 FKWarlock There are a few sayings that we thought were appropriate and still feel apply here. We have hopefully corrected a misquote that may have caused a lot of grief along the way. Things to bear in mind: Be very careful what you wish for, for what you receive in return may not be what you really wanted. Heaven hath no rage like love to hatred turned, Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned. There is nothing that holds two people together for an eternity more so than the bonds of Love. Revenge is a dish best served cold.
War 10 Plot Historical Perspective: Scotland, late 1100s Land Baron Angus O'Rourke is betrothed to a Scottish wife to seal a deal with an English King who wishes to rid Scotland of its people and pride. By taking lands from Scots and giving it to wealthy English and Irish supporters, he hoped to cleans the land using blood. Unable to conceive heirs, and not wanting to show weakness, O'Rourke sought out the great Mage Galen to help him establish a family. The great master moved to the estate and soon set into motion events that would change the future of Scotland, as well as scar the Baron's family for an eternity. A young maiden was born unto the Baron and his wife, unfortunately taking the life of the wife in the process during child birth. Noted by many, but ignored for the sake of propriety, was the likeness of the maiden both to her mother and father as well as to that of the great master. Years of peace and prosperity allowed the lands of O'Rourke to prosper as the maiden passed from a girl to a young woman and the great master bided his time, hidden away in his private domain and sanctuary granted to him by the grateful O'Rourke. Trade from afar brought many treasures and tales of mystique to the city as well as travelers who brought evil as well as goods. In her sixteenth year of life, the young maiden met and fell under the spell of one particular tradesman, claiming to be from the land of Sicily and who also suffered from an affliction that made him shy away from the warmth of the sun. Her heart placed in his hands, the two young lovers soon began to make plans for a life together as her father started to hear unsettling rumors about the traveler and several of his companions. Making his way to the great master, the Baron pleaded for him to intervene once again. Although unplanned, this proved to be the time the great master had been waiting for. He soon spent considerable time observing and gathering information about the young man, only to discover his true nature and his probable plans for the young maiden. Conjuring up an icon and binding it with spells of old, the great master gave the Baron a cube to help "cure" the young man of his affliction. He explained that for two weeks the young man (he used the term lightly and with an smile that made the Baron uneasy) would appear normal and would not be "afflicted" as he had once been. The start of the spell had to occur at midnight on a night of a full moon that would have another full moon within two weeks following. Such a rare occurrence just happened to be forecast for that exact month. A deal was struck that if the plan were to succeed, the maiden would become the pupil of the master and be taken away from the land of her father for her own safety and well being, given that the great master knew of the terrible wars that would come and the value that would be placed on children of royalty as pawns. Along with the icon were several key elements that when combined would make up a staff on which the icon would ultimately be placed. Each element would be given to friends of the young man, mortal and immortal alike, who would in turn need to give them to the young man without any equivocation or hesitation of any kind at the end of the two week period. It was a firm belief, at that time, that creatures like the young man in question, truly did not know either friendship or love of family. The master explained that at the end of the two week period, if the elements were not combined and the icon placed on the staff, the cure would revert only for the person who had activated the icon, causing him, or her, to show their true nature in all its monstrous glory. However, if the icon were placed on the staff at the midnight hour of the second full moon, all who had been converted would be changed back to their prior form without incident. The friends were carefully chosen to be made up of the same blood line (a term that also brought the same strange smile to the master), as well as his closest friends. The icon itself was given to the maiden with the idea that it would cure her love and allow them to live a normal life. So it started, the young man using the icon to cure himself, quickly discovering that not only was he himself cured, but so were all those within a hundred miles who also suffered the same affliction. Great celebrations were held, and many who had not seen the sun for centuries walked in the warmth as mortals once again. Ironically, several vampires happened to visit the area during this time and observed the changes that had taken place. One of these visitors was a former Roman now known as Lucien LaCroix, who found the strange happening intriguing and began to pick up the pieces of what had taken place. He soon learned of the young couple in question and the sudden and "miraculous" cure that had been found. Suspicious of its source, and the exact nature of the "cure", he also learned of the great master and his involvement with the family in question. It was happenstance that brought him to the celebration held on the night of the second full moon, standing in the gallery as the young man waited at the base of the curved stair for the Baron to escort his daughter to his side and announce their engagement. The Midnight hour arrived as the pair began to descend the stairs. Knowing what would transpire the father had prepared several of his soldiers in the crowd. The men placed themselves loosely around the young man and patiently waited -- each fingering the crossbows hidden from view. Reaching the halfway mark, and pausing only slightly on the landing, the young woman was the first to notice as the her suitor suddenly doubled over and began to have convulsions. Screams were heard as the crowd moved away from the young man as he writhed on the floor. Rushing from her fathers side, the young woman approached her love, only to stop short when he turned to face her with golden eyes and extended fangs. As he started to leap for her, several bolts stopped him in his tracks as he fell to his knees and tried to remove them. The young woman broke out of her shock and raced to his side as he collapsed on the floor and became still. Tears of sadness soon turned to tears of rage as she suddenly realized the implications of the treachery. The bolts that had struck her love were not usually weapons of choice for such an event, but must have been used for a more specific purpose. Rising to her feet she turned to face her father who stood pale on the steps as he took in her bloodied dress. "You! Father!" she growled, raising her hand to point at the Baron. "You did this! But Why!?!" In the gallery, LaCroix saw the great master move silently to the young woman s side. He watched her turn out of his grasp as she slowly and purposely began to climb the stairs -- her back stiff with anger. The crowd gasped as she suddenly collapsed on the stair at her fathers feet and the great master moved to pick her up in his arms. "A sworn agreement has been fulfilled." He announced, turning for all to hear. His voice resonated across the hall, filling the sudden silence. Descending the stairs, he parted the crowd and disappeared into the night. Moving faster than any mortal, LaCroix also moved outside only to discover that the master had indeed vanished, taking the young woman with him. Returning to the hall, he joined the crowd around the fallen young man and soon discovered that the other members of the crowd who had once been immortal like himself were indeed still mortal while the young man had reverted and been killed. Spotting the icon on a chain around his neck, he snatched it and placed it in his pocket before rising and leaving the great hall. This was something he would attempt to learn more about for the next few centuries. Something that he knew was something to avoid.
1999 Having heard the various legends of cures, Nick is suddenly presented with a chance to try one that had once reportedly worked, but had seemingly been lost over the centuries. Time unfortunately had faded the exact details of the story, and so it was that he knew of the icon but not it's curse. Attempting to activate the icon, he soon learns that he doesn't know the whole story and in time will need to get the other elements before the two weeks are up. Several factions will receive elements for the staff, each mysteriously given to a leader of the faction, without their knowing the story behind it. Each recipient will take a liking to the element and carry it with them, triggering various characters to realize the implication of the elements and the changes that have occurred. Undoubtedly, unaligned factions, or participants will also be able to discover the story of the icon during research as to probable causes of the changes. Web pages and other sources will conveniently appear that will help point them toward the story as needed. In his sudden euphoria at having succeeded at his quest, Nick will discover the icon he had used is now missing and he will have to search for it amongst the various elements that will be discovered. He will also need to convince the others to give them back to him by the end of the two week period and to give up their new found mortality.
Elements will be given to those near friends of Nick, mortal friends such as Tracy, Nat, and Schanke, and immortals -- friend and family, such as Janette, LaCroix, Vachon, Urs, Divia and Screed. Once Nick has activated the Icon, as will have happened at the opening of the war, all vampires within a hundred square miles will suddenly become mortal, which will undoubtedly cause them to summon help to figure out what has transpired. It will be up to the participants to help them discover what happened and attempt to fix the problem. It may soon become apparent that someone has started the whole process in motion, but who? and for what purpose?
Would he, could he, if he could?
Posts This FKWar10 WebRing site owned by FKWarlock. [ Previous 5 Sites | Skip Previous | Previous | Next | Skip Next | Next 5 Sites | Random Site | List Sites ] |