The Treasure Hunt

Name: 'Scythewarden' Mahrek
Sex: Male
Profession: Dervish
Age: 38
Hair: Black; turning grey
Eyes: Brown

Mahrek grew up as a servant-boy on the Dejarin Estate, before Varesh Ossa came into power. His hidden magical ability soon became apparent to a nearby group of Corsairs and they kidnapped him and took him with them to become a corsair. However, after a raucous night on board ship, his drunken 'foster-parents' beat him badly, and threw him overboard only to wash ashore on Istan. He was found by the Sunspears, and began his tutelage as a Dervish. His short, tough life made him take a liking to Balthazar, and by the time he was in his early thirties, he was amongst the god's most favoured worshippers, and one of the greatest warriors in Elona. However, he decided to explore the world and soon travelled to Ascalon, in Tyria.

Before I post my first piece of actual role-play, i need to know what time is it set in, in ascalon; i.e. has the 'game' been 'finished' and the flameseeker prophecies come to pass? or are we still in the years after the searing but before the titans come etc. However, I'll post some background information above, for now.

OOC- Shadowfrost: Welcome! I'd say that this RP would take place after Prophecies is 'finished.' Go ahead and post, it'll get this thread a bit more active. As for me, I'll try and get something more up and reveal more plot either later tonight or sometime tomorrow.

Name: Leon Ux-ixen
Sex: Male
Profession: Ranger/Monk(if secondry matters)
Age: 25
Hair: Dark Brown
Eyes: Green


The air layed flat, unmoving. As if it was dead like the ground and plants. A sight that Leon did not enjoy to see. Ascalon was nothing more than a sandy graveyard now. The Ranger stood up from the ground and wiped away the sand from his Luxon armor-a prize for his services in the fued. He streched out his arms before grabbing his packs.

His sights were on Sardelac Sanitarium, he gone to many sights of Tyria to pay his respects to those who had fallen beside him during his travels with Rurik. Sanitarium was but one sight out of many more he would travel to just for the sake of drowing out the guilt he felt for saving those who had died.

He remebered the horrors he had faced when he first entered Ascalon in hope to find a better life, one away from the Mantle. He shook his head and set his minf back on target. He enetred the Sardelac Sanitarium to his surpise people still lived there. Merchent still trying to suck the last bit of gold from the people before moving on-only to be eaten by monsters hopur later. The sight of childern playing brought a smile from under his luxon mask. The sight of a man being dragged away cought his eye aswell, his cape told of a guild meaning his was no traveler. He ignored it.

Name: Hgtrak Bo Azumi
Sex: Male
Profession: Ritualist
Age: 44
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown

Leaning on his staff, Hgtrak observed a small quarrel being ended by harsh looking guards, them dragging an unconscious old man away, making the way free for a shadowy man to enter The Sanitarium.

Never to have been in Ascalon before, he was amazed on how barren these lands still were, considering the time passed. He had heard stories about this place, how nice it once had been, and had expected this place to have recovered more than it was now. Those stories reminded him.

Life in Cantha had been good, Master Togo's training an elightenment. When the afflicted threat had begun to emerge, Hgtrak was called on a mission to another continent. He still wondered what happened to his friends over there, it'd been years after last words from Cantha had arrived. It had been a tough time here, in Tyria, and Hgtrak prayed the circumstances hadn't been as hazardous for his friends over there.

He gave a start when a man wielding a longbow rushed past him, as if not noticing him at all. Ah, well. Duty calls, I should get moving too.

Hgtrak set pace towards The Sanitarium.

Not many braved the bleak mountains seperating the Crystal Desert and Southern Ascalon, and Mahrek did not see a single other creature during the journey along the tall, thin, winding paths amid the barren peaks.

Stumbling into Ascalon City, late in the afternoon, he found that the rebuilding had only just started to take place. There were no resting places, so he gathered his robe around him and huddled underneath the old bridge that had once led across a now-dry lake to the Ascalon Academy. Night fell, but Mahrek barely slept.

As the sun rose over the land (OOC: Before this I was talking about the day before everyone else is currently talking about), Mahrek made his way to Sardelac, where his true business lay. A precious artifact, that was sacred to Balthazar, had been discovered just before the Searing, and Mahrek had been sent to find a way into the Catacombs underneath what used to be Ashford Abbey and retrieve it.

As he travelled, the few Grawl, Gargoyles and Devourers that had been canny enough to survive the horde of adventurers that had once flooded the city to fight off the Charr scuttled, crawled and fled to their hidden abodes. Soon he saw the fence of the Sanitarium.

OOC: Nice job everybody. I'd say one more and we're good to go. It's not like they'd have to come in now though.

“Sirs! Excuse me, sirs.” Griel had followed the two guards to where they had dragged the old man, just near the entrance to the sealed off Catacombs. The assassin could feel the cold, dank air through the gaps in the rocks. Whatever lurked down there was best left as it was: dead.
“If it doesn’t bother you, could I talk with that man for a moment?” he asked the guards. They only stared back at him in stone-cold silence. Griel had never been good at talking with others, and the foreign lands made things all the stranger. He knew next to nobody in this strange new world. After a moment of awkward silence, one of the guards gave a rough grunt to the other. They placed the elderly man in a tall cage and slammed the door shut. They then proceeded to walk away.

“Thank you, miss,” the stranger said. “If you hadn’t wished to speak with me, those guards might have thrown me into the Catacombs!” He gave a nervous chuckle and continued speaking.
“So, Griel…if Griel is your name, 'little girl…' I’m assuming you’re here for the same reason most everybody around here is.”
“And what might that be?” the assassin leaned in closer to the cage.
“I’m talking about the treasure, son! That famed ‘Artifact of Balthazar’ doodad. Made of pure gold, so they say. Said to have some sort of otherworldly powers, but you never know the stories some folks will give a crazy old coot. ” the old man made a horrible noise that sounded like he was coughing up a hairball. Griel wasn’t focusing on the man in the cage right then. His thoughts were drawn to this item…this treasure. ‘Forget an employer,’ he thought. ‘This artifact could solve everything.’ He decided to probe the old man some more.
“A treasure, you say? And how do you suppose one would find such a treasure?”
“Oh, that’s easy. It’s located somewhere…” the man pointed a wizened finger into the dark depths of the Catacombs. “…somewhere down there. But there’s no use going to a place that’s shut-in. I keep telling these nice folks that there’s a much easier way to enter the Catacombs, but nobody listens. I’m too insane, they say. Mind handing me some more dirt?”

Sighing, Griel shoved a handful of dirt into the cage. “You said there was another way to enter the Catacombs?”
“Oh, right! The back door. That would be somewhere around Wizard’s Folley, near the base of the Shiverpeaks. Rather hard to get there, however. There’s the problem of wolves, devourers, golems, all sorts of nasty little buggers. I suggest you take some friends along with you. If you have recruiting trouble, I’d also suggest heading towards the merchant tents. That seems to be where they’re all gathering.” He gave the assassin a grin. Slightly smiling back, the assassin headed in the direction of the merchants, where a small group of people were already gathered…

The ranger had found a nice booth where a merchent from Kyrta was selling fruit. How this fruit had no rotted on the long journey was beyond him. As the ranger approached the merchent knew Leon's true heritage. "Welcome friend, what can I do for you?" Ask the man with a wrinkled smile. He wore a semi-loose pale green robe with a few multi-colored beads hagging from the ends of the arms. He bared no hair but a small cloud whiye beard that hung from his chin. A staff rested on the booth it had a certain "glow" to it.

After doing giving a small look over Leon pointed to what we would call an apple. The old man gave a small nodd and handed the ranger the shiny red fruit. "That will be ten gold." Leon leaned his bramble longbow on the booth and fetch ten golden coins from a leather pouch that hung from his belt and handed them to the man. "Thank you" With that he removed his beaded Luxon mask and stuffed in his backpack before picking up his bow. He walked over the a group of chattering people, he often enjoyed listening to the pointless babble of townsfolk, once in ahwile though they would speak of some job or monster to be slain. He leaned on a boulder about two feet away from th crowd and began to eat his fruit.

A few copper coins, a supicious looking chuck of beef and a bread as hard as a rock was all he got for the cloths found around Sardelac. Poor people, this place is more depressing then I've ever could imagine. What's going on here, no one showing a slight sign of distant happiness. Maybe it's been a mistake to come here. And where is that contact?

Hgtrak went over to the merchant again.
"Ale, please, all there's to do here." The merchant passed over some brownish slush, still damping. Hgtrak took a gulp, coughed, and muttered "And even this is torment..."

Waiting, he carefully finished his ale-ish smurry.

Name: Juniper Thrynn
Sex: Female
Profession: Highwayman (Me/W)
Age: 26
Hair: Auburn
Eyes: Blue/Green

A devourer scuttled about, looking for an easy meal. It's beady eyes glittered as luck seemed to favor it. There, in the middle of a stone bridge, lay a corpse. It greedily clicked forward to claim it, when a rock struck it clear in the face. "Hey! I'm not done with him yet." A lone woman sat perched on the serrated edge of the bridge. Her outfit of brown leather and scarlet cloth looked untouched by the elements, even as she sifted through the dirty wares of the dead merchant. A golden mask was tied to the back of her head, and her auburn hair kept to the right side of her head in a trio of tresses. She sniffed at the devourer as it hissed and raised its twin tails.

After a moment of exchanged glares, the creature let out a small yelp and scuttled away. Juniper looked back at the bag she was holding to notice it had broken and a small pile of wrecked armor lay near her feet. She sighed, "Another fool who just buys any junk adventurers give'em." She stroked a green and golden brooch which kept her bangs from hanging in front of her left eye. "Oh well, find peace in the mists, cheap bloke." Her boot kicked through the rusted iron as she slinked off.

Name: Hyper Necrofear
Sex: Male
Profession: Necromancer
Age: 27
Hair: Grey
Eyes: White

He had not seen this place for years, just returning from a long journey, his mind blown by the change that had taken place throughout the years. A barren wasteland Ascalon now was. Red skies and charred ground made this place unrecognizable.

As Hyper entered the Sanitarium he was overwhelmed by old memories and emotions. There he and his sister used to play and frolic as children before the Searing. Now, a barren wasteland, Hyper wondered why he brought himself back here.

As he thought about these changes, he walked over to a group of travelers, brought together for unknown reasons, hoping to find some answers.

OOC: That was horrible. I haven't done this in awhile. Hopefully i'll get back in the swing of doing an RP.

OOC: Wow, this has suddenly attracted plenty of people. I'd say we are now officially full on the positions. We're actually one over the limit I'd said...but I'll let it slide. Guess we'll see how it all works out now. Happy RPing!

Name: Takeshi Gen
Sex: Male
Profession: Warrior
Age: 25
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown

Covered in dirt, a tall muscular figure had appeared from the corner. Walking into what used to be rich, green fields had turned into a barren wasteland. The dirt paths, broken statues and red sky had brought a gloomy feeling to this place. "What on Earth has happened here....?" Only a few hundred feet from reaching Sardelec Sanitarium, he knew he would find some kind of shelter from this breezy cold evening.

OOC: I'm sorry, HKSdivision, but I just posted above that we've reached our maximum limit. Maybe if somebody drops, you can join. Once again, my apologies, and better luck next time.
Hyper- It's alright, it always takes a bit to get back into things.

Feeling lightheaded, and, to no surprise, not at all too good after finishing the grog, Hgtrak took time to have a look around. By Grenth, things don't look promising. Bet someone might fall apart of misery here.

Suddenly, guards appeared at the entrance, blocking the way. "For now, nobody is allowed to go in- or outside of this premises!!", one of the guards yelped, his voice quite an unbearable pitch. Now this better be good

A panicky local fainted, and some heading for the gates were cut short by the guards. About everyone had gotten to their feet, hands on the hilt of their weapon.

Three major factors threw Leon off. One was the hasty response and the fact that Leon had seen him talking to the guard. Then the fact that the man was a canthan, alot of things didn't add up. The ranger wasn't use to prying his nose in things such as this, he liked to give people the benfit of the doubt. But this he found hard to belive, though the chance of adventure seemed promising. "Is he trying to take me on a while Moa chance?' He thought. "I'll go along for now.'

"I'll be honored to help you sir. The name is Leon Ux-ixen. I just need to fix up my armor it's a bit loose." His armor had loosen from the journey, a curse that Luxon armor gave with some many straps and belts. He carryed a second set of armor that was more fit for colder weather and was easier to matained.

Hgtrak stood aside while people crowded before the now closed gate. The guards had trouble controlling the situation, as people went berserk. A few peasants sank down, blood seeping through the hands on their belly. These people here are hysterical, they should learn to contain their minds. Curse Itaki for sending me here, what was she thinking?

From the corner of his eyes, he noticed the shadowy person, involved in the quarrel outside Sardelac, in heavy conversation with the ranger that brutely passed him by at that same time.

Moving closer, Hgtrak observed the two. To the untrained eyes it wouldn't be noticable, but he saw daggers underneath the cloths of one them. This must be it, the one Itaki spoke about. Still heavy in conversation, the two didn't notice Hgtrak moving within earshot.

"...could assist me with-" A roar from the crowd aroused, a farmer went down, hands on his legs. "...for the money, just the thrill of the adventure! So, What do you-" The crowd exploded again, muffling the conversation. Hgtrak focused. "..Ux-ixen. I just need to fix up my armor it's a bit loose."

Hgtrak needed no more, and moved towards them. Eyes were on him, when he stamped his staff into the ground. "Excuse me, gentlemen", he said. "We have to meet. My name is Hgrtrak Bo Azumi, and... we were to meet."

Mahrek felt a moment of discomfort as she acted too close, too personal. But he quickly put it aside, realizing he was not at home, and definately not familiar with the customs there.

Although he had been disappointed when she had told him that the entrance in Sardelac had long ago caved in, his hopes brightened when she told him of what he assumed would be a back entrance so he could find the artifact.

However, something about the way she had thought about helping him get into the Sardelac Catecombs made him slightly suspicious...

"I would be forever in your debt, "Lady Milstead". Surely one of your stature should not be showing a foreigner around, especially when there may be dangerous beasts wandering around? Although I may be a warrior, there is no guarantee that I can always protect you," he replied, carefully wording his sentences.