| 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?
Go Back
|