Tales from The Outpost

by YpsY O Yew

“Well ‘ere I am!” I declare, “I’m in the new lands!”

It seems safe so far, in the lighthouse; and although the lighthouse is indeed a spectacular scene, I have not noticed anything too terribly different about this new land.

“Hi YpsY :)” I hear someone call out. Looking around I don’t see anyone at all. I go upstairs, and outside but find no one around.

“Hi YpsY :)” I hear again, and then I remember that new power they mentioned called “chat.” Following the instructions as I remembered them I pull out this arcane book of magic called a “chat window.”

“Hi YpsY, it’s me Willow!” I hear Willow call out to me through this window. I sure am glad I have a unique name I decide at that moment.

“Well, hello Willow!” I reply.

“It’s me from last night, remember?” she then asks.

“Aye, from Mirkwood!” I tell her, “I ‘member lass.”

I soon decide that this new power called chat is something pretty remarkable. After a few words, mostly trying to learn how to command the chat window, Willow asks where she can find an entrance to the new lands.

“Meet me at abbey, Willow.” I tell her “And I will take ye to one!”

With that, I utter the words “Kal Ort Port” and then focus on the rune in my hand that is marked “Yew”. Nothing happens.

“What??” I scream. “Why am I nay in Yew now??”

Then I remember. The package did state that you could not recall from one land to the next. I sigh, feeling a bit annoyed that I can not recall to my home, Yew. Shrugging it off, I then climb back down the dark cave below and follow it south. Soon I find a small room with stairs that lead back up to the Yew prisons. Feeling the warm breeze of Yew, I take a deep breathe and smile.

“Ahh it’s always good to be home.” I state cheerfully.

After recalling to the Abbey, I meet Willow at the front doors.

“Are we going to the new lands!” Willow says excitedly, with a wide smile on her face.

“Aye! Let us go bravely unto the new lands!” I declare, glad to have someone to share in the excitement. Opening a gate to the portal room, we soon step into the entrance.

“Ack! It is dark!” Willow screams out, “I can not see!”

Forgetting to warn her, I quickly cast nightsight on her. “In Lor” I utter at her. “Ye are fine lass,” I say to calm her. “T’is only a passage way, and contains no dangers. Come this way to the surface,” and we walk north.

After showing her the lighthouse, we decide to leave the safety of the area and walk south along the jetty, towards the mainland.

After a brief walk we encounter the first beast the new land has to offer, an imp. The imp looks much like a mongbat, but is a dark blood red. Although not too tough, the imp did cast a few spells at us. We quickly decide that the beasts here are going be tougher than the ones we were used to, no matter how similar they look.

Soon after we found another strange beast that could be called nothing else but a stone harpy. It looked just like a harpy, but was indeed made of stone. It too, was stronger than the harpies we were used to, but again not too strong for us to handle. Feeling confident, we continued on.

The sandy ground was littered with sharp jagged rocks that jutted upwards and made high cliff walls. The ground was very uneven, making traveling ackward and laborious. Our next foe, a stone gargoyle, was another suprise. Expecting him to unleash a slew of spells at us, we attacked him with vigor. To our shock, no spells came at all, but when he got close our shock was replaced with pain. The stone gargoyle slashed and clawed with great force, draining the very lifeblood from our bodies. We quickly formulated a plan.

“Attack with your bow and keep a good distance from it!” Willow yelled out.

Already running from the beast, and bleeding badly, I was non too quick to agree with the plan. So we ran circles around the beast, not letting it get close enough to sink its long claws into our flesh, all the while firing our crossbow bolts into the beast whenever the opportunity allowed. Many bolts later, the gargoyle finally fell.

Almost falling from exhaustion, we rest for a bit and count our loot.

Willow counts the gold and smiles, “400 gold from the harpy alone. Not bad!”

Nodding in agreement, I smile widely. “The new lands may prove prosperous, indeed!”

Feeling even more confident, and excited at the thoughts riches we will find, we gathered our gear and pressed on, deeper into the new land. Our adventure to the new land was turning out to be grand, and our spirits were high. This would soon change, however.

Turning a corner, we catch a war party by suprise. Filled with ettins, orcs of all sizes, gargoyles and scorpions, the war party stood around in wait for us... and we were completely caught off guard.

“Quick! Let’s hide around here!” Willow says as she ducks behind a tall rock outcropping.

Quickly following her, we crouch behind the rocks and luckily elude most of the dumb beasts. Luring a few of the war party around the rocks, a few at a time, we were able to kill off the first war party, but where one would fall another would spring up.

The battle quickly turned frantic. Beasts were attacking from all sides, and the two of us were soon separated in the confusion. Overwhelmed from the attacks I was forced to run from the blows just to stay alive. Knowing the art of hiding, I was able to duck and hide, eluding the attackers just long enough to heal myself before running and hiding again. It was a game of cat mouse. A game, my friend Willow lost.

“YpsY, I have fallen!” I heard Willow call out, but not from the living world, but from the chat window. Saddened, I return to where I saw her last and found her fallen body. Beasts swarmed in from all sides and I decided I must lead them away if there was going to be any chance of saving her things. After leading them far away and then ducking around some rocks I returned.

“I must see if I can retrieve her from the nether world!” I bark, ordering myself to must the courage to stand my ground.

“An Corp” I utter out loud. Nothing.

“An Corp” I utter again, though louder this time. Nothing.

“An Corp” I say even louder, with more determination. Nothing.

“An Corp!” I scream, “Return the fair Lady Willow to this world!!” and with that sparks fly around me. A ghost-like form begins to take shape, and materializes before me.

It is Willow, and within minutes she is standing before me. Bruised and battered, she manages a smile.

“Thank ye YpsY!” she says softly.

“T’is nothing!” I reply, “jus glad ye are back!”

“Quickly now,” I say urgently “let us gather your things. I hear them returning.”

We did recover all her gear and get her healed up before the next wave of beasts hit us, but I am afraid our luck was not much different. A huge wyvern, which is just like a fire-breathing drake, as far as I could tell, soon joined the beasts in attacking us. A few more times Willow did fall to the swarm as we got bombarded and separated. Luckily we did recover her gear and returned her spirit to this world each time.

Finally, we stood huddled in a rock crevice, safe for the moment. We had just retrieved Willow’s gear again and were wounded badly.

“Methinks we should get out ‘o ‘ere M’lady” I state, breathing heavily.

“Aye, there are just too many of them!” she quickly replied while covering her wounds with bandages.

“Indeed Willow, indeed” I reply. “The spawn be welcome, but a spawn like this. It’ll take a large and well skilled group to wander ‘round ‘ere methinks.”

And with that, we gated back to the safety of the lighthouse.

“Return we shall!” I declare. “If a large and well skilled group is what it takes, then it shall be!”

Climbing down the ladder, leading home, I turned back and yelled out, “We shall see ‘ow the new lands ‘andle the mighty House ‘O Rosmar this eve!”