[Open] Chronicles of Nosdyn 1.

(Looking for one fellow Stonevale rper!!!)


Nosdyn stood in the forest area around Stonevale fora long time.

He was in deep thought, his mind contemplating the next move he would take. He sometimes traded with the city of Stonevale various things he found the forest. He was a Demon, but hid his nature well to take care of this and that matter. The surface dwellers, The Humes, were a notoriously racist lot to certain races. And that was fine for Nosdyn. He needed very little reason to actually attack someone. Nosdyn thought of his recent adventures with the kenku named Stare, and his new employer...Vitruvion.

That particular mission had been a success beyond Nosdyn's wildest dreams. But now it was time for him to expand his horizons and get more things done. That was the reason he'd traveled to Stonevale from Raiaera. Though in his line of business, he could set up shop anyplace. Currently, Nosdyn found himself some long yards away from Stonevale itself. He didn't like city noise to be certain. Further, he was planning something big. He wasn't sure what that something was, but he needed to be certain that it would be right for him.

As he paced a few moments, he decided to sit down calmly. He had a camp set up there, in the wild lands. That was his current base of operations there in Stonevale area. He liked deep wild lands, it helped calm his rage, his negative emotions. He knew that though he would rather control the whole damned thing...he was still learning to command HIMSELF. And that was the first step of any such journey.

He heard something nearby, and turned his attention towards a figure that approached from the shadows.

Nosdyn stood there calmly and stared at The Guard Captain of Stonevale.

"You." Nosdyn said carefully. "You have more business for me?"

"I wish we didn't need your kind. But times dictate we adapt to situations quickly." The Guard Captain said carefully.

"You're playing a dangerous game." Nosdyn said.

"Perhaps...but Stonevale's safety trumps my own morales." The Guard Captain said. "I have a lead for you."

Nosdyn took a step closer towards The Guard Captain and paused directly in front of the man. Strangely enough, Nosdyn noticed the man was not afraid...but rather looked really really tired. "Go on." Nosdyn said casually.

"The Goblins that attacked Stonevale were not acting alone." The Guard Captain began. "I cannot spare any resources to send into the mountains. But I can send mercenaries."

"What's the job?" Nosdyn asked.

"I need you to go into their lair, and find out how many we're dealing with. Kill as many as you can, I'll reward you for proof of that you dealt with them." The Guard Captain knew what he was asking.

"I'm in." Nosdyn said without hesitation, and The Demon shook hands with The Guard Captain, sealing the man's fate.

^Enter Here

Sketch had been asked by the local Stonevale guards to help clean up the goblins that were in the mountains, to attempt to thin them out so that another assault on the town didn’t happen. The tall, lean man figured that since he’d been part of the original group that had stopped the first party, he’d better follow up when the next group went out to assess the situation.

He ran a hand through his shaggy black hair, not really excited about taking such an active role in such an overt undertaking, he wasn’t a fighter, he proffered to observe. He knew that his skills would be a strong addition to the team, and his presence would be the difference between life and death for some of the group going up.

The original attack had consisted of miners getting ambushed by a small group of goblins lead by some sort of commander. Himself and a small group from the local tavern had formed a small militia to go and stop the attack before it had gotten out of hand. Together with his friend- Ezra a spellcaster if some sort, Nevin an extremely popular Alchemist, and Elthas a very nimble elven warrior, had left to stop the intruders and keep the mine safe.

Sketch’s part to the last fight had been critical, as his strange Grym-related magic allowed him to cause panic through the goblins and allowed the makeshift militia to finish them off with almost no casualties.

He gathered at the meeting place that the guard had told him about to meet the other members of his group. The storyteller sat in a small campsite just a little ways out from the city gate, and started the fire in the center. He rubbed his hands as the heat picked up, attempting to fight off the chill from the cold night air. He wondered if anyone else from the first party would show up.

Nosdyn looked at the document that The Guard Captain gave him before he went back to the others.

Mercenary groups... Nosdyn thought to himself and put out his campfire out of habit. Not because it was a right thing to do. His own camp was a little ways off from the group's initial meeting point. Nosdyn made his way towards the camp where Sketch awaited with some others. The Guard Captain was present. A few other Mercenaries were also present discussing the matters at hand. The Guard Captain wore a serious expression on his face.

Nosdyn nodded towards the others briefly. He was socially inept, but he had some manners at least. He arrived just in time for the initial meeting about the mission. Though Nosdyn preferred to work alone...groups sometimes had their advantages. So long as they don't get in my way or try to stop me. Nosdyn thought to himself. He was a well built figure, his form clad in black. He wore a cloak with a hood that covered his masked face. He wore that mask as a courtesy to his new companions. He didn't want them freaking out on the job cause they'd never seen a Demon before. Nosdyn looked at The Guard Captain for a long moment and nodded to the man.

"This is our last addition." The Guard Captain explained as Nosdyn arrived. The Guard Captain looked towards Sketch and nodded as well. "The reason you all have been hired is because some weeks ago there was a Goblin attack on Stonevale. I have limited resources available to directly investigate the mountains where they came from." The Guard Captain paused for a moment. "It is my belief, and the belief of many others that The Goblins pose an immediate threat to the safety of Stonevale." The Guard Captain continued. "We must act decisively and quickly. There hasn't been a serious Goblin presence for many decades before this attack. We must find out the full extent of the enemy."

"You want us to scout the nearby mountains, yeah?" One of the mercs said.

There were six fellows, including Sketch, Nosdyn and The Guard Captain. "I can't abandon my post here in Stonevale. That's why you all have been hired." The Guard Captain said.

"You need information...or casualties?" Nosdyn suddenly asked.

The gathered mercs looked at Nosdyn at that point.

"I need information first Casualties later on. But that information will be critical to the safety of Stonevale." The Guard Captain said, he looked at Nosdyn. "You lot are free to use any means necessary to obtain the information I need. But I need to find out what we're dealing with...how many there are."

"...And if they have a leader or not?" Nosdyn asked.

The Guard Captain nodded. "Correct." The Guard Captain got back to business. "There will be a substantial reward for you all should the mission succeed." With that The Guard Captain was done explaining the nature of the mission. "I want you guys to slip quietly into their lair and figure out what is going on in there."

Nosdyn's eye twitched behind the mask. "It shall be done." Nosdyn said carefully, when he was on a mission...the mission never failed. Except once...except that one time where Jake intervened. His eyes twitched again.

With that, The Guard Captain bowed and took his leave back to Stonevale proper. The mercs were eyeing Nosdyn but never approached the massive warrior. Nosdyn walked over towards Sketch. "When you're all ready we can leave." Nosdyn had always been a matter-of-fact kind of guy. He was all business. But there was something about Sketch, an air about him. He felt drawn to the fellow to say the least...

Blue. The newcomer was blue, huh, that's new Sketch thought. He was muscular, and apparently well known by the guard captain. He came over, and Sketch guessed he was granted the authority to lead this mission. He spoke with with the confidence of someone who was used to being in charge. Sketch was relieved that someone who seemed used to military sorties was coming with him, the storyteller may have quite a few unusual skills, but he was no soldier, and he knew that if it came down to him having to fight on his own merits, almost anyone would me more than his match. The lean man got up and shook the new-comer's hand.

He was still less than enthused by the mission parameters being those of stealth rather than straight up fighting, his powers were more suited to frontal confrontation and shock tactics rather than gathering information. He still felt it was part of his duty to join the mission and provide any support he could. Besides, the guard mentioned a substantial reward, and Sketch would take a reward.

Sketch packed up the supplies he'd gotten out while he'd been waiting. In less than a minute, he'd had his pack, lantern, walking stick, and pipe all packed up and ready to head out. He took one last pipe full of his tobacco, letting the smell and taste relax him, and allow him to get his head into the right state of mind. He closed his eyes and allowed the stories that he knew flow into his mind, so he could summon his Grym on the fly if he had to fight. He stood up and walked over to Nosdyn.

"Alright Sir Nosdyn, I'm set and ready to head out. Just let me know how you want to do this, you seem to be the expert. The last time that I fought these goblins, there were only 5 of them, and I've never been much of a soldier, so I'll just follow your lead." Sketch held himself up straight and attempted to look like he belonged
as part of the group, despite being 145 lbs of pure skin and bones.

"Last time, the grunts were easily frightened and easily run down by the miners. I'd venture to guess that if we run into any groups while we're up there, we need to make quick decisions or they'll be quick to sound an alarm."

"They also carry poisoned weapons, which can be deadly. My friend, Nevin, created an antivenom, I had him put together a few doses if we need them." Sketch remembered the incident with Elthas taking the venom on, he was knocked out for several days, and almost didn't wake up.

Sketch seriously hoped that the antivenom wouldn't be needed, but he didn't know what they'd run in to in those mountains.

Nosdyn thought of the information that Sketch just mentioned.

Nosdyn listened to everything at that point, and he looked at the gathered merc's. He nodded towards him, though Nosdyn was a Demon...his code dictated interaction with the mortal races of Althanas. Some of the surface dwellers were more tolerable than others. He returned his attention back towards Sketch. "Stay close to me." He suddenly said calmly. He meant it. Though he gave off a panic aura, he didn't want to see the story teller be hurt more than necessary. "When it comes down to it, we'll kill as many as we can."

One of the mercs walked up towards Sketch and Nosdyn. "You sure blind combat will be a good idea?" He asked. "We don't know how many there will be."

Nosdyn nodded. "A valid point, but I have something you guys don't have." Nosdyn said calmly. He tapped the side of his head for a moment. "You will see soon enough. I have a way to gather the information we need." His fear-powers were rapidly emerging and he was eager to test them on a worthy challenge. He was tired of running errands for The Boss of Ettermire. He liked working as a mercenary, it provided interesting work and was always a challenge. He would think outside of the box fairly often.

He looked up at the night sky at that point...several constellations he recognized.

Then he looked at Sketch. "I have a plan. We'll need to capture only one of them." He explained to Sketch. "At that point, I can peer into his mind..."

"You're crazy man!" The merc said suddenly. "You intend to use that trick against a Goblin? How do you know you will survive after that?"

Nosdyn looked at the man for a moment, pondering breaking the man's neck. However, he was on a mission with The Guard Captain and he was showing a tremendous amount of restraint. Under normal circumstances, he would have already killed the idiot merc. "Just trust me on that, I've trained my ability for a long time now...we will be fine. I'll get the information we need one way or the other. We just need one intact." It was a sound plan, and Nosdyn hated being questioned.

The merc was going to continue to question Nosdyn's plan, but he decided against it noting the man's exotic blue skin.

Nosdyn looked at Sketch very carefully. "If you have a way to distract them, I can interrogate one of them. And we can proceed from there. The Guard Captain will have his information at that point." Nosdyn laid out the plan at that point.

The group had been walking the trail up the foothills for hours, and so far, none of the mercenaries had mentioned anything about finding any trails. Occasionally, the group would communicate in hand signs, not that Sketch could understand what they were saying. He'd had to leave his lantern and pipe back at the camp, he hadn't wanted to create anything that would alert their prey to their presence.

He'd never felt uncomfortable with being in the dark, his involvement with the Grym had toughened up his psyche pretty well. He wished he knew something about tracking, he felt useless to the group without a target. He tried to focus all of his attention of not making noise, and at least not being a liability.

Sketch tried to keep his ears open as best as he could, determined to not get caught off guard just because he felt discouraged, after all, the second that they caught site of any goblins, he'd be able to do what he excelled at. Nosdyn told him to get one of the goblins isolated, and Sketch knew he could do that very easily. If Sketch was being honest with himself, he was looking forward to being in a fight.

Nosdyn was interesting, he'd not thought it the right time to ask about the blue fellow, but he was interested in his background. The storyteller kept a close eye on the strange man, hoping to gain any clues about him from his movements. He moved in confident, practiced motions, and seemed to be comfortable giving orders.

Suddenly, Nosdyn stopped in his tracks and held up a hand. He motioned to the mercs, gave a signal, and they drew sharp knives. A sound came from in front of the group, and the group began to silently disperse. Sketch moved forward, careful not to make a sound. Sketch held his hand out, and waited. He saw a glint of moonlight flash off of one of the knives as a muffle grunt escaped one of the goblins. Sketch leveled his hand and fired a bolt of malevolent dark energy at the remaining figure, hitting it square in the chest.

One of the mercs put his hand over the goblins mouth, and the blinding energy of Sketch's spell caused the creature to panic in a futile gesture. The mercenaries bound and gagged the poor creature and awaited for Nosdyn to begin his interrogation.

And in that moment, they had caught one of the forward scouting party.

The little goblin fellow was quite far from the rest of the group...that in fact put Nosdyn and the rest of the mercs at an advantage.

"Hold him down." Nosdyn said carefully and the mercs dd exactly that, curious to see Nosdyn work. An extended right hand from Nosdyn began to creep forward towards the defeated Goblin. Nosdyn removed his mask at that point and his panic aura became more potent at that point. As he concentrated, he created the psychic uplink between himself in that Goblin. "Show me your thoughts." Nosdyn said with a certain sadistic voice. His hand was hovering a half inch from The Goblin's face. As the uplink manifested one of the mercs became extremely uncomfortable.

"What's he doin...?" The merc asked.

"It's them daft psionic powers...I seen it before. Some Orlouge fella used it on a poor sap." He closed his eyes at that point, not wanting to see.

At that point, The Goblin shrieked in agony as Nosdyn entered the fellow's mind. Forcibly. "Things have changed now...Goblin. Your war has attracted other parties. Show. Me. Your. MIND." At that point the thoughts became very visible. In the cavernous reaches further North in the mountains, there were several hundred Goblins waiting. Gathering around a single Overlord mind. Nosdyn saw who their Overlord was. He had a name...he had numbers. The people of Stonevale, not that he cared, would be slaughtered if they did not take action.

Nosdyn went deeper into The Goblin's mind. He siphoned every pertinent thought he could as he discovered all he needed to know. The Captain would likely not have approved of this sort of interrogation, but Nosdyn knew that beggars could not be choosers. Nosdyn's hand began to shake at that point as he knew The Goblin would soon...expire. The Goblin began to bleed black blood from his nostrils. His face shaking under the weight of the psionic assault. And at that point, Nosdyn had everything he needed. He grabbed The Goblin's face and snapped it's neck. Nosdyn stood up at that point, the thoughts pouring in his mind as The Goblin died.

"There are hundreds of them." Nosdyn suddenly said.

One of the mercs looked at Nosdyn. "...Y-you were in his mind? How did you do that?"

"You would not understand." Nosdyn said carefully.

"It's like that Thayne damned Orlouge power. This shit is crazy man." The other merc said carefully.

Nosdyn's eyes narrowed at that point. "There's an Overlord." Nosdyn suddenly added. "We should head back and report this to The Captain..." Nosdyn considered. "But I leave that choice up to you." Nosdyn looked at Sketch at that point. Nosdyn had a very grim expression on his face. He'd seen what The Goblins are planning...they were outnumbered two to one.

The gathered sellswords did not know how to handle the type of situation they were all in.

Nosdyn looked at one of the nearby mercenaries considering everything he had just learned. [i]They have a leader, an Overlord. I should be helping The Goblins. But honour and need of coin binds me to these idiots. That can barely handle themselves in true combat. Nosdyn put his hand to his forehead for a moment as he felt a wave of pain course through this head. Still have to train that power more...it affects me and I have to focus more.

"Are you all right?" A nearby mercenary asked.

Nosdyn nodded. "Don't worry about me, just minor side effects of my power." Nosdyn had connected his mind and consciousness with The Goblin for a brief moment. The Goblins had more intellect than they let in on most of the time. It wasn't a resistance to his ability...but there was something there. Something that Nosdyn had to be weary of. Nosdyn stood up at that point. "Their Overlord is still gathering his strength. And plans something. Likely a full invasion of Stonevale and beyond."

The leader of the mercenaries rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "That sounds bad." He said calmly. "We might not get another chance at this..."

"I agree." One of the other sellswords said calmly. "If they are planning an invasion now is the time for us to strike." The others nodded in agreement. They turned towards Nosdyn.

"What do you say?" One of them asked.

"...I'm hesitating." Nosdyn suddenly said. One of the memories of The Goblin did not sit well with him.

"He knows something he's not telling us!" Another merc said with frustration.

"Perhaps." Nosdyn responded. "But it's like I said earlier. I leave the choice up to you all and you guys seemed to have decided." Nosdyn suddenly turned his attention to their west.

"Actually the choice has been made for you all." A goblin dressed in shamanistic attire walked slowly towards them. He was followed by a squad of his cohorts. [b]"You. Haidian, why do you help Stonevale, you should be in OUR ranks."[/b\ The Goblin spoke with surprising clarity in the common tongue. His voice was a little bit raspy, but he spoke fluently.

Nosdyn looked at the other sellswords. "I am bound to their leader. I have no choice." Nosdyn explained.

"A binding...? I'm surprised Men still know of such ways." The Overlord chuckled. "Regardless, you lot have trespassed on our home. You can not leave."

Nosdyn understood that to be a threat, and stood up. He unlatched his weapon and activated it. He raised an eyebrow when he saw The Overlord's reaction.

"One of those things...? I have not seen one for a long time." The Overlord said calmly.

"You're well informed...." Nosdyn responded.

"It is my job to know of such matters." The Overlord responded. "Regardless, Scara Brae is our enemy. Not just Stonevale, and you have sided with our enemy." The Overlord explained....

And then it all went to Hell.

A dart was launched at one of the mercenaries by Nosdyn. The man went down quickly as it struck his neck. His body twitching in pain and agony. He gurgled and growled as he died. Blood pouring down from his eyes and nostrils.

Poisoned darts... Nosdyn thought to himself. He activated his weapon, the blade shimmered into the air. Nosdyn looked at his companions, they were drawing their own equipment. The Demon hesitated though. His eyes were locked on The Overlord. Something is wrong... Nosdyn thought to himself.

The Goblins descended upon the mercenary outfit. They started to kill, shred and rip the sellswords apart. But none attacked Nosdyn...for some reason only the Overlord was staring at Nosdyn.

"What do you want...?" Nosdyn suddenly found himself asking.

"You should be with us. But you are not...you are with them for whatever reason. You have a larger role to play in all of the events that are happening. In what is coming." The Overlord said carefully. "Forget about the sellswords, come with me a moment I want to show you something." The Overlord tapped his staff against the ground for a moment or two. Then the Goblins stopped attacking.

Nosdyn approached The Overlord as he silenced his weapon and attached it back on his belt. "There is something you didn't tell Stonevale." Nosdyn said carefully.

"Correct. You are smarter than them. That's why I wanted you to live." The Overlord said calmly. He opened his hand and a glowing energy manifested within it. He held a small crystal in his hand...

"...Tap...energy. How did you stumble upon something like that?" Nosdyn held a newfound respect for The Goblins.

"The powers of The Thaynehood have weakened." The Overlord said. "It's how Joshua Cronen was able to kill Lord Draconus." The Goblins knew of many of Althanas' heroes and villains. The Overlord looked at Nosdyn. "You are NOT bound to Stonevale. You ARE however, bound to another." The Goblin grinned.

Nosdyn nodded carefully listening to what The Overlord was saying. "...It is as you say. Why have you let me live...? I know you have the power to destroy me." Nosdyn said.

"You are not meant to die here. Don't tell the people of Stonevale what you've seen here today. Let them assume the worst. Keep your secrets."

"What do you want from me...?" Nosdyn asked.

"We need a champion. But your time is not here yet. It will come another day. Go back to Stonevale, and report your mission was a failure." The Overlord said calmly.

Nosdyn nodded. "It shall be done." He had an honour code, twisted as it was.

The Overlord lead Nosdyn to the entrance of the cave.

"Remember my words today, Nosdyn. We shall meet again when the time is right." He said calmly and bowed in a surprisingly elegant sort of way. "When we meet again, our time will come." The Overlord began to walk back slowly into the cave.

Nosdyn nodded. "Thaynespeed." He said. And slowly began the journey back towards Stonevale.

***

"You're alone, what happened to the others?" William Blake asked.

Nosdyn shrugged. "They were killed."

"...How?" He asked incredulously. "Speak, Nosdyn. There is something you are not telling me." William Blake walked in close towards Nosdyn.

"...There were many Goblins. What did you expect in sending one small squadron into the mountains like that? Did you really expect us to defeat them like that? Did you really think any of us would come back alive?" Nosdyn asked.

William Blake blinked as Nosdyn said that last part. He was taken aback. "...You'll have your pay in the morning." William Blake said and bowed gently. He knows...we were trying to screw him over. This was a bad idea from the get go. William thought as he walked away.

Nosdyn turned away and began to prepare. It would soon be time to leave Stonevale...but there was one more loose end he needed to take care of. The loose end was his enemy, Jake. He was certain if he made his presence known to Stonevale...Jake would come a second time. Nosdyn would be ready for their second meeting...

Chronicles of Nosdyn 1 - No Judgment

Includes 1.5x rewards for completing a thread in Stonevale while under level 5.

Nosdyn receives: 970 EXP and 120 GP

The Crooked Knight receives: 410 EXP and 55 GP

Congratulations! Remember to request the Stonevale bonus in the future or you may end up missing out on it!

Rewards added.

Nosdyn reaches level 3!