Yule Scary Story telling 2017

[Lintara]

Happy upcoming Murmas everybody!

Wholehearted thanks to Mallos, Shemhazaj and Sharazhad for bringing their stories to the fireplace and all who came to listen. Here are the stories told during the storytelling evening held tonight.

Sharazhad

Spoiler

Sharazhad: This story is a tale that happened many many years ago along the road of battles *points in the general direction*
Sharazhad: I found myself walking alone along a path. There are no trees just battle armour scattered amongst the plains, and hidden amongst them, the skulls of rotted soldiers who lay forgotten on this field.
Sharazhad: . I stepped gingerly through the rusted armour and weaponary, being very careful not disturb the scene.
Sharazhad: A cool chill blew through the evening air, and I wrapped my arms around myself to warm up. "That's odd" I thought, "Ive never been sensitive to the change in weather before".
Sharazhad: Brushing the odd feeling I got as my own fears ,after all I was in cemetry of sorts, I continued walking through this Road of Battles. Half Buried in the dirt, something silver and shiny caught
Sharazhad: my attention
Sharazhad: It didnt look like armour or weaponary, no this looked different. I knelt closer to the object, and dug around it and after much effort I pulled out an old leather logbook.
Sharazhad: Propped up against an old beat-up wagon wheel I opened it, reading the pages carefully. It was the journal of one of the warriors.
Sharazhad: His story was one of sorrow, and tragedy, the last page told of his fear of a thing he called Shades, and of only one man he knew that could fight them who he heard lived somewhere close
Sharazhad: to this road
Sharazhad: I wondered what happened there...I may have said that aloud, I cant remember - only the feeling that a hook had grabbed me from the inside and pulled me towards a now spiraling dark mist.
Sharazhad: Suddenly pain wracked through my body, and I heard the screams of fear; of men who not only felt afraid but who knew fear,and could not escape it.
Sharazhad: My eyes shut tightly as the pain coursed through my nerves and I held my head between my hands blocking my ears trying to shut out the blood curdling screams that filled the air
Sharazhad: half daring to open my eyes to see what is happening - and when I did a cold chill crept up my spine.
Sharazhad: I was still sitting against the wagon wheel, which was now part of a complete wagon. Next to me lay a dead solidier who held some thing green and oozing in his hand.
Sharazhad: The stench of it made me gag and dancing diabolically in the clear air, there were pockets of black mist which swooped in and out of the soldiers' bodies.
Sharazhad: I watched one man who had been rapidly attacked by the black mist. His eyes rolled back into his sockets, spewing white foam at the corners of his mouth, falling to the ground,
Sharazhad: clutching his temples he yelled. He yelled for home wherever it was, for a lady, then out of pain or desparation for this torment to end,
Sharazhad: he dug at his flesh near his heart and tore it open. Bit by bit,etching his fingernails, fingers, palm - digging his now bloody hands in deeper into his chest
Sharazhad: He delved his hand into the selfmade crevice and pulled something red, shiny and wet out of his chest. For a moment his eyes met mine and for those brief seconds the realisation of what he had done
Sharazhad: had hit us both. His eyes widened with fear, revelation and disgust as he died.
Sharazhad: The pain around my head ebbed to a nauseating ache and I wanted nothing more than to leave. I stood up weakly and steadied myself against the wagon wheel.
Sharazhad: The black mist loomed towards me, and I felt fear, knew fear. It swooped at me, and I felt something cold, sharp and icy suddenly push at my heart.
Sharazhad: I shut my eyes for a moment and heard the cold steel laughter of something menacing. Suddenly I felt something moving on my arm, I looked down at my hand and screamed.
Sharazhad: It was round, about the size of large hailstone and was moving rapidly, up my arm towards my neck, underneath my skin.
Sharazhad: "Get it out!!" I yelled, half crying clawing at the skin on my upper arm desparately. I felt it move up my neck and wept thinking: "Its gonna go in my head and Im gonna die!"
Sharazhad: I dug my nails deeper into my neck trying to stop the ball from moving. I felt my blood ooze down my skin
Sharazhad: A thought hit me... "what if this isn't real" I steadied myself and said aloud: "You're not real, you don't get to kill me"
Sharazhad: Hoping this nightmare just ends
Sharazhad: Suddenly I was brought down to my knees, and wretched up something green and disgusting, it was alive and wormlike, and I watched it slither away before passing out.
Sharazhad: When I came to, the scenary was as I had first seen it, quiet and still. The screams had vanished and the pain around my head had disappeared.
Sharazhad: "Was that all a dream?" I thought and instinctively looked at my arms and felt the back of my neck. There were no finger marks or a hint that I had attempted to mutilate myself
Sharazhad: I looked down and noticed that the book was open and fluttering on a page I hadn't read before. The writing read: "Close the book, this is all true, none of it is real"
Sharazhad: " I shut the book quickly and noticed there were blood stains underneath my nails. I glanced quickly at the book again and saw something with a black tail disappear into the covers.
Sharazhad: Shivering and in a cold sweat, I got up and left the field...

 

Mallos

Spoiler

Mallos: Once upon a time there lived a small girl she lived in a small happy village and her cruel father owned a farm. Her mother and father were not happy together but Mallos didn't know.
Mallos: One stormy night her father and mother had a big fight that's why her father kicked the mother out of the farm.
Mallos: Mallos burst into tears her mother gave her a silver key and told her "You will find me with this key."
Mallos: Mallos stopped crying and looked into her mothers eyes and that's when the word hope came to this world. Her mother had walked off but no one knew where.
Mallos: The next morning Mallos was outside sleeping hoping her mother will return. Her father came outside and said "Get up you little rat." Mallos had no choice so she did and went to the house.
Mallos: She was thinking of the key all day until night came.
Mallos: As she was going to sleep she saw a door appear in front of her she decided to go in but it needed a key so she tried the one her mother gave to her.
Mallos: It opened and she saw heaven in the door and her mother smiling in front of the door that means her mother had died.
Mallos: She decided to step inside but the door shut! And they lived happily in heaven and to this day no one has seen the young girl or her mother. And the silver key will be up in heaven forever.

 

Lintara

Spoiler

Lintara: The evening was as though blessed - gentle puffs of snow were slowly falling down to the ground.
Lintara: Cinnamon scent rose from the mug of tea on the table as Arthur was busy preparing for the oncomming festivities.
Lintara: The tablecloth was neat and tidy, utensils set up precisely, not a speck on the plate and not a worry in sight. There even was a little bit of time before the guests arrived.
Lintara: Arthur sat down to rest a little. All of a sudden, he heard a loud "thud" on the window in a room nearby.
Lintara: A moment later, he shook it off as some pesky kiddos throwing snowballs. No big deal. Arthur started going over the chores checklist in his mind.
Lintara: Thump! Thud! This time it sounded like a boot hitting the door and falling down inside the house. Arthur quickly paced to the kitchen's exit to investigate, but didn't see anything strange either.
Lintara: All the boots were where they should be too. Yet, no guests either.
Lintara: Suddenly, he heard a voice from the kitchen yell... "Ha! I got the long straw this time!"
Lintara: Arthur rushed to the kitchen - he'll catch the culprit at last! Yet, when he set foot in the kitchen...
Lintara: it was the same as he left it. However, there was a little detail that shook him till the end of his days...
Lintara: A freshly made heart-shaped stain of candlewax greeted him from the plate at the end of the table. Arthur heard the doorbell ring.

 

Shemhazaj

Spoiler

Shemhazaj: Pain. Blunt, sickening pain coming from the base of your skull.
Shemhazaj: Taste of blood in your mouth. Ringing in your ears. Ohh and this pain...
Shemhazaj: “Where am I ? “
Shemhazaj: You are trying to recall. You remember walking the road from Gazebo of Equilibrium towards Loreroot carrying a thing of a great value.
Shemhazaj: What was it ?
Shemhazaj: Oh no, the pain is getting unbearable making you feel even worse than a while ago.
Shemhazaj: Attempting to stand up you realize that heavy chains round your wrists and legs make it impossible to move.
Shemhazaj: You open eyes slowly and notice nothing but a tiny ray of light sneaking through a small, barred window.
Shemhazaj: A dungeon, they put you in a dungeon!
Shemhazaj: Smell of decay and excrements rises from every corner of the cell making you feel nauseous.
Shemhazaj: You are struggle to regain control over your body by closing your eyes and trying to calm down. Finally the pain is gone and you fall asleep.
Shemhazaj: “Here he is! Hurry up or else we will get the beating too.”
Shemhazaj: You hear voices from behind the door which burst open and two men rush into your cell, release you from the cold clutches of the iron chains and start dragging you outside.
Shemhazaj: “What the hell are you ...” You can’t finish the sentence as a blow of brass knuckles lands on your face finishes it for yourself.
Shemhazaj: You are being dragged through a corridor, then up a flight of stairs. You struggle to catch a glimpse of the area but another blow on your neck stops you from doing so.
Shemhazaj: Whoever imprisoned you must know his trade very well... You realize you must have been unconscious for a long time.
Shemhazaj: You want to jump at the guards in blind rage and tear them to pieces but in your miserable condition you aren’t even able to walk on your own. Your other powers are gone too.
Shemhazaj: You are eventually pushed into a dark chamber, stumble across a doorstep and land on the floor. The guards leave without saying a word. Strange …
Shemhazaj: You raise from the floor slowly and start looking around, inspecting the room. It looks like an office of the prison warden.
Shemhazaj: There is a bookshelf to the left whereas to the right side there are heaps of animal skins lying on the floor and a number of swords hanging on the wall.
Shemhazaj: Your sight is drawn by a large chandelier-lit tapestry at the opposite end of the room. It portrays an unknown king sitting in a throne in a royal chamber.
Shemhazaj: Actually, everything around you looks peculiar and unknown. Suddenly you became aware that you are neither in Necrovion, nor in the infamous dungeons of Gollemus Golemicarum
Shemhazaj: nor the cellars of Marind Bell...
Shemhazaj: Something inside tells you that you are nowhere in MD. The feeling of agitation rises as you notice a small object lying among heaps of documents on a large table in the middle of the room …
Shemhazaj: The crystal ! You immediately recognize it.
Shemhazaj: “This is the precious thing I was carrying to Loreroot when I was assaulted. Yes ! This must be why they abducted me ! It must be more valuable than I ever thought it was !”
Shemhazaj: Your stream of thoughts is interrupted by a new one. There is someone else here, someone quietly inspecting your reactions. You suddenly spot a figure standing in the darkness of the room corner.
Shemhazaj: Damn it! You should have noticed him earlier instead of ruminating about the reasons of your capture! All of a sudden it comes to you that your instincts have failed you
Shemhazaj: and this adventure may not have a happy ending...
Shemhazaj: The figure slowly emerges from the shadow and you start distinguishing its features. He is a man of long blonde hair, dressed in a leather coat and wearing high horse-riding boots.
Shemhazaj: His long sword is attached to his back. He looks strangely familiar though... Yes, without a doubt it is him!
Shemhazaj: “Shem ! What on earth is going on ?”
Shemhazaj: A punch on your stomach so strong that you land on the knees gasping for air is the only answer you get.
Shemhazaj: “Don’t you dare to call me by my first name you treacherous dog, never !”
Shemhazaj: His voice is saturated with hatred. The words followed by a kick on your face leave you landing on the floor and sending you into
Shemhazaj: the abyss of unconsciousness before you manage to make any sense of what he has just told you.
Shemhazaj: .
Shemhazaj: Upon opening your eyes you realize you are in the cell again however this time not all alone.
Shemhazaj: There is another prisoner chained to the stone wall. His condition is appalling:
Shemhazaj: blood flowing from numerous wounds all over his body, broken and deformed limbs,
Shemhazaj: his eyeless lid is clogged by both blood and pus still dripping on the filthy floor.
Shemhazaj: He opens his swollen, toothless mouth trying to speak to you however nothing but incomprehensible wheeze comes out.
Shemhazaj: Looking at him brings up a mixture of disgust and compassion in you.
Shemhazaj: Suddenly to your increasing horror both of these feelings disappear as you grasp that you are looking at yourself if matters continue this way!
Shemhazaj: “How long will it take till I take his place ?”
Shemhazaj: Not being able to stand on your own legs anymore you will be chained to this wall so that they will be able to torture you until you die.
Shemhazaj: No! You turn your eyes from this massacred but still alive corpse.
Shemhazaj: “I must find at least a spark of hope...”
Shemhazaj: Suddenly the door swings open and two butchers walk in followed by Shemhazaj. The look in his icy-cold eyes starts drilling you.
Shemhazaj: “Take him first!”
Shemhazaj: You smile as the finger points at the dying man on chained to the wall feeling relief and gratitude.
Shemhazaj: However just few moments later you feel ashamed and angry with yourself.
Shemhazaj: As the butchers start dragging the wretch out of the dungeon he makes extreme effort to look at you and his maltreated lips shout out.
Shemhazaj: “Forgive me Tobias!!!”
Shemhazaj: Hearing this Shemhazaj spits on the floor and leaves the cell all alone again. No other sound is heard. Not for long...
Shemhazaj: Just after a while you start hearing inhuman screams coming from behind the closed door and making you tremble. You cannot give in to panic. “Think, think !”
Shemhazaj: “Why did he call me Tobias ? What happened to Shem? Where the hell am I ?”
Shemhazaj: You cannot pull yourself together and concentrate, nothing can silence the screams of the tortured man.
Shemhazaj: ou became aware that you were placed in the cell so close to the torture chamber intentionally as just a mere expectation of your turn
Shemhazaj: in the upcoming torture and eventually death is worse than the torture itself. Hours pass but the horrible screams do not cease...
Shemhazaj: Footsteps.
Shemhazaj: You can hear the inevitability closing on to you as they become louder and louder approaching the door. They are coming!
Shemhazaj: No, you can’t start panicking now. Dignity is about the only thing they can’t take away from you. Soon it will be over.
Shemhazaj: You are tough and they will not break your spirit. Suddenly you hear a woman’s voice whispering from behind the door.
Shemhazaj: “There is a knife hidden underneath the left side of the cross. Use it when the chance comes, don’t give them pleasure in watching you suffer.”
Shemhazaj: “Wait ! Who are you? What is happening here?”
Shemhazaj: You scream but only silence answers you, she has gone.
Shemhazaj: “ Knife! there is a hidden knife here.”
Shemhazaj: Finally there is a spark of hope, not for survival but for revenge. You will not make it easy for them to take you away. He will not drink of your blood. Eventually they come for you
Shemhazaj: You do not struggle but let them take you away. As long as there is the knife – there is hope.
Shemhazaj: The hope leaves you as you are pushed into the torture chamber. Many of the instruments are unknown to your eye but the ones that you know chill your soul:
Shemhazaj: Confession Chair, long sharp iron spikes sticking out from every inch of it dig into your flesh with every move you make.
Shemhazaj: Rack Torture to which they tie up man’s arms and legs to slowly severe him.
Shemhazaj: The slower, the more painful.
Shemhazaj: An Iron-Maiden, even though closed you know what grim torture it hides inside.
Shemhazaj: Strappado used for severing arms off the body, hearth and a cauldron, spiked pear used for tearing apart the orifices of a human body,
Shemhazaj: a smaller one for mouth and a bigger one you don’t even want to know what for and dozens of different sized knives.
Shemhazaj: “The knife !”
Shemhazaj: The thought returns to you when you look at the cross on the floor as they are leading you towards it. You can’t grab it right now as your hands are tied but the hope returns.
Shemhazaj: Two men leave the torture chamber and you turn your eyes to Shemhazaj who approaches you, sits by your side and starts cutting your clothes with a large knife leaving you almost completely naked.
Shemhazaj: You are trying to turn away your thoughts from approaching, terrifying inevitability.
Shemhazaj: “You know Toby, I never wanted it to come to this. You shouldn’t have betrayed our lord. You should have realized better that we would eventually find out.
Shemhazaj: As you already know he is not a forgiving man, but I am. So tell me everything you know, tell me all the names hidden there in your head and I will assure a swift and painless death for you.”
Shemhazaj: You remain silent, no word comes from your mouth. What is it that he wants to know? You don’t even know why they call you Tobias !
Shemhazaj: Not obtaining any answers to his questions Shemhazaj sighs. At this very moment you could believe that his offer of finishing you with one blow of a sword was honest
Shemhazaj: but you don’t have any more time for thinking when you see him reaching for an iron rod stuck in a heap of burning coal.
Shemhazaj: You can feel its flesh-scorching heat even though it is still far from your face.
Shemhazaj: “ What I’m about to do is not because of anger. Pain will free your mind from the shackles of self-obedience. It will free you from loyalty towards those you are trying to protect.”
Shemhazaj: You would gladly spit on his face but your head has been immobilized as much as your limbs. Your teeth clench and you flex every muscle in your body awaiting for the pain. And it comes...
Shemhazaj: The rod slowly moves towards your chest and bites into your nipple. Smell of burning flesh starts filling the air.
Shemhazaj: “Those people will not escape punishment.” you hear struggling not to faint. The rod goes back into the furnace.
Shemhazaj: “Your resistance may save them hours maybe even a couple of days of life. Your silence will not save anyone whilst your confession will save you.”
Shemhazaj: A portion of boiling oil is spilled onto your foot drawing an uncontrollable scream from your mouth.
Shemhazaj: Your torturer tears off the scalded and deformed skin off your foot and pours another portion of hot oil onto the flesh wound.
Shemhazaj: You start praying for loss of consciousness, sweet dark void where time and pain have no place.
Shemhazaj: Whenever your mind is close to slipping off, the ruthless hands of your tormenter near a small flask of ammonia to your nose bringing you back to reality.
Shemhazaj: Oh no... you think as you see him reaching for the rod once again and this time slowly nearing it to your eye.
Shemhazaj: “Are they really worth it ? Don’t you know that your stubbornness endangers your own family? What if my lord orders me to bring them all here for questioning ?“
Shemhazaj: Even though you do not know any family of Tobias, your horror reaches its climax when the rod touches the eye causing its fluids to boil and flow alongside blood down your cheek.
Shemhazaj: Shemhazaj puts the rod away and starts caressing your other cheek.
Shemhazaj: “ Please give in, don’t struggle anymore, both of us know you will eventually break. You’ve made a mistake, lost your way. It is not me but you who can help to make this world a better place.”
Shemhazaj: Looking as if through the mist at his face with your remaining eye you know he is telling the truth, he really believes in every word he is saying.
Shemhazaj: You want to tell him: truth or lie, anything, but you stay silent...
Shemhazaj: Shemhazaj sighs again and sounds a gong. After a short while the door opens and another one of his butchers rush into the chamber.
Shemhazaj: “Toca, Stork”
Shemhazaj: You recognize the names of upcoming tortures. Shemhazaj gives you the last look, then to your surprise kisses you on the forehead and starts walking towards the door.
Shemhazaj: “I will return later. Think about what I have told you.”
Shemhazaj: With these last words he shuts the door closed behind him. The newly arrived man starts releasing you from the chains in order to move you to another torture tool.
Shemhazaj: Now is the moment !
Shemhazaj: The fool didn’t know about the knife you think to yourself with grim satisfaction watching his blood dripping from the blade onto your fingers.
Shemhazaj: Newly regained hope helps you forget about the pain and concentrates your mind on a new thing: What to do now ?
Shemhazaj: Where to run? Where to seek shelter and help? Should you wait until this monster Shem returns to finish him off?
Shemhazaj: No, in your current state you wouldn’t stand a chance against him even given the element of surprise.
Shemhazaj: The crystal!
Shemhazaj: Whatever the situation you are in the crystal may give you answers and perhaps help. Maybe even buy your way out! You start hobbling towards the exit nervously.
Shemhazaj: You remember the way. First to your cell, then left and up the stairs and towards the door at the end of the corridor.
Shemhazaj: Yes! Thanks god you weren’t blindfolded that time they brought you to Shem’s chamber. You enter the room and scan it nervously recognizing the person on the tapestry.
Shemhazaj: “It is our lord.” Shem’s words return to you.
Shemhazaj: You spit on the floor remembering the last time here, then hobble towards the table with adrenaline powered strength and reach for the crystal
Shemhazaj: Then you turn around quickly to run away from this cursed place and...
Shemhazaj: You notice a handle of a knife sticking out from your chest, in your last seconds of life you look at the murderer’s face but can’t see it through the eternal mist quickly taking away your sight.
Shemhazaj: However you notice long, golden hair which help you identify him. Your old friend and recent torturer.
Shemhazaj: You feel blood filling your mouth and the crystal slipping off your weakening fingers to the ground just to explode in a thousand pieces a second later.
Shemhazaj: .
Shemhazaj: .
Shemhazaj: .
Shemhazaj: Dream Diver’s Crystal
Shemhazaj: the keyhole of the door to consciousness. Shattered on the floor.
Shemhazaj: “Hey, are you up to no good again?“
Shemhazaj: You hear a familiar voice coming from behind the bar at Root of the Matter Inn. You are back in Loreroot!
Shemhazaj: As you raise your head your eyes meet with Shemhazaj’s eyes and you can see anger on his face but at the same time his eyes are filled with care.
Shemhazaj: “Next time when you decide to dive into my nightmares...” His voice is as cold as the northern winds but trembling with feelings.
Shemhazaj: “ Next time you do it” He repeats.
Shemhazaj: “You better make sure you don’t loose control.”
Shemhazaj: With these last words the druid stands up and leaves the tavern slamming the door behind him.
Shemhazaj: As you are left alone at the table with everyone looking at you firmly, something deep inside tells you that you will never forget this evening...

 

[Shemhazaj]

Thank you for listening to all of my story (and not falling asleep).

Hope it was enjoyable.

Also thanks to everyone else who participated. It was good to hear your stories.

To everyone else who has a story to tell: let us know, it'd be nice to repeat such an event