Author Topic: Alexander Silvanus...  (Read 1845 times)

Hades

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Alexander Silvanus...
« on: November 02, 2008, 12:18:04 AM »
      As he stood there on that dark hillside, his gaze lingered on the black form of the Old Inn.  A flood of thoughts flowed
through his mind, causing his heart to race.  "It still stands...my old home.." He softly said to himself.  Carefully, he slowly
moved up the dirt path to the entrance of his family home.  A scorch mark on the ground near the door, catches his eye
and he bends over to examine it.  He had already noticed the many signs of a fire on the property of the Old Inn, but this
one was different.  So many years after the fire, this scorch mark still left the land around it dead.  "This flame was caused
not by man-made fire.  Only one thing could have done this." He muses as he examines the area closer.  He wasn't certain
why, but he felt a spiritual connection with this patch of dead land in front of his family home.  "Father, is this where you
finally fell?  It must be..."  A tear formed in the pit of his eye, but he shrugged it away and rose once more to his feet.  He
narrowed his eyes with determination and moves to the front door.
      The last time he was in this room, both of his parents were alive.  He was just a babe at the time and although the room
has been greatly damaged by the fire and the test of time, it remains exactly how he remembered it in his dreams.  He never
understood them, but each time he slept they would tell a story to him.  The story of the life and death of everything he
knew. "Mother, how could this have happened?" He thought.  As he looked around the room, he saw a familiar doorway. 
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, the young man stepped through it and made his way upstairs.
      The second floor of the Old Inn had not stood against time as well as the first.  Debree from the great battle of the Old
Inn and from the fire that followed still littered the walls and floor.  None the less there it was, the entrance to the master
bedroom.  He reached out to open the door, but found it was locked.  "After all these years, the locks are still in tact.  Truley
Amazing." He thought as he reached beneath his shirt for the chain around his neck.  Attached to the chain is a small red key. 
The young man quickly removes the key from the chain and inserts it into the lock, turning it.  Satisfied at the clicking sound
the lock made, he turns the handle and opens the door.
      The room was exactly as it was on the night of the battle.  It didnt even appear damaged by the fire.  "So you really
were a witch, mother.  Nothing else could explain th-" His thought was interrupted as he noticed something along the side of
the room.  A small blue cradle next to the bed began to sway back and forth, producing an eerie creaking sound.  "My gods..."
He thought as he approached it.  A flood of emotions found their way to him as he laid a hand on the side of the cradle, causing
him to recoil back.  He began to shake violently, falling back onto the dust covered bed.  His mind raced as visions of the past
began to overwealm him.  The scene before his mind's eye would have shaken even the most battle hardened warriors. 
      He was standing in the bedroom, looking down at a baby rocking in the cradle.  The loud sounds of battle began to echo
through the walls of the inn.  He could hear the clashr of steel on steel and the screams of the wounded.  At once the door
to the master chamber burst open and several armed guards from Vallaki flooded into the room with torches in hand.  They
didn't seem to notice him, although their attention was directed beside him to the rocking cradle.  He watched as they made
their way over to it, unable to move and unable to interact with them.  One of the guards, a captain of some kind with long
brown hair raised his blade over the cradle, preparing to execute the child when an intense heat filled the room. The three
guards turned around, horrified as they saw the source of it.  A man in black and red armor stood behind them.  His jet black
hair was matted down with blood and sweat and the many piercings on his face seemed to glow from the heat of the flames
pouring from the man's mouth.  On his back sat two large red wings and his skin appeared to be covered in small red scales. 
The guards rushed the man, but his blade was quicker than theirs.  Before long they were dead, but more were coming upstairs
from below.  A voice could be heard shouting over the chaos that stood out in the young man's mind as he watched the events
unfold.  "Antias, grab Alexander!  Its time we left!" The voice shouted.  At once the winged Antias ran to the cradle and lifted
baby Alexander up.  Holding him close, Antias turned to the door and ran out.
      The realization of what was happening hit Alexander like a ton of bricks.  He watched as his father carried him out of the
room and quickly followed suit.  The scene downstairs was that of a slaughter.  The bodies of elves and guards littered the floor. 
He watched as Antias handed the babe over to a young elven woman in a long red gown.  "Mother!" Alexander shouted, but no
one seemed to notice him.  "Annelle, take him and go out the back with Gar and Zaka'rath!" He pointed to his two companions
standing near the door.  Both were of elven heritage.  Gar wore a black tuxedo with long red hair flowing from beneath his hat. 
His skin was fare and pale, like most elves.  Zaka'rath on the other hand, was clad in dark armor with skin as black as night.  His
white and red mane sitting shoulder length from beneath his dark hood.  Both of them nodded to Antias and moved to the back
door, where they would make their escape with Anelle and Alexander.
      Antias killed another guard and paused to look one last time on his newborn son before they dissapeared out the back door. 
This pause cost him though, for the blade of one of the guards pierced his shoulder causing his attention to snap back to the fight. 
The guard came at him again but the fury of a dragon is one not easily matched.  Antias lunged at the man, lifting him off the floor
by his throat and throwing him out the front door, into a group of oncoming guards.  He then roared with defiant rage and pushed
his way out the front door, charging the rest of the guards head on.
      Alex silently watched as his father fought his way through the squad of guards until finally reaching the one in command of it. 
"Marcus, your mine!" Antias shouted as he lifted his massive blade and brought it down before him.  Marcus dodged aside, "Nay yours
this day dragonkin!" He shouted while counterattacking with his warhammer.  Both of them fought for what seemed like an eternity to
Alex before the end began to appear.  Antias seemed to be getting the upper hand.  He had injured Marcus badly and looked to be
about to finish the job when from behind him a dark form stepped out of the shadows.  "Look out!" Alex shouted hoping to warn his
father, knowing it would have no effect.  He watched in horror as the man stuck a very deadly dagger in his father's back.  He watched
as his father dropped to the ground on one knee and he watched as both the dark figure and Marcus put Antias to the sword for the
last time.  Antias laid there, motionless and breathless while Alex stood beside him, a look of horror on his face.
      In a flash the image vanished and Alexander blinked several times while trying to regain his senses.  He was still laying in the bed
that he had fallen on before the vision.  Cautiously, he stood to his feet and looked around the bedroom.  The cradle had stopped
rocking, but everything else in the room was as it had been.  He moved to the door and stopped.  With one final look at his cradle,
he took a deep breath and made his way out of his old home and into the dark Barovian night. 


« Last Edit: November 17, 2008, 08:31:56 PM by Hades »
"Alexander the Destroyer"

"In a closed society where everyone is guilty, the greatest crime is getting caught. In a world full of thieves, the greatest sin is stupidity" ~ Hunter S. Thompson

Hades

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The Loss of a Second Family
« Reply #1 on: November 04, 2008, 03:38:44 PM »
      He sat in his room inside the Lady's Resting Place.  It had been a long walk back to Vallaki from the Old Inn, but
it didn't bother Alex.  He had far too much on his mind and the long walk helped him sort it.  He glanced at the flicker
of the single candle lit on his work desk and then down at a small, black, leather bound book next to the candle.  Every
time he looked at the book he cringed.  The book had been taken from a Barovian witch who's name Alexander did
not know.  This small book was the property of the man who had murdered his foster father Nickolai, and his foster
mother, Fionna.  Alex was a member of the guard back then.  He was on patrol when the witch and his cohorts
attacked his family home.  They were looking to rob the Silvanus family of everything they had, however they did not
anticipate Alexander's early return from his patrol. 
      The flames had already begun to fill the house when Alex arrived.  He could hear his mother screaming from the
second story and the clash of steel on steel informed him that his father must be fighting them off inside.  With as
much speed as he could muster, Alex rushed through the door and into the entrance of the Silvanus manner.  The
corpses of two witches could be seen on the floor several feet into the house.  Both had been killed with well placed
strikes from a longsword.  Their faces, still twisted in the painful expression they held right before being cut down.  He
turned toward the kitchen and then up the stairs to the second story of the building, where he had last heard Fionna
and Nickolai fighting for their lives.  He had hoped he still had time left to help them.
      Alexander neared the doorway to the master bedroom when an explosion shook him from his feet.  Smoke was
billowing from the crack beneath the door and without a moment's hesitation, he quickly burst inside.  The thick smoke
made it hard for him to breath, but he pushed in anyway.  Horrified, he found the burnt bodies of his foster parents near
the bedroom window, clutched together in a loving embrace.  Beside them stood the form of a man in dark robes, who
was looking directly at Alexander, "Your late boy."  Alexander set his feet and leveled his blade.  He glared daggers at the
man who had murdered his family. "I'm going to cut you into thin slivers and feed you to the dogs, witch!" He shouted
as he rushed the man with his blade before him.
      At once the man began the workings of a spell.  Alex rushed closer, but did not reach the man in time and the spell
went off.  Four blue beams of magical energy blasted him and dropped him to his knees.  "Foolish boy!" The witch yelled,
"You should know better than to take me on!"  He approached Alex, bringing a dagger from the folds of his robe.  With
a look of satisfaction he raised the dagger before the prone Alexander.  "Prepare to die, child.  Just like your family." He
said as he brought the dagger down low.  At the last second, Alexander jumped to his feet and thrust his blade in front
of him, catching the witch off guard.  The sword plunged into his gut and the man's face contorted to a look of pain and
agony.  "Not if I kill you first, witch." Alex spat, as he watched the man crumble to the floor.  He stood and began searching
the witch for any identification or anything that would let Alex know who he was working for, but he found only the man's
dagger and his small, black, leather bound spell book. 
      Remembering his parents, Alexander moved near the window where they perished.  He clutched the book tight in his
hands and looked upon them one final time.  "Once again witchcraft has taken my family from me.  Never again will I let it
happen to myself or anyone.  I will hunt every one of you down and use your own craft against you.  This is my lot in life
and this is my decree." He vowed silently to himself.   The fire had begun to spread and Alex quickly made his way out of
the burning house.  As usual the guard made their appearance too late.
      A patrol approached Alex with their blades drawn.  "What in the name of the count happened here, Alexander?" The
patrol captain asked as he frantically ordered the guards to quench the flames.  "Witches.  They got my parents.  Not one
of them escaped." Alex explained, looking back at the doorway to his home.  "Consider this my resignition.  I can stay here
no longer." He explained to the captain.  "If anyone asks, tell them I was transferred to Vallaki."  He then turned away from
the patrol and into the night.  It was time he went to Vallaki and began his hunt. 
« Last Edit: November 17, 2008, 08:03:39 PM by Hades »
"Alexander the Destroyer"

"In a closed society where everyone is guilty, the greatest crime is getting caught. In a world full of thieves, the greatest sin is stupidity" ~ Hunter S. Thompson

Hades

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Lost in the Dark.
« Reply #2 on: November 15, 2008, 02:32:34 PM »
Sitting in a dark corner of a stone chamber, he quickly scribed something into his journal.

"To whomever finds this,
My name is Alexander.  This may be the last thing I ever say, so I must leave an account of
what caused my death.  If you are reading this, then I have failed at my task.  If you are
reading this then, Ilia and Aedon are dead.  I don't have much time left, so I must be brief
with this memoir.  Currently I am taking refuge in the old chapel deep within Castle Ravenloft.
This was not my first trip here.  I have come to learn my way around the maze that is the
keep quite well.  This time however, I was not invited.  Aedon and myself have come to
rescue our companion Ilia from Strahd.  He took her in an attempt to retrieve an ancient,
evil stone that was in her possession.  A stone that if he retrieved, would allow Vampires
to walk in the daylight among a great deal of other horrors.  Strahd demanded that the
stone be handed to him, so like the other vampires, he can walk freely during the bright
sun of the day.  Yes, Strahd is a vampire.  I am in possession of his journal.  Using it I have
come to learn a great deal about his history.  I have found his weakness, something that
he fears.  A sword once possessed by his brother Sergei.  According to his journal, this blade
glows with the light of the sun and strikes with the fire and fury of it as well.  If I can find
it then I might have a fighting chance.  The odds however, are not in my favor.  Aedon
and I were seperated shortly after we broke in.  I know not if he is alive or dead.  I dont
even know if Ilia is still alive, but i have to find her.  She wont be alive long once Strahd
finds out that the stone is no longer in her possession.  I can be at peace knowing it is
safely hidden somewhere in the farthest corners of Barovia.  I can only hope that I make
it out of here alive.  Someone is coming, I shall have to make this the end of this, my
final address.  I hope that whoever finds this is able to finish what I have started.  I hope
it isnt buried with my corpse.  Strahd must never be allowed to retrieve that stone."

The journal entry ends with bloody fingerprints on the bottom of the page...
« Last Edit: November 17, 2008, 08:07:17 PM by Hades »
"Alexander the Destroyer"

"In a closed society where everyone is guilty, the greatest crime is getting caught. In a world full of thieves, the greatest sin is stupidity" ~ Hunter S. Thompson

Hades

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Journey to Castle Ravenloft
« Reply #3 on: November 17, 2008, 01:49:59 AM »

      "Hurry!" He shouted to Aedon as he ducked under a stone lean-to off the side of the trail. Rain came down
that night so strongly that one would think the gods themselves were weeping. Thunder and lightning roared
and flashed through the dark sky.  Alexander peered through the darkness at the gate he had just climbed over. 
Aedon was still climbing the grappling hook, but the rope had been soaked from the rain.  This made the climb
difficult for both of them.  "Come on, we have to move quick and we still have to climb two more of these."
Alex whispered, as the shuffling sound of Aedon's armored boots drew closer.  Aedon looked strange to Alex. 
He was clad in a cuirass of bronze and a green tunic.  He must have been an outlander, this much Alex could
guess.  He didnt know the man too well, but they shared a common goal.  Rescue Ilia from the bowels of Castle
Ravenloft and from the capture of count Strahd Von Zarovich.
      The two carefully made their way up the pass.  They quickly climbed the remaining gates and stood finally
before the great keep of Strahd's domain.  The rain had not let up though morning was approaching.  "Its
almost daylight,' Aedon whispered as the two ducked out of sight behind some boxes and crates.  Alex looked
to him and pointed to the stables across the path. "We should take cover until the sun rises, we don't want the
count to know we were ever here.  Follow me." Alex whispered to the nodding Aedon.  They checked to make
sure all was clear before dashing to the entrance of the stables.  The door was unlocked, so they easily entered. 
The room was lit with some torches hanging from the wall.  There were several horses inside, including a very
large black one.  Alexander assumed it must have been Strahd's prized stallion.
      Alex scanned the room for hiding places and was pleased to find it rich with them.  He motioned to Aedon,
pointing at the loft and then turned around to climb the ladder leading to it. Aedon quickly ducked behind some
boxes tucked away in the corner and not a second to soon. The sound of someone comming quickly alerted both
of them, so they ducked even lower in their hiding places.  After a few moments the door to the stables opened
and a middle aged man clad in servant's garbs and holding a lantern, walked in. The prized stallion saw the man
and began rearing back on its hind-legs. "Whoa there!" He cried, "Whats got you so startled, darling?" The horse
continued to rear and whinney.  The man quickly turned around when one of the pitchforks on the wall near
Aedon fell over.  "W-Who's there?" The man asked, holding his lantern in the direction of the sound.  The light
briefly caught Aedon's shadow and the man started moving forward toward it.
      Closing his eyes, Alex knew he could not let the man get to Aedon, or report to Strahd.  He drew an
enchanted dagger from his belt.  The dagger was taken from a sea-witch that Alex had defeated near Lake
Zarovich last summer.  The dagger had a curved blade covered with small runes and an ivory handle.  He hoisted
it up in the air and jumped off the side of the loft.  In one fell swoop, he plunged the dagger into the man's neck.
The man gasped for breath before falling dead to the ground.  Alex groaned and likewise fell to his knees.
Something was wrong, he could feel it.  For several agonizing moments he twitched on the ground.  Aedon quickly
helped him up, but it took several minutes for Alex to regain his senses.
      When Alex finally stood, he felt as if he was different.  His calm and calculating mind raced with new equations,
theories and ideas.  Somehow, he felt more intelligent for having murdered this man. He watched as Aedon drug the
body to the piles of straw and stuffed it within.  A crashing sound caught both of their attention, however.  Strahd's
prized stallion had burst through its cage.  "Its running for the door!" Aedon shouted.  With a nod Alex rushed the
horse and using the battle axe at his hip, he struck and killed it.  "What in the hell are you doing!?" Aedon shouted,
horrified.  "If that thing gets loose, Strahd will find out and were dead.  Shut the bleedin' door.  We got another hour
to wait before the sun rises.  After first light, we will climb the north tower and make our way inside," he explained.
Aedon shut the door and both of them waited.
      As the sun made its way over the hills surrounding Castle Ravenloft, so too did a large veil of mist from the
rain the night before. "Dawn has arrived.  Let us stay here for now and watch the activities around the castle,
before we make our way in.  This mist will provide us with cover, but it will also provide the guards cover just
as well." Alexander explained to Aedon, as he stood near one of the windows of the stables they had spent
the past couple of hours hiding in.  "How do you intend on getting us inside?" Aedon asked.  Alexander slightly
turned his head to address Aedon, "There is a tower just north of where we hide.  We can use the grappling
hooks that we have to make that our point of entrance.  From there we will work our way to the main floor
and then to the dungeons.  Its likely that Ilia will be held there."  Aedon looked at him for a moment and then
peered out the window, spotting the tower Alex had mentioned. "Very well, I will follow your lead.  What is
our next plan then?" He said.  Alex moved to the pile of straw and sat down on it, folding his arms above his
head. He looked to Aedon, "For now, we wait.  In two hours we will check to see if the castle is calm and the
count is a sleep.  I heard rumor's that he was a vampire.  If they are true, then he will sleep soon."
      The next two hours went by painfully slow for Aedon and Alexander.  The mist remained as thick as it had
been and no movement has been seen or heard from the castle.  "I tire of waiting, its been dead so far.  Let's
just get in there and finish this." Aedon said, looking to Alex.  "Not yet.  This is different from a prison in Barovia
or Vallaki.  If we botch this, we're dead men.  We have to play it safe.  One more hour, then we move."  With
a sigh, Aedon walked back over to the window and looked out.  Alex took a knee on the floor and drew from
his jacket, a small black book.  He spent several moments studying pages from the book before replacing it and
setting himself into a meditative trance.  Aedon made not a sound.
      Alex sat there for a while without moving or flinching.  When he finally opened his eyes, he looked up to
Aedon and said, "Its time.  Move quick, move low and most importantly, stay close to me." Aedon nodded in
reply and the two of them made their way out of the stables.  They stayed close to the walls and low to the
ground, easily concealed by the thick veil of mist.  Both of them continued across the court yard to the north
tower.  So far, they had not seen any sentries or guards.  "Alright, quickly now.  Set your grappling hook."
Alex whispered while he pulled the rope coil off his shoulder and began winding up to toss it.  Aedon followed
his lead and did likewise.  Both of them let fly their hooks, though it took several attempts before they finally
caught on the stone and remained sturdy.  They quickly began their climb.
      Aedon reached the end of the rope first and climbed through the window.  He then turned to assist Alex
inside.  "We're in." Alex said.  Both of them began wrapping their rope coils before placing them around their
neck and shoulder.  The room they were in was circular.  There was no floor, but rather it was a very large
spiral staircase.  Some light snuck in through the window they had climbed in, but even in the morning, the
tower still descended into blackness.  "Down we go?" Aedon asked.  Alex nodded and began making his way
down the stairs.  They traveled down for several minutes before finding themselves in front of a doorway on
what appeared to be the bottom floor.  Carefully, Alex turned the knob and opened the door.  When opened,
the door made a faint creaking noise that made Aedon grit his teeth.
      The next room was very large.  It appeared to be the main chamber near the entrance to the keep.  Few
torches were burning in the room's perimeter, giving the room a soft light.  On the far end, Alex could see a
very large set of double doors.  "That must be the entrance." He quietly thought to himself.  Glancing around
the room, they failed to see anyone.  "Looks clear." Alex whispered. "How do we even know where to begin
looking for the dungeon?" Aedon asked in barely a whisper, "This place is huge, she could be anywhere." Alex
turned to him while pointing at a door on the far end of the room in front of them.  "This is not my first time
here, Aedon.  I know my way around this castle.  The door over there leads to the dungeons." He said, putting
Aedon's nerves to rest for the moment.  
      They crossed the room, staying close to the wall, until finally they reached the doorway leading to the
lower rooms and the dungeons.  He frowned seeing that it was locked, but quickly smiled when he noticed
that the lock in use was able to be picked.  He set of small steel pins from the inner lapel of his long-coat. A
look of determination came to his face as he quickly worked the pins back and forth until he heard a clicking
sound from inside the door handle.  He smiled and looked to Aedon, "Alright, its open.  Lets go."  He then
opened the door and stepped in.  Once Aedon was inside, he slowly closed it behind them.  The room was
similar to the tower they had first entered.  The large stone spiral stairs rounded their way down the side of
a stone column for several minutes before resting on the level of the dungeon.  Alexander and Aedon made
their way down them, coming to the entrance.
      After a few moments they opened the door, facing a long straight hallway.  Through the dark light of
the room, both of them could see a doorway on the other end.  A second doorway appeared to be on the
right side of the hallway about half way through.  They made their way down the hall, approaching the first
door.  Aedon stepped ahead of Alex and moved to open the door.  As he put his hand around the handle
to open it, the floor beneath him rumbled and opened.  Alex jumped out of the way in time, but when the
tile on the floor opened, Aedon fell through.  Seconds after it opened, the tile quickly closed, once again
becoming part of the floor.  Aedon was no where to be seen.
      Alex stood in shock where Aedon had fallen. "Aedon! Where the hell are you!?" Alex whispered with
a harsh tone.  He recieved no response. "Damn it, this isnt good." He cursed to himself, while stepping to
the side of the stone slab that stole his companion.  With a sigh of protest he made his way down the rest
of the hallway to stand before the dungeon door.  Oddly enough it wasn't locked.  "Strahd must not expect
anyone to be crazy enough to break out of here.  Ironic." He thought as he turned the handle to the door
and quickly stepped inside.  The floor did not shift.  The door lead to another hallway.  This one was much
larger and several doors lined both sides of it.  The doors were made of solid steel with a square hole in the
uppermost center of them so that someone could look in from either side of the door.  
      He made his way from door to door looking for Ilia.  Most of the cells were empty or filled with the bones
of whomever occupied them last.  Some however had residence in them.  One contained a large caliban while
another contained a frail old man.  As he approached the end of the hallway he approached a cell with a small
child inside of it.  The young boy couldn't have been more than twelve, with blue eyes and golden hair.  Alex
looked at him, though the child had not noticed his presence.  "Sorry lad, I'm only here for Ilia.  Maybe next
time." He thought to himself after a moment of consideration. "You would only be in my way."  He continued
down the hall, reaching the final room.  To his dismay it was empty.  Ilia wasn't in the dungeon as Alexander
had suspected.  He turned around and made his way back to the first floor of the castle.  He still had no sign
of Aedon, but he was almost certain Ilia must be in one of the upper level rooms.  

« Last Edit: November 17, 2008, 06:55:55 PM by Hades »
"Alexander the Destroyer"

"In a closed society where everyone is guilty, the greatest crime is getting caught. In a world full of thieves, the greatest sin is stupidity" ~ Hunter S. Thompson

Hades

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Journey to Castle Ravenloft Cont.
« Reply #4 on: November 24, 2008, 08:58:02 PM »
      He had been separated from Aedon for hours by now.  Navigating the maze that was Castle
Ravenloft had not been easy for Alexander; but he had been inside it before and could vaguely
remember its complicated layout.  "Ilia must be in the upper rooms," he thought to himself as he
made his way up one of the spiral stairwells that he had come across. 
      After climbing for several minutes he came to a wooden door.  He twisted the handle, pushing
open the door and peering into the room.  "What in the hells is this?" He thought, surprised as he
examined the room.  It was a large cathedral or temple of some kind, but it was in a state of great
disrepair and destruction.  The many pews were broken and flipped.  The tapestries were torn and
the walls were coated in thick webs, while bloodstains plagued the floor and part of the walls. 
      No one had been in this room for a long time, it seemed and the last occupants appear to have
been involved in some kind of battle.  Cautiously, Alex made his way into the room to further search
it.  The decorations appeared to be made up for a wedding; one that ended very badly.  Small spiders
scurried about on the floor beneath his feet as he approached the far end of the room, where he
spotted a wooden podium.  On top of the podium sat a book, bound in pure gold. 
      Alex lifted the book and attempted to pick the lock sealing it shut.  Using his lock pick, he began
prodding the mechanism, attempting to bypass the lock.  He cursed when his finger slipped and he
cut it on one of the sharp edges of the book.  Eventually, he succeeded and opened it; reading what
he could make out of the pages within the gold-bound tome. He gasped as he skimmed through the
passages, realizing what the book was. "My gods, I've found Strahd's journal!"
      The shuffle of footsteps quickly snapped Alex's attention back to where he was.  Someone was
coming.  He ducked behind one of the pews and waited until the source of the noise revealed itself,
but he saw nothing.  After a few moments he rose and decided to make his way back to the stairs
but while en route, he was once more alerted to the sound of footsteps.  Turning around, he spotted
a man stepping out from behind a pillar.  The man was clad in fine silk with dark hair and dark skin.  At
first Alex thought it was the count, but as it grew closer he could see it's decaying flesh and rotting
 bones.  It was an undead that was on him, closing the gap between them by the second.
      Without a moment's hesitation, Alex rushed it and shoved his shoulder into its chest, causing it
to drop on its back.  He drew his dagger from his belt and jumped on top of the creature, stabbing
it everywhere the blade would fit.  It flinched and attempted to get him off of it, but its efforts were
futile at best.  Without much trouble, the dagger found its way across the zombie's throat and into
its spinal cord.  It lay writing on the ground, dead when he rose and bolted to the stairs.
      He continued his ascent up the castle until coming finally to a hallway.  At the end of the hall,
he could see a doorway being guarded by some kind of undead beast.  He was preparing to charge
it, when he heard a second door at the end of the hallway open and watched as Strahd appeared
from behind it, approaching the guard.  Alexander quickly ducked around the corner...
« Last Edit: November 25, 2008, 12:26:15 AM by Hades »
"Alexander the Destroyer"

"In a closed society where everyone is guilty, the greatest crime is getting caught. In a world full of thieves, the greatest sin is stupidity" ~ Hunter S. Thompson

Hades

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Re: Alexander Silvanus...
« Reply #5 on: November 28, 2008, 01:17:55 AM »
      His heart was racing out of his chest as he pressed his back against the stone wall.  Around the corner he could
hear the muffled voice of Strahd speaking to someone in the next room.  He peered around the corner to see if the
guard was still present and frowned finding another had joined the first.  From the next room, he could hear the quiet
voice of a young woman speaking with the count.  "It must be Ilia," he thought.
      With no better option, he waited.  After several long minutes the door once more opened and the count entered
the hallway followed closely by Ilia.  Alex could see no shackles or bindings on her and she appeared to be well dressed
and well fed.  Confusion washed over him, for he did not understand why Strahd was treating her as a guest instead of
as a prisoner.  "That cunning little devil.  She must have smoothed him over," he whispered to himself, watching as both
Strahd and Ilia made their way down the staircase opposite of the one Alex had used. 
      He reached into his pocket and pulled out of it, a small vial.  Drinking it, he looked down at his hands.  A smile made
its way to his features as he watched his limbs vanish.  The potion had worked.  Alex turned and moved down the stairs
as quietly as he could until he reached the bottom level.  Sure enough, from around the corner, he could see Ilia and
Strahd walking to the front gate.  "He must be releasing her."
      Watching Ilia and the count walk out the front door, Alex decided it was time he took his leave.  He ducked into one
of the side rooms and climbed out the window into the courtyard.  He could hear the voices of Strahd and Ilia from the
far end, near the gate.  They were still speaking.  Alexander turned to the wall and removed the coil of rope and grappling
hook from his shoulder.  He wound up and tossed it, happy to find that the hook caught on his first attempt.  As he made
his way up the wall, he could hear the gate of the castle opening.  He hurried over the other side and slid down the rope
all the way to the ground, before ducking for cover in the nearby trees.
      From a distance he watched as Ilia walked down the path and away from Castle Ravenloft, but he did not follow her.
"If Strahd released her, its likely he will be watching her every movement.  I can not reveal the location of the stone to her,
for fear that he would find out.  Im sorry Ilia," he thought to himself as he picked his way down the side of the mountain,
heading west, toward the city of Vallaki.  His next stop would be his place of birth and the former home of his blood family,
but the road would not be safe.  He wasted no time in getting on his way.
"Alexander the Destroyer"

"In a closed society where everyone is guilty, the greatest crime is getting caught. In a world full of thieves, the greatest sin is stupidity" ~ Hunter S. Thompson