When eventually you finish walking thru that "Dark Forrest" you'll find yourself in front os a delapadated Inn, with an old sign, screeching in the gentle breeze, showing a picture of a bird that is balancing on a branch with it's feet hanging on each site.

The flaky paint underneath the picture, shows vaguely the words "The Spreadlegged Harlot", investigating further you notice a Half door <the top half seems to be missing> when you try to peer inside you only see darkness, you hear a few screeching sounds in the back ground.

Are you going in to investigate ???

*****************************************************************
<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/offtopic.gif" alt="" />
Dunno if you guy's have done this sort of thing, but the idea is to continue the tale by adding a reply <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

She smirks at the name of this old Inn, her couriosty taking the best of her. She places her hand on the hilt of her sword and takes a step inside..her elven eye site trying to break the darkness. She listens to the screeching, trying to place where the sound is comming from.

suddenly she heared a loud noise, the door had closed behind her!!
And since it was getting dark, she couldn't see very well anymore..

She jumps at the sound and turns as the door closes. Cursing to herself as she blinks, staring into the darkness that seems to consume her with every passing second. She stands perfectly still..listening.

"Welcome to our place, it´s a place for the doomed."

In a shivering voice she answers "What is the price of a dwarfen ale here?"

"Believe me you will not need any drinks at all any more!" the hollow voice responds.

She gulps, an ice cold shiver spreading through her body. This voice was so unearthly, it made her weak. In a soft voice that was bearly above a whisper, she says.."I think I'll be going now." And takes a step back towards the closed door.

As she takes a step back to the door, the floor underneath her vanishes and she falls down a trap door sliding down a neverending tunnel. Something skitters after her through the tunnel.

She screams as she falls..and she seems to fall forever. Finally she lands in a huge pool of water and soon after a huge splash is heard followed by laughing. "You are a fool. Long have I dreamed of drinking elven blood!" She shivers at these words and looks around her in the darkness, praying for a possible escape.

She suddenly feels ground and steps out of the water.

Then she reminds herself of a few spells she once learned. Not that magic was her best friend, but anyway...

...she casts the spell and looks at the room now filled with the warm magical light.

Hundreds of bones lie there scattered across the floor of the endless hall she finds herself in. She reaches for her sword, but it isn´t there any more. "must have lost it when I fell down", she thinks.

"Come to me; follow your destiniy!" the voice shouts.

She curses to herself...searching the room for a weapon of some kind. She still had no idea who or what was talking to her...it didn't really matter, it wanted to kill her and that was not an option. Whatever it was..it drank blood, she was glad for the silver cross that hung around her neck, not really sure if it would protect her or not. But if it was a vampire...what was it doing in this pool of water?

She notices the thousands of bones move by some hidden force, faster and faster and faster the bones construct a tight sphere of bones joined to imprison her.
"There is no escape now!!" The sphere of bone she is trapped in begins to roll down another tunnel in the cave toward some unknown destination.

When she stops at the bottom of a long tunnel and after digging her way free of the bones

She response in a deffiant tone "No, it is not my destiny to Be with You!, but TO DESTROY YOU!!!!"

and as she looks around the room for a weapon, she sees a barely visible hilt of a sword, as she grabs it she thinks to herself,
'this is very old and is extremely cold to my touch but I need a weapon'.......

"I´ve waited very long for a kind like you. From the moment you walked in here you were supposed to be mine! Come to me! Join me in death!"

The voice is very intense, now rather quiet but still it makes her shiver in a way she never felt before. She feels attracted to the voice in a very strange way, asking herself if she was becoming mad.

"Be my lady, my princess of darkness, turn out that light!", and suddenly her magical light vanishes.

"Let darkness surround you forever!"

She grabs her new found blade even harder.

She screams as her light goes out and suddenly feels very cold. Icey breath against her neck..she grows very weak and fights to stay awake, but the cold seems to drain her life away. With one last futile action..she lifts her hand to grasp the silver cross around her neck..and then, she passes out.

She wakes up with a major headache in a dark chamber with a ancient candle on the ground and a red robe around her. She realizes she has a sudden hunger but not sure of quite what yet until on the side of the chamber wall is a chained old farmer. She screams out no but it is not enough for her body takes control and she finds herself with her teeth in the poor farmers neck. The blood drips from her mouth as she licks the farmers bloody neck.

The farmer's body lays dead in her arms as she looks down at the look of shear horror forever painted upon his face. She laughs as she drops him, the laughter filling the entire room. She was going insance..this was all a dream..it had to be. But then she saw him. A figure dressed in a black velvet robe, his long silver hair flowing to the stone ground. His face was the most handsom face she had ever beheld, she gasped. He held his arms out to her, a smile upon his blood red lips. As he spoke she noticed his voice was musical and no longer ful of threat. "Come to me, my new bride."

"I´m sorry that your initial meal was only a peasant, but soon we will be drinking from kings!"

"What happened?, Why did you dothis to me?", she asks confused.

"Imagine a life beyond good or evil, beyond death and beyond your fears! Together we will rule the world. When i first saw you, I knew that you were mine, and now I am yours. I gave you the power to terror the living and to seduce the dead. Get rid of that useless cross!"

With a shy smile she throws the last thing away that binds her to the living.

the title slowly fades in ..... glorious music in sudden crescendo

TA TATATA TATATA TATATA ....!!!!!

"LORD OF THE RINGS"
Return of the King

SCREEEEECCHHH!!!!

sudden blackness. noises in the background. from it u can tell that the old man has woken up to change the reels.
... more screeches.

the title slowly fades in ..... soft & creepy gothic music flows in ....

a George Romero production

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

What a spoiler to this wonderful(?) <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" /> story janggut! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/suspicion.gif" alt="" />

OK I wrote kind of an ending but what you wrote... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/memad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/suspicion.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/delight.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/evilgrin1.gif" alt="" />

Ooo... bite me, u uptight vampire! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/suspicion.gif" alt="" />

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/up.gif" alt="" />

sorry to spoil it all. the idea just came to my head & i cannot resist the demon inside. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/evilgrin1.gif" alt="" />

I thought it was..umm...cute..yeah..cute. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devil.gif" alt="" />

"She places her hand on the hilt of her sword and takes a step inside..her elven eye site trying to break the darkness"

and then she was inside the Inn, ..........

Wha what happened she thought am I going crazy? Looking back through the half door she can see the Dark Forrest in the distance.

The screeching noise pervades her thoughts again and this time she can see that one of the window shutters is lazily swinging in the wind.

All at once as if nothing unusual happened she hears a bard playing a Mandolin, people talking amicably.

She blinks her eyes .. twice .. stumbling for words she mutters once again "What?"

A burly Dwarven Barkeep looks at her, and says with a sincere smile on his face; "hello M'lady, what can I get ya? "

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/offtopic.gif" alt="" />

oh....great twist...I love it!!!

"This can't be real"..she thinks to herself as she steps up to the counter. "Excuse me, Sir? Where am I?"

The dwarf simple smiles at her, "Why, m'lady..you are in the Spreadlegged Harlot Tavern. Now, can I get you anything to drink?"

She shakes her head and slides onto a bar stool, a voice inside her answers the question. "Yes...your blood would be sweet upon my tongue," but she says nothing. This voice was not her own, it was deep..it was...his voice. She shivered as an icey breeze swept over her.

' "Now, can I get you anything to drink?"
she shakes her head and slides onto a bar stool'

"Well guday anyways" says the Dwarf " I am Igor Strongarm, and since you are the first customer I have had in .. ooH centuries, well I git ya a drink on the house"

Igor promptly pulls out an enormous but very dusty bottle, and pours some in a goblet, shoving it in front of the "Stranger"

The "Stranger" looks into the goblet and sees that it is filled with a blood red wine, involuntarily she shudders.

Igor notices the shudder and pipes up with " wots wrong missy, Oh and I dinna catch yur name? "

She picks up the glass and holds it infront of her face, then turns her head to looks at the dwarf. "My name? Oh..it's umm...Piroteus. What...did you mean by I'm the only customer you've had in centuries?"

"Well Piroteus, Igor mumbles, ever since dis evil wizard put a hecks on my door people have real trouble getting in, when I think about it getting out too"
looking at the locals chatting "amicably" at the various tables, "as far as I can tell this pale looking wizard did dis to us oh .. say about 114 years ago, not that I mind really, but it is nice to see a new face" Igor finishes with a smile full of crooked teeth.

She gulps. "A pale looking wizard you say? Does he happen to have long silver hair and wear a black velvet robe?" His face appears before her in a foggy memory, his ice blue eyes drinking in her soul. She shakes her head to clear her mind and focuses once more on the glass of blood.

Igor looks astounded, and you can see his face turning red with fury, " Yes" he says, and with a menacing voice adds " why? do you know him? is he a friend of you" <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/badsmile2.gif" alt="" />

She sighs and sets the glass down. "Nay, he is no friend of mine. I have seen him before...in what seems to be a dream. Yet, I know not if I dreamt this while awake or asleep." She was really starting to wish she had never entered this damned tavern.

"Oh" Igor mumbles with a bored voice, the usual, "every one dat cumms thru dat door, seems to have the same vision" and all I have is an Inn with 1 locked room that seem to have an upside down cross melted in it" Igor sighs, and goes back to polishing goblets, strangely enough the goblets don't get any shinier.

Igor looks up and mumbles "drink up, deary, before it evab err evapa .. dissapears in to thin air"






*********************Go for it folks I'll be back tomorrow <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> ****************

She frowns as she listens..everyone was having the same visions..she was not special. She lifts a brow at his words. "A locked room, you say? Where is this room?" She says as she slides off the chair.

"err wot?" grumbles Igor, "oh, the room, well you git yurself up them stairs, and walk to the end of the Hall and yer can't miss the door" Igor finishes with a glint in his eye <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

She nods and makes her way to the door...as she passes the other patrons stop their conversations and turn their heads to look at her. A few shake their heads some whisper to eachother and others just frown. She ignores them and begins to climb the stairs...it grows colder as she reaches the top. She turns to face the long hall way. Many vacant rooms line this narrow hall but as she walks to the end it grows dark. Soon she is hardly able to see..she stops at the door with the upside down cross. Pure Evil seems to ooz from the crack at the bottom of this pitch black door. A soft laugher echoes in her mind as she lifts a hand to the knob.

Silently Piroteus reaches for the door knob, with an mental shriek, Piroteus pulls her hand away, she regulates her now beating heart, to a more normal rhythm and tries for the knob again, since the first time she tried her hand just moved thru the doorknob, as if it didn't exist.

This time, Piroteus is sure there is no doorknob it is just a very clever illusion.

Slowly she moves her hand towards the door it self .... and lo and behold ... there's nothing, even the door is an illusion.

Taking a firm hold on her Deity's cross that now radiates with the power of light, she slowly steps thru the illusion, a little shiver runs up her spine, but all is well and she continues until most of her lower body is passing thru.

However the moment Piroteus, wants to move thru the fake door completely, her cross stops Piroteus, it feels nearly white hot and no matter how hard she tries she can not move further.

Experimenting a little bit, Piroteus pulls the chain with her cross as far away from the door as her neck allows, NOW she is certain the cross is stopping her from going across the threshold.

A soft laugher echoes in her mind
Piroteus shudders and wonders what to do now ?

Thinking this is probably not the best idea, but she has to know what's going on, even if it means her death, she removes the cross. It burns her skin as she holds it, the pain almost unbearable she drops it at her feet. Suddenly it's as if a bright light burst from no where and then fades. She stands in the same room she was in after she had been "attacked", only now..it was empty. A big stone sarcophagus stood infront of her, the lid closed. She knew that with all her strength it would be impossible to open that lid. With a sigh she walks over to the left wall and leans against it, looks at the sarcophagus and waits.

A little ray of sunshine burst through the covered windows ......

Not knowing why, but doing it anyway, Piroteus closes the cover of the window till the only light was from her cross at the otherside of the non-existant door.

Piroteus is beginning to feel a little hazy, just standing there in the nearly dark room, her eyes are beginning to feel heavy and dry, Piroteus shakes her head hoping to throw off the drowsiness, however the moment she blinks her eyes to get some moisture flowing, they stay shut and Piroteus falls into a crumpled heap on the floor, her breathing regular and steady.

A grinding noise wakens her in time to see the lid of the sarcophacus sliding to the side .....

With a snap Piroteus, gets to her feet and watches with morbid fascination as a whitish form raises itself out of the coffin, slowly it gets out and meanders towards Piroteus, nearly as if it is floating.

It stops about 3 feet from Piroteus and she notices that the figure is dressed in a white rustling gown, slowly moving her eyes towards the figures face, Piroteus noticed that the eyes of the 'creature' are nearly red, like the red of a glowing pipe in the dark.

The apparition, looks at Piroteus and says in a soft melodious voice, "who disturbs the rest of Jerl Shanarra?" .............

"Who are you, what are you?" Piroteus whispers.

"You know me, don´t you? You know me for ages, you were the one who did this to me, don´t you remember?", the creature says to her. The words form inside Piroteuses mind, she is sure that it is not actually speaking.

"what do you mean by that?", she claims hiding her fear within the words and the sound of her voice.

"400 years ago when you gave me the cross, the cross that ended my undead beeing. Because of you I died, but now I´m back; you were the only person with the power to resurrect me and you succeeded."

"But i never tried, and...
...what are you talking about...
...400 years...
...the cross..." she can´t control her senses and her mind any more, thoughts are like a twister in her head.

"You don´t know it, you really don´t know it..." The creature breaks out in hollow laughter...
"The cross is the key, the cross is the key!"

Piro turns her head to look at the now dim cross that lays on floor. "You can't mean that cross, it was given to me long ago by a friend.." Suddenly, she realizes she can't remember that friend's name, nor his face, but she could recall it was a he.

Jerl shook his head rather sadly. "All this time I have been asleep waiting for you, and you don't even remember me. What has happened to you?" He steps closer to her, the red in his eyes starting to fade into a frost bitten ice blue. "You must remember me. What was the point in returning if you don't even remember?"

jerl: running water, even when minced can never ..

piro: part! *gasp*

jerl: u remember! tell me u do! as time does, your memory ebbed & now risen. oh strengthen this wraith's hope!

"I will tell you what happened!, maybe you find it...
...amusing?" Jerl says, never moving his lips.

"After I bit you this long time ago, you fell under my spell, you were supposed to be my companion in darkness. And you threw that cross away, the holy damned cross of Shoy Rhiná. I had to touch it. I really had to. It would have been the greatest turn of events since the gods left Rivellon. The divine magic of the cross would have made me even more powerful than I was before.

But the gods intervened. The cross was their work and they decided to curse my undead beeing. But as you were given the cross by the gods, you got the power to be near it´s presence. look at it, here it is. Go, take it Piroteus. I can´t touch it anymore."

Piro walks over to the cross and kneels before it, it's Holy light almost blinding as as she picks it up. As she holds it,she is overwhemled by memories. They flood over her mind like a wave of emotion and she becomes dizzy. Jerl closes his eyes...the light too much for his undead body to endur. Piro fights to stay awake and lifts the cross over her head and back around her neck where it belongs. It stops glowing and feels ice cold against her skin.

"I remember you now."
She walks over to him as he opens his eyes and looks at her.
"I knew you would, Piroteus now that you remember...what shall you do to me?"

"... to claim u back, jerl, .... my servant."

piro's face changed all of a sudden. more terrifying than that of the vampire before her, the sudden darkness enfolds both with only their faces lit dimly.

"mistress...., why? after what i have done, u've ...."
"hush", whispers piro, whose face suddenly softens as if she's in love.
"the guardian of my family should know better ..."

piro's green cape suddenly swirls around & she faces the wall opposite jerl, "it seems my goal has yet to be reached & again i need u."

"no, not again. anything but ... " jerl's dark voice turns to whine.

Jerl thinks back too the time before ... and remembers ...
"Piro" he mumbles, " you know I have been in this state for too long, and it gets more difficult everyday to curb my needs, the blood of rats and other animals" he states, pointing at the various cages in the room, "sustain me but they also weaken me, and I must go thru Hell, every midnight to stop myself from flying out to replenish myself with human blood, as you know" he continues, "being an Elf, gives me some willpower, but divinities I emplore you do not make me take a human life, the night (day)mares are bad enough to contain".

"Please, Piro find me a way to die in peace, before it will be to late!!"

Piro walks up to him and places her hand against his check. "You know I can not end your life forever. You are too usefull to me." She lifts her hair away from her neck. "Drink from me, you always did. I trust you won't kill me, the cross will not allow it." She smiles softly as she looks into his eyes. "Drink, Jerl!"

" NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I will not drink from you anymore!
it is too much" and with a glimpse of his former self Jerl walks towards the window.

Piro understands what he means to do, somewhere in her mind, in her heart, she hasn't got the courage to stop him, in desparation she takes of the cross once more and tries to loop it over Jerl's head.

As if all of Jerl's frustrations brake out at once, he roars " WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!!! " and try as he might to remove the cross, it fuses to his body and his thin skeletal form begins to glow.

After afew minutes, Jerl falls to the floor, limp but 'breathing' normally, Piro looks at him closely and she can see the warmth beginning to show, and it is obvious that putting the cross over Jerl's head has removed the dispicaple disease.

Jerl how ever is not well, it is noticable that he needs treatment from a healer, Piro wonders how she is going to explain all this to the badly needed cleric.

In all the confusion and shock she had forgotten she could heal. She wasn't the best...but she hoped it would be enough until she could get him to a real Cleric. Piro lays her hand upon Jerl's chest and closes her eyes. She begins to whisper in a long forgotten language and her hands begin to glow a pale blue.

her words translated ...

alive...dead...reborn...undead...eternal...vampire
.....guardian...house...nosferat...unlock...first chain.....

jerl growling, "if there's anything more pathetic that being an undead, it's being human!"

piro smiled then faded to a cold expression, "the curse of living on the undead never cease to amaze, yet decay ignores & eats away. we must go now."

Well eventually Piro managed to heal Jerl enough so that he could walk, together they walked towards the staircase, Piro supporting Jerl so that it would make it easier for him.

Slowly they got down the stairs, ... Piro noticed the silence coming from the tap room, she asked Jerl if he could stand by himself for a moment while she had a look around, leaving Jerl hanging on the bannister, Piro moved cautiously into the 'very' silent room.

With utter astonishment, she viewed the skeletons sitting and standing in the room, Igor a skeleton himself was still polishing glasses, even though every now and then he had to re-attach a digit that fell off during his vigorous shining.

Walking back to Jerl Piro tried to figure out how to explain this phenomena to Jerl.

With deep thought was enough, before she could speak a single word Jerl spoke first. Looking into her eyes with a sadness he could only say, "I know". Pausing for a moment and then repeating these very words, "I know".

It was time for them to leave and nothing more to be said.

Together they walked slowly and came upon the doorway. The hold they had on each other was firm and then they took that final step. Piro felt the need to look once more, only to know that this was truly over. Glancing back a smile comes across her face. There, still standing in the inn is Igor with a skeleton smirk waving goodbye. She notices that one of his fingers is missing and soflty laughs to herself. It was time for all to leave this place and within a blink of an eye, Igor turns to dust vanishing away.

Till this day people are said to have dreams of an Old Inn and The Spreadlegged Harlot swinging in the wind.

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wave.gif" alt="" />

Hey MeaCulpa, sorry for ending your story if you wished it to carry on.

I am not able to write on my own and when I look at a blank page, that's all I see. But when someone as creative as yourself puts a stage before me, I am able to create. If anyone looks at my writing style it doesn't go any farther than what has been said already. I have no magic, just thoughts of others to open my eyes.

Ok, I have been drinking and it feels like I am trying to be creative again. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

Seriously, I just follow in the steps of others and I like your imagination. Everyone has a style if people actually look or maybe it is just what I see. As for yourself I see a very cheerful way of writing, especially the way you started this story. Also in the way you gave the cat such a friendly personality in the other story.

It's the same as I see in other peoples writing styles, some go for more intense situations and create battles. While others are able to write a conversation, holding a story within a story. These are things I am not able to do but can follow given the chance.

But as far as The Spreadlegged Harlot goes, the title alone is something I could never create. In my eyes, it's so damn original it is a story within itself.

It was your writing style that made me create the ending and the last things you said. It's kinda like Roberta Williams King's Quest games and everyting doesn't have to be about doom. You can still find humor and fun within a serious story.

I really hope you like the ending. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Staples you did a great job here writing and I´m happy to have you here. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/up.gif" alt="" />

If you feel creative again continue wrighting on the other story. You will be welcome. BTW.: this goes for all members, everyone is welcome.

It is a very goog ending..I like it. Sorry I havn't been posting here or in the other story lately. My little brother in laws and spending the week with us so I'm rather busy. I hope you don't miss me too much.

Of course we miss you!

You're the pale blue elf in the other story still trying to wake up. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/delight.gif" alt="" />

Seriously, I know what you are saying and shouldn't even be here now myself. I would like to say I should be playing the game more but I really should be out doing holiday shopping. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" />

Everyone is busy now and I really should take sometime off from the forum and finish up for the holidays.

Thanks bernhard, everyones writing was great and inspired me to join in. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/idea.gif" alt="" />



Nah, I think I will just go out and drink some more. "Happy Holidays" <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/party.gif" alt="" />