The Unseen

[AntonyJC]

*JC points to under the spell book*

"look this is a letter, but i cannot read it. It is in some kind of wierd language. It might be elvish but i am not sure." JC says to his two buddies that can translate it for him.

*SF and Shadow look over it as to translate it. JC then puts attention on the spell book so he takes it and throws it into his sack to bring back to Riast. He then looks at the door and around the room to make sure that nothing was coming in and suprising them.*

[SForce]

"Push me again Dwarf and there will be consequenses" SForce says half jokingly to his friend.

*SForce scans over the letter trying to read it. He looks over each sentence carefully and strategicaly for no reason. Finally realizing after countless tries that this is indeed elvan, but it isn't in a dilect he is use to.*

"Well, my friends, this letter is put here by the Dark Elfs, the other clan that inhabits these woods. What it says I am not sure, I am not fluent in their dilect. We must seek them out if we wish to have this letter read to us. It could hold a clue on how to help us, or can lead us to certain death in their camp."

"The Dark Elfs and my clan were enemys. Before my village was destroyed we fought against each other countless times. But since then I haven't heard much of them or from them. Maybe it's time we pay them a little visit?" SForce says curiously

[Chaos Creator]

By Dark Elves, do you mean the Drow? If so, I have dealt with their kind before in my journeys. They are a cruel and unforgiving foe. We might all perish if we simply walk into their camp. I picked up a small bit of the Drow language when I traveled with them. Perhaps I could decipher a bit of the writing.

*He moved over beside SF, peering over his shoulder at the scrap.*

Hmmmm... It seems like the heads of this church angered the Dark Elves in some sort of deal. It says that if the church leaders do not comply with the pre-arranged ageement that the Dark Ones would make them suffer for all eternity.

*He looked around at the other two.*

[AntonyJC]

*JC is astonished by everything and tries to understand everything*

"So the dark elfs told the church leaders to move out or they will suffer. SO these things must be the suffering beings and maybe,just maybe light is thier source of freedom from the suffering?" JC says

*JC sees that SF and Shadow both see this as a possibility. JC gives the book to SF and Shadow.*

"IS this also in dark elf? maybe this can give us a secret to killing these things!"

[Morge]

<The day was waining on and Morge was pacing the battlements. His patience was growing short and he needed to know his guards and the castle would be safe at night fall. He when to seek council with Raistlin. Upon entering Raistlin's office Morge started up the conversation right away.>

"I don't want to say that I'm the least bit worried, but I have to know. If you know anything about what is about to happen, or whether those three are going to fulfill this task, then I need to know so that I can properly prepare this castle, my men and myself."

[SForce]

~SForce looks over to his friend.~

"So it seems that may be a possibility." SForce directs towards him "Though we should be extra careful with this matter. Light may purge them from this hell on earth, but why would they attack us then? Why wouldn't they just let the light vanquish them and relieve them of their torment here? This doesn't make sense..." SForce said aloud

[AntonyJC]

*JC thinks and then says*

"SF not so loud, they will hear us... and they most likely do not know about this 'Hell on Earth'. We should really go back to Riast and see what he says about this"

*JC eyes the door*

[Chaos Creator]

Indeed, there seems to be more pieces of the puzzle yet to be revealed to us.

*Shadow quickly scanned through the tome handed over by JC.*

This appears to be part spell-book and part journal. The first half talks about how the church and the Dark Ones were in service of the same king. But something happens and there is a rift between the three. I cannot make out much more than that.
The second half is filled with spells that I have never even heard of. Ancient, archaic spells, that would surely damn a man's soul.

*He looked up from the book to his two companions.*
I agree that we should seek Raist's expertise in this matter. Perhaps one of these spells is the key.

*Then, as if responding to his own train of thought:*
But that still leaves us with the possibility that the Drow may return...

[AntonyJC]

"Yes, shadow they might. We need to get this to Riast before the Drow get back. We must leave and give this to riast. DO you agree?" asks JC

*JC eyes the door to motion to leave*

[SForce]

~SForce, quite during the discussion, thinks about what should be done. He takes everything in, nodding to show his aware state of mind, though clearly is uninterested in what they're saying. He looks over at both their faces, down at the book, then out the door.~

"I will stay" He says softly

~He looks at the other two.~

"I will stay and keep the Drow from returning to the Demon Guardian fortress. But you two must hurry and get everything you can from Raistlin."

"I will stay somewhere, hidden, and attack whenever I see a Drow wondering our way." SForce says diligently

"Go! We have no time to waste!" And with that, SForce swiftly moved out the door and moved upwards into the trees, leaving only a few leaves to fall through the open door.

[AntonyJC]

*JC motion to Shadow that we need to get back to riast and see what he says.*

"Shadow, back to the castle. We need Riasts opinion on this. We must go now!"

*Shadow follows JC back to the castle*

"SF, may god be with you..." JC mutters to himself...

[Chaos Creator]

*Shadow was shaking his head the whole way out of the chapel and back to the castle. They should have never left SF by himself to face the Drow. It was death waiting to happen...
The vampire and the dwarf made their way to Raist's office and barged in unannounced. Time was not on their side this day.*

Sir, we believe we have found the source of the creatures in the forest. We think they are cursed souls and that they have some ties to the Dark Elves.

*He pulled the book from his pack.*

This is a tome we found within the church where the things take refuge. I could only translate bits and pieces of the text, but I believe it to be the key to this whole situation.
So, we seek your expertise in arcane matters...

[AntonyJC]

"Yes, leader this is of upmost importance. SF is back in the cathedral where we found this. We need to get back to him as soon as we can." JC says.

*He hands the book to Riast and waits for further instructions*

[Raistlin]

~Raist was already flipping the pages of many different spell books. When Morge entered he paid little attention to his discussion. Morge seemed upset, so he addressed him quickly.~

"It will be fine in time."

~Morge didn't look satisfied. Unfortunately if Raist is to find what he's looking for he needs time. He had scribbled a ruff drawing of what the spirits looked like. One book he had showed a picture, but the identity of the specter was still unknown. Just then JC and Shadow burst in. The guards at the door knew better then to stand in their way since they continued to stand their post. Too bad Raistlin's new squire wasn't as knowledgeable about the older clansmen. He stepped in Shadow's way and started to question his need for an audience with the clan leader, but before he could even speak Shadow knocked the squire against the opposite wall. Peaking up from his reading Raist smirked. The book was slammed down in front of him. His interest was perked. He flung the cover open and read with the speed of dozens of life times of reading books.~

"Seems this is starting off as a journal. It's a story, basically, of how a clan of drow sought refuge in a church. The minister there refused them entry. They pleaded with them about how their king wouldn't think highly about turning away fellow members of their community. The minister refused and informed them the king didn't care. There was a storm and the drow were trapped in it. That was when they went deep into the forest and built their own society. The spells listed in the back are highly powerful and ancient spells. The last few pages are blank though. Hmmm, let me see."

~He waved his hand behind him and a cabinet appeared. He turned around in his seat and took three bottles out of it. He mixed some of each together in his hand. As he did that he went to the book shelf. From the left side he pushed on the case and revealed a scroll case. He removed a few and put them back after looking over each. One he took with him back to his desk. He opened it and began to sprinkle the compound over the blank pages of the book.~

"Ast drem heil nora doui zek eb gujt!"

~The scroll burst into a bright shine. The pages of the book did the same. When the light faded the scroll was blank and the pages had writing on them. Symbols and arcane text riddled the pages. Raist took a hard look at it and mimicked some hand gestures that would have been needed to make such symbols.~

"Damn, I impress myself sometimes."

~He looked at his two companions and knew they had to be wondering what he was talking about.~

"This is necromancy. This spell was forged to enslave not the corpses of the victims, but the spirits. Enslaving them to do as the spell caster wishes. I might be able to find a way of undoing the snare that binds them."

[SForce]

~SForce sat, perched upon the a branch onto of a high tree just above the house he were just in. His bow was clenched in his hand, but all his arrows remained inside his quiver. He wasn't expecting any confrontation from the Drow yet. Instead, he was looking amonst the leaves of the fellow tree's, thinking back to his childhood and his inhabetance of these same woods.~

~It seemed like only yesturday he was shooting his bow into the bark of the tree. A fake target was drawn amongst the middle and his shots were to hit the center. His father commanded he made atleast a dozen straight shots fit into that small circle before he was able to eat supper. It was an extremely hard task at first, of course it didn't start at a dozen. But SForce worked his on his shot and accuracy day by day and could easily get a dozen in the middle. His goal was to get thirty inside, he measured and the most that could possible fit is thirty....twas a bigger circle than expected. But he couldn't get to thirty....it wasn't his skill or dedication that was stopping him, but rather that fateful day in which the entire town was killed off by such dark creatures.~

~The elf recalled the events from that day. He was in his house, reading the common reader as homework for school the following day. His mother was cooking dinner and his father was chopping wood just outside the house. It didn't hit him until it was too late that the town was under seige. The screams were silent, the pain was numb, the smoke transparent, the fire cool, and the assassinations were stealthy. He went outside to retrieve his father for dinner when he saw him lying on the floor, dead, burnt from a spell.~

~SForce never got a good look at what was burning his town. He noticed a few orcs chasing killing people with their pathetic axes, but it was a few faint figures that were walking towards him. He squinted to get a better look and realzied he needed to do something. He turned to get his bow, but he heard a loud scream sounding exactly like his mothers and the house collapse right in front of him. The elf reached out as if to save his mother, but nothing could be done. Suddenly a thick piece of wood fell and knocked him out cold. It wasn't until the following day that he awoke to a human couple checking out the bodies.....~

~Just then he heard a few leaves crackling below him. He must of zoned out with his vision of his childhood. The drow were right below him, heading in the direction of the Demon Guardian fortress. They were few in number at the moment, but seemingly determined to bring a few more peseants into their hell on earth.~

~SForce reached for an arrow in his quiver and placed it softly on the string of his bow. He pulled back slowly as not to make any noise of the wood bending. Aimming right inbetween the drow he decided to force them to scatter and hold them off as long as he could for his friends to come back.~

~He aimmed and fired directly in between the group of them, forcing their attention away from the castle. He took another arrow and quickly fired thru the non-exsistant head of one of the drow. A loud scream, similar to the ones heard the first night, was released. SForce covered his ears in pain and horror, knowing he couldn't hold them off so long and be able to hear to tell the story years from now.~