Masters of the Universe - A New Vision

[He-Man54]

Glad to see some updated here guys...Keep it up!!

[Darth Latveria]

Glad to see some updated here guys...Keep it up!!

Glad you're liking it. Also glad someone's actually reading the stuff!

Here's the next part of the story:

Princely Duties - Part V

Having just spoken with the soldiers, Duncan told Adam that he believes it would be best if they left Urdot. Adam was taken aback and said, “Are you kidding me? They need our help!”

“Adam, I know how dire the situation is. But you are the crown prince of Eternia. It kills me to leave them but you must be protected. You can’t stay here because it is too dangerous and I’d leave some of our men behind and send you back with the rest as protection but the second that they learn that the prince is in a caravan on the way back to Eternos they will come after you. I don’t trust our chances of your being able to outrun them and I certainly don’t think you’ll be able to fight them off without a full contingent of our troops. The best chance we have of protecting you is us all leaving immediately with the our full contingent of soldiers to protect you.”

“Duncan, you can’t be serious. This is a tiny agricultural community. They aren’t trained soldiers and they probably don’t even have enough weapons to protect themselves. It’ll be a massacre!”

“Adam they didn’t even warn us about the possibility of a raider attack before coming!”

“They didn’t think the raiders were going to come after them. Don’t you think that they’d have asked for a contingent of soldiers instead of just some wheat if they thought their village was about to be attacked? We need to stand with them.”

“Adam, there is no other choice. You must be prot—“

“I am Prince Adam, heir to the throne of Eternia. Do you know what that means? That means that I outrank you. If I am going to rule this kingdom someday I must be worthy of my people’s trust. My fate will be the same as the fate of my people.”

Duncan was about to argue but Adam loudly said, “I have made myself clear and I am going to inform Eric of our decision,” and walked out of the room.

Teela had been standing outside the door listening in on the discussion and had to jump aside when the door burst open and Adam strode outside. Looking at Adam as he passed her she smiled a little and she gave a slight nod of approval.

[Darth Latveria]

Princely Duties - Part VI

The soldiers worked through the night to prepare the village for the attack. The villagers didn’t have many weapons but they did have farm tools could easily be used in their place. Anyone who was fit enough to fight was armed with whatever they could find, whether it be an old sword, a shovel or an axe. The elderly and children were told to remain together in a barn.

Adam wanted to fight but Duncan insisted that he and Teela remain with the villagers who weren’t fighting. Duncan pointed out that Adam’s decision to make them stay was virtuous but it would be stupid for one with as little combat training as him to fight on the front lines. Not only would he be of little help, but he’d actually be a liability. Furthermore, with Teela there to guard him they could try to protect the villagers if the raiders made it to the barn.

For the most part, the battle itself wasn’t very noteworthy. The raiders were savage and cruel, but they weren’t particularly well trained. They were just a group of barbarous cretins with weapons that the Eternian soldiers had relatively little trouble in defeating. But there was on part of the battle that stuck out.

Five raiders had separated themselves from the pack and were making their way towards the barn. The soldiers didn’t notice them, but Teela who had been watching from the roof of the barn with Adam saw them coming their way. She told Adam to wait for her while she fought the raiders, but Adam refused and said he’d help her.

Walking out of the barn she quickly took out one of the attackers while Adam squared off with another. Adam tried to hit the raider with the blunt end of his spear but the raider easily sidestepped the blow and viciously kicked Adam in the gut. Winded Adam stumbled backward, tripping over his own feet and fell backwards hitting his head on a nearby trough. Adam hit his head hard and was dazed from it. Glassy eyed he watched as Teela quickly dispatched the raider that had attacked Adam. Then he watched as she took down two of the three others. But the third one got the drop on her and tackled her from behind, causing her to be pushed roughly into a tree and leaving her winded. The man then picked up a dagger and made his way towards Teela.

Adam watched this and even though he was barely conscious it registered that Teela was in trouble. Before he knew it, his right hand was grasping the spear and he was running towards the attacker, a loud snarl coming out of his mouth.

The attacker turned around and the last thing he ever saw was a snarling prince running at him with a spear and screaming, “LEAVE HER ALONE.”

Adam collided with the attacker, the spear thrusting right through his heart and out of his back. Adam and the man both tripped over Teela and fell to the ground as Adam continued to punch the man in the face as if possessed. A few seconds into the savage attack, Adam regained his senses and rolled off the man. Teela stood up and looked down at Adam, who was now utterly drenched in blood, and said, “Thanks a lot. I… I never thought you had it in you.”

Adam looked up at Teela, and then looked down at the body and without another word vomited all over himself. Looking at the vomit Teela then said, “I didn’t know you had all that in you either.”

[Darth Latveria]

Princely Duties - Part VII

The soldiers and villagers fought a resoundingly successful battle. All twenty-nine raiders lay dead at their feet and the only losses taken were two dead villagers, two dead soldiers, four seriously wounded villagers and one soldier that was so badly wounded that he would need to remain in Urdot until Randor could send some healing mages to help bring him home safely. There were also some minor injuries, such as Duncan’s sprained ankle, but they weren’t terribly vexing.

After the battle had ended, Duncan limped to the barn to check on Adam, Teela and the rest of the villagers and was surprised to find Adam covered in blood and surrounded by corpses. Teela told Duncan what had happened and he told Teela to go and help tend to the wounded so that he could speak to Adam alone.

Adam lifted his head and meekly said, “I killed him. I killed him in cold blood. I didn’t even try to disable him. I simply murdered him.”

With a sigh Duncan said, “Adam, I understand how you feel. Your first kill is never easy.”

“Duncan, it’s more than that. I am He-Man, a symbol of good and virtue. I can’t be a killer.”

“You are Prince Adam. Human, just like myself and your father. Although you at times wield the great power of He-Man, you must remember that he has certain benefits that the rest of us do not. As humans we aren’t always perfect and we don’t always have infinite options. You did what you had to do to save Teela. Yes He-Man could likely have saved her without killing the raider, but there are very few who can say the same. You did what was needed and although you should never enjoy taking the life of another, in this case you should just accept that it was done and move on with your life. Use this as an opportunity to push yourself to work harder and learn more. Even though you must pretend to be flippant and not take things seriously, you can still use your personal time to improve your skills and become a better warrior.”

Sadly Adam says, “Yes Duncan… you’re right.”

“There is one thing you should know though. These raiders… I am unsure of where they come from. Many of them have a sort of snake insignia either tattooed into their flesh or sewn into their clothes.”

“Snake? But they were human, not Snakemen.”

“I know. I don’t understand it either and it worries me as well. When we return to Eternos I am going to ask your father to send a few platoons of soldiers and possibly some of the defenders of Eternia out here to see what is going on. If a Snakemen thread is rising once more we will need to react to it as quickly as possible.”

“When do we leave?”

“The day after tomorrow. I want to stay for a bit so that the soldiers can help get the rebuilding started. Also, it’s a long ride home and I want our men to get at least another night of sleep in a decent bed before we begin our trek.”

To be continued in Things That Go Bump In The Night – And Then Rip Your Arms Off

[Darth Latveria]

Things That Go Bump In The Night – And Then Rip Your Arms Off – Part I

After helping the villagers start repairing the damage done to Urdot by the raiders, Duncan, Adam, Teela and the five remaining, relatively uninjured soldiers were ready to return back to Eternos. Thanks to the avalanche in the mountainous area between Eternos and Urdot they had to return home by going through the forests that surrounded the mountains which would make the trip home longer than the trip to Urdot. They had decided to bring just one of the wagons back to Eternos, because it was harder to pull the wagon through the forests than it was to take them through the ravine in the mountainous regions. The remaining two wagons would be picked up later when other soldiers were sent to Urdot to determine the origins of the raiders.

Adam was still feeling uneasy about the results of the battle, but he was slowly coming to terms with the fact that he had killed one of the raiders. All he wanted to do was crawl into his bed in the palace and cuddle with Cringer until the memory of the dead raider left his mind for good. Teela was also happy to go home. She had grown tired of being in such a small village and wanted to get back to training with the other royal guards.

Adam wasn’t pleased about having to return through the forest. He’d heard stories about the forest being cursed and didn’t care to test the veracity of those claims. Sadly he had no choice because it would take many dozens of men to unblock the ravine after the avalanche and they couldn’t stay away from Eternos indefinitely.

Normally Teela would tease Adam about his complaining about having to go through the forest, but after he had saved her during the battle a few days earlier she was a lot more inclined to cut him some slack. Also, although she’d never admit this to anyone else, she found the stories about the forest’s curse a little creepy too.

Saying good-bye to Eric, Duncan joined Teela and Adam in the wagon, giving a soldier the signal to leave the village.

[wolfsfang]

for those who do not wish to trawl through so many posts I have updated the links on the first page

[Darth Latveria]

Things That Go Bump In The Night – And Then Rip Your Arms Off – Part II

Riding through the forest, Adam was struck by how quiet it was. Normally he’d hear animals running around and birds chirping, but this particular forest seemed eerily quiet. Trying to get his mind off of the strangeness of the forest, he looked to Duncan and said, “Have you had any more thoughts on the snake emblems found on the raiders?”

“I really don’t know what to make of it. It’s been so long since the Snakemen were a threat.”

“Could it be King Hiss making a return?”

“Hiss? I don’t know… Hiss existed nearly three thousand years ago. We have so few records from that time that I am not even certain that he’s much more than a myth. I suspect that the Sorceress might know more about Hiss but she’s never spoken to me about the Snakemen.’

“Is it possible that he has returned?”

“It’s likely been close to 3000 years. I don’t see how he could have returned. But I suppose it is possible. After all, we believed that Hordak had been vanquished and he still managed to return a couple thousand years later. However, there is one aspect of this that makes me doubt that it is related to King Hiss.”

“What aspect of it?”

“The raiders were human. If the legends are true, King Hiss was notoriously xenophobic. He hated humans and I doubt he’d be willing to use them as soldiers.”

“After his time, weren’t there other risings?”

“Yes. There are records of other instances of them causing trouble, but nothing ever on the scale of King Hiss. There was even a time when the Snakemen made a truce of sorts with the humans, around the time of King Grayskull. But the details of how that truce ended are long forgotten and the Snakemen are all but extinct now.”

“Any chance of it just being a fashion statement?”

Rolling his eyes, Duncan looked to Teela and asked her if she had any thoughts on the snake emblems. In a serious voice she said, “I don’t know who they are but I have a feeling that if they aren’t eradicated soon we’ll have a serious threat to deal with in the future.”

[Darth Latveria]

Posting this on the off chance that someone is actually reading the NV still...

Things That Go Bump In The Night – And Then Rip Your Arms Off – Part III

Although the forest was creepy and supposedly cursed the first three days of travel through it were peaceful. The land wasn’t ideal for travel with a wagon but so far they’d been able to find wide enough spaces to pass through without getting stuck. Fortuitously there were delicious berries in the forest that Adam would go picking when the soldiers set up camp at the beginning of every evening.

On the fourth night Teela felt a little uneasy in the forest. She didn’t know what it was, but she had the feeling that she was being watched. Breaking away from the group, Teela walked around the campsite in search of whatever was watching her but was quickly called back by Duncan when he saw that she had wandered off. Telling Duncan about her feelings, Duncan quietly told her that she had nothing to worry about. He also told her that she shouldn’t worry Adam any further since his nerves were already frayed after the battle of Urdot.

Sitting next to Duncan at the campfire, Teela was handed a plate of food. The people of Urdot had been generous when giving them food for the travel home, providing a large quantity of bread, cheese and cured meats. Duncan had told Teela to stop acting so paranoid and on the surface she listened, but as she slowly chewed on her meat her eyes never stopped wandering around the forest looking for signs of whatever it was that she was sensing.

As usual, Adam, Duncan and Teela slept in the back of the wagon while the soldiers camped outside with one always staying up to keep watch. Teela swore to herself that she wouldn’t sleep that night, but in time she couldn’t help but give into her exhaustion. She wasn’t woken up in a pleasant manner.

[Darth Latveria]

Things That Go Bump In The Night – And Then Rip Your Arms Off – Part IV

Sometime a little before sunrise, a soldier shouted out that one of the others was missing. Duncan, Adam and Teela quickly jumped out of the wagon to join the soldiers. Trent, the soldier who had been on lookout duty had disappeared. Edward, another soldier, had woken up to relieve himself it was he who shouted out that Trent was missing.

They wanted to search for Trent right away but Duncan ordered that they stay put and make a perimeter. Until daylight, which was only an hour away, he didn’t want to separate the group. Whatever had taken Trent away had to be exceedingly dangerous for it to be able to abduct him without making a sound.

When the sun had risen, Duncan carefully searched the area and found some tracks. Duncan was unable to follow the tracks himself due to his hurt ankle and wasn’t sure how far the trail would lead, so he sent a couple of the soldiers to follow it.

A few minutes later the soldiers came running back saying that they had found what was left of Trent a little more than a mile away. Tightening the splint on his ankle, Duncan told them to take him to Trent’s remains, ordering Teela and Adam to remain at the campsite with the other two soldiers.

Arriving at Trent’s remains, Duncan was grateful that he had told the children to remain at the camp site. Trent had quite literally been torn to shreds and his remains were scattered across the forest floor.

Duncan saw bruising around Trent's throat. This signified that he had taken a lot of damage to it before being killed. This was an unnerving fact. Whatever had killed Trent appeared to be more than a simple wild animal. It showed signs of intelligence in its decision to damage Trent’s throat first, taking away his ability to shout for help.

Trent’s torso had been ripped wide open. Judging by the numerous missing organs, and the various bite marks around the flesh, it appeared that the creature that had abducted Trent did so to eat him. Studying the bite marks, Duncan saw that the creature had very large and jagged teeth, similar to a lion. Furthermore, there were bite marks around shattered ribs, meaning that the creature had incredibly strong jaw muscles. Duncan saw that there was a wide bloody spray around the area, indicating that the creature preferred to eat live pray.

Shaken by what he had seen, Duncan returned to the campsite and ordered one of the soldiers to bury what was left of Trent.

Looking at Teela, he somberly said, “I should have listened.”

Quietly, Teela replied, “It’s okay dad. Tonight we’ll be ready if it returns.”

[Darth Latveria]

Things That Go Bump In The Night – And Then Rip Your Arms Off – Part V

That day the travelers tried to cover as much distance as possible, hoping to get far enough away from the creature that had killed Trent for it to no longer be a threat. But regardless of the distance travelled, they chose to lay some traps before going to sleep so as to capture it before anyone else was hurt.

Surrounding the camp they strung up some bells that they hoped would be tripped by the creature, alerting them to its presence. They also hid a net under some leaves attached to a contraption that Duncan had devised that would pull the net up into the tree if the creature touched it. Finally, they dug a few holes, about 4 feet deep, that were filled with upward pointing spikes and covered them with branches and leaves.

That night when they went to sleep, Duncan, Adam and Teela went into the wagon as usual, but they stayed awake, with their weapons at their sides. On this night, Edward stood guard watching for any signs of the creature; clad in one of the two plate-mail armors that they had brought with them to Urdot (Duncan insisted that Adam wear the other). The other soldiers went to bed wearing chain mail, but they could do little more than doze.

For hours nothing happened. Occasionally one of the bells would make a slight noise, but that was from the wind. Suddenly, the net trap was sprung and something was pulled up into the tree. The soldiers, Duncan and Teela ran to the trap while Adam stayed behind on Duncan’s orders. Getting to the trap, they saw that a thick log had been thrown onto the net, setting it off. The creature had discovered the ambush and used it to catch the Eternians by surprise.

Before anyone could react, a large creature dropped from the tree and attacked the soldiers. Edward slashed at it with his broadsword, but his blows caused little more than minor flesh wounds. The creature retaliated by slashing right through Edwards plate mail, ripping him open. Another soldier rushed at the creature with his spear but the creature grabbed the spear with its right hand and broke it in two with his fingers. Picking up the man, the creature bit through the chainmail tearing a chunk of his side out, ripped off his arm and threw him into the third soldier, whom he then pounced upon, quickly tearing his head off.

Hearing the commotion Adam grabbed his spear and rushed towards the creature, but it simply backhanded Adam in the ribs causing him to fly through the air and land in one of the spike-traps that had been set. Turning its attention back to the main group, the creature grabbed hold of the final soldier’s neck, injuring his throat with its strong grip, and bounded off into the forest before the others could follow.

Duncan’s immediate concern was what had happened to Prince Adam, so he hobbled towards the trap and saw that the plate mail armor had protected Adam from the spikes. Ordering Teela to get some rope to help Adam out of the trap, Duncan went to tend to the others but it was too late. The creature had caused very serious injuries to the soldiers and even the ones who might’ve had a hope of surviving in Eternos had no hope here without the help of healing mages.

Turning back to Teela, Duncan saw that she had helped pull Adam out of the trap. Adam was lucky because the wooden spikes had only hit the solid portions of the armor and not the joints, protecting him from perforation. Looking at the chest piece, Duncan saw that it was all that had saved Adam from the creature’s blow. It was dented in the shape of the creature’s hand and although Adam had badly bruised ribs, it saved him from having them shattered.

As Teela was gathering their things to be placed into the wagon to continue the trip home, Adam pulled Duncan to the side to talk.

“I knew that coming out this far without the sword of power was going to be a problem.”

“There was no way to change your father’s mind without making him suspicious, but right now I’d rather deal with his suspicion.”

“Did you get a good look at the creature?”

“No… it was dark and he moved too fast.”

“Is there any way we can beat this thing?”

“Under different circumstances I could do it, but until my ankle heals I don’t think I can.”

“What are we going to do?”

“Pray that the Sorceress is looking over us and will guide us home.”

[Darth Latveria]

If anyone is reading this, PLEASE take the time to do a quick reply and tell us what you think of the stories that are currently coming out.

Things That Go Bump In The Night – And Then Rip Your Arms Off – Part VI



Travelling the next day was a somber affair. Duncan, Teela and Adam had little to say and the near certainty of death had chilled them to the bone. Duncan sat up front guiding the horses, while Adam and Teela sat in the in the wagon nervously looking outwards.

They had spent much of the day burying the soldiers and the one that had been taken by the creature was never found. Inside the wagon, they were carrying whatever weapons had been salvaged from the dead soldiers as well as any useable armor, but they knew that the armor wouldn’t help.

Around mid-day they had to stop for a bit to let the horses drink some water from a nearby stream. Teela got out of the wagon to stretch her legs, but then she once more had the feeling that they were being watched and raced into the forest with her staff. Duncan shouted at her to stop but she didn’t listen. Moments after she had left their line of sight, they heard her let out a shriek, causing Adam and Duncan to rush to find her.

When they reached her, they were greeted with an unexpected sight. She was sitting on the ground, her arms tied behind her. Next to her was a large, muscular man who was holding a nasty looking axe.

Duncan said, “Stranger explain your actions!”

Looking at Duncan, the man said, “Why should I explain myself to you?”

“I am Duncan Ardurr, Man-at-Arms for King Randor of Eternos. Why have you tied up my daughter?”

“Your title interests me little. The Valhallons have never cared much about who your king is. As for the girl, she attacked me. Given that she is still alive and relatively unhurt I don’t see what you are complaining about.”

Looking at Teela, Duncan said, “You attacked this man?”

Grumpily Teela said, “I saw movement in the bush and thought it was the creature that had been attacking us.”

Looking back to the man, Duncan said, “Please free her. Our nerves are on edge. Over the last two nights we’ve lost five soldiers to a creature that seems unbeatable.”

“I suspected as much.”

“How?”

“I have been on the creature’s trail for many weeks. He killed a few of my people and I have taken it upon myself to vanquish the beast. While trailing it I came across your trail as well and saw that the two trails were linked. Earlier today I came across a freshly dug grave, presumably the resting place of one of your soldiers. I also found the remains of another one.”

“What do you know about this creature?”

“There aren’t many who have faced it and survived. He killed seven of my people, but there were two who got to look at it and escape with their lives. They returned to our village with information on the monster. I have since come across the remains of other travelers, but until you three I had seen no more survivors. The survivors tell me that the creature appears to be a mixture of reptile and mammal. Its shoulders have large spikes protruding from it. It has fur, but under the fur there is a thick reptilian hide that is very difficult to cut through. It provides the creature with a certain degree of protection from blades.”

“Yes, one of our soldiers was able to hit it with his sword but there was little damage done.”

“That does not surprise me. It would take incredible strength coupled with an extremely powerful weapon to cut through his hide. But I believe there may be some weak points where his flesh is less thick. Defeating this creature will require much cunning indeed.”

“This thing… it has unbelievable strength.”

“I know. It has the power to tear through most armor. It has jaws that are strong enough to bite through some of the finest shields constructed in Valhallos. T’is not a creature to be dealt with lightly.”

“What I don’t understand is its attack patterns. The horses have been left alone and on the first night it only took one of my soldiers. On the second night when we ambushed it, it took another and three more of my men died. It could’ve easily killed my young companions and I but it chose to leave us be.”

“From what I have learned about this creature he prefers to eat live prey but when cornered will kill whatever it needs to escape. Judging by the remains of some of the campsites I have seen, it can be angered and pushed into doing more damage than is needed. I believe that that might be what happened with your ambush attempt. Once it regained its composure, it chose to leave you three be, likely intending to feast on one of you tonight. As for the horses… for some reason it seems to prefer intelligent prey. I’ve yet to see signs of it attacking anything but humans or the few Gars and Andreenids that have travelled through the forest.”

“How can we defeat this monster?”

“We aren’t. I will.”

“How can you do it alone?”

“I told you earlier that defeating this creature will require incredible strength, guile and a great weapon. I am more than well equipped in all these regards.”

“You don’t seem to be lacking in arrogance either.”

With a deep laugh, the man said, “I believe that I might enjoy our time together. My name is Bludaxe.”

[Darth Latveria]

Things That Go Bump In The Night – And Then Rip Your Arms Off – Part VII

That evening, Bludaxe helped himself to the stores of food that the group from Eternos had been travelling with. Teela watched appalled as the man single-handedly ate through the food that had been allotted as a full day’s worth of rations for the whole travelling party. Duncan was also a little taken aback by what he was seeing but he chose not to say anything. The loss of the soldiers meant that there was a lot more food around than the three of them would need and as things were going they were likely to not survive the trip home, so he wasn’t all that concerned about what happened with the food.

What Duncan found more disconcerting was that the quantities of mead that Bludaxe was drinking. The people of Urdot had given them a barrel of it to help ease the trip home and Bludaxe had nearly finished it, but it didn’t seem to affect him at all. Furthermore, Bludaxe wasn’t interested in coming up with a plan. He said he’d simply wait for the creature to attack and deal with it accordingly.

While Duncan and Teela were off talking to the side, Bludaxe got up and walked over to Adam, a giant goblet of mead in one hand and his axe in the other. Sitting down next to Adam he saw that Adam felt uneasy. With a pat on the back, that nearly knocked Adam face first into the fire, Bludaxe said merrily, “Relax child. This will be a glorious night indeed. A foul beast shall be slain and you and your friends will go back home where you can share my exploits with your kinsmen.”

“I wish I shared your certainty.”

“Boy, your anxiety is too strong. You now have Bludaxe to protect you. Drink some mead with me and get into the spirit of things,” Bludaxe said while pushing the goblet of mead into Adam’s hands.

“I’d really rather not. Thanks for the offer though.”

“Whatever you prefer, just means more for me. But… there is something about you that is different. I can tell that the girl is also unique, but with you it’s stronger.”

Bludaxe sniffed Adam’s neck and shoulder and said, “I can’t quite figure out what it is. But there is more to you than the obvious and certainly more than most will see. You’re different… I suspect we have more in common than one might expect.’

“I really don’t see how that is. I’m terrified of that monster and you don’t seem fazed by it at all.”

“You may be able to fool the others, but you can’t fool me. You aren’t afraid of the monster. You are willing to face it just as I am, even though you know that you’d be ripped limb from limb, but for some reason you choose to hide it and feint fear. I know that there is true fear in you, but it is not for what the monster will do to you. It is for what the monster will do to your friends, particularly the girl.”

“How could you – I mean… I don’t think you know what you’re talking about.”

Laughing, Bludaxe said, “I care not for why you choose to lie. By night’s end the monster will be dead. Now if you won’t drink with me, at least eat with me.”

Bludaxe then handed Adam a plate covered in cheese, dried meat and bread. Looking at Bludaxe, with a slight smile on his face, Adam took the plate and started to eat.

Duncan watched Adam sitting next to Bludaxe and smiled to himself. He could tell that Bludaxe was a good man, no matter how rough his exterior was. He was glad that this man had arrived to help them. Perhaps the Sorceress was looking out for them after all?

After Bludaxe was finished eating, he told the others to go to sleep in the back of the wagon. He then sat on a log waiting for his enemy to appear.

[Darth Latveria]

Things That Go Bump In The Night – And Then Rip Your Arms Off – Part VIII

Bludaxe waited through the night. As he sat by the smoldering ashes of the fire he absent-mindedly using his dagger to whittle a small wooden cup out of a piece of wood. A couple of hours before sunrise, the hair on the back of Bludaxe’s neck raised slightly, something he knew to be a sure sign of danger.

Bludaxe sat without moving, his hand resting on his axe-handle. Then when he felt the time was right he quickly spun around swinging his axe. With a splatter of blood he lopped off the monster’s hand. The hand that had been inches away from his neck.

The monster let out a loud shriek waking the others, but Bludaxe shouted at them to remain in the wagon. This fight was his.

In a blind rage the monster hit Bludaxe across the face with the stump of his left hand, knocking Bludaxe down and causing him to drop his axe. Bludaxe narrowly rolled out of the way as the creature lunged at him.

Getting back to his feet, Bludaxe dodged another blow from the monster’s damaged arm and quickly thrust his dagger into the inside of the creature’s elbow. He had been correct; the creature’s flesh was weaker at the joints.

The monster tried to bite Bludaxe but he was able to move out of the way, punching it in the face and knocking out one of the creature’s fangs. But Bludaxe was unable to avoid the monster’s right hand which grabbed hold of his neck and held him up against the tree. As the monster leaned in to bite, it was hit in the back of a head with a mace. The blow didn’t hurt it at all, but it was a distraction.

Bludaxe used this distraction to grab one of the shoulder spikes and break it off. Quickly thrusting the spike into the monster’s throat, the creature let go of him. Falling to the ground and rolling away from the monster, Bludaxe saw Adam standing there with a mace in his hand. With a smile Bludaxe said, “I appreciate your help young prince, but I would’ve managed just fine on my own.”

Bludaxe then rushed to pick up his axe and had it in his hands just as the monster lunged towards him. Jumping into the air, Bludaxe avoided the lunge and landed behind the monster. As the monster turned around to face Bludaxe, Bludaxe dived to the side. Standing up, Bludaxe swung his might axe and removed the monster’s head.

Turning around to face Adam, who was now joined with Teela and Duncan, Bludaxe let out a loud laugh and said, “I told you this would be a great battle. Is there any mead left?”

[Darth Latveria]

Things That Go Bump In The Night – And Then Rip Your Arms Off – Part IX

The battle over, the four companions chose to sleep without feeling pressured to wake up early to leave. Around noon Teela woke up and saw that the men were still asleep. Half an hour later Duncan was awake as well and he and Teela started readying breakfast.

Bludaxe and Adam were still fast asleep when breakfast was ready. Waking them, Duncan told Adam that they needed to get the campsite packed. They were only a few days from Eternos and he wished to get back home as soon as possible.

As the others were packing up the campsite Bludaxe sat and continued to eat, but then something caught his eye. It was one of the raider’s tunics with a snake emblem on it. Raising his axe he ran to Adam, lifting him up by the neck and shouted, “YOU MAGGOTS ARE IN LEAGUE WITH THE SNAKEMEN?”

Duncan rushed to Bludaxe’s side, mace in hand and said, “Calm down, calm down. We have nothing to do with the Snakemen.”

“THEN HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THAT EMBLEM,” Bludaxe shouted while pointing his axe to the raider’s tunic.

Duncan then explained the story to Bludaxe, causing Bludaxe to ease his grip on Adam and lowering him to the ground. Brushing off the young, and still gagging, prince, Bludaxe said, “What do you know of these raiders?”

“I only know what I have told you.”

“I have heard rumors of these people. Something about a supposedly great, snake power. The raiders are lucky that they have yet to affect my people. I had intended to look into their origins but I was sidetracked when this monster struck. Great songs are still sung about my people's dealings with the Snakemen long ago. I don’t trust them.”

“I’m as concerned as you are.”

With a grunt, Bludaxe said, “Then maybe your people and mine will have reason to become better acquainted.”

Bludaxe then reached into a pouch on his belt and pulled out a piece of folded parchment. Looking at Duncan briefly, he turned to Adam and handed it to the boy saying, “This is a map to Valhallos. Should you send more troops to learn about the raiders, you are welcome to contact me there. But I warn you, this is a token of friendship. If any of your people ever come to my land to hurt my people or take what is ours, you won’t live to regret it.”

Adam carefully placed the parchment into his pocket and said, “As the Prince of Eternia I swear to you that any soldiers we send to your land will come in peace.”

Smiling, Bludaxe said, “Good. I wish you well on your travels home. It is time for me to return to my people as well. Perhaps we will meet again.”

Bludaxe then turned his head to the forest and shouted out, “VIGHESTER.”

Moments later the largest horse that Adam had ever seen came galloping to Bludaxe. As Bludaxe mounted his ebony steed, Adam asked, “Where was he during all this time?”

Smiling, Bludaxe winked and answered, “Vighester has been taught to keep a low profile while I am hunting. Good journey.”

Without another word, Bludaxe turned around and galloped into the forest.

Tune in later for the conclusion of this fine story that everyone has utterly ignored.

[Darth Latveria]

Things That Go Bump In The Night – And Then Rip Your Arms Off – Part X

The rest of the trip to Eternos went well. No more attacks and the weather was good. Duncan’s ankle was also healing well.

Upon arriving they were immediately granted an audience with King Randor. He had been worried because they were expected to arrive a few days earlier, but was relieved when he saw that his son, Duncan and Teela were fine. Randor was saddened to hear that seven of his soldiers had been killed and that the eighth had to stay in Urdot due to the severity of his injuries.

Randor was concerned about the raiders and told Duncan that later they would need to reconvene to talk about sending a larger group of soldiers to Urdot.They needed to retrieve the injured soldier as well as investigate the origin of the raiders. If there was a new Snakemen thread it was imperative that they find out soon. He was also intrigued by Bludaxe, stating that he believed Eternos had found a new and powerful ally.

After giving Randor the official report of what had happened, Duncan told Randor about the bravery that Adam had shown, first by ordering them to protect the village, then by saving Teela and once more by helping Bludaxe during his battle with the beast. Duncan opted to not tell Randor about Adam’s vomiting right after killing the raider.

Randor was proud of his son. Although he had frequently disappointed his father, on this trip his son acted valiantly. With a smile Randor handed Adam’s sword back to him and said, “You may have your sword back. But remember what I told you before. It is always good to make sure not to limit your options.”

Randor then told Adam that he was free to go and do as he pleased while he and Duncan made plans on how to deal with the raiders.

The End

[wolfsfang]

well first off if you have read DL's latest story please feel free to comment and if not...please feel free to read and comment

Okay now

Teela'Na - The Sorceress of Grayskull

The Wizard, The Apprentice and the Soldier


Teela'Na was born in the small village of Nowella situated near the plains of Perpitua. It was a humble little village of no real importance to anyone as it had no natural minerals or anything of worth or power that people would want. But to its inhabitants it was their home and they would protect it with their lives if the need ever arose.

One thing that it did have was a well known wizard named Magi who, while not particularly powerful compared to other magic users, was a generous and kind hearted person who liked to show off his skills at parties for both royalty and common folk.

One day, when she was still young, Teela'Na sought out the great Magi in the hopes that he would accept her as his apprentice and be shown the ways of magic. He was unsure at first as he had never before taken on a student and his work and personal experiments kept him very busy. But still she pestered him day and night for many weeks and soon her sweet natured determination won him over. He agreed to take her on as his student. As long as she was willing to learn he was willing to train her. She told him that he would not regret it and until his dying day he never did.

As the years went by Magi noticed that Teela'Na had great potential but for some reason she was unable to realise it to its full extent, it was almost as if the power that was inside her was waiting for something to awaken it. But she was determined to learn and he was a willing teacher. So in-between his own experiments with magic and his role as a party wizard he kept his promise to teach her everything he knew.

Magi and Teela'Na, now aged 24 and partner to Magi instead of student, Still showed off their talents at parties and social functions. It was at one of these parties that attended that she met and fell in love with a handsome young soldier named Justin. For many months they were happy and even began to talk of marriage and starting a family. But something kept Teela'Na awake at night, a sense of some impending doom and an important change to her life. But she always put this down to nerves and thought little of it.



The Warlord Morgoth


Teela'Na and Justin had finally agreed to marry and the day of the ceremony was closing in fast and she had begun to feel sick on a daily basis. She told herself that all brides to be felt this way so close to their wedding and she just busied herself with the preparations. But days before the big event he arrived.

Morgoth, a ruthless and tyrannical warlord rode into town, accompanying him was a small army of mercenaries. He and his men quickly laid siege to the village and began to began to destroy anything they could not take.

Against Teela'Na's wished, Justin and Magi decided to fight back and lead a small group of like minded villagers in an attempt to drive the invaders away from the village. The battle was short and decisive. The victors the invading party. In one day Teela'Na had lost both her friend and mentor and the love of her life and the spirit of the village people was crushed.

Morgoth decreed that he would return once a week and would destroy more of the village and kill more of its people unless they paid him a tribute worthy to his greatness. With no other option the villagers agreed to his demands. And for several weeks the deal was kept. Morgoth and his army would come and they would be given whatever the villagers could offer in an attempt to appease them.



Voices in the Night

Then one night in the midst of a frightening dream about large falcons and spooky castles Teela'Na heard a woman's voice calling her name. She awoke with a jolt and she expected the voice to cease with the dream. But it didn't. Even awake she could hear the woman's voice calling out her name. There was something hypnotic about its sound and Teela'Na felt compelled to follow it. Even though she knew that she was hearing it in her mind it was if could sense the source and it was this feeling that she followed.

She followed it out of her village and for days she travelled Eternia with only the haunting sound of the woman's voice as her guide. Crossing the Sea of Rakash and through the Evergreen Forest she walked until finally she came to what she believed to be the source of the voice. To her surprise it was a large castle made of green stone that had a massive skull shape carved into the front. What she had found surprising was not just the look of it, but that this was the very castle she had dreamed of when she first began to hear the voice.

The castle was surrounded by a deep waterless moat that seemed to go down forever and there seemed to be no way across to the other side. But as she approached the castle the drawbridge slowly began to lower. Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves she began to cross the drawbridge and entered the castle walls

Walking through the old and mysterious castle Teela'Na found to her surprise that she seemed to know instinctively where to go. In no time at all she found her self in a room so massive that she would swear could hold the castle itself inside of and still have plenty of room to spare. She knew that a powerful form of magic was at play here.

In the middle of the room was a large flight of stairs that lead up to an ornate golden throne that shone with such brilliance that you would assume it had just been made, unlike the dank and weathered look the rest of the castle sported. Behind this throne was a great mirror that was easily twenty feet in diameter and upon closer inspection would be shown to be made not of glass but of water that was still in its liquid form.



The Sorceress of Grayskull

As she ascended the stairs to the throne she couldn't help but sense a feeling of being watched. She looked around and saw nobody. So she carried on going up. When she was near the top she heard the screeching of a bird and a large shadow passed over her. Glancing quickly upwards she spotted a red, blue and white falcon flying directly above her.

She watched as the falcon circled high above her for several seconds before it then made a dive straight for the throne. As her eyes followed the bird on its collision course with the throne she was shocked to see something that had not been there moments before. There was a woman sitting in it, seemingly asleep. She was dressed in a long blue robe with a headdress shaped like a falcons beak atop her head. Behind her Teela'Na could see wings that were the same colour as the falcons. As she watched the falcon flew straight toward the woman and just before it was about to collide with her, it vanished.

No sooner had the falcon vanished then the woman woke and stood up.

“Welcome Teela'Na.” the woman said in a familiar voice “I am the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull and I have summoned you here for a great purpose.”

Teela'Na was taken aback. She had no idea what was going on other that it was magical and very powerful magic at that. But she also sensed in her heart that she could trust this woman and so she was not afraid.

“Grayskull?” she asked as she looked around “I thought this place was just a myth.”

The Sorceress laughed. “Oh far from it. It is very real indeed and it holds within its walls a great secret. You have been chosen to guard that secret.”

“But I can't.,” exclaimed Teela'Na “ I must return to my village and aid them against the warlord Morgoth. Very soon my people will run out of things to give him as payment and he will force them to pay a terrible price.”

“I already know of your villages plight.” the Sorceress said. She beckoned for Teela'Na to come closer. “But you need not worry for already now things have been set in motion that will make it right.”

The Sorceress could see the look of confusion in Teela'Na's face so he pointed to the great mirror behind her and simply said “Watch.”

As Teela'Na watched the water bubbled and churned and then slowly settled down. As it did so a picture began to form. Teela'Na could see the outskirts of her village and also a battalion of soldiers carrying the crest of the royal family of Eternos.

“You see,” said the Sorceress “Word of your villages ordeal has reached the palace of Eternos and they have sent aid to your people in this their time of need. So you need not worry.”

Teela'Na sighed a breath of relief. “So then why was I called here?” she asked. “If my people were to be saved anyway what was the point of me being called to this castle?”

The Sorceress waved her hand and the picture in the pool vanished and it once more became like a mirror.

“As I said you have been brought here for a great purpose. You have been chosen by fate to be the new Sorceress of Grayskull, defender of its power and keeper of its secrets. You alone will stand watch over it and await the arrival of the chosen one who will claim the Sword of Power that resides within these very walls. This sword will transform him into the most powerful man in the universe, the hero of truth and good known as “He-Man”.”

Teela'Na laughed and shook her head. Surely there must be some mistake or she had heard wrong.

“You can't mean me.” she said. “I am just nothing more than an entertainer, my magic is nowhere near powerful enough to be able to defend anything that is as important as you say. There are many great and powerful people in Eternia that are better suited to the role than I could ever be.”

The Sorceress vanished and then in a blink of an eye reappeared next to Teela'Na.

“Your power and strength outside the castle means nothing. As the Sorceress you will be granted access to the great magic of the castle and your power will be magnified one hundred fold and you will cease to age. But there is a price to pay for such a gift.”

Teela'Na looked nervous at this bit of news. The Sorceress just smiled.

“Don't worry it is nothing dangerous. It is just that the power is only yours for as long as your body stays inside the castle. Should you ever leave the walls the magic will forever leave you and you will resume ageing at a normal rate never to be allowed to return to the castle. But there may be times when you must leave the castle and to this end I also grant you the gift of Zoar.”

Suddenly the eagle that Teela'Na had seen a few minutes ago appeared in front of the Sorceress and flew high into the air. The Sorceress herself appeared to be lost in a trance as the falcon flew above them. Then it swooped down and once again vanished as it was about to touch her.

“Zoar,” said the Sorceress, awake once more “is the Soul Eagle and he will allow you to transfer your soul into him so that he and you may leave the confines of the castle without breaking the bond that your body has with these walls. This is of course if you accept your destiny.”

Teela'Na looked at the Sorceress long and hard.

“How long would I have to be the Sorceress and what about revenge for my beloved Justin and my master Magi?”

“Revenge,” said the Sorceress “is something best forgotten. It has no place in these walls. If you do take on the mantle of Sorceress you will live as long as it takes to see your duties fulfilled just as I am fulfilling mine right now. Your 'revenge' will be to become the guide to the champion of good when he arises and help him in his battle against the forces of darkness such as that which had taken those two most dearest to you and threatened to destry your village.”


A New Sorceress and a Surprise

For a few minutes Teela'Na considered what she had been told. She knew that it would mean leaving her village for good but she also knew that she would better serve her people and the rest of Eternia if she stayed in Castle Grayskull.

“I accept.” she said simply

The Sorceress smiled. “Good. Then let it be done. Ah but first we must do something about the child.”

“What child?” asked Teela'Na “You can't mean.”

“Yes.” said the Sorceress, placing a hand on Teela'Na's stomach. “You are with child. I sense it will play an important role in the future but not for a long time yet. As of now however I myself am not sure how it will react to the magic I am about to bestow upon you so I will transport it to a safe place, the great Mirror of Seeing, where it will remain until the time is right to be born.”

The Sorceress waved her hand and for a moment Teela'na felt something warm pull at her stomach. Then there was a small ripple in the mirror behind the throne and then all was still.

“And now.” said the Sorceress. “I pass my life and my role onto you. May the castle watch over you as you watch over it.”

With that she burst into a ball of brilliant white light that engulfed Teela'Na. When it was gone Teela'Na was no longer dressed in her original clothes but in a white dress with blue and gold trimmings, what appeared to be a lond feathered cape but which could unfold to be revealed as blue, red and white wings and an ornate hood shaped like a Falcon's beak. With this change of appearance also came the knowledge of what her role involved

Walking up the last of the stairs Teela'Na approached the great throne and sat down, accepting her new role as the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull. Behind her hidden safely in the mirror her child would remain until the moment came for it to be born into the world.

[Darth Latveria]

So... is anyone reading the NV? Please post a comment.

As for what's coming... We've got a few more bios written up that will be posted soon. 3 existing characters have been done and a few more for some fanfic original characters. There's also another short story coming up soon that Wolf is currently working on. All in all it's a good time to be following the NV because there is a lot of new stuff to come.

[Darth Latveria]

Gwildor

The Thenurians are a dwarf-like race found in the western regions of the Evergreen Forest. They are well known for three things. Firstly, they are a very inventive race and Thenurians are some of the finest craftsmen found in Eternia. Due to the time invested in each and every thing that they make, Thenurian goods are considered to be luxurious items that only the rich and affluent can afford to buy. The other thing that they are known for is their deeply peaceful nature. They abhor war in all forms and have always strived to have good relations with all Eternian groups, never making exclusive alliances with any group. The last thing that they are known for is their general disinterest in leaving Thenuria, their home.

Gwildor was born in 51 BPA. He came from a family of renowned craftsmen that specialized in magically imbued goods. His family specialized in a unique kind of magic. Unlike most magic users they were unable to use magic to actively change their environment. They couldn’t create fire blasts or conjure up teleportation spells. What they could do was imbue certain traits onto the goods that they produced. For instance, they could create a kitchen knife that could warm up when the holder concentrated on it. The most common property added to goods they created were spells that helped increase their durability. Naturally there were limits to what they could magically add to a good and the more complex the magic used the longer it would take to craft.

Unlike most other Thenurians, Gwildor liked to travel and see the rest of Eternia. Thanks to his rather unique appearance this led to his being the center of attention in many of the places that he visited. Gwildor didn’t share his people’s disinterest in the outside world and cherished meeting people from other races and in particular trying the multitude of cuisines that Eternia has to offer.

Gwildor was in his mid-40’s when the Great War erupted. The Thenurians, predictably, didn’t want to get involved with the war and chose to remain neutral. Gwildor hated their stance on this matter and tried to convince them that it was in their interest to aid King Miro in the war. It was his contention that Keldor’s forces would end up forcing the citizens of Thenuria into slavery. No one would listen.

Sitting by and doing nothing while the rest of Eternia suffered did not sit well with Gwildor. He had grown very fond of the other races in Eternia and didn’t want to see them be hurt. Furthermore, his people would eventually be crushed if Keldor’s forces won. With a heavy heart Gwildor left Thenuria to head to Eternos.

There was no way that Gwildor would be able to help Miro’s forces as a soldier. He’d never had that sort of training and wouldn’t be able to learn how to fight fast enough to be of any use to an army. But there was one thing he could do. That was making weapons.

Due to the Thenurian views on pacifism and neutrality, they didn’t believe in building weapons so Gwildor didn’t know anything about that when arriving in Eternos. But he was an excellent craftsman and was able to learn how to forge weapons very quickly. Soon he was crafting some of the finest weapons and armor used in the Eternian forces. The one unfortunate thing was that he was an extremely slow worker due to his ingrained Thenurian eye for detail. When the war ended he was viewed as one of the finest blacksmiths in all of Eternia and chose to stay in Eternos.

One day while talking with the new Man-At-Arms, a man named Duncan Ardurr, Gwildor mentioned the magical training he had. Duncan asked Gwildor if he believed it possible to instill those magical qualities into specially built weapons and Gwildor said it was. The one problem was that each weapon would take close to a year to build, sometimes even longer if the magic used was very complex. Duncan said that that would be fine. He wanted Gwildor to work on a special project. He wanted him to be the primary blacksmith for the Mage-Knights, a special group within King Randor’s forces that mastered both regular combat as well as magic.

Since becoming the primary armorer and weapons maker for the Mage-Knights Gwildor has spent his years designing highly specialized weapons for Randor’s troops. While visiting home a girl Gwildor had grown up with named Gwendolyn caught his eye and they chose to marry, quickly having three children.

Gwildor’s position of respect within the Palace of Eternos has been recognized by the citizens of Thenuria who have slowly come to agree with Gwildor’s views and have since chosen to have more active relations with the other races across Eternia. The great barrier has been broken and once more Eternia is plunged into a time of darkness, but thanks to Gwildor its defenders are far better prepared than ever before.

[Optimus Prime]

Loved the Sorceress story baby in the mirror, wouldn't that be a horrible thing if something went wrong LOL

[Darth Latveria]

Loved the Sorceress story baby in the mirror, wouldn't that be a horrible thing if something went wrong LOL

With the bad luck you get when you break a normal mirror, imagine how bad it'd turn out if you broke that one!

[wolfsfang]

ya but luckily it is made out of water (still in its liquid form) and it is magic...so nothing can happen to it. It is one of the safest places in Eternia

Think of it like the Stargate from...Stargate. Only it is perfectly still and not all ripply and churny

[Lylithix]

I'm just starting to read through everything you've done from the beginning. Looks as though I've got a lot of reading to do but I really like what I'm seeing so far.

[Darth Latveria]

I'm just starting to read through everything you've done from the beginning. Looks as though I've got a lot of reading to do but I really like what I'm seeing so far.

Hi Lylithix, Wolf and I are really happy that you've started to read the NV. We hope you like what you see

[Darth Latveria]

War-Hog

Nearly 900 miles south of Bright Moon there is a forest called Darktree Forest. Darktree Forest is inhabited by a race of porcine Ogres. Ogres are common in both Etheria and Eternia but unlike most of the other indigenous sentient races the Ogres have many sub-groups with radically different appearances.

The Ogres found in Darktree Forest are best known for their commercial interests. This species of Ogre is about fifty percent stronger than humans and have a far better sense of smell. Although they are well suited for combat, most prefer to avoid fighting and instead become merchants.

The Ogres tend to get along well with whoever is ruling Etheria at any given time. They don’t care much about who they sell their wares too and they have a reputation for pricing their goods fairly. Consequently, the Horde has never seen a need to invade Darktree Forest, instead maintaining amicable relations with the Ogres that live within.

G’Nor was born a few decades after Hordak returned to Etheria from Despondos. As a child he got the name War-Hog because of his uncommonly aggressive nature. War-Hog simply loved to fight and he was always bigger and stronger than those in his age-group. Although lacking his people’s peaceful nature, War-Hog shared their love of material goods and he was born with their inherent lust for money.

War-Hog always wanted to fight but no one wanted to oblige him. To help him deal with his aggression, War-Hog’s parents recommended that he take up hunting. Following his parent’s advice War-Hog found that he was a naturally talented hunter and trapper. War-Hog was a very cunning young man, able to understand and predict the behavior of his prey. He quickly learned how to use his keen sense of smell to aid him in tracking his prey. Due to his innate resourcefulness, War-Hog also had an innate affinity for creating traps. Fortuitously he also learned that these skills could be used to make a lot of money, selling the meat of the animals that he hunted for food. But War-Hog soon wanted more interesting game than what was locally available.

While visiting a minor commercial centre near to Darktree Forest War-Hog saw a poster that had been put up by the Horde. The poster had a rough sketch of a man with a description of him under it. It said that the Horde was offering 50 pieces of silver if he was brought to them alive. War-Hog had never made that much money while selling the meat of fur from his prey and decided to take up the Horde’s offer. By the next afternoon War-Hog was collecting his award. This was what led him into bounty hunting.

War-Hog’s talents in trapping and hunting were very useful as a bounty hunter. He got a reputation for being one of the most dependable bounty hunters on Etheria and the Horde began to seek him out directly with their contracts.

One thing that displeased the Horde was that War-Hog insisted on remaining an independent operator and would not agree to an exclusive relationship with them. War-Hog would work for whoever could offer him the best pay and didn’t care who was paying. The Horde tolerated this for two reasons. The first reason was that War-Hog was an excellent bounty hunter and they felt that his services for them more than made up for the occasional jobs of his that hurt their interests. The other reason was because conflicts were highly uncommon because more often than not the Horde was paying far better than anyone else.

Powers and Skills:

• War-Hog’s people are about fifty percent stronger than the average Etherian human. War-Hog is a particularly strong example of his people, meaning that he is about two to two and a half times stronger than the average Etherian human.
• War-Hog shares his people’s excellent sense of smell but his is better than most after years of honing it for tracking purposes.
• On top of his ability to track prey by scent, War-Hog is very observant and able to discern the faintest of trails.
• War-Hog is a master trap-designer, capable of setting traps for all manner of creature.
• War-Hog is an excellent fighter, but more due to sheer enthusiasm than actual skill.

Weapon:

Although War-Hog would take any contract that paid well, he had a preference for jobs that required less finesse. He loved it when his jobs gave him the opportunity to fight. This is what led him to buy the War-Axe from a merchant fifty miles southeast of Bright Moon..

No one actually knows the origin of the War-Axe although many origins have been claimed. Some say that it was a remnant of the Covenant. Others think that it was created by Hordak himself for one of his prize soldiers. There is even a rumor that it was the axe wielded by Gunnar when he fought the mythical She-Ra during the rise of the second Covenant. War-Hog heard the many stories surrounding the axe and found that he simply didn’t care where it came from. What he did know was that the axe was nearly indestructible and could cut through just about anything if the person wielding it could swing strongly enough. That’s all that mattered to him.

War-Hog also utilizes many traps when fighting, seldom capturing an opponent in an area that he hasn’t carefully placed traps in.

[Darth Latveria]

Awhile ago I touched on her a little in Keldor's bio but never got around to really going into detail as to who she is. I hope you guys enjoy my take on Marlena

Marlena

Born into the House of Glenn Marlena grew up in a land far from Eternos called Urth. Urth was located between the Evergreen Forest and the Mystic Mountains. The House of Glenn had ruled over Urth for many years and had a good relationship with the royal family led by King Miro in Eternos.

As a child Marlena was very fond of the arts and spent much of her time learning about music, dance and painting, but she showed the most talent in poetry. It was poetry that led her to meet a young Prince Randor.

Although the House of Glenn had a strong relationship with the Royal Family, due to the distances between Urth and Eternos they seldom had any opportunity to meet. It wasn’t until Marlena was 11 years old that she got to first visit Eternos. At the time her father took the whole family to Eternos for the winter to avoid the typically harsh Urth winter.

On her first night in Eternos her parents brought her to a lavish banquet being held by King Miro. During this banquet she was asked to recite a poem which is where she was first noticed a twelve year old Prince Randor. Randor and Marlena became quick friends and took to spending much of their time together outside of school. King Miro was pleased by this because Randor had always been a bit lonely. He was a very nice boy but being the son of the king had made some of the other children reluctant to spend time with him while others chose to spend time with him but were simply hoping to manipulate Prince Randor for their own ends. But with Marlena it was different in that she didn’t seem to care much about Randor’s wealth and future power.

Marlena also got to know Prince Keldor. From the first time she met him, she felt uneasy in his presence. He didn’t say or do anything bad to her, he was actually extremely cordial and polite, but she always got the feeling that he looked down on those around him. He even seemed to look down on his stepfather, King Miro. Keldor only showed interest in his mother and younger brother but there was little affection. Keldor's coldness struck Marlena as strange given that Miro and his family seemed so warm.

Towards the end of the winter Marlena was unhappy about having to go back to Urth with her parents as she had really enjoyed being in Eternos but her sadness was tempered by the fact that her father told her that her family would continue to take annual trips to Eternos in the winter.

Upon returning to Eternos in the following year she found out that Keldor had disappeared a couple months earlier with a man named Horace. Horace was apparently from a far off land called Etheria and had spent years as a courtier in Eternos. Randor was beside himself with grief but Marlena was actually a little relieved to not have to see Keldor anymore.

Over the next few years during their annual visits, Marlena’s friendship with Randor grew into love. She was 18 when she finally admitted it to Prince Randor and he told her that he felt the same way. Telling their parents about how they felt they were a little surprised to see that they had expected it to happen eventually. At this point it was decided that when her parents returned to Urth that year, Marlena would stay as a guest of the royal court and continue her studies.

Two years later she and Randor wed. The wedding was glorious and the guests were too numerous to count. It was a wonderful day but the one dark cloud that hung over Prince Randor was that Keldor had still not been found. Keldor had disappeared 8 years earlier and at this point the royal family doubted that he was even alive. But they would get their answer soon…

The first four years of Marlena’s marriage to Randor were a wonderfully joyous time but soon that would change. Days after her fourth wedding anniversary, Keldor returned with a great army to take over Eternos. For three years the war raged. Marlena barely saw her husband during this time as he had taken an active role in the army, becoming an accomplished field commander.

During the course of the Great War, Prince Randor became king when his father died in battle and Queen Acacia died from an infection. Finally the war came to an end in a most unexpected way. During a battle with King Randor where Keldor got the upper hand, Keldor unexpectedly showed mercy and chose to retreat instead of killing King Randor. Soon thereafter the Dark Hemisphere was blocked off with a great barrier conjured up by the Sorceress and Marlena believed they would never hear from Keldor again.

A few years later she and King Randor gave birth to their first and only child, Prince Adam. What happened after Prince Adam’s birth is an ongoing tale that will be continued another day…