Main Menu

Written Anything Lately?

Started by ER, December 26, 2017, 12:32:41 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

ER

^ How did I not see this here...?
What does not kill me makes me stranger.

indianasmith

I finished the latest chapter of my new book WITH MALICE TOWARDS NONE.
Eight months after surviving an assassination attempt at Ford's Theater, Abraham Lincoln celebrated his first Christmas in a nation at peace since he was elected President.
"I shall smite you in the nostrils with a rod of iron, and wax your spleen with Efferdent!!"

pennywise37

that's not a bad idea for a book actually i'm surprised nobody has done it already to be honest

chefzombie

i wrote a new song today. i think i don't like it right now. unfortunately, the people i wrote it for will. not sure if i should click send or not.  :bluesad: :bluesad:
don't EVEN...EVER!

Trevor

Still fussing over my manuscript 😳😳
We shall meet in the place where there is no darkness.

Alex

#185
From the start of my next D&D campaign.

It's the end of the world as we know it...

Chapter One.

"You step into the portal. Its edges are a royal blue colour which darkens, becoming the darkest black you have ever seen. Stepping inside, the streaks of silver light seem to whizz past you like shooting stars. Then for a millisecond everything goes black, and you find yourself standing in a muddy town square that is somehow familiar. You know you've been to this place before, but it was quite some time ago. The sudden daylight makes you squint and hurts your eyes. You see your companions, looking similarly confused. Your hard-won weapons, armour, magic items and equipment are all gone. Instead, you are carrying... just regular gear. The same kind of things you carried when you first started adventuring. In fact, you are carrying the very same gear you had when you started adventuring. Your mind feels distorted somehow, your memories of why you were here and what happened afterwards are like vague shadows flitting through your mind that you can't quite grasp. What exactly did that portal do? You can't remember how you met the elf Erima, who sacrificed himself to save you all, but looking around you recognize many of the traders selling things around in the market square. The sky is clear, and the day is hot and dry. From the position of the sky, you'd estimate it is mid-morning. The people around you wear loose-fitting clothing. They have dusky skin and most of them, both male and female have shaved their heads. Those who are not dressed in such a fashion seem to represent a motley gamut of peoples from across Faerun. While those with a shaven head are dressed in fairly fine clothes, the others are in dirty rags. Each bears a mark on their cheek, which looks like a brand rather than a tattoo. The chatter you can hear from around the marketplace is a rather sibilant tongue, a dialect that you do not recognise (unless anyone actually has Speak Language Thayan)."

You are going to have to improvise on what the party does next. They might go to the stalls around them for information. No one will recognize any of them. The locals speak with a strong accent, completely different to that of any of the players. Hopefully at some point though the party will decide to head to an inn. The locals will not be overly friendly to the party, seeing anyone from outside Thay as being lesser than them. If anyone in the party is wearing red, the locals will stare at them open mouthed, then quickly look away from them refusing to make eye contact. They will mumble into the ground and quickly excuse themselves from anyone foolish enough to wear red (unless they are a Red Wizard or part of the clergy of Kossuth). If the players are completely lost and have no idea how to proceed, have a patrol of Thayan watchmen come marching in and "escort them" to an inn.

"A squad of 8 men wearing highly polished metal armour and carrying halberds come marching into the square. They are all wearing tabards that bear matching images. That of several orbs flying in a spiral around a central star (anyone with Knowledge Nobility can attempt a DC 10 roll to identify it as the flag of Thay). You also see the same image borne on many flags flying from the tops of towers across the city. The soldiers are walking with a gait that seems to your eyes impractical and slightly comical. It involves shuffling forward with very short and rapid steps. They march in a two by four formation. One of the men at the front has a long black horsehair plume hanging down from the top of his silvery helmet. At a guess he'd be their leader. Seeing your group standing there he changes the direction of his troop so they are heading directly towards you." 

If the party are foolish enough to start a fight, the sergeant is a 4th level fighter. He has a 3rd level fighter as his corporal and the rest of his men are 1st level warriors. The corporal will immediately blow a brass whistle which will summon reinforcements starting with in d4+3 rounds with another squad of watchmen. If that fails to quell the trouble, then a Thayan wizard complete with an apprentice and a 4-man bodyguard of Thayan Knights will turn up d3 rounds after that. He will, however, attempt to capture the group alive (and then send them to the arena as his slaves), ordering the guards to take them alive. The troops will reluctantly switch from their halberds to Billy clubs they have hanging from their belts and use non-lethal damage to beat the party down. Should any of the party be killed, the Red Wizard will immediately use a Lightning Bolt on the unlucky guardsman who dealt the killing blow. For s**ts and giggles make the apprentice Juan, who will use Colour Spray on the party. If they run off, again reinforcements will be summoned. Let the party make a good go of escaping, but eventually the Red Wizards are going to catch them and the party ends up in the arena. Any magic users in the party who aren't either Red Wizards or clerics of Kossuth, will find they are unable to cast any spells (they are wearing bracelets that nullify their magical abilities. If they don't find out about these before, they would spot the bracelets and remember wearing them was a condition of them being allowed into Thay.

It might sound as if the party has no free will about going to the arena. They do. They are perfectly free to decide how they end up there. 

"The leader of the soldiers looks you up and down, his lip curled in an expression of distaste. He starts speaking in the local tongue, but it is quickly obvious that you have no idea what he is saying, he switches to a thickly accented common. 'Outsiders, you are supposed to remain at the inn unless escorted by a citizen of Thay. I will take you back to your inn, where you will remain until your sponsor collects you. If you are found on the street again, you will find yourself spending time in the mines. Perhaps they don't pay attention to the law where you are from, but here in Thay things are very different!' He roughly shoves (pick whichever player is most likely to start a fight over this) and orders you to move."

Should anyone answer the sergeant back, he will have no hesitation in cracking them over the head with his club to teach them some manners. Should this develop into a full-blown fight, see above. If anyone is wearing red, the sergeant will angrily demand that they immediately remove it. Failing to do so will have them on charges of impersonating a Red Wizard. This does not lead to going to the arena. This leads to a long drawn out and very painful death witnessed by the entire population of the town. They will be arrested and crucified in the centre of town and a Red Wizard will, using magic slowly peel each layer of skin from their body, carefully leaving the veins intact. They will then be left for the elements, vermin, insects and birds to finish off.

"With many pokes and prods, you are 'escorted' to a three-story stone building. It is of a very plain construction. At some point in the past, it was painted white, but time, weather and a lack of maintenance have left it peeling and contributing to a general aura of decrepitude. It has a heavy-looking wooden door that sits slightly ajar. You can't help but notice that the door has a heavy wooden bar that can be put across to hold the door shut, from the outside."
Hail to thyself
For I am my own master
I am my own god
I require no shepherd
For I am no sheep.

Trevor

Still polishing my book: I found out that there are three sequels to The Gods Must Be Crazy 😳
We shall meet in the place where there is no darkness.

Alex

#187
Not an entirely original story, but I just felt writing tonight, even if I had to battle against autocorrect. Anyway, it's just a rough first draft.

I could hear the footsteps behind me as I walked along the street. He'd been following me for a while now. In the old days it hadn't been uncommon for me to find some pervy guy following me around. Then times had gotten weirder and weirder. It started slowly, so slowly that normal people had no chance to realise it was even happening. Even when it was noticed, they didn't really do anything about it. Psychiatrists would come in tv, wrong their hands and talk with politicians about how it could be handled with therapy and support meetings.

But still the numbers of psychopaths being born increased. At some point I guess the numbers started going up exponentially and by the time they hit adulthood it was too late. Society was just overwhelmed and collapsed. No amount of focus groups of quorums could save it. They took to the streets openly hunting the normals. Within months they'd won. Murderers had inherited the earth and were hunting down anyone who wasn't one of them.

It really wasn't safe for anyone who wasn't a born killer to be caught outside, and here was I being followed. Hunted. Stalked. The same way women like me had been treated by men since time before time. No one was going to come along and try to reform anyone in a nice soft prison anymore.

I increased my pace walking as fast as I could and feeling my heart rate increasing until it was pounding in my chest. I heard the footsteps behind speeding up to match my speed. Turning around a corner I broke into a short run, then ducked sideways into an abandoned shop, hoping my body would be hidden in the shadows. I listened intently as the footsteps broke into a run, my fingers curled around the wooden handle of my only weapon, a 16 inch lightning knife. When I could hear his heavy breathing I knew he was close enough for me to act. I reached out with one hand, gripping his arm and pulling him towards me, knocking him off balance. He stumbled practically falling into my blade. In a second I take him in, a nondescript man in earlier times, middle aged and slightly over weight. I'm impressed he's lasted this long. I'd imagine he was a teacher, maybe a professor in the before times. One of the ones who thought we could be dealt with in a civilised fashion.

I felt the thud of his body as he fell against the hilt. He started to squeal as he felt the steel inside him, but it turned into a bloody gurgle as I twisted the blade, making a hole in his guy big enough that I could fit my fist inside. I let go of his arm letting him slump against me as he slipped to the ground. I exalted in the feel of the warm blood running over my hand. I step back so he falls to the ground whining like a little kitten desperate for attention. The wound isn't fatal. Not immediately anyway. He'll wish it was though. A good doctor with access to a modern hospital could still save him. If only there were any still open. I smell down beside him and whisper in his ear 'It's too late old man. Your time is over. You should have killed us at the start, killed us in our cots when we were still babies, but you didn't. Your species was too soft to survive. We are the new humanity. It's our time now. "

Then I leave him there, bleeding out and groaning on the pavement. Out of the shadows I can see forms slinking out of the darkness, the ones who like victims who won't struggle too much. He won't bleed to death slowly, but he will die in a lot of pain. As they reach him, his shrieks reach a new pitch.

The cries put a smile on my blood soaked face.
Hail to thyself
For I am my own master
I am my own god
I require no shepherd
For I am no sheep.

indianasmith

Working on a Sherlock Holmes story.  I enjoy writing those sometimes.
"I shall smite you in the nostrils with a rod of iron, and wax your spleen with Efferdent!!"

Alex

#189
Really slow night tonight. Let's see where this story goes.

'f**k f**k f**k f**k' I screamed. How the hell did today go from getting revenge on my b***h of an ex turn into me being chased by a bear? I leapt off the grey boulder as 800 pounds of fur, muscle and teeth came bounding across the grass towards me. I started sprinting, wincing at the throbbing pain in my twisted ankle, heading for the distant tree line, deeper praying that I could make it to the trees before the bear reached me.

I wasn't even half way when with a primal roar, something (guessing the bear)  hit me from behind. My back exploded in pain and I felt myself go flying through the air. Everything went black before I even got the ground.

It was a huge surprise to me when I woke up, although with the pain I was in, I didn't feel exactly thankful about it. The bear, Camille or Don were nowhere to be seen. From the pain when I say up I was pretty sure some ribs were cracked it not worse.

And the day had started out so well....

Six hours previously.
Hail to thyself
For I am my own master
I am my own god
I require no shepherd
For I am no sheep.

ER

I did not see you wrote a story an posted it in here. I am summoned to bed now, but I would like to read it tomorrow. Well done, Alex, and also congrats on your Sherlock Holmes story, indy.
What does not kill me makes me stranger.

Alex

#191
The Late Visit.

I slowly climbed the stairs, my leather clad feet padding on the stone castle steps. Everything about this had been carefully chosen. Most people would be downstairs attending the king at the banquet. Everyone, safe for his wife. As expected she had excused herself early from the meal and returned to her private chambers. In my right hand I gripped the rope banister, in my left I carried the heavy velvet wrapped package that was my charge to care for. My uniform was simple, black and functional, save for the heavy cloth hood. Often the fabric would shift partially blocking my view. I would stop and fix my hood frequently. It was a traditional outfit, but one lacking practicality for my role. I was only slowing the inevitable though. My pace was slow but steady. Duty and honour conflicted with each other in my thoughts.

I reached the top of the spiral stairs and paused for a second as much to catch my breath as to settle my unquiet thoughts. The door to the queens chamber was just a few steps in front of me. Despite the hood and shadows hiding my features, the guards recognised, well perhaps not me but they knew who I am and why I was there. They stepped aside allowing me access to the door. I knocked, my raps loud but slow and ponderous on the thick, oaken door. A soft feminine voice bid me enter. Outwardly I remained calm, but my heart was hammering in my chest as I grasped the black iron handle and with a sigh, pushed the door inward and stepped inside.

The royal appartments were as one would expect lavishly decorted. Expensive silks and other fabrics I could not even guess the names of hung on the walls alongside portraits, tapestries and all manner of things I could never dream of affording. A single item from this room was worth more than I could ever earn in a lifetime and yet one treasure was greater than all the others combined.

Our Queen, the lady Alyssa.

She stood there looking at me regally. A woman so beautiful that it was almost painful to look at her. She had the strangest, blue eyes that seemed to stare right through your skin to see the heart within, her high cheekbones and the long blonde hair. She looked at me with a half smile playing around her ruby red lips "Sirrah, it is a late hour for you to be calling at a ladies residence without an escort."
Although I had performed my duty many times without emotion, this time I felt butterfly's in my stomach and stumbled over my words. "The king my lady. He sent me. The issue of... well his issue..."

"Of course. The lack of a son to succeed him. I have expected this. Is it to happen immediately?"

So regal and graceful even in this moment. Her poise had not faltered even for a split second.

"We have... some little time my lady but not all night and the hour already grows late."

"Very well. I did not expect that you would come alone."

"The king did not feel that having witnesses... your popularity with the common folk..."

My words kept drifting off into nothingness.

"Sirrah, I mean the impropriety of a lone man being in a ladies private chambers. Tis' not proper."

"Lady I must confess that nothing about this situation seems right to me. That I am alone in a room with the most beautiful woman in the kingdom is the least of all that."

"And if I were to offer you my beauty for the night, would you in return grant me mercy and allow me to leave? I am told I can do things with my mouth that no other woman can match, and many men have cast envious looks at my body. I can see in your eyes you desire me too."

As she spoke, it was as if some spell had broken. She was no longer some distant unapproachable goddess, but merely a mortal woman, with her own hopes and dreams. I slipped the velvet covering off the head of the tool of my trade, the steel glinting in the firelight reflecting off its razor sharp edge. "My lady, I not here to give or receive that kind of head. Only to take yours. It is time, please prepare yourself."

She gazed at me, tilting her head slightly as if exposing her neck for me. There was no fear in those pure blue eyes. Once again she was an untouchable goddess, gracing us with her mere presence "I cannot do this my lady. Nor would I take advantage of any woman who did not give her body freely. I will help you escape the castle."

The queen smiled at me, and it was like the sun emerging from behind a cloudy sky. "We must leave now my queen. There is no time to pack." I motioned towards the door.  She swept past me, moving at haste. As she passed I moved in a blur, swinging the axe around in a lethal arc. She never saw it coming. I truly hope she felt nothing and the blow killed her in an instant. It was the only mercy I could offer her.

The next day I left my home and job, just fled the kingdom. I left my wife and childer behind. To this day I know not what happened to them. I knew that sooner or later the king would want the only witness silenced. I would never sleep another night without picturing those piercing blue eyes of hers whenever I closed my eyes.
Hail to thyself
For I am my own master
I am my own god
I require no shepherd
For I am no sheep.