Game Thread: Horatio

From the cursed soil you arise, mist is strewn about you. You cannot remember; who you are, how did you fall, all this is lost to you. But in the distance there is a soft orange glow. Hope?

You approach the light, almost mindlessly driven to hold your hand over the coiled blade. The bonfire lights, for a fleeting moment warmth fills your cold heart, restoring your vigour and your strength. You feel rested, as though you had stayed for ten or so minuets in this moment, though it lasted only a moment. Filled with determination you look once more around you. You stand in a deep vale; filled with mist and graves. Across the clearing from you is a corpse its decayed hands clasp a dull great flask a bright white stone untouched by age. You recognise these items, powerful items indeed...

The sides of the vale are steep but there is an old path winding through the mist..

You slink along following the path using the mist as cover. Within the mists there are several lumbering shapes of hollows mindlessly trudging around the graves. At the end of the grave the valley pitches upward, the path becomes stairs as you leave the graveyard and the mists. Clouds part and for a brief moment the sun shines upon you. At the entrance to the valley is a stone circle. Some of the stones still stand but most have been slowed to fall. There is a knight sitting on one of these toppled stones he notices your arrival but quickly returns his attention to a small black object in his hands.

From here you can see much of the surrounding country side. a huge stone fortress dominates the otherwise barren landscape. The stone circle lies at the intercept of four paths, the one you have come up, ahead a path that leads to the great fortress and two other paths that lead left and right but hook sharply up and down respectively leaving your sight.

Oh, I had almost hoped you had been hollowed hehe, guess I live a few more moments. This, well it's my last few scraps of humanity hehehe. He stares at it for a moment and then hold it out to you, Take it, I have no further use for it. I am Galek of Thander, and I'm pretty much ready to join those poor souls below.

Gallek shakes his head, It is foolish to hold on to it, we will all hollow in the end, I'm just sick of fighting it. Take it for to me it's just a delay from the inevitability I'm embracing. As for what is around... He indicates to a path that heads down a slop, hooking around and out of sight. That path leads to the coast, there's a small village there, well there was one, he indicates to a steep path that heads up the mound. Theres a burial mound up there somewhere, though I've never seen it, he indicates to a fourth path And that path leads to the Firekeep.

You start down the path to Firekeep. A short walk before you there is signs of a battlefield. The path becomes nonexistent in the fields of crumbled walls, scattered paths and broken engines of war. You can see many hollows, all dressed in decayed and battered uniforms. Notable among them is the three which hold their post on a broken section of wall, they will likely harry you as you approach.

Your arrow sinks into one of the sentries though they are not taken out. All three spot your position and attempt to return fire, greatly hampered by the fact you out range their shortbows. Despite that one of the arrows sink into your left leg.

I stifle a pained cry and continue to fire at the sentry I targeted before.

Landing another shot but failing to fell an advisory the sentries return fire upon you. Another lucky arrow catches your flesh.