The Black Citadel
It's a nice drop of wine with a hint of plum fruit and softly integrated oak (add 1 mana point).
"You're a brave soul for accepting a glass of wine from a vampire my mortal friend. I admire those with courage. However, only a thin line can sometimes divide courage with stupidity."
The man puts the glass to his lips, smells the wine, and then places the glass back on the table without tasting any.
A vampire! You had a sneaking suspicion he was judging from his appearance and behaviour. You actually feel a little more relaxed that he has revealed himself to you. You have no idea where this meeting and conversation is leading, so you decide to play along for the meantime and think of some possible ways out of a potential deadly situation.
"The citadel is a strange place in this wide dark empty land, wouldn't you say? Of course, you've seen more of it than any mortals have seen or will ever see."
"Well, you could say that. To me the citadel is an enigma with many dark places, holding many secrets," you reply.
"This room in fact, is one of only two rooms in the citadel with a window and a view over Darkwood. Come, come to the balcony with me and look out at the night. We should enjoy it while it lasts with only one more hour until the dawn."
You get up and warily follow him out onto the stone balcony. He turns to you and says,
"I've been watching you for some time since you entered the central spire my friend. You've been causing such a disturbance. There's such a chaoticness about your recent actions here that seems quite attractive to me. But to my lord Wiculoth, well, just let me say you don't want to make a man like that angry, and that you most definitely have. "Now, my friend," he says, "tell me what your purpose is here exactly, a being of such brightness in a place with such absence of?"
"You cannot lie to me, you cannot hide," says a voice deep in the back of your mind. "The truth, show me what lies deep inside."
"Well, the land of Tarvonis has been weakened and sickened by a deadly plague that was of Wiculoth's design. I believe an army is getting ready to invade my kingdom, under the leadership of Wiculoth, so obviously he must be stopped in any way possible before his intentions can be realised," you say straightforwardly. "Also, I'm still looking for a woman called Zirder, who is a mage like myself and a swordsman called Vandil. If there're both still alive, they have to be somewhere in the spire here."
You shake your head a little, your head feels a little cloudy and you think you might have just said something, but you can't really recall what exactly. You look up to see a grin spreading over the vampire's face but you aren't clear as to why."
"Do you realise that Wiculoth can hear your every word. You really have to control what you say."
"WiculothÂ…how," you shake your head again feeling groggy and a little confused.
"Now let me be straight with you. To get to my master Wiculoth, you must first pass through me because I am the second guardian of the sacred stones. I hope you realise a vampire isn't an easy opponent mortal. So let's get this over with shall we?" he says. "I haven't got much time before sunrise."
"You're a brave soul for accepting a glass of wine from a vampire my mortal friend. I admire those with courage. However, only a thin line can sometimes divide courage with stupidity."
The man puts the glass to his lips, smells the wine, and then places the glass back on the table without tasting any.
A vampire! You had a sneaking suspicion he was judging from his appearance and behaviour. You actually feel a little more relaxed that he has revealed himself to you. You have no idea where this meeting and conversation is leading, so you decide to play along for the meantime and think of some possible ways out of a potential deadly situation.
"The citadel is a strange place in this wide dark empty land, wouldn't you say? Of course, you've seen more of it than any mortals have seen or will ever see."
"Well, you could say that. To me the citadel is an enigma with many dark places, holding many secrets," you reply.
"This room in fact, is one of only two rooms in the citadel with a window and a view over Darkwood. Come, come to the balcony with me and look out at the night. We should enjoy it while it lasts with only one more hour until the dawn."
You get up and warily follow him out onto the stone balcony. He turns to you and says,
"I've been watching you for some time since you entered the central spire my friend. You've been causing such a disturbance. There's such a chaoticness about your recent actions here that seems quite attractive to me. But to my lord Wiculoth, well, just let me say you don't want to make a man like that angry, and that you most definitely have. "Now, my friend," he says, "tell me what your purpose is here exactly, a being of such brightness in a place with such absence of?"
"You cannot lie to me, you cannot hide," says a voice deep in the back of your mind. "The truth, show me what lies deep inside."
"Well, the land of Tarvonis has been weakened and sickened by a deadly plague that was of Wiculoth's design. I believe an army is getting ready to invade my kingdom, under the leadership of Wiculoth, so obviously he must be stopped in any way possible before his intentions can be realised," you say straightforwardly. "Also, I'm still looking for a woman called Zirder, who is a mage like myself and a swordsman called Vandil. If there're both still alive, they have to be somewhere in the spire here."
You shake your head a little, your head feels a little cloudy and you think you might have just said something, but you can't really recall what exactly. You look up to see a grin spreading over the vampire's face but you aren't clear as to why."
"Do you realise that Wiculoth can hear your every word. You really have to control what you say."
"WiculothÂ…how," you shake your head again feeling groggy and a little confused.
"Now let me be straight with you. To get to my master Wiculoth, you must first pass through me because I am the second guardian of the sacred stones. I hope you realise a vampire isn't an easy opponent mortal. So let's get this over with shall we?" he says. "I haven't got much time before sunrise."