World of Warcraft®

(( Hey all, Skrail here. I've been kickin' it on this server for a good while now after transferring here to get in touch with a good friend. Only recently have I begun to really get involved in the RP community, and I thought I'd do my part by carrying over a tradition from my old server to this one: Writing Challenges. ))

(( It's simple, really. I, being the OP, name off a subject. Usually it'll be described in one or two words. After that, it's up to the imaginations of the RP community to take that and roll with it. Write a story, short, long or anything inbetween about one (or more) of your characters related to the subject (as loosely or as closely as you like) and post it in this thread for all to see! There are no prizes, but it gives you, the writer, a chance to show off your skills, or meet other like-minded Roleplayers. Besides that, it's just plain fun. :D ))

(( The only thing I would ask in terms of rules is to be courteous to your fellow Roleplayers. Don't go and kill off somebody else's character in your story without even telling them about it, for example. That kind of thing can easily lead to confusion, drama, etc. Common sense stuff, right? ))

((So without further ado, I give you your subject: Betrayal. Maybe a backstabbing thief leaves his partner in crime in the dust just when he was needed most. Maybe a love-affair gone wrong. Put those imaginations to work!))

((Depending on how popular this becomes, I may decide to start posting threads like this on a weekly basis. Whatever happens, I'm interested in seeing how this plays out. It worked beautifully on my old server's realm forums, so I have high hopes. :D))

Hokujin's breath was erratic. At least, it felt so to him. He had slipped out of his bed, his wife still fast asleep. He tried to steady his heart rate. No avail. Surely the sound of throbbing in his chest would wake her; and then he would be caught. Gently, he slunk deep into the shadows of the bedroom, and made his way into the hallway beyond.

The candle had flickered out. This was both a blessing and a curse. The darkness gave him cover, but Hokujin wasn't a young man anymore; his night vision was waning in his advanced age. His eyes dilated, trying to focus upon the spot where the stairs began. He prayed they wouldn't creek, lest he was given away.

Every step sounded like the banging of a drum in his ears. He grimaced, hating every foot fall. Coming to the stairs, he carefully put his hand around the railing, steadying himself.

'If I take this step, there's no going back...'

His heart throbbed, as if it were trying to escape. There was sweat on his brow and his palm. His lips were chapped and his mouth dry. He hesitated; Whether from vertigo or regret, he couldn't be sure. He could feel every pump of his blood in his skull. His ears twitching, aware of every sound in the gloom. Finally, he took the first step.

His fate was sealed. And he knew it. The Paladin's remorse mingled with his desire, which had only tripled when he took that first step. Every subsequent step was like the tip of a scale, with his resistance and guilty ebbing, and his hunger growing. His head became cloudy. He cared less for the noise he was making. He breathed through his mouth, licking his cracking lips. Hokujin came upon the landing.

He faced the humble living room he and his wife Gladis shared. There was the kitchen, the table and chairs, their book case, guest beds, and the door. A wave of fear and self loathing washed over him. He loved Gladis dearly, yet here he was... Stepping toward the core of the house, his decision had already been made. He knew there was no going back now.

He sighed deeply, steadying himself. He reached a hand out. It felt like forever, those moments. That was his last chance to turn back. Every muscle tensed. His mind was focused, yet foggy. He licked his lips. And he grasped. A spasm of broken inhibition went through his body. This was it.

'No one can know about this...' Hokujin thought to himself, as he ate Gladis' birthday cake.

[[How appropriate.]]


With uncharacteristic patience, Nozz slowly adjusted her monocle as she waited for the teller. The woman had just picked up her note.

“If you’ll excuse me a moment, Ms. Tappet. Ambassador.” The teller hurriedly consulted her supervisor. The supervisor in turn began to discreetly inspect the document. The words “legitimate” and “proper seal” carried over. Eventually the teller returned, slightly embarrassed. Nozz noticed the supervisor had taken a few steps that conveniently put him just within earshot of the transaction.

Nozz rubbed one of the silvery buttons on her frock coat. Her voice was low, but pleasant. “I simply had no idea waterfront property sold for so much these days.”

“I-I’m sorry,” the teller stammered. “We don’t see these kind of transactions every day.”

“Oh, I understand. Tell me … will you be placing bets on how many gruesome clues will be discovered? I hear the city guard has a good pool going.” Nozz smiled in a conspiring manner. “I’m just glad to be out of this dum- Oh. Pardon me. It’s easy to forget you can’t say bad things about this place.” The gnome's voice turned to a whisper. “It’s not allowed.”

The teller’s hands shook as she wrote out the receipt. Somehow, the gnome was pulling off a minimal yet very effective creepiness today.

Once outside, Nozz paused in the middle of the counting house steps. As she folded the receipt and secured it inside a pocket, someone called for her.

“Ambassador! Ambassador Tappet!” A night elf woman emerged from the crowd. “I hear you’re doing an inspection tour?”

Before Nozz could reply, the elf continued. “A group of us has been working on a project and thought it would be a good idea if you would organize an Ambassador’s Ball. Could you have it ready by the –“

Bluish white flared in the gnome’s clockwork eye.

“Ah, yes, your committee of let’s-get-things-done-for-our-exclusive-friends-only. I think I remember your group rather well. Unfortunately.” Nozz took her time in producing a small black book, casually flipping past pages. “First things first, my dear …”

There was something unusually peculiar about the gnome, which was saying a lot for the eccentric. She seemed possessed by a regal air, a certain pride - traits that in the past, Nozz would have attempted to subdue or even hide. Something had changed.

Her natural eye was obfuscated by the monocle, leaving the clockwork device to stare balefully at the night elf.

“Your plans will have to wait. The inspection will be held in nineteen days, and immediately following that …”

Nozz grinned, privy to something that the night elf was ignorant of.

“I do believe the expression is, tit for tat.” Her words dripped spoiled honey, the grin evolved into something grotesque. Nozz snapped the appointment book shut. “Find yourself another lackey." The next word that followed wasn't Common, nor was it Gnomish, yet by its very tone sounded filthy. Abhorrent.

She pushed past the elf, muttering, "I need to get out of this festering heap of breathers. I have a dead man waiting for me at home ..."




[[Thank you for posting something roleplay related on these forums.]]

Yay! Nozz story!

((Just a short one from me right now))

Valhelm woke with a start. By the sun shining through the windows onto the table he realized it must be mid-morning, and the humans hadn't bothered to wake him to get him out of their pub. "Prob'ly scared o' all me spiky bits on me armor." Val chuckled to himself, then grasped his head. "Oooh, tha's a headache."

"Wait... why'd I get a..." Val thought back to drinking the last night with Drugen. And the argument. "Tha' bugger hit me in tha' head wit' 'is staff! All o'er a drinkin' contest. Now tha' was nay very..."

Val sputtered in rage. Tossing a couple of gold coins to the serving staff that had just come inside to clean the place up, he ran out raving; "THA' BLEEDIN' BUGGER DRANK ALL ME BEER!"

Lordaeron.

I have not seen this land so green since I was a boy. There is actual grass to spring beneath my bony feet now, and wildlife untainted by the plague. The dirt is rich and brown again, and at the moment, one can hear true silence, uninterrupted by the clatter of restless bones. Yes, the Argents and the druids did a fine job with this land -- it is restored to a state I thought impossible. Were I another kind of man, I might even say it gives me hope for the rest of this world.

Nozz finally has made good on her wish to abandon Stormwind -- she has sold the warehouse. She said she cared not where we ended up. I told her I would find someplace for us to go, and perhaps now I have... A vacant property, about halfway between Hearthglen and Andorhal.

The skeletal horse beneath me pads the ground, counterfeiting life. Together we look across the deserted farm, toward the decaying barn and cobwebbed house. Just one of the dozens, perhaps hundreds of plots that were lost in the war, their owners fled or murdered or Scourged a decade ago. If nobody has come for this one by now, nobody will.

My horse and I trot to the front door. I slip off and try the door. Locked. No matter. A simple cantrip can solve that...

The door opens into a dusty kitchen. The plates are still set out for a dinner that should have been served years ago. Rotted clothes hang above a long-dry washbasin. Before the hearth lies the bones of the owner. Impossible to tell what got her. I will bury her before I leave.

Yes, this will do fine. For now, Nozz can simply believe that I suggested this place because I wanted to come back to the land of my birth. Because my brother lives so close, in Hearthglen. Because I could think of nowhere better to suggest. No other place would provide me with such compelling lies.

My horse and I stand less than a day's ride from Andorhal. The Undercity is too entrenched for now, too engendered to Her will. But Andorhal... That is fresh territory. If my plans should ever come to fruition, they will have to start there.

A new home in the Plaguelands. A place to sew, and study, and plan, and wait. Yes, my Dark Lady. Here, I will have all the time in the world.

((So far it's been a really great turnout. There've been 5 replies, which is frankly 5 more replies than I thought I'd get, to be honest. :P))

((I'll be continuing these threads for a while and see where it takes us. I plan to post a new one sometime within the next 24 hours. New thread, new subject, of course!))

((Thanks for the stories, everyone. They were all really great reads.))