A STUDY OF RELEVANCE
Prologue
“A step in a new direction” … everyone must walk their own path, but to walk you must take the first step…
Every story has a beginning I suppose; some are rife with danger and daring, others more modest and down to earth. Mine… well mine is different. I don’t have any recollection of anything before I came to the temple.
I don’t believe I just popped into existence one fine autumn morning, but regardless my memory tells me otherwise. I’ve always assumed I had parents, and maybe they left me here as a young child so my life could be fulfilled, but somehow that thought rings hollow in my ears.
Do I have brothers or sisters? The answer is both yes and no. There are precious few who devote themselves like we do, but all of us view each other as siblings. Everyone is a brother or sister. Some are more revered than others but every one of us is a child of magic, a child of Adoy.
Perhaps I should start again. Or at least attempt to be clear in my ramblings. My name is Solarion Greyfeather, and I am a devoted acolyte of magic. Most view magic as some force that is directed by mages for their purposes, and they are not wrong, but neither are they right. This essential duality perhaps is why the temple is comprised solely of half-elves.
Inside every son or daughter of magic there is a fierce battle that is constantly being waged. Our teachers have told us that it is the very nature of ourselves that allows us to embrace the magical arts but also revere the god that is the very essence of magic itself. Can a man be both destroyer and healer? For many the answer is a simple no. For us on the other side though… we can be anything so long as we revere the magic.
My wish is that by comprising this journal of my travels that when one day I return to the temple I too will be called revered brother. There is still so much to learn, but I must walk a different path for now, hoping that I will return a wiser and learned man. Time will tell, but mayhap that my tale will be sung by bards hundreds of years from now.
Every story has a beginning I suppose; some are rife with danger and daring, others more modest and down to earth. Mine… well mine is different. I don’t have any recollection of anything before I came to the temple.
I don’t believe I just popped into existence one fine autumn morning, but regardless my memory tells me otherwise. I’ve always assumed I had parents, and maybe they left me here as a young child so my life could be fulfilled, but somehow that thought rings hollow in my ears.
Do I have brothers or sisters? The answer is both yes and no. There are precious few who devote themselves like we do, but all of us view each other as siblings. Everyone is a brother or sister. Some are more revered than others but every one of us is a child of magic, a child of Adoy.
Perhaps I should start again. Or at least attempt to be clear in my ramblings. My name is Solarion Greyfeather, and I am a devoted acolyte of magic. Most view magic as some force that is directed by mages for their purposes, and they are not wrong, but neither are they right. This essential duality perhaps is why the temple is comprised solely of half-elves.
Inside every son or daughter of magic there is a fierce battle that is constantly being waged. Our teachers have told us that it is the very nature of ourselves that allows us to embrace the magical arts but also revere the god that is the very essence of magic itself. Can a man be both destroyer and healer? For many the answer is a simple no. For us on the other side though… we can be anything so long as we revere the magic.
My wish is that by comprising this journal of my travels that when one day I return to the temple I too will be called revered brother. There is still so much to learn, but I must walk a different path for now, hoping that I will return a wiser and learned man. Time will tell, but mayhap that my tale will be sung by bards hundreds of years from now.
Chapter one
“First Steps” …you do not wield magic, you guide it or it destroys you…
As far back as I can remember there was only the vale, the temple, my brothers and sisters and Adoy. My first memories are prayers to Adoy granting me first spell, and how I felt when I used that spell. For those who will never know the joys of spell casting, there is nothing in the world like it. That simple light spell filled my body with an ecstasy that can only be obtained from divine intervention.
The worst part about being able to cast divine spells, is when the magic dissipates. Having the smallest part of divine energy coursing through your body allows you to view the world in greater detail. Colors are richer, sound is clearer, it’s as if the world slows down for a fraction of a second as you take this all in, and then it pours out of your body, leaving you with an empty feeling and a longing to grasp at the fading divinity. You experience the highest of highs but the fall from such heights sometimes leaves you breathless and exhausted, both mentally and physically.
Why would anyone want to feel such a range of emotions? My answer is simple. Why would you wish to live without these powerful emotions? Having a spell or two in the back of your mind is a comfort that is hard to explain, but imagine always having an ace up your sleeve. You’re never truly out of options until your spells run dry.
The first time a simple light spell was given to me by Adoy, in answer to my prayers I was awestruck that my deity had taken the time to not only listen to my humble prayers, but answer them with a gift of divine energy. I was still much too young to be casting spells, younger than any of my brothers or sisters at the temple, and it was all I could do to hide the fact that I had a spell prepared in my memory. I had never felt so powerful, but as I struggled with the idea of power I was dismissed from nightly prayer to spend some time in the vale.
My days were filled with the study of Adoy and the clerical duties that everyone at the temple was bound to perform in his name. I was a dutiful student, I enjoyed discussions on right and wrong, but like most half-elves I too struggle with my inner conflict. I was lucky to be surrounded by others, and in this very act of sharing we were able to discover so much more of our potential.
After nightly prayers we were free to do what we wished in the vale, so long as we stayed within and didn’t pass through the wards that kept us hidden and safe. I wondered why we needed to keep hidden, but it wasn’t my place to second guess the edicts of the temple, so I stayed within the boundaries of the vale. By the time I came to my secluded spot, darkness had settled in, and I could make out the heat sources of the smaller creatures wandering through the brush around me. I settled myself on my favorite stump and greeted mother willow as she swayed gently in the breeze. I wished I could speak with the trees, they’ve seen so much more than any of us, and yet all I could do was sigh and wonder.
I must have sat there for hours, for when I came out of my trance like state there was a light covering of dew on my arms and legs. I had come to cast my first spell, and even though my stomach lurched and groaned at the very thought of casting a spell, my heart soared with pride that Adoy had deemed me worthy of such an honor. I stood on shaky legs and began my incantation, the words I had rehearsed a thousand times seemed to appear in my mind, and as I spoke the words in my head they slowly disappeared one by one as I recited them. As the last world was released, I finished my gesture and out of my hand shot a gleaming bar of light into the small rock that I had pointed to.
I picked up the glowing rock and thanked Adoy for the great gift he had given me. As I held the rock I couldn’t help but realize how very tired I was. I always knew that spell casting was complicated and taxing, but this was my first time and I hadn’t anticipated just how much of my own energy had gone into powering the spell. I soon fell asleep clutching the small glowing rock, and as it went dark one of my brothers carried me back to the divine temple, a smile on his lips.
The next few years passed quickly in the divine tower, which is only the first of three towers an acolyte must graduate from before becoming a true child of magic.
As far back as I can remember there was only the vale, the temple, my brothers and sisters and Adoy. My first memories are prayers to Adoy granting me first spell, and how I felt when I used that spell. For those who will never know the joys of spell casting, there is nothing in the world like it. That simple light spell filled my body with an ecstasy that can only be obtained from divine intervention.
The worst part about being able to cast divine spells, is when the magic dissipates. Having the smallest part of divine energy coursing through your body allows you to view the world in greater detail. Colors are richer, sound is clearer, it’s as if the world slows down for a fraction of a second as you take this all in, and then it pours out of your body, leaving you with an empty feeling and a longing to grasp at the fading divinity. You experience the highest of highs but the fall from such heights sometimes leaves you breathless and exhausted, both mentally and physically.
Why would anyone want to feel such a range of emotions? My answer is simple. Why would you wish to live without these powerful emotions? Having a spell or two in the back of your mind is a comfort that is hard to explain, but imagine always having an ace up your sleeve. You’re never truly out of options until your spells run dry.
The first time a simple light spell was given to me by Adoy, in answer to my prayers I was awestruck that my deity had taken the time to not only listen to my humble prayers, but answer them with a gift of divine energy. I was still much too young to be casting spells, younger than any of my brothers or sisters at the temple, and it was all I could do to hide the fact that I had a spell prepared in my memory. I had never felt so powerful, but as I struggled with the idea of power I was dismissed from nightly prayer to spend some time in the vale.
My days were filled with the study of Adoy and the clerical duties that everyone at the temple was bound to perform in his name. I was a dutiful student, I enjoyed discussions on right and wrong, but like most half-elves I too struggle with my inner conflict. I was lucky to be surrounded by others, and in this very act of sharing we were able to discover so much more of our potential.
After nightly prayers we were free to do what we wished in the vale, so long as we stayed within and didn’t pass through the wards that kept us hidden and safe. I wondered why we needed to keep hidden, but it wasn’t my place to second guess the edicts of the temple, so I stayed within the boundaries of the vale. By the time I came to my secluded spot, darkness had settled in, and I could make out the heat sources of the smaller creatures wandering through the brush around me. I settled myself on my favorite stump and greeted mother willow as she swayed gently in the breeze. I wished I could speak with the trees, they’ve seen so much more than any of us, and yet all I could do was sigh and wonder.
I must have sat there for hours, for when I came out of my trance like state there was a light covering of dew on my arms and legs. I had come to cast my first spell, and even though my stomach lurched and groaned at the very thought of casting a spell, my heart soared with pride that Adoy had deemed me worthy of such an honor. I stood on shaky legs and began my incantation, the words I had rehearsed a thousand times seemed to appear in my mind, and as I spoke the words in my head they slowly disappeared one by one as I recited them. As the last world was released, I finished my gesture and out of my hand shot a gleaming bar of light into the small rock that I had pointed to.
I picked up the glowing rock and thanked Adoy for the great gift he had given me. As I held the rock I couldn’t help but realize how very tired I was. I always knew that spell casting was complicated and taxing, but this was my first time and I hadn’t anticipated just how much of my own energy had gone into powering the spell. I soon fell asleep clutching the small glowing rock, and as it went dark one of my brothers carried me back to the divine temple, a smile on his lips.
The next few years passed quickly in the divine tower, which is only the first of three towers an acolyte must graduate from before becoming a true child of magic.
Chapter two
“Bookworm” … the pen is truly mightier than the sword…
Before my morning prayers on the eve of the summer solstice of my twelfth year I was summoned to the tower of the arcane. I begged to begin my morning prayers but was told that the divine was my past, and I must embrace my future. Having been so devout for so many years what they were demanding of me almost broke my spirit, but I had known that this day was coming, I hadn’t figured so soon…
I was the youngest in the tower in over three hundred years, and every single brother and sister reminded me of the fact that I knew nothing of the arcane and I wasn’t allowed to use any of my spells that Adoy had granted at me. Through my trials and tribulations in those first two years of arcane study my divine spells were the only comfort I could call upon when I was floundering in my studies.
I was a great cleric, but a horrible understudy mage. Going from one form of magic to another seemed almost too great a task, and I felt that I was letting Adoy down. I wasn’t allowed to pray to him, and they made sure I didn’t try. The second tower is a harsh place filled with great power, but they would rather break an acolyte than send him or her to the third tower unprepared.
I was sitting at my little desk in my room in the tower during winter watching it snow through my window when a starling happened to land on my windowsill. It cocked its head to the side as it watched me watch him. I found it mildly entertaining that the little bird seemed to be trying to read me, and I offered him a few crumbs of bread from my half eaten dinner. He seemed to ignore the proffered bread and instead began to nod to my spellbook and then gesture to me. I chuckled and continued to watch the little bird, but he seemed to grow increasingly frustrated with me. He soon began to chirp and squawk until I no longer wanted him there, so I tried shooing him away.
The starling avoided my hands and flew into my room, and I feared that I would have to kill the little bird to get him out. He began to fly at me! Leaving little scratches on the backs of my hands and pulling hairs from my head. I was growing increasingly angry with the bird but I didn’t want to hurt the little creature so I grabbed my spellbook and covered my head to save my hair.
The starling stopped his crazed flying and landed back on my windowsill, watching my every move. I tried to put down my spellbook a few times, but he would begin to squawk and ruffle his feathers in what I could only believe was annoyance with me. Although I took this as a sign from Adoy that I needed to study more and dream less, I watched the bird out of the corner of my eye. Every time it caught me gazing at its direction it would squawk and dance on the windowsill until my attention went back to the spellbook that was cradled in my lap.
The next few years I would have numerous visitors, not always of the avian variety, and some that were more repulsive than others. Yet every single creature that visited me would make an ungodly amount of trouble for me if I wasn’t spending my time studying my spells. From birds to snakes to rather large venomous spiders, my little room always had a visitor who would not be put off until I made a true effort at learning more of the arcane art which I was indentured to.
Four years later I woke one more to a knock on my door, and was surprised when one of the revered brothers stood there baring a scroll. As I took it and read its contents I knew that once more my life would be forced to change. My time in the second tower was over. There would be no more lectures, no more fumbling with spell components and no more endless hours of reciting the arcane alphabet. It was time to move on to the third tower, the tower of harmony.
Before my morning prayers on the eve of the summer solstice of my twelfth year I was summoned to the tower of the arcane. I begged to begin my morning prayers but was told that the divine was my past, and I must embrace my future. Having been so devout for so many years what they were demanding of me almost broke my spirit, but I had known that this day was coming, I hadn’t figured so soon…
I was the youngest in the tower in over three hundred years, and every single brother and sister reminded me of the fact that I knew nothing of the arcane and I wasn’t allowed to use any of my spells that Adoy had granted at me. Through my trials and tribulations in those first two years of arcane study my divine spells were the only comfort I could call upon when I was floundering in my studies.
I was a great cleric, but a horrible understudy mage. Going from one form of magic to another seemed almost too great a task, and I felt that I was letting Adoy down. I wasn’t allowed to pray to him, and they made sure I didn’t try. The second tower is a harsh place filled with great power, but they would rather break an acolyte than send him or her to the third tower unprepared.
I was sitting at my little desk in my room in the tower during winter watching it snow through my window when a starling happened to land on my windowsill. It cocked its head to the side as it watched me watch him. I found it mildly entertaining that the little bird seemed to be trying to read me, and I offered him a few crumbs of bread from my half eaten dinner. He seemed to ignore the proffered bread and instead began to nod to my spellbook and then gesture to me. I chuckled and continued to watch the little bird, but he seemed to grow increasingly frustrated with me. He soon began to chirp and squawk until I no longer wanted him there, so I tried shooing him away.
The starling avoided my hands and flew into my room, and I feared that I would have to kill the little bird to get him out. He began to fly at me! Leaving little scratches on the backs of my hands and pulling hairs from my head. I was growing increasingly angry with the bird but I didn’t want to hurt the little creature so I grabbed my spellbook and covered my head to save my hair.
The starling stopped his crazed flying and landed back on my windowsill, watching my every move. I tried to put down my spellbook a few times, but he would begin to squawk and ruffle his feathers in what I could only believe was annoyance with me. Although I took this as a sign from Adoy that I needed to study more and dream less, I watched the bird out of the corner of my eye. Every time it caught me gazing at its direction it would squawk and dance on the windowsill until my attention went back to the spellbook that was cradled in my lap.
The next few years I would have numerous visitors, not always of the avian variety, and some that were more repulsive than others. Yet every single creature that visited me would make an ungodly amount of trouble for me if I wasn’t spending my time studying my spells. From birds to snakes to rather large venomous spiders, my little room always had a visitor who would not be put off until I made a true effort at learning more of the arcane art which I was indentured to.
Four years later I woke one more to a knock on my door, and was surprised when one of the revered brothers stood there baring a scroll. As I took it and read its contents I knew that once more my life would be forced to change. My time in the second tower was over. There would be no more lectures, no more fumbling with spell components and no more endless hours of reciting the arcane alphabet. It was time to move on to the third tower, the tower of harmony.
Chapter three
“What We Are” … a half-elf is duality incarnate, fail to understand that and you will never know yourself…
The Tower of Harmony is a daunting structure that not every acolyte gains access to. You can be both a cleric and a mage, but end up not becoming a child of magic. Some study their whole lives without learning to truly understand what the third tower actually is. All of the spells in the world won’t allow you to finish your studies there until you learn the one true secret.
Perhaps by writing the answer I ruin the next generation of acolytes should they happen across my journal one day, but I don’t believe that. I believe you can give a person an answer, but unless they know the right question it is useless. Then there are others who know the question and answer, but still fail to grasp what they mean.
We are all half-elves, and we all suffer with the same inner duality that threatens to tear our minds and hearts apart. Our very being is always at war, there is no respite from this conflict, only acceptance. Our human and elf halves are akin to mixing oil and water. The human portion craves to become the greatest amongst all men, constantly pushing us to greater goals. There is no fear, only the need to constantly prove one’s worth compared to others. The elven half wishes tranquility and a life of quiet contemplation. One that embraces harmony the natural world which surrounds us and demands that we move discreetly and prudently.
This inner conflict is our greatest fault, and yet it is our greatest strength as well. I know of no other race that can handle this inner conflict and yet also be torn apart by it at the same time. A human couldn’t embrace both the arcane and divine, but he can master one much quicker. An elf can wield both, but is too cautious to meld them together effectively. Neither human nor elf is born with an inner conflict that needs to be harmonized. They create their own strife, while a half-elf is born with it.
So the answer to the unasked question is simple. I do.
I do wield both arcane and divine. I do acknowledge my inner conflict. I do choose to accept this turmoil. I do understand why Adoy picked us as his children. Magic both arcane and divine are his essence, it matters not at all so long as we revere the magic. They are as different as oil and water, and yet they are as similar as oil and water.
My studies at the third tower lasted for years, not because I didn’t understand the answer to the unasked questions, but because there is so much more to be a child of magic than just study. We learned how to truly wield our spells there. Most casters never think beyond the original use for a spell, nor do they even contemplate what it could do in unison if paired with another type of magic. At the third tower, that is all you thought about.
Then there were the dueling pits.
Every true child must pass the trials in the pits. Brother against brother, teacher against student, sister against brother, it didn’t matter. Age, experience, power, it didn’t matter. The combats are non-lethal, but feel very lethal at times. I’ve been shredded, disintegrated, burned, frozen and compelled, yet here I am penning my travels. All combatants are chosen at random, but when your lot is pulled, and it is pulled regularly, you battle until you are incapacitated or out of spells. There is no other way out of the pits.
I would like to think I always held my own, but I know better. How can you learn from experience if all you know is winning? They know this, which is why every combat is random. My very first time in the pit, I was pitted against one of my favorite teachers, he had instructed me on the prayers to heal. Inside the pit he did anything but heal me. His spell caused tentacles to rise up out of the ground, and as they ripped my body apart I knew true pain, but I also knew what power could do unchecked.
The combats are non-lethal only in the fact that you don’t stay dead. The pits are enchanted to never let the combatants die, but they allow you to suffer the pain and humiliation of defeat, and the glory and power of winning.
Only when you’ve accumulated enough knowledge and can properly wield both divine and arcane in harmony are your studies in the third tower complete. Do they mend your soul? The answer is up to every child who graduates. For me, I believe it went a long way in pointing me in the right direction, but am I truly at peace? The answer is no. My hunger for new magic is too great, and my elven portion has lost this battle for now I thought, as I walked through the magic that surrounds the temple.
The Tower of Harmony is a daunting structure that not every acolyte gains access to. You can be both a cleric and a mage, but end up not becoming a child of magic. Some study their whole lives without learning to truly understand what the third tower actually is. All of the spells in the world won’t allow you to finish your studies there until you learn the one true secret.
Perhaps by writing the answer I ruin the next generation of acolytes should they happen across my journal one day, but I don’t believe that. I believe you can give a person an answer, but unless they know the right question it is useless. Then there are others who know the question and answer, but still fail to grasp what they mean.
We are all half-elves, and we all suffer with the same inner duality that threatens to tear our minds and hearts apart. Our very being is always at war, there is no respite from this conflict, only acceptance. Our human and elf halves are akin to mixing oil and water. The human portion craves to become the greatest amongst all men, constantly pushing us to greater goals. There is no fear, only the need to constantly prove one’s worth compared to others. The elven half wishes tranquility and a life of quiet contemplation. One that embraces harmony the natural world which surrounds us and demands that we move discreetly and prudently.
This inner conflict is our greatest fault, and yet it is our greatest strength as well. I know of no other race that can handle this inner conflict and yet also be torn apart by it at the same time. A human couldn’t embrace both the arcane and divine, but he can master one much quicker. An elf can wield both, but is too cautious to meld them together effectively. Neither human nor elf is born with an inner conflict that needs to be harmonized. They create their own strife, while a half-elf is born with it.
So the answer to the unasked question is simple. I do.
I do wield both arcane and divine. I do acknowledge my inner conflict. I do choose to accept this turmoil. I do understand why Adoy picked us as his children. Magic both arcane and divine are his essence, it matters not at all so long as we revere the magic. They are as different as oil and water, and yet they are as similar as oil and water.
My studies at the third tower lasted for years, not because I didn’t understand the answer to the unasked questions, but because there is so much more to be a child of magic than just study. We learned how to truly wield our spells there. Most casters never think beyond the original use for a spell, nor do they even contemplate what it could do in unison if paired with another type of magic. At the third tower, that is all you thought about.
Then there were the dueling pits.
Every true child must pass the trials in the pits. Brother against brother, teacher against student, sister against brother, it didn’t matter. Age, experience, power, it didn’t matter. The combats are non-lethal, but feel very lethal at times. I’ve been shredded, disintegrated, burned, frozen and compelled, yet here I am penning my travels. All combatants are chosen at random, but when your lot is pulled, and it is pulled regularly, you battle until you are incapacitated or out of spells. There is no other way out of the pits.
I would like to think I always held my own, but I know better. How can you learn from experience if all you know is winning? They know this, which is why every combat is random. My very first time in the pit, I was pitted against one of my favorite teachers, he had instructed me on the prayers to heal. Inside the pit he did anything but heal me. His spell caused tentacles to rise up out of the ground, and as they ripped my body apart I knew true pain, but I also knew what power could do unchecked.
The combats are non-lethal only in the fact that you don’t stay dead. The pits are enchanted to never let the combatants die, but they allow you to suffer the pain and humiliation of defeat, and the glory and power of winning.
Only when you’ve accumulated enough knowledge and can properly wield both divine and arcane in harmony are your studies in the third tower complete. Do they mend your soul? The answer is up to every child who graduates. For me, I believe it went a long way in pointing me in the right direction, but am I truly at peace? The answer is no. My hunger for new magic is too great, and my elven portion has lost this battle for now I thought, as I walked through the magic that surrounds the temple.
Chapter four
“Adventure Calls” … when faced with adventure I suggest you run, I just didn’t say which way…
As I walked through the forest I recalled the landmarks which my instructors had told me led the way to the city of Vargas. From my lessons I knew that Vargas was one of the three largest cities in the known world, and that recent news said that it had another new king. If rumor was true, that made three kings in the last three years! None of the three was actually of a royal bloodline; they were all just common men who dared to dream bigger than their peers and succeeded where so many others had failed.
My journey was uneventful on the way there, and I truly wish I could write of some grand adventure, but other than a pleasant walk there was nothing interesting to speak of. As I approached the sprawling city, I noted that it was surrounded by a stone wall and acres of farmland. This city by the sea only had power over the surrounding farmland, and the king was nothing more than ruler of a city-state. Still this new king had called for a great festival for his people, and with the festival there were tournaments. It was this that drew me to the busy city.
Upon entering the city I couldn’t help but notice the amount of armed guards that seemed to be everywhere I looked. For such a presence the king must have had a very unsteady grasp on the crown he had achieved. I asked one of the guards where I might find a kennel and he directed me to a well known breeder who specialized in large guard dogs.
Upon entering the kennel, I could see that the owner knew his business and business was good. The dogs were massive! The mastiffs were well muscled and they seemed to sit as still as statues watching anyone who entered. We bargained on the price, and in the end he allowed me to choose any dog I wanted, and there was one that had caught my eye. He was large, well muscled and black as night. But in his eyes shone with such a fierce light that I had to have him.
Twenty-nine gold later, I walked out of the kennel with Armadeous by my side. I brought him down a small alley and began my prayer to Adoy, asking that we be bonded by friendship. As the spell took effect there was a harshness that left his eyes, and instead he was freed to become the dog he was always meant to be.
With a true companion at my side, we made our way to the tournament grounds. I knew that at the very least this trip would leave me with one trusted companion and whatever experience I could garner from the tournament.
As I walked through the forest I recalled the landmarks which my instructors had told me led the way to the city of Vargas. From my lessons I knew that Vargas was one of the three largest cities in the known world, and that recent news said that it had another new king. If rumor was true, that made three kings in the last three years! None of the three was actually of a royal bloodline; they were all just common men who dared to dream bigger than their peers and succeeded where so many others had failed.
My journey was uneventful on the way there, and I truly wish I could write of some grand adventure, but other than a pleasant walk there was nothing interesting to speak of. As I approached the sprawling city, I noted that it was surrounded by a stone wall and acres of farmland. This city by the sea only had power over the surrounding farmland, and the king was nothing more than ruler of a city-state. Still this new king had called for a great festival for his people, and with the festival there were tournaments. It was this that drew me to the busy city.
Upon entering the city I couldn’t help but notice the amount of armed guards that seemed to be everywhere I looked. For such a presence the king must have had a very unsteady grasp on the crown he had achieved. I asked one of the guards where I might find a kennel and he directed me to a well known breeder who specialized in large guard dogs.
Upon entering the kennel, I could see that the owner knew his business and business was good. The dogs were massive! The mastiffs were well muscled and they seemed to sit as still as statues watching anyone who entered. We bargained on the price, and in the end he allowed me to choose any dog I wanted, and there was one that had caught my eye. He was large, well muscled and black as night. But in his eyes shone with such a fierce light that I had to have him.
Twenty-nine gold later, I walked out of the kennel with Armadeous by my side. I brought him down a small alley and began my prayer to Adoy, asking that we be bonded by friendship. As the spell took effect there was a harshness that left his eyes, and instead he was freed to become the dog he was always meant to be.
With a true companion at my side, we made our way to the tournament grounds. I knew that at the very least this trip would leave me with one trusted companion and whatever experience I could garner from the tournament.
Chapter five
“The Proving Grounds” … sometimes the experience is worth more than the prize…
The tournament grounds were teeming with people, and honestly the smell was awful. Having never experienced the full effect of a city, I wasn’t prepared for the crowds, or the taunting merchants that were attempting to sell their wares.
Unlike most in the crowd I have a companion that sent many dashing out of our way in fear. I wouldn’t expect a dog to instill fear, but Armadeous is not your typical mutt. He stands almost as tall as my chest, a veritable little pony with sharp teeth and a gaze that seems to not tolerate fools. I must admit that he growled almost the entire way to the large tents, and I had trouble keeping in my chuckles that he was so effective.
The large pavilion tents that housed the various events were stacked with bleachers, but a space quickly liberated in the front row of the warrior tent, so I wasn’t forced to stand. With Armadeous at my side sitting still as a statue I took in the sights, smells and spirit of the crowd was almost overwhelming when the combatants entered the far side of the tent.
There were eight of them, ranging from large bulky warriors, to what must have been a child. I was a little surprised to see a middle-aged woman, but who was I to judge. Six of the contestants made their way to the side as the first two contestants took center stage armed with wooden longswords.
The first match featured a hulking warrior versus a small boy named Will. As they prepared the crowd began to jeer the hulking warrior whose name is Gregor Stormcrow. I can attest to cheering when on the first pass Will ducked Gregor’s swipe and calmly slapped his wooden sword on Gregor’s exposed rump. Gregor appeared to become enraged, and if his first swing was any indication, he would try to decapitate the young boy for making him look like a fool.
As Will swung, Gregor leaped over the low swipe and with massive force slammed his sword into the boy’s shoulder. The crowd booed Gregor, and he seemed to grow angrier at that fact, and as the boy missed again Gregor attempted to plunge the wooden sword through the boy’s chest. The blow took all of the breath from the boy, and Gregor just looked down on him with eyes devoid of any piety. The combat ended on the next series of blows as Gregor, an obvious swordsman avoided the boy’s attack, and gripping the sword with two hands he hit the bow across the chest with a crack of the wooden longsword. The boy flew backwards, and landed in a heap, crying as he tried to get up but was unable and had to be carted off. The crowd rained down a chorus of boos and assorted vegetables down on Gregor as he smirked and walked off to the side.
The noise was so loud in the little tented stadium that I didn’t hear the middle-aged woman’s name, but I heard the elven man’s name was Ariel. The combat began, but it was painfully obvious the woman was better than expected, but also that Ariel would have no part in hitting a woman in combat. Ariel parried her blows with a skill that obviously surpassed the woman, but every time he appeared able to strike her, he feigned a miss and she would hit him instead. It was over quickly, and the crowd gave the two a standing ovation.
The next set of combatants seemed to be the best paired. Sir Corith of something against a mean looking young man whose name I didn’t hear over all of the noise. Both looked like seasoned warriors in their armor, but the second one was no knight. I knew this when he spat in the hand that Sir Corith had offered in a sign of respect and good manners. The knight took no great offense, wiped his hand and went to his side of the ring waiting for the combat to begin.
The combat started rather comically as Corith missed so badly that he almost hit an elderly man sitting in the front row, while the other man tripped on his own feet and fell face first to the floor. The crowd roared with laughter and as both combatants regained a proper footing the started in earnest this time. As Corith side stepped a blow that would have cleaved an arm from his shoulder, had the blades been real, he swung his sword hard into the midsection of the man producing an even greater fit of anger.
They traded parries for the next few moments until Corith again hit the man, this time on the chin, drawing a line of blood the blow had been so hard. The man who had fallen again spat into the hand of Corith who had been attempting to help the man back to his feet. The man charged at Corith as they again began to trade parries until this time he managed to strike Corith on the shoulder. The crowd was displeased and let their anger at the man for striking the knight show. The contest ended a moment later as Corith parried a blow and rammed his longsword into the man’s gut doubling him over.
Perhaps a man’s character isn’t defined at his birth, but instead through his actions, and this was a shining example as Corith held up his opponents hand and allowed him to receive the applause that wasn’t his. I believe the crowd has chosen their champion for this tourney.
I was almost late for registration since I had been watching combats, so I missed the last fight of the day, but I figured that it was more important to actually partake in the contests then to just watch them. Bards don’t write tales of people who watched the games!
The area was a large pavilion, and the registry was simple, they wanted my name and where I was staying, but otherwise they didn’t even ask anything about my spells or ability to cast them. I was a little nervous when they called my name, but when I noted my opponent I was far from satisfied. He was a young farm hand, and I couldn’t imagine what sort of magic he might have available.
As the magister announced the start of the battle I ran through my spell repertoire and found the perfect spell for the task at hand. Some would fire magic that dealt damage, but this contest required that I only affect him with a spell. As I rushed through my incantation and was surprised when he finished before me, but his lack of preparedness or perhaps his wish to speed up his casting ultimately cost him the magic he wished to cast, and as it fizzled in his hands my spell went off and he slumped to the ground asleep.
The boy never heard the roaring of the crowd, nor did he have to deal with the humiliation of having his spell fail and have to stand there looking like a fool. I truly think it is the small mercies that most would choose given the choice, and as I waved to the crowd I smiled and remember back to my days in the pits. Who would have thought that training would come in handy so quickly?
My opponent the second day was a pretty human female who was perhaps the angriest person I’ve met so far. She threatened to embarrass me if I didn’t run, and she seemed to know a few spells from all of the components hanging about her person. I centered myself as the match begun, and in a moment of inspiration I called upon one of my favorite spells. She wasn’t even halfway through her spell when a bar of white light hit her in the eyes, blinding her as she released her magic into the air. Her anger was apparent as she screamed in frustration, and I assumed that I hadn’t shown her the light after all.
On the third day the finals were announced and I was paired against the Amazing Nicolos Bartos, but when my name was announced the crowd cheered for me. He didn’t seem pleased at this fact, and I knew from his robes that this was no simple hedge wizard. Perhaps I should have chosen to use a quicker spell, but I wanted to entangle the man and prove that I was both versatile and clever, but instead I was shown to be the fool as his spell numbed my mind as he charmed me.
The man is spiteful and as he made me perform tricks like jumping up and down or barking like a dog, I can’t help but think that my mentors have done worse to prepare me for such situations. My embarrassment wouldn’t have been complete until he asked me for my gold and I gave him every last one.
Much to my surprise two of the combatants from the melee tourney came to greet me, and both asked me if I wanted to sup with them. I was pleased to accompany them seeing as I had also cheered for Ariel and Corith, and I was keen to learn what had transpired over the last two days in the fighter pit.
The tournament grounds were teeming with people, and honestly the smell was awful. Having never experienced the full effect of a city, I wasn’t prepared for the crowds, or the taunting merchants that were attempting to sell their wares.
Unlike most in the crowd I have a companion that sent many dashing out of our way in fear. I wouldn’t expect a dog to instill fear, but Armadeous is not your typical mutt. He stands almost as tall as my chest, a veritable little pony with sharp teeth and a gaze that seems to not tolerate fools. I must admit that he growled almost the entire way to the large tents, and I had trouble keeping in my chuckles that he was so effective.
The large pavilion tents that housed the various events were stacked with bleachers, but a space quickly liberated in the front row of the warrior tent, so I wasn’t forced to stand. With Armadeous at my side sitting still as a statue I took in the sights, smells and spirit of the crowd was almost overwhelming when the combatants entered the far side of the tent.
There were eight of them, ranging from large bulky warriors, to what must have been a child. I was a little surprised to see a middle-aged woman, but who was I to judge. Six of the contestants made their way to the side as the first two contestants took center stage armed with wooden longswords.
The first match featured a hulking warrior versus a small boy named Will. As they prepared the crowd began to jeer the hulking warrior whose name is Gregor Stormcrow. I can attest to cheering when on the first pass Will ducked Gregor’s swipe and calmly slapped his wooden sword on Gregor’s exposed rump. Gregor appeared to become enraged, and if his first swing was any indication, he would try to decapitate the young boy for making him look like a fool.
As Will swung, Gregor leaped over the low swipe and with massive force slammed his sword into the boy’s shoulder. The crowd booed Gregor, and he seemed to grow angrier at that fact, and as the boy missed again Gregor attempted to plunge the wooden sword through the boy’s chest. The blow took all of the breath from the boy, and Gregor just looked down on him with eyes devoid of any piety. The combat ended on the next series of blows as Gregor, an obvious swordsman avoided the boy’s attack, and gripping the sword with two hands he hit the bow across the chest with a crack of the wooden longsword. The boy flew backwards, and landed in a heap, crying as he tried to get up but was unable and had to be carted off. The crowd rained down a chorus of boos and assorted vegetables down on Gregor as he smirked and walked off to the side.
The noise was so loud in the little tented stadium that I didn’t hear the middle-aged woman’s name, but I heard the elven man’s name was Ariel. The combat began, but it was painfully obvious the woman was better than expected, but also that Ariel would have no part in hitting a woman in combat. Ariel parried her blows with a skill that obviously surpassed the woman, but every time he appeared able to strike her, he feigned a miss and she would hit him instead. It was over quickly, and the crowd gave the two a standing ovation.
The next set of combatants seemed to be the best paired. Sir Corith of something against a mean looking young man whose name I didn’t hear over all of the noise. Both looked like seasoned warriors in their armor, but the second one was no knight. I knew this when he spat in the hand that Sir Corith had offered in a sign of respect and good manners. The knight took no great offense, wiped his hand and went to his side of the ring waiting for the combat to begin.
The combat started rather comically as Corith missed so badly that he almost hit an elderly man sitting in the front row, while the other man tripped on his own feet and fell face first to the floor. The crowd roared with laughter and as both combatants regained a proper footing the started in earnest this time. As Corith side stepped a blow that would have cleaved an arm from his shoulder, had the blades been real, he swung his sword hard into the midsection of the man producing an even greater fit of anger.
They traded parries for the next few moments until Corith again hit the man, this time on the chin, drawing a line of blood the blow had been so hard. The man who had fallen again spat into the hand of Corith who had been attempting to help the man back to his feet. The man charged at Corith as they again began to trade parries until this time he managed to strike Corith on the shoulder. The crowd was displeased and let their anger at the man for striking the knight show. The contest ended a moment later as Corith parried a blow and rammed his longsword into the man’s gut doubling him over.
Perhaps a man’s character isn’t defined at his birth, but instead through his actions, and this was a shining example as Corith held up his opponents hand and allowed him to receive the applause that wasn’t his. I believe the crowd has chosen their champion for this tourney.
I was almost late for registration since I had been watching combats, so I missed the last fight of the day, but I figured that it was more important to actually partake in the contests then to just watch them. Bards don’t write tales of people who watched the games!
The area was a large pavilion, and the registry was simple, they wanted my name and where I was staying, but otherwise they didn’t even ask anything about my spells or ability to cast them. I was a little nervous when they called my name, but when I noted my opponent I was far from satisfied. He was a young farm hand, and I couldn’t imagine what sort of magic he might have available.
As the magister announced the start of the battle I ran through my spell repertoire and found the perfect spell for the task at hand. Some would fire magic that dealt damage, but this contest required that I only affect him with a spell. As I rushed through my incantation and was surprised when he finished before me, but his lack of preparedness or perhaps his wish to speed up his casting ultimately cost him the magic he wished to cast, and as it fizzled in his hands my spell went off and he slumped to the ground asleep.
The boy never heard the roaring of the crowd, nor did he have to deal with the humiliation of having his spell fail and have to stand there looking like a fool. I truly think it is the small mercies that most would choose given the choice, and as I waved to the crowd I smiled and remember back to my days in the pits. Who would have thought that training would come in handy so quickly?
My opponent the second day was a pretty human female who was perhaps the angriest person I’ve met so far. She threatened to embarrass me if I didn’t run, and she seemed to know a few spells from all of the components hanging about her person. I centered myself as the match begun, and in a moment of inspiration I called upon one of my favorite spells. She wasn’t even halfway through her spell when a bar of white light hit her in the eyes, blinding her as she released her magic into the air. Her anger was apparent as she screamed in frustration, and I assumed that I hadn’t shown her the light after all.
On the third day the finals were announced and I was paired against the Amazing Nicolos Bartos, but when my name was announced the crowd cheered for me. He didn’t seem pleased at this fact, and I knew from his robes that this was no simple hedge wizard. Perhaps I should have chosen to use a quicker spell, but I wanted to entangle the man and prove that I was both versatile and clever, but instead I was shown to be the fool as his spell numbed my mind as he charmed me.
The man is spiteful and as he made me perform tricks like jumping up and down or barking like a dog, I can’t help but think that my mentors have done worse to prepare me for such situations. My embarrassment wouldn’t have been complete until he asked me for my gold and I gave him every last one.
Much to my surprise two of the combatants from the melee tourney came to greet me, and both asked me if I wanted to sup with them. I was pleased to accompany them seeing as I had also cheered for Ariel and Corith, and I was keen to learn what had transpired over the last two days in the fighter pit.
Chapter six
“A New Game” … my mentors always said avoid politics, why would I start to listen now…?
One doesn’t make true friends in minutes, but after speaking with these two warriors I found that I wanted to trust them. That is perhaps the reason why I told them of the note that was passed to me after my participation in the tournament. To my surprise both of them also had an invite to the palace that evening.
While we ate the fair at the Drunken Goose, we overhead Gregor who was one of the combatants from the melee call out to one of the serving girls for an ale to be brought to him and his brother. The two brothers took the liberty of seating themselves at our table without so much as a simple request to join us. They had been eavesdropping and heard us talking about receiving a summons to the palace, and decided that since they too had each received a summons they were now a part of the conversation.
Perhaps my interaction with other races has been limited, but this was either a huge sign of contempt for my companions and I, or they were too daft to grasp the simple concept of manners. After about two minutes in their company, I learned it was the latter. They introduced themselves as the Stormcrow brothers Gregor and Taeghen, and from the looks of them, both were warriors although Taeghen was a half-elf like me.
Corith was curious about the king, so he inquired about him and the innkeeper was more than willing to oblige any willing to listen. This new king in her view was a kind hearted soul who provided for his people, giving them huge sums of gold to ease the pain of the civil wars that had cost so many dearly over the short period.
I must admit that Gregor gets under my skin with the way he thinks he is superior to everyone around him, and when he decided to aim that superiority complex at me I decided I had had enough. I began the incantation for my sleep spell when I was interrupted with a hard slap across the head, breaking my concentration and ruining my spell. The innkeeper was furious and demanded that we all leave her establishment and when the bouncers came to escort us all out, we left in a hurry. Actually everyone left in a hurry except for Corith who tossed a gold coin at the innkeeper for her troubles, and Gregor who seemed to want to start a fight just for the sake of fighting.
Each of our messages told us to enter through a side door to the palace, which struck me as odd at first, since if we were guests why didn’t we come in through the main gate? Yet my curiosity got the better of me and while still being under the charm spell, I silently hoped my new friend Nicolas would be there.
The guards at the door were waiting for us, and as we were led through a series of corridors I had the suspicion that whoever had summoned us didn’t want anyone knowing we were here. Eventually we were lead to a small chamber and told to sit and wait. The guards didn’t respond to any line of questioning and seemed to want to be anywhere else. Looking around the room I noted another person was sitting calmly with her legs crossed and picking at the dirt in her nails with a slender knife. Almost immediately Ariel and Corith were pestering her with questions and pleasantries. I couldn’t help but think they were like moths to a flame, and this flame was dangerously beautiful.
Her name is Smiley Ellie, and somehow I don’t think it’s because she smiles more than most. Her stance denounces her as a skilled acrobat, and I was certain if needed she could sneak out or into any structure she wanted. She seemed a little put off with the forwardness of Ariel who has decided that they are to be the best of friends, with or without her consent.
We were interrupted by the marching of booted feet in unison and when the doors to the chamber opened a small retinue of guards came into the room and surrounded us. They all seemed on edge, and the way a few of them fingered the sword hilts at their side made me think that our reaction would decide our fate. Through the guards we could see that Nicolas, Issac, a female human, and Belot were together and seemed pleased but in a hurry.
Gregor called out to Issac that he should remember him, but Issac responded that Gregor should remember the whooping he had given Gregor, and that he wasn’t worth remembering. This set Gregor into a fury, but his brother seemed to be able to calm him long enough to allow a couple of others to enter the circle of guards.
It was obvious that the man in his mid-fifties was King Wormagh and at his side was a smaller man with beady eyes of a snake. The king told us the tournament was nothing but a ruse to find good people. And instructed us to listen to Vicward Flith and do as he instructed. He left us to deal with Vicward, and again something struck me as odd, but still I was curious as to why we were here. His first comment to us was, “No offense, you’re sloppy seconds”.
He carefully laid out the problem at hand, which was bandits raiding the nearby farms, and the bandit leader was a man named Lucas. Other than a tattoo on his hand, and a vague direction of where they might be, we were to bring back the hand. He wouldn’t tell us what the other group was doing, only that we couldn’t handle the other team’s task. He also stressed a need for secrecy and that no one could hear of this, and the payment was seventy-five gold!
Ellie protested why she was there, but Vicward gave her a knowing stare and mentioned something about her taking part in the thieves’ portion of the tournament. A questioning look from Corith and another stream of questions from Ariel didn’t produce much except a feigned smile and an admission that yes she was a skilled tradeswoman.
With that our audience was done, as Vicward professed to still having urgent business to finish before the night was through. Yet he stopped at the door and reminded us that this had to be dealt with discreetly. We readily agreed and departed from the palace heading towards another inn, one that Ellie suggested, the Sunshine Willow Inn.
One doesn’t make true friends in minutes, but after speaking with these two warriors I found that I wanted to trust them. That is perhaps the reason why I told them of the note that was passed to me after my participation in the tournament. To my surprise both of them also had an invite to the palace that evening.
While we ate the fair at the Drunken Goose, we overhead Gregor who was one of the combatants from the melee call out to one of the serving girls for an ale to be brought to him and his brother. The two brothers took the liberty of seating themselves at our table without so much as a simple request to join us. They had been eavesdropping and heard us talking about receiving a summons to the palace, and decided that since they too had each received a summons they were now a part of the conversation.
Perhaps my interaction with other races has been limited, but this was either a huge sign of contempt for my companions and I, or they were too daft to grasp the simple concept of manners. After about two minutes in their company, I learned it was the latter. They introduced themselves as the Stormcrow brothers Gregor and Taeghen, and from the looks of them, both were warriors although Taeghen was a half-elf like me.
Corith was curious about the king, so he inquired about him and the innkeeper was more than willing to oblige any willing to listen. This new king in her view was a kind hearted soul who provided for his people, giving them huge sums of gold to ease the pain of the civil wars that had cost so many dearly over the short period.
I must admit that Gregor gets under my skin with the way he thinks he is superior to everyone around him, and when he decided to aim that superiority complex at me I decided I had had enough. I began the incantation for my sleep spell when I was interrupted with a hard slap across the head, breaking my concentration and ruining my spell. The innkeeper was furious and demanded that we all leave her establishment and when the bouncers came to escort us all out, we left in a hurry. Actually everyone left in a hurry except for Corith who tossed a gold coin at the innkeeper for her troubles, and Gregor who seemed to want to start a fight just for the sake of fighting.
Each of our messages told us to enter through a side door to the palace, which struck me as odd at first, since if we were guests why didn’t we come in through the main gate? Yet my curiosity got the better of me and while still being under the charm spell, I silently hoped my new friend Nicolas would be there.
The guards at the door were waiting for us, and as we were led through a series of corridors I had the suspicion that whoever had summoned us didn’t want anyone knowing we were here. Eventually we were lead to a small chamber and told to sit and wait. The guards didn’t respond to any line of questioning and seemed to want to be anywhere else. Looking around the room I noted another person was sitting calmly with her legs crossed and picking at the dirt in her nails with a slender knife. Almost immediately Ariel and Corith were pestering her with questions and pleasantries. I couldn’t help but think they were like moths to a flame, and this flame was dangerously beautiful.
Her name is Smiley Ellie, and somehow I don’t think it’s because she smiles more than most. Her stance denounces her as a skilled acrobat, and I was certain if needed she could sneak out or into any structure she wanted. She seemed a little put off with the forwardness of Ariel who has decided that they are to be the best of friends, with or without her consent.
We were interrupted by the marching of booted feet in unison and when the doors to the chamber opened a small retinue of guards came into the room and surrounded us. They all seemed on edge, and the way a few of them fingered the sword hilts at their side made me think that our reaction would decide our fate. Through the guards we could see that Nicolas, Issac, a female human, and Belot were together and seemed pleased but in a hurry.
Gregor called out to Issac that he should remember him, but Issac responded that Gregor should remember the whooping he had given Gregor, and that he wasn’t worth remembering. This set Gregor into a fury, but his brother seemed to be able to calm him long enough to allow a couple of others to enter the circle of guards.
It was obvious that the man in his mid-fifties was King Wormagh and at his side was a smaller man with beady eyes of a snake. The king told us the tournament was nothing but a ruse to find good people. And instructed us to listen to Vicward Flith and do as he instructed. He left us to deal with Vicward, and again something struck me as odd, but still I was curious as to why we were here. His first comment to us was, “No offense, you’re sloppy seconds”.
He carefully laid out the problem at hand, which was bandits raiding the nearby farms, and the bandit leader was a man named Lucas. Other than a tattoo on his hand, and a vague direction of where they might be, we were to bring back the hand. He wouldn’t tell us what the other group was doing, only that we couldn’t handle the other team’s task. He also stressed a need for secrecy and that no one could hear of this, and the payment was seventy-five gold!
Ellie protested why she was there, but Vicward gave her a knowing stare and mentioned something about her taking part in the thieves’ portion of the tournament. A questioning look from Corith and another stream of questions from Ariel didn’t produce much except a feigned smile and an admission that yes she was a skilled tradeswoman.
With that our audience was done, as Vicward professed to still having urgent business to finish before the night was through. Yet he stopped at the door and reminded us that this had to be dealt with discreetly. We readily agreed and departed from the palace heading towards another inn, one that Ellie suggested, the Sunshine Willow Inn.
Chapter seven
“Combing the Countryside” … looking for bandits in the countryside, is a nice walk wasted…
We left at first light, and I was glad to be leaving the city, since I was already becoming a little claustrophobic from all of the bodies everywhere. I wanted fresh air and adventure, but somehow walking down long winding roads bothering the peasant farmers wasn’t exactly what I had bargained for.
Somehow we managed to find the last farm that was attacked, and Gregor seemed to want to take charge so I sat down to watch. Gregor began by asking the poor lady farmer if she knew who the bandits were, but quickly he grew angry with her when she appeared to not have the answers he wanted. When asked to speak with her children she grew frantic and refused to speak with him anymore, and this enraged Gregor even further. Corith stepped in and begged the woman for forgiveness and calmed her down enough to gather a small tidbit of information from her. She was able to direct us to another farm that had been attacked. Corith gave her ten gold pieces as an apology and she quickly withdrew to her small cottage and with an audible clank we could hear the bar being brought down to secure the door.
Somehow I don’t feel that Gregor should do the talking, but telling him no is like arguing with a stone, and I don’t have the patience to deal with such. So sighing we left the lady farmer and walked for another hour before we came upon the farm she had mentioned had been attacked by the bandits. Only this farmer was prepared to meet us outside his cottage with a sword in hand. From the upstairs windows we could make out his sons holding bows with arrows knocked and aimed at us.
At first he wanted nothing to do with us, and got quickly agitated when someone in our party attempted to approach him. Gregor was furious, but Corith again gave out some gold pieces to calm the man down and allow a few details to be shared with us. The bandits hadn’t taken too much, and hadn’t harmed anyone, but he had heard of another farmer on the other side of the city who had been killed in a bandit raid. When we asked about the new king, the man seemed a little worried, and he told us a tale of a man who had spoken badly about the new king and men who looked like guards but bore no insignia raped his daughter to teach him a lesson. The man had committed suicide not long afterwards, and now his farm was abandoned.
Although a little distressing, those guards could have been anyone, and without an insignia there was no proof that they had even been guards at all. This seemed to spark a long conversation amongst my fellows about how the king might actually be corrupt and we could be on a fool’s errand. For a gang of mostly warriors they seem to want to act like scholars! Eventually we were able to get back on track and ask the man where the bandits might be headed, and he mentioned that perhaps they were using the old abandoned mine that was in the forest. With that we set out again, all the while the warriors were debating the merits of our actions.
We reached the outskirts of the forest, and the warriors decided that they would take charge and send both of our rangers into the woods ahead of us to scout out the mine that was somewhere in the forest. Without much else to do I sat down and took out my spellbook and began to read the spells that I had at my disposal. It always amazes me that so much power could be contained on the pages of a mere book, and that so many who wish for power can’t even read. I was immersed in my reading when Ariel and Taeghen burst from the forest in a shower of leaves and twigs.
They quickly explained that they had found the mine, and killed one of the sentries, and that they knew we were here. I couldn’t help but chastise the two rangers on their complete lack of situational awareness to be caught by a bored sentry, not to mention ruining whatever chances we had to parley with them. Prudently we moved our makeshift camp from our current location to further along the side of the forest. The plan was to head back in the middle of the night and attempt to surprise them, but we all knew that we had already ruined any chance at surprising anyone.
In the middle of the night we stole into the forest, following our rangers to our destination. The heavens must have smiled on us for we made so much noise that we should have woken every creature in a ten mile radius. Arriving at the spot we could see that the sentries knew that we were there, and again Gregor began to plan our attack with Corith without bothering to talk with anyone else. I must admit my temper flared when I tried to interrupt them and Gregor told me to shut my trap. Still I had managed to point out they weren’t the only ones here.
To be honest their plan was stupid. More so, it was a quick way into a cold unmarked grave that I didn’t want anything to do with. Just running at the entrenched sentries felt like a death wish and I mentioned that, but they wouldn’t be persuaded to alter their course. Making the best of a bad situation was all I could do, so I offered to aid them with potent spells. The plan was simple, I would cloak Gregor in a sanctuary spell making our enemies ignore him, which would allow him to get in close against the crossbowmen. Then I would also cast a light spell on Corith’s greatsword, effectively making it a giant torch and adding to the effect of him intimidating the crossbowmen and drawing any fire. Both Taeghen and Ariel would cover the paladin and warrior as best they could, while Ellie would watch and wait for an opening if she was needed.
Before our warriors charged in, both rangers fired arrows at the crossbowmen and missed their marks badly, judging from the clattering sounds of arrows hitting the rock behind our enemies. Then Corith sprang into action and charged across the open ground towards the mine, his sword a beacon to draw both the enemy fire and fear. He was rewarded by a bolt to the shoulder, but that didn’t seem to slow his charge even a little. I watched with a little trepidation as Gregor was able to run up next to one of the crossbowmen and almost cleave his head from his body as the man never saw the attack that ended his life. Perhaps that is a small mercy, but at that moment I realized the power of my spell and was a little ashamed to have used a protective spell in that manner. Being a mercenary is much harder on the soul than I had imagined…
As another man stood and attempted to stab Gregor, but Teaghan’s arrow took him between the eyes and Gregor never knew that he had come so close to meeting the same fate he had just dealt another. Corith was now at the barrier and he smashed through it with his greatsword knocking the man hiding behind it to the ground. He offered the man the ability to surrender but received another crossbow bolt to the thigh for his actions. With no option down went his greatsword into the man’s chest, ending another life and I thought I saw Corith sigh in regret. Gregor was a man possessed felling another man as he attempted to run into the mine.
That left just one wounded man, and we wanted him to talk, but no amount of aggression from Gregor seemed to be able to do anything. Having walked up to tend to Corith’s wounds I decided to try a slightly different tact. Afterwards I realize that this wasn’t my finest hour, but I commanded Armadeous to sick the man’s balls if he didn’t agree to talk. The man passed out from the pain and we were left with no one to give us any information.
Deciding to take the mine by storm we went down the first passage only to encounter a solid wooden door. The dark was illuminated by the greatsword as Corith used his great strength to shatter the door as Gregor used the unconscious body as a shield and burst into the room. I quickly gazed over the room and called upon another of my spells and cast sleep on the men in the room. The effect was startling as seven of the eight men slumped to the floor, and seeing this last one fled the room dropping his sword in the process. Gregor tried to launch the body of the unconscious man, but I fear all it did was break his neck as he landed awkwardly less than ten feet from where we stood.
As we started after the man, I asked Ellie to handle the sleeping guards, I’m not certain why but something told me that she was the perfect one for the job. Later on we would find all seven had had their throats cut in a very precise manner…
The chase ended in a room down a corridor where seven of them awaited our warriors as the charged into the room. A great melee ensued and I had no choice seeing that my comrades were in danger but to send in Armadeous to help them. I don’t like making Armadeous attack, since I would prefer him next to me, but I know my limitations and I was terribly low on spells and he was the only thing I could add to the battle. The melee only lasted a few minutes but by the end of it only my companions stood, covered in blood, some theirs most not, but the room was clear.
We left at first light, and I was glad to be leaving the city, since I was already becoming a little claustrophobic from all of the bodies everywhere. I wanted fresh air and adventure, but somehow walking down long winding roads bothering the peasant farmers wasn’t exactly what I had bargained for.
Somehow we managed to find the last farm that was attacked, and Gregor seemed to want to take charge so I sat down to watch. Gregor began by asking the poor lady farmer if she knew who the bandits were, but quickly he grew angry with her when she appeared to not have the answers he wanted. When asked to speak with her children she grew frantic and refused to speak with him anymore, and this enraged Gregor even further. Corith stepped in and begged the woman for forgiveness and calmed her down enough to gather a small tidbit of information from her. She was able to direct us to another farm that had been attacked. Corith gave her ten gold pieces as an apology and she quickly withdrew to her small cottage and with an audible clank we could hear the bar being brought down to secure the door.
Somehow I don’t feel that Gregor should do the talking, but telling him no is like arguing with a stone, and I don’t have the patience to deal with such. So sighing we left the lady farmer and walked for another hour before we came upon the farm she had mentioned had been attacked by the bandits. Only this farmer was prepared to meet us outside his cottage with a sword in hand. From the upstairs windows we could make out his sons holding bows with arrows knocked and aimed at us.
At first he wanted nothing to do with us, and got quickly agitated when someone in our party attempted to approach him. Gregor was furious, but Corith again gave out some gold pieces to calm the man down and allow a few details to be shared with us. The bandits hadn’t taken too much, and hadn’t harmed anyone, but he had heard of another farmer on the other side of the city who had been killed in a bandit raid. When we asked about the new king, the man seemed a little worried, and he told us a tale of a man who had spoken badly about the new king and men who looked like guards but bore no insignia raped his daughter to teach him a lesson. The man had committed suicide not long afterwards, and now his farm was abandoned.
Although a little distressing, those guards could have been anyone, and without an insignia there was no proof that they had even been guards at all. This seemed to spark a long conversation amongst my fellows about how the king might actually be corrupt and we could be on a fool’s errand. For a gang of mostly warriors they seem to want to act like scholars! Eventually we were able to get back on track and ask the man where the bandits might be headed, and he mentioned that perhaps they were using the old abandoned mine that was in the forest. With that we set out again, all the while the warriors were debating the merits of our actions.
We reached the outskirts of the forest, and the warriors decided that they would take charge and send both of our rangers into the woods ahead of us to scout out the mine that was somewhere in the forest. Without much else to do I sat down and took out my spellbook and began to read the spells that I had at my disposal. It always amazes me that so much power could be contained on the pages of a mere book, and that so many who wish for power can’t even read. I was immersed in my reading when Ariel and Taeghen burst from the forest in a shower of leaves and twigs.
They quickly explained that they had found the mine, and killed one of the sentries, and that they knew we were here. I couldn’t help but chastise the two rangers on their complete lack of situational awareness to be caught by a bored sentry, not to mention ruining whatever chances we had to parley with them. Prudently we moved our makeshift camp from our current location to further along the side of the forest. The plan was to head back in the middle of the night and attempt to surprise them, but we all knew that we had already ruined any chance at surprising anyone.
In the middle of the night we stole into the forest, following our rangers to our destination. The heavens must have smiled on us for we made so much noise that we should have woken every creature in a ten mile radius. Arriving at the spot we could see that the sentries knew that we were there, and again Gregor began to plan our attack with Corith without bothering to talk with anyone else. I must admit my temper flared when I tried to interrupt them and Gregor told me to shut my trap. Still I had managed to point out they weren’t the only ones here.
To be honest their plan was stupid. More so, it was a quick way into a cold unmarked grave that I didn’t want anything to do with. Just running at the entrenched sentries felt like a death wish and I mentioned that, but they wouldn’t be persuaded to alter their course. Making the best of a bad situation was all I could do, so I offered to aid them with potent spells. The plan was simple, I would cloak Gregor in a sanctuary spell making our enemies ignore him, which would allow him to get in close against the crossbowmen. Then I would also cast a light spell on Corith’s greatsword, effectively making it a giant torch and adding to the effect of him intimidating the crossbowmen and drawing any fire. Both Taeghen and Ariel would cover the paladin and warrior as best they could, while Ellie would watch and wait for an opening if she was needed.
Before our warriors charged in, both rangers fired arrows at the crossbowmen and missed their marks badly, judging from the clattering sounds of arrows hitting the rock behind our enemies. Then Corith sprang into action and charged across the open ground towards the mine, his sword a beacon to draw both the enemy fire and fear. He was rewarded by a bolt to the shoulder, but that didn’t seem to slow his charge even a little. I watched with a little trepidation as Gregor was able to run up next to one of the crossbowmen and almost cleave his head from his body as the man never saw the attack that ended his life. Perhaps that is a small mercy, but at that moment I realized the power of my spell and was a little ashamed to have used a protective spell in that manner. Being a mercenary is much harder on the soul than I had imagined…
As another man stood and attempted to stab Gregor, but Teaghan’s arrow took him between the eyes and Gregor never knew that he had come so close to meeting the same fate he had just dealt another. Corith was now at the barrier and he smashed through it with his greatsword knocking the man hiding behind it to the ground. He offered the man the ability to surrender but received another crossbow bolt to the thigh for his actions. With no option down went his greatsword into the man’s chest, ending another life and I thought I saw Corith sigh in regret. Gregor was a man possessed felling another man as he attempted to run into the mine.
That left just one wounded man, and we wanted him to talk, but no amount of aggression from Gregor seemed to be able to do anything. Having walked up to tend to Corith’s wounds I decided to try a slightly different tact. Afterwards I realize that this wasn’t my finest hour, but I commanded Armadeous to sick the man’s balls if he didn’t agree to talk. The man passed out from the pain and we were left with no one to give us any information.
Deciding to take the mine by storm we went down the first passage only to encounter a solid wooden door. The dark was illuminated by the greatsword as Corith used his great strength to shatter the door as Gregor used the unconscious body as a shield and burst into the room. I quickly gazed over the room and called upon another of my spells and cast sleep on the men in the room. The effect was startling as seven of the eight men slumped to the floor, and seeing this last one fled the room dropping his sword in the process. Gregor tried to launch the body of the unconscious man, but I fear all it did was break his neck as he landed awkwardly less than ten feet from where we stood.
As we started after the man, I asked Ellie to handle the sleeping guards, I’m not certain why but something told me that she was the perfect one for the job. Later on we would find all seven had had their throats cut in a very precise manner…
The chase ended in a room down a corridor where seven of them awaited our warriors as the charged into the room. A great melee ensued and I had no choice seeing that my comrades were in danger but to send in Armadeous to help them. I don’t like making Armadeous attack, since I would prefer him next to me, but I know my limitations and I was terribly low on spells and he was the only thing I could add to the battle. The melee only lasted a few minutes but by the end of it only my companions stood, covered in blood, some theirs most not, but the room was clear.
Chapter eight
“Heart of the Beast” … what makes a man a man, and a beast a beast…?
There was another corridor to follow and as we followed it into another room, Gregor saw a man running the way we had come and took off after him. I was certain he was wearing robes, but my glance had been quick and I was certain that Gregor could handle himself. We continued down the corridor until we entered another room with two doors.
Ariel quickly fired two arrows into the room, one felling one man and the other hitting the other in a grizzly stomach wound. Any warrior who has ever taken a deep wound to the stomach knows that unless he receives some form of divine healing, his moments are numbered, this man was no different. His cries for mercy did not fall on deaf ears as I entered the room and quickly bound his wounds and ensured that he would live to see another day. Rick was scared, and wanted no part in this place or this fight and begged to be let go. A simple farmer who was struggling but his family needed him, he told us that Lucas could be found behind one of the doors.
On a desk I found a ledger, and to my eyes the ledger explained a lot of what this little operation was doing, but it also meant that there was more to the puzzle than just a mere bandit operation. Rick was useless and continued to state that Lucas could explain everything. It wasn’t until behind the door we heard a voice that we began to believe him.
Lucas wanted us to let Rick go, and we could talk, if not we could fight to the death and see where the cards lay. I wasn’t a fan of letting Rick go, but our resident paladin wanted to deal fairly and with some grumbling he allowed Rick to flee the cave. Corith is brave and honest, but I fear he only sees the good in people and refuses to be practical in certain situations. A worldly man I would have expected a little more from him, but perhaps it is that very ability to see the good in us that will prove to be our salvation in the end. My problem is that I’m practical, and although I am a cleric, my faith is to magic and I may not be the companion that Corith thinks I am.
Lucas opened the door and with a sword in hand accused us of crimes against them, and asked us to leave. They were struggling men just doing a job they were paid to do, and we had ruined everything. Times are hard, and Lucas may be a good man, but he is still a criminal, why Corith decided to take the man prisoner and attempt to exonerate him is beyond me. We were paid to bring back his hand, but Corith seems intent on rooting out the men behind this operation. I believe that Lucas is not lying, but it doesn’t change the fact we have a job to do, which was given to use by the powers that rule this land, why can’t all of my companions see this? They have an infernal need to do more than the task requires, and their next plan was far stupider than the last one.
It was explained and proved by the ledger that Lucas and his band supplied the goods that were stolen to a small convoy every four days. In order to catch those behind this operation the plan was to load the carts with the stolen goods, then follow them to where they may lead. Why my companions didn’t want to fight the convoy and take a few prisoners is beyond me, but having nothing left to say about the matter I had nothing but time on my hands for three days. I was pleasantly surprised when Taeghan brought me a spellbook with three spells in it, and decided the best use of my time would be to attempt to learn the contents of it.
It was a little later when Ellie told us the fate of Gregor. He had been pursuing what could only have been a magic user when a portal opened up and both the man and Gregor had disappeared within. By the time Ellie had approached the portal both it had disappeared, and our party was one less. Taeghan took the news stoically, saying only that Gregor was a capable sort and would eventually pop up. I fear that we will never see Gregor again, and for all his arrogance our party is weakened by the loss of one of our warriors.
During the second day Corith convinced Lucas that it was a sound idea to bring the man to his sick son and heal him of his affliction if he would cooperate with us. Lucas was enthusiastic of the idea, but we explained to Corith that he wouldn’t be escorting Lucas anywhere until after we had dealt with those behind the operation. Corith took the news badly, and I must admit the man has a way with words that makes you want to be a believer, but it would have been foolish to follow Lucas blindly somewhere, hoping that he is telling the truth.
To keep things lively, Ellie found some form of poison on one of the dead bandits and used a small bit on Lucas which caused quite the ruckus. Ellie was amused with her actions but Lucas wants nothing more than to end her life, but we made certain that we kept the two of them apart for the next few days. The poison itself, having been able to examine both a wound on Corith and Lucas is a form of paralyzing agent that seems to last for a long while. I can imagine that Ellie is really pleased to have found such a treasure amongst the bandits.
When the tiny caravan of three wagons finally arrived Lucas greeted them and the leader came in the mine, and I had to fight the urge not to do anything foolish as Taeghan and Ariel loaded the first two wagons with the stolen supplies. The leader was unhappy with the amount of goods and admitted he knew that Lucas and his band hadn’t been raiding for the last few days. Once the carts were loaded they left the mine behind. With our two rangers springing into action following the trial once they were out of sight.
With both Taeghan and Ariel up front, it left Ellie, Corith and I to ensure that we transport the prisoner while following them. Things were going smoothly when Lucas tripped our noble paladin, and darted off for the safety of the deep woods. I was loathe to use a spell on him, but without another option I cast my spell of sleep and Lucas slumped to the ground mere inches from freedom. I was angry at Corith for not only almost allowing Lucas to escape but for also falling under my spell. Ellie on the other hand took the opportunity to mount the paladin’s chest and begin to slap him playfully until he awoke.
I must admit it was with some remorse that the rope which had been tied on his hands was now used to bind him around the neck, but he no longer was worthy of the trust the paladin had shown him. Explaining to the paladin he was never worthy of that trust in the first place fell on deaf ears…
Soon we had a decision to make as one of the carts turned while the other two went in the direction of the city. Again I didn’t like the plan of splitting up and following both, but as Taeghan and Ellie departed to follow the one cart we were bid to follow the other two with the prisoner. Corith put his cloak on the rope in a poor attempt to not draw attention to the fact we had a prisoner gagged and bound but he wouldn’t listen to reason. By now it was early morning and the people who saw us with a prisoner were shocked and scared and it wasn’t long until a couple of city guards approached us.
Ariel was so intent on following the carts that he never saw us being stopped, nor did he even look back to ensure that we were following him. That left just Corith and I to attempt to explain to the guards that we couldn’t release the prisoner and that we had important business to accomplish for the King. I could write and entire book on what not to do to piss off bored guards, and the example would all begin with Corith said this or Corith did that, but to keep valuable writing space in my journal I will just say that the encounter left something to be desired.
We ended up being escorted to the guard house where a sergeant at arms was kind enough to allow us to stay with them until we had proof that we were actually on the King’s business. It should be noted that he sent word to Vicward, but this meant that we hadn’t done a very good job of keeping the situation out of the public eye. Still we had Lucas and his hand, so that had to mean something for when our companions finally passed the guard station hours later I was waiting for them. Ariel had received a summons from Vicward and I used it to prove that we were indeed on special business and the sergeant allowed us to go on our way, while keeping our prisoner in custody.
All of the carts got to bring their wares to where they were headed, so our mission had been a complete failure, and when we met with Vicward in a seedy dockside tavern he let us know as much. We managed to redeem ourselves a little by producing information that was important to the search of the mysterious people behind the bandit gang, the ledger to prove how much had been moved and Lucas himself. That turned into a point of contention when he said he asked for only the hand, and not the trouble with the body attached to it. He was intrigued to hear more of the mysterious spellcaster, and Ellie gave him all of the information she had, which was very little. For our trouble we didn’t receive full payment, but instead a chance to redeem ourselves.
Vicward offered us the task of clearing out two seaside watchtowers which held men who had not sworn to the crown. They were deemed outlaws and he wanted all of the men in both of the tower dealt with in a swift and destructive manner. He made a point to express that he didn’t want this to become another public fiasco and that he didn’t want to deal with any living bodies. As a bonus to us, anything we found we could keep, so long as both towers were liberated quickly.
We took the grim task.
There was another corridor to follow and as we followed it into another room, Gregor saw a man running the way we had come and took off after him. I was certain he was wearing robes, but my glance had been quick and I was certain that Gregor could handle himself. We continued down the corridor until we entered another room with two doors.
Ariel quickly fired two arrows into the room, one felling one man and the other hitting the other in a grizzly stomach wound. Any warrior who has ever taken a deep wound to the stomach knows that unless he receives some form of divine healing, his moments are numbered, this man was no different. His cries for mercy did not fall on deaf ears as I entered the room and quickly bound his wounds and ensured that he would live to see another day. Rick was scared, and wanted no part in this place or this fight and begged to be let go. A simple farmer who was struggling but his family needed him, he told us that Lucas could be found behind one of the doors.
On a desk I found a ledger, and to my eyes the ledger explained a lot of what this little operation was doing, but it also meant that there was more to the puzzle than just a mere bandit operation. Rick was useless and continued to state that Lucas could explain everything. It wasn’t until behind the door we heard a voice that we began to believe him.
Lucas wanted us to let Rick go, and we could talk, if not we could fight to the death and see where the cards lay. I wasn’t a fan of letting Rick go, but our resident paladin wanted to deal fairly and with some grumbling he allowed Rick to flee the cave. Corith is brave and honest, but I fear he only sees the good in people and refuses to be practical in certain situations. A worldly man I would have expected a little more from him, but perhaps it is that very ability to see the good in us that will prove to be our salvation in the end. My problem is that I’m practical, and although I am a cleric, my faith is to magic and I may not be the companion that Corith thinks I am.
Lucas opened the door and with a sword in hand accused us of crimes against them, and asked us to leave. They were struggling men just doing a job they were paid to do, and we had ruined everything. Times are hard, and Lucas may be a good man, but he is still a criminal, why Corith decided to take the man prisoner and attempt to exonerate him is beyond me. We were paid to bring back his hand, but Corith seems intent on rooting out the men behind this operation. I believe that Lucas is not lying, but it doesn’t change the fact we have a job to do, which was given to use by the powers that rule this land, why can’t all of my companions see this? They have an infernal need to do more than the task requires, and their next plan was far stupider than the last one.
It was explained and proved by the ledger that Lucas and his band supplied the goods that were stolen to a small convoy every four days. In order to catch those behind this operation the plan was to load the carts with the stolen goods, then follow them to where they may lead. Why my companions didn’t want to fight the convoy and take a few prisoners is beyond me, but having nothing left to say about the matter I had nothing but time on my hands for three days. I was pleasantly surprised when Taeghan brought me a spellbook with three spells in it, and decided the best use of my time would be to attempt to learn the contents of it.
It was a little later when Ellie told us the fate of Gregor. He had been pursuing what could only have been a magic user when a portal opened up and both the man and Gregor had disappeared within. By the time Ellie had approached the portal both it had disappeared, and our party was one less. Taeghan took the news stoically, saying only that Gregor was a capable sort and would eventually pop up. I fear that we will never see Gregor again, and for all his arrogance our party is weakened by the loss of one of our warriors.
During the second day Corith convinced Lucas that it was a sound idea to bring the man to his sick son and heal him of his affliction if he would cooperate with us. Lucas was enthusiastic of the idea, but we explained to Corith that he wouldn’t be escorting Lucas anywhere until after we had dealt with those behind the operation. Corith took the news badly, and I must admit the man has a way with words that makes you want to be a believer, but it would have been foolish to follow Lucas blindly somewhere, hoping that he is telling the truth.
To keep things lively, Ellie found some form of poison on one of the dead bandits and used a small bit on Lucas which caused quite the ruckus. Ellie was amused with her actions but Lucas wants nothing more than to end her life, but we made certain that we kept the two of them apart for the next few days. The poison itself, having been able to examine both a wound on Corith and Lucas is a form of paralyzing agent that seems to last for a long while. I can imagine that Ellie is really pleased to have found such a treasure amongst the bandits.
When the tiny caravan of three wagons finally arrived Lucas greeted them and the leader came in the mine, and I had to fight the urge not to do anything foolish as Taeghan and Ariel loaded the first two wagons with the stolen supplies. The leader was unhappy with the amount of goods and admitted he knew that Lucas and his band hadn’t been raiding for the last few days. Once the carts were loaded they left the mine behind. With our two rangers springing into action following the trial once they were out of sight.
With both Taeghan and Ariel up front, it left Ellie, Corith and I to ensure that we transport the prisoner while following them. Things were going smoothly when Lucas tripped our noble paladin, and darted off for the safety of the deep woods. I was loathe to use a spell on him, but without another option I cast my spell of sleep and Lucas slumped to the ground mere inches from freedom. I was angry at Corith for not only almost allowing Lucas to escape but for also falling under my spell. Ellie on the other hand took the opportunity to mount the paladin’s chest and begin to slap him playfully until he awoke.
I must admit it was with some remorse that the rope which had been tied on his hands was now used to bind him around the neck, but he no longer was worthy of the trust the paladin had shown him. Explaining to the paladin he was never worthy of that trust in the first place fell on deaf ears…
Soon we had a decision to make as one of the carts turned while the other two went in the direction of the city. Again I didn’t like the plan of splitting up and following both, but as Taeghan and Ellie departed to follow the one cart we were bid to follow the other two with the prisoner. Corith put his cloak on the rope in a poor attempt to not draw attention to the fact we had a prisoner gagged and bound but he wouldn’t listen to reason. By now it was early morning and the people who saw us with a prisoner were shocked and scared and it wasn’t long until a couple of city guards approached us.
Ariel was so intent on following the carts that he never saw us being stopped, nor did he even look back to ensure that we were following him. That left just Corith and I to attempt to explain to the guards that we couldn’t release the prisoner and that we had important business to accomplish for the King. I could write and entire book on what not to do to piss off bored guards, and the example would all begin with Corith said this or Corith did that, but to keep valuable writing space in my journal I will just say that the encounter left something to be desired.
We ended up being escorted to the guard house where a sergeant at arms was kind enough to allow us to stay with them until we had proof that we were actually on the King’s business. It should be noted that he sent word to Vicward, but this meant that we hadn’t done a very good job of keeping the situation out of the public eye. Still we had Lucas and his hand, so that had to mean something for when our companions finally passed the guard station hours later I was waiting for them. Ariel had received a summons from Vicward and I used it to prove that we were indeed on special business and the sergeant allowed us to go on our way, while keeping our prisoner in custody.
All of the carts got to bring their wares to where they were headed, so our mission had been a complete failure, and when we met with Vicward in a seedy dockside tavern he let us know as much. We managed to redeem ourselves a little by producing information that was important to the search of the mysterious people behind the bandit gang, the ledger to prove how much had been moved and Lucas himself. That turned into a point of contention when he said he asked for only the hand, and not the trouble with the body attached to it. He was intrigued to hear more of the mysterious spellcaster, and Ellie gave him all of the information she had, which was very little. For our trouble we didn’t receive full payment, but instead a chance to redeem ourselves.
Vicward offered us the task of clearing out two seaside watchtowers which held men who had not sworn to the crown. They were deemed outlaws and he wanted all of the men in both of the tower dealt with in a swift and destructive manner. He made a point to express that he didn’t want this to become another public fiasco and that he didn’t want to deal with any living bodies. As a bonus to us, anything we found we could keep, so long as both towers were liberated quickly.
We took the grim task.
Chapter nine
“A Sentence Passed” … by the letter of law they were doomed to die, but why do I feel guilty…?
We set out to the island of Carsong Car where the first of two watch towers was located. The skiff was manned by a gangly youth who we deposited on the shore, telling him we would bring the skiff back ourselves. It seems like an insult from Vicward that he said he would provide us passage to the islands, but instead of a real sailor and seaworthy boat, he sent a youth not strong enough to row and a leaky skiff that is most likely not seaworthy. Had we preformed up to Vicward’s expectations perhaps he would have offered more help, but alas we did not succeed in the manner he wished.
From the information that we were provided, the watch towers each had two entrances. The main entrance faced a small road with cleared vegetation so there was no practical way to sneak in. The side entrance was located on the side of the small keep where the trees had not been cleared and could provide ample cover for us. What we expected to find was some form of door, either metal or a sturdy wood, but what we found was a portcullis being guarded by a less than alert guard.
I had prepared a spell to shrink the door, but my spell wouldn’t have the same effect on portcullis since it was set deep in the walls of the keep. The rangers quickly dispatched the guard with well placed arrows, and as he slumped to the ground I couldn’t help but think that now that we had started we had to finish this grizzly task. In a tremendous feat of strength Taeghan lifted the portcullis enough for Ariel to wedge the dead guard’s shield underneath it so we could all sneak into the little keep.
There were three guards patrolling the top of the ramparts, and time was of the essence since they no doubt would spot the missing guard soon. We had just made it around the side of the barracks when one of the guards shouted that the guard was missing. Quickly both rangers drew a bead on a guard each and although Taeghan slew his, the one Ariel hit was still somewhere up above. The third guard began to sound the alarm, and without another thought I summoned the power of Adoy and enchanted some stones and threw them in the direction of the guard who was shouting. I was thankful when I heard the stones impact and was certain the guard had been slain.
The wounded guard was silenced by Ellie who had climbed up high enough to use her blowgun to devastating effect silencing the guard forever. At that same moment Coreth ran towards the small stables, away from all of us to open the portcullis and damage the mechanism ensuring that we could escape. A strange idea coming from a paladin to be sure, but it continued when he charged into the stables to set the horse free to cause further panic in the small keep.
As Coreth was setting free the horses, the barrack exploded into motion and guards began to funnel outside into the night air. We were forced to back all the way up into the small watch tower’s open base to keep the fight reasonable. It was at the time that I heard movement coming down the stairs.
Both Taeghan and Ariel comprised our front line, and each displayed great feats of both strength and swordplay, but also ineptitude when one dropped his weapon, while the other got totally turned around. By the time they had slain a few of the guards, I was attempting to deal with a couple of assailants who had descended the tower to aid their comrades. Once more I called upon the power of Adoy to enchant my staff, giving me the ability to fight them off even though I will never be the martial threat like my warrior companions.
I must say I was pleased with myself when I felled one of the two assailants, but as the second one cut me deep, Armadeous held him long enough for me to crush in his skull with my enchanted staff. Both Ariel and Taeghan had finally cut their way free from assailants and we were finally able to see clearly into the courtyard. Ellie seemed to be twisting and turning in the air, narrowly avoiding the increasingly frantic swings of her pursuer. The acrobat demonstration was impressive and it looked like she could avoid his swings all night, until finally he managed to catch her across the leg send her spinning to the ground. When it looked like she might meet her doom she managed to roll and then flip back to her feet in an impressive display of athleticism. She didn’t have to continue dodging as Ariel’s sword punched through the chest of her attacker, slaying him before he even knew he was under attack.
Meanwhile a rather large human had stormed into the courtyard wielding a fearsome looking halberd intent on slaying the paladin who happened to be closest to him. With both of them wielding great weapons the battle seemed almost to slow, but neither man was giving an inch to the other. In a moment of inspiration I called upon Adoy and fired a beam of light at the man’s eyes, but he dodged at last second avoiding my magic. Unfortunately for the man Coreth hadn’t needed to dodge anything and his lack of attention to his swing allowed the paladin to solidly connect him in a shower of blood. Strangely the man shrugged off the blow and seemed even angrier, and he managed to clip Coreth with the halberd sending the paladin to the ground.
I feared for his life, and although I didn’t want to become further involved I found I had no choice, calling upon my arcane spell I reduced the size of the halberd, causing the man to fumble it in his grasp. He would never have a chance to recover as both Taeghan and Ariel attacked the man from behind putting an end to the battle.
From the barrack another man emerged, this one was even larger than the man in the scalemail, and he was furious. He threatened us and ensured that he and his men would kill us for this attack on the watchtower. While Coreth and Ariel seemed to want to talk down the man into surrender, Ellie fired her blowgun, and as the little dart ricocheted off of his gleaming platemail it was almost a foregone conclusion that there could be no bloodless resolution.
My companions again talked the man into retreating into the stone barrack while they began to question why we were here and if the man and his men were evil or traitors to the realm. Although the man professed to not knowing about the change in king, and denied the fact that anyone had ever come to the island, he was still deemed a traitor to the realm by the King’s right hand man.
Why would my companions want to begin a discourse after more than half of the watchtower’s guards were dead is beyond me. My conscience does not pain me the way it obviously does Coreth, but in my eyes there can only be one outcome. We are under lawful orders to slay these traitors, and I wish our paladin would just follow orders but he seems to believe we are being played for fools. I am no fool. I know that there is more to the story that Vicward is letting on, but I am also currently a mercenary like everyone in my little band. Were we to go against the contract a second time, what would stop Vicward from making us outlaws? Am I the only one who sees this possible outcome?
We set out to the island of Carsong Car where the first of two watch towers was located. The skiff was manned by a gangly youth who we deposited on the shore, telling him we would bring the skiff back ourselves. It seems like an insult from Vicward that he said he would provide us passage to the islands, but instead of a real sailor and seaworthy boat, he sent a youth not strong enough to row and a leaky skiff that is most likely not seaworthy. Had we preformed up to Vicward’s expectations perhaps he would have offered more help, but alas we did not succeed in the manner he wished.
From the information that we were provided, the watch towers each had two entrances. The main entrance faced a small road with cleared vegetation so there was no practical way to sneak in. The side entrance was located on the side of the small keep where the trees had not been cleared and could provide ample cover for us. What we expected to find was some form of door, either metal or a sturdy wood, but what we found was a portcullis being guarded by a less than alert guard.
I had prepared a spell to shrink the door, but my spell wouldn’t have the same effect on portcullis since it was set deep in the walls of the keep. The rangers quickly dispatched the guard with well placed arrows, and as he slumped to the ground I couldn’t help but think that now that we had started we had to finish this grizzly task. In a tremendous feat of strength Taeghan lifted the portcullis enough for Ariel to wedge the dead guard’s shield underneath it so we could all sneak into the little keep.
There were three guards patrolling the top of the ramparts, and time was of the essence since they no doubt would spot the missing guard soon. We had just made it around the side of the barracks when one of the guards shouted that the guard was missing. Quickly both rangers drew a bead on a guard each and although Taeghan slew his, the one Ariel hit was still somewhere up above. The third guard began to sound the alarm, and without another thought I summoned the power of Adoy and enchanted some stones and threw them in the direction of the guard who was shouting. I was thankful when I heard the stones impact and was certain the guard had been slain.
The wounded guard was silenced by Ellie who had climbed up high enough to use her blowgun to devastating effect silencing the guard forever. At that same moment Coreth ran towards the small stables, away from all of us to open the portcullis and damage the mechanism ensuring that we could escape. A strange idea coming from a paladin to be sure, but it continued when he charged into the stables to set the horse free to cause further panic in the small keep.
As Coreth was setting free the horses, the barrack exploded into motion and guards began to funnel outside into the night air. We were forced to back all the way up into the small watch tower’s open base to keep the fight reasonable. It was at the time that I heard movement coming down the stairs.
Both Taeghan and Ariel comprised our front line, and each displayed great feats of both strength and swordplay, but also ineptitude when one dropped his weapon, while the other got totally turned around. By the time they had slain a few of the guards, I was attempting to deal with a couple of assailants who had descended the tower to aid their comrades. Once more I called upon the power of Adoy to enchant my staff, giving me the ability to fight them off even though I will never be the martial threat like my warrior companions.
I must say I was pleased with myself when I felled one of the two assailants, but as the second one cut me deep, Armadeous held him long enough for me to crush in his skull with my enchanted staff. Both Ariel and Taeghan had finally cut their way free from assailants and we were finally able to see clearly into the courtyard. Ellie seemed to be twisting and turning in the air, narrowly avoiding the increasingly frantic swings of her pursuer. The acrobat demonstration was impressive and it looked like she could avoid his swings all night, until finally he managed to catch her across the leg send her spinning to the ground. When it looked like she might meet her doom she managed to roll and then flip back to her feet in an impressive display of athleticism. She didn’t have to continue dodging as Ariel’s sword punched through the chest of her attacker, slaying him before he even knew he was under attack.
Meanwhile a rather large human had stormed into the courtyard wielding a fearsome looking halberd intent on slaying the paladin who happened to be closest to him. With both of them wielding great weapons the battle seemed almost to slow, but neither man was giving an inch to the other. In a moment of inspiration I called upon Adoy and fired a beam of light at the man’s eyes, but he dodged at last second avoiding my magic. Unfortunately for the man Coreth hadn’t needed to dodge anything and his lack of attention to his swing allowed the paladin to solidly connect him in a shower of blood. Strangely the man shrugged off the blow and seemed even angrier, and he managed to clip Coreth with the halberd sending the paladin to the ground.
I feared for his life, and although I didn’t want to become further involved I found I had no choice, calling upon my arcane spell I reduced the size of the halberd, causing the man to fumble it in his grasp. He would never have a chance to recover as both Taeghan and Ariel attacked the man from behind putting an end to the battle.
From the barrack another man emerged, this one was even larger than the man in the scalemail, and he was furious. He threatened us and ensured that he and his men would kill us for this attack on the watchtower. While Coreth and Ariel seemed to want to talk down the man into surrender, Ellie fired her blowgun, and as the little dart ricocheted off of his gleaming platemail it was almost a foregone conclusion that there could be no bloodless resolution.
My companions again talked the man into retreating into the stone barrack while they began to question why we were here and if the man and his men were evil or traitors to the realm. Although the man professed to not knowing about the change in king, and denied the fact that anyone had ever come to the island, he was still deemed a traitor to the realm by the King’s right hand man.
Why would my companions want to begin a discourse after more than half of the watchtower’s guards were dead is beyond me. My conscience does not pain me the way it obviously does Coreth, but in my eyes there can only be one outcome. We are under lawful orders to slay these traitors, and I wish our paladin would just follow orders but he seems to believe we are being played for fools. I am no fool. I know that there is more to the story that Vicward is letting on, but I am also currently a mercenary like everyone in my little band. Were we to go against the contract a second time, what would stop Vicward from making us outlaws? Am I the only one who sees this possible outcome?
Chapter ten
“An End of Sorts” … even with magic sometimes I feel that I don’t have the answer…
We were pieced together by threads of fate, but sometimes I think the fates only wished for a bit of light laughter at our expense. Unlike most mercenary bands we are not even truly united in the cause for personal gain. Instead we are divided in our ambitions and chaos seems to rule our actions, yet with all our ineffectiveness we continue to get the job done. Yet looking back, we’ve already lost one of our members and sooner or later our lack of a true cause will be our undoing. I can only hope that that day is not fast approaching…
With the remaining soldiers still inside the stone garrison, I felt a sense of dread as Ariel decided to leave the small keep to chase down the escaped horses. For the life of me I can’t fathom what possessed the ranger to think up much less act upon such an action. A pang of dread shot through my body as he left us to deal with the remaining garrison without him. Granted I am no warrior, I’m not even gifted with the martial use of my own staff, but not pressing our advantage and allowing our enemies to regroup seems like a complete folly.
Ellie is so unlike most of our group. Her motivations are not clear on the surface, but her actions while we’re together are completely impersonal and businesslike. It’s as if her mind is wired to turn off all emotion once there is a task to accomplish. At leisure, and I must admit there has been precious few moments of leisure, but while resting at the inn her witty banter was a pleasant surprise. So when she climbed the side of the garrison like a spider and then quickly jumped off the roof and landed in a not so graceful tumble, her intention was quickly clear as she announced with a wince that they had a roof access and we needed to watch the trap door.
My life has been sheltered to this point and I wouldn’t have thought to check the roof of a dwelling for another entrance. I’m used to the tranquil beauty of the Temple of Adoy, where such things wouldn’t be needed, much less thought of. Why would towers devoted to the magic of a god need a trap door? It was then that I was struck with the thought that I wasn’t in Adoy’s temple anymore, and instead my access to magic was strictly what I could study from my meager collection of spells, or pray to Adoy for. Trapdoors were the mark of practical people, and now that I was on my own, I needed to become far more practical.
While we stood in the courtyard of the keep undecided, a fire arrow shot through the air and landed on the top of the watch tower. The signal fire which had been set up in advance caught fire and in mere moments the top of the tower was ablaze. Taeghan darted off into the watchtower leaving only three of us in the courtyard. Again the actions of my comrades confuse me, as there was no way to undo the fire, especially if someone had already seen it. Worrying for our safety since two of our three fighters decided to act upon their odd instincts I asked Coreth if he would use the discarded swords and plant them in the ground to bar the door from opening.
All through the process Coreth of planting the swords in the ground he wouldn’t stop seeking information from Godfrey, the leader of the garrison. I can’t help but feel for Coreth as he struggles with to act within the strict tenants of his faith and code. His way of life is completely at odds with the chaotic nature in which I was brought up. His intentions were noble, but the guards didn’t seem to care about his notion of mercy as they chopped the door apart from the inside.
After hitting Coreth in the leg with a crossbow bolt, he managed to talk all of the guards but Godfrey into surrendering. We slowly tied them up and led them to the stables, but Godfrey wasn’t about to surrender. Instead he offered a challenge to fight him one on one, and as he stepped out of the building I was certain our paladin would step up and face the man. Instead to my horror he pushed Ellie to the ground in front of Godfrey shouting that if she wanted to take the challenge there he was. His actions may have been from anger at being shot, or perhaps the situation in which he found himself in, but the act itself was as dishonorable as can be, and I gave praise to Adoy that Godfrey ignored Ellie’s prone figure and charged Coreth.
The two combatants met with a furious set of blows, each one trying to behead the other, and as Godfrey sidestepped Coreth’s lunge, his axe bit deep into Coreth’s chest felling the paladin. I was too stunned to at first grasp what has occurred. Surely if we were on the right side of things then Coreth’s god would bless the paladin’s blade, but seeing his blood pour out of his body I knew he needed my last healing spell if he was to survive. My problem was that now that Coreth was down there was no other target besides myself for Godfrey to attack.
My biggest fear is to be stripped of my magical abilities. To live without the grace of magic would be unbearable to one such as me. In that moment I realized I have another fear, and strangely that fear isn’t death, it’s not having any spells at the ready in moments such as these. I am not a skilled fighter, and my faith doesn’t allow me to wear armor, nor does my faithful hound stack up against a plate wearing warrior. For all my wit and cunning I realized that without my spells I didn’t belong in combat, yet here I was facing down a charging warrior with nothing my oaken staff.
Taeghan and Ariel began to feather Godfrey with arrows, but they didn’t stop the man from attempting to cleave my head from my body. Ellie who had slipped off as soon as Coreth had begun combat with Godfrey reappeared at the stables, and I knew at that moment that she had agreed with me that the prisoners needed to be dealt with as per our instructions. Yet at that moment as I ducked under the mighty axe that went flying from Godfrey’s hands in a moment of pure luck on my part, I ran towards the carcass that had been Coreth only moments before.
From the grunts I could hear behind me, my companions had finally taken down Godrey, but that barely registered as I was already praying to Adoy to grant me the strength to heal the broken paladin. Adoy heard my prayer and granted me healing, but it wasn’t enough to completely heal the paladin, it was barely enough to keep him alive. I attempted to use my mundane training with medicine and herbs but I seemed to be having no effect. In desperation I used one of the potions we had found and emptied the contents down the paladin’s throat. I am no great alchemist, but the potion seemed to be just like the potion of healing we had previously found, and in all reality it was the paladin’s only chance at making it through the night. Either Adoy smiled on me or I was lucky, but the potion had the desired effect and the paladin’s wounds began to close before my very eyes.
Coreth awoke and he drew his knife and began to stalk towards the stable, a murderous gleam in his eyes. Seeing the dead guardsmen seemed to have the opposite effect on him, for instead of being enraged at the sight of the slain prisoners he seemed relieved. Later on I would learn from him that he had intended to forsake his god and slay the prisoners himself in an act of defiance. Ellie had spared the man his convictions and perhaps a part of his soul by slaying the guards herself. In a strange way Ellie had saved the paladin from a life of disgrace. I imagine that even Coreth’s god of battle and honor silently thanked Ellie for her actions, no matter how harsh and dishonorable they may have seemed.
Coreth has tasted a small portion of both dishonor and death in one day, and his spirit seemed to have been dimmed from the events of the day. I believe he will bounce back once he is able to center himself and come to terms with both his actions and his intentions. Until then I can only pray that his god still sees him in the same light as before and continues to bless him with his holy powers. With that thought we decided to lock the keep up tight and rest.
We were pieced together by threads of fate, but sometimes I think the fates only wished for a bit of light laughter at our expense. Unlike most mercenary bands we are not even truly united in the cause for personal gain. Instead we are divided in our ambitions and chaos seems to rule our actions, yet with all our ineffectiveness we continue to get the job done. Yet looking back, we’ve already lost one of our members and sooner or later our lack of a true cause will be our undoing. I can only hope that that day is not fast approaching…
With the remaining soldiers still inside the stone garrison, I felt a sense of dread as Ariel decided to leave the small keep to chase down the escaped horses. For the life of me I can’t fathom what possessed the ranger to think up much less act upon such an action. A pang of dread shot through my body as he left us to deal with the remaining garrison without him. Granted I am no warrior, I’m not even gifted with the martial use of my own staff, but not pressing our advantage and allowing our enemies to regroup seems like a complete folly.
Ellie is so unlike most of our group. Her motivations are not clear on the surface, but her actions while we’re together are completely impersonal and businesslike. It’s as if her mind is wired to turn off all emotion once there is a task to accomplish. At leisure, and I must admit there has been precious few moments of leisure, but while resting at the inn her witty banter was a pleasant surprise. So when she climbed the side of the garrison like a spider and then quickly jumped off the roof and landed in a not so graceful tumble, her intention was quickly clear as she announced with a wince that they had a roof access and we needed to watch the trap door.
My life has been sheltered to this point and I wouldn’t have thought to check the roof of a dwelling for another entrance. I’m used to the tranquil beauty of the Temple of Adoy, where such things wouldn’t be needed, much less thought of. Why would towers devoted to the magic of a god need a trap door? It was then that I was struck with the thought that I wasn’t in Adoy’s temple anymore, and instead my access to magic was strictly what I could study from my meager collection of spells, or pray to Adoy for. Trapdoors were the mark of practical people, and now that I was on my own, I needed to become far more practical.
While we stood in the courtyard of the keep undecided, a fire arrow shot through the air and landed on the top of the watch tower. The signal fire which had been set up in advance caught fire and in mere moments the top of the tower was ablaze. Taeghan darted off into the watchtower leaving only three of us in the courtyard. Again the actions of my comrades confuse me, as there was no way to undo the fire, especially if someone had already seen it. Worrying for our safety since two of our three fighters decided to act upon their odd instincts I asked Coreth if he would use the discarded swords and plant them in the ground to bar the door from opening.
All through the process Coreth of planting the swords in the ground he wouldn’t stop seeking information from Godfrey, the leader of the garrison. I can’t help but feel for Coreth as he struggles with to act within the strict tenants of his faith and code. His way of life is completely at odds with the chaotic nature in which I was brought up. His intentions were noble, but the guards didn’t seem to care about his notion of mercy as they chopped the door apart from the inside.
After hitting Coreth in the leg with a crossbow bolt, he managed to talk all of the guards but Godfrey into surrendering. We slowly tied them up and led them to the stables, but Godfrey wasn’t about to surrender. Instead he offered a challenge to fight him one on one, and as he stepped out of the building I was certain our paladin would step up and face the man. Instead to my horror he pushed Ellie to the ground in front of Godfrey shouting that if she wanted to take the challenge there he was. His actions may have been from anger at being shot, or perhaps the situation in which he found himself in, but the act itself was as dishonorable as can be, and I gave praise to Adoy that Godfrey ignored Ellie’s prone figure and charged Coreth.
The two combatants met with a furious set of blows, each one trying to behead the other, and as Godfrey sidestepped Coreth’s lunge, his axe bit deep into Coreth’s chest felling the paladin. I was too stunned to at first grasp what has occurred. Surely if we were on the right side of things then Coreth’s god would bless the paladin’s blade, but seeing his blood pour out of his body I knew he needed my last healing spell if he was to survive. My problem was that now that Coreth was down there was no other target besides myself for Godfrey to attack.
My biggest fear is to be stripped of my magical abilities. To live without the grace of magic would be unbearable to one such as me. In that moment I realized I have another fear, and strangely that fear isn’t death, it’s not having any spells at the ready in moments such as these. I am not a skilled fighter, and my faith doesn’t allow me to wear armor, nor does my faithful hound stack up against a plate wearing warrior. For all my wit and cunning I realized that without my spells I didn’t belong in combat, yet here I was facing down a charging warrior with nothing my oaken staff.
Taeghan and Ariel began to feather Godfrey with arrows, but they didn’t stop the man from attempting to cleave my head from my body. Ellie who had slipped off as soon as Coreth had begun combat with Godfrey reappeared at the stables, and I knew at that moment that she had agreed with me that the prisoners needed to be dealt with as per our instructions. Yet at that moment as I ducked under the mighty axe that went flying from Godfrey’s hands in a moment of pure luck on my part, I ran towards the carcass that had been Coreth only moments before.
From the grunts I could hear behind me, my companions had finally taken down Godrey, but that barely registered as I was already praying to Adoy to grant me the strength to heal the broken paladin. Adoy heard my prayer and granted me healing, but it wasn’t enough to completely heal the paladin, it was barely enough to keep him alive. I attempted to use my mundane training with medicine and herbs but I seemed to be having no effect. In desperation I used one of the potions we had found and emptied the contents down the paladin’s throat. I am no great alchemist, but the potion seemed to be just like the potion of healing we had previously found, and in all reality it was the paladin’s only chance at making it through the night. Either Adoy smiled on me or I was lucky, but the potion had the desired effect and the paladin’s wounds began to close before my very eyes.
Coreth awoke and he drew his knife and began to stalk towards the stable, a murderous gleam in his eyes. Seeing the dead guardsmen seemed to have the opposite effect on him, for instead of being enraged at the sight of the slain prisoners he seemed relieved. Later on I would learn from him that he had intended to forsake his god and slay the prisoners himself in an act of defiance. Ellie had spared the man his convictions and perhaps a part of his soul by slaying the guards herself. In a strange way Ellie had saved the paladin from a life of disgrace. I imagine that even Coreth’s god of battle and honor silently thanked Ellie for her actions, no matter how harsh and dishonorable they may have seemed.
Coreth has tasted a small portion of both dishonor and death in one day, and his spirit seemed to have been dimmed from the events of the day. I believe he will bounce back once he is able to center himself and come to terms with both his actions and his intentions. Until then I can only pray that his god still sees him in the same light as before and continues to bless him with his holy powers. With that thought we decided to lock the keep up tight and rest.
Chapter eleven
“Things That Go Bump in the Night” … this was the first time I used divinity as my shield…
Up until my encounter with Godrey I never questioned my mortality, nor did I stop and truly wonder at the gifts that Adoy has bestowed on me. I took for granted that my adventures would take me to wondrous places and I would not only accumulate wealth, magic and divine favor but that I would return to the Temple with stories to enchant the newest acolytes. What I didn’t realize is that I although I may see some wondrous things and accumulate many items and magic, I might not make it back alive. There is a good reason why many are content to stay where they were raised and forsake adventuring for the simple life. It’s brutally simple. Very few adventures actually make it back home, and that is the reason why they become legends to the simple folk…
We rested that night in the keep after searching it from top to bottom. My skills as a both a mage and cleric allowed me to find items of use from the dead. We found a few weapons all of which I gladly passed on to my comrades. To my own chagrin I’ll need to return the halberd back to its original size if we’re ever able to trade if for something of value. Ellie was pleased that there was a magical dagger, but I regretfully don’t know if it’s just a superior weapon or if it has other secrets. I’ve heard of spells that allow the wielder to know the magical properties of an item, but it is not a spell that I know.
While ransacking the garrison I did manage to find a scroll which held a powerful spell that summons monsters to fight for the caster! It is far too powerful for one such as me to inscribe, but I added it to my collection of spells that I’m waiting to inscribe. As a fledging mage these spells are so precious to my survival, and I count myself as lucky to have accumulated so many so far.
That night while the party rested and I prayed for spells to heal our many wounds, I took the opportunity to study my phantasmal force spell. My thought was to use it in case anyone came to investigate the signal fire, but as we spent the entire day and nothing happened, I decided to play a prank on my fellows. Calling on the arcane magic I envisioned a giant rabbit that jumped over the wall and was in the courtyard with them. Everyone saw through the simple illusion except for Ariel who began to fire at the giant rabbit as it hopped up and down and dropped boulder sized pellets on the ground. Ariel called everyone to arms, but they were too busy laughing when he finally pierced the illusion and dispelled it. I must admit that Ariel didn’t find my illusion as funny as the rest, but I almost fell off the watchtower laughing, so I judged that Adoy would have approved.
The night passed uneventfully other than Ariel muttering that the rabbit had been real, and as daylight touched the water we set out in two boats towards the second keep. We came up on the other side of the island so the watchtower wouldn’t see us and stashed our boats in the forest, hiding the fact that we were here. Ariel and Taeghan both set off to scout ahead as we waited impatiently for them just inside the forest.
It felt like an eternity before the two rangers came striding our way, looks of unease strewn across their faces. They fought for the proper words but it came out more of the dead were walking and they had slain the creature. They brought us to the site of the now dead undead creature and from my lessons in the Temple of Adoy I knew the creature to have been a zombie, which is basically a walking corpse. Taeghan’s arrow had pierced the creature, impaling it to a fallen tree. I studied the creature for a few minutes to gage its state of decomposition, and from my best estimate it hadn’t been dead for a long period. At this point Ellie came up beside me and began to harvest parts of the zombie, only saying that she had a buyer for such things. The others were a little taken aback at the ruthless efficiency of her actions, but having a backround in not only magic but herbalism her actions only denote a resourceful person who’s not afraid to get their hands dirty.
Eventually we made our way to the keep and went around the side to where the side entrance would be. There seemed to be movement in the courtyard, but upon closer inspection the movement was of skeletons walking a perimeter! It appeared as though the entire place was infested with the undead, which sent a shiver of worry through my body. I am no master mage or high cleric, although I do aspire to be one. The magic required to raise the dead is powerful and way beyond the scope of what I can currently do. This only meant that we were up against something much more powerful than a mere handful of rogue guardsmen.
Ariel and Taeghan began to fire through the portcullis at the skeletons, slowly making progress in diminishing their numbers. That would have worked great had a couple of the skeletons not went for the crank and began to raise it. There were more skeletons than we had originally thought and their arrows weren’t as effective as we hoped. I a moment of supreme courage Coreth ran to the portcullis and attempted to stop it from being raised with sheer strength. Seeing him in danger I ran to the gate and evoked the holy power of Adoy to turn the undead away from the gate. As the divine power poured out of my body through my holy symbol six of the creatures shied away from the gate, but they didn’t seem to flee as they should. That confirmed my suspicion that someone powerful was not only animating these creatures but controlling them to deal with us, otherwise they would have fled my divine power.
From the corner of my eye I saw a figure in black scramble up the side of the keep like a spider, which could be none other than Ellie. I couldn’t help but think that her intuition to check for other dangers will save our lives more than once. Yet that is all the time I had to give to that thought as I slowly walked closer to the gate in an attempt to push the skeletons away from it. Coreth was unsuccessful in stopping the portcullis from raising, so he brandished his warhammer and shield and began to plow through the skeletons, turning a few into dust with hits that would crack stone. The vigor with which he attacked the skeletons must reflect his views on the undead, for it seemed as though they were a personal affront to him that they even existed. My thoughts on the undead are far different from his, as Adoy has no objection to creating undead, so long as we’re using magic. Would I animate then control such creatures if I had the power? I fear I do not know…
Ariel and Teaghan were forced to drop their precious bows and fight hand to hand against the onslaught of undead, and I couldn’t help but cringe as Ariel was skewered through the stomach by one of the undead that had somehow managed to slip under his guard. Finally they seemed to make some headway and Ariel dashed into the keep and began to turn the crank to lower the portcullis and as he dashed back, barely avoiding a mass of swords being swung at him, he dove then rolled under the gate. Having trapped the creature by the gate again the two rangers began to fire arrows once more into the courtyard.
Once the skeletons had been destroyed Ariel rolled back under the portcullis and raised it for us to begin to enter the courtyard. That was when a giant sized skeleton stood up from the shadows and charged us, moving much quicker than any of the human sized ones. We quickly retreated out of the keep and allowed the skeletal giant to come to us. Effectively surrounded our warriors attacked the giant with gusto to end the combat quickly before it could cut someone in half with it blackened scythe. I couldn’t effectively enter the combat, and honestly I’m more of a distraction that warrior I called upon Adoy to bless my companions, and as the divine power left my body I could see my companions attacked with just a little more precision and power. Although Taeghan took a bloody wound for his trouble, he was the one to ultimately land the final blow on the creature.
Ellie made her appearance as we were examining the giant skeleton, and as she stooped to begin another harvest of odd parts she mentioned that the courtyard was clear but the garrison was filled with more skeletons. We had come to eliminate a garrison of living breathing men, but it is far easier on the conscience that we were instead destroying monsters out of a child’s nightmare instead. I must admit that the information seemed to put Coreth’s mind at ease, allowing the proud warrior to continue down this road without having to question his faith at every step.
We made our way around the keep and climbed to the parapets then hopped onto the roof of the garrison. Ariel and Coreth lifted the trap door to peek inside and then decided to wait there while the skeletons began to climb the ladder to come to the roof. Coreth stood there with his warhammer and crushed the skull of a climbing skeleton, sending it crashing down to the second which had been right behind it. These creatures show no ingenuity or thought and only could keep trying to climb the ladder until the paladin caved in their skull. He did to every single one, and once there were no more we climbed down into the garrison.
The main floor of the building had been stripped clean of anything remotely useful, so there was nothing to do but head down to the underground training facility that should mirror the one from the other keep. Ellie slipped into the shadows and was near invisible as she made her way down the stairs, only to come scurrying back up announcing that the mysterious wizard from the bandit cave was down there casting something! The warriors rushed down the stairs before we could even think up a plan and I found myself following them into the bowls of the building. There stood the imposing figure of a man who was in the midst of animating another creature.
The battle had begun, our warriors clashing with the skeletons in the room while trying to get to the man who controlled them with ease. He warned us to stop interfering with his plans and the next time he would not be as gentle as he opened some kind of portal. The magic the man displays far outreached my own, but thinking quickly I called upon the phantasmal force spell and shaped it to appear as if I was casting an extremely powerful lightning bolt towards him. He smirked as the bolt hit him square in the chest and calmly stepped through his portal.
Turning to face the ongoing battle I tried to evoke the name of Adoy again to push back the skeletons from my wounded companions, but even as I tried I could feel the power well up inside me, but the sheer exhaustion I was feeling didn’t produce enough divine force to push them back. The effort left me drained and yet I couldn’t stand by as Coreth took a nasty gash across the stomach, and as he swung wildly and missed his opponent he struck Ariel in the head, knocking him unconscious.
Taeghan meanwhile had slowly whittled his opponents down to nothing with a flashy show of swordsmanship with his twin scimitars. I lunged in at Coreth and managed to cast one of my healing spells into the wounded warrior, ensuring he wouldn’t perish when he took another hit from a skeleton’s sword. He quickly finished off his opponent and called upon his faith and laid his hands on Ariel giving him enough healing to potentially survive. Only another skeleton was there ready to finish off the prone warrior and as I shielded his body with mine, taking a spear through the back I administered as much mundane healing as I could to the fallen warrior. Lucky for me that Taeghan saw my predicament and finished off the skeleton that was dead set on finishing me off.
Standing up there was still a couple of the creatures and as Coreth turned one to dust I swung my staff with all my might and crushed the skull of the last one, leaving only us in the large room. Ransacking the room we found a detailed journal of attack plans against the city but we also found a rack of potions, and I believe them to be potions of healing, while I doled out to everyone in the party. I can only hope that we find more of those, as I don’t like asking Adoy for too much healing, as I fear it would displease him for one of his followers to not be experimenting with all of the spells he grants us. We must be both the healer and the destroyer, to be only the healer would be to deny our very being.
Up until my encounter with Godrey I never questioned my mortality, nor did I stop and truly wonder at the gifts that Adoy has bestowed on me. I took for granted that my adventures would take me to wondrous places and I would not only accumulate wealth, magic and divine favor but that I would return to the Temple with stories to enchant the newest acolytes. What I didn’t realize is that I although I may see some wondrous things and accumulate many items and magic, I might not make it back alive. There is a good reason why many are content to stay where they were raised and forsake adventuring for the simple life. It’s brutally simple. Very few adventures actually make it back home, and that is the reason why they become legends to the simple folk…
We rested that night in the keep after searching it from top to bottom. My skills as a both a mage and cleric allowed me to find items of use from the dead. We found a few weapons all of which I gladly passed on to my comrades. To my own chagrin I’ll need to return the halberd back to its original size if we’re ever able to trade if for something of value. Ellie was pleased that there was a magical dagger, but I regretfully don’t know if it’s just a superior weapon or if it has other secrets. I’ve heard of spells that allow the wielder to know the magical properties of an item, but it is not a spell that I know.
While ransacking the garrison I did manage to find a scroll which held a powerful spell that summons monsters to fight for the caster! It is far too powerful for one such as me to inscribe, but I added it to my collection of spells that I’m waiting to inscribe. As a fledging mage these spells are so precious to my survival, and I count myself as lucky to have accumulated so many so far.
That night while the party rested and I prayed for spells to heal our many wounds, I took the opportunity to study my phantasmal force spell. My thought was to use it in case anyone came to investigate the signal fire, but as we spent the entire day and nothing happened, I decided to play a prank on my fellows. Calling on the arcane magic I envisioned a giant rabbit that jumped over the wall and was in the courtyard with them. Everyone saw through the simple illusion except for Ariel who began to fire at the giant rabbit as it hopped up and down and dropped boulder sized pellets on the ground. Ariel called everyone to arms, but they were too busy laughing when he finally pierced the illusion and dispelled it. I must admit that Ariel didn’t find my illusion as funny as the rest, but I almost fell off the watchtower laughing, so I judged that Adoy would have approved.
The night passed uneventfully other than Ariel muttering that the rabbit had been real, and as daylight touched the water we set out in two boats towards the second keep. We came up on the other side of the island so the watchtower wouldn’t see us and stashed our boats in the forest, hiding the fact that we were here. Ariel and Taeghan both set off to scout ahead as we waited impatiently for them just inside the forest.
It felt like an eternity before the two rangers came striding our way, looks of unease strewn across their faces. They fought for the proper words but it came out more of the dead were walking and they had slain the creature. They brought us to the site of the now dead undead creature and from my lessons in the Temple of Adoy I knew the creature to have been a zombie, which is basically a walking corpse. Taeghan’s arrow had pierced the creature, impaling it to a fallen tree. I studied the creature for a few minutes to gage its state of decomposition, and from my best estimate it hadn’t been dead for a long period. At this point Ellie came up beside me and began to harvest parts of the zombie, only saying that she had a buyer for such things. The others were a little taken aback at the ruthless efficiency of her actions, but having a backround in not only magic but herbalism her actions only denote a resourceful person who’s not afraid to get their hands dirty.
Eventually we made our way to the keep and went around the side to where the side entrance would be. There seemed to be movement in the courtyard, but upon closer inspection the movement was of skeletons walking a perimeter! It appeared as though the entire place was infested with the undead, which sent a shiver of worry through my body. I am no master mage or high cleric, although I do aspire to be one. The magic required to raise the dead is powerful and way beyond the scope of what I can currently do. This only meant that we were up against something much more powerful than a mere handful of rogue guardsmen.
Ariel and Taeghan began to fire through the portcullis at the skeletons, slowly making progress in diminishing their numbers. That would have worked great had a couple of the skeletons not went for the crank and began to raise it. There were more skeletons than we had originally thought and their arrows weren’t as effective as we hoped. I a moment of supreme courage Coreth ran to the portcullis and attempted to stop it from being raised with sheer strength. Seeing him in danger I ran to the gate and evoked the holy power of Adoy to turn the undead away from the gate. As the divine power poured out of my body through my holy symbol six of the creatures shied away from the gate, but they didn’t seem to flee as they should. That confirmed my suspicion that someone powerful was not only animating these creatures but controlling them to deal with us, otherwise they would have fled my divine power.
From the corner of my eye I saw a figure in black scramble up the side of the keep like a spider, which could be none other than Ellie. I couldn’t help but think that her intuition to check for other dangers will save our lives more than once. Yet that is all the time I had to give to that thought as I slowly walked closer to the gate in an attempt to push the skeletons away from it. Coreth was unsuccessful in stopping the portcullis from raising, so he brandished his warhammer and shield and began to plow through the skeletons, turning a few into dust with hits that would crack stone. The vigor with which he attacked the skeletons must reflect his views on the undead, for it seemed as though they were a personal affront to him that they even existed. My thoughts on the undead are far different from his, as Adoy has no objection to creating undead, so long as we’re using magic. Would I animate then control such creatures if I had the power? I fear I do not know…
Ariel and Teaghan were forced to drop their precious bows and fight hand to hand against the onslaught of undead, and I couldn’t help but cringe as Ariel was skewered through the stomach by one of the undead that had somehow managed to slip under his guard. Finally they seemed to make some headway and Ariel dashed into the keep and began to turn the crank to lower the portcullis and as he dashed back, barely avoiding a mass of swords being swung at him, he dove then rolled under the gate. Having trapped the creature by the gate again the two rangers began to fire arrows once more into the courtyard.
Once the skeletons had been destroyed Ariel rolled back under the portcullis and raised it for us to begin to enter the courtyard. That was when a giant sized skeleton stood up from the shadows and charged us, moving much quicker than any of the human sized ones. We quickly retreated out of the keep and allowed the skeletal giant to come to us. Effectively surrounded our warriors attacked the giant with gusto to end the combat quickly before it could cut someone in half with it blackened scythe. I couldn’t effectively enter the combat, and honestly I’m more of a distraction that warrior I called upon Adoy to bless my companions, and as the divine power left my body I could see my companions attacked with just a little more precision and power. Although Taeghan took a bloody wound for his trouble, he was the one to ultimately land the final blow on the creature.
Ellie made her appearance as we were examining the giant skeleton, and as she stooped to begin another harvest of odd parts she mentioned that the courtyard was clear but the garrison was filled with more skeletons. We had come to eliminate a garrison of living breathing men, but it is far easier on the conscience that we were instead destroying monsters out of a child’s nightmare instead. I must admit that the information seemed to put Coreth’s mind at ease, allowing the proud warrior to continue down this road without having to question his faith at every step.
We made our way around the keep and climbed to the parapets then hopped onto the roof of the garrison. Ariel and Coreth lifted the trap door to peek inside and then decided to wait there while the skeletons began to climb the ladder to come to the roof. Coreth stood there with his warhammer and crushed the skull of a climbing skeleton, sending it crashing down to the second which had been right behind it. These creatures show no ingenuity or thought and only could keep trying to climb the ladder until the paladin caved in their skull. He did to every single one, and once there were no more we climbed down into the garrison.
The main floor of the building had been stripped clean of anything remotely useful, so there was nothing to do but head down to the underground training facility that should mirror the one from the other keep. Ellie slipped into the shadows and was near invisible as she made her way down the stairs, only to come scurrying back up announcing that the mysterious wizard from the bandit cave was down there casting something! The warriors rushed down the stairs before we could even think up a plan and I found myself following them into the bowls of the building. There stood the imposing figure of a man who was in the midst of animating another creature.
The battle had begun, our warriors clashing with the skeletons in the room while trying to get to the man who controlled them with ease. He warned us to stop interfering with his plans and the next time he would not be as gentle as he opened some kind of portal. The magic the man displays far outreached my own, but thinking quickly I called upon the phantasmal force spell and shaped it to appear as if I was casting an extremely powerful lightning bolt towards him. He smirked as the bolt hit him square in the chest and calmly stepped through his portal.
Turning to face the ongoing battle I tried to evoke the name of Adoy again to push back the skeletons from my wounded companions, but even as I tried I could feel the power well up inside me, but the sheer exhaustion I was feeling didn’t produce enough divine force to push them back. The effort left me drained and yet I couldn’t stand by as Coreth took a nasty gash across the stomach, and as he swung wildly and missed his opponent he struck Ariel in the head, knocking him unconscious.
Taeghan meanwhile had slowly whittled his opponents down to nothing with a flashy show of swordsmanship with his twin scimitars. I lunged in at Coreth and managed to cast one of my healing spells into the wounded warrior, ensuring he wouldn’t perish when he took another hit from a skeleton’s sword. He quickly finished off his opponent and called upon his faith and laid his hands on Ariel giving him enough healing to potentially survive. Only another skeleton was there ready to finish off the prone warrior and as I shielded his body with mine, taking a spear through the back I administered as much mundane healing as I could to the fallen warrior. Lucky for me that Taeghan saw my predicament and finished off the skeleton that was dead set on finishing me off.
Standing up there was still a couple of the creatures and as Coreth turned one to dust I swung my staff with all my might and crushed the skull of the last one, leaving only us in the large room. Ransacking the room we found a detailed journal of attack plans against the city but we also found a rack of potions, and I believe them to be potions of healing, while I doled out to everyone in the party. I can only hope that we find more of those, as I don’t like asking Adoy for too much healing, as I fear it would displease him for one of his followers to not be experimenting with all of the spells he grants us. We must be both the healer and the destroyer, to be only the healer would be to deny our very being.
Chapter twelve
“Pride and Prejudice” … any man can kill, but a great man can show mercy…
Coreth once said that he would stand up for even a goblin if it was truly a good creature and wanted a better life. Even I mocked that phrase until we found ourselves in a moment where the strength of our character would be tested. I must admit that my actions might seem foolish, but I must stick to my beliefs and am glad to have found some willing to stand by me. At the same time I am distressed by the complete lack of compassion or foresight in others…
On the way back to the mainland after we had rested for the night, I was asked a few times about how strong my magic was, as everyone had seen and believed that my lightning bolt was real. I wish I was powerful enough to cast such a spell, but I passed it off as a gift from Adoy and that it wouldn’t be a common occurrence until my powers grew. What seemed to worry them more was the fact that the mysterious man had smiled as he took the impact and laughed as he left through his portal. I didn’t want to dissuade them that my spell was just an illusion, because I find that I would rather prefer them overestimate my magic then see me as just a font of healing.
We arrived at the shoreline and began the trek back to the city when there was a crashing sound just ahead of us, we didn’t have time to even ponder the situation as an ogre burst from the trees covered in blood. It was screaming with rage as it attacked Coreth, but he beast must have been in bad shape as our warriors quickly silenced it forever. As I examined the corpse Ellie quickly bent down and plucked out its eyes and took a flask of its blood. I could only smirk as she went about her tasks actually pushing the paladin out of her way.
The rangers were already examining the trail the ogre had left and we quickly came to the decision that we needed to investigate what the ogre had killed and report it. As we made our way following a trail even a two year old could follow, we came to the front of a cave. The bloody trail started there and from inside could be heard the sound of babies crying! Without a second thought we charged in, hoping to rescue the babies from whatever threatened them. What we found was a sight that tugged at my heartstrings, even though I know ogres to be generally evil wicked creatures.
In the single rough room there sat a mother ogre who had obviously died in childbirth, her legs still open and a dark pool of blood already congealing on the floor around her. The infants we had heard crying were not what we expected to find when we rushed into the cave, instead of little pink human babies we found large healthy naked ogre babies crying on the cold floor. The ogre we had slain had been a crazed father who had delivered his children but snapped when his mate had died…
From the corner of my eye I saw Taeghan begin to unsheathe his sword and I quickly dashed and found myself shielding a baby ogre girl with my body. I yelled and pleaded with Taeghan to leave the other baby alone and as he plunged his sword down at the helpless infant I prayed to Adoy to save the innocent child. I would like to believe that Adoy heard my prayer for Taeghan barely missed the squirming male ogre and he growled in frustration. As he raised his hand for another strike I pleaded with Coreth to remember his own words about protecting even a goblin from unfair wrath if it was truly good. These babies were innocent and could potentially be raised with higher virtues to reflect their upbringing because nothing was born evil. Perhaps my words stirred something in the paladin or perhaps it was his own sense of right and wrong that made his movement as blur but as he parried the blow that would have slain the male ogre he told Taeghan that there would be no more bloodshed.
Both rangers wanted to be rid of the ogres, one by death the other by leaving them where we found them. In Coreth I feel he has some doubts as to the wisdom of my actions, but never the less he went along and carried one of the baby ogres into the city of Vargas with me. People gawked at the sight, but not a single guard barred our way. Inspiration struck as I asked Coreth to bring me to the temple of his god, hoping to find salvation for the ogres there. The temple was a grand afraid and the head priest greeted Coreth with respect and me with a cold demeanor. I don’t blame the man, for even in my own thoughts what I proposed was a little mad. I asked if they could foster the ogres as wards of the temple, making them a symbol of his god’s grace and power, but the temple doesn’t have the place for children, much less ogre children.
What he did tell us that we weren’t crazy, and that even ogre children aren’t born evil, it is their way of life that makes them so. He did know of a lady who raises misfits like these two babies, bringing them up to be beings that deserve respect. Only the retreat called Parshmeena Haven is in the mountain range of Elhanman, which is a week’s ride by carriage. He did warn us that she would accept the ogres, but we would need to find a way to get on her good side. What that meant doing he would not say, only making it clear that it was important that we do so. Needing to see to a few matters in the city, which included a trip to see Vicward I asked if they could watch over the two ogres for the night. He reluctantly agreed as the city was no place to be carrying around an ogre child.
With a destination in place we met back up with the others and headed to meet Vicward at the seedy tavern near the docks. Again we entered through the back, and climbed a flight of little used stairs and entered into the dimly lit room where Vicward and his entourage waited for us. I must admit I don’t like Vicward if only because I don’t like being played the fool. He knows more than he lets on, and informs us even less when he sends us into the viper pit to retrieve something for him.
He was pleased that both keeps now were vacant, and appeared to be distressed that the second keep had been filled with undead. For some reason he was more interested in the mysterious mage than he was with the battle plans and invasion maps we had found. He tried to press us for more information on the man, but we don’t know more so there was nothing to tell. I believe he is lying when he says he doesn’t know who the man is, or that he didn’t know the keep was filled with undead. But what I think and what I can prove are two vastly different things…
Vicward offered us one last employment opportunity to help bring some peace to the realm, only it has us assassinating the leader of Torfall, a man named Gamrill. He’s apparently spreading rumors in the city to create havoc in order to overthrow King Wormagh. Coreth pressed Vicward to prove these statements, and surprisingly Vicward said all the proof would be kept under Gamarill’s bed. Once he was dead we could look for it to prove that Vicward was being truthful. We reluctantly took the grim task, but more because we needed closure than anything else. Vicward did warn us that Garmarill’s guard was much stronger than they looked and to be careful if we engaged them. Once we collected the payment for our previous service I bartered for five goats to feed the ogres on the long trek to their new home.
We discussed what we should do for hours at our inn, finally getting Taeghan to agree to accompany us to drop off the ogres, if only to see what would happen. I fear we might need to watch him closely as I don’t want anything to happen to the infants on their way to Parshmeana Haven.
Something the high priest said stuck with me, that the infants needed names. At the time I hadn’t thought of it, and at first it struck me as an odd request, but now I think I understand why. Until you have a name you aren’t a person, and unlike most these two children need strong names to endure a life of paying of the sins of their race. I decided to call the male Orthello after the legendary master mage of my order and the female would be called Adrianna after the high priestess who was Orthello’s sister. Yet that wasn’t enough, so I decided they would both be Greyfeathers, as they were my wards. Settling the matter I went up to the room I shared with Ellie expecting one decent night of sleep before another long journey on the open road.
Coreth once said that he would stand up for even a goblin if it was truly a good creature and wanted a better life. Even I mocked that phrase until we found ourselves in a moment where the strength of our character would be tested. I must admit that my actions might seem foolish, but I must stick to my beliefs and am glad to have found some willing to stand by me. At the same time I am distressed by the complete lack of compassion or foresight in others…
On the way back to the mainland after we had rested for the night, I was asked a few times about how strong my magic was, as everyone had seen and believed that my lightning bolt was real. I wish I was powerful enough to cast such a spell, but I passed it off as a gift from Adoy and that it wouldn’t be a common occurrence until my powers grew. What seemed to worry them more was the fact that the mysterious man had smiled as he took the impact and laughed as he left through his portal. I didn’t want to dissuade them that my spell was just an illusion, because I find that I would rather prefer them overestimate my magic then see me as just a font of healing.
We arrived at the shoreline and began the trek back to the city when there was a crashing sound just ahead of us, we didn’t have time to even ponder the situation as an ogre burst from the trees covered in blood. It was screaming with rage as it attacked Coreth, but he beast must have been in bad shape as our warriors quickly silenced it forever. As I examined the corpse Ellie quickly bent down and plucked out its eyes and took a flask of its blood. I could only smirk as she went about her tasks actually pushing the paladin out of her way.
The rangers were already examining the trail the ogre had left and we quickly came to the decision that we needed to investigate what the ogre had killed and report it. As we made our way following a trail even a two year old could follow, we came to the front of a cave. The bloody trail started there and from inside could be heard the sound of babies crying! Without a second thought we charged in, hoping to rescue the babies from whatever threatened them. What we found was a sight that tugged at my heartstrings, even though I know ogres to be generally evil wicked creatures.
In the single rough room there sat a mother ogre who had obviously died in childbirth, her legs still open and a dark pool of blood already congealing on the floor around her. The infants we had heard crying were not what we expected to find when we rushed into the cave, instead of little pink human babies we found large healthy naked ogre babies crying on the cold floor. The ogre we had slain had been a crazed father who had delivered his children but snapped when his mate had died…
From the corner of my eye I saw Taeghan begin to unsheathe his sword and I quickly dashed and found myself shielding a baby ogre girl with my body. I yelled and pleaded with Taeghan to leave the other baby alone and as he plunged his sword down at the helpless infant I prayed to Adoy to save the innocent child. I would like to believe that Adoy heard my prayer for Taeghan barely missed the squirming male ogre and he growled in frustration. As he raised his hand for another strike I pleaded with Coreth to remember his own words about protecting even a goblin from unfair wrath if it was truly good. These babies were innocent and could potentially be raised with higher virtues to reflect their upbringing because nothing was born evil. Perhaps my words stirred something in the paladin or perhaps it was his own sense of right and wrong that made his movement as blur but as he parried the blow that would have slain the male ogre he told Taeghan that there would be no more bloodshed.
Both rangers wanted to be rid of the ogres, one by death the other by leaving them where we found them. In Coreth I feel he has some doubts as to the wisdom of my actions, but never the less he went along and carried one of the baby ogres into the city of Vargas with me. People gawked at the sight, but not a single guard barred our way. Inspiration struck as I asked Coreth to bring me to the temple of his god, hoping to find salvation for the ogres there. The temple was a grand afraid and the head priest greeted Coreth with respect and me with a cold demeanor. I don’t blame the man, for even in my own thoughts what I proposed was a little mad. I asked if they could foster the ogres as wards of the temple, making them a symbol of his god’s grace and power, but the temple doesn’t have the place for children, much less ogre children.
What he did tell us that we weren’t crazy, and that even ogre children aren’t born evil, it is their way of life that makes them so. He did know of a lady who raises misfits like these two babies, bringing them up to be beings that deserve respect. Only the retreat called Parshmeena Haven is in the mountain range of Elhanman, which is a week’s ride by carriage. He did warn us that she would accept the ogres, but we would need to find a way to get on her good side. What that meant doing he would not say, only making it clear that it was important that we do so. Needing to see to a few matters in the city, which included a trip to see Vicward I asked if they could watch over the two ogres for the night. He reluctantly agreed as the city was no place to be carrying around an ogre child.
With a destination in place we met back up with the others and headed to meet Vicward at the seedy tavern near the docks. Again we entered through the back, and climbed a flight of little used stairs and entered into the dimly lit room where Vicward and his entourage waited for us. I must admit I don’t like Vicward if only because I don’t like being played the fool. He knows more than he lets on, and informs us even less when he sends us into the viper pit to retrieve something for him.
He was pleased that both keeps now were vacant, and appeared to be distressed that the second keep had been filled with undead. For some reason he was more interested in the mysterious mage than he was with the battle plans and invasion maps we had found. He tried to press us for more information on the man, but we don’t know more so there was nothing to tell. I believe he is lying when he says he doesn’t know who the man is, or that he didn’t know the keep was filled with undead. But what I think and what I can prove are two vastly different things…
Vicward offered us one last employment opportunity to help bring some peace to the realm, only it has us assassinating the leader of Torfall, a man named Gamrill. He’s apparently spreading rumors in the city to create havoc in order to overthrow King Wormagh. Coreth pressed Vicward to prove these statements, and surprisingly Vicward said all the proof would be kept under Gamarill’s bed. Once he was dead we could look for it to prove that Vicward was being truthful. We reluctantly took the grim task, but more because we needed closure than anything else. Vicward did warn us that Garmarill’s guard was much stronger than they looked and to be careful if we engaged them. Once we collected the payment for our previous service I bartered for five goats to feed the ogres on the long trek to their new home.
We discussed what we should do for hours at our inn, finally getting Taeghan to agree to accompany us to drop off the ogres, if only to see what would happen. I fear we might need to watch him closely as I don’t want anything to happen to the infants on their way to Parshmeana Haven.
Something the high priest said stuck with me, that the infants needed names. At the time I hadn’t thought of it, and at first it struck me as an odd request, but now I think I understand why. Until you have a name you aren’t a person, and unlike most these two children need strong names to endure a life of paying of the sins of their race. I decided to call the male Orthello after the legendary master mage of my order and the female would be called Adrianna after the high priestess who was Orthello’s sister. Yet that wasn’t enough, so I decided they would both be Greyfeathers, as they were my wards. Settling the matter I went up to the room I shared with Ellie expecting one decent night of sleep before another long journey on the open road.
Chapter thirteen
“Night Work” … the day doesn’t end just because the sun went down…
My friendship with Ellie is unconventional yet fulfilling in ways that I hadn’t expected. She is not what she seems on the surface where it seems all she does is smile. Ellie hides a dark secret from most, and I fear that her past may yet be darker than I imagine. My friend is an assassin. That would be enough to make many shy away, but am I not a mercenary? Have I not taken lives for profit? We are not as different as it would appear on the surface. I like to believe I am pragmatic, and as such I do what I must to acquire more magic and experience so I can honor my god. Ellie does what she does for her own means and motivations, but underneath it all she is not evil. I wonder what the outcome would be if the common man viewed groups like ours as nothing more than killers… for in truth are we not?..
I was perched on the edge of my bed with my spellbook in my hands when Ellie came bounding into the room. She seemed undecided for a moment or two before she dropped a few parchments onto the pages of my book. As she literally bounced from foot to foot it was easy to sense that she wanted to discuss what her pages held. Picking one up I began to read what seemed like a macabre list of ingredients until I began to understand what the pages actually were. Poison. Well actually they were precious recipes that she had painstakingly gotten from her contacts.
We spoke a little on what exactly they were supposed to do, and she invited me come with her to brew some this very night! From our previous conversations she knew I was skilled with herbs and such and she wanted to work with me. What I hadn’t known until then was that she too was skilled with various herbs, only where I had followed a path to heal, she had followed a path to harm, kill or neutralize. I am fond of knowledge and I readily agreed to go with her to brew some poison as she was running low.
We travelled through a maze of houses and shops until we came upon one shop that appeared to be closed. I mentioned that I believed the master was gone or asleep but she quickly assured me that she was one of his best and favorite customers and for her he would open up the shop. Truth be told I figure the man knows better than to cross Ellie, for underneath those charming smiles lies a killing instinct that wouldn’t blink twice while calmly sliding a blade across his throat. We didn’t wait long before a young boy answered the door, and a bellow was heard from upstairs.
The Brewing Demons owner Rodrig seems to be a druken sot, but his boy is quick and helpful although fearful of his father. I believe that Willy would make an excellent mage given the chance, but unless he can escape this little shop a herbalist will be his ultimate fate. Throughout the night he aided where he could and followed my instructions as I began to alter the recipe that Ellie had given me. Once it was nearly completed I cast a cause light wounds into the mixture, hoping to have Adoy’s blessing on the new concoction.
Ellie wasn’t thrilled at first with the fact that I had already tampered with the original formula, but what we named Zombie Rage had a much more potent effect that her original brew. We had used some of the gruesome components that Ellie had sold to Rodrig, but she assured Willy that she would repay everything and that he would want to get his hands on the recipe once it was tested. We left in a hurry since the night was growing late, and I still had my prayers to attend to if I wished to be armed with the divine magic Adoy grants me.
Once back at our shared room Ellie was still in a talkative mood, and I found that although we travelled as a group together I hadn’t really bonded with anyone yet. No one knew my story or my motivations, much like I knew little of theirs. I would have enjoyed learning more about her, but we were too preoccupied with how I was to gather the secretive hairs of a paladin for the truth serum that we had the recipe to. As I pen this, I have my ideas…
My friendship with Ellie is unconventional yet fulfilling in ways that I hadn’t expected. She is not what she seems on the surface where it seems all she does is smile. Ellie hides a dark secret from most, and I fear that her past may yet be darker than I imagine. My friend is an assassin. That would be enough to make many shy away, but am I not a mercenary? Have I not taken lives for profit? We are not as different as it would appear on the surface. I like to believe I am pragmatic, and as such I do what I must to acquire more magic and experience so I can honor my god. Ellie does what she does for her own means and motivations, but underneath it all she is not evil. I wonder what the outcome would be if the common man viewed groups like ours as nothing more than killers… for in truth are we not?..
I was perched on the edge of my bed with my spellbook in my hands when Ellie came bounding into the room. She seemed undecided for a moment or two before she dropped a few parchments onto the pages of my book. As she literally bounced from foot to foot it was easy to sense that she wanted to discuss what her pages held. Picking one up I began to read what seemed like a macabre list of ingredients until I began to understand what the pages actually were. Poison. Well actually they were precious recipes that she had painstakingly gotten from her contacts.
We spoke a little on what exactly they were supposed to do, and she invited me come with her to brew some this very night! From our previous conversations she knew I was skilled with herbs and such and she wanted to work with me. What I hadn’t known until then was that she too was skilled with various herbs, only where I had followed a path to heal, she had followed a path to harm, kill or neutralize. I am fond of knowledge and I readily agreed to go with her to brew some poison as she was running low.
We travelled through a maze of houses and shops until we came upon one shop that appeared to be closed. I mentioned that I believed the master was gone or asleep but she quickly assured me that she was one of his best and favorite customers and for her he would open up the shop. Truth be told I figure the man knows better than to cross Ellie, for underneath those charming smiles lies a killing instinct that wouldn’t blink twice while calmly sliding a blade across his throat. We didn’t wait long before a young boy answered the door, and a bellow was heard from upstairs.
The Brewing Demons owner Rodrig seems to be a druken sot, but his boy is quick and helpful although fearful of his father. I believe that Willy would make an excellent mage given the chance, but unless he can escape this little shop a herbalist will be his ultimate fate. Throughout the night he aided where he could and followed my instructions as I began to alter the recipe that Ellie had given me. Once it was nearly completed I cast a cause light wounds into the mixture, hoping to have Adoy’s blessing on the new concoction.
Ellie wasn’t thrilled at first with the fact that I had already tampered with the original formula, but what we named Zombie Rage had a much more potent effect that her original brew. We had used some of the gruesome components that Ellie had sold to Rodrig, but she assured Willy that she would repay everything and that he would want to get his hands on the recipe once it was tested. We left in a hurry since the night was growing late, and I still had my prayers to attend to if I wished to be armed with the divine magic Adoy grants me.
Once back at our shared room Ellie was still in a talkative mood, and I found that although we travelled as a group together I hadn’t really bonded with anyone yet. No one knew my story or my motivations, much like I knew little of theirs. I would have enjoyed learning more about her, but we were too preoccupied with how I was to gather the secretive hairs of a paladin for the truth serum that we had the recipe to. As I pen this, I have my ideas…
Chapter fourteen
“Devious Twins” … odd how the ogres weren’t the most devious of us…
One of my faults may be that I am not trusting enough to those I meet, but perhaps that is not such a bad thing. I trusted a pair of rangers to guard my back and walk this journey with us, but instead they left in the night, taking precious gems and magical treasure with them. No one forced them down this road, nor would I hold it against anyone if they found another path to walk, but there is something to be said about saying a proper farewell to those you have bled with. I’m not a greedy sort, so the loss of a few gems will mean very little over the course of my lifetime, but it is the betrayal that stings harder then I care to admit. I had thought I had found some friends…
I awoke bleary eyed and tired from the night’s activities, only to find the Ellie had already left the room. It may seem odd to share a room with a woman who I barely know, but compared to my other options she’s the best roommate a man like myself could ask for. With Armadeous at my side we went down to the common room in search of our party. Seated at a large table was Ellie with her feet up relaxing and cleaning her nails with a dagger. As I sat down and ordered some breakfast from a pretty serving girl Coreth came down the stairs with a frown on his face.
Before either Ellie or I could give a snide remark on his mood he told us that both of the rangers has sneaked out during the night taking everything that wasn’t bolted down. I was stunned that the two men would leave us just before we started out on not one but two quests, and yet perhaps I shouldn’t have been. They didn’t seem to want to help the ogre twins, so perhaps that had been enough to make them leave.
Overhearing our conversation an elf plopped himself into one of the vacant chairs and began to strum his instrument. He introduced himself as Azrael and he was a humble bard and adventurer. My order doesn’t deal with bards, for they are fanciful and vain and waste their true potential on too many pursuits so that the magic they possess is so much lesser than what they could have otherwise achieved. This bard in particular seems to rub me the wrong way, but his music might be helpful on the long ride ahead.
As we were speaking with Azrael another man, although he is much larger than most and smells horrible stopped by our now crowded table and challenged Coreth to a feat of strength. His pronunciation and odor make him a barbarian from a tribe that doesn’t put much stock in cleanliness much less tact. Coreth politely refused the offer which seemed to confuse the barbarian and it might have come to blows had Arael not pulled a gold coin from the barbarian’s ear and offered to buy a round of drinks with it. This calmed the barbarian whose name is Mathropoxx, and I dare say that is a name that is both long and unusual.
The fates must be conspiring with our little band as we’ve seemed to have gained two members that have skills unlike anything already in our party. While we may miss the bows of the departed rangers, these two new members might bring other skills that we may soon need.
Arriving back at the temple to gather up the twins we found a small wagon and a whole lot of tired and frustrated priests outside waiting for us. The head priest was eager to see us on our way, but not only because the twins had wrecked their church, but because the twins were something special. His god had sent him a message in a dream foretelling something special for these two ogres and that it was their duty to aid us in our quest. At that moment I gave praise to Adoy for granting me the wisdom to see that these ogre babies were pure and innocent.
The aid they would be granting us came in the form of a wagon filled with supplies and horses to draw it. Better still was the thin young acolyte named Kendrick who would be accompanying us as far as the small mining town of Barrnack. He would be helping us making sure that the twins had everything they needed and were safe while we guarded them. Once at Barrnack we would have to go on by ourselves but it was only a matter of going through the mountain and then finding the haven.
The goats that I had bartered for arrived shortly after and I was satisfied that the seven of them would be enough to get us to where we were going without running out of milk. My idea was to give the goats as a gift to the lady at Parshmeena Haven to help with the rearing of the twins. Many balked at the idea, but the elf side of me demanded that I pay attention not just to the present but of the future. A small herd of goats were an invaluable asset to someone who raises young orphans.
Our newly assembled party left the city not long after, hoping to make this journey as quick as possible.
One of my faults may be that I am not trusting enough to those I meet, but perhaps that is not such a bad thing. I trusted a pair of rangers to guard my back and walk this journey with us, but instead they left in the night, taking precious gems and magical treasure with them. No one forced them down this road, nor would I hold it against anyone if they found another path to walk, but there is something to be said about saying a proper farewell to those you have bled with. I’m not a greedy sort, so the loss of a few gems will mean very little over the course of my lifetime, but it is the betrayal that stings harder then I care to admit. I had thought I had found some friends…
I awoke bleary eyed and tired from the night’s activities, only to find the Ellie had already left the room. It may seem odd to share a room with a woman who I barely know, but compared to my other options she’s the best roommate a man like myself could ask for. With Armadeous at my side we went down to the common room in search of our party. Seated at a large table was Ellie with her feet up relaxing and cleaning her nails with a dagger. As I sat down and ordered some breakfast from a pretty serving girl Coreth came down the stairs with a frown on his face.
Before either Ellie or I could give a snide remark on his mood he told us that both of the rangers has sneaked out during the night taking everything that wasn’t bolted down. I was stunned that the two men would leave us just before we started out on not one but two quests, and yet perhaps I shouldn’t have been. They didn’t seem to want to help the ogre twins, so perhaps that had been enough to make them leave.
Overhearing our conversation an elf plopped himself into one of the vacant chairs and began to strum his instrument. He introduced himself as Azrael and he was a humble bard and adventurer. My order doesn’t deal with bards, for they are fanciful and vain and waste their true potential on too many pursuits so that the magic they possess is so much lesser than what they could have otherwise achieved. This bard in particular seems to rub me the wrong way, but his music might be helpful on the long ride ahead.
As we were speaking with Azrael another man, although he is much larger than most and smells horrible stopped by our now crowded table and challenged Coreth to a feat of strength. His pronunciation and odor make him a barbarian from a tribe that doesn’t put much stock in cleanliness much less tact. Coreth politely refused the offer which seemed to confuse the barbarian and it might have come to blows had Arael not pulled a gold coin from the barbarian’s ear and offered to buy a round of drinks with it. This calmed the barbarian whose name is Mathropoxx, and I dare say that is a name that is both long and unusual.
The fates must be conspiring with our little band as we’ve seemed to have gained two members that have skills unlike anything already in our party. While we may miss the bows of the departed rangers, these two new members might bring other skills that we may soon need.
Arriving back at the temple to gather up the twins we found a small wagon and a whole lot of tired and frustrated priests outside waiting for us. The head priest was eager to see us on our way, but not only because the twins had wrecked their church, but because the twins were something special. His god had sent him a message in a dream foretelling something special for these two ogres and that it was their duty to aid us in our quest. At that moment I gave praise to Adoy for granting me the wisdom to see that these ogre babies were pure and innocent.
The aid they would be granting us came in the form of a wagon filled with supplies and horses to draw it. Better still was the thin young acolyte named Kendrick who would be accompanying us as far as the small mining town of Barrnack. He would be helping us making sure that the twins had everything they needed and were safe while we guarded them. Once at Barrnack we would have to go on by ourselves but it was only a matter of going through the mountain and then finding the haven.
The goats that I had bartered for arrived shortly after and I was satisfied that the seven of them would be enough to get us to where we were going without running out of milk. My idea was to give the goats as a gift to the lady at Parshmeena Haven to help with the rearing of the twins. Many balked at the idea, but the elf side of me demanded that I pay attention not just to the present but of the future. A small herd of goats were an invaluable asset to someone who raises young orphans.
Our newly assembled party left the city not long after, hoping to make this journey as quick as possible.
Chapter fifteen
“On the Road Again” … adventurers don’t belong in cities, they belong on the open road so things can kill them…
I find myself struggling to get along with my new companions. They are different that the three that we have lost so far. The barbarian is just that, a brute with witty sense of humor but his distrust of magic keeps us from bonding. The bard is annoying to the point I want to push him out of the wagon with his one liners and songs that dull the senses! He seems to get along great with the barbarian since his culture revere men who tell tales, but I can only see the waste of magical talent that could have been.
By midday I wanted to throw myself under the wagon to be trampled by the two horses and the small herd of goats. The wagon was uncomfortable and the bard wouldn’t stop strumming his foul instrument which made me wish I could cast an eternal silence on him. The only good thing was the fact that between him and Kendrick the twins were content to play in the back of the wagon. It amazes me at how fast the two are growing, and I fear it won’t take many years for them to tower or most humans and elves alike.
We reached the small town of Torfall not soon after and its wooden palisade and charming air depicted a picturesque town filled with happy citizens. In fact our arrival created a small parade as children chased after the goats and our wagon. A single man stood in our way as we reached what could only be the town center. The man was plainly dressed if still a little pricey. His garments depicted a man of importance and yet it was still a shock to be welcomed by the very man we were supposed to eliminate. Gamrow mayor of Torfal greeted us warmly and although he was nosey wished us nothing but safe travels and that we were welcome to pass through and enjoy all that Torfall had to offer on our way back. The man seemed to almost be taunting us with his warm welcome and I believe deep in my soul that the man knew exactly who we were and what we were being paid to do. I have a feeling this task will be much harder to complete that we had originally planned.
Once we had left the town and were far enough away so we could speak with each other without worry of being overhead, Coreth began his protest of the assignment. He had attempted to detect evil in the man and had come up empty, so there was no way he could go through with the task. There was no amount of talking that can move him from this stance, even though the lawful king has ordered us to follow his man’s orders in all things. That made this assignment lawful in my eyes, but the paladin needed more. We remembered that the evidence that should prove the man’s intentions were hiding under his bed, so on the way back that would have to be the first part of the mission. Otherwise the paladin would not help us.
One thing that irked me about our encounter with Gamrow was that Azrael told him to speak with his assistant and pointed toward me. Should the day ever come where I can swat the gnat for that comment I will do so, but until then I will let that barb fester…
That night we came to a small mining village next to a mountain chain but this wasn’t Barnack. This little town filled with men and dwarves was where I wanted to stay, but the party didn’t want to keep the ogre twins near a large group of drunken dwarves. I must admit that their reasoning was sound and we made camp out of sight of the village against the mountain.
To my utter dismay everyone no one in our party was able to build and light a fire, and although the barbarian swore he had done this since he was a young boy not a single ember could be seen. Azrael got up and went into the little village to buy fire and bring it back to us. I must say that he took his sweet time, no doubt carousing with men and women while we began to freeze in the night air. It was dark when he returned brandishing a single lit log, and quickly our fire sprang to life.
Two of the townsfolk had gotten it in mind to see a pair of baby ogres and in their drunk stupor decided that we wouldn’t mind them joining our party. Armadeous and I quickly dealt with the two interlopers and Azrael deftly led them back to town, all the while showering them with praise and making them fast friends. That one can’t live without the sound of his own voice… he didn’t return for some time, and when he did he stunk of alcohol. Our barbarian friend viewed this as a good sign as Azrael brandished some stout for them to drink the night through, which pleased Mathropoxx to no end.
After an uneventful night we made our way up the steep trek through the mountain and finally at the summit found the lake which we knew to be there. A man was waiting for us with a small ferry to get us across, but I dare say that the price was a staggering twenty-two gold! It took two complete trips to get all of us and the goats across the beautiful mountain lake. Such places inspire the mind, but often have things in their depths that would chill the heart of even the bravest of men. So it is without regret that we made our way down the other side of the mountain.
By the time we emerged through the small forest at the bottom of the mountain and stood facing the river we were tired and in no mood to barter. Of course the man who was waiting to sell us rafts to head down the river was in the mood to make gold. To say that we were swindled would be to put it lightly as we paid another twenty-five gold for the usage of five rafts to get us down the river. Not having the skills to build a seaworthy raft much less the tools to build one we had no choice but to accept his outrageous offer.
I’m afraid that the goats won’t make it to their final destination as Azrael killed one when he didn’t want to be burdened with the thought of having to keep it calm on the raft, while we lost another two to the raging waters. Only three remain and I am starting to have my doubts about their ability to actually make it to their final destination alive.
I find myself struggling to get along with my new companions. They are different that the three that we have lost so far. The barbarian is just that, a brute with witty sense of humor but his distrust of magic keeps us from bonding. The bard is annoying to the point I want to push him out of the wagon with his one liners and songs that dull the senses! He seems to get along great with the barbarian since his culture revere men who tell tales, but I can only see the waste of magical talent that could have been.
By midday I wanted to throw myself under the wagon to be trampled by the two horses and the small herd of goats. The wagon was uncomfortable and the bard wouldn’t stop strumming his foul instrument which made me wish I could cast an eternal silence on him. The only good thing was the fact that between him and Kendrick the twins were content to play in the back of the wagon. It amazes me at how fast the two are growing, and I fear it won’t take many years for them to tower or most humans and elves alike.
We reached the small town of Torfall not soon after and its wooden palisade and charming air depicted a picturesque town filled with happy citizens. In fact our arrival created a small parade as children chased after the goats and our wagon. A single man stood in our way as we reached what could only be the town center. The man was plainly dressed if still a little pricey. His garments depicted a man of importance and yet it was still a shock to be welcomed by the very man we were supposed to eliminate. Gamrow mayor of Torfal greeted us warmly and although he was nosey wished us nothing but safe travels and that we were welcome to pass through and enjoy all that Torfall had to offer on our way back. The man seemed to almost be taunting us with his warm welcome and I believe deep in my soul that the man knew exactly who we were and what we were being paid to do. I have a feeling this task will be much harder to complete that we had originally planned.
Once we had left the town and were far enough away so we could speak with each other without worry of being overhead, Coreth began his protest of the assignment. He had attempted to detect evil in the man and had come up empty, so there was no way he could go through with the task. There was no amount of talking that can move him from this stance, even though the lawful king has ordered us to follow his man’s orders in all things. That made this assignment lawful in my eyes, but the paladin needed more. We remembered that the evidence that should prove the man’s intentions were hiding under his bed, so on the way back that would have to be the first part of the mission. Otherwise the paladin would not help us.
One thing that irked me about our encounter with Gamrow was that Azrael told him to speak with his assistant and pointed toward me. Should the day ever come where I can swat the gnat for that comment I will do so, but until then I will let that barb fester…
That night we came to a small mining village next to a mountain chain but this wasn’t Barnack. This little town filled with men and dwarves was where I wanted to stay, but the party didn’t want to keep the ogre twins near a large group of drunken dwarves. I must admit that their reasoning was sound and we made camp out of sight of the village against the mountain.
To my utter dismay everyone no one in our party was able to build and light a fire, and although the barbarian swore he had done this since he was a young boy not a single ember could be seen. Azrael got up and went into the little village to buy fire and bring it back to us. I must say that he took his sweet time, no doubt carousing with men and women while we began to freeze in the night air. It was dark when he returned brandishing a single lit log, and quickly our fire sprang to life.
Two of the townsfolk had gotten it in mind to see a pair of baby ogres and in their drunk stupor decided that we wouldn’t mind them joining our party. Armadeous and I quickly dealt with the two interlopers and Azrael deftly led them back to town, all the while showering them with praise and making them fast friends. That one can’t live without the sound of his own voice… he didn’t return for some time, and when he did he stunk of alcohol. Our barbarian friend viewed this as a good sign as Azrael brandished some stout for them to drink the night through, which pleased Mathropoxx to no end.
After an uneventful night we made our way up the steep trek through the mountain and finally at the summit found the lake which we knew to be there. A man was waiting for us with a small ferry to get us across, but I dare say that the price was a staggering twenty-two gold! It took two complete trips to get all of us and the goats across the beautiful mountain lake. Such places inspire the mind, but often have things in their depths that would chill the heart of even the bravest of men. So it is without regret that we made our way down the other side of the mountain.
By the time we emerged through the small forest at the bottom of the mountain and stood facing the river we were tired and in no mood to barter. Of course the man who was waiting to sell us rafts to head down the river was in the mood to make gold. To say that we were swindled would be to put it lightly as we paid another twenty-five gold for the usage of five rafts to get us down the river. Not having the skills to build a seaworthy raft much less the tools to build one we had no choice but to accept his outrageous offer.
I’m afraid that the goats won’t make it to their final destination as Azrael killed one when he didn’t want to be burdened with the thought of having to keep it calm on the raft, while we lost another two to the raging waters. Only three remain and I am starting to have my doubts about their ability to actually make it to their final destination alive.
Chapter sixteen
“Raiders in the Darkness” … if I die, I would like it to be in the sunlight, for in the darkness no one can see you die…
There are many ways for a man to prove his worth, and battle is one of them. I might not like the bard, but I have to admit that his clever ideas and strength with the bow are an asset to our party. Truth be told he brings more to the table than one of the rangers ever did. Just don’t go telling him I said that.
I wasn’t awake when Azrael dropped his salty bag of nuts on Mathropoxx’s forhead, waking the barbarian who had apparently been made aware of the fact that this was the signal from Azrael if something was wrong. To his credit he went about waking the rest of us with a calm demeanor all the while popping the nuts into his mouth. A horn sounded and broke the silence of the night and we all knew that we would soon have a horde of unwanted visitors.
I thanked Adoy for the spells he had granted me and as my eyes adjusted to register heat sources I scanned the forest away from the light of the small campfire. Coming from one direction was a host of humanoid figures with weapons drawn. Calling upon Adoy I made the plant life come alive commanding it to entangle anything that should cross the patch of enchanted ground. Then I moved behind my companions into a position where I wouldn’t be a hindrance to their fighting styles. Sometimes I wish that I had more battle prowess, but that is the sacrifice all priests of Adoy make in order to call upon his powers. Still at times such as this I really wish I was more suited to physical combat…
The twang of Azreal’s bowstring cut through the silence, followed by the grunt of whatever had been struck. A second twang followed by a second grunt signaled that the enemy was upon us, and Coreth in a move that I didn’t expect tossed a burning log from the fire to the edge of the clearing. Perhaps it was dumb luck, or perhaps is was fate, but as the log sailed through the air it illuminated a pair of orcs who were emerging from the cover of the forest. As Coreth and Mathropoxx charged the orcs who began to step from the forest I called upon Adoy once again to bless us in our time of need. As the magic left my fingers I felt the invigoration of holy energy enter my body, and no doubt my companions also felt the same energy.
As Mathropoxx cleaved one orc in two, Coreth decapitated another, yet still our campsite was beginning to fill with more enemies than we could deal with at one time. Ellie used her blowgun to hit one of the orcs in the throat, and its reaction made me believe that she had used the new poison that we call zombie rage. The orc turned on its companion and in a display of incredible ferocity it took the head from the orc next to it. The orc seemed completely out of control, which is exactly what the zombie rage is meant to do. Only it’s supposed to be used in a room where the next target isn’t one of my companions! The savage way the orc attacked Coreth was concerning, as the orc was completely overcome with the urge to kill, not worrying for its own wellbeing. Coreth took a mighty blow from the orc, but it quickly went down under a barrage from Azreal’s bow.
With Ellie now having the attention of a couple of orcs and with Azreal, Coreth and Mathropoxx all otherwise occupied I called upon my only arcane spell and cast sleep upon another group of orcs that wanted to join the fray. As four of them fell to sleep a couple of orcs passed through our defensive line which left only me and Armadeous to watch their unprotected backs. As arrows continued to rain down from above, our fighters were unaware of the threat that now was behind them. Armadeous attacked one hobbling it as he began to tear the flesh from the orc’s arm, I stepped up and swung my staff for all I was worth. The sickening crack of a skull caving in was oddly satisfying as the orc crumpled to the ground, but I was rewarded for my efforts with a sword slashing me across the chest. Azreal felled the creature allowing me to breathe a little easier.
Looking around I was faced with a decision, either stay and try to help where I could, or enter the forest and ensure the orcs trapped in my entangle spell didn’t make their way towards my companions. I left with some worry as I was wounded, but the fear of my companions being overrun was enough to keep my thoughts aligned to a single purpose. I wish I could write about how brave my action was, but killing trapped orcs was not as satisfying as some would think. It was a necessary risk, and highly successful, but nothing that I can be particularly proud of. It was my companions that finished off the remaining orcs, and when I emerged from the forest they were battered and wounded, and with Kendrick’s help we used divine healing to heal as many wounds as possible.
Another horn sounded, but this time instead of the single note to attack it was a series of quick bursts which we figured meant a call of retreat. The rest of the night passed as we all awaited the coming daylight dreading another horn call.
There are many ways for a man to prove his worth, and battle is one of them. I might not like the bard, but I have to admit that his clever ideas and strength with the bow are an asset to our party. Truth be told he brings more to the table than one of the rangers ever did. Just don’t go telling him I said that.
I wasn’t awake when Azrael dropped his salty bag of nuts on Mathropoxx’s forhead, waking the barbarian who had apparently been made aware of the fact that this was the signal from Azrael if something was wrong. To his credit he went about waking the rest of us with a calm demeanor all the while popping the nuts into his mouth. A horn sounded and broke the silence of the night and we all knew that we would soon have a horde of unwanted visitors.
I thanked Adoy for the spells he had granted me and as my eyes adjusted to register heat sources I scanned the forest away from the light of the small campfire. Coming from one direction was a host of humanoid figures with weapons drawn. Calling upon Adoy I made the plant life come alive commanding it to entangle anything that should cross the patch of enchanted ground. Then I moved behind my companions into a position where I wouldn’t be a hindrance to their fighting styles. Sometimes I wish that I had more battle prowess, but that is the sacrifice all priests of Adoy make in order to call upon his powers. Still at times such as this I really wish I was more suited to physical combat…
The twang of Azreal’s bowstring cut through the silence, followed by the grunt of whatever had been struck. A second twang followed by a second grunt signaled that the enemy was upon us, and Coreth in a move that I didn’t expect tossed a burning log from the fire to the edge of the clearing. Perhaps it was dumb luck, or perhaps is was fate, but as the log sailed through the air it illuminated a pair of orcs who were emerging from the cover of the forest. As Coreth and Mathropoxx charged the orcs who began to step from the forest I called upon Adoy once again to bless us in our time of need. As the magic left my fingers I felt the invigoration of holy energy enter my body, and no doubt my companions also felt the same energy.
As Mathropoxx cleaved one orc in two, Coreth decapitated another, yet still our campsite was beginning to fill with more enemies than we could deal with at one time. Ellie used her blowgun to hit one of the orcs in the throat, and its reaction made me believe that she had used the new poison that we call zombie rage. The orc turned on its companion and in a display of incredible ferocity it took the head from the orc next to it. The orc seemed completely out of control, which is exactly what the zombie rage is meant to do. Only it’s supposed to be used in a room where the next target isn’t one of my companions! The savage way the orc attacked Coreth was concerning, as the orc was completely overcome with the urge to kill, not worrying for its own wellbeing. Coreth took a mighty blow from the orc, but it quickly went down under a barrage from Azreal’s bow.
With Ellie now having the attention of a couple of orcs and with Azreal, Coreth and Mathropoxx all otherwise occupied I called upon my only arcane spell and cast sleep upon another group of orcs that wanted to join the fray. As four of them fell to sleep a couple of orcs passed through our defensive line which left only me and Armadeous to watch their unprotected backs. As arrows continued to rain down from above, our fighters were unaware of the threat that now was behind them. Armadeous attacked one hobbling it as he began to tear the flesh from the orc’s arm, I stepped up and swung my staff for all I was worth. The sickening crack of a skull caving in was oddly satisfying as the orc crumpled to the ground, but I was rewarded for my efforts with a sword slashing me across the chest. Azreal felled the creature allowing me to breathe a little easier.
Looking around I was faced with a decision, either stay and try to help where I could, or enter the forest and ensure the orcs trapped in my entangle spell didn’t make their way towards my companions. I left with some worry as I was wounded, but the fear of my companions being overrun was enough to keep my thoughts aligned to a single purpose. I wish I could write about how brave my action was, but killing trapped orcs was not as satisfying as some would think. It was a necessary risk, and highly successful, but nothing that I can be particularly proud of. It was my companions that finished off the remaining orcs, and when I emerged from the forest they were battered and wounded, and with Kendrick’s help we used divine healing to heal as many wounds as possible.
Another horn sounded, but this time instead of the single note to attack it was a series of quick bursts which we figured meant a call of retreat. The rest of the night passed as we all awaited the coming daylight dreading another horn call.
Chapter seventeen
“Odds and Ends” … sometimes a need outweighs even friendship…
My teachers taught me that sometimes the strangest ingredients were needed to funnel magic properly, we call these items components. Sometimes these components are simple like sage, and sometimes the components are odd and don’t make sense. Yet once you figure out what a tricky component is, all you can do is accept the fact that magic sometimes requires certain sacrifices. There is very little that is given freely, so every mage and priest must at times scavenge what they can, and accept the consequences of his or her actions afterwards.
We broke camp as soon as there was enough light to permit us to safely enter the rushing waters with our rafts. Still a little shocked at the brutality of the late night attack, we were all weary of what lurked in the forest. What we noticed was movement as our pursuers shadowed us as we floated down the river. If I am honest with myself, I realize that throughout the day I was uneasy at the thought of being peppered with a hail of arrows from the following orcs. Adoy be praised that no arrows flew and once we cleared the forest and came to one of the largest lakes I’ve ever seen we left our pursuers behind.
The lake seemed ancient and so very deep, and my companions were as uneasy as I felt as we kept our rafts close to the opposite side of the lake, away from our pursuers. The day seemed to pass slowly as I guided my raft along the bank, as the current was not overly strong this took more energy than I was willing to admit. I realize again that I am not kind of rugged adventurer as some of my other companions. I’ve studied for years to learn the pathways of magic, and that journey hasn’t exactly added the kind of muscle and callouses that would make the physical exertion much easier. If I ever make it back to the temple and I get the chance to teach I will explain to my brothers and sisters that perhaps we should spend a little more time toning not just our minds, but our bodies as well.
The day happened to be uneventful, and when we finally reached the end of the lake and our journey by water and we found ourselves on an open plain. We stashed the rafts in case we would ever need them again, and decided that we wouldn’t light a fire since it would draw far too much attention on an open plain. It was then that I decided that I needed to collect an ingredient for the truth serum that Ellie had the recipe for.
Looking at it objectively I’ve never kept watch, and I would never even consider it if it’s avoidable. This isn’t due to laziness, but I already have to study and pray for long stretches of time at night and without enough sleep I can’t gather enough energy to actually cast spells the next day. I’ve never felt any guilt in not taking watch, if only because my spells aren’t strictly for myself, and all magic has a price, and my price is peace wherever possible at night. I sometimes envy some elves who can enter reverie and never sleep, but what those elves don’t realize is that the gods can speak to us in our dreams, and closing that window to the soul would be sad.
As I my turn drew near I knew that I was not being a good friend to my companions as I cast a sleep spell on them to ensure that my work would be uninterrupted. I know full well the risks of putting my own party to sleep, but I’m fairly confident that Coreth would be a little outraged if I asked him to shave himself so I could attempt to make a potion with Ellie. With the upmost care I collected his hair and put them in a small pouch which I tied to Armadeous’s collar, and made sure it would remain out of sight.
In the morning Coreth was both confused and outraged, and I’m certain he suspects Ellie and myself, but he can’t prove we did anything and although I feel guilt at embarrassing the paladin and surely I’ve damaged whatever relationship we might have had, the magic calls to me and my god demands sacrifices at times from his children and the simple fact is that a potion like this is a great asset to our party and in the case I believe the need outweighs the sacrifice. I must admit that the watching the barbarian take a peek into his pants did make me what to chuckle.
My teachers taught me that sometimes the strangest ingredients were needed to funnel magic properly, we call these items components. Sometimes these components are simple like sage, and sometimes the components are odd and don’t make sense. Yet once you figure out what a tricky component is, all you can do is accept the fact that magic sometimes requires certain sacrifices. There is very little that is given freely, so every mage and priest must at times scavenge what they can, and accept the consequences of his or her actions afterwards.
We broke camp as soon as there was enough light to permit us to safely enter the rushing waters with our rafts. Still a little shocked at the brutality of the late night attack, we were all weary of what lurked in the forest. What we noticed was movement as our pursuers shadowed us as we floated down the river. If I am honest with myself, I realize that throughout the day I was uneasy at the thought of being peppered with a hail of arrows from the following orcs. Adoy be praised that no arrows flew and once we cleared the forest and came to one of the largest lakes I’ve ever seen we left our pursuers behind.
The lake seemed ancient and so very deep, and my companions were as uneasy as I felt as we kept our rafts close to the opposite side of the lake, away from our pursuers. The day seemed to pass slowly as I guided my raft along the bank, as the current was not overly strong this took more energy than I was willing to admit. I realize again that I am not kind of rugged adventurer as some of my other companions. I’ve studied for years to learn the pathways of magic, and that journey hasn’t exactly added the kind of muscle and callouses that would make the physical exertion much easier. If I ever make it back to the temple and I get the chance to teach I will explain to my brothers and sisters that perhaps we should spend a little more time toning not just our minds, but our bodies as well.
The day happened to be uneventful, and when we finally reached the end of the lake and our journey by water and we found ourselves on an open plain. We stashed the rafts in case we would ever need them again, and decided that we wouldn’t light a fire since it would draw far too much attention on an open plain. It was then that I decided that I needed to collect an ingredient for the truth serum that Ellie had the recipe for.
Looking at it objectively I’ve never kept watch, and I would never even consider it if it’s avoidable. This isn’t due to laziness, but I already have to study and pray for long stretches of time at night and without enough sleep I can’t gather enough energy to actually cast spells the next day. I’ve never felt any guilt in not taking watch, if only because my spells aren’t strictly for myself, and all magic has a price, and my price is peace wherever possible at night. I sometimes envy some elves who can enter reverie and never sleep, but what those elves don’t realize is that the gods can speak to us in our dreams, and closing that window to the soul would be sad.
As I my turn drew near I knew that I was not being a good friend to my companions as I cast a sleep spell on them to ensure that my work would be uninterrupted. I know full well the risks of putting my own party to sleep, but I’m fairly confident that Coreth would be a little outraged if I asked him to shave himself so I could attempt to make a potion with Ellie. With the upmost care I collected his hair and put them in a small pouch which I tied to Armadeous’s collar, and made sure it would remain out of sight.
In the morning Coreth was both confused and outraged, and I’m certain he suspects Ellie and myself, but he can’t prove we did anything and although I feel guilt at embarrassing the paladin and surely I’ve damaged whatever relationship we might have had, the magic calls to me and my god demands sacrifices at times from his children and the simple fact is that a potion like this is a great asset to our party and in the case I believe the need outweighs the sacrifice. I must admit that the watching the barbarian take a peek into his pants did make me what to chuckle.
Chapter eighteen
“Of Orcs and men” … why do they pursue us so, should they not be hiding in their holes?..
I can only imagine what it must be like to be an orc. The constant striving to be the strongest in the tribe or clan, and the knowing that at the first sign of weakness someone else will kill you for your status. They are primitive and although their god grants a select few a few spells, I pity them that they will never know magic like humans, elves and dwarves. Still they breed like rats and are a race that would the world would be better off without. What some fail to see is that they are much more cunning than most would believe and they prefer to fight when they have the advantage, it is exactly that advantage that worries me… orcs don’t attack groups such as ours unless they see weakness or they’re being guided by something else.
The morning seemed to pass by in increments of time that anyone would feel long, and as we neared midday I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were still being followed, but on an open plain walking towards the mountains in the distance you would think that we could see our pursuers. When we finally spotted two men in the distance we carefully waited for them to approach making certain we were ready for anything. The two men were wearing leather armor, carrying battle-axes and looked to be nothing more than a couple of soldiers out on patrol. Other than a note to be careful out in the wilds they did mention that there was a rather large orc tribe in this area and that we needed to be watchful. They didn’t seem overly impressed with out battle with the orcs a few nights before having battle numerous creatures themselves in defense of their homes.
The twins have seem to become attached to Mathropoxx and I believe that even though his past holds a terrible hatred of ogres, he has become a little fond of the creatures. Mathropoxx is not a simple barbarian warrior, he has a keen streak to his thought process and I believe that if his people could embrace magic, he would be intellectually able to wield magic more than capably. I could only imagine the thought of a seven foot barbarian mage would have on his enemies, and perhaps it is then for the best... still his ability to overcome his own personal experience is note-worthy and something that one day might lead the barbarian tribes out of the darkness and into the light.
As we walked I also noted that Kendrick seems to really want to get to Barrnack as fast as possible, and I have a feeling that it has more to do than being rid of us. My intuition is that the man isn’t being completely honest with us, and although he’s been useful enough, I’m a little concerned that Coreth hasn’t noticed this behavior and inquired about it. I don’t know of any paladins pledged to Adoy, but if there were I imagine that I would freely pass any knowledge onto them. If you can’t trust the very bastion of your god’s faith, then who can you trust?
The day slowly was winding down when we made our way into the mountain pass, and I can honestly say that I don’t like the feeling of being hemmed in. Still with limited options we had no choice but to setup camp near the base of one of the mountains. The party didn’t seem to want either myself or Ellie to do any sentry duty, and I can honestly say I don’t blame them, but all things being equal I had no intention of preforming sentry duty unless really pressed, nor did I intend to harvest any more component from my companions at this time.
A quick kick to my leg was enough to rouse me, and as I acclimated my eyes to the spectrum of heat signatures I could make out my companions quickly getting ready for battle. I gathered up my staff and peered off into the direction of the plane we had crossed and my eyes began to pick up heat signatures of an oncoming horde of humanoids. It seemed as though our pursuers had caught up to us again…
Without hesitation I thanks Adoy as I called upon his magic to bless my companions in the upcoming battle and guide them safely to the other side should they fall. As our frontline of Mathropoxx and Coreth readily engaged the orcs that began to press in I called upon my arcane magic and cast my sleep spell on the next wave of attackers. I’m always a little shocked that the reaction is so quick, but as a half dozen of the creatures fell to the floor I was satisfied that I had helped as best I could with the press against our warriors.
Unfortunately they began to take wounds that normal men would have surely died from, but they stood firm against the tide of orcs as Azreal who was now perched on a boulder on the side of the mountain pelted them with stinging arrows from his quiver. The pile of orc bodies began to grow but so too did the wounds on my companions, and to my utter dismay I was too engaged in my own battle with a couple of the foul creatures that I couldn’t get to them. Kendrick found his courage again and although he wouldn’t swing the mace at his side, he did manage to heal some of the many wounds on both of Mathropoxx and Corith.
Out of the corner of my eye I could see Ellie was tumbling and dodging around two attackers and I took a nasty wound to my thigh when I gasped as she was impaled and went down. Armadeous must have understood my worry as he brought down one of my attackers in a vicious assault and I finally connected with my staff, and the rewarding crunch of bone was all I had time for as I ran to aid my fallen comrade.
Azreal was having issues of his own as one of the orcs was climbing up to him, and he must have slipped on some loose stone as he dropped one of his fighting grappling hooks. He recovered in time as the orc was both trapped and impaled on one of his hooks, dangling like a piece of meat in a butcher’s shop. I don’t understand his fighting technique with the hooks, but he seems rather proficient at it and I must say that as a bard it must add considerable amount of style and flair when he’s with other bards who wield more common weaponry. I’ve made a note that one day perhaps I will enchant him a set if I achieve enough power to do so.
I managed to get around the two that were trying to kill my with some help from Azreal’s bow, and as I was praying in midstride I just barely reached Ellie’s prone form before she would have been beyond my healing powers. I pride myself on my magic, but I know full well that I am not a great beacon of healing, nor will I ever be. As I poured all of my healing spells into her, I knew then and there that our party needed more healing than I would ever be able to provide.
Meanwhile on the front line Coreth must have begun to feel the righteous power of his god because he suddenly became a weapon of undeniable power as he cleaved through orc after orc in a devastating fashion that left a trail of orc parts strewn about the ground. Mathropoxx played true to his strengths and almost sliced a couple of the unfortunately creatures almost in half. One of the remaining orcs was a monstrous beast of obvious strength and skill, and when it collided with Mathropoxx his axe went spiraling into the night leaving the barbarian defenseless to its onslaught. Azreal dropped down from his perch and went running after the axe, as I cast the only spell I had left at the creature, and I thanked Adoy as its eyes were lit up with my light spell, effectively blinding the fearsome creature.
In a moment of perfect synergy, which a bard would call poetry in motion, Azreal tossed the battle-axe through the air and as a leaping Mathropoxx caught it in his huge hands he came down with all the force he could muster and cleaved a huge gash in the creature’s chest. Coreth plunged his greatsword into its stomach and it screamed in agony. I was lucky perhaps to be the last one to hit the creature while it was standing and it dropped to the ground with a satisfying crunching sound to its thick skull.
Mathropoxx found an ivory horn and took the creature’s battle axe, and I promised to inspect them closer at a later date to see if they were magical in nature. Meanwhile a tired and obviously pained Ellie began to harvest bits and pieces from the orcs. Azreal cut the tattoo from the large one’s arm to show the design to whatever garrison was in Barrnack, once we got there. I didn’t partake in any of the gathering as I was drained both mentally and physically after having used so much magic, and to my utter dismay my magical armor spell had been exhausted, leaving me defenseless. The rest of the night passed without further incident, and I thanked Adoy for that blessing.
I can only imagine what it must be like to be an orc. The constant striving to be the strongest in the tribe or clan, and the knowing that at the first sign of weakness someone else will kill you for your status. They are primitive and although their god grants a select few a few spells, I pity them that they will never know magic like humans, elves and dwarves. Still they breed like rats and are a race that would the world would be better off without. What some fail to see is that they are much more cunning than most would believe and they prefer to fight when they have the advantage, it is exactly that advantage that worries me… orcs don’t attack groups such as ours unless they see weakness or they’re being guided by something else.
The morning seemed to pass by in increments of time that anyone would feel long, and as we neared midday I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were still being followed, but on an open plain walking towards the mountains in the distance you would think that we could see our pursuers. When we finally spotted two men in the distance we carefully waited for them to approach making certain we were ready for anything. The two men were wearing leather armor, carrying battle-axes and looked to be nothing more than a couple of soldiers out on patrol. Other than a note to be careful out in the wilds they did mention that there was a rather large orc tribe in this area and that we needed to be watchful. They didn’t seem overly impressed with out battle with the orcs a few nights before having battle numerous creatures themselves in defense of their homes.
The twins have seem to become attached to Mathropoxx and I believe that even though his past holds a terrible hatred of ogres, he has become a little fond of the creatures. Mathropoxx is not a simple barbarian warrior, he has a keen streak to his thought process and I believe that if his people could embrace magic, he would be intellectually able to wield magic more than capably. I could only imagine the thought of a seven foot barbarian mage would have on his enemies, and perhaps it is then for the best... still his ability to overcome his own personal experience is note-worthy and something that one day might lead the barbarian tribes out of the darkness and into the light.
As we walked I also noted that Kendrick seems to really want to get to Barrnack as fast as possible, and I have a feeling that it has more to do than being rid of us. My intuition is that the man isn’t being completely honest with us, and although he’s been useful enough, I’m a little concerned that Coreth hasn’t noticed this behavior and inquired about it. I don’t know of any paladins pledged to Adoy, but if there were I imagine that I would freely pass any knowledge onto them. If you can’t trust the very bastion of your god’s faith, then who can you trust?
The day slowly was winding down when we made our way into the mountain pass, and I can honestly say that I don’t like the feeling of being hemmed in. Still with limited options we had no choice but to setup camp near the base of one of the mountains. The party didn’t seem to want either myself or Ellie to do any sentry duty, and I can honestly say I don’t blame them, but all things being equal I had no intention of preforming sentry duty unless really pressed, nor did I intend to harvest any more component from my companions at this time.
A quick kick to my leg was enough to rouse me, and as I acclimated my eyes to the spectrum of heat signatures I could make out my companions quickly getting ready for battle. I gathered up my staff and peered off into the direction of the plane we had crossed and my eyes began to pick up heat signatures of an oncoming horde of humanoids. It seemed as though our pursuers had caught up to us again…
Without hesitation I thanks Adoy as I called upon his magic to bless my companions in the upcoming battle and guide them safely to the other side should they fall. As our frontline of Mathropoxx and Coreth readily engaged the orcs that began to press in I called upon my arcane magic and cast my sleep spell on the next wave of attackers. I’m always a little shocked that the reaction is so quick, but as a half dozen of the creatures fell to the floor I was satisfied that I had helped as best I could with the press against our warriors.
Unfortunately they began to take wounds that normal men would have surely died from, but they stood firm against the tide of orcs as Azreal who was now perched on a boulder on the side of the mountain pelted them with stinging arrows from his quiver. The pile of orc bodies began to grow but so too did the wounds on my companions, and to my utter dismay I was too engaged in my own battle with a couple of the foul creatures that I couldn’t get to them. Kendrick found his courage again and although he wouldn’t swing the mace at his side, he did manage to heal some of the many wounds on both of Mathropoxx and Corith.
Out of the corner of my eye I could see Ellie was tumbling and dodging around two attackers and I took a nasty wound to my thigh when I gasped as she was impaled and went down. Armadeous must have understood my worry as he brought down one of my attackers in a vicious assault and I finally connected with my staff, and the rewarding crunch of bone was all I had time for as I ran to aid my fallen comrade.
Azreal was having issues of his own as one of the orcs was climbing up to him, and he must have slipped on some loose stone as he dropped one of his fighting grappling hooks. He recovered in time as the orc was both trapped and impaled on one of his hooks, dangling like a piece of meat in a butcher’s shop. I don’t understand his fighting technique with the hooks, but he seems rather proficient at it and I must say that as a bard it must add considerable amount of style and flair when he’s with other bards who wield more common weaponry. I’ve made a note that one day perhaps I will enchant him a set if I achieve enough power to do so.
I managed to get around the two that were trying to kill my with some help from Azreal’s bow, and as I was praying in midstride I just barely reached Ellie’s prone form before she would have been beyond my healing powers. I pride myself on my magic, but I know full well that I am not a great beacon of healing, nor will I ever be. As I poured all of my healing spells into her, I knew then and there that our party needed more healing than I would ever be able to provide.
Meanwhile on the front line Coreth must have begun to feel the righteous power of his god because he suddenly became a weapon of undeniable power as he cleaved through orc after orc in a devastating fashion that left a trail of orc parts strewn about the ground. Mathropoxx played true to his strengths and almost sliced a couple of the unfortunately creatures almost in half. One of the remaining orcs was a monstrous beast of obvious strength and skill, and when it collided with Mathropoxx his axe went spiraling into the night leaving the barbarian defenseless to its onslaught. Azreal dropped down from his perch and went running after the axe, as I cast the only spell I had left at the creature, and I thanked Adoy as its eyes were lit up with my light spell, effectively blinding the fearsome creature.
In a moment of perfect synergy, which a bard would call poetry in motion, Azreal tossed the battle-axe through the air and as a leaping Mathropoxx caught it in his huge hands he came down with all the force he could muster and cleaved a huge gash in the creature’s chest. Coreth plunged his greatsword into its stomach and it screamed in agony. I was lucky perhaps to be the last one to hit the creature while it was standing and it dropped to the ground with a satisfying crunching sound to its thick skull.
Mathropoxx found an ivory horn and took the creature’s battle axe, and I promised to inspect them closer at a later date to see if they were magical in nature. Meanwhile a tired and obviously pained Ellie began to harvest bits and pieces from the orcs. Azreal cut the tattoo from the large one’s arm to show the design to whatever garrison was in Barrnack, once we got there. I didn’t partake in any of the gathering as I was drained both mentally and physically after having used so much magic, and to my utter dismay my magical armor spell had been exhausted, leaving me defenseless. The rest of the night passed without further incident, and I thanked Adoy for that blessing.
Chapter nineteen
“Town of Troubles” … this little hamlet nestled in the mountains is nothing more than a haven for trouble…
There are places in the world I wish to see with my own eyes, and then there are places like the town of Barrnack. This picturesque little town nestled against the foreboding mountain is a den of vipers and problems that make me wish we had never stopped in. The townsfolk are a hardy bunch but none too bright which can be expected of a small mining community. The only ones who proper in these regions is those that are in power.
We arrived in Barrnack by midday and although I was tired of the wilds this little town did nothing to make me feel better. Kendrick was quick to take his leave to see the Fremier family and he still hadn’t told us anything of his true purpose here. As much as I wanted to ask, I was more concerned with finding a hot bath and a place to relax for a few moments to study my spells in peace and quiet. My companions had other ideas as they went straight to the garrison to speak with the captain of the guard.
It is at times like these that I remember that Azreal is a bard and nothing makes them happier then spreading their own network of influence throughout the realms. They might seem like nothing more than storytellers and keepers of lore, but underneath it all they all want to be with those that pull the string of the world. I imagine they all believe themselves to be the voice of reason for the puppet masters of the world. To each his own, but I despise politics and most trappings of power that aren’t magical in nature. What good is being king if I could just conjure a pack of wolves in your bedroom to shred you to pieces or dominate your mind into being a slave? I wouldn’t do such things but they aren’t beyond the realm of possibility to any archmage if they so wanted to.
After a long drawn out conversation with the captain he offered us free lodgings in the barracks with the soldiers and all the ale we could drink so long as we stayed with them. A kind offer from a simple man, and other than Ellie and myself they all took the good Captain up on his offer. He seemed to become fast friends with the three of them as Ellie and myself went down the road to the only inn in the backwater town.
Once at the inn called the Amber Fox we ordered a room, some hot baths and food. Although I was less than enthusiastic about eating parsnip stew, it was better by far than simple trail rations. I would later on learn that the barrack seemed to be one of the only places to get meat in this town. Another showing of what those in power had and those not in power didn’t…
I took the time to cast a detect magic on some of the items in our travels and to my dismay both of the axe and the horn were not magical in nature. I was pleasantly surprised that I had found something else magical in nature, but until I devise a way to figure it out I will just keep it cached.
That night there was a kind of celebration or festival of sorts as a large gathering seemed to surround Kendrick and a couple of parents with a newborn baby. Asking someone in the crowd we came up with a response that this was the Fremeer family and their baby would be getting its power unlocked in a special ceremony that required Kendrick. I watched transfixed as Kendrick prayed and then lifted his hand to the sky and it began to glow and as he touched the baby it was enveloped in the glow, and then nothing happened.
Further discussion with the townsfolk told a tale of two families somehow entwined throughout the ages, where only a priest of Kendrick’s line could unlock the power in their infants. There was talk about them being descendants of Trome, but I am at a loss as to who or what that is at this point. The infant’s father is some kind of seer, but his power is not that of a true seer, only one that occasionally is gifted with future-sight. Why he’s in this little town is a little sketchy, and other than him fleeing something and wanting a quiet existence there is very little more to report. This would make an interesting study, and the child’s gift might not be known for many years, but a god-touched child is something that every scholar worth his salt would love to interact with.
The night wouldn’t pass without incident as I was rudely awoken by Ellie as the ground was violently shaking. She seemed to be agitated over it, and I was stunned to realize I had slept through a tremor as violent as this. In the back of my mind I knew something was off, but there was nothing to explain why I didn’t wake other than perhaps I was so deep in sleep because of all draining magics I had been casting lately.
As we entered the common room of the Amber Fox the innkeeper accused me of being behind the violent tremors, and I daresay I was curt with her. Even if I could cause earthquakes of such magnitude, I highly doubt that I would ever waste such potent magic on a simple demonstration of power. Nor do I think that Adoy would appreciate me using such precious magic to scare the common man into fearing magic. I was struck with another thought that maybe we did cause this, only indirectly. We had brought Kendrick with us, and perhaps he had unlocked a sleeping giant inside the baby, something that it couldn’t possibly control, but would manifest itself in a power that was devastating. I expressed my concerns to Ellie and we ran towards where the Fremier family’s residence.
The guard outside was the typical sort and for some reason he also blamed me for the tremors, and I promptly put him in his place and told him in no uncertain term that I would see the father now or I would enter of my own volition. He seemed angered but my chastising had the effect I wanted and I silently thanked all of my teachers. Everything was going splendidly until Ellie happened to be spotted trying to sneak past him. After a tense standoff I ordered him into the residence to fetch the master or I would do it myself. It took almost ten minutes but I got what I wanted.
The moment the father appeared I knew my instincts concerning the child were correct. His eyes were weary and he appeared almost too defensive, but as soon as I stated my case he acknowledged that I was right, but couldn’t see the child until the morning when the Kendrick would be present. He wouldn’t grant me more, but it was something to work off and I intended to follow through and see this child first hand to perhaps learn something of its new powers.
My companions had been busy as well, as the Captain has allowed them to command some of his men after hearing the bard regale him and his men with tales of our deeds. They proved to be more than capable of managing a few squads of men and by the time we caught up with Mathropoxx and Azreal they were listening to reports of damages and ensuring that the town wasn’t under attack. There did happen to receive a report about the mine entry crashing down with men still inside. I must admit that is not a fate I would welcome, being stuck inside a mountain without a clear way out…
As we went to inspect the mine opening we Coreth caught up with us, and he looked to have had a fight with a wall and lost. He was a little vague about what had happened to him, but the end result had been a wall collapsing on top of him. Only his incredible strength and fortitude had saved him, yet I believe a little bit more than that was involved, for he might be more blessed than he cares to admit.
To the dismay of the workers outside the mine, the entrance was closed tight, with fallen rocks and debris and it would take days maybe even weeks to open up the passage again. The workers inside would be doomed to starvation or worse if they were left inside. Without any other options we quickly headed for the charter house of the mine to see if there was something that could be done to help the men trapped inside.
The building was in complete chaos as crying men, women and children were demanding the foreman to help them or answer their pressing questions. The man seemed to be pressed passed his breaking point and he kept saying there was nothing they could do at the moment but wait and this seemed to only ignite the gathered crowd to a higher level of panic. We got his attention but the man wasn’t all that helpful but at least we got a rough estimate of seven to twelve people had been working at the time and that there was another entrance inside, but it was hours away and not used because it had been overrun by orcs.
While we were concentrated on the mining foreman a man attacked Coreth from behind, only to have his blade deflected by the paladin’s plate armor. My companions each made a grab for him, but he proved too elusive, and as he prepared to jab at the paladin a second time my trusty staff cracked him across the brow with such force that it slit the skull wide open. I’ve honestly never hit someone so hard and have never expected that kind of result, but the man was dead before he hit the floor. My companions were angry that they didn’t get to interrogate the man, but in the heat of the moment I was more preoccupied with helping my companion than trying to think of the attacker’s motives.
A quick search of his body found a note that explained everything we needed to know about the situation. Simply put it was a bounty on Coreth for five hundred gold pieces! When Ellie found a snake tattoo with a dagger in its mouth she seemed visible upset. The room quickly cleared of everyone except the foreman who promised to promptly return with a guide to get us to the other passage if we still wanted to help the trapped miners. He left with an ashen face and a jump in his step that he probably hadn’t seen in over ten years!
Coreth had some explaining to do, and he told us a tale of being a young prince who was exiled from his homeland and framed for his father’s murder. The assassination must have come from his brother who had been the one to actually murder their father, nothing else made sense. Ellie mentioned that the attempt was just the first of many used to flush him from hiding so the real professionals could finish their task. Then something snapped in her as she began to mutialate the corpse of the would be assassin, and she wasn’t harvesting body parts, she was venting a deep seeded anger on the corpse, lashing out in a rage I wouldn’t have imagined possible of my friend. There is much more to this story than a simple rival assassin guild. She wasn’t sated until the man was strewn across much of the building and she was covered in his blood from head to toe…
There are places in the world I wish to see with my own eyes, and then there are places like the town of Barrnack. This picturesque little town nestled against the foreboding mountain is a den of vipers and problems that make me wish we had never stopped in. The townsfolk are a hardy bunch but none too bright which can be expected of a small mining community. The only ones who proper in these regions is those that are in power.
We arrived in Barrnack by midday and although I was tired of the wilds this little town did nothing to make me feel better. Kendrick was quick to take his leave to see the Fremier family and he still hadn’t told us anything of his true purpose here. As much as I wanted to ask, I was more concerned with finding a hot bath and a place to relax for a few moments to study my spells in peace and quiet. My companions had other ideas as they went straight to the garrison to speak with the captain of the guard.
It is at times like these that I remember that Azreal is a bard and nothing makes them happier then spreading their own network of influence throughout the realms. They might seem like nothing more than storytellers and keepers of lore, but underneath it all they all want to be with those that pull the string of the world. I imagine they all believe themselves to be the voice of reason for the puppet masters of the world. To each his own, but I despise politics and most trappings of power that aren’t magical in nature. What good is being king if I could just conjure a pack of wolves in your bedroom to shred you to pieces or dominate your mind into being a slave? I wouldn’t do such things but they aren’t beyond the realm of possibility to any archmage if they so wanted to.
After a long drawn out conversation with the captain he offered us free lodgings in the barracks with the soldiers and all the ale we could drink so long as we stayed with them. A kind offer from a simple man, and other than Ellie and myself they all took the good Captain up on his offer. He seemed to become fast friends with the three of them as Ellie and myself went down the road to the only inn in the backwater town.
Once at the inn called the Amber Fox we ordered a room, some hot baths and food. Although I was less than enthusiastic about eating parsnip stew, it was better by far than simple trail rations. I would later on learn that the barrack seemed to be one of the only places to get meat in this town. Another showing of what those in power had and those not in power didn’t…
I took the time to cast a detect magic on some of the items in our travels and to my dismay both of the axe and the horn were not magical in nature. I was pleasantly surprised that I had found something else magical in nature, but until I devise a way to figure it out I will just keep it cached.
That night there was a kind of celebration or festival of sorts as a large gathering seemed to surround Kendrick and a couple of parents with a newborn baby. Asking someone in the crowd we came up with a response that this was the Fremeer family and their baby would be getting its power unlocked in a special ceremony that required Kendrick. I watched transfixed as Kendrick prayed and then lifted his hand to the sky and it began to glow and as he touched the baby it was enveloped in the glow, and then nothing happened.
Further discussion with the townsfolk told a tale of two families somehow entwined throughout the ages, where only a priest of Kendrick’s line could unlock the power in their infants. There was talk about them being descendants of Trome, but I am at a loss as to who or what that is at this point. The infant’s father is some kind of seer, but his power is not that of a true seer, only one that occasionally is gifted with future-sight. Why he’s in this little town is a little sketchy, and other than him fleeing something and wanting a quiet existence there is very little more to report. This would make an interesting study, and the child’s gift might not be known for many years, but a god-touched child is something that every scholar worth his salt would love to interact with.
The night wouldn’t pass without incident as I was rudely awoken by Ellie as the ground was violently shaking. She seemed to be agitated over it, and I was stunned to realize I had slept through a tremor as violent as this. In the back of my mind I knew something was off, but there was nothing to explain why I didn’t wake other than perhaps I was so deep in sleep because of all draining magics I had been casting lately.
As we entered the common room of the Amber Fox the innkeeper accused me of being behind the violent tremors, and I daresay I was curt with her. Even if I could cause earthquakes of such magnitude, I highly doubt that I would ever waste such potent magic on a simple demonstration of power. Nor do I think that Adoy would appreciate me using such precious magic to scare the common man into fearing magic. I was struck with another thought that maybe we did cause this, only indirectly. We had brought Kendrick with us, and perhaps he had unlocked a sleeping giant inside the baby, something that it couldn’t possibly control, but would manifest itself in a power that was devastating. I expressed my concerns to Ellie and we ran towards where the Fremier family’s residence.
The guard outside was the typical sort and for some reason he also blamed me for the tremors, and I promptly put him in his place and told him in no uncertain term that I would see the father now or I would enter of my own volition. He seemed angered but my chastising had the effect I wanted and I silently thanked all of my teachers. Everything was going splendidly until Ellie happened to be spotted trying to sneak past him. After a tense standoff I ordered him into the residence to fetch the master or I would do it myself. It took almost ten minutes but I got what I wanted.
The moment the father appeared I knew my instincts concerning the child were correct. His eyes were weary and he appeared almost too defensive, but as soon as I stated my case he acknowledged that I was right, but couldn’t see the child until the morning when the Kendrick would be present. He wouldn’t grant me more, but it was something to work off and I intended to follow through and see this child first hand to perhaps learn something of its new powers.
My companions had been busy as well, as the Captain has allowed them to command some of his men after hearing the bard regale him and his men with tales of our deeds. They proved to be more than capable of managing a few squads of men and by the time we caught up with Mathropoxx and Azreal they were listening to reports of damages and ensuring that the town wasn’t under attack. There did happen to receive a report about the mine entry crashing down with men still inside. I must admit that is not a fate I would welcome, being stuck inside a mountain without a clear way out…
As we went to inspect the mine opening we Coreth caught up with us, and he looked to have had a fight with a wall and lost. He was a little vague about what had happened to him, but the end result had been a wall collapsing on top of him. Only his incredible strength and fortitude had saved him, yet I believe a little bit more than that was involved, for he might be more blessed than he cares to admit.
To the dismay of the workers outside the mine, the entrance was closed tight, with fallen rocks and debris and it would take days maybe even weeks to open up the passage again. The workers inside would be doomed to starvation or worse if they were left inside. Without any other options we quickly headed for the charter house of the mine to see if there was something that could be done to help the men trapped inside.
The building was in complete chaos as crying men, women and children were demanding the foreman to help them or answer their pressing questions. The man seemed to be pressed passed his breaking point and he kept saying there was nothing they could do at the moment but wait and this seemed to only ignite the gathered crowd to a higher level of panic. We got his attention but the man wasn’t all that helpful but at least we got a rough estimate of seven to twelve people had been working at the time and that there was another entrance inside, but it was hours away and not used because it had been overrun by orcs.
While we were concentrated on the mining foreman a man attacked Coreth from behind, only to have his blade deflected by the paladin’s plate armor. My companions each made a grab for him, but he proved too elusive, and as he prepared to jab at the paladin a second time my trusty staff cracked him across the brow with such force that it slit the skull wide open. I’ve honestly never hit someone so hard and have never expected that kind of result, but the man was dead before he hit the floor. My companions were angry that they didn’t get to interrogate the man, but in the heat of the moment I was more preoccupied with helping my companion than trying to think of the attacker’s motives.
A quick search of his body found a note that explained everything we needed to know about the situation. Simply put it was a bounty on Coreth for five hundred gold pieces! When Ellie found a snake tattoo with a dagger in its mouth she seemed visible upset. The room quickly cleared of everyone except the foreman who promised to promptly return with a guide to get us to the other passage if we still wanted to help the trapped miners. He left with an ashen face and a jump in his step that he probably hadn’t seen in over ten years!
Coreth had some explaining to do, and he told us a tale of being a young prince who was exiled from his homeland and framed for his father’s murder. The assassination must have come from his brother who had been the one to actually murder their father, nothing else made sense. Ellie mentioned that the attempt was just the first of many used to flush him from hiding so the real professionals could finish their task. Then something snapped in her as she began to mutialate the corpse of the would be assassin, and she wasn’t harvesting body parts, she was venting a deep seeded anger on the corpse, lashing out in a rage I wouldn’t have imagined possible of my friend. There is much more to this story than a simple rival assassin guild. She wasn’t sated until the man was strewn across much of the building and she was covered in his blood from head to toe…
Chapter twenty
“Where the Stones May Fall” … sometimes there is nothing to be done but follow where fate takes you…
It is easy to lose your way in the darkness, but sometimes there is something at stake that is greater than our own personal well-being. Sometimes it’s about more than ourselves it’s about being a light in the darkness for someone other than ourselves. It is when the night is at its darkest hour that people need something to look to, and I’m humbled by being one of those lights in the darkness for a few lost souls.
The guide we were given was an old timer named Mibel, who to say the least was well past his prime and in no shape to make it to the entrance of the other mine shaft without either wasting a day or carrying him the entire way. One bright thing about having a seven foot tall barbarian amongst my companions is that he was more than capable of carrying the man on his back the entire way. The way was around the side of the mountain and deep into territory that hadn’t been touched by the miners in over ten years.
Outside the cave Mibel explained that it should be a straight path until the way would be blocked by a wooden wall. At which point the miners would be somewhere down the tunnel towards the town, which happened to be on the right. With that the old man began to slowly make his way back to town assuring us that he could manage well enough on his own. He did mention that the tunnel at one point was swarming with orcs, but a miner’s view of swarming is one or two of the filthy beasts. Outside the tunnel entrance, which was hidden from view by overgrowth Mathropoxx noted the presence of tracks that looked to be humanoid and somewhat fresh. That kept us on our guard as we slowly entered into the darkness of the mountain.
We made our way slowly through the darkness, and there was nothing but our own footsteps and heavy breathing. The feeble light source of the lanterns seemed to cast a deep gloom amongst my companions as the walls of the slowly began to shrink in on us. I don’t suffer from claustrophobia but I will readily admit that I am not at ease when the walls seem to be closing in on me. I have a close bond with the natural world and the forests, and the cold stone of a mountain leaves me feeling separated from the natural world.
Eventually we came to a blockage of stone, and after inspecting it closely mathropoxx began to move the loose stones, and he explained his feeling that this was being used more as a deterrent or doorway than a natural formation of stone or cave-in. Someone was using this passageway in his estimation from the stones and the odd track along our path. Still we continued forward once he was able to move enough of the rocks so we could squeeze through the opening. It wasn’t long before we came to a fork in the road, which was unexpected since the shaft was supposed to have been a direct route to the newer mine shaft.
The side tunnel made us want to investigate what was down that way, but we remained on our path and continued until we found the corpse. The orc had long been dead and his decomposed state made it hard to see what had killed it, but the gaping wounds in its chest made me believe it was nothing short of treachery by one of its kin. Not far from the corpse was the wooden wall and we quickly found the board which had been used as a door to enter the newer mine shaft. What we found on the other side was a sad tale of simple men being crushing by thousands of pounds of the stone they had worked their entire lives. From what we could gather at least four of them were dead, and there was nothing we could do help them.
After a few minutes we heard the clinking of metal hitting stone. Hoping to find survivors we slowly headed in that direction, and the Ellie disappeared from our view. Her skills as an assassin are improving daily as she seems to be able to become one with the shadows much easier now. She would have caught the miner unaware had she not knocked over a stone statue that was on a pedestal in the mines. It’s one of those that the miner leave offerings to for good luck while in the tunnels. The startled miners brandished their picks as weapons and were on the defensive until we all came slowly up to them and explained that we were there to help them get out.
The men were overjoyed at the thought of leaving the cold tunnels, but they had some friends who were injured. I quickly went to see the injured men, and two looked to be in good enough shape to travel although they were wounded, while another looked to be on death’s door. He had a bone sticking out of his flesh at a terrible angle and it would have been useless to attempt to heal the man without setting the bone back into place. Coreth held the man down and I can feel that he too felt drained by the man’s screams which will haunt us both for the rest of our days. I can honestly say that although I tried to save the man, I caused him terrible agony when I reset his bone, and although I poured healing energy into his body he quickly fell into a coma but at least he was breathing easier. It was at that time I wished I was a more proficient healer, but if wishes were leaves we would all be trees…
We slowly made our way out of the gloomy tunnels and out into the early light of the morning. It easily took four or five hours to finally get back to Barrnack, and to my dismay the man I had attempted to heal had passed away. I was frustrated with my own shortcomings and I couldn’t really take solace in the fact that at least his family could bury him properly.
It is easy to lose your way in the darkness, but sometimes there is something at stake that is greater than our own personal well-being. Sometimes it’s about more than ourselves it’s about being a light in the darkness for someone other than ourselves. It is when the night is at its darkest hour that people need something to look to, and I’m humbled by being one of those lights in the darkness for a few lost souls.
The guide we were given was an old timer named Mibel, who to say the least was well past his prime and in no shape to make it to the entrance of the other mine shaft without either wasting a day or carrying him the entire way. One bright thing about having a seven foot tall barbarian amongst my companions is that he was more than capable of carrying the man on his back the entire way. The way was around the side of the mountain and deep into territory that hadn’t been touched by the miners in over ten years.
Outside the cave Mibel explained that it should be a straight path until the way would be blocked by a wooden wall. At which point the miners would be somewhere down the tunnel towards the town, which happened to be on the right. With that the old man began to slowly make his way back to town assuring us that he could manage well enough on his own. He did mention that the tunnel at one point was swarming with orcs, but a miner’s view of swarming is one or two of the filthy beasts. Outside the tunnel entrance, which was hidden from view by overgrowth Mathropoxx noted the presence of tracks that looked to be humanoid and somewhat fresh. That kept us on our guard as we slowly entered into the darkness of the mountain.
We made our way slowly through the darkness, and there was nothing but our own footsteps and heavy breathing. The feeble light source of the lanterns seemed to cast a deep gloom amongst my companions as the walls of the slowly began to shrink in on us. I don’t suffer from claustrophobia but I will readily admit that I am not at ease when the walls seem to be closing in on me. I have a close bond with the natural world and the forests, and the cold stone of a mountain leaves me feeling separated from the natural world.
Eventually we came to a blockage of stone, and after inspecting it closely mathropoxx began to move the loose stones, and he explained his feeling that this was being used more as a deterrent or doorway than a natural formation of stone or cave-in. Someone was using this passageway in his estimation from the stones and the odd track along our path. Still we continued forward once he was able to move enough of the rocks so we could squeeze through the opening. It wasn’t long before we came to a fork in the road, which was unexpected since the shaft was supposed to have been a direct route to the newer mine shaft.
The side tunnel made us want to investigate what was down that way, but we remained on our path and continued until we found the corpse. The orc had long been dead and his decomposed state made it hard to see what had killed it, but the gaping wounds in its chest made me believe it was nothing short of treachery by one of its kin. Not far from the corpse was the wooden wall and we quickly found the board which had been used as a door to enter the newer mine shaft. What we found on the other side was a sad tale of simple men being crushing by thousands of pounds of the stone they had worked their entire lives. From what we could gather at least four of them were dead, and there was nothing we could do help them.
After a few minutes we heard the clinking of metal hitting stone. Hoping to find survivors we slowly headed in that direction, and the Ellie disappeared from our view. Her skills as an assassin are improving daily as she seems to be able to become one with the shadows much easier now. She would have caught the miner unaware had she not knocked over a stone statue that was on a pedestal in the mines. It’s one of those that the miner leave offerings to for good luck while in the tunnels. The startled miners brandished their picks as weapons and were on the defensive until we all came slowly up to them and explained that we were there to help them get out.
The men were overjoyed at the thought of leaving the cold tunnels, but they had some friends who were injured. I quickly went to see the injured men, and two looked to be in good enough shape to travel although they were wounded, while another looked to be on death’s door. He had a bone sticking out of his flesh at a terrible angle and it would have been useless to attempt to heal the man without setting the bone back into place. Coreth held the man down and I can feel that he too felt drained by the man’s screams which will haunt us both for the rest of our days. I can honestly say that although I tried to save the man, I caused him terrible agony when I reset his bone, and although I poured healing energy into his body he quickly fell into a coma but at least he was breathing easier. It was at that time I wished I was a more proficient healer, but if wishes were leaves we would all be trees…
We slowly made our way out of the gloomy tunnels and out into the early light of the morning. It easily took four or five hours to finally get back to Barrnack, and to my dismay the man I had attempted to heal had passed away. I was frustrated with my own shortcomings and I couldn’t really take solace in the fact that at least his family could bury him properly.
Chapter twenty-one
“Crimson Tides” … if there is anything to be said about the character of orc, it is that they are tenacious…
Hailed as heroes we came back to town and instead of being able to continue on as we hoped, we were swept up in events that were larger than us. It was as if we were caught up in the spoke of a giant wagon wheel and we were along for the ride no matter what we thought about it. I’ve come to realize I’ve seen too much blood spilled in my time adventuring and yet I know that I will continue to see this for as long as I choose to walk this road I am on. My worry is that sooner or later it will take the lives of my companion or myself and we will be nothing more than a footnote in the history of some forgotten town…
We arrived back in Barrnack to no fanfare but warm thanks from the guardsmen and the families of the survivors. I was in no mood to celebrate, instead I had to meet with Kendrick about the child and the power that it had unleashed on the landscape. To think that such a small person held such devastating power seemed beyond reason, but once I met with Kendrick my suspicions were confirmed. The child’s haggard mother held the sleeping infant in her arms afraid to make the slightest move for fear of waking the child.
The child would make a fine study as it appears as though when he is agitated, annoyed or scared he can cause the world around him to shake violently like a massive earthquake. For all my magical training I’ve never heard of such a thing, and yet here it was in front of me. Kendrick mentioned that he knew of an old woman named Allie-anne who was once of his order but slightly odd that could potentially suppress the child’s power. The only problem was that she was closer to the city of Vargas which was many miles from where we were right now. Not to mention the need to drop off the twins so they could grow up with a chance at being something more than just mindless ogres.
By the time I met up with the others it was already midday, and they seemed to all want to speak at once. They were agitated and they had every right to be. The town was faced with the fear of an orc invasion from the mountain, and they needed our help to fight them off. The town doesn’t boast a garrison of more than fifty men, but if it was a true orc horde on the way they would indeed be hard pressed to fight off that alone. It appeared as though Azreal, Coreth and Mathropoxx had already agreed to help the hard pressed Captain, which meant we were all being caught up in something greater than our own mission. While they planned out defensive strategies and choke points I thought on ideas to help their plans. I’m not a fighter nor will I ever be called a general so my input was spare except for asking to see if they could find vegetation that suited my own needs. I had an idea for a spell that could affect a large body of attackers if they could mold the battlefield to my needs.
The next three days passed quickly as they prepared the townsfolk for battle and other than overseeing the plating of many young trees on our chosen battlefield, I had little to do but study my spells and cast what I could to prepare my companions. The ideas that Azreal and Mathropoxx came up with were clever and demonstrated a knack for warfare. Soaking large swaths of land in oil to funnel the orcs, setting man sized pitfalls, repairing one tower while turning the other into a possible crashing tower were all inspired ideas. The guardsmen seem to follow the lead of these two just like puppies would follow their mother.
On the third day right before nightfall there was a rumbling within the mountain, and I could swear I could hear the faint beating of drums. Yet that wasn’t the strangest thing to happen. Instead a lone dwarf shimmered into existence just outside the massive cave entrance and calmly walked towards the assembled townsfolk. Seeing the men were armed and ready to attack the Dwarf planted smacked his axe into his shield and called out to us that it was our last chance to surrender. With that the men broke out in smiles and I couldn’t believe my eyes as the Dwarf walked into our midst and asked where the nearest inn was, since he was parched.
Grimmly Badaxe is a priest of Morgdane, which the Dwarves call the all father. He hails from the Iron Kingdom and he has no idea how he came to be where he is. The magic of the underdark is like that at times, making the impossible seem possible, and twisting the mundane into something other-worldly. There is more to this Dwarf than he lets on, and I can’t say that I’m not intrigued to learn something of the underdark and the incredible magic that only a few surface dwellers ever encounter.
It wasn’t long until the drums were nearly deafening with their steady beat, meant to not only keep their forces focused but to demoralize the men arrayed against them. I can’t accurately describe the scene when the orcs began to pour from the very earth itself, but it is something akin to watching ants swarm to defend their tunnels from predators. They vastly outnumbered us, and as they swarmed down the mountain, a crimson tide to my heat sensitive vision, I had to concentrate on my prepared spells to ensure I was ready.
As directed by Azreal the bowmen we had fired into the throng of orcs as soon as they were within range, some orcs fell under the barrage, but the tide kept coming. The sheer volume of the attack is something that you can’t prepare yourself for, and I couldn’t hear myself as I chanted out my prayers to activate our first defense. As my spell took effect many orcs were held fast in the field of saplings as the very trees themselves held the orcs fast with divine strength. Mathropoxx ordered the fires to be lighted and the field was suddenly awash in strips of flame, funneling the orcs through my trap and theirs. The town’s forces now had easy targets that couldn’t get out of the way of the arrows any many were dropped before they even knew what was on them.
As more and more orcs began to break through the entangling saplings, the towns forced went out to meet them in full force. My companions and Grimmly were out in front, bolstering the middle of the line with their combined strength. The fighting was fast and furious as both orc and human bodies began to pile up around the defenders. Although more orcs fell to the defenders they were slowly being pressed back toward the town.
I had thought long and hard about what spell that could be useful against such a large force and only one thing came to mind. My phantasmal force spell had the greatest chance to aid, but could ultimately fail if too many of the creatures didn’t believe it to be real. If I had the power to launch fireballs or lightning bolts this would have been a perfect time, but my skills as a mage are not that advanced. Instead I conjured up the image of a wave of flame sweeping across the battlefield, burning everything in its path. Some escaped but at least five dozen of the creatures believed themselves to be dead from burning to death. Their prone bodies were strewn across the battlefield, and our own forces took the advantage and overwhelmed the oncoming orcs and quickly slaughtered them as they hadn’t realized they had lost most of their companions to the flame wave.
Grimmly proved himself to be quite the battle cleric, as he ripped through three orcs at one point in a massive blow that stunned not only the orcs but the defenders as well. Once the battle was all but over they brought him ale to drink and showered him with praise for being such a great warrior. I instructed the Captain that the orcs only thought themselves dead and that they need to be quickly finished off before they realized it themselves. My companions were showered with praise about their prowess and the Dwarf seemed to becoming fast friends with both the barbarian and the bard.
That night I went to sleep with dream of orcs and bloodshed.
Hailed as heroes we came back to town and instead of being able to continue on as we hoped, we were swept up in events that were larger than us. It was as if we were caught up in the spoke of a giant wagon wheel and we were along for the ride no matter what we thought about it. I’ve come to realize I’ve seen too much blood spilled in my time adventuring and yet I know that I will continue to see this for as long as I choose to walk this road I am on. My worry is that sooner or later it will take the lives of my companion or myself and we will be nothing more than a footnote in the history of some forgotten town…
We arrived back in Barrnack to no fanfare but warm thanks from the guardsmen and the families of the survivors. I was in no mood to celebrate, instead I had to meet with Kendrick about the child and the power that it had unleashed on the landscape. To think that such a small person held such devastating power seemed beyond reason, but once I met with Kendrick my suspicions were confirmed. The child’s haggard mother held the sleeping infant in her arms afraid to make the slightest move for fear of waking the child.
The child would make a fine study as it appears as though when he is agitated, annoyed or scared he can cause the world around him to shake violently like a massive earthquake. For all my magical training I’ve never heard of such a thing, and yet here it was in front of me. Kendrick mentioned that he knew of an old woman named Allie-anne who was once of his order but slightly odd that could potentially suppress the child’s power. The only problem was that she was closer to the city of Vargas which was many miles from where we were right now. Not to mention the need to drop off the twins so they could grow up with a chance at being something more than just mindless ogres.
By the time I met up with the others it was already midday, and they seemed to all want to speak at once. They were agitated and they had every right to be. The town was faced with the fear of an orc invasion from the mountain, and they needed our help to fight them off. The town doesn’t boast a garrison of more than fifty men, but if it was a true orc horde on the way they would indeed be hard pressed to fight off that alone. It appeared as though Azreal, Coreth and Mathropoxx had already agreed to help the hard pressed Captain, which meant we were all being caught up in something greater than our own mission. While they planned out defensive strategies and choke points I thought on ideas to help their plans. I’m not a fighter nor will I ever be called a general so my input was spare except for asking to see if they could find vegetation that suited my own needs. I had an idea for a spell that could affect a large body of attackers if they could mold the battlefield to my needs.
The next three days passed quickly as they prepared the townsfolk for battle and other than overseeing the plating of many young trees on our chosen battlefield, I had little to do but study my spells and cast what I could to prepare my companions. The ideas that Azreal and Mathropoxx came up with were clever and demonstrated a knack for warfare. Soaking large swaths of land in oil to funnel the orcs, setting man sized pitfalls, repairing one tower while turning the other into a possible crashing tower were all inspired ideas. The guardsmen seem to follow the lead of these two just like puppies would follow their mother.
On the third day right before nightfall there was a rumbling within the mountain, and I could swear I could hear the faint beating of drums. Yet that wasn’t the strangest thing to happen. Instead a lone dwarf shimmered into existence just outside the massive cave entrance and calmly walked towards the assembled townsfolk. Seeing the men were armed and ready to attack the Dwarf planted smacked his axe into his shield and called out to us that it was our last chance to surrender. With that the men broke out in smiles and I couldn’t believe my eyes as the Dwarf walked into our midst and asked where the nearest inn was, since he was parched.
Grimmly Badaxe is a priest of Morgdane, which the Dwarves call the all father. He hails from the Iron Kingdom and he has no idea how he came to be where he is. The magic of the underdark is like that at times, making the impossible seem possible, and twisting the mundane into something other-worldly. There is more to this Dwarf than he lets on, and I can’t say that I’m not intrigued to learn something of the underdark and the incredible magic that only a few surface dwellers ever encounter.
It wasn’t long until the drums were nearly deafening with their steady beat, meant to not only keep their forces focused but to demoralize the men arrayed against them. I can’t accurately describe the scene when the orcs began to pour from the very earth itself, but it is something akin to watching ants swarm to defend their tunnels from predators. They vastly outnumbered us, and as they swarmed down the mountain, a crimson tide to my heat sensitive vision, I had to concentrate on my prepared spells to ensure I was ready.
As directed by Azreal the bowmen we had fired into the throng of orcs as soon as they were within range, some orcs fell under the barrage, but the tide kept coming. The sheer volume of the attack is something that you can’t prepare yourself for, and I couldn’t hear myself as I chanted out my prayers to activate our first defense. As my spell took effect many orcs were held fast in the field of saplings as the very trees themselves held the orcs fast with divine strength. Mathropoxx ordered the fires to be lighted and the field was suddenly awash in strips of flame, funneling the orcs through my trap and theirs. The town’s forces now had easy targets that couldn’t get out of the way of the arrows any many were dropped before they even knew what was on them.
As more and more orcs began to break through the entangling saplings, the towns forced went out to meet them in full force. My companions and Grimmly were out in front, bolstering the middle of the line with their combined strength. The fighting was fast and furious as both orc and human bodies began to pile up around the defenders. Although more orcs fell to the defenders they were slowly being pressed back toward the town.
I had thought long and hard about what spell that could be useful against such a large force and only one thing came to mind. My phantasmal force spell had the greatest chance to aid, but could ultimately fail if too many of the creatures didn’t believe it to be real. If I had the power to launch fireballs or lightning bolts this would have been a perfect time, but my skills as a mage are not that advanced. Instead I conjured up the image of a wave of flame sweeping across the battlefield, burning everything in its path. Some escaped but at least five dozen of the creatures believed themselves to be dead from burning to death. Their prone bodies were strewn across the battlefield, and our own forces took the advantage and overwhelmed the oncoming orcs and quickly slaughtered them as they hadn’t realized they had lost most of their companions to the flame wave.
Grimmly proved himself to be quite the battle cleric, as he ripped through three orcs at one point in a massive blow that stunned not only the orcs but the defenders as well. Once the battle was all but over they brought him ale to drink and showered him with praise for being such a great warrior. I instructed the Captain that the orcs only thought themselves dead and that they need to be quickly finished off before they realized it themselves. My companions were showered with praise about their prowess and the Dwarf seemed to becoming fast friends with both the barbarian and the bard.
That night I went to sleep with dream of orcs and bloodshed.
Chapter twenty-two
“Into Darkness” … I do not envy those that live in the darkness, nor do I wish to venture into their sunless realm…
There are times when I realize that my goals are in direct conflict with my desires, and overcoming my very wants proves to be a greater challenge than the actual deed itself. I pride myself on my ability to focus on a task or goal which has helped greatly with my spellcasting, but entering under the mountain was a greater conflict for me than any of my companions will ever know. I am a creature that needs the connection of the plants and animals of the forests. Nothing grants me more joy then when I can use magic that involves one or both those facets, so the thought of entering a domain where both were virtually non-existent is challenging for me. The elf in me wants to be able to roam the forests freely but my human half refuses to stop and smell the roses at the moment, because I can feel time growing shorter to complete certain tasks at hand. Still… who would want to call such eternal darkness home?
In the aftermath of the assault my companions had kept one orc that had thought it was dead to interrogate. That would have been a solid plan if we were even half decent at that type of art form. To my own chagrin I failed to learn a charm spell given to me by the Temple, and Adoy hasn’t seen fit to grant me the spell either. Nor can I use a weapon other than my staff to aid in such situations, and frankly I don’t think that I’m suited for the work. I believe that if the situation was dire almost anything is permitted if it aids the cause of good. The greater good is always paramount, just getting there sometimes requires actions that a person wouldn’t normally do.
The orc was all snarls and spitting hatred when my companions managed to rouse him from his stupor. He laughed at my magic saying they wouldn’t be fooled again by parlor tricks and that when a thousand orcs came down the mountain this little battle would seem petty indeed. At first we thought he was just boasting to be freed, but even after a very frustrated Ellie cut of its ears he didn’t relent… if anything he just screamed his obscenities louder. The orc’s disposition seemed to bother Mathropoxx to no end but it was still shocking when he took the orc’s head between his hands and literally crushed the orc’s skull while it screamed in pain. Seeing the orc’s cranium split open like a ripe melon between the man’s hands is a feat I hope to not see again in my lifetime.
Having less answers than when we began the futile exercise, we made the decision to leave at first light and head straight through the mountain to bring the twins to Parshmeena Haven. My dreams were raw and filled with blood, but somehow I did manage enough rest to recuperate my spells for the upcoming trip. It was with great reluctance that I finally donned my gear and headed downstairs to meet my companions. I wanted to see the twins grow somewhere that a predetermined prejudice wouldn’t follow them around constantly. I needed to believe that I wasn’t wrong about the infants not being born evil, and this seemed like the only option, but it still meant a journey into the darkness of the mountains.
We headed into the tunnel where the remaining orcs had fled and within minutes the light was gone, and only the eternal darkness surrounded us. When we had been walking for what seemed like an eternity, but was most likely no more than an hour, the drums began to sound. The sound seemed to resonate off of every surface causing the initial beat to be augmented by numerous echoes which made it impossible to detect which direct the sound was actually coming from. Still we pressed on until we came to a fork in the pathway. One led up while the other led down. The Dwarf, Grimmly, stated that we should head down, all ways out always went down. Less trouble too. Yet as we were standing there trying to decide after Mathropoxx let us know that the tracks seemed equally well tread in both directions Azreal headed upwards.
I feel that if someone wanted to learn about magic I would be the one to turn to, likewise if someone wanted to learn to track they would listen to the advice that Mathropoxx would offer. Yet somehow we found ourselves following an Elven bard instead of listening to a Dwarf priest that had spent his entire life underground. I understand the need to act, but wisdom dictates that you should heed your elders and in this cast that elder knowledge would belong to the Dwarf. Acting headstrong he took the lead determined to find the quickest route through the mountain through an act of sheer will.
We literally bumped into a group of orcs who could have been on patrol or were just heading somewhere else in the mountain, but after the initial shock of the encounter arms were quickly drawn and battle was engaged. The passage was too narrow for more than two to fight at a time side by side, so Grimmly and Mathropoxx fought against two orcs, while the rest of the creatures brandished their weapons and hoped for a chance at the intruders. Azreal used Grimmly’s height to his advantage and sent a barrage of arrows over his head and into the fighting orcs. The group of twelve was being annihilated by my companions when with just six remaining the four not fighting decided to escape. Having had to be patient and unable to aid my companions I used my sleep spell on the retreating orcs and they all slumped to the floor, easy picking for Ellie who had somehow gotten around the combatants and was drawing red smiles on their necks as they slept.
Once the last two had fallen Grimmly healed himself with the magic his god bestowed on him, while I healed Mathropoxx of some of his wounds. I wished I could have healed him a little more, but again my lack of healing prowess affects my spells. I have come to terms with the fact that I am no healer, I only hope that one day it doesn’t cost someone their life because I was not good enough. Already the miner still weighs on my conscience because I couldn’t keep him alive to reach his family. That failure is something that will haunt me.
We continued to walk the darkness of the under mountain, and as we slowly made our way upwards we could hear the steady beat of drums. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as I fully understood the magnitude of our situation. We were in unchartered territory, horribly outnumbered and if the orcs were to discover and then corner us… we will leave it at that.
There are times when I realize that my goals are in direct conflict with my desires, and overcoming my very wants proves to be a greater challenge than the actual deed itself. I pride myself on my ability to focus on a task or goal which has helped greatly with my spellcasting, but entering under the mountain was a greater conflict for me than any of my companions will ever know. I am a creature that needs the connection of the plants and animals of the forests. Nothing grants me more joy then when I can use magic that involves one or both those facets, so the thought of entering a domain where both were virtually non-existent is challenging for me. The elf in me wants to be able to roam the forests freely but my human half refuses to stop and smell the roses at the moment, because I can feel time growing shorter to complete certain tasks at hand. Still… who would want to call such eternal darkness home?
In the aftermath of the assault my companions had kept one orc that had thought it was dead to interrogate. That would have been a solid plan if we were even half decent at that type of art form. To my own chagrin I failed to learn a charm spell given to me by the Temple, and Adoy hasn’t seen fit to grant me the spell either. Nor can I use a weapon other than my staff to aid in such situations, and frankly I don’t think that I’m suited for the work. I believe that if the situation was dire almost anything is permitted if it aids the cause of good. The greater good is always paramount, just getting there sometimes requires actions that a person wouldn’t normally do.
The orc was all snarls and spitting hatred when my companions managed to rouse him from his stupor. He laughed at my magic saying they wouldn’t be fooled again by parlor tricks and that when a thousand orcs came down the mountain this little battle would seem petty indeed. At first we thought he was just boasting to be freed, but even after a very frustrated Ellie cut of its ears he didn’t relent… if anything he just screamed his obscenities louder. The orc’s disposition seemed to bother Mathropoxx to no end but it was still shocking when he took the orc’s head between his hands and literally crushed the orc’s skull while it screamed in pain. Seeing the orc’s cranium split open like a ripe melon between the man’s hands is a feat I hope to not see again in my lifetime.
Having less answers than when we began the futile exercise, we made the decision to leave at first light and head straight through the mountain to bring the twins to Parshmeena Haven. My dreams were raw and filled with blood, but somehow I did manage enough rest to recuperate my spells for the upcoming trip. It was with great reluctance that I finally donned my gear and headed downstairs to meet my companions. I wanted to see the twins grow somewhere that a predetermined prejudice wouldn’t follow them around constantly. I needed to believe that I wasn’t wrong about the infants not being born evil, and this seemed like the only option, but it still meant a journey into the darkness of the mountains.
We headed into the tunnel where the remaining orcs had fled and within minutes the light was gone, and only the eternal darkness surrounded us. When we had been walking for what seemed like an eternity, but was most likely no more than an hour, the drums began to sound. The sound seemed to resonate off of every surface causing the initial beat to be augmented by numerous echoes which made it impossible to detect which direct the sound was actually coming from. Still we pressed on until we came to a fork in the pathway. One led up while the other led down. The Dwarf, Grimmly, stated that we should head down, all ways out always went down. Less trouble too. Yet as we were standing there trying to decide after Mathropoxx let us know that the tracks seemed equally well tread in both directions Azreal headed upwards.
I feel that if someone wanted to learn about magic I would be the one to turn to, likewise if someone wanted to learn to track they would listen to the advice that Mathropoxx would offer. Yet somehow we found ourselves following an Elven bard instead of listening to a Dwarf priest that had spent his entire life underground. I understand the need to act, but wisdom dictates that you should heed your elders and in this cast that elder knowledge would belong to the Dwarf. Acting headstrong he took the lead determined to find the quickest route through the mountain through an act of sheer will.
We literally bumped into a group of orcs who could have been on patrol or were just heading somewhere else in the mountain, but after the initial shock of the encounter arms were quickly drawn and battle was engaged. The passage was too narrow for more than two to fight at a time side by side, so Grimmly and Mathropoxx fought against two orcs, while the rest of the creatures brandished their weapons and hoped for a chance at the intruders. Azreal used Grimmly’s height to his advantage and sent a barrage of arrows over his head and into the fighting orcs. The group of twelve was being annihilated by my companions when with just six remaining the four not fighting decided to escape. Having had to be patient and unable to aid my companions I used my sleep spell on the retreating orcs and they all slumped to the floor, easy picking for Ellie who had somehow gotten around the combatants and was drawing red smiles on their necks as they slept.
Once the last two had fallen Grimmly healed himself with the magic his god bestowed on him, while I healed Mathropoxx of some of his wounds. I wished I could have healed him a little more, but again my lack of healing prowess affects my spells. I have come to terms with the fact that I am no healer, I only hope that one day it doesn’t cost someone their life because I was not good enough. Already the miner still weighs on my conscience because I couldn’t keep him alive to reach his family. That failure is something that will haunt me.
We continued to walk the darkness of the under mountain, and as we slowly made our way upwards we could hear the steady beat of drums. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as I fully understood the magnitude of our situation. We were in unchartered territory, horribly outnumbered and if the orcs were to discover and then corner us… we will leave it at that.
Chapter twenty-three
“Wrath of the Titans” … while in the home of a titan, tread carefully and don’t walk underfoot…
Nothing could have prepared me for the demonstration of worship and community that I found under the mountain. The sheer volume of them chanting in unison was an unnerving sight for one who is connected to another god. If gods derive their power from their mortal followers, than the god of the orcs must be feared in their pantheon. It is a good thing that not many of these creatures can call upon magical powers as do the more “civilized” peoples. Their numbers are staggering…
Our path led us to an opening overlooking a great chamber. It appeared that we had no choice but to retrace our steps or head down in plain view of any orcs that might happen to look up. It was as our Dwarf friend had said, we had to head down to head out. I would have thought that Azreal would have been more chastised but he seemed unfazed and just headed back the way we came. At the top of the opening the drums were so loud, and I could hear a slow chanting. Without actually seeing it, I could tell there was some form of ritual or great ceremony happening somewhere below.
Upon circling back we came across a sole orc, and quickly my companions engaged the creature, and before more than a few breaths had passed it lay in a puddle of its own blood. Between Grimmly and Mathropoxx the orc hadn’t stood a chance. We continued to make our way back to the fork, finally coming to a dead end that was boarded up with old planks. Not waiting to see if there was another way Azreal and Mathropoxx began to pry the boards loose and we entered into a room of death and decay. There were bodies of orcs strewn throughout the room, and the smell was horrific, but nothing moved so at least there was nothing besides the smell and slipperly floor to deal with.
When we left the chamber behind our party came face to face with a gaggle of orcs, they weren’t caught off-guard, as we weren’t trying to hide our movements or noise. Perhaps it was foolish to walk into the orcs den and expect to find little to no resistance, but our party is nothing if not over confident. There was only room for two combatants on each side, and as they clashed I found myself feeling somewhat useless. I didn’t have much magic at my disposal to cast spells unless it was absolutely necessary, so I was forced to watch and wait. For all his might, Mathropoxx doesn’t wear much armor, and great frame makes it easier for enemies to hit, and he was soon covered in his both his and his enemies blood. Grimmly for all his bluster was a taking fewer wounds, due mostly to his stout armor and small stature.
Azreal all the while launched arrows into the chaotic scene, not overly concerned with hitting Grimmly since he’s shorter than the orcs. Grimmly yelled out “A little higher!” as Azreal grazed him with a couple of arrows. I myself find that practice to be a little more dangerous that anyone wants to admit. I would worry about hitting my companions, but perhaps that is why I only use my staff and will never use anything else.
As it appeared that the orcs would lose this encounter four of them decided that discretion was the better part of valor and turned to flee, leaving their two companions alone to face us. Finally having something to do, I cast a sleep spell on them as they reached the end of the small corridor, their bodies slumping to the floor. I felt my magic strain to effect all four of the orcs and knew in that instance that my magic had held but just barely. I said a silent prayer of thanks to Adoy for surely had ensured that my spell had worked so that they couldn’t run off to seek the aid of their clan. Ellie cleaned up the piles of sleeping orcs, painting bright red smiles on their necks, ensuring that they would never again bother anyone.
Tired and bleeding we continued on down the corridor, and came upon a scene that I will never forget. What could be hundreds or thousands of orcs were in a great chamber each one softly chanting and swaying to some ritual or great ceremony. Seeing orcs working in complete unison struck fear into my heart, for wasn’t that the only thing that kept the orcs from over running all of civilization? One happened to look upon us, and before he could turn and run into the great chamber my companions slew him with a series of attacks. An arrow from Azreal, a hand-axe from Grimmly, a dagger from Ellie and it dropped down dead. Azreal using his grappling hook to grab the body and my companions quickly dragged it away from the opening.
Quickly crossing the chamber behind the orcs our luck finally ran out. I would hate to blame Grimmly, but his iron shod feet do make a rather loud racket on a stone floor, but we’ll never know what alerted the orc mob. An alarm was raised and the drumming changed to one of alert and as we ran down a passage the orcs seemed to be filling the tunnels and chambers around and behind us. As we ran for what seem ages just ahead of the sea of orcs, always just a step ahead of being drowned in them, Ellie stumbled and fell from exhaustion.
It was then that some of my companion’s true colors began to shine through. Grimmly and Azreal rushed past, while Mathropoxx stopped, turned around and picked up Ellie in his great arms. Having already strapped the baby ogres to his back, this feat of strength will never be known to the masses, but his willingness to risk everything for a companion is something that I only wish I can only day emulate. His pace was quicker than what you would expect and he soon passed both Azreal and Grimmly leaving me in the rear with Armadeous. In a moment that he will never live down when we chide each other around the campfire, Mathropoxx actually stopped and calmly began to attempt to use his skill as a tracker to figure out which way to go when he came upon a crossroad. Again Azreal and Grimmly just ran past him to the right, leaving him a little perplexed, but I shouted for him to just run right when I came upon him.
The orcs harried us for what seemed like ages, my legs were burning from the forced exertion, and my lungs seemed to be on fire. Finally when all seemed lost there was literally a light at the end of the tunnel, and I prayed to Adoy for the strength that if I had to die that it would be under the open sky. As I neared the entrance I looked back and saw the Mathropoxx was lagging behind, the orcs so close that he was having to weave to avoid the knives, axes and spears they were throwing at him.
I’m not strong like Mathropoxx, nor do I have a noble creed like Corith, and I’m not apt to stealth like Ellie and Azreal, but I have my own traits that allow someone such as me to face down a sea of orcs. As I reached the opening I turned back towards the darkness and began chanting a prayer to Adoy calling upon my last spell that I had left. As Mathropoxx passed me I unleashed the magic, and the orb of light sped toward the orcs who recoiled in fear and stopped their pursuit. Although I didn’t bother to wait and see if they would follow I took off after my companions to the safety of the forest.
I’m not certain if anyone set watch, or if we just collapsed and passed out, but I don’t remember anything until I awoke a few hours later to study my spells and pray to Adoy for not just spells but thanks.
Nothing could have prepared me for the demonstration of worship and community that I found under the mountain. The sheer volume of them chanting in unison was an unnerving sight for one who is connected to another god. If gods derive their power from their mortal followers, than the god of the orcs must be feared in their pantheon. It is a good thing that not many of these creatures can call upon magical powers as do the more “civilized” peoples. Their numbers are staggering…
Our path led us to an opening overlooking a great chamber. It appeared that we had no choice but to retrace our steps or head down in plain view of any orcs that might happen to look up. It was as our Dwarf friend had said, we had to head down to head out. I would have thought that Azreal would have been more chastised but he seemed unfazed and just headed back the way we came. At the top of the opening the drums were so loud, and I could hear a slow chanting. Without actually seeing it, I could tell there was some form of ritual or great ceremony happening somewhere below.
Upon circling back we came across a sole orc, and quickly my companions engaged the creature, and before more than a few breaths had passed it lay in a puddle of its own blood. Between Grimmly and Mathropoxx the orc hadn’t stood a chance. We continued to make our way back to the fork, finally coming to a dead end that was boarded up with old planks. Not waiting to see if there was another way Azreal and Mathropoxx began to pry the boards loose and we entered into a room of death and decay. There were bodies of orcs strewn throughout the room, and the smell was horrific, but nothing moved so at least there was nothing besides the smell and slipperly floor to deal with.
When we left the chamber behind our party came face to face with a gaggle of orcs, they weren’t caught off-guard, as we weren’t trying to hide our movements or noise. Perhaps it was foolish to walk into the orcs den and expect to find little to no resistance, but our party is nothing if not over confident. There was only room for two combatants on each side, and as they clashed I found myself feeling somewhat useless. I didn’t have much magic at my disposal to cast spells unless it was absolutely necessary, so I was forced to watch and wait. For all his might, Mathropoxx doesn’t wear much armor, and great frame makes it easier for enemies to hit, and he was soon covered in his both his and his enemies blood. Grimmly for all his bluster was a taking fewer wounds, due mostly to his stout armor and small stature.
Azreal all the while launched arrows into the chaotic scene, not overly concerned with hitting Grimmly since he’s shorter than the orcs. Grimmly yelled out “A little higher!” as Azreal grazed him with a couple of arrows. I myself find that practice to be a little more dangerous that anyone wants to admit. I would worry about hitting my companions, but perhaps that is why I only use my staff and will never use anything else.
As it appeared that the orcs would lose this encounter four of them decided that discretion was the better part of valor and turned to flee, leaving their two companions alone to face us. Finally having something to do, I cast a sleep spell on them as they reached the end of the small corridor, their bodies slumping to the floor. I felt my magic strain to effect all four of the orcs and knew in that instance that my magic had held but just barely. I said a silent prayer of thanks to Adoy for surely had ensured that my spell had worked so that they couldn’t run off to seek the aid of their clan. Ellie cleaned up the piles of sleeping orcs, painting bright red smiles on their necks, ensuring that they would never again bother anyone.
Tired and bleeding we continued on down the corridor, and came upon a scene that I will never forget. What could be hundreds or thousands of orcs were in a great chamber each one softly chanting and swaying to some ritual or great ceremony. Seeing orcs working in complete unison struck fear into my heart, for wasn’t that the only thing that kept the orcs from over running all of civilization? One happened to look upon us, and before he could turn and run into the great chamber my companions slew him with a series of attacks. An arrow from Azreal, a hand-axe from Grimmly, a dagger from Ellie and it dropped down dead. Azreal using his grappling hook to grab the body and my companions quickly dragged it away from the opening.
Quickly crossing the chamber behind the orcs our luck finally ran out. I would hate to blame Grimmly, but his iron shod feet do make a rather loud racket on a stone floor, but we’ll never know what alerted the orc mob. An alarm was raised and the drumming changed to one of alert and as we ran down a passage the orcs seemed to be filling the tunnels and chambers around and behind us. As we ran for what seem ages just ahead of the sea of orcs, always just a step ahead of being drowned in them, Ellie stumbled and fell from exhaustion.
It was then that some of my companion’s true colors began to shine through. Grimmly and Azreal rushed past, while Mathropoxx stopped, turned around and picked up Ellie in his great arms. Having already strapped the baby ogres to his back, this feat of strength will never be known to the masses, but his willingness to risk everything for a companion is something that I only wish I can only day emulate. His pace was quicker than what you would expect and he soon passed both Azreal and Grimmly leaving me in the rear with Armadeous. In a moment that he will never live down when we chide each other around the campfire, Mathropoxx actually stopped and calmly began to attempt to use his skill as a tracker to figure out which way to go when he came upon a crossroad. Again Azreal and Grimmly just ran past him to the right, leaving him a little perplexed, but I shouted for him to just run right when I came upon him.
The orcs harried us for what seemed like ages, my legs were burning from the forced exertion, and my lungs seemed to be on fire. Finally when all seemed lost there was literally a light at the end of the tunnel, and I prayed to Adoy for the strength that if I had to die that it would be under the open sky. As I neared the entrance I looked back and saw the Mathropoxx was lagging behind, the orcs so close that he was having to weave to avoid the knives, axes and spears they were throwing at him.
I’m not strong like Mathropoxx, nor do I have a noble creed like Corith, and I’m not apt to stealth like Ellie and Azreal, but I have my own traits that allow someone such as me to face down a sea of orcs. As I reached the opening I turned back towards the darkness and began chanting a prayer to Adoy calling upon my last spell that I had left. As Mathropoxx passed me I unleashed the magic, and the orb of light sped toward the orcs who recoiled in fear and stopped their pursuit. Although I didn’t bother to wait and see if they would follow I took off after my companions to the safety of the forest.
I’m not certain if anyone set watch, or if we just collapsed and passed out, but I don’t remember anything until I awoke a few hours later to study my spells and pray to Adoy for not just spells but thanks.
Chapter twenty-four
“Saying Goodbye for Now” … not all goodbyes are forever, some are just a marking of a new chapter…
I used a skill that my companions didn’t know I have, and charted the stars while they slept. I’m out of practice but some signs are too obvious to overlook. Through a perfect three star alignment in the urus major while a shooting star broke the alignment. I realized then that everything we knew was false, and the omens I had just read were startling. Some paths are too strait forward, as was our path since the beginning of our time together. All this time we might have been doing the wrong thing instead of the right… that was a shocking conclusion. I knew in my heart that perhaps we were walking a path that not all of us could ever come back from. As I looked at the sleeping Corith a sense of guilt welled up in my chest, for some paths we choose to walk, while others we walk because our companions are already on them…
My muscles were sore as we broke camp and headed in the direction of Parshmeena Haven, but soon we noticed that we were being followed. Up above us was a humanoid with wings, much larger than any of us. We were on guard when two ferrets seemed to stop in front of us and began to chitter in their own language as if we could understand. Unlike my companions I can call upon a power granted by Adoy to speak with animals and they quickly explained that we needed to wait here or the great bear that was watching us would play with us in a way we wouldn’t appreciate. It was then that we all noticed the great bear, which had to be a giant of its kind seem to appear from the forest shadows.
We didn’t have to wait long before a disfigured old lady stood before us, and in tones that were not pleasing demanded to know what we were doing near her home. The lady wasn’t what she appeared to be as she turned around and became a beautiful maiden who seemed to take a liking to us. It dawned on us that this was the lady of Parshmeena Haven, a creature who was also an outcast. Corith didn’t detect any evil in her, so she agreed to take on the orgre charges only if we would find her missing Ellidryad. Failure would mean that the twins would not survive. She warned us to not harm her mythical cat, and that it was in heat and wanted to find a mate. The mating would kill most creatures, so it was imperative that we got it back as soon as possible.
We agreed, but I was hesitant to leave the twins with her, as I wasn’t certain we would be able to find and capture her mythical cat in the timeframe she was suggesting. Still there was no one else who could raise the ogres, so we left the clearing and headed in the direction of Merca Lake. From what she had told us there was a large swap near Merca Lake inhabited by aquatic ogres called merrow. We came upon the lake a few hours later and Mathropoxx was able to find track that matched the Ellidryad, only they were much larger than any cat he had ever heard of. Judging by its tracks, it was easily as large as a horse, and the claw marks were substantial. It could probably tear apart a human in mere moments!
We continued to follow its tracks into the swamp and the sulfuric air left our noses burning, the soil was soft and spongy, but nothing prepared us for the growl that the Ellidryad before it charged us. I had asked Adoy for spells that effected animals since we were in a forest while I prayed, and as the beast charged I called upon Adoy to bond the Ellidryad to me. I didn’t get to see the effect of my spell, as Ellie had missed her target and hit me with a dart coated with poison and it knocked me out.
From what Ellie told me afterwards, a little mayhem had ensued. My companions weren’t sure that my spell had taken effect, and since I was down, they launched into their other plan of action. Mathropoxx lassoed the feline, but was unprepared to match its strength as he was pulled to the ground and dragged along as it charged toward me. Ellie was reloading her blowgun when the beast reached me, and to their surprise it licked my face and then growled and kept them away from my prone form. I must admit that I’m pleasantly surprised that they would still risk facing down the beast, but I was confident in the magic Adoy had given me.
I used a floating ball of light to keep the beast more or less on track, but it did manage to leave and come back after killing an unfortunate merrow that had been lurking nearby. My hold on the creature is more akin to a friendship that one of domination. It goes where I want, but only in its own fashion. Upon returning to what I will affectionately call the hag, she was surprised we had managed the task so quickly, and had already wrestled control of the feline back to her. She agreed to keep her promise and raise the baby ogres until they were older, but if I wanted them back a sum of five thousand gold would have to be paid.
Having cleared ourselves of that duty, we headed back towards the mountain hoping that we would be able to find a quick way through.
I used a skill that my companions didn’t know I have, and charted the stars while they slept. I’m out of practice but some signs are too obvious to overlook. Through a perfect three star alignment in the urus major while a shooting star broke the alignment. I realized then that everything we knew was false, and the omens I had just read were startling. Some paths are too strait forward, as was our path since the beginning of our time together. All this time we might have been doing the wrong thing instead of the right… that was a shocking conclusion. I knew in my heart that perhaps we were walking a path that not all of us could ever come back from. As I looked at the sleeping Corith a sense of guilt welled up in my chest, for some paths we choose to walk, while others we walk because our companions are already on them…
My muscles were sore as we broke camp and headed in the direction of Parshmeena Haven, but soon we noticed that we were being followed. Up above us was a humanoid with wings, much larger than any of us. We were on guard when two ferrets seemed to stop in front of us and began to chitter in their own language as if we could understand. Unlike my companions I can call upon a power granted by Adoy to speak with animals and they quickly explained that we needed to wait here or the great bear that was watching us would play with us in a way we wouldn’t appreciate. It was then that we all noticed the great bear, which had to be a giant of its kind seem to appear from the forest shadows.
We didn’t have to wait long before a disfigured old lady stood before us, and in tones that were not pleasing demanded to know what we were doing near her home. The lady wasn’t what she appeared to be as she turned around and became a beautiful maiden who seemed to take a liking to us. It dawned on us that this was the lady of Parshmeena Haven, a creature who was also an outcast. Corith didn’t detect any evil in her, so she agreed to take on the orgre charges only if we would find her missing Ellidryad. Failure would mean that the twins would not survive. She warned us to not harm her mythical cat, and that it was in heat and wanted to find a mate. The mating would kill most creatures, so it was imperative that we got it back as soon as possible.
We agreed, but I was hesitant to leave the twins with her, as I wasn’t certain we would be able to find and capture her mythical cat in the timeframe she was suggesting. Still there was no one else who could raise the ogres, so we left the clearing and headed in the direction of Merca Lake. From what she had told us there was a large swap near Merca Lake inhabited by aquatic ogres called merrow. We came upon the lake a few hours later and Mathropoxx was able to find track that matched the Ellidryad, only they were much larger than any cat he had ever heard of. Judging by its tracks, it was easily as large as a horse, and the claw marks were substantial. It could probably tear apart a human in mere moments!
We continued to follow its tracks into the swamp and the sulfuric air left our noses burning, the soil was soft and spongy, but nothing prepared us for the growl that the Ellidryad before it charged us. I had asked Adoy for spells that effected animals since we were in a forest while I prayed, and as the beast charged I called upon Adoy to bond the Ellidryad to me. I didn’t get to see the effect of my spell, as Ellie had missed her target and hit me with a dart coated with poison and it knocked me out.
From what Ellie told me afterwards, a little mayhem had ensued. My companions weren’t sure that my spell had taken effect, and since I was down, they launched into their other plan of action. Mathropoxx lassoed the feline, but was unprepared to match its strength as he was pulled to the ground and dragged along as it charged toward me. Ellie was reloading her blowgun when the beast reached me, and to their surprise it licked my face and then growled and kept them away from my prone form. I must admit that I’m pleasantly surprised that they would still risk facing down the beast, but I was confident in the magic Adoy had given me.
I used a floating ball of light to keep the beast more or less on track, but it did manage to leave and come back after killing an unfortunate merrow that had been lurking nearby. My hold on the creature is more akin to a friendship that one of domination. It goes where I want, but only in its own fashion. Upon returning to what I will affectionately call the hag, she was surprised we had managed the task so quickly, and had already wrestled control of the feline back to her. She agreed to keep her promise and raise the baby ogres until they were older, but if I wanted them back a sum of five thousand gold would have to be paid.
Having cleared ourselves of that duty, we headed back towards the mountain hoping that we would be able to find a quick way through.
Chapter twenty-five
“Onwards and up” … sometimes the only way through a problem is to go around…
Around our campfire that night Corith told us of a dream which he believed was the future. He vividly recalled him finding his family sword, an heirloom of great power in the hands of a paladin. Only the dream was filled with blood and death. The rangers who had abandoned us were dead, Ellie had been decapitated and I was dead and my hands had been cut off. In a second dream he told us that he was flying through the air until he reached the top of a mountain. There a settlement of people with scales lived and his sword had slain them all. Then there was a god sitting on a throne of gold, which he says is Helgar, and he is furious. What does all that mean? I believe that if a paladin was having such dreams, and his gold was furious, that he had erred in some way and wasn’t worthy of his family sword. But Corith is possessed with the notion of finding this sword. I honestly don’t want to find something that happens to predict that I will perish. Call me a fool, but I think it’s prudent to avoid that sword.
As we came upon the opening of the mountain where we had fled from the orcs, we noticed quickly that they had posted a sizable guard. Azreal decided to scale the mountain around them to perch just above the entrance. His plan was to drop down by a rope and fire his bow, using the element of surprise while he dangled above the entrance. I must admit the idea has a certain roguish appeal to it, but it is utter madness to attempt such a risky maneuver when the rest of the party intend to just rush in. Still he was dead set on going forward with that plan of attack.
As Corith, Mathropoxx and Grimmly rushed into the entrance Azreal dropped down from his perch, and began to fire from his bow while suspended in the air. One of his shots hit the barbarian, but he didn’t seem to notice the shaft that was still quivering in his back. The three of them began to make short work of the group of orcs, they seemed to be a rolling tide of death, and my only task was to keep enough light in the cave opening and heal them when they were seriously injured. Ellie stayed back, waiting for an opportunity to use her skills if they were needed, but she knows that her role in the party is not one of a melee combatant, but of a precision strikes on key opponents. So she watched and waited while the three headed killing machine rolled over the orcs.
Three managed to escape down the corridor, and almost immediately we could hear the drums of war call out the call to arms. Having already experienced their effect, I didn’t want to be caught in front of the cavern if the orcs decided to pour forth from the huge opening. As my companions began to retreat from the opening, Mathropoxx called to them to send forth a worthy challenge, and he was quickly answered by a orog who wielded a wicked looking axe. Both combatants exchanged heavy blows, but neither wanted to give ground. The hideous smile on the orog made me believe that it knew that reinforcements were almost there, and that as soon as they arrived he would kill this feisty barbarian. The creature’s logic was sound as orcs began to charge from the far end of the corridor.
My other companions had already fled to the relative safety of the forest, leaving only myself, Armadeous and Mathropoxx inside the cave opening. I was confident that Mathropoxx could defeat the orog, but the amount of time we had until the orcs would overrun us was short, so I cast a light spell into the orog’s eyes, blinding it while Mathropoxx quickly finished it off with a chop of his mighty axe to the skull. The orc’s head exploded inwards in a shower of blood that left the barbarian literally dripping with blood. His battle lust sated, we ran towards our companions hoping that the orcs didn’t want to be forced into the sunlight. Luck was with us, as they seemed reluctant to leave the safety of the mountain, but they seemed to have tripled the guard with orc and orogs, which left that was barred to us.
Grimmly looked up and with Azreal began to climb the mountain deciding that it was quicker for the group to go up and over than around. The idea was sound, but they conveniently forgot about Armadeous and his inability to climb a mountain. I called up my ability to speak with animals and asked him to go around and we would meet up on the other side. He agreed and set off at a breakneck pace and was quick lost to my sight. I worried for him, but he’s a massive hound, and more than capable of taking care of himself if need be.
Climbing up the sheer face of a mountain is not something I had ever done before, so the rope use, metal spikes and such were completely foreign to me. What I soon realized was that other than one or two of us, we were not properly equipped to scale such heights, nor deal with the adverse weather conditions. The higher up you climb, the colder it grows, and along with the snow there were tremors and we were almost crushed by falling rocks. Had I not been tied in, it would have been a long way down with nothing to break my fall but my broken body…
That night as we huddled on the mountain side, shivering in the cold I prayed to Adoy for spells to fight off the extreme cold, and managed to study spell a spell that I could use in case of an emergency if I fell. Never again will I ever attempt a climb such as this without properly preparing spells to ward off the cold, weather and falling rocks. Oh how I wished for fly spell to soar over the mountain and save the arduous task that was to take most of the next day.
Upon reaching the summit we could see smoke rising from Barrnack, which didn’t bode well, so we attempted to make haste and climb down faster. Nearing the bottom, and having no more desire to climb down I incanted my featherfall spell and simply stepped off the ledge and began to drift lazily down to the base of the mountain. My fall quickly began to rise as a wind column pushed me back skyward, sensing magic I looked to find the Dwarf laughing as he controlled my decent with his magic. It galls me that the blasted Dwarf got the better of me, and chided me about showing off with my magic while everyone else had to climb.
Once everyone was down, we approached the town of Barrnack and only found a charred wreck. The houses had been put to flame, and there were bodies strewn all about. We quickly went to the house where the child had been staying and from the signs of struggle and tracks it looked like someone had escaped through the back. We took this as a good sign, and took the time to search the rest of the town for any survivors. In what had been the barracks we came across what must have been the last stand of the guards for there were orc and human bodies in piles. Amongst them we found the Captain of the guard, Gandor, who was barely clinging to life. Having asked Adoy for spells to endure the elements, I didn’t have any healing magic to help him. Luckily Grimmly had asked his god for many spells of healing, and after three such spells Gandor was able to sit up and speak a little.
He told us of the waves of orcs that had overrun the town and guard, more had poured forth than the time we had helped hold them back. He described a valiant but tragic struggle against unsurmountable odds. He didn’t question our quest, but I could see it in his eyes that perhaps he thought that we could have made a difference. I feel that perhaps he is right, but by the same token we could just have easily ended up among the many dead. Ours was a quest approved by a god, and one of compassion, so although the tragedy of Barrnack weighs heavily on my soul, I understand that it is not as if I would stay in this little village for the rest of my days protecting it. It is a noble calling to become a defender of the common man, it is just not my calling.
Gandor assured us that he would be able to make it to Vargas to report what had happened to the king, and bade us find the child if that was our mission. Not wanting to lose any more time Mathropoxx quickly picked up the trail and noted that they had been followed by a band of orcs. It was now a race against time, hoping against all odds that the child was still alive.
Around our campfire that night Corith told us of a dream which he believed was the future. He vividly recalled him finding his family sword, an heirloom of great power in the hands of a paladin. Only the dream was filled with blood and death. The rangers who had abandoned us were dead, Ellie had been decapitated and I was dead and my hands had been cut off. In a second dream he told us that he was flying through the air until he reached the top of a mountain. There a settlement of people with scales lived and his sword had slain them all. Then there was a god sitting on a throne of gold, which he says is Helgar, and he is furious. What does all that mean? I believe that if a paladin was having such dreams, and his gold was furious, that he had erred in some way and wasn’t worthy of his family sword. But Corith is possessed with the notion of finding this sword. I honestly don’t want to find something that happens to predict that I will perish. Call me a fool, but I think it’s prudent to avoid that sword.
As we came upon the opening of the mountain where we had fled from the orcs, we noticed quickly that they had posted a sizable guard. Azreal decided to scale the mountain around them to perch just above the entrance. His plan was to drop down by a rope and fire his bow, using the element of surprise while he dangled above the entrance. I must admit the idea has a certain roguish appeal to it, but it is utter madness to attempt such a risky maneuver when the rest of the party intend to just rush in. Still he was dead set on going forward with that plan of attack.
As Corith, Mathropoxx and Grimmly rushed into the entrance Azreal dropped down from his perch, and began to fire from his bow while suspended in the air. One of his shots hit the barbarian, but he didn’t seem to notice the shaft that was still quivering in his back. The three of them began to make short work of the group of orcs, they seemed to be a rolling tide of death, and my only task was to keep enough light in the cave opening and heal them when they were seriously injured. Ellie stayed back, waiting for an opportunity to use her skills if they were needed, but she knows that her role in the party is not one of a melee combatant, but of a precision strikes on key opponents. So she watched and waited while the three headed killing machine rolled over the orcs.
Three managed to escape down the corridor, and almost immediately we could hear the drums of war call out the call to arms. Having already experienced their effect, I didn’t want to be caught in front of the cavern if the orcs decided to pour forth from the huge opening. As my companions began to retreat from the opening, Mathropoxx called to them to send forth a worthy challenge, and he was quickly answered by a orog who wielded a wicked looking axe. Both combatants exchanged heavy blows, but neither wanted to give ground. The hideous smile on the orog made me believe that it knew that reinforcements were almost there, and that as soon as they arrived he would kill this feisty barbarian. The creature’s logic was sound as orcs began to charge from the far end of the corridor.
My other companions had already fled to the relative safety of the forest, leaving only myself, Armadeous and Mathropoxx inside the cave opening. I was confident that Mathropoxx could defeat the orog, but the amount of time we had until the orcs would overrun us was short, so I cast a light spell into the orog’s eyes, blinding it while Mathropoxx quickly finished it off with a chop of his mighty axe to the skull. The orc’s head exploded inwards in a shower of blood that left the barbarian literally dripping with blood. His battle lust sated, we ran towards our companions hoping that the orcs didn’t want to be forced into the sunlight. Luck was with us, as they seemed reluctant to leave the safety of the mountain, but they seemed to have tripled the guard with orc and orogs, which left that was barred to us.
Grimmly looked up and with Azreal began to climb the mountain deciding that it was quicker for the group to go up and over than around. The idea was sound, but they conveniently forgot about Armadeous and his inability to climb a mountain. I called up my ability to speak with animals and asked him to go around and we would meet up on the other side. He agreed and set off at a breakneck pace and was quick lost to my sight. I worried for him, but he’s a massive hound, and more than capable of taking care of himself if need be.
Climbing up the sheer face of a mountain is not something I had ever done before, so the rope use, metal spikes and such were completely foreign to me. What I soon realized was that other than one or two of us, we were not properly equipped to scale such heights, nor deal with the adverse weather conditions. The higher up you climb, the colder it grows, and along with the snow there were tremors and we were almost crushed by falling rocks. Had I not been tied in, it would have been a long way down with nothing to break my fall but my broken body…
That night as we huddled on the mountain side, shivering in the cold I prayed to Adoy for spells to fight off the extreme cold, and managed to study spell a spell that I could use in case of an emergency if I fell. Never again will I ever attempt a climb such as this without properly preparing spells to ward off the cold, weather and falling rocks. Oh how I wished for fly spell to soar over the mountain and save the arduous task that was to take most of the next day.
Upon reaching the summit we could see smoke rising from Barrnack, which didn’t bode well, so we attempted to make haste and climb down faster. Nearing the bottom, and having no more desire to climb down I incanted my featherfall spell and simply stepped off the ledge and began to drift lazily down to the base of the mountain. My fall quickly began to rise as a wind column pushed me back skyward, sensing magic I looked to find the Dwarf laughing as he controlled my decent with his magic. It galls me that the blasted Dwarf got the better of me, and chided me about showing off with my magic while everyone else had to climb.
Once everyone was down, we approached the town of Barrnack and only found a charred wreck. The houses had been put to flame, and there were bodies strewn all about. We quickly went to the house where the child had been staying and from the signs of struggle and tracks it looked like someone had escaped through the back. We took this as a good sign, and took the time to search the rest of the town for any survivors. In what had been the barracks we came across what must have been the last stand of the guards for there were orc and human bodies in piles. Amongst them we found the Captain of the guard, Gandor, who was barely clinging to life. Having asked Adoy for spells to endure the elements, I didn’t have any healing magic to help him. Luckily Grimmly had asked his god for many spells of healing, and after three such spells Gandor was able to sit up and speak a little.
He told us of the waves of orcs that had overrun the town and guard, more had poured forth than the time we had helped hold them back. He described a valiant but tragic struggle against unsurmountable odds. He didn’t question our quest, but I could see it in his eyes that perhaps he thought that we could have made a difference. I feel that perhaps he is right, but by the same token we could just have easily ended up among the many dead. Ours was a quest approved by a god, and one of compassion, so although the tragedy of Barrnack weighs heavily on my soul, I understand that it is not as if I would stay in this little village for the rest of my days protecting it. It is a noble calling to become a defender of the common man, it is just not my calling.
Gandor assured us that he would be able to make it to Vargas to report what had happened to the king, and bade us find the child if that was our mission. Not wanting to lose any more time Mathropoxx quickly picked up the trail and noted that they had been followed by a band of orcs. It was now a race against time, hoping against all odds that the child was still alive.
Chapter twenty-six
“Convergence” … all roads lead back to the place you started…
The devastation of Barrnack was horrible to behold, yet there is little doubt that even had our adventuring party been there, the outcome would have remained the same. I know my companions all think that we are invulnerable, but I’ve begun to see cracks in our armor. I think success has made us forget that the world is fraught with peril and we would be wise to heed sound advice and think things through before we leap blindly into combat.
With Mathropoxx tracking in the darkness, we ran through the late evening into the night before we came across the body of the child’s mother. She had been ravaged, and as I said a silent prayer to Adoy for the poor woman’s departed spirit, I could only hope that she had died quickly. We seemed to take her death as a personal affront, and quickly set off in the darkness hoping to catch up to whoever was carrying the child.
Mathropoxx’s tracking skill are somewhat phenomenal to behold. On ground that looks flat and barren he finds details of passage. I can look at the same ground he just looked at, and even with him pointing out the signs I can’t make heads or tails of it. His tribe must surely miss the clever warrior, and although he is a loyal companion, I feel that sooner or later the winds of changed will call to him, and he’ll return to his land in the cold north. Until that time I watch and marvel at his ability to track with almost no light sometimes on instinct alone.
His tracking led us to a small river and a boat. He pointed out the signs of where another boat had been not too long ago. We quickly boarded the remaining boat, and I said a prayer to Adoy asking that the boat be seaworthy. Crossing moving water in the darkness is not my cup of tea, and I was overjoyed when we reached the other shore, a little wet but none worse for wear.
Once we had gone a few hundred paces we came upon a little settlement, and there was a friendly peasant farmer on the road. Mathropoxx wanted nothing to deal with the peasant and pushed him to the ground growling that he had nothing of value to tell us. As we passed the farmer and I smiled and shrugged my shoulders at him in an apologetic manner. There was only a few established buildings in the little settlement but there was a church so we headed straight to it. It wasn’t a surprise when the building was consecrated to the god of farmers, Merco. The kindly priest told us of a couple of men who passed through with a baby and a dog, heading towards Baldigear. Only when Armadeous sensed me he came running and the priest could only shrug as we passed him and found Kendrick, the baby’s father and the baby safe inside the church!
After a night in the small settlement we agreed to head to Fort Turmey, which is a small military settlement on the way to Vargas. It was a great option to alert the military about the increased orc activity and get the baby safely to the church of Helgar, which is where Kendrick was trying to lead them to. We bought a couple of carts and my companions were taking their time to get ready when something I wouldn’t have expected happened, Corith was attacked by an assassin!
After a brief struggle the would-be assassin was swiftly subdued and we left the settlement with a new travelling companion. The man seemed plain and non-descript, as I would an assassin would want to look like. Only the man seemed more shocked that he had actually done what he had, which in my humble estimation made him either new at his craft or just a sell-sword. The man was completely uncooperative and would not divulge any information, and after being frustrated for some time Azreal took a lengthy piss on the man! It was then that I grew tired of the threats and inhumanity of the situation, so calling upon Adoy I charmed the man.
He was pleasant to deal with once he was charmed and he told us of a man in the small town who lived on the third farm on the right. He also told us of his three friends and that he was in an assassin’s guild called the Black Snake. Mathropoxx seemed enraged with our progress or impatient that he had very little to offer us. So he took the man’s head in his hand and squeezed with all this might. The man screamed in pain, but Mathropoxx couldn’t crush his skull like a melon. Ellie was approaching him with a dagger and I had had enough. I asked him if he could show me the best dive off the side of the cart and I would magically create a pool beneath him. The magic made him trust me, and I felt a sense of shame as he dove off the cart head first and broke his neck in the fall…
This treatment of the prisoner wasn’t enough for Ellie, who holds some kind of grudge against the Black Snakes, and she dismembered the dead man’s member and shoved it down his throat then cut out his eyes and decapitated him. She said that is how you make a statement. I would agree that she made a statement…
The devastation of Barrnack was horrible to behold, yet there is little doubt that even had our adventuring party been there, the outcome would have remained the same. I know my companions all think that we are invulnerable, but I’ve begun to see cracks in our armor. I think success has made us forget that the world is fraught with peril and we would be wise to heed sound advice and think things through before we leap blindly into combat.
With Mathropoxx tracking in the darkness, we ran through the late evening into the night before we came across the body of the child’s mother. She had been ravaged, and as I said a silent prayer to Adoy for the poor woman’s departed spirit, I could only hope that she had died quickly. We seemed to take her death as a personal affront, and quickly set off in the darkness hoping to catch up to whoever was carrying the child.
Mathropoxx’s tracking skill are somewhat phenomenal to behold. On ground that looks flat and barren he finds details of passage. I can look at the same ground he just looked at, and even with him pointing out the signs I can’t make heads or tails of it. His tribe must surely miss the clever warrior, and although he is a loyal companion, I feel that sooner or later the winds of changed will call to him, and he’ll return to his land in the cold north. Until that time I watch and marvel at his ability to track with almost no light sometimes on instinct alone.
His tracking led us to a small river and a boat. He pointed out the signs of where another boat had been not too long ago. We quickly boarded the remaining boat, and I said a prayer to Adoy asking that the boat be seaworthy. Crossing moving water in the darkness is not my cup of tea, and I was overjoyed when we reached the other shore, a little wet but none worse for wear.
Once we had gone a few hundred paces we came upon a little settlement, and there was a friendly peasant farmer on the road. Mathropoxx wanted nothing to deal with the peasant and pushed him to the ground growling that he had nothing of value to tell us. As we passed the farmer and I smiled and shrugged my shoulders at him in an apologetic manner. There was only a few established buildings in the little settlement but there was a church so we headed straight to it. It wasn’t a surprise when the building was consecrated to the god of farmers, Merco. The kindly priest told us of a couple of men who passed through with a baby and a dog, heading towards Baldigear. Only when Armadeous sensed me he came running and the priest could only shrug as we passed him and found Kendrick, the baby’s father and the baby safe inside the church!
After a night in the small settlement we agreed to head to Fort Turmey, which is a small military settlement on the way to Vargas. It was a great option to alert the military about the increased orc activity and get the baby safely to the church of Helgar, which is where Kendrick was trying to lead them to. We bought a couple of carts and my companions were taking their time to get ready when something I wouldn’t have expected happened, Corith was attacked by an assassin!
After a brief struggle the would-be assassin was swiftly subdued and we left the settlement with a new travelling companion. The man seemed plain and non-descript, as I would an assassin would want to look like. Only the man seemed more shocked that he had actually done what he had, which in my humble estimation made him either new at his craft or just a sell-sword. The man was completely uncooperative and would not divulge any information, and after being frustrated for some time Azreal took a lengthy piss on the man! It was then that I grew tired of the threats and inhumanity of the situation, so calling upon Adoy I charmed the man.
He was pleasant to deal with once he was charmed and he told us of a man in the small town who lived on the third farm on the right. He also told us of his three friends and that he was in an assassin’s guild called the Black Snake. Mathropoxx seemed enraged with our progress or impatient that he had very little to offer us. So he took the man’s head in his hand and squeezed with all this might. The man screamed in pain, but Mathropoxx couldn’t crush his skull like a melon. Ellie was approaching him with a dagger and I had had enough. I asked him if he could show me the best dive off the side of the cart and I would magically create a pool beneath him. The magic made him trust me, and I felt a sense of shame as he dove off the cart head first and broke his neck in the fall…
This treatment of the prisoner wasn’t enough for Ellie, who holds some kind of grudge against the Black Snakes, and she dismembered the dead man’s member and shoved it down his throat then cut out his eyes and decapitated him. She said that is how you make a statement. I would agree that she made a statement…
Chapter twenty-seven
“Decisions of the Bold” … I wonder if it’s braver to stay on the path or choose another one…
Sometimes I think that we are lost, even when we are on the right path. We’ve been following so many leads that perhaps we should stop and wonder why. Only I don’t think that we’re capable of stopping our inertia, much like an avalanche cascading down a mountain, we will continue on until we come to the eventual bottom. How much collateral damage will we have caused by then..?
We passed through Fort Turney with only a single assassination attempt against Corith, and the foolish man is now safely locked in their little jail. A simple sleep spell put an end to his attempted attack, and I have a feeling that Ellie wanted to “play” with him, but the guards were having no part in that. After unsuccessfully prying information out of him, we left the Fort and the would-be assassin in our dust.
We came to the river crossing, and the irate ferryman demanded a payment of gold for a simple crossing. He wished to charge us 5 gold a person to cross the damn river! He might have the only barge but extortion isn’t something I readily give into. I offered him two gold and some magic berries, but the man slapped my hand, sending my enchanted goodberries into the river. I can see now that my actions might see a little outrageous, but I value every single spell, and he wasted something that was granted to me from Adoy. I quickly cast a charm spell on the man, asked for my gold back and made him go search for the lost berries once he crossed our party. Perhaps he will see the error of his ways and next time accept the gift that was offered and act civil!
The day was pleasant as we arrived in Torfall and having been on the road an awful lot, we were a little weary as we remembered to take up the mayor’s offer to visit him at his inn. The Chicken and Ogre is a two story sprawling inn and tavern that has seen many days, but is meticulously cared for. Every shingle in its, and its faded red façade still marks it out as the most prominent building in the small town. The smells from the kitchen made our mouths water as our stomachs groaned from something heartier than dried trail rations.
Within moments the mayor made us comfortable at his best table, and quickly we ordered steaming trenchers of lamb stew that was the chef’s specialty. Of all the details in our journey, this marked one of the first time where the aroma and sense of warmth has pervaded my senses. I find that fascinating, as so much of what we smell, see and taste must be quickly forgotten or we would surely lose all sensibility. But I digress…
They mayor added himself to our party for supper, and while the day began to grow long, Mathropoxx and Azreal began to play the knife game. Which is simply throwing knives up in the air, hoping they stick or they come back down and you lose (sometime a finger). I entertained the mayor with a simple illusion of a dancing masturbating monkey, which had the entire inn laughing and having a great time. I wish my magic had been used to just please people. Instead I was buying time for Ellie to sneak upstairs to the mayor’s quarters to find the box of evidence that was supposed to prove him guilty of so many crimes. How else could we assassinate the man? I tend to believe that I am a practical man of the world, a mercenary in search of greater magic. But perhaps I am losing the battle with my darker half… perhaps the shades of grey that allow my conscience to function have become so dark that they are almost black, and I just haven’t realized it yet.
By the time Ellie returned and signaled that she had found nothing, my companions we beyond drunk and the mayor had to be helped to his room after breaking the table rolling with laughter. As we quickly told Corith the news that there was no chest, my heart sank. It appeared that once again we might have been duped, but how were we going to be able to find work if we crossed the king’s right hand man? I retired shortly thereafter, wanting time to think over our predicament. I checked on Kendrick and the baby before going to my room, and he gave me a nervous smile and waved at me to close the door and not disturb the infant. With heavy thoughts wearing me down I went to my room to study and pray, hoping for solace in my daily routine.
Sometimes I think that we are lost, even when we are on the right path. We’ve been following so many leads that perhaps we should stop and wonder why. Only I don’t think that we’re capable of stopping our inertia, much like an avalanche cascading down a mountain, we will continue on until we come to the eventual bottom. How much collateral damage will we have caused by then..?
We passed through Fort Turney with only a single assassination attempt against Corith, and the foolish man is now safely locked in their little jail. A simple sleep spell put an end to his attempted attack, and I have a feeling that Ellie wanted to “play” with him, but the guards were having no part in that. After unsuccessfully prying information out of him, we left the Fort and the would-be assassin in our dust.
We came to the river crossing, and the irate ferryman demanded a payment of gold for a simple crossing. He wished to charge us 5 gold a person to cross the damn river! He might have the only barge but extortion isn’t something I readily give into. I offered him two gold and some magic berries, but the man slapped my hand, sending my enchanted goodberries into the river. I can see now that my actions might see a little outrageous, but I value every single spell, and he wasted something that was granted to me from Adoy. I quickly cast a charm spell on the man, asked for my gold back and made him go search for the lost berries once he crossed our party. Perhaps he will see the error of his ways and next time accept the gift that was offered and act civil!
The day was pleasant as we arrived in Torfall and having been on the road an awful lot, we were a little weary as we remembered to take up the mayor’s offer to visit him at his inn. The Chicken and Ogre is a two story sprawling inn and tavern that has seen many days, but is meticulously cared for. Every shingle in its, and its faded red façade still marks it out as the most prominent building in the small town. The smells from the kitchen made our mouths water as our stomachs groaned from something heartier than dried trail rations.
Within moments the mayor made us comfortable at his best table, and quickly we ordered steaming trenchers of lamb stew that was the chef’s specialty. Of all the details in our journey, this marked one of the first time where the aroma and sense of warmth has pervaded my senses. I find that fascinating, as so much of what we smell, see and taste must be quickly forgotten or we would surely lose all sensibility. But I digress…
They mayor added himself to our party for supper, and while the day began to grow long, Mathropoxx and Azreal began to play the knife game. Which is simply throwing knives up in the air, hoping they stick or they come back down and you lose (sometime a finger). I entertained the mayor with a simple illusion of a dancing masturbating monkey, which had the entire inn laughing and having a great time. I wish my magic had been used to just please people. Instead I was buying time for Ellie to sneak upstairs to the mayor’s quarters to find the box of evidence that was supposed to prove him guilty of so many crimes. How else could we assassinate the man? I tend to believe that I am a practical man of the world, a mercenary in search of greater magic. But perhaps I am losing the battle with my darker half… perhaps the shades of grey that allow my conscience to function have become so dark that they are almost black, and I just haven’t realized it yet.
By the time Ellie returned and signaled that she had found nothing, my companions we beyond drunk and the mayor had to be helped to his room after breaking the table rolling with laughter. As we quickly told Corith the news that there was no chest, my heart sank. It appeared that once again we might have been duped, but how were we going to be able to find work if we crossed the king’s right hand man? I retired shortly thereafter, wanting time to think over our predicament. I checked on Kendrick and the baby before going to my room, and he gave me a nervous smile and waved at me to close the door and not disturb the infant. With heavy thoughts wearing me down I went to my room to study and pray, hoping for solace in my daily routine.
Chapter twenty-eight
“From the Kettle to the Fire” … where do you turn when all you’ve left behind is devastation..?
There are those who wish to pull the strings of men, making the dance to a tune that the man doesn’t know. I feel that we are the puppets in a macabre dance of warring kings and powers unknown. Sadly when the dance is done, whether we cut the bonds that hold us or not, our hands will be the ones that are caked in the blood of innocents. My only worry is that I may be able to accept that…
Around a much quieter and newer table our party gathered and I was relieved that no one need healing for being foolish during the festivities. We were well into a hearty breakfast had arranged for us when Ellie told the whole party what she had seen and not found under the mayor’s bed. The discovery was harder on some that others, but we all wondered out loud what we were going to do now. As time began to pass we realized that Kendrick still hadn’t made an appearance. Ellie went upstairs and came back in an instant, worry creasing her brow. Kendrick, the baby and his father were all gone!
The stout innkeeper in charge let us know that the mayor had had terrible dreams, and then some of our party, the priest with the baby had left with the mayor and a whole contingent of guardsmen headed towards Vargas deep in the night. We quickly left the inn, and another citizen was able to confirm that he had seen the mayor surrounded by horsemen headed off in the direction of Vargas with his weapon strapped to his back. We departed Torfall in a hurry and headed towards Vargas following the road hoping to catch sight of our quarry.
As luck would have it, we noticed a group of horsemen peel off into the woods and only three men on foot come out of the trees. We quickly caught up to them and stood staring at Kendrick, the baby’s father, and the mayor. Kendrick was soothing the baby as I gave him a look that seemed to bore into the man’s skull and kept him facing the floor in shame. My anger was bubbling to the surface, as we had sacrificed so much for this child, and still they had left us behind like yesterday’s refuse. Perhaps they sensed our anger but the mayor quickly explained that they needed to get to the temple of Helgar, as they were waiting for them. Sweeping changes were coming, and at long last the mayor had to face his brother the king.
After agreeing to only have Mathropoxx and Azreal go along with in their group, Azreal offered to cast a spell to disguise the mayor. As he described the spell I quickly realized that he was offering something that wasn’t possible, but I couldn’t help but allow the haughty bard to speak so highly of his spell only to watch it fail and leave the mayor with a look of utter annoyance on his face. Bards are a strange lot, always fiddling with spells, not taking the time to truly learn the spell or understand its nature or intent. Instead they think of a spell as nothing more than a tool in their seemingly unending bag of tricks designed to amuse the masses. Perhaps I enjoyed his failed alter self spell too much, but one must sometimes find mirth where there is only strife in order to smile in the face of adversity.
Corith, Ellie and I walked together towards Vargas, letting the first group get there before us and out of sight in hopes that the mayor could get into the city unseen. As we arrived at the gatehouse the guards were adamant that Corith should surrender his greatsword, and I worried that things would progress out of hand, but Corith looked unfazed and swore to Helgar that he wouldn’t wield his greatsword while in the city proper. As a paladin they only bound his weapon and allowed him to enter. It couldn’t have taken more than a few moments, but I didn’t want the mayor to get out of my sight for too long a period, fearing that perhaps he knew that his brother had sent us to kill him. By now we were resolute in not going through with the assassination, but were unsure exactly where our loyalty now lay.
The guards at the church of Helgar were not please to let us in, but after a little commotion we were waved in by a priest who looked haggard and a little overwhelmed. The church wasn’t allowing anyone in, and once we came into the church proper it made sense. Inside was gathered a small invading force, not an army, but instead a strike force of hardened men. These seasoned warriors seemed deadlier than the common sort, since in their eyes you could see a religious zeal that would normally be reserved for paladins, but these were not paladins. We were escorted through the maze of men and steel and brought to Kendrik and the mayor.
To say that I was mildly surprised that the mayor was not only the king’s brother, but that he had had his family killed wasn’t all that surprising. From the moment we entered his employ, they king had had us preform some of the most deadly and downright devastating attacks against his enemies. Our hands were stained with the blood of innocents, and now the opportunity to redeem a little bit of ourselves was presented to us. The mayor was preparing to strike at the king with his strike force of men, and they would be backed up by the powers of the baby. They told us how the soldiers in the kingdom were mere pawns being controlled by the throne and that once they broke that connection most wouldn’t even stop the armed assault into the castle. It was then that we decided to come clean with the mayor, and we recounted our tale of deception and that we had been paid to kill him. His eyes were filled with cold fury, but at the same time they also seemed to understand our plight. Perhaps he hoped we would die in the assault, but maybe he understood what it was to be deceived and that was a motivating factor in us keeping our heads attached to our necks.
Kendrick began a ceremony to Helgar, and as I watched intrigued as to what would happen the ground began to tremble with such ferocity that I feared the church would tumble down upon us. Instead there was a blinding flash of light that seemed to descend down from the heavens and surround the infant in its embrace. The result will forever shake me to my core, as my magic was simply gone. There was no connection to Adoy, no arcane power, even my bond with Armadeous was severed. It was as if my very being had been replaced with utter silence, and it left me defenseless and alone.
As we gathered up and stormed out of the church of Helgar, I was overcome with the fear that my magic had been taken forever, but on faith alone I prayed that it would return. Corith suggested that I take up a weapon more formidable than my simple oaken staff since he knew that my magic was gone, and it shocked me that a man who is bound to a deity would suggest of another to break a major tenant because my god couldn’t feel me right now. I fear that the young paladin is lost, as it is those very tenants that give me my faith in Adoy and to break them would be to break my faith in the moment it was most challenged. He didn’t seem to fully grasp what I was saying as we were swept up in the chaos of men and metal as we stormed the palace.
There are those who wish to pull the strings of men, making the dance to a tune that the man doesn’t know. I feel that we are the puppets in a macabre dance of warring kings and powers unknown. Sadly when the dance is done, whether we cut the bonds that hold us or not, our hands will be the ones that are caked in the blood of innocents. My only worry is that I may be able to accept that…
Around a much quieter and newer table our party gathered and I was relieved that no one need healing for being foolish during the festivities. We were well into a hearty breakfast had arranged for us when Ellie told the whole party what she had seen and not found under the mayor’s bed. The discovery was harder on some that others, but we all wondered out loud what we were going to do now. As time began to pass we realized that Kendrick still hadn’t made an appearance. Ellie went upstairs and came back in an instant, worry creasing her brow. Kendrick, the baby and his father were all gone!
The stout innkeeper in charge let us know that the mayor had had terrible dreams, and then some of our party, the priest with the baby had left with the mayor and a whole contingent of guardsmen headed towards Vargas deep in the night. We quickly left the inn, and another citizen was able to confirm that he had seen the mayor surrounded by horsemen headed off in the direction of Vargas with his weapon strapped to his back. We departed Torfall in a hurry and headed towards Vargas following the road hoping to catch sight of our quarry.
As luck would have it, we noticed a group of horsemen peel off into the woods and only three men on foot come out of the trees. We quickly caught up to them and stood staring at Kendrick, the baby’s father, and the mayor. Kendrick was soothing the baby as I gave him a look that seemed to bore into the man’s skull and kept him facing the floor in shame. My anger was bubbling to the surface, as we had sacrificed so much for this child, and still they had left us behind like yesterday’s refuse. Perhaps they sensed our anger but the mayor quickly explained that they needed to get to the temple of Helgar, as they were waiting for them. Sweeping changes were coming, and at long last the mayor had to face his brother the king.
After agreeing to only have Mathropoxx and Azreal go along with in their group, Azreal offered to cast a spell to disguise the mayor. As he described the spell I quickly realized that he was offering something that wasn’t possible, but I couldn’t help but allow the haughty bard to speak so highly of his spell only to watch it fail and leave the mayor with a look of utter annoyance on his face. Bards are a strange lot, always fiddling with spells, not taking the time to truly learn the spell or understand its nature or intent. Instead they think of a spell as nothing more than a tool in their seemingly unending bag of tricks designed to amuse the masses. Perhaps I enjoyed his failed alter self spell too much, but one must sometimes find mirth where there is only strife in order to smile in the face of adversity.
Corith, Ellie and I walked together towards Vargas, letting the first group get there before us and out of sight in hopes that the mayor could get into the city unseen. As we arrived at the gatehouse the guards were adamant that Corith should surrender his greatsword, and I worried that things would progress out of hand, but Corith looked unfazed and swore to Helgar that he wouldn’t wield his greatsword while in the city proper. As a paladin they only bound his weapon and allowed him to enter. It couldn’t have taken more than a few moments, but I didn’t want the mayor to get out of my sight for too long a period, fearing that perhaps he knew that his brother had sent us to kill him. By now we were resolute in not going through with the assassination, but were unsure exactly where our loyalty now lay.
The guards at the church of Helgar were not please to let us in, but after a little commotion we were waved in by a priest who looked haggard and a little overwhelmed. The church wasn’t allowing anyone in, and once we came into the church proper it made sense. Inside was gathered a small invading force, not an army, but instead a strike force of hardened men. These seasoned warriors seemed deadlier than the common sort, since in their eyes you could see a religious zeal that would normally be reserved for paladins, but these were not paladins. We were escorted through the maze of men and steel and brought to Kendrik and the mayor.
To say that I was mildly surprised that the mayor was not only the king’s brother, but that he had had his family killed wasn’t all that surprising. From the moment we entered his employ, they king had had us preform some of the most deadly and downright devastating attacks against his enemies. Our hands were stained with the blood of innocents, and now the opportunity to redeem a little bit of ourselves was presented to us. The mayor was preparing to strike at the king with his strike force of men, and they would be backed up by the powers of the baby. They told us how the soldiers in the kingdom were mere pawns being controlled by the throne and that once they broke that connection most wouldn’t even stop the armed assault into the castle. It was then that we decided to come clean with the mayor, and we recounted our tale of deception and that we had been paid to kill him. His eyes were filled with cold fury, but at the same time they also seemed to understand our plight. Perhaps he hoped we would die in the assault, but maybe he understood what it was to be deceived and that was a motivating factor in us keeping our heads attached to our necks.
Kendrick began a ceremony to Helgar, and as I watched intrigued as to what would happen the ground began to tremble with such ferocity that I feared the church would tumble down upon us. Instead there was a blinding flash of light that seemed to descend down from the heavens and surround the infant in its embrace. The result will forever shake me to my core, as my magic was simply gone. There was no connection to Adoy, no arcane power, even my bond with Armadeous was severed. It was as if my very being had been replaced with utter silence, and it left me defenseless and alone.
As we gathered up and stormed out of the church of Helgar, I was overcome with the fear that my magic had been taken forever, but on faith alone I prayed that it would return. Corith suggested that I take up a weapon more formidable than my simple oaken staff since he knew that my magic was gone, and it shocked me that a man who is bound to a deity would suggest of another to break a major tenant because my god couldn’t feel me right now. I fear that the young paladin is lost, as it is those very tenants that give me my faith in Adoy and to break them would be to break my faith in the moment it was most challenged. He didn’t seem to fully grasp what I was saying as we were swept up in the chaos of men and metal as we stormed the palace.
Chapter twenty-nine
“Deafening Silence” … if a prayer is uttered while silenced, does a god still hear the prayer?
Fear. It can both rule the soul and spoil the possible moment of glory, twisting that soul and corrupting the person who could have been so much more. I am aware of my deepest fear, and had I strayed from my beliefs perhaps I too would have been lost. I can only speak for myself, but my fear of having my magic stripped from me was realized, and in the heat of the moment I did what my physical limitations would allow. I was no grand hero, in fact I played more the fool than anything, but I know I stood my ground in the face of my worst fear and overcame. Not all are so fortunate…
In the rush of bodies and adrenaline I was sweating as we entered the palace. The guards seemed numbed like myself and many didn’t move, while others dropped their weapons and walked away from the oppressive palace that had stolen their free will. Still Corith pleased with some to come with us, but they refused to listen to him and his pleas to help us right this terrible wrong. Perhaps a paladin’s ability to lead men is more closely tied to their god than any of them would care to admit.
Meanwhile Mathropoxx was literally stepping over guards who happened to be in his way, considering the useless soldiers as nothing more than gnats on the wall. It amazes me at times that he has such little concern for others while his blood is beginning to boil. I’ve yet to see him enter the trance-like state of an enraged berserker, but I feel that he may not be able to tell friend from foe while he lets that battle rage rule his body. I can only wonder what a thousand like-minded warriors could do to anything standing in their way.
As we followed the mayor into the throne room I could almost feel the pent up aggression in the air around me. Surrounded by men who knew only how to kill I suddenly realized that I didn’t belong with them, but fate had decided otherwise. As the soldiers clashed with the remnants of the king’s guard we entered the throne room alone with the mayor. Awaiting us was Vicward and the other adventuring group that had been tasked with various missions. They were in effect his team “A”, and now we on the “B” team had to finally engage them for supremacy.
Until that point in time I had never really appreciated the ferocity of battle that my companions fight with. In battle I must keep calm and not let my emotions get the better of me, or I wouldn’t be able to call upon my spells. Having been stripped of all my magic I was surrounded by men and women who were fighting with a bloodlust that is far beyond anything I can summon, and I truly believe that I was more of a hindrance than a boon to my companions.
Mathropoxx again displayed such skill, strength and bravery that I can scarce believe that the man has any sense for his well-being. He took great hits from one of their warriors that I was certain he would die from the impact, but instead of falling like lesser men he shrugged of the deadly blows and promptly caved in the man’s skull with a mighty swing from his battle-axe.
Azreal began the fight with his bow, but quickly switched to his odd grappling hooks, and although I don’t understand the reason behind the weapons, he used them to great effect keeping his opponents off guard and often on the ground. He quickly departed after Vicward, but his contribution the battle was noteworthy. I’m certain he’ll write a ballad about his actions that I’ll no doubt have to listen to him recount countless times in various inns and taprooms.
Corith fought like a man who had his soul on the line. He was the first into combat and once it had died down he also chased after Vicward. During the battle he took numerous arrow wounds from their ranger until he was able to almost decapitate the poor fellow. He wasn’t enraged like the others, instead he was filled with a righteous fury and I’m certain his god was proud of his holy warrior and the way he fought.
Ellie doesn’t fight. I believe she actually detests hand-to-hand combat, so watching her fight another deadly assassin had me worrying. Although she landed some solid hits on her opponent, she received more than a few back and I couldn’t help but intervene. My skills with my staff are sub-par, which is to be expected of a follower of Adoy, and without any spells I used what I had available. So when I cracked a jar of honey on the assassin’s head causing her to react and drop her dagger, Ellie moved in quickly and stabbed the woman in her throat.
My duty in the battle should have been to deal with Nicolas but he was also bereft of any spells or magic and although he caught me in the back of the neck with a dart Mathropoxx ended the mage rather unceremoniously. Honestly I had been looking forward to a spell battle with the man, but sometimes things don’t go according to our wishes.
In the aftermath of the battle while everyone was searching through the dead the mayor came across the crown for the kingdom. Not wanting to wear it he headed into another room with Kendrick and our friend Gandor, who had happily survived and made it to Vargas in time to rally some of the men who were former guards to the mayor’s cause. They returned a short time later with the mayor now wearing the crown, and he was now the king of Vargas.
It was at that time that Corith and Azreal returned from chasing Vicward, and upon seeing me looking at Nicolas’ spellbook he demanded that I hand it over to him. Perhaps he thinks I would steal the treasure away from him, or that he deserved it more but when I wouldn’t hand over the spellbook he shot me from point blank range with an arrow. I still refused to hand over the book, and laughed in his face when I reminded him that he couldn’t even read it now since he was without any magic to cast his read magic spell. That settled matters and although he was slow to act Corith did then intervene and step into the path of Azreal’s bow. The king looked none to impressed, but as I held the spellbook close I vowed to never again be as vulnerable again. He took advantage of the fact that I had no magic to shield me and I was at my weakest. This was a lesson that I will take with me until I draw my last breath. Never allow the lack of spells to be my undoing…
Fear. It can both rule the soul and spoil the possible moment of glory, twisting that soul and corrupting the person who could have been so much more. I am aware of my deepest fear, and had I strayed from my beliefs perhaps I too would have been lost. I can only speak for myself, but my fear of having my magic stripped from me was realized, and in the heat of the moment I did what my physical limitations would allow. I was no grand hero, in fact I played more the fool than anything, but I know I stood my ground in the face of my worst fear and overcame. Not all are so fortunate…
In the rush of bodies and adrenaline I was sweating as we entered the palace. The guards seemed numbed like myself and many didn’t move, while others dropped their weapons and walked away from the oppressive palace that had stolen their free will. Still Corith pleased with some to come with us, but they refused to listen to him and his pleas to help us right this terrible wrong. Perhaps a paladin’s ability to lead men is more closely tied to their god than any of them would care to admit.
Meanwhile Mathropoxx was literally stepping over guards who happened to be in his way, considering the useless soldiers as nothing more than gnats on the wall. It amazes me at times that he has such little concern for others while his blood is beginning to boil. I’ve yet to see him enter the trance-like state of an enraged berserker, but I feel that he may not be able to tell friend from foe while he lets that battle rage rule his body. I can only wonder what a thousand like-minded warriors could do to anything standing in their way.
As we followed the mayor into the throne room I could almost feel the pent up aggression in the air around me. Surrounded by men who knew only how to kill I suddenly realized that I didn’t belong with them, but fate had decided otherwise. As the soldiers clashed with the remnants of the king’s guard we entered the throne room alone with the mayor. Awaiting us was Vicward and the other adventuring group that had been tasked with various missions. They were in effect his team “A”, and now we on the “B” team had to finally engage them for supremacy.
Until that point in time I had never really appreciated the ferocity of battle that my companions fight with. In battle I must keep calm and not let my emotions get the better of me, or I wouldn’t be able to call upon my spells. Having been stripped of all my magic I was surrounded by men and women who were fighting with a bloodlust that is far beyond anything I can summon, and I truly believe that I was more of a hindrance than a boon to my companions.
Mathropoxx again displayed such skill, strength and bravery that I can scarce believe that the man has any sense for his well-being. He took great hits from one of their warriors that I was certain he would die from the impact, but instead of falling like lesser men he shrugged of the deadly blows and promptly caved in the man’s skull with a mighty swing from his battle-axe.
Azreal began the fight with his bow, but quickly switched to his odd grappling hooks, and although I don’t understand the reason behind the weapons, he used them to great effect keeping his opponents off guard and often on the ground. He quickly departed after Vicward, but his contribution the battle was noteworthy. I’m certain he’ll write a ballad about his actions that I’ll no doubt have to listen to him recount countless times in various inns and taprooms.
Corith fought like a man who had his soul on the line. He was the first into combat and once it had died down he also chased after Vicward. During the battle he took numerous arrow wounds from their ranger until he was able to almost decapitate the poor fellow. He wasn’t enraged like the others, instead he was filled with a righteous fury and I’m certain his god was proud of his holy warrior and the way he fought.
Ellie doesn’t fight. I believe she actually detests hand-to-hand combat, so watching her fight another deadly assassin had me worrying. Although she landed some solid hits on her opponent, she received more than a few back and I couldn’t help but intervene. My skills with my staff are sub-par, which is to be expected of a follower of Adoy, and without any spells I used what I had available. So when I cracked a jar of honey on the assassin’s head causing her to react and drop her dagger, Ellie moved in quickly and stabbed the woman in her throat.
My duty in the battle should have been to deal with Nicolas but he was also bereft of any spells or magic and although he caught me in the back of the neck with a dart Mathropoxx ended the mage rather unceremoniously. Honestly I had been looking forward to a spell battle with the man, but sometimes things don’t go according to our wishes.
In the aftermath of the battle while everyone was searching through the dead the mayor came across the crown for the kingdom. Not wanting to wear it he headed into another room with Kendrick and our friend Gandor, who had happily survived and made it to Vargas in time to rally some of the men who were former guards to the mayor’s cause. They returned a short time later with the mayor now wearing the crown, and he was now the king of Vargas.
It was at that time that Corith and Azreal returned from chasing Vicward, and upon seeing me looking at Nicolas’ spellbook he demanded that I hand it over to him. Perhaps he thinks I would steal the treasure away from him, or that he deserved it more but when I wouldn’t hand over the spellbook he shot me from point blank range with an arrow. I still refused to hand over the book, and laughed in his face when I reminded him that he couldn’t even read it now since he was without any magic to cast his read magic spell. That settled matters and although he was slow to act Corith did then intervene and step into the path of Azreal’s bow. The king looked none to impressed, but as I held the spellbook close I vowed to never again be as vulnerable again. He took advantage of the fact that I had no magic to shield me and I was at my weakest. This was a lesson that I will take with me until I draw my last breath. Never allow the lack of spells to be my undoing…
Chapter thirty
“Uneasy Alliance” … what keep our little band together? I know not..
There are far more important things in the world to worry about that simple treasure or pride, yet in the aftermath of being shot I find myself looking sideways at my companions. How can I trust them with my life if they’re willing to kill for loot yet to be distributed? I fear that a line was crossed and nothing can undo what was done. Now we venture forth together with new doubts clouding our minds, and I worry that the doubt will one day slow a sword or spell and someone will die because of it. I fear not dying on the road, but instead fear that I may one day regret an action that I may do…
After a day or so of celebrations we were again called upon to help this small kingdom. There was the issue of the baby whose powers would again begin to manifest unless they were suppressed until he was old enough to wield them with the knowledge of what they can do. My powers had returned with the morning sun and I can honestly say that I was enthusiastic to find a way to help. We had already learned of an old lady who was once a high priestess but now lived as an exiled hermit out somewhere in the wilds. Kendrick knew where we could find her, and at once we set off in search of her.
Grimmly changed back from being a ferret, and I wonder what kind of companion this Dwarf can possible be if he misses battles and still expects a share of the treasure. He is a stalwart companion when he is there, but already his strange affliction begins to disturb some of us. What happens if we are in the middle of a battle and he changes into a field mouse? If we were depending on him to be there and he changes, what happens if it costs one of us our life? Truly this is a worry.
We walked for hours in almost complete silence with nothing but our footsteps as the only sounds. We were all caught up with what had transpired and in the uneasy silence we were almost caught off guard. Nothing snuck up on us, but we almost missed the hermit’s little clearing as we all we caught deeply in our own thoughts. The old woman didn’t speak, and a sad game of charades was played as she agreed to make the serum to suppress the infant’s ability. Although we had to camp the night in the woods and wait for her, nothing extraordinary happened, unless you take into account the strange mist. It seems to knock all of us unconscious and when we awoke, we were all wearing pieces of each other gear or clothing. Although a comical start to the morning, it was none-the-less disturbing since we didn’t know the source or exact power of the strange mist. Wanting nothing to do with this forest or hermit, we quickly went back to the old woman’s hut and she gave us a case of potions for the infant. With that she dismissed us with a wave of her hands, and as I pressed her for more information I received a rock to my head for my troubles. The old woman would not be forthcoming with anything…
We brought the potion case straight to Kendrick, and were promptly dismissed and ushered out of the temple of Helgar. We had been expecting some gratitude, but instead simply received our royal seals and we told to go on our way. Having nothing pressing to do we celebrated at the Sunshine Willow inn to free drinks paid for by the Crown.
Another day dawned and we decided to follow whatever information we knew about the Black Snake group. Having been able to speak with the last assassin we decided to make for Fort Tourmi and head towards Baldagear where the last assassin had been paid. Corith being attacked by assassins was becoming an issue, and everyone thought it best to see what could be done. Ellie took an expressive stance on what she intended to do to every one of these amateurs.
As we walked along the road we came across two shady looking characters, they hadn’t done anything wrong, but some men radiate an aura that you can tell is bad. One of them muttered something to Corith and he seemed to take great exception to it. Without warning Corith swung his gauntleted fist into the man’s face, easily breaking his nose and shattering some teeth. He seemed to want to do more but Mathropoxx stepped between him and the man and shoved him away. Grimmly didn’t use any magic on the man to heal him, but he did help reset the wounds and give the man some herbs for his pain. In the ruckus Azreal pickpocketed the other man, and seemed content with his new treasure, but the rest of us were upset with Corith’s demeanor. As we walked away from the two men one of them shot a rock and hit Corith in the back of the head which enraged the paladin, but they two men were already running down the road. To say Corith’s mood was poor would be an understatement.
We arrived at the ferry crossing late in the afternoon, and the ferrymen was none-to-pleased to see me again. He refused to allow me passage, so in a fit of rage I cast sleep on the man and took the liberty to have Corith and Mathropoxx tow the barge across the river. I believe the man is upset over our last encounter, but he has learned nothing. Perhaps in the future he will be more civil with me, but I fear that this one has a skull thicker than a rock…
The day seemed to drag on until we came across four guards who already had their swords unsheathed. As the cautiously approached us they recounted a tail of orc brigands attacked travelers on the road and that we should be extra cautious. For some reason Corith, Grimmly and Azreal all seemed to want to have a war of words with the guards and things almost came to blows. We’ve made no friends this day with our combined actions, and I fear that if we don’t get into some kind of pitched battle soon we might begin to fight each other…
There are far more important things in the world to worry about that simple treasure or pride, yet in the aftermath of being shot I find myself looking sideways at my companions. How can I trust them with my life if they’re willing to kill for loot yet to be distributed? I fear that a line was crossed and nothing can undo what was done. Now we venture forth together with new doubts clouding our minds, and I worry that the doubt will one day slow a sword or spell and someone will die because of it. I fear not dying on the road, but instead fear that I may one day regret an action that I may do…
After a day or so of celebrations we were again called upon to help this small kingdom. There was the issue of the baby whose powers would again begin to manifest unless they were suppressed until he was old enough to wield them with the knowledge of what they can do. My powers had returned with the morning sun and I can honestly say that I was enthusiastic to find a way to help. We had already learned of an old lady who was once a high priestess but now lived as an exiled hermit out somewhere in the wilds. Kendrick knew where we could find her, and at once we set off in search of her.
Grimmly changed back from being a ferret, and I wonder what kind of companion this Dwarf can possible be if he misses battles and still expects a share of the treasure. He is a stalwart companion when he is there, but already his strange affliction begins to disturb some of us. What happens if we are in the middle of a battle and he changes into a field mouse? If we were depending on him to be there and he changes, what happens if it costs one of us our life? Truly this is a worry.
We walked for hours in almost complete silence with nothing but our footsteps as the only sounds. We were all caught up with what had transpired and in the uneasy silence we were almost caught off guard. Nothing snuck up on us, but we almost missed the hermit’s little clearing as we all we caught deeply in our own thoughts. The old woman didn’t speak, and a sad game of charades was played as she agreed to make the serum to suppress the infant’s ability. Although we had to camp the night in the woods and wait for her, nothing extraordinary happened, unless you take into account the strange mist. It seems to knock all of us unconscious and when we awoke, we were all wearing pieces of each other gear or clothing. Although a comical start to the morning, it was none-the-less disturbing since we didn’t know the source or exact power of the strange mist. Wanting nothing to do with this forest or hermit, we quickly went back to the old woman’s hut and she gave us a case of potions for the infant. With that she dismissed us with a wave of her hands, and as I pressed her for more information I received a rock to my head for my troubles. The old woman would not be forthcoming with anything…
We brought the potion case straight to Kendrick, and were promptly dismissed and ushered out of the temple of Helgar. We had been expecting some gratitude, but instead simply received our royal seals and we told to go on our way. Having nothing pressing to do we celebrated at the Sunshine Willow inn to free drinks paid for by the Crown.
Another day dawned and we decided to follow whatever information we knew about the Black Snake group. Having been able to speak with the last assassin we decided to make for Fort Tourmi and head towards Baldagear where the last assassin had been paid. Corith being attacked by assassins was becoming an issue, and everyone thought it best to see what could be done. Ellie took an expressive stance on what she intended to do to every one of these amateurs.
As we walked along the road we came across two shady looking characters, they hadn’t done anything wrong, but some men radiate an aura that you can tell is bad. One of them muttered something to Corith and he seemed to take great exception to it. Without warning Corith swung his gauntleted fist into the man’s face, easily breaking his nose and shattering some teeth. He seemed to want to do more but Mathropoxx stepped between him and the man and shoved him away. Grimmly didn’t use any magic on the man to heal him, but he did help reset the wounds and give the man some herbs for his pain. In the ruckus Azreal pickpocketed the other man, and seemed content with his new treasure, but the rest of us were upset with Corith’s demeanor. As we walked away from the two men one of them shot a rock and hit Corith in the back of the head which enraged the paladin, but they two men were already running down the road. To say Corith’s mood was poor would be an understatement.
We arrived at the ferry crossing late in the afternoon, and the ferrymen was none-to-pleased to see me again. He refused to allow me passage, so in a fit of rage I cast sleep on the man and took the liberty to have Corith and Mathropoxx tow the barge across the river. I believe the man is upset over our last encounter, but he has learned nothing. Perhaps in the future he will be more civil with me, but I fear that this one has a skull thicker than a rock…
The day seemed to drag on until we came across four guards who already had their swords unsheathed. As the cautiously approached us they recounted a tail of orc brigands attacked travelers on the road and that we should be extra cautious. For some reason Corith, Grimmly and Azreal all seemed to want to have a war of words with the guards and things almost came to blows. We’ve made no friends this day with our combined actions, and I fear that if we don’t get into some kind of pitched battle soon we might begin to fight each other…
Chapter thirty-one
“More or Less Right” … sometimes you’re right, sometimes you’re close enough that it counts anyways…
How many times in life are we faced with the reality that we must look into the mirror and deal with the monster that we’ve become? Perhaps that is why it is said that vampires have no reflection. Their souls are so far gone that they can no longer see themselves. The more I travel I find myself looking into the mirror less and less. Am I becoming something other than what I want? Or am I becoming what I was meant to be all along? That last option weighs heavily on my mind as I avoid looking into the mirror…
We made it to Fort Tourmi without further incidents, and the guards at the small fort were gruff but let us in without too much hassle. I can’t blame them for their disposition as the wilds around this place are filled with masses of orcs and creatures of nightmares. How else do you expect them to act towards a party of mercenaries such as ours? They fight to protect the land and its people, while we fight to enrich our pockets and power. It’s a sad reality when the men who give their lives willingly to the people are often despised by those same people, but that is the sad state of the world I guess.
While in the fort Corith was again attacked by another would be assassin. I would find it comical except for the fact they are actually trying to kill him, albeit clumsily. I was the quickest of my companions to react, and I cast a sleep spell on the man, and with the added bonus of also getting Corith who dropped to the floor like a metal covered stone. I doubt he appreciated my help, especially since it was probably an affront to his dignity, but I hope he understands that I was trying to help. Guards quickly took the would-be-assassin into their custody, so there would be no questioning done by our group, which is probably a good thing. Corith demanded the right to speak with the man, but the Captain in charge of the fort blatantly refused him because it was considered a conflict of interests. My thought line was more along what would he even tell Corith? Thankfully the man did have a letter of sorts on his person that described Corith along with a bounty on his head for five hundred gold pieces!
Ellie was able to talk her way through the guards to see the prisoner, and she described her conversation with him as congenial as she showed him a fake Black Snake tattoo that Azreal had drawn for her on her hip. The man spoke freely to her, and she was able to discern who to “visit” in Baldagear giving us an actual person to hunt down. Her vendetta against the Black Snake runs very deep, and her showing that much restraint shows that she wants to kill the head of the snake and not just their inept followers.
We left soon after, although my companions were displeased with leaving behind an assassin without dispensing their own judgment on the man. Perhaps it is best that the man face a real trial, as the evidence against him was stacked rather high, it is a foregone conclusion that he is a dead man already. Corith’s vengeful nature surprises me as he should be the first to suggest that the laws of the land must be upheld and the man granted a fair trial. Then again, I am not the one who is constantly facing a barrage of assassins, so perhaps he is right to want to strike back.
The trek to Baldagear passes without further incident, and as we approached the assassin’s nest, I couldn’t help but think that we were finally back on track, doing good by ridding this land of a band of assassins. Although on my first trip there I met a lovely young woman named Lenarki who seems fascinated by magic. She is the daughter of the merchant who runs the provision shop, and as we got ready to settle in for the night, I instead went to pay a visit to her and we had a delightful evening.
In the morning we set out looking for this farmer named John, and as we were asking about him, Roc the blacksmith came up to us. He told us that he had heard we were looking for John, and he described a man who had lost his two sons, had his crops fail and his wife left him. Still he told us where to find the man, and we went looking for him.
John’s farm was a sad affair, and anyone can plainly see the man is on hard times. What made matters worse was the fact that his daughter is sick. Under some duress he told us that the man who hired him was Roc, and that he was trying to save his farm and his daughter. He needed the money. We left him with a warning to never again accept an offer to do such deeds, and I felt that I had somehow failed the man. I’m not able to heal his child’s disease at the moment, as Adoy hasn’t seen fit to grant me such powerful prayers, but still… what good is a priest who can’t help the needy?
We returned to our inn for a midday mean after visiting John’s farm. The morning had been nothing more than a chase after a willow-of-the-wisp. While we were eating a man came into the inn and told us to leave the town now. Laughing him off he returning quickly with some friends of his, and the innkeeper told us to settle our dispute outside. As we exited the inn they quickly formed a semi-circle around Mathropoxx, Corith, Azreal and myself. Ellie had stayed inside to eat her meal while it was still hot, and Grimmly had again changed into another animal, this time a dung beetle. Mathropoxx attempted to dissuade them from fighting us, and at least convinced their leader to fight him one on one. What sort of farmer fights a seven foot tall barbarian with a pitchfork? I assume a man with no other options…
As Mathropoxx engaged the leader I saw the others begin to advance, and I quickly called upon my arcane magic and cast a sleep spell on five of them. Corith tried to talk the last one down from fighting, but he took a nasty pitchfork wound to the stomach for his efforts. How the thing found its way through his platemail is anyone’s guess, but it was a bloody mess! Battleaxe versus pitchfork didn’t last long, and as Mathropoxx sadly cut the man down, you could see the regret in his eyes. This man was no warrior, so killing him was almost a shameful deed.
Azreal and Corith overpowered the man who had stabbed Corith, and as they pinned him down Azreal took out Grimmly, who was still a dung beetle, and explained to the man that this was actually a brain beetle. The man quickly told us all he knew about Roc but instead insisted it was Kipreal who had sent these men against us, although it did take Grimmly being almost shoved down then man’s ear get the information. His screams for mercy troubled me, but in reality nothing was going to happen to him. Sometimes fear is the only alternative…
I was deeply worried… Kipreal was the owner of the provisions shop, and the father of Lenarki. First we would deal with Roc, then we would see to Kipreal. I dreaded getting Lenarki involved in such deeds, but if her father was a part of this assassins ring, then he too would be expected to meet justice. This little town had no law to speak of, so it was possible that the assassins ran this town. Not a wonderful thought when it’s where you are sleeping…
How many times in life are we faced with the reality that we must look into the mirror and deal with the monster that we’ve become? Perhaps that is why it is said that vampires have no reflection. Their souls are so far gone that they can no longer see themselves. The more I travel I find myself looking into the mirror less and less. Am I becoming something other than what I want? Or am I becoming what I was meant to be all along? That last option weighs heavily on my mind as I avoid looking into the mirror…
We made it to Fort Tourmi without further incidents, and the guards at the small fort were gruff but let us in without too much hassle. I can’t blame them for their disposition as the wilds around this place are filled with masses of orcs and creatures of nightmares. How else do you expect them to act towards a party of mercenaries such as ours? They fight to protect the land and its people, while we fight to enrich our pockets and power. It’s a sad reality when the men who give their lives willingly to the people are often despised by those same people, but that is the sad state of the world I guess.
While in the fort Corith was again attacked by another would be assassin. I would find it comical except for the fact they are actually trying to kill him, albeit clumsily. I was the quickest of my companions to react, and I cast a sleep spell on the man, and with the added bonus of also getting Corith who dropped to the floor like a metal covered stone. I doubt he appreciated my help, especially since it was probably an affront to his dignity, but I hope he understands that I was trying to help. Guards quickly took the would-be-assassin into their custody, so there would be no questioning done by our group, which is probably a good thing. Corith demanded the right to speak with the man, but the Captain in charge of the fort blatantly refused him because it was considered a conflict of interests. My thought line was more along what would he even tell Corith? Thankfully the man did have a letter of sorts on his person that described Corith along with a bounty on his head for five hundred gold pieces!
Ellie was able to talk her way through the guards to see the prisoner, and she described her conversation with him as congenial as she showed him a fake Black Snake tattoo that Azreal had drawn for her on her hip. The man spoke freely to her, and she was able to discern who to “visit” in Baldagear giving us an actual person to hunt down. Her vendetta against the Black Snake runs very deep, and her showing that much restraint shows that she wants to kill the head of the snake and not just their inept followers.
We left soon after, although my companions were displeased with leaving behind an assassin without dispensing their own judgment on the man. Perhaps it is best that the man face a real trial, as the evidence against him was stacked rather high, it is a foregone conclusion that he is a dead man already. Corith’s vengeful nature surprises me as he should be the first to suggest that the laws of the land must be upheld and the man granted a fair trial. Then again, I am not the one who is constantly facing a barrage of assassins, so perhaps he is right to want to strike back.
The trek to Baldagear passes without further incident, and as we approached the assassin’s nest, I couldn’t help but think that we were finally back on track, doing good by ridding this land of a band of assassins. Although on my first trip there I met a lovely young woman named Lenarki who seems fascinated by magic. She is the daughter of the merchant who runs the provision shop, and as we got ready to settle in for the night, I instead went to pay a visit to her and we had a delightful evening.
In the morning we set out looking for this farmer named John, and as we were asking about him, Roc the blacksmith came up to us. He told us that he had heard we were looking for John, and he described a man who had lost his two sons, had his crops fail and his wife left him. Still he told us where to find the man, and we went looking for him.
John’s farm was a sad affair, and anyone can plainly see the man is on hard times. What made matters worse was the fact that his daughter is sick. Under some duress he told us that the man who hired him was Roc, and that he was trying to save his farm and his daughter. He needed the money. We left him with a warning to never again accept an offer to do such deeds, and I felt that I had somehow failed the man. I’m not able to heal his child’s disease at the moment, as Adoy hasn’t seen fit to grant me such powerful prayers, but still… what good is a priest who can’t help the needy?
We returned to our inn for a midday mean after visiting John’s farm. The morning had been nothing more than a chase after a willow-of-the-wisp. While we were eating a man came into the inn and told us to leave the town now. Laughing him off he returning quickly with some friends of his, and the innkeeper told us to settle our dispute outside. As we exited the inn they quickly formed a semi-circle around Mathropoxx, Corith, Azreal and myself. Ellie had stayed inside to eat her meal while it was still hot, and Grimmly had again changed into another animal, this time a dung beetle. Mathropoxx attempted to dissuade them from fighting us, and at least convinced their leader to fight him one on one. What sort of farmer fights a seven foot tall barbarian with a pitchfork? I assume a man with no other options…
As Mathropoxx engaged the leader I saw the others begin to advance, and I quickly called upon my arcane magic and cast a sleep spell on five of them. Corith tried to talk the last one down from fighting, but he took a nasty pitchfork wound to the stomach for his efforts. How the thing found its way through his platemail is anyone’s guess, but it was a bloody mess! Battleaxe versus pitchfork didn’t last long, and as Mathropoxx sadly cut the man down, you could see the regret in his eyes. This man was no warrior, so killing him was almost a shameful deed.
Azreal and Corith overpowered the man who had stabbed Corith, and as they pinned him down Azreal took out Grimmly, who was still a dung beetle, and explained to the man that this was actually a brain beetle. The man quickly told us all he knew about Roc but instead insisted it was Kipreal who had sent these men against us, although it did take Grimmly being almost shoved down then man’s ear get the information. His screams for mercy troubled me, but in reality nothing was going to happen to him. Sometimes fear is the only alternative…
I was deeply worried… Kipreal was the owner of the provisions shop, and the father of Lenarki. First we would deal with Roc, then we would see to Kipreal. I dreaded getting Lenarki involved in such deeds, but if her father was a part of this assassins ring, then he too would be expected to meet justice. This little town had no law to speak of, so it was possible that the assassins ran this town. Not a wonderful thought when it’s where you are sleeping…
Chapter thirty-two
“Cleansing Fire” … there are many ways to cleanse the soul, sometimes the fires of retribution are the best…
I’ve always believed the ends justifies the means as long as it serves the greater good. My teachers taught me that there are times when one must be sacrificed to save the whole, and that as long as that sacrifice is not in vain, it is noble and worth the cost. My question has always been, what is the value of a single life? While hunting assassins I believe the greater good was severed, but at what cost?
After dealing with the mess of commoners and taking away their meager weapons, we headed towards the blacksmith. Unfortunately Roc saw us coming, and quickly ran into the sewers! We gave chase, but always seemed just a little too far back. Roc knew this territory and as it grew darker I called upon Adoy and cast a sphere of light to see with. Had I not cast the light spell, we wouldn’t have seen the crocodile like creature spring out of the water to attack Mathropoxx. Azreal quickly continued on after Roc, leaving us to deal with this nasty beast.
Mathropoxx got his huge frame in front of both Corith and I, and as it lashed out with its sticky, long tongue hitting him directly in the chest, his armor immediately dissolved into dust and fell off his frame! Moving to the side, trying to avoid unmentionable things in the muck of the sewer, the creature was an oddity. It looked like a crocodile, except a little larger and had white scales, as if it was an albino. Having seen it turn Mathropoxx’s splintmail to dust I cast a chromatic orb at the thing, but the spell isn’t one I’ve practiced much, and it missed the creature hitting the wall behind it. Adoy preserve my bumbling ways! Feeling as if I needed to do more, I called upon Adoy to help me, and summoned a spiritual hammer and hit the beast to little effect…
Mathropoxx was enraged at losing his armor and attacked the beast like a man possessed, and soon was covered with gore, so much so that Corith landed but a single blow against the beast. Having been upstaged by the barbarian Corith took the lead and headed after Azreal.
Azreal had entered a doorway and although I had created magical light, it couldn’t pierce the darkness. As the bard called for me to have my light counter the darkness I had a feeling it would fail, and as it entered the darkness and was extinguished I wasn’t the slightest bit surprised. Having no other options Corith led the way through the doorway and was stuck by two arrows from a trap he has sprung. His grunts in the darkness were all that I heard, as the man took the blows stoically. I can’t fault Azreal for missing the trap, as it was shrouded in total darkness that my spells could pierce.
We continued through the sewers, now using mundane torches to get by, and Azreal stopped us just in time to disarm another trap. The spiked ball coated with poison came down from the ceiling, and I was grateful that the entire passage wasn’t shrouded in darkness! We came across a dark body of water, and Azreal conveniently cast spider climb on himself so he could cross, but the rest of us were stuck with the thought of another trap or crocodile like creature perhaps waiting for us in the water. As Azreal decided to go on ahead and leave us brave the waters the barb became impatient and dove in! Turns out there were spiked deep in the water, and that they could be slowly walked around, but jumping on them caused the barbarian some deep wounds.
After wading through the water around the spikes, we came across another gap, this time it was a circular tunnel filled with spikes that were coated in what looked to be poison. It appeared as though Roc didn’t want to be disturbed when he was down here in his hideout! We successfully traversed the log and found a room where Roc had been keeping a secret lair. Inside we didn’t find much except for a letter addressed from Slaagul of Sirrey to Roc and Kipreal. We had found another link in the assassin’s ranks, only Roc had eluded us somehow in these tunnels…
I would like to say that we traversed the log safely a second time, but both myself and Corith managed to rub up against some of the spikes and we were poisoned! The burning sensation was horrific, but as it slowly ate away at my lifeforce I began to worry. Having lost Roc there was only one person left in Baldagear who might have an antidote and that was Kipreal. We headed for him as fast as we could, with both myself and Corith suffering the effects of the poison.
When we arrived at the bazaar Azreal asked to do the talking, but I would have none of his bartering, and confronted Kipreal for an antidote, and failed horrible. In the end I was told to keep Lenaki out of the shop as Mathropoxx was going to interrogate the fellow. They exchanged blows, and Kipreal even managed to cut the great barbarian with a knife, but Mathropoxx’s fists were too much for the man, and after knocking him unconscious and reviving him multiple times, he gave us some information on the Black Snakes, and told us that Roc was the leader of this circle here in Baldagear. What happened next still shames me for not stopping. So much could have been different…
With a determined stride Corith pushed past the barbarian who was done with the dazed merchant and pressed a sword into his hands. He yelled at the man to defend himself in honorable combat for sending assassins against him. Corith seemed enraged when the man at first wouldn’t use the sword and opted instead to pick up the dagger that Mathropoxx had knocked out of his hand. Still wobbly on his feet the merchant sneered at the paladin as he attacked. I was holding Lenarki back as she screamed for someone to intercede on her father’s behalf, but no one did, and this town has no guard… what took place was nothing short of a slaughter, and as Lenarki watched she damned me for doing nothing. Corith professed that it had been a warranted, honorable combat but all of my companions seemed non-committal and simply looked down at the floor and exited the bazaar.
Lenaki’s trembling form pushed past my numb hands as she went to her father’s corpse, tears streaming freely down her angelic face. The curses she was spewing at us, were nothing compared to the guilt of this supposed honorable combat. For certain the man deserved nothing less than death, but justice is swift and fair. This was brutal, slow and the favor tilted so far askew that even Adoy must frown on the paladin’s actions. Perhaps he looks at my lack of action as a failure on his part, but surely I must trust that a paladin knows right from wrong..?
I’ve always believed the ends justifies the means as long as it serves the greater good. My teachers taught me that there are times when one must be sacrificed to save the whole, and that as long as that sacrifice is not in vain, it is noble and worth the cost. My question has always been, what is the value of a single life? While hunting assassins I believe the greater good was severed, but at what cost?
After dealing with the mess of commoners and taking away their meager weapons, we headed towards the blacksmith. Unfortunately Roc saw us coming, and quickly ran into the sewers! We gave chase, but always seemed just a little too far back. Roc knew this territory and as it grew darker I called upon Adoy and cast a sphere of light to see with. Had I not cast the light spell, we wouldn’t have seen the crocodile like creature spring out of the water to attack Mathropoxx. Azreal quickly continued on after Roc, leaving us to deal with this nasty beast.
Mathropoxx got his huge frame in front of both Corith and I, and as it lashed out with its sticky, long tongue hitting him directly in the chest, his armor immediately dissolved into dust and fell off his frame! Moving to the side, trying to avoid unmentionable things in the muck of the sewer, the creature was an oddity. It looked like a crocodile, except a little larger and had white scales, as if it was an albino. Having seen it turn Mathropoxx’s splintmail to dust I cast a chromatic orb at the thing, but the spell isn’t one I’ve practiced much, and it missed the creature hitting the wall behind it. Adoy preserve my bumbling ways! Feeling as if I needed to do more, I called upon Adoy to help me, and summoned a spiritual hammer and hit the beast to little effect…
Mathropoxx was enraged at losing his armor and attacked the beast like a man possessed, and soon was covered with gore, so much so that Corith landed but a single blow against the beast. Having been upstaged by the barbarian Corith took the lead and headed after Azreal.
Azreal had entered a doorway and although I had created magical light, it couldn’t pierce the darkness. As the bard called for me to have my light counter the darkness I had a feeling it would fail, and as it entered the darkness and was extinguished I wasn’t the slightest bit surprised. Having no other options Corith led the way through the doorway and was stuck by two arrows from a trap he has sprung. His grunts in the darkness were all that I heard, as the man took the blows stoically. I can’t fault Azreal for missing the trap, as it was shrouded in total darkness that my spells could pierce.
We continued through the sewers, now using mundane torches to get by, and Azreal stopped us just in time to disarm another trap. The spiked ball coated with poison came down from the ceiling, and I was grateful that the entire passage wasn’t shrouded in darkness! We came across a dark body of water, and Azreal conveniently cast spider climb on himself so he could cross, but the rest of us were stuck with the thought of another trap or crocodile like creature perhaps waiting for us in the water. As Azreal decided to go on ahead and leave us brave the waters the barb became impatient and dove in! Turns out there were spiked deep in the water, and that they could be slowly walked around, but jumping on them caused the barbarian some deep wounds.
After wading through the water around the spikes, we came across another gap, this time it was a circular tunnel filled with spikes that were coated in what looked to be poison. It appeared as though Roc didn’t want to be disturbed when he was down here in his hideout! We successfully traversed the log and found a room where Roc had been keeping a secret lair. Inside we didn’t find much except for a letter addressed from Slaagul of Sirrey to Roc and Kipreal. We had found another link in the assassin’s ranks, only Roc had eluded us somehow in these tunnels…
I would like to say that we traversed the log safely a second time, but both myself and Corith managed to rub up against some of the spikes and we were poisoned! The burning sensation was horrific, but as it slowly ate away at my lifeforce I began to worry. Having lost Roc there was only one person left in Baldagear who might have an antidote and that was Kipreal. We headed for him as fast as we could, with both myself and Corith suffering the effects of the poison.
When we arrived at the bazaar Azreal asked to do the talking, but I would have none of his bartering, and confronted Kipreal for an antidote, and failed horrible. In the end I was told to keep Lenaki out of the shop as Mathropoxx was going to interrogate the fellow. They exchanged blows, and Kipreal even managed to cut the great barbarian with a knife, but Mathropoxx’s fists were too much for the man, and after knocking him unconscious and reviving him multiple times, he gave us some information on the Black Snakes, and told us that Roc was the leader of this circle here in Baldagear. What happened next still shames me for not stopping. So much could have been different…
With a determined stride Corith pushed past the barbarian who was done with the dazed merchant and pressed a sword into his hands. He yelled at the man to defend himself in honorable combat for sending assassins against him. Corith seemed enraged when the man at first wouldn’t use the sword and opted instead to pick up the dagger that Mathropoxx had knocked out of his hand. Still wobbly on his feet the merchant sneered at the paladin as he attacked. I was holding Lenarki back as she screamed for someone to intercede on her father’s behalf, but no one did, and this town has no guard… what took place was nothing short of a slaughter, and as Lenarki watched she damned me for doing nothing. Corith professed that it had been a warranted, honorable combat but all of my companions seemed non-committal and simply looked down at the floor and exited the bazaar.
Lenaki’s trembling form pushed past my numb hands as she went to her father’s corpse, tears streaming freely down her angelic face. The curses she was spewing at us, were nothing compared to the guilt of this supposed honorable combat. For certain the man deserved nothing less than death, but justice is swift and fair. This was brutal, slow and the favor tilted so far askew that even Adoy must frown on the paladin’s actions. Perhaps he looks at my lack of action as a failure on his part, but surely I must trust that a paladin knows right from wrong..?
Chapter thirty-three
“A stone underfoot” … why is it that sometimes we can’t see past our own egos to find the truth..?
Why is it that when faced with facts we often still refuse to admit the truth? There is so much in this world that is beyond our control, yet the truth is always right there. Fighting our own ego to accept that we are wrong is next to impossible. I am not without fault, but I worry that some of my companions refuse to see the truth of their actions and it may lead us down a road where we perish because of sheer ignorance.
Wanting to get some more answers out of this situation we headed to the Blacksmiths dwelling, hoping to find some answers. Ellie managed to break in, but was caught by someone who had been told to watch for intruders. The situation was beginning to get out of hand, and I didn’t want there to be any more bloodshed, so I took it upon myself to charm the man with a spell. A very non hostile Simon was pleasant to work with as he helped us clean the mess of the break in, and look around for clues as to where Roc would be hiding. When we found nothing of interest we decided that sleeping in Baldagear was a risk not worth taking, so I had Simon find us a suitable place to camp outside the town.
I’m a practical man, and having Simon there to guard me in my sleep felt like a good idea, especially since the spell was divine in nature, and I know the strength of my spells. My hold on Simon would be more than sufficient for him to guard me while I slept, but Azreal was totally unnerved by the thought of having someone else in our camp. We argued the point for what seemed like hours, but the thick headed bard refused to relent. Even threatening to kill the man if he stayed in the camp. Simon was nothing more than an innocent bystander who happened to be a thrall under my command for the time being, and I didn’t want to upset his life any more than necessary. Instead of letting him go, I had him head back to town to watch for Roc and make sure that the door that was broken gets replaced and no one loots the blacksmith’s home or shop. Giving him a couple of gold to get this accomplished I told him I would see him in the morning.
The worst part of this unnecessary movement was the fact that once Simon was gone Azreal had very little to recount and only gave us information that he had gathered that we already knew! There was no real reason to send off Simon other than to upset me and I was furious but said nothing. The bard’s view on magic is astonishingly inept! I’m no fighter like them, nor do I have armor or carry a weapon other than my staff. Summoning minions or charming others is exactly what I’ve been taught to do so that I remain out of actual combat as much as possible. Armadeous my faithful hound is another such being, only we are friends bound by a link from Adoy. He guards me while I cast spells, but I would like to keep anything we are fighting off of him if possible.
The night passed without incident, but my annoyance didn’t fade, if anything it grew more intense as I still don’t trust the bard after our little incident in the throne room. Heading by to Baldagear in the morning found a tired Simon sitting on the porch of the Blacksmith’s home, trying vainly to stay awake but none-the-less happy to see me. Giving the door an inspection for Simon’s behalf I told him he had done well and to keep the extra silvers as a reward. Then I told him to go home to bed, and keep out of trouble.
We left Baldagear soon after, I had tried to find Lenarki, but she was nowhere to be found, and I left the little town with nothing more than a new bag of regrets. Heading back to Vargas we planned to pass through Fort Tourmi and see to what had happened to the prisoner. The road was lonely and the weather was poor, it was as if we needed to be reminded that what had transpired in the little town had been nothing more than energy lost and we had alerted our enemies that we were on their trail.
Why is it that when faced with facts we often still refuse to admit the truth? There is so much in this world that is beyond our control, yet the truth is always right there. Fighting our own ego to accept that we are wrong is next to impossible. I am not without fault, but I worry that some of my companions refuse to see the truth of their actions and it may lead us down a road where we perish because of sheer ignorance.
Wanting to get some more answers out of this situation we headed to the Blacksmiths dwelling, hoping to find some answers. Ellie managed to break in, but was caught by someone who had been told to watch for intruders. The situation was beginning to get out of hand, and I didn’t want there to be any more bloodshed, so I took it upon myself to charm the man with a spell. A very non hostile Simon was pleasant to work with as he helped us clean the mess of the break in, and look around for clues as to where Roc would be hiding. When we found nothing of interest we decided that sleeping in Baldagear was a risk not worth taking, so I had Simon find us a suitable place to camp outside the town.
I’m a practical man, and having Simon there to guard me in my sleep felt like a good idea, especially since the spell was divine in nature, and I know the strength of my spells. My hold on Simon would be more than sufficient for him to guard me while I slept, but Azreal was totally unnerved by the thought of having someone else in our camp. We argued the point for what seemed like hours, but the thick headed bard refused to relent. Even threatening to kill the man if he stayed in the camp. Simon was nothing more than an innocent bystander who happened to be a thrall under my command for the time being, and I didn’t want to upset his life any more than necessary. Instead of letting him go, I had him head back to town to watch for Roc and make sure that the door that was broken gets replaced and no one loots the blacksmith’s home or shop. Giving him a couple of gold to get this accomplished I told him I would see him in the morning.
The worst part of this unnecessary movement was the fact that once Simon was gone Azreal had very little to recount and only gave us information that he had gathered that we already knew! There was no real reason to send off Simon other than to upset me and I was furious but said nothing. The bard’s view on magic is astonishingly inept! I’m no fighter like them, nor do I have armor or carry a weapon other than my staff. Summoning minions or charming others is exactly what I’ve been taught to do so that I remain out of actual combat as much as possible. Armadeous my faithful hound is another such being, only we are friends bound by a link from Adoy. He guards me while I cast spells, but I would like to keep anything we are fighting off of him if possible.
The night passed without incident, but my annoyance didn’t fade, if anything it grew more intense as I still don’t trust the bard after our little incident in the throne room. Heading by to Baldagear in the morning found a tired Simon sitting on the porch of the Blacksmith’s home, trying vainly to stay awake but none-the-less happy to see me. Giving the door an inspection for Simon’s behalf I told him he had done well and to keep the extra silvers as a reward. Then I told him to go home to bed, and keep out of trouble.
We left Baldagear soon after, I had tried to find Lenarki, but she was nowhere to be found, and I left the little town with nothing more than a new bag of regrets. Heading back to Vargas we planned to pass through Fort Tourmi and see to what had happened to the prisoner. The road was lonely and the weather was poor, it was as if we needed to be reminded that what had transpired in the little town had been nothing more than energy lost and we had alerted our enemies that we were on their trail.
Chapter thirty-four
“Heroes Stand” … knowing when to take a step back so others may step forward is key to any true friendship…
If I live to a thousand years old I will always remember the sights I witnessed this day. I can claim some small part in aiding a great victory, as so can Ellie and Azreal, but we are all candles to the bonfires that were Mathropoxx and Corith on this day. They did what all men wish to do, and that was create a lasting legend of themselves with the common man. Creating that separation from adventurer to hero, and no matter what happens from now until they pass, there will always be those who remember Fort Tourmi.
We trudged into Fort Tourmi to the sound of horns and drums rumbling in the distance. Only one thought stuck me, another orc invasion! I remember the sound of the drums while we ran for our lives in their mountain, barely escaping with our lives. Coming upon the circular fort and its wooden palisade I couldn’t help but think of the devastation of Barrnack and cringe. We were let in and told by a sergeant that we should ride straight through and tell those in Vargas that they were besieged, but our company refused to be cowed by orcs and decided to fight with them.
In preparation Corith hurried to their little church apparently he wanted to seek Helgar’s blessing prior to the battle, while my companions quickly began to form battle plans with the troops and their captain. Having not had time to prepare many battle spells I asked leave to go to the church to pray quietly to Adoy and see if I could help the few priests in the fort with their triage center that would be needed. No one seemed to care, so I left and headed towards the little church.
Inside I could feel the serenity you feel when you enter a blessed place, and although Helgar is not my god, I am able to feel his strength when in a sacred domain of his. To my astonishment an unarmored Corith was sweeping the dais with his head bowed as he mouthed what I can only assume were prayers to Helgar. I was dumbfounded but was interrupted by a young cleric who wanted to know what I wanted. I quickly introduced myself as a priest of Adoy and offered my assistance in getting them setup for the eventual wounded that would flood their doors. They accepted my help, and under my guidance I explained the different techniques and spells I had used in the field to treat some grievous wounds. They took all of this and I felt that I was actually helping the cause by giving them someone to lean on when the panic of battle would surround them. They were yet untested in battle, so it is as no surprise that they soaked in everything I was saying.
When I asked about Corith they simple shook their heads and said it was a penance between him and his god and that this would be one of many tasks on the road back to good graces. I wondered and quickly realized that our pally had perhaps fallen out of favor with Helgar! The worst thing was he needed Helgar’s blessing now more than ever… looking at his bowed head I couldn’t imagine what he was going through. I vowed to speak with him later.
The alarm horn was sounded and I nodded to the priests and headed out the door of the church to where I would be able to give a blessing to the archers and some of my companions. Knowing that this would be one of my only contribution to the battle I prayed fervently to Adoy to bless these brave men and guide their swings and shots so that we may see the glory of another sunrise. As the magic coursed through my body I could see the men’s faces light up with a new confidence that wasn’t there before, and knew that Adoy had answered my prayers.
Azreal had also gathered near me and as soon as I was done he began to play his lute, a haunting melody of courage and valor and I could feel it vibrate the strings of my soul and give me the will to face the coming darkness. This is the first time I’ve seen Azreal call upon the true power of a bard and for what it’s worth, this kind of magic has a power that is astounding to see.
Still there was one more of us who stood taller than everyone. Mathropoxx stood on the battlements and shouted, “If today is the day, give them hell!” and the men were awed by his form, as he had been stirring his berserker rage and now he appeared to stand ten feet tall. The men cheered as he raised his enchanted battle-axe to the sky in defiance of the orc horde that was then descending on the circular fort. His awe inspiring size was enough to rally the men, more so than Azreal or my magic.
Almost forgetting the plan, I quickly cast enlarge on the huge barbarian making him bigger still, creating a figure that was more myth than man. As the orcs began to swarm the palisade and the archers felled them by the hundreds, more began to pour over the wall. Yet wherever they seemed to gain a foothold there was Mathropoxx the giant stemming the tide and literally launching them back over, sometimes after cutting them in half.
Still the orcs began to take hold, and another form rose to the occasion. A paladin of Helgar took control of the palisade, directing men to different gaps, while closing others by himself. The men on the wall rallied around him when the blackness was coming close, yet wherever he walked orcs died and men found the courage to continue. It was as if chaos and law had joined forces against the orcs and somehow they kept back a tide that should have engulfed us all.
Even in the most valiant of stories, heroes often fall. Even as Sir Corith held off a group of orcs that wanted to attack Mathropoxx’s back, and Orog came over the side and jumped off the wall taking Corith down off the wall and onto the hard packed ground. Somehow in a move of sheer desperation Corith managed to turn the orog around in midair and landed on it. The fall killed the orog, but others had already made their way down from the wall to those of us who had been with the archers and wounded.
As I made my way up to the battlements with Armadeous by my side, I could see that the great barbarian was bleeding from so many wounds that would have easily killed anyone else. Yet he fought on without thought to pain or person, and I barely was able to put my hands on him and mumble a prayer to Adoy to heal him a little before he was gone into another batch of orogs who had managed to take a firm hold on one section of the palisade wall. The sheer violence of his attack almost stunned me, but I noted the figure of the falling paladin and sent Armadeous to guard him until I could get there. He wasn’t moving so I feared for the worst, and with one last look at the enraged barbarian who was hacking at the orogs with such ferocity I ran towards Corith.
I would be amiss if I didn’t mention my other companions, but like me, they will only be cliff notes in the story that will be told of this battle. Azreal and Ellie’s fingers were blistered and bleeding from the sheer amount of arrows they were filling the bodies of orcs and orogs with, and yet their impact was barely felt by the soldiers who stood shoulder to shoulder with them. The awe insipiring ferocity of the barbarian and the courage under fire of the paladin were the only thing the men were clinging to in the face of such a tremendous horde of evil.
I did manage to get to Corith with some help from my companions as they shot orc after orc who wanted to stop me. I healed him as best I could with my last healing spell, then shoved a healing potion down his throat. He sputtered a little, sat back up, took a swing from one of his own healing pots and dashed back up the narrow stairs to rally the men on top of the palisade. They cheered him as he fought his way up the stairs, and once he regained the wall it was as if the orcs finally realized that the price of this fort was too great. They began to retreat and still Mathropoxx and Corith slew them as they ran, until the barbarian fell over the palisade! It should have meant his doom, but he had landed on so many dead that he didn’t even feel the fall, and it was lucky that we were able to convince him that there were still some up on the palisade to fight or he would have continued to chase the orcs until they were back in their deep holes or he was dead.
The cleanup of the remaining orcs was a bloody affair, and I cast sleep on a few that tried to escape, but otherwise the battle was over. As soon as that realization hit the barbarian and there were no more orcs to battle his body shrunk back to normal size and with a sigh of exhaustion he collapsed in a heap of blood and sweat. He was on the brink of death as we fed him potion after potion, praying that he would pull through, and as he seemed to finally rest easy I sat back on my haunches and looked at the devastation around me. Out of the one hundred and fifty soldiers that manned Fort Tourmi only fifty were left standing, and of those twenty were badly injured and may or may not pull through. The orcs had easily lost ten times that number in the brutal assault, and yet it was only the two symbols on the palisade that seemed to make them waiver in their resolve to take the fort. Had the continued to press, eventually those two would have fallen, and they would have succeeded, but they couldn’t break them so instead they broke. It amazes what the human spirit can do in the face of such adversity, and how important such symbols are to men.
With nothing left to kill it was time to see to the wounded. I don’t deal with the dead, as the wounded take precedence, and I was up the rest of the night bandaging the wounded with the other priests. It wasn’t until the sunrise that I was able to find a corner to sleep in, grateful to see another glorious sunrise in what I hope to be a long life.
If I live to a thousand years old I will always remember the sights I witnessed this day. I can claim some small part in aiding a great victory, as so can Ellie and Azreal, but we are all candles to the bonfires that were Mathropoxx and Corith on this day. They did what all men wish to do, and that was create a lasting legend of themselves with the common man. Creating that separation from adventurer to hero, and no matter what happens from now until they pass, there will always be those who remember Fort Tourmi.
We trudged into Fort Tourmi to the sound of horns and drums rumbling in the distance. Only one thought stuck me, another orc invasion! I remember the sound of the drums while we ran for our lives in their mountain, barely escaping with our lives. Coming upon the circular fort and its wooden palisade I couldn’t help but think of the devastation of Barrnack and cringe. We were let in and told by a sergeant that we should ride straight through and tell those in Vargas that they were besieged, but our company refused to be cowed by orcs and decided to fight with them.
In preparation Corith hurried to their little church apparently he wanted to seek Helgar’s blessing prior to the battle, while my companions quickly began to form battle plans with the troops and their captain. Having not had time to prepare many battle spells I asked leave to go to the church to pray quietly to Adoy and see if I could help the few priests in the fort with their triage center that would be needed. No one seemed to care, so I left and headed towards the little church.
Inside I could feel the serenity you feel when you enter a blessed place, and although Helgar is not my god, I am able to feel his strength when in a sacred domain of his. To my astonishment an unarmored Corith was sweeping the dais with his head bowed as he mouthed what I can only assume were prayers to Helgar. I was dumbfounded but was interrupted by a young cleric who wanted to know what I wanted. I quickly introduced myself as a priest of Adoy and offered my assistance in getting them setup for the eventual wounded that would flood their doors. They accepted my help, and under my guidance I explained the different techniques and spells I had used in the field to treat some grievous wounds. They took all of this and I felt that I was actually helping the cause by giving them someone to lean on when the panic of battle would surround them. They were yet untested in battle, so it is as no surprise that they soaked in everything I was saying.
When I asked about Corith they simple shook their heads and said it was a penance between him and his god and that this would be one of many tasks on the road back to good graces. I wondered and quickly realized that our pally had perhaps fallen out of favor with Helgar! The worst thing was he needed Helgar’s blessing now more than ever… looking at his bowed head I couldn’t imagine what he was going through. I vowed to speak with him later.
The alarm horn was sounded and I nodded to the priests and headed out the door of the church to where I would be able to give a blessing to the archers and some of my companions. Knowing that this would be one of my only contribution to the battle I prayed fervently to Adoy to bless these brave men and guide their swings and shots so that we may see the glory of another sunrise. As the magic coursed through my body I could see the men’s faces light up with a new confidence that wasn’t there before, and knew that Adoy had answered my prayers.
Azreal had also gathered near me and as soon as I was done he began to play his lute, a haunting melody of courage and valor and I could feel it vibrate the strings of my soul and give me the will to face the coming darkness. This is the first time I’ve seen Azreal call upon the true power of a bard and for what it’s worth, this kind of magic has a power that is astounding to see.
Still there was one more of us who stood taller than everyone. Mathropoxx stood on the battlements and shouted, “If today is the day, give them hell!” and the men were awed by his form, as he had been stirring his berserker rage and now he appeared to stand ten feet tall. The men cheered as he raised his enchanted battle-axe to the sky in defiance of the orc horde that was then descending on the circular fort. His awe inspiring size was enough to rally the men, more so than Azreal or my magic.
Almost forgetting the plan, I quickly cast enlarge on the huge barbarian making him bigger still, creating a figure that was more myth than man. As the orcs began to swarm the palisade and the archers felled them by the hundreds, more began to pour over the wall. Yet wherever they seemed to gain a foothold there was Mathropoxx the giant stemming the tide and literally launching them back over, sometimes after cutting them in half.
Still the orcs began to take hold, and another form rose to the occasion. A paladin of Helgar took control of the palisade, directing men to different gaps, while closing others by himself. The men on the wall rallied around him when the blackness was coming close, yet wherever he walked orcs died and men found the courage to continue. It was as if chaos and law had joined forces against the orcs and somehow they kept back a tide that should have engulfed us all.
Even in the most valiant of stories, heroes often fall. Even as Sir Corith held off a group of orcs that wanted to attack Mathropoxx’s back, and Orog came over the side and jumped off the wall taking Corith down off the wall and onto the hard packed ground. Somehow in a move of sheer desperation Corith managed to turn the orog around in midair and landed on it. The fall killed the orog, but others had already made their way down from the wall to those of us who had been with the archers and wounded.
As I made my way up to the battlements with Armadeous by my side, I could see that the great barbarian was bleeding from so many wounds that would have easily killed anyone else. Yet he fought on without thought to pain or person, and I barely was able to put my hands on him and mumble a prayer to Adoy to heal him a little before he was gone into another batch of orogs who had managed to take a firm hold on one section of the palisade wall. The sheer violence of his attack almost stunned me, but I noted the figure of the falling paladin and sent Armadeous to guard him until I could get there. He wasn’t moving so I feared for the worst, and with one last look at the enraged barbarian who was hacking at the orogs with such ferocity I ran towards Corith.
I would be amiss if I didn’t mention my other companions, but like me, they will only be cliff notes in the story that will be told of this battle. Azreal and Ellie’s fingers were blistered and bleeding from the sheer amount of arrows they were filling the bodies of orcs and orogs with, and yet their impact was barely felt by the soldiers who stood shoulder to shoulder with them. The awe insipiring ferocity of the barbarian and the courage under fire of the paladin were the only thing the men were clinging to in the face of such a tremendous horde of evil.
I did manage to get to Corith with some help from my companions as they shot orc after orc who wanted to stop me. I healed him as best I could with my last healing spell, then shoved a healing potion down his throat. He sputtered a little, sat back up, took a swing from one of his own healing pots and dashed back up the narrow stairs to rally the men on top of the palisade. They cheered him as he fought his way up the stairs, and once he regained the wall it was as if the orcs finally realized that the price of this fort was too great. They began to retreat and still Mathropoxx and Corith slew them as they ran, until the barbarian fell over the palisade! It should have meant his doom, but he had landed on so many dead that he didn’t even feel the fall, and it was lucky that we were able to convince him that there were still some up on the palisade to fight or he would have continued to chase the orcs until they were back in their deep holes or he was dead.
The cleanup of the remaining orcs was a bloody affair, and I cast sleep on a few that tried to escape, but otherwise the battle was over. As soon as that realization hit the barbarian and there were no more orcs to battle his body shrunk back to normal size and with a sigh of exhaustion he collapsed in a heap of blood and sweat. He was on the brink of death as we fed him potion after potion, praying that he would pull through, and as he seemed to finally rest easy I sat back on my haunches and looked at the devastation around me. Out of the one hundred and fifty soldiers that manned Fort Tourmi only fifty were left standing, and of those twenty were badly injured and may or may not pull through. The orcs had easily lost ten times that number in the brutal assault, and yet it was only the two symbols on the palisade that seemed to make them waiver in their resolve to take the fort. Had the continued to press, eventually those two would have fallen, and they would have succeeded, but they couldn’t break them so instead they broke. It amazes what the human spirit can do in the face of such adversity, and how important such symbols are to men.
With nothing left to kill it was time to see to the wounded. I don’t deal with the dead, as the wounded take precedence, and I was up the rest of the night bandaging the wounded with the other priests. It wasn’t until the sunrise that I was able to find a corner to sleep in, grateful to see another glorious sunrise in what I hope to be a long life.