malikjoker | August 18, 2010
5
Wade stepped into the private office of Sir Dominicus Rell, an ominous room with no windows. A large oak desk with dark varnish dominated the far side of the office. Six tall bookshelves packed with an assortment of tomes lined the wall behind the desk. Portraits of the Emperor and his daughter lined the left wall along with several rapiers and Aldori dueling swords on display plaques. At least two-dozen butterfly specimens framed in glass cases covered the right wall with insects from as far away as Varasia, and even the inhospitable necropolis of Geb.
Two plush chairs sat facing the oak desk and a serving tray featuring a decanter of brandy, with four turned down crystal glasses, resting at the left edge. There was a platinum ice bucket there as well where a sealed bottle of 4515 Don Griffon champagne lay, chilling in the bath. Light green grapes sat in another small dish just within arms’ reach. Large stacks of paper, weighted down with silver lion statues, covered the majority of the desk. A gold cigar box found a spot, as did a jewel-encrusted lantern with a magical light stone inside. (more…)
Category: From Oppara with Love, Serial Novel and Novella |
4 Comments »
Tags: From Oppara with Love, Purvis Wade, Serial Novel and Novella, Taldor
malikjoker | July 29, 2010
4
Perched on the top of the black cliffs of the Porthmos River sat the thriving city of Oppara, capital of the Taldan Empire. The massive and majestic Grand Bridge of the Empire, a three thousand year old magically strengthened, mithril Dwarven wonder, connected the city to the far southern shores nearly two miles away. The two harbors surrounding the city were so crammed with trading vessels the water was barley visible.
Oppara was the apex of modern culture and sophistication; it was so large that the city boasted fifteen separate districts, most of which housed the finest shops and restaurants in all of the Inner Sea. Six thousand years of trade and expansion had helped Oppara become one of the greatest cities in the entire world. It certainly was the wealthiest and examples of that wealth could be seen all over town, sometimes ridiculously so. At one point in Oppara’s history all of the buildings were topped with gold, earning it the nickname “The Gilded City”. Those days were long past and the gold had been gone for centuries, but the nickname endured. (more…)
Category: From Oppara with Love, Serial Novel and Novella |
4 Comments »
Tags: From Oppara with Love, Purvis Wade, Taldor
malikjoker | June 2, 2010
Outside Tar Kuata.
2 Desnus, 4710
In an underground passage magically shaped from the sand, five men found themselves squeezing through tunnels so tight they had to walk sideways. A short Kellesh man carried a torch but the tight hallway focused the light and helped them little. They had faces hardened by long days toiling under the desert sun. Four were swarthy looking Kellishites, but a Brevan with a massive black raven on his shoulder led the group. He had short and thick dark brown hair and an unkempt beard. A tan and black cloak, fastened with the skull of a badger, covered his shoulders. Foul arcane symbols adorned the canary trim of his custom-made fighting gloves and a many-pouched belt ran diagonally across his chest. He wore loose fitting black clothes, the cuffs of his pants tucked into crenellation topped knee boots. A heavy leather combat belt with a scroll case dangling from a thin silver chain protected his waist.
The mercenaries continued forward, intent on their promised prize. (more…)
Category: From Oppara with Love, Serial Novel and Novella |
5 Comments »
Tags: From Oppara with Love, Purvis Wade, Taldor
malikjoker | May 11, 2010
The suites of the 
Devil’s Kiss rivaled the grandiosity of the casino below. Thick white carpets covered the floor while red bricks in the classic Egorian style made up the walls and the window frames. Five-foot high paintings of Erinyes and heavily muscled Genii decorated the walls, and a marble fountain was set into the floor. A waist high pillar stood by the door displaying a wide-mouthed blue and red glass bowl containing nectarines, peaches, and grapes. A wet bar made from translucent crystal with matching decanters offered an assortment of dark liquors, while a king sized bed dominated the room. It rested in a large oak frame carved with devils in scandalous and suggestive poses and had blankets made from arctic Linnorm bear fur. A small partition in the front rear corner of the room modestly hid a brass chamber pot, a wide bathtub, and a shaving mirror. Gnomish engineering combined with a bound elemental kept the chamber pot and bathtub flowing with water and clean at all times.
The expensive fur blankets lye crumpled in an awkward ball at the foot of the bed while the Chelaxian woman and Purvis Wade rested on top of it, both naked and still damp from the magical bathtub. Wade sat with his legs draped over the side while the woman lay belly down. He smoked a hand rolled Vudran cigarillo; a luxury uncommon in the Chelaxian lands. The woman was relaxed and, judging by the way her wiry tiefling tail wagged back and forth, blissful. Along her spine, previously concealed by her dress, were three sets of jagged bone spurs. As Wade smoked he slowly ran an ice cube down the tiefling’s back, playfully circling the spurs. (more…)
Category: From Oppara with Love, Serial Novel and Novella |
4 Comments »
Tags: From Oppara with Love, Purvis Wade, Taldor
malikjoker | April 25, 2010
The Devil’s Kiss Casino, located in Westgate in central Cheliax, was a grand affair. Plush red carpets ran the entire floor and crystal chandeliers lined the ceiling. Rose-colored glass globes hung throughout the casino, each featuring a single gem radiating continual light that bathed the room in a comforting red glow.
Several tables, featuring an assortment of games and spaced comfortably apart for the luxury of the patrons, littered the floor while leather clad women navigated the lanes carrying trays with drinks and exotic tobaccos. The games were operated by halflings wearing uniform white shirt and black tie. Beefy male half orcs and a few tieflings dressed in matching black dinner jackets, walked their circuits keeping their eyes peeled for cheats and troublemakers. (more…)
Category: From Oppara with Love, Serial Novel and Novella |
4 Comments »
Tags: From Oppara with Love, Purvis Wade, Serial Novel and Novella, Taldor
Wade stepped into the private office of Sir Dominicus Rell, an ominous room with no windows. A large oak desk with dark varnish dominated the far side of the office. Six tall bookshelves packed with an assortment of tomes lined the wall behind the desk. Portraits of the Emperor and his daughter lined the left wall along with several rapiers and Aldori dueling swords on display plaques. At least two-dozen butterfly specimens framed in glass cases covered the right wall with insects from as far away as Varasia, and even the inhospitable necropolis of Geb.
