Þetta byrjaði sem saga persónunar sem ég hef spilað í 6 ár með grúbbuni minni, en vatt svo upp á sig. Látið mig vita ef þið viljið sjá meira….



“So this is adventuring!” He thought to himself as he raced down yet another darkened alley, narrowly dodging a pair of crossbow bolts that skipped of the wall behind him, missing by mere inches. Daring a glance over his shoulder as he ran, he noticed that the number of men chasing him had swelled to half a dozen, with the two crossbowmen having dragged slightly behind as they fired their weapons. As far as he was concerned, the watchmen chasing him all over the city didn´t present that great a problem. As long as he kept on the move and avoided getting cornered, he figured he should be unhurt, at least, that with his skin being impervious to nonmagical weaponry. No, the real problem was, that he didn´t have time for these seemingly endless chases. He knew he must be running late, again, but the watchmen seemed to be everywhere. It was amazing how paranoid these people were. All that was needed was for someone to reallise that he was not human, and his disguise was foiled. And it seemed that his illusion was working less and less as he used it more often, and the watch had even identified him from his previous visit to the city, just over a year ago.
His thoughts were interrupted as three watchmen suddenly turned into the alley from another connecting alley. Upon noticing their six fellows giving chase to a man, apparently a barbarian from the north, judging from his horned helm and large fur cloak, they immediately drew their swords and moved to intercept him. “Halt! You are under…” The watchman never got any further, as the elusive northener ran up to them, leapt up high enough to clear their heads, and kicked out as he soared over their heads, his foot connecting solidly with the speaker´s forehead. The northener landed on the ground with one foot on either side of the prone and very far from consciousness form of the watchman, the two remaining men obviously still not quite sure what had just happened. They regrouped quickly to the shouts of their approaching companions, and both swung at the man. Unbelievably, the man caught one blade with each bare hand, and twisted their weapons out of their hands. “My thanks. I don´t think you´ll be needing these.” The man said, smiling, as he rushed of down the alley they had just left. As the other six watchmen rushed past them, the capture of this very strange man more important than the two unarmed men, they looked at each other with a look of wonder. Neither wanted to ask the questions racing through their heads, so they simply picked up their unconscious companion and headed back to headquarters. They did not look forward to trying to explain this to the watchcaptain.
Finally turning into the correct alley, Anandak Nocturne quickly drew forth a small sewing needle he had threaded into the front of his shirt. Misplacing his gatekey now would most likely prove uncomfortable at best. Only when he had done this did he notice the five watchmen standing at the end of the alley, crossbows aimed at him. He slowed to a slow walk, feeling for the magical emanations from the portal he knew was there somewhere. He did not need his eyes to tell him that the six men chasing him before had reached the other end of the alley, blocking of the only other escape route, or so they thought. From the ranks of the crossbowmen a man strode into the alley. He wore a finely taylored, yellow robe, his salt and pepper beard and moustache neatly trimmed. He was perhaps in his mid thirties, with an air of authority that befitted a wizard of the Sumburg city watch. His hair was tied back behind his head, and he seemed to sport an ever present grin.
The wizard looked the elusive northener over. He certainly looked similar to other northern barbarians that he had seen in the city, allthough he didn´t appear to carry a weapon. His helmet, an iron cap with the large horns of some unidentified creature, was a usual headdress for a barbarian, as was the thick fur cloak he wore. “You may calm yourself. The chase is over. I must say that you have given us quite a run. I seem to recall someone matching your description causing problems here about a year ago. Does that mean that we´ll be seeing, and chasing, you again, next year perhaps?” The wizard said, smiling. Anandak had to grin back. “One never knows good wizard. I go where my work takes me. But you are correct, the chase is indeed over.” With that, he held up the sewing needle and strode straight at the wall to his right. A section of the brick wall shimmered with a dull light, and the strange visitor strode straight into the wall. The shimmering stopped, and the alley was empty, with no trace of the elusive man. The wizard, for some reason, was not amused.
In a city like no other, a wall of polished, white marble started bubbling and frothing, as if the marble itself were boiling. Those who whitnessed the spectacle on this end paid it little heed, as yet another portal heralded the arrival of a visitor to the city in the clouds. From the portal stepped a man wearing the horned helmet and thick fur cloak of a viking. He quickly moved out of the alley and vanished into the crowded street. This was where he belonged. The arisen, a former daemon of hell, who had risen from the darkest pits of hell to walk among the pearly white pillars of the cloud city, was at home in this city of cities. The buildings, mostly small, white, clean estates, decorated with muirals and statues of various sorts, seemed to lean in over the streets, as if trying to jealously conceal the wonders the city had to offer. Up against several of the buildings grew vines of light blueish hue, shunned by every passerby. The plant was called bladeleaf, and rightly so. The leaves of the plant were in fact razor edged, and could badly cut anyone brushing against them. No one knew why the dangerous plant grew here. It did not appear to serve any useful purpose in the city, but several attempts by the local authorities had met with absolutely no success in exterminating the plant.
He paid the sights and sounds little heed, and dodged his way through a crowd of people, devas, angels and every sort of humanoid creature one could immagine, and quite a few one would never immagine. For this was Nexus, the city of clouds. Within it lived a vast variety of creatures from all the earths of existence, and more visited it each day than any other city. The only way to get to this particular city was through magical portals, situated throughtout the multiverse, such as the one he had just come through, or by flying up to the topmost clouds on any given world.
He quickly made his way to the “Golden feather”, one of the classiest feasthalls in the city. The place was all at once, an inn, a tavern and a restaurant, serving only a selected clientelle. The food was excellent, the drink plentiful, and the price showed it. The doorman, a ten foot tall, well dressed humanoid creature of sky blue coloration, a pair of ivory horns protruding from its cheek bones, shook his head at him in mochery. “Late again sir?” Anandak smiled as he entered, knowing full well that he was late for his appointment. “I wouldn´t want to break up so long a tradition, now would I?” He replied as the huge humanoid accepted his cloak. It was good to be known here. Not many people could get a table reserved here, even if they could afford the prices. He did not need to look around the restaurant for long to find his friend. The restaurant was decorated with so much gold and other finery that it looked like a jewelry display, and over each table hovered a magical orb of light that could be commanded to grow brighter or dimmer by anyone sitting at its respective table. His friend´s orb was allways as dim as it could be. Anandak boldly strode over to the table and sat himself down without a word. He knew the old wizard had most likely been waiting for quite some time.
Several minutes passed, and a waitress brought them two plates of food, as well as a bottle of wine. When the girl had left, the white skinned wizard folded a corner of the page he´d been reading and put down his book. Locking his red gaze on the arisen in a practiced, scolding look, he said: “You´re late!” Anandak smiled and replied: “Nice to see you too. How was your day?” The arisen´s cheerful demeanor did little to wear of the old man´s grumpyness, but he could never resist trying. It had become their usual greeting, as the former daemon had managed to be late for every single appointment the two of them had made together, and those numbered in the dozens. “I didn´t expect the watch to chase me across the city and back. If you´re angry, be angry at them.” “Trouble again?” Vormil the white asked, a slight grin finding its way onto his features. Anandak tried his steak before answering. It was always excellent here. “Hey, you´re the one that insists on nonmagical disguises. It only takes one groundpounder to catch a glimpse of my hooves, and I´m facing a linch mob. It´s the same thing that happened last time. The watch wizard even remembered me.” Vormil nodded. “I know it´s difficult, but you´d be in even worse trouble with a magical disguise. People on the prime earths such as mine are extremely suspicious of anything hidden by magic, and should any of them reallise what you truly are…” Anandak nodded and swallowed. “Yes, yes. Your last lecture on the subject is still in fresh memory. I´m just getting tired of dealing with these ignorant upstarts, no offence intended. I know I shouldn´t judge people like that, but I have met only one human who could see past the cover, and that person is a cloudwalker now.” Anandak lifted his glass to his friend as he finished. It had not been easy for the arisen daemon to adapt to the ways of goodness, but the old wizard had been a great aid when the need had been greatest. “Just remember Dak, not all normals are helpless. Some can be quite dangerous and unpredictable.” Anandak smiled. “Present company included?”
“So, do you have what I asked for?” The wizard asked when they had finished their meals and the waitress had left with their plates. Vormil the white had gotten his name from the fact that not only was he a complete albino, but he only dressed in completely white clothing, making the man look rather like one of the marble statues that decorated the entire city. The only parts of him that were not white, were his blood red eyes. Eyes that now betraied the old man´s excitement and anticipation for theyr meeting. Anandak smiled and opened his pack. “And I am the one who used to be an impatient daemon!” Onto the table he placed a brown parcel about the size of a watermelon. Looking puzzled, Vormil asked: “I trust you separated the eyes from the stalks?” At this the arisen´s grin grew even wider. “Yes, of course. I just got my hands on a bit more than you asked for. I took the liberty of having a friend place a smell-dispelling enchantment on the thing before I arrived on the clouds so we don´t empty the restaurant.” Vormil´s eyes lit up, red, as he opened the package. “Dak, I sent you to get three eyeballs from a beholder hydra. There are…” “Exactly eighteen. I was in the right place at the right time to witness two of the amusing beasts battling it out with a trio of rather miffed stone giants. I had no idea stone giants could actually be turned to stone, but a certain chamber in a certain underground maze now sports two stone, giants. Two eyes were sadly crushed in the fight, but as the sole surviving giant left, I simply went in and cut of the eyes.” The arisen´s description of the battle seemed to amuse the wizard, and his grumpyness had all but vapourised by the large number of eyeballs. “I have sent six adventuring parties to recover these things. One party came back with one. How do you do it?” “I was lucky. Very lucky. Had I needed to fight two beholder hydras, I would most likely be standing in that room with the giants. But do you have what I asked for?”
From the folds of his robe, Vormil extracted a large sack made from chainmail. “This was the only way I could think of to store them. These things will rip through just about anything.” Anandak took the strange sack, but as he did he immediately felt the magical emanations from the items within. They were heavily enchanted indeed. He emptied the sack onto the table, revealing a pair of wickedly spiked and riveted, elbow length gauntlets made from one of the most sought after metals in the multiverse, starsilver The entire gauntlets were made from the metal, with the palms and joints covered by interlocking rings of chainmail. As he donned the items, they magically altered to fit his arms perfectly. Reaching to his elbows, the sleeves ended in large, wicked spikes that stood out forward from the back of the hand, as well as backwards from his elbows as be bent the joints. “I have seen you fight, and since you seem to prefer the unarmed approach, I think those should come in handy. You don´t even need to put them on. Just say the word ”Sharal“ and they will appear on your arms.” Nodding his approval, the wide eyed arisen replied: “They should come in handy, indeed.”
The two friends parted at the door shortly after their delicious meal, as Vormil needed to get to using the eyeballs while they were still fresh. Anandak had placed the gauntlets back into the chainmail sack, and soon started making his way to his business and home. His deals with Vormil always went well, and this was not the first time that they had both gotten more than they had bargained for. He finally entered the three story building housing his office and living quarters. The office, the first room entered after passing through the doorway, was a comfortable room with three soft couches and a large, obsidian desk situated in the room´s centre. His eyes were immediately met by a pair of intencely red eyes from across the desk. “Hey chief. How was the ground?” “Risky, but satisfying. Anything new Verillia?” “Nope, but that white wizard stopped by yesterday to check on you. Did you meet with him yet?” “Yes. He´s allready chided me for being late, but I couldn´t exactly help it.” “Hey, why stop now? Being late has become sort of your trademark…” The fiery haired assistant replied, letting the sentence trail of before she got into trouble with it. “Hm, not exactly the trademark I was looking for. How are the finances?” “We have enough to get by the next six months, counting the taxes from your last job. But after six months you´ll hardly have enough to pay me, let alone keep up your lifestile.” “Well, there´s always that black pit daemon…” Anandak replied, grinning. His assistant, a woman of average heigh, with flowing hair of flame and skin so bright that it actually lit up the room, looked shocked. “No, you are not thinking of working for that fiend. You know he´ll pay you with fiendish money, you know, the kind that makes you hopelessly crave for more of it? Leave it be chief. Something will come your way.” Anandak smiled. “Do you even know how precious you are?” “It´s usually displayed nicely in my pay.” Grinning, the flamemaiden added: “But hearing you say it is even better.” “Tell you what, why don´t you take the rest of the day of, and tomorrow if you like, on pay. I hear there´s a cirkus in town, come from Extacy, that no one should miss. Have a god time there, on me.” She flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his nech and almost setting his eyebrows on fire with her hair as she hugged him. “Now that´s telling me in words. You´re the best, chief.” The flamemaiden grabbed a small side sachel and dashed out the door. The arisen daemon chuckled as he crossed the room and entered through the inner door, to accend the stairs there and entered his home. There he contently soaked in the large, magically heated tub set into the floor of his appartment, letting the oils added into the water soothe his muscles and aches. In all the world he could think of nothing more relaxing after a successful mission like the one he´d just completed than a hot bath. Well, one more thing came to mind, but he was alone, so the bath would have to do.
After the long overdue bath, he cleaned his gear and changed into clean clothing. As he found his way down to the office, and locked the door when he left. He soon found his way to the “Feasthall of fangs”, a large tavern that had a reputation for catering to everyone and everything, and in a city like Nexus, that reputation earned it a very wide and steady clientelle. As he entered, he could both smell and hear that it was crowded tonight. Quickly navigating the large tabroom, he eventually found an empty table. The diversity of the clients was, as expected, great. There were a few humans and demihumans in the crowd, but mostly it was fiends, imps, angels and other strange creatures. The serving maid was obviously busy with her own problems, a large, spiked fiend wanted her heart as a meal, so Anandak started going through his journal, noting down the gate he had just used. His travelling journal was an invaluable asset to him, as it had gotten him out of more trouble than he could recall. As he scanned the crowd, he noticed a woman sitting by the next table. The woman had her back to him and was evidently trying in vain to make sense of several maps strewn upon the table in front of her. A normal. Despite himself, he couldn´t help but chuckle to himself. “Dangerous and unpredictable”, Vormil had called normals. Well, perhaps he was judging them a bit harshly. They couldn´t all be hopeless, now could they?