*Anwyn Castle and the Rescue of Lady Rayyne presented by Neq Valslayer [#va659dd0]

Neq says, "This story begins simply, a small group of friends sitting on the Hearthstone Porch, chatting, and enjoying ourselves. Lord Elfstan, Lady Icefox, Lady Grobinal, and myself."~

Neq leans on his staff.~

Neq says, "As we sat talking, watching the people pass us to enter the Manor, we noticed a young bard of obvious noble birth standing on the top step, watching us. Smiling at each of us, he named himself as Lord Norandar."~

Neq chuckles.~

Neq says, "As we introduced ouselves to him, he bowed deeply to each of us, kissing the hands of Lady Icefox, my wife at the time, and Lady Grobinal. He chatted idly, avoiding questions of his past, but regaling us with tales of history and legend."~

Neq stretches.~

Neq says, "Lord Norandar was a true bard, his stories caught our attention, and we listened raptly for hours without even realizing the passage of time. Soon it was growing quite late, and even though we begged for another story, Lord Norandar politely took his leave and promised to return the following day."~

Neq smiles.~

Neq says, "After he left, the rest of our little group discussed what we could do the next evening to repay Lord Norandar for his masterful stories. As we talked, Lord Elfstan mentioned that perhaps we could give him a tour of a recently re-discovered castle in the wilds, the Anwyn Castle."~

Neq shivers.~


(scribers note: It is theorized that Terate was the Queen's son, and the scroll was a page torn from the Book of Tormtor. Because of the use of anti-mana, it links Norandar and Terate. The scroll possessed more power than their mortal bodies could manage. Perhaps the Book of Tormtor is not of -this- world, but that of the Vvreal...)~

Neq says, "Anwyn Castle had been revealed to us just weeks earlier by Lord Terate, as his childhood home. It had housed one of the famed Stones of Virtue that helped the Chosen beat back the forces of the Vvrael and eventually save our lands from their vile forces."~

Neq leans on his staff.~

Frijthof nods.~

Frijthof stares off into space.~

Neq smiles at Frijthof.~

Neq says, "The following evening, upon his return, we presented the idea of touring Anwyn Castle to the Lord Norandar. He was intrigued, and agreed to accompany us, and hear our versions of the Vvrael War."~

Neq says, "He asked many questions, seeming quite interested in the tales we unfolded while wandering through the Crypt, and across the outer lawn of Anwyn Castle, pointing out items of interest to him as we passed. Our tales continued as we ventured deeper into the castle, pointing out the throne carved of bone, and the heads mounted on pikes in the throne room."~

Neq mumbles something that you don't quite catch.~

Neq shifts his weight.~

Neq says, "We paused briefly to examine the mirror on the upper floors, trying to find an explaination for him as to why none of us had ever been able to see a reflection in it, or who the face of the woman was who sometimes appeared on it's surface, cackling madly."~

Neq furrows his brow.~

Neq says, "None of us had the answers, so we moved on, pausing in the cellar to sample the castle's wines and have a bit of merriment. We then began the walk down into the deep basement, where a second mirror, much like the one upstairs, was located, and the chest that contained the Stone of Virtue."~

Neq whispers, "lemme know if I go to fast."~

Neq hums distractedly to himself.~

Neq says, "We moved slowly through the lower floor, east past the pentagram chamber, to show Lord Norandar the torture chamber, which disgusted a few of our group, and then proceeded south, to the mirror and chest. "~

Neq says, "We all examined the mirror, and warned Norandar severely that the chest could only be disarmed by the most skilled of locksmiths, and that any tampering with it would result in his incineration by the traps placed upon it."~

Neq says, "Yet still he reached out and ran his hand down across the carved container, tracing the delicate lines etched in the ancient wood. As he pulled his hand away the chest suddenly opened of it's own accord, revealing a scroll of ancient parchment inside, covered in strange spidery script."~

Neq shudders.~

Neq leans on his staff.~

Neq says, "Norandar pulled out the scroll and stared intently at it, then allowed the rest of us to examine it while he held it. The script on the scroll was completely undecipherable, it even seemed to writhe if you stared at it long enough...a most disturbing thing to witness."~

Neq says, "Shoving the scroll into his cloak, Norandar told us that he simply must take it back to his room and begin studying it immediately. Taking his leave, Norandar nearly flew from the castle back to his inn. The rest of us stopped off in the Wine Cellar for another drink before heading home."~

Neq ducks his head.~

Sarvia chuckles.~

Frijthof rubs a crystal amulet.~

Frijthof rubs a crystal amulet.~

Neq says, "They have very good wine there."~

Neq coughs.~

Neq winks.~

Lyrienne rolls her eyes.~

Sarvia appears to be trying hard not to grin.~

Neq says, "Norandar stayed locked in his room for near a week studying that scroll before he finally came back to visit us again. The scroll clamped tightly in his fist. He told us that he had begun to catch the general grasp of the script on the scroll, but needed us to accompany him back to the castle to explore the chest he found the scroll in further."~

Neq sighs.~

Neq says, "The next morning, we gathered up our original group, with one addition who had been standing next to us when Norandar returned, the Lady Rayyne. Beloved of Lord Terate, she still mourned his death, and we were wary to leave her alone with her grief, so we asked her to accompany us on an expedition back to the Castle."~

Neq says, "Our group formed quickly, and cast a few spells on ourselves as defense against the castle residents. Upon arrival, we immediately went to the basement to further examine the chest Norandar had discovered the scroll in. As we stood there, peering at the chest from all angles, the mirror suddenly changed, the maniacal face of a woman appearing in it's depths, then dissapeared as suddenly as it had come, leaving us all staring in wonder."~

Neq narrows his eyes.~

Neq says, "Our examination shifted from the chest to the mirror, at Norandar's urgings, and each of us did our best to try and figure out exactly what had happened. We all touched the glass to see if perhaps it were a portal of some sort, but found nothing but coldness against our hands. That is, until Rayyne touched the mirror..."~

Nofret leans forward and rests her chin in her hand, a thoughtful expression on her face.~

Neq's entire body tenses as he tightens his grip on his ironwood staff.~

Neq says, "As soon as Rayyne's fingertips touched the smooth glass, a hand darted out from inside, and seized her roughly by the arm, pulling her through. We all leapt to try and catch her, but it just happened too quickly for any of us to react. She was gone before we could so much as blink."~

Neq growls ferociously!~

Neq says, "We bashed, cast at, cursed, kicked, and otherwise manhandled the mirror in a vain attempt to get whatever had taken her to return our friend to us. But it was all to no avail. The only response we got was a single stolen weapon. It was sucked into the mirror as I tried bashing my way through."~

Juliane looks very far away for a moment, a wistful expression on her face.~

Neq sighs.~

Neq hangs his head.~

Frijthof slowly empties his lungs.~

Frijthof leans back.~

Neq says, "Norandar was oddly quiet throughout this entire event, not at all like the kind and outgoing bard we had met, but in the heat of the moment, none of us truely noticed. We may not have observed it then, but the changes would become much more obvious as time passed."~

Neq says, "We hurried back to town after using every tool at our disposal in attempts to free Rayyne, and quickly summoned every elder and able bodied person we could find to try and discover a way to free Lady Rayyne from her imprisonment. Lord Thalior, Lord Berr, Lord Metaboculous, Lord Ohr, Lady Arwen, Lord Kerl, Lady Daelynn.. just a few of the great people who gave their aid in our attempts."~

Neq says, "We all wracked our brains and bodies in various attempts to break through the mirror and reclaim our friend, but all proved futile. Halfway through the attempts, the blackness that had previously covered the surface of the mirror parted, and the image that replaced it was horrifying. The image of our friend Lady Rayyne... screaming in agony."~

Neq scowls.~

Neq says, "Instead of fading away like the maniacal face that usually crosses the surface of the mirror, her face remained, frozen in agony as if to torment us for not being able to free her. Lord Norandar left suddenly, telling us perhaps if he could go to his room, he might be able to decipher enough from his scroll to tell us what happened."~

Neq paces back and forth.~

Neq mutters under his breath.~

Neq says, "Soon after Norandar's departure, a single ghost floated in, informing us that he had been the former cook of this castle, before it had fallen. He told us of how it had once been quiet place, ruled by a Queen who was both soft spoken, and gentle to her subjects."~

Neq says, "Until the day she had discovered a scroll, a scroll she was told could help her harness great powers and add them to her own, allowing her to become the most powerful women who had ever lived. Her greed for this power grew every day, as did her temper, and her rage. Her subjects, who had once loved and revered her, grew to fear her, even hate her."~

Neq shudders.~

Juliane sighs.~

Neq says, "Not content with just using the scroll to increase her own personal ability, she uncovered ways to use it to drain from others, to draw on their pain, their fear, and harness that as her power. She began to butcher and torment her subjects, inflicting upon them things even I would cringe to speak of."~

Neq says, "And I have a fairly strong stomach."~

Neq mumbles something that you don't quite catch.~

Lyrienne stares off into space.~

Neq leans on his staff.~

Neq says, "Her powers grew, but as she did, her humanity decreased. She became less the beautiful woman she had once been, and slowly transformed into a demonic being, one of striking, yet terrifying beauty. Each day her terrible strength grew, drawing upon the fears and pains she caused upon her own people."~

Neq shifts his weight.~

Neq says, "As her powers became greater then that any mortal could posses, the Arkati the local priests worshipped, namely Lord Onar, began to take notice of what happened. He began to watch the mindless brutality this woman inflicted upon her people, and the pleasure and gain which she drew from these acts of destruction."~

Neq paces back and forth.~

Neq says, "Lord Onar held a great interest in this particular area, for it is rumored that beneath the ground in the areas surrounding Anwyn Castle lies his lair, housing the living stones that he draws strength from. As the sway of the Demon Queen expanded, so did Lord Onar's apprehension at allowing her and her abilities to grow further, to eventually become a possible threat to his lair, and the source of his power."~


Neq softly kisses his Onar symbol, murmuring to himself.~

Neq says, "Finally, Lord Onar reached the decision that he could no longer watch this woman grow as strong as she wished, and directly involved himself. Though little is known of exactly what happened between them, it was said that Lord Onar trapped the Queen beneath a barrier in the veil. Holding her away from this realm, and in the realm of demons."~

Neq shifts his weight.~

Neq says, "We all contemplated what we were told, and of how we could apply this knowledge to help free our friend the Lady Rayyne. We agreed to leave the castle and our fruitless attempts, with only a few people watching the mirror in case Lady Rayyne managed to free herself. The rest of us returned to town, to rest, and think."~

Neq says, "The following day, we began to hear rumors of large ghosts floating throughout the castle, strong enough to slay even the eldest of adventurers. We formed a group, and discovered these rumors true. These ghosts were some of the most powerful creatures we had ever encountered, slaying many of us as we fought to free their souls. Finally we came out victorious, but it was a small victory, for after that first ghost more came into the castle at various times, butchering any who were there until the elders could rush to destroy him."~

Neq mutters ghosts.~

Neq leans on his staff.~

Neq says, "Lord Norandar wandered up to the porch a few nights later, so pale and thin that we almost did not recognize him. His eyes had changed, turning from their natural brown, into a deep, black. He told us his studies of the scroll were coming along splendedly, and that he could gain much power from this scroll. When we asked him if he had discovered anything to aid us in freeing Rayyne, he merely scowled and told us he had not."~

Neq frowns.~

Neq says, "Many of us who had known him prior to him finding the scroll began to worry, for much like Lord Terate was taken by the Vrrael, it was obvious that someone, or something was slowly taking over more of Lord Norandar. His actions as he wandered around became irratic and violent. His temper vicious, and his actions cold blooded."~

Neq leans to his left slightly.~

Neq sighs.~

Neq says, "But still he continued to study the scroll, we had no choice but to allow him to continue, for without the scroll, we could find no hope in freeing Rayyne. Battles continued to flare up at the Castle, but for the most part, our concerns lay in uncovering what we could of the scroll Norandar had in his possession."~

Neq says, "Several of us appealed to the part of Norandar we knew had to still be there, trying to calm him when he became enraged, and sooth him when he lashed out with the powers he had discovered in the scroll, attempting to minimize the damage he would do until we could uncover a way to rescue Rayyne."~

Neq grunts. How charming.~

Neq leans on his staff.~

Neq says, "Months passed as Norandar studied the scroll, each passing day he became less and less the man we knew. His features altered, his eyes bulged, his face pinched, his entire body seemed to grow more frail. But the weaker he appeared, the stronger the powers he would unleash when angered became. He even managed to hurl a large bolt of some rainbow colored energy that completely incinerated some poor lad who touched him."~

Neq shudders.~

Grhim fades into visibility.~

Neq says, "I even once saw him wield a bolt of anti-mana."~

Neq mutters under his breath.~

Sarvia blinks.~

Witcheaven blinks.~

Juliane shudders.~

Frijthof stares at Neq.~

Frijthof asks, "Anti-mana?"~

Frijthof shudders.~

Neq nods to Frijthof.~

Frijthof says, "That, I had not heard."~

Neq says, "It only happened once."~

Thuunk mutters vvrael.~

Neq says, "Finally, Norandar came to us, informing us he had found a possible way to free Lady Rayyne. It involved a detailed incantation, and rituals that only he would be powerful enough to perform, but he swore to us that he would aid us in this. He gave us one night to prepare ourselves for the next day, and warned us that this ceremony would be opening the barrior between the planes, and might unleash foes of great strength upon us as he worked to free Lady Rayyne."~

Frijthof nods to Thuunk.~

Neq glances at a kelyn-shod ironwood fighting staff.~

Neq says, "The following day, a large group of us formed, including the halfling Belle from Pinefar, and prepared ourselves for battle, casting spells, drinking potions, rubbing amulets and pins, and marched into Anwyn Castle to reclaim our friend. Norandar met us at the Castle Gates, scroll in hand, and we all journeyed into the basement, at which point the young halfling lass managed to dissapear without any of us noticing."~

Neq furrows his brow.~

Neq scratches his head.~

Nofret leans forward and rests her chin in her hand, a thoughtful expression on her face.~

Neq says, "Norandar walked around the chamber, drawing a pentagram that encompassed the entire room, and placing a lighted candlebra at each point. He then stood at the northern most point, and began his incantations. Almost immediately, the beasts began pouring in upon us; Bainsindhe's, Hell Hounds, beasts that I can't even begin to describe began thrashing their way through our ranks as we stood to protect Lord Norandar from them, so that he might continue his incantation."~

Neq says, "Many died in that first rush."~

Neq sighs.~

Goldstr shudders.~

Neq says, "I was told Lord Norandar walked through each point of the pentagram, reciting his incantations as he went, a great rumbling sound coming from beneath him, increasing with each step. I was not present for this part of the ceremony as I had been needed in the upper reaches of the castle, to help fight off a large swarm of hell hounds that were racing to join their ilk in the cellar."~

Neq shifts his weight.~

Neq says, "Half-way through the recitations on the pentagram, a large crack began appearing on the far wall, a loud clawing sound enamating from it, as if a beast of unimaginable size were trying to break it's way through. Several of the candlebra's fell when this happened, and another crack appeared on the floor as Lord Norandar continued, shattering the spell he had been weaving."~

Neq mumbles something that you don't quite catch.~

Neq says, "The loud grinding noise grew, now resonating through the floor and the walls as the hoards of beasts continued surging through and attempting to slaughter us. We had little hope now of breaking Rayyne out, but we formed ranks in one single group in the cellar, attempting to at least beat back the beasts we had unleashed so that they would not wander and destroy others."~

Neq says, "We closed in on them, and pushed them all back against the western most wall, which now bore a large crack across it's entire length. As we fought, many of us began doubting our chances of surviving this encounter, we all knew the instant whatever was behind that wall broke through, We were all dead."~

Neq shivers.~

Juliane leans forward.~

Neq says, "As we slew the last bainsindhe, a darkness suddenly overcame us all, shadowing the entire cellar. A sharp searing pain struck at the throats of all of us gathered, and when the smoke cleared, we all bore the marks you see on me now, the brand of my Lord."~

Neq grins coldly, his eyes reflecting no emotion.~

Neq traces the lines of his skull tattoo.~

Lyrienne shifts her weight.~

Neq says, "In front of the mirror stood that young halfling lass who had accompanied us that morning, and beside her, a shaken, but alive Lady Rayyne. It seems that Lord Onar had spoken to this lass, knowing that Norandar lacked the strength to properly deal with this matter. He told her to sneak into the mirror during the battles, and attempt to retake Lady Rayyne by stealth. And at the last moment, when the foul beast behind the wall nearly came through, Lord Onar threw his might against it, destroying it, and sealing the rift we had attempted to open."~

Neq shifts his weight.~

Frijthof smiles.~

Neq says, "We took Lady Rayyne back to town, and Norandar slowly dissapeared into the background, we hardly noticed him leave in the joyous celebrations erupting when we informed everyone that Lady Rayyne free. We don't know exactly what happened to the Demon Queen, but her face no longer appears in all in the mirrors of Anwyn Castle. We can only pray she is dead, or trapped forever behind the barrier Lord Onar erected."~

Neq says, "Recently, I saw Lord Norandar again, he claimed to no longer be in possession of the scroll, but would give us no hints as to it's wherabouts, and claimed to have little or no rememberance of any of the events that transpired at Anwyn Castle. We can only hope he was telling the truth."~

Neq furrows his brow.~


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