly, and immerse those attending in a deeper and more interactive environmental roleplay session. Yaaay for interactive objects, woo!

The reason I'm posting this here and requesting people to sign up, is so that those who are lingering about with not much to do can set up a time for which they can attend, as people may be wanting to do these events more than others that are simply online at the time of calling. Meaning, Joe wants to be in this storyline because it sounds cool. So, naturally, Joe would sign up to be in the group before those who are loitering online and want to go just to go. (See what I'm getting at here?)

Also those who sign up are more reliable to actually make it to the event and stay for the duration of it rather than leave half-way or not seem interested in it at all. Now this doesn't mean people online won't be accepted, it just means those who sign up here first will get the spots before the people who didn't.

Will be posting updates on this thread as the story progresses.

[valonforth]

I would like to sign up with Amelia! She is not a member IC but she's participated in events before. If that makes me a reserve that's okay with me also

[Hawk]

I'd have replied to this, but I couldn't do either of the dates posted.

Still up for it, though!

[CappnRob]

What Hawk said! I can sign Maeia up for it if you give us new dates.

[Rowgen]

Aye, I'll try bring Mathabaeus or Malachai along.

[Lendri]

Will be trying this tomorrow around 11-12pm servertime.

Nevermind, will try this Wednesday at 11-12pm servertime.

[Lendri]

Stranglethorn's jungle was humid and foggy that afternoon, shrouded in a dense mist from the rain that pelted the earth prior. But a little gloomy weather wouldn't stop the Harvesters. As the four gathered together in Booty Bay, they asked for some reinforcements from the local populace to aid them in their journey to the unknown ruins that lie ahead. With hope, the Senior Deathspeaker and priest of the Light found two willing souls to assist. Six set out shortly after the grouping up in Booty Bay, only to be greeted outside the seaport's gates with rumbling thunder in the dark clouds above. A single rain drop fell to the damp soil below, thousands of others following in it's wake.

".. more rain."

The journey to the ruins was not an eventful one. Idle chatter, and a monsoon around them. Though as they approached the colossal mossy pillars on either side of an ascending staircase, the trip changed dramatically. Even the atmosphere around the fellow Harvest and friends felt denser, thicker with some sense of trespassing and malevolent force. Of course, they pressed on. All around them shrines of serpents lingered ominously as if warning them of what was to come. An extraordinary amount of detail was put into making the reptilian statues, precious gems glimmering in their eyes.

"This is beautiful," said the aged shadow priestess from behind the group. "Who ever knew such things existed.." If Maeia had eyes, they would be lit up with amazement and awe at the extent of how far this troll architecture presented itself. A true feat achieved for the trolls who had inhabited this place long ago, to have created a vista as fascinating as this. Though past the beauty, there was gloom. A hovering uncertainty that followed the group where ever they went, as if they were -not- suppose to be there. Yet they defied that feeling and kept trekking deeper within the forbidden ruins.

~

"Hurry!" Said a forsaken mage from the other side, ushering with her hands for the others to come across the bridge that lay between her and the rest of the group. The ropes were barely holding up the planks on what tattered threads they had left, though two women had already crossed.

"Maybe it isn't as bad as we thought it was." Lendri looked to the male beside her, him giving her a stare of pressing uneasiness. Sorum knew it wasn't a good idea. He should have trusted that instinct.
As the two made it half-way across the bridge, Sorum broke a rotted board beneath his foot. The sudden shift of the bridge was enough to snap through a rope, causing the whole thing to flip to it's side. The women gasped on the other side as Sorum fell to the watery depths below, and Lendri held onto the rope that was already beginning to pull apart. The armored priestess grabbed hold of the rope with both hands, shimmying her way back towards Maeia and the mage.

The deathknight orc that had accompanied them dived head first into the cold lake below, going to rescue the unfortunate forsaken. Maeia was lingering at the edge of the bridge, holding her hand out for Lendri to take. "Come on!"

Almost there.. Lendri thought to herself, reaching her hand one infront of the other.. Snap!
She was not quick enough as the rope snapped it's last threads, causing the woman to fall.

"Noo!" Maeia cried out in shock.

Splash..!
~

Fortunately, the forsaken who had taken a swim made it safely to land on the other side. Lendri wrenched out her tabard, looking quite agitated. Sorum had placed a hand onto her shoulder, congratulating on her for still being alive. His grip began to grow tighter, his claws digging into her skin. She winced, and he let go immediately. "Sorry."

Maeia decided to take a dive and head over to the others, while the female mage went on to the next bridge. As predicted, it collapsed as the other, and she fell onto jagged rocks below.
"Well, that's not good." Lendri muttered, scratching the back of her head.
"Oh no." Maeia frowned.

Again, the Deathknight saved the day by bringing the little miss all the way to the shore. Maeia casted her curative shadow magics onto her, mending the broken bones and rended flesh. Once again they began their journey to exploring the ruins. The seven came across a large temple, the stairs steeply ascending towards a stone tomb at the top in the center of a rock slab. No matter how much the group pushed, the tomb would not open. The orc had felt an immense disturbance in her conscious at this point, turning back and heading for the exit of the ruins.
"I cannot desecrate this place any further with you." And then, she was gone.

Only five remained now, and a whole ruin to discover.

~

"I think this is the last piece we need," Lendri concluded as she snatched the bloodied troll talisman from a corpse within a mausoleum. She turned towards Maeia and the others waiting outside, holding it up for them to see. The woman exited the small pyramid-shaped building, ducking her head down to escape through the opened stone door. As she stepped outside, an eerie presence befell the four. Shanne had disappeared earlier, but Lendri figured she was scared and ran off. Only Sorum, the two priestess', and the mage remained. Maeia glanced up to Lendri to examine the odd relic, only to be surprised by two glowing red eyes behind her.
"Be-Behind you!"
Lendri turned but saw nothing. Her eyes went back to Maeia, confused.
"I saw red eyes.."

"Let's go back to the bowls and get this over with." Sorum hastily suggested, waiting on Lendri to lead the way. And so she did.

The group was greeted once again by the snake shrine they had encountered earlier while exploring, three bowls situated under their agape mouths as if waiting to be fed. In two of the bowls, a snake skin and dead mouse lay still. A low stone hedge surrounded the offering shrine. On the tall surrounding walls of the area, troll skull statues outlined them with eye sockets black as night, and jaws hung open. A rather creepy architectural design, but the forsaken paid no mind to it. Lendri laid the final piece of the puzzle into the bowl, stepping back over the stone hedge to wait for anything to occur. A moment passed.. and as the forsaken were about to lose their hope and sanity, the snakes' mouths began to billow a black shadowy mist. It overflowed the bowls and began accumulating inside the square stone hedge. As this happened, the eyes of the snakes began to drip with a thick red substance.

"Is th-that bl-blood?" Maeia stuttered, taking a step back cautiously. Not a second after she commented had the howls of the dead start piercing the air. This place wasn't abandoned.. it was -cursed.- Cursed by the mummified trolls and their spirits that were never been laid to rest. And now, the four had to escape.
Lendri turned, only to notice that the skull statues lining the walls had serpents crawling out of their eyes.
"We need to go!" Maeia insisted, making way towards the archway heading out of the offering grounds.
"That's.. a good idea."

The others followed suit, sprinting towards the tall temple that had the tomb they spotted earlier.
"I bet that's where the book is!" Lendri yelled as they made way towards the troll structure, sprinting over the wooden bridge.

The stairs no longer were mossy and cracked, but they had a dark oozing liquid that dripped down each and every step. Lendri and Maeia clawed and crawled their way up the temple stairway, blood smeared all over their palms and clothing. As the duo reached the top, the others called from below and pointed at the mummified hands that protruded up from the moist soil all around them. Lendri stumbled up to the tomb, reaching inside to snatch the book clutched in the arms of a mummified troll that had them crossed over his chest. Just as her claw tips touched the cover of the tome, the mummy sat up and coughed a cloud of purple dust onto her face, grabbing her arm.

"A-Ah!" The priestess shrieked, yanking on her arm to get away. Maeia assisted, grabbing the book and hauling butt down the stairs. "What was that?!" She exclaimed, looking over Lendri with a worried expression.

"I do-don't know," The startled woman explained, sliding down the descending staircase with her priestess companion.

The forsaken hightailed it out of there as fast as they could, passing mummified trolls and malevolent forces of an unexplained nature. A sludge-like substance erupted from a nearby trollish hut, almost grabbing Sorum as they sprinted past. The entrance was so close, they were practically already there! Four pairs of stumbling boots and slippers burst from the tiki hut door entrance, it slamming behind them as they barely managed to escape. Lendri looked back, ghostlights flaring in bewilderment. They continued to run all the way to the goblin lumbercamp that seemed like miles away.