Welcome back! I'm gonna enjoy getting back to cute, wholesome Kaigan. I'm sure the Abyss has absolutely no plans for him... after all you can't corrupt something that is so innocent right? Right? *glances at Kumo*
Welcome back! Super excited that this is starting up again, since i have loads of free time to write. I mean…that’s if i still remember the storyline i had in mind? Who knows!
Like I mentioned in my previous post, I want to check which players are still active and willing to continue playing in this Tournament with the so-far undefeated Champions. There are 8 Champions still in this competition, and here's the list of them and their players.
This next part is important if there are Champions whose players won't play anymore: I've been thinking of replacing inactive players with active players, while also keeping the already presented Champions in the game. What I mean by this is that a new player may join in the game by taking control of an inactive player's Champion.
The reason why I wish to replace inactives this way is because their Champions are already rooted into the main story. Removing them and replacing them with new Champions with new introductions would take too much time and effort to be worthwhile (Similar thing happened in ToC2). It would stall the story and waste some interactive plotlines which have already begun.
If a new player joins and takes control of an inactive Champion, they can make new hero card and/or signature/companion card for the Champion, only requirements being that the character and core color(s) remain the same, while also staying true to its story that's been written so far (you don't have to use different artwork for the new cards). Original player has the privilege to return anytime during the competition to retake control of their Champion from the new player if they wish so, as long as the said Champion is still in the game.
Judging by the comments so far, I believe @DrakeGladis, @shadow123, @theirintheattic, and @ChoyBoi want to keep playing with their Champions. You should check this set where I keep all your entries, and notify me if any old/new versions of your Champion's cards are missing. Also consider planning a new card for your Champion (hero/signature/companion) sometime before Round 2 begins if you haven't already.
@DomriKade, @Usaername, @Red_Tower, and @FourEyesIsAFish - Do you wish to keep playing with your Champions? If so, then please say so in this thread or by sending me a private message. If not, then message me anyway to let me know. You could also offer a non-player cardsmith to take control of your Champion if you have someone on your mind. Or you can send me any materials you had planned for your Champion, which I will use to judge and control your character as the Tournament runs.
But this is just my idea of handling inactives. I want to hear from all of you, players and spectators: Do you want me to replace inactive Champions with new players, or should we continue normally even if some Champions are inactive? I'd judge inactive Champion's matches with materials that've already been posted here, plus any materials the player has sent me.
You can ask any questions from me in this thread or by sending me a private message here in forums or in Discord.
* * * *
Here's the Tournament Bracket, which I will continue updating alongside this Tournament. You can check the past and future matches from it.
If you don't remember where we left off storywise, I recommend you to re-read some of the past story chapters I have written, especially the latest one(s) (Fourteen - Encounter). Some of you may have noticed the three hashtags which I've been using on my posts in this thread: toc4_story, toc4_match, and toc4_info. If you type these into the search bar at the top right of this forum's page, you'll find my old posts relating to the tag you typed. It should help navigate you (and me) through this thread if you want to re-read past stuff.
#toc4_info
Welp, constructing this post took days longer than I planned! I shouldn't have spontaneously read every intriguing chapter I happened to find as I went back and forth collecting info!
The party followed the Minstrel through the shadowy woods, the stomps of their galloping steeds drummed the ground as they hurried to the other battle site. When Rodolf noticed Kaigan on Eli's horse, the Assassin rode right next to Sir Killian's. "I wouldn't say this out loud next to the Minstrel or the Contestants, but... we shouldn't be doing this," Rodolf shouted to Killian so that only he would hear him in the commotion of the ride. "We don't have time to go looking for some snob in the wilds who is most likely dead by now."
"We don't know that."
"But you do realize that she and her entourage probably led that Warlock here? Maybe even intentionally!"
"Then why would the Warlock attack them?"
"Servants of the Abyss have always been dim up here," Rodolf said and poked the side of his head twice. "Their minds are capricious, which is why we should stop this rescue mission before more of them show up!"
"We'll stop once we have found the missing people!" Sir Killian shouted back. Rodolf grunted, then pulled his steed's reins until he was the last rider in the formation again. Almost a minute later, the party arrived to an area where more rotten corpses laid on the ground and against numerous trees.
"This is where the Metal Dragonborn saved me," Hesiodos shouted to everyone as he circled his horse around the battlefield. Limbs and heads were scattered everywhere; as one would expect from the victims of a four-armed warrior. Unlike the ones which attacked the other Contestants, the undead soldiers which Sturgar annihilated had heavier and more rusty gear: Dented platemails, broken halberds, and chipped longswords.
"How were you ambushed?" Hestia asked the Minstrel, and he stroked his long white beard as he recalled the event in his mind. While he talked, Rodolf dismounted and looted the bodies from signet rings again.
"It happened during our lunch break," Hesiodos said in a joyless tone. "The dead rose from the ground right beneath us. Before I could enchant them to come after me, they managed to take hold and kill some of our horses. The escorts and the lady were still unharmed, so I told them to escape while I lured the undead here and--"
"And that's when Sturgar found you," Sir Killian finished the Minstrel's story as he looked at the apparent trail which the undead left behind before the battle. "There's no time to waste! Hesiodos, lead us to the ambush site!"
"Err, yes Sir! Follow me," the Faerie beckoned with his prosthetic arm, then rode along the trail. Others did the same, save for Rodolf, who hadn't finished collecting all the rings.
Few minutes later, they entered a green, sunny glade, which would have been a pretty sight without recently dug earth, abandoned luncheon, and dead horses. Insects were busy feasting on the food and the fallen steeds, causing the party's horses to neigh nervously. They eagerly followed Sir Killian, who took the lead and rode to the direction where the missing people had escaped.
Another moment of riding through woods passed. The party slowed down their steeds as the terrain turned rough and gloomy. The trees had long, spiky branches devoid of leaves, and each Contestant made sure not to accidentally lash them back at the rider behind them. "We must be catching up to them soon!" Hesiodos shouted excitedly as the tracks looked even more fresh and quickened his steed's pace, slowly leaving others behind. Sir Killian glanced at the tracks: The amount of hoofprints seemed greater than before.
Were they being chased by other riders? The Hunter Knight thought to himself, dismounted from Rusty, and knelt down to inspect the hoofprints more thoroughly. At the same time, Hestia broke from the formation and carefully observed her surroundings while listening: That part of the forest was overshadowed by nearby mountains, and the singing of birds were nowhere to be heard. Then she saw something glittering at the foot of a dead shrubbery. Hestia dismounted from her horse, leaving Tika onto it alone, approached the shrubbery, knelt down, and pushed its twigs aside.
"By the Gods," Hestia gasped. Tika heard it, then raised her head in a vain attempt to look over the Ashen Knight's shoulder to see what she had discovered.
"What is it? What did you find?" The Elf asked like an eager child, but quickly fell silent as Hestia raised her left hand. The fingertips of her gauntlet were colored red.
"Don't look, Tika!" she urged with an uneasy look on her face, and the Elf complied even though she was worried. Hestia urgently waved her hand at Sir Killian, who then hurried to her side. The sight of their find: A freshly severed head of a human soldier who had been alive mere moments ago. Sir Killian grunted as he turned to look away, then he saw Hesiodos riding towards a forest opening alone.
"Hesiodos, stop!" the Hunter Knight shouted just when the Faerie disappeared behind a bush. A howl of terror echoed right after, and Sir Killian ran after the Minstrel, right hand gripping his sheathed greatsword's handle.
Leaves rustled as they got pushed aside, revealing yet another gruesome scene: Several bodies of human soldiers lying around the forest opening, decapitated and bleeding. Hesiodos's steed nervously stood on the bloodied ground while the Faerie wailed.
"No... No... I rode with these men... We shared stories each night... Poor Reece here, or what's left of him, even talked about becoming a father--."
"Enough, Hesiodos!" Sir Killian ordered bluntly, and the Faerie sighed sadly. Hestia, Elidyr, and the Contestants arrived one by one, each reacting to the victims in their own ways. The Ashen Knight placed her palm onto Tika's eyes.
"Who, or what, killed them?" Nilfi asked rather curiously, regardless of the heavy atmosphere.
"Some other unruly undeads, most likely," Imilia answered as if talking to a child. "Unruly undeads with their undead horses."
"Where are their heads?" the Vampire asked as he looked around. "Do I even wish to know?"
"Neither rusty blades nor rotten minds could make such clean cuts," Hadid pondered soundly. "Zombies didn't do this."
"I know what killed them," Rodolf shouted as he finally rode to the forest opening. "And they're looking for us right now!"
"W-who's 'they?'" Kaigan asked anxiously, even though a part of him didn't want to hear the answer.
"Outriders of the Abyss," Sir Killian answered gravely as he inspected the headless bodies. "Cursed knights, devoid of honor and flesh, their steeds transformed into shades which pass through the land like smoke."
"If those monsters are after us, then we can't stay here," Hestia mentioned as she looked at the bloody battlefield. "We must find someplace where we can hide or defend ourselves from them, and quickly!"
"Tower of Jarlath!" Elidyr exclaimed while pointing at the mountaintops that could barely be seen through the forest's branch ceiling. "Its up there! The old tower's blessed walls will keep us hidden from monsters!"
"But that was a long time ago," Hesiodos sighed as he shook his head. "A barbaric battle between men and dryads took place in the tower, killing everyone inside despite the walls' spell. There's no guarantee in old, forgotten magic."
"It's the best option we got," Sir Killian said before whistling for his horse. "Soldiers of Jarlath's order were monster hunters. Whatever is left up there will surely help us against the undead. We ride to the tower!"
"What about my companions?" shocked Hesiodos asked as he glanced at the bodies. "Shouldn't we bury them?"
"There's no time for that, old faerie," Rodolf grunted as he dismounted from his horse, then proceed to collect the dead soldiers' signet rings as fast as he could. "I don't see any ladies among the dead, by the way."
"You're right," the slightly dismayed Minstrel said as he looked at the bodies again. "My Lady and a couple of her escorts aren't here. Did they manage to escape?"
"If she's alive and hiding somewhere close by," Sir Killian began as he mounted Rusty, "then we better lure those monsters elsewhere as we make our own escape. She could even be on her way to the tower as we speak. Rodolf!"
"I'm not done yet," the Assassin huffed as he pulled rings from the headless soldiers' fingers. "You all better go now! I'll lure the Outriders somewhere else with a whistle arrow, then join you later with Sturgar!"
"Don't let yourselves get killed," the Hunter Knight ordered Rodolf, then he turned his horse to look at Elidyr. "Guide us to the tower!"
"Y-yes Sir!" the young Archer shouted and kicked his horse into a gallop. "Hyah!"
Elidyr and Kaigan were leading the party, their horse galloping as fast as it could through the woods. Sir Killian, Hesiodos, Hestia, Tika, Nilfi, Imilia, and Hadid followed with their horses, each one being at least a couple meters apart from each other. After a moment of twenty-eight hooves drumming the forest ground, a long, sharp whistle echoed in the distance. It was immediately followed by numerous monstrous cries which caused some Contestants to shiver.
"What is that voice!?" Tika asked as the party reached the forest outskirts.
"It's the Abyssal Outriders!" Hestia shouted through the sound of stomping hooves to the Elf sitting in front of her. "Their mutated skulls let out that voice as the wind passes through them!"
"Sounds like a screaming banshee!" Nilfi mentioned as he glanced over his shoulder. "I don't want to listen to that as I'm being killed!"
"You won't, for we're getting out of here, don't worry!" Elidyr shouted. "Keep up and don't stop! The tower is on the other side of that mountain!" The Guide, Hunter Knight, Minstrel, Ashen Knight, and five Contestants continued their escape through a mountain valley while a myriad of constant screaming echoed far behind them like an approaching storm. They rode along a crystal clear stream which flowed between the spruce trees all the way from the grey mountains, which stood high above the forests of the wilds.
Art: Philipp A. Ulrich
The closer they got to the mountains, the rougher the terrain became: Fewer trees, sharper rocks, and steeper hills. "Not long now!" Elidyr shouted as he rode up such hill, and others did the same. Sir Killian's horse, Rusty, climbed the hill's cliff wall faster than any other horse. The experienced stallion quickly passed Elidyr's and Kaigan's mare, taking the lead. Small rocks rolled down from under the horses' hooves, sometimes hitting other horses below, making them even more nervous.
"Try not to drop rocks on us!" recently arrived Rodolf shouted to those who were above him. The Assassin had caught up to the party and was climbing the hill with his horse as well. "It would be embarrassing to die before the Outriders get here!"
"What!?" displeased Sir Killian shouted from far above. "Didn't you lure them elsewhere? And where is Sturgar!?"
"There were too many of those damn Outriders! They spotted me right after I shot that whistle! And I couldn't find Sturgar! Now can we ride to the tower already!?" Rodolf's annoyance grew even stronger as ghastly screams echoed from the woods which the party just left behind. "They're gaining on us! Hurry up!"
Sir Killian was the first one to reach the top of the steep cliff. He dismounted and looked at his steed, which was sweating and spluttering profusely. "I know," he whispered calmly and patted the tired horse. "Good boy, Rusty! Now rest a while, I'll check on others." The Hunter Knight looked down from the edge of the cliff and saw how well everyone was doing. Party members who were right behind Sir Killian also reached the top, one by one. Their horses looked even more exhausted that Sir Killian's, Hestia's, or Rodolf's.
"One final push!" Hestia encouraged those who were still climbing. Crack! That's when a nasty sound of a snapping bone was heard. Nilfi's white horse neighed in pain before falling. The Vampire Alchemist realized his steed had broken its leg as they both rolled down the cliffside.
"Nilfi!" Sir Killian shouted when a cloud of dust prevented him from seeing the Contestant, who was well on his way down back to the valley, rolling and stumbling past Rodolf. The Assassin shouted profanities as he only barely dodged Nilfi and the unfortunate horse.
Then the falling sounds stopped. Everyone looked at the spot where Nilfi fell. When the dust settled, they saw Sturgar, who was holding Nilfi and his horse with his four arms. The Dragon Soldier had stopped their fall. Sir Killian sighed in relief.
"About time you showed up!" Rodolf shouted, still annoyed about the whole escape operation. "Now, put down the horse to end its suffering, then come on top of this bloody cliff... with the Vampire!"
Sturgar looked at Nilfi: The unconscious alchemist's fancy clothes were ripped, dirty, and his exposed skin had dark bruises. The horse had similar injuries in addition to a broken leg. It neighed in panic, blood flowing from its mouth. Sturgar silently lowered the horse onto the ground, unsheathed his sword, and pointed it at the steed's chest. Then he looked at the horse's black watery eyes. "What are you waiting for? Put it out of its misery!" Rodolf's exclamations echoed around Sturgar, and he thrust his sword into the horse's heart, causing the steed to raise its head and to let out a final neigh before falling onto the ground. After a few seconds, Sturgar pulled his sword from the horse's lifeless body, swung the blade in the air to clean it from blood, then sheathed it.
With Nilfi's body on his right shoulder, the Dragonborn started climbing the cliff hill. Everyone else had already reached the top, and while they were waiting for Sturgar, they dismounted from their horses and tried to relax, even though the much needed break wouldn't be long enough to cool their bodies or to calm their minds.
Their fears turned to reality as Elidyr suddenly warned others while pointing down at the mountain valley. "We got company!" he shouted in a slightly wavering voice. Sir Killian, Hesiodos, Rodolf, and many others walked to the edge of the steep hill to look down: Three shadowy riders and their smokey steeds charged at Sturgar, who had climbed halfway up the cliff. The Abyssal Outriders screamed deathly, unsheathed their black swords, and prepared to attack the defenseless Dragonborn
Elidyr aimed with his loaded crossbow for a second before Sir Killian pushed it aside. "You may hit Sturgar or Nilfi," the Hunter Knight said urgently. Before the Archer could say anything, Kaigan hurried next to Sir Killian.
"You gotta help them, Ser Knight!" the Kobold pleaded. "You promised to fight anyone who would attack us outside of arenas! There must be something you can do, right?" Sir Killian looked into the Kobold's eyes, then they both looked at the sheathed shortsword hanging from the Hunter Knight's belt. Sir Killian quickly unlocked a slide lock on the sheath, which Kaigan didn't even notice was there, then the Knight wrapped his fingers around the sword's handle.
"Everyone, look elsewhere!" Sir Killian ordered.
"Oh no," Rodolf muttered as he turned to look away. Hestia closed the visor of her helmet and covered Tika's eyes with her palm as she crouched next to the Elf. Everyone else turned their gaze away from Sir Killian in similar ways. The Hunter Knight saw as the Abyssal Riders eerily rose up the cliff like smoke. They would catch Sturgar and Nilfi in seconds, even though the Dragonborn climbed as fast as he could with his three free arms.
"Sturgar! Shield your eyes!" Sir Killian commanded, and when the Dragonborn stopped climbing, the Hunter Knight quickly pulled the sword out of its scabbard with a flaming swoosh. White light shined from the sword's blade as Sir Killian pointed it at the horizon. The Abyssal Outriders screamed as they saw the light, then retreated back down to the forest's shadows.
When the Hunter Knight didn't see the monsters' black smoke anymore, he sheathed the flaming sword as quickly as he unsheathed it. The click of the sidelock and the ceasing of a silent hum prompted others to open their eyes again. Sir Killian's fingers twitched on his right hand, but it stopped when he closed it into a fist few times.
"Woah," Kaigan let out in amazement. "That was one bright torch!" Sir Killian almost smiled to the Kobold before three metallic hands emerged from the edge of the cliff. The two took a couple steps back as Sturgar could finally stand on his two legs and wipe dust off from his golden body. Then he walked away from the cliff's edge and slowly placed Nilfi on a small bed of moss. Hestia knelt next to the still unconscious Vampire, opened the visor of her helmet, and examined Nilfi's injuries.
"He hit his head pretty hard... a normal man would be in much more critical condition after that fall, but it looks like our Alchemist is healing pretty quickly." Sturgar looked at Nilfi, and noticed how some of the smaller bruises had disappeared almost completely.
"We're not out of the woods yet," Rodolf said in a low, fed-up tone. The Assassin was tired of waiting, as he was already walking to his horse.
"He's right," Sir Killian said. "The riders will return in greater numbers. We walk the rest of the way! It's too dangerous to ride in these heights." Elidyr grabbed the reins of his horse and took the lead. Other riders also led their horses as they walked around the cliffs. Sturgar placed Nilfi's body on the saddle of Sir Killian's steed, and the Hunter Knight nodded to the Dragonborn. Hesiodos followed the party from further behind, silently glancing at the forest where his companions were attacked. Then he looked at the tower in the distance, which was like a beacon of shelter for the tired travelers.
"For this one time," the Faerie muttered to himself. "... I hope I'm wrong."
The afternoon sun shined upon the travelers as they made their way towards the tower by foot, venturing around the mountain. They led their horses by pulling their reins, and followed their guide, Elidyr. Even in such rough and dizzying heights, he had somehow found the safest path to the tower. Some Contestants gazed at the majestic scenery: Birds in the distance flew seemingly at the same height as the travelers, their cries echoing across the forested valleys below. Ocean of leaves sparkled with sunlight as the wind passed through the land. It would have been a calming trek, if only the occasional distant screams weren't there to remind the travelers of the monsters which were still hunting for them.
"Can we eat now?" Kaigan asked out loud, expecting someone to answer. "I don't think I can go on for much longer with an empty belly..."
"The tower is right around the corner," Elidyr said. "We can rest and eat there." Just as the Guide had finished speaking, the party finally saw the tower right in front of them. The remote outpost had seen better days: Parts of the walls had crumbled from the surface, and decades worth of dust dimmed any sunlight it reflected. Top half of the tower was completely missing. Spruce trees and other foliage covered the entrance. The Contestants could only imagine the tower's true splendor, which was lost to time.
"You really think we'll be safe here?" Imilia asked with an unconvinced look in her face. "Whatever magic these walls have... it seems very weak now."
"We're better off in there than out here," Sir Killian said and took the lead once more. "Come on now." The Hunter Knight entered the tower first, leading Rusty with his left hand and keeping his right hand ready to draw a sword, should anyone or anything attack from shadowy corridors. He accidentally kicked a skull, which was lying in the middle of the floor. It rolled against one of the numerous coffins, which were piled against the passage's walls. You were never brought back home. Hope you found peace at least.
Art: Joseph Feely
Gravel crunched under his boots as he reached the center of the hollow tower, which was like a lifeless inner yard of an abandoned castle. Sudden caws and flaps of three black crows echoed around Sir Killian as the murder flew from a nearby wall all the way up the tower until they reached the blue sky above, which looked like a portal to another world. Since the walls were so high, the courtyard couldn't receive direct sunlight.
Others soon walked into the shadowy, cold courtyard as well. Their horses finally seemed calm, but the steeds were displeased by the meager amount of grass and plants on the ground. "It almost feels like home," Hadid the Portal Mage muttered as he looked at the tower's inner walls. "... sadly."
"S-should we make some fire?" Kaigan asked while shivering a little. "I'm more comfortable in w-warmer conditions, and I'd like to c-cook something."
"Uh, sure!" Elidyr exclaimed when he stopped looking at the sky ceiling and opened his backpack. It was full of dry twigs and easily flammable wood, which he had picked during the journey. Sir Killian coughed with restraint a few times before pointing at the companions he addressed.
"Right. Hestia, guard the entrance first, should the Outriders pick our trail. Rodolf, you and I will make sure the upper floors are clear. The rest of you, eat something and take some rest. We'll leave once the dust has settled."
The Ashen Knight marched to the entrance and the Assassin silently walked to the next floor in a slightly crouching stance. Sir Killian took the other stairs, his heavy footsteps echoing in the old tower. When Elidyr managed to make fire with flint and dagger, he grabbed a pan which was hanging from his backpack.
The story continues! But your heroes are not in the Tournament City just yet. The event which we discussed about earlier in this thread is yet to begin. In fact, it will begin in the very next chapter! Partaking in it will yield points for you hero, but I'll tell you more about it once it actually starts.
I'll now give you a week or two to write about your characters, should you want to interact with others at this point of the story, react to the recent events, or do something else entirely:
You may also use this time to read earlier story chapters if you've forgotten some stuff or just want to relive past events. I could write a short recap of the main story, if you believe it'd be helpful.
If you have any questions, then feel free to ask me via DM:s or via Discord!
Hours had passed. The golden afternoon sun was slowly descending behind the distant mountain peaks, its last red light shined through the windows of the ruined tower.
Sir Killian climbed to the top floor, which hadn't yet crumbled away like the original top half of the tower. He walked to the inner edge and looked at the courtyard below: Elidyr and some of the Contestants had gathered around the campfire, chattering and/or eating. Hesiodos was sitting further away, snoring while holding his instrument with his prosthetic hand. The horses were resting more soundly than usual, their hunger sated with apples and carrots.
Then Sir Killian walked to the outer edge of the floor, leaned against the wall, and looked through the large window and at the valley below. Black smoke streamed from half-dozen locations, and distant deathly screams still echoed within the woods.
"They haven't left yet?" Sir Killian asked without looking away from the window. The Hunter Knight had heard Rodolf's silent chewing from the wall's shadow.
"No... quite the opposite," the Assassin answered while eating salted pork. "More smoke has appeared every hour. They don't usually hang around, so why do they start making camps now?"
"Because they know we are here," Sir Killian said in a low tone. Rodolf spat another piece of bone through the window.
"So this tower's concealing spell has indeed worn off?"
"Or the Necromancer controls these Outriders as well."
"He really likes us, doesn't he?" the Assassin's grin shined under his hood. "I can't wait to meet him and introduce Faust to his throat!" Rodolf called his cherished dagger Faust, as if it was his loyal dog.
"If only it would be that easy," the Hunter Knight sighed. "They've only been testing us this day, to check what we're capable of. Now more of their pawns gather around this tower, waiting until we either come out or starve to death." The two were silent for a moment, then Rodolf leaned forward.
"Good thing then... that we have a possible third option." He swallowed the last bit of salted pork, then wiped his hands with his cloak. "I'll start looking for the hidden passage soon. Would hate to spend days here waiting for an unlikely cavalry." The Assassin cracked his knuckles and neck before taking the stairs down.
Sir Killian looked at the scenery a moment longer until he, too, began to make his way to the base floor. 4th floor... 3rd floor... The Hunter Knight's heavy footsteps, creak of leather belts, and silent clatter of sheathed swords echoed around him, but not as much on the 2nd floor, which was the darkest one thanks to the trees and foliage blocking the windows. "Hmm..." Sir Killian recognized furniture shapes in the darkness, as they reflected tiny scraps of light which came from the campfire at the base floor's courtyard. He took a torch from the wall, then continued walking downstairs.
"... just wait until we get to the city!" Elidyr was talking by the campfire as he cooked some meat on a pan. "I know this really good place where they serve a drink that makes it impossible to lower your tankard once you taste it!"
"Really?" Kaigan asked eagerly. "Wow! What do they put in that drink?"
"You better taste it yourself to find out," the young Archer chuckled and turned the meat on the sizzling pan. "Their recipe is a secret, so your guess is as good as mine, Anyway, I could really use a full tankard with this meat right now!" Elidyr laughed, but instinctively shut his mouth when Sir Killian suddenly appeared beside him, crouched next to the campfire, and held the torch's head above the flames until it got lit. Then the silent Hunter Knight returned to the stairs to climb back to the 2nd floor.
"If it's as excellent as you say," Rodolf began as he stood up. "I better find us a way out of here, so we can resume our journey, reach the city, then you can buy us a drink in this tavern of yours!" Eli laughed again and placed the meat from the pan onto a wooden plate.
"Don't think so, Sir Hood!" the Guide exclaimed jovially and took a bite from his steaming meal. "You're paid far better than me, I bet!"
"But you must get some discount since you're a regular customer there, right? All good taverns do that."
Elidyr stopped chewing as he tried to come up with another excuse. "Well, yes, but I don't visit that place as often--"
Rodolf snapped his finger and smirked. "Great lad, it's settled then! No drinks for Sturgar though, get some oil for him instead to grease his creaking joints! Hahaha...!"
The Assassin walked away from the fire before anyone could say anymore to him, then he began to examine the walls around the courtyard. The pillars made it seem like a hidden passage could be between any one of them. He looked and searched for hidden mechanisms: Torch holders which acted as levers, wall tiles which served as buttons, and floor tiles which had to be pulled up or have lots of weight placed upon them.
After an hour of searching, Rodolf sat by the campfire again, frustrated by the lack of clues. "You, old man," he said to Hadid, who was also resting by the fire while reading a book. "Can't you just make a portal to the Tournament City? It would save us a lot of trouble."
The Mage turned his attention away from the book and seemed to delve deep into thought as he held his chin. The Assassin grew impatient.
"Well, how about locating a secret passage? Can you do that with your portals?"
"How can one go to a place he can't find?" Hadid asked in a friendly tone, then began explaining as if he was starting a lecture back at his Scryptorum Academy classroom. "As for far away locations... conjuring such portal takes many times more mana than a regular short distance portal. And the greater the distance, the greater the risk of ending up in an inaccurate destination. In theory, it's possible to conjure a dependable portal to distant places, but there are still some issues which--"
"Alright, alright, I got it!" Rodolf interrupted while raising his both hands, as if calming a nervous horse. "Nothing is ever easy," the Assassin said under his breath as he slowly wiped his face, then he turned his attention to Hestia, who was cleaning her longsword and sharpening parts of the edges which had gone dull from the zombie encounter. Elidyr had taken over the guard duty at the entrance. "What is Killian doing?" Rodolf asked as he glanced around the darkening courtyard.
"He's reading old notes and logbooks if the commander's office," the Ashen Knight answered. "I suspect there might be some information about the passage you're looking for."
"Just the thought of reading dusty diaries makes me snore," the Assassin mumbled as he stood up. "Guess I'll take a short nap."
Rodolf walked to his horse, took a padded blanket from the saddle, then walked around the courtyard to find a decent unclaimed spot to rest upon. He kicked the ground, pushing aside rocks until he heard a metallic jingle. As Rodolf knelt down and picked up the rusted thing, he realized it was a tip of a chain, which was buried by a small amount of dirt.
The Assassin dropped the blanket and began pulling the chain from the ground, following it to see where it connected to. It became apparent something large was buried beneath the campfire: The ground shook when Rodolf pulled the long chain repeatedly as hard as he could. Those few who were still sitting by the fire looked silently at the Assassin, who nodded right few times. They moved out of the way, Rodolf kicked dirt onto the campfire to extinguish its flames, then hurried back to his saddle to take a shovel.
While Hestia was making a new campfire a bit further away from the the center of the courtyard, Rodolf was digging the said center with his shovel, throwing aside dirt, rocks, and pieces of human bones. A moment later, he had unearthed the object: A reinforced trap door leading underground, large enough for a horse to go through. In addition to being linked to a huge padlock, the long chain also zigzagged through countless metal rings, which were embedded onto the door and its frames.
"Whoever locked this door never wanted to open it again," Hestia said as she eyed the tangled chain. "Are you sure this door will be our way out?"
"Only one way to find out," Rodolf huffed as he wiped sweat from his forehead, walked over to the lock, and thrust his shovel at it, breaking the rusty lock. Crack! Then he knelt down, tossed the lock aside, and kept pulling the rattling chain through the metal rings for a moment until it was completely out. Finally, he thrust the shovel into a gap between the door and the frame, pulled it sideways to raise the door slightly, then placed his fingers under it to get a firm grip, and tried to open the door.
"Argh!" Rodolf shouted and let go of the door, slamming it shut. The Assassin stepped around the courtyard, gritting his teeth and holding his right forearm with his left hand as though it had been cut off.
"What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Hestia asked in a concerned tone and placed her palm onto Rodolf's shoulder, but he instantly shrugged it off.
"No!" he spat as he looked at the black marks on his palm. "Just an old wound aching again." The Ashen Knight was silent for a moment before she approached the door.
"Let's try again, shall we?" she said as she knelt and used the shovel to raise the door until she could also take a grip. "Together this time!"
Rodolf snorted, knelt next to Hestia, and on the count of three, they raised the heavy door slowly with their combined strength. Rusty hinges wailed, dust fell, and small rocks rolled. When the door was raised high enough for Rodolf and Hestia to look under it, they stopped opening the door.
The Assassin and the Ashen Knight both gazed into the dark place, which emanated cold air and smelled like a grave. A sudden rush of wind flowed through, pulling Rodolf's cloak and the leather straps of Hestia's armor. Then they saw a pair of ghastly eyes which charged towards them from the darkness.
"Close the door!" Rodolf shouted as he let go and backed off. Hestia did the same half a second later. Before it slammed shut, a force of unnatural wind hit the door, pushing it wide open and almost throwing Rodolf and Hestia to the ground. Everyone who was asleep woke up to the howling wind and to the eerie neighing of the creature which opened the door:
A living shadow in the form of a black horse. Unlike the dark steeds of the Abyssal Outriders, this shade overflowed with glowing black mana. It reared and kicked the air multiple times with its forelegs while letting out a chilling war cry which echoed from the tower's walls into the dark sky above. Then the creature dashed towards the entrance, passing Rodolf and Hestia.
Elidyr, who was coming from the entrance to see what was happening, noticed the large shadow rushing at him, and barely dodged it by pressing himself against a wall. To everyone's surprise, the shade didn't leave the tower, but instead turned in a blink of an eye, left the entrance, and galloped upstairs in tremendous speed, leaving behind glowing hoof prints.
Before anyone could do anything, a cacophony of rattling bones echoed from the entrance and from the secret passage. Old bones and discarded armor formed into floating skeletons. Each one of them were shrouded by dark smoke, and their eye sockets pulsated with violent red light. As they eerily floated towards the travelers, Hesiodos slowly pointed at them with his prosthetic hand's index finger, his voice trembling a bit. "The dead soldiers of Jarlath never left this tower!"
The Faerie's shout made the nearby shades to raise their rusty swords and fly at Rodolf, Hestia, and some others, who had already prepared their weapons. A battle against the Abyss's shadows had begun.
Posting this chapter took longer than I anticipated. Many of my weekends were spent visiting my friends and family. I should have taken into account the numerous birthday parties approaching this month and the next. About 1/3 of all the people I know have birthdays during February and March! Weird, huh?
I ask that you have a bit more patience, because the event won't start just yet! Even though last time I promised it would start in this chapter... but technically this is 2/3 of the chapter I had planned to write for you. Because it's been a bit over a month since my last chapter, I had to post something!
Worry not, I will have the chapter leading to the event finished in two weeks at most! I'll also have to construct the event post itself, which will take its own time. Gotta throw some dice to determine positions and such...
Since @shadow123's and @ChoyBoi's Heroes are not mixed up in this scenario, I'll randomly select a small event from my Random Encounters table, and send them a d.m. describing the encounter which their heroes will be facing. Then they may resolve the encounter in this thread any way they see fit, or ignore it altogether. I'll do this once the big event starts on the next chapter... this time for sure!
Alright, it's been exactly two weeks from my previous post, but the chapter and the event still need a bit more work. I don't want to leave any parts that feel unrefined or rushed, so I'll require about one more week to get it done.
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I'm gonna enjoy getting back to cute, wholesome Kaigan.
I'm sure the Abyss has absolutely no plans for him... after all you can't corrupt something that is so innocent right? Right?
*glances at Kumo*
Can I join here in middle of story or no?
@theirintheattic & @ChoyBoi - I'm sure it'll come back to you, once we get this rolling again!
Attention!
Like I mentioned in my previous post, I want to check which players are still active and willing to continue playing in this Tournament with the so-far undefeated Champions. There are 8 Champions still in this competition, and here's the list of them and their players.
@DrakeGladis with Kaigan of Kher Keep
@DomriKade with Hadid, Portal Master
@shadow123 with Lyuben, Thornheart Prince
@Usaername with Imilia, Witch Consul
@Red_Tower with Nilfi, Blood Alchemist
@theirintheattic with Sturgar, Alloyed Blademaster
@FourEyesIsAFish with Tika, Dry Outrider
@ChoyBoi with Conscience, Shadow-Pacted
This next part is important if there are Champions whose players won't play anymore: I've been thinking of replacing inactive players with active players, while also keeping the already presented Champions in the game. What I mean by this is that a new player may join in the game by taking control of an inactive player's Champion.
The reason why I wish to replace inactives this way is because their Champions are already rooted into the main story. Removing them and replacing them with new Champions with new introductions would take too much time and effort to be worthwhile (Similar thing happened in ToC2). It would stall the story and waste some interactive plotlines which have already begun.
If a new player joins and takes control of an inactive Champion, they can make new hero card and/or signature/companion card for the Champion, only requirements being that the character and core color(s) remain the same, while also staying true to its story that's been written so far (you don't have to use different artwork for the new cards). Original player has the privilege to return anytime during the competition to retake control of their Champion from the new player if they wish so, as long as the said Champion is still in the game.
Judging by the comments so far, I believe @DrakeGladis, @shadow123, @theirintheattic, and @ChoyBoi want to keep playing with their Champions. You should check this set where I keep all your entries, and notify me if any old/new versions of your Champion's cards are missing. Also consider planning a new card for your Champion (hero/signature/companion) sometime before Round 2 begins if you haven't already.
@DomriKade, @Usaername, @Red_Tower, and @FourEyesIsAFish - Do you wish to keep playing with your Champions? If so, then please say so in this thread or by sending me a private message. If not, then message me anyway to let me know. You could also offer a non-player cardsmith to take control of your Champion if you have someone on your mind. Or you can send me any materials you had planned for your Champion, which I will use to judge and control your character as the Tournament runs.
But this is just my idea of handling inactives. I want to hear from all of you, players and spectators: Do you want me to replace inactive Champions with new players, or should we continue normally even if some Champions are inactive? I'd judge inactive Champion's matches with materials that've already been posted here, plus any materials the player has sent me.
You can ask any questions from me in this thread or by sending me a private message here in forums or in Discord.
Here's the Tournament Bracket, which I will continue updating alongside this Tournament. You can check the past and future matches from it.
If you don't remember where we left off storywise, I recommend you to re-read some of the past story chapters I have written, especially the latest one(s) (Fourteen - Encounter). Some of you may have noticed the three hashtags which I've been using on my posts in this thread: toc4_story, toc4_match, and toc4_info. If you type these into the search bar at the top right of this forum's page, you'll find my old posts relating to the tag you typed. It should help navigate you (and me) through this thread if you want to re-read past stuff.
#toc4_info
Welp, constructing this post took days longer than I planned! I shouldn't have spontaneously read every intriguing chapter I happened to find as I went back and forth collecting info!
This is my champion and just some;
Fifteen
Hunted - Part I
#toc4_story
Sixteen
Hunted - Part II (Final)
Art: Philipp A. Ulrich
#toc4_story
Seventeen
Ruined Sanctuary - Part I
Art: Joseph Feely
#toc4_story
The story continues! But your heroes are not in the Tournament City just yet. The event which we discussed about earlier in this thread is yet to begin. In fact, it will begin in the very next chapter! Partaking in it will yield points for you hero, but I'll tell you more about it once it actually starts.
I'll now give you a week or two to write about your characters, should you want to interact with others at this point of the story, react to the recent events, or do something else entirely:
Your heroes (Hadid, Imilia, Kaigan, Nilfi, Sturgar, and Tika) are now inside the tower with Hesiodos the Minstrel, Elidyr the Guide, Hestia the Ashen Knight, Sir Killian the Hunter Knight, Rodolf the Assassin, and seven horses. (Conscience and Lyuben are elsewhere.) There was nobody else in the tower when you searched it. Since the monsters are hunting for you, Sir Killian has ordered everyone to stay inside.
You may also use this time to read earlier story chapters if you've forgotten some stuff or just want to relive past events. I could write a short recap of the main story, if you believe it'd be helpful.
If you have any questions, then feel free to ask me via DM:s or via Discord!
damn gonna have a lot of homework to do
A young man sits at a desk in a dark room
His phone receives a notification, briefly illuminating his face
"[MTG Cardsmith Community Forums] TenebrisNemo commented on Tournament of Champions 4 (The game has begun!)"
He smiles cruelly, flexing his fingers above his keyboard
It's showtime
Eighteen
Ruined Sanctuary - Part II
#toc4_story
I ask that you have a bit more patience, because the event won't start just yet! Even though last time I promised it would start in this chapter... but technically this is 2/3 of the chapter I had planned to write for you. Because it's been a bit over a month since my last chapter, I had to post something!
Worry not, I will have the chapter leading to the event finished in two weeks at most! I'll also have to construct the event post itself, which will take its own time. Gotta throw some dice to determine positions and such...
Since @shadow123's and @ChoyBoi's Heroes are not mixed up in this scenario, I'll randomly select a small event from my Random Encounters table, and send them a d.m. describing the encounter which their heroes will be facing. Then they may resolve the encounter in this thread any way they see fit, or ignore it altogether. I'll do this once the big event starts on the next chapter... this time for sure!