The
Iron Reaver’s Throne: Epoch Gambit
Part
One: Playing the Fool
After
ten months, they were finally back. Dorian Meer set his eyes on
the familiar fog covered hills of the ancient city. The peaks
of the hills covered the site were the same as he remembered them
being. Grass covered with nearly unmarked stones and moss
covered everything else. Only one thing broke the endless sea of
highlands here. A black iron spike broke the landscape. It was
lodged in a hilltop, one of the last things they had picked up in the
dungeon the last time they were here. The haft of a javelin had
been sank into the hill, the broken tip replaced with black iron
taken from the dungeon.
“Is
this your marker?” Dorian was much happier about the trip to the
dungeon this time around. They had hired a wizard and scholar
to accompany their group. Kevoran Boreal Guevenne was an old hand at
adventuring, and a weak curse breaker. He and his owl familiar,
Herod, had been a great help. They were academically skilled and he
had a secret home on another plane of existence. Inheritance, he
claimed. But he could draw a shape of a door on anything and
access his small secret space at any time. Older than anyone else by
far, but knowledgeable about many subjects. His scruffy brown hair
had some gray patches, but the middle aged man was one of the most
valuable members of their expedition.
Lenna
Shadewake came up behind him, her hair in a different style than when
she was last here. Instead of a giant braid hanging down her
back she had twin braids hanging from her shoulders and connecting
back into each other near her belt. The blonde hair had been
cursed on the trip previous journey and was still ten feet of
unbreakable length. She wore it all over her shoulders and torso
now, as the hair could stop most piercing weapons. She had been
a Human, once. Now her blue skin and elfin ears were marks of the
Sylph race, gifted in all things of air and lightning. Dorian was
also her familiar, which he had some regrets about. Lenna’s legs,
what she called her most beautiful feature, were always on display.
As a mage, she didn’t want to have anything interfere with
her spellcasting. Or so she claimed. Really the woman had barely
any boobs to speak of, and last time they had come here she had
gained the legs and booty that could be called respectable.
Even
when he was human and she was his girlfriend she was quite vain.
Even now that he was a hawk she still felt vanity for her body.
She could feel his senses, and he amplified her magic. She had
to do as he said, though. Part of her Sylph abilities were connected
to who she was with at the time of that transformation. If he
or Alexandra asked her to do something, she would do it without
thinking. Her mid-thigh length skirts were just one of the things
she wore as a result of that. Of course, Lenna was only doing
that because of jealousy.
Coming
up behind her was the reason for that jealousy. One of Lenna’s old
friends. Lavinia Gale was an olive skinned human from the
wandering tribal groups surrounding Galen. An old nation long
since fallen, and its people scattered. Lavinia was a curvaceous
short woman with no fear. Land or sea she was able to guide by
the stars and signs. More importantly, she understood some of the
language that was in these ruins. Hanging from her belt were a
pair of dire flails that should have been too heavy for it. Not that
her outfit was any more reasonable. Lavinia didn’t believe in
modesty, only in practicality. As such, the only thing covering
her legs were pairs of long socks that kept her warm. The rest of
her was wrapped in an outfit that could classify as a dress if it
actually covered her ass. A pair of tight shorts were always
visible, if they could be considered such. Dorian did admit she
had a very nice ass to look at. She didn’t mind anyone looking at
her, in fact she encouraged it. Her shoulders and wrists were
heavily armored, but the rest of that woman was as soft as one could
imagine.
The
only man here was Kevoran, and he always kept his eyes politely
elsewhere. Dorian knew that whoever Lavinia was showing off to,
it wasn’t him. That left the last two members of their expedition.
Alexandra Heliot and Tori. Alexandra was his girlfriend of
sorts, even though she didn’t like to admit that she was dating a
bird. Birdman. Whatever. Alexandra had been a gladiator, a free
woman who entered the Verusian arenas to fight and win money and
fame. She had succeeded, and her trident was at her side
always. She, Lenna, and Dorian had been the only ones to make it out
last time. Dorian had entered a man and come out a hawk. Lenna had
gone in human and come out part elemental. Alexandra had probably
gotten it the worst.