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Spooky Story Contest - Win Free Platinum!

#1
Hello Heroes,

The dark hour cometh! Leaves are falling, the wind is getting colder, and SPIRIT Halloween Stores are open - It's October! This month, we are calling all Heroes who have a eerie tale to tell and get a chance to earn some Platinum! Sharpen those story-telling skills for the most haunted time of year to unleash your inner Celtic monsters, ghosts, and myths.

If you're up to the task, here are the rules:

* 500 words or less. Keep these spooky stories short and fun-sized treats.
* Reply in this thread. Enter the contest by replying with your submission in this thread.
* Celtic Heroes related. Your submission must be in the Celtic Heroes setting and need to include at least 1 reference from the game in your story (location, NPC, mobs, etc.).
* Be Original. Your story must be uniquely yours. Absolutely no plagiarism or your submission will be disqualified.
* Tell us where to send the prize. Make sure to include your character and name with your submission so we know where to send the Platinum if your story is chosen.

Submission Deadline:
Sunday, October 17th, 2021
Winners Announced:
Tuesday, October 19th, 2021

WINNERS ANNOUNCED! Congratulations to the selected stories. Platinum will arrive to your account within 24 hours!

Winning Prizes:
1st Place - 1000 Platinum: Royalninja from Mabon!
2nd Place - 500 Platinum: Miranda27 from Epona!
3rd Place - 250 Platinum: Eiji from Danu
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Re: Spooky Story Contest - Win Free Platinum!

#2
This story is entitled: The Catacombs
Viewer discretion is advised ;)

As the young rogue stood there in an emerging darkness so overpowering, she asked herself whether what she had been doing was really worth all the horrors she was about to experience first hand.
"No time for doubts", the girl whispered to herself in a rough, yet eerily melodic tone of voice.

She had started her journey through Dal Riata in search of the most powerful of Blackstones, Manus. She had come for nothing but sheer revenge and she'd only leave this tomb titled the "Dustwither Catacombs" with the head of the sorcerer that had single handedly murdered her clan, which was all the fledgling thief had when she entered this foresaken world. The other option was one she did not fear yet did not want to face either - death.
Determined, she lit the small torch given to her by Severina the Alchemist who hadn't even made an attempt to stop the ferocious, hurt driven outlaw on her conquest to murder Manus. It seemed he was unpopular among many folks that knew of his doings.
The torches' embers sparked silently as she made her way through chambers filled with the skeletal remains of warriors, druids, rangers, mages and rogues that lived and died before she ever saw the light of day. And she was here to avenge them all.

As the flickering lights of the burning fire in her right hand illuminated every corner of every room she had accessed, she caught barely visible, shadowy figures running past her field of view, some of which crouched against the cold cobble walls, scanning her with eyes as villainously yellow as that of the legendary Bloodthorne, a creature she had yet to meet.
Finally she arrived in what appeared to be a long hallway, the end of which the light could not reach, as though it was a wall of pure murkiness she'd have to break through with her own fists - and daggers.
The rogue tossed her torch carelessly to the ground and pulled two sharp, pointy weapons from her belt, ones that were passed onto her by her deceased brothers and sisters.
Suddenly, she felt as though a prodigious presence filled the rheumy air surrounding her. She closed her eyes for a short second, and in her eyelids the darkness carved the gruesome portrait of a hooded, pale warlock.

Manus Blackstone.

In just the fraction of a second she opened her eyes and threw her arms above her head, blocking a mighty spell that drowned the room in purple flames with her blades. As she felt herself being pushed back by the forceful magic, the unhinged thief unwound all her anger and leaped straight to where she had assumed his head was seated upon his pallid halse. In a fierce and fast motion she cleaved through his inhuman flesh, splatters of blood covering her entire body nearly immediately.

The violet blaze died abruptly and only the light of her dying torch remained, though the wall of tenebrosity seemed broken for eternity.

It’s exactly 500 words long (at least that’s what Wattpad said :? )

In the case I do win this competition please send the reward to:
Miranda27 a level 223 rogue on the server Epona

Cheers and happy spoopy month to all our witches celebrating Samhain <3
Last edited by Lady Miranda on Wed Oct 13, 2021 8:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Professional soul stealer

Retired Eponian formerly known by the name of Miranda27

Taranis:
Meer Monsoon - Dps Warrior
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Re: Spooky Story Contest - Win Free Platinum!

#3
A True and Spooky Tale



It was a crisp autumn eve as the clan gathered in Highshore Village for the choosing of the elite. The 27. Each wondered how we would bravely face the demon dragon from the underworld, Dhiothu. 
I knew it would be certain death for me as a lone unknown ranger, but as my name was called I joined the others riding their battle mounts towards the peninsula. 



The Druids had gathered at the ancient fortress, beginning their incantations to summon the magical forces . Their mystical auras made them unstable beings prone to visions of grandeur and risky, perverse behaviors. Be careful in befriending a Druid, my old tutor had warned . They might turn a spell on you just for practice. The Mages had worked through the night perfecting preternatural spells. They were unusually ugly and terrifying clan-mates, but without them Dhiothu’s minions would descend upon us, devouring our flesh or delighting in blowing our innards over the old castle grounds .

The power of the dragon kept the sky in constant movement, swirling purple violet clouds indicating Dhiothu was building power. Without death, he could not live. Our deaths . 
Don’t look at him , my old tutored had warned. Whatever you do, avert your eyes and watch for the hellish glowing orbs.

“Ready up! It is time.” bellowed old Ephemeral. Our mightiest warrior would draw the neon beast’s attention. We each knew our role. We had been trained by village elders since the beginning of time. Dhiothu will drag you to hell they warned . Be wary and prepared.
 


Our first attack was ill timed. The Hell Trolls had found a way to cast aside the mage spells, freeing themselves . I heard the soul splitting screams as body parts dropped like rain. I looked to my side and recognized a blood-stained shimmering Glenmor wig I had coveted. 
“Again!!” clanmates shouted , shields clamoring. Most of us had lost our mounts , dying in agony from the hellish flames cast from the glowing dragon. I saw my faithful pet imp writhing with limbs torn from his body, sadness in his eyes he would be unable to assist me. I glanced up to ready my bow . But Dhiothu locked my gaze. I was unable to break the stare. 


I felt my body burn, a quivering numbness began. As I looked down , my legs had begun to vaporize, moving to my torso and up. What was happening? A floating sensation enveloped me; I realized I was no longer corporeal. 

I saw more clearly than ever before in my lifetime as my soul joined the swirling lavender mystic mass in the sky. Millions of “the 27” who fought and died began to surround me as one. A realization dawned. 


This is our hell... the never-ending battle with Dhiothu , the undead beast who would never die. And as I join with those who had come before, I am nothing more . 

Amorra from the server Nuada
( and Rune from the server Rosmerta)
Rune of Rosmerta
Amorra of Nuada

Re: Spooky Story Contest - Win Free Platinum!

#4
Expedition Journal - Day 19

October 30, 1787

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Today, our expedition finally reached the remnants of an ancient Celtic kingdom called Dal Riata, and its main castle, Farcrag Castle, on the western coast of Scotland. Supposedly, Dal Riata was ruled by the MacLir clan for centuries, until unknown circumstances led to the downfall and sudden abandonment of the region, roughly 900 years ago.

According to ancient legends, Dal Riata contained a portal to a parallel universe called the Otherworld, a once peaceful area brimming with many creatures from Celtic mythology. However, it was eventually corrupted by the touch of Crom Cruach, a Celtic god who was more akin to a demon. The goal of our expedition is to locate this portal, in the hopes of potentially exploring this Otherworld, if such a place really exists.

There are rumours that Crom escaped from his prison deep in the Otherworld, entered our universe and razed the human settlements of Dal Riata into the ground, before the other Celtic gods intervened and sealed him back in his prison.

It is believed that every year on Halloween night, the prison’s seals temporarily weaken, and Crom returns to the ruins of Dal Riata, to ensure that no human survivors are left.

Crom supposedly uses the portal to re-enter our universe, so by locating him tomorrow night, we may be able to locate his point of entry and exit as well. This is a high risk operation, since Crom spotting any human would lead to the expedition being compromised, if he even exists.

However, Crom was the least of our worries for the moment; dark, ominous clouds rolled over the ruins of the castle, and cold raindrops began to fall on us while the wind provided a howling soundtrack. A large storm was rolling in, and we needed to find shelter. Fortunately, there was access to the fallen kingdom’s drainage system, through a hidden trapdoor that had remained intact in the ruins. We decided to spend the rest of the day studying these sewers, accompanied by the smell of corpses that had been rotting for thousands of years.

As we ventured deeper into the sewers, we came across many skeletons, probably those of the Hawkhurst smugglers who famously conducted the bulk of the region’s illicit trade, away from prying eyes. Eventually, we also encountered the corpses which smelled so bad, in a part of the sewers historically referred to as the Murky Vaults. The corpses almost looked zombified, but I suppose that’s what years of decay does.

After hours of exploration, we reached a dead end, and I was elated to be back home. Although I didn’t mind the foolish humans who accompanied me on my expedition, Crom would be able to detect them, and I needed some new recruits for my brittle skeleton army anyways. In the past, ancient heroes were able to thwart my expansion efforts, but tomorrow, not even Crom will be able to stop me.

- Efnisien the Necromancer


498 words, character name is Eiji, level 224 ranger on Danu.

Hope you enjoyed the sp00ky read, and have a happy Halloween!
Last edited by Eiji on Sun Oct 17, 2021 10:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Re: Spooky Story Contest - Win Free Platinum!

#5
“Seen and Unseen”

Farcrag castle was ominously quiet. Ghostly fog drifted across it’s once beautiful courtyard. How odd… Taliyah thought to herself. There was a certain coldness to her surroundings, and an almost wintry condensation found its way onto her breath.
Walking as silently as she could, Taliyah made her way down the main steps to the base of the great fountain. Icy tendrils reached to her as she drifted past. She studied the deep mist, trying to identify its possible source.
The pale hand of a woman suddenly, yet gently, rested itself upon Taliyah’s shoulder. She would never have noticed it if it hadn’t reflected the moonlight so glaringly. Startled, she watched the hand out of the corner of her eye, half expecting it to move towards her throat, or do some other malevolent deed, but it never did.
With a deep breath, careful not to alert the ghastly figure in any way, she spun to look at who or what had been touching her. Before she could get a glimpse of what it was, a loud clash of drums sounded nearby. Taliyah staggered to the ground in complete fear. She gathered herself as quickly as she could, unsure of what had just happened. Her nose stung as she attempted to catch her breath in the cool night air.
Once she had finally made some sense of the situation, telling herself she was simply exhausted and imagining things, she noticed another hand stretched out behind her. It was a different hand than before, but it had the same poise as the previous one. It’s palm was facing upwards as if it wanted to help her to her feet.
Scrambling away from this second hand, another drum sounded. And once again, there was nothing but fog from where the hand had been.
Taliyah was now panicking. Her heart was leaping at her rib cage in distress. Another drum beat sounded. Then another. The beating was beginning to increase in tempo and volume, and the fog had thickened so that she couldn’t see anything except what was a couple of feet in front of her.
“Come home,” a male voice said faintly from deep within the mist.
“Come home,” echoed a woman.
“Come home,” a child she couldn’t see begged her.
“Come home,” the voices began to swell until they were ingrained into her whole being. She shook with fear and trembling. Taking slow, backward steps away from the voices, Taliyah’s heel accidentally clipped the edge of the fount, and she fell as a casualty into the frigid water.
She lay there peacefully, feeling safe within the embrace of the glacial silence. But Taliyah also felt a heavy sense of urgency, as if the keepers of those pale fists were awaiting her.
Taliyah sat up and listened for the voices, but all she heard was the drip drop of water coming off of her. She shakily exhaled with relief and wiped the water from her eyes. And that’s when she saw them.

— Fierce Flame, 226 Mage, Gwydion

Happy spooky season everyone! I hope you enjoy all 498 words of this startling tale!

Re: Spooky Story Contest - Win Free Platinum!

#6
One day, the sky was raining heavily and the wind was blowing from everywhere and it was very cold. In this deadly weather, a strange man was walking in a city, and he still walked that man wishing for a shelter for him where he felt warm and with a few bites that would fill his hunger, and at the first house he found a knock on his door, and when A man answers from the window of the house...

Homeowner: “Who is the knocker?”

The stranger: “I am a strange man, and I ask you for hospitality.”

The man immediately opened his house, entered the stranger and seated him near the fireplace, as he brought him a jacket to warm him more, he prepared the most delicious food for his hospitality, and after the stranger finished eating, the owner of the house prepared each of them a warm cup of tea, the stranger found warmth, safety and psychological comfort with that The house in which he found no one but his owner and a dog with him, there was no wife, no children, not even a servant..

The next morning, the stranger woke up and left early so as not to burden her with the owner of the house.

A week after that incident, the owner of the house went to one of the art exhibitions with his friends, and in the exhibition his eyes fell on a painting drawn by the same strange person who requested his hospitality. The owner of the painting has been dead for fifty years, and with his insistence on his opinion, his friend who knows the location of his grave took him and they all went to him, and there was the surprise that amazed them all, and they found the shirt of the owner of the house that he gave to the stranger on his grave.

Name: XxTimaxX, warrior, from donn, lvl 205

Re: Spooky Story Contest - Win Free Platinum!

#7
Has anyone else found this bounty? It's got me kinda spooked, I'll be honest.
I went to the bounty board, since I need more mount tokens and the bounty today was:
"Bounty: Missing Persons
Lord MacLir is issuing a bounty on anyone potentially involved in the disappearances of several women who went missing after entering Guild Alley alone after dark.
Are you sure you want to accept?"
The description unnerved me but I accepted, it seemed more interesting than killing wolves or Connacht again. There weren't map markers so I tried Guild Alley. Oddly, Mairtin Hyde wasn't outside his shop and the door was wide open. The shop's interior was bright with a sickly yellow light and was sparsely decorated. There's a barbershop chair facing the stained glass window with its textures misaligned, and the textures of the wood flooring and trolley holding various kinds of scissors were very low res. I was excited before, but evidently they didn't care about designing this bounty. Beside the chair was a doorway leading to an incredibly dark set of stairs leading down.
There's no light in the basement besides that from a lantern sat in front of a tall, pale figure leaning against the wall, unmoving.
The figure looked to be a woman, her underwear clad body covered in oozing cuts, cheeks carved into to give her a hideous smile, missing patches of hair on her head and with limbs that looked like several from different people cut up and stapled together to make them freakishly long. "Pretty, isn't she?" Mairtin asked as I noticed him behind me, grinning too wide to be comfortable. His deep purple text complimenting the dark basement.
"Girls, they all look identical but with different coloured hair. Least, that's what I think. There's so much you can do with a body, why stop at superficial stuff like height and hairstyle?"
Mairtin came at me, scissors snipping feverishly. "I'm supposed to only snip away so much, but since Virtual Realms can't see us here, I wonder how you'd look with snipped ears, or if I stabbed your eyes out? You won't need barbershop tokens for this!" he shouted, scissors clamping down on my Warrior's left arm, squeezing, pulling and slicing into his bicep all at once. My Warrior gored Mairtin on his spear, but it did no damage. "Don't get it? I'm a friendly NPC! You can't harm me, but I can absolutely harm you!" He cackled. I turned to run, causing a chunk of flesh from my character's arm to be torn out. As I hotswapped to my mount, Mairtin kept pace, scissors now dripping crimson snipping wildly as he clambered up the stairs. He'd left the door open so I bolted for the bounty board. After that, I never saw Mairtin again. Despite that the barbershop door is open and the barbershop chair lets me change my appearance for free, though no matter what I do that left arm remains scarred.
Character: Luthais on Epona

Re: Spooky Story Contest - Win Free Platinum!

#8
The sky turned black as the end grew near for a veteran warrior of Dál Riata. A horrible fate awaited him, and it would be one worse than death.

Days before, the Seer Mirain appeared before him with a recent vision of vicious souls scourging the land of the living on the night of Samhain. His task was simple to recite, yet impossible to complete; he was to save innocent souls from being claimed by the Sluagh. The night of Samhain drew closer as Finna shouted her warnings to the village to board their windows and lock their doors, for fear of having their souls stolen and eternally damned. The hero stood in the center of town, preparing to drive away the Sluagh as they traversed eastward across the sky toward him. Having sharpened his Sword of Earth and shined his Awakened Shield, he stood watch as night fell upon the village.

The flock of evil souls appeared on the dark horizon, their approach hastening at the sight of the village full of delicious souls for the taking. The warrior didn't stand a chance against them, but he thought he could hold them off long enough to save the others. He raised his shield as the damned souls flew overhead, blocking out the moonlight and raining poisonous darts upon him in an attempt to weaken his strength and endurance. A confident villager that heard the news went outside to join the fight, but not even a step was taken before a Sluagh swooped down and lifted him into the air as it devoured his soul, tossing his shell of a body into the roof of another home. After smashing an entrance into their abode, spraying gore and viscera on the occupants inside, the other Sluagh took notice and threw their darts at the defenseless villagers, the hero powerless to stop the onslaught that began before him.

The Sluagh continued their rampage, using empty vessels to break into homes, indiscriminately stealing the souls of men, women, and children alike. The splatters of blood and scattered entrails all around the warrior as their bodies impacted the ground weakened his resolve but he still held his shield high. The massacre continued as he tried to defend the remaining survivors, but his shield shattered as the Sluagh continued their barrages of darts. With no defense left, the warrior was skewered as each one pierced his armor. He fell to his knees and the Sluagh lifted the dying warrior into the air, feasting on his soul and tossing his remains where he had made his doomed, final stand. No one remained to save the villagers. Dying screams would be heard as the Sluagh left the streets covered in the disfigured corpses of the fallen, leaving nothing but death and destruction in their wake. Their numbers only increased as they tore across the lands looking for their next meal as each soul claimed had no choice but to become a Sluagh themself.

Skeleton Army - Rosmerta

Re: Spooky Story Contest - Win Free Platinum!

#9
My true (?) Samhain tale

There are three rules you have to obey if you want to survive in Dal Riata.

First: Never solo Diothu.
Second: Don't use tobacco made out of the big mushrooms in the Otherworld.
Third: Never collect Hunter's remains during Samhain.

After several hours in the tavern with my old buddy, Hogan the barkeep, I neglected the last two rules. Under the faint glow of the bloodmoon I tried to get some Hunter's remains. I had hardly touched it when I felt something cold touching my ankle. At first I thought it was just due to two (or more) drinks to much, but the presence of a skeletal hand, holding my leg, couldn't be denied.
I stomped onto it and jumped onto my horse to return to the safety of the tavern.

Getting there, I couldn't believe my eyes. The pier had vanished under a huge mass of black slime and tentacles. Whatever this creature was, it moved to the Northern Peninsula, where Diothu, in a desperate attempt to defeat his keep, rose into the air. The battle didn't take long, the dragon was drawn into the depths of the sea.

With shivers running down my spine I headed for Farcrag Castle.
There the water of the fountain had turned red, like blood. The shadows where darker than usual and I swear, they seemed to crawl over the ground, trying to get me.
There still was a woman dancing in front of the pavilion to an eerie melody. Suddenly I realized why her movements seemed so staggering. Half of the flesh of her face had vanished and one eye, hanging out, finally convinced me to face a walking dead.
I drew my dagger and solved that problem, but more undead creatures were trying to get closer.

I knew no other solution than to head for a place a rogue normally never visits voluntarily, the Temple of Belenus. Elder Morven had locked the temple with a magical barrier, so that the hoards from the underworld hadn't managed to enter.
She had read about heroes of the past, defeating such terrible foes with a diamond demon stone. It had to be brought into the very heart of the Arcane Sanctum. As she was to weak to get even close, she handed out the artifact to me and gave me a last blessing. After a long and bloody journey through Lirs Reach, Shalemont Ravine, Stonevale and the Otherworld I fought my way through the tower. Finally I positioned the artifact in Gelebron's chamber. As soon as it hit the ground, a mighty explosion of white light erupted from it. That was the last I noticed.

When I woke up, I found myself lying on the grass next to the little lake near the tavern. The sun was shining into my face and butterflies where flying around. Since then, it haunts me in my dreams whether this was real or just a consequence of the mushroom tobacco...


I hope you all enjoy this story with 497 words!

Should I be amongst the winners, please send the prize to me: Cery, level 223 rogue on Crom server
Cery - lvl 225 rogue - Crom

Re: Spooky Story Contest - Win Free Platinum!

#10
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The Man who's Green and Jolly




The end of Fall is finally here, children are out to play
The winter winds, they blow so cold, the trees display decay
Houses made of wood and stone, their walls stand in way
Of the winter winds and creatures that sleep within the day
At night the terrific fiends they walk, they hunt, they prey
On harmless little children who in the dark play



One chilling evening, outside Farcrag Castle's walls, it poured and rained
A traveling father and his son looked for a place to lay
From the distance, not too far they found a warmful place to stay
It was an inn and tavern, where travelers liked to sway
to the sound of flutes, lutes and voices of who the music play.
the instruments that hauntingly would close your eyes in the hay


The night the traveling child and father came to the cheerful inn
The end of Samhain came and passed and Yuletide was closing in
The water froze on top of lakes, like cloth, the ice was thin
No one would survive the night if in shelter they weren't within.

A wondering traveler claimed to be a merchant of trinkets bright
they shined and glittered to the exposure of the fire's light
His grin was large, his teeth yellow, perhaps they were never white
But the man was very happy, drank wine to his delight
The man was Green and Jolly, but chilling to one's sight.

The last of sunlight soon had past, the night was dark with gloom
The winter winds howled, the spring was far from bloom
The father told his precious son, "my boy you must sleep soon"
For the night is black and terrors, they dance to the black moon
For the night is black, and terrors dance to haunting tunes.


The tavern soon went dark and quite, for the travelers came to rest
The little boy who's name is Roy, his curiosity caught his best
The Jolly Green man's trinkets, they glazed unlike the rest.





The boy he sneaked through the main hall, to the Jolly Green man's bag
The boy wanted to play with the bight trinkets that he had
He looked around and then he found a dagger made of gold
and on the dagger were carved and etched mysterious runes of old
How did the jolly green man acquire this dagger made of gold?



And while the little boy nosed around belongings that weren't his
He did not notice the people around him that were amiss
For they were all not sleeping, but touched by death's kiss
The boy thought they were sleeping, the trinkets were his bliss

Behind the crackle of the fire was heard a step or two
The boy looked right behind him and said "Hey, I was looking for you!"
The Grinning Green man stood within shadows, standing tall and bold
"Goodnight my sweet and tasty cub!", and with a club the boy was knocked cold...






I hope you all enjoy this terrifying story.
To my surprise, I finished it using exactly 500 words!

Should I be amongst the winners, please send the prize to me: Username: Royalninja, Level: 225, Class: Warrior, World: Mabon

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