EDIT: eurobricks doesn't seem to like my word processor program. I always have to edit when I copy and paste.
Well I was planning on posting some pics today but when I went to take a pic I realized that I had left my memory card at work so I will just post Part 1 of my Quest for the water crystal and add pics later.
Greetings most excellent Dextrus Flagg,
I present to you the water crystal of Kaliphlin. The story of how I came to find the crystal is long and I shall save the complete tale for another time. However I am now unconvinced of the benevolence of the Elder Druids and because of this I will recount to you the actual finding of the crystal.
My search party, which consisted of myself, ten soldiers, four packmen, my personal portrait painter, and our mysterious guide, had been trekking through a primeval jungle south of Barqa for over a week. Finally on the day we found the crystal, the ancient path we had been following abruptly ended at the edge of a cliff overlooking a hidden jungle valley.
Across the valley, built in successive intervals, stood a row of towers connected by rope bridges. We continued our trek across the bridges and towers and eventually came to the center of the valley. One of my soldiers fell through a rotted plank of one of the rope bridges but he managed to grab one of the ropes and his comrades hauled him back up.
At the center of the valley a mound of rock rose above the jungle fauna. Upon this rock was built an ancient edifice. We carefully crossed the last rope bridge to this structure and found the rock mound to be hollow on the inside and there was a staircase built into the rockface leading down to the bottom of the hole.
Suddenly the fauna growing upon the walls of the ancient edifice began to move. Until now I had not paid much attention to the fauna on the walls, my concentration being instead on the deep pit within the mound of rock. As the vines detached themselves from the walls, I realized these were a species of plants I had never encountered before.
The vines were a mixed color of red and green and at the end of each grew a massive transparent twin leafed pod that opened like the jaws of a giant serpent. One of my soldiers screamed as a thick tendral wrapped around him, his swinging sword unable to free him before one of the pods enveloped him. The rest of my soldiers were already in action hacking at the tendrals but I could not see much hope in their efforts.
Suddenly a burst of flames came from behind me and engulfed one of the massive vines. I looked behind me and saw our mysterious guide aiming his mages staff at another vine and saw a stream of fire shoot out of the glowing red gem at the tip of the staff.
“Fire! Men! Light your torches!” I yelled to my soldiers. My packmen began lighting torches as my soldiers retreated back to us to light their torches. With the torches, my soldiers began to make visable progress toward destroying the vines.
Unfortunately our success was not to be easily won. The vines changed tactics and instead of trying to envelop my soldiers now began to coil and whip at us, the sharp thorns on the vines slicing and ripping through any unprotected skin.
Two more of my soldiers were felled,one being slammed into the wall and knocked unconcious and the other knocked off the narrow stairway and falling into the depths below. I heard yelling behind me and realized that our mysterious guide was trying to get my attention.
“The head!” he yelled pointing at the center of the pit below. I looked and understood what he meant. We had to get down to the head and destroy it if we were going to emerge from this battle triumphantly. I yelled the orders for my soldiers to make their way down to the center of the pit. I instructed my packmen and Rafael my painter to return to the last tower out of reach of the vines and then followed my soldiers down the narrow staircase that wound down around the side of the pit.
to be continued.... and updated with pictures....
A quick pic of entry WIP showing druid structure, gaurdian tendrils, head, mysterious guide, and unfinished base.
Edited by Mikel Kalores, 19 April 2012 - 04:26 AM.