K'aha was brilliant ever since she was a cub, her pack mother had often told her so. She found that other Leonin's envied this and so they stayed away, or at least that's what she would tell her self as she laid alone night after night as the years past by. Now on this barren plane she found a longing for that solemn agsistants she left behind her so long ago. Her shadow guard had reported this place some years before and until now standing on it's soil, breathing in the death and watching the sand blow over the nothingness, she had not believed the reports. A plane where mana did not flow, where magic seemed unlikely and life unbearable, she had vowed that when her wars where waged and she could rest she would journey to this place and she would aide it's people in any way she could.
Now wars won and feet planted firmly on this alien plain she wondered if she had waited to long could their possibly be any life left to save. Even as the thought crossed her mind She felt something and her mind reached towards it. Far away over the horizon a grouping of tough and angry life forces drew together. Less than a hundred hardly a sustainable tribe, but it was the first beacon of hope and she would happily take any good news their was to received in this mana void. Even pulling mana from other planes threw the blind eternis she could feel her mana waning. She would not risk telporting if it could be avoided. So the morning would bring her to rest with the natives soon enough.
The sun she quickly found did not lack power on this primal plane and she wished she had enough confidence in her mana flow to planewalk to the life forms she felt still beyond the horizon, but she pressed on still on the sun finally gave way to the frigged desert night. K'aha stopped and spun in a full circle, as she did a flash of white and gold momentarily filled the air and than her robing dropped to the ground. She reminded herself that it was a grand thing to be a non-inhabited panther in the dead of true night. Something was different this time thou, instead of slipping the presence she had felt she now found herself surrounded. They crypt ever closer and matching paces. They where well trained, but they where unaware of what they had stumbled upon.
She lept high into the night air flipping over the heads of her would be attackers, invisible except for a flash of purple when the moon struck her coat. Even still they followed her flawlessly then she sensed it in the back of one of their minds, "Stupid beast clearly she's never fought a dwarf in the dead of night or a mountain pass." Interesting she thought as she continued to retreat she probed ever deeper. "she's surprised we can follow her wait till she sees our magic." The revelation dropped K'aha to her knees and with a brilliant red flash she was unconscious.
Let me know what you think hope to post some every weekend. Also posting cards that go with it under project omega. Interested in comments on synergy.
K'aha slowly found her way back to consciousness after the powerful fire blast. A blast she suspected would have been impossible on this barren plane for even the most advanced pyromancers she had known. Yet she got the sense from her probe of the primitive creature that was but a small taste of the deadly magic the dwarfs of this realm where capable of. Now fully alert K'aha became aware of her environment and was yet again surprised by these small yet obviously resourceful warriors. She was bound to a post that stood all to close to a bonfire, her gold and white robe lay next to the fire, but all her captors stayed to the shadow as if that gave them an advantage against her relentless probing. She took in all their consciousness consuming the hopes and dreams of 125 dwarfs. She knew their had to be something here something that would tell her how such an inferior creature as the dwarf, that only could ever understand the forge and the fire, had come to wield such power on a plane with virtually no power at all.
Perfecting probing a crowd had been hard, but often enough it had proven to be worth the years of study. However not even a master of her countless years of practice could instantly obtain the information she needed. This many people could only be probed so deep into their consciousness before their would become to much noise to hear anything. Even at this depth she had to focus on key phrases in order to not be overwhelmed. She quickly released fifty of the minds as she realized they didn't even no that their tribes men could use magic. As she probed deeper she was snapped from her mental exercise by a raspy voice.
"What business have you in our land outsider?" His voice questioned, as he questioned K'aha once more began to probe, this time the one mind she sensed in front of her. She needed to know if he already knew who she was and what he thought she was doing their.
The probing she had done before was but a surface scan, it took time to go deeper, but this was much different. With a specific target and knowing exactly what she was looking for she could peel threw lairs of consciousness in matters of seconds. In the blink of an eye she was already far deeper than she had been when she was probing the horde. Their she found her first bit of good news since arriving in this wasteland. The dwarfs thought them special, chosen people of an angry deity. So they where unaware of other magic and unaware of it's different properties, so she could probe freely they would never suspect a thing. In an instant she got her second realization and it was not good news. Much like the world they lived in the dwarfs where dying, starving to be exact. They had turned to cannibalism some generations ago but now the tribe was scarcely large enough for the elderly to feed the young. The idea of food that was not their Kin was almost more than her captor could handle. If she didn't leave and soon they would descend upon her in mass and devour her alive. She sensed something else that intrigued her, he was the archmage. If he instructed the dwarf mages in the way of magic then certainly at his core was the source of his mana.
The information broker in her would not let her flee with out that knowledge. The calculating Leonin in her knew she would have to make them forget about dinner for a little while if she was to have time to get what she wanted and escape to make use of this knowledge latter.
"So you simple beasts think you special, with you simple tricks, come now surely you know their are other beings on this plane and like you they must feed," K'aha smugly baits the voice in the shadows.
"Their numbers must be small to send a singular mutant like you." The raspy voice shouts back at her, and in his mind, in that moment the thought of feeding slipped away, replaced with that of torture. Perhaps equally as painful, but much longer lasting. So she aloud him to demand answers for awhile and fling small fire balls at her as she dove deeper into his mind. As she was about to break from the probe, to make the discomfort stop, she found her self in the core of the dwarfs essence the mana center, and their she could see herself floating in space. She was surrounded by countless stars and she would see them come closer till she was inside their gas bodies and she could see all the explosions of the gases happening around her and then she was in space again and all the stars where arcing giant explosions and she could feel the red mana swell in her.
"Amazing," she gasped and as she did the mana raged inside her and she inadvertently released it threw her arms burning her binding away. As she feel to the ground she was snapped from her probe and for the first time one of the dwarfs stepped into the light of the bonfire.
"What's amazing, what have you done?" the raspy voice questions from the small scared Dwarf in the fires glow.
"Stolen your mana," K'aha states. The shocked look at the word mana is worth all the hardships endured K'aha thinks to herself, "Let me explain. I'm a vary powerful being from another plane. I've come here because my shadow guard tells me of an interesting phenomenon on your plane. To put it simple the mana is gone. Now I know thou that some how you adapted mana drawing abilities to the cosmos them self's. Now that I have taken this knowledge I feel a surge of power the likes of which I've never known. Now my goal here is research, if you tell me everything you know about your world and why their's no mana, we can go our separate ways."
"Well I know two stories I can tell you, but then you must give us something in return."
"If it is in me to give I will."
"How did you learn our secret."
"Ah, that would be my secret." At this point K'aha has managed to get back to her feet and put her silk white and gold robes back on.
"Vary well, the story is as old as the tribe, passed down from archmage to archmage. The time before the tribe when the great oasis spread from pole to pole. Their came a Minotaur of great power. Even with such power he craved more. So in a single violent and selfish act he formed a barrier over the plane. It funnels all the mana from the planet to Kerth where ever he travels. After he cast it the tribes of the plane rose up and he slaughtered the men women and children of Minctufeur by the thousands. So those who survived his onslaught crypt away into the shadows and prayed he would never return.
So hopefully someone is reading this and I would love to know what anyone is thinking.
The other story is the desperate ravings of those foolish enough to wonder into our hunting ground. We've gotten varied reports from delirious travelers trying to save their own life. Reports change from victim to victim, but the common theme is life. We are allegedly far from alone. So is the story, some go as far as to say that Kerth was not as strong as he thought and the field has holes, and at those holes oasis form. Other's still tell of a disfigured race that searches tirelessly for a way to restore life to this world. When I was young I ate a druid who insisted he could lead us to a place where animals had slipped into hibernation awaiting their world to return. Of course we dismissed all this as stall tactics. Perhaps you would care to search them out as well, they may have more answers for you," The dwarf said walking back into the shadows. Standing in the bonfires light she could sense the tribe retreating into the night. She walked the opposite direction into the night.
Her journey for answers would be aided in no way by continuing to force the dwarfs to interact with her. She scanned the horizon and thought how nice it would be to know where she was going, "An'shon, I require your aide."
A silhouette appeared in the darkness,"Mistress, the master grows weary of your interest in this plane and wishes for you to explain why you wish to tamper with his playground."
"In our deal you answer to me, do try to remember I once subjected him and your where the condition of his release, do you wish to test my powers now that they have grown. Search this plane every where the shadows creep, every where the night touches. find life for me, and tell your master if he dares to challenge me again let him come out of his precious spirit realm and come before me himself." She scolds the silhouette, than turns her back to it and then it is gone.
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Now wars won and feet planted firmly on this alien plain she wondered if she had waited to long could their possibly be any life left to save. Even as the thought crossed her mind She felt something and her mind reached towards it. Far away over the horizon a grouping of tough and angry life forces drew together. Less than a hundred hardly a sustainable tribe, but it was the first beacon of hope and she would happily take any good news their was to received in this mana void. Even pulling mana from other planes threw the blind eternis she could feel her mana waning. She would not risk telporting if it could be avoided. So the morning would bring her to rest with the natives soon enough.
The sun she quickly found did not lack power on this primal plane and she wished she had enough confidence in her mana flow to planewalk to the life forms she felt still beyond the horizon, but she pressed on still on the sun finally gave way to the frigged desert night. K'aha stopped and spun in a full circle, as she did a flash of white and gold momentarily filled the air and than her robing dropped to the ground. She reminded herself that it was a grand thing to be a non-inhabited panther in the dead of true night. Something was different this time thou, instead of slipping the presence she had felt she now found herself surrounded. They crypt ever closer and matching paces. They where well trained, but they where unaware of what they had stumbled upon.
She lept high into the night air flipping over the heads of her would be attackers, invisible except for a flash of purple when the moon struck her coat. Even still they followed her flawlessly then she sensed it in the back of one of their minds, "Stupid beast clearly she's never fought a dwarf in the dead of night or a mountain pass." Interesting she thought as she continued to retreat she probed ever deeper. "she's surprised we can follow her wait till she sees our magic." The revelation dropped K'aha to her knees and with a brilliant red flash she was unconscious.
Let me know what you think hope to post some every weekend. Also posting cards that go with it under project omega. Interested in comments on synergy.
Perfecting probing a crowd had been hard, but often enough it had proven to be worth the years of study. However not even a master of her countless years of practice could instantly obtain the information she needed. This many people could only be probed so deep into their consciousness before their would become to much noise to hear anything. Even at this depth she had to focus on key phrases in order to not be overwhelmed. She quickly released fifty of the minds as she realized they didn't even no that their tribes men could use magic. As she probed deeper she was snapped from her mental exercise by a raspy voice.
"What business have you in our land outsider?" His voice questioned, as he questioned K'aha once more began to probe, this time the one mind she sensed in front of her. She needed to know if he already knew who she was and what he thought she was doing their.
The probing she had done before was but a surface scan, it took time to go deeper, but this was much different. With a specific target and knowing exactly what she was looking for she could peel threw lairs of consciousness in matters of seconds. In the blink of an eye she was already far deeper than she had been when she was probing the horde. Their she found her first bit of good news since arriving in this wasteland. The dwarfs thought them special, chosen people of an angry deity. So they where unaware of other magic and unaware of it's different properties, so she could probe freely they would never suspect a thing. In an instant she got her second realization and it was not good news. Much like the world they lived in the dwarfs where dying, starving to be exact. They had turned to cannibalism some generations ago but now the tribe was scarcely large enough for the elderly to feed the young. The idea of food that was not their Kin was almost more than her captor could handle. If she didn't leave and soon they would descend upon her in mass and devour her alive. She sensed something else that intrigued her, he was the archmage. If he instructed the dwarf mages in the way of magic then certainly at his core was the source of his mana.
The information broker in her would not let her flee with out that knowledge. The calculating Leonin in her knew she would have to make them forget about dinner for a little while if she was to have time to get what she wanted and escape to make use of this knowledge latter.
"Their numbers must be small to send a singular mutant like you." The raspy voice shouts back at her, and in his mind, in that moment the thought of feeding slipped away, replaced with that of torture. Perhaps equally as painful, but much longer lasting. So she aloud him to demand answers for awhile and fling small fire balls at her as she dove deeper into his mind. As she was about to break from the probe, to make the discomfort stop, she found her self in the core of the dwarfs essence the mana center, and their she could see herself floating in space. She was surrounded by countless stars and she would see them come closer till she was inside their gas bodies and she could see all the explosions of the gases happening around her and then she was in space again and all the stars where arcing giant explosions and she could feel the red mana swell in her.
"Amazing," she gasped and as she did the mana raged inside her and she inadvertently released it threw her arms burning her binding away. As she feel to the ground she was snapped from her probe and for the first time one of the dwarfs stepped into the light of the bonfire.
"What's amazing, what have you done?" the raspy voice questions from the small scared Dwarf in the fires glow.
"Stolen your mana," K'aha states. The shocked look at the word mana is worth all the hardships endured K'aha thinks to herself, "Let me explain. I'm a vary powerful being from another plane. I've come here because my shadow guard tells me of an interesting phenomenon on your plane. To put it simple the mana is gone. Now I know thou that some how you adapted mana drawing abilities to the cosmos them self's. Now that I have taken this knowledge I feel a surge of power the likes of which I've never known. Now my goal here is research, if you tell me everything you know about your world and why their's no mana, we can go our separate ways."
"Well I know two stories I can tell you, but then you must give us something in return."
"If it is in me to give I will."
"How did you learn our secret."
"Ah, that would be my secret." At this point K'aha has managed to get back to her feet and put her silk white and gold robes back on.
"Vary well, the story is as old as the tribe, passed down from archmage to archmage. The time before the tribe when the great oasis spread from pole to pole. Their came a Minotaur of great power. Even with such power he craved more. So in a single violent and selfish act he formed a barrier over the plane. It funnels all the mana from the planet to Kerth where ever he travels. After he cast it the tribes of the plane rose up and he slaughtered the men women and children of Minctufeur by the thousands. So those who survived his onslaught crypt away into the shadows and prayed he would never return.
So hopefully someone is reading this and I would love to know what anyone is thinking.
Her journey for answers would be aided in no way by continuing to force the dwarfs to interact with her. She scanned the horizon and thought how nice it would be to know where she was going, "An'shon, I require your aide."
A silhouette appeared in the darkness,"Mistress, the master grows weary of your interest in this plane and wishes for you to explain why you wish to tamper with his playground."
"In our deal you answer to me, do try to remember I once subjected him and your where the condition of his release, do you wish to test my powers now that they have grown. Search this plane every where the shadows creep, every where the night touches. find life for me, and tell your master if he dares to challenge me again let him come out of his precious spirit realm and come before me himself." She scolds the silhouette, than turns her back to it and then it is gone.