5 Reasons to play Skyrim... Again.

We've all played Skyrim, we all know what it's all about; if you haven't, just get to it already. But this is not a game you simply play through it once and throw it on the shelf with all the rest of the collection, never to be played again. There are several reasons why one should play the game, from the start, again.

1. You Can Be Anything
Contrary to most other RPGs out there, Skyrim is not restrictive in what gear and abilities one can use depending on which class they choose at the start of the game. Maybe the player thinks two-handed weapons are awesome but then realises archery is amazing (oh, it is; trust me). One can change what they do mid-game, it only depends on player preference, the character can wield anything, as long as they have the necessary skill. That said, if you want to use a weapon you've never used before, just equip a low tier weapon of that type and train the character in using it. Also, you can create hybrid classes; a Battle Mage for instance, a magic user wearing heavy armour. Go wild...

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2. Exploration

Most RPGs do not offer much in if the player does not follow the quest lines; the developers focus on them to provide the player with interesting gameplay. However, in Skyrim, the player can just wander off and explore the huge province of Skyrim. Exploring the area leads to different side quests which are found in different caves, abandoned fortresses and bandit camps. Also, the game features lots of different unique encounters that are not tied to any specific quest. For instance, one can find a spectre of a Headless Horseman, riding towards Hamvir's Rest, where the player can fight some skeletons and a high level Draugr warriors and loot a Master Chest. Although the loot might not particularly interest you, the awesome part is in seeing and following the Horseman himself. It is not a quest, and nobody really tells you to do it, it's something you can decide to do on your own. So it's perfectly OK to create your own side quests... Do it!

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3. Combat System

The combat system itself is different than traditional RPGs; typically, one has a set of abilities which are mapped to a set of keys, expending mana (called Magicka in the Elder Scrolls series) to use them, and then waiting for a cooldown before using the same ability again. Skyrim combines this with a Hack and Slash system. Now, although some would argue that a hack and slash game is 'lame', how is auto locking an enemy any better? Here you can feel like you are the one who is slicing the enemy with you huge two handed sword, or landing a headshot with your ebony arrows. Having your character do all the job can diminish that feeling of immersion that many players look for in games and developers try to create.

Furthermore, use the third person view for exploration, but play in first person while in combat. Third person for exploration allows you to see more of the beautiful scenery, but first person during combat makes you feel like you are looking through the character's eyes, through your eyes, instead of hovering on top of him. I mean, come on, this looks awesome.

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4. Mods

Players have commented on forums that the game has no replayability value since one can combine multiple playthroughs into one characters, thus not needing to replay the game as a different class. However, one can also check out some mods and try them out, recreating one's experience of the game. Change textures of weapons, play as a totally different race or play in a new zone, you can do it all with the help of mods. Want to play as a Draugr? Or maybe dress up as Sauron... your choice.

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5. Books

Yes, Books. Maybe you're not into reading that much, but that does not mean you shouldn't at least check out some of the books scattered across across the province. In castles, hidden in camps or caves, books can be found anywhere. Some of these give you some insight into the history of different creatures, races and places.

Others are pure entertainment, even if full of hidden meanings. This last one was priceless, I couldn't believe my eyes. You just have to read through.

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Rhea Erinnia, Purifier of the Dragons' Lair

Greetings, reader. I was narrating the tale of Rhea Erinnia and her failure to eradicate the aura of death in Ferran Mountain here. Join me as I recount how she managed to redeem herself in this final tale which leads us to how Ferran Mountain came to be the empty mine we know today. 

From a protector of a monastery to a bodyguard of a Necromancer King, Rhea's worst nightmare. When others ventured into the king's dominion, it was her who issued orders for his undead army; to slay any intruders on sight. She knew she had also slain other members of the Shields of Vitem, she still recognised their armour. This she mourned, she had slain her companions; people she knew and even grew up with.

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Day and night, she tried to break the curse, until one day she felt that Donshu's hold over her mind was more relaxed than usual. It seemed like he grew too confident that she was under his complete control. However, she had not regained full control of her body, she couldn't escape or fight back. Her brain drifted in and out of control periodically, at times she was back under his control, barely able to think for herself. When she was able to think clearly for herself, she decided to hide the fact that Donshu was not able to control her so easily from him as long as possible, she pretended to be under his complete control even when she wasn't. Her plan was to fool him into a false sense of security, hoping that he would loosen his grip on her even more, until she could act freely.

This plan worked.

After months of this routine, Rhea started to feel like she was herself again. For a whole week, she felt like she had full control over her mind and body. When she felt she could do whatever she wanted without giving Donshu any chance to react, she reached for her sword, drew and struck at her king, chopping his head off in a matter of seconds. In less than a minute, the undead army that had raided towns and villages for years collapsed to the ground, leaving only full sets of Ferrani armour and weapons behind.

The Ferrani King had been slain, and his army eradicated. This is what Rhea had learned to wield a weapon for; stopping any evil the world may be harbouring. Leaving the mountain, her prison, was a triumph she would carry with her forever. No one really knew who had purified the mountain; she would never tell anyone, for it was her own failure that imprisoned her. Returning back to mercenary work, she vowed to protect anyone in need, till death took her from this realm.

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Rhea Erinnia, Shield of Vitem

Greetings, reader. I was recounting the tale of the Legend of the Dragons' Lair, join me as I continue the tale, with the story of Rhea Erinnia, Shield of Vitem. You can find the start of the tale here and the tale of Donshu Sarco here.

Rhea Erinnia spent most of her life as a paladin of the Monastery of Sanaret, in the realm of Solum; serving as one of the Shields of Vitem, the guards of the monastery. Bandits attacked the monastery for its riches, while politicians wanted the Order of Sanaret to be eredicated for their vocal opinions on their way of ruling over Solum. Rhea's payment came from defending the monastery and attacking hideouts, camps and fortresses of the Order's enemies.

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However, she could not keep up this life forever. She had been working for the Order, surviving countless battles, for over fifteen years when she was exiled. The Order wanted the Shields to attack an innocent village under the pretense that they were part of the Army of Mendax, the lord who ruled over the East of Solum. Rhea and five other members of the Shields of Vitem protested that this was not how the Order or the Shields operated, and that they would not have any part in the slaughter of innocent villagers. For this, they were exiled, and threatened that they would be hunted down by the rest of the Shields should they ever interfere with the work of the Order.

So the group left, and made their way to the North, were they found work as mercenaries, protecting caravans as they travelled from one city to another. They kept up this up until one day they were attacked by undead warriors clad in the unmistakable black armour of the Ferrani Dwarves, when they were travelling close to Ferran Mountain. They survived the attack, but the caravan was destroyed and the merchants slain. Although they beat the attackers, they felt defeated for having failed to defend their employers. The way they felt they could redeem themselves was by destroying the source of these monsters; inside the Dragons' Lair.

As they entered, they were immediately attacked by waves of undead warriors. Countless in numbers, these skeletons were too much for the paladins, one by one, they were struck down until only Rhea was left, her abilities in magical spells combined with her skill with sword and shield kept her alive for days on end. However, she was eventually severely wounded and surrounded by undead warriors on all sides. Ready to die, she laid there waiting for the killing strike, or to bleed out. However, before closing her eyes, she saw the skeletons surrounding her fall to pieces.

Next thing she knew, Rhea was guarding the Ferrani king, Donshu Sarco, who had taken over the mountain from the Dragons with the help of the undead horde of Ferrani warriors at his command. Although she tried to attack him, Rhea couldn't, she felt bound to protect Donshu, bound to protect her king. Although she was cursed to do his bidding, she knew what had happened, and was constantly trying to break the curse.

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Donshu Sarco, Commander of Death

Greetings, reader. I was recounting the tale of the Legend of the Dragons' Lair, join me as I continue the tale, with the story of Donshu Sarco, Commander of Death. You can find the start of the tale here.

The few Ferrani Dwarves who survived the attack by the dragons, fled from their home beneath Ferran Mountain. One of these survivors was a young dwarf from the Sarco family, named Donshu. From a young age, Donshu was attracted to the arts of war, learning to wield a battle hammer and striking down enemies with ease, as well as moving around with heavy armour without slowing down at all. However, this all changed when he fled the mountain. 

Accompanied by two other young dwarves who exited the mountain at the same time, he ventured south towards the city of Rali; governed by men. This city had close business ties to the Ferrani Dwarves, purchasing weapons, armour, and other metal works from the dwarves. This suited Donshu and his mates quite nicely, they immediately found work as blacksmiths in Rali; being paid quite handsomely for their fine work. After over ten years working in Rali, Donshu decided it was time to exact vengeance against the dragons, be it ethical or not. The only way he could think of was to raise an entire army of undead Ferrani warriors from within the mountain itself. He looked for books on Necromancy and once he was confident he could complete the ritual he had found to raise a large number of dead soldiers, he decided to leave on his own, but was joined by his fellow Ferrani dwarves; for they knew of his plan and wanted to help.

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Having arrived at Ferran Mountain, the three moved as silently as possible, entering the mountain and travelling to its very center, where the harshest fights had happened. Avoiding any large spaces where dragons were sleeping, they found a sheltered area, where the dragons could not see or reach them, and performed the necessary ritual. Upon uttering the last word of the ritual, dwarven skeletons in Ferrani armour started standing up almost immediately. These undead warriors, having been killed by the dragons, had only one objective, returning the favour. Donshu and the other dwarves remained hidden, constantly raising more undead warriors to replenish their numbers when they were mowed back down by the dragons. One dragon after the other was being slain, more undead dwarves being raised constantly to continue the attack.

After hours of constant battle, a deafening roar could be heard even outside the mountain, the last dragon inside Ferran Mountain had been cut down by the dwarves, their home land finally taken back.

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The Legend of the Dragons' Lair

Greetings, reader. Join me, as I recount the tale of the Legend of the Dragons' Lair, and the events which took place after dragons took over Ferran Mountain from the Ferrani Dwarves. Heavily influenced by Dungeons and Dragons, this series is a fantasy trip into the unknown. Venture if you dare! 

A long time ago, the Ferrani Dwarves were a mighty race, living in the mines beneath Ferran Mountain, in the North of the Solum realm. Nowadays, it is very rare for one of these skilled miners and blacksmiths; or any of the Ferrani warriors. Legend has it, these dwarves had dark grey skin, a trait they earned from living in an underground mine and forge for centuries. However, this was never proven as the only contact they had with outsiders was done wearing their traditional armour, which covered them from head to toe; only their dark eyes were slightly visible from beneath their helmets.

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It is said that this once mighty race was eliminated by dragons who sought to make Ferran Mountain their home. Seeing dragons enter their kingdom drove the dwarves to protect their homeland at all costs. Dragons were slain, for the Ferrani warriors were a real force to reckon with, but the number of casualties they suffered were too great. The survivors fled through the back of the mountain, leaving their homeland to be dominated by dragons, later to become known as the Dragons' Lair.

Or so goes the legend.

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However, no one has seen dragons flying around the area for ages. No villages have been burnt down since the time of the Ferrani Dwarves. However, new rumours have been spreading around the new generations. They say Necromancers have taken over the Dragons' Lair. They say that anyone who ventures close enough to their hideout is slain and turned into one of their undead soldiers. Rumour has it the Necromancers aim to send out an entire army of skeletons and ghouls to dominate the realm.

If this rumour is true, then Solum is in great peril. An entire army of undead Ferrani warriors with nothing to lose would be the greatest threat the realm has ever faced.

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Hero Forge

Recently I found an extremely interesting site for anyone who wants to create their own custom mini without the knowledge of 3D modelling or using any 3D modelling software. Hero Forge is a site which offers its users the ability to choose from a vast number of options to create unique models and print them in 3D. The user starts with a base model and then starts going through the options, changing its race and gender, pose, measurements, clothing, items in each hand as well as the character's base. 

Base Model

Half-Demon Fire Mage

Samurai

Dwarven Warrior

Of course, these are just a sample of what you can do, there are quite a vast number of options one can select, with new ones added periodically, the latest announcement was that of the addition of a Half-Dragon race. Once the user is happy with the chosen parts and pose, the character can be ordered, which will be 3D printed and shipped to the user. When ordering the product, the user is presented with the following screen, with different materials and scales. Don't worry, you can read more about what materials are used by clicking on "About our materials".

What do you guys think? And if anyone ever purchased a product from Hero Forge, let me know what you think about it in the comments below.

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7 Dice sets to impress your DnD mates

Following on the last post, let's t alk about dice designs. There are tonnes of different designs out there, other than the regular types that everyone has. I've looked for some interesting styles that one might find, available out there; tell me what you think in the comments below.

Steampunk Gear by Avandius

Available here

Steampunk by Mechanical Oddities

Available here

Thorn Dice by Ceramic Wombat

Available here

Companion Cube by Nique Geek

Unfortunately no longer available
Their shop can be found here

Deadlands set by Baron

This was a concept for a dice set for Deadlands game
Info can be found here

Dwarven dice by Q-Workshop

Available here

Critical Hit LED dice by Think Geek

A d20 which lights up when u get 20.
Available here

Tell me what you think about these dice and other stylish sets in the comments below; would you buy them or do you prefer the traditional ones better?

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Should you use dice other than the d20?

Note: This is not a list of the official rules of any version of Dungeons and Dragons, it's just some ideas which can be used for any version of the game or any simplified version anyone might use.

The most common die used in table top games is the six sided die, known as d6. However, this is not the only type, as most Dungeons and Dragons players know well enough. In a dice set, one can generally find seven dice, as shown below.

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Since the twenty sided die, known as the d20, is the one that is used most in Dungeons and Dragons, and people who play a simplified version of the game which only uses the d20, many players simply buy a d20 and that's it. So much so, that it's called the d20 system. Even so,  the other dice can easily be introduced and used throughout the game. For instance, the d12, d10, d8 and d6 can be used to determine the amount of damage done depending on which weapon the player is using. For example, a two handed weapon can use a d12, a one handed axe or sword can use a d10, while daggers can use a d8. Recently, while we were playing a DnD campaign, the Dungeon Master decided to use the d6 for a new mechanic; when more enemies where on their way, he asked the players who can see farthest, for example elves, or illusion mages who might be able to see through an invisibility spell, to throw a d6, the resultant number being the number of enemies the player can see. Although some might not like this sort of mechanic, it's an idea one can use. After all, the point of a table top game is to be able to imagine and improvise. The d90 can be used in conjunction with the d10 to achieve any number between 1 and 100. This can be used for instances where the player is required to roll above a certain percentage; for example, to check whether a player can see through an illusion spell or not.

Also, the d20 can be used for things like initiative to see who gets to attack first, if such a mechanic is to be used, whether the player hits an enemy or not as well as to see if the player lands a critical hit or a critical miss. A critical hit (usually a two 20s in a row) deals extra damage while a critical miss (two 1s in a row) usually means you either drop your weapon or hit allies who happen to be nearby if you use a melee weapon, or allies in front of you if you're using ranged attacks (arrows, throwing knives, spells, etc.)

A note I would like to make before I close off is this; if you do not wish to purchase a whole dice set, perhaps when starting off the hobby in the first place, you can try out an app on your smartphone or tablet that simulates the use of dice, any number of sides, as shown below.

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Vician Tenebor, the Illusionist Assassin - Part II

This post is the second of a two post story, the first can be found here.

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Having left the college of Arcane Knowledge, Vician relied on his skills in Illusion magic to trick people into helping him, providing him with supplies and a place to stay; mostly for free. He spent his days observing what people do during the day, where they go and what they wear; you can learn a lot simply by looking at people. After a couple of months, he knew who the richest people were, and which of them would be easy to relieve of said riches. So he started tailing these people, taking in as much as he could about their daily lives, their families, where they go during the day and where they live. He started off with a tax collector and a blacksmith, both these men spent most of their time around the city, having their houses practically unprotected. Vician planned his moves ahead of time, knowing when his targets where surely to be outside, and entered their homes while they were busy. He cleaned their homes of their valuables, leaving barely anything that may make others believe these men were rich, from jewellery to golden statuettes. These riches he hid, under a lose floor board in his room at the tavern. Eventually he started breaking into homes under the cover of night, entering through windows which were left open for the evening breeze, clearing bedrooms from any valuables while his Silence spell cancels any sounds he may make, thus not waking any residents of the target house.

However, although his skill was great, others of the same skill and lifestyle noticed his doing. One night, returning to his room, he could sense that he was not alone, even though it was dark. Casting a great light in the room revealed a man hidden in the corner of the room, Vician quickly drew a dagger a held it against the intruder's throat. Not having enough time to react, the intruder said he was part of a group of thieves which would welcome Vician's skills to the group. Vician did not feel like this was the best way they could have invited him to join, nor did they show they were the best there is, considering the intruder was easily detected and beaten; but he did agree to meet with the leader of the group, information would be useful. Thus, Vician met Deon Shea, the leader of the group, who provided him with a lot of information about the city, ways to get around and which houses have the best loot or are easiest to break into.

At this point, Vician decided not to join the group, but he did sign a contract where Deon would assign him a job, retrieving known items of extreme value, and was paid for handsomely. Vician kept this up for over a year, until one night, the owner of the house Vician had broken into woke up in the middle of the night and noticed someone was in the house. Instinctively, Vician cast a spell which made him invisible, hiding him from the resident's sight, who called for the intruder to show himself. At one point, when the house owner had come close enough to Vician, he outstretched his hand and grabbed the thief by the collar, claiming that Vician wasn't the only Illusionist in the house. Panicked, Vician reached for his dagger and stabbed the man, who released his grip. Seeing his moment, Vician left the man to die and returned to Deon, not knowing how the leader of the group would take the news. To Vician's surprise, Deon was not upset, he did not seem to really care how Vician acquired the requested goods, so long as they arrived at the group's hideout in one piece.

So Vician kept up his contract with Deon, until one night, arriving back at the hideout, he was greeted by the rest of the group, with the dead body of Deon himself in the middle of the room. They told Vician that he was found a few buildings away from the hideout, with multiple stab wounds in the back. They also found a not in one of his pockets saying that should anything befall him, Vician should take over his place as leader of the group. Although hesitant, Vician eventually accepted this request, taking over leadership of the group and organising them as they never were before. Firstly, the group was finally given a name, the Sons of Shadow. The group pooled there efforts and established themselves in an abandoned manor on the outskirts of the city. They renovated it, making it fit for kings on the inside, but still looking decrepit on the outside. Any contacts that Deon had before his death were forwarded to Vician, who took over all control of the contracts the group had. Vician also set up a set of rules which were to be followed by all members of the guild. For instance, should a member betray the rest, they were to be hunted down and executed. The same was to be done to clients who betrayed the trust of the guild. Thus, the Sons of Shadow grew in repute with people of similar interests, as well as their victims.

Assassination and theft, these were the expertise of these men and women, clothes in dark garments, with hidden faces; wits as sharp as their blades. Since Vician took over leadership of the Sons of Shadow, never has a contract been dishonoured.

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Vician Tenebor, the Illusionist Assassin - Part I

This is the first of a two post story, the second part can be found here.

Join me as I recount how Vician Tenebor, the son of a respected Scholar from the College of Arcane Knowledge, became a Master Assassin of the Sons of Shadow, the most feared criminal organisation in the realm.

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Ralor Tenebor was a man who devoted his life to the studies of anything related to magic, learning as much as he can and teaching young apprentices of the College of Arcane Knowledge. Knowing his son, Vician, had great potential from a young age, he took him in as one of his apprentices. However, he never favoured him above the others, he treated him as one of the other apprentices. However, Vician felt this disconnection with his father was unnecessary; especially since he never knew his mother. He felt abandoned, like one of the orphan apprentices at the College, although his father was in the same room as him most of the time, every day.

During their time off, the apprentices could do anything they liked, Vician would wander around the city, observing the day to day life of nobles and commoners alike. One day, he noticed a lady passing through, clad in exotic clothing and countless jewels. On her way to the city market, she dropped her coin purse, something Vician quickly noted. He went over and picked it up to return it to her, but seeing her pushing aside commoners with no respect, a smug look on her face as if nobody around her was worth anything, made him keep the purse. He lingered about, to see what would happen next, until he noticed the lady walking around, trying to find her purse on the ground and then shouting that someone had stolen her money. Not wanting to have anything to do with it, he left and he never saw the lady again.

As time passed, Vician grew in power, learning all he could about Illusion magic, casting high level spells at a young age. At the age of 28, he left the College, and never returned, stealing some books on Illusion from the College, disguising them as his own scrolls and parchments. When he left, he no longer had the support of the College; no place to live and no supply of food. Thus, he booked a room at the tavern and started looking for a job, but given the political conflict between the mages at the College and nobles of the five Great Families, which had great influence on the commoners' opinions.

Vician had to rely on his skills in Illusion magic to trick people into helping him, eventually turning to theft to earn his only earnings. This however, did not go unnoticed. Although he always did a great job in tricking his target, others who spent their lives preying on the rich knew there was a new thief in town.

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Dice through the ages

Recently, I read an article on CNET about an ancient d20 die which was found in Egypt and is now kept in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The die is slightly larger than the regular dice we use for board games and table top RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons. It is made of serpentine, a green mineral and is believed to have originated between 200 BC and 400 AD in Greece due to the Greek symbols shown on its faces.

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Driven by curiosity, I researched when dice started being used and why. Apparently, ancient cultures used dice to determine one's fate, who was right or wrong, or even who was favoured by the gods or not. Games of chance were then designed and evidence of these games have been found dating back 2100 BC.

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I looked for some other ancient dice to see the different styles of dice our ancestors used for games, political and religious debates alike. Here are just a few dice which caught my eye.


Roman Dice

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Egyptian Die
Names of Gods instead of numbers

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Unknown Origin 
(Greek and Roman Antiquities Department at the British Museum)

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Sword Coast Legends: my thoughts

Ever wanted to experience a Dungeons and Dragons adventure in the form of a video game? Of course you have, and you've tried countless RPGs. Here comes another, but this one is different. First off, it is set in the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms universe based on the fifth edition ruleset; even populated with Dungeons & Dragons lore and legend.

The single player campaign was created by developers who worked on Dragon Age: Origins, in my opinion, a guarantee of high quality content right there. Watching the teaser they posted by the development team, I can clearly see the Dragon Age influence on the game, having the ability to pause the game and plan you next move; wise move. Another feature we will quickly recognise is the top down isometric view, a welcome feature in my books. Players will be able to join campaigns playing as one of five races and six classes; a good selection.

However, playing it in single player mode is just like any other RPG; bring in multiplayer mode. You can play the game with up to three other players, a group of four, not a new idea by far, in my opinion; but here's where this game stands out. A fifth player can join into the fray; as the Dungeon Master!! The DM will be able to create his/her own epic adventure and let the players to navigate through it, if they can. Dragon Age: Origins director Dan Tulge said that "DMs are able to adjust encounters, place, promote, manage and even control monsters, set traps, reward and punish party members." Awesome.

Oh wait, did I forget to mention that the DM will be able to do all this in real-time?

As Digital Trends argue here, "the role of the DM is not strictly adversarial. They can help or hinder the players as t hey see fit, able to increase the challenge and punish players that are doing too well or help out the heroes when they are stuggling and move the story forward." That's exactly what the DM in Sword Coast Legends will be able to do.

For those who are concerned about the requirements for this game, not a problem. You should all check out the official site and then their social media profiles for more information about this new gem. I will surely blog more about this upcoming game as more news is posted, as well as when I get my hands on it and actually play it.

Get ready to fight epic battles, walk through dark dungeons and chill out in a noisy tavern some time in 2015.

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Teraqa Akil, the Egyptian Earth Mage

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   Teraqa Akil

   Elementalist: Earth, Water

   Occupation: Sem Priestess
   Age: 43 years old

   Origin: Valley of Kings 

Teraqa Akil, born to Lepore and Ursa, ia a 43 year old Sem Priest from the Valley of Kings in Upper Egypt. Lepore, Teraqa’s father was a respected Charm Maker in the Valley, making charms for adventurers and official guards of the Pharaoh. Her mother, on the other hand, was a talented Shape Shifter, her favourite form being that of the bear. This is what earned her the name Ursa when she was still young. She left her shape shifting ways back at home when she met Lepore and married him, and never told him of her little secret. However, one faithful day, she was confronted by a group of bandits who tried to rob her and her family of all their riches; this was when she lost control of her powers. She turned into a fierce bear, killing all of the bandits and saving her family. However, Lepore was not impressed; he left her and took Teraqa with him and away from her, in fear for her health.  

Growing up, Teraqa learned how to build magical charms, learning this skill from her father. However, she later found out she had other powers. Enjoyed long walks in the woods, going further from home every time, she felt in tune with nature. One time, she encountered a pack of wolves, her only defence being her wooden walking stick. Wishing she had something harder to deal more damage, her staff turned to stone, heavier but a much stronger weapon. After beating some of the wolves and escaping, Teraqa investigated the new skills she found out, learning more and more about Earth magic. Having this new found power, she started worshipping Geb, the god of Earth, learning much when researching about him through hieroglyphic runes and old scriptures. Through these readings, she also learned about Water magic, learning some of the spells she read about and practicing them along with Earth magic when she was in the woods. Through the long times she spent out in the wilderness, she also became capable of tracking animals and knowing if she was a prey of any dangerous beast she had to be aware of, also identifying abnormalities such as traps in the wilderness from a safe distance.

When asking around for more resources about magic, she was told that the priests of the temples had the largest libraries with vast collection of books, scrolls and more. So, when she was 30 years old, she joined the priests at the temples at the Valley of Kings as an Initiate, earning a promotion to a scribe, earning another promotion to a Sem Priestess at the age of 40. As a priestess of Geb, she learned more and more, taking advantage of the priests’ knowledge on Earth magic, gleaning as much information from their libraries as she could. Earning the respect of fellow priests and commoners alike as a Sem Priestess, she took up the responsibility of performing rituals alongside other priests as they embalmed and mummified the dead, not dealing with the dead herself, but blessing them for the afterlife.  

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The Strike of Saarii - Final Chapter

Coming out of Enligt Castle, the group discussed what the odds were that they would survive through the storms close to Saarii one more time. Deciding that adventure and living through peril was their life style, they sought the general to acquire resources for the journey to Saarii. Before they left, the general gave them one last piece of advice, "go back to Kalastaia, leave on a small boat from there. The enemy has his eyes on Enligt, Kalastaia holds no threat to Saarii, you should get fairly close to Saarii before he sees you, if he does at all."

Having received all the resources needed for their journey, they left for Kalastaia, luckily, not being disturbed on their way. Arriving there, they did not dally, for they knew that the residents here could remember who these warriors were, although time had gone by. So they talked to a young fisherman and bought his boat from him, offering him an unreasonably high amount of money for it. He did not hesitate to give them the only boat he had.

So they left for Saarii once again, this time, moving to the east instead of Southwards towards the island. Going a long way to the east, and then heading towards the island on its East side. On their way there, they noticed that there was no soldiers standing on the bastions guarding the island; their focus was all put to use at the Western part of the island. So the Druid was right. They eventually managed to find a small beach they could land on; they managed to arrive at Saarii safely, avoiding all of the bad weather they had faced before.

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Once on the island, the group scouted the area to check if there were any hostile forces, none could be found. Having landed on the beach late in the evening, they camped in the shadow of some large rock formations, to avoid being seen by a random guard who decided to actually look their way, instead of the way their leaders ordered. Waking up in the morning, they had something to eat and prepared to look for the cave they were to find.

This did not take too long, apparently, the sorcerer they were to kill liked to live close to the waters. Creeping towards the entrance, they looked inside to see if they could locate their target without him knowing they were there. Nobody could be seen inside, only the dim light coming from a couple torches hanging on the walls. Walking inside, the group started exploring the inside of the cave, finding nothing of use on their way, only torches and a few lanterns. After what seemed like an hour, they started noticing that the wall was no longer rough stone eroded by the sea, but finely cut to form a corridor. At a certain point, they even found a couple of rooms, in which they found animated corpses brandishing swords. They had to be killed; once more, not lasting long enough to strike once. the group moved on, deeper and deeper into the tunnels beneath Saarii, until they arrived at an opening leading to a huge hall. Inside, the dark figure they saw in the Druid's orb.

"If the dwarf did not drag his feet so much, I would not have heard you coming." The voice boomed throughout the hall, the dark figure not moving yet. "This does not mean I have not seen you coming, a small boat to be unseen; a wise move." At this the figure turned to face them, the cloak dropping to the ground; their enemy was nothing they had expected. An elf, taller than any of them, with heavy armour; not the type usually used by mages and sorcerers. Giving them a few seconds to know what they were facing, he said "Let's play." He stretched out his arms and in a second, all the lights in the hall were extinguished, a strong gust of wind blowing dust out towards the warriors at the entrance, covering their eyes to avoid visibility problems later on. Opening them again, the only thing they saw were two small glows of red light. Amal immediately cast a spell to illuminate the hall; he was right, their enemy's eyes were now bright red, his stance, that of a warrior ready to strike.

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They all drew their weapons, but before any one of them could do anything, bolts of red lightning were shot at them, they had to make a lot of effort to avoid them, this guy was leagues above the one they met up in the mountain. Any time Dan or Duryraen got close enough for the sorcerer to think they had any chance of hitting him, he turned his focus onto them and shot blasts of wind at them to throw them back against the wall, making them easier targets for his precise attacks while dazed from the blast, but the other was also getting closer, while he also had to take care of Dean's arrows and Uuragan's icicles.

When one of Dean's arrows hit the sorcerer in the shoulder, he decided to take it up a notch. He stamped his foot, blasting Dan and Duryraen away from him while he cast a wall of ice to block off Dean's arrows, and a wall of fire in front of it to block off Uuragan's ice. He then conjured two magical swords which he used to fight off Dan and Duryraen. This surprised the two, for they did not imaging a sorcerer to be this skilled with arms.

Amal immediately knew that magic would not pierce through the fire, the same death magic that gave energy to the corpses they dealt with before was fuelling these flames. He focused all his energy to dispel the magic holding them at bay; while Uuragan and Dean waited, furious that they were cut off so easily. Dan and Duryraen on the other side of the walls were having a hard time keeping up with what seemed like a veteran swordsman. After hundreds of strikes from each one, all three of them had visible cuts, blood oozing freely down their armour. At this point, life started flowing back intro the cave, Amal managed to stop the fire and then Uuragan melted the ice. Arrows shot through, one after the other, but the sorcerer was quick to avoid them. This time, it was Uuragan who attacked, having had time to position himself while Dean distrated their enemy, Uuragan now cast a wave of frost at the sorcerer, slowing his movement and decreasing his visibility. This time, arrows did hit their mark, the second one hitting him in the back; as soon as he turned to face Dean, another pierced his stomach.

Falling to his knees, the sorcerer dropped his swords, which faded away quickly, Duryraen who had recovered a little moved in quickly and stabbed him in the back, lodging his dagger deep into his foe, the blade protruding from the sorcerer's chest. Using his second dagger, he slit his throat, letting him drop to the ground. At the back of the cave, Amal was working hard to heal Dan's wounds, as he was in a much worse shape than Duryraen.

The terrible storms outside suddenly subsided, beautiful weather followed, the opportunity the army of Enligt was waiting for. Aboard longships was the entire army, already on the way towards the island of Saarii.

Uuragan Oakwale, Dean Dalgaard, Dan Scott, Duryraen dar'Vuzmur and Amal Cal.These are the men who beat helped make Saarii the strategic military base of the Enligt empire. These are the men mentioned in song and legend. These are the men who vanquished the power of Saarii. These are the men from the Strike of Saarii.

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The Strike of Saarii - Chapter VII

On they journeyed, up the mountain side, until they arrived at an opening, a plateau, tents were visible as well as elves in golden armour, crossing their halberds as soon as the party approached the encampment. The group were asked why they were in such a remote location, to which they answered that they needed to speak to the Master Druid. At this reply, one of the guards left and entered a cave, into the side of the mountain, at the far end of the plateau. Upon returning to the group, he told the others that the Master Druid wanted to see them, but before escorting them to the cave, they asked the group to leave all weapons outside.

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"I know," the Druid replied, "I have seen your coming, and I know what you seek. You seek answers; why have Runo's men never made it to Saarii? My dear Runo, you should have realised by now." The Druid finally turned to face them, smiling when he saw the composition of the group. "Not too many, but enough to cause damage. Good. You will do." He started walking towards a small orb which was sat upon a round table a few paces away. He placed his hand over it, started whispering, and almost immediately images started forming within the orb. "Look, my friends, this is the reason your leader never managed to take Saarii." The orb showed a dark figure hunched over a small table, much like the Druid himself when the group entered the cave. "Magic. Great magic. Enough to affect the weather. But too much going on to notice a small vessel. Go, tell your Lord that a small strike team is all he needs. His target is in a small cave beneath the island of Saarii, to the East." With one last glance at the party, he clapped his hands twice, and turned back to his business. Hearing his summons, two guards entered the cave and issued the group outside, giving them their weapons back.

Before the group started their journey back, they were granted a tent in which to rest for the night, very much appreciated by the Runo's agents. They rested, and prepared to start their journey back to Enligt early in the morning. However, before they left, they heard someone calling Uuragan, a female voice. Turning around, Uuragan's face shone, his long lost best friend was alive, the one person he used to trust before he joined Enligt's army. A dark elf, just like him, a mage just like him, and the one who saved him from near death when nobody else cared. He turned to his friends and told them to start on their way down the mountain, promising he would catch up with them when he was ready.

Entering the cave, they did not find any grand hall for a mighty leader, nor did they see any fine banners or a golden throne. All they saw were a couple of tables and chairs and magical artifacts glowing in bright violet and blue light at the back of the cave. A dark figure, his back facing the entrance, was the Master Druid, busy with one of the artifacts. He raised his hand and motioned the group forward, his guards leaving the cave when he did so. The party moved in closer, stopping some feet away when the Druid held up his hand again. Amal took it upon himself to break the silence, "We bring you gifts from Runo, Lord of Enligt."

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A day later, the group saw him enter the cave where they were camping for the night, the same cave they fought the mages on their way up to meet the Master Druid; a new weapon sheathed at his side, his brother's ice sword, which he had lost prior to joining the army. Two days later, they arrived back at Enligt and requested audience with Lord Runo, which he granted immediately. "Rise." he said, as the men knelt in front of him, "and tell me all the Master Druid said." Telling him all that the Druid had told them, and what they saw in the orb, the Lord's face darkened, "Grave news again, never a good sign when one's enemy holds such power. No matter, if the Druid thinks we can deal with this foe with a small team, we will try. Go, ask the general to provide anything you need for battle, and go forth to Saarii. Use a small boat to get there and try to attract as little attention as possible. The fleet of Enligt will be ready to sail to Saarii as soon as the storms subside."

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The Strike of Saarii - Chapter VI

Once the party was satisfied with their purchases, new weapons and trinkets with magical properties to boost their abilities in combat, they regrouped at the start of the passage up the mountain to the north of Enligt and were on their way to find the Master Druid. walking up through the snow was slow but nothing interfered for a while, until they started hearing wolf growls all around them. Careful and alert, they moved on until they found a white dire wolf in their way. Dan immediately drew his axe, not a wise move he learned as more dire wolves jumped out of the surrounding trees ready to pounce if he makes a move. The leader of the pack didn't move and neither did the rest, but Dean did. He edged forward, slowly, motioning to the others with his hand to drop their weapons.

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"Vargo?" Dean said, to which the dire wolf nodded. The reply was confusing though, for he spoke only in riddles.

"In riddles I must speak, the reason I cannot say.

A trident found in a mountain pass,

The first spike is colder than the rest,

One is short and dark,

The last, rumoured to host great power.

At the end of each,

you can find what you seek."

At that, the speaker left, as did the rest of the dire wolves when their leader was done. Confused at what Vargo had said, the group discussed what the clues could have meant, not agreeing on their guesses. In the end they decided to keep walking and find out on the way.

They walked until they found a fork in the path, split into three other paths; "A trident found in a mountain pass," said Amal, "this is what Vargo meant, three passages, each with its own perils." They discussed again what these troubles might be, in the end choosing the last option, the one hosting great power. Moving on, they found that the path was not the most comfortable to choose; only enough room for one person to walk forward for quite a while. They walked this tight passage until they found a clearing with four long poles stuck in the ground, placed to form a square; remains of cloth hanging from the top, hinting that this was some form of tent or canopy. Behind the remains of the tent was an entrance to a cave, the only possible way out of the clearing, other than the drop off the side of the mountain.

When Uuragan, Dan and Duryraen started walking inside, a booming voice shouted "You have no busniess here!!". A blue light sparked deep inside the cave, a bolt of lightning shot towards them. The three warriors ducked the lightning strike, which hit one of the four poles outside, immediately spreading to the other three, forming four high walls of electricity; blocking Dean and Amal inside a cage. A bright white light also shone inside as a form of magical shield was created to protect the aggressors, two human mages were walking towards them inside the barrier. A man, who started shooting electric bolts at the party and a woman who kept up the barrier.

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Whatever Uuragan tried, his magic could not pierce the barrier, and wherever Dan and Duryraen hit, the barrier was reinfored, the enemies' red eyes flickering in delight when they saw the futile attempts of the people who fell into their trap. Amal tried all he could from behind the shock wall, creating small shields for his friends outside, to deflect the bolts shot from the shock mage. Dean shot arrow after arrow, at the enemies, none of them piercing the barrier.

Dan, furious that his mighty blows were not hitting home, tried to enter the barrier himself instead of his weapon, which worked. He was now standing between the two mages. He hit the healer with his head, his helmet dealing enough damage for her to loose focus and drop her barrier, and turned to smash her partner with his axe, not knowing how agile his foe was. Noticing what had happened the shock mage turned his focus onto Dan and quickly grabbed the dwarf's axe, channelling his fury through its metal, into the dwarf, sending him flying into the cave wall, falling into an unconscious lump on the ground.

Having no magical barrier, the mage was now vulnerable to Uuragan's frost magic, slowing his movement, while Duryraen launched a full frontal assault. Although his agility was diminished, their enemy was still able to deflect most of Duryraen's attacks. As his fury grew, the shock mage's wall around Dean and Amal grew in intensity, allowing them barely any visibility; Amal tried to help Dan from inside the cage, but it was difficult to do so. Dean on the other hand tried shooting arrows at the enemy healer as she was separated from the group, this way he could not hit any of his friends. One of his arrows hit the mark, piercing her side, her scream in pain filled the cave. Hearing this, her partner knew exactly what had happened, he cast a huge explosion of electrical energy around him, blasting Duryraen and Uuragan away from him. He was now invisible except for a whisp of electricity, which floated over to his healer, her physical form also turned to electricity, they flew off deeper into the cave and out of sight. Only then did the electrical barrier around Dean and Amal vanish.

Having defeated the mages, the group needed some time to recover their strength, Amal tending to their wounds. They camped for the night in the cave, and followed the whisps into the cave to find another exit, the one the mages took to escape. Here they followed the trail until they arrived at a large plateau, with elves guarding the only entrance, spears crossed, denying entrance.

For the curious readers: 
The first spike is colder than the rest > Frost trolls
One is short and dark > Underground tunnel full of goblins

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The Strike of Saarii - Chapter V

After a whole day of riding, luckily without any more intruders, the warriors arrive at the capital city of Midgard, Enligt. Here they were stopped at the gates by the guards and asked why they needed to enter the city. Upon saying that they needed to talk to Lord Runo, they were allowed to pass through, but they knew that they would be followed for the security of their ruler. Having arrived in the evening, they decided to meet Lord Runo the following morning, and headed towards the inn, The Pint and Nap. Here they had a decent meal, paid for a room each and passed the night.

In the morning, they regrouped outside the inn, after having breakfast, Dan took much longer than the rest, eating twice as much. Walking as a group towards the keep, they noticed that they were being followed by two guards, keeping their distance. Once at the door of the keep, they were asked to wait until the Lord gave them permission to enter. After a while the group was granted access and were escorted to the throne room, where they all knelt down in front of their leader, an act performed by every man who wanted to keep his head attached to his neck.

"Rise," he said, "and tell me what happened." Dean introduced the group and explained what had happened out at sea. Trouble was clearly visible on Lord Runo's face, a whole naval force lost before engaging with the enemy is not what a king wants to hear about a month after they were dispatched. "Come back tomorrow morning and we will talk again of the matter," he told the group and left the throne room through a side door. The group was escorted out of the keep and spent the day touring the markets, taking a relaxing day at last.

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The following morning, they were all ready and waiting for the Lord to arrive at the throne room, kneeling again as he entered. "You bring grave news," the Lord stated, "but all is not lost. I task you now to climb up the White Mountains, using the passage directly to the North of this castle, and meet the Master Druid at the Druid's Plateau. Tell him, that I sent you and ask him if there is anything that is stopping the navy from arriving at Saarii. The guards will give you gifts which you will give to the druid and some money to for you to acquire anything to help you on your trip." Saying this, he dismissed the group, who used their newly acquired money to purchase better weapons and trinkets to improve their chances in future battles.

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The Saarii Strike - Chapter IV

Out of the trees to the West emerged a whole cavalry, in full armour, spears in the hands of the riders in steel plate mail, golden lining shining on the armour of the leading warrior as well as his horse's. A dark green cape with a golden dragon emblazoned on it flowing behind this leader showed the men in the clearing that this army belonged to the military base of Joki, allies, some good tidings at last.

Hagan Garth, the general of the Army of Joki, dismounted his horse and approached the fighters, who were still panting and trying to recuperate from the battle. After introducing himself and the army, "I see we arrived a bit too late," he said, "it seems who were capable of dealing with the beast on your own. Who are you to have managed to defeat it?" Duryraen still not in the right state of mind, said nothing, and Dean still being healed by Amal, Dan explained how they got there, how they were the only survivors from the naval force and how Amal was helping them get to Enligt. "Not good tidings at all, but you are welcome to join us back to Joki, you can rest there, and we can provide you with some decent armour and weapons, I believe you are lucky to have survived at all in those rags."

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The group got back onto their ox cart and followed the army back to Joki, where they rested for two days, food being provided by the military. Here, Amal deposited the swords at the armoury, the swords which he had lent to the four survivors. On the third day, they were summoned to the general's quarters where he asked them for details of what happened out at sea, as he wanted to report it to Lord Runo. Once there, the group explained again that they were the only survivors from the storm that wrecked the entire naval force sent out to Saarii, how they were run out of Kalastaja, fought wolves and the troll. Being impressed by their resilience and capability to fight off multiple enemies, even a cave troll which could have easily smashed five warriors had they not been as strong, he tasked the group to travel to Enligt and inform Lord Runo themselves. This time however, they were provided with a horse each, a great help if they were to get to Enligt quickly. Amal asked if the army could take care of his ox and cart, which Hagan happily agreed to.

Hagan also signed a form for them to acquire some armour and weapons for free from the armoury in Joki. Dan got some good plate mail, a shield and a two handed war hammer, Dean and Duryraen got leather armour which allowed quicker movement but provided some defence, Dean also got a better bow and some arrows to provide better damage. Amal and Uuragan on the other hand, could not find items that would help them, as Joki was a military base focused on traditional military, not of the magical kind.  However, they were informed of a good alchemist and jeweller in Enligt that could help them once they arrived there.

Once they were satisfied with the gear provided, the men mounted their horses and were on their way to the capital of Midgard and seat of the throne, Enligt.

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The Saarii Strike - Chapter III

Having packed their belongings, the group started moving again, deeper in the woods in Joki's direction, following Amal Cal as he was the most knowledgeable of the area. After a few hours of travelling, they arrived at a huge clearing, several uprooted trees laying around and tree stubs which seemed like they were mowed down by something much larger than any of them.

At the edges of the clearing, they could see carcasses of creatures they could not immediately identify due to their bodies being mutilated beyond recognition. Duryraen, however, did recognise the thin legs as those of spiders, and these particular spiders being as large as they were, he immediately knew where they were from. Suppressing a tear, he urges his team mates to keep moving. As they were moving Eastwards towards the edge of the clearing, heavy footsteps started pushing through from the North, trees being pushed away and uprooted as something sped towards them.

Most of the group started to move faster, getting away from danger being their priority. Duryraen, however, was rooted on the spot, facing the moving trees, daggers out and eyes glaring, determined to get back at what killed the spiders who raised him. As the last trees were uprooted, an enormous arm emerged first from the dark, followed by a cave troll of immense dimensions; horns covering its entire body except the face and chest. A belt made of bones and skulls was tied around the beast's waist, grass used to cover up its lower body; blades hanging at the end of this cover-up. In its right hand was a huge wooden club with what seemed like swords and pieces of armour stuck to it, trophies of its enemies it dealt with in the past.

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Duryraen instantly started running towards the troll, screaming at the top of his lungs. Seeing their friend in this state, understanding that something in his past was connected to this situation, the rest dropped everything and joined in the fight. Glad that it did not have to chase its meal, the troll was prepared to take them on. Being much faster and smaller than the troll, Duryraen and Dan found it easy to start striking it with their weapons and Dean shooting arrows at it from afar, but no strike seemed to draw blood. The frost coming from Uuragan's hands did seem to irritate the beast, Amal noticed this and shouted "Freeze his feet!"

Taking the hint, the guys at the front provided some space and Uuragan focused all his energy to try and freeze the feet of their colossal enemy. Although at first it did not seem to be working much, it did slow down the troll. Screaming in rage, the troll hit his own foot to break off the ice, breaking off a part of the foot in the process. The subsequent scream was blood curdling to say the least, but seeing the frozen meat on the ground, the fighters at the foot of the monster started striking the areas which Uuragan froze. In its rage, the troll started swinging its club around savagely, managing to hit Dan in the process, sending him flying through the air and smashing against a tree. Seeing this, Amal ran towards him and focused all his power onto his downed friend, healing his injuries as fast as he could.

In the meantime, Uuragan had managed to freeze both the troll's legs, and after a lot of hard work and strikes of daggers and swords, one of legs broke off. The troll's screams could surely be heard from Joki, if not further. Falling over, the troll dropped his weapon, quite defenceless as it was still in agonising pain from the lost leg. Uuragan quickly ran up to the fallen beast, aiming his ice at the troll's neck, Duryraen hacking away at it and Dean joining in with Dan's sword, finding it much easier than expected, as its skin seemed to be much thinner on the neck. After what seemed like hours, the dead was done, head rolling, the guys dropped to the floor, panting, Uuragan's hands feeling colder than they ever were before. As the group were trying to recover their energy, horses could be heard galloping twards them from the West.

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