Magnetic Anomaly
Weaver of Tales
Inner Sanctum Nobility
Three riders on horseback raced the sun as it soared across the sky. They hoped for daylight to accompany them once they reached their destination. Castor Donovan, a renowned warrior of the fabled gloomstalkers, begrudgingly kept a close eye on his protégé Theoden Elidyr, a half-elf. The young man was a promising addition to their ranks, and was a skilled enough warrior and survivalist, but Castor was not an oblivious fool. Ever since they had volunteered to escort the elven priestess Amara Llewel, the boy had been enamored by her, and even though she didn't return the sentiment, she was still a distraction to young Theo…and in their line of work, distractions got you killed.
The two had been bantering back and forth for some time, and a smile found its way upon Castor's face when his protégé tried using their shared heritage as a way to woo the elf. He wondered whether the young half-elf realized Amara was roughly two hundred years his senior. "What do you know of our kind young Theoden?" She asked him, thoroughly amused by his tact.
"We were-"
"Is it we now?" She teased, her eyes squinting in his direction as she muffled a laugh.
Theoden laughed off her remark. "Elves introduced civilization to the world nearly five thousand years ago. They brought an end to tribalism among humans and dwarves, shared their knowledge of agriculture, and helped the races develop their social and economic structures. Elves were the first to grant the anurans amnesty, and their alliance lasted for two thousand years until the Great Agonias Upheaval…"
Castor and Amara exchanged an exasperated glance, but Theoden didn't seem to notice as he continued to recite as much elven history as he could. Castor sighed as the minutes seemed to stretch on for hours, practically praying for a run-in with some beast or another. "They were the first to harness the power of the fell stones, and introduced the first school of magik…"
"That's great," she told Theoden, a smile appearing across his young face. "…had I asked for a history lesson." The proud smile fell from his face. "We experience the passage of time far differently than humans or dwarves. Even with your elven blood, you will not live to see half of my lifespan. You will never look upon the world the way we do…" Theoden looked wounded then, and Amara offered him an apologetic smile. "How could you? It is no fault of yours Theoden. It is the way of things."
The rest of the ride was relatively quiet, and Castor was grateful for that. Sol would shine upon the wasteland for another couple hours as the overgrown remains of Kratorsyr's spires rose in the distance. It had been one of the first safe havens from the gloom, a rising tide of monsters and beasts that swarmed over the land when a star fell from the heavens and crashed into Cedara hundreds of years prior, and it was the first of them to fall. All that remained were the city's bones, most of which lied in rubble, and Cedara reclaimed the place as her own. Trees, plants, fields, and giant lianas and vines seemingly held the skeletal towers up in their stubborn grasp…a warning for those who turned a blind eye to history's woes.
The gloomstalkers and priestess left their mounts outside the old desolate city, and as they ventured into its depths, Castor drew one of his longswords. A simple incantation made the runes upon the blade glow as he slid his left hand along its length. Theoden would receive his own fell fragments to set into his gauntlets when he became a full-fledged gloomstalker, but he did draw his own blade and repeat Castor's incantation and hand movements. Amara spoke some elfish words and the grains of fell stone encapsulated at the point of her scepter began swirling in place, and the amethyst and peridot stones surrounding it, each inscribed with different runes, began orbiting them in various directions. "This place gives me the creeps." Theoden said as he shivered, gripping his weapon all the harder. "It's hard to believe it was once a Paragon…"
"It was one of the strongest." Amara replied, in an almost absent manner. "Its magnificence could not to be overstated. A true marvel…and now stands erect amidst the wasteland, a shadow of its former self, and a smear upon elven history."
"You speak as if you've seen it…" Theo gawked at her.
"She's an elf. Don't be such a fool." Castor retorted for the priestess. Theoden's shoulders sagged, and he didn't speak another word.
"This is why I'm here." She replied, nodding.
The gloomstalkers kept a careful eye on their surroundings as they followed Amara through the ruins. They were there for one reason, and one reason only: to protect the priestess at all costs. They were permitted to slay any beasts if there was no other choice readily available…the priestess could not perish. Her death was simply unacceptable.
Castor spotted a few beasts here and there, but they didn't seem organized, and steered clear of their party. Still, the man watched for any signs of an archprimus, a more powerful monster with the ability to rally the beasts around it, the greater their influence, the more powerful they became. Some archprimuses were known to build themselves massive armies, but the last of the grand archprimuses were slain by the gloomstalkers decades ago. Castor, and the other veteran gloomstalkers kept those tales at the forefront of their guild's minds however, for complacency would be the death of them all.
Amara led them into a decrepit structure that seemed to have served as a temple once upon a time. Castor and Theoden's jobs were simplified greatly as there was only the one long entrance, and some holes in the ceiling. The elf rummaged through debris, collecting little trinkets here and there, but had one prize in mind. "You might want to hurry priestess." Castor called out to her. "I believe…" Then a dozen or so beasts stormed through the entrance. "We'll keep them at bay, but get what you came for! Quickly!" Castor yelled as he and the half-elf prepared to engage their sworn enemy.
They came fast, and though Theoden had seemingly put all his weaknesses on display thus far, he was much more impressive in combat, his instincts possessing more wit than his thinking brain. Castor knew the young man would learn however, and had the utmost faith in his protégé as they fought side by side, protecting one another's backs. That is all that mattered to the veteran in the moment.
A beast came flying at Castor with relentless savagery, and with one powerful swipe of his glowing sword, the veteran silenced it forever. And so it was, two gloomstalkers felling beast after beast, unyielding and stubborn, not allowing a single one to break through and reach Amara. "I found it!" She cried out gleefully. "Let's go!"
"Those weren't the last of them." Castor replied. "There's an archprimus here." Amara gasped, becoming visibly and audibly shaken. "You are wise to be afraid." He told her before looking to his protégé. "Get her out of here! See to it that she returns to her people safely!"
"I'm not leav-"
"Go!" Castor ordered him. "I'll catch up!"
As Theoden and Amara headed for the ceiling, another dozen or more peons flooded the entryway of the old temple, but none got past the gloomstalker. The man watched knowingly as a monstrous form crouched into the crumbling building, barely fitting, and began running the length of the temple passage on all fours. Castor let out a battle cry as it approached; he could not allow it into the temple just yet. Its roar was deafening as it barreled into the man, crying out all the louder as the man's blade sunk deep into its flesh. However, it was far too powerful for Castor, and they both stumbled into the temple.
He couldn't spare a glance toward the ceiling to see whether or not the others had already fled, and the two faced off in a fierce battle. The gloomstalker slashed at the giant once, twice, thrice, and rolled out of the way as it swung its mighty fist toward him. He circled the beast, chanting another incantation, and blasted it with a magical force that sent it reeling on its heels, nearly toppling over. Then he attacked its ankles, and as it fell over Castor was attacked by another barrage of minions.
They successfully inflicted several wounds as he killed them one by one, but then the runes upon his sword were extinguished. "Dammit!" Castor cried out, grunting away the pain, and blasted the few left standing into the far wall opposite that from where the archprimus was stirring. He immediately pounced upon their leader, driving his longsword deep into its flesh to the hilt over and over, desperately trying to end its reign. He felt large fingers wrapping around him, squeezing, and could hear the straining of his breastplate. His blade clanked against the temple floor, and the beast lifted him toward its mouth, now wide open. He wriggled a hand free just as sharp teeth began closing around him, repeated his incantation, and blasted a hole in the back of the monster's throat.
With another heavy fall, the archprimus's knees hit the floor and shook the temple's foundation. As its torso began its descent, Castor crawled the rest of the way into the creature's mouth, its fleshy walls protecting him from the even heavier drop as the heavy mass collapsed against the floor. He braced himself as the shockwave from the fall reverberated through the building. A moment later, as it lied still, the gloomstalker climbed out of the hole in the back of its throat and retrieved his fallen weapon. It came as no surprise to the man that the smaller beasts had dispersed upon the archprimus's death.
"Fuckin' hells!" Castor laughed. "You're a big one, aren't you?" He carved into the monster's back until he reached its heart, groaning as he pulled with all his remaining strength until it came free. He had never seen such a prize…it was the largest fell stone he'd ever removed from the gloom.
The structure groaned, and cracks spider-webbed across the walls, the floor, and the ceiling. Dust and debris showered down around Castor as the floor gave out, and he fell as the building crumbled around him. When he came to, he found himself in some sort of subterranean system illuminated by a strange glow. He picked up the fell stone and followed it until it opened up to a wide chamber with hieroglyphs he'd never seen before etched into the walls. The glow came from some candles that sat upon a dais, except it wasn't fire atop the candles. They were arranged in a very intentional manner, and a strange artifact sat in the center. "What is this?" He asked aloud as he set the fell stone down to further examine the place that must've gone untouched for thousands of years.
The green glow atop the candles reached into the empty space of the chamber like roots reached into the earth, branching and twisting, but on a much smaller scale. He brought his index finger to one slowly, and as he touched it the artifact in the center began crackling and resonating with some sort of energy. It created a bridge with the fell stone on the ground, and Castor could tell it was feeding off of the stone. "No, no, no!" He shouted. "Fuck!" The green energy turned blue as it sapped the power of the stone, and the room seemed to fragment as the process took place. Castor looked at his hands and as he moved them there were multiple images of his hands, shimmering in and out of view. Everything seemed to be resonating with the foreign energy, and then the bridge between the artifact and the stone began groaning, as if it were coming to life.
"I'm done with this!" Castor shouted to himself and smashed the artifact upon the dais. The bridge of energy shot into Castor's eyes and he screamed, falling to the floor. The whole room went dark, and the resonating energy ceased all at once. Only the blue glow of the fell stone remained.
"Castor!" Theoden yelled as he and Amara rushed into the chamber. "What happened?"
"What is this place?" She gasped.
Theoden ran over to help Castor to his feet, but when his teacher looked up at him, something was wrong. Castor's eyes were glowing with the absence of light somehow, and seemed to burn, wisps of darkness dancing upon the orbs. Green tendrils beneath the man's skin reached out from his eye sockets. He lifted Theoden off his feet by his neck, Castor's fingers wrapped around it, squeezing. "Castor!" Theoden gasped as he struggled to breathe, his feet dangling limply.
"Not Castor!" The man answered in a voice neither Theo or Amara recognized. "No more Castor!" He yelled angrily as he threw Theo across the chamber. "Asajrej!" He announced gleefully.
His eyes came upon Amara then, and he smiled, lifting a finger into the space between them, his elbow bent at a right angle. "But you! You can call me Asaj." He looked her up and down, inhaling deeply as he circled her. "Be a darlin' won't you?" He reached out and grabbed Amara's face, his thumb against her bottom lip, and slowly brought it down, separating her lips from one another. "It's been ages…"
Theoden groaned and coughed as he tried to get up, and Asaj snapped his attention toward the half-elf. "After I take care of that." He looked at Amara again. "This will only take me a minute." As he strode over to Theo, Amara swooped the fell stone up and channeled its power fiercely.
Several years later.
Castor sat in a corner of the seediest tavern of one Paragon, drinking alone. Except he was never alone, a hard truth he'd been struggling to accept for years. He was once a respected protector of the people, practically worshipped and praised wherever he went, but now he was only tolerated at best. Most feared what he'd become, and he'd been expelled from several Paragons already. He was running out of places where he could escape the gloom and rest.
The shell of a man could feel what had taken up residence within him stirring, likely due to his mood in particular this time, but he'd grown accustomed to keeping the entity at bay when he wasn't in a heightened state of emotion. The bottle helped keep him numb, and that's what he focused on, so he didn't notice when a certain gloomstalker made his way over to him.
"You look like shit." Theoden told him.
Castor didn't bother looking at the half-elf. "Why don't you come a little closer and say that to my face?" He replied apathetically. "Or better yet, take a seat." He scooted the chair across from him out with a foot.
Theoden shifted uncomfortably where he stood. "I'm not here to catch up." He told his old teacher.
"You've come to bring me in then? Is that it?" Castor asked him, and finally turned his attention from his bottle to his old student, a dare in his dull green eyes. "Well come on then! You're a full-fledged gloomstalker now aren't you? It is your duty is it not?" Castor brought his hands out in front of him, as if waiting to be restrained. "What are you waiting for? Do it."
Theoden took a half step back. "I'm not here for that. I'm here on the behalf of a party interested in your services."
"Why?" Castor asked. "They already have a gloomstalker doing their bidding, clearly. Why don't you pull the job?"
"It's your...unique set of...skills they seek."
Castor looked Theoden over for a moment, sighed, emptied his bottle and stood up. "I suppose I can hear them out."
The half-elf led Castor to the rendezvous location. "Wait here." He told Castor, and approached a hooded figure, several others beside them, also hiding their faces. "I've done what you asked. We're even now. Farewell." Castor watched the gloomstalker take his leave, sparing a final glance to his former master before departing.
"What is this?" Castor asked the hooded figure. "Who are you?" They approached the man slowly, and the others remained where they were.
Amara lowered her hood and looked at the man with pity. "Oh no. No, no, no!" Castor snapped. "I'm not interested." He turned to leave.
"Castor Donovan!" Amara barked. "I think-"
"Haven't you done enough?" Castor retorted. "I'm not your lab rat anymore!"
"I think I may know a way to help you."
After hearing what the elven priestess had to say, Castor headed back into the wilderness of the wasteland, feeling something he hadn't felt in a very, very long time.
Hope.
The two had been bantering back and forth for some time, and a smile found its way upon Castor's face when his protégé tried using their shared heritage as a way to woo the elf. He wondered whether the young half-elf realized Amara was roughly two hundred years his senior. "What do you know of our kind young Theoden?" She asked him, thoroughly amused by his tact.
"We were-"
"Is it we now?" She teased, her eyes squinting in his direction as she muffled a laugh.
Theoden laughed off her remark. "Elves introduced civilization to the world nearly five thousand years ago. They brought an end to tribalism among humans and dwarves, shared their knowledge of agriculture, and helped the races develop their social and economic structures. Elves were the first to grant the anurans amnesty, and their alliance lasted for two thousand years until the Great Agonias Upheaval…"
Castor and Amara exchanged an exasperated glance, but Theoden didn't seem to notice as he continued to recite as much elven history as he could. Castor sighed as the minutes seemed to stretch on for hours, practically praying for a run-in with some beast or another. "They were the first to harness the power of the fell stones, and introduced the first school of magik…"
"That's great," she told Theoden, a smile appearing across his young face. "…had I asked for a history lesson." The proud smile fell from his face. "We experience the passage of time far differently than humans or dwarves. Even with your elven blood, you will not live to see half of my lifespan. You will never look upon the world the way we do…" Theoden looked wounded then, and Amara offered him an apologetic smile. "How could you? It is no fault of yours Theoden. It is the way of things."
The rest of the ride was relatively quiet, and Castor was grateful for that. Sol would shine upon the wasteland for another couple hours as the overgrown remains of Kratorsyr's spires rose in the distance. It had been one of the first safe havens from the gloom, a rising tide of monsters and beasts that swarmed over the land when a star fell from the heavens and crashed into Cedara hundreds of years prior, and it was the first of them to fall. All that remained were the city's bones, most of which lied in rubble, and Cedara reclaimed the place as her own. Trees, plants, fields, and giant lianas and vines seemingly held the skeletal towers up in their stubborn grasp…a warning for those who turned a blind eye to history's woes.
The gloomstalkers and priestess left their mounts outside the old desolate city, and as they ventured into its depths, Castor drew one of his longswords. A simple incantation made the runes upon the blade glow as he slid his left hand along its length. Theoden would receive his own fell fragments to set into his gauntlets when he became a full-fledged gloomstalker, but he did draw his own blade and repeat Castor's incantation and hand movements. Amara spoke some elfish words and the grains of fell stone encapsulated at the point of her scepter began swirling in place, and the amethyst and peridot stones surrounding it, each inscribed with different runes, began orbiting them in various directions. "This place gives me the creeps." Theoden said as he shivered, gripping his weapon all the harder. "It's hard to believe it was once a Paragon…"
"It was one of the strongest." Amara replied, in an almost absent manner. "Its magnificence could not to be overstated. A true marvel…and now stands erect amidst the wasteland, a shadow of its former self, and a smear upon elven history."
"You speak as if you've seen it…" Theo gawked at her.
"She's an elf. Don't be such a fool." Castor retorted for the priestess. Theoden's shoulders sagged, and he didn't speak another word.
"This is why I'm here." She replied, nodding.
The gloomstalkers kept a careful eye on their surroundings as they followed Amara through the ruins. They were there for one reason, and one reason only: to protect the priestess at all costs. They were permitted to slay any beasts if there was no other choice readily available…the priestess could not perish. Her death was simply unacceptable.
Castor spotted a few beasts here and there, but they didn't seem organized, and steered clear of their party. Still, the man watched for any signs of an archprimus, a more powerful monster with the ability to rally the beasts around it, the greater their influence, the more powerful they became. Some archprimuses were known to build themselves massive armies, but the last of the grand archprimuses were slain by the gloomstalkers decades ago. Castor, and the other veteran gloomstalkers kept those tales at the forefront of their guild's minds however, for complacency would be the death of them all.
Amara led them into a decrepit structure that seemed to have served as a temple once upon a time. Castor and Theoden's jobs were simplified greatly as there was only the one long entrance, and some holes in the ceiling. The elf rummaged through debris, collecting little trinkets here and there, but had one prize in mind. "You might want to hurry priestess." Castor called out to her. "I believe…" Then a dozen or so beasts stormed through the entrance. "We'll keep them at bay, but get what you came for! Quickly!" Castor yelled as he and the half-elf prepared to engage their sworn enemy.
They came fast, and though Theoden had seemingly put all his weaknesses on display thus far, he was much more impressive in combat, his instincts possessing more wit than his thinking brain. Castor knew the young man would learn however, and had the utmost faith in his protégé as they fought side by side, protecting one another's backs. That is all that mattered to the veteran in the moment.
A beast came flying at Castor with relentless savagery, and with one powerful swipe of his glowing sword, the veteran silenced it forever. And so it was, two gloomstalkers felling beast after beast, unyielding and stubborn, not allowing a single one to break through and reach Amara. "I found it!" She cried out gleefully. "Let's go!"
"Those weren't the last of them." Castor replied. "There's an archprimus here." Amara gasped, becoming visibly and audibly shaken. "You are wise to be afraid." He told her before looking to his protégé. "Get her out of here! See to it that she returns to her people safely!"
"I'm not leav-"
"Go!" Castor ordered him. "I'll catch up!"
As Theoden and Amara headed for the ceiling, another dozen or more peons flooded the entryway of the old temple, but none got past the gloomstalker. The man watched knowingly as a monstrous form crouched into the crumbling building, barely fitting, and began running the length of the temple passage on all fours. Castor let out a battle cry as it approached; he could not allow it into the temple just yet. Its roar was deafening as it barreled into the man, crying out all the louder as the man's blade sunk deep into its flesh. However, it was far too powerful for Castor, and they both stumbled into the temple.
He couldn't spare a glance toward the ceiling to see whether or not the others had already fled, and the two faced off in a fierce battle. The gloomstalker slashed at the giant once, twice, thrice, and rolled out of the way as it swung its mighty fist toward him. He circled the beast, chanting another incantation, and blasted it with a magical force that sent it reeling on its heels, nearly toppling over. Then he attacked its ankles, and as it fell over Castor was attacked by another barrage of minions.
They successfully inflicted several wounds as he killed them one by one, but then the runes upon his sword were extinguished. "Dammit!" Castor cried out, grunting away the pain, and blasted the few left standing into the far wall opposite that from where the archprimus was stirring. He immediately pounced upon their leader, driving his longsword deep into its flesh to the hilt over and over, desperately trying to end its reign. He felt large fingers wrapping around him, squeezing, and could hear the straining of his breastplate. His blade clanked against the temple floor, and the beast lifted him toward its mouth, now wide open. He wriggled a hand free just as sharp teeth began closing around him, repeated his incantation, and blasted a hole in the back of the monster's throat.
With another heavy fall, the archprimus's knees hit the floor and shook the temple's foundation. As its torso began its descent, Castor crawled the rest of the way into the creature's mouth, its fleshy walls protecting him from the even heavier drop as the heavy mass collapsed against the floor. He braced himself as the shockwave from the fall reverberated through the building. A moment later, as it lied still, the gloomstalker climbed out of the hole in the back of its throat and retrieved his fallen weapon. It came as no surprise to the man that the smaller beasts had dispersed upon the archprimus's death.
"Fuckin' hells!" Castor laughed. "You're a big one, aren't you?" He carved into the monster's back until he reached its heart, groaning as he pulled with all his remaining strength until it came free. He had never seen such a prize…it was the largest fell stone he'd ever removed from the gloom.
The structure groaned, and cracks spider-webbed across the walls, the floor, and the ceiling. Dust and debris showered down around Castor as the floor gave out, and he fell as the building crumbled around him. When he came to, he found himself in some sort of subterranean system illuminated by a strange glow. He picked up the fell stone and followed it until it opened up to a wide chamber with hieroglyphs he'd never seen before etched into the walls. The glow came from some candles that sat upon a dais, except it wasn't fire atop the candles. They were arranged in a very intentional manner, and a strange artifact sat in the center. "What is this?" He asked aloud as he set the fell stone down to further examine the place that must've gone untouched for thousands of years.
The green glow atop the candles reached into the empty space of the chamber like roots reached into the earth, branching and twisting, but on a much smaller scale. He brought his index finger to one slowly, and as he touched it the artifact in the center began crackling and resonating with some sort of energy. It created a bridge with the fell stone on the ground, and Castor could tell it was feeding off of the stone. "No, no, no!" He shouted. "Fuck!" The green energy turned blue as it sapped the power of the stone, and the room seemed to fragment as the process took place. Castor looked at his hands and as he moved them there were multiple images of his hands, shimmering in and out of view. Everything seemed to be resonating with the foreign energy, and then the bridge between the artifact and the stone began groaning, as if it were coming to life.
"I'm done with this!" Castor shouted to himself and smashed the artifact upon the dais. The bridge of energy shot into Castor's eyes and he screamed, falling to the floor. The whole room went dark, and the resonating energy ceased all at once. Only the blue glow of the fell stone remained.
"Castor!" Theoden yelled as he and Amara rushed into the chamber. "What happened?"
"What is this place?" She gasped.
Theoden ran over to help Castor to his feet, but when his teacher looked up at him, something was wrong. Castor's eyes were glowing with the absence of light somehow, and seemed to burn, wisps of darkness dancing upon the orbs. Green tendrils beneath the man's skin reached out from his eye sockets. He lifted Theoden off his feet by his neck, Castor's fingers wrapped around it, squeezing. "Castor!" Theoden gasped as he struggled to breathe, his feet dangling limply.
"Not Castor!" The man answered in a voice neither Theo or Amara recognized. "No more Castor!" He yelled angrily as he threw Theo across the chamber. "Asajrej!" He announced gleefully.
His eyes came upon Amara then, and he smiled, lifting a finger into the space between them, his elbow bent at a right angle. "But you! You can call me Asaj." He looked her up and down, inhaling deeply as he circled her. "Be a darlin' won't you?" He reached out and grabbed Amara's face, his thumb against her bottom lip, and slowly brought it down, separating her lips from one another. "It's been ages…"
Theoden groaned and coughed as he tried to get up, and Asaj snapped his attention toward the half-elf. "After I take care of that." He looked at Amara again. "This will only take me a minute." As he strode over to Theo, Amara swooped the fell stone up and channeled its power fiercely.
Several years later.
Castor sat in a corner of the seediest tavern of one Paragon, drinking alone. Except he was never alone, a hard truth he'd been struggling to accept for years. He was once a respected protector of the people, practically worshipped and praised wherever he went, but now he was only tolerated at best. Most feared what he'd become, and he'd been expelled from several Paragons already. He was running out of places where he could escape the gloom and rest.
The shell of a man could feel what had taken up residence within him stirring, likely due to his mood in particular this time, but he'd grown accustomed to keeping the entity at bay when he wasn't in a heightened state of emotion. The bottle helped keep him numb, and that's what he focused on, so he didn't notice when a certain gloomstalker made his way over to him.
"You look like shit." Theoden told him.
Castor didn't bother looking at the half-elf. "Why don't you come a little closer and say that to my face?" He replied apathetically. "Or better yet, take a seat." He scooted the chair across from him out with a foot.
Theoden shifted uncomfortably where he stood. "I'm not here to catch up." He told his old teacher.
"You've come to bring me in then? Is that it?" Castor asked him, and finally turned his attention from his bottle to his old student, a dare in his dull green eyes. "Well come on then! You're a full-fledged gloomstalker now aren't you? It is your duty is it not?" Castor brought his hands out in front of him, as if waiting to be restrained. "What are you waiting for? Do it."
Theoden took a half step back. "I'm not here for that. I'm here on the behalf of a party interested in your services."
"Why?" Castor asked. "They already have a gloomstalker doing their bidding, clearly. Why don't you pull the job?"
"It's your...unique set of...skills they seek."
Castor looked Theoden over for a moment, sighed, emptied his bottle and stood up. "I suppose I can hear them out."
The half-elf led Castor to the rendezvous location. "Wait here." He told Castor, and approached a hooded figure, several others beside them, also hiding their faces. "I've done what you asked. We're even now. Farewell." Castor watched the gloomstalker take his leave, sparing a final glance to his former master before departing.
"What is this?" Castor asked the hooded figure. "Who are you?" They approached the man slowly, and the others remained where they were.
Amara lowered her hood and looked at the man with pity. "Oh no. No, no, no!" Castor snapped. "I'm not interested." He turned to leave.
"Castor Donovan!" Amara barked. "I think-"
"Haven't you done enough?" Castor retorted. "I'm not your lab rat anymore!"
"I think I may know a way to help you."
After hearing what the elven priestess had to say, Castor headed back into the wilderness of the wasteland, feeling something he hadn't felt in a very, very long time.
Hope.
Looking for people who want to expand upon this world with me. 1-3 people would suffice. It takes place in a world called Cedara. It is populated by humans, elves, dwarves, and various other fantasy races including one I have made up called anurans (a frog-like humanoid species that is more tribal and barbaric than the other more civilized races. They're also gatekeepers of old knowledge...knowledge long lost to the other races of the world.).
Hundreds of years ago a star fell from the heavens and crashed into Cedara. The star brought monsters that swarmed across the world, and they would come to be called the gloom. The gloom roam the wastelands of Cedara and civilization exists in magically protected cities spread across the land. Introductory post in spoiler above. Let me know if you're interested, feel free to DM me.