Having made her decision, Astra fled from the hut. The
Dragon had cursed her flesh so that the beast within would rise when the
moon reached full. She would not endanger her friends by staying in their
company. She knew that
when her inner beast was let loose, no one would be safe.
Inside the hut, Andrea rose from her seat and turned for the door.
But Fred's hand
landed on her shoulder, shoving her back into the chair. Belboz simply
went back to his
meal, wishing to himself that they all would leave his home.
It was a motley group who had come to the desolate peak of
Cicatrice. One an
amazon, cursed by a terrible dragon. Another, a knight with a dangerous
secret of his
own. The third was a young woman, barely more than a girl. She had wished
for danger
and excitement, and her wish had been granted. And of course there was
Belboz, the
necromancer. But how could four such disparate people have come together?
Fred D'Honaire
Lord Fred was sent by his king to slay the Dragon of the Southern
Caves. Once
there, he met Astra and slew Velus. Now Velus was either a Hell Hound or a
dragon in
the form of a Hell Hound. It's not exactly clear. Anyway, the dragon
Minestus then
translocated both Fred and Astra to the Calamari desert to die. He was
quite angry that
they had killed Velus, you see. Luckily the pair was rescued by Dr.Vincent
Priceless, but
then Fred was accidentally dismembered. Dr.Vincent attempted to magically
restore him,
but during the procedure Astra unintentionally broke his concentration.
Fred died and was
sent to Hell. Why Hell? Maybe it was the Hell Hound's revenge. To make a
long story
short, Fred didn't like Hell very much and when a demoness offered him a
chance to get
out he took it. His mission was to betray any and all who would have aided
him in his
original quest to slay the dragon. The first two people on the
list...Astra and Andrea. Fred
was then sent back to the mortal sphere as a Thoabath, or Oathbreaker. He
soon came
upon Andrea and found his way back to Astra. The threesome then journeyed
to the home
of Belboz the Fell.
Princess Astra of Aquilaria
On a quest of her own, Astra went to the Southern Caves and was
captured by the
evil Velus. But she was rescued by Fred and Velus was killed. The dragon
Minestus then
translocated them to the Calamari desert where Dr.Priceless saved their
lives. Fred was
accidentally dismembered and during the magical operation to restore him,
Astra
unintentionally distracted Priceless and found herself teleported back to
Minestus' lair. She
passed through a magical archway and was then trapped in a room and turned
into a
werewolf. Minestus returned her to her human form, but then assured her
that his revenge
was now complete. She then found herself outside of the Croix Keep,
magically teleported
there by the Dragon. She then met Andrea. Together they discovered that
the Keep had
been betrayed by Lucien, Lord Croix's advisor, and that it was now in the
hands of
the Dragon's
forces. Lucien taunted Astra, for he knew that Astra was still cursed.
Astra killed Lucien
and then she and Andrea escaped to the nearby forest where Astra was
reunited with Fred.
They then journeyed to the home of Belboz the Fell. Astra didn't know what
Minestus'
curse was, but she wanted to be free of it and Belboz was a magician of
great renown.
Lady Andrea of Croix
Andrea is a young, overly-protected and very bored noblewoman. Her
father is the
Lord of Croix Keep, located in the Lordship of North Umbria somewhere in
the Kingdom.
One day she decided that enough was enough and she left the Keep in search
of
excitement, a few thrills and maybe a little romance. She left in the
middle of the night and
the first person she met was Astra. Astra ordered her to return home and
so the two went
back to the Keep. But they discovered that the Keep had been betrayed and
was now in
the hands of the Dragon's forces. They escaped to the nearby forest where
Astra decided
that she would seek out Belboz the Necromancer. Andrea refused to go with
her because
Belboz was a black magician and too dangerous. She left Astra but soon
became lost in
the forest until Fred appeared and took her with him as he hunted down
Astra. When the
three were reunited, they all headed off to the home of Belboz.
Belboz the Fell
Belboz is a necromancer. He delves into the darkest secrets of the
dead. He can
bend the forces of nature to his will. He communes with the spirits of the
Outer Planes.
He's the kind of guy you don't mess around with. But when Lord Fred
suddenly appeared
in his doorway, Belboz got scared. Fred showed him the terrible symbol
carved into the
flesh of his palm. Belboz recognized it. He knew what Fred had become and
all Belboz
wanted was for Fred to go as far away as possible. But Fred was there for
a reason and so
Belboz reluctantly let him and his companions, Astra and Andrea, into his
home. Astra
then told him that she had been cursed and wanted it lifted. Although she
did not know
what the curse was, she did tell him what little had been told her by
Minestus and Lucien. Andrea related the tale of the Ergot Mushroom which
changed people into beasts under the light of the full moon. Since all the
pieces seemed to fit, it meant that Astra would soon turn into a blood
thirsty beast. Belboz agreed to cure her but he needed time;
unfortunately the moon would be full the very next night.
Which brings us back to where we started. Astra has run off,
afraid of the monster
she will become, unwilling to endanger her friends. And Andrea is now
alone in a house
with a black sorcerer and a demonic knight.
-
Whatever will happen next?
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