Posted by Søren on July 23, 2000 at 09:08:02:

In Reply to: Role (Careful this could be long, flames and help wanted as long as they are constructive) posted by Permanent Newbie on July 19, 2000 at 15:22:49:

> Born in the dead of night upon the bewitching hour, in the month
> of Ancient Darkness, Carthartes Taz'Rinah as he was promptly
> named, always seemed to carry a presence of darkness about
> him... Even as a small child. The blackness that hung over his
> soul was not the only thing that set him apart as a child, He
> also had been born deformed in relation to most Arials with
> there bright colours and proud feathers upon there head and
> wings. Carthartes, due to some cruel fate or past life sin had
> been tortured with the fact that no feathers would or had ever
> grown upon his face and neck, instead a red leathery skin had
> formed giving him a somewhat hideous and devil like appearence.

> His Father Akan Taz'Rinah, a reknowned thief, at first could not
> except that this child was his, after all who would ever own up
> to having created such a beast. His hatred of the devil spawn as
> he called Carthartes would allow him no verbal contact with his
> son, therefore for the first six years of his young life,
> Carthartes only knew beatings from his father. These beatings
> seemed only to serve as fuel for the hatred and blackness that
> consumed the young arials soul.

> Upon Carthartes seventh year upon the face of thera, Akan awoke
> Carthartes in the dead of the night. His purpose was unclear and
> frightened a rather grumpy Carthartes.

> "Son" he said in a hushed tone.

> "what isss it?" hissed Carthartes.

> "I need your help" came the whispered reply.

> "And what haveee you ever done for meee?" snarled Carthartes.

> Akan began to beat Carthartes, his large fists reigning down
> mighty blows upon the small arials frame. A large hand cupped
> Carthartes beak shut so his cries could not be heard. Loud thuds
> and muffled moans rang out as the onslaught continued.
> Carthartes struggled as best he could but to no avail, he was
> simply too small to break free of the titanistic grip his father
> held on him.

> "You ungreatful bastard, you'll do as I say, lest I kill you
> myself" yelled Akan.

> With that Carthartes stopped struggling. Akan then released his
> grip slowly and threw him his clothes.

> "Get dressed, you little shit" Akan growled "we'll be leaving
> soon".

> **********************************************************************

> Out of the city and into the wilds Akan dragged the tired and
> bewildered Carthartes, his massive arm clutching the small arials neck
> to keep him from struggling free. From Carthartes cruel looking beak
> came all sorts of hisses, snarls and foul mouthed curses, all of which
> simply made his captor's grip tighter.

> "Whereee are you taking meee?" snarled Carthartes.

> But no reply was uttered, Akan simply dragged him on. Where was he
> headed and was he about to die at the hands of his father? One hundred
> and one thoughts rocketed through Carthartes mind. Visions of deathes,
> beatings and other horrific deeds ricohet from the blackness into
> Carthartes reality and then faded away.

> **********************************************************************************

> "We're there" whispered Akan, as he threw Carthartes to the ground
> with a thump.

> "Whereee isss here ?" Snarled a slightly brused Carthartes

> "The Temple of Agathocles you fool !" came Akans reply "Now be quiet
> before I beat you again".

> "What are weee doing here ?" he hissed without a thought for his own
> well being.

> Akan raised the back of his huge hand high into the air. Then with the
> greatest of easy brought it down with one foul swoop, collecting
> Carthartes head on the way through and knocking him into some nearby
> bushes. Carthartes snarled and hissed loudly, Rage and anger filling
> every corner of his being. Lashing out with both fist and cruel hook
> shaped beak Carthartes attempted to attack his father, but to no avail.
> All his attempts were either blocked or landed with little affect upon
> Akan. Akan grabbed Carthartes by the throat and shook him violently.

> "I said shut it, you little bastard" cried the enraged Akan in a half
> hushed voice.

> ***********************************************************************

> "Now then son, you know the plan. It's your job to sneak in and steal
> cloak out from under the priests nose. I'll keep a look out from here"
> whispered Akan in a hushed tone.

> Carthartes nodded in agreement, for he knew his hands were tied and he
> would surely die if he was to refuse.

> Slowly and very hesistantly Carthartes began to sneak further and
> further into the darkness of the temple. His eyes peeled for any sign
> of the Priest and the cloak his father prized so dearly. Carthartes
> thought to himself if only I had a weapon then I would have the upper
> hand against my father. He entertained the thought of a long slim
> dagger being driven into his fathers side as he snuck from piller to
> piller. A wry smile flashing across his face he replayed the thought
> over and over.

> On he snuck, through into the inner Sanctum, his beady little eyes
> fixsated on the dark shadows looking for movement. A dark sense of
> dread began to wash over him the further he tread, what evil had
> created this place, what was to be his fate if caught?

> Carthartes looked around in awe and with such fear that his little
> knees began to shake violently. The walls were covered in pictures,
> demonic symbols and strange runes which seemed to pulsate and grow with
> the flickering and spattering of the torches light. Shadow hands
> reached for Carthartes from ever corner of the room, frightened yet
> thrilled by the pure maneviolence of this room, his mind began to spin.
> Around and around, into infinitey it spirilled, until a single image
> broke through. The image of an eclipsing moon burned itself in the
> walls of his memory. Carthartes screamed in pain, His small body
> writhing as the image grew brighter and brighter. On it blazed, for
> what seemed to be an eternatity, The pain growing till to a climax
> then slowly fading. Carthartes cackled with glee as he fell to the
> ground.

> ***********************************************************************

> Carthartes awoke suddenly to a sharp stabbing pain in his side. A large
> figure stood over him, dressed in dark grey cloak covered in the same
> runes and symbols as he had seen in the inner sanctum. The figure kept
> poking him with the sharp end of a spear, if only to watch Carthartes
> squirm. The figure laughed loudly from behind the cowl of his cloak as
> Carthartes came too.

> "What isss it? Whereee am I ?" snarled a confused Carthartes.

> "The Temple of the Eclipsing Moon" the figure laughed menacingly.

> "what happened to me ?" hissed a still groggy Carthartes.

> "I found your pathetic little body unconscious in the inner sanctum"
> said the figure as he stabbed at Carthartes side once again.

> "What were you doing there ?" Barks the figure.

> Carthartes stutters and splutters as he attempts to make up an excuse,
> but it is no good, his stinging headache and total confusion made it
> impossible to string together a decent story. Bits and pieces of
> stories began to come together but nothing convincing enough to fool
> the figure before him.

> "Utter Bull shit" cried the figure. "I know exactly why you are here,
> how your father beats you and how your foul birth was planned".

> "I know of your fathers greed, your mothers lust and the life of chaos
> you were born into" laughs the figure.

> "Greed, It serves you not, so long as it is merely the want of
> possesions" He continued.

> Carthartes sat bewildered, what other greed was there ? He just sat
> there with a blank look upon his, attempting to take in what the figure
> was saying.

> "Greed for the true power is the only exceptable greed. You must hunger
> for true power in order to obtain it and without this greed your life
> is worth nothing" snarled the figure.

> Carthartes is even more bewilder at this, but slowly he grasps the fact
> that his and his fathers Greed for possessions has got him nowhere.

> "What is true power you ask ?" said the figure

> Carthartes nods in agreement.

> "Well don't" screams the figure, "Never interrupt me. True power is
> the ability to manipulate the Systems or Society for your own gain. To
> do this you must have order, the order of the Systems of Society, for
> example the order of ranks in an Army such as the Empire. To maintain
> order you must have strength. Strength is what is used to gain true
> power and to cull those that would keep you from holding it".

> "Do you understand, young fledgling of the Eclipsing Moon?" asked the
> figure.

> "Yessss" replied Carthartes with a wicked grin.

> "Excellent" cackled the figure.

> The figure began to laugh menacingly, the sound chilled Carthartes to
> the bone, yet at the same time hit a chord within his black soul. He
> felt both the fear for his life and awe struck wonder of a manoviolent
> and powerful being at once, causing him to snicker with interperdation.

> As the figures laughter began to trail off, Carthartes realised that
> the figure was no longer there. Where he had once stood there was only
> the cloak he had woren. Carthartes quickly grabbed the cloak and made
> a run for the temple doors, burst through to the other side only to be
> stopped dead in his tracks by Akans large fist. With a thump Carthartes
> fell to the ground, once again dazed.

> "So you thought you'd leave without me, you greed little bastard"
> Yelled Akan as he shook his fist at Carthartes.

> "Your greed shall be your downfall" hissed Carthartes.

> "And what would you know ?" laughed Akan "Now hand it over".

> Carthartes picked himself up and began to hand over the cloak, as he
> did the hatred and anger towards his father began to boil over inside
> him. Enraged Carthartes knocked his father to the ground, seeing this
> was his his chance to progress up the order he grabbed the largest
> rock he could find nearby and began to beat his father to death with
> it.

> **********************************************************************
> After his rage subsided and his fathers body lay limp on the path
> outside the temple, Carthartes rummaged through his fathers pockets
> grabbing everything he could possibly need and slowly made his way
> back to galadon.

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