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Fall of the Elven Kingrom (Collector x LizH)

Collector of Rarities

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May 25, 2011
The journey through the desert had been long and arduous, as journeys through the desert always are. With nothing but sand stretching out as far as the eye could see, it was difficult to ensure that one was traveling in the direction they desired, especially at night. Still, on the fourth day of travel, as rations ran empty, the party of elves saw their destination in the distance. The human architecture of the city was squatter and less elegant than elven design, but it too had stood the test of time until recently. Of course, it was now inhabited by the gnolls. No elf had set foot in the gnolls' stronghold before, so only hearsay could speculate as to what the savages did behind their walls, but none of the rumors were good. The sun hung low in the sky behind the party as they began their approach to the city.

(Give me a description of each of the elves, as well as what the journey was like for them)
 
RE: Fall of the Elven Kingdom (Collector x LizH)

Collector of Rarities said:
(Give me a description of each of the elves, as well as what the journey was like for them)

The drought that had been afflicting the Desert Elf Kingdom of Salima was now in its third month. The Moonbow river that sustained it, that irrigated the crops, and ran through the fountains and gardens of the beautiful houses of the city, had gradually dwindled, from its usual majestic width, hundreds of yards across, to a mere trickle, little better than a muddy ditch. The levels in the wells that dropped deep into the rocks below the city were falling. Soon they would run dry. Coming as it did hard on the heels of the deaths of Queen Adara and her consort, and the accession of her daughter Queen Lorelei, it was clearly a bad omen. The elves had somehow earned the emnity of their deity, the Lord of Light, and no ceremony seemed to placate him. As beloved as Queen Lorelei was, there were mutterings among the people. She must put this right.

There was a time when magics would have been able to draw water from the very stones, even the air, but those devices had not been used for centuries, and when examined proved to have lost their enchantment, and none alive any longer knew how to repair them. But the priestesses and scholars had other ideas, when the young queen had summoned them to the palace to come up with solutions. The Moonbow river flowed from a lake in the mountains to the east, that much was known from ancient maps, and while the elves had had little need to veture much beyond their oasis of paradise, travellers did sometimes come and go from those lands. The curve of the river's snaking course took it many miles south before it turned back northeast to the mountains, and might take weeks to traverse, but the desert between the city and the mountains could be crossed in a few days' travel. There was known to be a human town at the waterfalls where the river burst from the lake. Contact could be made with them.

The first scouts, however, had returned disappointing news. The human town had been sacked by raiders - bestial hyena-men, gnolls from who knew where. Attempts to approach had fallen on deaf ears and been chased off - they would not talk to women, they said. This had caused some consternation in Salima. For nine tenths of the population were female - and older quirk of elf reproduction that had left the rare male children kept in pampered luxury as breeding stock. Nearly all of the nobility, the merchants, the soldiers - were female. Some suggested moving militarily to secure the water, but the army had not seen action in decades, and was a shadow of its former self, and the gnolls were twice the size of any elf and fierce in combat. Still, they appeared to understand trade.

Queen Lorelei was resolute. If this omen was upon her, then it must be she who resolved it. She would lead a small party - not too many, so that there could be no suspicion of foul play or military conquest - across the trackless desert to the town. She chose her childhood friend and one of the priestesses of the Lord of Light, Anais, as her companion and advisor. Talathiel, a ranger and one of the Royal Bodyguard, would protect her person. And from the darker streets of the city came Roshalyn, at the urging of Anais, more worldly-wise and experienced with foreigners and their ways, a spy, thief, dancer and perhaps more.

The four had made the arduous journey - less so for Talathiel, tall, sinewey and with long, flaming red hair, for she was used to the rigours of travel on the fringes of the Kingdom, and her knowledge of the desert had proved invaluable, but the other three, all of the city, and two of them of the nobility, had never had to walk so far. Still, Queen Lorelei, tall, blonde and statuesque, for all of her quiet, bookish nature, was aware of the importance of her journey, and her magical training had given her a strong will that had keot her going with her natural regal grace, and only the occasional show of petulance. Roshalyn, petite, raven-haired and cynical, grumbled a little to herself but knew she was being paid well for her commitment. Anais, her flowing brunette locks piled on her head in a sculptured style, tried to keep spirits up, her gifts from the Lord of Light allowing her to make even the most unpalatable food edible, and daily produce additional water for the journey - invaluable for the desert trek. Her calm optimism insisted that this was what the Lord of Light had ordained, and so they should bear their burdens cheerfully.

Nevertheless, at the first sight of the city, Talathiel had unslung her bow. While the elf maidens took some time to brush the tanlges from their hair and swap their utilitarian desert cloaks for the flowing, clinging silks that were the norm in Salima - Queen Lorelei intended that they should arrive at least looking the part of a diplomatic mission that included royalty - Talathiel scouted the approach, alert for an ambush.
 
As the elves changed, the gnolls watched from the walls. It was like the elven cunts were practically offering themselves up, showing off their supple flesh for the taking. The gnolls had received messengers from the elves; all women. They had kept some of the messengers, who now served as slaves to their cruel masters. Other messengers had been chased off, but one in particular had been captured and let go. She had been captured, her clothes torn from her and her weapons broken. She did not speak of what had happened to her when she returned, nor of what she had needed to do in order to earn the cloak her captors had wrapped around her shoulders for her return trip: the only piece of clothing she had worn when she returned to Salima's gates. She had been bathed, fed and clothed, but still she could not meet her queen's eyes as she delivered her message. "They will only speak to a man, my queen."

And yet, the pressure from the noble court and the common people remained strong: Lorelei would have to solve this drought, which was what lead her party to the gnoll settlement. As the elves approached the settlement, a group of three scouts set out to greet the approaching elves. For gnolls, they moved as stealthily and quietly towards the group as they could, but there is only so much subterfuge a seven-and-a-half foot tall hyena man is capable of (DC 6 Spot or Listen check to notice the group).
 
Collector of Rarities said:
As the elves approached the settlement, a group of three scouts set out to greet the approaching elves. For gnolls, they moved as stealthily and quietly towards the group as they could, but there is only so much subterfuge a seven-and-a-half foot tall hyena man is capable of (DC 6 Spot or Listen check to notice the group).

Queen Lorelei: 12 + 0 = 12 (success)
Anais: 19 +2 = 21(success)
Talathiel: 13 + 4 = 17 (success)
Roshalyn: 15 - 2 = 13 (success)

The four elf women spotted the gnoll scouting party easily, and instantly were on guard. Roshalyn looked for cover and let her hand drop to her sword hilt, while Talathiel knocked an arrow in her bow and aimed it at them before the latter was swiftly countermanded by Lorelei.

"Talathiel, do not point your weapon directly at them," she commanded. "Let them know that we are prepared, but not hostile."

"Your highness," grimaced Talathiel in acknowledgement, lowering her aim, but keeping the bow taut.

"Ho there!" Lorelei called in a high, clear voice to the approaching gnolls, using the Common tongue. "We mean you no harm. We are travellers from Selima, come to treat with your chieftain. We wish to trade - nothing more."

She decided to keep to herself for now the knowledge that she could speak their language, wondering if it might be useful later to eavesdrop.
 
The three scouts stood upright as they realized they'd been spotted. It had been worth a try, but their strength wasn't in their stealth, but their massive, powerful forms. Each gnoll warrior stood at seven and a half feet tall and displayed considerable muscle. The three scouts looked at each other when Lorelei spoke in Common, their incomprehension written plain on their bestial faces. "What's the cunt saying?" demanded the one to the left.

"I don't know!" barked the one to the right. "All of the furless ones sound the same to me. They never make any sense."

"Shut up!" snapped the one in the middle. "I think they're speaking the trade tongue."

"So what?" demanded the one on the left. "You don't speak it either."

"I don't know what she's saying," growled the one in the middle, "but I know some phrases. Weren't you paying attention when the captain taught us how to ambush the furless ones?"

The gnoll on the left looked like he was about to retort, but the one in the middle raised his axe slightly and the leftmost gnoll backed away. The central gnoll turned back to the elves and glared at them. "Put down weapons," he snarled, his Common coarse and unseemly, like an animal attempting to mimic the human tongue. "We strong. You weak. You come with us."
 
Collector of Rarities said:
The three scouts looked at each other when Lorelei spoke in Common, their incomprehension written plain on their bestial faces. "What's the cunt saying?" demanded the one to the left.
"I don't know!" barked the one to the right. "All of the furless ones sound the same to me. They never make any sense."
"Shut up!" snapped the one in the middle. "I think they're speaking the trade tongue."
"So what?" demanded the one on the left. "You don't speak it either."
"I don't know what she's saying," growled the one in the middle, "but I know some phrases. Weren't you paying attention when the captain taught us how to ambush the furless ones?"
The gnoll on the left looked like he was about to retort, but the one in the middle raised his axe slightly and the leftmost gnoll backed away. The central gnoll turned back to the elves and glared at them. "Put down weapons," he snarled, his Common coarse and unseemly, like an animal attempting to mimic the human tongue. "We strong. You weak. You come with us."

Lorelei blushed as she heard the gnolls talk to each other in their own guttural, barbarous language. To be called such a vulgar word was deeply shaming.

"What are they saying, my Queen?" Whispered Anais.

"They don't speak our language," Lorelei replied primly. There seemed no need to repeat their demeaning tone. But finally, and surprisingly, one of them did manage some mangled version of the Common Tongue. The Queen's bodyguard immediately bristled at being told to pu down her weapon.

"Leave ourselves defenceless to these things?" She asked incredulously, in Elvish.

"Hush," Lorelei said, trying to sound more confident than she felt. "We are here to talk and trade, not to fight. He is right, we can't fight all of them. Lower your bow."

The elf scowled and looked suspiciously at the gnolls, but did as she was told and lowered her bow, removing the arrow from it and slotting it neatly back into her quiver. But once her bow was slung, she put her hand on her sword hilt, and kept it there, alert for any sign of betrayal.

"Tkake us to your chief," Lorelei told them, smiling.

[Diplomacy: Roll: 2 (oops) + 2 = 4
If Anais gets a try as well, her Diplomacy roll is... 4 + 6 = 10.
Just not their day for being diplomatic, clearly!]
 
The leader of the small pack snarled as the elves failed to listen to his instructions. He let out a menacing growl as he took a single step forward. "Weapons down," he insisted. "Ground. Or we take." The other gnolls seemed to catch on to what was happening and began moving forward as well, their axes at the ready in case things came to blows.
 
Collector of Rarities said:
The leader of the small pack snarled as the elves failed to listen to his instructions. He let out a menacing growl as he took a single step forward. "Weapons down," he insisted. "Ground. Or we take." The other gnolls seemed to catch on to what was happening and began moving forward as well, their axes at the ready in case things came to blows.

Talathiel's hand went immediately to her sword, it was half out of the scabbard before Queen Lorelei grabbed her arm with a slender, manicured hand and issued a command.

"Talathiel! Stop! I command it!"

Talathiel froze, but kept her eyes focused on the advancing gnolls.

"We can't leave ourselves defenceless, your highness!" she protested.

"We cannot fight them," reasoned Lorelei. "There are too many, and we will not achieve our objective. We are here to trade, to bargain for water. Remember that - the future of our city depends upon it. Now all of you - drop your weapons as he told us. Let us show them that we are not a threat."

The elves did as their queen commanded, and eventually Talathiel grudgingly relented and dropped her bow and quiver to the sands, and followed it with her sword belt.

Lorelei switched back to the common language and held her hands up placatingly.

"We come in peace," she told the lead gnoll, "we seek to trade with your chief. Our city has many things that he might want, and in return we seek only water. Please take us to him so that we can explain these things."
 
The gnoll on the left moved forward and gathered all of the women's weapons, the other two kept their axes raised to show that rethinking their choice to surrender would be ill-advised. As Lorelei began speaking in Common again, the three gnolls began bickering in their own guttural tongue once more.

"By the dark ones!" complained the gnoll on the right. "Why do they keep talking in that nonsense tongue? Hold my axe: I'm going to fill the golden-haired one's mouth with my cock. Show her what a cunt's facehole is good for."

"Like the seven hells you will!" barked the middle gnoll. "You didn't even do anything! I was the one who got them to surrender, so I get first pick."

"I collected all of the weapons," said the gnoll holding all of the elves' gear as he stepped forward to loom over Lorelei. "I did the most work, so I get the first pick." His lips peeled back into a feral grin, revealing a maw full of sharp teeth. "You two can have the golden-haired one once I'm done with her."
 
As she listened to their foul discussion, it began to dawn on Lorelei the predicament that her orders had suddenly placed all four of the elves into, and a sick feeling of horror began to take root at the pit of her stomach. They were talking about actually laying hands upon them - upon her, the Queen of her people, about.... she felt nauseous at the thought, almost physically retching... about raping them, about sticking their rancid members into her virginal sex, about forcing it into her beautiful mouth! Goddess! The horror! Them - horrible nasty furry smelly dog-hyena things! Gnolls! She reeled at the thought, desperately searching for some way out of the situation. Only one route seemed to be left to her...

She made the incantation of Charm Person, aiming for the apparent leader of the gnolls.
[OOC hoping it fails it's WILL save!]

"No!" she told them, breaking into gnoll for the first time. "You will not touch us! If you do you will destroy all possibilities of trade between our peoples! If you take us unharmed to your chief, I will personally see to it that you are suitably rewarded, but if you harm us, then it will be war, and many gnolls will die. Think before you act!" She tried to look as commanding as her diminutive stature let her.

The other elves saw her agitation but understood none of her words. Nevertheless, Talathiel's eyes narrowed, and she looked around for a weapon, or a way to defend herself. Anais moved closer to the queen, concerned.

"What is it, your highness?" she whispered, but Lorelei made now reply.

Roshalyn could see that the situation looked to be deteriorating, and began quietly and unobtrusively moving to one side, looking for cover, a place to hide and sneak away.

[OOC: Hide roll: 6 + 7 = 13... just not my day for dice rolls!]
 
(The gnoll in front of Lorelei gets an attack of opportunity because she's casking a spell. Unfortunately for her, not only did he hit, but he got a critical. Now, I don'the want her to die, so I'm going to say that instead of hitting her with his axe, he grabs her wrists and has her grappled.)

As Lorelei began casting her spell, the gnoll towering over her grabbed her wrists in a single, massive paw and pulled them above her head, stretching out her arms and forcing her up on the tips of her toes. "Lying cunt!" He growled. "You just want to use your magic on the chief to make him your puppet! Too bad for you: gnoll men are too strong for feeble women's magic!"

The gnoll on the right saw Roshalyn trying to flee from her comrades and immediately knocked an arrow to his shortbread and fired. (He got a 13: tell me if that'sounds enough to hit) "The where's seek to betray us!" He yelped, his commander settling into a ready stance as he became aware of the situation.

"Beat the cents into submission," snarled the gnoll in the middle. "We'll sort out the spoils once theyou pay for trying to ambush us!"
 
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