Sorry, Oerath. I see now how many ways you really can use other characters without using the characters, if you what I mean. It's good for my writing skills, and helps me improve, as well as being fun. And,  may I ask, if you speak beforehand with another of the journeyers, and both agree, you can add things that include those characters, using names, personality and character development, right? Of course, as long as only those who agree are included by name. Thanks, Oerath, and sorry again!

I watched the new wizard with his dark garb with suspicion. I was very cautious, and unsure of him. He seemed to be a friend of Master Oerath, but to me he seemed rather dark to be on very good terms with our friend. They spoke, and as they did so, I noticed the rest of my companions also were doubtful. But that doubt was, as least in me, rather short-lived. I should have known there was more to this fellow than I had thought. A flash of blinding light, then this wizard's true form was revealed. His clothes were of shining silver and gold, bright like the sun. His hair and staff, too had changed, shedding their former darkness. So calm was he, and was Oerath, as they again spoke to one another. I was shocked at the sudden change, but no more afraid. Light such as this can be no lie or trickery. The others, too were still and stunned as I. Oerath snapped us out of the daze, and commanded us onward. "Xathor the Lightbringer is with us know, so the sun will shine forever," quoth Master Oerath, and with that, we continued our march through the treacherous wood. It's shadows seemed less large, now that the Lightbringer was here, but still, Mirkwood Forest was still Mirkwood Forest, and it is in no way, a gentle or pleasant place.

 I hope that's alright. A tale already told, but from a different perspective. I have been extremely busy, with little spare time in the day, even to read or write. Sorry again about all the questioning, I just want to get the rules right. I'll try to write more, but you now, life won't wait for anyone!

It's been a while since anyone's posted here, and quite frankly, I've missed it. So here I am, and here we are, in Mirkwood Forest, still, and I've no idea where our journey will now lead us. But this road I still tread... Will anyone join me?

  For however long, days or weeks, or not even that, our group of journeyers traveled on through Mirkwood forest. Although the arrival of Xathor had brought a sense of security, with the help of the wood that feeling faded, till I was just as uneasy and nervous as I had been upon entering Mirkwood. I admit that I was very jumpy, and constantly looking over my shoulder. Though I am not known to be calm and fearless, I rarely am so riled up as to loose awareness... which is what happened.

     It happened one day, or night, for in the dark of the forest we could not tell, when we were walking the path, as we had done for who knows how long. I was seeing things in every shadow, but had learned by then not to take these shadowy visions seriously. I was seeing shapes and movement where there was none, and had been for what seemed to be forever. It was at this time, when I saw what, to me, was obviously movement out of the corner of my eye. I whipped my head around, staring intently into the darkness. It moved. It most definitely moved, there could be no mistake. "Urrh," I tried to speak, but was unable to, as I saw two, no four, no six! glowing orbs, seeming to float in the shadow... until the shadow moved, one swooping movement that contrasted with the dark that swirled in front of my eyes, as I had been seeing. Suddenly, the black rushed forward, and I was thrust backward, thrown of my feet, and I slid quite aways on the ground be for skidding to a stop on my back. I sat up, but not before I heard a menacing, strange, clicking of sorts. I knew what it was gefore I looked, and when I did, my fears were confirmed. There, on the edge of the Path, was a giant, hairy spider, with its many glowing red eyes, and it's ever moving pincers. And where there was one, there was more...

(I hate to interrupt the RP, but would anyone mind if I joined? )

(I couldn't find you're name in the message area, and I didn't want to rely on the chat for offline messages, so I'll post here if that's ok? )

I have just finished reading through the three pages, and it seems quite an interesting RP In regards to my character, I was thinking along the lines of:

Name: Dorian De-Lacey
Homeland: Osgiliath
Gender: Male
Physical Appearance: Young- appearing to be in his early or mid twenties perhaps, yet with eyes that seem to belie his youthful appearance. He is strong, but well toned, leaving his muscles well defined rather than obscure masses, and this, combined with his height, of over six foot, give him a slim appearance.
His eyes are a dark brown a similar shade to his hair, which is of a medium length and extends nearly to his shoulders in a well-watched and styled way. His face is clean shaven, and smooth belying the many injuries, cuts, and scrapes he has taken to it over the years.
Darkly coloured clothing of a rich design cover his unarmored frame, and if one were to remove the clothing, a network of scars on both back and front wound be revealed. Tokens of his years at war.
Skills: A fighter by trade, and dueler by choice, Dorian's strength lies in his quick sword arm.
Special Items/Weapons: A strangely light, yet long sword by his side is all that Dorian carries.
Background/History: Born into war, Dorian fought his way as an officer through hunger, through thirst, and through pain. Not to win victory- for that was surely an impossibility- but to survive and hold ground as long as possible. To save as many lives as possible. With defeat inevitably close, Dorian decides that death has come to him. Standing firm with his men, he fights to the bitter end. And that is the irony of it all. Waking Some time late on the muddy delta of the river Anduin with but a handful of his men, Dorian cannot move, cannot speak, and cannot see anything but a reddened haze of pain. An open wound lies across his chest and he coughs. Blood fills his mouth. A face looks over his... looks into his eyes. Dorian reaches for the man. The man reaches back... reaches for Dorian... reaches for his coin purse, his boots, his very armour.
Some time had past since what Dorian can view only as his defeat. How he had survived is something he questions every week. How he had found the strength to pull himself to safety is something he asks himself daily. Yet he had. He and those few men that had fallen into the river during the battle. Together, they made their way north, once more. To their homes, expecting to be greeted with open arms. Instead they are branded cowards. Viewed as men who had fled the battle. Seeking redemption from this title, Dorian sought a way to gain his and his men's honour once more. A way is given... To journey north into Mirkwood on what could only be a wild goose chase. Leaving their homes once more, still weak from their injuries, the group journeys towards Mirkwood abandoning their armour in hope of passing as simple travelers.

Let me know if its okay or if anything should be changed (I'll quite happily re-write the entire thing if needed- back stories are fun to write, but aren't too important in my opinion ), and if I can join or not etc. Thanks

Thanks- That's a really handy system to know!

Edging together, we stood strong and as tall as we could. For some reason I felt a strange emotion welling up in me. I was not afraid, almost completely opposite that. I was more furious. I had the longing to take up my sword with both of my hands and hew our way through these ghastly arachnids. I held my self back. "Foolishness" I thought. 

Tightening my grip upon Fariel, I poked its blade into the eye of an over curious spider. The brute scuttled away as quickly as it could. I grinned, in the moonlight I was able to perceive my hands and arms, which were rubbed raw, torn, blistered and grimy. I was becoming quite the rugged elf, I imagined.

The shuffle around me was more than I could bear. Mustn't we fight them now before more arrive? So I yelled, "Finish 'em off! Now! Before more come! Yaaaahhhhhh!" And proceeded to charge, my emotions taking over my sense.

Woah, what a long description, Dorian. Welcome aboard!

And not so bad, folks. Here's something from me.

Best post I've made in a while.

Enjoy.

A dangerous - situation - needs a fireball spell - or a few of 'em by Oerath

So much had been going on recently. So much running, so much trouble. He was entertaining his mind with pictures of a forest river, lots of dryads. Swimming in that river, laughing, asking him to join them. But then he came to his senses and thought aloud: 'No! I have to focus, darn it..

Taking a quick gulp off his flask, he looked around and said: 'We're still running, it seems. Good.. OH WAIT! There are friggin' spiders everywhere! What is going on!?

Laughing terribly, Xathor smiled at his master and said: 'You surely have gotten much sharper during these past years, Master.'

Feeling both angry and ashamed, Oerath shouted at his apprentice: 'You darn shady little sharp-tongueish apprentice! I shall turn you into a lowsy damn lizard, once we get out of..'

But he was greatly interrupted, as a giant spider jumped off a web and landed right to front of his eyes. The others looked at Oerath with sheer amazement and thought: 'That man surely has a lot of will power. Look, he's staring at that spider right into the eyes, and he's not even moving at all. He must be casting another one of his magnificent spells!'

To tell you all the truth, he was standing there, 'cause he was afraid down to his old bones. Thinking: 'Wha-what is that spider doing here! In front of me!? I AM SO DEAD, DAMN IT!'

But then he came to his senses for the third time that day, and thought: 'What am I whining about. I'm a wizard after all.. Damn this age and all these stupid thoughts of mine..'

And with that, he yelled at the spider: 'Oh yeah! Do you wish to challenge me!? Be welcome to do so, you eight-legged mongrel!'

And so he muttered the words of power, and then he took a deep breath and unleashed it as three powerful fireballs, by shouting: 'Wrath of the dragons will burn your skin! Feel the touch of fire, it shall consume you from within!'

And as those fireballs hit the spider, it burst into flames and exploded. And while it's still-burning body parts were landing around them, Xathor said to Oerath: 'You surely know how to grill some spiders, Master.. But could you do it a little bit more professionally next time around. It's quite a mess, you know?'

'You damn.. Eh, Xathor.. I'm so going to transform you into a lizard. You just watch!'

'Um, before you do that, could we just run away from that army of spiders, before they catch us and wrap us in web and torture us, until we peacefully agree to die?' replied Xathor with a brief smile.

'Good point.. Run! All of you. We're almost out of this gloomy forest.' said Oerath.

And so they all ran, and soon one of the traveler's noticed light ahead, shouting: 'There, can you see that light?`It must be our exit out of this forest.'

'It seems so. Keep on running, it will all be over soon.' said Oerath, and soon they all saw it. They had finally found a common road, and as the clouds gave way to sun and it's powerful and cleansing light, it shone down with all of it's might upon Oerath and the traveler's. And all of those spiders that had followed them, they nearly burned down to ashes. And once again, they had been saved by the sun.

Smiling at the sun, Oerath bowed and said: 'I don't know about you others, but I think that even the sun wants us to finish this journey, and so be it. We shall go on, no matter what happens.'

And with that said, he took his usual sea wax pipe, lighted it up and said to Xathor: 'Forget about that 'I'll turn you into a lizard' stuff. I'll do it some other day.. Apprentice.'

'I'm glad to hear that.. Master.' replied Xathor, and so they all were off. With no idea what lay ahead of them, Oerath just kept singing, and the others just listened. Even the wind seemed to favor their journey, and as it kept throwing Oerath's long hair from one side to another, he suddenly realized that they had not seen the sun for a long time, and it made him to smile.

'Let us go to see some elves, my friends.' he said, and then he silenced, so he could focus on singing his songs.

Written by: Otto 'Oerath Windsoul' Timonen

As the company rushed out from the shadow of the trees, the light of the sun was blinding. After the darkness of Mirkwood, the sun seemed a world hotter and brighter. "That was sure an adventure!" I gasped. 'I will hate spiders forever,' I thought to myself. I looked around, and thought suddenly, 'This journey must have a purpose. Originally, it's purpose was to find Xathor, so now, what shall we do?' Of course, my own knowledge of things is not satisfactory, and so I was left to wonder: What will we do now that we have found Xathor? Was that the purpose at any time, or was it just another piece of the puzzle? I shook my head. 'On all my journeys, I have never seen anything like this! Well, we'll keep on, and see where we end up! Who knows, we might hold the fate of the world in our hands.'

Rest, finally. Little rest there had been of late. I little realized how much I needed it until I had it. The sunlight was soft and warm, the grass beautiful light green, blown to and fro by a gentle breeze. After a much needed wash in the cool water, I set myself down in the grass and watched the clouds, for the first time in what seemed to be forever. They were more beautiful then then they had ever been before.

How long I lay there, I didn't know, nor did I care. I think I dazed off once or twice; I can't be sure. All that was certain is I was exhausted. With the sun warming the fresh air around me, and the sweet smell of grass and earth beneath me, I rested, and was refreshed. After a while, I started to think half-heartedly about what I had seen in all the journey. Then, my thoughts were disturbed. I heard a thud, thud, like heavy footsteps. They were not near, but i could feel them in the ground. Someone, no, something, was coming in our direction. I sat up, and looked around for it. I realized with a start, that it was coming from the direction of the wood. I stood quickly up, drawing the attention of my companions. "Rukain?" Wen said. I was silent, as I watched, waited. Then I saw it. A horse, a white and black horse, mane tangled with thorns and twigs and dead leaves. "Rainfall! How could I have forgotten her?!"

Poor horse. I will never forget her again.

Hey, I was just wondering, is this Journey still in the works? because it's kind of fallen out of the spotlight. I don't really have something to add to it yet, besides what I posted last time. I just want to remind whoever's part of it and still wants to be. The Journey hasn't ended, not in a way I can be completely satisfied with anyways!

The exams are over (they went well ) so I'm back as well if I'm still okay for joining?

(OOC: Hope you don't mind, but I was thinking of changing my back story a little to having not dumped the armour? Originally, I was planning to play almost a dueler-styled ex-soldier- but I've found myself already playing this style in several other role-plays, and so I was hoping to play a slightly... different style)

Dorian pulls himself across the grass. Above him, the sun beats down, mercilessly. He looks to his left, and then his right and raises a gloved hand into the air, moving his fingers to indicate "halt". He pushes himself up, until his eyes are once more above the grass line. Ahead, the sound of voices can be heard. "I knew it..." Dorian thinks to himself. "Damn it- they must be trying to flank the city and take the bridge!" He raises his hand once more, spreading his hand to make a "5", and then indicating "go right" with it. Then, he does the same- indicating "5", but to "go left". Finally, he spreads three of his fingers to indicate "3" and indicates to follow him.
His stomach groans slightly and he realizes how hungry he is... "When did I last eat?" he asks himself, "No time for eating... If we falter for food, the bridge is lost... if the bridge is lost the city is lost... if the city is lost... if the city is lost... if the city is lost... So hungry... When did I last eat?"
His thoughts continue much the same as he pushes onwards through the grass, until- with almost painful slowness and caution, he pushes himself to just above the grass line once more, his body concealed by the sea of grass. A group lie ahead- apparently distracted with the arrival of a horse. "Perfect. The others should be in position by now." Dorian thinks as he yells, "For Gondor!!!!" And leaps out of the grass. His sword flies from his Scabbard as he stands- swaying slightly. "You are outnumbered and outmatched!" He says to the group, who are some twenty feet ahead of him. His eyes seem to be focused on none of the group in particular, and his gazes lies more behind them, or over their shoulders when he looks at them. "Foul Orc's- we'll not let you take this bridge! Cast down your arms and flee while we are merciful!"
The entire event may- perhaps- have been more remarkable if Dorian had not been entirely oblivious to the fact that he stood alone, swaying unsteadily.

Murky Nights and Old Tales by Oerath

(It's going to be quite cheesy, and sorry for some parts. I realized that I was writing some things that were hard to explain in english. I hope it's readable. It's been a long while, since I made my last post. I'm feeling a bit rusty.) =)

Many days had already passed since of their encounter with those horrid spiders, but it felt like it had just happened yesterday. Well, at least Oerath felt that way. As they kept moving forward in shadows of the trees, Xathor suddenly looked at his master and he saw doubt and worry in his eyes. And by calling one of his crows back to his left shoulder, he said: 'It's been quite silent, don't you agree, Master Oerath?'

A moment passed, but he didn't answer anything. In fact, he didn't even react to the question Xathor just asked from him.

Xathor started to feel uncomfortable, so he asked from him: 'Master?'

And at that time, Oerath returned from his world of visions, and said: 'Hmm, oh, Xathor. Did you just ask something?'

Xathor didn't know, whether to look happy or sad, so he just silently replied to him by sighing: 'No.. It's nothing, master.'

'Good' said the old man, and as he started to smile, he suddenly stopped and raised his hand, by saying: 'Stop.. All of you.'

And there they all stood still, wondering what was going on, and it was then, when Oerath quickly turned around and said: 'We're being follow-'

But he didn't even finish that sentence, when two orcs emerged from the shadows and attacked Xathor. He was aware of their presence, so he simply dodged by transforming into a giant crow, leaving only black feathers as he took flight. Oerath quickly muttered the words of power and focused his powers on those feathers, and by speaking following words: 'Wind, swift and silent force, lend me your breath, give these feather's a new course.'

And at that very moment, those feather's turned to face the two orcs, and asswiftly as the wind, more than a hundred feather's cut through their bodies. All at once. It was an instant death.

Smiling at Xathor, Oerath shouted at him: 'Feathers.. How kind of you, my apprentice! But as you can see, a wizard doesn't need more than a handful of feathers to beat up a few orcs.'

'Indeed, master.'

And with that, Xathor descended down and transformed back into his human form. And their walk continued, almost as if nothing had even happened. The others looked more than just confused, but then again, the two were wizard. And none knows what a wizard thinks.. Or wizards.

And after an hour of walking, they saw a glimmering light shining through the trees. And once again, Oerath told others to stop. And he was right, they were not alone in that forest. Oerath clearly heard people speaking, and their voices were getting closer and closer. By taking a firm grasp of his staff and looking at the others, they too unsheathed their weapons. And then they all jumped from behind the trees, only to notice that they were now facing five elven archers, sharp and long arrows pointing at their heads.

And then Oerath looked at one of them, and started to laugh: 'By the lords, is it you, Vaelos?'

Looking confused, he looked at the old man, and then he realized who this man was, and so he asked: 'Master Oerath? Is that really you? What are you doing here.. And with such a large group?'

Smiling, Oerath told others to sheath their weapons, and so leaned to his staff, as he spoke: 'We're on a journey. We met at The Inn of Prancing Pony, and we have been traveling ever since across nearby lands and woods for weeks or even months. And in fact, we were searching for you, or more like, I was. I need your help, old friend.'

'Well, what can I do for you, Master Oerath?'

'First of all. Could you offer us a large tent, so we could get some rest tonight. In return, we can take care of lightning a campfire and cook us some food, once we get to it.'

'That sounds like a good plan.' Vaelos said, and so he told his men to set up a new tent. Right next to their own ones.

And by laughing and taking a gulp off his flask, Oerath said: 'Let us light that fire, so we can sit down and enjoy of this murky night and tell some old tales.'

And so they all went their own ways, some went to collect firewood and others went with Oerath to catch some fish from the river nearby.

Written by: Otto 'Oerath Windsoul' Timonen

(OOC: Hate to interrupt, but... well I'm a little confused as to what happened with the camp that Dorian and his "group" came across?)

I feel a bit sad that this thread got forgotten. We had a lot of fun while writing these, even though most of us didn't follow the usual style of RPG. (I'm probably just talking about myself. /Oerath hits himself with a hammer).

To be honest, I've never been interesting in RPG etc. that much, but the idea of this thread seemed quite good at the moment, and I don't regret writing all of those posts and I surely enjoyed of reading all of the posts that you guys wrote too.

I've now a idea of some sort. If I collect all of my posts, which were definitely quite story oriented, and turn them into one piece of work and upload it, would it be a funny one to read?

You all could do the same to your posts too, just to honor a journey that never ended.

Hail and thanks!

And remember, if we choose, we can still continue this thread, but maybe in a different way. So, I'd like to hear your opinions and thoughts about it.

I've had a few shots of spiritual goodness, but let me tell you all something.

If a journey never ended.. Then.. It shall go on forever!

- Oerath.

I agree!! I've always loved to write and I have some great ideas for this!! Hey even if it's just a handful of people contributing here and there, it's a great concept for a thread and should definitely be encouraged!!

Just tell me when and where to start. I did read most of the thread so I have a pretty good idea of what's going on. But we can start something new as well!!!

Edit: The Wanderer's Tavern will be up during the next few days.

After some thinking, I decided that it will become partially an RPG, so it should be found from the roleplaying games, when I've created it.

Thanks for your patience.

Yes Oerath! I would be most honored by your involvement. And thank you dear Beredras for advertising my RPG. I am very honored.