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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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 - 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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