[OL - Era II - Challenge II - Cat C] The Heart of Darkness

[Ross Fisher]

Rumble in the Jungle by Ross Fisher, on Flickr

Extract from 'The continuing adventures of Padre François by his companion, Monsieur Gallo'

...It was then that we descended into the dell. While a general sense of foreboding had been surrounding us the entire journey, here it reached a peak.
We had found only small hints that the colonists had come in this direction. However, they were no longer our main concern. Other mercenary companies were out scouring the hills for them. The Padre was more concerned about the head-hunters.
The dell was the dark heart of this jungle. No longer a golden isle, but one given to bloody savagery. It appeared quiet, but there were signs the cannibals had been here recently. Shrunken heads dangled from the trees, totems and spears surrounded the clearing, and a trail of blood led to a cave at the foot of a huge rock wall.
The Padre ordered a pause while we surveyed the area, and the militia set up a perimeter under the acting-Lieutenant's orders.
Unfortunately, that's when the attacks started.
A dozen or more of the savages launched a vicious attack, with spears, arrows and blow-darts. Some of the troops were slain immediately, while the rest returned an uneven fire. Soon the entire clearing was wreathed in powder-smoke, and this may have done more to protect us than any defence we might've offered. In desperation, the acting-Lieutenant pulled the remaining party members into the mouth of the cave.
Shortly afterwards we heard our pack animal being cruelly cut down. Then, for the longest time, there was nothing. No sound, and only the dim light from the dell, slowly turning to darkness.
And then we heard the drums again. And the chanting. "Al'su". It brought to mind the words of the lumber workers back in Fatu Hiva: "Skulltaker prophecy". The chanting and the drumming rose and rose in intensity until a crack akin to musketfire came from just outside the cave. The heathens abruptly stopped, having apparently fled. Their noises were replaced by a malevolent hum.
The acting-Lieutenant offered to send a sentry to investigate, but the Padre refused. This, he said, was his mission alone.
He left the cave quietly and calmly, his staff gripped in both hands. I followed to the mouth of the cave, and what I saw shook me to my core.
There, in the dell, was a daemon; a sight which has stayed with me to the end of my days. Well over 7 feet tall, it was formed from darkness, with a skull for a face, and two glowing eyes that were unblinkingly fixed on the Padre.
Then it swept towards him.
The Padre thrust his staff into the abomination' s middle, but the daemon kept on coming, grinning its skeletal grin, and raising its arm to strike.
It was then that the Padre exclaimed a word from a language I have never heard before or since. What that word was, I cannot recall. I likely would not be able to repeat it even if I could remember.  
Nonetheless, with a flash of light, the monster was rendered far more corporeal. When the Padre struck again, it was driven back. When he struck the daemon for the third time, its grinning daemon skull was thrown from its shoulders, and its body disappeared into fog on the breeze.
The Padre strode over to the skull, and mercilessly crushed it underfoot. Apparently the savages had also been watching the encounter, because this action caused them a great anguish. Much wailing and moaning was heard from the trees and, in time, they moved slowly away.
This creature, then, was Al'su, the Skulltaker. Its coming was foretold among the natives. Some, had held onto it as a way to defeat the colonists, and had made sacrifices at this spot in order to encourage it. Others had fled, fearing its malevolence beyond all else.
When the Padre destroyed the daemon, he won a powerful victory for the Order of the Faith. The Head Hunters were driven back. In time they might be overcome by locals or other expeditions. Without their daemon, their resolve would be  crippled, and their cohesion would crumble.
Meanwhile, the rest of the island savages, hearing of this victory, would recognise the power of the Aplynacian gods and convert.
The Padre, following this confrontation, deemed his work here a success. We left the Île d'Or not long after. While his path has often been beset by danger, I only saw him enter such immortal  peril on a handful of occasions. Each time I was reminded that only the truly righteous can tread such a path and remain unscathed.

So that's the end of the Padre's adventure in Fatu Hiva. I wonder what island he'll tear apart next?

[Bart]

Nice build! I like the cave idea, and very well done on the dæmon design. 

The flapping cape of the Padre really brings this too live for me. 

[Fraunces]

Awesome build and I see some really developed writing and story-telling skills. You adapted the challenge's input very nicely into your story (and the story of the Padre). Well done!

[Darnok]

Nice build, the idea is interesting and works well with the story!

I like the Padre a lot as a character, and this story did not disappoint. Very in character for Oleon, well done!

 

3 hours ago, Ross Fisher said:

I wonder what island he'll tear apart next?

He should stay away from Mesabi Landing, unless he likes to being thrown in prison, flogged... and worse. The WTC does not approve this religious extremism and the mumbo-jumbo the Padre is divulging.

 

OOC, I am very much looking forward to his next adventures though!

[Ross Fisher]

25 minutes ago, Drunknok said:

Unless he likes to being flogged

Ritual flagellation is part of his repertoire, but consider the message received and understood.

@Bart @Fraunces Thanks for your feedback. I thought my photography let me down here, but it's too late for regrets now.

Edited July 27, 2018 by Ross Fisher

[Darnok]

Just now, Ross Fisher said:

Ritual flagellation is part of his repertoire, but consider the message received and understood.

If you have a story you want to tell in or around of Mesabi Landing, you are of course welcome to do so. I would just suggest to have the Padre act under some sort of disguise.

[blackdeathgr]

Wow!What a reading! You were escalating it gradually till the big finale! And of course accompanied with a nice moc. The Cape as other said, contributed much and for some reason I really like the part where his deputy is waiting at the cave entrance.

[Ross Fisher]

@blackdeathgr Thanks! That guy was so fiddly to pose. He's down on one knee, and they are both articulated separately. And holding his wig (because it's so hot!) Every time I put him into the cave something fell off. 

[Flavius Gratian]

I forgot to comment when you posted this, so now's the time I guess.

This was a very nice conclusion to your story, it definitely fulfilled expectations! The rock work is very nice, same for the trees. I particularly like the daemon design, it really looks like a terrifying ghost.

My only criticism whould be the camera work. In your previous builds you managed to capture the story clearly in just one image using angles and such to convey the actions. This time I think it is a bit dull, since it's just from the side. The size of the build also makes it a bit harder to see what's going on. I would suggest using more than one picture.

Otherwise, as I said, great story and I look forward to your future adventures!

[Keymonus]

Great rockwork and great use of vegetation! Your writing is very nice, and the idea of evicting a demon from the island fits a lot with your character!

Keep it up!