# The One True Game: According to Hoyle, and Others



## JoeBlank

If you felt the foundation of the very earth move this day, if you saw the Heavens open and a ray of light shine down on a suburb of Atlanta, if a certain grognard seems a little more cheerful, you may have already guessed that our very own diaglo realized his dream today. At his home, a small group of four players eventually swelled to seven, and The One True Game lived. Yes, the master himself ran a game of OD&D. And it went very well, I must say.

By way of introduction, I have played since first edition, but never played the true 1974 version of the game. Rules-wise, I am sold on 3.x. (My apologies to the referee for that blasphemy, and I won't use the term again in this story hour.) But to play under the enthusiasm and pure love of the game that our diaglo embodies was an opportunity I could not pass. 

This is my first story hour, although I have made contributions before. I invite the other members of the game to contribute here as well. Some of the characters are posted in this Rogues Gallery thread. For now, I am using the format of letters that my character hopes will one day reach home. 

The first couple of posts will be some brief background, and then we'll get started on the action.

On edit: In my excitement I almost forgot to mention that while there were seven players, an eighth chair sat empty, a little back from the table, in honor of Ryan/Angelsboi. This story hour is dedicated to the memory of the games and good times we shared.


----------



## JoeBlank

_*Chapter 1: Beginnings*_

The County Margrave has been at war. Lord Margrave and his men have won victory in a great battle, and have taken the fight to the enemy. Every experienced soldier has answered the call, leaving the County under the watch of those of little experience. Indeed, less than one in a thousand of those who remain has ever seen combat of any sort. The call has gone out for volunteers to report to the Keep Margrave. Others who were less willing have been conscripted into service. It is here that we will meet our heroes, on the road to the Keep to report for duty.

Our narrator is Dalin Hoyle. Dalin comes from a land-holding family, mostly several acres of apple orchards. They are not wealthy by any means, but far better off than most. He is the third son, and does not stand to inherit much, so he has sought his own fortune. For the past few years he had done well for himself making money the honest way, by gambling. Dice, cards, drinking contests, or just betting on everyday events, he doesn't care as long as he can game. He has had his ups and downs, but has always gotten by. Had to return home a few times, but never for too long. 

Recently his worst run of bad luck almost ended him up in debtors' prison. Thankfully, his father and older brothers taught him the basics of weapons and armor, and he has even competed in a few small tournaments. This background convinced the County of Margrave to offer him conscription into military service to satisfy his debts. He makes for the Keep wearing his brother's spare chain mail, and carrying his own sword and crossbow. His shield boasts the family standard, a green apple tree. Other than basic supplies, he has little else. Of course, he always tries to have a little walking around money, so he never has to turn down a bet.

Other members of the party have either been conscripted into service or have answered this Proclamation:

*Proclamation*​
*Be it known that the Lord Margrave has rallied his vast army and laid siege to the enemies of the free people.*​
*Therefore, it is with unbridled pride and devotion that I call upon the best and very formidable militia of this great land to fill the ranks of the departed army.*​
*All able bodied citizens of this land are expected to provide what assistance they may.*​
*Lady Devereaux, Castellan of Margrave Keep*​*Acting Authority in the Absence of Lord Margrave*​


----------



## JoeBlank

Dearest Father and Mother,

I hope this letter finds you well. Your young Dalin has much to tell you. Foremost, please thank my friend Brother Ben Selzkin for scribing these words. He has promised to teach me the ways of ink and quill, and considers this my first lesson. Ben is a good man, as you will see from the stories of our brief time together.

Only a few weeks ago I had rightfully won the service of a noble steed, complete with barding, and my breeches were filled with coin. On my way home to tell you of my good fortune I stopped in a small tavern and chanced to join an ongoing game of cards. Before the morn all of my hard-earned winnings were gone, and my vow to you was the only thing that kept me from placing my inherited chain mail and sword on the table. These I kept, but they would not have been enough to satisfy the debt I owed. As I promised you last winter, I did not come crawling home this time. Instead, conscription into the service of County Margrave was offered, and I accepted.

With directions to the Keep, I began a walk of several days. Rumors I heard along the way, of others answering the call to duty, but I saw none of these until the Keep was nearly in my sight. Near dusk the path through the forest narrowed, and the light of a campfire on the trail was a beacon for this noble soldier and three others. Before I could make the acquaintance of my fellow soldiers a ranger by the fire called out a warning of goblins the area. He called himself Serda, and his guide was an ox of a man called Pendra. We had not yet reacted to their instructions when foul little red-skinned creatures came at us from the trees on both sides.

Let not your heart be troubled, for your son lives to send you this letter. While I feared for my life, the training offered by you, Father, and by my brothers, allowed me to keep my wits while the beasts fired arrows from every direction. Almost instantly, a low-born conscript who I would come to know as Igor climbed into a near tree and dropped one of the goblins. I swear to you now that I later witnessed this hunchback leap into the branches of the next tree to attack a second of the monsters. Another recruit I later learned was an excellent archer by the name of Dram Smith moved through forest, loosing arrows at every turn.

Those days in the orchard served me well, as I too had to climb into a tree and teach my sword the taste of goblin blood. In short order we had slain seven goblins. I even managed to drop one with my crossbow as he fled. Three goblins escaped, one of them apparently the leader of the bunch. Pendra took a nasty wound and went down, but Serda administered some form of medicine that renewed his vigor. Brother Ben, a man of the cloth, took an arrow in the rear and went down as well. With the goblins likely the regroup, we made for the Keep in haste, Pendra carrying Ben.


----------



## biorph

*Again, it's pronounced Eye-gor*

To look at Igor one wouldn't make much of him. One eye is all white with cataracts, the other appears to be lazy and wanders all over. He hobbles with a pronounced limp, making his movement more of a onelegged skip than anything else. He has a shield on his arm which hangs limp apparently useless. On his belt are a sword (with several notches from a recent battle) and a dagger. He wear some faded leather armors and a backapck, both of which fit poorly over the large hunch in his back.

He talks with a raspy voice as though he is constantly out of breath and his laugh has been described as maniacal and disturbing (especially when inexplicably leaping from tree to tree killing goblins, laughing the whole time) 

He is the party cook, and is (in)famous for his bean casarole (seven kinds of beans, plus several things that look like beans) and newly appointed quartermaster for the group. Also his background with the wilderness makes him the only one in the outpost even remotely capable in a forest or other wilderness.


----------



## JoeBlank

We arrived at the Keep, but Pendra and Serda turned back to check for other conscripts reporting for duty. After being welcomed and shown to our bunks, we continued our introductions. As I mentioned before, the archer was Dram Hammersmith, a burly man covered in furs and skins. Igor spoke in a raspy, hissing voice and assured me that he was in not way capable of leaping any distance, much less from one tree to another, and that I must have imagined such a feat in the confusion of battle. He and I had both been quick thinking enough to grab a few items off some of the fallen goblins, and I offered to bet a small coin purse I had found against a similar pouch he had procured in a simple dice game. Despite his efforts to cheat, I still beat him fairly, winning a few coins and the knowledge of his true character.

Brother Ben was still quite injured, and we were introduced to Brother Hetrick, who administered some herbs and advised him to rest. This we all attempted, but it seemed like only a couple of hours before we were awakened by our screaming Sgt. Guido. He kindly advised us of our collective worth, and that we were to report immediately for an assignment at Outpost Xavier. Of the twenty-six outposts around the Keep, I know Outpost X to be the worst possible assignment. Practically on the battle lines, and the days’ journey there is a peril in itself.

Report we did, although Ben tried to talk some sense into the Sarge, even providing him with a note from Brother Hetrick. This only brought him disfavor, although he quickly rose to his station on the march, lifting the spirits of the men and offered to act as and advisor and healer for them. There were twenty of us, plus Guido, and I dare say those that I have named already were the only ones to have ever seen an iron weapon, much less wielded one in battle. Farmboys would be a complimentary term for this bunch. Dram and I began making efforts to get the men in line, to impose some sort of order on the group. Sgt. Guido apparently took note of our efforts, for the three of us were soon rewarded with field promotions. Brother Ben was put in charge of wound dressing and healing, being the only one of us with any such knowledge. Dram was made Corporal of the Watch, and your own proud son is now Corporal of Arms. 

On the way to the Outpost we met them we were to replace, or what was left of them. They were battered and wounded, many of them not likely to survive the trip back to the Keep. They had nothing to offer us in way of supplies, and indeed told us they had given everything, weapons and supplies, to a giant who was tormenting the Outpost. This creature was said to be over twice the size of a man, and intelligent enough to demand that items of value be given in exchange for the lives of the men of the Outpost. 

Once in sight of Outpost X we could witness with our own eyes the damage done. What was once a three-story stone tower was now missing most of the upper level. A 200 foot radius around the tower was cleared of growth and of rubble from the tower, and the door was falling from the hinges. A quick inventory told us that we had enough food for about a week, but we decided the door was the more urgent matter. Dram took charge of these efforts, and we managed to find a few farmhands who had mended fences before. Of course, what we needed was a reinforced wooden door that could hold back attackers.

Igor began scouting the area for useable herbs and food, having some knowledge in this area, and he also set some traps for small animals. I attempted to train some of the men to use the weapons they had, spears among the best of them, simple sticks and clubs for most of the others. Igor had salvaged a sword and shield from one of the goblins, and I assigned these to young Vosh, who appeared to be the most able-bodied of the bunch. Ben advised us that the water was fit to drink, despite the murky color and bitter taste. Dram had only four archers, plus one boy with a sling. We agreed that each of us would be in charge of a watch once night fell.

I went to report our progress to Sgt. Guido, recalling that he had hurried to the roof upon our arrival and had not been seen for some time. Any optimism our efforts had given me was soon quashed when I found Guido passed out and smelling of a drink most foul. I dared to taste the stuff myself, and was lucky enough to vomit it back up. The spirits for more fit for use to flame arrows and such, and I gave it to Dram for that purpose. Guido I handed over to Ben, who examined him and advised that he did not show signs of being a habitual drinker. Giving our commander the benefit of the doubt, I still recommended that Ben consider himself authorized to declare Guido unfit for duty should the need arise.


----------



## JoeBlank

Late in the day, the repairs to the door were nearly complete. A member of Dram’s watch signaled that he heard a sound. Others agreed there had been a male voice from down the road on which we had arrived. Dram advised that the door was serviceable, but may not hold. Determining that action was needed, I took Vosh and headed to investigate. The bold Igor volunteered to join us. We departed, and the door to the Outpost was closed behind us.

A short distance down the path we came upon the body of a man. I instructed Vosh to guard the perimeter of the clearing, where he could just see the body a short distance away. Investigation revealed him to be one of those who had left the Outpost earlier in the day, a deep slash wound across his chest. He still wore his leather armor but was without the sword I was certain he had before. While preparing carry the body back, we heard crashing in the woods behind us.

On my honor as a Hoyle, I swear to you, my own parents, that the warnings we had heard were true; the creature, this giant, stood no less than the height of two men. A barrel-chested beast, his head was above many of the trees. As Igor and I began to lift the body of the fallen man, we turned to see Vosh was already at the gate, standing in a pool of his own urine. We moved quickly to join him, and the body of another of our departed men sailed over our head, smashing into the wall of the tower. Once we were inside with the gate bolted we were glad to hear that the giant had wandered off. If he meant only to strike fear in our hearts he met with great success. The men we had worked so hard to motivate were again shaken and losing confidence in our chances. It was an effort on my part not to let them know how much I shared these feelings. 

Our preparations and repairs continued in earnest, for now we had seen the true threat to our safety, and our lives. The work on the door was completed, and Igor continued work on his traps. I learned that his field promotion had been to the position of Quartermaster, and he was turning out to be quite resourceful. Dram did an excellent job of reorganizing his watches, as they were becoming out of sorts. Brother Ben had put the men through some sort of test of thinking ability, and had enlisted as his aides three brothers (in the familial sense of the word): Goodrich Greslam, Rizzle Greslam and Grizzard Greslam.

Night came, but I found myself unable to sleep. Volunteering to assist in watch duties turned out to be my good fortune, for I was awake when the excitement began. A light mist was falling, and through the woods we heard a great deal of movement coming down the path. This was surely no giant, but from the sound we made it to be a force of more than two dozen man-sized creatures, heading our way in a hurry.


----------



## howandwhy99

*Bumping for Brother Ben*

At age 25, Brother Ben Selzkin has spent the last 9 years living with clergy in the local priestly temple. After long days spent washing stone floors, piling hay for the horses, cleaning the stables, tending the fire in the kitchen, scrubbing pots, mending robes, memorizing verses, kneeling in prayer, assisting in services, collecting alms, running messages, and generally fulfilling the fathers' every need, he felt a yearning desire to experience life outside of the temple. 

During his studies he has, on occasion, spent time with others in his family who have travelled to meet him. As the 5th child 3rd son of 17, Ben has fallen out of contact with several brothers and sisters who have moved away for many a reason. His parents work as horse trainers, grooming and feeding a herd for a large manor house some distance away. Ben still harbors fond memories of growing up on the horse farm: sleeping in the hay, eating his mother's cooking, and playing games outside with other children. 

Well known for his quick smile, soft words, easy temperment, Brother Ben has an unfortunate tendency torwards clumsiness. Having spent long years confined to the temple grounds his appearance is somewhat unpolished and his palor a bit off, but his friendly ways more than compensate having won him the friendship of several frequent visitors. He typically wears brown robes or a tunic and breeches like most others in the temple's service. On what he would do if he left, however, he is still unsure.


----------



## howandwhy99

*Adding this for Loki44*

Dram Hammersmith

Dram is a tall, rangy youth of about 19 years (6’4”, 200 lbs.). He’s not a bad looking guy but isn’t particularly striking apart from his height and piercing bright green eyes. He has long blonde hair which is usually plaited in a single braid on the left side of his head. He sports a wispy goatee on his chin, but doesn’t shave and can’t grow a full beard or mustache yet. Dram is well-built and quite strong, especially for his age. He hasn’t yet realized the full extent of his strength however and doesn’t boast or make a show of it. Over his coarse linen undergarments he wears a pair of thick leather leggings made of bear hide, with his upper-body covered by hardened, yet flexible, pieces of various animal hide (whale, seal, mastodon, etc..), all skillfully stitched together with caribou sinew. His hooded fur cloak is fashioned out of fox, rabbit and beaver pieces patched together into a single garment. He wears homespun woolen stockings, badly in need of darning, beneath his knee-high polar bear boots (yes, white boots, now somewhat grayish and dingy, but he’s damn proud of ‘em!). His outfit is trimmed here and there with bits of fur and he wears a necklace made of bears’ claws (a gift from his dearly departed mother). Dram tends to carry his bow in-hand. His sword is sheathed across his back, next to his quiver, and his war hammer rests in a belt-loop at his side.

BACKGROUND
Both of Dram’s grandfathers came to the County of Margrave as young men (they were cousins). His father’s father, Fenn, and his mother’s father, Wonn, were among the first settlers in the Borderlands. They came from the north armed with a burning desire to forge a new and more prosperous life for their families. Together they established a solid reputation as trustworthy, hardworking and reputable blacksmiths. Their smithy soon became well-known throughout the County. Fenn’s eldest son, Gil, and Wonn’s eldest daughter, Helga, were promised in marriage in order to weld together the dynasty they had sparked. Gil and Helga begot two sons. The elder was named Tankurd and the younger, Dram. As fate would have it, Helga died at the same moment Dram sucked life from this world. Gil was never the same. He became obsessed with his work, often working til dawn. As Tankurd and Dram were toughened over the fires of their father’s madness they grew in strength. The endless pumping of bellows and hammering of iron and steel were only tempered by their father’s enduring devotion to their mother, his tireless pursuit of perfection, and the inner strength they gleaned from the family worship of Thor, the Leveler. As Tankurd and Dram grew into manhood the Borderlands began to change. Most of the young men in the County were being called to duty on the frontiers, and most were not coming home…..at least not whole. There was an increased demand for weapons, armor and all the trappings that a larger militia required. The situation was ripe for business-minded men to make a killing. Gil Hammersmith was not among them. A rival smithy, the Skun Brothers Armoury, took advantage of the situation. They imported cheap goblin labor to work at their forges. Gil refused to do the same. All the lucrative commissions passed him by. He was reduced to shoeing horses, mending hoes and repairing hinges, mostly in return for eggs, milk, meat or whatever else was needed for survival. As a result, Gil could no longer pay his taxes, which were ever-increasing to fund the Count’s seemingly futile war efforts. Dram’s older brother, Tankurd, was conscripted and his whereabouts are still unknown. After Tankurd left for the frontier, Gil sank further into despair. One particularly dismal night, when tax collectors approached him in the smithy, he went crazy and beat them senseless with his hammer. Dram tried to fight off the reinforcements but was soon subdued and unceremoniously conscripted into the militia. His last vision of home was his father being dragged, kicking and screaming, off to the county jail where he will stay until Dram can pay off his debt. Dram is torn in two directions: home, towards his father, and forward, towards his brother. Only Urth, Verthandi and Skuld know what awaits in the Borderlands!


----------



## JoeBlank

Coming out of the trees, from down the path, and running towards the outpost, were twenty-one men. Or I should say twenty men and one dwarf. (I have been using men to refer to my fellow soldiers, but our eventual number included four women. They stand their watches and acquit themselves well, and I consider them “men” in the racial sense of the word, and soldiers in every sense of the word.) The red-haired dwarf was heavily armored, wearing plate, carrying a shield and a warhammer, and his stout legs seemed to struggle to keep up with the others. As we opened the gates we saw that they ran in fear, for they were being followed closely by a pack of wolves that had them easily outnumbered. 

The dwarf was the last one in the door, due in part to his slow pace but also to his desire to insure that the others were seen to safety. We managed to close it behind him only seconds before the wolf pack split and seemed to surround the outpost. As quickly as they came, the growling dogs departed, simply going around the outpost as if it were an obstacle. And they had good cause for their haste, for close on their heels was a threat to all living creatures. The giant had returned. 

Dram and his archers were already making their way towards the arrow slits, preparing to fire on the wolves, and now they turned attention to a much bigger target. It was too dark to make out the creature clearly, and I saw little for myself. In the bottom floor of the tower, the new unit was in chaos, and they had brought with them pack animals and a great deal of supplies. The mules were the giant’s goal, and he began shouting in the common tongue “Give me what is mine! Give me the animals!”

Understand that the desire to give in to his wishes was strong in all of us. One had only to look at the ruined top third of the outpost to see the consequences of refusing him. But we could see too that he would never be satisfied. The previous unit had given over all of their supplies, leaving Outpost X nearly barren, and yet now he was returning for more. Our assignment is to man and protect this outpost, and we were determined to do our duty. 

I began shouting to the new arrivals to take up arms and help me protect the gate. They were slow to react, and seemed to not know what to do. There were pole arms and spears which could be used to brace the doors, if only someone would bring them. The dwarf, who I later learned is called Darius, took up a bow and made for a position to fire on the giant, his race’s mortal enemy. Dram was already in position, and he lit his arrows so that they might serve as beacons for the others to fire on. His first two shots fell well short, as the giant stayed outside the clearing, a short distance into the trees. 

From inside the door, I could not see what was happening, but I felt and heard the boulders the giant was throwing at our new home. BOOM! I thought the walls would crumble for certain. He had aimed for Dram’s position, and managed to cave in the wall there. Still, the archers continued to fire, and I continued to shout orders at the men on the bottom floor. A few were actually beginning to respond, while others were rushing to unload the mules, in fear that we would give in to the giant’s demands. Darius managed to connect with a flame arrow, hitting the giant square in the chest. BOOM! The giant returned fire on the dwarf’s position, knocking Darius down to the ground floor. The armored dwarf hit hard, obviously shaken, but he got up quickly and made for another arrow slit.

BOOM! Another hit, just above my position. Stones and debris fell on me, and I ordered the men to use the rocks to bar the door. The dwarf’s burning arrow made a perfect target for Dram, and he connected with two more, clearly wounding him. The three arrows were no where near enough to kill the giant, but he did not expect to be met with such a fight. He turned and began to lumber away. 

Once we realized that he was leaving, we were too exhausted to shout and relish our victory. Brother Ben made a quick survey of the wounded, and learned that we had lost one man to the attacks, crushed by the stones thrown by the giant. 

The new unit was led by Corp. Chervac. I asked him about Guido, and he had served with our Sergeant. He swore that Guido was not known as a drinker, but suspected that he had lost hope. Surely his assignment to Outpost X, with such green troops, was meant as a punishment or revenge of some sort, if not a death sentence.


----------



## JoeBlank

Darius had already demonstrated his combat prowess, but we soon learned that there was even more to this dwarf. He pulled Brother Ben aside, having seen that Ben was working to nurse the wounded to health while he himself still suffered from the wound he received fighting the goblins. Darius called upon the power of his god, Thor the Thunderer, and laid his hands upon Ben. There was a flash of light and Ben was restored nearly to full health. Many of the recruits witnessed this act, and were in awe of the dwarf's presence. He took the opportunity to talk with Vosh, the man I had been attempting to motivate for the better part of two days now. I could see that Darius had a natural ability to inspire the men, and while I found myself lacking this quality I too was impressed by him, and hoped that we had found something we had been lacking.

By morning we began finding roles for ourselves, and attempting to get the Outpost in order. This was quiet a task. Dram and Darius began looking at the structure itself, seeking ways to repair walls and the murder holes. Quartermaster Igor took ten men and began digging pit traps around the perimeter of the Outpost, although we lacked the proper tools for digging. I took ten men and two women and began training them with polearms and pikes. Brother Ben took Vosh (at my request) and the three Greslam brothers to assist him in preparing graves for the four fallen men.

Mirel and Kayla, two of the women from Cpl. Chervac's group, began to take charge inside the Outpost, caring for the animals and taking inventory. The list they prepared showed how carefully we would need to govern ourselves. We had:

12 handaxes

11 shortbows

51 score arrows

2 barrels of oil

100 torches

1 barrel of pitch

500 feet of rope

12 mules

24 saddlebags

4 polearms

12 pikes

7 beds in the infirmary were occupied, plus Sgt. Guido was still sleeping there, leaving 12 beds free.

An abundance of firewood, although most of it from freshly fallen and green wood

About one week worth of food.

Fresh grain and feeds

A roll call turned up 41 souls:

Sgt. Guido
Cpl. Chervac
Cpl. of the Watch Dram Smith
Cpl. of Arms Dalin Hoyle
Quartermaster Igor
Brother Ben
Kayla
Mirel
Darius, Hammer of Thor (the only Dwarf)
28 unskilled men 
4 unskilled women
7 comatose men

casualties:

3 unknown soliders from the previous detachment
1 man from Sgt Guido's unit

Cpl. Chervac filled us in on our situation. "You are the best of the rest. The army has gone off to fight the war. We are here to insure the peace. Keep Margrave is on the Borderland of the Wilds. There are 26 Outposts in a line along this border that report directly back to the Keep. If they should fall... (a worried look crept into his face). We are just as likely to face bandits, elves, creatures of the forest. As we are to face Orcs, goblins, and their like. A Giant is unusual. And thus why the second unit was sent under my command.”

“I don't know whether we can expect more supplies or if we should be prepared to fend for ourselves. I was instructed to bring the supplies and the reinforcements to aid Sgt Guido. Normally we do 1 month stints at the Outposts. With couriers sent to the Outposts only when new orders are issued or from the Outpost when new confirmed information is to be passed back to the Keep. The Keep already knows about the Giant from Brother Thom."

While going about our morning's activities we began to face the fact that this would be our routine, fending off attacks in the night, making repairs and burying the dead during the day. At least until we took the initiative and did something about our tormentor. We began work on a plan to take the fight to the giant. 

Your faithful son,

Cpl. Dalin Hoyle


----------



## howandwhy99

*Brother Ben uncramps his writing hand*

*[Session 1 - end]*

*[Session 2 - begin]*


----------



## diaglo

howandwhy99 said:
			
		

> *Brother Ben uncramps his writing hand*




don't forget Brother Ben you have almost 40 more souls who want something written too....


----------



## MonsterMash

Nice story hour. Which of the named characters are the PC's


----------



## diaglo

MonsterMash said:
			
		

> Nice story hour. Which of the named characters are the PC's



so far...


Dalin is JoeBlank
Brother Ben is howandwhy99
Dram is loki44
Darius is skryaper
Igor is biorph
Kayla is (i'm not sure if she has a screen name here)
Mirel is AllanyaKT
Blackleaf is Olgar Shiverstone

and diaglo is the referee


----------



## MonsterMash

Thanks Diaglo, 

Next question is  which of the supplements are you using from OD&D: Greyhawk; Blackmoor; Eldritch Wizardry; Gods, Demi-gods and Heroes? 
And any material from the Strategic Review or Chainmail for combat?


----------



## diaglo

MonsterMash said:
			
		

> Thanks Diaglo,
> 
> Next question is  which of the supplements are you using from OD&D: Greyhawk; Blackmoor; Eldritch Wizardry; Gods, Demi-gods and Heroes?
> And any material from the Strategic Review or Chainmail for combat?




yes.  

we are using parts of all 4 Supplements plus TSR 1-4. and Chainmail. and also Outdoor Survival.

not really using Supplement 5 Sword & Spells, but we haven't had any mass combat yet.


----------



## JoeBlank

_And now back to our story . . ._

Dearest Mother and Father,

I am still well, and things have progressed here at Outpost Xavier. We are managing to establish a foothold, but it seems the more we accomplish the more mysteries we uncover. But I am getting ahead of myself. Allow me to begin where my last letter left off.

As I said before, we were each going about our chosen or assigned tasks, attempting to get the Outpost into working order. Igor was sent to scout for the giant, or any trace of him, while the we discussed plans for dealing with the beast. We all agreed that simply doing nothing and allowing his continued assaults would not work. Learning more about where he lived would help us decide whether launch an attack there or to set some form of trap for him at the Outpost. Suggestions included ropes or a log roll to trip him up. Darius knew that as a dwarf the giant and he shared a mutual hatred, so he volunteered to engage him in melee to lure him into whatever trap we could create. As the next most able-bodied swordsman, I agreed to aid him in any way I could. Dram and his archers would attack from the Outpost, with us using fire to illuminate the giant.

Our discussions were interrupted by Cpl. Chervac calling an assembly of everyone present. He advised that he was stripping Sgt. Guido of command for dereliction of duty. The drink had gotten the best of him. Known as Dargoth's Breath, this dwarven spirit was known to burn the insides of normal men. Chervac told us that Guido had volunteered to be sent to Outpost X, and appeared to have a death wish that would soon be granted, as he could not be healed from the effects of the Dargoth's Breath. In fact, he was now blind. I suggested that we provide him to opportunity for an honorable death, but in this state he was not capable of much. He did not put up any fight and simply stood his ground, head down, while Chervac delivered the news.

We now needed a new commander, and it was soon agreed that the dwarf was well suited for this role. Sgt. Darius took to the position well, asking that we each report our positions and duties. He then proposed that we send the majority of the mules back to the Keep, before we ran out of food for them. The young girl, Mirel, who had arrived with him volunteered for this job, as she had a mule of her own and seemed to know how to handle the animals. A list of needed supplies was prepared, including requests for shovels, pole axes, blacksmithing tools, grain, and supplies to build siege weapons; and a report of the damage was added. We also decided to send the bodies back for proper burial. The six men in the infirmary would have to remain, as Brother Ben advised they would not survive the journey. 

It takes about a third of a day to reach the keep, and midday was almost upon us, so we quickly began packing to send them off, with the intent that they remain overnight and return on the morrow. One of the men, Ord Smitty, noted that Igor, our usual cook, had still not returned from scouting, and so began preparing a meal in his absence. I returned to drilling a team of ten men on setting pikes against a charge, in the hopes that they could at least protect the door if the giant returned.

Wondering about Igor, Darius used his hammer to sound a signal by banging on the oil pot. There was initially no answer, but shortly thereafter the watch sighted an arrow flying our way from the southeast. When it hit the wall we could clearly see that it was covered in dung, an signal Igor had planned to use only if he was in dire trouble.


----------



## JoeBlank

Sgt. Darius quickly grabbed his hammer and told me to follow him. We left the safety of the Outpost, with instructions for the archers to be ready to cover us. A short distance into the trees, I spotted Igor high in the branches, crouched down as if hiding. I loaded my crossbow and looked for the cause of his fear.

We were only a few hundred feet from the Outpost and there they were, orcs with dark green skin, carrying an array of weapons and outfitted as if ready for battle. They all had the image of skull on their chest. By the time we saw them we were nearly among them, their number over two dozen. Sgt. Darius called out to them, suggesting that they unite with us against the giant. We stopped, about 100 feet away from them, my crossbow at the ready.

“What say you?” shouted Darius. The answer came in the form of arrows, three of them bouncing off of his shield. I fired my crossbow, hitting an orc's shield. We began to backpedal, heading for the safety of the Outpost. It appeared that they had not seen Igor, so the man we had come to rescue was in a better position than we. Together Darius and I shouted a warning of “Orcs!”

More arrows flew our way, none of them connecting. We came into the clearing with the orcs close behind, when I heard a guttural voice that seemed to come from the Outpost walls, shouting “Halt!” in the orcish language. I turned to get off another shot before backing into the open gates, just behind Darius, and the doors were closed behind me. 

This time I was certain the voice came from the walls above me, continuing to shout to the orcs in their language, instructing them to split up, that we had gone in opposite directions around the Outpost and into the woods. They followed these instructions and scattered into the woods. Later, Dram told me the voice had come from Kayla. She is a user of magic, but I know not whether she had used some sort of spell or if this was simply quick thinking and a bold wit. Either way, it saved us from a potential battle.

Igor soon hobbled back in, telling us he had climbed the tree to gain a better view of the area. He learned that the giant lived in a nearby hill, but the more immediate concern was the orcs. Sgt. Darius called off the mule caravan that was preparing to leave. After a period of calm, he sent Igor back out to scout. He returned with an orc's arrow in his leg. Darius instructed Kayla to shout again, in an attempt to shame the orcs into the open.

“Only elves hide in trees!”

There was no answer. Another period of calm, and then the watch spotted smoke from the woods. Something large was coming towards us, and it was on fire.

Again I tell you of the barely believable, but we all saw it. A large tree, walking and moving of it's own accord, came out of the woods. It seemed to be the victim of a battle, quite likely with the orcs, and was beyond our help. It collapsed before it reached the tree line, and lay there until it was consumed by the fire. Kayla knew of this sort of creature, a living tree, and said that they were peaceful beings. It was a sorrow to see such a thing die. 

In the discussions of what we should do next we began to investigate the knowledge of Cpl. Chervac, by far the most veteran of us. He explained that there were twenty-six outposts, and that Outpost Yung was only about a half mile to our north. Although there was no road, a short trek to Outpost Y seemed the safer alternative over the half day's journey to the Keep, to our west. 


Although some of the men suggested abandoning Outpost Xavier and moving our entire operation to Yung, Chervac said this would leave a weak link, an opening for orcs, the giant, and other foes to have an easy route to the Keep.


----------



## JoeBlank

In the discussions of what we should do next we began to investigate the knowledge of Cpl. Chervac, by far the most veteran of us. He explained that there were twenty-six outposts, and that Outpost Yung was only about a half mile to our north. Although there was no road, a short trek to Outpost Y seemed the safer alternative over the half day's journey to the Keep, to our west. 

Although some of the men suggested abandoning Outpost Xavier and moving our entire operation to Yung, Chervac said this would leave a weak link, an opening for orcs, the giant, and other foes to have an easy route to the Keep. 

Somehow, while we were discussing nearby outposts, Darius came up with and idea to take a closer look at our well. He asked for two volunteers who were able to climb. Igor seemed to be our best climber, but he had been injured by the orc arrow. As he did with Ben before, Darius said some words in dwarven and touched Igor. A glowing light consumed them both, and Igor was healed. 

Dram, Igor and Darius made their way down into the well. They found plenty of hand and footholds, and about 120 feet down the dwarf's eyes spotted an opening. While they were doing this, Ben tied together rope and plumbed the well to determine its depth. He noted that there was a current at the bottom, apparently an underground stream, which was good news. This meant our water supply should stay fresh. 

I only heard second-hand later, but the tunnel was worked stone, about then feet wide in arch. They came upon a door with a carving of two figures, one a tall, slender man in robes and the other a man in plate mail with a sword. An inscription described the men depicted as Elegar and Rogan, first explorers of the world. They found a push plate beside the door which issued a warning in loud, booming voice, against entering. We could hear it up above the well, echoing. 

Dram remembered a rumor that and old lady selling apples had told him back at the keep, something about the word “Quesqueton”. When he said this out loud, the door opened of its own accord. They started down the hallway and found bodies, apparently the victims of a long-forgotten battle. 

Up above, Guido began begging us to let him go down into the well. “This is why I came! Let me go!” Ben tried to reason with him, and keep him from leaping into the well, but the poor man collapsed and died before we could determine of what he spoke.

Sgt. Darius decided he needed a larger force to explore the dungeon below. He asked Kayla, Mirel, Ben and I to join the others, leaving Cpl. Chervac in charge of the Outpost. He also instructed one man to bang on the cooking pot with a club or hammer if there was any trouble that warranted our return. 

When Kayla saw the figures and the talking door she took out a book and began taking notes. We went on to explore the winding passages. Mirel proved to be an excellent mapper, and also had quite an ear for listening at doors. I was uncomfortable underground, and found it difficult to maintain my sense of direction. We found more bodies, which Ben estimated had been dead for at least 60 years. 

Behind one door, Mirel heard scratching noises. We opened it to find three of the largest rats, far larger than those in the fields at home. We attacked them, finding them fairly easy foes. I was surprised to see Igor attack with a large, two-handed sword which I recognized as Guido's. There was a carved stone idol on one wall, holding a bowl which contained dried, crusted blood. While Mirel was skinning the rats, Darius and Ben smashed the idol. We found the body of a small dog-like reptile, which had only recently been killed. Mirel searched it and found a sling which she kept.


----------



## JoeBlank

This continued for I know not how long, we would open doors, face whatever was inside, investigate the room, and move on. Of note was a large room with 20 pools, most of them containing liquid of various sorts. Each was about five feat around. Mirel headed straight for one that appeared to be filled with gold coins. We were all wary, so she tossed a pebble onto the coins and they all disappeared, as if they were never there. Kayla explained that this was some sort of magic meant to trick our minds, and she found arcane writings on the container after the coins were gone. 

One pool had a liquid that actually healed wounds. Everyone who had been injured drank some, and was healed. Several of us rushed to fill our waterskins with this wonderful elixir. My cautious nature led me to avoid testing the pools, as most of the others did. As you know, I prefer not to enter into risks unless I know the odds, and this seemed completely random to me. 

Darius found a container in the back that held what appeared to be a human body, wrapped in linens and very old. When he touched it only slightly the creature awakened and began to attack him, grabbing for the dwarf. I was close by and moved in to help him. I was still holding a torch, and figured that the old linens would be flammable, so I hit the thing with my torch. My instincts were right, and it burst into flame. This development was not all for the best, as it then grabbed and held Darius, burning him as well. Kayla doused the flames, but it was otherwise difficult for us to attack the creature while it held Darius. Finally, the dwarf broke free, and I was able to set it on fire again. We all continued to engage the thing, noticing that the dwarf's hammer seemed more effective than our swords. In fact, it was a blow from the hammer that eventually felled the creature.

Igor was hysterical at this point, screaming that the dead were coming to life, and that the end of times was upon us. Darius and Kayla managed to calm him, explaining that it was only more magic to fool the mind, that the body was never actually returned to life. Searching the body we found a ruby necklace that had been glowing but was now dark. We also found a hollowed out bone that contained a scroll. Attempting to read it made Darius uneasy, and he returned it to the container. 

Ben and Mirel took skins filled with the healing fluid to the bedridden men up in the Outpost, while the rest of us forged ahead. We found a room with a bed, desk, chair, and numerous papers. Under the bed was a cast chest, with an old lock we could not open. We managed to break the lock, finding inside parchment, a broken bottle, one elven made boot, an ornate ceremonial dagger and 40 gold coins. Darius established that we would divide this evenly, keeping a separate share as a group treasury. 

Moving on, we found an armory, where I acquired a flail which I began using as my main weapon. Ben and Mirel returned, reporting that the elixir had greatly improved the wounded men. We were glad to have Ben with us when we opened another door to find six humanoids, nearly skeletal, with rotting flesh hanging from their bones. He called upon his religious fortitude and shouted “The Gods command you get thee back, evil.” They responded by cowering against the far wall, and we managed to end their sad existence with little effort. 

We found three well-made dwarven longswords, each with a symbol of and anvil with two hammers crossed. Darius, Dram and I each took one of these. Another room of interest had a large circle drawn in silver and chalk on the floor.

Ready for a break, we headed up for a meal and to collect ourselves. We found that without Igor to cook one of the men, Smitty, had taken it upon himself to prepare a meal, using some of the day-old stew as a base. Our archers had seen no orcs or other foes, but had managed to bring down a stag. The soup turned out to be bad, and fourteen men ended up in the infirmary. This was enough of a surprise, but the men passed away over night. It was agreed that Smitty would no longer be allowed to handle the food.

In the morning, we resumed our plan of reporting to Outpost Yung. Igor, Mirel and myself agreed to go. The journey was short, only about an hour, although we did almost lose our way at one point. We were pleased to find a pristine, well-kept tower, where we were greeted by Cpl. Seth, who took us to Sgt. Reginald.


----------



## JoeBlank

We explained our situation, and to our surprise Sgt. Reginald related that Yung had been peaceful, with no trouble from orcs, wolves, giants, or living walking trees. I inquired about the possibility of passages beneath their well, and they confirmed that there were none. The did agree to send a squad of ten men to Outpost X, bearing spears and shields, and to supply us with much of our needed equipment. An additional three men came along with the intent of returning to Yung with the mules and the bodies of our dead. We made the short trip without incident and sent for Darius to report our return.

Sgt. Darius put the new men to work building pits, and making spikes and firewood. He then asked to meet with me to express some concerns. My open nature and sense of honesty had created something he saw as a problem, as he informed me that he would have preferred that the tunnels in our well remain a secret. I apologized for mentioning this to the men at Yung, and expressed a willingness to follow orders to a greater degree in the future.

He also noted his concerns about the fact that Yung was only about half a mile from our position and yet had suffered not attacks at all. As I was agreeing with him, he made for the door, catching Mirel outside listening to our conversation. He had me arrest her, but he ended up on chastising her for not behaving in a military fashion. He warned her not to let curiosity get her into trouble.

We spoke with Chervac about the men from Yung, and he indicated a familiarity with Sgt. Reginald, although he did not know him well. He agreed to take the men from Yung and continue the training I had begun for our pikemen. The three extra men from Yung left with three of our mules, three horses, and all of our dead.

Once things seemed to be working well, we had lunch and then Darius declared that we would return to the dungeon, and he asked Cpl. Sif to accompany us. As we had covered all of the upper level, we found our way to a set of stairs that led us down about twenty feet. This led to a carved room and then and archway. Past this point we could only see rough passages, that appeared natural rather than man made. The carved wizard we had seen at the entrance to the dungeon was on either side of the archway.

Darius attempted to walk through and was mysteriously repelled, falling to the ground. He was stunned and out of sorts for a minute, and then attempted to pass again, with the same results. Both I and Ben also tried and were unable to pass. Cpl. Sif was also unable to make it. However, for unknown reasons Dram, Mirel and Igor passed without any problem.

While we pondered the reason behind this, Igor explored a little ahead and soon returned a new man. He informed us that he had consumed a potion, and we could all see that his back was no longer hunched, his hazy eye was now clear, and his leg was no longer lame. There seemed to be no logical reason for this development either.

We agreed to head back up top and debate how we could get around the mysterious archway.


----------



## howandwhy99

*Posting on behalf of AllanyaKT*

- Mirel is a serving girl from the Keep. She looks out of place at the Outpost and seems more a tagalong than a conscript. She is noticeably younger than the next-younger conscript by several years. She hasn't reached her growth year yet, and so only the dwarf is shorter. She wears a set of battered leather armor that is obviously too big for her. Beneath that, she wears sensible un-dyed cotton shirt and breeches. She also has good sturdy boots and a warm woolen cloak. She keeps two weapons tucked into her belt, a dagger and a sling with a small pouch full of stones. She brought with her a short bow but doesn't know how to use it. She is a wiry child with a deep tan and she keeps her long sun-bleached hair pulled back in braids to her waist. She has bright eyes and brighter spirits. She is practical though impulsive, and fairly resourceful in her own right. -


----------



## howandwhy99

*[SESSION 3]*
*[DAY 5 - Sunday, Mao 22nd, CY 81]*
*[the following morning]*

Posting on behalf of AllanyaKT


Tales from the Perfect and Unbiased Memory of Mirel of Margrave County​ 


It was a good morning, though I wanted a sturdier breakfast. I swore I'd never complain again of waking before dawn to milk the cows and steal the eggs from snappish hens. The six mules and horses still at the Outpost gave me no trouble when I fed them and brushed them down. Walking them around the courtyard is very light work when they decide that's where they want to walk. But I had no real chores without a broom, for the men digging trenches kept both of the shovels. Mucking out the stables can wait, and moving the animals to less used stalls would keep me from having to muck for several days.

I spent the rest of the morning talking among the farmers. I guess I reminded a lot of them of daughters or younger sisters back home, and they were all friendly. We talked of many things, mostly gossiping and such. They seemed afraid to talk of plans for after their month here ended. The deaths of a third of the Outpost so quickly hit everyone hard. I asked if the men if they might like to send messages home. Most of them lived near the Keep and I figured Brother Hetrick would help with the reading or more likely get someone else to. The men seemed cheered up a bit by the idea, and I said that I'd see what I could do, and get back with them on it. I figured to ask Brother Ben to help with the writing, and he'd be able to make sure nothing about the well or anything was sent out. 

Igor was also out talking with everyone. He was talking much more than he had the other mornings. He told everyone about the voice he heard right as he was healed, and that Sgt Darius is the one who healed him. It didn't make much sense to me, as Igor was across the wizard's archway when he was healed, and Darius couldn’t even go there. But I thought about what happened when Darius touched Brother Ben, and so I didn't say anything. Many of the farmers were really impressed with what Igor was telling them, likely thinking about that too.

At midday, Sgt Darius called a meeting of all the corporals, and Kayla and I were supposed to go too. I guess he figured that I'd just listen in anyways, but this was one meeting I'd've been happy to be far away from. He accused Igor of the deaths Sgt Guido and fourteen men, of poisoning their food. I made myself really small, and sat as quietly as I could. Just because I don't like Igor doesn't make him a killer. But I couldn't say anything good for him so I said very little at all. Kayla and I caught each other's eyes, and she said about as much as I did. 

"He cheated me at a game," said Dalin, and I nodded, for I had heard about that already. "But I don't think he'd kill anyone." he said. Dram agreed and so did Brother Ben. They both said that even though they didn't know Igor very well, they didn't think he killed Sgt Guido or the men.

Then they started talking about the deaths. Guido had been drinking before he died and gone blind of it. But the others hadn't been drinking. They died of a soup that Igor didn't even cook. He was down in the well tunnels with us when the men got sick. Smittee had cooked the soup. So Smittee was called in and asked questions. His answers didn't really make sense but several people nodded like it was important. Igor answered more questions and made even less sense. Or maybe I was just missing what was going on right in front of me. I'd think about it later.

Then Sgt Darius and the Corporals decided that for everyone's safety, neither Igor nor Smittee should be allowed to cook at all. Brother Ben asked who was supposed to cook instead. He and Igor both know that I've been a kitchen girl for a couple of years now, and I sat there thinking "please not me, please not me, please not me…" My name never came up, and I was glad. Several of the farmers were mentioned instead.

And then the whole discussion turned all the way around again. All charges were dropped. Guido was deemed to be dead of strong drink, and the bad soup that killed the fourteen men was a dreadful mishap. The whole task of kitchen keeping was given back to Igor, who is now held to task for everything about the cooking, and any future such mishaps would be on his head. I was relieved, but I hid it. I didn't want anyone to think I was relieved for the wrong reason. I thought it was likely the best way these talks could end. I didn't want the chore.

Sgt Darius said it would be best to keep the better fighters with the Outpost and to send some of the less skilled fighters to the Keep on the horses, quicker than walking. He looked straight at me when he said that and I scowled back at him for it. I don't know how to use a sword or bow, but I'm good enough with a knife or staff or sling. Less effective in combat… I decided to be quicker with my sling and keep anyone from thinking I can't take care of myself.

After all of that was over, the meeting got a lot better and I didn't feel so much like hiding. The rest of the meeting would've been worth listening in on. We talked about going back into the well tunnels, of sending a message to the Keep, and of chores to do around the Outpost. While we were talking, two of the men on watch knocked, and said that they saw something in the woods. Cpl Dram and Cpl Dalin went with them to check it out. They came back soon saying that the men had seen a huge wolf but it was gone already. The wolf might be with the Orcs who must still be nearby.

I didn't want to go the Keep. I wanted to stay and look around in the well tunnels. And it turned out okay. Kayla pointed out that less skilled fighters on such a journey would be defenseless. Fighters would have to go with them to protect them. Darius took her advice and chose to send a few men from Outpost Yung with Cpl Chervac instead. I was thankful. I wouldn't have to leave the Outpost after all. 

Sgt Darius left the meeting for a moment and came back with a letter. He read it aloud, since most of us can't. It was to Sgt Guido, and said that his parents had been captured, and no one knew where they were. Darius said we might help, but I didn't see how we could, for the letter was written months ago by Lady Devereaux when she was still a Captain. It seemed to me to be the reason Sgt Guido might've gone to drinking and I said as much. Darius looked at me funny and said I might be right. I don't think he realized I was still standing close enough to hear.

And then orders were given, a list of supplies was drawn up, and the really long meeting finally ended. Cpl Chervac left for the Keep with five of the men from Outpost Yung. Sgt Darius, Brother Ben and Kayla decided that the first thing to do was destroy two scrolls that made everybody nervous. They decided to burn the scrolls. Outside seemed safer than inside, so we stacked up a bit of tinder wood and Brother Ben laid the scrolls on it. He stepped back threw a lit torch at the small pyre. As the scrolls were burning, everyone in the outpost felt Sgt Guido's presence. It was really strange, and I was shivering when the feeling went away.


----------



## howandwhy99

*Please Forward - TO: Temple of Law - RE: Brother Ben Selzkin*

*Reverend Father Harthuul Stauk-Flezr*

*Officium Praemonere*

*De Jure Fanum* 

α

If you are reading this letter, you should know: it is the first report I have scribed since initially joining the County Margrave Militia. While I once held little hope of actually getting a message through to you, I have obliged several others of the fighting men and women here in writing to their good friends and families. There is no local scrivener, but it seems ink and parchment are still plentiful. This came about by terrible means as the last patrol stationed at our current outpost – Xavier – was held in fear by a GIANT. I believe this fear kept them from corresponding with County Margrave keep and, henceforth, in hording their parchment. 

It would seem you were right about me. Faith does look like courage in the face of danger. Our own contingent has suffered truly horrific losses to this Giant and what we have recently discovered are his minions. I have recruited three brothers to aid me in healing the sick and wounded. I am sad to report that there has been no shortage of either. There are also many who are sick at heart and have needed an ear to listen. While my own dark secrets and fears still lie undiscovered, I have been fortunate to gain the trust of many of those around me. No small courage has been shown by all our members, but a few have stood up to the greatest dangers.

In these handful of days I have had to shake off my usual role of servitor. We have had need of leaders as we have faced and overcome life threatening dangers without respite. The rewards have been few, but you will note by the existence of this letter I have reason to hope. This day, the 6th by my own reckoning, has brought a brighter light into our lives. 

_(to be continued)_


----------



## howandwhy99

*For AllanyaKT*

We decided to go back into the well. First, though, Darius went swimming in the well looking for something, because the notches to the tunnels keep going below the tunnel opening, but he didn't find anything useful. Kayla also had something she needed to do before we could go to the tunnels. Dram and Igor and Brother Ben and I went to the tunnel door and started playing with it. We made different words of the syllables to see if it would open or close. I was surprised when TonQuaQues opened the door. Sometimes two sounds would open it, other times all three sounds had to open it. Igor tried something with different sounds, and the door opened to that word too.

Kayla and Darius finally came down to the tunnels. Sgt Darius had left Cpl Dalin in charge of the Outpost while the rest of us went into the tunnels. The first thing they wanted to do was look at the circle. Kayla wanted to try to read it. That is what she had been preparing for. It seemed pretty boring to me, standing around watching her stare at the circle, fidget a lot, and mutter to herself, so I slipped out and went downstairs to the wizard's archway down below. I didn't hear footsteps behind me, so nobody seemed to notice. 

I passed through the archway to see if there was another archway beyond it, possibly one that wouldn't let me through, but would maybe let everyone pass who couldn't get through the first one. I didn’t see another proper archway or even proper walls. The rock was rough, not cut smooth like the rest of the tunnels we'd been in. Pretty quickly, I came upon a web blocking the whole tunnel so I burned it away. I heard some skittering up ahead and saw a huge spider! I didn't figure it could go through the archway, because if it could've it would've and that room would be webbed over, too. So I ran for it, and got back through just moments before Darius came down the steps looking for me. He asked me what I was doing and I hedged when I answered. I said I was only just looking, which was true at that moment, if not for the whole time. 

He let it slide, and took me back to the group, ordering Igor to look after me. Igor didn't seem thrilled with the new task any more than I liked having it fall to him rather than any of the others. Kayla had already figured out how to use the circle. She was standing in the circle and said something. She disappeared, but nobody seemed worried. Darius stepped into the circle. I heard him more clearly, saying Zeligar, the wizard's name, and he disappeared too. Igor told me to do the same thing, but I didn't want to go to a place I couldn't see. I didn't really have a choice, though, and so I went.

There was a library on the other side, with a desk and many shelves of rare books. I didn't know what to expect, but somehow that didn't surprise me much at all. And it was so clean! I wondered how. It didn't seem as though anybody was living here, but it sure looked like it. The servants sure kept this place in good order, swept and dusted and everything. I was impressed.

Everyone was looking through the books and such. Brother Ben, Darius, and Kayla said that the books would be very helpful, and pulled out stacks to read later. Igor and Dram looked at the books too, and pulled out stacks to take with them. There was nothing in a library for me, and so I sat by the door waiting. Darius looked through the desk and pulled out a map. It sort of looked like the one I had drawn, but was much neater. I was happy with mine. It seems I had done it right. The map also showed another room, but we had already guessed that it was there. 

So I kept mapping when we finally left the library. The hallway went left and right, but was shorter on the left so we went that way first. After a turn, the next room was a bedroom. There was a mattress with clean straw, that would feed the mules for a couple days, and I could make a broom of it too. I took enough straw for the broom and tucked it into my belt. Darius looked in the wardrobe and pulled out a cloak that was twice as tall as himself. Dram took the slippers from under the bed to add to that boot from the iron chest upstairs. Everyone else looked around, but I didn't see anyone else take anything.

The last room on that hallway was full of creatures, mostly heads and skins hung on the walls, and some stone-like statues in the room. Darius quickly took the weapons away from the statue-creatures, which looked alive for all that they didn't move at all, not even breathing as far as I could see. I looked around but didn't touch anything, except to pick up a sling from the pile of weapons Darius had gathered. It never hurts to have a spare. When Darius and Igor broke the heads off the statues, they bled. After a few moments, the heads began floating back towards the statues, and the blood was pooling around, going back in too. I felt sick, and when there was a tug on the sling I had picked up, I let it go, and went back out into the hallway.

As we walked back by the library, we looked in. All the books were put away and I wondered who had done it. Kayla said something about magical servants that took care of chores and things, the same as might be cleaning up the bloody statues in the trophy room. I wondered what would happen to me if these magical servants took over the Keep's kitchen and put me out of work. I'd likely end up working out in the fields or go back to shepherding. But then, magical servants could do that too, just as easy. If magic was so helpful, I wondered why no one made it more common. If I had a magical dairy maid, I could sleep in late. And I couldn't be happier if I never saw a dirty kettle again.


----------



## MonsterMash

Interesting to get a change of focus and narrator for a while.


----------



## JoeBlank

I had to miss a session, which is the reason for the narrator shift. But I like the variety, so I may try to con howandwhy99 and AllanyaKT into a rotating schedule.

Probably need to change the thread title, since it is not entirely "According to Hoyle".


----------



## howandwhy99

*Brother Ben pens again*

Of the 42 souls who originally began our appointment, nearly half have died. For this, I blame myself. Many secret agendas and unknown plots plague our small group. I spoke already of the Giant and you should know that he attacked our encampment without hesitation early on. Later, we were beset upon by both wolves and orcs. The latter stalked and killed what I believe was a Fey Tree from the Faerie realm. Its death was a terrible sight to behold and brought tears to many mens eyes including my own. So few here have ever heard of such creatures, for only to meet one in its death throws is a poor beginning.

Some time later we discovered that the well within our small outpost tower held an ancient secret: a maze of tunnels from days gone by. The connection between our current strife and these tunnels was puzzled out after meeting with another outpost – Yung – just to our North. But I am getting ahead of myself. I say to you the names that were inscribed before its entrance door: Zelligar and Rohgan. While these names held little meaning for me before today, my faith in the breadth of your own learnings is strong. The grandor therein is beyond any story I have heard of Ducal palaces and Barony castles.

The greatest danger in my mind has been that our small, but true group of leaders, and myself, had become so enraptured by the wonders of exploration that our own obligation to the men (and the some few women) of the outpost was being shirked. The truth of this struck home to me in the cruelest of ways. You see, while our explorations have uncovered a number of pits of which some appear to hold potions (as if in mass storage), the one potion of life reviving fruit juice laid to the wayside when it was of utmost need. Fourteen of our number had taken ill that very night from what we believed to be rotten food. In my haste to rest my own body for the exertions the morrow, the bodies of those ailing were not left under proper care. Though the three brothers, Goodrich, Grizzle, and Gresslam each took their normal watch of the ill, no one was of the knowledge to soothe the ongoing pains. The next morning brought my greatest shame: every one of the men who had fallen sick died in the night. This includes the seven lame who were here upon our initial arrival. 

The true number of dead is actually two more. The first a fatally injured man from the previous patrol. And the second our very own commander, Sgt Guido. As a man who drank himself to death and to whom I personally vowed to keep under my watch, his death was already on my mind when the other fourteen died. The entire next day I spent in intensified grief. As you yourself know, the number of people who live at our Temple is few indeed. I am at once overwhelmed and greatly shamed. This day was productive for the remainder of the team who fortunately managed to keep the spirits of our company from sinking to low by searching out the nearest sister outpost to our own; outpost Yung which I mentioned earlier. Five of their men are now stationed here in the stead of the ten who died; the bodies of which were carried back to outpost Yung for transport to the keep and proper burial. Five more men are on their way from Yung as I write this.

Even in my grievous state, it is true that, by the light of the setting sun, we decided to once again enter the halls below. Such is the extent of our passion. We made little headway this time, but I bring up the matter because a rather unusual event occurred, more unusual than normal as it is, one which has an importance you shall soon discover. Most of our time was taken up with solving the riddle of an arcane archway that blocked our path. Some managed to pass under, while others were painfully rebuffed, the why is still unknown to us even now. Igor, who was one of the few to pass through, went to scout ahead before we left for the night, so we might better prepare in the morning. (assuming we solved the riddle, of course) 

The oddest of odd, is that this man whom the gods had twisted and struck all of lame, hunchbacked, and one-eyed-blind came back as a whole man. He mentioned that he imbibed a potion down a path within, but once above and afresh the next morning, he lauded our new leader, a dwarf in the service of Father Thor, as the creditor of his remarkable transformation. This was dubious to me as it seemed an outright lie, but as I have been the recipient of this good dwarf's holy healing before, and as he did not rebuff the statements himself, I could see no reason for me to speak up.

The matter is, the same morning, Sergeant Darius the Dwarf, one and the same as I mention above, called a meeting of the corporals. I am allowed to go to these as I have been put in charge of the infirmary per prior orders. Only this was no normal meeting. Our dwarf friend brought charges against the no longer peculiar Igor. While I at first believed Darius' intentions to be untrue, as other's lies often bring about the worst from people, I later took heart in the fact that he believed his accusations to be firmly founded. Let me explain.

Igor is our camp cook and responsible for the preparation, serving, and all other aspects of the feeding of our men. The night that we were in the tunnels below, another of Igor's assistants prepared the meal: one “Smitty”. In final judgment, we all determined that Igor held no malicious plan to sicken or kill those who had died. That fault is squarely mine, if unmentioned. Smitty had used sour or rotten vegetables from an unknown source and variety and added it to the day-old soup. An honest mistake, but one that cannot happen again. I was glad that Igor was able to prove himself that day. As he is a new man and might indeed owe his change to Darius, he deserves a chance to enjoy his new life, one without pain or bigotry. Woe be to me who had forgotten the potion of life healing, so the other might still have life as well.

Another event on the list of this days doings. One you yourself may be interested in Father, is the revealing of a soul transfigured and, I can only hope, traveling to the heavens. You see, of the treasures we brought back to the surface, two were of an unknown magic ensorcelled onto scrollwork. A wisewoman named Kayla entrusted these to me for destruction. But as they went up in flames, I beheld a vision: our dead commander in the smoke of the fire. He was very angry, just like when he was alive. I can only hope he has now found peace in the afterlife.

Our plan as we entered the oddly named “Quesquaton” mazes again, was to explore the remainder of it before heading to the archway. But we soon had to go after a missing girl who is always underfoot. Her name is Meer-Elle as I believe she says it. I have kept my eye on her since our arrival as she is in the most danger owing to the nature of trials only grown men should face, and only in grave need at that. But she seems as inquisitive as any of us. There is no keeping her out of the caves.

Fortunately, Kayla determined the functioning of some power circle carved into the stone floor. We actually were transferred without movement to another section of the maze. This portion is as I believe what a wizard's home would appear, if any were still living today. Oddly this one still seemed to be in clean and working order, unlike the rest of the maze. This led my questioning to the place as a hoax. I won't go into the specificities of such a place, as I am sure you have heard many a tall tale of such places yourself. The one important point to mention is the great number of real books on shelves here. Far more than our Temple holds and many of the of a religious nature. I have removed some for my own curiosity, but find we may need to keep them in the faux wizard's lair as it is still the safest location in our vicinity.

Ignoring the bizarre, we did finally arrive in a long columned corridor of marble and sculpted stone. The columns themselves were carved into beautiful human figures larger than life. It is only by the wisdom and suspicious nature of Darius the Dwarf though that we still live.

_(to be continued)_


----------



## AllanyaKT

*Tales from the Perfect and Unbiased Memory of Mirel of Margrave County (cont)*

We went down the hallway to the right this time, and when we turned a corner, the hallway was twice as wide. All of us could walk side by side down this new hall, except for the huge stone columns running down the middle of it, of course. There was a throne at the other end of the hall. Darius looked at the first statue, and then the second, but when he got close to the third one, it moved. The statue didn't want Darius there, so it attacked him with its stone fists. 

I thought that maybe while Darius was fighting it, that I would be able to dash down to the end, and see if any other statues could move too. It wasn't my brightest idea. I never saw the statue turn to me. I was running, and then there was a voice telling me to be healed! I hurt all over, more than I've ever been hurt before, and couldn’t remember why. When I opened my eyes, I was looking up at Darius, then the statue's fist, then the ceiling. Darius had one hand on my shoulder and was also trying to block the statue. He yelled something, but my ears were ringing and I couldn't hear right. But I knew I had to get back to the end of the hall where the statue couldn't reach. When I got there and cleared my head a bit, I could hear better, and that seemed to be what he was yelling for me to do anyways. I still hurt all over and was dizzy, so I asked Brother Ben for the waterskin from the first pool, and then I felt much better. I thought about that voice I heard, and figured I'd talk to Igor about it later. 

As soon as Darius moved back to the entry, the statue quit moving and turned back into the column again, just like it was before. Darius shot an arrow at it, saying that if it didn't have hands, we could walk by it just fine. A bit of stone chipped off, but the column didn't move any. It didn't seem to react at all. So Igor and I also started chipping away at it with arrows and sling stones, too. The first huge fist fell, and still the column didn't do anything. The second arm fell just as quickly. When Darius walked up to it again, it didn't move. Breaking its arms had worked. We moved down the hall a bit, but Darius stopped us quickly, for he thought the last column in the line was the same as the third one. We never got close enough for it to move, but just went ahead and broke its arms off. It didn't move when we passed it, but then, it might not have anyways. 

The throne was very big, with lots of gems in it, and likely more valuable than anything I'd ever touched in my life. I sat on it just because nobody stopped me. My feet wouldn't touch the floor, so I crossed them and tucked them beside me. I looked out down the hall, and thought it was fun, for I'd never have gotten away with it at the Keep. It quickly wasn't so much fun anymore when I saw the bits of stone broken off the statues moving back towards them. It seemed that the magical servants were following us, and already knew of the mess we had made.  They seemed to be sorting the stone chips and trying to match them together, and it was taking them much longer than with the statues in the trophy room. I didn't want to sit on the throne anymore, so I hopped down. 

Dram said that he needed to go back up to the outpost to check on the men and oversee training. My stomach was telling me that it was starting to get late, and I figured he also went to make sure Smittee wasn't cooking. Igor and I gathered the arrows that missed the statues but hadn't broken. He also looked very closely at the gems on the throne. Darius was looking around, and finally said that we had to move the throne. He thought there was something behind it. Without Dram's help, it seemed to take forever to push the throne even two fingers' width. But sure enough, it had moved a bit into the wall. The throne was in front of an open doorway that perfectly matched the shape of the throne.

We had to pull the throne out again, which took even longer than pushing it in, and then we pushed it to the side, which took forever. Darius went into the little room behind where the throne was, and then told Kayla she needed to see it too. Kayla came back out saying she couldn't read it because she wasn't prepared anymore from reading the circle. Since it was getting very late by then and we were very tired from pushing the throne around, Darius decided to back up to the Outpost, and wait until the morning, when Kayla could look at it again.

The magical servants were still very busy sorting the stone chips from the statues, and that reminded us that they would just move the throne back into place, and we would have to move it all over again. Brother Ben said to try pounding spikes into the floor beside the throne, wedging them in like pegs, to keep the magical servants from sliding the chair back in front of the little room. I didn't figure the idea would work, for the servants could easily slide the chair a handspan to the left and then lift it over the low pegs, or else move it around the pegs, or even just move the pegs out of the way and then put them back after the chair was properly placed. 

We went back to the library after Igor and Brother Ben laid in the spikes. As we passed the two broken columns, I put some good-size stones for slinging in my pouch. They weren't tugged back like that other sling had been. They must not have been from an important part of the statue, I guessed, or not part of why the statue could move.  When we got back to the library, Kayla pulled two of the books she had looked at earlier. Darius and Brother Ben each pulled a couple of books that they thought might be helpful, such as about the underground river that the well draws from. Igor also grabbed a large handful of books, and there were empty places along the carefully neatened shelves from where Dram had taken books as he passed through earlier. 

When we reached the top of the well, Cpl Dalin reported a quiet, uneventful day. Cpl Siff was asleep and no one else was in a sickbed. Dinner was better than breakfast, and then I found an empty bed and slept.

The animals gave me much more trouble the next morning. They were quite grousy to me. One of the horses was off his feed, and none of them wanted to go back into the stables. They didn't mind being brushed and everything, but they tried to pull away from me when I walked them around the courtyard. They wanted to go outside but I didn't feel it was safe, and I had run short of carrots and such to bribe them with. 

After taking care of the horses and mules, I sat down with a staff and the straw I had picked up yesterday, and I made a broom. Nobody seemed to understand why I wanted a broom so much. But sweeping is such an easy task, the same motions over and again, and you can get into a nice rhythm and not have to worry about it. And in a crowded place like this, it's the only way to find some privacy. Nobody pays much attention to a busy maid. That's how I learn the most interesting things sometimes. Nobody expects a busy maid to answer many questions, but she's still good for gossip if she wants to. Time alone inside my own head is worth as much to me as breakfast. I still had many things to think about, and the ramp up to the top of the Outpost was long and dirty, and now I had a broom. Not the best-made of brooms, but broom enough to sweep with.

Many things crossed my mind over the next candlemarks. Dalin and Dram had most of the men outside training, so keeping out of the way wasn't too hard. Kayla, Brother Ben, and Sgt Darius were reading the great books, and paid little attention to me as I swept. I pondered over things that Smittee and Igor had said during the trial, the voice Igor said he heard when he was healed, the voice I heard when I had been knocked out, how a burning tree could walk, what made corpses stand back up and fight, how Brother Ben made the corpses not able to fight, why speaking any sounds from Quasqueton would open the door, what some of the pools did, why Dram and Igor and me were the only ones who could pass the wizard's archway, how to talk Igor and Dram from taking the books out of the library, if I should learn how to carry a shield, or if that would worsen my slinging. Then the Outpost went on alert, and that broke up my thinking. 

Someone was coming up the path! I was near an archer's slot so I went to look out too. Many of the farmers all figured out who it was at the same time. It was Pendra and Certa! We were very surprised that Certa and Pendra were coming here. And most of us looked forward to a good round of storytelling in the evening. Sgt Darius went out to speak with them. As he approached them, we could see more men following Certa and Pendra. They were leading an army! Fully a hundred soldiers, real soldiers, not conscripts, were marching along behind them. Elian, the Elfen advisor from the Keep, was also with them and he spoke with Darius, the Dwarf, for quite a bit as they all approached the Outpost.

Pendra and Certa didn't come to the Outpost, and I was very disappointed. After getting the army safely here, they left back through the woods again. Elian didn't come straight to the Outpost. First he went to where the burning tree had fallen, and he stayed there for a bit. He seemed very sad when he finally came into the Outpost. Sgt Darius told us that Elian wanted to have a meeting with everyone who had been in the well, except for Cpl Siff, who was still abed. 

During the meeting, Advisor Elian told us that he had heard of the well from the Sgt of Yung, who had sent a message. The things of Rogahn and Zeligar have been lost for a long time, and he was very glad that we had found them, for it might help defend Margrave from the war. I was relieved, because it meant that Cpl Dalin and I didn't mess things up when we spoke about the well at Outpost Yung. It turned out okay. Elian also told us that the burning tree was called an Ent, and this Ent was named Greenwillow. Greenwillow had given his life trying to protect the secret of the Outpost. He had grown the trees up all the way close to the tower walls, hoping to hide the Outpost from the giant and the orcs, and others who wanted its secrets.

After Elian finished speaking, Sgt Darius told of the tunnels and what we had found so far. They looked at the map he had pulled out of the drawer in the library, looking for places that might have doors we did not see. Elian said that finding the secrets of the tunnels was very important. He also said that bringing the army here might have drawn some unwanted attention, and the Outpost may be attacked even more heavily than it already was. Cpl Dram and Cpl Dalin agreed to stay above ground and help get the soldiers settled into watch shifts. 

I thought that the new soldiers might help with training the conscripts, maybe by pairing a conscript with a couple of soldiers during drills. I spoke to Kayla about it, and she said she would ask about it. But when she did, she told everyone that it was my idea in the first place. I was so mad I figured that I wouldn't ask her to speak of things for me again. Even though Elian and Darius both said it was a good idea, it wasn't seemly coming from the youngest and lowest in status, and she shouldn't've put my name on it. She doesn't know how to gossip right.

We started getting ready to go into the well. Kayla said she needed to prepare herself again. Elian gave some parchment to her, and she smiled when she looked at it. Sgt Darius asked Elian if he wanted to explore with us, and Elian hedged when he answered. I thought it was funny.

While Kayla was getting ready to go into the tunnels, I watched the soldiers setting up camp outside. They were quick at it, the nearest of the fallen trees were already moved out of the way, and the first row of tents was up. I saw some cookfires going, and that made me think a bit. If perhaps the conscripts were working together with the soldiers, of course they would all eat together too, and from the cookpots of the soldier's camp, rather than the Outpost kitchen. It wouldn’t even look badly against Igor, since he was helping in the tunnels, though there would be no saving face for Smittee. It seemed like a good way to deal with the trouble, but I didn't say anything.  I'm sure I'm not the only one who can see the easy way out of things.


----------



## howandwhy99

*The Last of the Letter*



			
				howandwhy99 said:
			
		

> Ignoring the bizarre, we did finally arrive in a long columned corridor of marble and sculpted stone. The columns themselves were carved into beautiful human figures larger than life. It is only by the wisdom and suspicious nature of Darius the Dwarf though that we still live.



You see, two of the statues actually moved in action against us. Walking the grand corridor, nay a full hall, was enough to incur their wrath. Darius suggested the wise course and some of our group attacked from afar until the arms of the creatures fell to the ground. Only then was it safe to pass on to the far side, where a large metal throne embedded with gems greeted our eyes. The throne itself was as grand in décor and as high backed as ten feet. After a short scan of the area and an opening behind the back of the throne was spotted. After some long hours of extensive pulling and pushing the throne was moved far enough aside. Darius and Kayla entered, but the rest of us decided to head back to the surface. Kayla mentioned that more runework like those enscribing the pools and power circle were in the tunnel as well.


*[Redux for Letter: DAY 6 - Moonday, Mao 23rd, CY 81]*

This last night was somewhat better and I slept without dreaming. The terrors of the past days were drawn out of me and I felt pleaseantly relaxed as I awoke. I mention this as I felt time to read after daily scripture the works of the library below that I had brougtht above on our exit out of the caves. My eyes scanned the text quickly, and several things within are enlightening for me as to the workings of our present day religion. I am not sure if these feelings were a premonition (though you may know) of what was to come, but grand glorious day that it did! 

You see, the Army of Margrave has arrived. On top of all the men to protect us, the advisor to Lady Margrave herself is on hand, the Elf Elion, to witness the findings from our little caves. His first actions were to the dead Fey Tree, of course, but after a short advisory to Sergeant Darius, all of us met and learned of the true secrets of the Zelligar and Roghan dungeon palace. It would seem that it is truly steeped in history. I do not know if you have ever met an elf personally Father, but I must say that my own meeting was exhilerating! He seemed to speak with a clarity and sense of wisdom that contained all the ages. I believe our own zeal may have convinced him of our own desires concerning Quesquaton, as he charged us with the complete and total exploration of the caves below.

This is the turning point for our little band. No fewer than 100 men sit around our crumbling tower in protection of us. The great Elf Elion has given us warning that even greater forces may be attracted now that the Army is here, but I say “We shall not shirk this duty!” We stand upon ancient grounds which only the good folk, gentry, and religious personages of County Margrave may call their own. If I but had the voice of our own precentor, I would sing the praises of such a place. Our little tower shall no longer be unworked and, morever, none more of our number need fall of our own erroneous ways. I have tears in my eyes these days as we plan once more to enter the caverns below. Bless me Father, for I have truly had my faith renewed. 

These grand announcements bring me to my final news. As for the spiritual life and goodly protection of the men in our encampment, I have determined that we need daily prayer and services. If at all possible, I pray you may send an experienced member of our Temple to lead us in these times. Due to my own needs they are small. Please pass on any letters that you receive in this bundle and ensure the families of those whom we fight with. Also, if it is at all possible, please send a gown, mantle, and instruments for services to Margrave keep for my own use. My promise is that they will be used well and I will return them to you as early as possible.

Your Son,

Brother Ben

Ω


----------



## AllanyaKT

*Tales from the Perfect and Unbiased Memory of Mirel of Margrave County (cont)*

We went back down into the well, back to the room of twenty pools. Darius wanted to look over the wall next to the room that was on the map. Kayla wanted to see the pools, to find out what each one did. She said that the scroll Elian gave her would let her read the pools as well as the little room behind the throne. As she was looking them over, Brother Ben wrote down the things she said. Most of the pools had a speaking sentence that would change them, the way that Quasqueton would open or close the door. The fire pool went out or relit, the pool of false gold appeared or went away again. I heard many of the sayings, and remembered the more interesting ones. Some of the pools would be fun to play with. I thought of many questions, but didn't ask any. 

Darius didn't find the door he was looking for by the time she looked at all of the pools, so he gave up and we went through the Zeligar circle again. I was very surprised, because even though the arms of the stone columns were fixed, the throne was still out of place, wedged in with the spikes. Brother Ben saved us a lot of work by doing that. I wondered if the magical servants were very smart at all, since so simple a hindrance kept them from finishing their task. Kayla went into the little room, and soon came out. It was another magical barrier, like the archway, but by saying "Zeligar", like for the circle, each of us could go through it.

It led to a very large room and it was wonderful! There were so many barrels, great stacks of stone blocks, crates piled high, weapons, shields, and tools, too. I wished we had found all of this days ago. Darius pulled the lids off the barrels and they all were full of food! It was enough to feed the Outpost for several months. And all of it was still good, too. I ate a small handful of candy, a rare treat, and nobody said anything.

Darius was looking around the room, checking to see if there were any other doors in the walls or floor. He found one place in the floor that sounded hollow, so he broke through it to see if it went to another room below. It did, but not one like he expected. It was a huge cave, with the river flowing at the bottom, and nothing supporting the room except the floor he had just smashed. And cracks were spreading out. We had to get out of the room quickly, and take as much of everything with us as we could.

Kayla and I went up to the top of the well to get help from some of the soldiers. About twenty men were able to set their tasks aside and help out below. We took many torches, and ensconced them only in the halls that the men would have to walk down, so that they wouldn't have enough light to go wandering by. Kayla told each one where to stand and what to say. I went through the circle first to get them out of each other's way on the other side, and to send them up the right hallway.  All twenty men came through the circle one right after the other. Many people could move quickly through a circle like that. I was impressed. 

The men lined up about ten paces from each other, all the way from the circle to the throne, which was missing gems. Darius would pass things from the room to the first man in line, and the men would pass it to each other all the way down the hallways. The last several men in line took turns going through the circle and putting barrels and crates where Kayla wanted them. When that room was full, with only a small path from the circle to the door, the rest of the crates and barrels and stone blocks were lined up against the walls and between the great stone columns in the halls.  

Once everything was out of the great room and safe from falling into the rivers, we tried to think of a way to carry things up the well. The well bucket would not hold much weight, and the notches made it very hard to carry things in hand. Some things, like tools and weapons, were bundled together and strapped to the men's backs. Barrels and crates, though, were left down in the wells until we could figure out what to do with them. When we finally left the well, the men were exhausted from lifting and carrying so many heavy things around. Kayla and I hadn't done near as much work so much as finding places to put things, so I wasn't tired a bit. I think she went back to studying the books. I took the horses and mules out for another walk, this time taking them outside the Outpost, since with a hundred soldiers camped, I felt much safer.

I stayed up late listening to the soldiers' fireside stories, and the next morning came very quick. But chores were easy, since all I had to do was tether the horses and mules out by the soldiers' animals, and that's exactly where they wanted to go. I could've mucked since there were enough shovels to go around, but Darius called for us to go into the tunnels again, and I was very pleased to let the chore wait another day. Kayla didn't need to prepare anything this time, so there was no time to play with the Quasqueton door. We went straight to the wizard's archway. 

Sgt Darius tried passing through, and it threw him back, as it had the day before. This time Brother Ben also tried to pass through, and as I figured, it threw him back too, very hard. Darius began breaking the hands off of the statues, to see if that would break the magic. I was quick to add my sling to the effort, so that none could say I didn't hit a fair share. When both hands from both statues were broken off, Darius tried again to pass through, and again it threw him back. Igor went through, so it seemed that the archway was not changed at all. I was sad that we had broken the statues for nothing, for I didn't figure that the magical servants would fix them since they were on this side of the circle.

So I stepped between the two wizards and stood there. I figured that I might block the magic so that another could pass through, or it would reject both of us. I grit my teeth as Darius tried first, half expecting to be thrown and not knowing which way it would send me. I really didn't want to be thrown into the other side where Igor was. That spider earlier had scared me, and the rough walls looked close enough that I'd likely be knocked out again if I hit hard against one. But Darius passed through the arch, and I relaxed as Kayla went through too. But in figuring out the secret of the arch, we had forgotten about Brother Ben, who was just starting to sit up in the entry room. Igor didn't offer to come back through and help me, and I didn't feel like asking, but it didn't take long anyways. Brother Ben was awake if not very alert, and though he leaned heavily on me, he didn't have any more trouble with the archway.

We went down the tunnel to where I had seen the spider. It was webbed over again. Either the spider worked very quickly or it had help. I told everyone about the spider, and said that it didn't like fire. I figured to use a torch instead of the sling if it attacked again. We moved down the hall, burning the webs out of the way. And then there was the spider. It crawled along the ceiling of the tunnel and dropped down on Igor. Everyone attacked the spider, and it ran away from us, into the other part of the tunnels.

Darius ran after the fleeing spider, for he can see in the darkness quite well. Igor ran too, with Kayla holding a torch for him. Brother Ben and I looked around the cave room, since I was winded from fighting, and unless he took my torch and left me behind, he couldn't give chase either. It was a plain room, the webbing had all burned away. There were no other tunnels leading from it, so there was no place for another spider to come from. The only things in the room were two bodies, badly burned. They looked like they would stand up on two legs, but they weren't human or Elf or Dwarf. Brother Ben said that they were dead before the fire burned them.

Having caught my breath, we followed the sounds through the tunnels, and caught up to Kayla, Darius, and Igor right as they came up to a fork in the tunnel. Two more of the same creatures that were dead in the other room were standing guard at the fork. The spider ran right by them, down one of the forks. The two guards yipped down the tunnels, and turned towards us baring fangs and pikes.


----------



## diaglo

The story picks up with Session 4. This Sunday we are about to play Session 10. so there has been a lot of other news.


----------



## JoeBlank

Dearest Mother and Father,

My apologies for not writing for writing for some time. Not only have I been terribly busy myself, but Brother Ben has also been consumed with his responsibilities. Others have taken advantage of his generosity in scribing letters too. My lessens in writing have fallen by the wayside, but I hope to pick them up again sometime, in calmer more peaceful times. 

While Darius and the others continued their exploration of the strange catacombs beneath Outpost Xavier, I have been concentrating my efforts on training a small group of pikemen. Dram has also been training his archers, but we were both called away from our men to assist with trouble down below. Igor came to us, seemingly in great fear, having been sent by Darius for reinforcements. Dram and I were thankfully already wearing our armor and equipped for battle, so we headed quickly down the well. We rushed ahead to the archway, where Dram explained that I would be able to pass through as long as I was touching him. This worked without incident, although we still do not know the reason why.

We found Darius, Kayla, Mirel and Ben in a long corridor, with a group of the dog-like creatures at the other end firing crossbows without much effect. I was prepared to load my crossbow and return fire, but the beasts headed for us as soon as we rounded the corner. I dropped my torch and fought with my sword. This too proved ineffective as the creatures swarmed us, leaving me no room to swing my blade. I dropped it too and began punching the dog that had my shield arm in his teeth.

Finally I was able to draw my dagger. The animals lacked courage, for once I drew blood on a few they retreated, revealing that many of my compatriots had been similarly overwhelmed. I picked up my sword and gave chase, but Darius gave the order for us to rest and regroup. His dwarven eyes can see farther in the darkness than our torches, and he counted four of the creatures that escaped. A small loss, considering the eighteen dead around our feet. We had come through the battle with minimal injuries, a fact I attribute to our continued improvement as a team. Each day we seem to work better together, and we manage to overcome increasingly difficult odds.

After investigating some odd, unfinished wax statues, we followed the path left by the dogs to what appeared to be their lair, where we found a collection of rubbery, egg-like orbs covered in webs and twigs. Either the reptile-dogs had been laying eggs, or these belonged to a large spider which they may have been keeping to provide them with food. Either way, we decided burning the things was the best idea. Our question was soon answered as Darius headed down the corridor and was quickly covered in a spray of webs. The large spider was moving along the ceiling, but Dram's arrows made quick work of it. 

The next room seemed to be a temple of some kind. The furniture was made for small creatures, and our attention was drawn to a chair of piled animal bones. Offerings of coin were found at the foot of the chair, and we quickly collected them. Dram moved the chair, revealing a small opening which Darius crawled through to find small cavern, the centerpiece of which was a red stone that pulsed brightly. It suddenly lit up and Brother Ben screamed out as if in pain. The dwarf shattered the stone with his hammer, and the countless small pieces continued to flicker but began to fade. Ben reported that the pain he felt was fading as well.

A portion of the stone was left in the wall. Darius chipped it out, resulting in a handful of red, chalky powder. Ben asked him to finish smashing to the stone, saying “It tried to team me apart on the inside. It crawled into my head.” The dwarf kept crushing the small pieces into powder until Ben told us the feeling had completely subsided. When Darius touched the spot on the wall where the stone had been he felt like it was trying to pull him in. A burned out torch landed at his feet, as if appearing from no where. He poked the spot with the torch and it disappeared, pulled into the abyss. Suddenly, Darius vanished, as if he had been pulled into the wall. We all sat stunned, and then saw a coin fall from the wall into the room. Kayla told us it must be some kind of portal, but to where we did not know. Before she could finish explaining, the dwarf popped back into the room. He composed himself and explained that he had been transported to the room we had seen before with the multiple pools of liquids, coming out in the pool that looked like a black void. He had risked his life by stepping back into the void to be transported back to us. 

I'm sorry to report that I don't expect I will telling much more of my story. My duties are taking up a great deal of my time. While I enjoy training, bettering myself and teaching others, I have time for little else. Brother Ben is somewhat disappointed that I have put aside my efforts to learn reading and writing, but I think he also understands my situation, as he is quite busy as well. Please have faith that I will return home, with many more stories to tell.

Yours,

Cpl. Dalin Hoyle


----------



## JoeBlank

Like Dalin, I, JoeBlank, have been busy with my own duties lately. Play continues, and the game is going very well. A few of the other players have volunteered to keep the story hour going, so hopefully there will be more frequent updates. Thanks for reading so far.


----------



## howandwhy99

*Prepare for Post-a-day*

*AUTHOR'S NOTE:*
[sblock]A little bit of story overlap will happen at first. Some details already posted will be skimmed over in the beginning. You should see fresh new action starting within a few days.

let me know if you like the post-per-day format too.[/sblock]Brother Ben was not quite ready for what lay ahead. After finishing his letter to his mentor Reverend Father Stauk-Flezr, he walked about the hustle and bustle of the newly forming army encampment. The 100 men and women he saw were hard, tough soldiers, not like the inexperienced conscripts of Outpost X. These soldiers had seen war and worked together with a sense of unison whether setting up their tent camp or sending out perimeter patrols. Each seemed to understand the necessity to listen when an order was given. Every soldier displayed subtle skill in completing the task at hand. Brother Ben was growing fond of his own friends and he had long come to think of his fellow conscripts at Outpost Xavier as family to him. But the solders, Ben envied them. He could only hope these militia might become a team as close-knit as they were. They were the answer to his prayers. And there would be no more deaths with them here. Or so he believed.

The rest of the party was preparing to head back down the well to Quasqueton. Corporals Dalin and Dram had chosen to stay above ground in order to focus on the training of the conscripts each had previously started. Ben thought they planned to use the soldiers expertise, but did not hear after climbing in the well himself. The afternoon trip took some time, but a few useful things were discovered. First off, in their meeting together Elion had given Kayla some kind of parchment which allowed her to read the strange symbols which encircled each of the 20 pools in the large room. While Kayla's scroll crumbled, Ben took notes on a scrap of parchment trying to copy down all the words she read around each pool. Sadly, he unknowingly lost this same piece of parchment sometime in the next few days. 

After scouting out the pool room, the party used the Zelligar circle inscribed on the floor of a different room to re-enter Zelligar's pristine personal quarters. The magical forces had cleaned up since the day before and even the caryatid columns were working once again. The group quickly destroyed the arms off of each with arrows and shot again. Fortunately, the powerful cleaning forces at work had not moved the throne back in front of the tunnel it guarded. This unexplored hallway had a much lower ceiling than the throne room. It was roman arched and etched on all sides with more strange symbols and weird writings. Kayla murmured a few words under her breath sounding like those from the parchment before and entered bravely. It was a puzzle, but Kayla quickly discovered the answer. Just like the Zelligar floor circle, one had to pronounce "Zelligar" before passing through.

The room on the far side was 40' x 40' square and every square inch was filled with supplies. Their jaws dropped at the sight. It was a vast treasure trove and more than they could have hoped for. Even the dried food was fresh. Ben had suspicions this might have to do with the magical cleaning forces and set a mental note to pass on how it might be contaminated. Heading in Darius found a strange crack in the wall and floor on the far right of the room. He believed that the position of this room matched up on Mirel's map in the upper left hand corner. He tied a rope to the end of his hammer and was throwing it at the wall in hopes of bursting through and proving his theory. Instead, a large hole crumbled away in the floor and Darius had to jump away to keep from falling in. Ben didn't notice if any supplies fell in, but with the floor rumbling Darius dared to take a peek below.

Amazement! With his vision Darius could see the whole of this room had a vast empty space below dropping into oblivion farther than his eyesight could reach. Checking along the sides he ascertained the space spread out in all directions from the hole encompassing at least all of the treasure room and likely far more. At the time the group could not afford to wait and ponder over this new found discovery. Darius did drop a stone and heard a splash after a good long fall. 

The real danger was now clear. The cracks slowly were creeping outward in the floor. Everything of value needed to be moved out as quickly as possible. Quick as a snap a plan was laid and executed expertly. In retrospect Brother Ben was quite proud of how the team had worked things out. You see, several soldiers were brought down the well and a single line bucket brigade moved every item out of the treasure room before its entire floor collapsed. Even moving the supplies up the well to Outpost Xavier was accomplished before the end of twilight above. After hours of exertion by the team and twenty soldiers they all slept more soundly that night. In fact, it was the first night Ben was able to sleep soundly since his arrival less than one week ago.


----------



## MonsterMash

Really glad to see this one revived. Thanks.


----------



## biorph

the game never actually died, it was merely the story hour that we had some trouble updating.


----------



## howandwhy99

*Check out the new art above, if you haven't spotted it already*

*[DAY 7 - Feastday, Mao 24th, CY 81]*

Early the next morning Darius gave the order to once again head back down into the tunnels of Quesquaton. Cpl. Chervac accompanied the crew while Cpl's Dalin and Dram stayed above ground. The archway in the one room known to be on a lower level was tested. It was another puzzle like the tunnel behind the throne in Zelligar's quarters. Several people tried to pass below, but not all. Brother Ben tried this time and fell to the ground in pain passing out. Those who were accepted through were Igor and Mirel. The rest who tried failed and were injured for it. The lithography of two wizards waiving their hands at the door was marred in hopes that the magic might stop, but no such luck. Mirel finally solved the riddle by standing within the doorway while the others passed through. It was a dangerous thing to try, but successful nonetheless. Ben limped across into the natural caverns on the other side of the archway. It was truly a brand new world.

The tunnels were mostly natural with some rough work done to flatten the floor and walls. The cave split left and right ahead. To the right a newly reformed spider web blocked their path. Igor was leading and attacked by a 7' tall spider dropping down onto him. Without fear the party rushed to his aid and managed to land a solid below before the spider jumped over their heads and ran down the left tunnel. Darius, Igor, Chervac and Kayla ran after in hot pursuit, while injured Brother Ben and Mirel hung back. Ben inspected two badly burned bodies near the web and realized they were killed by poisoning and not the burning of the web. What creatures they were though he did not know. They were short merely 3' tall at best, scaly covered, and with dog-like faces. Everything else was distorted due to the fire. Ben would have thought they were precocious pigmen with a Charlotte to accompany them, but it was not so.



*[Session 4]

*The other four had run quite far down the left passage and encountered more of these amazing creatures. As if the gigantic 7' spider was not strange enough, here stood two more of the lizard-dog men with short spears in hand. They started barking very loudly and approached our four pursuers. Igor ran as fast as he could back through the archway, then through the Zelligar Circle, up the well, and outside to the encampment. Later he said that he went for reinforcements, but any who saw him leave could see the stark white terror on his face.

Fortunately, he did send reinforcements in the form of Dalin and Dram. They had stayed up with the militia to train and supervise as with the previous night's excursion. Ben believed Igor's tale kindled within them their sense of duty inspiring them to rush down the well and through the archway with Mirel's help to join in the fight. And quite a fight it was. Over twenty of the diminutive creatures had swarmed towards the group. Ben and Mirel had moved in as well and joined in combat, Ben with his flail and Mirel with her sling. At one point Ben fell to the ground and Dram had to pull him back to safety. All the time barking, the creatures fought ferociously while they still held larger numbers. But the band's attacks hurt them and killed many in one blow. Bodies soon littered the floor of the cavern and the battle was won as the last of the barkers fled. "Barkers" they were called by Dalin because of the incessant noise they made. Quite tenacious, the creatures still lacked bravery when outnumbered. Given their size, Ben thought this was probably wise. With the addtion of Dram and Dalin Cpl Chervac went back up to the Outpost to take command and report the group was okay.

The party set out more cautiously now walking down the left corridor with torches in hand. Darius led with that eerie ability he has to see in the dark. The footprints of the barkers and spider lead deeper into the caves before they split again after about 100’. The floor of the cavern here was covered in sand wet in the center. The tracks went straight through the sand, but Igor suggested the group should not as there might be a trap only creatures of heavy weight could trigger. So the party skirted along the sides slowly. On the far side was a human-sized red statue which appeared unfinished. The tracks led by it to the left and right. Inspecting the statue revealed small claw marks and the fact that it was made of some waxy material. Parts of it were broken off and several small bones covered it. Dram recognized the bones and dress materials as belonging to the Northmen of whom he was a descendant.


----------



## howandwhy99

MonsterMash said:
			
		

> Really glad to see this one revived. Thanks.




And I'm really glad we have a fan.  

The following posts are for our one reader.  I hope you're thirsty!


----------



## howandwhy99

The left cave was irregularly shaped and rather short with a very large boulder pressed up against the far end. Three other red wax statues were here too, all unfinished and partially melted. One was missing its top torso, while another had a block head that reminded them of the good man Charlie Brown.  It wore an old, decrepit form of scale armor. The third figure was missing its arms completely. Some of the party members looked over the statues again and most were tense with weapons raised in case they came to life. They had learned from prior experience fighting the wrapped corpse in the pool room that appearances were not to be trusted. The barker tracks led underneath and around the base of the boulder and an opening was seen to be beyond. 

Several attempts were needed before the group found a means to move the large boulder back away from the far wall. The space was just wide enough to let Darius slip through. He explored beyond into an enormous cave wider and deeper than his eyes could see. Smelly animal dropping covered the floor with the tracks leading through them forward and to the right. Darius checked upwards and sure enough the ceiling was completed covered by thousands and thousands of sleeping bats. He moved forward a little into the guano and still saw no far wall. Moving along the tracks on the right he managed to spot another opening like the one he originally entered: a cave with the rear of a boulder blocking it from the far side. Returning to the statue cavern the group decided to head back rather than risk combat in the bat cave. The archway entrance was as they remembered it and no evidence was found of new barker tracks. The spider web over the spider lair was still burned away. The group decided to explore the second half of the caverns.

Footprints of the spider and the barkers covered the ground now down the right passageway too. The path curved around to the right and some rooms opened to each side. They party saw what looked to be a large nest with several spider webs around it to their left. Over 50 rubbery eggs stuck together sat in the center of nest. Webs and twigs propped it up. "Perhaps the spider eggs are what the barkers eat?" inquired Dalin. One was cut open and a small baby spider jumped out. "Torch them!" the call went up. A large spider moved out of the shadows and webbed Darius sticking him to the wall. Sling bullets, arrows, and bolts are shot while others using sword and flail to destroy the spider remaining spider eggs. Dram cut Darius free. 

Following the tunnel farther it opened to a large room perhaps 30’ in depth. Apparently a dead end it looked like the main living quarters for the barkers. Along the right wall a small throne-like structure was built of bones. Brother Ben was reminded of Zelligar’s throne in his Hall of Statues. Offerings at the chair included a few coins and what might have been food. Dram lifted the chair and revealed a small opening in the wall beyond. The others nodded at the correlation. Looking down the small dug out tunnel a pulsing red light could be made out. As Darius was the shortest he ducked within to scout. 

Inside was another dead-end room about 20’ in circumference. An outcropping of rock on one side contained a strange red rock smoothed on its outerface. To Darius it looked like an oversized fingernail attached to the rock. It pulsed a deep red menacing glow and suddenly flared brightly. "Aaaaauurrrghh!!" screamed Brother Ben back out in the throne room. He could feel something in his mind, a presence of great evil that threatened to overwhelm him. The pain was excruciating, so Ben screamed on and on. Darius took action and swung his hammer at the glowing rock smashing off a large piece. "There’s a rock in here making the glow!" shouted Darius. "Make it stop!" screamed Ben already feeling a lessening of the effect. Pieces of red, chalky powder fell from the stone as Darius hammered at it. "It tried to tear me apart from the inside!" yell Ben. "It crawled into my head!" Darius kept hammering until every bit of the rock was destroyed. It went deep into the stone filling the space behind like an orb. The pulsing light slowed as he neared completion. With the last hammer blow it stopped. Darius did not say anything afterwards and no sound came from the room. The rest of the group called out to him for what was going on and began to worry when no word came back.


----------



## howandwhy99

*New Art*

Ben sat dazed. In his mind he believed he had just encountered an evil god. Later his thoughts would drift back on the event as a turning point in his mind. He felt like something had invaded his soul and was destroyed before it could destroy him. But the old door it opened was now ripped off. Ben felt as if he was no longer safe from the evil in the world. He felt as if he had no protection for his soul. 

As to what happened to Darius only the Gods know for sure. He reported prodding the space the red hangnail and been in. It was soft and he felt the sensation of being pulled inward. A used torch then fell out of the space as if from nowhere. Darius had picked it up and pushed it into the opening again and was pulled headlong inside. Was he in another plane? Darius said his surroundings looked like the pool room and he was aside the frightful pool of darkness. Kayla and the others went into the room behind the throne looking for Darius in the interim. They saw a gold coin fall from nowhere onto the floor. Darius confirmed it was his doing as seconds later he too fell into the room as if from nowhere. Darius had jumped into the pool. Kayla told the group there was something called a "portal" between the two rooms though it could not be seen. Uncomfortable about what just happened the group crawled out into the throne room. Kayla made sure she was the last out and hurriedly scooped up all the pieces of the red chalky material that was leftover from the glow stone. 

After chewing on a midday snack the group felt ready to keep exploring the caverns. Seeing as the right tunnel was rather short, they chose to head back down the left one. Mirel's hand drawn map came in useful as it pointed out one path not yet explored. Bypassing the sandtrap and double-checking the wax statue cave to see if the barkers had returned, the group decided to turn right at the second fork this time. The path curved to the right here and then straightened out. Those in the rear kept a good watch behind them lest the barkers snuck up. Ahead was a crossway with paths leading forward, left and right. The path to the left was blocked by a another boulder. The cavern forward shortly came to a dead end. And the path to the right traveled on a little ways before sloping down gradually becoming a vertical shaft.

Intrigued by what might be further below, Darius was tied up and climbed and then was lowered into the pit below. Seeing better without a torch he looked out from the wall as he slid down against it. This room was rather large, perhaps 40' across. It was a vertical shaft which looked to have water completely filling the space below. Like a cistern Darius could not see the bottom of the water so he yanked on the rope to be let back up. The short hallway ahead was searched for secret entranced but without luck. Faced with another apparent dead end the party decided to verify the second boulder room across from the cistern room was also an entrance to the bat cave. After some exertion the group’s expectations proved true. It was the second exit Darius had previously spotted. They then traveled back to the wax statue room and slowly entered the bat cave individually via the first boulder entrance. They hoped the tracks of the barkers were still visible to follow.

Ben thought about their original plan to not fight the barkers in the bat room, but chose to keep quiet. With most of the party entered Darius walked into the middle of the bat guano. Dalin used care to keep his torch from the floor. Once the whole group entered Dalin lead everyone forward through the guano. The room was exceptionally large and everyone was silent hoping not to wake the bats above. There were tens of thousands of them. The room's shape seemed rectangular with the left and right walls being about 100' feet apart or more. The far wall was not in view. The message was passed along to give a low shout, if anyone spotted the barkers. After mucking through guano for over 100' Darius said he saw the far wall. It had a single, large, circular cave exit in the center of it. Thankfully no boulder was blocking it.

*




*


----------



## howandwhy99

*Sorry for the wait*

Pellets flew out of the darkness ahead. The party was under attack! Darius pointed forward and said that seven barkers had returned with slings. Half the group loosed bowshots into the darkness ahead. None were heard to strike. Darius lit one of his arrows off of Dalin's torch and fired at the barkers intending to give the rest a clear view of the targets. WHOOSH! The arrow missed the small figure and ignited the bat guano instead. A pylon of red flame seared over the seven figures difficult to see because of night blindness. Barks, yips, and yelps came from the figures aflame. 

The fire began to grow larger burning out its fuel as it went. It was estimated the small figures were 120' distant. Darius, Dalin, and Ben ran forward firing while Kayla, Dram, and Mirel hung back firing missiles and pellets of their own. As the circle grew wider the barkers tried to retreat from it. They began howling now even louder than before. Fearful Brother Ben yelled for a retreat to steer clear of the flame. Darius, Dram, and Dalin kept rushing closing to within 30 feet. Spooked by the flames and woken by the howls a seemingly infinite number of bats descended all at once filling nearly every empty space. 

All were lost within a flurry of bats for a couple of minutes as vision was obscured. The circle of fired advanced further outward forming a ring with black charred ground within its center. Members of the party continued to use what weapons they had at hand to swing back at the bats surrounding them. When they began to thin out the group could be seen again scattered about the room. Many had retreated while others had jumped through the flame wall. The barkers were nowhere to be seen. It was presumed they had headed up the central exit tunnel were they seemed to have attacked from. The flame circle slowly burned itself out as those who were outside of it backed into the boulder alcoves near the far entrance wall. The party checked each other over for damage and discarded what equipment was destroyed by the flame. 

After regrouping, the band headed into the tubular cave. It was about 10' in diameter and had strangely smooth sides. Even the footprints of the barkers were difficult to follow, but Darius did his best. Continuing at great length Darius noticed the cave gently sloping upward. He said it was due to his dwarven upbringing in the great mountains to the East. They were even further East than the forest surrounding the Keep and Outposts. After about 1/4 mile of walking, light was spotted ahead. It was daylight. 

The sight that greeted them upon exiting the cave was a kind one. The cave opened out of the side of the very top of a high hill. The top of this hill was covered in grey-black, slate-like rock which kept most of the trees from growing on it. Surrounding the group on all sides was slow rolling hills blanketed with a forest of trees as far as the eye could see. No sun was in sight, but the ambient light shining through white pillowy clouds in the sky above lit up the land. Fresh air once again filled the band's lungs. Checking for tracks Darius had to admit that somehow he had lost the barkers. Older tracks could be spotted leading out about 15', but after that point the rock precluded any further searching. Darius suspected that some of the smaller crevasses in the cave near its start could have been of adequate size to fit the barkers, if they had tried to hide from the group. Ben made a mental note to be on guard during their return trip.

Darius took a quick look at the tunnel exit as Dalin, Dram and Mirel looked for tall trees to climb to find their bearings and possibly the outpost. Darius noted that the cave had narrowed to only 7' in diameter and the fact it seemed to have been formed by rushing water. The wisewoman Kayla remarked that it might have been formed from a geyser. Being such a high hill so strangely formed with grey-black slate at the top was suspicious enough. Not to mention having a cave entrance being at the top of such a hill. Seeing as the surrounding trees were missing the leaves off of one side it was possible the tunnel had launched water recently. They noticed the rock was wet upon the top of the hill and believed the geyser theory was correct. "No wonder no one had found this particular entrance into Quesquaton," Ben thought. Out in the middle of the wilderness even rangers would likely have no desire to climb into such a place. Lost in thought he did not notice the small groups of bats flying back into the cave mouth.


----------



## howandwhy99

The three scouts came back and agreed to the best of their knowledge that Outpost Xavier was to the northwest of the hill. None could see the actual outpost, but they believed the tunnel exit faced east. This brought on a bevy of discussion on how the Outposts, Margrave Keep, and the forest were situated. In the end it was decided most of Margrave County was to the west of this large eastern forest named Greenwillow. As the Keep was just inside the forest the outposts were agreed on being a half circle ring blocking Margrave’s entire eastern border along the forest. Where they stood now was not as deep in the forest as the outpost by about a half mile or more. Still, without a proper guide they really had no safe path back to Outpost X without using the tunnel. As it was late in the day, the group decided to head back to the outpost using the tunnels of Quesquaton. Retracing their route did not take too long. No signs of the barkers were seen, but many of the bats had returned to the bat cave, if not their guano. 

Finally climbing up the well wall once again the six adventurers walked tiredly to the army encampment. Igor had made the meal for everyone, but Darian did not breathe a word. He did leave quickly afterwards to report on the group's findings to the Elf Elion. Brother Ben and some others in the party were still quite curious about having a creature like an elf nearby not to mention a dwarf. They had never seen either one before. Inside Elion's tent, the large central one within the encampment surrounding the outpost, Darius reported all they had found. What this was word for word only he could say. Darius did relay to the others that the barkers below were really foul beasts called "kobolds". Elion was unhappy about their existence within the Quesquaton caves. Afterwards Darius talked to the soldiers outside the tower and slept along side them too. Dram coordinated the militia watch schedules. Exhausted everyone else cleaned their gear while Mirel made a point of not mentioning the day long chores she had missed. Sleep came quickly.


*[DAY 8 - Weddingday, Mao 25th, CY 81]*

Brother Ben arose before sunrise the next morn. He roused Darius and they both began to set up temple services for the tower militia and soldiers. Darius being a follower of Thor honored glorious battle and courage during the same. Brother Ben had studied over ten years under a system revering all divine creatures, but only the goodly ones of course. He prepared a speech highlighting the need for camaraderie in the days ahead. Seven days and six nights he had stayed in the outpost and already it felt like home. He had not forgotten the drastic loss of life nor the attacks by the giant. Either could occur again at any moment he knew. But morale was high and he hoped to keep it there.

It appeared almost the whole of the encampment came to attend the outdoor service. Clothes washed and weapons gleaming Ben talked to them of standing firm in the fight against evil. He spoke on how each individual there was vital to defending the County Margrave and their families back home. Asking all to shake hands with the men and women around them he asked them to take the time to learn their new comrade’s names and stories. At the end Ben offered to meet with any one who needed to speak privately. Darius chose to help in this too and lines of people formed outside the tower waiting for the few minutes alone each would receive with either the cleric or the dwarven paladin. Twenty-two in all were seen.

In the meantime Dram spent more time with the small group of tower militia he was training in archery. Testing each one he noted their improvement or the lack there of. Igor walked out of the woods and Mirel and others noticed he had not attended the religious services. He mentioned having scouted in the southeast woods surrounding the tower. Fortunately, no orcs were hunting that morning.  Other work done included the final clearing of the downed trees surrounding the tower. Some of the logs were up to 40' in length after being removed of limbs. Arrows were coated in pitch in case of battle. Kayla acquired some long knives from the army’s supplies in order to protect herself. She managed to get a fine looking dagger for Dram too. Brother Ben would later wonder on the exchange and whether it meant something more. What Ben did not notice was Dalin taking bets with Dram on who would kill the most creatures that day. "And bats don't count!" said Dalin.


----------



## howandwhy99

*Sleeping in again *

And so, once more our brave intrepid heroes descended down the well into Quasqueton. Igor would once again stay at the keep proving his loyalty. It is uncertain what was said to him in private from his reckless foray into the woods by other group members. But Mirel, Kayla, Dram, Dalin, Ben, and Darius all were eager to learn more about this new spot of forest beyond the cavern's other exit. Before beginning Darius asked to check the bottom of the well for any further possible entrances to other levels of Quasqueton. 

While no other footholds went past the original entrance, Darius was lowered down by rope over 100' feet to a still pool of water. Checking carefully he spotted movement within. While the others could not see what Darius did, they could hear and felt a tug on the rope as it pulled away hard. Raising Darius back out of the well he said he saw a large snake in the water and that the water was flowing deceptively fast just below the surface. He said this as the group dried him off as the water was also deceptively cold. It was decided no other exits into Quesquaton existed by way of the well. 

No encounter occurred in the halls of Quesquaton or the caverns beneath it. Walking outside the first thing the group noticed was the clear sky and the sun's heat on their faces while they stared out from the hilltop. Invigorated to start a new day's adventure, the group set on to exploring the environs around the cave exit. Dram had the best eyes and had spotted a smoke trail in the distance below. A stream was seen flowing right to left in the valley just below the hill. 

Scouting from a tree again Dram determined the previous day's guesses were wrong. The cave was in fact facing south. And the spot he took to be the outpost in the distance was not. This meant the hill could be in any possible direction away from Outpost X. "Igor was certainly not going to drop in during one of his surprise visits," Ben thought. The party headed down the southern slope the cave exit faced towards the rolling stream. It was suggested everyone kept the hill in sight in case a person became lost or separated. As they walked the trees thinned out and made for easier travel. Turning to the right they followed the waterway upriver awhile keeping a look out for smoke. 

Before they came to the next hill in the ridge Dram spotted the thin tendril of smoke. The band cautiously headed in its direction through a grove of trees. Spotted ahead looked to be around ten humanoid creatures as tall as men. They were dancing around a large old willow tree in a clearing along the riverside. Brother Ben tried to make out the faces of the creatures. They were bloodied about their heads and wore skins beaten into some kind of makeshift armor. Each carried swords and spears while some had crossbows as well. A lithe young woman was in the tree as well wearing only a simple brown dress. “Some kind of worship ritual?” Ben wondered. A mountain lion moved out of hiding in the tree to stand on one of its limbs. The monsters swung weapons at the tree trunk adding to the cuts from before the band’s arrival. Small flames licked from their torches lighting the tree's lower branches.


----------



## howandwhy99

"ORCS!” cried out Darian and waved everyone forward as he charged and fired his crossbow. Flail in hand, Ben ran toward the right taking cover behind a tree while Dalin circled left using his bow. The remaining three allies shot arrows and slings bullets into the mass of orcs. Six of the orcs drew back from the tree and fired crossbows at the movement in the forest. The woman in the tree began to sing a mystical song with words they could not understand. Each felt a strange feeling and Ben for one knew he was even more compelled to free the woman and her companion. The lion, which Ben now believed to be an ally and friend of the tree-woman, leapt out off its branch and badly wounded one of the orcs. The remaining orcs surrounded it attacking with swords and spears. They were seemingly unaffected by the woman’s song.

The six orcs with crossbows continued to fire into the woods as five of our heroes used the trees for cover. Darius courageously ran straight forward and began hammering upon the orcs around the mountain lion. Dalin ran up and swung his longsword at one of the crossbowmen felling it as Ben ran to try and flank the other side of their line. The six orcs stabbed at the massive lion using their spears and killed it. Mirel successfully hit another with a sling stone.

The tree-woman sang even louder. The fire was beginning to really burn on the lower branches now. The orcs with crossbows dropped them and one attacked Dalin. Dram had been missing with his arrow shots but finally hit an orc which was now turning on Darius. All twelve of the orcs then swarmed the tree and began hacking at it with swords while Darius managed to hammer upon a few of them. Ben arrived on the rear side of the orc ring and flailed missing. The old willow tree began to creak and fell to the forest floor with a loud crash. The lady within screamed as her singing stopped. The group felt the strange feeling stop too.

Dalin started backpedaling pulling out his waterskin which was full of healing fruit juice. Dram shot two more orcs with his bow felling one. Darius continued to press the frontal attack but his fatigue was really beginning to show. Doubtless his field armor was affecting his endurance as did the hot early summer day. The six remaining orcs turned their attention to Darian with the tree now crashed to the ground. Dalin rested taking deep breaths of his own and drank some of the potion juice. Mirel and Dram continued with ranged attacks from the trees while Kayla kept lookout. Dram managed to hit again hoping to drive the creatures off Darius. Brother Ben ran to the lady in the tree and poured some of the healing juice from his own waterskin into her mouth. She had been dying, but not dead. 

Mirel killed another orc with a stone and Kayla now ran forward with a dagger killing another. Dalin once again refreshed missed his own target while Darius tried to keep defending himself from the surrounding orcs. They continued to focus on killing the dwarf. Dram killed another with an arrow. One orc turned its back on Darius trying to retreat and the dwarf easily dispatched it. "That’s three kills for Darius!" thought Dalin, so he pressed forward his attack and killed another matching the dwarf in kills. Dalin smiled. Another orc attempted to run managing to slip by Brother Ben who was standing in the branches of the fallen tree. Brother Ben started after it as did Dram a second later stowing his bow and pulling out a sword. All three sped into the woods heading away from the river.

Dalin and Darius now squared away on the last remaining orc. Each landed a good blow and it went down. “Only half a kill each for both of us. That puts us at even" said Dalin. In his own thoughts he began to wonder, "Perhaps what I need is a suit of armor like our paladin. That will clearly give me the best odds." Darius walked over to the tree-woman now standing on her own. Kayla and Mirel joined with Dalin to listen. Both dwarf and the tree-woman bent over and light flared from their hands healing the tree. When Darius had healed Brother Ben in the tower Ben had been restored, but the tree continued to look dead. However, the tree-woman said they were successful in saving the tree. She introduced herself as Greenwillow of the forest. Darius told her his name as did Kayla, Mirel, and Dalin. As a reward for saving her Greenwillow gave Darius a handful of berries. She then looked over at the dead lion and bemoaned her loss. She asked if Darius was willing to join in her in guarding her tree. He declined looking ill at ease.


----------



## beer_motor

Good to see updates - but could you tell it simply from Brother Ben's perspective?  It would be really interesting to see what is going on in that slightly amped-up head of his...


----------



## howandwhy99

beer_motor said:
			
		

> Good to see updates - but could you tell it simply from Brother Ben's perspective? It would be really interesting to see what is going on in that slightly amped-up head of his...




It took some time for me to decide on which point of view to pick. I eventually decided upon the 3rd person narrator. Most information is not shared openly in character, so half the story would be missing if it was told from a 1st person perspective. It also happens that the narrator is imperfect as I personally don't have all the information others do. But at least the current style relates the vast majority of the story. That said you will see a surprise coming up concerning the writing format. 

Also, other players are always able to add a 1st person write up for their character. I believe the narrator style blends better with this potential hodgepodge storytelling without the risk of too much repetition. Players could divulge secrets and personal character knowledge not in the full narration which lends impact as well as insight.


----------



## howandwhy99

*End of Session*

Meanwhile, in the woods north of them, Brother Ben chased after the wounded orc. Dram followed after keeping Ben in sight. Within two or three minutes of running all were beginning to tire, the orc most of all. It stumbled and Ben jumped atop it. He had already planned to knock it out so the others would not kill it. He had thought of capturing one for questioning while in melee and now was his chance. Ben dropped his flail and pummeled the creature's face with his fist. Once, twice, three times he hit it while getting a good look at facial features. What he had taken for just blood was in fact red skin. The face had mongrel-like features, but there was also red wax running down the sides of its head. Curiously, its ears were filled with red wax. "That is why they were not affected by the witch woman’s song," thought Ben. His four companions back at the fallen tree were noticing this same fact at about the same time when Dram arrived up and tried pulling Ben off of the unconscious orc. 

"More are coming down the hill in front of us! I can hear them. They will be here any minute. We have to go!" urged Dram. Brother Ben stood up and started pulling the orc looking at his friend for compliance. "We can’t carry him and run back in time. Kill it or they will kill us" Dram said as he ran back in the direction they had come. Ben struggled internally on whether or not to kill the sleeping orc. Dram ran as Ben heard the sound of approaching feet coming down a hill slope in the direction the orc had run. Frustrated Brother Ben ran after Dram before he got out of sight. The orc was left alive.

The two maneuvered their way back in the direction they believed Darius and the others waited. Breaking out into the clearing Mirel's call rang out from the trees for the others not to shoot. The group had readied bows in fear more orcs were approaching. After climbing down they all ran down along the riverside back to the hill cave of Quesquaton. The tree-woman hid while Dalin asked Ben, "Did you get the ears from the orc you were chasing? They’re worth good money once we return to the Keep". Ben did not answer as he had no ears or kills to show for the battle. 

Heading back up the hill, the group did not detect any pursuit from the unknown enemy. Their tracks were scuffed over while climbing back up and everyone relaxed and rested once back in the tubular cave. The water outside had dried in the meantime. No barkers, now called kobolds, attacked in the bat room thankfully as the party was still weak from battle. Many of the bats had returned to roost though. At the cavern fork Darius decided to set off the suspected sand trap they had discovered the day before. Prodding forward the sand slid away quickly sinking anything inside it. Darius had roped himself off while the group held the other end and pulled him out each time he looked to go too deep. After a few attempts much of the sand had sunk into a hole which appeared to lip underneath the floor. Darius rappelled down about 60’ and felt what might have been a large stone box or column under the large pile of sand. Off to one side of him were the remains of a human body. It was clad in armor with the symbol of an eagle upon its shield. Did the skeleton move or was it merely the shifting of sands? Darius took no chances as he smashed in its skull with his hammer. The leather armor and shield were in bad repair. A scabbard and busted dagger lay to one side. Perhaps it was one of the slain combatants in the level above from when they had first entered Quesquaton? No matter. The bones weren’t answering any questions today.

Once at the top of the well the group was happy to see Outpost Xavier again. They decided to wait until tomorrow before exploring once more. Darian cleaned his armor of sand and orc blood. He ordered the company to build a makeshift bridge that could be placed over the sandtrap below and then went to meet with Elion in the Elf’s tent. What was said Ben did not hear. Perhaps more of the group joined Darian in his report while Ben worked with the Gresslam Brothers? He suspected that all of the days activities were likely reported. One of the facts Ben learned later was how every creature in the Greenwillow Forest took the name Greenwillow for itself. He learned also the tree-woman was not human, but a 'dryad' defending her tree. With the mountain lion dead she would be looking for a new companion to help her guard it. Fortunately for Outpost Xavier, Darius had not accepted the position.


----------



## howandwhy99

*[Session 5]*

The rest of the day would see each of the members working on their own projects or with the troops. Dram worked on training his archer crew and tested them for improvements. Targets were drawn and each member took his turn firing. Dram saw some improvement from the work so far, but each still had quite a bit to learn. Dalin put the pikeman crew he was training through a series of difficult exercises. They were huffing and puffing at the end of his work. Due to the bruises and injuries still healing from the first half the day, Dalin only watched and supervised the drills instead of joining in. Mirel found out Outpost Xavier was slowly being repaired, but many of the basic chores were being ignored. No one had even walked the horses or brushed them down that morning. She worked quietly, but steadily the rest of the day not saying a word of it to anyone.

Dram and Darius looked over the stone masonry work the soldiers and their smith had done to the broken door frame over the last couple days. It looked very nice, but the smith had not known how to rebuild the murder hole from the second floor pouring out on the porch below. The two decided it was better to have a strong, secure door. Dram tried drawing out schematics in the ground with the Smith nonetheless. The 3rd story of the tower was still almost entirely demolished by the Giant attacks from before the band had arrived over a week ago. A great deal of the supplies that were found behind Zelligar's throne room were stored in the 1st and 2nd floors while the stone blocks had been piled up on this third floor and for use along the encircling tower stairs. The holes in the walls created by the Giant's attack were currently being patch up by Militia soldiers. It was obvious to everyone a great deal more work would be needed before the tower was fully repaired.

Kayla spent her time away from the others. Pouring through the old booksfound in Zelligar's library she had several conversations in quiet with Darius throughout the day. Brother Ben did not see whether or not any information was shared with Elion the Elf, but neither did he hear what they were talking about. Instead, he was busy working with the Brothers Gresslam: Goodrich, Rizzle, and Grizzard. Still learning the basics of healing, the Brothers were put on numerous jobs mimicking Ben cleaning wounds and learning bandaging styles. Ever since the army arrived the infirmary stayed empty, but continuous work kept it as clean and orderly a place as possible given the circumstances. In the evening Dalin and Dram took inventory of the food and weapons and set watches. Most were no longer worried about another Giant stike given the one hundred soldier strong army.

Late in the day Elion called our heroes, the heads of the tower militia, to his tent to discuss what was going on back at the Keep. "Captain Devereaux has been promoted to Lady Devereaux. She took temporary command of the county when Lord Margrave took his army in chase after the enemy." Where was that we inquired. "Far to the North and East over the mountains." Elion also informed us of Lady Margrave staying in the city Harling which lay in the center of the county. She had not accompanied her husband. Brother Ben had heard about Harling and always wanted to go. Many thousands of people were said to live there. Elion spoke on about how he and Lady Devereaux had conversed over these past few days, but none in the group dared to ask how seeing as he had not left the camp. The Elf explained how he was an advisor to the Lord Margrave and how he agreed to stay behind in Margrave and assist Lady Devereaux as the acting authority.

Brother Ben was caught up in the otherworldliness the Elf seemed to possess. Very well spoken he told the group of how Quesquaton was originally the first human settlement in these lands. How over 80 years ago Zelligar and Rohgan had arrived in this very same spot and built the tower of Outpost Xavier. Elion explained that Quesquaton was a word from a barbarian tongue, which meant "the death of orcs". Dram looked angrily back at him for this. He knew the language which Elion spoke of was of his ancestor’s and by barbaric the Elf had meant ancient human. Kayla smiled to herself upon hearing the news. Perhaps she already knew some of it? Ben was unsure as he walked out into the starlit night afterwards. Working so hard to protect everyone he had neglected in learning quite who each of them were.


----------



## howandwhy99

*[DAY 9 - Thunderday, Mao 26th, CY 81]*


After Ben prayed in the morning and Kayla studied from her books, the next exploration into Quesquaton was mounted. Climbing down the well had become practiced for the group, but a surprise awaited them in the side hall half way down. The door to Quesquaton was closed. Instead of saying the original password "quesquaton" which opened it, Igor pressed the plate next to the Zelligar etching to the right of the door.

*"WHO DARES ENTER THIS PLACE AND INTRUDE UPON THE SANCTUARY OF ITS INHABITANTS?"*

Ben wasn't in the well when they had first opened the stone portal, but he did remember this loud call echoing up the well.

*"ONLY A GROUP OF FOOLHARDY EXPLORERS DOOMED TO CERTAIN DEATH!"*

Our heroes chuckled a little at this. Today they planned to search for any final secret doors or rooms as the whole of Quesquaton was now explored in their minds.

*"WOE TO ANY WHO PASS THIS PLACE-THE WRATH OF ZELLIGAR AND ROGAHN WILL BE UPON THEM!"*

"Qua" said Igor. "Quest" said Brother Ben. "On" said Dram and the door opened. 


*



*


The central corridor was empty. Igor checked for kobold tracks or those of any others that might have closed the door and found two different types. Both small distorted footprints were erratically about and several points sticking in the sand and debris. "kobold tracks and what I think is the second spider", said Igor. Brother Ben remembered the 7' beast. "Maybe it was simply spear tips," thought Ben, but chose not to say anything. Brother Ben was glad Darius had relented and Igor was traveling with the group again. Hadn't he healed the once-misshapen fellow? Besides Igor was a far better tracker than any of the others.

The secret doors in the two alcoves in the left side of the main corridor were still open. The two on the right were searched again, but nothing was discovered. Heading into the main halls, the group traveled into the pool room as the small footprints seemed to lead in almost every direction. Checking on the crack in the wall leading to the collapsed storage chamber Kayla rediscovered Ben's lost list. It contained the inscriptions encircling each of the pools. Ben made sure to hold onto it lest he misplace it again.

The frightening endless black pool = Speak My Name
The healing fruit juice which looked pink and fuzzy = Restore Health
The greenish clear fizzing acrid liquid pool = Strip Flesh
The murky grey liquid pool = Curse Upon
The green gooey pool = Slime
The icy water pool = Fresh as Mountain Stream (becomes beer when spoken)
The dark red liquid pool = Bordo
Dry, parched pool = Dust in the wind (fills with dirt when spoken)
Flaming pool = Toil & Trouble (fire goes out when spoken)
Empty pool, but with an uneasy feeling surrounding it = Your Worst Fears
Greenish liquid pool = Go to Sleep (speaker becomes drowsy)
Goldfish in water = Here Here Fishy Fishy (when spoken this kills the fish)
Ice (steaming) = Freeze
Heaping pile of gold coins = Fools Treasure (The phrase makes the coins appear or disappear)
Slowly trickling water = Be Silent (There is no sound from this pool)
Incomplete in construction = (There is no writing around this pool.)
Milk pool = Sour Puss (The milk curdles when spoken)
Swampy water with frogs = Ribbett (When spoken the tadpoles become frogs and more appear in the water)
Pool of ashes = Ashes to Ashes
The now empty pool which contained the cloth-wrapped corpse = Arise
The healing juice pool was about half empty at this point. Members had been filling their waterskins after fights. The other pools were filled to within a foot of the brim. The group had an empty quarterbarrel lowered down the well by the guards above. Once full everyone else filled waterskins until the juice was gone. Ben planned to make a tally of available doses once above ground again. The quarterbarrel was tied off and raised back up the well with instructions to store it carefully in the infirmary. 

Further down the hallways more footprints could be seen. A collection lead through a series of closer rooms. The armory was still disheveled and full of rusted arms. The utility room's junk piles also seemed untouched. The footsteps led on and past the room with the smashed idol in it. 

*AUTHOR'S NOTE*:[sblock]No one noticed the map not corresponding to this detail. On the map the hallway stops and enters the idol room[/sblock]


----------



## MonsterMash

Thanks for the frequent updates - looks like you've got another reader now too!


----------



## howandwhy99

Three large rats ran out of the idol room and start biting at the lead walkers. The creatures did not seem a dire threat and only a few members at first pulled out weapons to repel these vermin. Darius swung at one hitting its side, but it did not fall. Dalin, Dram, and Mirel moved in with swords and dagger. The creatures did not seem easily damaged even when a blow was landed. In retaliation the rats soundlessly bit back at the four and each hero was bitten at least once. The damage was minimal, but the four swayed in place feeling nauseated from the wounds. Dram shook off the feeling pressing forward to attack again. Darius shook off the feeling too, but Dalin and Mirel had both succombed to the poison. Quick words were exchanged over who Darius would cure as he could only save one. Mirel was chosen as she was younger and probably more susceptible. Calming light poured out of Darius's hands when he laid them on her brow.

Igor then started screaming, "They're dead! they're dead! The dead have risen! We're all going to die". Unsure of what to do next he slumped to the floor paralyzed in fear and babbling to himself. Kayla and Brother Ben grabbed Mirel and Dalin pulling them back from the combat. Darius smashed one of the rats to pieces with is hammer and virtually no blood squirted out. The creatures were dead like the humanoid body wrapped in bandages first found in the pool room. The other two rats ran back into the idol room and Dram chased after. "Could these be the original three rats we fought when first entering Quesquaton?", Kayla thought. Brother Ben backed away preparing to defend those in the rear. Dalin wheezed and turned even paler. Darius followed after Dram and saw him beating at a 10" inch crack in the floor of the wall where a rat head was darting out of. Both made to guard the opening carefully keeping their hands clear from another bite attack. It was then Igor screamed once more. 

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaahhhh! The kobolds! The kobolds are dead too!" Igor was shrieking while jerkily pointing his finger down the passageway. Kayla, Ben, Mirel, and Dalin looked up. Advancing towards them in the torchlight was the first row of skeletal kobold forms. Wall to wall the undead walked forwards with easily a dozen or more swarming in from the shadows behind. Dalin strained to stand up and walked towards them bravely attacking with his sword. Darius ran out of the idol room hammer already held high and lowered it onto one of the monsters. Ben grabbed his flail to help as Mirel and Kayla backed down the hallway to fire over their heads. Dram could hear the commotion, but continued to slash at the rat hole and the elusive rats within.

Swiftly marching forward the creatures mired those in front in a swamp of undead kobold. Dalin continued to swing trying to hold back the flow from Kayla and Mirel. Darius swung furiously at all the short little creatures around him as they scratched in vain to get through his plate mail armor. Dram assiduously stayed put even as two skeletons ran into the idol room and flanked him with the rat hole. Ben held the left side of those trying to stem the flow out in the hallway. "These are the same fallen foes we left in the caves from the level below!" yelled Ben. Were they unaffected by the archway because they are now dead? That was strange. Wait a minute... Brother Ben swivelled to his right putting his back to the wall behind him. A kobold attempted to scoot past him, but Ben grabbed his own chainmail shirt and held one hand high. "Get thee back to the grave vile dead," he said. Power shone out from his form and several of the creatures retreated. Even the foes near Dram cowered giving him a chance to focus on them as well.

More kobolds swept over those backing away. Dalin and Darius swung with Dalin hitting off Darius's armor. Kayla and Mirel kept raining sling stones onto the oncoming kobolds while Igor shivered in fright. "What evil lurks before me?" quoted Ben as light continued to shine out from his form. Kobolds swarmed forward and back. Over the next several minutes the battle proceeded at a slow crawl. The creatures swarmed in mass confusion as Dalin and Dram stood like pillars in the sea. Mirel's and Kayla's stones flew doing what damage they could while Dram held off the dead rats and Igor babbled. Ben stepped back while his allies moved forward to where the wave of undead crested at the edge of his divine light.


----------



## howandwhy99

The creatures did not die easily. Hits did less damage than suspected. It was a battle of attrition as both humans and dwarf tired with each swing and the undead did not. The kobolds were gaining ground pushing past the room entrance. Darius grudgingly gave up foot by foot choosing to back into the idol room and protect Dram. Having no luck at all with the rats in the wall Dram's actions did stop anyone else from being bitten. He had also managed to kill the two kobolds that had outflanked him. Dalin was falling back to where Brother Ben stood as the swarm was split between entering the idol room and advancing down the corridor. He took a full minute to rest himself and between the scratches on Dalin's face and the poison working through him he looked near death himself. Kayla poured some of the healing fruit juice down his throat, but only the scratches healed. Ben stood tall with his hands held high continuing to try and hold back what seemed an unending torrent. 

It was at that moment when Igor's instinct for self-preservation finally overcame his irrational fear. "The truth of undeath affects each person differently," Ben would reflect later. Swinging Guido's old sword two-handed, Igor filled Dalin's place in battle. Darius and Dram stood back to back in the idol room. Its smashed offering bowl lent little assistance as a dozen kobolds pressed their attack. Unguarded one of the zombie rats darted back out of the hole. Shouts for help were called and Kayla and Mirel focused their fire on the kobolds attempting to enter the room. Brother Ben paced forward chanting. Divine light had poured out of him for nearly ten minutes. Courageously, Dalin struggled to stand up as the poison coarsed through his body. Step by step he advanced on the kobold skeletons cutting one in half with his sword. "Seven", he counted aloud. 

Dram and Darius were finally having some luck in killing the kobolds. It was difficult to focus on destroying one when they moved over each other and then retreated due to the divine light. Igor and Dalin waded forward to the room entrance and seeing their allies' tactics within stood back to back in the door way. Dalin worked to keep further skeletons out while Igor swung his massive sword trying to destroy the ones inside the room. Ben moved forward as bites and scratches began to affect Igor. The cook had neither chainmail nor plate armor like the others. Having fought without rest for over ten minutes straight Darius was staggered by an attack and fell to his knees. 

The light from Ben dimmed as he stopped chanting for a moment and grabbed at his waterskin. He rushed forward through the doorway. The creatures clawed and bit at him as he advanced. Igor stepped forward to back up Dram and help him guard Darius. The crooked man Darius had straightened was in a frenzy frothing at the lips while hitting the small skeletons. Many of the monsters in the idol room were now destroyed thankfully. Dram worked the rat zombie back into a corner while guarding his shins from both its bites and the kobold's. Ben made it to Darius's side and poured a mouthful of healing juice down his throat and the dwarf's stamina returned. Now moving out into the hall Dalin ran to his left trying to stave off any attacks on Kayla and Mirel. Both women danced side to side trying to stay in Dalin's torchlight but away from the kobolds. They slung stones at point blank range into the oncoming mass. 

Once again standing Darius called out "Retreat!" and began hammering a path through the kobolds to the room's entrance. Ben called on the power of the Gods again and the job was made easier. Dalin made it back to Kayla and Mirel effectively inacting a fighting withdrawal. The zombie rat darted back into it hole as Dram desperately tried to destroy the creature before retreating himself. Igor somersaulted out into the main hallway with the large sword in his lap. Swinging back and forth he managed to hit another kobold. Ben kept calling on the power while standing in the entranceway. Darius pulled Dram back from the rat hole and the four of them ran headlong through the remaining skeletons trying to reach Dalin and the others. Finally together the group was harassed by the few remaining kobold skeletons all the way back to the main corridor. Darius and Dram kept up a rear defense while the others ran down through the main entrance. Igor shouldered Dalin up as he swayed side to side. 

Calls were made up the well for a rope. Apparently no one was nearby, but after a couple minutes one was lowered down. Dalin was tied and pulled up and in that time Mirel had already climbed to the surface. Darius and Dram who had been continuously pushed back decided to turn and ran the last few yards out the entrance door. "QUASQUETON!!" everyone yelled. And the stone door slammed shut.


----------



## howandwhy99

Back up in the outpost Dalin had already been moved upstairs to the infirmary. The band was breathing heavily as many of the militia stared at them. "I cannot heal anyone else for the day" said Darius. "And Brother Ben says the healing juice is not working. Men! Build a stretcher. We are leaving immediately for Margrave Keep. Double-time damn it!"

People ran in all directions grabbing gear and asking what was necessary for the trip. Brother Ben ran upstairs to check on Dalin and saw him sleeping in a bed with the Gresslam Brothers shyly staring at him. Ben had them fetch more waterskins and bandages for the trip while he cleaned the rat bite on Dalin. Stripping him of his chainmail was more difficult. The noise downstairs had begun to decline when Dram and Igor walked up with a makeshift stretcher. Carefully laying Dalin on it he was moved downstairs. The stretcher was tied between two horses which were lashed with some wood in a makeshift double-yoke. Darius took lead with his horse. The other's horses were saddled and bridled as well. Darius explained how Pendra and Certa could not lead them to the Keep as they had gone off scouting a few days ago. And they had not yet returned.

The heroes embarked with a small group of regular army soldiers surrounding them on the road. Only Chervac had been back to the Keep since the heroes and their militia had originally been assigned, but now he stayed behind as did Kayla and Mirel. The trip was long and the dirt road very bumpy. Keep Margrave came into view just as the sun was going down for the day. The team hustled up the pathway to the Keep. It was built upon the raised hill cleared of the surrounding forest and leveled off. "Ho on the road!" came from the watchtower. "Hail" cried Ben. Then Darius spoke up. "We are from Outpost X to the east. I am Sergeant Darius. We have a sick man and need to be let in." The doors creaked open. The troops entered and Dalin's body was rushed to the temple within. Brother Thom who the group had met from their initial stay met them at the door. "The guards brought the news ahead of you. Please come in and bring your friend." 

Brother Ben watched and prayed while Brother Thom prepared Dalin's body on a raised plinth. He said Brother Hetrick was now the Father of the Temple.  But he could not help Dalin until after he awoke and prayed the next morning. Ben decided to stay and help as he could. The rest of the group went outside and spotted a sign for the local inn. The placard looked like a man with fire in his hands. So that was what Dalin called it. Darius the Dwarf had other business to conduct. He spoke with the guards at the inner gate in an attempt to meet with Captain Devereaux who was in the fort side of the keep. She was the one who originally sent the proclamation conscripting the militia troops. Elion had said he was her advisor as well as advisor to Lord Margrave when he was in the county. Elion had entrusted Darius with delivering a letter to her, but the watchguard were not helpful at all. Finally the Keep's Quartermaster Sgt Keenan came out and told him to wait until morning as "the castellan of the Keep is not taking visitors this evening."


*[DAY 10 - Fastday, Mao 27th, CY 81]*

Early the next morning Brother Ben met his friends as Brother Thom let them in through the temple's side door. "Come in. Come in. Father Hetrick is about to start." The others watched while Father Hetrick placed leeches on Dalin's body.  Brother Ben and Darius each channeled what healing power they had into the body too.  Dalin's eyes flickered and he awoke. Negotiations for donating to the temple for services were discussed the previous night, but no one had any regrets in paying that morning least of all Dalin. The sky was clear for a Mao day. The group split up and went in different directions. Some hoped to purchase supplies while other explored the Keep as they had little chance on their previous stay. Darius went straight to the inner bailey and asked about meeting with Lady Devereaux. 

The Keep was split in half between townsfolk and guardsmen by a dividing wall. The far side was the inner bailey and headquarters for the guard and the castellan Lady Devereaux. The other half was a small village which the main entrance opened in on. The main gate was constructed in the usual mott and bailey design and a curtain wall surrounded the entirety of the keep with a total of seven guard towers. On the villager's side were a large inn, stables, a smithy / armorer, a tavern, a trading post, a fountain, the temple, a few merchant buildings, and some private homes as well. Ben did not really see what was on the ruling side of the Keep, but he did spot a small fortress rising up along the far wall across from the inner bailey.

*





*

*



*


----------



## howandwhy99

After knocking, Darius spoke with the Keep's quartermaster Sgt Keenan again. "Lady Devereaux is not taking visitors this morning." 
"What!" replied the Dwarf, "How come?"
"Her orders. She is not receiving visitors this morning."
"But, I was here yesterday! I have urgent news.
"That's not my problem."
"Fine. I'll wait."






The other members of the group had a little more success. Igor was one of those who had split off on his own. Unbeknownst to the group he had a contact named "Mouse" who ran the local general store. The others met many of the keepfolk too. To them Mouse looked like a very small human always with a smile on his face. What Igor and Mouse talked of Ben could never have known, but after leaving Igor's backpack was much lighter and of a different color to boot. Dram and Dalin both bought extra supplies and personal food seeing the fare was better here. They spent the morning drinking and Dalin tried to get a little dicing started with some inn patrons without luck. Brother Ben stayed holed up with Brother Thom. He had a few interesting things to say himself when Ben asked him about rumors of the fabled Quesquaton.

"Not all pools are water. Some are beneficial and blessed, holy sites. Others are cursed by the Gods. Some have guardians. And some are the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Of course, no one believes these fairy tales." Ben took note and remembered what Elion had said about the importance of the place. He also remembered how quickly the army had arrived after word of it was sent from Outpost Yung. Brother Ben said nothing more of Quesquaton and resolved to tell no one else of it's existence. Thankfully Brother Thom still seemed in the dark. Seeking help anyways Ben asked about any adventuring advice Thom might have. "Keep your gear clean, repaired, and handy. Any item may be useful, and save your life. I’ve known men buy 11’ poles, pounds of iron spikes, and rope by the armloads." Ben thought that was good advice.

Much later on that same morning the paladin Darius banged on the heavy wooden door of the inner bailey again. 
"Open up!"
"What do you want?" Sgt. Keenan replied after coming to the opposite side of the door.
"I have a letter for Lady Devereaux from her advisor Elion. It is addressed to her personally."
"Give it to me and I will get it to her."
"No. I have orders to give it to her myself."
"Then it will have to wait until she is accepting visitors."
"When will that be?" asked Darius.
"Who knows? It's been several weeks since she has last seen anyone she does not know well."
The dwarf stood in silence. "I'll tell you what. I will give you the letter, but I need some things from you too."
"Like what?"
"Well, we need more troops and supplies at Outpost Xavier. An extra smith, and. ....."

Darius listed off the necessary equipment the group could use and needed back at the tower. Sergeant Keenan actually turned out to be a pretty nice fellow after learning of the troubles at the outpost. Replacement troops were assigned for the tower militia killed but the number was only enough for what a normal tower was manned with. That meant 20 militia troops in all, not the original 40. A second smith was assigned as well as some extra food supplies and pack mules. A wagon was loaded to haul the whole load.


----------



## howandwhy99

In the meantime, Mirel and Kayla worked hard to organize the militia back at the outpost. Mirel tried to sneak out of becoming a supervisor by working at mucking the stables herself; the worst job she could think of. Her plan did not quite work. After the caravan had left Kayla asked some of the militia to organize a watch around the well to make sure nothing came out of it and no one went in either. Mirel could see how nervous the men were when stationed there. Having been put in charge of the tower watch by Kayla she made sure to change the well guard often. In the evening hours Mirel listened in on the soldier's stories around the campfire. Scooting about underfoot she was rarely noticed and always made sure to have a broom or shovel in hand in case anyone got too suspicious about her presence. Kayla, on the other hand, worked hard directing a top to bottom cleaning of the tower. Mirel had noticed her talking with Darius and Elion before the others left with Dalin to the Keep. She also observed Kayla sneaking in and out of Elion the Elf's tent late at night. Sadly the guards around the large tent were too attentive for her to get near enough to hear inside. Mirel set her mind on devising ways to get close enough in future nights to listen in without being caught. 

Darius, Dram, Dalin, Brother Ben, Igor, and their new militia recruits left Keep Margrave shortly after midday. On the road back, Igor, Dram, and Darius were having difficulty riding as they were still injured from the underground combat the day before. Then Darius remembered the dozen berries the dryad had given him for saving her tree. He handed one out to each of the injured and took one himself. Igor asked for a second and that was when the dwarf noticed most of the berries looked to have gone bad. Igor ate the second berry anyways. The three felt healed from the meal, but their minds began to reel. For the rest of the trip they needed to trip in the back of the trip, as they could not stop tripping loudly as they tripped along the road. After the trip they arrived at the outpost just after dark. It was fortunate for all they were not attacked on the road. The supplies were unloaded and three sick men sent to the infirmary. Dram and Darius seemed better later in the evening and were reissued their weapons. Igor on the other hand still sang bawdy songs as loud as possible, muffled though he was. "For an unlearned man his vocabulary was quite extensive," Ben thought. It was a long night for Ben and the Gresslam Brothers. 


*[DAY 11 - Holyday, Mao 28th, CY 81]* 

At sunrise the next morning Darius woke everyone for their next excursion down the well. He and Ben prayed while Kayla studied from her book. Ben also made plans with the Gresslam Brothers to prepare for a Holyday ceremony with both militia and army regulars when Brother Ben returned. Igor had stopped singing and pointing at invisible snails, but the sleep he had was poor and it showed. Still, Ben was happy he was coming along with the group again to explore Quesquaton. He saw Igor putting quite a bit of food in his pack for a possible group meal later in the day. Darius pulled out the seeds he had saved from the dryad's berries eaten the day before. He had been talking with Kayla the evening before and it was planned that wine might be made from their fruit. With the help of a spade he dug a trough around the back of the tower along its edge. Planting each seed carefully in a line he packed them with dirt afterwards and watered them. After everyone's preparations were complete, the seven traveled back down the well. 

Darius and Dalin stood in front with weapons out while the others held bow or sling when "Quesquaton" was spoken. Oddly, no kobold skeletons attacked. The group kept their eyes peeled for the remaining kobolds and began another room-to-room search. The poolroom was checked first and a rather depressing discovery was made. The pools looked to have lowered over the last few days. Ben tried to think back on how high the liquid levels had been when they originally discovered the room. It was hard to tell, but he believed they might have been full to their lip edges. It was decided the loss was due to the kobolds as they had made it through the archway. 






Recent footprint activity led downstairs to the second level and the caves below. Igor took the lead with Darius beside him. Igor was their best scout and noticed more point like tracks as well. "Spiders again" he said. Sure enough two large spiders barreled down the long cavern jumping into the torchlight. Darius moved forward and swung at the lead spider. Both look dried and desiccated. The dwarf could see deep cuts in the first spider’s sides with which the band had originally killed it. The second spider looked just as dead, but without the cuts. Igor moved into the shadows and sliced at a spider's legs with his large sword. Ben gave him credit for not running or screaming upon seeing the undead. Mirel and Kayla pelted slingstones on the carapaces of the spiders as Dram's arrows punctured their sides. Brother Ben used his flail to try and break their legs. He was saving his divinely aided strength for turning back the kobold undead when they finally decided to show themselves. 

All and all the combat went quickly. The spiders were easy targets after cutting their legs out from under them. And when the kobolds were met, Ben channeled his divine power driving off most in fear so each combat was against small numbers giving the party the best odds. On reflection only a handful of kobold skeletons ended up attacking, but Ben thought they might have learned their lesson. Also, the group might have just destroyed the majority of them during their first fight two days ago. Both possibilities seemed likely to Ben. As they entered the bat cave the group was attacked immediately by thousands of undead bats. Most of the seven backed out of the boulder hole while those with swords or hammers swung at the undead bone-like bats around them. Ben did not want to think about what unearthly power gave them flight, so he channeled his power to drive them off. To his surprise all the bats in the divine light burst into pieces. It was only a matter of time to destroy the tens of thousands still in the bat cave. It took a few hours, but the cleaning was highly successful.


----------



## howandwhy99

*OOG:*
[SBLOCK]I will be at Disneyworld the next few days. Please enjoy the double post in the meantime. 

EDIT: _Back from the Magic Kingdom_ [/SBLOCK]


----------



## howandwhy99

Our heroes traveled out into the forest from the geyser cave and emerged out into what was a very cloudy day. They made their way back down the hill, to the riverside and headed upstream to visit with the dryad again. The team was hoping she could answer some questions about what was going on in the forest, and also to learn where the Giant laired. Each pulled out a weapon as they walked quietly through the tree grove preceding the dryad’s glade. It was possible more orcs had returned in the intervening time. As a further precaution the group took bits of wax they had brought from the tower supplies and filled each of their ears in case the dryad tried to charm them again with her singing. Entering into the glade of the great fallen willow tree they spotted a large brown bear nearby. Cautiously everyone halted at the very edge of the trees a good 100' away from the creature. Upon seeing the group the brown bear roared and rose up on to its hind legs. The dryad was nowhere insight. No one said anything, but it was suspected that this was the dryad's new companion.

Walking forward Darius bravely called out to Greenwillow the dryad. The Bear roared again as Darius approached. It sounded muffled and underlying it was the sweet hint of a song. "Greenwillow we have returned!" Darius yelled out into the empty air, but none in the party could hear him. Darius walked toward the Bear forgetting his sword was still in hand. The Bear roared a third time in response and charged forward. It rushed into Darius and knocked him to the ground. Everyone saw the dwarf’s armor cave in from the seriousness of the blow. But Darius was made of stern stuff. His platemail had helped protect him from the worst. His hands moved slowly and he lifted his head in agony. The group let go a sigh of relief. Kayla the wisewoman moved forward a few feet into the clearing so she could be seen more easily. 

The bear stood up again guarding its kill. Ben moved forward too trying to soothe the beast. He held one hand up and walked forward very slowly with his flail in one hand behind him. As he came within a few feet of Darius on the ground he could see the blood running from the Dwarf’s wounds. The stench of the bear was overpowering and Ben tried not to run in fear. Bending down Ben reached forward to the dwarf with the power of healing shining from his open hand. SMASH! The bear hit Ben tossing him 20' backwards through the air and knocking him unconscious. His lungs and chest felt as if they had collapsed. It would be a long time before he awoke again. Only later he would hear the tale of how he survived. 

What he was told was told shocked him. The others slowly moved out of the wood calling out to Greenwillow. The bear was still angry and could smell the fresh blood in the air. Darius pulled out the wax from one ear. His head promptly fell back on the grass. He was asleep. The dryad Greenwillow walked out from behind her tree. Her mouth was moving and a slight trace of her song could be heard. In the meantime Mirel slowly crept up in the grass and began bandaging Brother Ben's wounds. The bear eyed her disapprovingly. But still the bear did not move forward to attack the others. It kept its huge paw on the dwarf. Dalin tried pulling the wax out of his ears too. Unfortunately the song affected him as well and he fell back into the grass asleep.

"We need your help" called out Kayla barely hearing herself. "We want to learn about the orcs who attacked you. They are our enemies as well." Weapons were purposefully stowed and the rest of the group moved out of the woods to stand near Kayla. This seemed to catch the dryad's attention. She motioned the bear back to her and off of Darius. The dwarf stood up slowly his wounds still bleeding. He bandaged himself while trying to take control of the situation. The dryad scowled at the group and Darius heard her ask what they wanted. The others pulled the wax out of their ears as well. Ben was still unconscious, so Mirel woke Dalin to help her drag his body back to the wood's edge. 

"I helped you heal your tree. This was only two days ago," said the Darius. The dryad looked at him without recognition. "Don't you remember when your lion was killed?" Only then did the dryad remember. "What have you done with him? Where is he?" she screamed out. The bear looked agitated too. There were several tense minutes where Darius attempted to jog her memory. The dryad mentioned how it seemed like only yesterday she had befriended the lion as her mate. She seemed to have no memory of the group or her rescue and her responses reflected that. The dwarf called out, "We need your help now too. We are looking for a Giant's lair nearby. It has attacked our home. It has been stealing our supplies and eating our livestock. We believe we have the strength to destroy it now. But we need your help in finding the beast." 

The dryad stared back with an inscrutable look of innocence on her face. "What of the orcs then?" exclaimed Darius. "They attacked you and destroyed your tree." Upon hearing this news the dryad began to openly cry. "But we want to stop them for you. We want to hunt them down and destroy them before they do the same to anyone else!" But the creature only shook her head. Darius was getting frustrated at this point. His wounds were affecting him. Dram kept one hand on his bow and the other on the nock of an arrow. Igor and Kayla advanced forward to back up Darius now the bear had backed away. Wisely they left their weapons in their packs.

Kayla called out, "We come on word of Elion the Elf, advisor to the County Margrave. We are aids to him and seek your counsel for protection of the Greenwillow Forest." The dryad perked up at this. "I know of Elion. He was here yesterday." The group looked at each other knowingly. "Was he with his brother Marevak" asked Kayla slyly. "They are children" the dryad responded. "I am teaching the ways of the forest. But I was much younger when they were here. Nearly 80 summers have passed since then. Who are you again?" Kayla seemed slightly surprised at the response, but she continued on. "We are messengers of Elion. We are looking for his brother. We also bring news of Greenwillow the Ent who was recently killed. The orcs and the Giant did this." The dryad began to cry again. "We want to stop them before they kill you or your bear." The dryad pleaded for the band to stop the orcs. She cried over the Ent's passing, but her answers seemed incoherent to the group. From that point on she seemed inconsolable. Unable to approach the dryad with the bear next to her, they backed away carefully leaving the woman in her sorrow.


----------



## howandwhy99

Darius used Thor's power to heal his wounds, but they were very deep and only the gashes had covered over. He could still feel large purple bruises under his armor. Ben seemed stabilized, but he had lost a lot of blood. Mirel and Igor looked over him while Dram and Dalin scouted back the path back to the riverside. The forest floor was rough and they needed to find a means to transport Darius and Ben back in one piece. Darius felt he was more than up for the walk, but swayed visibly when standing. Ben was down for the count. Mirel suggested building a travois to drag Ben back. It was then Igor spoke up. "We can put 'em both in me pack. I don't mind carrying 'em." Ben slept, but the other took turns in expressing their disbelief. It seemed to them the chef was still a bit daft in the head.

"Watch this!" said Igor. Expertly the cured cripple looped the opening of his backpack over Ben's feet and proceeded to pull it over the rest of his body. The peculiar thing was, the pack was of normal size and could never have held Ben. Only it did. "How can your backpack hold so much?" asked Dalin. "Can't yours?" Igor responded. "Well I've never tried actually," responded Dalin sheepishly. And that was that. Kayla looked on Igor with a newfound respect and Dram looked on his pack with a newfound avarice. "Where can I get me one of those?" he inquired sternly. "Anywhere. They sell them at the trading post in Margrave Keep. But you have your own, so why do you need another?" The archer did not answer. He eyed the chef suspiciously.

Still at the edge of the tree grove the party decided on a plan. Brother Ben would ride in Igor's pack with Darius inside to watch over him. Dalin, Dram and Mirel would help get the team back to the cave and safely up the well to Outpost X. Kayla would accompany Igor in case the pack became too heavy for him (or if he away ran in fear, or changed form, or any other trouble the ex-humpback decided to make). Darius carefully climbed into the bag. After entering he seemed to float downwards. 20' down at the bottom he saw the figure of Brother Ben and supplies he took for Igor's. The space was large. The "floor" was about 10' square and seemed to be made of just blackness. The hole above could be seen, but its light did not illuminate into the space within. Fortunately Darius could see given his dwarfen eyesight.

He tried to jump and climb his wait back out without success. Then an enormous hand reached in the top. It searched around in the first few feet of space, but the dwarf could not reach it. Yelling out he heard no response back or outside noise. Then he felt himself drifting upward and all of a sudden the hand yanked him out of the sack. Outside of the backpack the others slowly saw the dwarf emerge like some charlatan's trick in a passing gypsy carnival caravan. First his head emerged, then his shoulders, until Darius was completely out. It was a good first test and everyone was amazed, even Igor, though he tried to hide it. "I called out your name and felt your hand upon mine. We are lucky it worked." said Kayla. 

After the initial experimentation, the band traveled back to the cave as planned: Ben and Darius inside the sack. When they reached the archway Mirel and Kayla quickly remembered that those inside the sack could not travel through without being hurt. Unsure if Igor, who could travel through, was enough to ensure his passengers safe passage the group decided on another solution. Mirel was slowly lowered into the sack too. Although she was scared and could not see she bravely explained what those outside the bag had planned. With that she grabbed Ben and Darius's hands and waited to be pulled back out. Igor and Kayla walked through while Dram stood in the archway to ensure everyone safe passage. Only Mirel, Igor, and he had passed through safely before.

Once in the stairway room with the magic archway Kayla stopped the group. Remembering she had not cast her spell for the day she started mumbling words under her breath. The strange sigils in the frame of the archway came clear to her. She finally learned the answer to the riddle. "Speak my name," it said. She told those outside the pack the answer to the archway riddle was the same as the circle. Zelligar needed to be said if they wanted to pass through safely. This explained why the kobolds and rats and spiders could not pass through before, but not why they could once dead. In any case, the band did not stick around to ponder the contradiction. 

Now safely above ground, the well guards were let off duty for a few minutes so the discrepancy of the number of the group exiting the well was not noticed. In the privacy of the infirmary Ben and Darius were pulled out of the pack by calling their names. Each was put abed while the others rested for the day. It would be awhile before they would enter Quesquaton again. Brother Ben could not be safely moved, so a second trip to Father Hedrach at Margrave Keep was not an option. Instead, the Brothers Gresslam watched over the two, while rest of the crew took up their daily chores. Later in the evening dark storm clouds gathered over Outpost Xavier. The wind picked up and cold rain began to fall. The soldiers in the yard all stayed in their tents except those unfortunate few who were on watch or patrol. The storm churned wickedly above the tower blacking out all light such that it was difficult to tell when the next morning had come.


----------



## howandwhy99

*[DAY 12 - Sunday, Juna 1st, CY 81] *
*– [DAY 18 - Holyday, Juna 7th, CY 81]*

For the next five days Ben slept without waking. The wounds he had received from the bear were healing slowly and he fluttered in and out of sleep. The Brothers Gresslam watched over him spoon-feeding soup to him when awake. The rest of the Outpost was in sour spirits. The rain poured down and the sun was blotted out from the sky. A morose humor seemed to take hold of the men and several complained of aches and pains. The beds started to fill around Ben by soldiers and militia alike.

Dram helped with the smithy as he could during the day. As a smith had raised him, he knew his way around the anvil and irons. With three ironsmiths pounding away inside the tower it was amazing Ben slept as much as he did, but the work they completed aided enormously in shaping the new third story walls of the outpost. A rebuilt and completed stone tower looked more and more like a real possibility than a dream. In the evenings during that week Dram still felt restless. His large arms were tired from hammering, but his legs were not. So he took off into the wet woods to hunt for food and scout out the land. While he never ventured far into them, he spotted little game or tracks nearby. 

Dalin took up with the pikemen he was training from the militia guard. Even with heavy rain pouring down he put them through their practiced routines. Mirel expressed an interest in learning as well. Dalin was willing to train her completely, but she was only interested in shield work. Mirel smiled secretively. In her mind Dalin had failed in tricking her into fighting in front. The whole group improved over the course of the week. By Holyday each of the pikemen instinctively knew their place in the formation wall. They had become experienced in using their shields and weapons as a unit. Mirel proved to learn quickly and with Dalin’s teaching she was using her newly issued shield as well as anyone.

Kayla stayed in her room on the second floor and read. She only came out for food, sometimes for more candles to read by, and to meet with Darius or Elion the Elf. She seemed energized, but did not speak openly about what she was studying. Darius did take interest and started spending time with Kayla throughout the week. What was discussed and learned in private only they could say. Brother Ben, Darius, and Kayla were the only literates among the militia. And though Elion the Elf could read of course, none of the army troops looked to be able to. Captain Radcliffe the leader of the platoon encampment was popular with his men, but he showed a distinctive lack of intellectual training.

After returning from the disappointing meeting with the dryad, Igor looked very upbeat. He made the dinner that first night and started helping more and more with chores. The next morning he helped clean the tower’s floor of much to the dismay of Mirel and made friends with the well guardsmen therein. They were laughing in no time at his wisecracks and humorous antics. Darius made a point of sticking nearby though when he spotted the chef. Apprehensive about being supervised, Igor spent the rest of the week going out on patrols with the army soldiers. He made more friends with the soldiers as well, but it meant he was almost always wet. But neither could he be watched closely either.

Darius managed to supervise in many areas at once. The first night back and for the entire next day he slept in the infirmary. It did not take nearly as long for him to heal as Ben, but his wounds had been potentially lethal as well. On Moonday he met with Elion and Captain Radcliffe. It was decided 50 army soldiers should be reassigned to the Keep. Reports had been coming in. According to Elion bandits were attacking people on the roads around Keep Margrave. The soldiers were deployed later that day. For the next three days Darius split up his time between reading books with Kayla, chatting with the army corporals, reporting to Elion, restructuring the militia duty roster, and assisting in repairs. 

On Thunderday night, while Darius was praying to Thor, Ben’s fever finally broke. "Glad to see you up and about. We were afraid we'd seen the last of you" said Grizzard Gresslam. The Brothers filled Ben in on the events of the days he had missed. Dalin related to him his rescue from the dryad. Ben was shocked he had slept so long and felt weak when he tried to get up. More training was planned for the coming week and Darius was sending Ben to Father Hedrack’s temple in Keep Margrave for clerical study. Ben agreed. With the strange weather and sinking spirits a strong faith was needed more than ever within the tower. Fastday morning Ben was packed, his horse saddled and bridled, and by evening he was talking with Brother Thom. Brother Ben’s lessons began right away, but he felt barely up to the task. Holyday was very busy at the temple, but Ben spoke to almost no one but Father Hetrach. He had 29 verses to memorize before nightfall and his head still hurt from the sickness.



			
				Diaglo said:
			
		

> The storm rages all week long. It rains nonstop. It is overcast and grey when the Sun should be out. And at night it is darker than pitch with streaks and flashes of lightning along with very loud roars of thunder. Work is slow due to the constant downpour. Repairs are slow. Firewood is at a minimum. Morale would be even lower if not for the constant vigil by the NCOs. Brother Ben notices the Keep is clear of all the weather. With the fewer men now occupying the Outpost and Palisade the patrols don't range as far. No signs of Pendra or Certa all week. No signs of the orcs, wolves, kobolds, or the Giant either.


----------



## howandwhy99

*Fastday, Juna 13*
*Reverend Father Harthuul Stauk-Flezr*

*Officium Praemonere*

*De Jure Fanum* 

*α*

_It is with a glad heart on this glorious day that I write to tell you of my increased learning and station within the temple. Tomorrow is Holyday once more and before I leave once again to join with my fellow militia I will be raised to Adept status by a new mentor of mine (but only my temporary teacher, of course) by the name of Father Hedrich. With goodly faith and gentle kindness he has steered my studies in religious affairs over this past week. In but seven days my thinking is more assured, my faith more resolute. Reading, meditation, and constant prayer have helped to focus my energies and mind into a perspicacity otherwise unknown. _

_A clerk in the father’s service, (Fr. Hedrach’s station is unknown to me still as yet) has helped me as well.  Named Brother Thom, though his own studies are less achieving than my own, he meditated beside me whilst I gasped in shock at my ownunencumbered revelations. Of these I explain in length at the bottom of this scroll. Their importance is for you to decide. I simply wish to impart all the happiness I do now feel into this letter, though my knees have blistered and I my body weakens from fasting. _

_A newfound power of prayer has manifested through me. Though I have not but heard the power of such divine intention, I do plan on testing each out when proper situations arise. Some of these are of a nature which alter my own sight when used, but others do infuse me with the power to help others or myself when in need. For instance, I believe I can now, with proper preparation, scan both objects and creatures for magical auras or evil intentions. In addition, when infusing myself with divine power I can now channel it to heal the wounds of the sick and lame, purify the waters and edibles I touch, and even sanctify my own skin less I am attacked by otherworldly creatures. Lastly, but not least, the light of the divine can shine through when called as a torch in the darkness. _

_Unfortunately, in truth, my report for you is one of mixed blessings. Many events have occurred in but the few weeks which have passed since my last writing. Due to the proclivity of time, distance, and tumultuous state of affairs affecting all of County Margrave my patient mind is unworried about not receiving a letter of your own in reply to my first note. It was but a scribble now that I think back on it which may or may not have included overly much information not meant for what prying eyes may lurk in its delivery path. Let me instead take up where I last left off with a quick summary of notable events._

_Fear not, however, that I and my band of County militia explorers are beset upon from all sides and by every enemy of which I first detailed. The army camp still encircles our tower which has improved repairs however slightly over the past days. The Giant has not returned and thankfully there are no new deaths to report either, though there have been some close calls. My newly made friends and I have been spelunking nearly every day since Elion the Elf arrived. It is only since a large storm has begun pummeling Outpost Xavier for the past two weeks that spirits have begun to sink. This reminds me. It is highly odd that in one week's training time at temple in Keep Margrave no raiin has fallen here day or night. And while most of my time has been spent within sanctum, the minutes I do catch fresh air outdoors I can see the storm clouds gathered to the east us. It is almost as if the tower itself has pinned this storm in place. _

_Moving on, if you recall we slid the throne of the ancient wizard Zelligar aside only to find a rune inlaid tunnel. That tunnel lead to a store room of such stock that we have been delighting in its wealth ever since. Though the room collapsed from some unforeseen consequence, all goods therein were saved. Other caves below the halls of Quesquaton were explored in length as well. Many beasts attacked us during, of which I name kobolds among them, gargantuan spiders as high as the ceiling, and as many bats in one antre as stars in the sky. _

_There was one more foe however. Even as I write this now I can feel the cold, clammy, hand of fear creep up my spine. For the foulest of battles was against not a creature at all. Or, at least, not a creature of any like rumored before. It is thanks to our leader Darius, the dwarf of the eastern mountains, that I am alive to write to you today. Though many times in battle we have saved each other’s lives, this was the threat of but one red rock having crept invisibly into my mind. I heard a voice cruel and contemptuous speaking in a tongue I did not know and dare not now recall. It is a violation of my soul I speak of and nothing less. Forever after that attack I have felt as innocence lost. And as if some great shield was now missing from the innermost regions of my mind. _

_You well know the story of how I came into the faith and temple. The vagarious voices I heard while a youth have not returned. On my honor this was not one I heard before. It spoke with malice unlike any noise I have ever heard. As well, this time there was no horse to fall from or rock to hit my head against. Though tough I do not believe it was a rock at all, but perhaps the talon of a god left within the stone. Be it demon or other, it was not divine, but surely of evil nature. I fear your experiment with me may have failed. Perhaps it would be best for me to return to your temple away from others once again. Though the threat is great here, I fear I may only add to it. As before, I acquiesce to your own judgment in this matter. _

_You should know our explorations continued even with the attack. We found a tunnel or geyser leading to the surrounding forest around the outpost. And though it has been sometime, I believe none of our number still know of a path to and from each. In the vale below we discovered a creature of the forest called a “dryad”. A rather flighty young woman she lost her tree and her cougar, a creature somewhat like a grimalkin, to an orc attack we stopped. She seems to have taken on with a new animal; a rather large brown bear. Do not fear, but it struck me strongly and squarely in anger and I was bedridden for five days after. No other attack was near so deadly to my health, but I promise you not to be near so foolish around such strength again. _

_There is another, perhaps more grave matter I must impart. The dead have risen in the halls of Quesquaton. While I did not think on it at first with the bandaged creature in the pool room, thoughts came swiftly back when the bodies of our dead arose to combat us once again. This fight was even more difficult as kobold and rat swarmed over our small band. Every member conducted themselves with heroism. Standing out amongst these includes our cook, one Eigor of Margrave. Paralyzed in fear of the unholy abomination he yet came to our aid helping to save those who otherwise would have fallen. Our corporal Dalin Hoyle also stood (and many times I might add) with a pox from vile corpse-rats coursing through his blood to turn back the tide of battle that day. It is true brave men are bravest when no crowd looks on to see. And the truth is our lives were worth the unseen victory._

_Sometime during all these events the Elf Elion related to us the importance of Quesquaton. It was quite a story of how the tower was the first founding site of Margrave County. It is also of military importance, but the whys of such were never expressed. Most of the books and items we have discovered in that place have been put back within for safe keeping. And though I believe the fame of our finding the halls has increased my paranoia of the others, the religious works I have been studying from will be returned there shortly too. It is these precautions and odd silences which have me worried. If only Elion or our own leader would trust us with greater information. But these are only a few of the peculiarities I have noticed. Here is the list of ponderances I mentioned:_

_1. It is my understanding that the Lord of Margrave has lead the army of same into battle north and east of the mountains. But my life as a humble servant hid me from such news prior to my enlistment. What was this great victory our Lord won? And over whom did he win it? I have heard Elion speak of the "enemies of the free people", but I do not really know whom he means. _

_2. Brother Thom here has mentioned that Lady Devereaux, the current Castellan of the Keep and as I am sure you know the acting authority in Lord Margrave's absence, was only a captain at same keep some months ago. Thom does not know who the previous castellan was, but it may be important to learn what happened to him. Or her, perhaps._

_3. Upon our original exploration of the Quesquaton halls we found many dead human bodies. Given the decomposition of the bodies they appeared to me to have been dead for several decades. Who were they though? Could they have been working for the wizard or warrior who lived there? Perhaps you know the history of the place or a sage who does? Was force ever brought to bear by humans on this place?_

_4. Within one of the pools was a wrapped figure with a red ruby necklace. The wisewoman Kayla has that ruby now and I must admit I do not entirely trust her. It is my belief she is studying this Zelligar's writings to become a sorcerer the same as was he. Given one of our theories for the fall of Quesquaton is Zelligar's turn to madness, this rebirth of magic into our land would be anathema. Could the wrapped figure have been the dead wizard? Or perhaps the warrior Rohgan? I do not know, but the gem did glow perhaps causing the creature's reanimation. Is it possible the red of the wax statues we found in the caves below and the red pulsing demon-rock are all connected somehow? It should be remembered, the bone case with the two unholy scrolls were found in the same pool as the corpse. It is puzzle which still eludes me. _

_5. The rooms of Zelligar as I mentioned in the previous letter were cleaned by unnatural means. Many items were found within his chambers including: a giant-sized cloak twice the height of a man, slippers of normal size, what I believe were petrified bodies in some macabre museum, and of course, the books of his library. Not all of these books have been returned for safe keeping I might add. I should make note to ask the others where each is. My suspicions are that Kayla has discovered the diabolists personal notes within the pages she carries. If not for the pure heart of our paladin leader who converses with her privately and frequently, I would have cast allegations against her already. For her safety as well as ours, of course._

_6. Of other items we found there is little to tell. From what I can remember for your own benefit, three dwarven longswords were discovered and split up amongst our hardiest warriors. Though Darius still uses his hammer I seem to recall him recognizing the brand on each blade. It is of an anvil with two hammers crossed above. Doubled honor over honor, if I have down my heraldry right. The only other item of regard was the torch we found having fallen out of the "portal" in the red rock room. After much contemplation I have deduced that it is the one and same torch previously lit and dropped into the pool room's inky pit upon our first exploration._

_It has been some time since I have talked with you Father and it saddens me to know not when it will happen again. I miss the order and security of our temple home. The well known faces I saw every day are now only seen in dreams. Distressingly, it is nightmares which have plagued me of late. For even within the calm elegance of this Keep's temple I do not sleep eagerly. Reoccurring terrors of the that accursed red stone are now haunting me in dreams. Oh, but it is not my wish to end on a sour note. Please pray for me and this band of would-be heroes. And send what help you can. I will endure._

_Your Faithful Son,_

_Brother Ben_

*Ω*


----------



## howandwhy99

*AUTHOR'S NOTE:*
[SBLOCK]Well, life somtimes gets in the way of the fun things. You will be happy to know that I have been able to find some spare time these past couple of months to build up another backlog of posts for the storyhour. Our game has continued too and it has been thrilling. I can't imagine a faster paced game given some of our sessions. 

I just wanted you, dear reader, to know before starting again that we will go back to the post-a-day format. But given the eccentricities of life, it may not always be on the day of. But never fear, you will either recieve the daily posts early for planned events, or respectably late in case of emergencies. 

It's possible in a few more months another hiatus might be needed. Currently, this is not the plan, but as I said life is adventurous all on its own. Until such a break is needed, there is some truly awesome story to be told. So hold on to your hats ladies and gentleman. We begin again...[/SBLOCK]


----------



## howandwhy99

*[Session 6]

[DAY 19 – Sunday, Juna 8th, CY 81]
– [DAY 24 – Fastday, Juna 13th, CY 81]*

The second week of waiting out the storm was no more successful than the first. Mirel had received many orders throughout the week. Most were the same thing: watch this person, listen in on these two, see what you can learn from the soldiers. She felt responsible for the whole encampment, especially her favorites – those she went down into Quesquaton with. Going over the list in her head she tried to remember everyone’s activities for the week. The soldiers mainly drilled and scouted out in the circle surrounding the tower. The bushes and brambles that lay cut on the sides had been pushed completely away from the tower now. Mirel had helped out with this. Over 100’ of clear space circumscribing Xavier meant no one could sneak up on them. And the pigpole-stuck trench meant attacks could be defended before enemies could reach the walls. Still, the soldiers patrolled out into the edges of the surrounding forest. Igor went with them more often than not. He was the one who she saw least (and it only made sense that he was the one asking her for the most information about others). Spying was such a dirty word. 

The outpost militia was still keeping its own watch separate from the soldiers. Mirel knew their faces now as they sometimes were on the same chore duties as she was. She was glad the night watch duty on top the tower was not assigned to her though. That was hard with the constant wind and rain gusting into the open third floor. Another ten of the men were being trained by Dalin to work with polearms and shields. Mirel didn’t much care as she had learned how to use a shield fairly well from him the last time. But it was fun to watch them run into each other. Afterwards Dalin played cards with the men. Mirel thought this must be how he exacted payment for his drill instruction.

Dram was busy, busy, busy. Pounding away with the other smiths in the bottom of the tower you would have thought he was happy lifting his hammer. As if that were not enough, he went hunting with bow and arrow in the woods at dusk each night. Mirel thought this might be how he became so fast and strong. “Very useful”, she thought. “I best keep up on my own chores before they decide to throw me out.”

In the evening she spied on Kayla, though she was already spying for her as well. It wasn’t terribly exciting as Kayla spent all day lounging around reading her books and rarely helping Mirel sweep, or muck the stables, or count the eggs, or cook the food, or any number of things. What was interesting was when she met with people. Darius was often inside questioning her on what she read. Once Mirel heard, “I can’t find anything about this weather at all!” come out of the room. Other times she spotted Kayla sneakily entering into Elion’s tent at night. Darius went with her sometimes too, but Mirel had enough common sense not to listen in. Grown-ups often did strange things at night.

Brother Ben was gone of course, all week to the Keep for training. “Why go through all that work if you’re only going to have more because of it?” thought Mirel. She preferred the life Pendra and Certa lived; only no one had seen them for over two weeks now. On the other side of things was Darius who never stayed in the same place. He was the one Mirel shadowed most of the time as he was always doing something different than before. She had much to keep track of. Sometimes he met with the soldiers, sometimes with the militia, but then there was also Kayla, Elion the Elf, the other troupe members, and even herself. What was he thinking talking to her? Darius was an important person now. It was simply poor manners from him to speak with someone as small as herself.

What he did do regularly was watch his plants in the turned soil along the back wall of the tower. Small buds of green had appeared and they seemed very important to him. “They are just some silly plants from that tree-woman who nearly killed us”, thought Mirel. Darius also spent time examining the map he found in Zelligar’s library. He didn’t think anyone had seen him palm it from the wizard’s desk, but Mirel had ways of not being noticed when she did not want to be. The new map Darius drew was bigger and he would often take it with him when he stared out from the top of the tower into the rainy haze.

On the day before Brother Ben was supposed to come back Darius called all the corporals together at the bottom of the well. Mirel went too. Reports were given and Darius told everyone to expect another day of exploration after Brother Ben returned on the morrow. Afterwards Mirel heard the strangest thing, while she climbed up the well’s side. The others always took the rope up which she felt was too easy. Igor was speaking alone with Darius below. Igor reported having lost all the books he had borrowed from library. He believed it happened while at the Keep when they had traveled there to heal Dalin. Darius asked kept talking asking on about a dagger, but Mirel did not hear him. She was too angry, but made sure to cover her expressions before exiting above. She hated that the wizard Zelligar’s books were “borrowed” by Igor and other others. How would she feel if someone took her favorite broom? She was so angry she didn’t even stop to think of why Igor’s strange new packsack was not taken during that same trip.




			
				diaglo said:
			
		

> The Storm continues unabated. Morale is holding but strained. No sign of Pendra or Certa. No sign of the orcs, wolves, or Giant. Several of the men complain of problems. Early in the week the infirmary was minimally occupied. Now it is full to overflowing with men. No serious wounds or injuries or diseases, but there are many differing complaints.


----------



## howandwhy99

*[DAY 25 – Holyday, Juna 14th, CY 81]*

Early in the morning, Ben had just finished with his affirmation ceremony at the temple. He packed slowly for his trip back to Outpost Xavier. Stuffing the scroll of healing Father Hedrick had given him as a gift, he reflected upon his learning over the past week. Father Hedrick was a different sort of man than Father Stauk-Flezr who had helped raise Ben since he left his family at the age of sixteen. Father Stauk-Flezr was from foreign lands and to everyone but those in their conclave he seemed quite peculiar. Father Hetrick on the other hand was very reassuring and also quite learned about a variety of religious faiths. Ben had not placed so much of his trust in Father Hedrach however, to relate the story of the pulsing red godnail. He had a suspicion the attack on he and he alone was tied to the reason Ben had entered into temple-life in first place. Still, the old man’s words sounded in his head, “Keep the faith Brother. The Gods watch over you and those in your charge.”

Finished packing, Ben handed the sealed letter for Father Stauk-Flezr to Brother Thom. The trip back to Outpost Xavier took only half a day, but Ben felt as if he had been gone for ages. Time seemed to pass more slowly while away. As he headed down the road, Ben reentered into the storm. Keep Margrave had seen no rain at all, but the lands closer towards the outpost looked absolutely drenched. The ominous, black, swirling cloud still spun overhead of Outpost Xavier. Ben was glad to see the soldiers again, and dwarf-friend Darius was waiting for him on the road. They talked about how Ben’s training went.

Though it wasn’t very late in the day no sunshine shone through from above. All the other militia leaders were gathered in the infirmary on the second floor. When Ben arrived he saw every bed was filled with sick men and women. For privacy, the team moved downstairs near the well. He noticed that a watch was guarding it, but they were sent out of the room so no one saw them travel down to Quesquaton. Darius went first to scout and make sure the caves were safe, in case any undead had returned. The rest of the team followed behind. Once below they stood outside the front door to the ancient place. Ben didn’t pay it much attention other than to notice that the door stood open. It was time to start the private meeting.

Darius explained that he and Kayla had been meeting with Elion the Elf over the past few weeks to learn more about the history of Quesquaton. (Creak! The door slowly closed) Elion has a brother who knew Zelligar and perhaps even Rohgan when they were living in this outpost some eighty odd years ago. His brother’s name is or was Marevak. Kayla found some references to him in one of the books she carried. Apparently he disappeared at the same time as Rohgan and Zelligar. Marevak was either a student or compatriot of Zelligar’s. Elion the Elf seemed very shocked to hear the news of Marevak allying with the wizard. He has been searching for his brother for several decades. Upon hearing Darius talk of Elion’s endless search everyone else shifted uneasily. The strangeness of the Elf creature above hit home. “Nothing could live that long”, thought Ben.

Kayla spoke up and said that both Elion and Marevak both knew the dryad Greenwillow when they were living in these woods long ago. Greenwillow is a very important person to the forest and Elion fears for her survival with the Giant and orcs nearby. Also, Darius had found another item in Zelligar’s study below. He had not mentioned it before. He showed the party a map to a series of caves. Zelligar was exploring them before he disappeared. Elion believes that the caves are where the orcs are now encamped and the hillside could be found somewhere near the secret exit to Quesquaton. (Creak! The main door opened slowly). The plan is to go back out, find the dryad, and explore these caves to learn what Zelligar may have found inside. Hopefully the answers for why the Giant was attacking and what happened to the missing founders, not to mention Elion’s brother, could be found within. Igor scanned the map trying to find which was way north. He saw a scribbling with one cave marked X. “What’s ‘at?” he asked. “It says man eater,” replied Darius. “We think it might be a pet.”


----------



## howandwhy99

Darius paused. “There is another subject I wanted to bring up before everyone else gives a report. I have written three letters to be opened upon the event of my death. They are identical. They should help you in case I am ever lost in battle.” He handed out two wax sealed letters: one to Kayla and one to Brother Ben. “The third of these is in the hands of Elion. I trust you all will keep them safe.” 

“There is one last thing. I am almost done. Igor came to me this past week and told me something very troubling. Go ahead Igor.” Igor shuffled closer to the circle. He seemed to recite the words from memory. He said that the portion of the books he had found in Zelligar’s study below were all gone. He thought they must have been stolen. With Darius’s encouragement, Igor tried to recall if they were lost at Xavier or while in Keep Margrave when Dalin was healed by Father Hedrick. But he could not remember. Everyone else swore to keep a sharp eye out and to try and find who could have stolen the books. Given what Kayla had found in the ones she carried, they were highly valuable for the information within. Word would be passed on to Elion and the army sergeants. Darius declared he would award one platinum piece for the books’ discovery. 

Following announcements the others reported what they had learned over the past two weeks. Most of them had been too busy to hear much talk, but a few rumors were heard. Mirel had the least to report. Ben passed on what Brother Thom had told him of the ‘old way’ of hiding treasure. In ancient times hidden passages or doors were fashioned to hide things behind. He also reported Elves being the best at finding these doors even though they could not see in the dark. Ben wondered aloud whether Elves started the ‘old way’ to begin with. Other news regarded what was on everyone’s minds of late; the strange weather they were experiencing. Kayla guessed it might be someone working with the Giant or maybe even the dryad. Whatever the cause, it seemed unnatural and the men above were losing spirit. The group decided to hold a celebration party. The nominal reason would be for Brother Ben’s return, but the real purpose was to boost the morale of the outpost. 

“We do have that cask of ale we found below,” said Dram. “That would certainly raise spirits.” Dram winked at his own joke and the others smiled. “And I have several decks of cards and dice for games,” said Dalin. Brother Ben winced at this. “We should hold what activities we can inside” he said. “I think the rain is a big part of it problem.” The others nodded in agreement. Igor spoke up in that strange voice of his. “We could play skin the cat. Do you know that game Dalin?” Igor’s lazy eye wheeled in its socket. “Uhh…. well I was thinking more along the lines of poker, but we can let the men decide.” The planning of the party stretched late into the evening. 

After heading back up the well, Kayla requested the guards be reposted. Brother Ben went up to check on the infirmary and saw the three Gresslam brothers. Each was soundly asleep on the floor next to a full bed. Ben listened to all who were awake and had grievances. Though complaints varied, Ben’s eyes saw true in the candlelight. Very little was physically wrong with these soldiers. Ben stretched out near the medicine cabinet. It had been a very long day and now that he was back at Xavier he expected even longer ones to come.


----------



## Zaruthustran

Fun story. I like how every PC is mysterious, with a hidden agenda.

Can you post classes and stats for the PCs?

-z


----------



## JoeBlank

Zaruthustran, most of them are in:

this Rogues Gallery thread. 

Some of the characters were even rolled in that thread, but it looks odd now because the diceroller for the boards either changed or went away, so those posts don't make sense. Most of the original PCs are posted on page 2 of that thread, but we have had a few changes in both players and characters since then.

Thanks for reading.


----------



## MonsterMash

Glad to see this is back to being updated.


----------



## howandwhy99

*AUTHOR'S NOTE:*

[SBLOCK]Brother Ben - cleric
Dalin - fighting man
Darius - dwarven paladin
Dram - fighting man
Igor - prestige class (secret)
Kayla - M-U
Mirel - custom

Darius is a Dwarf, Everyone else is Human.
NPCs/Hirelings/Followers: often times we do not know their class. If they become a PC, I'll fill you in.

Glad to be back and updating. [/SBLOCK]


----------



## howandwhy99

*[DAY 26 – Sunday, Juna 15th, CY 81]

*Except for those on watch, the outpost slept in later than usual. Darius announced the festival for Ben’s return and many of the men seemed somewhat cheered. Several men gathered wood and piled it high in the clearing away from the tents. Others sat gloomily. After a number of attempts the bonfire was lit and those outside stood in close in to warm up. It was not until the cask of ale was rolled out that everyone started to stand up, smile and even shout. Ben checked upstairs in the infirmary and not a single soul was left inside. Dram manned the keg pouring the ale into tall flasks, short wooden cups, and any container the men could find. Dalin was fairly successful in starting some games of chance inside. The stakes were lower than what Dalin was used to, but Ben noticed that Dalin was often low on chips for his usual luck. He did have a broad smile on his face though, and so did the other men. 

For his part, Brother Ben told make-believe stories to the soldiers trying to instill a moral into each one. At first, he was only somewhat successful and very few listened. But when the soldiers started telling their own stories, racy ones at that, more people joined in. Others clambered around outside and started wrestling in the mud. They hooted hollered in their revelry. Mirel joined in and was covered with mud from head to toe. Several contests were held too. Most involved wrestling: leg, arm, and body. Those who won earned a gold piece each. During the contests Dram took a special interest in how each of the militia members performed. As expected the archers he had trained a few weeks ago led in the archery event. The winner was a shy lad with bright red hair. The winner of the arm wrestling contest competed against Dram and bested him in the final match. Dram asked their names: Ormand the Redd and Rogg respectively. He pulled them aside and asked each if they would be willing to join in the explorations below the tower and offered them a gold per day in advance. Both agreed eagerly.

Elion stayed in his tent and a few of the guards kept watch from the tower. These kept tagging off trying to give the duty to another. What went largely unnoticed however, was the absence of Darius. He, Kayla, and Igor had descended into Quesquaton right before the party started. Near midday when they came out few of the men and women in the tower courtyard were sober enough to notice. The three explained to Ben and the others that they had talked at length about the mysteries of Quesquaton and on what might be found in the orc caves. Brother Ben was not sure what needed to be talked about, but he was relieved to see them unharmed. By the end of the day every bed and spare floor space in the infirmary was filled. Ben left the patients to their own aches and pains and slept in a crawlspace on the third floor above. 

Before heading to sleep Igor and Darius went behind the tower to where the dryad’s seeds had been planted. To their dismay all the plants were missing. They tried to puzzle out what could have happened. Did the rain washed them away? No, there was no hill or slope. Could the men have trampled them? It was possible. What about a creature? No tracks were nearby, but none would be left due to the constant rain. It was another mystery and one not easily solved. The two went back inside to sleep.


----------



## howandwhy99

*[DAY 27 – Moonday, Juna 16th, CY 81]* 

The soldiers and militia were slow to rise the next morning. Groans and grunts were heard from all around. Igor concocted a strong smelling brew meant to wake those who drank it. Not many agreed to. The sergeants of the army brigade began ordering the soldiers into their ordered routine again. As usual in the mornings, Brother Ben and Darius prayed while Kayla read alone in her room. Ben felt strangely different now when he prayed. He had somehow changed after the ceremony with Father Hedrick. His mind felt lighter and his body rejuvenated with power. He decided to hold a special service for the encampment. His sermon focused on the evils of gluttony and how the ‘cups’ could control a man and even take his life. Afterwards, Darius helped out with confessions in the infirmary above. Quite a few had misgivings about their actions the day before. 

The others in the group readied their gear for exploration and gave orders to the well watch team to listen for their return. After the whole team descended, the guards above lowered by rope a makeshift wooden bridge. It was the one Darius had previously ordered to span the sandtrap in the caverns below Quesquaton. The front door opened very, very slowly as if it were losing power. This disturbed the group. Darius looked over the door. “It is as if it had aged 1000 years since last I saw it.” They decided to stake the door open from now on and keep a twenty-four hour watch on the well above in case any dead kobolds were still in hiding. Upon entering, Ben noticed that all of the stone walls in the upper level had deteriorated since his last visit only a couple weeks ago. He wondered if Igor, Kayla, or Darius had noticed the same during their talk the day before. 

Stopping in the magical circle room they saw its carved stonework had deteriorated. The circle did not seem to work. They called out “Zelligar” and nothing happened. The wood bridge was dragged down the stairs. Even the archway to the caverns was no longer protected by the wizard’s name. “I guess we’ll have to rope over to Zelligar’s rooms through the collapsed storage room behind his throne” said Dram. Ben was not sure this was a wise idea. The team moved into the dug out second level and saw that a lot of the sandy flooring within was wet. After placing the bridge over the sandtrap they started exploring to see if anything else had changed. Heading back up the stairs, Kayla noticed that every pool was empty in the large poolroom. The carved stones around their bases were crumbling too. Down below in the kobolds’ mock throne room, Ben noticed that the secret room hidden behind the little bone throne and had held the godnail was completely collapsed into the abyss below Quesquaton. Once they met back up the extensive damage was confirmed by everyone. Much of the floor had sunk in the lower cavern portions and the chasms were growing. Kayla speculated that the pulsing red hangnail might have powered the front door, the archway, and even the circle. It was not a thought Ben wanted to dwell on. 

The group moved on to the boulder covered entrances to the massive bat cave when Ben noticed Igor stuffing the torn up, red wax statues into his backpack. “How is that possible!?” exclaimed Brother Ben. “This is some devilry!” Darius and the others jumped in pointing out that while the pack was unusual it had actually helped in saving Ben’s life. Discretely they did not mention putting him inside it however. “’s the same pack I always ‘ad. My dear mother gave it to me on ‘er deathbed.” Brother Ben decided to keep a good distance away from Igor when the group entered the bat cave. From within clattering noises could be heard in the darkness. Whoosh! A small bone creature flew past Mirel. “Unbelievable! They can still fly!” called out Dalin. 

Ben filled himself with divine power and willed it at the undead bats. The sickly things looked even more deteriorated than before and popped in midair by the dozens when the light fell on them. There were still thousands of bats left over from the previous ‘cleaning’, so the group decided to wait while Brother Ben worked to destroy them all. They walked to the center of the room towards the biggest mass of boney-bats. A few members sat down to get away from the swarm when out of the gloom a green tentacle reached out for Igor and wrapped around his leg.


----------



## howandwhy99

A large shambling mass of vines came into the torchlight. Its tentacles swung at Dalin and Kayla while another held tightly to Igor. Kayla backed away towards the cave entrance, which was too far away to see in the torchlight. Dram ran up through the flying bats and swung at the mound severing one of its vines. Two more mounds appeared to the right of him. Dalin ran over to Igor and swung his torch at the vine holding him. The flames grew on both the creature and Igor. The cockeyed chef screamed and dropped to the cavern floor rolling around trying to put himself out. Ben backed away and focused his divine energies on the bats flying within the melee. Mirel stood beside him. Several bone-bats exploded sending out fragments in all directions, but the area thinned and the others could see again. Darius pulled out a torch of his own and lit it off of Dalin’s. The two hirelings, Ormand the Redd and Rogg both back away. Ormand shot into one of the mounds, but it seemed not to injure the plant at all. 

Rogg took out his sword and started hacking at the bats as they flew past him. More were descending from above, but kept outside of Brother Ben’s range now. Darius thrust his torch into one of the two new plants and it went up in flames. The other shambled into the center of the group and flung its vines around Dram. They were glistening with purplish sap. Fortunately for Dram none held tight, but he was badly cut and felt a sting from the wound. Dalin moved over to Dram’s side waving his torch trying to hit the vines. “Don’t burn me!” called out Dram. Igor had managed to put out the flames and stood up from the ground. He pulled out his sword and swung into the flaming plant, which had grabbed him. Its body offered little resistance. Instead it flailed wildly and moved away from the torchlight. The flames had shrunk it considerably. The burning bush Darius had lit backed away too all the while hissing and smoking. Brother Ben followed the fighters in closer trying to destroy more of the bats. Mirel ran over to the uninjured plant with her own torch, but missed. It swung its vines around her trying to engulf the girl. 

Darius and Dalin charged the last mound and managed to strike it with torches. Dram reached into the flames and vines and pulled Mirel out. The group retreated now all the creatures were burning. Black bits of charred leaves floated around them in the cavern. When all was done the deadly plants were nothing more than burnt ash and wood. Brother Ben continued to sweep through the great cavern destroying what bats he could. Darius called on Thor’s power to heal Dram and the pallor returned to his face. The rest of the team waited patiently as nearly every undead bat was destroyed. The process took over an hour in all. In the meantime, Igor picked over the plant creatures’ remains. He was in the middle of collecting their sap when Darius put an arm on his shoulder. “Good. We will need this to make an antitoxin for the infirmary above.” Igor nodded silently. After cleaning themselves up they walked out the large tubular exit cave. Darius remembered to check the crevasses near its opening for places the kobolds could have hid. He suspected undead kobolds may still be within. Unfortunately none of the gaps were large enough for even the dwarf to squeeze inside and check. 

Exiting out onto the rocky, shale hilltop a mist hit their faces. “It’s still overcast, but at least it isn’t raining”, thought Ben. In the distance the black spiraling cloud could be seen as well as the rain that poured out of it. “If Zelligar’s books are correct, the river below is the Greenwillow River” said Kayla. “It should flow back west and out of the forest, if ever we need to leave quickly.” Dram started climbing a nearby tree. He had a good idea of direction now assuming the storm cloud had not moved from over outpost Xavier. Igor checked the ground for tracks and found several. Some led up onto the hilltop, but he lost them on the black rock. Another set of tracks led away towards the direction of the storm. “That is northwest” Dram declared pointing at the cloud. Darius made a mental note to inform the army of a possible orc attack from the southeast.


----------



## howandwhy99

Climbing down the hill and back towards the river, the band returned to the dryad’s grove. With their ears properly stuffed they approached the fallen tree. This time however the bear hid behind the tree. The dryad did not notice the group until several calls went out to her. Nonchalantly she said something Ben could not hear because his ears were stuffed. But Darius waved on the group to a nearby hillside. Climbing down the hill and back towards the river, the band returned to the dryad’s grove. With their ears properly stuffed they approached the fallen tree. This time however the bear hid behind the tree. The dryad did not notice the group until several calls went out to her. Nonchalantly she said something Ben could not hear because his ears were stuffed. But Darius waved on the group to a nearby hillside. It seems they had done their duty by checking on the Dryad, but she was not interested in talking. Brother Ben recognized the area as the group moved away from the grove and slowly up the slope. This was the same hillside that he and Dram and run down a marauding orc on before letting it go free. Ben felt uncomfortable heading straight for their lair, but if they were working for the Giant they may have some clues to where he was.

About half way up the hill Darius had Igor swing the party to the right so they could circle the hill and avoid any possible lookout. After a few hundred feet the crew turned upwards again and marched to the crest. The hill’s strange shape corresponded to the map Darius had. It was horseshoe shaped and had several caves in the interior ravine. Darius pulled out his large map and Kayla her ink and quill as they noticed at least two cave entrances that were not on the original map. 








After a few minutes of spying into the ravine, the group decided to check in the nearest cavern to see what lay inside. Everyone took out their weapons in expectation of ambushing the orcs. The closest cave was back towards the river, but still atop the crest of the hill. As they approached Kayla saw a group of tall hairy creatures with thick, striped manes running down the backs of their heads. Instead of the red-skinned pig-like orcs these had mongrel faces with green skin and fur. Each stood a foot or two taller than any human and had strong, lean bodies. Each carried an axe or a bow and wore metal armor. At the sight of them Kayla screamed out: “ATTACK!” Chaos ensued. 

The party turned to see seven creatures running toward them through the woods and pulling out their axes. Ben and a few others hid behind trees trying to gain cover when arrows started to zing by coming from beyond his vision. Bizarre archaic words fell from Kayla’s lips and almost every face turned towards her in confusion. Ben screamed in terror of her. The seven charging humanoids fell to the ground a few yards away from Kayla. Ben could hear the barks of the unseen archers now moving away in fear. Igor ran forward with Dram and Dalin and started cutting the sleeping beasts’ throats. Darius pursued the retreating archers with Mirel at his heels. “This is all very wrong”, thought Ben. “This is devilry, a witch’s work.” Scared at losing sight of Mirel, Ben ran after her.


----------



## howandwhy99

Hearing heavy breathing Ben turned back to see Dalin and Dram running behind him. Ormand the Redd and Rogg followed too. Kayla was outpacing everyone in her light robes. Igor was still back hunched over the bodies. Ben thought he saw a severed head in his hands being stuffed in his sack. Dalin and Dram had bloody fur-tipped ears in their own hands. “By the Gods”, thought Ben. After a short run the archers ran into the cave the group was originally headed towards. It sloped downwards into darkness. Loud barking and growling echoed out. Kayla started climbing a tree. Mirel was already in another loading her sling. Darius ran past the entrance and several arrows shot out. He leaned against the far side of the rocky crag surrounding the hole. 

Dalin ran up to the other side of the cave and Ben and Rogg backed in behind him. Ormand the Redd and Dram began to fire from behind a bush into the darkness inside. Out of it stepped two of the creatures with axes. They towered over the party members and immediately swung at Darius and Dalin. Dalin was hit badly, but stayed up. Mirel and Kayla slung stones at the creatures, while Rogg and Ben moved in front of them swinging sword and flail alike. The creatures were difficult to hurt with both their thick hide and heavy armor. The action continued for another couple of minutes as Dram and Ormand attempted to close in with their bows to point blank range. Slingstones flew over Ben’s head and one even hit him in the back. Bowshots were coming out of the darkness now too. 

The line of combat stood merely a foot within the cave entrance making it impossible to surround the enemy. Darius did land a solid hit on the left creature he and Rogg faced, but it dropped back into the cave with another moving up to take its place. “What do you know about these things!” yelled Dalin. Kayla thought while loading her sling. “I think they are a half-breed of some sort. They have gnomish features!” “Disgusting”, thought Ben. He had moved to the right corner and now swung around the stone with his flail. Arrows and rocks continued to fly in and out of the cave exit and into the throng of combatants. Barking and growling filled the air. Dalin dropped back from the door and took a swig of healing juice. He had taken several hits and was bleeding badly from his leg. While those in the trees stayed fresh, Ben and the others in melee were slowly wearing down and the fatigue began affecting their ability to hit. 

Ben stepped away and rested, while Rogg held the right side of the cave mouth. Moving to the front and replacing Dalin on the left, Darius could peer into the darkness. He saw at least two more rows of the spotted animal men waiting to step into their ally’s places. The archers were doubled up behind these. Darius judged that the monstrous things were bigger and tougher fighters than his own group. Though they were pinned in now, something might happen to change the tide of battle. He saw Igor creep up and fill in for Ben. The strange man hid under cover near the cave entrance examining his foe just inches inside. It was too busy to see him. Suddenly Igor struck swinging his sword up and into his foe’s neck just missing the front of Rogg’s face. He nearly cut its head clean off, but the creature maintained standing. As if in retaliation, the dog-man in front of Darius managed to swing out around its corner at Dalin again and the gambler fell to the ground unconscious. Two more fresh warriors moved forward to take their allies’ places. “Too much damage is being taken!” yelled Darius. The dwarf called out for bandages on Dalin and regular swapping for the men up front as he continued to hold the line. 

Dalin lay bleeding into the grass as the minutes passed, while his enemies soaked up more and more damage. The battle was seemingly without end as they continued to switch in rested reserves. Darius saw even he, with the aid of his full plate armor, could not hold against the creatures successfully. The archers within the cave stopped firing and a deep howl issued forth. The enemy retreated. When they turned their backs to run, Darian and Rogg hit those in the entranceway. The party panted in relief staring into the inky darkness of the cave mouth unsure whether or not to pursue. Ben rushed over to Dalin’s side and prayed for the Gods’ power. Healing energy passed from him into the body of Dalin, but he remained asleep. Then an arrow hit Rogg in the chest from the left side of everyone’s vision. The fighter fell to the ground. Three more of the creatures were approaching swiftly overland. Dram, Ormand, and Mirel quickly climbed out of their trees sensing a retreat was in order. Darius kept his ground in front of the cave with Igor beside him. Howls from outside the cave now joined those from within. Ben moved over to Rogg’s body trying to bandage him as fast as possible.


----------



## howandwhy99

Staring at the lead archer Kayla murmured some recited words from up in her tree and motioned with her arms. The beastman stopped shooting. Kayla barked at it in a strange tongue. It barked at the other two behind it and they ran away in the other direction. Brother Ben was thoroughly confused by the turn of events. Dram grabbed the other side of Rogg’s body and he and Ben started down the hill with it. Ormand and Darius grabbed Dalin too and the party started following after. Kayla quickly climbed down from her tree and backed away in retreat. The archer she had charmed began following her absurdly with its guard down. Igor ran from the tunnel entrance and into a flanking the creature. Kayla barked out once more and it fled back to its brethren. Igor looked crossly at her and sheathed his sword. 

On the run back down to the river Dram could hear the faintest tunes of the dryad singing again. He yelled out an order for ears to be plugged. The rag-tag crew quickly moved to the riverside and stuffed Rogg and Dalin in Igor’s bag. Ben backed away again in fear of it. He eyed Kayla when she arrived with Mirel trailing behind. The team kept up the quick pace and headed back up to the top of the hill leading to Quesquaton. Igor brushed away their tracks as they climbed. Once within the cave the group caught their breaths while Ormand the Redd kept lookout for anyone chasing behind. The long walk back through Quesquaton was uneventful. Brother Ben cleared what few more of the dead bats he could with the Gods’ power. A rope was lowered for ascending the well and suddenly they were all back in the pouring rain of Outpost Xavier. It was like two different worlds. 


*[DAY 28 – Feastday, Juna 17th, CY 81] 
- [DAY 31 – Fastday, Juna 20th, CY 81]* 

Three days passed with Dalin and Rogg both in the infirmary. They were the only two with real injuries, so the militiamen were booted out of their beds to make room. Brother Ben had decided to clear the infirmary of all false patients. Word began to spread around the camp about the new healing power Ben now possessed just as Darius the paladin. Morale still wavered though. Many of the men and women were depressed Pendra and Certa had still not returned. Rumors spread about the Giant having killed the two heroes. For their part, Darius and Kayla spent most of the time talking with Elion in his tent. The dwarven paladin seemed anxious about something. He kept asking about any messengers having come from the Keep. By the morning of Fastday when Rogg and Dalin were both back in good health, Darius already had the horses packed and ordered ten men of the militia to march with the group back to Keep Margrave. If a message had been sent without arriving, they would soon find out. 

Early morning sunrays began to peek out of the sky after a half day’s march. There were hours to travel still when Igor heard a strange noise. A deep guttural hoot came from the left of the large nineteen-person cavalcade. Running full bore straight into the middle section was a strange looking creature. To Brother Ben it looked like a massive owl with the speed and size of a bear. Its beak was easily large enough to bite a man’s head off. Three of the soldiers were hit by the creature and crushed under its sharp claws and bulk. The rest started to run off the road in panic while they shook in fear of the animal. But Brother Ben and his companions did not run. Dram, Dalin and Rogg charged at the creature with their weapons drawn. Its heavy hide turned their blades, but Darius’s hammer hurt it. Igor pulled out a glistening purple substance and began applying it to the tip of his sword. “A bastard sword for a bastard, heeheehee. I will kill the vile beast!” he said to himself. Darius and Mirel both noticed Igor’s actions and began to berserk at the sight of the poisoned blade. Mirel began slinging stones at him, but missed wildly. 

Kayla ran around behind a few of the soldiers and stepped up close to the owl-beast while waving her hands. It fell snorting to the ground. Brother Ben ran forward too and checked the three mauled solders. Two were torn apart, but Ben was able to heal the third. Igor ran from Darius into the surrounding thickets and the paladin struggled to calm himself once Igor was out of sight. Mirel ran over to Brother Ben and pulled both he and the healed soldier away from the sleeping monster. Dram moved closer and thrust his sword into the sleeping creature’s eye killing it. Blood poured out of the immense body and covered the dirt path. It took several minutes to regroup the hiding soldiers and then to find the horses that had run in fear. As a trophy Dram cut and peeled off the bear-owl’s hide. While no one was watching, Igor followed the creature’s tracks a few hundred feet into the grassland and spotted a large nest like structure in the far distance. A similar beast was within it. Strangely, he noticed several hoofprints along the trail too.


----------



## howandwhy99

Heading back Igor saw Darius congratulating the men who stood their ground and ordered everyone back into marching lines to ensure discipline was kept. Brother Ben picked out four men to carry the pieces of the dead to Keep Margrave for proper burial. Several others built a travois to carry the meat of the creature. The march was solemn after the brutal attack and darkness descended before they reached the keep that evening. As Igor led the way he related what he had discovered to Darius. Ben could hear adamant denials about applying something to his blade though. The keep opened the gate to the disheveled crew. Most were assigned to the military barracks and rest came quickly after. 


*[DAY 32 – Holyday, Juna 21st, CY 81]* 

Early the next morning Brother Ben woke up in the temple once more. It was refreshing to sleep in a feather bed after spending a week away. Darius had already awoken and left for the Keep’s inner bailey. 

The dwarven paladin pounded on the heavy wooden door. “Hail. I come for a meeting with Lady Devereaux. Open the door.” 
After a long wait and more pounding a voice drifted over from the other side. 
“Lady Devereaux is no longer meeting with people.” 
“I am Sergeant Darius Kord of Outpost Xavier, Ambassador of the Dwarven Kingdoms, Friend to Elion the Elf, and on a private mission for her Ladyship. I demand to be let in!” 
“Hold on.” Several minutes passed. Darius then heard footsteps returning. It was the same voice. “Lady Devereaux is no longer meeting with anyone. I am told that she will contact you, if she has any further need for your services. You are ordered to keep doing…. whatever it is you do.” 
“What about Captain Radcliffe, is he here?” 
“Captain Radcliffe is with Lady Devereaux. He is not meeting with anyone either.” 
Darius paused. “Sergeant Keenan is that you?” 
There was no answer. 
The dwarven paladin began pounding as hard as he could on the door again. 

Brother Ben enjoyed his morning stroll through the keep. It was a cozy place. He noticed several of the soldiers who had accompanied him on the journey were standing around the barracks hall wondering what to do. Dram was already outside stripping the hide he had won. He had two metals vials stuffed in his belt. Before dawn he had trailed Igor to a merchant’s store. After doubling back and retrieving his coin pouch Dram went back to the store, but Igor was no longer within. A secret exchange was made with the tiny little man at the counter: two books for two potions. “Let them ask, if they’re so damned nosy” he thought to himself. Without looking up, Dram continued to quickly work the leather as the soldiers watched. He was nearly finished making the fur into a cape for himself when Kayla came up behind Brother Ben. She had a number of new y filled pouches hanging from her belt. She had done some shopping too, but he could not tell for what. “It’s called an owlbear,” she said pointing at Dram’s pelt. “I fear we must kill another on the return trip. Perhaps they were the source of the rumors we heard of bandits harassing travelers on the road?” 

Ben inquired about their fellow companions. Apparently Mirel was very pleased to have finally returned to the keep and was spending the entire day with her parents and family. “Igor disappeared early in the morning” said Kayla, but Ben noticed she seemed to be holding something back. In any case, the easy mood was broken when Darius arrived a few minutes later. “Gather the men. We are heading back to Xavier. Now.” Ben reflected that the dwarf seemed to be in a very sour mood. All of the soldiers were found and called into assembly. Even Dram was forced to line up for the march back home (after he had completed his cape of course). Mirel was saddened about having to leave so soon, but she came without question.


----------



## howandwhy99

The large band marched down the curved entrance ramp away from the keep. The day was hot and dry. A little while later Igor was seen trailing behind and running to catch up. It seems they had left without him. By midday they arrived back at the spot where a large pool of dried blood was left over from the dead owlbear. Igor led the group off the road and to the north. After a short distance he spied the other owlbear in its nest. Very quietly Kayla crept up on the creature and sung a soft lullaby putting it to sleep. The soldiers silently surrounded its vast bulk and noticed the awful smell coming off it. This one was much larger than the other owlbear. When weapons were drawn, Igor mentioned to Darius that he could kill the beast with one stroke as he had a learned such things being a chef. Darius eyed the strange man, but eventually agreed. Igor raised his bastard sword over his head with the tip pointed at the owlbear’s neck. He stabbed and missed. 

The massive creature went from sleeping to shrieking rage in the blink of an eye. An enormous paw swung wide throwing backwards every attacker that had surrounded it. Dram, and three others lay fallen and bleeding from the crushing assault. Igor, Dalin and Darius somehow managed to stand back up after being thrown ten feet from the blow. Brother Ben moved closer and pulled Dram’s body away, while taking out his bandages. Mirel ran up to the owlbear swinging with one of the fallen soldier’s swords. Possibly shamed into action by the young girl’s bravery some of the other soldiers pressed in to attack too. Others backed away shaking in fear. Darius swung his hammer hard connecting with the beast’s back. Kayla skirted along behind the fighters with her sling and helped Ormand the Redd fire into the melee. 

Mirel scored a hit and Darius moved into the space beside to her. He shouted that she should move away from the battle. Mirel didn’t listen. Brother Ben used his healing powers on Dram. Igor circled around the back of the beast flanking it and tried to stay out of its vision. The owlbear stood up on two hind legs and attempted to back away from its attackers. Finding itself surrounded once more it changed course and charged forward instead. Dalin and two other soldiers were crushed beneath its hulking form. More soldiers began backing away and shaking in fear of the beast. Mirel and Darius continued their attacks and drew the owlbear’s attention. As it turned on them Igor held up his bastard sword above his head and thrust its tip up into the creature’s neck. This time he connected. The animal fell to the ground as Igor skipped agilely back. Others dropped to their knees in the sand tired from the fear and heat. “I killed the mama owl!” cried out Igor. 

An accounting of the dead was taken. Five soldiers were placed on horseback for later burial. Dalin would survive as would Dram, but both needed a day to recuperate. In the nest Igor found four large eggs. Three had hardened brown shells, but the fourth was leathery and speckled. He placed them in his backpack for later. The caravan turned their horses around and began the slow walk back Keep Margrave. The whole trip had cost the party seven more militia members. Brother Ben prayed for their souls that evening in a sequestered room at the temple. He believed he had failed once more in keeping the lives of those around him safe. Ben counted to himself. Only five militia members were left to bunk in the barracks with the corporals of outpost Xavier. And two of those were Ormand the Redd and Rogg. Ten other militiamen were left back at the outpost. He then meditated upon the witch woman Kayla. She had saved their lives more than once in the past week. But he felt uncertain about her powers, which he believed were unholy. He wished the Gods would speak the truth to him. “Perhaps she shouldn’t read so much from wizard Zelligar’s books?” he thought.


----------



## howandwhy99

*[Session 7] *

*[DAY 33 – Sunday, Juna 22nd, CY 81]* 

Darius awoke before sunrise the next day. Disturbed by the losses incurred from the owlbear attack, he marched straight over to the door of the inner bailey and commenced his pounding again. Strangely, he swore he saw Igor’s form in the early morning light, but it turned out to be a just another villager. The door lurched open. Inside stood Captain Radcliffe looking a little worse for wear. “Finally,” thought Darius, “Now I’m getting somewhere.” While the captain tried to cook hard-boiled eggs, pour water, and walk around in his yellow pajamas, Darius dutifully reported all the events of Outpost Xavier. Having left the outpost when the rains began Captain Radcliffe nodded without saying very much. 

Five men were lost to the owlbears on the road. The threat had been eliminated, but supplies were woefully low at the Xavier. The fifty soldiers left to guard the tower were in poor spirits. Darius suggested switching out these men with some who were now at Keep Margrave. Captain Radcliffe nodded solemnly. Several books and other equipment were stolen from one of Darius’s men. They were highly valuable and may help in the fight against the Giant. Also, his team of soldiers had fought a score of gnolls near a series of caves in the woods. He believed the Giant had even more forces camped therein. Darius skillfully left out any mention of Elion’s councils and asked to speak with Lady Devereaux directly instead. “No. I think she wants to be... left alone”, said Radcliffe. The captain called in the quartermaster Sergeant Keenan. “Take this man, er… dwarf-man and, uh… give him what he needs. And go to his outpost with him too.” With that they watched as their leader turned around and walked out. 

While disposing of his runny eggs, Darius requisitioned enough supplies for the army and his militiamen to survive for another two full weeks. He even planned out a strategy for all fifty troops to switch locations without either site lacking in protection during the transition. Sergeant Keenan sat and listened when he was not claiming the outpost “just happened to be scheduled for another supply of food anyways.” Afterwards, Darius checked in on Dalin and Dram. Both were still in poor shape, so he and Brother Ben called upon their Gods to heal them. One more day’s rest and they would be ready for duty. Assembling together the rest of the team, Darius informed them that he would be staying to watch over the two injured men. The others were all to accompany Sergeant Keenan back to Outpost Xavier. 

Later that same day he saw the caravan off and Father Hedrach gave them a blessing. Rogg and Ormand the Redd were loath to leave Dram at the keep, but Darius convinced them of where their loyalties lay. Afterwards, he met with Captain Radcliffe again. He really enjoyed having someone answer in the affirmative when he knocked at the inner bailey, even if he was no longer allowed to enter within. The speech he gave the Captain worked. He, Dalin, and Dram would stay at the keep and train in swordplay and archery. Captain Radcliffe would provide the lessons himself. The two worked on foot placement for the rest of the day. Darius thought to himself, “He is much better at swordplay, then at wordplay. Now if only I can convince him to speak on my behalf to her Ladyship. Then we might actually accomplish something!”


----------



## howandwhy99

*[DAY 34 – Moonday, Juna 23rd, CY 81]*
*– [DAY 38 – Fastday, Juna 27th, CY 81]*

The next few days passed quickly as Darius, Dram, and Dalin practiced with Radcliffe. Darius found his commander’s instruction to be slow-paced and more dull than inspired. So after a couple of days of boredom he switched to studying with Father Hetrick at the temple instead. Darius was feeling anxious. “It has been over a week now and still no reply to my letters.” Dram and Dalin had been quite shocked when they awoke to the absence of any friends or confidants, but both relished the chance to learn combat maneuvers from such a skilled teacher. They liked the man, even if he was a bit dim.



> Dram's preferred weapon is longbow. He stumbles through his multi-weapon attack lessons with his sword and dagger. He's grateful for the armor lessons since he's relatively new to chainmail. He asks Capt. Ratcliffe if he can offer any tips on general battle tactics, particularly ambushes. He also tries to learn whatever he can about how to better combat specific creatures, both those he's already encountered and those that the Captain might've as well. As best as he can recall, Dram has battled, and survived, a goblin ambush, a stone throwing giant, orcs, giant rats, zombies, animated rock statues, kobolds, bats, a huge spider, kobold and giant rat skeletons, undead bats, an undead huge spider, gnolls, owlbears and some sort of wicked shambling vine creatures. He asks the Captain what he knows of these creatures without revealing any specific information about his sojourns in Quesquaton.
> 
> _Capt Ratcliffe will during the lessons explain tactics. The comment about the tall hairy green humanoids with barking voices does spark much interest from him. He has fought them. He tells you their name in fact:  Gnolls. And that they are believed to be a breed of trolls. Trolls are much larger and nastier versions of the gnoll. And like trolls are afraid of fire. He asks if you burned the bodies._
> 
> Dram reports that unfortunately our party was unable to burn the gnoll bodies because we had to make a hasty retreat. Dram seems to remember Igor wanting to burn the bodies for fear that they might reanimate as undead like the kobolds. "What is the reason for burning gnoll bodies?" Dram asks. He also asks Captain Radcliffe where he encountered gnolls before and if he knows anything about their lairs near Outpost Xavier.
> 
> _They are a common enough foe. As they hire themselves out to the highest payer. But they are not trustworthy. So many civilized commanders won't use them. I fought some in my early days as a patrol rider and then as a commander of patrols. Some of them have more troll blood in them than gnome blood. And as a side effect they mend. The blows you land look like they lay them low. But in fact the beasts heal too fast. Fire will stop the troll blood from working._
> 
> _He tells you to start using range and reach weapons against larger foes like the owlbears. And to avoid being bitten/stung by the spiders and some of the undead. Some undead are connected to the powers of Chaos. Their touch can drain the life from a man._
> 
> Dram takes this tidbit of advice to heart and asks if he can receive some training with the spear. He also asks if he can have a spear from the armoury.
> 
> _You know how to handle one okay. And yes you are entitled to use the armoury. In fact spears and javelins seem to be the only weapons of abundance._
> 
> _Capt. Ratcliffe is proficient with the bow... more so than you... but admits it is not his best weapon. He does show you how to care for the weapon though and instructs you to find better materials when you can. The Elven bows made with the tail hairs of a unicorn are prized weapons. With them you can use your full strength to penetrate even thick armor._
> 
> Dram asks if Capt. Ratcliffe has ever seen such a bow, or where one might find or purchase one. What kind of "better materials"?
> 
> _Lady Devereaux was given one by Elian when she saved his life. They are only given to elf friends. But other materials can still make bows and their arrows better. The young Ents have branches, which make for good material. And some metals brought forth from the dwarves will make a nasty barbed arrowhead. The dwarves favor crossbows. But still an arrow can be found made from the stuff._



The keep itself was busy with guards being rotated in and out and marching contingents off to Outpost Xavier. The final group was scheduled to leave early morning on Holyday.


----------



## howandwhy99

*[DAY 39 – Holyday, Juna 28th, CY 81]*

“A week without the dwarf around,” thought Igor. “This could be fun.” Only now looking back he knew it had been quite the opposite. He still counted himself lucky for selling off three of the owlbear eggs before being ordered to march back to this waterlogged, cesspit of horseflies and bigger pests. Mouse had not wanted the fourth egg. “Unfertilized”, the tiny man had said. Igor gave it to Kayla instead in hopes she might be able to use it in her wizardry. The woman had studied with the Elf Elion ever since their return. It bothered Igor as he had quite a few of his own questions to check with Elion about, but it did little good to let others know he was asking – asking about anything at all really.

Shockingly, the militia well guard was doing its job too. He had learned Darius had ordered that no one was to enter the well in his absence shortly before he left. Without the little guy here to rescind the order, the way down was closed. Even for a quick, single-person inspection. By the third time he asked the guard knew his face; or at least his current guise. Reflecting back on his choice of aliases, Igor thought he could have picked a little more wisely. The pain from wearing the hump when he first arrived at Xavier still affected his back when he leapt from one tree to the next. Yet, he liked those days better than these and their interminable rain. “Come ‘ere an try me seven layer salad. Made w’ seven kinds o’ beans and three o’ four things that look like beans”, he recited. “Y’need real food fer growin’ good brains. This dish ‘s good brains. Brain tasty too.”

The noise around him stopped. He forgot he was still in class with Mirel and Brother Ben. The oddball priest was lecturing the two of them in hopes they would learn to read. Igor wondered if he even knew Mirel was humoring him. She looked studious enough, but Igor knew willful ignorance when he saw it. She was scared of what reading and writing might mean for her. “She’s a smart girl”, thought Igor. He further wondered if the man realized how hard he himself was trying to learn the work while playing the fool. He spun his eye around again. “What did you say, good Igor?” said Brother Ben. “It’s EYE-GORE dammit”, Igor thought silently to himself as the cleric mispronounced his name yet again. He opened his mouth and lied: “o’ nothin’ Just me thinkin’ about me cookin’ agin.” That got him chastised. The priest started once more into his inscrutable monologue and Igor struggled to keep up in his head.

[SBLOCK][From quotes] Brother Ben focused on the shapes of numbers and letters giving special emphasis on the order and logic of each. "The ordinal nature of the numbers is representative of the underlying aspect of law present in all places. The completeness of the letters chart, including specific roles for consonants and vowels, will later be incremental in learning both language structure and propriety."

(stolen from Webster)”For instance: Consonants are divided into various classes, as mutes, spirants, sibilants, nasals, semivowels, etc. All of them are sounds uttered through a closer position of the organs than that of a vowel proper, although the most open of them, as the semivowels and nasals, are capable of being used as if vowels, and forming syllables with other closer consonants, as in the Common feeble (-b'l), taken (-k'n). All the consonants excepting the mutes may be indefinitely, prolonged in utterance without the help of a vowel, and even the mutes may be produced with an aspirate instead of a vocal explosion. Vowels and consonants may be regarded as the two poles in the scale of sounds produced by gradual approximation of the organ, of speech from the most open to the closest positions, the vowel being more open, the consonant closer; but there is a territory between them where the sounds produced partake of the qualities of both."[/SBLOCK]

Igor’s brain hurt. He reflected back on Kayla instead. A highly intelligent woman if a bit reserved. She was smarter than he was which normally meant trouble. But he felt he and her were right about where Igor wanted them to be: wrapped in a crisscross of truth and lie even he could not always discern. She had many questions for him and knew a little more of his real nature - at least that he was not just a simple cook. “What cook could use a bastard sword to kill an owlbear in one fell stabbing?” he thought. “Well, Sergeant Guido’s loss is my gain. May I never see his ghost again.” He shivered. It still unnerved him that a thing once dead might rise to seek revenge on its killer. But the blade, it was at least one item he could show openly. Everyone else still believed he had lost all his other belongings except his new sack in the theft. The truth was those books did not even pay for it. "They were money in the bank, investments.” His thoughts started to flow. “No, it was those pretty, pretty gems on that old wizard’s throne. How could everyone else overlook them? Wise men are bad and good are fools, facts evil - wishes vain appear, we cannot go… damn! What was the end of that line?” Igor could no longer concentrate with Brother Ben prattling on.


----------



## howandwhy99

When Darius arrived at Outpost Xavier with the last of the army’s relief forces he saw quite a few raised eyebrows. Igor actually fell out of his chair when Darius entered the infirmary. He was not worried about the current conditions as little looked to have changed, but he asked for and received reports from everyone. Kayla seemed to have the most interesting news. Elion had been helping her with her studies into magick and it was beginning to pay off. “Indeed, it saved our backsides during that last battle”, Darius concluded. She went on about how Elion used Elfen magic, which was very different from what she learned as an apprentice. She could even recognize spells the Elf had written now.

Before nightfall Darius aided Brother Ben with another Holyday mass for the soldiers and militia. Afterwards he spoke with Elian about learning certain diplomatic techniques, which might help him be a better paladin. The Elf gave pause, but seeing the human woman Kayla with several of Zelligar’s books in her hands seemed to change his mind. Apparently she was allowing him to read a few of the works she was unable to translate. Elion peered at one of the books and to Darius’s thinking outwardly lost his mind. The Elf started laughing openly. Elion then agreed to train Darius whenever he desired. Moreover he would teach Kayla some of his own spells, if she liked. After he straightened himself back up, the two felt comfortable enough to leave him for the night, though Elion still chuckled to himself merrily.


*[DAY 40 – Sunday, Jinto 1st, CY 81]
– [DAY 41 – Moonday, Jinto 2nd, CY 81]*

The next day Elfen advisor’s poise was back. Darius observed he could both instruct him in manners and council Kayla in spell lore at the same time with ease. Kayla asked him about a giant egg Igor had given her, but after close inspection he told her it held no magickal purpose. “I will return it to Igor then. He will be pleased to have it I am sure”, she said. Elion offered again to teach her some of the spells he knew in addition to those from Zelligar’s books. Pointing to certain pages in the tomes he said “One makes it so you can open locked doors. Even doors locked by magic. The other spell reverses the pull of the world on your body, so that you can float up into the air. “ He also suggested teaching her an Elfen spell that “causes the mantle of Elfen magic to come to the surface on a given area. It highlights the area with flashes of color and sound.” In the end, Kayla decided to learn a spell that instilled fear in her enemies and another, which created an invisible servant to serve her ends.

Darius kept a keen eye on the encampment of the new soldiers. He was worried rumors might have spread about the activities of those in the tower or even about Quesquaton, a word never openly spoken. The soldiers were mostly those who had left when the original hundred was split to protect the keep and fend off the bandit attacks. But he still had trouble remembering everyone’s name. Darius soon learned of Brother Ben’s good deed of trying to teach Mirel and Igor how to read. After the chef was given back his egg he fried it up in a large skillet and ate the whole omelette by himself. “At least he is not poisoning anyone else today” thought Darius.

[sblock]
OOG: The group enjoyed TWO humungous omelettes at the start of this session cooked up by Diaglo himself in celebration of defeating the owlbears. Here are the Recipes:

*OWLBEAR EGG OMELETTE DELUXXE*

Avocado Sauce:

3/4 cup diary sour cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp dill weed
1 large tomato, diced and drained
1 small avocado, diced

Garlic-Tomato sauce:

1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 green onion, chopped
1 tsp olive oil
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/8 tsp salt
dash of sugar
freshly ground pepper

Oven Omelet:

4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped green peppers
4 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
6 eggs
1 can tomato sauce

Broccoli Oven Omelet:

9 eggs
1 1/2 cup broccoli
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 medium tomato, cut
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
[/sblock]

The following day included more work and study. Elion at last felt confident enough in Darius and Kayla to reveal he was in communication with those outside of the outpost. Darius was not quite sure what he said was the truth given how flighty the Elf had been the last two days, but Kayla took him at his word. Elion claimed to be able to communicate by spell with others far away. He said that he had spoken with Lady Devereaux and also others even farther in Margrave County’s capital of Harling. This started Darius’s blood to boil after having so many failed attempts to communicate with the Lady on his own. Elion went on that he had spoken to his brother. He was with Lord Margrave at the battle’s front lines far off to the north and east. It was not his brother Marevak however, but another out of eight in all. This one had passed on frightening news about the war.

Margrave County was fighting against the Lords of Chaos. These creatures were masters of the Elements. And the fight was deadly indeed. Darius was not quite sure what that meant, but Kayla remained stoically focused. The dwarf stopped questioning in his mind and tried to absorb the information as it came remembering as much as he could. Elion urged them to resume their explorations into Quesquaton as soon as possible. He asked about the missing books of Igor’s and the location of any other books or items that had been removed. Darius mentioned the single boot, cloak, and slippers Dram had taken and the ceremonial dagger he believed Igor still carried. Others had split up most of the books amongst themselves. Elion went on: “There is still a treasure within of great importance. It is essential you find this. It may be hidden. Please do what you can.”

Kayla mentioned having read Zelligar’s own journals detailing his explorations of the caves beyond Quesquaton. The old wizard had called them the ‘Caves of Chaos’. Elion believed more secrets might lie within the caves as to Zelligar’s final resting place. He urged them again to explore these as well, "but do not engage the enemy. Pendra and Certa are still missing and may be trapped inside. Please save them, if you can." After their conference, Darius waited on the road for Dram and Dalin to arrive. They were due back from Keep Margrave after their week of training with Captain Radcliffe. When they returned he planned to hold another meeting for his exploration team. They were all going back to the caves tomorrow morning and Darius wanted everyone in the best possible shape before leaving.


----------



## howandwhy99

*[DAY 42 –Feastday, Jinto 3rd, CY 81]*

As the darkness dulled into murky grey skies above, Dalin, Darius, Kayla, Brother Ben, Igor, Mirel, and Dram stood at the entrance of Quesquaton just at the bottom of the well. Rogg and Ormand were charged with watching the top until called. Darius explained that Elion believed a large treasure was still within Quesquaton and he hoped to explore for hidden doors within in hopes to find where it might be. Before leading them in though he asked everyone to carefully watch over the items they had taken originally from Quesquaton. He also requested the ceremonial sword from Igor for safekeeping. When he touched it, Darius felt a strange surge. Handing around to the others only Brother Ben felt something odd about the item. To him it looked like a flamberge blade made to appear as shining silver flame. Dagger-sized it was proportioned as a sword, but its weak silver metal and dull edge made it useless for battle. “Perhaps it is a key”, Ben said. “We might want to look around for a keyhole. Where else would you keep a treasure?”

Dram called his men down into the well while Darius looked again at the door and stones of its frame. The portal looked like it would never open or close by itself again. The stone was greatly aged and covered in a soft dust. The group spread out down the entrance corridor and searched for secret compartments and doors. They retraced their steps through the poolroom and the upper, stonework chambers examining every wall for clues. Upon coming to the horn-headed, stone idol, which was smashed upon their first foray into the dungeon Igor pointed to the dried stains within its proffered bowl. A hole in the bottom of the bowl was meant to feed water or wine into the basin from somewhere within, or so it seemed. Igor said he believed the stain was blood. Taking out his sword he cut himself slightly and slowly poured a little of his own blood into the bowl. The blood was quickly sucked up into the hole.

Igor tried sticking his hand up the hole and the tube behind, but did not get very far. Mirel tried and managed to stick almost her whole arm inside. The stone pipe behind curved up and towards the ceiling above. It was still slick with Igor’s blood. Climbing up the statue, Darius began smashing into the ceiling stone with his hammer. He was having trouble reaching, when Dram stopped him. Examining the ceiling the large man began to pound out the stone tiles affixed to it. The others backed away. After several minutes of smashing Dram burst through. He ducked aside as a black liquid splattered to the floor’s flagstones. The ooze bubbled and hissed as it began slowly melting into the floor. The group started shouting different directions when Dalin ran up and stuck his lit torch into the blob. It hissed and shrank away from the flame. It took a few minutes, but the torchbearers managed to destroy ooze. No trace was left behind, but the misshapen floorstones.

Dram noticed the stone he had pierced above looked valuable. Climbing up onto Igor’s shoulders he saw a 1-foot cube of the same black stone encasing the compartment above. Darius examined the piece, which had fallen and identified it as “Onyx”. “It’s worth quite a bit if we can collect it all”. Dram pounded away for over two hours making small chips of the stone. In all they had about 50 pieces when he was done. Divvying them up, it was decided Dram would need to pay his hirelings out of his own share. Everyone was proud to uncover another secret of Quesquaton, but it was not the ‘BIG’ treasure they were looking for. Darius decided to break through one the poolroom’s walls. It cracked easily and the team could see into where the storage room used to be. Now only chasm separated them from the tunnel behind Zelligar’s throne. Darius noticed the floor around the poolroom’s cracked wall looked very weak. Not willing to take the same chance as he had in the supply room, he backed the others away and refused to let anyone near it. A quality plan was needed to find a way to safely reach the other side.

Darius could feel the tension building in his teammates. They wanted a good fight. He decided a foray against the caves was best. Dram explained about the ‘gnolls’ Captain Radcliffe had taught he, Dram, and Dalin about. He suspected the gnolls would be spoiling for another fight. The others thought they would do better to find and fight the orcs instead as the gnolls were so hard to kill. On the way out, Brother Ben noticed a smattering of bone-bats had again gathered in the batcave and channeled his Gods’ power into them. As Ben wiped out the last of the undead threat, the others asked about what secrets Darius and Kayla had discovered. It seemed they spent a lot time with Elion the Elf, but little was ever shared of what was discussed. “Yeah! What’s been going on around here? I want to know what I am about to get Igor here killed for.” Dram slapped the chef squarely in the back.


----------



## howandwhy99

Darius and Kayla agreed to tell, but Ormand the Redd and Rogg were sent out of the batcave, so they would not hear what they had no business knowing. The others were asked to take oaths not to tell anyone ever what they were about to learn. Brother Ben had to be torn away from his divine work, but then Darius stood up and began speaking about the war County Margrave was fighting. The Lord had taken men from all over the County and chased after his foes when he won the great battle. Now the front lines were in the mountains to the east and north of Margrave. This was fairly general knowledge. The war was a great distance away, but Darius said the battle continued in other ways at home or so Elion the Elf was claiming. 

Kayla stood up too. She said that most of their learning had come from Elion, but some she was still discovering in Zelligar’s books. Their main foes at the front lines were called Chaos Lords. These were fearsome beings with powers they used to control the elements. Things like fire, water, air, earth and possibly more. “Worst of all”, said Kayla “Elion believes that an elder Elemental God is leading the forces of the enemy.” There was a hushed silence after she said this. Kayla went on to explain how Quesquaton’s own founder and wizard Zelligar was in a cult of devoted to chaos. She believed he was working on finding a way at extending his own life indefinitely when all records of him ceased. Also important was he had been living inside the caves they were headed to now; a place he had entitled “The Caves of Chaos”. She believed the orcs within might still be the remnants of a cult Zelligar had begun long ago.

Darius spoke up again. “We believe the Giant is leading the caves’ forces and using them to hurt the Greenwillow forest. We also know that he is only attacking our Outpost Xavier and none of the other twenty-five. I believe he is certain now this is the location of Quesquaton and wants to capture whatever great treasure lies within. What this might be we don’t know, but if Elion’s suspicions are correct it would help the enemy forces at the front lines, which is something no one wants. If we can stop the Giant, or manage to find something in the caves about Zelligar’s treasure we will be helping Lord Margrave to win the war.”

The others looked around at each other for a moment. It was a lot to take in. “Can we go kill some gnolls now?” asked Dram. The others stood and agreed with Darius and Kayla that they were doing the right thing. It seemed they were a smaller piece in a much larger puzzle. Brother Ben was bothered though. “I do not necessarily trust this Elf-man. What you say is fantastical, but he could be lying. What do any of us know of Elves? I’ve studied religion all my life and never once heard of these elemental gods!” The other didn’t speak up. Kayla mentioned that Mirel could be assigned to spy on Elion just to ensure their safety. Ben looked away sheepishly. “Well, I have something else to tell too”, he said. “I have already had little Mirel here spying on Elion for a long time now. Though we haven’t learned much we do know he does not sleep like normal people do. And he deals in diablerie; the wizarding way we thought had ended with Zelligar. I ask that we be cautious with these tales and think for ourselves on what they might mean.”

The hush settled over the group again. Kayla explained that Elion was not evil or untrustworthy. She mentioned that Elion has a power to “message” others far away, but it is part of his Elfen heritage, not something of chaos. The others agreed, but felt Ben was wise to take his precautions. Brother Ben decided to keep quiet about having Mirel spying on Kayla too. Igor spoke up next. He said he had heard a rumor from one of the new soldiers at Xavier about Lord and Lady Margrave actually being long dead and the current people on the throne were actually imposters made up to look like them. “And”, he went on “Lady Devereaux‘s actin’ very diff’rent. She‘s the leader of the milisha, but no livin’ soul‘s seen ‘er in months!” The rest of the members looked doubtfully at each other about the veracity this new information. Dalin slapped Igor on the back again and agreed they should be careful who they talked to and what secrets they shared. 

The group finished their discussion by devising ways to explore the Caves of Chaos without being seen. “Elion believes Pendra and Certa may have been captured by the Giant and be trapped inside”, said Darius. “If we are seen, they might try and kill their prisoners.” Dalin brought up the fact that gnolls had a mercenary background and might be bought off, but the others still believed they were still too tough to deal with directly.


----------



## howandwhy99

Rogg and Ormand the Redd were collected and everyone headed outside to the top of the black rock hill. The air was still moist. Conditions appeared not to have changed at all since their last outing. The spiraling cloud was still off to one side and an overcast haze blocked out most of the sky. The team walked in orderly fashion back down the hill, turned right at the river and prepared to meet the dryad. Sadly, they discovered she was gone as well as her bear guardian. They checked on her tree which was still alive and hoped she had moved on to a nicer place for the time being. Instead of heading directly to the top of the hill of caves they circumscribed it to their right. A small streamlet ran parallel to their path. The shape of the hill bothered Brother Ben. He asked Darius if it was somehow ‘built’, so the dwarf slowly inspected the ground and then nodded. “But it must have been a very long time ago.”

Continuing along the side of the streamlet they were nearing the end of the first prong of the horseshoe-shaped hill when Igor spotted something. Three small shapes were huddled down behind a bush right next to him. He took out his sword raising it high and said “’ello?” The little people jumped up and Igor swung his sword cutting one in half. The others saw the creatures now and recognized them as kobolds. The little things screamed in fear. Dram and Dalin ran over with their swords and Brother Ben and Darius ran behind them trying to cut off their escape route. Mirel launched a stone and hit one squarely in the head. The two kobolds turned and ran straight between Darius and Ben. Dram cracked one’s skull as it turned away from him.

The final one managed to dodge past the paladin and cleric and continued screaming as loud as it could. Igor took after it at a sprint and jumped on top of the kobold. The others watched as the strange man choked the creature to death in the underbrush. It was a gruesome scene. Afterwards they pulled the bodies back behind the original bush, which from the rear looked like a blind. Considering as no forces were responding to the noise the team decided to continue on their way, but more quietly this time. Curving around the end prong of the hill they hid behind some trees and bushes, while inspecting the inner ravine and the caverns along its sides. Smoke was coming from a cave to the right. No creatures were to be seen outside though.

Igor suggested he would scout ahead and explore. Darius pulled out his map and told Igor to go to the cave he had marked with an A, the first on the left. The chef crept away very stealthily. Working his way through the heavy underbrush that was marked on the map, he realized that it had moved since the map was originally drawn. Now it was much closer to the cave entrance he was headed towards and some even spilled out of the ravine altogether. When he reached the correct cave he both looked and listened inside but learned nothing. It was pitch black and silent. “It’s noonday”, he thought to himself. “They are probably all sleeping.” He scanned the ridge sides for movement. The next cave at the ravine’s bottom was about 50 yards away. It had a pile of bones outside its front. Without lighting a torch, Igor slowly stepped around the corner and into the darkness a few paces with his arms outstretched. 

When this happened, those waiting in the woods saw a dozen bolts fly out of the entrance tunnel in all directions. They started running at full speed toward the cave’s mouth. Igor stifled a cry and pulled out a bolt in his forearm. He slid to his left trying to find any cover near a wall. Another barrage of crossbow bolts flew at him, but thankfully none struck true. He could hear giggles inside and heavy breathing approaching from outside, so he retreated back into the sunlight. He saw the fastest of his teammates were almost at his side. Dalin lit a torch and tossed it into the entryway. Three square-cut tunnels could be seen: one heading straight back and two more angling off to each side. The bolts must have come from all three directions.


----------



## howandwhy99

Ben and Dram lit torches and everyone but Darius lit another off of theirs. Mirel, Kayla, and Ben threw their torches as far as they could, one into each passageway. More bolts shot out, but the group could see farther in. The center hallway went beyond the torchlight, but those angling left and right were shorter and had propped up tables at their ends as makeshift bunkers. Small forms popped up from behind firing crossbows at them. Darius could see they were not like kobolds at all. “It’s goblins. They look just like Captain Radcliffe said.” Darius explained the beasts were no more fearsome than kobolds. After the count of three, two teams rushed in: three men down the left tunnel and three more down the right tunnel. Mirel hung back and Kayla climbed a tree to keep lookout. Ormand the Redd stood by the entrance too and shot arrows into the darkness down the center aisle.

“CHARGE!” shouted Dram as he, Darius, and Igor ran up the right passage. They tried to swing over the table, which was inside a room and pressed against the archway in. The large room opened up wide to the left and right. Several goblins could be seen moving around in its shadows. Ducking low the three used the table for cover, but were having little luck hitting those on the others side. Meanwhile, Brother Ben and Rogg ran down the left tunnel. Ben could swear Dalin was right behind him, but the gambler sprinted up the center path and picked up the torch on the floor. Ormand saw the man shudder backwards as bolts thumped into his armor. Rogg outpaced Ben and dove over the guard table. The crossbow-wielding goblins on the far side were not prepared at all for this. The big man landed on three of the creatures. Ben used his flail to bend his attacks around onto those still holding the backside of the table. 

Four of the goblins overpowered Rogg and began beating on him. Ben noticed only one was holding the door, so he pushed it hard collapsing it on top the goblin. Ben jumped up and down crushing the creature underneath. Dalin kept charging down the long center hall right up to its end where a small, low, stone wall was built. Three more goblins were hiding in the tiny space behind it. Only one had a melee weapon, so Dalin swung his sword into it and tossed the creature’s long spear behind him. The other two cowered in fear. Darius and Dram continued to beat away at the goblins in their tunnel. There was not enough space for Igor too, so he yelled out and dove over the door and through the swordplay. Tumbling to the floor on the others side he quickly counted six goblins and one more running away down a portion of the room that doglegged to his right. His interest piqued, Igor stood back up and chased after it. “GIANT!!!” Mirel’s voice rang out into the tunnels. Ormand the Redd had already started shooting at the hulking form emerging from the tunnel marked B. “Oh no”, thought Kayla as she tried to hide higher in her tree. 

Brother Ben heard the call, but Rogg was busy pulling goblins off himself. After swinging at one, Ben ran back outside and spotted the monster. It looked more like an ugly half-giant than the tall, ferocious Giant that he saw attack Outpost Xavier. “Maybe it’s a child”, thought Ben. Mirel handed him an extra sling and the two slung stones at it. Dalin was too busy to lend aid as he kept attacking the two gobbling forms hiding behind their wall. They had proved very wily, as he was frustrated trying to swing over and around the small barricade. Dram and Darius heard Mirel’s call too, but they had just managed to knock over the table run into the far room. Darius saw Igor sprinting away into the next portion of the room. At its end, a secret door was open leading into an unworked cave. 

Ben and Mirel climbed trees hoping to get above the Giant’s reach. Kayla stayed hidden. The creature ran slowly through the underbrush directly at Ormand the Redd. The hireling backed into the cave entrance but kept shooting his bow at the monster. “I need some help here!” he shouted. Rogg, Dalin, and Dram continued their attacks, but Darius decided to run after Igor instead. The dwarf had already killed two goblins to Dram’s one, which left only two more for the northerner to deal with. Igor, however, had already passed through the secret door and entered into the large natural cavern. He saw an opening far down to his right with sunlight shining in. “The second entrance”, he said. His eyes scanned the rest of the cave. He saw no other exits, but a massive straw mound was along one side to his left. As he approached it he recognized the smell immediately: Giant stink. The mound had a furrow in the middle for the monster to lie in. Resting alongside it by the wall were seven large sacks. “JACKPOT!” 

Igor was hauling them into his backpack when Darius ran up behind him. “Good. Bring those for later. We need to get back. The Giant is outside the other entrance.” Working together they stuffed the sacks away and ran back to the secret door. Dram was standing there waiting and slammed the secret door to the ogre cave closed behind them. To their right, another door was open leading deeper into the hillside. “One o’ the gobbles got away”, Igor explained pointing down its tunnel. They decided to deal with the problem later as two more goblins charged at them. Apparently Dram had decided to ignore the two and outrun them to follow Darius. Dalin was finally finishing off the last goblin at the end of the center tunnel when he heard Rogg calling out for help. He dropped the goblins’ belongings and ran as fast as he could towards the sound. Outside Mirel and Kayla scrambled again to get higher into the branches as the Giant began shaking their trees from below. It bellowed out, “Who You?! Who You?!” Kayla began whispering something archaic under her breath and hoped for the others safety. Ormand the Redd hid in the shadows of the first cave entrance. 

Dalin met Ormand at the junction and pulled on him from behind. He needed help with Rogg. Dalin could see the big man had fallen and three enemies were wrestling on top of him. The two allies rushed and tried to pull the little goblins off. Meanwhile, Ben and Mirel slung stones point blank into the Giant’s face, while they trembled with fear. Dram and Igor ran ahead to see them from the cave’s exit and Darius was left trailing behind in his full-plate. “It’s an Ogre”, whispered Dram when he saw the Giant. Hiding himself behind the cave’s exit, Igor pulled out his bastard sword and held it high above his head. He studied the creature outside intently. Kayla saw another faction of goblins enter the ravine following the Giant’s footsteps. She gestured with her hands like Elion had shown her and shrieked. The ogre started trembling in fear. Its will broke and it ran back towards the other cave entrance. “But… but… I was going to kill it”, said Igor.


----------



## howandwhy99

Unnerved by the ogre’s retreat, the goblins following it fell back too. Ben, Mirel, and Kayla shimmied down their trees and ran inside the first cave entrance. Once inside they saw the fight was not quite over. Dram and Darius were still attacking two goblins down the right tunnel and Dalin was having trouble pulling three more off of Rogg. Ben ran back down towards the fight he had abandoned. Rogg was cut fairly badly as was Dalin. Ormand the Redd had backed up preparing to shoot in case any goblins ran. “Darius! We need your help”, called out the cleric. Filling with divine power, Ben reached out and healed Rogg. Unfortunately, only some of the wounds healed. Darius ran in a few seconds later and channeled healing power into Dalin. All the combatants looked very tired. Another minute passed and Igor and Mirel arrived to help too. Finishing off the last three goblins did not take much longer. Dram had also managed to kill the two goblins, which had been dogging him down the right tunnel. Ormand the Redd was set on guard duty just inside the front entrance in case anything approached from inside or out. The others began looking for any more secret doors down the left and center passages. 

Igor found one at the rear of the left guardroom. After disarming a trap and listening for noise within, he opened it. Stairs led upwards. Darius pulled out his map and asked Igor to close the secret door. He began sketching the tunnels they knew about. The others were ordered to start gathering what gear they could find. Igor pulled out the sacks he found in the ogre’s bed and began checking their contents and weight. “’bout three ‘undred silver coin. ‘bout three ‘undred copper. Same in lead. ‘nother in…ooh, gold!” The others looked over at the chef counting his sacks. “We will split it later,” said Darius. “For now we need to know what we have.” Another sack had a mix of copper coins and what Darius called ‘electrum’. One had a keg of brandy and the last a large wheel of hard cheese. 

Searching the dead goblins revealed very little: eleven torches in the sconces and just over fifty coppers. Ben pocketed the dice he found. They were loaded and he did not like the idea of Dalin getting a hold of them. The group started talking about what to do next. As they saw it, there were two options: head after the escaped goblin near the ogre’s lair, or travel up the stairs. Some did not want to head deeper into the caves as they feared being penned in once the ogre returned. The other option was hoping the door at the top of the stairs eventually connected to another cave exit higher up. They decided to head up. “Higher ground is easier to defend anyways”, said Darius. 

All of the heavy supplies were placed back into Igor’s pack for easy carrying. Opening back up the secret door, he went up the steps and examined the door at the top. It was locked. He could hear voices behind it too, but could not make out the words. Doing his best to mimic in the goblin-tongue Igor barked out, “We have been attacked! Please let me in. We must run!” The response he got was short and sounded like an order. He could understand the words separately, but they were strung together in a way, which made no sense to him. “Very odd”, he thought as Darius bounded up the stairs behind him. And then, to his amazement, Igor realized the keyhole actually had the key stuck into it from the other side. An idea went off in his head like an explosion. 

Slipping a piece of parchment under the doorframe he pushed the key out from his side before anyone could be stop him. The key clanged to the stone floor on the other side. The voices within stopped. Darius groaned. Pulling the parchment back Igor smiled as he picked up the key, which had fallen on top of it. Running footsteps could be heard from the other side of the door. Darius gave an order to prepare for a fight as the rest of the party advanced up the stairs. Carefully, Igor turned the key and unlocked the door. Opening it, he immediately backed away. With only torchlight, Darius could see farthest into the long dark room. No creature stirred within, but he saw a closed door in an alcove on the far side. “Be ready for anything,” he said.


----------



## howandwhy99

The room had a writing desk and a couple of bunk beds stripped of their sheets. Mirel and some of the others quickly swept away any trace of the party’s tracks below in case the ogre or goblins came searching. Then they shut tight the secret door and moved to the upper room. Ormand the Redd had been pulled back from the cave mouth and told to listen at the secret door instead. Igor and Darius examined the far door on the other side of the room. It was locked. Mirel searched through the beat up writing desk and found a mound of pelts. Checking its drawers she discovered two scrolls under a secret panel in the bottom of one. “That one is a muskrat. That’s a squirrel and a moun…” Dram’s thoughts were cut short when the door in front of Igor swung open hitting the chef in the face. A strange armored creature stuck a sword into the opening and tried pushing itself in. Several more were behind it. Darius pushed back, “They were just sitting and waiting for us!” 

Darius, Dram and Dalin helped push while Igor crawled away holding his face. Mirel handed the scrolls to Kayla. Glancing at the parchments, she passed them on to Brother Ben instead. “Prayers of powerful healing” he flipped to the next. “And another for eliminating traps. Very nice.” Ormand the Redd appeared at the top of the stairs. “The ogre’s back. I can smell him. And plenty of the little guys too. …What the heck is going on in here?” Darius looked back at Igor, while pushing on the door. “Can you jam the lock on this, if we manage to get it shut?”

STOMP…STOMP…STOMP…STOMP…STOMP. Everyone heard the massive ogre coming into the caverns. The furry creatures stopped pushing and the alcove door slammed shut. From the other side, footsteps could be heard running away. Darius pulled the group to the middle of the room and saw the fear in his allies’ faces. He needed to come up with a plan and quick. Brother Ben questioned whether the ogre could even fit into the narrow stairwell, but Dalin pointed out it was not quite as large as a normal Giant. Igor shuffled in closer and began telling the others of a plan he had thought of. “…And when it comes up the stairs, we let ‘im have it!” he finished. The others nodded in agreement. It was actually a pretty good idea. Preparations were made and Darius took watch at the upstairs door. Dalin held a torch, while the others moved into their positions around the room. Silently they waited for the ogre below. 

Darius edged open the door slightly and saw the ogre’s form in the darkness below. It was squeezing and twisting its way into the stairwell and dragging its club behind. The dwarven paladin waited, carefully judging the right moment to strike. “Now!” he whispered back to Dalin. His torch dropped down and lit the alcohol-soaked pelt. Dram and Igor rolled the keg of brandy with its now lit fuse forward, while Darius opened the door. Down the stairwell the wooden cask bounced and the door above was slammed shut. BOOM!! “AAAUUuurrgghh!!” the ogre screamed. They could hear its skin tearing on the tunnel walls as it contorted itself trying to escape from the flames. 

Darius quickly used the key to lock the stair door and Igor blocked it with the desk. “Behind the door there” Dram pointed. “Those were hobgoblins. What kind of place is this to have so many kinds of monsters?” The tall man walked over to the other door and swung it open. Seeing only an empty corridor he ran down it with his torch in one hand and sword in the other. Resigning themselves to their fate the others pulled out their own weapons and chased after him. Darius hung back and closed the second door behind them in case the ogre decided to attack again. As luck would have it, the key was in the backside of the second door’s lock too. “Thanks be to Thor,” Darius said as he turned the bolt into place. Feeling a little safer he ran to catch up with his fellows.


----------



## howandwhy99

After curving to the right, the square-stoned passage corned back to the left and then continued almost straight on for one hundred feet. At its end Darius saw a mass of what he now knew to be hobgoblins fighting his patrol. The tunnel split left and right in a T-juncture. Foes fought on either side and his men were caught directly in the middle of the intersection. Dram and Dalin held the left flank, Igor and Rogg the right, and the rest fired over the front lines from the center. Darius pulled out his hammer and shouldered his way forward into battle. Examining the hobgoblins he noticed they were exceptionally tall, taller than most humans even. With about the same build as the gnolls they looked like enlarged goblins. Each wore chain armor, a helm, and carried some sort of weapon and shield. The shields had an open mouth emblazoned on them and the creatures looked as if they were in uniform. 

Brother Ben stood back from the battling front lines and used the sling Mirel had given him. He counted an even dozen hobgoblins and although he was not an expert he discovered they were hardened warriors just like the gnolls. The party was fortunate the creatures were not using ranged attacks as they were. Minutes passed by and both sides took damage, but neither lost position. It was a difficult fight being pinched in as they were, but the team did not pull back from having two fronts. Then sounds of marching feet could be heard from behind. It did not sound like the ogre this time, so Darius ran back from the front and into the darkness of the corridor behind. He was shocked by what he saw. Another half dozen hobgoblins were marching towards him in formation, weapons at the ready. “We’re being cut off!” he cried out.

Dram made a daring maneuver and darted past the line of hobgoblins on the left side. That side had the fewest number of foes and he turned to flank his enemies with Dalin from behind. They managed to kill two in short time. Brother Ben ran up with his flail to fill the hole in the line Dram had just created. “Aim to the left” called out Kayla and the ranged firepower focused on to the weak spot. Rogg and Igor tried to defend the right flank, but found themselves vastly outnumbered. Each was injured and their foes kept switching places when fatigued. “I need some help here!” came Darius’s call again from down the back passage. He was surrounded and hobgoblins were rushing past him towards the party’s undefended third flank. Needless to say, things looked pretty grim. 

Fortunately for Darius, many of the blows on him were being absorbed by his full plate armor. The dwarf seemed to be able to take a lot of punishment himself too. But in his current position he was cut from the others and being attacked by four swordsmen. In an act of courage, Rogg withdrew from the right flank and rushed back into the mass of creatures around Darius. With a headlong charge he pushed one hobgoblin back into another. Fearfully Mirel moved in next to Igor to fill the broken front line. Swinging her torch at the enemy, she realized she would not last long without a real melee weapon. However, the concentrated effort on the left flank was paying off. Dalin, Dram and Ben had cut down two more enemies and Kayla slung a stone into the last one’s eye. It ran back down the tunnel behind it. One side was clear.

Dalin and Dram decided to chase after the fleeing hobgoblin. Both carried lit torches in their off-hands. As the passage curved to left, they saw the hobgoblin run into a wooden door at its end and slam it shut. Dalin charged forward lowering his shoulder guard and smashed the door off its hinges. Dram ran inside and spun around looking for the goblin while Dalin clambered to his feet. The room was a dead end; a barracks with several bunk beds and footlockers at the end of each. The hidden hobgoblin swung its sword out from under a nearby bed. Dalin cried out a warning and Dram jumped aside just in the nick of time. The two partners stabbed under the bed simultaneously and the creature was gutted. 

In the hall outside Brother Ben tried moving in to relieve Igor, but even fatigued the chef would not back off. Grateful, Mirel switched with him instead and she ran back to Kayla and Ormand the Redd. The three started firing into the rear tunnel around Darius and Rogg who both needed the help. The dwarven paladin had just managed to extricate himself from his encircled position. But upon joining Rogg’s side, a blow punctured the other man’s chain shirt. Rogg’s limp form slid from an axehead onto the floor stones. “Ben! Come here, Ben!” Dalin’s voice echoed from the barracks hall. “Dalin! Dram? Come back to us, if you can!” yelled back Ben.


----------



## howandwhy99

Dalin and Dram walked back out of the barracks catching their breaths. “We killed the one trying to get away. And we found three strange corked tubes too. You should see the…” Dram’s voice died in his throat. Upon seeing Rogg’s fallen body he sped over top it and slashed at the nearest hobgoblin. Dalin moved forward too and pulled back Brother Ben from the right line flank taking his place. The cleric checked Rogg’s body, but he knew it was too late to save him. Time marched slowly along measured by the sounds of sword blows. 

Over the entire fight Igor had kill at least four hobgoblins, but now the very last of his energy was leaving him. A refreshed Dalin pressed forward at the chef’s side. Only two foes were left along their combat line. But Igor teetered from the pain and exhaustion and one of the hobgoblin’s axes struck him to the ground. Dalin sliced into the creature as it overreached for the blow, but the damage was done. The last hobgoblin on Dalin’s flank turned and ran back down the right corridor. Brother Ben moved to Igor’s side and began bandaging his wounds. Dalin chased after the runaway. In the rear corridor, Darius and Dram continued fighing what seemed a never-ending battle. Two of the original six hobgoblin reinforcements were dead, but the others continued to press the fight seeing the exhaustion in the faces of their foes. 

Dalin followed the right passage as it zigzagged back and forth for thirty feet. To his right, he saw another cave exit with daylight shining in. Across from it to his left a ramp headed upwards, but it was caved in after 10 feet. The hobgoblin kept running forward instead of heading outside, as the passage continued onward. Dalin caught his foe from behind and thrust his dwarven-forged longsword into its leg. From somewhere in back of the main battle, down the rear hallway, a barking call sounded out. The last four hobgoblins stopped attacking and made a tactical retreat away from the party. Darius cautiously followed after and locked the door at the end of the long corridor again. 

Everyone was breathing hard. As far as Brother Ben could tell, Igor was alive but barely. He had bandaged the man in several spots. Dalin returned from his fresh kill and reported the location of the cave exit he had found. Darius pulled out the map and tried to locate it. He thought it might be entrance C, but when he went to stick his head outside to look around three arrows flew straight at him. Dram reached into his fur pockets and pulled out three stoppered vials. Pulling off the corks, he tested each. One tasted of cinnamon, another of salt water, and the last like normal water. Brother Ben said he could examine them further, but he would need to rest beforehand. 

The bodies of the hobgoblins were searched and stripped of their gear. Over 70 silver coins were found. “Fourteen dead” said Darius. “And four escaped. We did pretty well. But now we need to think of a way out of here before we all die too.” The group started thinking while they continued to search the area. Guards were stationed at both ends of the hallway. Dalin cut the ears off the dead, but put the pile he collected into Igor’s pack rather than his own. The barracks were searched thoroughly. Strange grime-covered clothes were found in each of the footlockers. So were plenty of iron rations. Igor’s marvelous pack was stuffed with nearly everything they found: silver, armor, weapons, potions, and rations. Even Rogg’s body went inside too. It was still not nearly close to being full. The group then moved back to the exit Dalin had found and Darius spied out into the daylight, while carefully staying in the shadows. 

The cave system and ravine had come alive since they had squared off with the goblins originally. Red-skinned creatures they recognized as orcs moved about on the hillside across from theirs. A concealed door covered with grass was moved aside revealing yet another cave entrance. Ten more orcs with swords and two with bows marched out of it. Each wore armor with the sigil of a skull on it. Down below Darius spotted the ogre. The smaller goblin creatures were running about in its wake carrying their long spears. The monster was covered with burn marks, but did not appear slowed in the least. In fact, the ogre looked very, very angry. It was stacking large logs in front of the original entrance to the goblin caves where they had entered. Darius wondered what its intentions were. It was then someone had a very bright idea.


----------



## howandwhy99

Brother Ben would not remember later who came up with the plan, but he did remember thinking to himself, “Genius. It’s sheer genius!” The team hurriedly stripped off their gear and shoved it into either their own packs or Igor’s. Dressing each other up in the hobgoblin’s armor they did their best to bandage over the areas where skin shown through. Igor’s body was stuffed in his own bag and carried by Darius. Once ready the team aligned in an orderly formation at the exit. Bravely, they marched out into the open. Stepping in unison, they turned right and started up towards the crest of their prong of the hill. Each kept their helmeted head low, so the sunshine could not get inside revealing their true identities. Darius eyed the combined forces around them and realized no one was paying them much attention. The plan was working!

Trying not to run, the group marched straight up over the crest of the hill and into the woods on the other side. Staying in formation even out of sight of their foes they headed back down to the streamlet it felt they had crossed so long ago. As soon as they reached the other side rank was broken and each took off at a full run towards the Greenwillow River. Dram was in front and veered to his left when he spotted the blackstone-topped hill. Once they were all at the peak and in the tunnel they kept on running all the way down to the batcave. Huffing and puffing, they stripped off their disguises and switched back into their normal dress. They started laughing at their own success. Ben noticed the caverns in the bottom level had started pooling water. Calls were made once they had reached the well again and a rope was lowered. 

The well guards helped everyone to the top. Above, the sunlight was still blacked out and the rain continued to pour down, but the team was in high spirits. Darius walked straight over to the smiths in the armory and started talking to them about building a removable cap for the well. Mirel retrieved Igor’s pack from Darius and helped Brother Ben pull the chef onto a bed in the infirmary. Two doses of healing juice were poured down his throat. The rest of the team relaxed and licked their collective wounds. The sun had been setting when they marched out of the Caves of Chaos and each was exhausted from the long day’s work. Dram’s business was not finished though. Ordering two militiamen to help him, he solemnly dug a large pit behind Xavier tower near the spot Darius’s seedlings had washed away. Once he judged it deep enough he brought Brother Ben outside and Igor’s pack too. 

The whole crew gathered around as Rogg’s body was pulled out into the bottom of the grave. Brother Ben tried his best at giving his first eulogy. The rain poured down on them while he spoke. Ben had barely known the man. Then the hole was filled in and Dram rolled a large rock from the forest on to the top the mound. Afterwards, he took his bow and Ormand the Redd into the forest to go hunting. They did not return until very late in the evening. Brother Ben booted out all of the patients in the infirmary again he felt had no business being there. Taking stock of the healing potion barrel he noted it was down to only four full waterskins worth. He divvied up the remaining supply among his companions. After prayers, sleep came quickly for the others. But for Ben, his own sleep was filled with nightmares.


----------



## howandwhy99

*[Session 8]

[DAY 43 – Weddingday, Jinto 4th, CY 81]*

Mirel met Brother Ben in the top level of the tower late in the morning. He was looking around quite impressed by the new stonework. “I don’t even think he notices me or the rain”, she thought. She was to make her usual report about her friend Kayla. That morning the wizardess had been behaving as strangely as ever. But Mirel still could not understand the priest’s disapproval of her magic. Of course, lots of people were scared of magic. No one knew nothing about it. That’s why it was called magic. Maybe she could tell herself he was simply protecting the others from possible danger. She liked that idea. Of course, she liked Kayla a lot too. She thought of Kayla as her friend, and she had proven herself as invaluable as Brother Ben with his bizarre speeches and praying in battle. She decided to tell him only what she felt was interesting to her, which was also her usual way of reporting.

“Well she was alone and she was talking to herself, except she was acting like she was talking to someone who wasn’t there. Plus Igor was there because Rizzle had carried him inside, but he didn’t say very much. He usually doesn’t anyway, but only asks questions when he’s with Kayla, of course he was still injured, but all that’s a very different story.” Brother Ben furrowed his eyebrows in thought, “It seems he was not quite as injured as he let on this morning when I healed him.” Mirel paused to make sure he was done talking, but it was hard to tell. She went on: “What I think happened is Kayla was talking to a spirit or maybe a ghost, because she kept asking the Nothing’s There to do strange things. First she asked it to pick stuff up and then it drew things in a pile of dirt she had carried in from outside.”

“Oh, what kind of things? Well, just a little circle and a triangle and I guess that was all. It was very strange, but also very boring.” He prodded for her to continue. “She put a bunch of things on the floor: books, a pole, a saddle, and a big bag of coins that Igor had in his super-bag. They all rose into the air all by themselves one at a time and then settled back down, all but the biggest bag of coins, which must have been as heavy as Dram. Only that one slid around on the floor like it had an itch on its bottom.” “And?” inquired Brother Ben. “AND… they kept filling it with coins until the thing couldn’t budge itself at all. It was like they were trying to ruin the ghost’s fun. I think they were making fun of it”, said Mirel.

”So then Igor took out a piece of chalk and it began moving around and drawing things.” This seemed to intrigue the priest quite a bit. “It was all very boring. Really! X’s, circles, triangles, they tried to make it count things too, but even I knew it was wrong. Maybe it was getting angry by that point?” Ben kept urging her on. “Well, then Darius went inside. (I hid) And he asked for the Nothing’s There to tie a ribbon, except he had to tell Kayla first and then she had to tell it and only then would it work. But yeah it did it.” Brother Ben’s eyes looked confused. Mirel decided to finish up. “So then the ribbon was a bow and they asked it to float through little holes each smaller than the last until it got completely tuckered out and fell down on the ground. And that was the end really.” Brother Ben seemed to be satisfied and sent her back to her chores. Sometimes she wondered why he even bothered to have her spy on people anyways, compared to what she did for Igor. She headed downstairs to his bedside next.


----------



## howandwhy99

At midday Kayla called together all of the corporals for a meeting in the infirmary.  



> _Originally posted by *Kayla*_
> After looking back through all of her notes, Kayla takes the first opportunity she gets to gather everyone together somewhere that they can safely talk & goes into further detail about what she found in the books:
> 
> “The books in the library make reference to the Caves of Chaos and the map they have been using was found in a book of local fauna and flora. In one book in particular, Marevak the Advisor to Zelligar and Rogahn, who we now know is also Elian's brother, was very thorough in his notes concerning activities there. A cult was found worshipping a strange idol- an amorphous shape with strange globular appendages (which sounds kind of like what we found in the ceiling of the idol room in my opinion). Zelligar went to investigate further on his own. Soon afterwards he installed a temple for sacrifice in Quasqueton (the idol room I presume). He began doing more and more research and leaving Marevak out of the findings. Marevak believes the cult, and now Zelligar, was worshipping one of the Elder Elemental Gods (which means all this may tie in with the war). He wasn't sure which one.”
> 
> “All of this is why I encouraged Darius to disobey orders & tell you the truth about the war. To me it seems to all be tied together & I thought you all should know. He told me awhile back in hopes I could shed further light on the situation, which I did through research. At this point though, I think sharing of information is vital as Quesqueton is melting away & it seems we may be missing something very important. My hope is that whatever we are looking for is actually in the caves, but I have no idea...”




Igor moaned from underneath his covers. Propping an elbow behind him he peered at the group surrounding his bed. Strangely he started talking at a very quick pace.



> _Originally posted by *Igor*_
> Okay, do we know what the symbol of an elder elemental god looks like? I mean I wouldn't know one from a hole in the ground. Could the open mouth we saw on the shields be a symbol for one? Do we know anything about any of them? What are their names, (or what are they called by), are they all allied, or are they enemies, or something in between, etc.
> 
> As for what the connection to the caves of chaos is... well I think we all know what cave we'll find clues to THAT in. It's in the cave on the right, the one with an X and rhymes with canheater. Of course I'd like to take out any reinforcements he may call up before we deal with him/her/it (now wait, it'll just be another idol or stature inside.)
> 
> That being said there's probably another chamber towards the center of the hill that is only accessible from one of the other caves.




Igor then swooned visibly. He slumped back down in his bed. Brother Ben wondered to himself what had happened to the man’s lisp.


----------



## howandwhy99

Brother Ben stood up and moved towards the infirmary door. With his back towards the group he said, “An elder elemental god… Kayla is the obvious choice for learning this information.” Quickly, Kayla pointed out the book entitled “Flora & Fauna” was written by Marevak and had his handwritten notes in the margins about the caves and his musings concerning Zelligar. “There are many illustrations of plants and animals, but only the one map of the caves. There are no drawings of any globular idol.” The rest of the party talked over what they knew of Elemental Gods. None had even heard rumor of them before. There were no stories told to frighten little children; no references from Ben’s studies. They were simply unknown in the county of Margrave. 

Kayla pondered, “Marevak and Elian are the only people I have ever heard make reference to Elder Elemental Gods. I haven't even actually seen a picture of the idol. I've only read a description. The author of the book was an elf...and the only other being to mention the elder elemental gods was Elian to Darius.” This thought gave Brother Ben pause, but before he could speak up Dram’s deep voice sounded. “The Outpost, and only the Outpost, has been pelted by an unnatural storm continuously for the past several weeks. Couldn’t these Elder Elemental Gods be behind it?” The group sat in silence.



> _Originally quoted by *Brother Ben and Darius*_
> Once again, Ben raised the idea that Elf-friend Elion may not have as pure of motives as the rest of them. “He is advising Lady Devereaux, but he is also looking for his brother Marevak who once worked for Zelligar. It sounds like Zelligar may have joined with or become one of the Lords of Chaos. In my view, while Elion's intentions may be currently in line with the County's plans, they may not stay that way.”
> 
> ”I asked Mirel to watch Elion because of these potentialities. The aforementioned ‘messaging’ that Elion is casting may likely be his conversations with Lady Devereaux. We still need to confirm that he has contact with her, and possibly her motives for staying out of sight from visitors. If Lady Devereaux is missing (or playing some other game), it might be best for the troops not to learn of it. Their morale is low enough.”
> 
> “I agree that the great treasure we have been unable to find still lies in Quesquaton. But I fear that we may lose control of it shortly. I also know our current plans have been to disrupt the Giant's forces and stop whatever is causing the unnatural storm. But because of our last foray into the Chaos Caves the manbeasts will likely attack us in reprisal. We left clear tracks back to our hilltop cave. And Quesquaton has no power to keep anything from passing through the archway. Whatever we must find in Quesquaton may have to be found as soon as possible. Spending even a few full days in Quesquaton could pay off enormously.”
> 
> Then Brother Ben asked that all information be shared in the group in the future. “As the current crisis grows, our small band has shown itself to be trustworthy for the most part. I swear that I am willing to divulge any secrets I knows at all, saving those the church requires me not to tell.
> 
> Darius: "I hardly call that a fair exchange, Brother Ben. You keep secrets as dictated by your church, but when my commander asks me to keep something a secret, I am supposed to come running to you and let you know?"
> 
> Ben: I understand that being in charge is difficult and that the challenges we face are both great and mainly unknown. I would be willing to share secrets of the church with you, Darius, as you are obviously a passionate devotee of Thor. My belief is those in command may not have the best interests of the County at heart; that we are still acting in the dark with most things. Truth brings the light. Sharing information with the group instills trust and helps strengthen us and defeat our foes. I trust in our group as we have faced several battles and defended one another without duplicity. I still has misgivings about some members, but we all are still learning who each of us is.”


----------



## howandwhy99

Pacing around Brother Ben tried focusing his agitation into questions on what was actually going on. Kayla and he traded questions back and forth.



> _Originally quoted by *Brother Ben and Kayla*_
> Ben: “What could force the different humanoids of the caves to work together? The ogre?”
> 
> Kayla: “Or perhaps they have been charmed. If I were powerful enough to charm that many creatures, I could have them work together to accomplish something”.
> 
> Ben: “What could cause this supernatural storm to go on for so long? Zelligar? The Elemental Lords? Maybe the Druid?”
> 
> Kayla: “Do we remember what happened right before it began? Was it right after we smashed the pulsing stone? The thought did cross my mind that perhaps that was "fueling" Quasqueston & that Zelligar was in stasis somewhere in it. Then when we smashed it, we might have "awoken" him. That was why I had Darius & Igor look very closely at the image of Zelligar when we were down there during the party. He's one of the last people I want to run into at this point in time. Perhaps we should find out if the resting place, time & method of demise for Roghan & Zelligar are known. We've found a lot about Zelligar, but what was Roghan doing during all of this? Did he participate as well? How did he react to Zelligar adding a temple to Quasequeton”
> 
> Ben: “How do we raise the morale of the men without dropping our protections with parties and the like? Should I be holding religious services everyday? Where is the Giant's cave in relation to the Caves of Chaos? And what does it look like? Are the Giant's forces behind the bandit attacks on the road to the keep? Could they serve a different purpose than to draw off our outpost's forces? Has anyone learned the origins of the hill of the chaos caves (it looks man-made)? It’s maddening!”




Brother Ben pulled out a parchment and quickly started writing an inventory. To begin, he would list everyone he could think of that was missing. First – Zelligar, second – Rohgan, third – Marevak, Elion’s brother, fourth and fifth were Pendra and Certa. “Who else?” The rest of the group started brainstorming. Ben remembered something Igor had mentioned before. “Six and Seven are Lord and Lady Margrave, and since no one has seen Lady Devereaux I’ll make her Eight.” Dalin spoke up, “Sergeant Keenan at the keep mentioned Guido’s parents were missing. He said that was why he wanted to be assigned here, because it was a suicide mission. It was presumed bandits had killed or captured them on the road outside the keep. Their names were, uh…Canton and Odelia Oldman.”

That made ten. “My brother is missing too”, said Dram. “Mark his name down. He’s known as Tankurd.” Ben finished and put his quill down. The final total was eleven missing people. Dalin whistled. At that moment a knock was heard at the door. Outside stood two militia guardsmen. They said they were currently on duty to guard the well. But each had heard strange noises drifting up from inside. “I think the manbeasts have invaded Quesquaton”, said Brother Ben. Darius ordered the two soldiers back to the well and to keep a close watch on it as well as keeping others from going down.



> _Originally quoted by *Darius, Kayla & Dram*_
> Darius: “Logically, considering we were on rocky ground, and crossed a stream, I'm wondering how they tracked us. That would take a Ranger. It is possible it's Pendra and Certa, but I'm not holding my breath.”
> 
> Kayla: “We should probably just put the wood cover Darius ordered over the well. Can the smith’s modify whatever is there to raise & lower the bucket (maybe just reinforce that) as an improved method for raising & lowering men?”
> 
> Dram: We still don't know what kind of noises they hear. Could be rushing water, wind, rats, undead bats or a whole host of other things.”


----------



## howandwhy99

The group adjourned for the rest of the day. Brother Ben was happy about this, as he was getting frustrated and wanted to try other methods of finding answers. Hunting down Grizzard Gresslam, he put the man in charge of watching Igor as Ben left the infirmary for his own purposes. Downstairs in the armory he found a large metal hammer. Taking a particular pair of dice out of his pocket, which he had found in the caverns, he crushed them with the hammer. He made him feel somewhat better. Afterwards, Brother Ben inquired among the soldiers about anyone who had been seen with books in their possession. Of course, no one owned up to stealing Igor’s belongings, so he decided to write Father Hat-trick about the lost items and see if he could learn more relevant news from the keep that way.

Remembering he had yet to receive a single message while at Outpost Xavier he crumpled up the half-written parchment and tossed it aside. Then, he decided to go looking for some of the soldiers he written letters for. Upon finding one he asked whether or not she had heard word back from her family when she was stationed at Keep Margrave. Her answer was no. It was the same answer he heard from several others after two more hours of questioning. “It seems letter writing is only another dead end”, Ben thought. Changing tactics, he approached the corporals outside under the watch tent and asked whether or not any mail had been received by anyone at all ever in their stay at Outpost Xavier. Not one could remember if it had. “But it might still be due”, said corporal Chervac.

Increasingly frustrated, a very wet Brother Ben decided he would hold temple for the new contingent of soldiers. “I need to introduce them to the Gresslam Brothers three”, he thought. “And to Dwarf-friend Darius too.” Half way through dressing he realized his head was pounding in pain. He felt oddly light on his feet as if he were floating back and forth like a ghost trapped in his own infirmary. “I need to lie down before I wind up lame like Igor”, he thought. Sending Grizzard to fetch his brothers he gave the man a message to tell the whole camp. Private meetings could be scheduled for those who wished to speak to Brother Ben about personal matters, …but not until the morrow. Without thinking he sat down and promptly dropped to sleep.

Meanwhile, Darius, Paladin of Thor, Emissary of the Dwarven Kingdoms, was acting in a far more normal manner. But regrettably, he too was bothered by the current events. Pacing outside in the rain he checked with the corporals about whether any word or message was received lately. “You know, someone just asked us that same question”, said Chervac. Darius did not laugh. He had been expecting a very important letter for many days now. He was contemplating going all the way to the Dwarven Kingdom to fetch himself. “Listen. When the next supply train goes back to the Keep, they need take a letter to Father Hedrick asking him if his church has ever received any letters addressed to me”. 

Darius returned to pacing in the rain with his thoughts. “The next time we go into Quesquaton, we need to use the map more. The supply room with the collapsed floor was adjacent to the parts we could get to without using the magic circle. If we can retrace the tunnels in Zelligar’s chambers using Mirel's map, then we can probably dig from one section to another. If we use some of our picks, we can probably dig through in a few days. Then we will have access to the library again. And we can search for the real treasure!” Determined, he marched towards Elion’s inner-lit tent.


----------



## howandwhy99

Darius approached Elian and asked him about the final resting places of Roghan and Zelligar, and about joining with his team in defense of Quasqueton. He did his best to be VERY diplomatic.



> _Originally posted by *Darius and Elion*_
> _ Elian: “No one knows where they went. That is part of what I was hoping to find. A clue to my brother's disappearance as well. It is as I feared. When you first encountered the kobolds and several of them fled. I have been hoping we would have more time until the brutes returned with more force. It appears time is up. I would suggest collapsing the tunnels and pulling the men back to the Keep. Our work here appears to be over.”_
> 
> Darius looked Elian straight in the eye, the cold grey pupils peering as if into his soul. "Are you suggesting we retreat, sir? To give up? Just how many of those creatures do you think they have down there?"
> 
> _ Elian: “My first report from Pendra and Certa suggested the Giant's forces to be in the hundreds. And your subsequent forays into the area seem to suggest that the first report is true. We don't have the force nor the supplies to last a long siege.”_
> 
> Darius: "We will not surrender, the line will not break. I will not leave the county of Margrave to the hands of those creatures out there. We were sent here to defend the Keep, and restore this outpost. We will continue doing so. If the Giant returns, I will ride out to face him myself, alone if need be. We will not yield, we will not surrender, we will not retreat. The men deserve better than that, Margrave deserves better than that."
> 
> Darius steps up close to Elian. "Why retreat? Quasqueton is not of a strategic importance in the defense of this outpost. We can defend the well easily enough. Why retreat now, Elian?"
> 
> _ Elian: "Is it wise to lead the blind into battle? The men are brave and have withstood a lot. But you and I are the only ones here able to see the true enemy. Our foes don't fear the dark. And while the storm rages, Our Ally the Sun is hidden. Also, the foundation we stand on is collapsing. The fabric that held the magic in place is gone. Soon the land will reclaim the space. I have spoken to Lady Devereaux and have been keeping her informed of the progress to uncover the secrets of Quasqueton. She said to find out all I could before the enemy arrived. And to save the forces of the Outpost by pulling them back when they came in force. The beasts are here now. So we pull back.”_
> 
> _ ”You and your band of compatriots are under no obligation to leave. You have served your time with honor. But Sgt Keenan will pull the regulars back. In fact, I imagine Yung and Wyat will be reinforced.”
> 
> ”I'm afraid the chance to strike the Giant's forces in their lair has passed. I can only hope Pendra and Certa have made it out safe.”_
> 
> _ ”I also have word from the Front. The message I sent to my brother did not go unnoticed. The Lords of Chaos have magic at their disposal too. No help from the Archmage will be forthcoming. And a warning was added to the return message. The enemy may send investigators of their own. This is something else I suspect to the disturbance now below us.”_
> 
> Darius: "How do you propose we collapse the tunnels? We have no explosives here. Dwarven miners could do it, but we have soldiers."
> 
> "And I will obey the orders from Lady Devereaux, but I would like to see them. I would imagine that this is reasonable?"
> 
> _ Elian: "The most I can do to seal the tunnels is to call on the powers of the land. It is one of my most powerful spells. Nature will take its course over time to seal the rest.”
> 
> ”As for seeing the Lady's orders, I'm not sure you will understand them. (He produces a scroll) Perhaps Kayla can help you.”_
> 
> Darius: "If you knew that the enemy could intercept your message, why did you send it? You understand magic better than I, for before my tour here, I was only familiar with powers of faith. Why didn't you warn me such messages could be intercepted?"
> 
> _ Elion: ”I did not know that the enemy would intercept our message. I had an idea that they could. But I did not know if they would expend the resources to do so. If we knew the enemies every move this war would be over sooner. If I had warned you would you have not sent the message? You seemed to think it necessary so I did as you bade.”_
> 
> Darius: ”If you had warned me, then yes, I would not have sent the message at all. It was not worth the risk.”
> 
> "I will gather my corporals, and my compatriots, and we will decide where we wish to go from here. However, the tunnels are not to be collapsed until I give the order. Is that acceptable?"
> 
> _ ”I will give the magic to Kayla to seal the tunnel, as I will be leaving with Sgt Keenan. It will take me some time to transcribe it though.”_
> 
> Darius: “During that time, I will see what we can do in regards to what is happening down below, and find out more about the caves. After I talk to my comrades, we will decide to stay here, venture to the caves, or return to the Keep.”


----------



## howandwhy99

After leaving Elion, Darius stopped by the soldiers at the well and asked them to describe the sounds they had heard. “As precise a description as you can give.”



> _Originally posted by *Darius and Well Guards*_
> _ Terson: "As best as I can describe it. (pauses) Mind you it was late in the evening and the rain has still been coming down. At first it was a loud splash. Like something felled in the bottom of the well. And then there was a deep voice cry from a distance, which echoed thru the well. But I couldn't understand the voice. And then some snickering. And finally some other voice barking. And then silence. That what you remember Bolgo?"
> 
> Bolgo: "Aye, some splashing continued afore the laughing. But right. Terson speaks the troof. Nothin' since then."_
> 
> Darius: Could you duplicate what the voice said? Was it in another language, or just muted?
> 
> _ Terson: "Sure, I can try. Let me see. (pauses for a moment) Okay, it was something like... GRrowosllonws..
> 
> Bolgo: "No. no. you gotta go deeper. It was GGGrRrowlssssool..
> _
> _ Terson: "The Sgt asked me. I'm sure it was... GRrowosllONs..
> 
> Bolgo: "Shut yer yap. It was...” Terson pushes Bolgo. They start to tussle.
> _
> Darius breaks them up. "That's enough. I will not have those under my command fight over something like this. So, you're saying it was a deep voice saying GRrowosllonws? Perhaps the first should be Grow? Does that help some?"
> 
> _ Terson: "(he looks sheepishly at you) Sorry Sgt. (then scowls at Bolgo). That sounds right. But I still don't think I could understand it even if I heard it agin"
> 
> Bolgo: "(scowls back at Terson, then turns to you but doesn't look in your eyes) Sorry Sgt. It tweren't words. But sounds."_
> 
> Darius: "Sort of like big dogs growling? Thank you men. Go find your replacements and have them take over your shifts, and get a little rest. Preferably in separate tents. Do not worry, we are all on edge here. Just remember, you are not each other's enemy. We will get you both home soon."



*
[DAY 44 – Thunderday, Jinto 5th, CY 81]*

In the morning, all the army soldiers outside were breaking down the encampment. Horses were loaded up and whatever could not be carried was left behind. Even the outpost militia had been ordered to pack and prepare for departure. The outpost regulars looked confused, but did as they were ordered. After waking and seeing the scene, Dram, Dalin, and the others were completely perplexed. Darius gathered his compatriots within the infirmary in a secluded corner. Igor was still sleeping. He looked to need another day of rest. Darius asked Brother Ben to have his assistants keep people a significant distance away from them, but they already looked to be busy packing. Then Darius recounted everything Elion had told him the night before. Afterwards he handed a scroll to Kayla, but she said she was not prepared to read it. Looking unblinkingly at the others, Dram began to speak:



> _Originally posted by *Dram*_
> “If Elian knew there was a danger of a larger force returning, why didn't he say anything about it before? If we are here to protect the keep & we abandon the outpost, as we were told before, it would leave the keep wide open from this direction. So somehow abandoning post doesn't sound like a good idea, at least not from the view point of what is best for the County Margrave & Elian is supposed to be looking out for Margrave's best interests right? And on that note, how could ‘our work here be over’ if our job is to defend the keep? It seems like our job would be getting much more serious at the moment?"
> 
> “Actually, when we arrived at the Outpost as raw recruits it was in no condition, force or supply-wise, to last even for a short siege. There was no talk of retreat then. What has changed? The Giant has seemingly disappeared, we've strengthened our position, we know more about what we're battling, and we've taken out some of the forces of chaos already. I side with Darius on this issue. No retreat.”


----------



## howandwhy99

Realizing their militia assignment might be completed, the group hurriedly discussed what needed to be done next. Most wanted to continue searching Quesquaton and find out if they could discover the treasure. A vote was taken. Igor abstained, as no one wanted to wake him. A decision was reached. They would continue to live out of Xavier and defend it until they could safely move below. Then the lid would be locked on the top of the well from underneath. The whole troupe was anxious to head down that day before any more potential monsters could move in to Quesquaton. The Gresslam Brothers were asked to stay behind for a day and watch Igor and the well while the group descended. They agreed for the price of two coppers apiece. Dram bargained on his own with Ormand the Redd as well. He had also been ordered back to the keep.

By midmorning the whole camp was loaded and lined up for return to Keep Margrave. Darius met with Elian before he left. Upon returning Darius said the Elf had mentioned a change in plans, but he did not understand what he meant. “He wishes us best of luck and asked us not to go down the well.” The whole team disagreed with the advice. Brother Ben felt sure the Elf had finally shown his true colors. Pulling off the lid, Rizzle and Goodrich were told to leave it off and listen in case they returned. Darius descended by handholds first without a torch. Peering into the opening to Quesquaton he saw the door had been shut. Climbing back up he led the others down quietly while carrying a long pike in one hand. The other six lit their torches upon reaching the landing below. 

It was evident someone had pulled out the stake meant to keep the door from accidentally closing. “Quesquaton” was spoken aloud softly, but the door did not move. Mirel was sent back up for a crowbar. She escorted it down tied onto the rope’s end. Prying the door made quite a bit of noise, but finally worked. To their surprise a massive round boulder blocked the entrance on the far side. They tried pushing, but it would not budge an inch. Darius kneeled down and looked through the gaps. Oddly he saw lit torches along the corridor on both sides. Nothing was moving though, and he could hear no noises either. Mirel was sent back up again to retrieve Igor’s pack. Darius climbed inside and tested trying to “call” himself back out. It did not work. He did find a way to leave part of his body out of the sack though, and instructed the others to push it beyond the boulder. A rope was tied to one end and Darius entered the pack keeping one arm out holding onto its straps. 

When the sack had been pushed underneath with the pike like a long fishing line, Darius pulled and pushed trying to birth himself a second time. Successful, he stood up and removed some logs buttressing the boulder in place. “Get behind it now and push!” he whispered loudly back. The oblong sphere rolled towards Darius down the entrance corridor bumping into the walls and torches as it went. About 100’ down Darius called out to halt and helped push it into one of the paired alcoves along the passage. Just enough space was made so Mirel could fit around the boulder using an empty alcove on the opposite side of the tunnel. Its secret door had been closed. Dalin noticed a divot in the side of the boulder and the team began twisting and rocking it into a better position. Darius heard scratching noises coming from behind him down the first corridor to his right.

He decided to keep helping to move the boulder so the others could slide past. Mirel dashed away towards the noises with her torch in hand. Seconds later she returned trembling and with a look of fear on her face. Darius heard a loud CRASH from behind him and the scratching noises stopped. He and Mirel stared at the floor at the far end of the corridor. Chunks of the stone were falling into an abyss below the floor of Quesquaton. Mirel screamed and began pushing at the boulder again, but in the other direction. The floor behind her and Darius fell piece by piece as the chasm stretched hungrily towards them. The misshapen boulder rolled awkwardly back towards the entrance. “Stop!” yelled Dalin. It had shifted into a position with the open space accessible near the top. Darius boosted Mirel upwards and she clambered over to the other side. Darius jumped up attempting to find a handhold, but was too short to find a grip. 

“Watch out!” cried Kayla as she pushed the bag and rope through an opening to Darius’s side. The chasm was getting closer. Darius could not see its bottom, but noticed the emptiness extending outwards under the walls to either side and into nothingness. Igor’s bag hit him in the head. He started climbing back in when the others called out, “Climb over!” He pulled his half displaced body over the boulder while the others pulled on the bag using the rope. The entire corridor was rumbling now and every surface was shaking in what appeared to be an earthquake. Mirel was already at the ledge into the well yelling up for the rope to be lowered. “What in glory is going on down there?” yelled back Rizzle.

The rest of the team ran back to the ledge and began climbing up the cut out handholds along the side of the well as it shook too. Darius freed himself from Igor’s pack and hauled it with him. The well’s rope dropped back down and everyone grabbed a hold trying to climb back up as fast as possible. The Brothers in the tower saw the surrounding ground was slowly beginning to shake too. After exiting the well, Brother Ben grabbed a random Gresslam Brother and hauled him upstairs. The crew began pulling out everything of value they could think of and carrying it away from the tower as the shaking continued to increase. Mirel moved the frightened mules out to the roadside, while Ben and Goodrich carried out Igor still asleep in his bed. The quaking slowly amplified, but the team risked a full twenty minutes of moving supplies out of the tower. By the time thirty minutes had passed the earthquake was so intense they could not even stand upright alongside the outpost’s clearing.


----------



## howandwhy99

The end of Outpost Xavier was spectacular indeed. It happened both with great speed and infinite slowness. Safely along the western edge and in the road, the witnesses observed the cleared circle of land sink deep down in front of the tower. The hole edged outward bit by bit until it reached Xavier. The tower fell straight downward into the fissure. Dust plumed up into the rain and over the whole scene. The surrounding wilderness remained eerily still afterwards. The entire ordeal had lasted just over an hour of time. Shocked from the loss, the last remaining inhabitants of Outpost Xavier crept forward to inspect the hole. A torch was tossed inside. Mud could be seen collecting at the bottom over 100 feet below. No trace of tower stone could be seen. 

After a moment’s respite, the survivors loaded the mules a few of them had originally brought and traveled back to Keep Margrave. After two hours time the rain had faded overhead and they spotted the large caravan in front of them. By evening they and the caravan had reached the keep and the safety within its walls. Brother Ben led the three Gresslam Brothers to the temple to dry off. He convinced Brother Thom to let them stay for the night. “In hopes they may join the clergy” he whispered in his ear. The rest of the team was welcomed in the barracks for the evening. Dalin headed to the Inn instead. There he found a poker table with some friendly players. He tried to change his fortune as he gambled until the morning light.


*[DAY 45 – Fastday, Jinto 6th, CY 81]*

After two days of recuperation Igor was finally back in good health. As the sun came up he made his way to the supply post within the keep. Mouse was standing within on a stepladder to reach the store counter. Igor had a lot of things he needed to repurchase with the tower gone. None of the others knew where he had kept his secret stashes. “Nothing irreplaceable”, he thought. “At least they saved my packsack for me.” He had retrieved it upon first waking. Mouse was very happy to see him; happier still when he heard all he would be buying. Igor was walking from the back storeroom into the basements below when he heard the doorbell clang again. 

Dram entered the trading post slowly. His leather boots thudded on the wood floor as he walked. Igor could hear him from below, “what is he doing here? Following me?” Dram was surprised to see the merchant was one of the Little People. They bartered for a fair bit, but most of the supplies he needed were traded elsewhere. He received directions to a smithy and a good bowyer, so he bought fresh rations in return and headed on his way. In the road he found Dalin passed out from the night before. Dram picked up the smaller man and tossed him over his back. Dalin woke up fairly quickly with his head shoved in a water barrel. *Sputter* “What? What are you…? Oh it’s you… You missed it last night. I met a cow, a huuuge bovine animal. It licked my face and jumped into the air. It flew up and up and all the way to the moon!” Dram dunked the man’s head in the barrel for a full minute the second time. 

After cleaning his room in the temple, Brother Ben noticed the Gresslam Brothers in the vestibule by the front door. They were packed and headed back to their family’s farm. Ben tried his best to convince them saying he would vouch for any interested in joining the Holy Order. Grizzard held out his empty palm, but Brother Ben could not figure out what he meant. He wished them safe journey and to watch out for bandits. Then he went looking for Brother Thom, but could not find him. Father Hedrach was missing too. Heading to the keep’s inner bailey he ran into Sergeant Keenan outside. The sergeant was loading another supply train to send out. “Thom and Father Hedrach are meeting with Lady Devereaux inside. Advisor Elion and Captain Radcliffe are there too. I’m headed out to Outpost Yung and Wyat. You’re welcome to come along if you wish to reenlist.”

Brother Ben reported Igor’s stolen books, money and gear to Sergeant Keenan. The man already seemed to know however. Darius arrived a few moments later. He was looking for Captain Radcliffe and was told the same story as Ben. Dram passed by them, while looking for a different kind of store. He had learned an alchemist was working in the keep. When he found the unique green door Kayla was hastily coming out of it. She did not seem to notice Dram, so he went inside and bought several potions. “Something to make me as strong as an ox”, he asked. Outside Kayla returned to the barracks to check out her new ingredients. She observed the sky was very clear with not a cloud in it. The spiraling rainstorm over Xavier had dissolved away.


----------



## howandwhy99

In the afternoon Mirel woke Dalin and told him he could not sleep in the barracks any longer. He eyed her wearily, put rakishly put his arm around her shoulders. He loudly declared that Mirel needed a proper set of armor. To her chagrin he marched them to the armorer and had the man there dress her in a suit of mail armor. It would take a day for him to cut it down to her size. “We will return next, uh… afternoon”, Dalin said and paid in gold. Darius arrived behind them walking quickly into the shop. He ordered spikes for his gauntlets. Not wanting to feel upstaged and remembering how useful the dwarf’s plate armor was, Dalin decided to spend some of his hard earned winnings. The armorer had only one suit available, but it was in very fine condition. It had a crest on its breastplate and a outlandish amount of colored filigree. It took some convincing, but Dalin liked of looking like a nobleman.

After getting measured and fitted for the armor, Dalin paid with quite a bit more gold and some of the ancient platinum the group had found awhile back. “Make that tomorrow evening for delivery”, he said to the armorer and took Mirel under arm again. He was about to walk back to the Inn when Dram walked up behind him with Ormand the Redd and clapped Dalin on the back. “Not again”, he thought. But the big man only wanted to show him a store where they could buy bows and arrows. In fact, it offered quite a bit more with silver-tipped arrows and ones that had a cord tied to their nocks. When fired they pulled cord behind them and attached to a pulley for feeding a rope down the line. 

While the other two gawked at the arrow collection, Darius took Mirel to the Inn at the center of the keep. ‘The Man with Fire in his Hands’ was busy, but the dwarf booked rooms for everyone but Brother Ben and himself. Mirel felt strange at having a room for just Kayla and herself. The feather bed did not help either. But she kept quite about her parents and her home being in the keep. By the end of the day the whole team was talking in the common room below and enjoying food and wine. Dram told the others he had found someone who was a moneylender in one of the homes inside the walls. He suggested transferring the onyx chips into coin, as no one had wanted the bits from him. By late evening Dalin had found his poker friends and this time Dram joined them. It turned out the big man could drink as much as any two other players combined. 

*
[DAY 46 – Holyday, Jinto 7th, CY 81]*

Father Hatrick paged Brother Ben early the next morning. The old priest handed him two powerful potions to keep safe. “They will help in healing, if any are in dire need”, he said. The Father requested a meeting with the rest of Ben’s companions at noon. He had important information to tell. Later, Brothers Thom and Ben helped the older man hold services for the keep’s inhabitants. Afterwards, at the Inn everyone met and followed Dram to the moneylender. They received 50 gold coins for each onyx chip. With fifty chips in all it was a fortune in money. The coins were divided equally among the seven main members. Darius would hold on to the remainder as a ‘supplies fund’ for everyone. 

At noon in the main temple Father Hedrach told them of his meeting with Lady Devereaux the day before. “There has not been word from the Army for a long time. Lady Devereaux is worried of what is happening at the front. We cannot fail them here at home. It is important the Giant is found and defeated.” He then explained many of the things Elion had already spoken of to Darius about two days before. Keep Margrave and the militia in their 26 outposts were the only defense the county had. The team agreed to continue exploring the Caves of Chaos and to report what they learned. 

Afterwards Father Hatrick approached Brother Ben and Darius and asked after their customary tithing. Darius gave quite bit in gold coin, but Brother Ben decided to give less. He was not sure how much to give and donated only 5 gold pieces. It was the most he had ever tithed before and he hoped the Gods’ would be pleased. In the afternoon and evening, they picked up all the completed armor and weapons. Supplies and equipment were packed and readied for the next morning’s trip to the caves. Mirel snuck off to meet with her parents one last time before leaving again. She had not yet told them she was out of the militia. She was scared she would not get to follow along with the others, if they found out.


----------



## howandwhy99

*[DAY 47 – Sunday, Jinto 8th, CY 81]*

The party left Keep Margrave the next day. After traveling back five hours along the path to the remains of Outpost Xavier, they came upon a divide in the road. “Captain Radcliffe said to take the right road for Outpost Young,” said Darius. After two more hours travel the forest around them had become thick and the trees stretched high over their heads. Igor scouted a few yards in front of the main group and kept a lookout for tracks. He came upon the remnants of a massive spider’s web, which had barred the road, but was now burned down. He cut off a portion for possible use later. When the others closed with him, he moved into the woods and scouted nearby. Igor spotted the remaining husk of a large spider hanging hung from a web over a hundred yards distant in the forest. When he met back the others they decided not to investigate further.

By dinnertime the team arrived upon at a small hill with a tower atop. Guardsmen greeted them at the roadside before they could get too close. When it was discovered who they were the entire band was brought up and introduced to their leader: Sergeant Keenan. “Good to see you again”, he said. He was a gracious host and shared his company’s food. In return the group was asked to tell its tale about Outpost Xavier. Igor gave a cursory retelling leaving out many of the secret details, but he did embellish when it came to him fighting the goblins and ogre at the caves. His listeners were delighted and inspired upon hearing their actions. The other members examined the outpost with the help of corporals Seth and Reginald. It was exceptionally efficient. Guards patrolled a half-mile perimeter every hour and supplies were categorized, counted and cleaned daily. Its militia members were a mix of seasoned veterans they had met before and twenty fresh new recruits.

Dram climbed to the top of the tower and scanned the surrounding forest below. Darius and Keenan joined him. Keenan pointed out the location of where Xavier used to be, but it was difficult to see. The surrounding wilderness seemed to keep the spot hidden. Darius tried drawing another map with Keenan’s help, but found it difficult. He placed Outposts Yung and Wight and then tried to find where the Caves of Chaos would be. Neither he nor Dram could find the horseshoe-shaped hill though. Darius told Keenan about the spider they had found. The sergeant related the tale of how his men had hunted and killed the giant beast. He seemed quite proud.

When the sun went down songs were sung and Brother Ben felt like he had been welcomed home. He almost felt ashamed as Xavier had been so old and run down compared to Young. One of the soldiers approached him then named Rufus. He asked Ben about the Gods and how he had joined the clergy. Brother Ben tried to put the best face he could on how he had worked long hours as a youth in a temple back in Margrave County. However as the evening drew to a closed he saw the same man talking with Kayla. “I best be careful with what I tell others,” Ben thought to himself. “It seems occult worshippers are everywhere these days.”


*[DAY 48 – Moonday, Jinto 9th, CY 81]*

Saying goodbye to Sergeant Keenan, the team backtracked to the fork in the road and turned down the middle route. Shortly after midday they reached the massive pit, which had once been Outpost Xavier. The surrounding forest was in full bloom now the rain had stopped, but each traveler had sorrow in their hearts. A massive mound of mud had collected at the bottom of the great hole so it was not quite as deep as was before. Darius rappelled down, but found nothing he could recognize. Heading back up, he asked if Igor might know of a way to the caves overland. “I may, I may,” he said. Dram and Igor led the group into the woods. Both climbed up and down trees trying to scout out the area and used the sun as a guide. South and east they hiked through the thick forest, while trying to avoid the underbrush. Gnats and other insect bothered them throughout the afternoon. After a few hours Igor found booted footprints leading away to the east. The party followed them to a riverside. Searching along its edge Mirel recognized they were back along the Greenwillow River.


----------



## howandwhy99

Dram and Igor climbed trees and spotted Quesquaton’s hilltop exit. As they reoriented themselves, Igor pointed to the booted tracks heading back towards the dryad’s tree and probably to the caves beyond. The band climbed back up to the entrance to Quesquaton. Dram spotted more booted prints in rows heading both to the bottom and to the top of the hill. They had expected this. The monsters had found the cave to Quesquaton after all. Taking out their weapons they approached the top carefully. The summit was scrutinized, but nothing stirred upon it. Everyone checked for tracks this time, but none could be found on the rough shale of the hilltop. Heading into the cave entrance Dram and Darius looked inside for tracks and noticed something very unusual.

At the eave of the tubular tunnel was a taught tarp disguised and covered in mud. Igor was called over and he drew a border around the trap. Peeking underneath, he could see a fairly deep pit had been dug just within the entranceway. The party scooted around it and headed down to see what was left of Quesquaton. Igor led with a torch checking the ground ahead in case there were more traps. The tunnel was intact the full half mile down and the group reentered the batcave below. No sounds came from within, so they all lit torches and spread out to see what had happened. After only a few yards a colossal mound of mud was discovered. Over three quarters of the room was collapsed. The unfilled portion of the cave continued opening to the right side. In single file the party carefully stepped along the cave-in’s edge searching to see how far it went. 

After squeezing all the way to the far end of the original room, they spotted the right side’s exit, which used to have a boulder covering it. It was the opening they almost always entered through. Now the boulder was gone. But the space beyond was entirely collapsed. The truth had to be accepted. Nothing was left of Quesquaton or the treasure within. With a measure of regret the party retreated again to the outside. The next task was to explore the Chaos Caves again before heading back to Yung. It was late in the afternoon, but everyone agreed to another battle nonetheless. A plan was made to attack the ogre. It was decided that if the ogre were killed the goblins and possibly others would be leaderless and easier to defeat. The idea was to lure the creature outside its cave with ranged attacks and then a hidden Kayla would cause it to sleep. Thus allowing Igor to use his killing maneuver. 

Darius and Dram followed the paired boot prints down the hill. They led directly through a thick cluster of forest and straight on to the streamlet running along the outer hillside of the Chaos Caves. Igor remembered the place. He quietly crept forward to the same cluster of bushes the kobold’s had set a sentry at before. Rustling noises came from behind the blind again. Crawling back he gave a quick report and Darius, Dalin, Dram, and Brother Ben snuck off to ambush the kobolds before they could set off an alarm. Lining up in the brush, each prepared to fire. “On three,” Darius whispered. “One…two…three.” Arrows and bullets flew into the bushes. A human scream echoed out and the movement stopped. 

Checking on their handiwork they saw the grisly result. A nude, dead, human man lay inside the sentry blind. The body was tied up, hanging upside down from a tree, and stuck full of arrows. “Hee hee hee hee!!” The laughter came from up the hill behind them. Three goblins were seen poking around trees. The small creatures fired their crossbows and began running madly up the hillside. “It’s a trap!” yelled out Brother Ben. He hid behind a tree and scanned for other attackers. Many of the others began running after the goblins. Mirel, Kayla, and Ormand the Redd had stayed behind and did not know what was happening. They hid upon hearing Brother Ben yell out. Pulling out his bastard sword Igor hurtled himself upwards at the fleeing goblins. As Dalin, Dram, and Darius caught up with the chef from behind they found him cutting the goblins into filet. 

Brother Ben continued to hide, while listening to the loud battle above. “ORMAND, COME HERE!” bellowed out Dram. The archer ran up towards the others. One by one Kayla and Mirel decided to follow too. “Come on!” said Mirel as she tugged at the priest while running by. Exasperated he trailed after. It took almost five minutes for everyone to reach the crest of the hill. More precious minutes passed as each struggled to catch his or her breath. The bodies were searched. Three small crossbows and 8 silver pieces were collected. The goblin armor was too small to fit anyone. Covered in blood, Igor climbed a tree and surveyed what he could. The interior of the ravine was out of sight, but he did spot movement along the streamlet where they had arrived below.


----------



## howandwhy99

Igor scrambled back down. Dram led the group along the tree-covered ridge of the hill towards the gnoll cave they had encountered weeks ago. Turning around he said, “Gnolls are supposed to be mercenaries. We should be able to buy them off. If we can convince them to attack the others covertly we may be able to start a civil war in this place.” Darius liked the plan. “Maybe we could pay them off to let us farther inside?” He said. “It would give us a safe escape route back to the surface.” They found the gnoll cave again. It was dark within and no guards were posted. Quietly the group moved into position for a possible attack. Darius peered into the darkness. 







After five feet a round cavern opened up. It was about 35 feet in diameter and a worked stone exit lay on the far right side. Nothing else could be seen. The group lit torches and silently entered the cave. A brown furry form walked in from the far exit. It barked loudly as it ran from the group. Darius, Dalin, Dram, and Igor chased after it. The other four members followed to get in from outside. The second room was square and all worked stone. Another exit was in the middle of the far side. The barking gnoll ran through it, but not before Ormand the Redd shot an arrow in its back.

Four more gnolls ran in from where their brother had just exited. These wore heavy armor and carried axes. Dram, Darius, Igor and Dalin engaged them and managed to kill one, but the others circled around trying to reach Ormand the Redd and the slingers in back. Kayla wisely ran to the cave entrance, as she wore no armor. Ormand paced backwards trying to fire again, but an axe slashed off the side of his cuirass. Mirel and Ben pulled back abandoning their slings for the moment. Dram squared off with a gnoll, but kept missing it. Dalin and Igor shifted to flank another gnoll, but the third rounded on Dalin’s rear side. Torchless, Darius decided to chase after the fleeing gnoll into the darkness. The passage it had entered turned to the right after 10 feet and continued for 30 more before the dwarf saw steep stairs heading downward. They were full of heavily armored gnolls marching direclty at him. 

Kayla looked out the cave entrance for possible reinforcements like the last gnoll attack. Ben and Mirel fired slingstones, while Ormand backpedaled and fired at the gnoll attacking Dram. Flanking, Igor pried his sword under the armor of the gnoll in front of him and pushed. The creature fell. Dalin turned on the gnoll to his rear, but not before it cut into his back. He staggered in place. A call came down the passageway. “We have company!” yelled out Darius. The dwarf had retreated into the dark corner and prepared to make a stand in close quarters. 

Mirel hit the head of the gnoll, which had cut into Dalin. Dram pushed his foe back into a corner in the room and kept wailing on its armor with his sword. Igor called out, “We need some help back in here too!” as he engaged the gnoll on Dalin. Ben ran forward and deftly touched his hand out to Dalin’s outstretched one. Healing power passed from Brother Ben into the fighter’s body. Ormand the Redd scored a hit on Dram’s gnoll and the creature collapsed. Darius’s saw his enemies’ advance with his darkvision. They filled the length of the hallway in front of him. An instant later, arrows flew through the darkness and into and off his full plate armor. 

Shifting its stance the gnoll facing Dalin moved towards Brother Ben and cut him with its axe. Ben thanked the Gods his chainmail had blocked most of the blow. Feeling better Dalin distracted the creature while Ben ran back towards Kayla and the front of the cavern. Igor and Dram ran to aid Darius and found the dwarf backed into a corner and surrounded. A dozen or more gnolls seemed to be pouring out of the right-hand passage. Ormand fired at the final gnoll in the square room and struck it right through its visor. The body fell next to the other three gnoll corpses. Darius turned to his right hoping to cut a path back to his friends. The gnoll he and Dram flanked tried to maneuver out of their way, but had nowhere to go. Its helm caved in under Darius’s hammer blow. 

Stepping forward to fill the dead gnoll’s space, Dram stood side to side with Darius and faced the enemy. At Igor’s urging, Dalin took his space, while the chef crouched down in the shadows next to him holding his bastard sword overhead. “Kayla! Come here! We need you to sleep these things,” called out Darius. The message was passed along and reluctantly she ran back into the cave. Wondering at her sanity, Brother Ben continued running out of the cave and into the daylight. Stumbling down into the grass and dirt, he had a vision of two kobolds betting on the chances of those inside. As if in response, Ormand fired another arrow into the melee and killed his third gnoll for the day.


----------



## howandwhy99

Darius, Dram, and Dalin continued to swing at the foes in front of them. One more fell to the their blades, but its body was grabbed by a gnoll behind it and dragged backwards into the mass. “We must remember to burn the bodies!” Dalin shouted. Nudging him to the left, Igor saw his chance as another gnoll stepped forward to fill its downed ally’s space. With his bastard sword held high, he swung under its helm and cut off the creatures’ head. Calm up until this point, the other gnolls finally broke and a cacophony of barking and echoes filled the hall as they retreated. 

The team quickly searched the dead bodies for loot. Darius remained in the darkened corner as the other stripped off the gnolls’ chainmail armor and stowed their axes in Igor’s sack. Only a small stack of silver was found. As flasks of oil were poured over the piled remains of the dead gnolls, Darius called Dalin over. “Watch this spot. I’m going ahead to find out where they went.” The smoke from the flames behind him reached Darius’s nose as he cautiously stepped down the stairs. He did not need to carry a torch as the other did, but he knew the gnolls could see in the dark just as well. At the bottom he saw the passage continued straight for another 25 feet and opened into another chamber. A second passage angled back and to his right. It looked smaller as less used. 

Choosing the second, hopefully safer route he scouted a few feet further and saw an archway on the left hand side. Sidling up to its edge he peered around the corner. Whatever was there smelled awfully foul. SMASH!! A massive clawed paw flung the paladin into the opposite wall. “Darius?” called out Dalin. Enlisting some help Dalin, Dram, and Mirel approached the top of the stairwell with torches. Feeling confident in his new armor, Dalin descended to the bottom and waved the other two back. He advanced alone hoping one torch was less likely to be seen. Around the corner to his right he saw blood along walls and Darius’s crumpled form. Grunting and loud breathing noises came from an archway near the body. Dalin approached slowly and cautiously dragged the dwarf’s body back to the stairwell. In the shadows beyond the arch he saw a shaggy form reach out for him.






Running as fast as possible back to the main group, Dalin was helped by Dram to pull Darius’s armored body up the stairs behind them. Mirel unfastened Igor’s sack and they stuffed the dwarven paladin into it. Most of the team had already evacuated after permanently destroyed the six gnoll dead. Once outside, everyone ran together back down the hill and along the newfound path to Quesquaton. At the streamlet below, Dram saw what he thought was a hobgoblin, but it was facing away from him and searching the surrounding countryside. “Turn right”, he called out and the group headed for the dryad’s tree instead. 

Running along the Greenwillow River the Quesquaton hill came into view on their left side again. Remembering what had happened last time Dram, Igor, and Dalin cleared away every track they could. Once at the top of the hill and safely back within the entrance tunnel, the team set up camp. The sun was setting outside as Brother Ben bandaged the wounds on Darius’s body. The others were in poor shape too. It was a long and frightful night as each watch waited for the coming reprisal. 

*
[DAY 49 – Feastday, Jinto 10th, CY 81]
– [DAY 51 – Thunderday, Jinto 12th, CY 81]*

For the next two days Darius was too laid up to move. Brother Ben used his healing prayers to restore his lost vitality and seal shut his wounds, but the dwarf still needed time to recuperate. The party kept a constant vigil day and night, but nothing ever approached the cave’s entrance. Each had rations enough to last for over a week, but no fire could be built as it may have alerted the enemy to their presence. Upon the third day Darius’s health had fully returned and the team packed up for departure. With Igor scouting ahead, they moved back to the Greenwillow river and crossed over it. It took the entire morning to find their way back to Outpost Young. In actuality a patrol found them. The rest of the day was spent walking back to Keep Margrave and finding lodging for the night.


----------



## howandwhy99

*AUTHORS NOTE:* [SBLOCK]Quite a bit of the action occurs between sessions in online play. The quotes you’ve seen are taken from our online messageboard. Sometimes I need to edit them slightly to get the tense right, but otherwise it is the text from the actual players and referee. 

In the scatter of quoted posts between sessions eight and nine, Darius and Igor’s histories were also posted. Well… sort of a second one for Igor. The following are in addition to the histories you can find near the beginning of the storyhour.[/SBLOCK]


----------



## howandwhy99

*Darius’s History*

_Posted on behalf of Skrayper_

*The History of Darius Kord*

Darius grew up in one of the more prestigious homes of the Dwarven Kingdom. The 2nd of 5 children, Darius knew many responsibilities around the hearth and home. Most of the time, even as a child, he was a mediator, his personality quickly defusing the hostile personalities of his fellow dwarves. His father, also a diplomat, saw great promise in him and his abilities. His mother, a hearth cleric, sought to instill a strong devotion to her faith in their children, and also saw potential in Darius. She pushed forward his training in religious training, hoping one day Darius would follow in her footsteps instead.

Darius was much more inclined towards his father's work than his mother's. His father taught him the subtleties of dwarven diplomacy, which to other cultures was an oxymoron. Darius was an apt pupil, and began at an early age to mediate disputes between other dwarven households. The Council of Thanes were impressed with his abilities, and asked that he come in to mediate a trade agreement with a large city of gnomes nearby that had eluded the other diplomats. Darius agreed.

Darius spent several months with the gnomes, learning from them as well as constantly relaying messages back and forth with the dwarves to broker a better deal. After the first, large trade
agreement was found beneficial to both sides in about a month, Darius stayed on the remaining months to broker smaller agreements and treaties between gnomish families, and between the gnomes and smaller dwarven groups. The gnomes began to teach Darius many things, even their ability to speak with stone (his dwarven heritage making it possible, though much more difficult). However, he was nearly done when a messenger had arrived to bring him terrible news… his mother was deathly ill.

Darius returned home post-haste. His father was there to greet him, and Darius walked in to find all of his siblings there waiting on them. His older brother, a soldier within the dwarven
army; his twin sister, a cleric like their mother; his younger brother, a scout for the army (rogue); and his little sister, still too young to venture forth. Darius found her lying in her bed, her breath raspy and shallow.

Darius pledged to her that day that he would be part of the church. He realized he lacked his sister's aptitude for true clerical power and wisdom, and he did not want to abandon his true calling. At the same time, however, he found that he truly wanted to keep his promise to his mother. It was his sister that suggested that he undergo the trial of paladinhood. Darius pondered deeply on the subject, and then proceeded to be tested by High Priest Gimor of the Church of Thor. Darius passed, and was assigned to First Paladin Durok. He learned the art of mount riding, swordplay, and learned to access his powers for the greater good of the dwarven lands.

Soon after Darius finished his training, he was brought before the council of Thanes and asked to be one of the ambassadors sent to the nearby human kingdom, more specifically the county of Margrave. Once he arrived, Darius learned of the problems and signed on, his moral duty and job duties demanding that he assist the humans.

Family Name: Kord
Father's Name: T'darl
Mother's Name: Dera (deceased)
Older Brother: Brin
Twin Sister: Nira
Younger Brother: D'kar
Younger Sister: Minar

Interesting tidbits:
Darius refers to his twin sister as "han-ownad", which translates into "half-spirit". Darius and his sister have joked that she gained more wisdom and intelligence than he did (him being average, her being well above-average in those) but he gained all the charm and physical durability. Neither is incredibly strong (Darius is 12 str) and neither cares for dexterity anyway.

Darius refers to his little sister as "silfar-kahl", or silver stone. Because he once found a small nugget of the silver on his travels, had it affixed to a gold chain, and gave it to her as a birthday present.

Darius finds gnomish culture fascinating.

Darius spent time training in the arts of Trading, Negotiating, Diplomacy, Scribing Contracts, and Etiquette for Dwarves and Gnomes. He's not nearly so familiar with Human or other racial etiquette.

Darius learned much of speaking with the stone, but still requires training to get over the "hump," if you will, and actually be able to accomplish it.


----------



## howandwhy99

*Igor’s History*

_Posted on behalf of Biorph_

*Igor’s History*

I considered doing a history for Igor, one of swashbuckling deeds of daring do, adventure on horseback and the high seas, finding, losing and finding lost loves again, all while fighting monster shaped robots from the year 2010...but then who knows if Igor is even his real name. How exactly did Igor learn to speak Goblin, Dwarf, Halfling, and Elven? What accident left him the twisted and scarred person he was until he was touched by the healing powers of Thor? Where did he train that he knows how to strike so precisely at his enemies, and why didn't any of you learn this stuff when you were being taught to fight? Who taught him all of his woodcraft? How is it he's so proficient with weaponry but so lacking in his armor? When did he work with the barbarian humanoid tribes to learn how to make disguises to look like them? What's the family history behind the big bag? What up with his voice? Exactly what are beans 4-7 in the seven bean casserole? Sooo many questions.


----------



## howandwhy99

*[Session 9]

[DAY 52 – Fastday, Jinto 13th, CY 81]
– [DAY 64 – Weddingday, Jinto 25th, CY 81]*

For the following two weeks the party decided to improve their skills before journeying back to the caves. The gnolls and hobgoblins had proven difficult enemies and the team’s previous training had proved exceptionally useful; both in understanding more of what they faced and how to overcome it. Brother Ben spent his days at Father Hedrach’s side and several hours every night in prayer and devotion. Igor decided to learn a new profession. He helped the merchant Mouse keep shop and take orders which kept him so busy, few saw him the entire time. Mirel remained stationed in the barracks and practiced her archery. She still found time to spend with her family each day, but mainly kept up the appearance of fulfilling her militia duties. 

Dram and Dalin drank, diced, and caroused every night. They did their best to look busy when the sun was up by window-shopping for things they liked: mainly pretty women. Darius was as adamant as ever in trying to secure a meeting with Lady Devereaux. Unfortunately, her strict privacy policy had not changed. This did not deter Darius however. He kept busy learning and doing numerous different tasks around Keep Margrave all while petitioning for the Lady’s time. At one point, he decided to speak with Father Hedrach at the temple about “what would be entailed in questing for his holy avenger and his sacred mount.”



			
				Father Hetrick said:
			
		

> Father Hetrick spends most hours of each day during the 2 weeks in prayer with Brother Ben. Late in the evenings he is able to see Darius, but tells him that for at least the next little while he will not be much help to him. It would require him to perform a rite on the dwarf’s behalf.
> 
> He does know of several Holy weapons lost in the histories of the Church. Perhaps Thor will look upon each if found as a token of your faith. He also knows of several potential areas to seek a mount. The plains of Nihm in the Barbarian lands to the West are known for their great horse stock. The Kronheim, a series of hills to the South, also have some creatures of exceptional intelligence and are possible to train by those of pure heart. He suspects although he doesn't know for sure that a mount to fly could be found there. Even further South and across the Vast Sea there are the Jungles from which many creatures have been found and many more have not been discovered yet.
> 
> And the Great Chasm in the Barren tundra of the North. The raiders from which are known to ride Bears, Great Wolves, and all other sorts of beasts.




Darius thanked Father Hedrick. After leaving he daydreamed about what mount his bond would be with. Igor, on the other hand, had barely a spare moment to himself. But having learned from Dram of an alchemist’s shop in the keep, he stole a few minutes to check it out. When Igor found and knocked on the shop’s green door he learned some strange news.



			
				Bert the Chemist said:
			
		

> Questri the Alchemist was away gathering materials for two weeks. Currently his assistant Albert the Chemist (he likes to be called Bert not Al) was tending the shop. Bert told Igor that due to recent purchases Questri had to go find some rare substances to replenish his stocks.




Igor understood, but decided to look at all the wares anyhow. He selected quite a few potions for himself paying with more gold than Bert had presumed he had.


----------



## howandwhy99

I'll be gone through Monday on vacation.  So everyone gets a little bit more story than usual.  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




  Enjoy.


----------



## howandwhy99

> _Originally posted by *Mirel*_
> Mirel undertakes 3 of 14 days of training in archery. The welts on her left forearm reveal that her skill is improving rather slowly. She has begun wrapping her arm in various common herbs, mostly shredded willowbark and aloe vera from the kitchen gardens. She most likely goes on to another form of training, to give her arm a rest, probably tracking and tracks reading. On the road, she'd go to Igor for that, but since he's preoccupied with his own training, she'll ask the Keep Quartermaster whom she should speak with.
> 
> After several days of tracking, she goes back to archery (wearing a nice, sturdy leather half sleeve on her forearm) and then finishes up with tracking. During her free days, she spends her time in the Keep's kitchen and stables. Normalcy is such an easy routine to fall back into. This time, before leaving, she remembers to acquire feed for Solly, and ask Igor to put it in the backpack.
> 
> _ Quartermaster Harold, as is on everybody's mind whenever someone mentions tracking, starts to say Pendra and Certa... but stutters and turns embarrassed as he remembers they haven't been seen in several months. When he regains his composure, his next suggestion is a little bizarre. He tells you to speak to Mouse. Mouse knows a hermit who lives in the woods nearby. However, the hermit doesn't like visitors and so Mouse may be reluctant to tell you of him. Not only that Mouse likes to keep his secrets. But Mouse seems to be able to find whatever we need, when we need it for the right price_
> 
> Mirel tells Igor that the Quartermaster said to go ask Mouse about a hermit. She figures that Mouse will more likely help Igor, since Igor has traded with Mouse quite a bit, and if Mouse can get lessons set up for both Igor and Mirel with the hermit, that would work out pretty good.
> 
> If not, well, if only one person can meet with the hermit, it ought to be Igor, since he already knows something of woods lore, and not make the hermit mad with so many foolish mistakes. Mirel has lots of other training options she can turn to, not the least of which is short sword.
> 
> _ Mirel gets the sinking suspicion she is not too far off. With most of the regular army away; and many of the most prominent and powerful figures of the county away with Lord Margrave; and with no physical sign of Lady Devereaux; and with banditry near the Keep; and with a Giant's Army in the Caves of Chaos; and with...
> 
> Rumors to that effect are not unheard of. The most common one is: The Guild is conspiring to acquire more of an influence over the day to day running of the County._




Mirel received many offers once she asked around for training in new weapons.  



> _Originally posted by *Dalin and Galf*_
> Dalin offered his assistance with weapon training to Mirel. He was also working to choose a primary weapon for himself, rather than switching around all the time. The dwarven-made sword was the most likely candidate. He also experimented with shields and looked into getting some modifications made to his field plate, so it was not quite so flashy. It was not his style, and also too obvious out in the open.
> 
> _ Galf the Armorer: “The suit of Armor you now wear was originally fashioned for Sir Ronaldo of Clares. His family's estate donated it to the cause since Sir Ronaldo is dead and had no heirs to wear it.” The armorer was more than willing to make any adjustments he wished. But he asked that Dalin not hide Sir Ronaldo's colors. “He was a brave defender of the County. And if not for the fact that he was slain in his sleep before he could don his armor would likely have gone off to the War in this suit. His squire fought bravely and was found dead protecting this armor from theft.”_
> 
> Dalin was thrilled to learn the history of the armor, and asked the armorer anything else he could tell of Sir Ronaldo and his family. “Are they local?” Dalin considered requesting an audience with them at some point, to let them know that their donation had been put to good use. He agreed not to hide Sir Ronaldo's colors. Perhaps a cloak would be appropriate for times when temporary cover was needed, but otherwise he would wear the armor proudly.
> 
> _ Galf the Armorer: “I didn't know him personally. But I can tell you that to reach Clares, you need to travel to the West a day to the Village of Hommlet. And from there go South to Holmfaust.... about 2 days more travel. And then to the SouthWest again about another day or day and a half. Sir Ronaldo's widow would I’m sure love to hear that the armor is seeing use.”
> 
> There was filigree aplenty on the armor. The most noted symbols involved a chalice and three connected rings. The breastplate had the 3 rings._




When Darius heard about Dalin’s discovery, he offered the black cloak they found to him. A length of it was cut off, but the shoulders and such were broad enough for Dalin in his new armor. The paladin took special note of the symbols now they were polished up. He tried to remember if he had seen the crest before.


----------



## howandwhy99

Upon Darius’s suggestion, Dalin and he visited Father Hedrick in hopes of learning what the symbols might mean. The two waited patiently outside the old man’s chambers until he returned from teaching Brothers Thom and Ben.



			
				Father Hadrech said:
			
		

> Father Hetrick: “The 3 rings are the heraldry of Sir Ronaldo of
> Clares now deceased. The Chalice symbols place him in the Order of the Chalice. A smaller sect of the Order of the Crown. They believe in virtue above all else. The Order of the Crown holds allegiance to the Church only in matters that deal with the nobility. In all other matters they follow the tenets of the nobles. Some times this leads to disagreements between the Church and the nobles. But since most of the Church comes from the nobility... well let’s just say it is family squabbling.”




Dalin mentioned the directions the armorer had given him to the town of Clares and Ronaldo’s widow. “There are several places to pass through to get there. The nearest is called Hommlet. Have you heard of it?” 



> _“Hommlet? Just a small quaint village. A farming community of the Old Faith for the most part. Although in the last few years a church has been built and has tried to convert the farmers. They have a reputable Inn. A decent brewer. And other amneties. Currently an estate is being constructed. The old estate fell into disrepair and was abandoned years ago. _




Darius also asked Father Hedrick about how long he will be able to maintain the bond to his mount before Darius actually went to claim it.



> _”Having never been able to form the bond myself I'm not intimately familiar with its limitations or range. I've read that it is lifelong.”_




Thanking the Father for his time, Dalin and Darius left the temple and decided to head in different directions. Dalin was interested in finding a soft spot to lay his head and warm ale to comfort him. Darius conversely was feeling anxious and strode through the streets unsure of where to head next. He thought about trading armor his with Dalin’s, but realized the cost of modification would probably equal the cost of the filigreed armor itself. Letting his mind wander as his feet did the same, Darius thought back on his knowledge of armors made of rare metals in the Dwarven lands, like Mithril and Adamantine. 



			
				Darius's Thoughts said:
			
		

> The Dwarves were known for working with all types of metals. He had heard tell (but not seen) of Mithril and Adamantine. And he'd guessed that the Mastersmith in the Dwarfhome could in fact handle fashioning such material into something useful such as armor or weapons.
> 
> Elves too were noted in Dwarven history for working with Mithril. Where they get it is a mystery. But he had heard of a tale of a pact signed over the exchange of arts. The Elven art was reported to be made of Mithril. Though, no one has seen it for many ages. The Dwarves gave the Elves the secret of powder and Kargauthal the Loud (a cannon)




The memories of his home only caused more anxieties to surface in Darius’s mind.  



> _Originally posted by *Darius*_
> He had been getting a bit suspicious of what was going on in the keep. It was one thing to turn away a Sergeant, he had no problem with that. But to turn away the representative of the Dwarven Nations? That struck him as odd at best, and down right insulting at worst. However, he knew diplomacy was the key, and would not share that thought with anyone. Darius's diplomatic tendencies were tempered with Dwarven pragmatism and temper. If she continued to refuse to see him, he may decide himself which course of action to take. Namely, riding to the Dwarves and giving his full report, including the existence of such a large force of Orcs.
> 
> Darius went to the front gate and inquired if a messenger came by there a month or two ago, carrying a message to the Dwarven kingdoms and the churches of the lands. He described the messenger well, and also described the sword he was carrying, and that it was wrapped in a certain color fabric.
> 
> Darius also went back to speak to Brother Thom about the differences in his religion and Thom’s. The paladin explained how he had attended mass each day, and each night prayed to Thor for guidance. On Thorsday (which he believed was Thunderday in Margrave), he fasted and spent at least 4 hours in prayer. He felt that during his travels he had gotten away from his faith, and wanted to renew it. He had asked for Thor's guidance and resilience during these meditations.




After listening patiently as Darius had outlined his religious practices, Brother Thom informed him of a place in the temple where no one would disturb him. Meditation chambers had been built for just that purpose.


----------



## howandwhy99

Meanwhile, as Darius sought solace kneeling on the temple’s stone floor, Igor was having an entirely different kind of revelatory experience.



> _Originally posted by *Igor and Mouse*_
> Igor: “So wait, I'm confused. How well known is the guild? Is this Merchant's guild perhaps like the one you are in? Or the ones I'm a part of as well? Is my profession now legal or something?
> 
> Mouse: _”There are a number of Guilds: the Merchant's Guild, the Artisan's Guild, the Actor's Guild, the Farmer's Cooperative (essentially a guild), the Guild of Extraordinary....and so on. These are all legal guilds. With charters and such purchased from the nobility.”
> 
> ”There are other more nefarious guilds which are known, but aren't legal. They go by many names. Most commoners refer to them all collectively as "The Guild". "The Black Market" is the most talked of illegal Guild.”_




Igor’s mind reeled at the possibilities; guilds for the highwaymen, the pocket pinchers, the second story girls, the organ grinders, the cherry pickers, the backstabbers, the grafters, the sewer freaks, the heavies, the highrope dancers. The list could go on and on. “Perhaps one could be made for chefs with a taste for blood,” he thought to himself. Above his workspace, the main shop of supplies buzzed with business. Everyone was excited about the coming Midsummer’s Day Feast. 



> _The activity in the Keep 2 weeks prior to the Holiday is increasing. And everything gets more frantic as the Holiday approaches.
> 
> The nobility put on a big feast for all the people of the land. They serve the food. The one day of the year when the lowest is the highest. The people are preparing their finery to wear to the feast. The nobles would be wearing simple shifts; most made of burlap.
> 
> The highlight of the feast is the tourney afterwards.
> 
> There are feats of strength, riding, archery, arms, and words.  The winner of the tourney is declared the Champion.
> 
> The MidSummer Feast takes place not just in the Keep, but all over the Kingdom._




Dalin wondered what sort of preparations he would need to make. Unsure, he asked Mirel. ”Yes, Dalin, there will be betting. Don't tell Brother Ben”. Happy to live the life of a carefree noble, even if just for a day, Dalin considered buying a fine suit to wear. He just had time to have something tailored. A suit made in the colors of his armor, embracing the Ronaldo connection, but being careful not to overstep his bounds.



> _You hear tell that Mouse is taking all bets. The current favorite to win the tourney is Capt Ratcliffe since Pendra and Certa are not around.
> 
> He had nearly 4 to 1 odds. Dalin, because he has seen events before, was about dead even with one of the Sergeants of the Watch._




Brother Ben inquired about the different tournaments. He was mainly interested in the test of words, but he also planned on entering the contest of arms. Hopefully these would cause equal distraction to his current thoughts.



> _The tourney of words is a contest of riddles. Tourney of arms is a nonlethal combat. First one to 5 hits wins. The tourney of archery is 5 shots. And the tourney of riding... involves multiple tasks... it is a race over obstacles... It is staying seated on the horse and it comes down to a chance to unseat your opponents at the lists._




Dram planned on entering all unmounted martial competitions and began practicing with his bow day and night in preparation. He also cleaned himself up since there would undoubtedly be watchful young women in attendance.



> _Originally posted by *Elian and Kayla*_
> Kayla prepared for the feast and then went to see if Elian had any free time so she could attempt to get in a few days worth of training.
> _
> Word was sent thru the guards at the Inner Bailey.  Elian didn't leave her waiting long._
> 
> Elian: _“For you I always have time.” He took her to his Quarters. They were of course barren of most furniture. Plenty of pillows and rugs and stacks and stacks of books and rolled up pieces of paper. He asked if she wished to learn some more of the spells from Zelligar's books._
> 
> Kayla: "Honestly I need a little help applying what I've learned so far." She pulled out her spell book and showed him the spell phantasmal forces and continued, "I haven't quite figured this out yet. It's starting to make a little more sense, but I still just don't understand. I was hoping you could help me draw on what I've learned so far to understand it little better. Even if I can't fully grasp it yet, I would like to work toward it."


----------



## howandwhy99

*[DAY 65 – Thunderday, Jinto 26th, CY 81]*

Darius pounded on the door of the inner bailey. The two weeks of training was almost over and he had received neither word from the Dwarves nor Lady Devereaux. Hearing the guards snicker on the far side he asked them if they received their orders directly from the Lady, and whether they had seen her recently.



			
				Guards said:
			
		

> They didn't know the origin of the orders. They were told by their Cpl. They assume he was told by the Sgt or Lt. And that the Sgt or Lt got the orders from the Capt. And the Capt. from Lady Devereaux. But that was purely speculation. They had't seen Lady Devereaux in some weeks. But again that was not unusual. And with all of the current trouble in the County from Bandits and the Giant's Army... and with preparations for the Feast. They did't see anything to be concerned about not seeing her.




Darius was concerned. As a dwarf it was difficult to trust in a person he had not met. Thor’s Might may run through his veins, but Lady Devereaux had yet to prove herself more than a myth. He wondered again about the message he had sent to the Dwarven kingdom.



> _So far as Darius had gathered from rumors and direct conversation, the letter and sword were delivered to the dwarves weeks ago. But dwarves were slow to make up their minds. They spend time in committees hashing out the best ways to go about things. What resources they will need, who will go, how much it will cost...etc... They are a longer lived race. They don't rush into anything without planning and with commitment on the part of those who are sponsoring the expedition. True the letter was from him, a fellow dwarf from a highly regarded family, but it would mean all the more reason to get it right.
> 
> The Dwarves were, at least as much as he'd gathered, probably fashioning some form of transport or war machine before they came. And that could take even more time.
> _
> Still he knew in his heart, _“The dwarves would've at least sent a response by now.”_




It was official. In Brother Ben’s mind at least. He had worked and studied and prayed fervently, but his strength in the divine seemed to have stagnated. Long hours spent memorizing temple doctrines, reciting prayers, reading scripture, and methodically repeating ritual phrases and gestures had led to nothing but near constant head pain. Sometimes the pressure in his skull throbbed so strongly it seemed to block out any thought at all. Father Hedrick said he did not know what the problem was. But Ben’s novitiate training was coming to an end. He had completed all of the requirements for priesthood. Father Hetrick would stand beside him during the ordination on the coming Holyday. 

Brother Ben felt ashamed. As one of the few clergy proving capable of channeling divine power he desperately wanted to use that power to aid others. Only now he was unsure whether the forces he already controlled would continue or be revoked. The Gods could be fickle in their choice. Many of the faith grew to old age becoming important figures in the temple’s hierarchy without ever being imbued with divine power. Ben knew this, but still could not help feeling as if he had failed somehow. At least his prayers were still performing as needed. Constant practice had taught him that much. It was a penitence he placed on himself for his feelings of guilt. 

Father Hetrick came up behind him quietly. “Your sequestration is complete. You should take time now to prepare yourself to receive the mantle of your religious Fatherhood. Your fast is at an end too. It might be best to go out this evening and celebrate with your friends. It is a lifelong obligation you will take. Something to lighten your heart would serve you well.” Brother Ben nodded in response. Straightening from his prostrate position on the stone floor of his meditation chamber he went to clean himself and bind the wounds on his knees. “How could this be what my parents wanted when they sent me to Father Stauk-Flezr?” he thought. “It was not for my protection or gain I entered his conclave.” Fear was the real reason. And now the voices had returned.



> _Quoted from *Darius*_
> Darius found each of the members of the party during their off time and asked if they could all meet at the tavern at night after their training for that day. It wouldn't take long, He had something he wished to discuss, and missed the company of his friends. He would even purchase drinks for everyone (ale for those that preferred it, wine for Kayla, and whatever was appropriate for Mirel).


----------



## howandwhy99

> Dalin arrives before the appointed time and enjoys a couple of Man with Fire in His Hands Ale while waiting and wondering what the dwarf has to discuss.
> 
> Dram is probably already there. Best to fight fire with fire. More ale it is!
> 
> Kayla shows up at the requested time & politely accepts the wine Darius offers.
> 
> Brother Ben limps in on time with tired eyes and sores on his knees.  He will be drinking water.
> 
> That completely unnerves Mirel, and she settles quietly by a wall, trying very hard to be unnoticed.
> 
> _ The innkeeper at the Man with Fire in His Hands Inn explains that his normal supply of Hearty Mug Ale from the Breumeister of Hommlet is running a little late. He assures you his ale is just as good but not as aged._
> 
> Mirel is no vintner, nor is she very educated in her palate. She is willing to try the ale.
> 
> Darius isn't particularly worried.  To him, most human ale probably tastes the same.
> 
> Darius stands: “My friends, I have prayed to Thor for guidance, and he has directed me to that which will become my mount, provided I am truly worthy of the honor.”
> 
> “My vision came after hours of fasting, praying, and paying homage to Thor. He sent me a vision of a winged creature, with great talons that would be large enough to carry off a white stag. A magnificent creature, truly. There are several kinds of creatures that my vision can be of, and I have spoken to Father Hedrick and Elian about this.”
> 
> “My call is to the South, in the mountains known as the Kronheim. I will seek assistance from the gnomes there, and perhaps bring goats for the trip. I am not certain about that yet.”
> 
> “I ask that you consider us going to claim this. It will not be easy, and I am endeavoring to learn as much about the Kronheim as possible. The climb is not an easy one, which is why I will look for the gnomes for assistance.”
> 
> “Thank you, my friends.  I will abide by our collective decision.  Now, please, drink, and discuss anything you wish.”
> 
> *With this, Darius lifts his ale up high*
> 
> "To Friends, Comrades... to Brothers and Sisters!"
> 
> _  “Hear, hear... Innkeep another round.” (A heavy set gentleman in loose robes and a rope belt belches.  He is bald on top.)
> 
> ”The Kronheim is not a place to go it alone. I have friends who can show you the area. They practically grew up there. They are putting our horses up in the livery as we speak.” (he smiles a big broad grin)_
> 
> "No, no Darius. This should be a shared celebration." Igor throws 10 gold on the counter. "Barkeep, drinks for everyone in the Inn for as long as that lasts." Igor slowly cracks his knuckles and gives the group a smile. "Now, let's get down to some SERIOUS celebrating"
> 
> Darius looked at him closely. He wanted to gauge everything about him to learn more of what he might be about. "Greetings, my friend. Who might you be, good sir?"



Brother Ben sat resigned and tired on his stool. To him the new man looked like a friar with homespun clothes and a small walking stick leaning against his leg. But his dress was different enough from his own religious robes to leave him unsure.


----------



## howandwhy99

> Darius guessed he should have mentioned the toast was just for those at the table. He looked at Igor strangely, his eyebrow arched. "I take it you wish for us to undertake this adventure then?"
> 
> _ “I am Goodman Barth. My companions and I have come here to join in the feastivities this MidSummer. But I couldn't help but overhear you wish to travel South. Back to our homeland.”_
> 
> Igor: "Sure, once we deal with the other business at hand."
> 
> Mirel chuckles (a rarity), she seems vastly amused at Igor's comment.
> 
> Darius: "Yes. I seek to travel to the Kronheim. There is a task I must perform there. What can you tell me of the people and creatures of the land?".
> 
> _ Goodman Barth: “Tell me what you know of the people there. I'm better at filing in the gaps then just taking off the top of my head (he rubs his bald pate) about subjects.
> 
> I overheard you are seeking a mount. And that the mount can fly and has talons. And... (he approaches and whispers more to the table) it slew a white hart. The white hart is a protected, sacred creature of the hill people. Don't tell my friends about that when they arrive. They are hillmen._
> 
> Darius: "Duly noted. What I know of the mountains is that it is inhabited by gnomes. Some of cautioned me against their 'trickery', but other than that, nothing. I believe there are nomadic humans or tribes that live in that area, but I know little of them. Please, sit with us."
> Darius pulls an extra chair to the table.
> 
> _ Goodman Barth: “Why thank you. Thank you very much. My legs aren't as strong as they used to be.” (he plops down and the chair groans). “We ran into some trouble on the road here. Bandits. They demanded a toll. Which since we were outmanned and outarmed, handed over our coin with not much protest. In my youth, (he doesn't look that old now) I would've taught them all a lesson.”
> 
> ”The gnomes are a secretive bunch. They tend to keep to themselves. But they do on occasion mix and exchange words with the hill people. And I get this only second hand mind you.”
> 
> ”My own monastery is located at the base of the Flat Irons. The front of the Kronheim. I regularly deal with the hill people when they come down from the hills to trade for items they can't make themselves. I took 2 of them as my guides years ago. And Turko and Zerk have been with me ever since..”_
> 
> Darius hands the friar 5 gold coins. "Hopefully that will help make your stay more pleasant. Tell us, are the hill people friendly?” (pause) “Where are my manners? These are my comrades and friends: Kayla, Mirel, Dram, Dalin, Igor, Brother Ben, and I am Darius. Your monastery... might they be able or willing to assist? We need little, save food and shelter, and I would be willing to compensate them."
> 
> _ Goodman Barth: (accepting the coin) “Why thank you again. The kindness of others is always appreciated, especially when you've lost your way in the world. It does a heart good to know that not everyone is like those bandits.”
> 
> ”The hill people are... well... just people mostly. But not overly known for their civility. They are a more practical people. And tend to live on the land. They follow the totem magic. And part of my duties there... is to teach them the lessons to be learned in learning the Path to Righteousness.
> 
> ”The monastery is a small place. Myself, Turko, Zerk, Goodman Walli and Goodman Kifu are the only inhabitants. We came to join the celebration. Buy and trade for another year's worth of supplies. And to catch up on the ways of the world outside. It is a lonely existance but one I wouldn't trade for anything. It gives us time to mediate and really have an impact of others... like the hill people.”
> 
> ”Consider our place your place when you visit.”_
> 
> Darius: "When are you planning on making the trip back? We have something we wish to look into, but if my friends agree, then we may be able to accompany you on your trip back. Bandits are not likely to attack an armed caravan."
> 
> _ Goodman Barth: “Well not at least until the MidSummer Feast is over. And with the offer of an armed escort we can surely wait. Is a week enough time?”_




Brother Ben patiently listened to the conversation. He had never heard of the Path of Righteousness in his religious studies.


----------



## howandwhy99

> Darius:  “That's up to my friends.  What suggestions do you have for climbing the mountain?
> 
> _ Goodman Barth: “Rope. Good strong sturdy Rope. A lot of muscle and will power. And a means to carry water and food in and out. But whatever you do, don't and I will repeat don't take the offered smokeweed from the hill people. I did and well... that is what happened to my leg. Or more... what I woke up to the next day. I don't remember any of it. But I imagine I fell down and did some injury to it while so induced.”_
> 
> Mirel is still less than half way through her first mug of ale. She is listening carefully, and nodding sometimes. She asks the barkeep for dinner, and after a bit, gets a plate of black bread and butter covered with a bean porridge. She settles back down and listens.
> 
> Brother Ben:  "Pardon me, Goodman Barth.  I would be greatly interested in learning more of
> what you call the Path of Righteousness. As well as the Gods or Goddesses of which your folk venerate… But I get ahead of myself. Your offer for stay at the monastery, after our last work as mercenaries for the County Margrave, sounds propitious. I look forward to such a refreshing and secluded stay."
> 
> _ Goodman Barth: “Why thank you, Vicar... it is Vicar is it not? We follow the One True Path. The Way. The ever waxing and waning form of Truth.”
> 
> ”We seek all the things that are good in this world and try to caterogize them. We spend endless hours writing, drawing, and meditating of the True Form of All things.”
> 
> “We call in T - on - T - Og.”
> 
> ”We are always looking to get others to learn Tantog.  We have volumes of books on the subject.”_
> 
> Mirel shakes her head and seems to find her dinner far more interesting than lectures of the cloth. Dalin is similarly disinterested in the religion-talk, but tries to feign interest. He whispers a little with Mirel but tries not to be impolite.
> 
> Brother Ben: ”You speak of the ever waxing and waning form of Truth. Aye, Truth does seem to waver depending on the day and the season. Perhaps a focused hiatus within the temple might aid my fevered brain. Our current troubles weigh heavily on my mind and it might be better to give it rest.” (looking slyly at Goodman Barth) “Tell me. Have you categorized any us yet?”
> 
> Dram: "Sounds like a GIANT waste of time! Not to be rude sir, but what truth do you speak of? If it is 'ever waxing and waning' and whatnot, it seems to me to be not so 'true'. But what do I know! Care to arm wrestle for another ale? Strength. A well plucked arrow. Solidly forged metal. Now that's what I call true!" Dram quaffs another ale.
> 
> _ Goodman Barth: “Aye, a good question in truth my large friend. And one we ask ourselves all the time. Unfortunately, it is one of the ways of the Path. To be always questioning and to be always vigilant and attentive to the answers.”
> 
> ”Another of the tenets of the Way is when one achieves an answer to the True Path you take your first step upon it. And when you have answered all the questions you can ask you shuffle off this mortal coil for you have achieved Enlightenment.”_
> 
> Brother Ben: “Ah yes. There was another thing. You mentioned your friends, Turko and Zerk I believe. You said that they were actually from the Hills themselves? That they are Hill People?”
> 
> ”It is probably nothing, but I cannot help but wonder if they might have known two honorable acquaintances of ours named Pendra and Certa. [perfect sleeper] They had a manly look about the two of them like your friends here. Only we fear the two may have met with unfortunate circumstances. If you or your men know of them, or might have seen them around, it might help us in our search.” Brother Ben gave the most detailed description of Pendra and Certa he could manage.
> 
> When Brother Ben mentions Pendra and Certa, Mirel pauses noticeably and looks up hopefully. Dinner suddenly got much less interesting.
> _
> Goodman Barth: “Pendra and Certa are missing?” (he gasps)
> 
> ”Pendra was the Champion of so many Feasts. He was well known among the hill people. But alas he was not one of them. Certa too will be missed and mentioned in prayers I am sure around their camp sites.”_
> 
> Brother Ben: “Well let them know full of it then. To my knowledge, it has been well over a month since anyone saw hide or hair of them. They were scouting out in the forest Greenwillow at the western edge of the County Margrave; outside of the outpost ring.” (looks to the group for assurances) “Any help in their rediscovery would benefit us all and much appreciated.”
> 
> Kayla is also quite disinterested in matters of religion. When the conversation turns to that topic she pulls a book out & quietly begins to review the things she learned with Elian that day. She does however look up long enough to take note at the mention of Pendra & Certa.



Brother Ben then realized he had forgotten to properly introduce himself. He did not want to be taken as an ordained cleric before he truly was. Standing up he raised his open palm in greeting.


----------



## howandwhy99

> ”Brother Benedict Selzkin from the Temple of Law on the far side of the County. Truth be told this is the farthest I have traveled in my day. Perhaps this is the root to why your exotic offer intrigues me so.” (he laughs)”
> 
> Mirel looked very, very disappointed. When the subject changes back to religion, she goes back to her dinner, talking quietly with Dalin. Mirel just quirks an eye at Igor. After a moment, she shakes her head slightly and looks away.
> 
> Dram, not too far yet into his cups figuratively speaking, stares intently at the center of his mug. Now that the flurry of activity surrounding the outpost and the evil caverns has somewhat subsided and been replaced by the normalcy of the annual festival preparations, his mind begins to turn on personal matters that are suddenly weighing heavy. After all, Northmen, and their ancestors are prone to dark brooding are they not? Dram has fond memories of the festival from his youth. His thoughts turn to his father, wrongfully imprisoned, and his brother, conscripted and missing in action. As Darius made his impassioned plea to quest south, albeit for his own personal reasons, Dram was inspired and almost totally taken by a wanderlust that seems to infect his people to the point of recklessness at times.
> 
> However, he responds to Darius as such, "Brother” (he addresses Darius in a familiar manner now that his military service has been completed), “your speech is inspiring and your quest worthy, however, I cannot in good conscience commit to such an undertaking without first setting my mind at ease regarding the fate of my family, namely my father and brother. The caverns of chaos be damned. They mean nothing to me personally. I have lost a man there (Rogg) and care not to do so again on my watch. Your call for a march south appeals. The south has always been mysterious to me and I welcome a fresh start. However, until my father is freed from debtors' prison, and I know the fate of my brother, I cannot in good faith, by Thor, abandon this county. Aid me in my humble quests and I shall become your right hand in yours. Freeing my father from prison is a simple financial matter. Finding my brother is another. Every time I've made an inquiry into his fate I have been met with rumours of a caravan. Perchance that mysterious caravan was headed south? I know not. Brother Darius, give me some hope in finding my elder brother and I shall pledge my life to your beast-quest."
> 
> Darius: "I am truly sorry, my friend. I will assist you in any way I can. However, I do not believe that leaving the caves alone is good for the people here."
> 
> Dram: "I was under the impression that you were proposing abandoning the caves for now in lieu of a steed search."
> 
> _A large framed but very muscular man enters followed closely by a smaller wirey fellow. The smaller man seems to be almost wound like a spring. Like he is ready to strike at any and everything within reach. The larger man has a hard expression on his face and a long scar down the rightside of his face. the scar runs all the way down his neck and vanishes beneath his tunic. They are both dressed in simple hides with padding underneath. Something that is obviously too hot for the current weather. Stains mark both men's armor beneath the underarms._
> 
> _ Goodman Barth waves to them. You smell them long before they reach the table. Manure, sweat, and something else altogether foul permeates the air.
> 
> "This is Turko and Zerk." (Barth doesn't seem to notice the stench)_
> 
> Dram: "Welcome fellas! Have a drink on me and enlighten us humble folk in the matter of Truth!"  Dram buys them each an ale.
> 
> _Both eye him strangely. The smaller man, Zerk, does look ready to strike him.
> 
> Goodman Barth stands and bows to them slightly. "Please, join us. Our new friend here wishes to buy you a drink." (he turns to Dram) “Their customs don't allow them to consume fermented grains, so please don't take it as an offense if they decline ale. They don't speak much either. In fact, Turko lost his tongue for speaking out of turn to an elder when he was a boy."_
> 
> Dalin looks up the two new gentlemen and asks "Do your customs allow for a friend game of cards?" He produces and begins to shuffle a deck of cards, glancing around the table to see if there is any interest. He also orders a fresh mug of ale.
> 
> _Both Smile with the biggest grins you have ever seen . Many missing or misshapen teeth. Turko's tongue or lack of one is noticeable when he smiles.
> 
> They both bow to the table and seem to be waiting for something.
> 
> Goodman Barth turns to the ladies, Kayla and Mirel. "They can't seat themselves until you invite them. The women of the hill people rule."
> _
> Mirel clearly defers to Kayla, the elder, establishing a hierarchy in a nonverbal language the hill men will understand.
> 
> Throughout the religious part of the discussion Mirel looked moderately bored, though Dram's and Dalin's arguments almost made her smile. When Dalin mentioned cards, Mirel looked interested.




Brother Ben listened to the others as the night of revelry slipped past. Realizing the conversation would stop soon and that Dalin would likely convince the others to gamble for the rest of the evening, Ben decided to take some initiative and join in. One night would not corrupt him and he would be with his friends awhile longer.


----------



## howandwhy99

> At an opportune moment, like when a band of entertainers or a succubus-like creature enters the tavern creating a distraction, Dram bends Darius' ear and whispers, "Why do you impart these Southerners, who you know not at all, with such trust. Are not the reports of banditry to the south? Unfettered offers of kindness and aid are often ruses for abuses....or so I've been told. These men may mean well, or not, how do I know? Just a word of caution. What is the expression, 'Loose lips sink ships'?"
> 
> Darius whispers back, "I doubt he is leading an army of bandits.  Since when were you so paranoid?"
> 
> Dram tends to get moody and a bit paranoid when he drinks too much. “Paranoid? Just a bit cautious after everything we've been through. I too doubt that he leads an army of bandits but that's not to say he mightn't be in cahoots with them in some capacity."
> 
> When Kayla notices that attention has turned to her, she looks up from her book. "Please, join us," she says. Once they are seated, she turns back to her reading.
> 
> _They sit. Neither comfortably though. Zerk still looks like a spring. And Turko can't fit his feet under the table just right. Both turn to Dalin and the cards.
> 
> "They are easily amused," Goodman Barth tells the others._
> 
> Dalin gets out a small stack of coin, antes and begins dealing, asking to each person at the table in turn "are you in?"
> 
> Mirel suggests playing a few hands without coin to make sure that everyone uses the same rules.
> 
> Dalin agrees with that suggestion. "But just to keep it interesting I'll fund the pot for the first few rounds. It's the least I can do with all the ale others have been buying." He tosses 10 copper into the pot and starts to deal, suggesting whatever the most common and simple game in the area is.
> 
> Kayla politely turns down the invitation & takes this opportunity to excuse herself as it sounds as though all of the important discussion is completed.
> 
> Igor will also take this opportunity to excuse himself.



Ben observed the witchwoman and her remarkably deadly chef leave the Inn. He wondered what exactly they were up to. Pain flared in his skull as his headache returned.



> Mirel dodges any glances from Brother Ben and joins the game.
> 
> Darius gives a stern look to Dalin and Mirel, then shakes his head. He turns to the friar. "I would like to know more about the lands there. My friends and I have other tasks to attend to, but we hope to be back within a week to accompany you on your trip there. What can you tell me of the beasts in the region?"
> 
> Mirel squirms a bit under that look, and mentally adds Darius to the category of people who just don't know how to let other people have fun. She'll dodge his gaze too in the future.
> 
> _Goodman Barth: "Goats, Wolves, Mountain Lions, Deer, the usual assortment of animals. Also wherever gnomes are found their offspring and their enemies aren't far behind. So kobolds, goblins, and gnolls are there too. Hillmen have encountered many things over the ages and they have myths, legends, and stories of many mythical things. Snakes with colorful wings. Lions with spikey tails and human's faces. Creatures part goat, part serpent, and part lion that breathe fire. It would probably due you some good to read at the monastery awhile before you went up into the hills."_
> 
> Ben suspiciously eyed Mirel as she sits at the card table. With a weary step he goes over and sits near her. "You better deal me in Dalin. But before you try any of your own 'magic' know that all of my winnings are going to the temple. No one cheats the Gods, as they say."


----------



## howandwhy99

> Mirel is completely stunned as Brother Ben sits down. She just stares at him for a moment. Then she regains her head and looks over to the friar and the hill men. As Kayla has taken her leave, that leaves the courtesies to Mirel, darnit. "Would you care to join the game?"
> 
> Remembering what Dram had said about his father being in debtor’s prison, Brother Ben looks at his cards as he casually speaks. "I don't recall you having told us about your brother and father Dram. Maybe you could regale us with the stories of your family while we play?"
> 
> Dram is touched by the outpouring of concern among the other party members for his father. He suggests that the next time training needs to take place, and he is not among the active trainees, that he and whoever else is free make a side trek to his home town to bail his father out.
> 
> _Both Turko and Zerk are very eager. They pull out an assortment of rocks and place them on the table as money. Goodman Barth declines. He is enjoying the conversation and the ale too much. Although, he did seem to spend some time watching Igor and Kayla leave._
> 
> Mirel glances at the rocks. Do any of them look like they might be something other than generic riverstones?
> 
> _There is a glint of something shiny from a couple of them that have rubbed together. Otherwise they are very light gray and dull._



Dram began reminiscing as the others played out each hand of cards. He recalled the face of his father in his mind. Prison was not something he liked to contemplate.



> _Dram's father owed a constable of his town. He would have to ask the constable what the tally was now. Dram knew the amount his father owed before he left. The Keep was in the NorthEast fringe of County Margrave... right on the Borderlands of the Wilderness. Dram's home was almost due West 4 days travel by foot._



Goodman Barth lazed contentedly in his chair as he enjoyed the Inn’s ale silently. A variety of card games were played into the late evening hours. Enjoying the other’s friendly company and the festiveness of the common room, Ben felt as if the holidays had already begun. The trials of Outpost Xavier were behind them. He and his friends were secluded from the entire world. The others began talking about what they planned to do next. There were many possible options now they had time to address their own lives again. Darius had a duty to find his holy mount at some point. Dram was still thinking about his father in prison and his brother who was lost. Brother Ben was worried about the bandits attacking others on the roads around the keep. Dalin wanted to find the widow of a man named Ronaldo in some far off town. Only Mirel kept quiet about her desires.

Everyone wanted to continue fighting at the caves, of course. But defeating all of the forces living there would be a long and arduous battle. A long-term strategy was needed on how to best overcome the forces within. Then the members, minus Kayla and Igor who had left, took a series of votes attempting to determine what should be done first. Each gave a short list of priorities they felt needed to be addressed. Talk continued about the possibility of temporarily splitting up as some goals might best be accomplished either alone or in smaller groups. The MidSummer’s Feast and Tournament were in two days time as well and everyone wanted take part. Downing another swig of ale Dalin expressed with heartfelt sincerity “We need to have some fun! I sat in the rain so long I don’t think I’ll ever be dry again.” Everyone laughed and agreed that time off from both training and adventuring was sorely needed. Still suffering from head pain, Brother Ben excused himself to return to the temple for sleep.


----------



## howandwhy99

Ben’s bed was soft and welcoming at the temple. Fasting and praying the previous two weeks had really taken a toll on his body and he relished the chance to sleep in the next day before the ordination. Unfortunately, he slept for less than half an hour before he was shook awake. Surrounded by total darkness, fear welled up in his gut. Darius’s voice spoke. He was collecting the party again for an urgent meeting. Exasperated, Ben dressed and followed the dwarf to the barracks of the keep. The group had been given a room of bunks for their own use within. Everyone inside looked very tired. Then Ben noticed one new person, a rather strange woman who was dressed in animal skins and what looked like tree limbs.

“This is Holly Greenwillow”, Darius said. “She has heard rumors of us from, uh… different sources. She sought us out to join in our fight. She wants to help us defeat the Giant and those at the caves.” Ben looked at Darius. “This is why you woke me up?” Darius grimaced. “No. Igor has learned something very important. We were waiting for you to arrive before beginning.” Ben sat down grumpily next to the others. Darius began telling the story of how the team had met and their adventures at Outpost Xavier. As Holly listened intently, Dram, Dalin, Mirel, and even Brother Ben took a part in explaining all of the details. Ben felt a little in awe of everything that had happened now the whole story was voiced at once. Afterwards, Holly related how she had learned of the party’s deeds and explained further about the carnage the Giant’s forces were inflicting on the surrounding wilderness. Listening to her Ben felt tired, but he could understand why the others had trusted her intentions. 

Pointing to the barrack’s walls, Darius revealed how they were now paying for the privilege of staying within. He had found out earlier in the week from one of the sergeants that militia soldiers were to serve for only one month. Then they were free to return to their families and homes. Several groans were heard around the room. Ben rolled his eyes and Igor’s left eye began rolling in a completely different direction than his right. Darius went on about how essentially they were operating on their own. “We no longer hold any rank within the military of Margrave County. You will need to remember this when dealing with the soldiers here and if or when we appeal for aid with the Chaos Caves.”

Darius nodded to Igor and the chef stood up. Holly was escorted out of the building for the time being as they felt she was still too unknown to them for what would be said. Igor began by telling them in his raspy, whispery voice that the message had to remain secret at all costs. “We ‘re bein’ ‘unted. And the Good Man Barth ‘s one o’ those ‘unting us.” He would not explain how he knew they were being hunted, but Kayla backed Igor’s assertion completely. A number of people were looking for the team. These hunters had two motives in mind. One was to find out what information the party knew. The other was to stop them from giving that information to anyone else. Kayla said if one of them were caught, he or she would be tortured and killed. Dram spoke up anger. “And we sat and discussed our own plans right in front of them!”

Igor continued with another piece of news he believed was related. He had visited Mouse’s shop before calling the meeting. Only Mouse had not been there. In fact, Mouse had packed up and left the keep. “Only none o’ the watchguard saw ‘im leave”. His shop was locked and his supplies stored away. Igor explained how earlier in the morning he had learned some of the books from Quesquaton had been traced back to Mouse’s trading post. When Igor informed Mouse of the news, he acted strangely and kicked Igor out of the shop for the rest of the day. “I was tryin’ to get ‘em books back,” but Mouse must have started packing directly afterwards. “Well, what happened to the books then?” asked Brother Ben. “And how did he get them in the first place?” Igor would only say Mouse had sold them several weeks ago and the books were no longer in the Keep. 

It was a lot of information to digest. It was agreed it would be better to discuss what they needed to do in the morning when everyone was more coherent. As they were finishing talking, Mirel hurried to her family’s house. Holly was brought back inside told to find a bed near the others. She explained she preferred the outdoors and would rest on the floor if necessary. Darius and Kayla kept watch and talked in hushed tones in the corner. It was only then Darius really hit on the reality of their situation. A much tighter security needed to be kept and it had to start immediately. Igor volunteered to keep watch and to fetch Mirel back to the barracks for safety. He pulled out a potion he had purchased from the alchemist shop. “NO SLEEP” Ben read on its label. Downing the mixture, Igor’s body tensed and his eyes began to water and spin like never before. Brother Ben wondered just what ingredients were in the elixir. Igor bounced up and ran out the door and into the street. For all the world, he looked like a madman on the loose.


----------



## howandwhy99

The sweet embrace of sleep was again enveloping Brother Ben as he lie on the hard barrack bunk. An irritating noise was bothering him though. Ire… Ire… Ire… “FIRE IN THE KEEP!!!!” Darius was shoving people awake and pulling them up to their feet. “THERE IS A FIRE IN THE KEEP! OUTSIDE!! AT THE INN!!” Ben shuffled to the door in his nightrobe. A bright blaze lit the street and sky down to his left. The tall, three-story Inn was cloaked in black smoke and orange flames. Fearing an attack Brother Ben put on his shoes and grabbed his flail. “There’s no time for armor”, he thought as he ran out the door towards the flames. As he headed down the road he realized the fire was beginning to spread to adjacent buildings. “The temple is right by the Inn!” 

Igor was escorting Mirel back from her parent’s house. She guessed she should not be surprised he knew where her home was, but Igor was looking more paranoid than usual. When they turned the corner to the main street they saw the fire coming out the windows of the Inn ahead. “IIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEYY!” Igor screamed in lunacy. “We need to raise the alarm!” cried out Mirel. Igor let go of her and bolted towards the Inn. Mirel trailed after and started pounding on the closed doors along one side of the street. “Get up. There’s a fire! Please…get up!” People started coming out of their homes and pointing at the flames. As Mirel kept moving closer to the Inn, she spotted the front of the keep temple. Oddly, its large front doors were open and a figure lied on the ground in the shadows within. 

In desperation, Igor sprinted with wild speed to the front of the burning Inn. A wooden sign with the picture of a man with fire in his hands still hung outside it. Igor dumped the water barrel outside the door over his entire body and ran into the building. Inside the flames covered most of the walls and were licking the ceiling. Near the tables in the common room several bodies were piled on the ground. Igor inspected them. They were the innkeeper and his family. All were stabbed in either the heart or throat. Bounding up the smoky stairs he began banging on doors. Opening each as he ran along he noticed every occupant had been stabbed. “The fire is only a diversion’, he thought. “They mean to kill everyone in the keep.” Pulling a cloth over his mouth and a couple of blankets over his body, Igor hurriedly looked for any possible survivors.

Darius was having difficulty waking the others inside the barracks. Kayla relieved him and he ran out after Brother Ben. Also fearing the fire was a sign of an attack the dwarven paladin stopped and ran backwards in the direction of the inner bailey instead. Quickly covering the short distance, he began pounding on the door. “It seems my life’s work is to forever pound on this damnable thing!” A watch called out from the near central gate. Darius answered, “We’re under attack! Where is Lady Devereaux? Is she okay?” The guardsman said he would pass on the message. Frustrated, Darius began running back towards the burning Inn. 

Cautiously Mirel moved to the front of the temple. Lights like flame flickered within. Looking down at the floor in the vestibule she saw the body of a man with no head. It wore the clerical robes of a Brother. A scream built in Mirel’s throat but froze when she looked back up and straight at Turko and Zerk. The two men were holding torches on the far side of the entrance room. A rotund form with a cane in one hand was walking from the shadows into their light. Mirel’s feet grew wings as she flew from the temple’s doors. She ran up the road towards the Inn and her friends inside the barracks. People were congregating in the streets now. Some stared in shock. Others were talking about the fire. Mirel saw a form of a man in robes backlit by the Inn’s flames and running directly towards her. As the form drew close Mirel saw light flash over its face, the face of Brother Ben. Mirel screamed in terror.

“What? What’s going on?” Ben checked over Mirel who had gone white with fear. “Go to the barracks! Go to the barracks! Don’t go to the church!” Mirel shouted back. She started running again and arrived at the Inn where a crowd of people had gathered. Darius ran up to her from the other side. Shouting orders and moving people into a line he started a rough bucket brigade to help put out the Inn. Ben’s head swirled in emotion and pain. He had to know what was happening at the temple. Running forward he saw its main doors were open ahead. CRASH! Sound reverberated through the entire keep and a goodly, bright light cascaded out of a hole in the temple’s roof. Ben was slightly deafened by what he thought was a thunderbolt landing next to him. Across the entire keep faces turned startled by the noise. Mirel ran back to Brother Ben’s side and readied her sling as he pulled out his flail. Booming laughter echoed out over the Keep and its inhabitants. Evil laughter.


----------



## diaglo

*Evil Referee Cackle*

Muwhahaaaaaa


----------



## howandwhy99

Heading back down from the third level to the second, Igor looked for any rooms he may have missed. He believed he had inspected all the guests staying at the Inn. Every room had been full of visitors hoping to celebrate Midsummer’s Day Feast and to either watch or partake in the games. Now he knew all of those people were dead. Coughing and gasping for air, he fought to stay awake. Fortunately, the NO SLEEP potion helped Igor from passing out from the smoke, but it was also making him shake uncontrollably. He picked up the last body he found. “We’ll need evidence. Something to prove this was not an accident.” Stuffing it in his pack, he pulled over the thick blankets he had draped over himself to protect from the flames. Breathing in the fumes, he began to feel dizzy again. His reddened eyes searched for the nearest exit they could find. Locating one Igor leapt through.

Outside Darius was shouting at the bucket brigade to keep tossing water. But every eye in the keep was turned toward the light shining out of the top of the temple. No one saw the flaming body leap out of the Inn’s second story window until it was too late. Igor landed on three of the onlookers and buckets went flying. Back at the barracks Kayla finally managed to rouse Ormand the Redd. She asked him to watch Dram and Dalin who still slept in their drunken slumber. Holly had left hoping to escape the keep altogether. She believed it was an unsafe place even under normal circumstances. “I hope she made it out okay”, thought Kayla. Going to the door she looked up at the mysterious white light flowing towards the night sky. Suddenly, startlingly, a figure appeared in the brightness as if from nowhere.







A large black reptilian flying creature hung in the light. It was as dark as the night sky above it. Upon seeing the creature, an ice-cold shiver of fear ran down the backs of every onlooker in town. The wave of fear was almost visible as those closest were affected first. Mirel closed her eyes and bravely ran torward the temple. Brother Ben panicked and chased after her hoping some safety could still be found in that holy place. The crowd near the Inn began to scream. Terrified, the people began running in different directions, some even went inside the Inn. Igor ran under a covered alley close by, huddling in the shadows. Kayla and Ormand the Redd dived under bunks when the wave of dread reached them. Only Darius was not afraid. He eyed the creature, daring it to make the first move. “No one comes in to my house…” he thought.

Dram and Dalin sat bolt upright waking from their stupor. Dalin began pulling on his armor, but Dram simply grabbed his sword and shield and ran outside in his nightclothes looking for the source of danger. Brother Ben grabbed and crestled Brother Thom’s headless body in the doorstep of the temple. Mirel moved past him into the vestibule and hid underneath a bench. Looking around she was glad not to see anyone else. All the fear suddenly drained from her body. The crowd’s screams stopped from the street outside too. Darius saw the light go out from above the temple. He could not see so far in the dark, but he felt the creature had disappeared too. Captain Radcliffe arrived at his side and said in awe, “That… that was a Dragon! A real true Dragon!” Darius dragged the captain behind him and ran to the temple. 

Inside Brother Ben saw all the interior doors were closed, but the main one leading to the congregation hall. It had been torn off its hinges. Father Hedrach appeared in its doorframe just as Darius and Radcliffe ran in from the outside. The Father was bloodied, swelled up, and wobbling on his feet. Ben ran over and tried to hold him up as Darius’s hands sent healing power into the old man’s body. BOOOM! Father Hedrach expanded and exploded blowing away the entire front half of the temple. Brother Ben experienced a weird floating sensation, as time seemed to slow. Bits of six different bodies floated in the bloody mist as the blast continued to expand. “I am dead”, Ben realized. Then he felt his soul detach itself from the last fragments of his natural form. He began floating upwards way from the carnage below.


----------



## howandwhy99

*Sorry.. No cliffhanger ending*

Reflexively all of Brother Ben’s muscles twitched. He opened his eyes and realized he was face down on the floorstones of the temple. “It was an illusion,” said Darius. “An elaborate hoax. I bet even the dragon was fake too.” Slowly four people stood back up. Mirel pushed the very real corpse of Brother Thom off of her. Father Hedrach’s was nowhere to be found. “If this was an illusion, why did they do it? Unless…” Darius’s eyes grew wide. “It’s another distraction!” He ran back out into the street with Captain Radcliffe following after. Ben helped Mirel to her feet. Lighting a torch the two went into the congregation room. Each had a weapon ready just in case.

The gate to the inner bailey was raised at Captain Radcliffe’s command. A small contingent of the guard had gathered to watch the events beyond. Darius started shouting. “Lady Devereaux! Lady Devereaux!” The captain led him and several of the guards to the castellan’s chambers. Her metal door was closed and locked. It took several attempts before they could break it down. At that moment Mirel and Ben had found Father Hetrick’s room and entered inside. Both rooms were examined at the same moment in time. Lady Devereaux’s was large compared to the Father’s small compartments, but each had its roof tore off from above. Brother Ben put his hand in the massive gouges the dragon’s claws had left in the stone. 

The furniture within was trashed and torn. Sword cuts had demolished most of the contents of each room. Books, paper, maps, and nearly every scrap of planning had disappeared. A thorough search revealed Lady Devereaux and Father Hedrach were gone too. Darius led his team to the Advisor’s room and pounded on Elion’s door. Again there was no answer. Unlocking the door this time, they saw destruction similar to the other rooms. No clues seemed to be left. A dragon had come and either stolen or eaten all three. Radcliffe inspected his own room adjacent to the Lady’s. The torn up conditions were the same. Brother Ben was in despair. “Every book, every scrolls, every holy instrument in his compartments. Gone. All gone. Father Hedrach has been utterly destroyed!” 

Mirel went and inspected Brother Thom’s room and Ben’s as well. Neither area had been touched. “Did Brother Thom walk in on a raid?” she wondered. Outside the Inn continued to blaze, but Dalin and Dram had arrived and were leading the bucket brigade. The building burned quickly as night returned to normal. With the keepfolk’s efforts, a small portion of the Inn was saved. The remains smoldered as the light of dawn rose over the wounded keep. Gathering together once again, the team decided to sleep within the temple as no was left alive but Ben to oversee it. When Igor wobbled in the others saw what the potion had done to him. He looked as if he suffered from conniptions. Unfortunately he could still not sleep, so he kept his promise and watched over the others as they fell into deep slumber.


*[DAY 66 – Fastday, Jinto 27th, CY 81]  *

Only four or five hours passed when Igor roused the party. It was already midmorning and the streets were crowded with people. Igor tried explaining the situation, but his stuttering was near constant. He led the group outside and to the Inn. A circle of people stood around it. Many of them were from the bucket brigade the evening before. Apparently they had been ordered to let no one enter. Darius quickly remanded his order. The people were ordered to go home and sleep except for those who had rested through the night. When the entire circle dispersed, Darius ordered a few watchguard to protect the Inn instead. Igor walked the team to the front gate of the keep were another group of people was trying to get out. The guard had closed the gate and was not allowing anyone to leave the keep. When Darius arrived they saluted him. 

In an outer bailey tower the guard were questioning a strange woman found last night. It was Holly. Darius asked the guards to free her into his custody. Brother Ben wondered why the guards were following any of Darius’s orders, but so far it seemed to be better they did. Another order was given to find all visitors still left in the keep and to assemble them for questioning. The gate would be kept closed, but all locales could enter or leave if they wished. Holly was escorted back to the temple where the crew asked her if she had survived the night all right. She had also seen the light and felt the fear, but not one person leave the keep. Barth, Turko and Zerk must have left by a different means or were still within.

Since they were awake and it was morning, they decided to find out what was going on in the rest of Keep Margrave. At the door to the inner bailey they were welcomed in right away. They did not even have to knock. “There’s firsts for everything,” thought Darius. Inside the guards looked nervously at them and escorted the team to Lady Devereaux’s chambers. Inside Radcliffe was standing at a cracked mirror holding up finely sewn suits in front of him. They stared at him in disbelief. “What do you think? The red or the yellow? I like the yellow. Yellow is my favorite color you know.” Darius had always known Radcliffe was slow to speak, but it quickly became clear he was even slower to think. “He must have been told what to do his entire life”, thought Ben. Radcliffe paraded around in front of them. “I mean I REALLY like yellow! It’s the best color of all colors. Beats the rest hands down.’


----------



## howandwhy99

Darius began asking what was going on and what Radcliffe’s plans were now. “I have not forgotten all of your brave deeds last night. I have a reward for you. All of you. Kneel.” Darius kneeled and was dubbed by Radcliffe as Captain of the Watchguard. He then went on to entitle Dalin as Sergeant, Kayla as Advisor to his Lordship, and Brother Ben as Father of the Temple. Dram backed away from the ceremony while Mirel hid in a corner behind Holly. “I’ve left the military. I want no more part of it”, declared Dram. Tears began to well up in Ben’s eyes. It was not how he envisioned his ordination at all. Now he was responsible for the entire temple. “I must now continue with my duties as Lord of Keep Margrave. You can go.” He began picking through the anarchy of the jumbled room. “Now where could that chalice be…?”

The team was still in shock as they moved to the hallway outside Lord Radcliffe’s new chambers. They were in now charge of protecting the keep and their leader would be no better help than a common imbecile. “At least he can fight well”, whispered Dalin trying to look on the bright side. Ben saw Kayla stop and her eyes flutter. “She’s been possessed!” The others gathered around her, but were careful not to touch her still standing body. After a few minutes she stirred and told them she had received a message, but did not mention from whom. Taking them to Elion’s quarters she asked everyone to help her search for any books that might have been left. The room was in a shambles. “What is going on?” thought Ben to himself. A small white rat scampered out into the middle of the room. It turned and looked solemnly at each one of them in turn.

“I’llkill’it,” said Igor trying to draw his sword with great difficulty. Stopping him Kayla picked up the rat and placed it on a table. “Who are you?” she said. It looked at her strangely. She began trying other questions, but it seemed quite bored sitting there. “That’s unnatural,” thought Ben. “Wait. It…it couldn’t be. It must be Elf-friend Elion cursed into a rat!” Ben could think of only one way to help, but it meant daring forces he utterly distrusted and testing the will of the Gods. Fixing his gaze on the rats, Ben thought in his mind as clearly as he could to himself, “Who are you?” It shook its head. “Are you Elion?” It nodded. Aloud he told the others with a big smile that the rat was Elion. Kayla tried another question out loud. “Elion. When was the last day you saw Lady Devereaux?” It tapped its front paw four times. She confirmed it was Elion, but then she remembered the message she had received. Mirel, Dram, and Dalin all looked rather skeptically at the white rat.

Kayla tried to tell the others a voice claiming to be Elion had contacted her mind from far away. The voice had said he was in Greeenwillow Forest. Now she was feeling far more dubious about whose voice it could have been. “I believe it was a ruse,” Ben told her. Kayla was not quite so sure. Elion the Rat was picked up and placed in Kayla pocket. They resumed searching for another hour, but found no trace of books. They decided to question Elion the Rat some more. For the most part he only nodded or shook his head. But as they asked increasingly pointed questions, he did confirm that Goodman Barth was responsible for the attack on the keep. And that Goodman Barth was the dragon. And he was a powerful illusionist. Turko and Zerk were hired killers. Barth was looking for Lady Devereaux. And he stole her. Elion did not answer when asked if Lady Devereaux was killed or not.

Satisfied they had learned what they could at present, they told the guards to clean up Elion’s old quarters. Kayla would move in as soon as they were ready, and Darius into Radcliffe’s old chambers. Stoneworkers would need to begin reconstructing the inner bailey’s rooftops as soon as possible. Kayla took the lead and brought everyone to Questri the Alchemist’s shop. She needed dragon’s blood, but did not explain why. Dram peeled off unnoticed by the others. Curious, he went to Mouse’s supply store and broke in. He quietly explored the backroom and found a secret stair leading to a basement below. It seemed the supply store was very well stocked with a variety of goods. Dram searched the basement floor and found what he suspected was there: a trapdoor leading down. 

Pulling it open a small shaft led down to a tunnel below. Dram figured he could scoot down it and shimmy through the tunnel if he took off his armor. Instead he closed the trapdoor and covered it back up. Carefully he closed all the other doors behind him, but had to leave the front one unlocked. Meanwhile, the others were hearing bad news from Questri’s assistant Bert. “It’s Bert, not Al. Never Al. And I’m a chemist. Sorry, we have no dragon’s blood. But, um… if you find some, I’d be willing to trade for it.” Outside cleaning crews were working busily made up of both keepfolk and the watchguard. Still feeling tired from lack of sleep, the party headed back to the temple again. It was only early evening, but Igor was finally running out of energy. As they carried him to his bed with his eyes closed, his body still shook like that of an enfeebled old man. The rest set watch and closed the windows for the night.


----------



## howandwhy99

*[DAY 67 – Holyday, Jinto 28th, CY 81]  *

Father Ben woke early. He knew what day it was and had much to prepare for it even if there was to be no ordination. He supposed Lord Radcliffe’s appointment might have been official enough. Everyone else at the temple woke early too. Except for Igor who slept like a dead man. “At least he looks better than yesterday,” thought Ben. The team was collected again and discussed what would be needed to manage the keep now it was left in their hands. Darius took Dalin and Mirel away to help question the visitors who the guards had been collecting. Their work did not last long as most of the keep’s visitors had been killed in the attack on the Inn. Kayla went back to the inner bailey for more searching of the rooms and help with moving the larger stones. While there she verified Radcliffe had met with Lady Devereaux four days prior to the attack. Father Ben asked Dram and Ormand the Redd to help him with a very difficult task. He needed to spread the word that the Holyday ceremony was to be held outside in the square instead of in the temple. 

After everyone else had left, Ben closed and locked the temple doors and went to the keep’s quartermaster. The new man was named Roland. Seeing how clean and organized the place looked, Ben was instantly impressed. “I need all the men you can spare and digging tools for burying the dead.” Roland admitted that he was supervising the clean up effort by order, but he would help. Hesitantly, he mentioned a graveyard outside the keep. Several soldiers were marched out and instructed to follow Ben’s orders. Holly relieved him and headed up the detail as Father Ben went to prepare for his first sermon as Father of the Temple. After bathing and dressing in the vestments he tried to calm himself and collect his thoughts. Shortly before noon he headed towards the keep’s square in front of the inner bailey gate. An enormous crowd of people had already gathered, over 250 in all. The whole of his team had also arrived early too. “This is everyone in the whole Keep!” exclaimed Mirel. Ben moved to the gates in front of the crowd. Their faces looked up at him in eagerness.

Ben introduced himself as Father Benedict Selzkin. He noticed Dram narrowing his eyes at him when he heard the name. Staring out into the crowd he felt nervousness in his stomach. Ben’s head pain returned, but fighting past it he started talking. He talked of how the keep needed faith to overcome its tragedies, how the people should stay true to themselves and not give in to outside enemies, how the men and women at the front lines were counting on them to protect Margrave County. He talked about remembering the dead who had perished in the fire, how each needed to be identified and have their families found and informed of their loss. Pausing he looked around and pointed at the remains of the Inn behind the crowd. “We will repair and rebuild. We will strengthen our keep to withstand those who would see us fall. We will renew our faiths and set aside old differences. We will venerate our dead and cherish our living.”

The crowd began to clap and cheer. Father Ben was a little startled. He began talking again about how the Inn would be rebuilt and the stone refortified. He said that when they finished services everyone needed to lend a hand and prepare for the next day. The crowd quieted down after that. “But it will be in preparation for the Midsummer’s Festival. We will hold the feast and the tournament and we will raise a glass in good cheer for all those who we remember here and gone.” Applause and shouting erupted from the audience and Ben smiled feeling relief surge through him. Before finishing he mentioned a funeral would be held outside at dusk in the graveyard. All those who wished to could attend. He pointedly did not mention any of the three missing persons or the dragon. He did not want to verify whatever rumors had already been spread. The new leadership would be learned of soon enough. 

Afterwards nearly everyone stayed to help finish cleaning and decorating the keep. The mood was happy and people seemed to have looked past the horrors of the previous night. Darius, Dalin, and Kayla looked through the remains of the Inn again, but found nothing so others were allowed to clean the space for rebuilding. Father Ben went outside and inspected the gravesite. One large pit had been dug. The crowd was much smaller at the funeral. The relatives of the innkeeper’s family stood in front as well as many of the visitors to the keep. The bodies were placed in graves. Father Ben gave a eulogy for Father Hetrick who he felt sure had died. Darius spoke as well for those lost at the Inn. None of the family members volunteered to speak. It was a somber occasion. Afterwards, Holly led the soldiers in refilling the grave. Back at the temple, Ben saw Igor still lying motionless on one of the beds. He had slept the full day and missed the assembly.


----------



## howandwhy99

*[DAY 68 – MidSummer Feast 00, CY 81] *

MidSummer’s Day was the longest of the year. When Ben awoke he saw that many of the inhabitants were already awake and celebrating. Even Igor was awake, but looking thoroughly exhausted. “At least he looks better than last night,” Ben thought. Outside, Captain Radcliffe was gallivanting around dressed in a fine new suit with yellow lacework and a long bright yellow cape. Everyone else was dressed in his or her finest clothes as well. Many had obviously worked on their suits and dresses for many months in advance. Tables had been set out in the main square and people were lining up in front of the food line. Lord Radcliffe stood up on a table and started speaking. Ben could not quite make out what he was saying. Many in the crowd were talking and Dalin was pointing at Radcliffe’s clothes with a puzzled look on his face. “Did he forget he’s a peasant?” Trying to talk over the noise, finally Lord Radcliffe shouted, “LET THE FEAST BEGIN!” Huzzahs and hoorays came from all around. 

The “peasant” Radcliffe served the meal for the day: gruel and gruel. It was wet and runny, but had a strong flavor, a truly horrible one. Fortunately some of the “nobles” had cooked sweetcakes on the side. It was not in tradition, but everyone was still hungry. Mirel explained how the day’s events would go. The tournaments were to be run one after another. And the feast of gruel would last the whole day. Not really done serving food, Radcliffe ran over and began the Archery Contest. Dalin, Dram, Mirel, and Ormand the Redd all joined in to compete. There were a number of other competitors too. Everyone shot five arrows and who ever had the best score would be winner. Ormand the Redd had a bad case of stage fright and shot poorly. The others did well, but Dram far outscored anyone else in the competition with a 74. As a trophy, Radcliffe awarded him with a life-sized golden arrow. “Ooohs” came from the audience. A cask of ale was opened and everyone cheered. Mugs of ale were had by all.

The Strength Contest was next. Dram, Dalin, Mirel, and Ormand competed again. Darius arrived and joined in too. He introduced a friend he had made named Pax. Pax was easily the largest man any of them had ever seen. He looked as strong as a bear, even stronger maybe. Muscles bulged all over his body. The contest rules were outlined. Radcliffe handed the first in line a long, thick steel bar. Each tried to bend the bar as best they could. Amazingly, the two who did so the best according to Radcliffe were Dalin, who was a slim man, and young Mirel. “It must be how they leveraged it,” thought Ben. Pax had done no better than the others using only his two hands. Still, Father Ben could see no difference in the bar from when the contest started. Mirel and Dalin each made one more attempt to bend the bar. Dalin prevailed handily. “You’ve won…... a brand new bar!” called out Radcliffe. And ale was had by all.

The third contest was the Tournament of Arms. Contestants were given wooden swords and randomly paired off. The first to reach 5 hits while sparring would win their match. Roland the quartermaster competed and beat Mirel. The large man Pax beat Ormand the Redd who looked unsteady with his weapon. Dram beat Father Ben quite easily who also did not know how to swing his blade. Dalin bested a youth who was scared and had just seen him win the strength competition. After a short rest the second round began. Pax was fooled by Dalin and lost before he knew what had happened. Roland and Dram fought in a long pitched battle, but Dram persevered and landed the final blow. After another pause, Dram and Dalin squared off against each other for the tournament championship. 

Each had fought and caroused together since the first time they had met. It was strange watching them compete head-to-head, friend against friend. Both fought spectacularly and the fight was a marvel to watch, but in the end Dalin won out and took the prize. Lord Radcliffe asked him to kneel and presented him with a finely crafted sword. Ale was broken out in celebration. Pulling it from the scabbard Dalin saw it had the dwarven forge mark of an anvil with two hammers crossed above. It was just like his other sword found in the armory below Xavier. Darius ran over and inspected the blade too. “This is the sword I sent as tribute to the dwarven kingdoms! Someone has stolen this sword!” Darius explained, as Radcliffe came over that he had sent a letter and the sword he had found in “you-know-where” to the dwarven nation in petition for their aid. “This sword was traded in for supplies,” said Radcliffe. Two men, both had smelled ghastly, had traded the weapon for black rope, daggers, and other supplies a few days ago. The party understood. Turko and Zerk had killed the messenger and stolen the blade. “Now the dragon knows we were petitioning the Dwarven Kingdom,” whispered Darius to others.


----------



## howandwhy99

The tournament started again with the fourth, a riding contest. The challenge was just like jousting, but with a snubbed lance. Many contestants were still tired from the previous competitions, but Dram still had plenty of energy and Mirel wanted to ride the horses. The riding tournament was the largest by far as many had come from far away to compete. Dram did fairly well felling his first two opponents by knocking them from the saddle and beating them on the ground. But then he was knocked off himself twice losing the match. Mirel wore only her leather armor and clung to her horse on a small saddle. It was highly unorthodox, but she was a good rider and nearly impossible to hit being so small. She managed to score marks on every opponent she faced. In the final round the crowd was cheering for her to win, as she was well known as a resident of the keep. Remarkably, she hit her final adversary three times in a row. Cheering the crowd pulled her off her horse and paraded her around the keep. Plenty of more ale was had by all.

As an award, Mirel won her own riding horse. She had known the prize from previous Feastdays, but was stunned nonetheless. When she was brought back, the fifth and final tournament began, the Riddle Contest. The whole team from Xavier decided to enter hoping at least one might win. Strangely, no other contestants joined in. Perhaps it was the next full keg of ale, which had been rolled out. Lord Radcliffe stood in front of the table where they sat and opened an old book with a sheet of paper in it. Ben could tell the Lord was squinting when he looked down at it. He was perplexed. “This is new. Don’t tell me he can actually read,” Ben thought. Father Benedict was up first. “What creature is small and barks like a dog?

Ben believed it had to be a trick question. “A dog,” he responded. “Wrong. Dalin what is your answer?” Dalin answered kobold of course. “That wasn’t a riddle,” said Ben aloud. “Question Two. How many kobolds are in the word… in the world at night?” Dalin considered it. “All of them?” Wrong. Mirel was next. “None?” “Yes!” Radcliffe went on. “Question three. How many kobold’s are in the Giant’s Army?” “How can he be asking this!?” thought Ben to himself. “Um… None?” Mirel was wrong too. The same question was asked of Dram, Ormand, Darius, and Pax, but all answered incorrectly. Kayla was last to go. “Maybe… All that are part of the Giant’s Army?” “Correct! Very good.” Radcliffe stared at the sheet awhile longer. Ben tried to sneak a peek at it, but could not quite see it. “How many Kobolds are in the Giant's army, if we know there are none in it at night, but there are kobold's in the giant's army?”

Kayla looked dumbfounded. These were not the type of riddles they were expecting at all. “All that are in his army during the night?” Wrong. The group looked around at each other. They were trying to understand what had just happened. Radcliffe took Kayla’s arm and raised it into the air. “The winner of the Riddle Contest!” Shouts came from the crowd behind, but nearly every one was drinking at that point and not paying attention. Handing the old book to her, Radcliffe gave his congratulations to all of the winners. Kayla looked at the book. She handed the paper stuck inside it over to Darius. It was blank. The book was a research study about opening locks with magic. It would come in handy she was sure. 

Standing back up on the table Radcliffe called out “And now for the declaration of Lord for a Day!” The crowd began cheering again. He put his hand in his left pocket then tried the other one. Looking like he had misplaced something Radcliffe straightened instead and declared, “MIREL is the NEW LADY of KEEP MARGRAVE!!” Huzzahs and boisterous applause broke out. Mirel was picked back up again and paraded back through the streets of the keep. The throng did not let her down for over an hour, but did keep her thirst quenched by pouring ale over her head. Mirel spit back what she could. Her face had gone beat read from embarrassment. She had never been so thoroughly the center of attention before. Once released Radcliffe told her she needed to select a Champion for Keep Margrave. Mirel chose Dalin who was a winner in two of the tournaments, not to mention roguishly handsome. Partying and celebrations continued into the late hours of the night.


----------



## howandwhy99

*[DAY 69 – Sunday, Jinto 1st, CY 81]*

Father Ben woke at the crack of dawn. Quietly tiptoeing past Dram and Dalin, he spotted Igor still curled up in his bed. Ben felt sad as he been tired at the festival yesterday. “But he did try and save the Inn and the visitors,” he reflected. “And he was smart to take a body as proof of the crime. Even Radcliffe could not deny that evidence of assassins in the Keep.” Ben believed Igor was a good man, if a bit misunderstood. He still was not sure if he could trust him though. According to Mirel he had been meeting with Kayla almost daily and always in secret. Ben wondered if Igor was part of the occult conspiracy as well. Then he heard the knocking on the temple’s outside door.

A small crowd of men and women were waiting outside. “Have you come for the Sunday congregation?” The group stared at him confused. “No, we’re ‘ere to collect our bets” said one of the rougher looking gentlemen. Ben roused Igor and explained the situation. Igor handled it with aplomb. He was very happy to pay out the winnings. Apparently he had come out ahead in the rolls. Lord Radcliffe was favored, but had not competed, so all bets on him were null and void. Or so Igor said. Ben pondered it, “Even Dalin winning big for himself was still money for the group.” He decided to go for a walk and saw the guards and a few keepfolk cleaning up after the Feast’s revelry. At the Inn several stoneworkers were shaping pieces to begin building the main wall. Farther on in the square a small audience had gathered to see Mirel who was feigning a strained happiness. She sat on a dais in the center and, as had NEVER happened before, she was wearing a dress. 

Ben smiled and kept walking. He tried to think of the responsibilities he had assumed as sole cleric in the temple. He was never taught how to be the head of the temple, only the standard work of a cleric. He decided to write Father Stauk-Flezr for help. It had been weeks since his last letter and he had much to report, but he worried about Turko and Zerk using the bandits on the road. Ben felt in his heart he was not ready to run the temple. He would ask the Father to send a replacement for him instead. Back at the temple he sat in Father Hedrach’s old chambers and began writing. He still did not feel comfortable about moving into Hedrach’s room. As it was, chunks of stone covered everything, as the roof repair for the temple was a lower priority than the inner bailey.

After a few hours he finished. He went to Sergeant Roland and gave him the sealed scroll and instructed him on where to send it. Back at the temple, Darius had gathered the team in the main hall. Mirel looked relieved to be out of the eyes of the populace and had already changed out of her dress. Darius suggested they go back to the caves for a few days as the keep was secured with a constant double guard and a few men he actually trusted in charge. The discussion took awhile as they argued whether or not to go. Some wanted to stay as they had suffered so long at the outpost and did not like the idea of another cave attack. In the end though the plan to leave won out. Father Ben was skeptical and did not want to leave so soon, but agreed exploring the caves was still highly important. “A couple of days is not long,” he thought. The commanders in charge of the watch were been notified of their decision. 

After packing and preparing, the team left through the rear temple doors as Father Ben locked the front ones. He hung a sign outside: “Cleaning and Blessing”. He wondered if anyone could even read it. Darius did not want to leave out the main gates as he felt spies might still be in the keep. Dram mentioned he knew of a tunnel they could take to the outside. Leading them around and below to Mouse’s store basement, he opened the secret trapdoor. Darius descended and began crawling down the tunnel. It was narrow and hard to navigate. He wondered who else could even fit. Mirel went down after the Darius, but with a torch. As the dwarf crawled ahead of her she searched for secret doors. She found one, and then another, and another. It looked like they had crawled into a maze of different honeycombed passages with no known map. They decided to head out before becoming lost.

After more discussion and Ben’s arguing, the team decided to ride in Igor’s pack. Igor disguised himself and Holly too as she still relatively unknown and spent most of her time outside the keep. The two exited without incident and released everyone from the pack about a mile down the road. The team walked a little ways off the roadside and followed along its edge. Igor and Holly led using what Ben noticed were very different tracking abilities. The road led to the east and the sun shone on their faces. By late evening they had reached the large pit where the remains of Outpost Xavier had been. Glancing back in the hole again, they noticed it was even shallower than before. Only 60 feet down a large pile of dirt had built up. All the mud had dried out since their last visit.


----------



## howandwhy99

_OP DJF_
_Kilnstone Abbey_
_Silverton Falls_
_Margrave County_

_Sunday, Jinto 1_

*α*

_Father, it is with grave news I write to you this letter. There are certain forces at work in our world, which I fear greatly. Numerous tragedies have befallen the lands and peoples around me and now I fear for the very lives of all our family and flock. The home my companions and I sheltered within and protected was destroyed. The edifice below proved a dark and insidious trap. Like the seed of a venomous lie it corrupted the lands and skies around it. Nurturing wickedness in the hidden darkness of buried earth, it spread its hollow deceit until it collapsed upon itself and the secrets within forevermore. My friends and I were fortunate to escape before we too were perpetually crushed. Alas, our homestead’s doom was certain when the ground opened as a maw and swallowed it whole. _

_The Fates’ string of triple misfortune did not end with one loss. Three days ago, our honorable lady matron was stolen. Fire and chaos played their part when spies masquerading as learned teachers of a holy order proved their true identities as assassins and torchers. Several neighbors died in the flames and one large home was lost. It is my belief the current master shepherd, which I spoke to you of in my previous letter, was burst asunder by a chaotic curse. Working in concert with the impostors was a creature of terror so frightening as to stop the heart and mind of every soul. A lizard with wings like a bat and scales of a darkness beyond a fire’s light. Divine vision was upon the shepherd as I saw a goodly light shining above his home. This light gives me hope of a blessed end and not the lie of illusion. _

_The third calamity is my own to bear. The shepherd’s good son was also killed in the raid. With no other shepherd I find myself as sole tender of the flock. I fear for their safety and humbly ask for another man of faithful heart to relieve me of this position. Every lamb needs food here, so I will continue to provide what I can. But obligations of larger importance call me away now. My friends and I seek a greater wealth for all our neighbors. We believe we know of such a treasure in some caverns of the nearby wilds. Fierce creatures lair within and offer us our deaths, if we be not careful. Please pray for us and for this fortune to be won for us all. Look for me in the stars above, if I do not write again._

_One last piece of news, a wholly real mouse was taken on as a pet by my companions. It behaves quite like some familiar fey creature always larking bout. While playful indeed, it has also proved quite the advisor on good cheeses. I am sorry to say, his brother is lost and we cannot find him. I hope to show it to you when we meet again. _

_I hasten to add, please use all expediency in finding another shepherd for our flock. Stinging nettles surround our fields and I could not bear to lose another lamb, which stumbled into danger. _

_Your Faithful Son,_

_F. Benedict S._

*Ω*


----------



## howandwhy99

Oddly, game was absent from the surrounding land too. Wolf tracks were found pacing along the side of the pit. Given the steepness of the pit walls, Dram suggested a wolf might have been trapped inside before being buried alive. It was not a pleasant thought. No one rappelled to the bottom this time. A campsite was set up in the woods edge for sleeping that night. Again, no one wanted to brave the forest once darkness had fallen. The druidess moved out into the trees and started singing softly. The wind whistled through the trees. “The wind flows through the trees giving you a warning sometimes. These will be safe to sleep under for tonight,” informed Holly. Ben was getting a weird feeling about what she was up to. His brain hurt just thinking about it. He was pretty sure the Old Faith had demons and devils in it, but he was not positive. 

Watch was posted. There were ten in the group now for five pairings. The ground had dried to a hard crust, but rest came quickly. At some point Dalin shook Ben awake. He and Kayla were quietly rousing everyone. Wolf calls could be heard in the distance and they were getting closer. “Get into the trees!” Dalin whispered. So everyone began climbing up into the branches of the larger trees. Below a large pack of wolves approached and started sniffing the ground. Holly barked loudly down at them and started growling. The large center wolf started growling back. Ben wondered if they would eat him first or last. He decided to light a torch just in case. 

“Go away!” said Holly in the wolf-tongue. “We are much to dangerous for you!” The pack leader stared back at her. “You know us. You speak to us. We are hungry. We will eat small food. Give us one.” It moved below Darius’s tree. Holly denied him. “Then we eat this small food,” it said moving below Mirel. “You will go or we will burn you and all your pack,” Holly replied. “My friends will make powerful magic. And you will all die.” The pack leader stepped away and stared back into Holly’s unflinching eyes. “You not safe,” it barked and took off running away from them. Father Ben had no idea what Holly had accomplished with all her growling and barking, but he let go of the breath he had been holding when the wolves left. “Whatever she is, she is no Holly go lightly,” he concluded.

Climbing back down watches passed with a raised sense of alertness. When Dram touched Ben’s shoulder to wake him for his turn, the cleric gasped with a look of terror in his eyes. He had been having a nightmare. As Ben moved to the fire and looked out into the trees he tried to remember what he had been dreaming about. For some reason he simply could not remember. It was all blocked out, but now that he was awake he did realize he had been having nightmares for the past few nights. He seemed to forget everything once the sun rose. But now he recalled waking from nightmares more and more; the same nightmare he believed. He felt lightheaded and pain throbbed behind his temples. Trying to take his mind off the pain, Ben stood up and walked the small perimeter during his watch with Ormand the Redd. “…to stay awake,” he had told the younger man. 


*[DAY 70 – Moonday, Jinto 2nd, CY 81]*

An irritating itching on Ben’s neck woke him up. Slapping and scratching, he realized he was covered in crawling, biting bugs and gnats. The smell of death pervaded the entire area. “Get up. We need to find the river to clean off,” instructed Darius. A few members felt nauseous and ran off into the clearing by the pit. The others collected the gear and pulled it out of the awful stinking area. They tried to shake the insects off of everything. Dram spotted buzzards circling overhead. “We should not stay here any longer,” he stated flatly. The large birds were circling to the Southeast primarily. Dram, Holly, and Igor went into the woods hiking to find out what was going on. After traveling for what seemed a full mile they found the carcass of a large, dead bear. “The dryad’s companion?” Igor inspected the corpse. It was three days dead. Dram climbed a tree and noticed they were near the Quesquaton cave’s hill, which was next to the Chaos Caves. They returned to the main group and gave their report.


----------



## howandwhy99

“Three days ago would have been the night of the attack,” said Darius. Kayla spoke up too. “Remember, the morning after the attack I was supposedly contacted by Elion. He said he was in these woods. He wanted us to come out here. I think we may have been lured into a trap.” She pulled out and petted the real Elion now in rat form. “We should be careful,” said Ben. “Perhaps it would be wise to head back to the keep?” Darius turned and looked at the white rat. He asked it about his missing brother and if he had seen him the night of his transformation. The little creature seemed to shrug as its only response. The three scouts lead the team back to the bear carcass. It smelled of death and decay. Igor arrived late as he was trailing behind to wipe clean the group’s tracks. He had noticed the Druidess left no tracks at all. Igor was slightly perturbed about the disadvantage that put him in if ever events came to a bad end. “And they always do,” he thought. 

The others confirmed the bear was the dryad’s defender. Ogre-sized tracks led from the death scene toward the southeast; the direction of the Chaos Caves. Stuffing their ears in case they ran into a very angry dryad, they followed the footprints. When they arrived at the dryad’s grove they saw her fallen tree had been hacked up. Saw blades, hatchets, and even fire had killed the tree. No woman was to be found. Holly felt hollowness all around her. To Father Ben, she looked as if she would cry. Igor examined the tree and the cuts. Discretely he filled an entire vial full of sap from the wounds. The large footprints met in the grove with several booted tracks, which they believed belonged to another group of orcs like the ones they had originally fended off. The team unplugged their ears and cautiously moved closer. 

Drawing weapons, they moved in formation for battle. Fearing another ambush Dram scouted ahead, but only a few yards in front of the main group. The tracks had formed a simple path through the underbrush leading back to the horseshoe hill. Ironically, Dram recognized it as the trail they had originally blazed. Ahead the kobold and goblin sentry post was spotted. Igor, Dram and Dalin snuck up on it. As they approached they saw a human skeleton with arrows sticking through its ribcage had been hung over the blind. No other creatures were in sight as they cautiously searched the area. Dalin noticed an old metal shield propped against a nearby oak. It had Common lettering on it, but none of the three scouts were literate enough to read the words. Going back they brought forward the rest of the party. Ben read the shield: “It says ’STAY OUT’. I think they don’t want us here. We should go around and approach from a different side, preferably the far side so they don’t see or suspect us coming.”

Igor reached out and pulled the skeleton to cut it down. WHOOSH! He flew through the air as a rope pulled tight around his legs and hefted the chef high into the air. At the same time, stones flew from the tree that had bent down and into the metal shield leaning nearby. Klak-lak-lak-lak-lak. The clattering stones completed a makeshift alarm system. Some took off running back they down the trail, while others cut Igor down (making sure not to set off another trap). Back at the downed tree only half the party was collected. They headed north to the Quesquaton cave, their usual rendezvous point. Once every member was accounted for they decided to enter the cave and think of another plan. “Remember the pit!” Dram called out as they approached the old cave’s mouth. Dram scouted the entrance again marking the edges of the pit as Igor was relegated to covering tracks again. Sitting inside, they chewed down cold food, while contemplating how they were going to attack the caves.

Darius pulled out his map and the others gathered around. They decided to approach from the south, which was the far side from the one they normally approached and from their current position in the black hill. More lookouts would likely be posted, so the scouts would be on point again and cautious not to engage anything. Finished planning, the team looped around to the east and down the riverside until they were south of they chaos cave hill. Then they cut west until they could see inside the hill’s ravine on it west side. The scouts spied into the interior, hoping to see anything walking or out of the ordinary. Daylight lit the whole area and nothing moved within. The goblin cave to their left was now boarded up with logs. None of the caves had smoke coming from them. Dropping back they consulted the map again and tried to point to the smoking cave from the previous trip, which Darius believed belonged to the orcs. Kayla advised fighting the orcs as they may have the answers to their questions about Zelligar. She believed the orcs were remnants of his old cult.


----------



## howandwhy99

Igor asked to lead the attack. He believed he could sneak in unseen and find out exactly where the orcs laired. Pulling out a potion he said, “no one’ll see me see?” Darius and Kayla agreed and the team crept to the bottom of the south prong and then to the top of its crest. No resistance or guard was found. They all hid and peered over to the inside. There was still no change. Igor downed his potion and vanished, just as the dragon above the temple had. Darius pointed to the cave marked “I” on his map and whispered to into the air, “Try this one first.” The grass and fallen leaves rustled as Igor left them. He snuck as silently as possible down the slope to the cave Darius had indicated. To his right was another cave level to it. Large pieces of broken bones lay in a pile outside of it. Igor remembered the cave Kayla had told him of marked “man-eater”. Another idea popped into that unusual mind of his. Sneaking over to the bones, he took out another vial and covered them with its sweet smelling contents.

Moving to the orc cave, Igor looked and listened inside. The interior was pitch black and there were no noises. But as he waited patiently, he believed he could hear breathing. Still invisible, Igor returned and reported. The whole team tiptoed down the slope to the front of the “I” cave. Darius looked into the darkness and saw an empty four-way junction of bricked tunnels a few yards inside. Torches were lit and weapons drawn. Kayla, Holly and Ormand the Redd, all good at ranged attacks, were to cover the rear in case the other caves sent reinforcements. Darius entered alone, but unknown to him Igor had already snuck inside. Still invisible, Igor felt his way past the intersection and down the middle passage. It turned right and after several feet he felt a door along the left-hand wall. He bent down to listen to it. Darius stood in the intersection looking in each direction. The right passage turned after right again after only a few yards. The middle one turned right as well. Turning to the left tunnel he heard a cry. The room beyond was full of orcs standing up and grabbing weapons. “Attack!” he yelled.






The fighting team outside rushed in lighting up the space. They found Darius charging into the left tunnel. Two slain orc bodies had fallen in his wake, but a dozen more fully armored orcs pressed him from the room beyond. Dram and Dalin took up positions behind him to hold the oncoming force in the smaller tunnel. Igor heard stomping behind the door he listened at. Ducking to his right, he caught the scent of pig and ale as creatures filed out of the room. It was lucky for him they were headed to the combat and not in his direction. Mirel was the first to see the reinforcements arrive through the center tunnel. Each fired bows and one of the arrows hit Brother Ben in the arm. Darius ran out from the front line to heal him. Pax and Mirel moved to block the center tunnel to keep Dram and Dalin from being outflanked. Pax dropped the archer in front of him with a single blow. Mirel still had only a torch to defend herself. The noisome howling from the orcs was returned from the empty and undefended right tunnel. 

Healed now, Ben took Mirel’s place as she and Darius stood in anticipation of a third force of orcs. The wait was not long. In the midst of another dozen armored orcs, a strange female was dressed in bones and feathers growled authoritatively. The orc running in their lead slipped past Darius and pushed Mirel to the ground. Taking a full swing, it scored Dalin’s full plate. Ben pulled back from his position trying to retrieve some bandages and help the fallen. Seeing the holes in the lines, Dalin cried out “Pull back!” Dalin and Dram did just that, but Pax was stranded while he grappled with several of the archers. Darius grabbed Ben and Mirel and pulled them out of the intersection and towards the exit. Seeing another opening, Dalin charged over to the right tunnel to cover the three. He was quickly surrounded like Pax and the battle and all sense of battle lines were lost. 

Once the orcs had stopped running past him, Igor decided to explore a little farther down the tunnel while he still was invisible. Walking with his arms extended to either side he came to a dead end. He tried looking for a latch or a secret portal, but it was too difficult in the dark. He hurried back to the corner to spy on the battle. More than ten orcs had their backs to Igor in the tunnel in front of him. He could see no way to slip through without being noticed. As he searched for his companions he noticed Pax being held by three of the monsters. The others in the front were switching to axes instead of bows. Then Igor noticed Dalin charging from his right to his left and down into a side passage. Suddenly, all lights were extinguished and he was lost in darkness. “I think I can get me out of this, but the rest of those poor fools…”


----------



## howandwhy99

*CHARACTER ADDENDUM*
[SBLOCK]Our player roster has changed slightly since beginning the story. Here is list of characters and players at around this point and time in the story. Further updates will be posted as needed.

CHARACTERS
Brother Ben – howandwhy99
Dalin - JoeBlank
Darius – skrayper
Dram – loki44
Holly – no profile
Igor - biorph
Kayla – no profile
Mirel – AllanyaKT

HIRELINGS
Ormand the Redd – working for Dram

FOLLOWERS
Pax – following Darius

TempPC
Cyrus the Black – by yours truly

REFEREE
Our fearless leader – Diaglo

PS: Session 9 ran a little long because of all the action. It’s amazing what is jammed into 6 hours of time. The next installments should have fewer posts apiece.
[/SBLOCK]


----------



## howandwhy99

[sblock]I don't want this to drop off the Storyhour's default list (only a month long). Here is something to tide you over. More story is being written. Expect some more posts in a week maybe two.[/sblock]

*Cyrus the Black's Background*

A dwarf, Cyrus normally walks about with his axe hooked at his side or over one shoulder. His dull gray field plate covers him completely from neck to toe with his bare bald head sticking out from the top. A full, deep, red beard covers where any insignia would normally be on his chestplate and the kite shield strapped to his forearm is unpainted.

Originally, Cyrus was banished from the Dwarven Kingdoms at a very young age. He was constantly getting into trouble for not following directions, even moreso than other young dwarves. After breaking so many laws his father declared him a nuisance to the Family, he failed to pass his initiation into manhood. Not wanting to remain subservient for another long year, he stole one of the locked stone boxes from the Clerics of the hold and fled. Ironically, as he begged and scrapped for survival in the human lands, Cyrus sold the very same stone box he had never managed to open. 

Wanting to have nothing more to do with his dwarven heritage he took an alias of the human, a God of the sun to prove his willingness to live above ground. But his troublesome luck and gruff attitude have stuck with him in the human lands. Over the years he has done a variety of things to get a bit of gold coin. Having only brawn and battle skills with which to barter, most of what he has done is less than honorable. 

Now an aging mercenary who is perennially down on his luck, Cyrus has lived most of his life in a culture which has no place for him. He was part of the Broken Horn mercenaries until about one year ago, when the entire company was either captured or killed. All except him, that is. Fortune smiled on him that day when nature called and he missed the attack. Or so he told himself. Actually he had hid in the outhouse hole trembling in fear after accidentally leading the County’s troops to the company’s hideout. Vowing revenge on the “heroes” who had brought his friends to “justice”, Cyrus has been hunting his arch-enemies for last several months.. 



			
				Diaglo said:
			
		

> _He has spent the past 3 days observing the orcs. They have taken prisoners from other caves and brought them to this one. Now with battle joined you've gone to check out what's inside._


----------



## howandwhy99

*[Session 10]*

Cyrus hated surprises.  They meant bad luck normally.  This time however it seemed the surprise was working in his favor.  After three days of waiting, battle was finally joined and without him in it. He hoped his small form would go unnoticed during the frenzy.  Leaving his hiding spot and climbing up the hillside, Cyrus bypassed the lower caves.  As Cyrus neared the entrance he was aiming for he noticed two strange women watching him.  One was covered in leaves.  The other wore dark robes and held a sling in one hand.  “This is a hell of a place to meet womenfolk”, he thought.  After nearly slipping on a small pile of wet bones he reached the cave mouth and looked inside.  His map showed three rooms to the left, but he did not trust the source he bought it from.  Turning right instead he came to another intersection.  A flight of stairs led up to his left and another down to his right.  Taking a wild guess he chose down.  

Kayla ran back into the cave entrance were Darius was standing over Mirel and Ben.  The girl looked a little worse for wear, but Father Ben seemed as out of sorts as usual.  Dram was fighting an orc farther inside.  The creature seemed partially immersed in an unnatural black shadow.  The darkness covered the entire area in front of them and intersection beyond.  Ormond the Redd came over, helped Mirel up, and started firing into the blackness and hopefully orcs beyond.  “Darius, there is another dwarf here.  He ran into the ‘man-eater’ cave.  The one marked ‘H’.  Here.”  She pointed at the map.  Darius looked up at Kayla.  “Is he an enemy or an ally?”  She thought for a second, “Well, he looked rather unkempt.  And he just ignored me before running into the cave, so I would say neither.”  “We have more important things to worry about.” Darius responded.  “Is there anything you can do about this infernal shadow?”  Kayla shook her head.  Frustrated, Darius raised his hammer and rushed into the darkness to find his friends.  Kayla ran back to Holly outside to keep lookout.  “We’ve really stirred up a hornet’s nest now”, she told her.  

Cyrus descended thirty feet clanking as quietly as he could in his old plate armor.  The stair opened into a square room with a single orc inside.  It ran at him swinging a sword, but before it could scream Cyrus brought down his axe and cut its face in two.  It slumped to the floor dead.  Cyrus surveyed the room.  There was a metal door with barred windows to the left and an identical one to the right.  No other exits could be seen.  “Lucky so far”, the thought.  He jumped and grabbed the bars and pulled his face up to the right door’s window.  Inside he saw a row of humanoids.  A burly gnoll was in front, but humans, goblins and more were behind it.  Each was manacled with arms above their heads to a chain along the ceiling.  The chain lead from the top of the door he hung on to the far end of the deep hallway-like prison cell.  

The darkness was unlike any Darius had ever known.  He felt as if he had been blindfolded and asked to fight.  He gritted his teeth.  He was feeling up to the challenge.  He knew only Pax and Dalin wore plate armor like himself.  All the orcs he had seen had been wearing mail, so Darius swung his hammer into anything with the slightest give.  There were fewer foes than he had expected in the magical darkness.  It took a couple of minutes, but he eventually found Pax.  The mountainous man was grappling with several furry paws holding him to the ground.  Darius began pounding on what fingers he could find.  

Dalin gathered his courage and kept stepping forward until he was out of the darkness.  He had felt confident in his new stylish armor, but was beginning to regret his rash decision.  Keeping the darkness to his back and a wall to one side he managed fend off the orcs from completely surrounding him.  Unfortunately, the three he faced were determined foes started swinging their swords against his armor.  Further down the hall he spotted the female shamaness.  She had an evil glint in her eye as she watched him being beaten.  “Help!” he cried out to the darkness behind him.  Dalin had decided it was about time for his own reinforcements.  “HELP!”  Charging into the orcs in front of him, he tried plowing his way to the shamaness. “If she dies, so does the darkness”, he thought.  But the female stepped back behind a bend in the tunnel and more reserve orcs ran forward to face him.  Five began bashing on his armor as he tried to block their blows.  One punctured, then another.  As he fell to the floor Dalin entered his own realm of darkness.


----------



## howandwhy99

Cyrus moved to the other prison cell door.  Pulling himself up, he saw two humans in front with more humanoids lined up behind them.  The front human was brawny and covered in thick black hair.  The other looked enfeebled. Unfortunately, they were not who he was looking for, but he pulled on the door anyways.  “This has got to be done quickly”, he thought to himself.  Not surprisingly, the door was locked.  He found the keys on the dead orc’s body along with a coin pouch and dagger.  Opening the door all the prisoners inside lurched forward a step.  It was then he noticed the prisoners’ ceiling chain was locked to the door’s interior just above the window.  Cyrus tried several keys before he found the right one for the chain.  “Move! Move!” he said to the two humans in front.  They walked their manacles off the hanging chain and slumped to the floor in exhaustion.  A goblin behind them tried to move itself off to, but Cyrus kicked it back.  Locking the chain to the door again he checked down the line: all humanoids, some were orcs even.  

Cyrus turned back to the exhausted human slaves on the floor.  
"Pendra... and Certa... still live..." gasped the brawny human in front.
"YES! My enemies will pay for what they have done!"  Cyrus called out in triumph.
He used the keys he found on the dead orc’s body to unlock the humans’ manacles.  Then he brandished his bloodied axe in their faces.  "NEVER CROSS ME!" he threatened.  Turning back Cyrus began cutting the heads off of the hobgoblins, goblins, kobolds, and other strange creatures squirming along the slave chain.

Realizing the desperateness of his situation, the invisible Igor began dodging through the horde of orcs in the hall before him.  It was difficult as he was essentially blind, so when he bumped into one he pushed it aside roughly and grunted loudly.  Then he ran a few more steps forward.  By the time he made it past three orcs on the left side of the tunnel he could hear others stumbling into each other.  Now they seemed to be arguing with themselves instead of waiting to fight his friends.  After another push and darting step, Igor was practically charging down the hallway.  Tripping and falling, he tumbled over some hairy figures and what felt like one very small orc, which had fallen to the ground.  Trying to keep his speed and direction, he eventually stepped right out into daylight.  Dram was swinging his sword towards Igor’s head.  The large man managed to stop himself just in time.  “Where did you come from?”  Igor looked down at himself.  He was visible again.

Darius listened to the orcs growling in the darkness.  The pitch of battle seemed to have quieted however.  Pax was still conscious, but struggled with an orc bear-hugged in his arms.  Feeling up to the creature’s head, Darius shattered its skull with his hammer.  “Pax.  It’s Darius.  Can you stand?  We need to move out of this blindness.”  Pax agreed and the two crawled along the floor trying to find an exit.  Something fell on top of Darius flattening him to the ground, but it scrambled away before he could hit it in return.  Determined to have some payback, Darius led Pax after the attacker.  The two crawled out into the sunlit entranceway.  He saw Dram pushing Igor out of the way.  “Where is he?” the paladin growled.  Mirel answered. “Darius! Dalin is still in there!”  The dwarf helped Pax to his feet. Father Ben pulled out bandages for them as Dram and Igor moved into positions in front of the darkness.  “He was shouting. Down towards the right.”  Mirel pleaded.  “But now he’s stopped!”

Darius nodded.  He understood.  Ormand the Redd was ordered to cease firing into the cave.  The arrows shooting out at them had stopped a few minutes ago.  Darius needed a volunteer to go back in and find Dalin with him.  He also asked for possible escape plans, “before this madness gets any worse.”  “We can leave in me packsack. I move fastest.” Igor answered.  Darius fixed his gaze on him.  “That should work.  But Holly will lead the way.  And no one leaves until I get back!”   With that, Darius ran into the blackness alone trailing his right hand along the caveside.   Dram lit a torch and ran after him.  After only a few steps around the right-hand corner Darius could see again with his darkvision.  Three orcs were picking over Dalin’s body.  Blood pooled beneath it.  Upon seeing him, they stood up and growled down the otherwise empty hall.  Dram moved up from behind Darius and lit up the room.  The orcs rushed at them and wailed.  Their howling was soon joined from all directions.


----------



## howandwhy99

Telling the foolish humans to keep their mouths shut, Cyrus moved to the second doorway. Time seemed to be rushing by and he wondered when an orc guard would be checking in on them. Opening the second door, he was faced with another problem. The gnoll in front was very tall and looked very angry. “Simple enough”, thought Cyrus. Cutting the heads off the humanoids, he counted only three blood-splattered humans when he finished. He gave them the same warning as the first two. Then he led each off the slave chain and shut back the door and locked it. Ordering the brawny human to help, the orc guard’s body was dragged back into the first jail cell and that door was closed and locked as well. “Okay. We are getting out of here. But you have to listen to me. Don’t say anything. And maybe we’ll be all right. Now hold hands.” Cyrus led the five humans up the stairs. They were breathing as loud as forge bellows in his ears. Coming to the corner he spied around into the darkness. 

Darius killed one orc by smashing its mouth in with his hammer. The other two stopped howling and raised their shields with the cracked skull emblem upon up to their faces. Dram pressed his attack clashing swords, while a second orc retreated in fear back down the tunnel. Darius bent down to examine Dalin. Thor’s healing power had already been given to another that day. “BEN!” Darius expected a whole patrol of orc troops through the darkness at any moment. Fortunately, Father Ben’s form appeared first. He put his hands on Dalin’s body and started praying. A golden healing light transferred from the priest’s body to the broken fighter’s. Dram was in a lather as he began pummeling the last orc with his torch hand. Dazing it, he ran it through with his longsword. Then Dram swiftly turned back, picked up Dalin’s body, and ran off into the magical darkness. Darius led Father Ben out as the cleric groped around to see. Dram had left with the only torch.

Outside in the entranceway, Igor was trying to convince people to hop into his backpack. Dram dumped Dalin’s body inside and Ben was pushed in after it. Others started following them. Kayla came back running from the hillside. She said to Darius, “The dwarf has returned. He is running up to the top of the hill. And he is leading five naked men behind him.” “Good for him”, replied Darius. “Let’s get out of here before anyone else dies.” Igor asked Kayla why none of the orcs had attacked since he had begun guarding the entrance. He could still hear dozens of orcs howling. The team could not have killed but a handful of them. Kayla suggested the orcs might be scared of the dark. It seemed silly to Igor, but Darius the Dwarf agreed with her. The funny man giggled uncomfortably.

Moving out of the cavern and onto the hill, the rest of the group climbed into Igor’s sack. Only he and Holly were left. They ran as fast as they could southward up, over, and down the other side of the hilltop. Cutting a quick path back to the left, they eventually reached the Greenwillow River again. After a short hike, they reentered the Quasquaton cave and removed the party only after reaching the tunnel’s collapsed end. Father Ben had bandaged Dalin’s body while in the bottom of the pack and now he poured two doses of healing juice down the man’s throat. According to Ben, Dalin was still alive, but hovering on the edge of death. 

Having spent the night out in the woods, plenty of daylight was left to travel. Father Ben suggested moving Dalin to Keep Margrave as quickly as possible. Though his friend was in dire shape, Ben believed the cavern might actually continue to collapse. “And we can use Igor’s sack. I’ll ride along inside, while the rest of you walk back. You know, to watch the body.” The others agreed. Their three scouts, Igor, Holly, and Dram, led them down the hill and back to the remains of Outpost Xavier. Igor brushed their tracks away as they walked. Upon reaching the road, Holly walked alongside in the brush again. The rest took their chances on the road, but were fortunate as no other travelers were met along the way. 

When they came within sight of the Keep everyone began climbing into Igor’s pack. Holly asked if she could stay outside the town again. She preferred to rest in the woods. Darius agreed to it. Alone, Igor snuck along the hillside surrounding Keep Margrave. He found the secret tunnel he had explored without Mouse’s knowledge. After crawling for what an entire hour, he exited into the basement of the supply store. Once inside the temple he pulled the others out. They were all relieved to be home. As night fell, some left to attend to their proper duties and chambers within the Keep. Dram and Mirel stayed with Dalin as he slept the rest of the evening. Father Ben meditated in private. Igor slipped off to attend to his own agenda. The day’s heat cooled as the sun set and the stars came out for the night.


----------



## howandwhy99

*[DAY 71 – Feastday, Azer 3rd, CY 81]
– [DAY 79 – Weddingday, Azer 11th, CY 81]*

When Ben woke up the next morning he noticed Mirel and Dram snoozing in beds near Dalin. Ben attempted again to heal the sick man again with his prayers, but the divine energies were no longer enough. Dalin’s body was whole, but his heart and soul needed time to recuperate. Ben knew the feeling well. Pounding came from the rear door. Igor rushed inside. “The Dwarf ‘s collectin’ ever’body. Follow me.” Dram and Mirel were woken and they all walked down to the Keep’s front entrance and bailey tower. Captain Darius and Lord Ratcliffe were standing in front of another dwarf and five nude men. The watchguard were doing there best to cover them with clothes. 

“Then hail to you Good Cyrus of the Dwarves.  You are a Hero here in Margrave.”  
Lord Ratcliffe paused and looked to his left. “Meet Captain Darius the ... uh... Champion of the Dwarfs. Perhaps you know each other?” 
Ormand, Kayla, Ben, and the others approached.  
“And these are his worthy Companions” Ratcliffe swept his arm around nearly hitting Dram in the face. The team examined the dwarf. He wore full plate, but Darius saw it was not dwarven made. It was a dull grey. Igor noticed the pricey dagger at his side. It was easily finer than any blade he had ever seen. And Igor considered himself a connoisseur. Kayla remembered Cyrus immediately. He still looked exactly the same as when she saw him at the Chaos Caves. Only the dagger was new.

“’s there a reward?” Cyrus mumbled out.   
“Yes! Of course!” Radcliff said.  “The joy in your heart for five lives rescued!”  
Cyrus harrumphed and walked away into town.  
“Well that was strange” said Ratcliffe.  
“Yes, it was” replied Darius.  
The group began questioning the five escapees. Their feet were cut up and bodies covered in dirt. Only the large, muscular one would speak. He said his name was Reynaldo. He was not the first one in the caves to be captured, but he had been inside for several weeks. When asked about Cyrus his eyes grew wide. He started repeating “He... saved us”. Reynaldo looked in the direction Cyrus the dwarf walked off in. From that point on the group could get little more out of him. 

For the next eight days Dalin slumbered. As Ben and the others prayed for his recovery, each spent the time to his or her best advantage. Darius, Dram, Pax, and Ormand the Redd all trained in swordsmanship with Lord Ratcliffe. For a Lord, he seemed to have quite a bit of free time. One day during training he mentioned how he had found a huge map of the County. It was built into a large table which had been turned upside down in his room. He was very proud to have found it. Dram started sketching it as best he could. Seeing his students were so interested, Radcliffe handed them a slim book to read. “Here. This was found underneath the table. It is of little use to me. I’ve already read the story. Terribly few pictures I’m afraid. I just need to return it to Lady Devereaux when you’re done.” Darius paged through the journal. It was actually a ledger with notes on all the items bought, sold, and traded by the Keep. The past few years of the Keep’s activities and procedure were all logged within. Darius thanked Ratcliffe. “It is nothing. You are in charge of the Keep’s guard you know. Work hard. Don’t dawdle.” 




*Click map for a larger version*

In her Advisor’s room, Kayla examined the ledger Darius shown her. She saw nothing unusual or strange about it and gave it back. She actually was busy studying her spells and had almost no free time to talk. She kept her door shut and muffled whenever the others fought with practice swords with Radcliff. Father Ben during his time had not yet even entered Father Hedrach’s old chambers in the temple. Though, as new head priest they were meant for Ben. The stonemasons were finishing off the brickwork around the office and the roof would soon be laid too. In the meantime, Ben prayed each day in the meditation chambers below in order to create six holy water vials. When he was not praying he watched over Dalin. Igor chose to spend his nights in Mouse’s shop as the little man had still not returned. After moving the others hardly saw him at all. Dram spotted him at one point talking with a few travelers at the front gate who were looking for an Inn to spend the night at. The original was still barren and charred, but repairs were slowly underway. Mirel also saw Igor as she practiced her hiding. She noticed he was spending a lot of time with Kayla again in her room. It did not seem unusual to her any longer and since no one asked she did not bother to tell anyone. Besides, Mirel found it impossible to hear through the door. Bored with Dalin being asleep and already knowing the good hiding spots in the Keep, Mirel fell back into her old habits and started living at home with her family again.


----------



## howandwhy99

On Sunday a makeshift tavern was set up in the intact portion of the old Inn to drum up more money for repair costs. Dram made it a point to heartily patronize the worthy cause. From the other drinkers he heard news about a group of woodsmen lost in the Forest. As best he could determine the woodsmen had gone to cut logs in the Greenwillow two months ago and none had been seen since. Dram wondered how far in the wood they could have traveled. He pressed for any other rumors which had spread. Unfortunately, his drinking companions turned sour. According to one “those do-gooder Rangers Pendra and Certa met their match in the mountains.” Dram punched his mug into the drunk’s face. Blood and mead sprayed out. Come morning Dram decided not to go back to the tavern for awhile.

On the ninth morning, Weddingday, Dalin finally awoke much to everyone’s relief. Captain Darius called a meeting in his chambers inside the inner bailey. The hired men Ormand and Pax were told to keep watch and were left to stand guard outside the room. The rest of the team watched as Darius stood up on a chair to be heard. “Many of you may remember how Dalin won my sword back at the Midsummer’s Festival.” Darius held the sword aloft. “I had sent it secretly along with a letter to the Dwarven Kingdoms to the south. Unfortunately, the assassins or bandits on the roads around the Keep must have waylaid the messenger. After much debate”, with this he looked down at Kayla “I have decided it would be wise to travel to Harling and gain Lady Margrave’s permission before calling on the Dwarves. I invite you all to travel with me.” 

He paused to read the faces watching him. Darius had said nothing about the ill rumors of dwarves spreading through the County. He had spoken to nearly every soldier in the Keep trying to gauge his status and felt himself well liked. But he knew Kayla was right about not journeying straight on to the Dwarven Nations, as he had originally desired. That trip would likely follow. He believed if he could convince the band to follow him to Harling, continuing on farther south would seem a natural. Darius urgently wished to travel home. He could feel a force tugging on his soul. Something was waiting in the southern mountains for him.

Darius spoke again. “If you remember, Lady Margrave holds the City, while we and Lord Radcliffe now hold the Keep. With Lord Margrave gone so far north to the Front, her Ladyship is left alone to watch the nobles in Harling. Now Kayla has mentioned knowing of some advisors to her Lady Margrave who might help us in convincing her to our cause. I think…” 
“I cannot go” Ben cut him off. “I sent word to Father Stauk-Flezr my superior to send a replacement for me. I know you serve the County honorably by traveling, but I simply cannot leave the good folk here without some clerical guidance. Healing is needed for the soldiers in the outposts. Wise decisions are still called upon from me by the populace.”
Darius jumped back in “It is okay, Father Ben.  Not everyone needs to come.”

“I cannot go either,” said Dram. “I have family business to take care of. With the gold I have now, I can pay off my father’s debt and release him from prison.”
Darius had Dram pull out the sketched map of Margrave County he had drawn before. He pointed out how Dram’s hometown of Hamfast could be traveled through to reach Harling, if they chose. 
“Is Clares on that thing too?” asked Dalin.  “I’ll go with, if it’s on the way.”  
Kayla stopped whispering in Igor’s ear and she stepped forward. She pointed out how while she had never been there herself, she knew Clares to be in the outskirts of Harling City. Dalin nodded his assent.

Kayla and Igor accepted the invitation without argument. Mirel was hiding along the wall when Darius’s gaze found her. She preferred to stay at the Keep she said. With the recent attacks she did not feel right leaving her family. Holly the Druidess said she would leave… but to go into the Forest, not to the City. With Barth gone from the Keep she felt her true need was in protecting Greenwillow Forest. The others were somewhat taken back. Ash she left they all said their goodbyes. Holly departed quickly and Darius turned back towards Ben. “I will do what I can to find your replacement and bring him safely back. Guard this place well. It is still our last defense against the forces in the Caves.” 
Behind them Igor was whispering to Kayla again.  He held up three fingers and ticked one off.


----------



## howandwhy99

*[DAY 80 – Thunderday, Azer 12th, CY 81]*

In the morning Father Ben helped the team prepare for their journey.  Lord Ratcliffe was with them at the gates as they loaded up all the horses.  Having learned of their departure only that morning he ordered a guardian to travel along with them.  The dirty red-bearded dwarf shambled over and introduced himself again as “Cyrus...  The Black.”  The group nodded with half smiles and gave the dwarf a horse.  He was to ride with Kayla and Igor to the west.  It was then Ben discovered the travelers would split up temporarily.  Most would go with Dram whose father lived in Hamfast to the south, while Kayla and Igor went to buy supplies in Hommlet to the west.  Both were on Dram’s map and the two roads eventually led to Holmfaust Kayla’s home.  Everyone waved goodbye and the two teams walked their horses down the winding hill as one.  It was only then Ben realized Mirel was not around to see them off.

At the bottom of the Keep’s ramp Kayla, Igor and Cyrus split off waving back to the others.  Dram took lead for the southbound crew.  Pax, Darius, Dalin, and Ormand the Redd followed beind.  The day’s journey was slow going, so Dram started asking Pax where he was from.  The huge man interested him.  Pax was easily seven feet tall and perhaps twice the weight of Dram who was considered large by most.  Perhaps it was envy which spurred him as he was now only the second strongest in the group.  Pax bellowed out simple answers in his deep voice as his horse struggled to carry him. “I am originally from the Keep, but I had just returned from my outpost when Darius hired me.”
“Ahh...” Dram paused. “How in Thor’s name did you get so... BIG?”
Pax smiled, “I don’t know.  I don’t even exercise”

Dalin thought back on his conversation with the slaves.  He had learned only yesterday about Cyrus’s involvement at the Chaos caves.  He wondered why no one had thought to ask the dwarf of his actions there.  What intrigued Dalin however, was one of the slaves.  When he heard the name Reynaldo last eve he had nearly spit up his wine. Tracking down the slaves was simple as they were still held under the protection of the watchguard.  To Dalin, Reynaldo looked the picture of a knight even in rags.  Dalin offered him his plate armor.  He apologized to Ronaldo about the scratches.  The former slave stopped him.  “No.  I am Reynaldo…not Ronaldo.  You say it wrong.  And I am not from this Claris of which you speak.  I am REYNALDO!” He beat on his chest.  Dalin thought it was simply best to agree and back away.  Perhaps he was wrong.

By mid afternoon a tower was sighted down the trail.  “Hail on the road!”
“Hail in the tower!” called back Darius.  Two youths came forward with spears in hand.  They jumped to attention when they recognized Captain Darius.  Introductions were made all around and the team settled into the small tower.  Outpost Bayer was a great deal more comfortable than Xavier ever was.  Dalin suspected the other twenty-four were too.  The tower militia brushed down their horses and prepared what food they had.  The team simply let them run around while they tried to impress Darius.  They decided to camp in Bayer for the night.  No one knew how far Hamfast was and the map had no measurements.  In the evening, Dalin introduced some of Outpost Bear’s soldiers to dicing.  He won ten coppers before sleep got the better of him.

Cyrus was pleased simply not to have to walk.  It had been many a year since he owned a horse.  He was determined not to sell his newly won dagger for coin just yet. Of the two he traveled with the bug-eyed man looked dull enough, but the woman in robes had a refined look about her.  Not to mention a rather large purse on her belt.  He did not think it wise to ask where they were headed, but he did inquire when he had to give back the horse.
“Oh?  Never. It is yours to keep” the woman responded.
Cyrus peed himself a little when he heard her.  “By Gods I’ve found me the Motherload!” he thought to himself.


----------



## howandwhy99

The hours passed slowly. Getting bored out of his skull just riding along Cyrus tried counting the trees along the roadside. Before long he realized he was sleeping. He could hear the clip clop of the horses’ feet and also a man’s voice.
“Something we ought to consider getting is a cask of Dargon's Breath...or two... maybe something stronger if it's available. If we don't have explosives it seems like the next best thing.”
Cyrus’s eyes popped open. “Ya don’t happen to have any with ya right now, do ya?”
The man’s eyes cut back to the dwarf, but then he smiled toothily.  “Nay.  We jus’ needin’ ta be tallyin’ our order.”  
Then the woman asked Cyrus to ride point a few yards up ahead. He had a feeling it was more of an order then a request. Looking around he lamented the fact there were no more trees about. The three had exited the forest while he slept.

By dinnertime Cyrus had built up quite an appetite. The hand of luck was smiling on him though as a small village appeared around the bend. To his right some massive building was being constructed out of stone. “Poor job of it”, he thought. Other buildings were wooden and scattered about amidst several trees. The road curved toward their center. As the trio passed the locals, some of them gave Cyrus the Evil Eye. He had seen it before in Margrave, but it seemed to be more popular of late. Cyrus reached a split in the road and halted. He knew of the Inn on his right. A square wooden sign showing a buxom and smiling girl holding a flagon of beer stood beside it. 
“The Welcome Wench.  Looks t’ be the only place in town.”  
The others stopped too. “You reserve us three rooms while I-gore and I make our purchases. Then stay until we return” said the woman. 
Cyrus nodded. Then she gave him four gold pieces, far more than he needed.  He did his best to keep a straight face.







The downstairs interior to the Wench had quite a few people in it for the sun being up. Cyrus counted seven not including a serving wench and potboy. 
“Bring me some ale!” he bellowed to the tall rotund man behind the counter.  “Somethin’ I won’t spit back up.”  
The serving wench seated him and started listing off all the brands and styles they had while the rest of the room looked on. Cyrus interrupted her.
“What’ve ya got that’s dwarven?”  
“There is no dwarven ale or mead as the roads south have brigands who…”
”If it ain’t Dwarven, it’s CRAP!” Cyrus said loudly.  The serving woman flinched away from him.  
“Bring me some ale anyways. What can I get fer four gold?” he said slapping his coins on the table. The bartender offered him fifty drinks of fine ale. 
“Start pourin’.”

One of the other customers approached and sat at Cyrus’s table. A lean, younger man he looked out of place with all the County troops gone to the Front. He introduced himself as Elmo and asked about what Cyrus was doing in Hommlet. “Just passin’ through”, he said. Cyrus did not feel much like talking, but the other man seemed not to notice. He talked up the little town and introduced the others in the room too: Ostler the fat barkeep, Spoon-wah in nondescript clothes, Turko and Zert in furs and armor, Danny, boy but almost a man, and someone else in a farmer’s get up. Cyrus pretended to pay attention and asked for more ale. He was enjoying the fun of drinking the Inn under. It had been many a day since he had gorged himself so. 

Elmo went on about how traffic was slow due to bandits on the road. He seemed pretty interested on whether or not Cyrus had met with any. The Spugnoir fellow asked if he was an adventurer. Cyrus told him he was simply a dwarven warrior like in the stories. The funny man offered him a contract to go exploring in a run down estate out of town, “to find the lost gold there. And treasures beyond your imagination. Jewels. Weapons. Books.” A few of the others in the room took notice; the two in furs especially.
“Books?” Cyrus looked dubiously at the thin Spoonwa, “that’s not treasure.”
“What about a book that contained every word in the entire language?  What of that, hmm?” said Spoonwah.
Cyrus gulped down the rest of his ale, “that would be the longest book ever written. And a damn waste to carry with gold around.”


----------



## howandwhy99

Cyrus asked if anything actually interesting happened in Hamlet. Then he remembered he was to be on the look out for one or two people who were dangerous. Elmo told him a list of folks who had come and gone through town recently. Cyrus was well into his cups by then though. All he could remember was to tell the man and woman that their “Zerkle” had arrived the day before. By the time he dutifully finished off his fiftieth ale he was feeling fairly warm. So ignoring the others he moved closers to the fire pit and closed his eyes for a short nap.

Kayla and Igor doubled back once the dwarf entered the Inn. Igor had picked out the general store and the main reason they had split off from the others was to purchase supplies there. At least it was one of the main reasons. There was no sign, only full sacks of grain and some large wooden barrels stacked outside the door to mark the building’s purpose. Inside a wide variety of wares were set out on the floor and on shelves. It was more than Mouse had ever displayed. Haggling with the man behind the counter, a jovial fellow named Gremag, was difficult. In the end they purchased several weeks worth of cured rations for the whole team and a massive vat of lamp oil. Gremag watched as Igor declined his help with the vat and placed every item in his pack instead. Once finished Kayla and Igor split up to deal with private matters. They walked off in opposite directions as the sun set.

“Here cleric, cleric, cleric. Heeeeeere cleric.” Igor stumbled though the warren of building blocks near the unfinished temple to the northeast of town. The structure was by far the largest in Hommlet and still not complete. Ahead over a dozen elderly workers still toiled in dusk’s light while setting stone and mortar. Igor felt a tap on one shoulder. “Ack! Me bad spot.” He turned and saw a priest behind him and straightened back up. “Just an ol’cookin’ injury.” After explaining how he worked for Lord Ratcliffe in Margrave Keep “as ‘s personal chef” Igor managed to convince the cleric to sell him some healing potions, one then and one in the morning. The Father prattled on a bit and Igor’s training kicked in. He made sure to listen to every detail. Other than his name, Father John, there was not much to learn. Building was slow, but completion was within sight. Only now the priest worried the Old Faith was making a comeback. When full darkness fell Igor took his leave, but decided not to head to the Inn quite yet.

Circling around a thick grove of trees the Hommletites apparently kept well tended in the center of town, Kayla saw the sun setting on a small stone tower atop a low rounded hill. It was the place she had been told to look for. Climbing up the hillside she saw a door open in the tower above. Two men exited, one as if in a dream. “Rufus?” she called out. The one in armor waved her forward with a smile. 






Inside the tower was an expertly decorated abode designed to suit both men’s sensibilities. After introductions and pleasantries were made the conversation became more esoteric. Rufus posited a divine exculpation of mystic energies, but not arcane listing off their contrafibularities in support. Kayla listened attentively. She was back in her element of choice. Time slipped by unnoticed until the witching hour. Feeling drowsy Kayla nevertheless remembered to show the red, powdery, chalk of the Godnail to the two men. Neither knew what to make of it, but offered some potions and a scroll in exchange for a small portion. Warily they collected a pinch in a steel vial without touching it. More was promised in the future for another scroll which had not been on hand. Goodbyes were said as the night was already half passed. “Don’t be a stranger.”
“I won’t Burné.” Kayla said.  

She left and walked with a torch back toward the Inn. In the starlight she saw a skulking figure move out of the shadows. It giggled gleefully. “Igor?”
“At your service m’lady.” Igor bowed in the torchlight. The two entered into the Welcome Wench and spotted their dwarven guardian asleep upon the floor. Rousing the innkeeper they finally found a place to rest for the night.


----------



## howandwhy99

*[DAY 81 – Fastday, Azer 12th, CY 81]*

At the crack of dawn the team at Outpost Bayer loaded up their horses and began the ride to Hamfast. After only a few hours of riding Dram began to recognize the woods around him. As he had grown up in Hamfast he knew a little of the Greenwillow Forest surrounding the village. As they traveled closer and closer, Dram realized he had neither seen nor heard any residents along the way. He quieted the other four as they ate their noonday meal. When the team came to the edge of the wooded town center it looked completely deserted. They decided to dismount and approach silently on foot. Dram led Dalin and Darius, while Ormand and Pax stayed behind with the horses.

The three ducked between the trees and homes. Dram spotted a large wooden pen with at least thirty or so people in it. They crept over and whistled to those inside. The prisoners in the pen were all older men of the town. Upon seeing Dram oneee started hollering, but other men quickly quieted him. Everyone held their breath and waited. Nothing happened. Then one man approached the wall near the team. He whispered to them to crouch down and make themselves harder to see. His name was Sam. Bit by bit he explained how the town had been taken over by goblins and how they were using the villagers to dig tunnels below and forge weapons above. During the day the goblins slept in the houses to hid from the sunlight. But they had other traitorous humans routinely checking the pen.

Dram searched through the prisoners’ faces, but could not find his father. Sam said he was still in the constable’s jail because of a debt owed to the town. “What? Where’s the mayor?” Dram asked incredulously. Another prisoner explained how the mayor and sheriff had actually been working with the goblins. So were some of the other townsfolk. After seeing the rest of the town chained, whipped, and made into slaves the mayor helped lead a revolt along with some of the other original sympathizers. Unfortunately, they failed. Now every human was watched more closely by the goblins. “What happened to the mayor and the others?” asked Darius. Sam stayed quiet and no one else responded. 

Darius attempted to coax out the truth. Sam and a few of the prisoners admitted to having initially joined with the goblins. Then someone forced the mayor forward from in back of the prisoners. Frightened, he explained that the goblins were originally brought in to help create weapons for the war effort. The County desperately needed as many weapons as possible and the goblins worked for practically nothing. Only now, the goblins had taken over Hamfast. No one bothered to explain why troops from Margrave had not come to free the town yet. Sam said that no visitors ever came through, but large wagonloads of weapons were still carted out westwards towards Harling. From another prisoner, Darius learned the humans below ground were kept inside tunnels between the different houses. The humans were forced to dig these tunnels all over beneath the town.

Darius pulled his two companions back to the horses and collected Ormand the Redd and Pax. He stressed the need to be as quiet as possible. He, Pax, and Dalin removed their plate armor. Dram told the others he was leaving to go find his father. Dalin offered to help, but Dram ran off circling around to the far side of town. The other four snuck back to the prisoners’ pen. Dram ran until he was outside what he knew to be the sheriff’s home. Looking in a window he saw his father tied up inside. The building looked empty otherwise. Dram pried open the door and entered. His father stared at him in disbelief. Dram removed the gag. “Dad!” “Son!”


----------



## howandwhy99

As the two gruff men tried to hold back the tears Dram recounted what he had learned from the prisoners outside. His father confirmed the story. He also knew of much larger and hairier goblins in the tunnels below ground. They had arrived after the town was taken over. He also explained how the Skunraker Brothers were working with the goblins and had previously paid off the mayor and sheriff to allow the creatures into Hamfast. Then he cursed them for joining with the goblins after the creatures took over. With grim determination Dram pulled out his coin pouch and counted out the debt his father still owed. He left the pouch on a table in the room. Dram’s father said he had finished the armor he had been working on so long. But the buyer had never come to collect. Dram moved to leave, but his father refused to go. “I have to collect the armor. I can’t go without it.” Knowing how stubborn his father could be Dram gave in. He scouted outside first and then followed his dad to the Hammersmith family forge. See background for full story

Motioning to help, the two strained with all their might and shifted the large forge anvil to one side. In a small compartment below Dram’s father pulled out a light metal box. In it was a fine mesh of chainmail armor made of something like burnished silver. He asked Dram to put the armor on. It was now his gift to his son. Dram took off his leathers and put on the chain. He gleamed like young warrior-king. The armor was incredibly light and did not scratch him at all. His father explained that it was deceptively tough and would keep him safe. Dram pulled his leather armor back on over it and could hardly feel the fine chainmail underneath. It was difficult to tell he even had it on. At last they left to join the others and escape.

Darius had asked the prisoners to prepare for travel. But Dalin waited to open the pen door as long as he could to give Dram some time. The lock was made from steel, but the gate and pen walls were made of wood and easy enough to cut. When they finally saw Dram running toward them with his father Dalin cut open the door and started leading the prisoners out in single file. Shouts rang out from the adjoining house. Three men ran outside and straight into the awaiting Pax and Ormond. It was the sheriff and two of his lackeys. None were armed. “Not a word or you will all die” Pax threatened. The three snapped shut their mouths. Dram ran back to the sheriff’s house while the team tied up their ‘new’ prisoners. Dalin led the freed men out of town. Darius tore off some of the sheriff’s clothing and gagged him and his deputees. When Dram returned he tossed a large pouch of coins in the constable’s lap. “The debt is paid. Gil Hammersmith is free.” 

The five heroes counted themselves lucky as they mounted up and escorted the escapees north. The pace was very slow. Dram introduced his father, Gil Hammersmith, to his friends. After an hour Darius ordered the men to keep heading north until they reached Outpost Bear. He hastily scribed a note and handed it to Sam to give to the outpost commander. He told them to seek out Father Ben once they arrived at the Keep. Dram’s father decided to ride south with his son and they made a makeshift saddle for him on a packhorse. Feeling confident they turned toward Holmfaust and the rest of the team.


----------



## howandwhy99

*Posting for Saturday*

Exhausted from the long ride and events in Hamfast Darius directed the hauling of supplies to Inn’s sleeping quarters upstairs. When Kayla’s whereabouts were explained to him he started hiking to the Wizard’s tower just outside town. Some of the team followed along. Darius ordered Pax back to guard the horses. At the tower the crowd of visitors huddled in a downstairs sitting room. Kayla made introductions again. Catching the old man’s attentions Darius launched into an explanation of everything that had happened since their team had first met and started exploring Outpost Xavier and Quesquaton below. It took some time to tell as he included the details about Elion (now a rat), Marevak (his lost Elven brother), the fire, the disappearance of Lady Devereaux, the team’s new titles at the Keep, Father Ben’s absence, and the petitioning of the dwarven troops. While he did not remember every detail he did explain their tardiness due to Hamfast’s goblin infestation. 

By the time Darius had finished it was late evening and pitch black outside. Balorn was lost in thought about what he had just heard. Realizing they were in the presence of a powerful wizard the other members started asking him to examine some of the items they had found during their adventures. Waving his arms about and murmuring under his breath, Balorn examined each of the items in turn. A few were magical, but he was especially taken with Darius’s ornamental dagger, which had been found in Zelligar’s quarters. When they finally left for the evening Kayla accompanied them to the Inn. At the door her mentor handed her two books on magic to read during her journeys.

All along the walk back Darius could not help but think he had missed a number of important details in his retelling. At the stables he spied Pax and Ormand the Redd up in the loft. They were taking turns watching the horses for the night. The others were already headed upstairs to sleep. Darius saw Cyrus snoozing near the bar drenched in ale like a drowned rat. “Wait! Kayla. What did you do with the rat?” 
“I gave it to Balorn.  He is going to try and return Elion to his normal form.” She answered.
“But didn’t you say you were contacted by Elion in the forest?” Kayla nodded. “Couldn’t that message have been real? What if that rat is a spy? Or possibly even Barth?”
Kayla’s eyes went wide with realization.  Shouting and pounding on doors the entire team started assembling in ragtag fashion.

Darius reached the tower door first. He pulled on the handle, but it would not budge. Kayla was behind him and whispered something. The door flung open. Darius quickly searched inside. Finding the sitting room empty he crashed through the opposite downstairs door. Beyond was a bizarre conflagration of glasswork, shelves, and jars. Kayla was bounding up the stairs already behind him. As quick as ever Dram shot into the tower. “Upstairs!” Darius called to him. The large man stomped up as Darius followed. At the top landing was an open doorframe but within it was a plane of stars. It was like nothing Darius had ever seen before. The stars moved as if he were flying into them. Kayla was nowhere to be found.

Dram and Darius hurled themselves into the star field. Both bounced back. Pain jolted through their bodies when the touched it. Dalin climbed the stairs behind them. Below the rest of the team was trying to squeeze their way into the tower. “What in Thor’s name are we doing!?” shouted out Dram. 
“We need to save Balorn!” Darius shouted back. “The rat is not Elion. Grrr... We need to get through that door!” He pointed to the stars. Dalin tried hurling himself through and disappeared. Ormand the Redd and Pax climbed up the stairs at the same time. Darius leapt forward and closed his eyes. He was not shocked this time. Somehow he shook off the magic and tumbled to his feet on the far side. Raising his hammer high he saw Balorn, Kayla, and Dalin standing around a stinking pile of goo in the center of the room. It was much larger than the rat Darius remembered. The rest of the room had bookshelves in every wall. More books were piled in shelves and on podiums as well. 

Balorn dismissed the star field behind him. When those in the hall entered, he explained how the rat creature had not been Elion as they suspected. Balorn called it a ‘shapechanger’. He had neglected to tell them about hearing rumors of shapechanger activity of late in Margrave County. The story of Barth and the Dragon before now confirmed their meddlings. He luckily dispatched the rat before it could cause any harm. Balorn explained how the creatures were also much like rats: where there was one, more would surely be nearby. With the commotion over he handed a few more books to Kayla. These were all about shapechangers and shifters of all stripes. Then he led them out his tower. Below Balorn noticed the door to his lab broken down and glared in frustration. After everyone exited he closed the front door without a word of parting.


----------



## howandwhy99

*[DAY 82 – Holyday, Azer 14th, CY 81]
– [DAY 83 – Sunday, Azer 15th, CY 81]*

The following Holyday was spent traveling on horseback on the road to Harling. None of them had ever been to the capital of Margrave before much less a full on city. The traffic on the road was heavy with wagons and walkers. Some others were on horseback too and twice riders cantered past at a quick pace. Igor guessed these were messengers either for the militia or perhaps the nobility. More than a few faces stared at Cyrus and Darius. As dwarves they stuck out in the community of mostly humans. By the end of the day the team had reached the outskirts of the city. Houses and farmlands edged up against the road, but were mostly scattered. Igor and Dram tried to find lodging in one of them, but without luck. The team bedded down for the evening along the roadside near a fallow field. Watches were kept, but practically no one passed by during the night. 

Igor spoke with Kayla during their watch. She had not yet received word from the Circle of Mages in town. Balorn had written a letter of introduction for her and explained how she could contact the advisors. Igor confessed he had not heard word from any of his contacts either. No one along the road seemed to recognize his signs or be willing to. Kayla worried about the dwarven hatred as they entered into the city. The assassins at the Keep knew their faces. Barth, Turko, and Zert might have fled to the anonymity of the city. Igor volunteered to disguise everyone, so they might ride openly which was easier than trying to hide the horses. Kayla agreed. 

In the morning Kayla spoke to Darius and he announced the plan and need for disguises. Igor surprised the others by having an especially deft touch at disguise work and helped them all with their efforts. Dram’s father Gil was disguised too at Dram’s insistence. He said the word of his father’s freedom had not yet spread, but his crimes might have. Cyrus begged off a disguise. “Been ‘round humans near most m’ life. So I don’t care what they think.” Igor backed him up in this. Few if any knew of Cyrus’s guardian role for the party, so he was allowed to operate openly.

The group rode their horses for several hours as the city grew around them. At first the houses grew to a single line on both sides of the road, then an Inn was seen. After awhile the homes stretched two rows deep and continued to grow from there. Small shops and businesses were seen hawking their wares. Igor saw nothing unusual, but on a couple of occasions they were heckled for riding with two dwarves. In mid-afternoon they crested a final rise in the road and saw the outer wall of the city proper before them. Guards were posted to either side of the road’s entryway to the interior city. As they approached they realized that none of the traffic through the gate was being stopped. However, the team decided not to chance entering with the dwarves. Looking inside the gates the tangled mass of streets and single story homes had grown to fill every space. Instead they decided to split up and meet back in front of the gate square just before nightfall. Kayla made everyone promise not to drink while in the city. “The secret of our trip must be kept.” They nodded in agreement, even Cyrus.



			
				Dram said:
			
		

> Splitting off with his Father and Ormand the Redd, Dram complied with Kayla's request and made a conscious effort to avoid drinking establishments. (He was not as hardy as Cyrus of the 50 Ales!). He made certain to fully cover his new chainmail under his disguise and to hide the golden arrow he won in the archery contest during the Midsummer fest contests. He did his best to hide his quiver under his cloak too and disguised his unstrung bow as a walking stick (the bowstring was pocketed but ready). His dagger was hidden but handy. Hammer, spear and longsword went into Igor's sack. The same set up went for Ormand the Redd too. Dram's father, Gil Hammersmith, was still looking pretty weak and bedraggled and wasn't armed or armored. Dram, Ormand and Gil, when asked, were pilgrims passing through Harling on their way to the little-known "Shrine of the Purple Raven". They had taken a vow of silence during their trip. Dram asked Kayla to draw up a note stating as much so that it may be presented to any overly curious cityfolk. If they were forced into a speaking situation, Dram appointed his father as spokesman since he knew the least (and Dram hadn't filled him in yet on all the recent details of his life).



Kayla and Darius found a street vendor hawking sightseeing tours of the city and decided to join. Two other people were to walk with them, but left when they saw Darius. The hawker led them around the Outer City pointing out interesting sites. The two tried to pry out more information and rumors from the man. This was not too hard, but he refused to converse with the dwarf no matter what. In fact, Darius noticed no one spoke a word to him and avoided his gaze whenever possible. 

On the other hand, Kayla learned quite a few interesting pieces of information. It seemed trade within County Margrave was booming. It was better than any had ever remembered it. Apparently a group called “The Skun Brothers” was buying up all the ore anyone could provide. Darius growled at this, but decided not to say anything. Kayla tried prying into deeper secrets with a few gold. She did not think much of the result though. Their guide seemed to think bad storms had ruined the year’s crops because the Gods were angry and trying to scare all of Margrave. Many were returning to the Old Faith because of it. To Kayla it sounded like another false superstition. When the tour came to an end, Kayla did her best to hide Darius inside a small, easy-to-miss tavern and inn. It was a little ways from the gate square, but rooms were cheap and the bar dingy. Afterwards, she went looking for Igor.


----------



## howandwhy99

Dram, his father, and Ormand, walked around the Outer City trying to keep their bearings the entire time. It was easy to get lost even outside the city walls it seemed. Dram risked short snatches of conversation with his father when no one was looking. Trailing behind suspicious characters the trio attempted to listen in on conversations. Two brutish and burly looking men made a good target. Their talk was getting dull when all of a sudden one mentioned, “the slaves from Hamfest show some promise for a good price.” Dram’s father nearly choked when he overheard. Dram had to grab him and pull him away before he did something rash. He told Ormand the Redd to track the two, but he came back a short while later with a bloodied nose. Dram laughed heartily when he saw and helped bandage the wound.

Ditching his original disguise, Igor dressed as an aging tanner. His eyes were sharp and he knew several of the signs to look for as he walked through the streets. Entering the Inner City he stayed close to the surrounding wall as the warren of paths and alleys was impossible to follow otherwise. A few lead coins steered him in the direction of a counting house. Behind the back a man smoking a scandalously carved piped glanced at him. Igor made contact. Bartering coins one by one he picked up the local scuttlebutt about the city. He even learned of some contact points for different guilds. Then the man blabbered something he obviously thought was safe to mention. He had just heard “the ore quality and weapons being made for the war effort are a front for the Black Market.” Igor chuckled at how nothing was truly secret in the sewers. He killed the man quickly so he would not let out a scream. Leaving the body with a specific mark upon it, he could only hope it would teach whomever the man’s informant was to keep their mouth shut.

Dalin had different plans in mind. He took his horse and turned back down the road from whence they had come. It took three silver, but he finally obtained a sensible enough map for directions to Clares and the Lady of Clares’ estate. As Dalin rushed down the road alone his mind drifted back to a time when he had spoken with Father Hetrack about the armor.



> Father Hetrick: "The 3 rings are the heraldry of Sir Ronaldo of Clares now deceased. The Chalice symbols place him in the Order of the Chalice. A smaller sect of the Order of the Crown."
> 
> "They believe in virtue above all else. The Order of the Crown holds allegiance to the Church only in matters that deal with the nobility. In all other matters they follow the tenets of the nobles. Some times this leads to disagreements between the Church and the nobles."
> 
> "But since most of the Church comes from the nobility... well lets just say it is family squabbling."




Since the time he had heard Hedrach’s words he had worn the armor whenever possible. Even as fancy as it was, he was proud to show it off. A full two-hour ride later winding around the plots of many large estates, the manor of Ronaldo came into view. Dalin stripped off the false hair and teeth Igor had loaned him. He washed and polished the plate armor filigree a bit too trying to look his best. He had no appointment, but was led in to meet the Lady Clares straight away. To his surprise she was actually quite young and very beautiful. Dalin did his best to act proper, but he did not really know how noblemen acted. He did learn more about Ronaldo. Apparently he had left no heirs. Upon her wish, he recounted some of the tales of his adventures embellishing a little where appropriate. 

Then she asked him to stand and pose in the armor of her late husband for her. He apologized for the filigree being somewhat marred. To his surprise the Lady then gifted it to him. “Use it to honor my late husband.” They sat and talked for a while more. Dalin learned more about Clares and the armor he wore. Her Ladyship asked him more about his future travels and if he had news about the war. He admitted he did not know anything having been at Keep Margrave so long. She asked if he had ever met the cruel dwarf Darius when staying at the Keep. She had heard he was using Lord Radcliffe as a puppet. Dalin gulped. According to Lady Clares all the nobles were abuzz about the depraved Darius’s attempt to overthrow Margrave using the armies of the dwarves. It was at that point when Dalin excused himself saying he had to return to the city before nightfall. He was pushing his horse so hard during the run back that he nearly forgot to don his disguise again.


----------



## howandwhy99

Cyrus mused. The K-la woman had told everyone to go find rumors. Then she told them not to drink. But she had dressed up the others in silly costumes. In retrospect he decided the rules were not meant for him. He was not part of their group. “I’m their guardian, ain’t I?” he said aloud. He decided to go find a pub. Four hours later and he was being thrown out of his tenth pub for the evening. Apparently people in Harling had some sore feelings towards dwarves, especially one by the name of Darius. He did not know the poor slob, but he felt sorry for him already. After being booted out of an eleventh, Cyrus crawled over to an alleyway with a bottle of ale he had managed to grab on the way out. Night had fallen by that point, but he did not much care. No one snuck up on a dwarf in the dark. 

It was then he heard some familiar voices through a window behind him. Cyrus climbed atop a couple of crates to better listen. Inside was a tavern he had yet to visit. The voices were the same as he had had heard on the ride south. 



			
				I-gore’s & K-la said:
			
		

> (I-gore)”…remove all the leaders, manufacture a threat to deal with and county margrave will be begging for competent leaders to help them fore the “enemy” takes them over, then give the hired enemy a quarter of the kingdom as payment. It’s just speculation on my part though, someone else could easily be inside the county now plotting the same thing, with a small mercenary force to "help" him "fight" the "enemy".”
> 
> (K-la) “The only theories I had so far concerned the war already going on. Someone interested in making sure it went their way. I was thinking that perhaps we were only still alive because they were hoping we would find whatever it was Elian was talking about in Quasqueton (if it's in the caves or something). Whatever it is, it seems to be something everyone wants. And it must not be the dust because I asked Elian about it. If that were what it was we would know. I think that may be part of the point behind…”



CRASH!! A cat screeched. Cyrus had lost his balance and fallen to the alley’s dirt floor. He cursed noticing his bottle of ale had broken. Not wanting to be found out he took off at a drunken run back into the pub he had crawled out of. Tossing down a drink he spotted on a table he kept on running and dove out a window into another alley. Cyrus knew the breaks. He did not bother turning around while he ran. He just hoped the man and woman had not seen him. It took a little while, but he finally found some of the group he was protecting near the city gate. 



			
				Kayla said:
			
		

> Late in the evening Kayla, discreetly as possible, approached each of the party members and told them, "I managed to secure what is believed to be a safe place to stay for the evening." She gave each of them directions to the house and continued, "Please meet me there later, I need to talk to everyone. Oh & please be sure to keep up your disguises & keep as low a profile as possible. And by all means, when you come to the house please be sure that no one is following you."



Kayla brought Darius to the abandoned townhouse early.  She told him of a slander which was ripe throughout the city.  Apparently Darius was thought of as cruel and greedy.  She had heard a dozen variations herself.  All said that he, Darius, was really in charge of the Keep. She had yet to hear anything about his arrival in Harling, but she had sent Igor out to learn more.  She thought it best they went back to the Keep however and abdicated their positions like Father Ben.  Darius urgently wanted to leave, but not this way.  Before he got a chance to answer Kayla however, Dram, his father, and Ormand walked in.  For being late evening Dram seemed very wide-awake. Most of the remainder of the team trickled in during the next hour.  Only Igor and Dalin were missing.


----------



## howandwhy99

_Diaglo: There were two rooms on the main floor (a cooking/eating area and a main parlor/ sleeping area) the house had a loft above with more bedding and access to the roof too._



> Kayla: "I've found out that the dust from the stone that Daruis smashed can be harmful if it remains on you. Apparently it taints any mortal who touches it with a residue that begins to affect them with a foul taint the longer it stays on them. I was advised that we should clean ourselves with an acid to make sure that none of it is left. I asked Igor to look into securing an acid weak enough, or that could be diluted enough, for us to be able to handle it without serious harm. "
> 
> Darius looked at Kayla quizzically. "You mean this substance is evil? Even now, smashed and destroyed, this... powder... can actually do us harm? I will do as you ask, and wash my hammer, in case any lingers."
> 
> Kayla: "Apparently so. The suggestion was also made of cutting hair to make it easier to wash, or even removing it entirely if you'd rather, but if you think you can wash it thoroughly without doing that, then I wouldn't worry too much about that."
> 
> Darius: "You are certain this place is safe?"
> 
> Kayla: "As safe as anywhere else we might go, to the best of my knowledge. I've been told that we should be fairly safe here, or at least in no more danger than anywhere else. That's the best I can say."
> 
> Dram: “Sister Kayla, if I may be so bold as to inquire, what is your source of information and how can we rest assured that the advice being provided is sound? The false Elian rat appeared to provide sound information as well.”
> 
> Kayla: “My information comes from one of the members of the council of mages. All indications, and I have confirmed this with other sources, are that he is not a member of the guild here. He has other sources that are his own. I don't know who his sources are, but I believe it to be creditable information. If you have reason to believe otherwise or to doubt then please do share.”
> 
> Darius: "Where do you propose we go from here?"
> 
> Kayla: "Well as we spoke about before, I think we need to go to the keep & resign our positions, assuming capable replacements have been found. We also need to make sure Father Ben is safe & fill him in. We also need to make sure that he cleans himself well. Since it seemed to be affecting him when it was whole, I would hate to see what might happen to him now. For all we know it might be worse or quicker in his case. I have no idea. There is also the other matter we spoke of about the..." Seeing Dram's father is in the room Kayla stopped herself & said, "Perhaps it is best that we not get him involved in all of this. The less he knows the safer he is."
> 
> Dram explained to his father that he couldn't explain right then but that he and his friends were in trouble. The need for secrecy wes paramount. He told his father to speak to no one and to watch the building from the outside, looking for suspicious activity
> 
> Kayla: When Gil was no longer among the party she continued, "There is also the matter of the goblins." She looked right at Dram and sighed heavily, "Things aren't always as simple as they appear. There is more to the story about the goblins. They were brought in by an order from above. Someone- be it Margrave or Deveraux-saw the need for cheap labor. They made an offer to your father's competitor & he took it. In turn he employed cheap labor & provided weapons to the front. Eventually one of the more "civilized" tribe of goblins was allowed to take over completely. The idea being cheap weapons now & when the war is over we'll just kill them all & be done with that. The problem with that, beyond the obvious, is that it may also put the surrounding towns in danger. Who knows if they will decide to attack their neighbors or not."
> 
> Dram: "With all due respect, I don't give a rat's ass about Hamfast or the County Margrave for that matter. I have no love of goblins or any of their kind, but my home is lost to me. My home and family business destroyed, my father unjustly imprisoned, my forced conscription into an army to fight a war I don't understand. All of these things were achieved without the help of goblins. My service to the County ended months ago. I retain no rank in their army and I do not take their orders. We've been through much together and my allegiances lie solely with my friends and family. Goblins, Hamfast, Devereaux, Margrave all be damned. If we are to return whence we came, I say, "What's in it for me?”
> 
> Kayla: “My thoughts were of those who you may not have found to free & those living nearby who may suffer at the hands of the goblins and any who might wish to return. However none may fall with in the latter catergory. I have no personal stake in it & so if all of you would rather leave it be, then so be it. I am merely relaying information so that we as a whole may make a decision about what to do next as fully informed as possible”
> 
> Dram: “I understand Sister Kayla. Perhaps I spit my words out a bit too strongly but I've got a bitter taste in my mouth. I guess I would gain some small satisfaction in bringing down the rival smiths (the Scunraker Brothers). And the goblins, well..... Also, I agree, Father Ben should be warned if the dust poses a threat. Wouldn't mind having a "conversation" with Devereaux as well. For the time being, I will heed your advice and remain a silent pilgrim.”
> 
> Kayla: “The only thing about that is that we don't know what happened to Devereaux.”
> 
> Dram: “That is a problem indeed.”
> 
> At this point a much altered Igor entered. He was carrying 4 buckets of water, 2 in each hand. He was bald, his scraggly blonde locks no-where in sight. His skin was a bright red with a raw look to it, like someone who's either been out in the sun to long or been scrubbed hard with a brush. The air around him had a mildly sour smell. Amidst the talking and while trying not to draw attention to himself, he placed the buckets on the table, and took out a strong, although not entirely unpleasant, smelling bottle of clear liquid and put a little into each bucket swirling the bucket around a bit after each. He then took out a number of stiff brushes, the kind you might use to brush down a horse, and several bars of soap. He then went to stand off in a corner and watch the debate.
> 
> Kayla turned to Igor, "Thank you Igor." She then looked around "I guess we should get started? Who wants to go first?"
> 
> Dram was anxious to be cleansed but did not want to go first. He also was not willing to cut off his hair.
> 
> As she stood waiting for a response, Kayla's eyes glazed over for a moment & then suddenly she murmered,"Greenwillow..." She seemed to shake the far way gaze and then looked around and said, "Right before we found the rat I received a message that I believed to be from Elian telling me he was in Greenwillow. We found the rat that we thought was him, so we never followed up on it thinking it was a trap. Perhaps we should find out if those things can gain someone's memories without killing them. If so Elian might still be alive. If there's anyone left alive who would know the truth about the goblins & who might have sent out Barth, Elian would most likely be the one. It's at least something to think about."
> 
> The ‘Greenwillow’ stuff creeped out Dram. He was also taken aback by Igor's new look. "Uh, Sister Kayla, why don't you show us how it's done? You're probably more in need of cleansing than anyone else since you've handled it the most. The more I think about it, the less I think I actually ever touched the stuff. Can it contaminate us over space? What if someone inhaled it? By the way, what did you do with the remaining powder?"
> 
> Kayla "I don't know what happens if you inhale it. And as for being contaminated over space, I would think the only time that might have happened was when Darius originally smashed. I used some of the powder to barter for scrolls & potions. The man I was bartering with is making another scroll for me & will give it to me for some of the powder as well." Kayla then took ones of the brushes and scrubbed off her hands to show everyone else how to do it as Dram requested. Then said, "If you will excuse me I intend to wash out my clothing as well just in case." She then went to the other room to wash herself fully, including her hair & her clothes.


----------



## howandwhy99

Darius stepped forward after Kayla finished. While he scrubbed himself down he refused to cut his hair or beard. “No self respecting dwarf would ever go without a beard!” 



> Cyrus leaned over to Dram and whispered: "Hmmm... I wonder how much it would be worth to the scroll making man that what he is handling poison? Not nice stuff. Plus the fact the yer'all scrubin' and shearin' every bits of yerselves would be of interest too, I bet. If'n you want to coax the name of her scribner outta her, I will go in with you on the reward."
> 
> Dram: “Hmmm. Reward?”



Cyrus looked back at him with a greedy eye. “Perhaps not. Who can say?” He then hopped up and approached Darius who had finished cleaning. Cyrus was careful not to get any of the soapy water on himself. “Why do they name you ‘the Black’, Cyrus?” Darius asked looking at the dwarf’s obvious red beard. “Maybe you should wash up next?” 
Cyrus gave a wry laugh. “Naaaay. And it be Cyrus the Black. Ya got it backward. It’s fer me sense o’ humor y’ see.” He did not explain any more, but his answer gained him some strange looks. 



> Cyrus asked Darius where he got his armor and weapons. He looked over at the fine dwarven made plate and asked about its background too.
> 
> Darius explained that his armor and weapons were his inheritance, with the exception of the axe, which he acquired later, as well as the sword. His father crafted them long ago, and gave them to him when he came of age.
> 
> Cyrus: “Dwarven made is the very best. I miss the hold. The warm brew. The cracklin' fire of the forge. It was a pleasure to see such a fine peice o' armor such as this being fit together. And wakin' up with ale on me face after a long night in the festhall. Truly days to be remembered. That reminds me. When is you and I going to have a drink off? Haven't had another dwarf around to give me a bit o' competition in some time.”
> 
> Darius chuckled at the thought. "Though my human friends can make a good ale, I would wait until we can get true dwarven spirits to attempt such a contest. We would probably go broke trying to complete such a contest here. My father was once a master smith within the dwarven kingdom, but recently retired to prepare for his position on the council of thanes. Some think my sister may follow in his footsteps, I personally think she will be a silversmith. My other brothers and sister took paths more similarly to mine, but it would not surprise me to see my older brother leave military duty to take over as head of the household, and the family smithy. Right now, my uncle runs it. That was the last I heard about it, before being sent to Margrave. For all I know, my father has taken his place on the Council."



Darius began to tell stories of the hold. Of how the bearded women and men fought hard to make strong lives for themselves in the mountains. 



> Darius: _“There is a legend of an Axe of the Dwarvish Lords. There is also another one concerning Moradin's Hammer, a replica of which the Lord Thane holds. And yet another involving Splinterstrike... a blade used to kill multitudes of Orcs.”_
> 
> When these were mentioned, Cyrus quickly spoke up that he would join Darius on a quest for any of these weapons. His blood was pumping and he seemed very certain of his words.
> 
> Darius:_ “The stories told in my youth about the Axe included tales of great battles fought. The ax ewas wielded by some great warrior or other and with the death of the warrior usually also in the battle. It vanished, only to be found or used again in another tale.”
> 
> ”The Hammer made the dwarven race; by Moradin's hand. It was used also to chisel a place in the mountains and hills for the people. When hurled it caused a loud boom-thunder and boosted morale of all dwarves while causing fear in their enemies.”
> 
> ”Splinterstrike killed the last Hordeking Orc Garnash. It was also stolen by the Orcs after the battle. And is one of the reasons dwarves hate orcs so.”
> _
> All three weapons made Darius contemplate such a journey as Cyrus urged. Especially the hammer, and the return of the other two weapons to dwarven hands was certainly a worthy aspiration to him, especially that of the sword. Darius resolved that, if given the opportunity to return to the dwarven kingdoms, he will look into the written histories and historians in regards to these weapons for any clues of their current whereabouts.
> 
> Darius ruminated: _“The dwarven records are literally written in stone. And the council of thanes is the best bet to learn from the elders, historians, and the high priest. Although, every parent has told the tale of Moradin's Hammer to his and her offspring at one time or other and it is partially mentioned at the opening of every prayer and council session._



As Darius told his stories, the rest of the team scrubbed down and looked for a place to sleep for the night. The loft overhead still had hay in it and most made their bed there. Dram brought his father in from the outside. He told his dad he was very worried. Dalin had not yet returned and the moon was high overhead.


----------



## howandwhy99

*[INTERLUDE]*

Father Benedict was becoming more and more distressed. His troubles sleeping had grown steadily worse the last two weeks. He meditated in the basement of the temple in hopes to learn what he should do. He was dizzy as well so much of late. The praying did not take the dizziness away, but did make him feel closer to the Gods. In fact, he felt almost as if he was soaring in the stars along with them. He remembered he had always loved the stars as a child. In the temple he had been taught the stars were the souls of all good men and women who die. It was a testament to the power of Goodness in the world as there were so many of them. Everyone knew the stars were uncountable.

Unfortunately, his stress did not subside. Ben had a terrible feeling the world was falling apart. Meditation normally helped to bring him to peace. Collecting himself he attempted to reorder his thoughts again. The Reverend Father Stauk-Flezr was far away across the County. Father Hedrach, the previous priest, had been killed. In his stead the newly anointed Ben had taken on the mantle of Fatherhood and faced the same threats as his predecessor. He did not know if the Dragon would return, nor if another attack would be levied. He did know for certain what others only whispered about. Lady Devereaux and Elion the Elf were no longer inside the Keep’s walls. Where they might have been taken though he could not say. 

Ben pushed further back in time. His first real appointment had been a failure. Over twenty militia had died on his watch while at Outpost Xavier. Now Brother Thom was dead too. In truth, he had made friends. And he did count himself lucky to be their ally. But now they were gone. And the leader or actually the Lordship of Keep Margrave was Radcliff. He had seen Ratcliffe’s comic behavior. Ben felt sure he could trust the man, but hardly could he convince himself to rely the Radcliffe’s ability to secure the Keep. He stifled a yawn.

More than anything, Ben felt unsure about what to do next. Of course, he would keep helping the townsfolk with advice and giving Holyday sermons just as he always did. He had even taken up strolling around the Keep talking lightheartedly to residents in an effort to keep up morale. But Father Ben was more and more certain he had done the right thing by asking for a replacement. He only wished Darius and his friends could speed the new cleric there in a day. Feeling drowsy all of a sudden, Ben laid down on the stone floor of the meditation chamber. He dozed in the candlelight.

He was dreaming again. Dreaming of the attack on the Keep. He saw the Dragon hovering in the air. He saw himself cradling Brother Thom’s headless form. Realizing it was a dream Ben fought to change the outcome, to reverse the truth of what had happened. The dream world contorted around him. RAP! RAP! RAP! Ben could hear an urgent knocking. CRASH! Cracking his eyes open Ben realized the candles had gone out. RAP! RAP! RAP! Groping around he climbed the staircase to the congregation room above. His body ached horribly. He could feel the bruises darkening all over his body. He had no idea how he had just fallen so hard on the floor below. He put it out of his mind. 

Taking a lit torch Father Ben peeked out the window in the front door. “Who’s there?” He counted eleven elderly men huddled in close with looks of fear on their faces. He quickly let them in. One named Sam introduced himself, but then his words started tripping over themselves. He explained how they were refugees from Hamfast. How Dram and a “shining dwarf” had rescued them from certain death. How they had slogged day and night to reach the Keep. And how the gate guard had to be bribed to let them in. 

Ben did not know what to make of it. He assured them they were safe and set them up in the temple for the night. As the only other soul in the temple, there was plenty of spare space. It took a few hours to warm, feed, and clean the men, but Ben did not feel so tired. He urged them to bed as it was after midnight and they followed his bidding.


----------



## howandwhy99

Less than half a candlemark later, however, more visitors were at the door.  This time Father Ben greeted several dour looking watchguard.  “Release the criminals within!” one commanded.  Ben told him he had no criminals, but only a few good men who he gave holy sanctuary too.  The watchguard did not look happy at this. Father Ben brought his face closer to the peephole and summoned all his priestly splendor.  “Tomorrow morning I will seek audience with Lord Radcliffe and straighten this affair out.  If you feel the need to pound on my door, or heaven forbid, burst open this temple that is your business.  I will not answer.  Dawn is but a few short hours away and we all know how our Lordship likes to sleep late.  Perhaps you will explain the damages to the temple when I go to wake him?”

Ben shut back the peephole and retired to bed.  When dawn arrived he decided it would be best to rouse his wards early.  He hoped for more coherent answers.



> *Father Ben & Hamfast refugees*
> Father Benedict sat down in private with the leaders of the refugee group and questioned them about why they were in town.  He was looking for any information about what was going on outside of the Keep.
> 
> _Tom, the mayor, and Sam told Ben about Dram and his father. About how they were imprisoned on trumped up charges for loitering or dereliction of duty at the other smithy.  About the goblins increasing in number and eventually taking over the town for the most part.  About how the Smith and the Sheriff and at first the Mayor (who also seemed very repentant) sold the weapons to the army for use in the war. They also told him how Dram returned and the shiny dwarf and how they fled to Outpost Bayer at Capt. Darius suggestion._
> 
> Father Benedict then asked about any illegal activities the group may have committed en route to the Keep.  He tried not to alarm them.
> 
> _None. They spent the night at the Outpost and then pushed on to the Keep in the morning. Darius said to tell Father Ben they were on their way to Holmfaust before going to Harling._
> 
> Satisfied with the answers from the group so far he told the refugees to lock the door and let no one in the temple while he was away.  He then traveled with the guard outside the door to speak with Lord Radcliffe about a number of issues.  He requested a private meeting, if possible.
> 
> _Audience was granted. Ratcliffe seemed a little upset though._



Father Ben asked why the men in his temple were wanted as criminals.



> Lord Ratcliffe:_“The sheriff from Hamfest sent word that the refugees are in fact escaped prisoners. That they placed him in irons so they could make good their escape.”
> 
> “Also, the Outpost Bayer had a letter with Captain Darius’ writing.” (Ratcliffe handed it to Ben)_



Ben remembered Lord Ratcliff could not read.  Scanning over the letter he saw it was in Darius’s dwarven influenced script.  It was addressed to an unnamed Sergeant at Outpost Bear and described what the refugees had already told Ben.  How the village of Hamfast had been taken over by goblins and more besides.  It also carried instructions on feeding and housing the thirty men the letter was sent with.  The recipient was to then to escort them here to Keep Margrave.  Ben reflected there was not nearly thirty Hamfastites back at the temple.  He wondered what had become of the rest.  Folding the letter again, Father Benedict explained to Lord Ratcliffe the details of the treachery in Hamfast.


----------



## howandwhy99

> *Lord Ratcliff and Father Ben*
> Ben: "I have found the supposed escaped prisoners in very poor shape.  They tell a story of Dwarf Darius releasing them and taking Warrior Dram's father with them to the South.  The refugees (or perhaps escapees) tell a different story about the current state of Hamfast.  Tom, the actual mayor of Hamfast, tells of a hundred goblins having slaved for the town to forge weapons for the front.  However, he implored to me that the entire town was enslaved when the goblins rebelled.  That every man, woman, and child of Hamfast now slaves away at the smithies forging weapons.  I don't know the new destination of these weapons, but I fear it is the work of the enemy."
> 
> "Another man named Samuelle told me of how a rival smith accused Dram's father of dereliction of duty and even now aids the goblins in their brutality.  How all the leaders of the town including the Sheriff were put in irons.  And how only by the work of friends Dram and Darius did they escape and flee to Outpost Bayer and from whence to here."
> 
> "I must say that I believe these folk and that is why I have yet to turn them in to your custody.  It seems that the path is clear.  A military force lead by a true hero must travel to Hamfast and see to the truth of these stories.
> 
> “Returning prisoners is a simple matter and they are safe in the temple.  If you must have them in the prison, please let it be under the care of the temple parishioners and myself.  Once the truth is discovered about Hamfast, then their fate can be decided."
> 
> "I suggest we put our heads together to decide what like-to-be hero will lead the military force.  It cannot be I, as I am still reading over numerous letters and have need of supervising the builders of the keep and temple.  Perhaps you know?"
> 
> _Ratcliffe seemed rather bright of mind that day.... “It is as I feared. I have sent for Sgt Keenan Powell already. The Sgt will take a squad with him to the town to get a better idea. The weapons have traveled to the front for the Army. So for good or ill the goblins are serving our cause. My guess is the Black Market has a controlling interest in the sale of those goods.”_



Radcliff asked that the men be moved to the prison just in case.  He ordered Father Ben to release them to the watch.  Ben acquiesced.

As he had rarely seen the Lord since his fellows left, Father Ben took the initiative and started asking more questions.  In his heart he was worried.  Ben knew he was in a dangerous position as Father Hedrach had been when he was in charge of the temple.  He also knew Lord Radcliffe’s guilelessness would potentially lead the Keep into even greater peril unless someone else made more competent decisions.  Ben started formulating a plan on how to protect the Keep and its inhabitants in spite of all the pitfalls.

He asked to see any and all of the reports from the Outposts.  “Where are they going to?”Ratcliffe inquired.  Ben explained he needed to transcribe them for records purposes.  The Lord shrugged and pointed to the letter from Darius.  It was the only communication he had received.  



> *Father Ben & Lord Ratcliffe*
> Ben: “What of word from Harling and Lord and Lady Margrave?  Have they been in contact since your ascension to nobility?
> 
> Radcliffe: _“No word from Harling from Lady Margrave. No word from the front from Lord Margrave.  No word on Lady Devereaux's whereabouts still also.”_
> 
> Ben asked of Lord Radcliffe's ascension into the position of Captain and his military accomplishments too.  He tried to keep this short.  Ben wondered how such an untutored man could come to a position of authority.
> 
> _“I served under Lady Devereaux as a Cpl and then eventually as a Sgt when she was Capt of the Watch. When she became Castellan. I became Capt. I became Sgt when Capt Devereaux mount was slain. The Sgt at the time took an arrow in the throat from a gnoll archer. Capt Devereaux charged me with taking the men back to the Keep while she went to defend the fallen Sgt. Her mount, Skywalking, died carrying the two of them clear of the ambush site. She walked back to the Keep dragging Sgt Katana's body. Skywalking was left in the field.”_
> 
> Benedict then asked about Radcliffe's knowledge regarding Guido, and also of Darius.
> _
> “Guido became Cpl of the watch when I replaced his older brother. Sgt Darius is a fine gentleman. But he is not quite right in the head.” He thought aloud, "I can't read." (laughs)_
> 
> Ben: “Do you mean that Guido's older brother was the Captain of the Watch before yourself?”
> 
> _“No, no. Guido's older brother was the Sgt of patrol.  I was corporal and Lady Devereaux was the Captain._


----------



## howandwhy99

Father Ben contemplated the rocky ascent to power of Lord Radcliffe.  He decided to change the topic.



> Ben: “How exactly does the messaging system at the Keep work?  Who is sent with word and where?  Is this paid?  Is it an honorary position? How is confidentiality kept?”
> 
> Radcliffe: _“Word is sent by courier.  Usually on horseback or by coach.  Sometimes with homeing pigeons to Harling.  And when Elian was around it was sent by magic.  The messages all go to Lady Margrave in Harling.  Only trusted messengers are sent and with sealed documents.”_



“What of all correspondences up until this time?  We were under the impression they were all destroyed during the attack.  Might Harling have copies of these?  Or Lady Margrave?”  In response Lord Ratcliffe decided to give Ben his wish: access to any and all papers he requested.  Ben asked to start skimming whatever was immediately available.  It amounted to only one book.  It was a ledger recording the accounts on how heavily overdrawn the County was.



> _Father Ben did learn from the ledger however the accompaniment of the Keep.  There were currently 150 regular army troops, 1 Capt. (the former quartermaster), 4 (was 5) Sgt, and 10 Cpls at the Keep in rotating shifts. The 23 of the 25 remaining outposts had 10 volunteers and 1 Cpl or Sgt..  Outpost yung and white had 10 volunteers, 10 regular army, 1 Cpl and 1 Sgt each.  There were roughly 50 noncombatants in the Keep too.  There had been no attacks on any other outposts.  Though as Ben already knew bear had seen some activity because of the refugees. _



After returning to the temple Father Ben greeted the Hamfast refugees with his unfortunate news.  He tried to offer it in the best way possible.  “Prison might not be so bad”, he said.  “And I will come by to make sure you are treated well and fed.”  But the refugees refused to go.  In response they prepared to burn down the temple, if threatened with force.  Seeing their newfound reasoning, Ben decided another tack might be best. 



> He said he would put them up in the temple and explained that he could only help so much.  He talked on how the Keep also needed a great deal of work done.  If they felt healthy enough to do so, they might help in repairing the temple or main Keep.  He said Lord Radcliffe sent Sergeant Keenan to root out the Goblins, but that because of the war all of Margrave needed strong-willed and able-bodied folk to fight for it.  If they were willing, Ben could point out many areas for volunteer work. This work would show their value to Lord Radcliffe and prove his mistake in trying to imprison them.  It would also help make fellow Hamfastites, who should soon be freed, feel safe back at the Keep. And allow them to ensure that goblins were not allowed to do such a thing again.  Ben finished his speech waiting expectantly
> 
> _The men begged for sanctuary._



The next day Father Ben examined the remains of the Inn.  It was in partial repair.  It looked like the repairs were advancing even faster then before.  He found the reason.  Reynaldo had joined the crew.  Ben bartered with the construction crew.  He was trying to find work for the refugees.  It did not take much urging.  There was plenty of work to be done still even weeks after the fire and attack.  Travelers were coming back and looking for a place to stay.  A makeshift space inside the Inn was the only spot for them.  

Father Ben sent a word for Mirel’s parents.  He wanted to learn the whereabouts of Mirel.  When they arrived he asked them if they were the ones who taught her to count so well.  They had.  Inspiration hit.  Ben asked if they could do accounting for the keep.  “To tally the number of businesses and types.  I was hoping Mirel could help as well.”  He told them he wanted to learn the number of families within the Keep and the number of members in each.  Father Ben explained that the current troubles required that each and every life be looked over.  He said especially they would need to keep a strict eye out for visitors since the fire.  The number and descriptions of all Inn patrons would need to be accounted for.  Mirel’s parents seemed to take it all in stride.

Two day’s later Ben heard a knock at his door.  Mirel had finally turned up.  She did not enter but dutifully gave her report.  “There are roughly 50 comers and goers to the Keep.  The staff of the shops and the kitchens and so forth.”  This was in addition to the soldiers.  Then she handed the priest a large sack of coin.  She said it was for the church and to look after the keep.  “I am too young for such money.  It’s for healing herbs.  ‘Cause they cost so much.  Why do I need it?  I ask for what I need and people give it.” Then she scampered off.   Before she was out of sight she turned back, “I’d rather give it to you then to Igor anyways.  Dalin says we can trust Igor with our lives, but not our gold.”  Then she left. Ben simply stood in the doorway with a confused look.  Later he counted the money.  It was over seven hundred in gold, nearly all Mirel’s share of the treasure from Quesquaton.


----------



## howandwhy99

*[Session 11]*

Dalin arrived at the townhouse shortly after midnight.  He had paid several gold trying to track down the rest of the team.  The only one awake inside was Darius.  The paladin said Pax was supposed to be keeping watch on the street from the roof above, but somehow the big man must have missed Dalin.  As quietly as possible the two climbed up to the loft and out a trapdoor onto the roof.  There Dalin reported what he had learned about the nobles believing Darius to be an evil mastermind and traitor.  It was no surprise to Darius.  “Kayla said as much to me last night in private.  We talked about returning to the Keep and resigning our commissions.  Dram didn’t seem to care which way we went.  I would be careful around him now he has his father back.”  He told Dalin to get some rest.  After ordering Pax to keep a closer watch on the road, Darius climbed back down to watch the front door.  He dwelled upon the slanderous news of his ruined reputation.  When he and Pax’s watch was over he roused Kayla and Igor.  He was happy to tell them Dalin had returned.   

Igor disappeared into the night as Kayla waited on the rooftop.  He returned only a short time later.  Kayla was always surprised at how efficient he was at his occupation.  Igor had very bad news.  His masters had already learned Darius the Dwarf was somewhere within the Outer City.  The nobles were outraged.  Some thought he may even be planning an attack on Harling.  If a dwarf army were brought to Margrave, another war could start.  Therefore, the dwarf prince was to die.   Igor was sure some guild experts had already been dispatched; perhaps even a few freelancers.  The whole team was in grave danger and needed to leave, not just Harling but Margrave County altogether.  Kayla had not seen Igor so genuinely frightened before.  He told her to gather the others and leave with all speed just before dawn.  He himself was going to try and lead away their attackers with whatever distraction he could manage.  “If I am successful, you should have the time you need to get away.”  

Kayla was in shock.  Igor led her down from the roof and to the front chambers.  There he started unloading all the team’s gear from his backpack.  “Have them load the supplies on the horses.  There should still be room for some of you to ride.”  When finished he slung his pack back over his shoulder. Then he dressed in all black and smudged black pitch over his face and hands.  He and Kayla talked for a short while more about what needed to be done at the Keep and where they might meet up again.  The rest of their conversation was more private.  Going back to the rooftop Igor admitted one last thing to her.  It was possible he too might be given an assignment.  While he would risk his life that night to save the team, to refuse his masters meant certain death.  And with that, the would-be chef departed.

Kayla woke Ormond the Redd and Cyrus for the next watch.  She gave explicit instructions to Ormand.  He was to wake her as soon as his watch was over.  She also preferred if he were on the roof to serve as lookout.  She did not trust their new “guardian” to do so.  Cyrus tried to stay awake by pacing around downstairs.  He was scared.  How was he supposed to know the stupid dwarf he was with was named Darius?  His eye fell upon the paladin’s armor.  Curious, he looked over the rest of the group’s items too.  It was true they were a rich bunch.  Up above  on the roof Ormand stared out over the starlit city.  It was an amazing spectacle to behold.  His thoughts wandered back over the day’s events.  He was certain Dram’s father did not like him.  He had not said as much, but Ormand felt he could tell.  Working for Dram was hard, but he had come to love it.  It was as if the adventures of his youth had come true.  And the people he got to travel with!  For the first time he was in a real city.  Why at least four different women had talked with him that day!  As he remembered he flushed bright red all over again.

Voices of cityfolk drifted up from the alleyway below.  Ormand the Redd had actually talked back to one woman.  Well, stammered actually.  The voices below became louder.  One started bellowing out a song.  “I’m Darius the Dwarf I am, Darius the Dwarf I am, I am…oof!”  Ormand heard metal clanking and lots of people cheering or maybe jeering below.  It sounded like a parade.  Ormand recalled the woman’s name was fair Beulah.  She was stunning.  Smashing and hitting could be heard now.  Ormand wondered if one of the pubs had just let out.  He stared up into the night sky.  The wind had picked up and clouds now blew over.  Raindrops began to fall.  It sounded like someone was knocking on the door below.  Ormand thought Cyrus would probably get it.  The dwarf was stationed right there.  The rain picked up and really started pouring.  As the pounding continued it became more frantic, but then stopped.  A loud scream rang out.  “Why doesn’t he check on that?” thought Ormand and he ducked inside to get out of the rain.


----------



## howandwhy99

Darius was already awake from the scream and looking around.  Dram woke up too and lit a torch.  Both remembered the attack on the Keep.  Then Darius noticed all of the team’s supplies had been neatly piled in the front room.  Dram started waking the others and realized Cyrus was missing.  “My armor is missing!” yelled out Darius.  He picked up his hammer and ran to the front door.  Outside a crowd was dispersing pulling coats over their heads to protect from the rain.  Darius spied the body of a nude dwarf lying in a puddle.  It was all tied up.  Carrying the wet Cyrus back inside, he untied him and slapped him awake demanding to know what happened. “OOHH… me noggin’!”  Cyrus held his head in his hands.  He looked to have been given a serious thrashing.  “Where ‘re me clothes?” he asked.  “You can have clothes when you explain yourself, now talk!” shouted Darius.

“But… a dwarf can’t go without pants!” 
“Talk!” said Darius cutting him off. “Where’s my armor?”
“Okay, okay.  I was mindin’ me own business when I saw sneak in here a group of foul thiefs.  ‘cause I had no torch lit they did’na see me.  They grabbed yer armor first.  Pro’lly ‘cause it was so shiny bright, right?  So I jumped ‘em.  I knocked two… nah three down with one punch.  The rest bolted out o’ here an’ I chased ‘em.  Out in the street tho’ they had a whole army.  I swear t’ ya I fought as bravely as any, but they got the better o’ me.  Stole me clothes right off me back! Wicked, wicked folks ‘round these parts.”

It was obvious Darius did not believe him for a second.  “I’m sorry ‘bout yer armor.  Tis’ not my fault” Cyrus apologized.  It was then Kayla rushed over.  Dram had just woken her.  She ordered everyone to pack up their gear.  They were to leave immediately.  “Why?” Darius implored.  She dragged him over to the corner and started whispering everything they had to do.  The rest of the team groggily packed up their gear and loaded the horses.  None were too happy about the early rising.  By the time the rain stopped and the sun had started breaking over the horizon they were a good hour’s ride from the city walls.  Darius had marched Cyrus through the rain and city streets in the nude.  “I need pants!” Cyrus had kept calling out along the way.  “Tis not right t’ do such a thing t’ yer own lovin’ kind.”  No one else said a word, as they did not want to incur the paladin’s wrath.

After another hour of travel the two worked out an agreement.  Darius took Cyrus’s plate armor for his own and he gave Cyrus a blanket, albeit a small one.  The team marched on through the rest of the morning.  Both they and the horses were still very tired.  At noon Darius finally called a halt and they set up a makeshift camp along the side of the road in a field.  Short one-person watches were set.  No one had trouble sleeping, even in the bright sun and heavy Azer heat.


*[DAY 84 – Moonday, Azer 16th, CY 81]*

Pax woke Darius.  “My turn?” asked the dwarf.  Pax simply pointed to fallen jumble past the campsite.  It was some sort of creature fallen from a horse.  Not wanting to alarm the rest of the group he let them sleep a little longer.  Darius ordered Pax to turn the little woman-thing over.  She was dressed in leaves and as thin as small as an Elf, but her skin was light blue all over.  Only her hair and eyes were a different color being a bright fiery red.  Her hair almost looked aflame.  The woman was taller than Darius, perhaps four feet in height.  She wore leather armor cut for her body and was covered in leaves and twigs.  Darius laid his hand upon her brow and called forth the power of Thor.  “Be well for you are restored.”  The creature opened its eyes. “החיצ” Darius had no idea what it just said.  “ښ ٺظ” the creature tried again.  This was a little recognizable.  It sounded like something Elian would say.  He decided to wake Kayla.  






Kayla stared in disbelief at the creature before her.  It looked somewhat like an elf, only different.  There was an untamed wildness to the woman.  “The front... needs help...they chased me...first week of riding...horse exhausted...not eaten...” it said in Elvish.  After the creature caught its breath, Kayla continued in Elvish: “Who are you?” 
“I am a princess of the Fey” it responded.  
“FAE?  But Fae… EAT people, don’t they?” asked Kayla.
“I do not each flesh.  I am the result of the Fey Queen dallying with an Elven male.”
Kayla wavered for a second. “What is your name?”
“Red rose of the trellis outside my window that I look upon…” A very long flowing description continued to pour out of her.  “What may we call you simply?” tried Kayla stopping her.
“Rose.”  The Elf-Fey pulled Kayla closer exposing her fangs.  “I need to seek out help!”
Kayla tried to push away.  The woman was stronger than she looked.  “We can help.  It’s okay.”


----------



## howandwhy99

After a long discussion, the creature fell asleep again.  Kayla turned to Darius and Pax and spoke in the Common Tongue.  “She admits to be Fae or at least partly!” Kayla exclaimed.  “I can’t believe it.  She traveled here all the way from the Front.  She must be working for our allies and Lord Magrave!”
Darius was a little more dubious. “But can we trust her?”
“Well, yes, I think so,” said Kayla.  “She has seen the fighting at the front lines.  She has a message to deliver.”
“Are you sure she’s telling the truth?  Fey are tricksters” said Darius.
“Yes.  She told me at the Front they were fighting goblins, and demons, and strange abominations.  This makes sense!  Remember what we heard about the Chaos Lords?”
Darius nodded.  It looked like he had another charge to take care of.

Later in the day Cyrus awoke.  Dropping his hand back down to his side he cursed.  The fool humans had taken his dagger too last night.  Why oh why had he been cursed with such an unappreciated sense of humor?  He recalled that he had looked awe-inspiring in Darius’s armor.  But it certainly was short-lived.   Searching around he noticed only the human named Dram was awake.  He also noticed a newcomer who had bedded down near the dwarven paladin.  Cyrus waited to see who the next watch would be.  When Dram woke the elderly man named “Da”, he knew his chance had come.  Pulling his blanket slowly away, Cyrus crept into the high grown crops.  Without any other option he picked a direction on the road and started walking.  

“Damn!” thought Darius.  He just noticed the grubby dwarf was missing.  As he began dressing in Cyrus’s old armor he realized the old dwarf was not the only thing dirt-clad and smelly.  It was already late in the day, but the team packed up and took off on the road to travel east.  Along the way Kayla started explaining why they had to leave in such a rush.  False rumors of Darius being hated and taking over the Keep had spread throughout the city.  She did not know who started them, but she and Darius had decided to go back to the Keep and give up their positions.  Igor had left before everyone else to acquire their replacements from Lady Margrave.  He was the one who suggested leaving in the middle of the night to keep their identities secret.  “Afterwards, we plan to leave Margrave entirely.  It is the only way to ensure Darius’s safety.  He could still be attacked, if we remained at the Keep” Kayla explained.  

No one had said anything up unto that point about their new blue companion.  It might have been because of the events the prior evening.  No questions were brooked or inquiries asked.    After an hour or more of riding Dram spotted Cyrus.  No one even looked at him now as he pulled his blanket up over his head.  Darius grabbed the dwarf and tied him to one of the packhorses.  Cyrus seemed almost grateful.  After sunset the sky darkened and looked like it might rain again.  Darius took point leading the horses along the road with his darkvision.    

Up ahead, Darius spotted a caravan of wagons pulled alongside the road.  They had a campfire built and were playing music.  As the team overtook them Kayla, Dram’s father, and a few others recognized the people as “Travelers”.  They were a band of wanderes who had a bad reputation.  Darius hailed his arrival and everyone stopped for a bit.  Seeing Cyrus still tied up on the packhorse and in clear view of the Travelers, Darius finally decided to relent.  He asked the colorfully dressed folk around the fire for any clothing he could buy for the dwarf.  After ten minutes of searching for something that fit, Cyrus was dressed in the most garish, ill-fitting, incredulous, and bawdy ensemble imaginable; a hodgepodge of Travelers clothing of all kind.  Trying to make amends Darius gave Cyrus the spare battleaxe he carried with him.  The older dwarf did not look pleased at all.


----------



## howandwhy99

Kayla began examining the many colorful wagons.  One had a sign with an open hand upon it.  Intrigued Kayla knocked.  A young woman with long flowing hair answered.  “Yes! Please come in!  I will read your fortune, yes?”  Kayla did not enter, but the woman came out to her anyways.  Seeing the woman grab Kayla’s hand, Dram and Dalin rushed over fearing an attack.  “You will go on a long journey,” said the woman reading the palm.  “It will be dangerous.  You will have many adventures.”  

Kayla laughed. She asked the young woman’s name. “I am Diedre the Seer.  I see your future.”  She looked at Dram and Dalin.  Some of the other team members started to walk over.  “I will read your future too, yes?”  Many of them agreed smiling.  The fortunes told were rather simple.  Afterward Kayla entered the woman’s wagon for a short talk.  Dalin noticed several flickers of light go off inside.  He wondered just exactly what Kayla was up to.  When the two women came back outside Diedre unharnessed a horse and pulled it up alongside Kayla’s.  It was announced that Kayla had found herself an apprentice.  

It seemed odd, but Diedre left her people quite willingly.  She waved goodbye and the team was traveling again.  The time was close to midnight, but no one was tired.  After only another hour they reached Holmfaust.  Most of the rooms were full at the Red Lion Inn, but Darius managed to secure a few beds in the hostel room from the innkeeper.  The rest of the team had to sleep in the stables.  Even though the hour was late the common room was bustling with people.  Kayla and Diedre went upstairs to converse, while everyone else relaxed and listed to the most recent gossip.  Darius was not nearly as shunned by the common folk here.  He felt a little safer, but did not want to press his luck.  So instead he took Cyrus up to the bar and bought him a fine meal.  

Tongues wagged on all sides in conversation.  Dalin and Dram had their work cut out for them as the tried to join in different ones.  Warily the two maneuvered around the patrons making sure never to bring up Darius’s name.  Unfortunately, the topic came up nevertheless.  They heard ‘Darius the Dwarf’ had replaced a commoner lord named Strom Miller and now was openly commanding Keep Margrave.  Ducking around, Dram heard another farmer talking about how a man named Gil from Hamfast had quite a price on his head: a whole cow for whoever brought him in.  Taking his father by the hand, Dram quickly led him to the room upstairs.   Next, a flutist struck up a tune and Rose came out of her hiding spot in the corner.  She began singing a Fey song in her own tongue.  The farmers and townsfolk of Holmfaust stared in amazement.  As she finished tears were flowing down their faces.  

Sensing a challenge, Cyrus stood up on his bar stool and began a song himself.  “There once was a lass who owned a bucket.  She couldn’t walk straight, but boy could she…” “STOP!” shouted Darius.  “I too have a song to sing.”  Darius started a drinking song with several verses.  Changing the dwarven words to Common though, the tune was a little off.  But no one seemed to care.  Between verses he pounded his tankard on the bar to keep in tune.  Once they learned the chorus the whole crowd joined in.   Apparently the anger against dwarfs was not as deep as Darius had first believed.  Afterwards, all the humans who had tried to drink along with the song were passed out on the floor.  

Later that night, after everyone was asleep, Cyrus opened one eye.  He had only feigned dozed an hour having rested while tied on horseback.  Tiptoeing around, he gathered some things: shoes, a bit of coin, some of Darius’s clothes, and other miscellaneous supplies.  Piling up the clownish clothes he had been given he wrapped the blanket he had been wearing around them and left the Cyrus-shaped bundle under the bar.  Then he snuck away in the early morning light.  The rest of the team slept in the following morning.  The constant traveling had worn them thin.  When Darius finally awoke Cyrus was nowhere in Holmfaust to be found.  “What happened to him?” he asked.  
“It is obvious, no?” replied Diedre the Seer.


----------



## howandwhy99

*[DAY 85 – Feastday, Azer 17th, CY 81]*

By the time everyone was gathered and accounted for it was late morning and very hot.  Darius gave a report on Cyrus having stolen from him and deserting.  He asked anyone else with missing gear to step forward.  No one moved.  Later, after packing the horses for afternoon travel, there was a debate upon which path to take back to the Keep.  Dram and Dalin wanted to head east back through Hamfast and to cause some more damage to the goblins.  Kayla and Darius thought a fast, safe trip through Hommlet was more appropriate.  Standing up, Dram mistakenly pointed to the north road as the one he shouted about going no other way.  Darius relented without mentioning the mix up.  It seemed not everyone remembered which road led in what direction. 

As they passed by Balorn’s tower just outside of town Kayla called for a stop.  She wanted to report to her mentor.  Coming outside and closing the door behind him, Balorn did listened quietly to Kayla and the team’s new plan.  After abandoning their position, they would be passing by again in a few days time.  It would be the last time he saw her before leaving Margrave.  Then Kayla introduced her new apprentice Diedre.  Balorn shook hands in his usual reticent manner.  Rose stood behind Dalin hoping not to be noticed.  Darius handed over his ornamental dagger, which Balorn had prized so highly before.  When it left Darius’s hand the tug it had on his soul from when he had first acquired the it was released.  He mentioned this to Balorn.  The two came to an agreement: Balorn would keep the dagger until Darius return, and then he would tell the dwarf everything he could discern of it.  From over Dalin’s shoulder Rose noticed the dagger had a Fey inscription on the hilt.  It read “Flame”, but she kept that to herself.

It was several more hours upon the northern road and dusk fell just as Hommlet came into sight.  Kayla took Diedre and and separated from the others after entering town.  Making sure she was not followed, she went and knocked on the door to Burné’s stone tower.  Rufus was the only one at home though, so she passed along Balorn’s warning about the red powder and how to wash off.  Rufus thanked Kayla and gave a warm welcome to Diedre.  He also warned of trouble on the road.  Bandit activity was reported to have worsened recently.  The rest of the team went to reserve rooms at the Welcome Wench.  Along the back wall Dram examined some wanted posters and recognized one with a drawing of his father’s face.  “Out!  Back out!” he commanded.  Darius went in alone read the posters: one whole cow.  The hunt was still on for Gil Hammersmith.  

When Kayla and Diedre arrived back, Darius led everyone outside of town.  With Drams’ father a wanted man, he was not willing to stay in Hommlet where someone might recognize him.  After a mile or more of riding in the dark, the road entered into the Greenwillow Forest.  No one was willing to risk its dangers, so they set up camp outside it.  As they cooked dinner and settled in it seemed the animal noises from the forest were particularly loud.  Frogs were croaking very loudly all around the encampment.  Rose tried to understand what they were saying, but it was simpleton frog jabber.  “Frog, frog, frog, frog, frog, frog, frog, frog, frog, frog, frog, frog, frog, frog, frog, frog, frog, frog, frog, frog, frog.”

Ormand the Redd and Dram took first watch.  Dram tended the fire as Ormand collected dried wood from near the forest’s edge.  Everyone else was just finishing up dinner and brushing down the horses when all of the animal noises suddenly stopped.  Drawing back to the campfire Dram and Ormand knocked their bows.   A soft hissing noise came from deep inside the forest.  It grew louder.  Then Dram spotted some sort of blob sliding along the ground as fast as a horse could gallop.  It passed through the trees and underbrush destroying everything its wake and engulfing all before it.  Nothing it touched even slowed it.  Within an instant the blob stopped in front of the encampment.  In the firelight it looked like a gooey ochre greenish-yellow mass.  It was easily ten feet across and had skeleton bones sticking out of it.  Dram recognized some of them as human.


----------



## howandwhy99

“TO ARMS! TO ARMS!” Dram yelled.  As he was yelled the blob moved up and engulfed Dram’s legs.  He could hear the hissing coming from his leather boots as he tried to pull free from the thick goo.  Fortunately for the others, no one had fallen asleep or removed their armor yet.  Ormand the Redd backpedaled firing his bow at the thing, but the wooden arrows dissolved on contact.  Dalin ran forward pulling his sword out.  Swinging at the blob he missed and tripped to his knees inside the creature.  The bull-like Pax moved up and grabbed both Dram and Dalin.  Pulling as hard as he could he could only pop Dram out.  Dalin was mired in the mass as it tried to suck him in.  Dram looked down at his skinless toes in the grass.  His leather boots were completely ruined.  There were streaks on Dalin’s fanciful steel armor gleaming from where the goo had touched it.   

Kayla maneuvered around to one side trying to stay far away from the blob.  With everyone in the way she could not get a spell off.  Diedre shadowed Kayla and tried to charm the thing, but her soft words had no effect.  Rose backed up behind the fire and looked for a free weapon to use.  Darius pulled out a flask of oil, lit it from the fire pit, and tossed at the monster.  “Watch out!” yelled Dalin who ducked as the flask just missed him.  The flames caused the blob to sizzle and Dalin was seared as well.  Dram’s father Gil stood up and started running back along the road toward Hommlet as fast as he could.

Dalin contorted in his armor trying to pull free.  Pax moved up again to help him and with two massive arms pulled out the fighter.  Dram danced back behind the fire, pulled out his bow, and drinking his a healing potion.  Kayla released her magic now that she had a clear shot, but the sleep spell had no effect.  As the magic bounced away she recognized the blob as having an elemental nature, but she knew not which.  Kayla grabbed Diedre moved farther away towards the road.  Rose started tossing stones from the fire pit at the blob.  As she hit they were instantly engulfed.  Darius moved back to the fireside to light another oil flask, but the blob slid forward and wrapped up his legs.  Somehow sensing the fire, the blob tried dragging him back towards the forest.  Dalin was gasping for air and drank a healing potion as he scrambled farther away.  

Rose pulled open a backpack and started handing out torches to those nearby.  Kayla, Dram, and Dalin each lit one and started waving around them to ward off the creature.  Pax lunged forward a third time hoping to pull Darius out.  Straining with all his might, he tore the stout dwarf free.  Dram threw his torch at the blob, but it split itself and it dodged the flame.  Holding torches the rest of the team grew bolder and approached with the shifting ochre mass.  Sensing a unified front, it shifted backwards and slid like lightening in a straight line over the fields to the south.  In a second it was out of sight.  A path of destruction was left as it fled.  Rose examined it noticing all but stone and mud was dissolved by the blob’s touch.  “Father!” Dram called out into the night.  Gill came running back moments later with a look of dread on his face.  It turned to relief when he saw his son alive. 

Everyone was inspected after the battle.  Dram would need new boots.  Dalin’s and Darius’s armor on the other hand looked as bright as new in the spots where the blob had covered them.  The difference was more evident on Cyrus’s old dirty armor.  Dalin wondered if they could catch the creature just for cleaning purposes.  Few had sustained wounds and the healing potions had done their job.  Only Dalin was still a little worse for wear.  Kayla mentioned that the blob had looked to her like something she had read in her books; she believed it might be something Zelligar had worshiped.  “The eater of men perhaps from the Chaos Caves?” proposed Dram.  Kayla did not know.  Rose and Ormand were already out scouting around for any further evidence of the creature.  Rose discovered the cleared path by which it had come out of the Greenwillow.  “Do you think it might have any treasure in its lair?” Dram asked with a smile.
“Only one way to find out” replied Dalin.


----------



## howandwhy99

Ormand, Pax, and Dram’s father were left with the horses back at the campsite.  They had been given specific instructions to ride back to town if they heard the monstrous hissing come back.  Everyone else trudged into the forest hoping for an easy find.  After a few hundred yards the blob’s path opened into a clearing.  Within was an old ruined estate with a muddy moat around it.  It was covered in ivy and had no windows.  Moreover, its only door was closed, but there was a rotted bridge that lead across the moat.  Four towers had originally cornered the curtain wall, but all had fallen but one.  Much of the outer wall looked ready to collapse too.  The inner roofs poking up around the wall had many caved in portions as well.  “It must have come from inside there,” said Pax pointing along the dirt path.  Rose walked forward and saw how it ended at the edge of the muddy moat.  Dram, Dalin, and Pax moved up to its edge with her.  The thick, runny mud inside gave off the scent of death.  The rest of the team hung back and looked at the small estate.  It gave off an eerie, forbidding sense of doom.

As Rose inspected along the side of the moat she saw a kite shield trapped inside the muck.  She asked the others to hold her as she tried to lean over and fish it out.  The forward team heard the guttural ‘ribbit’ of some strange frog.  The rear team was still staring at the empty edifice when they abruptly heard a strange whooshing noise.  Ormand the Redd pointed out several arrows freshly stuck in the ground before them.  Darius could see they were black with white fletchings.  He was about to call everyone back when several dozen bizarre, humanoid faces peered over the walls of the estate.  They were difficult to see in the moonlight, but Darius was within range to look through the shadows.  Every one of the silent faces resembled Rose.  Only the Fey behind the walls had very different coloring and clothing.  Their skin and hair were alternating black and white.  The clothes they wore were all black and pointed in a strange fashion.  Many of them had what looked like miniature crossbows in hand.  







Sensing something was amiss, Rose looked up.  Very slowly she backed away from the moatside.  Gesturing to Dram, Dalin, and Pax who were with her she whispered, “there is no treasure for us here.  Quietly now, we must leave.”  One by one Dram, Dalin, and Pax retreated.  The rear team was already backing up into the surrounding woods upon Darius’s vehement urging.  “This is not a spot for us to linger,” warned Rose when the team regrouped.  In a strange language Rose called out to the black and white Fey.  She apologized for her and her friend’s intrusion.  Turning to the others, she asked them to pull out meat and leave it beside the path. They had to leave an offering or they would be hunted for sure.  After this was done, they silently pressed back down path towards the campsite.  Less than half way back, they broke into a run.  While everyone caught their breaths at the campsite, Rose explained that her brothers and sisters did not appreciate being bothered.  “Where are we going to go now?” asked Dram.  “We can’t go back into town.”  

Rose guessed that with the offering they should be safe for the night.  What she did not mention was her wonder at what the blob could have been doing with her brethren.  Gathering their belongings and the horses in close, the team built the fire high and set watch again.  It was a long night for those on guard duty.  They all expected another attack, but fortunately none came.  When the sun rose the next morning, the team saddled up and took off at a brisk pace through the forest and towards the Keep.


----------



## howandwhy99

*[DAY 86 – Weddingday, Azer 18th, CY 81]*

“Ho! On the road!” called out the watchguard.  
“Hail to the Keep!” called back Darius and the gate was raised.  The small band felt good to be back inside Keep Margrave.  After the attack and now their long absence it had begun to feel a little like home to them all.  It would be hard to leave it.  Once inside, a soldier ordered them to relinquish their weapons.  “What?” cried Dalin.  “I’m not giving up my sword.  We’re under a constant thread of attack, don’t you know?”  The guard explained he was acting under orders from Lord Ratcliffe himself.  Everyone had to surrender their weapons before entering the keep.  Reluctantly the team agreed to the terms, but chose to spend the night in the barracks instead of the inn.  As they unloaded their horses word was sent for Father Ben.  He looked rather tired, but obviously pleased with their arrival.  “Any word of a replacement?” he asked.  Darius admitted to not having met any such person.  They had never even reached a temple inside of Harling.  

Moving towards the door, Darius said he needed to meet with Lord Ratcliff immediately.  Before he could leave the barracks, however, he overheard Ben telling Dram how eleven refugees from Hamfast had arrived a few days ago.  Darius stopped in his tracks.  Father Ben explained how he had received their letter and was still fighting stop the guard from hauling the men to jail.  Dram and his father became livid.  Pushing Darius out of the doorway, they marched all the way to the gate of the inner bailey with the rest of the team in tow.  Dram kicked and pounded on the door demanding an audience with the castellan.  After a short wait the whole team was let inside.  Sitting inside his quarters, Lord Radcliffe swung wide his arms and welcomed them back.  Dram smashed his fist on the Lord’s table.  “I DEMAND ANSWERS! (smash) Why have you put a price on my father’s head?! (smash)  And why are you trying to arrest his friends? (smash) I won’t stand for this!”
“Then you’d better sit down,” replied Radcliffe.

Gil caught his son’s fist just as he pulled back to pummel the Lord.  Darius leapt forward between the two.  
“We have many questions for you, my lord.” He said.  “There were many difficulties during the journey south and we have learned that there are more problems in County Margrave than simply those affecting the Keep.”
”Then let us by all means sit and discuss them,” suggested Radcliffe.  He genuinely appeared to have no idea why they were all so mad.  A circle of chairs was set up.  For privacy’s sake, Rose, Diedre, and Gil were escorted from the room.  Having not been privy to every discussion, the newcomers still needed to prove themselves.  Inside the room, Darius first asked why Dram’s father was a wanted criminal.  Radcliffe answered nonchalantly.  It turned out Lady Harling had sent several orders to him.  Pigeons were arriving almost every day.  Upon hearing this news, Father Ben’s jaw fell open.  “Just what is going on here?” he thought.

Many of the messages concerned the need of making weapons for the war.  Right now the Keep’s own smith was hard at work with four new recruits forging arms and armaments day and night.  Other messages detailed the crimes of several enemies of the County.  One of these criminals was Dram’s Father, Gil Hammersmith.  Apparently, word had been sent from Harling stating Gil was an escaped prisoner loose in the area.  He was to be escorted back to Hamfast in chains when found.  Darius pressed on.  Radcliffe said Father Benedict reported contradictory evidence about the criminals from Hamfast.  Moreover, the Father currently locked them inside the temple under rule of sanctuary.  Radcliffe was not pleased about this turn of events, but he had ordered Sergeant Keenan to take ten men into Hamfast to learn more.  Keenan had been gone for four days now and was expected back at any time.

During another round of questions, Radcliffe exclaimed Father Ben had said nothing whatsoever about a Mr. Hammersmith.  Dram looked over to Ben, but the priest just shrugged in response.  “I didn’t know,” he said.  Lord Radclift recounted his understanding of events.  According to Lady Margrave, Hamfast was an important supplier of weapons to the Front.  It was absolutely imperative that the weapon production continued.  The success of the war demanded it.  “But if the story of Hamfast being run by goblins is true,” Radcliffe threw up his hands in frustration, “what am I to do?”  The whole team pondered the question as the truth about Hamfast slowly sunk in.


----------



## howandwhy99

Ratcliffe also said he had received complaints from Harling.  Several rumors had spread claiming Captain Darius had taken over the Keep.  Radcliffe had sent back word clarifying Darius was no longer even at the Keep, but the messages of warning still came.  Also, replacements for Darius, Kayla, and Father Ben were being sent by order of Lady Margrave.  The last message he had received placed the contingent from Harling currently in Hommlet; a day’s ride from the Keep.  
“There was also a message about a wild, drunken dwarf running nude through the streets of Harling claiming to be the ‘Devious Darius’.”  Ratcliffe said no one afforded the talk any credence.  “Everyone knows a Dwarf cannot get drunk.”  

Darius reported that their “Guardian” Cyrus had turned out to be a fool in disguise.  He felt sure Cyrus was the source of the rumor.  Radcliffe looked concerned.  He asked for a description of Cyrus so a reward could be posted for his capture.  “Well he’s a dwarf like me about this tall,” said Darius hold his hand up.  “And he has a thick red beard.”
“Like yours?” asked Radcliffe.
“Yes…” He paused. “On second thought, let’s not send out any sketched posters of Cyrus.”

After they were satisfied with Lord Ratcliffe’s answers the group adjourned.  They regrouped with Diedre, Rose, and Gil outside and headed over to the temple and the refugees within.  There Dram’s father reunited with his fellows townsmen.  “What about all the rest of you?” questioned Dalin.  “We must have sent three times your number back here.”  The refugees related the story of how they had run, and kept on running, all the way to Outpost Bayer.  Some of the older men could not keep up, and not all of them had made it to the outpost by evening.  During the night several others left of their own accord, while only a few of the stragglers turned up.  No one could say what happened to everyone.  When the eleven before them finally arrived at the keep the watchguard attempted to arrest them.  They had to beg for sanctuary from Father Ben to escape the stockade.  In payment, it came out that they believed the Father was forcing them to rebuild the temple and Inn.

Father Ben was shocked denied any such treachery.  “I only politely asked them to help improve the town” he declared.  “So much work was is still needed by any who can give it.  And it gives them a chance to prove their loyalty, right?”  The others seemed dismayed at his actions.  “In retrospect, I must admit the men left their job posts whenever I wasn’t’ directly overseeing them” said Ben.
Darius put his arm on his shoulder.  “Many thanks for giving these men asylum.  I think we can take over from here on.”  The team left Rose, Diedre, and Gil with the  Hamfastites as before so they could plan in private their next steps.  Father Ben led them to the newly refurbished Head Priest’s quarters.   Outside, Ormand the Redd and Pax were stationed to keep guard.

Everyone related the events of their trip together, while Ben sat pondering many of their major discoveries. The rat he had believed to be Elion was actually something called a “shapechanger”.  Upon hearing of its nature, he was glad the team had destroyed it.  Furthermore, Goodman Barth was not only a master assassin, but was also suspected to be a shapechanger.  The mark Barth had on his hand was of an assassin’s guild.  “But who hired him?” questioned Ben.  
“I believe he may be a creation from Zelligar’s workshop” revealed Kayla.  Ben gasped.  Kayla believed evidence pointed to the wizard somehow being still alive.  She had also read in his books that Zelligar had worshiped strange gods, including one that was made of fire.  When they fought the blob near Hommlet she had observed its elemental nature.  “Perhaps, it was made out of fire?” she guessed.  “Fire destroys, doesn’t it?”   Then she went on to explain how her mentor Balorn had told her of the danger of handling the red poweder from Quesquaton.  “The Godnail?” exclaimed Ben.  Kayla nodded.  She related how each and every one of them had scrubbed down in Harling with acid-water to remove the taint.  “Igor even chose to shave off all his hair.” 

Ben swooned in his chair.  He excused himself from the others claming he needed to wash and rest.  He was all of a sudden feeling very tired and was visibly shaking.  As everyone else filed out of his new office, Kayla set down the acid Igor had given her next to Ben so he could bathe.  The next three hours were sort of a controlled terror in Ben’s mind.  He locked the door to his chambers and scrubbed his skin raw.  He also shaved every single hair from his body.  His muscles were tense with exhaustion as he lied down to sleep for the night.  The horror of infection still pervaded his mind.   Sometime later during the dark hours of evening he finally dozed off.  Nightmares filled his mind and his body shuddered.  At one point he awoke panting.  The nightmare had been too intense and he was soaked in sweat.  He noticed he had pushed off his covers and was sleeping above them.  Looking to his left he realized he was sleeping three feet above them.


----------



## howandwhy99

*[DAY 87 – Thunderday, Azer 19th, CY 81]*

In the morning Dram noticed Mouse’s old store was open. He wondered if the little guy had come back, or even better whether Igor had arrived finally.  He was disappointed to find only a new small man at the desk after entering.  The new storekeeper introduced himself as “Trifle”.   Mouse had authorized him to run his shop in his absence.  Dram wanted to lighten his load of coin and asked to see any available gems he might buy.  Trifle went in the back room and returned with a large pouch.  He poured out the contents on the counter.  Dram’s eyes glittered.  Literally hundreds of gems of every imaginable color were displayed before him.  Pulling out his coinpouch he pointed to a small blue gem and asked if it was worth fifty gold or not.  “Um… hold on,” said Trifle.  The little man turned to go, but then wisely asked Dram to take a few steps back before leaving the counter.

Retrieving a long list from the other side of the shop, Trifle waved Dram forward again.  He paged through the list with a confused look on his face.  “That one there is… 100gp,” he said.  
“Well what about this red one then?” Dram asked.  Trifle search again.  “Fifty?”  
“How much for this big green one?” Dram asked pointing to a medium-sized gem.
“Uh….that one is also fifty.”  Trifle admitted he was still getting used to Mouse’s pricing system.  Dram looked through all the gems.  Many of them looked like they had been pried up from somewhere.  “Perhaps from a crown?” thought Dram.  “Or a king’s throne?”

For the next hour he poked through the gems.  He purchased all he could of the largest gems for the lowest prices.  One of the gems for sale had even glowed red.  But Dram was short on funds and Trifle was loath to part with it “in case it’s somehow faulty”.   Kayla entered just as Dram was leaving.  She browsed around and noticed something she had not before: a bookcase for traveling.  She snatched it up quickly.  Outside, Dram walked to the armory and smithy where he saw Dalin inside.  He was buying new greaves as his old ones had been significantly weakened by the blob.  Dram purchased some of his own footwear to replace the boots he had lost.  The two returned together to the temple to talk with Dram’s father and the other Hamfastites.  Dalin was laughing to himself.  He wanted to know when they celebrated their “Festival of Ham”.  He seemed to believe they had a lot of pigs in the town too.

The rest of the team kept to themselves.  Father Ben had yet to come out of his chambers.  Kayla read and explored what she could of Elion’s room with Diedre’s help before moving out. Just in case she might have missed something.  Darius spent time with Lord Radcliffe in anticipation to the coming ceremony.  Rose simply walked about town smiling at the children with her fangs.  When the contingent of soldiers escorting their replacement arrived, all but Father Ben were waiting anxiously at the gate.  Forty soldiers marched in flying a banner of the Keep (a winged hawk for Lady Devereaux) on one side and a banner of a large badger on the other.  In their center were three young men: one a priest in brown robes and with thick gold rings, another in polished, heavy armor, and the last in rather frivolous gown.  When formation, all in heavy armor, reached the town square their captain declare the arrival of “The Badgers” and bowed deeply to Lord Radcliffe. 

Father Ben hurried outside into the square from the temple, while trying to hold an absurdly large, funny-shaped hat on his head.  He had been asked to say a prayer at the invocation of the Keep’s new Captain and Advisor.  When he bowed to the group many of them noticed he had no hair or eyebrows.  He lined up next to the other priest closer to the audience.  Lord Radcliffe stood in front center dressed in yellow with a yellow cape; to his right stood Darius and Kayla, on his left the two newcomers.  All were dressed in either fine clothes or armor.  The young man in platemail approached Darius and bowed deeply.  He handed the dwarf an ornamental rod and stepped back.  Darius bowed in return.  The other young man in the colorful robes bowed to Kayla and handed her a rolled parchment.  She also bowed in return.  Darius declared Captain Rufus and Advisor Burné officially appointed to Keep Margrave.


----------



## howandwhy99

Then Lord Radcliffe gestured Ben to come forward.  He was not sure what he was supposed to do, so he gave a sermon on the need for protecting the Keep, to protect all the buildings within, and every body and soul inside as well.  Afterwards he led a prayer to bless the new leaders and the audience in the square.  Instead of a calling on the divine power to bless however, he called on the power to see within people’s hearts.  Auras emanated out of every man, woman, and child in the Keep, shining brightly in Ben’s eyes.  His eyes scanned over everyone.  Darius shined a bright white.  Kayla shined white as well, which surprised him a little.  Darius, Rufus, Burné, and nearly all their soldiers shined with white light.  Some had different tints of color in their auras.  Dalin’s had a tinge of green, for instance. Besides the white auras several shined blue as well.  Father Ben was not shocked to see both Dram and his father were blue in spirit.  He searched the crowd for any unusual colors spotting one young man whose aura was a deep purple.  

After Ben had stood silently staring wide-eyed into the audience for a minute, Lord Ratcliffe tapped him on the shoulder.  Father Ben quickly finished and gave a bow.  The other young cleric stepped forward and was handed a scroll by Lord Radcliffe.  Not quite sure of what to do, as there was no special ceremony for his exchange of position, Ben solemnly crowned the new priest with his large blue hat.  It seemed a fitting tribute to Ben as the clothes he wore would soon belong to the new priest anyways.  The other cleric unrolled the parchment and began to speak.  “The church gives its blessing to this ceremony today.  And… We accept the responsibilities to that we have each been charged.  These trials will be difficult, but I’m sure we can overcome…   And… We will end in prayer.”  Raising his arms above his head, the priest sung in a high pitched voice a prayer Ben had never heard before.  

When everyone had finished, Lord Radcliffe called out.  “I declare this ceremony complete!”  Everyone in the audience cheered.  Father Ben, his friends, and the traveling dignitaries mingled while the audience slowly dispersed.   Ben learned his replacement was named Father John.  Kayla opened the parchment Berné had given her.  It was the scroll she had requested during her visit to his tower.  She made a mental note to give Berné his own pinch of dust before leaving.  Darius inspected his new rod.  It looked rather long for a rod.  He considered it too ornamental compared to dwarven-made ones.  

Rose approached the newly appointed Captain Rufus.  Father John and Lord Radcliffe were conversing by his side.  Rose kneeled down on one knee in front of them.  “Sir, I come from the Front.  I was ordered to return here and report to all who would listen.  The news is bad.  The war is going poorly and our forces are greatly hampered in the battle.  There is a great need for more supplies.  Foremost of these are weapons, so our soldiers might all join the combat.  But anything you could send to aid in the fight would be prized.  I have been commanded by my cousin Elves in alliance with Lord Margrave’s forces to search for weapons of any kind.  I beseech thee to aid the Front in all manner you are able.”

Rufus extended his hand and helped Rose to her feet.  All three men were intrigued by her exotic nature and began asking questions.  Rose begged off saying her heritage was not nearly as important as aiding the forces at the Front.  “Our smithy is already forging weapons within the Keep for the war effort” said Lord Ratcliffe.  “Come.  Let me introduce you to some heroes who are fighting the battle at home. They might be able to help you in your quest.”  Radcliff began naming off Rose’s newfound companions.  “Darius, Dalin, Dram, Ka…” 
“We bring important news” said Darius cutting of the introductions.  He explained the team’s intent to travel south and leave Margrave, possibly forever.  Radcliffe looked deeply saddened.  He promised to relay the news to Lady Margrave.  “I accept the invitation!” Rose called out with a cheer.  As she began hugging Kayla, Dram, Ormand, and anyone else standing nearby, it was apparent to Ben the little Fey was coming along.


----------



## howandwhy99

The hedgehog military squadron marched Captain Rufus and Advisor Burné through the open gates of the Inner Bailey.  Rose was still hoping up and down when Sergeant Keenan entered the square through the main Keep’s gates along with ten other soldiers.  Lord Radcliffe rushed forward and escorted the worn looking Keenan back inside the Inner Bailey as well.  It was only after listening to hours of soldier gossip that the team eventually learned what had happened.  Keenan had confirmed that goblins’ truly controlled Hamfast.  Dram became irate and demanded the Keep militia invade Hamfast immediately.  Ben observed Dram’s attitude was mercurial when regarding his hometown.  Dalin and Ormand the Redd voiced their agreement with Dram, but Darius brought the point home quickly.  “We have lost our influence here.  The decision to invade is no longer in our hands.  The fate of Hamfast is now up to Lord Radcliffe and his new commanders.  We have more to worry about.  We are still being hunted.  Our only hope is to escape County Margrave.  Any waiting could spell our deaths.  Aiding the war effort will have to wait.”

Realizing the truth of the dwarf’s words, the team began packing for another early morning’s departure.  Dram met with his father and the other refugees.  He explained his plight and asked if is father would be willing to travel with him south.  “Nay,” said Gil Hammersmith after a thought.  “My place is with me fellow villagers.  And if those short-sighted, noble pretenders don’t go to free Hamfast, we will!  We can make our way home and attack.  The news would shame the fools into helping us!”  As Dram tried to say goodbye to his father, the rest of the team bid farewell to Mirel.  The one-time “Lady-for-a-Day” had decided to stay with her parents and the keepfolk she knew so well.  Since she had not traveled to Harling, it was a good bet she might be able to hide from their attackers.  Words of caution and watchfulness mixed with ones of good luck, but all knew if any of their number could evade the suspicions of the killers, it was Mirel.  

In the evening Lord Radcliffe found a drunken Dram wrapped in a large fur at the Inn.  The rest of the team sat within as well looking bleary-eyed.  “Never fear.  I come with good news!” said Ratcliff.  “Ldy Margrave had responded to my missive.  The refugees of Hamfast are no longer to stand trial for their crimes and are hereby declared free!”  The common room erupted into cheers and Dram let out a loud “Hoot!”  He and Dalin immediately started a party.  Everyone was running around gathering up friends and relatives for the celebration.  Uninvited townsfolk began arriving too, but none were turned away.  Father Ben thought to himself in one corner.  He was secretly thankful for the old mens’ release.  He had not heard whether or not Father John’s would maintain his pledge of asylum.  Relieved, Ben stood up and announced his intentions to travel south too.  Dram called out for another round of ale.  The others look at like he was drunk as most had already assumed he would come.   When some out-of-towners showed up at the Inn, they were treated to a free drink and asked of news from the outside.  “Twas a large group of dogmen been seen by da’ outpost we left” said one man.  “They were fleein’ deeper into the forest.”  
“Huzzah!” sang out Dram and several others joined in.  The newcomers warned about how banditry along the roads had increased.  They were glad to be inside after their trip.  Darius took note.  To Ben, it appeared as if adventure beckoned from all around the Keep.   Who knew what would lie in the southern lands?  


*[DAY 88 – Fastday, Azer 20th, CY 81]
– [DAY 89 – Holyday, Azer 21st, CY 81]*

Early the next morning many of the members were still fuzzy headed from the night before.  A drink or two cleared it right up.  They team said their final goodbyes and bid so long to Keep Margrave.  They chose the west road, which led through Hommlet.  It was a long ride, but fortunately no bandits were seen along the way.  The Welcome Wench Inn was crowded when they arrived.  Exhausted from lack of sleep and riding, Dram, Dalin, and several others went to sleep early in the common room.  Kayla stayed up and learned several rumors from some of the friendly commonfolk.  Apparently, a mad hermit was said to be active in the woods north of Keep Margrave.  He had several unusual things for trade, but was known to attack visitors as often as he traded with them.  Kayla wondered if it was perhaps the dryad they had met long ago, or another forest creature working for Greenwillow the Ent.  

She had to laugh when one of the men named Elmo gave a dire warning to all in the pub about a fire creature seen loose in the woods nearby.  “I have seen the creature’s tracks with my own eyes” said Elmo.  “And not a single living plant survived its touch.”  Several women “oohed” appreciatively.  Rose asked openly about the old manor outside of town.  When no one spoke up, she warned them it was full of “Drae” and to be avoided at all costs.  Elmo told her it had belonged to a noble long ago, but had fallen into a state of disrepair since his demise.  “Only a few days ago a strange man named Spugnoir, a dwarf, and another man went to find treasure within.  No one has seen them since.”  
“A red-bearded dwarf?” asked Rose.  
“That’s right, do you know him?” asked Elmo.  Rose did not respond.  She and Kayla agreed later it was almost certainly Cyrus the Black.  

In the morning the team left Hommlet and traveled onward to Holmfaust.  They kept a sharp watch out and traveled on horseback two abreast, but no bandits were seen.  Darius surmised the team was probably being avoided as they were far too dangerous a target.  Looking at the map Dram had drawn, Darius decided they would skirt the edge of the Greenwillow Forest during the journey south as long as possible.  This left them and option to run and hide in case there was trouble.  “But after we’ve left the County”, he thought, “there will be no certainty of safety.  Who knows how far the killers will follow?”  He spurred his horse again.  As long as he was moving he felt the attackers were at the disadvantage.  When the lonely wizard tower came into view just at the outskirts of Holmfaust, Kayla rode up and rapped on the door.  It would be her last visit to Balorn for quite some time.  Father Ben stood scratching his underarms as he had done for most the day.  Balorn looked indifferent to their arrival, but led Kayla and Darius alone up the stairs to his library.  The rest of the team either sat in his sitting room or walked around outside.


----------



## howandwhy99

“This is the magic of an enslaved creature,” said Balorn handing Darius back the ornamental dagger he had been loaned.  Looking at it again it still reminded Ben of a miniature sword.  “It is fueled by elemental fire” said Balorn.  “There is a means to release the fire, but no one in their right mind would use such a weapon as this.”  Darius asked how the blade worked; what fire it called forth.  “A flame along the blade is formed when activated properly.  But to do so one must bathe it in the blood of innocents and then call upon the fire,” explained Balorn.  
“Should I destroy it?” asked Darius
“It is a vicious blade.  You may do with it as you wish.”  Taking the small steel weapon in both his gauntleted hands, Darius the paladin attempted to snap the blade in two.  He strained with all his might and the blade began to bend.  Its edge cut into the steel of Darius’s gauntlets and his blood poured over the dagger.  As it snapped in his hands a thunderous rush of flame erupted from the break.

The flash of light seen downstairs and outside the tower looked as if a ball of flame had engulfed the entire interior of the top of Balorn’s tower.  The wizard could be heard screaming, “NOOOOOO!!”  Inside a ten foot tall creature of pure flame burst out from the weapon.  Frantically Darius tried to push the dagger back together again.  It did not work.  The massive fiery form landed on the wooden floor.  The books in the wall cases behind the creature combusted and the flames spread.  The fire-beast grew in size as it fed from the dry paper.  Darius felt a hand touch him from behind and his whole world shifted.  The next thing he knew he was standing outside in the grass with Balorn holding both he and Kayla.  Looking up from their dicing game, Dalin, Dram, and Ormand the Redd stared at the three in disbelief.

“Save the tower!” shouted Pax as he ran up the stairs with his sword in hand.  At the top he saw the star field which had been in place on their previous visit.  He charged into it and was shocked backwards.  In return Pax spit at the star field perhaps hoping some bit of him might get through.  Diedre ran outside towards Kayla looking expectantly for what to do.  Rose grabbed a bucket of water and ran from the waiting room all the way upstairs to Pax’s side.  “Be prepared,” warned Balorn.  Then the wizard, Kayla, and Darius disappeared once again.  Kayla felt the heat blaze across her face.  Chanting the arcane words she had previously memorized a gush of water spouted from her clasped hands.  Spraying it all over the fire creature it started to shrink.  Kayla tried to stop the library from burning by using some of the spray to douse the flaming books.  She succeeded by soaking every wall.  Unfortunately the creature still lived, though barely three feet in size.

Down in the study Ben waffled on what to do.  He ran half way up the stairs before realizing he was running towards an angry warlock.  Turning quickly he ran out the bottom of the tower.  Balorn dismissed the star field and Pax and Rose rushed inside the library.  Pax swung his sword into the flaming creature to no effect.  Rose tossed her bucket of water, but missed.  Darius tried pounding the flaming creature with his hammer, but was burned for his efforts.  Dalin, Dram, and Ormand decided it was time to quit the dice game and started running towards town.  Dram looked back over his shoulder, “we’ll get some water!”  But the town was several minutes away.  Diedre walked towards the tower door just as Father Ben sprinted out.  “I sense something is wrong” she said, but Ben did not respond.

Up in the library Balorn shouted for more water to be brought up from the laboratory downstairs.  Pax took off running forgetting about Rose’s bucket.  Kayla waved her hands again and whispered like the wind.  A strong breeze began blowing from her form.  Her clothes flapped wildly as its intensity increased.  The little fire creature was pushed backwards along the floor as it sputtered in the wind.   When the gust finally subsided the flame was but a foot tall.    Rose started hissing in what sounded like a bizarre crackling language.  Darius grabbed the bucket from Rose and jumped at the creature.  His plan worked.  The metal bucket covered the fire even as small daggers of flame managed to lash out along the seams of the floor.  After a minute, Pax ran back upstairs looking for a bucket.  Upon Darius’s command he smashed the bucket with his massive foot.  There was nothing left, but smoke.    

Balorn stood back silently surveying the damage to his library.  Half the books were burned and the other half waterlogged.  Darius began apologizing for the accident of releasing the evil creature.  Kayla cut him off, “It has been a terribly long day.  Time to leave.”  She prodded her teammates towards the stairwell.  Outside Ben had already run a good hundred yards away.  As he looked back he saw Darius and the rest of the team exit the tower without the warlock.  In the other direction, he could see Dalin, Dram, and his hireling casually walking towards Holmfaust.  “I guess we won’t be coming back here” thought Ben and he turned to catch up with the other three.  Standing outside the tower Kayla explained it would be best not to disturb Balorn any more.  He needed time to cool off himself.  When everyone was at last inside the Red Lion Inn in Holmfaust the team reserved one large room.  Holmfaust had been safe before, but it was still a town they had been seen in.  A single room would provide protection.  Double watches were kept through the night.


----------



## howandwhy99

_*Chapter 2: The Journey South*_

*[Session 12]

[DAY 90 – Sunday, Azer 22th, CY 81]*

The team awoke to find a steamy, rainy morning.  The once dusty roads were now drenched and sodden.  Thick mud ran in furrows along the ground.  The long night had passed unbroken, but the thoughts of their would be pursuers still weighed heavily on the travelers’ minds.  Father Ben rubbed at his chest praying the quiet was an omen for their journey south.  Beyond Holmfaust the land smoothed to empty fields of grass and upon Darius’s orders the team arranged itself into a circular formation for better protection.  

After the morning mist had cleared Rose saw several birds flying quickly north in the sky.  Larger predators soared above and behind.  Whistling softly she managed to coax a small yellow bird to her hand.  They tweeted to each other in some common understanding.  “She says she and her friends are being hunted.  Those that follow are vultures uncommon to the area.”  Rose sighed.  “Mother will have her will”.  
“What do you mean?  Mother?” asked Father Ben intrigued.
“You pray to the sun.  I pray to Mother.” Rose explained.  “I am Mother’s, but Father commands other Faerie.  Sometimes they even work together.”  To Ben it sounded as if Mother and Father were the King and Queen of the Faeries.  He had heard Faery stories before as a child, but none had creatures like Rose in them.  Few tales ended well too.  Queen Titania and King Oberon were just mythical figures and not rightly worshipped by goodly men or women.  Ben had spent no time studying such nonsense.

“Perhaps it would be wise to pray to a higher power?  A divine source which could surely guide your path?” suggested Ben.  “You see, I do not actually pray to the sun, but to the Goodly Gods above to let the sun shine on our travels.”  
Rose took this in.  “I don’t think Mother would like that. She is very protective of her sons and daughters.  She sees and knows all they do.” 
 “Only the Gods see and know all,” declared Ben.  “But do you mean you are actually a daughter of the Fairy Queen?”
“Hey, yeah!  It sounds a bit like… well, a fairy tale” said Dalin.  “Not really true, right?”
Rose leaned back in her saddle.  Taking her time she began to tell the group the story of her life.



> *A Summary of Rose’s Story*
> 
> Her early memories were foggy, the earliest memories she had were of waking up on a cold stone floor to the words "Awaken princess, breakfast is here". She was told the story of her birth once. She was never sure how true it was given the nature of the tellers. But it was simple enough. One of the Queen's dalliances was with a merchant from Elven lands. That supposedly made her a princess. In the same way all of the Queen's children were princesses at least the ones that she ever knew of. Much like the King’s princes supposedly, though for some reason the two were never allowed to intermingle. She never saw her mother. The only caretakers she ever knew were the ladies who brought food and clothes everyday and set up the rules. The rules, such as they were, were simple. The eldest sister would be allowed to be heir to the throne. All others would be cast out. Of course SHE would never be allowed to ascend to the throne, her blood was impure. She and those like her were mixed with those who mixed with the low races. She was kept alive as a toy for her sisters to play with. Perhaps the gods grant mercy to the bastard children of the world though. While she was beaten regularly for the slightest transgression, she was never considered important enough to spend effort killing. And so she grew up. In a room that was more a battle arena than a dormitory, with all the siblings of the queen's children. She was rarely unhappy for how does one mourn the lack of light if they have only ever lived in utter darkness. She simply was. Eventually though the call of her Fae blood became too strong. She grew bored with the beatings and wanted something different. So she left. No one stopped her, why would they, she simply left at a time when they had again lost interest in her. Had she any way to keep time, or been cared about by anyone who could, she might have noticed that approximately 50 or so years had passed since her birth. She wondered what to do with herself and decided to track down her father it seemed simple enough after all; surely someone outside the bedroom would know the way.
> 
> But no one was there. So she simply started walking until she found something interesting. The new walls were nothing interesting. Fabrics and stone the same inside the room. She wandered for a while. The universe outside the bedroom, as far as she knew it, was fairly empty and there didn't appear to be anyone except her brothers and sisters. She might have wondered where the caretakers were. So she walked on, for whatever reason. Eventually she came across something entirely new to her. It was different. There is no other way to describe it and no words can adequately express what her first view of light was like. For fifty years she had grown up in a world of utter darkness. Neither her sisters, nor nannies, nor anyone else of note had need for it, so what was the point. One could go on about what was behind the door. How strange the feel of straw is on one who has only ever felt stone, fabric, flesh, and blood. But those experiences are best left to the imagination of the reader.


----------



## howandwhy99

_The story continues…_


> And so the first world ended, with a Fae princess fainting out of a shuttered window she had just opened onto a traveling merchant's hay cart as it was leaving the castle. Now in most stories the cart would be driven by the same father who sired her all those years ago and we would have a happy ending with her finally finding acceptance among the ones she would come to know as Elves. And anyone who knows the elves would probably laugh themselves onto the floor at the prospect of that image. Neither of these ended up being the case. The merchant who found her at least had the pity to give her to an orphanage.
> 
> Now one might think that a girl who had been raised blind in a formless darkness constantly being beaten by faceless voices might have some trouble adapting to a daylit world with creatures who had long ago mastered the art of sight as a way of navigation. They would be correct. And so she began life once again as if from the womb. No way to communicate, no way to understand this new world. All these strange new rules in a game you have no idea how to play. Even though the world was new there was so much to incorporate she had no idea how to start. And so once again she was as a child. And as a half breed from the Fae lands she was less common than even the half humans, so again she was at the bottom of the pecking order. But slowly she evolved. It only took her about a hundred more years to relearn everything she thought she knew.
> 
> Eventually she learned of the Fae and their nature and the elves and their nature until again she became bored and left. This time though she had learned about these things called RULES. Apparently in the world of the elves you didn't simply murder your siblings to advance in the world. You had to do something to live other than simply being too much effort to kill. So before she was allowed to leave she was examined to see what she was good at. Her childhood had left her body too broken to be an archer and the mages feared what her Fae blood might do to their magics. The priests would not accept her since they did not recognize her blood as that of a noble house. Thankfully however the woods folk would, though many feared such "nobility", they agreed her talents would be wasted otherwise. So she left to be with the folk of the woods. Strange tall creatures with rounded and semi-tipped ears and eyes called "humans" and "half-humans". Calling them half-elves in her presence one seemed to confuse everyone. Oddly enough it wasn't the Elven blood made her trainers feel a kinship to her. It was the lack of its purity. So they trained her, and showed her how to use her natural talents to enhance those she learned. She began to feel strange things among these semi-tipped ears. But before she could investigate her feelings the war came. Warriors were asked for, and she was sent. Feelings were strange things to her; she needed time to ponder what they were. This "war" sounded like she might have a chance to think. It sounded like a lot of people training at once.
> 
> Again, words are inadequate to describe the situations as alien as they were to her, as alien to us as she is. Picture, one who grew up around death and carnage, was then shown it in senses she had never used to understand it before; reevaluated with a mind that had been unable to comprehend the actions taken around her before. And in the blink of an eye (less than a year), she was sent away. She wasn't sure why she was chosen, but wondered if it might be due to her nature. It tended to make the non-elves uncomfortable, at least the ones who did not know her. She was told to get weapons, get reinforcements, GET HELP! Go to the West, help was in the lands to the west.
> 
> So she rode. Not soon afterwards she was pursued. But a pack of the green things*but bigger and orange*and on wolves*only those were bigger too. And she rode. They captured her. They tortured her. Foolishly they thought this would break her, rather than calm her down and clear her mind. Childhood memories often have that effect. And she escaped. They pursued and they fell behind.  Eventually she felt she had lost them. She crossed the mountains and lost the last of her water in the process. And still she rode on. Word must get out.  These armies could not be allowed to continue. All they sought was to destroy. She knew now this was wrong and some things were different than herself. Some things were worth something. And so she rode on, over hill and dale, her horse becoming as exhausted as she. Perhaps it was luck that her angle of entry brought her a few miles outside of a goblin occupied town instead of through it. And still she rode. Even as delirium of days without water set in. She rode on until she saw a campfire. It must be a good sign. All of the enemies could see in the dark. She placed her horse a distance away to give the poor creature a chance to rest and stumbled toward the light. In the light she saw only despair, there was an orc, silhouetted against the firelight. It called out to her in a gruffly accented common. She asked those who she had failed for forgiveness. She was wrong and she had not the strength to continue, only the hope of help had gotten her this far. And so she collapsed, despair at last claiming victory over her fatigue wracked body. As she lay unconscious a voice told her "Be well for you are restored" and she awoke to a face full of long kinky red hair.
> 
> And so she brought news


----------



## howandwhy99

_Posted on behalf of Biorph_

*Rose’s Background*

Name: Rose
Full Name: Red rose of the trellis outside my window that I look upon.

Description:
Height: 4'8, weight: 75 pounds, sex: female

Her hair is the color of flame literally, a mixture of reds oranges and yellows and seems luminescent even without light. Her skin is light ice blue. Her eyes (the irises anyway) match the deepest reds of her hair and are luminescent like her hair. In her mouth are a set of animal like fangs. Those only become really evident when she smiles. Despite her upbringing her skin does not show many scars and she seems to heal fairly neatly. Her armor looks to be crafted by an expert in animal skin working. It seems to be painted to blend in as much as possible with the forest. Her arms, legs, hands, and feet show the signs of numerous breaks and improper setting most of which has long since healed. While not overly attractive or unattractive, she has a strange alien beauty about her that is almost ethereal in its nature and seems to make it even easier to stare at her when she wants your attention. Her speech is in heavily accented common and her elven only slightly less accented. Although she has spent several decades with non-elves and non-fae, she still considers them and many of their customs strange. Her nature is very alien as VERY few exist who are like her and often comes out despite her efforts to hide it. She does her best to observe and try to understand the strange situations that arise as best she can. She is not overly devoted to her horse, it was simply an animal given to her to ride that has been surprisingly durable. Her weapon is a quarterstaff, and she becomes apprehensive when in close proximity to metals.

Currently she is wearing woven flaxen pants and a long shirt under her armor her hands are hidden by her leather gloves. At Deirdre's suggestion she has begun tying up her hair at night and wears a veil to hide the majority of her face, especially the fangs which seem severely off-putting to those she has met for reasons she does not fully understand yet.


----------



## howandwhy99

As Father Ben rode along, itching himself under his arms and sometimes elsewhere, and listening to the little woman who was somehow both Fae and Elven, he came to believe she actually enjoyed the beatings that had broken her body.  “Why would anyone want to be hit by hammers?” wondered Ben.  Dram waved his hands from in front to quiet the others.  He silently pointed to the smoke of some campfires ahead.  Veering off the road to their right, the team took a wide berth fearing the worst.  A good distance away Dram pulled the horses even keeping the smoke to their left.  A wide blue river crossed their path at the bottom of a hill.  Dalin and Dram rode forward and tested its depth with a stick.  The river was shallow and quite clear, so the horses were lead single file to the far side.  The team moved back into formation on the far bank.  Ten minutes later and Dram was steered back towards the southern road.  “It’s best to avoid anyone out in the open,” Darius said plainly to his team.  “We don’t know who to trust right now.”

Storm clouds chased each other across wide-open sky but ignored the party.  The treeless plain offered no reprieve from the hot sun.  As it turned orange then red blossoming into a spectacular sunset a small wooden palisade was spotted ahead.  Worked lands encircled the tall wooden walls.  Perhaps forty farms in all stood outside its’ doors.  As they approached Ben noticed each of the houses stood empty with door barred or left open with nothing within.  Dalin pointed out the fields were still being tended as the crops had reached harvest height.  “None have been cut though”.  Dram stopped a hundred feet from the wall.  Darius rode ahead alone and knocked on the door.

“State yer’ business” a high-pitched voice cracked.
“We are on a mission from the Gods,” said Darius.  A smaller door opened built within the larger one.  A teenaged boy and an elderly yellow dog with one good eye looked out.  
“Wait here.  I have to check with the master.”  The door closed and Darius waited impatiently.  Five minutes passed and he knocked again.  The larger door opened in response.
“Ya’ll have to stable yer’ horses at the Inn” said the boy.  
“What inn is that?” asked Ben.
“Uhhh.. the Harvest Inn, I guess”
“What is the name of this town?” inquired Darius.
“This ain’t no town.  We’re a thorp.  Called Gone’way” the boy replied.

Inside the circled wall were less than a dozen houses.  The boy and dog lead them to the only two-story building in town.  It looked like a granary.  Indeed, inside were no beds or stables, but a small pile of hay and grain were piled in the back.  Darius started collecting coin from the others to pay for their stay.  Rose had none.  “I never carry metal,” she said.  Darius let it pass.  He gave the kid nine silver and fifteen coppers as a tip.  As the boy goggled at his fortune Ben asked if he could be allowed to hold services while in town.  “What?  Yer’ a priest?!  Really?”  He seemed genuinely impressed.  With hardly any urging he ran off to sound a tower bell.  

Ben cleaned and changed into his vestments while the others unpacked and brushed down the horses.  When the “inn’s” doors were reopened Ben was taken aback.  He counted about ninety people outside.  Each stared at him in wonder and fascination.  Ben saw only elderly and young folk.  It must have been all of Gonnaway.  Reminding himself not to mention fathers and mothers or sons and daughter, Ben launched into a sermon about staying true in trouble times.  He gave examples of trials where others had kept the faith and won out in the end.  “Hallelujah” one woman shouted.  He stressed how everyone was needed in Margrave to work each day to keep the County strong and secure.  “Praise be to the Gods!” shouted another man.  Ben asked for constant vigilance in duty and a sharp eye for possible invaders.  

The whole crowd was hooting and howling before Ben could even finish.  Those who could had started dancing and some of the older faithful had passed out.  After a closing prayer the congregation surged forward and hands groped Ben from all sides.  After what seemed an eternity Ben saw Dram pushing others away and led Ben out of the mass of bodies.  Ben called out for the townfolk to have a peaceful evening as Darius shut and barred the door to the inn.  “You would make a good sacrifice” said Rose.  “Not like me, of course.  I have impure blood.  But yours is very worthy”.
“Thanks” said Ben confusedly.  Thinking twice he decided to move his blankets to the far wall away from Rose.  Secretly he staked them down from the inside and tossed some rocks in the bottom for good measure.

Darius and Dalin went to speak with the master as the others bedded down.  The “master” turned out to be the old dog’s master in truth.  He was very old and nearly bald with white wisps of hair sticking out erratically from the sides of his head.  Swapping stories Darius learned the town had sent off many of its members to the Front.  Then the raiders from the east had come and killed everyone brave enough to fight back.  The attacks could come at any time, but the nights were especially bad.  A dragon of legend haunted the nighttime skies.  Few had dared to leave since then.  Darius reassured the old man he would pass along the tale.  Heading back to the sleeping quarters Dalin and Darius found the rest of the team already asleep.


----------



## howandwhy99

*[DAY 91 – Moonday, Azer 23rd, CY 81]*

Gonnaway’s deserted streets were still cloaked in shadow when Darius led his teammates outside the high wall.  The sky was a smooth sea of cobalt blue thawing as the sun struggled to break the horizon.  Father Ben hummed pleasantly to himself as he counted the few remaining stars above.  The little thorp had renewed his faith in the world again.  As the first rays of light struck his face, he felt certain whatever challenges the southern road held would be overcome.  The sun rose rapidly and the morning air grew unusually hot and dry.  Rose whistled out in bird song when Dram spotted more vultures circling ahead, but none responded.  A carcass of some creature lied further on.  Having grown up on a horse farm, Ben recognized it as buffalo.  Rose walked over and examined the dry earth around it.

“There are no tracks anywhere”, she exclaimed.  “It’s like it fell out of the sky!”
“Maybe it was the dragon?” said Dalin.  Darius hushed him and passed on how the locals of Gonnaway believed they were being hunted by a mythical dragon of old.  Dram looked upwards, cantered his horse and hurried the team on their way.  As the day stretched, Rose started asking questions again about Margrave and why dragons would drop buffalo from the sky.  She talked on and on unworried about the lack of answers.  The team learned she had been trained in tracking and ranging the land as Pendra and Certa.  A flicker of worry crept over Ben’s face as he remembered neither of the two men had ever been found.  

Rose went on about her past and heritage.  Apparently, her Fae nature allowed Rose to know exactly where she was at all times.  “My impure blood keeps me from seeing in the dark though.  I wish I could.  But then I’d probably eat people too, so maybe it’s for the best for you.”  Rose smiled merrily as the rest of the group noticed every tooth in her mouth was sharply pointed.  Father Ben made a silent resolution to teach her the goodly faith as soon as possible.  “Mother’s side eats, heart, mind, and soul.”  Dalin changed the topic to card playing and the others readily took it up.

An hour or so before dinner a town came into view.  Nearly a hundred buildings were clustered around with farmsteads extending back beyond and to the west.  As they rode their horses in several people moved aside as the roads were full of activity.  Darius stopped a passerby long enough to learn the town’s name: Custner.  Picture signs hung from many of the buildings along the main road.  A horseshoe hung above a clanging smith’s shop and a small barrel above the cooper’s.  Darius pulled into the smith’s and the others followed.  He and Dalin looked over his wares and had the horse hooves checked.  Rose drew back and held her nose when see saw inside.  Father Ben overheard her tell Kayla of her great dislike for iron and other metals.   He turned away as it was improper to listen in.  It was then he spotted a carpenter’s shop down the street.  It was precisely what he was looking for.

Rose, Kayla and Diedre dismounted and headed towards what looked like a large commerce building in the center of town as Ben headed to the carpenter’s alone.  Outside the building, the three women saw a number of young men staggering around with drinks in their hands.  Hung over the door was the sign of a busty woman holding ale.  “We’re just in time for the party!” yelled Rose.  Kayla grimaced silently.  Inside was a long bar and several more men.  A half dozen women lolled about upstairs along the balcony dressed in provocative clothing.  Several more danced slowly with the men as a fiddler played.  Rose joined right in and started dancing with the men too, some of whom backed away in fright.

Kayla and Diedre stood their ground as three different men tried propositioning them.  Kayla started examining the large common room while ignoring its inhabitants.  A massive stone fireplace stretched along one wall.  A six-foot wide circular buckler and massive ten-foot long sword hung above the mantle.  Oddly the sword was missing its crosspiece.  A small dwarven woman sporting a full beard and long, red gown approached.  “Well met young ones.  I am Gerda.  Are you interested in working for our fine establishment?”  Rose ran right over from across the room.  “Why do they give the women metal for simple frolicking?” she asked.  “It’s downright cruel!”  Gerda laughed, but did not answer.


----------



## howandwhy99

After placing his order with the carpenter, Ben retraced his path back to the ironsmith’s.  On his way he spotted Dram and Dalin hotfooting it into what looked like the town inn.  Ben moved over to join them as Ormand the Redd and Pax came walking in behind.  Inside Ben was completely shocked.  “By the Gods!”
“Not quite” responded the ugly dwarven woman.  “But we do serve any and all willing customers.  Do you have a particular preference?”  Dram, Dalin, and Pax stepped right up and ordered ale.  Tossing a goodly amount of coin on a table each soon had two women on their laps.  
“Come on, Ben.  Live a little!” said Dram. Ormand quietly walked out the door.

“What is this place?” asked Ben stupidly.  
“The Welcome Wench Inn”, said the dwarf.  Turning back to Kayla, “perhaps you are interested?  There are several good men available too?”  Her gaze took in Ben as well.
“But…um… Wait a minute.  That’s the name of the inn in Homlett?”  Ben was still flustered.  
“Yes, yes, so we call it the same thing.  Who cares?” said the woman. 
“Pardon me, but are you the owner of this establishment?” asked Kayla.  At that moment Ben noticed Rose dancing with some of the other men inside.  He quickly exited finding Ormand cowering outside the door.  
“Grog is the owner.  But he is sleeping now and I wouldn’t want to wake him.”
“Ahhh… So he the one who owns the sword above the mantle then?”, asked Kayla.

Outside Darius marched across the street and through the door before Ben could think to warn him.  He had just finished stabling the horses and took a good long gaze at what was happening inside the brothel.  Kayla took the chance to draw him aside and filled him in on what she suspected.  Some large pimp ran the inn, but room prices were exorbitant.  She suggested heading somewhere else before trouble started.  Diedre was spotted across the room selling fortunes to some of the men and women.  Darius decided they would stay awhile and try their luck.

“You are quite the fine specimen,” the dwarven madam said as she approached.  “Do you care to practice some stonecutting while in town?”  Darius laughed loudly.  And then took her up on her offer.  The two went upstairs in private.  Alone again, Kayla determined to learn what she could about the town and ‘Grog’ while the others frivoled away the time.  Outside Ben patiently explained to Ormand how not all women enjoyed places like this.  “Rose isn’t like any other woman”, the red-haired man responded.  Just then Dalin and Dram ran out and shoved two pouches in Ben’s hands.  “Hold those” ordered Dram as he turned back inside.
“And don’t give ‘em back to us until tomorrow!” shouted Dalin as he followed.  One bag was much heavier than the other.  “I wonder whose is whose?” thought Ben.  It occurred to him he should check on his special project and left Ormand to watch the door.

Time passed and Kayla noticed there was still no sign of Darius.  She recalled that when he was determined little could get in his way.  The men and women in the common room were easily won, however.  Besides learning of another inn in Kustner, one where they could actually sleep the night, Kayla discovered a few juicy rumors.  Apparently some ‘Skinny man’ was sneaking around during the night and scrawling bizarre messages on the outer walls of the Sleeping Dragon – the name of the other inn.  The man was always shaking and scared of the townsfolk.  Several of the men bragged about beating him whenever he came around town.  In truth the whole town scared Kayla a little too.  It was not like anywhere else in Margrave she had been.  

One woman told her that the ogres from the mountains might be closer than she suspected.  Only when the woman snarled and laughed as she told Kayla the information.  Reflecting on it, Kayla guessed it had something to do with the sword and shield.  Seeing her fellow companions had stopped drinking and looked somewhat in control of themselves she collected Diedre to leave.  The young apprentice had actually made a fair amount of coin in the interim.  Ben saw them leave and promised to watch over the others.  Ormand had clammed up and with no one to talk to Ben was anxious.  The carpenter was taking quite a bit longer than he expected.


----------



## howandwhy99

Dram was caught up in amusement, but he was also low on coin – unlike his stingy friend Dalin who was upstairs for the second time.  Trying to make the best of the situation he decided to ask about his missing brother.  Someone had heard a Gil Hammersmith had been sold into slavery, but it was old news to Dram.  Darius finally came down the stairs and strutted around the common room with a big smile on his face.  He was in high spirits.  The madam was nowhere to be seen.  “Who wants to join me in a drinking contest!” he called out.  After a minute two tipsy men stepped forward.  A woman brought each a large stein of ale, which Darius dutifully paid for.  He took several gulps and looked at the other two men.  They were chugging as fast as they could.  “Hey! I thought were drinking to see who could stay sober the longest!”    All the locals started laughing.  The two men beat him handily. “No one can get a dwarf drunk!” said the winner.  

Across town Diedre and Kayla finally located the other inn.  It was run down and had all its rooms in separate cottages in a row behind it.  The main building looked like a small and very dirty converted barn. The inside was no better.  A small group of grubby men sitting around a table stared at the two women.  She asked about the skinny man who was rumored to stop by in the night.  The man laughed menacingly.  They said they had beat him every night and hoped he would come back on this one.  After a few minutes Kayla managed to barter a single cottage for the evening.  Walking around to the back of the barn they noticed strange scrawling all over the rear wall.  



> *DangEr....Forces of Evil Gather...Come TO me...Free the Power to Combat Evil....Hasten or Witness Dire Destruction....I Await the Coming of a Bearer....I am tHe Sentinel...Evel grOWS STRONG...Help Me! Overcome....DANGER*



Dram was getting frustrated watching Dalin and Pax have all the fun while he sat being teased.  Spotting the dwarven madam coming back downstairs he asked to meet with the owner.  Dizzily she led him out a rear kitchen door and into a walled backyard.  A tall shack stood on one side and an enormous misshapen man stood before it.  The creature looked at least nine feet tall to him and probably a half-ogre.  Dram introduced himself.  He learned the half-ogre was named Grog and was rather friendly.  They started talking about how he had retired from adventuring and now enjoyed the good life at his ‘inn’.  “Gerda help with girls and food and beer.” Grog boomed.  “Grog make sure nothing bad happen.”  Dram could certainly imagine.







After awhile Dram introduced Grog to his friends inside the brothel.  In short time it became apparent Grog was a little slow and knew nothing about the REAL business of his ‘inn’.  The team did learn a Gar the Giant was busy hiring people to work for him.  The giants normally lived in the mountains to the east.  But Gar was working in the forest to the north as well.   Grog said he had heard some adventurers had discovered the lost tomb of Zelligar and he guessed that was what Gar was after.  Darius, Dram and the others put two and two together.  Gar was the giant who had attacked Xavier.  

Afternoon had passed it was getting dark when Ben finally retrieved his special project: a carved wooden ring looped inside a braided twine necklace.  It fit perfectly over his head and he stashed it in his pouch.  Ormond the Redd had long ago gone to find the women and the second inn.  When the rest of the party stumbled out of the Welcome Wench he helped them to the room Kayla and Diedre secured. The two had cleaning the entire cottage and were a little upset to see the men enter.  Darius convinced Kayla it was safer to stay in one cabin than to split.  The prices were much higher in Kusner than in the north too. Everyone laid out beds for the night and Ormand took first watch.


----------



## howandwhy99

Ormand paced around behind the Sleeping Dragon Inn’s barn.  Darius had given him special orders to keep a lookout for a skinny man who had left the message on the rear wall.  He could not read it, but he was not interested anyways.  Ormond was trying to think of a way to speak with Rose.  He pictured in his mind her flaming red hair.  “Sort of like mine”, he whispered.  A shadow appeared in the moonlight.  Ormand hid.  An incredibly thin figure skulked up to the rear wall.  It swayed back and forth like it might be drunk.  He spotted a glove on one of its hands as it began to write.  Ormand drew his sword.

“Wake up! Get up!  He’s here!”, he shouted and pounded on the room’s door.  The noise of stomping feet came from inside…and from within the barn too.  Ormand charged, but the skeletal man was too quick.  Instead of running it quickly climbed up the back the barn wall like a spider.  Pax and Dalin ran out of the cabin followed by Dram.  Ormand circled around the barn trying to keep an eye on the man as it ran, but it was too dark.  Three dirty men were looking around in front shouting. “Urkwin its beatin’ time!”, one yelled.  The other two shouted cursed threats of what was in store.  A dog started howling from somewhere nearby.  

Splat!  Something fell on top of Ormand before he knew what happened.  From inside the cabin Rose started howling too.  “OOOWWOOOOOHHHH!”  Pax helped Ormand up.  The three men were very angry and mocked Ormond for letting their favorite “beat it” man get away.   When they saw the rest of the team arrive the three decided to go back inside.  Ormand apologized for letting the man get away, but the rest said it was unnecessary.  He felt bad, however, as he was pulled of guard duty for the rest of the night.  

Father Ben walked over and saw two more letters had been written on the barn.  “H. E. Help perhaps?”  He decided to leave his own symbol; a variation on a circle.  (the peace sign)  Darius noticed a small rusty dagger stuck in the wall missing its crosspiece.  He borrowed Ben’s quill to write: “I will be here!” under the H and E.  Kayla examined the dagger and wondered if it had anything to do with the massive sword she had seen before.  Both were missing hilts.  With the excitement over Pax took up watch while the others withdrew back to bed.  It looked like they had missed their chance to talk.  


*[DAY 92 – Feastday, Azer 24th, CY 81]*

The rest of the evening passed uneventfully and Ben awoke at sun up.  After surreptitiously removing the rocks from his blankets he prayed.   It was not Holyday, but Ben felt Kusner was due for a good church service.  The general lawlessness of the town astonished him.  He wondered if Darius had reported the troubles of Gonnaway to the authorities here.  Calling on Pax and Ormand he asked them to go around town and announce a holy mass to be held behind the Sleeping Dragon Inn today around midmorning.  Before the two could leave Dram ordered them to find out what they could about his brother Tankurd as well.  

As Ben prepared his vestments he decided it was time to give Rose his gift.  “Here, Rose, this is for you”, he said as he handed her the necklace.  “I think it is time for you to consider worshipping Gods who actually protect men and women and not those who wish to destroy others.”  Rose stared at him in disbelief.  “I would like you to attend the ceremonies today, so you might understand the power true belief can hold.  The warriors you seek to help at the Front are fighting evil.  They seek to push back whatever demons and beings of chaos I imagine are there”, he continued.  Rose shrieked piercingly and ran over to hug Ben.   He was not expecting such a positive response.  

Rose asked Ben to put the pendant around her neck.  Afterwards, she declared to the others that she and Ben were now a married couple.  Ben stood dumbfounded.  He could barely take in what Rose was saying.  “WAIT!  No. No, that isn’t what this means at all!  The wooden circle is a sign of unity and immortality like the Gods.  It is a means of meditation.  You focus your eyes upon it and become one with the grace and justice of…” Rose cut him off.
“You want an annulment?” she asked.  Ben tried to explain as a priest he must remain open to all people.  He pointed out how the Gods were his first devotion.  Rose smiled.  “Oh, is that all?  Well you can have as many wives as husbands as you wish.  I don’t mind.”

“But…but… it never happened.  We aren’t married,” said Ben.  Rose began crying.  She pointed out the wooden ring he had given her and when he tried to take it back she jumped away.  The rest of the party looked bemused and chuckling.  The scene ended with Ben stuttering and Rose declaring she had an awful lot to teach her new husband.  Ben went into a closet to dress in his vestments and then outside to wait for mass.


----------



## howandwhy99

Awhile later, Ormond the Redd came running back to the cabin to report to Dram.  Someone had mentioned a Tankurd Hammersmith being held prisoner in a place called Adlerweg.  He had found this out from Grog the pimp.  Tankurd was thought to be held because of his smithing skill.  How he had made it to Adlerweg Ormand did not know.  But rumors were rampant that day about a group of Trolls – a type of Giant – had come down from the mountains to Adlerweg.  The townsfolk were worried they might try and invade the city of Kera to the east.  Dram ran off to find Grog.  Kayla sent the others after him and headed over to the smith’s to fetch Darius.  He had left earlier to pick up ordered supplies and missed the report.  Ben stood alone waiting behind the inn to hold mass.  When he was quite sure it was past midmorning and not a single person had arrived he sheepishly went to the brothel as well.

“Way back, Kera peaceful.  Now Kera different.  Keep of Adlerweg is strong.  Keep defends pass through mountains.  It heavily fortified.  And trolls very dangerous.”  Grog was explaining to the group what he knew of Kera.  Everyone was gathered around in the backyard of the brothel when Ben entered.  Dram had a stern look on his face, but stayed quiet.  Darius asked what questions he could to Grog.  The mountains were where Grog had come from before he decided to adventure.  Darius shared how he was also from the eastern mountains.  “Hellfurnaces”, Grog said.  The group discussed what they could do.  They had learned Kera was a small city near the mountains.  Darius decided it was worth traveling.  

“Once we reach this Keep Alderweg and free Dram’s brother we can continue southwards”, Darius explained.  The only problem was there were no roads from Margrave to Kera.  Darius looked back up at Grog.  “We will need your help.  I have heard you are a great warrior.  Can you lead us to the city?”  Darius the paladin turned on the charm.  Grog said yes, then changed his mind.  “Grog retired.  Now Grog innkeeper and make lots of gold.”  Darius tried again and finally convinced Grog by reminding him of the mountains.  The half-ogre ordered Gerda to fetch his sword and shield.  “Grog know hermit skinny man who scrawls.  Hermit scrawls for…” Grog paused and counted on his fingers.  “Seven weeks”, he finished.

A rumbling came from within the brothel.  It occurred to Kayla that Grog’s sword was twice the size of Gerda and likely as heavy.  A hideous beast eighteen feet tall stepped into the yard.  It carried the sword and shield.  “Dwarf, ogre, dwargre?” thought Ben to himself.  The huge Gerda now in grotesque form handed down the sword to Grog half her size.  When she did so Grog grew and she shrank to normal again.  He was now eighteen feet and looked similar to the ogre they had killed at the Chaos Caves.  Grog took the shield from the ground and closed his eyes.  He shrank back down to normal.  Everyone else was put off, but Dram stepped forward.  

“Can I see your sword Grog?”  This time Dram grew.  His muscles bulged and his shirt tore off.  Closing his eyes Dram tried to grow as large as possible.  He kept growing until he was about twenty-four feet tall (and wearing next to nothing).  He handed the blade back to Grog and immediately shrunk back down losing his balance.  Gerda went to fetch him some clothes.  “Plenty of men have forgotten them”, she said.  Darius and the others decided to start east as soon as possible and asked Grog to prepare.  With the sun high in the sky the group left town.  Even with his heavy sword, shield, and giant’s sack, Grog kept pace with the nine riders.

The team was now finally outside of Margrave County.  As they road Darius explained the Dwarven Kingdoms were in the mountain range south of Kera and so was something else.  He had been having a strange feeling since before he had travelled to Harling.  Something was tugging on his soul and he believed, if they turned south after Kera, it was along this route.  Father Ben could relate, but stayed quiet.  Darius pointed to the little map of Margrave Dram had drawn.  At the place marked “Sky Knights” he expected to find a mount.  He explained it was something every paladin does at some point during their life.


----------



## howandwhy99

After leaving the harvested fields of Custner the green grasslands so common on the ride south turned to barrens.  Grog led due east at a brisk pace with the team following in their now traditional circular formation.  Ben could see the southern edge of the enormous Greenwillow Forest a mile or so to his left.  Nothing else broke the horizon until several hours later when Grog pointed out a villa ahead.  “Grog’s friends stay there”, he said.  He had traded with them frequently, mostly for mushrooms.  As they rode closer the structure appeared smaller and smaller.  “Are they of the littlefolk?”, Diedre suggested.  Grog agreed, but then again he called everyone littlefolk.  When they were within one hundred yards Grog stopped.  “Something wrong.  The gate closed.  Nobody here.”  Grog approached alone.  Ten small helmets rose up along the villa’s outer wall.  It reminded Darius of the Fae near Hommlet, but he saw no faces.






Grog wavered in mid-step.  He fell limp to the ground backwards.  “Foul sorcery!!” shouted Darius.  The gates to the compound opened. “Charge!” commanded Darius.  Diedre and Rose hung back as four mountain lions raced out of the entrance.  Dram, Rose, and Ormond launched arrows at the creatures and one fell dead.  Kayla cast a spell and a second collapsed to the ground.  The last two pounced onto Grog biting and scratching him awake.  Darius arrived first to the bizarre lion & giant wrestling match and tried to avoid stab Grog.  One lion jumped aside barely missing Pax with its jaws.  Grog’s massive fist swung wide and smashed into the head of Darius’s horse.  Gobbets of blood and flesh sprayed over both of them.  Dram spurred his horse towards the gates with his bow ready.  As he climbed the slope and reached the wall’s edge he spotted an ugly witch crouching inside.  Dram shot her just as she pointed a stick at him.  White light streaked out knocking him unconscious and to the ground.  

Grog wrestled around raising dust as the large cat bit into his shoulder.  Rose growled to the other lion trying to sooth it, but it ignored her.  It chased after Pax, but he galloped away towards the wall.  Ben and Dalin charged forward and drew the second lion from following Pax.  The gates of the compound slammed shut.  Dalin hit the lion solidly.  Ben swung with his mace and connected too.  Grog cracked his lion’s head with his bare hands.  Severely hurt, the last lion ran.  It leapt over Darius’s horse and knocked the paladin down.  Grog scrambled over, wrenched Darius aside, and kicked at the lion.  He missed badly and smashed the dead horse carcass into pulp.  Ormand the Redd fired and felled the final beast.  Darius walked over and smashed in the skull of the sleeping lion.  

Pax carefully lifted Dram’s body and ran with it away from the littlefolk’s wall.  Darius started ordering Ormand and Dalin to drag his dead in that direction too.  He called on Thor to heal Grog as Ben helped him lead the half-ogre out of danger.  Rose ran off in the direction of Dram’s missing horse.  In a patch of dirt outside of bow range the group scuttled Dram’s dead horse, divvying up the gear among other mounts.  Ben healed Grog and bandaged him before tending to Dram.  Rose walked back with Dram’s horse and agreed to double up on Darian’s horse.  Dram awoke with a start when Ben touched him.  “There’s a witch inside!  And I need to kill her.”  

Ignoring the others he stood up and walked over to Grog.  Taking his sword Dram grew to 24’ tall and stomped towards the gate.  He saw the yard inside was deserted.  The ten helmets were attached to sticks and lifted a ruse.  Angrily he kicked at the gate and it smashed to pieces.  “I’m comin’ ta eatcha, ya evil, foul, horrible, WITCH!” he boomed.  The hill rounded inside the wooden wall.  Dram spotted a green circular door built into its side.  Atop the hill a flimsy tower stood.  Standing on his toes he could make out nothing inside.  “And after I eatcha, I’m gonna find your family and eat them too!”  Dram noticed the rest of the team had ridden up to gate.  

“Grog’s friends not here”, Grog said to no one in particular.  “Normally dozen friends guard here.  They farm. They sell Grog mushrooms.”  He looked very worried and out of sorts.  Darius called up to Dram to release Grog’s sword.  It took a bit of coaxing, but Dram knew the sword was not his.  Darius gave the sword to Pax thinking he was the strongest amongst them, but he grew now stronger than Dram had.  After growing to maximum height, Pax reached down and ripped the circular door from its hinges.  Darius ordered him to keep guard and to look for anyone trying to escape.  The others dismounted and prepared to enter the dark tunnel that had been hidden by the door.


----------



## howandwhy99

Darius went first.  Looking inside with his dwarven vision he saw the dugout tunnel sloped down and several yards further was an intersection.  He walked up to it.  Crash!  The dirt floor collapsed under him and Darius fell ten feet into a pit.  Those outside heard.  Dalin lit a torch and Kayla followed him in.  “Not yet”, said Darius as he climbed from the pit.  But the two lit up the area anyways.  The tunnels left and right ended in wooden doors.  The main tunnel straightened and extended out of sight.  “Stand guard here with the light.  I’m going to check the left door,” said Darius and he moved away.  Dalin edged around the pit to the right cave.  

Outside now one came back to report.  Dram was impatient and entered.  Diedre and Ben decided to stay behind and watch over Grog as Rose and Ormand entered too.  Dalin explained what had happened as Darius opened the left door and walked into the darkness beyond.  He saw the passage fork left and right again.  The passages curved all over.  Nothing was in a straight line here.  Prodding the floor in front of him with his sword he took the left passage.  “Left is always right, pappy used to say.”  Dram’s blood was still up.  Lighting a torch off of Dalin’s he inspect the right door.  It looked safe, so he opened it.  Cautiously he walked down the passage as Rose and Kayla followed.

“Great.  Ormand, take this and guard the center passage”, said Dalin.  “I’m going with them.”  Darius found discovered another pit trap, this one already collapsed.  He skirted around it as the passage wound right.  Ahead an oddly shaped alcove had hundreds of mushrooms growing on its floor.  Pressing on he found the passage simply looped back to where he had entered.  Confident the floor was safe he started inspecting the walls for secret passages.  

In the other tunnel Dram led until Kayla convinced him someone needed to check for more pit traps.  As the tunnel curved left it opened a long oddly shaped room.  The floor to the right was covered with mushrooms while the left-hand side was cleared to pass.  Rose spotted writing on the far wall.  Pockets of space were cut into the walls to allow more mushrooms to grow.  The little half-Fae collected some as she moved through.  On the far wall letters from the human tongue were carved, but had been almost entirely scratched away.  It looked to Rose like the same handwriting as the skinny man’s.  And it was less than a day old.  She told reported it to the others who had held back.  

As he inspected the outer wall of the ring Darius discovered a stone behind the dirt just to the right of the mushroom alcove.  He pulled out his sword and started clearing it off.  It looked like a large stone door of some type, but without a handle.  A smooth circle was carved into its center.  Perplexed he went back to the intersection and saw Ormand all alone and looking scared.  He told Darius everyone else went through the other wooden door.  “That’s just great,” he said and took off after them. 

Just as Darius caught up, Kayla prodded into another pit trap.  Dram helped her collapse it and immediately pressed on.  As he had the only light most everyone else was forced to follow.  The passage kept curving to the left.  After a few more yards it split again, this time sharply to the right and sloping upward to the left.  Kayla saw Ormand silhouetted down the left passage.  “Ormand” she said and the man jumped.  “It’s okay.  We’re safe.  We’re going to explore a little farther.  Keep your eyes open.”  Ormond nodded, but only Darius could see it.  Dram led briskly down the left tunnel, the main one that ran straight from the entrance.  “It’s time to kill a witch.”

The passage slowly curved left again, but at less of an angle.  After several yards another mushroom pocket was passed and the curve sharpened.  Dram saw the tunnel end with another wooden door.  Next to it was another mushroom pocket.  He shushed the others in warning.  Carefully prodding forward with his sword he made it to the door and listened.  There was no sound.  He searched the door and found it locked.  There was no handle or keyhole.  “I’m comin’ for ya!” he shouted and began to hack at the door.  The rest of the team waited fearing the worst.  After a few minutes the wooden door splintered into two.  Dram picked up his torch and tossed it into the room beyond.

It was oddly shaped.  It looked like it was still being dug to make it larger.  All around the edges and in pockets more mushrooms grew.  Unfortunately the witch was not inside.  Dram prodded into the room and everyone else followed bumping into each other in the shadows.  Dalin noticed the ceiling had a tunnel leading upwards.  Dram and Dalin boosted Rose up and she climbed the vertical tunnel with her claws the rest of the way.  A wooden trapdoor was at the very top.  She found no traps, but discovered the door exited under the base of the tower outside. Rose waved to Pax with a smile.


----------



## howandwhy99

Dram was furious and was convinced the witch had escaped them.  Kayla wisely suggested searching the walls for secret door and that is when Darius told them of the stone door he found.  The five headed back to it and Rose started examining the tubular-like hole.  She was convinced it held some sort of magic that dissipated when the hole was filled.  Several more minutes went by.  Several trips to the horses searching for suitable items to test almost proved fruitless until Dalin remembered the rod of strange metal he had won at Keep Margrave in the strength competition.  He slid it into the hole.  It fit perfectly and clicked into place.  It was stuck.  Turning it left and right the door finally released and opened of its own accord.

“Finally!” shouted Dram in triumph and he charged down the tunnel beyond.  The rest of the team hurried to keep pace as Dalin struggled to remove his rod from the door.  After only a few paces Dram fell into a pit trap.  He let out a cry of frustration.  “Hey! Its not every day you get your rod stuck in a door.  Take it easy,” said Dalin.  After pulling Dram out and clearing the pit Dalin finally succeeded in removing his rod.  Feeling vindication was at hand the crew hustled down the long tunnel and found only a room with empty beds at the end.  Quickly they searched for more secret exits.  

In an alcove without mushrooms Dalin saw the wall was shaped like a dirt door.  Darius ran in as he told the other and smashed at it with his hammer.  The weapon went straight through into air on the other side.  The door was quickly broken apart and a tiny, rope ladder leading down the backside of the hillock was found.  Dram pushed ahead, but it nearly broke from his weight.  “This is too damn small for that witch!” he said.  Rose was both light and short so she climbed down.  At the base she found several small tracks, one human sized set, and a folded piece of paper.  Following the tracks to a gate inside the rear wall, they led out into the broken grasslands beyond. No one was in sight.  “No! No! No!” Dram shouted in frustration.  

The team regrouped outside the entrance to the hole.  Kayla read the parchment Rose had found.  It was not a taunt as Dram suspected.  It was some sort of map of the area.  Kustner/Kusnir was on it as was Gonnaway.  Rose could tell it was very poorly made however as all the directions were wrong.  “How could you possibly know that?” asked Kayla.
“I’m Fae.  I always know exactly where I am.  If not always what’s around me.”  Rose explained how Fae were never lost.  She always knew where she was in relation to everything else.  “At least everything I already know.  I’ve never been here before, so I can only tell you the direction and distance things are.” 

Kayla turned the map over.  “What was the other skulk wearing?” she read.  “What’s a skulk?”  No one knew.











Darius was not ready to admit defeat.  Calling Pax over he obtained the sword and shield from him and had Rose lead him using the tracks she had found.  After a half mile the two came upon the edge of the Greenwillow.  The tracks entered inside, but Darius called off the search there.  Rose guessed his dwarfish instincts did not trust the forest.  “Which is rather wise”, she thought to herself.  Back at the compound Dram had started drawing a map of the mushroom caves so they could come back and kill the witch on their return trip to Margrave.  No one wanted to think about how far in the future that might be though.






It was late afternoon before the team began traveling again.  Grog admitted he was unsure of the way to Kera after the mushroom caves.  He was still feeling down after not finding his friends.  Rose was confident she could lead.  “It’s east, right?  With the forest’s edge in sight we should come up to the mountains in a few more days.”


----------



## howandwhy99

*[DAY 93 – Weddingday, Azer 25th, CY 81]
– [DAY 96 – Holyday, Azer 28th, CY 81]*

Several miles beyond the witch’s compound the party finally rested.  The next few days were spent riding along, eating when needed, and generally trying to endure the bleak landscape.  Sometime during the day on Holyday an eerie feeling came over Kayla and Diedre.  The hairs on their necks rose up and they could not shake the suspicion that something was watching them.  When they pointed out everyone started to feel the paranoia.  “It’s not natural,” said Rose.  “I have never felt anything like this before.”  Nor had Grog.  It was as every rock and every weed stared at their soul.  It was slowly disorienting and only Rose’s absolute direction sense steered them towards Kera.  Unfortunately the feeling did not go away.

When the sun set Holyday, they made camp and a built a fire again in case wolves wandered close during the night.  Darius struck up a conversation with Grog to try and raise his spirits.  He had suffered the worse since leaving the littlefolk’s home.  
“Where in the mountains did you live, Grog?”
“Grog not live in mountains for long time.  Grog live with brother there. Sargen.”  Grog explained Sargen was a Full Brother, which sounded like a real ogre, not a half-blooded one like himself.  “Sargen and Grog fought in mountains.  Back with ogre clan.”
Darius was unsure if Grog meant he had a fight with his brother or fought others together, but felt Grog was in no mood to talk about it.  

Ben begun helping Dalin cook dinner and did a poor job of it.  The team sorely missed having Igor the chef to help them out.  Rose decided to speak up and tell everyone a little more about her own life.



> Rose: “You'll have to forgive my forwardness about my background, it seems to make some of you uncomfortable when I talk so openly about how some of you would make a good sacrifice to my Mother, or how the flesh of intelligent creatures tastes. My experience among humans and in their lands has been limited to about the past week or so. My only time among humans has been with the few half-elven rangers who I trained with who made their homes near elven lands. They were more adapted to elven customs than human so I have very little of human culture to compare you too. Some of your concepts are most strange. The little disks of beaten rock you exchange for goods. Your tendency not to say what you wish and encouraging others to do the same. The way your priests are not allowed to marry.”
> 
> “You see, everything I know I explained to you before.  And what I know of humans I know from you.  So I know that Darius seeks to be reunited with his people and is looking for some kind of mount, and that Dram seeks his brother. But what brings the rest of you into this war and now traveling here together?”
> 
> Grog: _“Lady Elf, there is much more than Grog ever could think to say at even one sitting. But Grog tell you more about Grog if it will help you to understand.”
> 
> “Grog was born in the wilds and shown the ways of things by Grog older, bigger siblings. Germac, tell Grog, Grog: half-bree. Grog not understand what Half-Bree mean until Grog and Germac and others try and take new home. Trolls not like us take from them. So we fight. Grog lose many family to Trolls. Some Trolls big and mean. Others weak. One Big Troll give Grog scars (lifts shift to show). Grog flee to stay alive. Grog find the land here in Margray to Grog's liking. Margray place to start new life. Count good guy. Others not so nice. Tell Grog, Grog: Half-Bree. Half Human, Half Ogre. 10 years Grog live and make good in Margray. Count ask Grog to fight war. Grog say no. But Grog promise to keep South safe for Count. He a good guy. So now Grog fight Trolls again. Grog guess Trolls do bad to others in County. Like Dram brother.”_
> 
> Rose: “Grog I was meaning to ask you, in your inn the girls said I could do things that they could not when it came to getting a man and that you would want to hire me on and not let me leave. As far as I know our parts are the same, Ben, Darius, Kayla, and Dirdre can attest to that, so what would be the difference between myself and any of the other girls?”
> 
> Grog: _“Grog get all kinds of customers. They make demands of girls, Grog not know about. But cuz Grog smart guy. Grog know that if Grog have more different kinds of girls. Grog make more coin.”
> 
> “Gerta brought girls to Grog. Say they need place to stay and sleep. Say they have friends come and visit. Gerta tell Grog that these friends pay to stay at Grog's. And will drink much of Grog's ale and eat much of Grog's food. Good for business. Gerta right. “
> 
> “Yuri not like Grog cuz of Grog good business sense. Yuri Sleeping Dragon never wake up anymore.” (Grog laughed at his own joke)
> 
> “Grog get idea for Inn after finding Welcome Wench in Homlet. Ostler Gundiroot good guy. He tell Grog  about Inn. So Grog take Grog coin and buy inn here in Kusnir. Grog Inn called Welcome Wench. Work for Ostler Gundiroot work for Grog.”
> 
> “But strange customers call place Wanton Woman. Grog think they stupid.”_


----------



## howandwhy99

By this time everyone else had stopped pushing around their over-peppered stew and was listening intently.  To Ben’s surprise, shy Ormand spoke up next.



> Ormand the Redd: _“I know not many of you speak to me often. And I do feel somewhat to blame for letting the drunk guy get a way. But Dram has been very good to me. Where he goes. I go.”_
> 
> Pax: _“As a squire to a great and noble knight, likewise, where Darius goes. I go.”_
> 
> Diedra: _“I see much adventure in your futures. And I wish to learn more of this world. Kayla has offered to show me some of the mysteries.”_



Ben was proud to hear the loyalty of the troops.  He had been unsure before they had spoken up, but believed what they each said now.  In response he launched into his own reason for adventuring.



> Father Ben: “As a newly anointed father in my faith I seek to shepherd those who seek enlightenment. I also feel strongly protective of the peoples of Margrave and fear that their futures are in jeopardy. Without a true congregation I have taken vows to protect those under my care both within the firelight tonight and others living under the name Margrave. We go to the Dwarven Kingdoms for many reasons, but mainly to ask for their aid in the County's war far to the North. I have heard that dwarves are stout fighters and fiercely loyal. Dwarf-friend Darius shows these rumors to be true. I hope that when we reach there we can convince them to aid us in our cause. Or I feel our trip will have been in vain.”
> 
> “If you ask further though, you will see that many here have different investments in our trip. Darius seeks a steed in the southern peaks. And now it appears we may rescue Dram's brother from slaving trolls. {whispers: though I have my doubts on how this might be done.)  It was also pertinent to leave the city when we did. One of our own named Eyegore stayed behind valiantly hoping to stave off attack on our band from corrupting forces in the city of Harling. It is possible that others nearby have such agendas as well. So we have been wary of taking on new member to our group.“
> 
> “I myself am confused as to your upbringing Rose and the tale you tell. It seems you were born to fairies in a fairyland far, far away, but that being part Elven somehow lowered your status among those fickle and capricious folk. Is it possible that you were at the front lines these last few years and did not know it? Hearty jesters the Seelie are rumored to be and as wild as the forests the live in. I was told you were present when our party met the Drae at the sunken manor house. It is said no friendly eye was cast anon. Your own appearance even gives pause: blue skin, glowing red hair. There is more than one reason not to trust your differences, but I feel an open mind may be the only way to proceed. We require a skilled guide and tracker. You qualify. To gain further allegiance I suggest joining me for prayers in the mornings and dwelling on the unity of the Circle Pendant. But our confusions best are cleared up here and now. What is it you do not understand of the humans?”
> 
> “You should also know that we have had other fireside chats before your arrival only a short week ago. Not all have ended well. So do not be surprised, if the others are not as open as I. Forthrightness is a virtue rarely practiced among the fearful and we live in dangerous times indeed.”





> Rose: “No I'm fairly sure I was at the front lines only recently, I've spent the last century or so with the elves and the rangers respectively. I am not clear on what your question is. I left the front lines after my first battle...if you could call it that. I was going forth with some other troops when I heard this strange laughing. Then...it was strange...I never saw the enemy or what hit me, I just remember waking up in the elven encampment from dreams of a darkness filled with laughing and screaming covered with spatters of blood. The elf told me I must hurry away. He told me I must go to the west and find reinforcement quickly. He told me to ride as fast as I could over the mountains to get any help I could find. Then he helped me on my horse and I was away.”
> 
> “Yes we met the, drae did you call them? They were fae in the form they use when talking with the elves. I have never seen them this close to human lands so I can't imagine what they wanted unless it was to take some of the townsfolk to replenish their larders. Or perhaps mother or stepfather willed it for some reason known only to them. I warned the townsfolk when we returned to stay away from the moathouse but for some reason the little yellow disks had affected their mind, apparently some craving for them was driving them to the fae encampment.”
> 
> “But your prayers they confuse me most of all. Darius I understand. His mother coupled with Thor and he is their child, and Thor grants him the ability to heal. My sisters are the children of Mother, and Mother grants them abilities according to her whims. But you serve the gods of law, but how can all of them be your mother or father? And you and Darius supplicate to them like a servant rather than a son. Admittedly I do the same, but then I am of impure blood and supplication is the proper position for me. But I would think being pure children of your gods your parents would let you address them as parent to child not master to servant.”
> 
> “And you leave your dead upon the field for them to rot and be eaten by the flies and worms, while in the town I saw many people who were too thin, as if they had not eaten in a long time. What is the purpose of such waste? And your gods are always so sad look how frequently their tears fall from the sky; do you not offer them comfort in their sorrow? I have never known Mother to cry.”
> 
> “I am unclear as to why I would pray to this pendant you gave me ex-husband. It does not warm the day like the sun or light the night like the moon. It provides no sustenance like the water and the grasses of the field or the trees and bushes of the forest. It does not cool my brow like the wind or house my food like the earth. It does not cause the birth and death of all creation like mother and stepfather. And it no longer serves as a symbol of our marriage. What purpose does it serve that I should meditate upon?”
> 
> “As for my appearance, this trust and distrust is another strange concept I am still coming to terms with. In the fae lands something would either be done or not done or mother would will it. It is a topic that confuses me as it confuses the rangers, but I think eventually I was finally able to put it into terms they could understand. Among the fae the idea of trust was...it made no sense. Someone would either do something or they would not. And that could change without notice. There was no expectation either way and as such there was no want or will in relation to anybody else. There was only what you wanted and what you could do. But when mother willed something it was done. The idea of not doing as mother willed would be as if I were to say to you ‘stop existing at this every moment’. You could not do it. Mother IS existence. And yet your gods of law seems to have an intent that is not followed by all humans. This concept of wanting something and wanting something of others that you call trust is very unknown. I am unclear on what you would want to make this "trust" in me. You wish me to change my skin and hair?”


----------



## howandwhy99

Father Benedict patted the sweat from his brow.



> Father Ben: “Perhaps an archer with an arrow shot you and laughed? If that is the case, you are lucky to be alive. Maybe that is why they sent you from the Front? Do you remember having a wound or new scar from the experience?”
> 
> “Do you remember the names of the elves you were with?”
> 
> “You also mention Fae as having more than one form. Are Elves or Fey shapeshifters? Are you? There were rumors supposedly in Harling of shapeshifters taking on other's forms. One of the attacks on Keep Margrave is said to possibly have been done by a shapeshifter. Why even our noble Darius had his good name besmirched from an imposter in Harling. From rumors we have heard, these shapeshifters are of evil ilk.”
> 
> “As for why the Hommletites explore the moathouse as you call it, I would hope their motivation is simply one of wanderlust and not this greed for coin as you say. Gold and silver metals are valuable in the human lands. Many other metals are minted for use as currency. (Ben takes out a copper, a lead, and a steel coin) These are the most common currency in Margrave. You can see the markings on either side. They are the embossment giving legitimacy to coin. But its real value lies within the metal itself. For example, this steel coin can be smelted with others to create goods like the armor and steel so many of us wear. But it is greed for metals and also gems, which drives many men to their deaths. While useful for commerce, these monies are but a trifle when compared to the real virtues in life.”
> 
> “This leads me to your central confusion. Prayers need not be supplication at all, but still a form of worship. Prayers can be out of respect, honor, obedience, and more, not just appeals to the divine for one's wants. Unlike yourself most creatures and humans are not conceived wholly from their Gods or Goddesses. They are born from the coupling of their natural mothers and fathers. While children are taught to love and honor their parents, prayer is different. First off, not all Divine all deserving of worship. We venerate those who have noble bearing and goodly intention. Those who seek to ensure the safety of Men. Many stories are told of how each one made the world and the cosmos around it. My particular order does not deal in the debates of which is true and which is false. Instead we ask followers to venerate all the goodly Gods, so they might protect us from harm. The war to the East is one example of this. Many powerful creatures exist and it is only with courage and faith that we face them. Our own parents can protect us only so much, but Gods like Thor can do much more. So our veneration is not out of fear, but because the Gods and Goddesses ease our fear by protecting us from succumbing to these horrors.”
> 
> “A few other points you raised: First, the circlet is a meditation focus. You concentrate on its unity of form. With practice your soul can be strengthened in its desire to stay uniform with the world around it. This is why I gave you the pendant. It is not a marriage gift. We were never married. Nor annulled.”
> 
> “Secondly, the men and women of some villages are thin because of the lack of food to feed all peoples. Food is never other people for humans. Nor dwarves. And I believe not Elves either. Those who eat creatures who can speak are called "cannibals". It is a heathen act and not looked upon kindly. It is tied with murder, which we teach as a great disruption to the harmony of life. Neither act is condoned by those of Goodly Faith.”
> 
> “And lastly, trust is a topic which would be better talked about in length, and perhaps in private. You see, to travel with us, to take watch, to fight at our side, and to partake in our company you must be trustworthy. It is always difficult to tell one’s motivations. But by observing each other’s actions we learn what these might be. A uniformity of action instills trust that your actions will remain the same in the future - that you will not change sides in mid battle - that you will not divulge us to enemies - that you do not kill and eat us while we sleep. Part of trusting is faith in others not causing you harm, as you would also have trust in us. All of which has little to do with your skin and hair.”





> Rose: “Perhaps I am unsure of what happened, I didn't feel an injury either before or after, but I may simply have been healed and knocked out before I could feel anything. But in my dreams the laughter seemed to come from everywhere, as did the screams. More than one plea for mercy was cut off before it could finish.”
> 
> “Elven names and fae names are different. Among one another elves have a naming system similar to the fae. In our languages such names are much shorter. It is only among the humans that elves use very shortened names like rose to identify themselves. I could tell you the elven name of the company, but I did not know their human name.”
> 
> “Fae are shapechangers but I have only ever seen them in the light in elven lands in their black skinned form. I know they have others but I don't know what they are. The elves and fae have a very...different relationship. You see, depending on the stories you listen to mother has only ever been denied her will either once or twice. The story always begins with Fae wanderlust. They sought out what is new and unknown. To the fae the unknown is something to be embraced not feared. And they came across human lands in their wanderings. The fae were changed somehow upon their contact with human lands. They could see the souls of the dead watching them from the sky as they wandered at night; some said they could even feel them during the day. In fae lands there is only eyeless night, mother assures that. It is a great secret among their people what occurred but when they returned to mother they were the creatures you now know as elves. Change of theirs spread like an infection among the fae. Their forms became locked. They began to age. They retained knowledge of the past. It is said that even stepfather was infected. Some say either he left mother or was cast out by her with the other tainted ones. Some say he was not tainted but used this to distract her while he left her. She ordered all of the tainted ones killed. And there was war. For three days the fae and the elves fought. Until the humans arrived. Tales say it was only a caravan. Looking for a shortcut through the forest. Tales say none survived as the intruders were attacked on sight for simply being present. The fae are never ones to let food go to waste. So they ate what was present. It was said that when the first fae tasted of human flash his gasp of surprise and delight froze the battlefield, and that the land is still in winter to this day. This new distraction made the fae forgot all about the war, as is their nature. And the elves devised a way to keep them distracted using the humans. Thus the Runners of the Black Flame were created to keep the fae distracted with their new taste. Since the fae have little memory, the taste is new and delicious with each meal. If the tales are true then mother has since found a way to protect her children from the corruption of this land. Still the human meat has become an addiction to them. The fae and the elves do not get along. But they tolerate one another. Apparently the fae still have something the elves need. I imagine it's the magic the elves so desperately crave. In the fae lands magic is in the air and the water and the lands. Here it is weak. The elves have developed a way to find the magics they crave like a hungry man smells food. With my upbringing I could not, I am like the desert rat, I do not crave the water that the other desert creatures need so badly, I have enough within me to last for as long as I like.”
> 
> “The monies are still very confusing. It’s a quality of the fae. Monies get you things you want. But the fae never truly want. If they desire something, then they either take it or they forget about it and desire something else.”
> 
> “I still do not understand these small bits of metal. The earth gives you all you could wish for. She provides food and shelter. You can rest within her like a child in the womb of its mother. So why then do you take her bones, and burn and twist them beat upon them until she screams and is no longer the rock you once knew but a this strange metal substance, with no connection to the mother who gave it to you? You coat yourselves in them for convenience. You use tin cups to drink from when you have two hands. The only metal I have seen that I understand is at the farm. For a farmer the metal he uses to till the earth is his way of showing reverence. He uses metal because the bone of the earth would blunt all other materials. He makes soft beds for the earth to nurture and by the end of the day he himself is as much a child of the earth as any plant. All this other metal it seems to be apathy. A metal cup is easier to use than a wooden one and it lasts longer. Never mind how the earth and the stones were tortured to get it. Never mind you are taking what in only a few thousand years could be soil for growth and forever taking it from the earth's grasp with no intention of returning the gift. It seems to drive men mad. They quest for it. They hunt for it. They kill and die for it. And for what?  To gain more matel to be more convenient and start the cycle over again. Why not simply do away with all of it and save the lives and the wasted efforts?”
> 
> “But what is strange is that your gods allow this to occur. Though it was far from perfect there is something to be said for a power that is absolute in her domain. Mother's will is never unknown or questioned. It is the law of the fae. All obey it for to cease to obey it is to cease to be. Among here your gods are confused. How can many gods have created the world in different ways? Is not doing so a lie? Do they ask you who may or may not have created the world unless it was this god or this god or these goddesses? It would seem that it would hardly be showing proper respect to a god if they say they did one thing but another god disagrees, I mean which side do you choose? By venerating all of the creators aren't you calling them all liars to some degree?”
> 
> “But what do you use to determine a gods intentions? Mother is supremely lawful in that she is the law among her people and such will is inviolate. She is also supremely chaotic in that he laws change with her whims. She is good in that she sees to the continuation of her people. She gives them pleasures and rapture like none known in mortal works. Those that are chosen to sacrifice themselves to mother are reluctant at first but do so willingly once in her presence. She is said to be glorious and that her sacrifices experience a feeling that no words can express. Her beauty overwhelms them and that for any creature so perfect as she to choose one so miserable is an honor beyond imagining. Their bodies are impure shells and they kill themselves in the hopes of leaving their stains behind with the body. And she consumes them, they become one with the godhead, even if they are and she purifies them as she consumes them. And before they die and after death they experience a grace that no mortal could understand and become something greater than themselves. She protects her children and keeps them from harm as often as she encourages them to harm one another. And Mother is evil. She encourages pain and suffering and capriciousness. She allows her children to fight and kill without cause or gain. She sends her servants into the human lands to steal children and leave monsters called changelings that will destroy the parents in its place. Her sacrifices are often tortured mercilessly out of boredom. In the fae lands humans do not fear death. Death is a friend to be welcomed. They fear life, and the fae can keep creatures alive for AGES.”
> 
> “You mention the war to the east. It troubles me though. IF the gods can do more then why do they not? It is said that we fight a god that seeks to destroy all that exists. Would this not be a matter better resolved among the gods themselves, why bring mortals into it at all? IF they protect and care for us, why do they not simply fight directly with their own abilities rather than using their servants as channels?”
> 
> “I do not understand why you do not eat your dead. The dead become the soil over time. The soil grows the food. Why not simply eat them as they are and save time? What good does burial do to a dead body? It’s perfectly good and can be readily eaten by the hungry, it seems cruel to allow them to starve because the current form is unacceptable and you wish to wait for a more acceptable one. Your dead are of no use to you at all it seems.”



Ben blinked and shook his head overwhelmed.  Grog looked bored, as did a few of the others.  Dram had been following closely however.


----------



## howandwhy99

> Dram: "You are a funny little fae-creature aren't you? And a skilled jokester to boot! I love the way you keep your cute little fanged face so straight while delivering such a farce! All your creepiness and darkness and "Mothers".....it's really quite a hoot. Pshaw! And who but farmers and meddling old women bury their dead? We burn 'em on glorious pyres sending them home to the fires beneath Thor's forges. What child doesn't know that Thor's fire passes through our fathers' loins to plant our seeds in our mothers' wombs? We are all fuel for that everburning flame."





> Rose: ”Now THAT makes sense, the ashes allow one to return to the earth and become one with the land.”
> 
> “But you asked earlier what fae and humans taste like. The answer I gave was too quick. It was correct but not accurate. I'll try to put it into terms that mean something to you.”
> 
> “Human flesh tastes like the fat of the land. Take any pleasure you've ever had from any meal or drink. The first sip of water after a long day on a dry road. The first bite of beef at dinner after a hard day over the forge. Take all of those experiences at once. That is what your flash tastes like to a fae.”
> 
> “Your heart and brain are special though. For your brain. Take any story you've ever been told. Take any song you've ever head any time you've ever danced with a young lady. Remember how all those made you feel. That is what your mind tastes like.”
> 
> “For the heart, take every time you've acted bravely. Remember any woman you've ever loved. Think of any child you've ever held with care. Any time you've felt the heat of battle burning through your veins. That is what your heart tastes like to a fae.”
> 
> “What does one fae taste like to another? *sighs* There are not words to describe what it feels like. I doubt any but Kayla, Father Ben and possibly Darius would be able to understand.”



“Why are we the only ones could possibly understand?” said Kayla
Darius nodded on agreement.  "Why us?"
Ben jumped in.  “Perhaps you mean the taste of magic that we have but glimpsed?”



> Rose: ”Exactly” (nodding to Ben) “To taste of the fae, the pure fae at least, is to taste of raw magical power. You are tasting of a creature that was old when greenwillow was still a single tree. A creature of raw magical power that fills their being. A creature for who magic is not a learned ability or a granted by the gods, but an innate part of their being. To eat of fae is not to tap the well of magical power. It is to dive in and immerse yourself in the waters. But like all power the price is high. You will not know the thirst for this until you have drunk, and once you have taken your first sip...it will forever haunt your thought with the desire for more.”


----------



## howandwhy99

Dalin listened politely to the half-fae, and respectfully to Father Ben and others. Patiently waiting for his turn to speak, he sat quietly a moment and then shared what he had to say. 



> Dalin: "Your openness is refreshing, Rose," he begins, hoping that the lady has not noticed him stealing glances at her, admiring her unusual beauty the past few days. "I have asked myself the same questions many times recently. I have no personal quest, or family members to rescue. My parents, as well as two of my brothers and my youngest sister, live comfortably on their estate, surrounded by their apple orchards. A life there, helping with and perhaps eventually inheriting the family business, still awaits me if I choose."
> 
> "My family has regarded me as a bit of a black sheep, although they remain convinced that I will outgrow my adventurous ways and come home to settle down. If and when I do, I have a debt to settle with them. I can only hope that they received my letters and know that I have found my calling. My parents have covered my gambling debts too many times to count. A few months ago, they resorted to tough love and told me if I continued to wager money on games I was on my own. My luck ran out, as it always eventually does, and I was again over my head. This time the county was kind enough to offer conscription as an alternative to debtors' prison."
> 
> "Having some training with arms, I have even participated in a few tournaments, I elected to maintain some degree of freedom and try my hand at the military life. I took to it better than I had expected, and found some good and loyal friends there. While I stay out of the investigation and politics myself, we learned some things that I can't simply ignore. If the fight does not go well, our way of life could end. Having served my time, I now have the best arrangement I can currently imagine. First, I am able to exercise my combat abilities in a way that benefits my homeland. But this has also proved a profitable way of living, which gives me the bankroll to feed my true love, gambling."
> 
> "The times when I am most happy are when I am winning at a game of chance, preferably despite the odds being against me. Previously I was most able to find this feeling while participating in a literal game, with money on the table, be it cards, dice, drinking, or more creative such games. I know you, Rose, have expressed a inability to understand our use of coin, but surely you can relate to risking something of value, either losing it or winning and gaining more items of value."
> 
> "But now I know that I can experience that same feeling when engaged in a battle of arms with a fearsome foe. Again, I am wagering something of value, my life and health. Should I lose the debt may well be all that I have, in the most literal sense. But winning means vanquishing an evil being at the least, and likely gaining ownership of a share of his possessions and a better understanding of why he sought to do me in."
> 
> "There remains one other game of chance at which I have not had much opportunity of late. As pleasing as I found the company of a young lady at Grog's establishment, there was no challenge to paying a price in mere coin, especially not when I have the coin to spare. The pursuit of a fair woman is a game I have been absent from for far too long, and I look to correct that soon."
> 
> "Father Ben, I have been a bit negligent in giving thanks to your order for saving me from paying that greatest debt. My nights often leave me wishing to sleep in mornings, but I should take this opportunity while we are traveling to keep a proper schedule, starting with joining you for your morning prayers. Please wake me tomorrow in a timely manner, if you do not mind."
> 
> Dalin smiles at his companions, and continues to listen to the fireside chat.



Darius looked around at his friends and began his tale shortly after sipping his waterskin.



> Darius: "My life.  Heh.  I find myself around good friends on a mission to rescue a good person from evil designs.  Truly there can be no other lot in life."
> 
> "Back in the Dwarven Kingdom, I am one of 5 children. My older brother is with the army, a seargeant I believe (Or equivalent dwarven rank).  My twin sister is a Hearth Sister, or priestess.   Dwarven clerics are very much like our Father Ben here, but different as well, as they never leave the Hearth.  Paladins and medics are our only form of healing outside of the home, and the potions our Clerics make for us.  My younger brother is skilled in the ways of the scout, though not as proficient in woodlore or combat as you, m' lady.  I also have a little sister, my silfar-kahl, who is still too little to venture outside of the mountain.”
> 
> “I was a diplomat for relations between the gnomes and the dwarves, and was learning much about the gnomes.  I was actually close, I believe, to learning their method of speaking with the stone.  However, my visit was cut short when I learned of my mother's illness.  My mother was an influential priestess, so they sought out all her relatives to come see her before her passing. My father was there, long retired from smithing.  In this, Dram and I are of a common bond, warriors who are the sons of shapers of metal.”
> 
> “It was on my mother's deathbed that I swore to take up the work of the church, and was an acolyte before becoming squired to a Paladin there, Durok.  My father and my family's influence were apparent, as he was the First Paladin of Thor for our lands."
> 
> *Darius chuckles a bit, but refrains from his normal dwarven laughter*
> 
> "I am pleased it did, for Durok was an excellent instructor.  His teachings in combat, diplomacy, mount riding, and healing have truly assisted me in my travels."
> 
> "I was sent forth to Margrave on a diplomatic mission.  I joined to assist in the defense of the county because I felt it was my duty.  From there, as most everyone here knows, things moved fast, becoming a seargent, then a captain, without ever originally intending of joining the military at all.  Now I travel forth once again, looking to do Thor's bidding, to bring the message to my people of the situation here, and right now, to save my friend's brother."


----------



## howandwhy99

Kayla waited patiently while each of the others spoke; when her turn came she looked from one person to the next and sighed heavily. 



> Kayla: "I suppose it's time I told you the truth of my past, especially now that you have met Balron, lest you get the wrong impression," she began.
> 
> "I was born to a poor family in the town of Holmfaust. It soon became quite apparent to them that there was no way they could afford to raise me as they were already greatly in debt. And so I was given to Balron as a servant in repayment of their debts." She paused briefly as she glanced around to see how this was being received by the others.”
> 
> Dram's eyes flashed with anger and his hand moved instinctively to the hilt of his sword at the mention of selling people, especially little girls, to pay off debts. "Scumbags!” he muttered under his breath.
> 
> Noticing Dram's anger Kayla said, "Please do not be so angry. I bear them no ill will. Living with Balron I always had food to eat, clothes to wear & a warm place to sleep. That is not something that my family could give me, or at least so I believe. I have always seen it as them giving me a better life & helping themselves as well. If one does not take care of themself, who else will? Each person must be responsible for themself as there may not always be someone there to willing or able to help.”
> 
> In a moment she continued, "As I grew older I suppose Balron saw potential in me, he began to train in the ways of magic. I became somewhat of an apprentice to him. I helped him keep his library organized & this like that.”
> 
> “At this point let me say that Balron likes to keep to himself & especially likes to keep out of politics. That being said, when he was asked to make a 'contribution' toward the war effort, instead of going himself he asked me to go. He said that if I went in his place he would consider my debt fulfilled. And so now I simply seek to discover where I belong as until now I have been nothing more than a servant."





> Rose: "That brings up another issue however. How are we going to get Dram's brother back? How much is it going to cost to buy him? Do we wish to buy some other slaves to return them to their families as well or at least give them a chance at freedom? I've been thinking about it and I have the following ideas. Grog says that people like unusual things. Therefore the most unusual of us, myself and Darius, should probably claim to be slaves of the humans that way people will try to purchase us, which we can refuse, instead of capture us, which would end in a fight. We don't know what laws exist in their land but the laws of slavery must be held firm or the society would not function. Also good sense says that if we break up we should be in groups no smaller than 3, again to avoid capture. I do know that Mother does not do her own shopping, and elves have little use for slaves. If you see an elf with a black badge in the shape of fire he is one of mother's runners of the black flame. They are one of the groups of elves that believe themselves to be superior to humans. They trade humans to Mother and the other fae. I'm not sure what the fae pay them with, but it must be valuable because they do a brisk business and fae don't keep full larders. I don't think you'll see any this far west but it's something to keep an eye out for.”





> Dram: "Hmmm. The little blue spook has prepared some interesting food for thought. Hadn't really laid out a plan in my own mind yet cuz we don't know what circumstances lie ahead, but it wouldn't hurt to have a few options at the ready. Grog has more experience with Trolls than anyone else here? What say ye Grog? What lies ahead? Do the blue one's ruses have a chance to trick the trolls?"
> 
> Grog: _“Trolls not smart like Grog. Trolls ugly brutes. All they think to do is kill and take.”
> 
> “Grog travel lands of Trolls. Grog travel in Kera too. Kera not Margrave. Kera have different rulz. Earl Kera small man with beady eyes. The land of Kera not good place for growing food. So they have to make coin some other way. In Kera people dig holes in ground and in hills. People cut trees from Greenwillow. And people in Kera have need of many strong backs and arms. The people of Kera fear the people of the Mountains. Trolls too. Trolls take people of Kera in years gone by. But people of Kera smart. They outsmart Trolls. They give Trolls people not of Kera.”
> 
> “That why Grog bring you to Kera first. Maybe Dram brother not given to Trolls yet.”_
> 
> Darius: “Sounds like they use slaves for mining.  My friends, we must be careful while we are there.  It doesn't sound like this is the work of a single man, it sounds like it may be us against their entire society.”
> 
> Grog: _“How good Dram brother at what he do? If he big and strong like Dram he probably sell for 10 gp. If he big and strong like Pax. He probably sell for 20gp. If he exo.. if he blue and fiery like Lady Elf. He probably sell for 20gp. If he carved from stone and have strong features like Darius. He probably sell for 30gp. If he have Royal blood like Darius and he son of Smith... well he could sell for more than fingers and toes on whole group.”
> 
> “Indentured servitood normal for Kera people. Slaves more come from mountain people. That why Kera people fraid of dem.”
> 
> “Grog family have slaves when Grog small. Grog family keep goblins. They not good workers. They too brittle.”_
> 
> Darius: "We are not selling me."
> 
> Grog laughed loud and strong until his sides hurt and he had trouble breathing.


----------



## howandwhy99

> Darius: “I see one problem with myself being claimed as a slave, and that is my armor and weapons.  Surely a slave would not be this well armed, and I do not long to go into the town unprotected.  I supposed I could be a slave guard, as much as it detests me to do so.”
> 
> Rose: “That might depend on who your master is.”
> 
> “Perhaps the famous witch Kayla able to ensorcel the hearts and minds of men to forever do her bidding and you are simply one of the loyal toys of her harem that she uses when she wishes protection when she goes out to pick up some new diversions. Perhaps she has already enslaved Dram and wishes to collect the brother as well to start a series.”
> 
> “Or perhaps you are merely broken. It has been said that those raised in such environments long enough lose all hope and fire in their soul and will not go even if the chance for escape is presented. There is no danger of you being anything but a loyal guard because all fire of rebellion was quenched long ago.”
> 
> “Perhaps you are one of those who were responsible for the brother getting captured. The war hero Dram, upon returning home to find his family scattered found out what you had done and held your family hostage in trade until his is reunited. He does not worry about you killing him in your sleep since doing so would only kill your own family, an anathema to a dwarf if your words about how you care for them are true.”
> 
> “Perhaps you are yourself, but you lost one to many games of cards to the famous gambler Dalin. And now you are honorbound to serve as his slave for a period of time to pay off your debt to him.”
> 
> “Perhaps you are a loyal guard of the church from a family that has committed terrible acts that stain your soul, though you yourself are innocent of them. You sold yourself into the service of Father Benedict in penance to ensure a place in paradise.”



Dram stood up and stretched his legs and arms.  The sun was gone and the sky full of stars.



> Dram: "Well, it seems there's a whole lot of high and mightiness being bantered about the campfire this eve. The night is still long so, if it's all the same to you I'll just quietly suckle my wineskin here...it's as good a mother as I've ever had and she requires nothing of me other than eventual sleep. As you say, my wee strange one, I am obligated by blood ties to rescue Tankurd, my brother.....or die trying. He'd do the same for me. Blood is thicker than water ain't it? My family bonds are strong and I reckon I count these lads and lassies as my brothers and sisters as well (he nods at each in the group). They have aided me in times of need, even helped rescue my father from the clutches of dirty goblin claws, so I am bound by honor to return the favors. Trust? It's simple...you watch my back and I'll watch yours. Kin aside, I am a free man. I choose my path as I see fit. The County is where I was raised as a lad but I never felt like one of her sons. The tales my father would spin late at night about our ancestral home in Guxler (a wistful gaze), now that is where my heart lies, though I've never yet felt its earth beneath my feet, drunk from its streams or breathed its cool, crisp air. What does it matter whether the County is run by buffoons, bugbears, billy goats or dwarves (a wink at Darius)? It's all the same as long as my friends and family are safe and content, I have a full stomach, strong drink in hand (raises the wineskin), a hefty chank in my pouch, and the prospect of some warmth at night. Whatever good the County has done for me in my lifetime has been returned tenfold and I've got the scars to prove the debt is paid. Now that my eyes have been opened to a wider world the County is seeming mighty petty and small. Like Grog here, perhaps I'll buy an inn in Hamfast somewhere down the road, but for now that road stretches way beyond my sight and no doubt forks, twists and turns in unexpected ways. Now, a toast to my friends and the safe recovery of my brother Tankurd! (glug, glug, glug) And by the way, my little blue lady, if'n ya don't wanna keep yer coins, pass 'em on. An inn'll cost a mountain o' gold I'd fathom and I may as well start building it now. Don't get it? I won't hold it against ya, pass yer unwanted bits and scraps of metal to ol'Dram here and I'll put 'em to good use!"



Dram rolled over and laid his head on the earth.  He was half asleep before Rose could answer him.  "I would, but part of the ranger training is never own more than you can carry on your back. Anything else is donated to help the less fortunate, so I'm afraid you don't quaify Dram."  But he did not hear her.  The rest of the party slowly moved to their blankets and quietly bedded down for the night.  Father Ben pulled Darius aside and walked a distance away from the fire so they would not be overheard.


----------



## howandwhy99

> Father Ben whispers: "You should know that I may have a contact or two in Kera.  It is not something I relish, but my family in past generations has been less than honorable.  My parents, my brothers, and my sisters all raise horses in Margrave.  But we are the black sheep of our family.  We were dubbed Selzkin when we arrived, because it was suspected my parents came from Kera originally.  The name is not one we have been able to shake off, but I do believe that the lives led by my immediate family have proven us in the community and to the manors with which we work."
> 
> *looks off wistfully for a moment*
> 
> "It would be nicer to visit the horsefarm, but I do have relatives we could visit in Kera.  I don't know what kind of reception we would receive, but one lead is better than none.  My father's sister Celestia Wainwright and her husband Sebastion live somewhere within Kera.  It is possible we could learn where they are and ask for aid."
> 
> "What do you think?"
> 
> Darius: “Perhaps that would be a good idea.  I would like to see if our names have carried over to Kera by now or not.  I hope not, because I would prefer travel without raising attention.  Visiting your family seems plausible enough a reason without raising the ire of the locals.  How much can we trust your aunt, however?  I only ask because of the nature of the land we are about to travel into.”
> 
> Ben: "It is possible we cannot trust her or her husband at all.  It is possible that she will sell us out because I am of the cast out side of the family.  It is possible she may even attempt to capture and sell our band through trickery or some other means as the name Selzkin translates to SELLS KIN as well as SELLS SKIN.   I do not know."
> 
> "But it is also possible, as she is a Wainwright, that she is a simple maker of wagons.  She may suffer from the yoke of indentured servitude as Grog mentioned.  She may take pity on Dram's brother and wish to help us.  She is likely to be very knowledgeable of the workings of Kera and its Earl too.  It is difficult to tell."
> 
> "I wanted to mention this to you in private, as the others may have heard the name Selzkin or of my family.  I do not want to bring shame to them or danger.  I trust you will keep this guarded unless circumstances require otherwise.  It is potentially hazardous for my kin and me, if the name Selzkin was defamed in Margrave.  Perhaps moreso, if word spread in Kera.  Negotiations with Celestia and Sebastion will be delicate to say the least."
> 
> Darius: “What I would propose then would be for you to venture forth and meet her, not alone, but not with the entire party.  Diedra and Pax would serve best, as they are the least likely to be known at this point.  I stand out entirely too much, and should avoid contact until as such time as I can no longer look like myself, and instead as any dwarf.  We should wait outside of whatever village or town she resides in, or find lodgings within the town on our own.”
> 
> “I don't think we can afford to miss out on the opportunity to learn more about these lands.”



Ben nodded in agreement.  Before going to bed Darius woke Pax to take the first watch.  All seemed set for the team’s arrival in Kera.


----------



## howandwhy99

*[Session 13]

[DAY 97 – Sunday, Sceptre 1st, CY 81]*

The team slept in late Sunday after the long discussion around the campfire.  No one relished another day of saddle sores riding through the rough terrain.  Grog looked to be tiring as well.  Darius convinced Dram to describe his brother in case they could find him in Kera.  “He looks like me only shorter… and a little older.  He’s a damn find smith”, said Dram.  
“Good smith is worth much as slave,” said Grog.  This tugged at Ben’s memory.
“What do they do in Kera?” he asked.  “What’s it like?”
”Fifth Earl of Kera rules.  People of Kera, they mine metal.  Bad metal.  Not good metal like Margrave or Dwarves”, said Grog.  “Kera cuts wood from Greenwillow too.”  Grog admitted he had not been to Kera very often.  He did not like it there out of everywhere he had traveled.

“Where have you traveled to, Grog?” asked Darius.  The half-ogre said he had walked all along the Hellfurnace’s Mountain range.  But only on the western side near Margrave.  He did not explain why he had not crossed to the west, but quickly continued with his story.  “From North Grog visit Radon, Sunstar, Nightshade, Raveneye, Kera, and Margrave.  Grog like Margrave best.”  Radon was a placed ruled by the Viscount Radon – a short human – and very militaristic.  “They are likely at the Front then”, surmised Kayla.  
“Sunstar, Nightshade, Raveneye is mixed breeds, half-breeds,” explained Grog.  “Council… Feefdum.”  

As the day wore away a cool wind a strong, cool breeze picked up from the east.  As the group walked into it Grog said they would reach Kera by nightfall.  Outside the city were several unprotected territories.  They would be at the outskirts of one or another soon.  

Rose’s ears twitched.  The feeling of being watched was stronger than ever.  Kayla and Diedre had been bothered by the sense too.  Ben felt least effected.    Something was watching them; something in the woods.  Rose who was sharing her horse with Darius convinced him to steer towards the Forest.  Once in range she called out to whatever animals might be within.  It sounded like strange grunting and chittering to everyone else.  “Why are there no roads?  Grog, don’t the people of Kera ever come to your… inn?” asked Kayla.  
“No road.  Broken land is here.  Caravans are attacked here,” he responded.  “People can be sold for money.  In Kera.  It is a secret, but everyone knows”. 

Rose used the human tongue again.  “It is always like this.  It’s difficult to be certain, but it may have always been like this.  The watching.”  Ben rode up to her and Darius’s side.  He requested a private meeting off to one side with her for a few minutes.  After a few grumblings Darius agreed, but he would not leave the horse.  The dwarf tried to ignore the two as they talked in private.



> Rose: “What is it husband?  Have you finally admitted we are married?”
> 
> Ben: "No. Just stop for a second.”
> 
> “You said before that you had a dream, a dream where laughter seemed to come from everywhere.  It is very important to me about the laughter.  Do you know whose it was?  Have you heard it in your dreams since then?  Do you ever feel anything when you hear the laughter?  Or do you hear it when you are awake?  It is important.  It may mean more than we suspect right now.  It may also be a key to your own past."
> 
> "But this should not be a concern of the others right now either.  Likely they will think I am making too much over this thing.  So if you do hear it again it might be best to tell just me.  To tell me when you hear the laughter and how you feel when you do.  Do you understand?  Can we keep this in confidence?"
> 
> "You know that there are two kinds of secrets that the Gods speak to us of?  The first kind is divisive.  They can separate us and create conflict, even cause pain because of their existence.  This is the type of secret most think of because they eventually become so widely known and the conflict is seen.  But there is a second kind, the kind that draws those who know it closer together.  The kind where shared confidence strengthens bonds and not severs them.  Your telling us your past is like this kind of secret.  A bonding.  Do you agree? Will you keep this a secret?"
> 
> "There are some other concerns I wanted to talk to you about too.  You spoke of the history of the Fairy.  How they could see souls in the sky watching them in the night.  Is this really possible?  Can you see such things?"
> 
> "Also, our band has had difficulty in the past with shapechangers.  Darius may have been framed by one in Harling.  Others killed many at the town we were staying in.  They burnt down an Inn and...killed a Brother of mine.  They worked with an infernal reptile creature with black scales.  Some called it a Dragon like in the stories.  Is it possible that the Fae would work for such a beast?  Perhaps the 'Runners of the Black Flame' as you call them?"
> 
> "And where are the Fae lands?  Behind the stars perhaps?  It is said that the heavens above have a myriad of stories we can never know.  Your description of the lands as being eyeless night might give us a clue on where they are.  Surely not in the depths of the earth below, no?  The flame below the table of land on which we stand would have lit your eyes then, right?  But perhaps you were truly blind and not just in darkness.  Perhaps you could recall how you came to the world from your lands?"
> 
> "As to your own questions it would be best to wait before answering.  We are almost to Kera now and it would be best to focus on minds on the difficulty of freeing Dram's brother."
> 
> "For such petty issues of greed and avarice we might not need to speak at all.  The love of gold by Dwarves is widely spoken of, the love of money and power by Mens, magic by Elves, and now flesh by Fairy.  Each is a vice which is best overcome rather than dwelled upon."
> 
> "And yes, yes, we will speak of Gods later.  And how many do not lie, but speak with knowledge greater than we can learn on our own.  And of the use of earth and metal (though Darius is likely better versed in that topic than I).  And of Will and of Fate.  And of the war to the East.  And of the how our dead serve us in ways you may not have imagined.  We can save these questions for later."


----------



## howandwhy99

> Rose: I can't remember anything useful about the laughter.  It came from everywhere and it sounded vaguely female.  It always fades from my mind when I wake like dawn on the morning mist.  I don't feel anything in particular when I hear it, it's just laughter.  This concept of secrets is strange.  Why would I not wish to tell anyone of my past?  Am I supposed to be ashamed of it?
> 
> I see the eyes of the souls of the dead watch us every night, you do as well.  You call them stars.  In fae lands no souls have ever escaped mother.
> 
> The fae would work with anyone that the whim strikes them to work with.  Prolonged work would require something they would continually need though.  The runners are elves.  Elves are more constant than fae, but to my knowledge they cannot change shape.
> 
> The fae lands are next to these.  But entry and exit to and from them is barred, stones called "The Dancers".  Legends say that stepfather erected them when mother cast him out; to keep her from re-thinking her decision and trying to win him back.  Legends say that stepfather pulled them from the earth in his anger when he left her.  Legends say that powerful druids erected them to keep away the fae from these lands and mother especially so she could not add this domain to her own. Legends say no pure fae can cross them.  Legends say no iron from these lands can cross either.  Of course some legends also say that mother breaks from her confinement every year and goes in search of step-father.  Legends say the bards and minstrels and storytellers call to her every year for inspiration and she plants the seeds of stories in their minds so that the runners might find fertile ground upon which to reap their harvest.   As she goes she brings the cold and ice so beloved to her that keep beautiful things frozen in time, just like her.  But she never finds him and it takes half the year for the druids to chase her back into her realms, or if she does find him, he chases her back, and the fight goes on for half the year.  I have already told you the story of how I came to be here I fell into a trader's wagon.  I fell and when I awake the air was warm and I could see again.  The sky was so bright I was dazzled at first.  The fae lands have no sun, only eternal winter shrouded in eyeless night.  Mother lives in a castle of her own devising, made of a strange material I could not describe to you.  Smooth like ice or glass, but warm and opaque.”



“That’s enough!” cried out Darius.  “I’m not holdin’ my bloody ears any longer.  If you two want to talk, it’ll have to be later.”  Darius steered his horse back to the main groups and joined the circle.  “If we are going to go into to Kera and find Tankurd, I think we should be undercover,” he announced to everyone.  “We will be buyers of slaves looking for a smith to profit from the Margrave war effort.  That should explain why we are new to town and our interest in finding Tankurd.”  The others silently nodded in agreement.  
“You can call me Mard,” Dram said.  Dalin took the name Rollin and Pax would be known as Jax.  Father Ben thought he would have a difficult time remembering all the names.  “Is Pax even known to be anything but a henchman for Darius?” he thought to himself.

“I shall be named Cera, but I believe Diedre, Rose, and Grog should all use their usual names.  They have not traveled with us long and should not raise suspicion…” Kayla eyed Rose again.  “…much,” she finished.  Father Ben said he would take a vow of silence.  “Or just go by Father, if anyone asks.  No one seemed to have Faith in Kustner.  I’d rather wait and see what Kera reveals.”  Ormand admitted no one had ever asked his name since he joined us, so he decided not to use a pseudonym either.  
“Aye, the name Darius should not be spoken by any of us,” stated the dwarven paladin.  “I shall go under the moniker ‘Brin Mjollnir’ from the old stories of Thor when he lost his hammer.”  

At Father Ben’s prompting Darius told the story of Thor and how he won his hammer back.  Dram knew most of the details too.  The northman’s family had long worshipped Thor who Ben had taken as only a dwarven God. The tale was one of warring gods and goddesses and even a strange bit where Thor was changed into a woman.  It was not something Ben had heard of before in his studies with Father Stauk-Flezr.  Darius told other tales about Thor and his dwarven heritage late into the day.  When Darius had left the hold his father was in line to ascend to the Council of Thanes.  It sounded like a very important role.  In time the day passed and the sun began to set.

“Orlain is first village we come to in Kera,” spoke up Grog.  “The Spitting Serpent is the Inn there.”  Apparently they were very close and could reach the village by nightfall.  Upon Darius’s urging Grog told them a little about Orlane.  “They are very wary of strangers and may not let Grog stay ‘cause we arrived at night.”  Grog suggested staying inside a cave near the forest’s edge until the morning.  Kayla drew the others in close.  She suggested the town was probably a dangerous place and may be part of the slaving business.  Darius agreed.  He told Father Ben not to go into the village until the morning with Pax and Diedre.  Then the horses were turned northwards to find Grog’s cave.

The misty hole looked to have burst from the ground.  A curved hillock at the edge of the Greenwillow Forest cozied around the hole’s rear side.  A dark tunnel sloped down inside angling under the forest.  The team dismounted, lit torches, and Rose led a few of them inside to explore first.  After about fifty feet or so, the little Fae found a pool of water blocking the end of the cave.  Darius used his vision to look in the dark water.  It reminded him of an old mineshaft.  It would need to be drained to further explore.  A quick search of the rest of the cave showed it to be free of debris.  Diedre noticed a set of footprints leading in from outside.  “Nobody move!” said Rose.  She skipped over to Diedre’s side and examined the prints.  “Wolves,” she said.  The prints were strange as they led up to the pool’s edge, but did not return.  

“whoa…” said Kayla who tried to keep her balance.  “This is the place.  This cave is what is watching us.  It is very strong here.”  The sorceress sat down to steady herself.   
“Is it the witch?” asked Ben.  Rose moved up to the water’s edge and called out to it in Common.  There was no response.  She tried Elven and then Fae.  With the last a strange hissing with a male’s voice replied in Fae.  “GET OUT” The pool simply bubbled and hissed to Ben’s thinking.
“Trade?” asked Rose.  “THROW SOMETHING INTO POOL”, the water hissed and bubbled again.  Rose took out two of the mushrooms she had taken from the littlefolk’s lair and tossed them in.  The water formed an arm and swallowed the fungi whole.  Then it stilled becoming smooth. 

 “I think we should be okay for the night”, said Rose speaking to everyone else now.  
“Are you sure?” asked Kayla.  “This is like the blob we found outside Hommlett.”  Rose assured her it would be safe.  Double watches were assigned just in case and the team bedded down to rest.  “What are you doing?  Are you crazy!” yelled out Dram at Father Ben.  He had been caught red-handed putting rocks under his blankets.  “uhh…  It’s to keep me from rolling around in my sleep,” Ben said hoping it was at least partially true.  Dram simply looked at the priest as if he had lost his mind.  Kayla and Pax were stationed at the front and back of the cave as the others slept.  Every two hours new watchers were awoken until the morning sun rose.


----------



## howandwhy99

*[DAY 98 – Moonday, Sceptre 2nd, CY 81]*

During the night each of the ten travelers squirmed and spoke out in their sleep.  The watchers at different times complained of bizarre dreams, but did not discuss the details.  When Rose and Diedre awoke to take the final watch however, Rose told the gypsy what she had dreamed.  “Maybe you can tell me what this means,” she said.  “There was a group of woodsman walking along inside a big forest.  Only where we… they were walking was towards was a fallen tree and its stump.  Something was oddly familiar about it.  Near the stump ran a familiar river; I think it was the Greenwillow River I followed to enter into Margrave.  Anyways, the woodsmen were human and looked ready to cut down more trees.  Only before they could a volley of arrows flew out killing them.”  Rose had not noticed, but Diedre’s eyes had gone wide with fright.  “The really strange thing was…” Rose paused.  “The fletching on the arrows was black and white – fae arrows, like we saw at the moathouse.”  

“I see horrible death in all our futures,” said Diedre trembling.  “I had the same dream.  I saw the same woodsmen and the same arrows.”  Rose looked skeptical.  Diedre continued using her cryptic voice, “Perhaps it is some power of the pool.  I believe we saw the future.  Or perhaps what has already passed.  I cannot be certain.  But we will all die horrible deaths.  Of that I am certain!”  It took a few minutes for Diedre to convince Rose she had actually dreamed the same dream, but in the end Rose said she believed her.  As soon as the sky turned blue outside the two woke the rest of the team.  “We need to talk,” said Rose.  The little elven-fae explained what had happened and recited her dream again to the rest of the group.  After finishing everyone else admitted to having strange dreams as well.  None had dreamt of the woodsmen, but the visions had been vivid.  Darius ordered them all to sit in a circle and recount the dreams they just had.  “And if any a’you had the same dream, say so.  This is strange stuff and I’m still not convinced it’s got nothing to do with that witch.”

Dram went first.  “When the dream started I was looking at this gnoll, like Kayla’s friend gnoll back at the Chaos Caves.  He was injured, shot several times with arrows.  He said something like: ‘a group o’ gnolls has destroyed this village that was… something something’... I forget.  But he seemed to think it was important.  Then I noticed we were in a farmhouse or a barn.  And it was on fire.  Outside the open door I could see an entire village being overrun by gnolls.  They were torching the buildings and killing the people.   That was it really.  At the end the injured gnoll hocked up a lung and died.”  Father Ben raised his hand.  “Uh…I had a dream kind of like that… The gnolls had destroyed the village and were taking slaves.  The gnoll captain, of sorts, died spitting blood everywhere.”  Darius nodded curtly.  “Next!” he called out looking at Dalin.

“My dream was about little blue men.”  He chuckled to himself uneasily.  “Well, they really were that.  They were small, about the size of the kobolds we fought, only not scaly and a whole lot hairier.  They had big eyes and skulls, and deep sloping foreheads.  And they were all bald like old men.  Only they weren’t old.”  
”What happened?” asked Darius.  Dalin sighed before continuing.
“Well, they were roaming around during the night in the dark.  Only I could see in the dark, like I was a dwarf like you.”  Darius nodded patiently.  “They were all painting each other with fresh blood from a creature they had killed.  I couldn’t tell what it was, but the form on the ground was obviously somewhere in the wildlands we have been passing through.  That was it.”

Darius asked around, but no one else had the same dream as Dalin.  “Next!” Darius called out.  Ormand the Redd started softly, “I saw a horribly ugly woman.  She was tall and had gray wrinkly skin.  She looked right at me like she was going to kill me.  I could see she had one green eye and one blue eye.  She was some kind of… of half-breed,” he said trying not to look at Grog.  “Her face and cheeks were fat and hung down like the aged, only her cheeks had jowls like a big dog.”  “THE WITCH!” shouted Dram.  He looked around for agreement, but no one else had seen the witch behind the mushroom compound’s wall.  Ormand went on, “She said gruffly ‘take this misshapen fellow’ and shoved the skinny Kusnlir man to the ground in front of me.  Then two blue men like Dalin described, only I was the same height as they were in the dream, they held him down.  ‘Off with his hand!’ yelled the woman.  Then I took a big carving knife and cut off Urkwin’s hand, the hand with the glove on it.”

Ormand was very embarrassed. “I didn’t want to cut it off.  I mean, he didn’t attack us or anything.  But when I, or the dream me, did so Urkwin, that’s what the skinny man’s name is (or was), he started laughing hysterically.  He didn’t even scream out when his wrist was cut.” 
Darius told him it was just a dream.  After confirming Ormand was the only one to have this dream, Darius decided to tell his own.  “I was back in Hamfast.  I saw the jail again where we had freed the villagers.  There were many wagons around.  I was sort of walking through town and watching all the activity going on around me.  At least two strong humans were inside a smithy shop.  They both smiled at me falsely.  Lots of small red men, goblins really, ran to unload the wagons.  Larger ones, hobgoblins, were ordering the smaller ones about.  I couldn’t see what they unloaded from the wagons, but there were no orcs anywhere.  That seems odd to me as orcs were the ones who controlled Hamfast.  At the end of the dream I saw a group of large hairy beasts dicing behind the smithy.  I’ve never seen anything like them before.  They were as tall as gnolls and as strong, but with very different features.   I do remember the finely crafted armor they had on.  They would be very difficult in a fight.”

No one had dreamt Darius’s dream either.  Kayla was called upon next to report.  “I was flying through the air.  It actually felt wonderful and very liberating.  I soared over and around mountain peaks.  Below me I could clearly see my shadow upon the stone far below.  I was a massive creature, with large, muscled wings and cruel, taloned feet.”  
 “The dragon of Gone’way, perhaps?” asked Darius.  He was deep in thought.
“Perhaps,” said Kayla.  
”I had this same dream,” said Pax.  “The wingspan must have been twenty feet wide.  And I had feathers, I’m certain of it.”  Kayla looked doubtful.  She started again with her story.  
“As I flew, I began circling around and round.  On the mountainsides I saw little yellow and red creatures.  They were running from me in fear.  They shouted in the goblin tongue ‘Run! Run! It’s a dragon, I swear! Run!!’”  Kayla looked at Pax certain she had been a dragon in the dream.  Pax admitted he had not understood the goblin’s speech.


----------



## howandwhy99

Darius turned to Grog who was last.  “Grog have flying dream too,” he said.  “Grog miss the mountains.”  The big guy looked as despondent as ever.  Darius stood up and dusted himself off.  “Pax, Rose, Ormand, Diedre.  You are to accompany Father Ben to the town.  He has contacts who might be living there and possibly help us. Their names are Sebastion and Celestia Wainwright.”  
“Why hasn’t he told us this before?” barked Dram.  “Does this have something to do with those rocks from last night?”
“What rocks?” balked Rose.  “Husband, you have never told me this!”  She looked genuinely annoyed.
“It was not to be said,” responded Ben hotly.  “These are folks I have never met, Dram.  And I cannot say how I know them.”  Darius agreed with him and clammed up about the details.  He ordered everyone to prepare to leave.  Dram stormed out of the cave entrance fuming with anger.

Outside the Dram spotted smoke coming from the south.  Climbing up to the top of the hillock behind the cave he scanned the horizon.  About a half mile from where he stood at the wood’s edge he saw several buildings billowing with smoke and flame.  “Orlain,” he said to himself.  Closer he spotted a large mass of men riding towards the forest line.  They would pass close to the cave entrance in a few minutes.   Outside of the cave Father Ben and his welcoming party had just exited.  Dram ran forward and jumped to the floor in front of the cave.  He shouted to the five on horseback.  “Dozens of riders! Moving fast. (huff, huff) Sacked the town. (huff) Headed this way!”   Ben and his followers halted and doubled back.  Darius ran outside and started shouting orders.  

Everyone quickly broke down the encampment.  Rose called out to a bird in the woods nearby.  They whistled to each other and then it sped off in the direction of the riders.  “What did they look like Dram?” asked Darius.  Dram could not make out more than a common armor all wore and a tall banner one rider carried in front.  The bird returned, but was no help.  It could not understand the difference between humanoids or give good descriptions.  The team mounted and trotted their horses towards the oncoming force.  The land’s hilly terrain kept both groups out of sight of each other.  Rose took point and swung a wide loop around.  With her uncanny direction sense the team planned to cut off the marauders.  As they crested a small rise Rose saw the other group come to a halt.  “We’ve been spotted,” she warned the others.  

When they crested the next hill a band of mercenaries was displayed before them.  Three covered wagons were in a line along the far side.  Several riders and more on foot pointed crossbows towards the team and their horses.  All of them were gnolls over seven feet tall.  From behind, Grog jogged, finally catching up with the team.  “No one make any sudden moves,” ordered Darius.  It was obvious the gnoll warband was headed back to the forest with their plunder.  Activity could be seen from inside the covered wagons.  A rider in front stood up in his saddle and waved a white flag.  Diedre supplied a white veil for Grog to wave up high.  The gnolls on horseback cautiously dismounted.  The warband moved closer together into an oval with the horses in the center and the wagons behind.  Each one had a crossbow out and a small shield propped in front of them.  Darius looked on appreciatively.  He knew a well-trained fighting force when he saw it.  

He dismounted and signaled for his friends to do likewise.  “See how they are battle scarred?  They’ve seen some fighting recently…and from more than just villagers.  By Thor, they’re bigger than you Pax!”  When the whole team had dismounted (it took some time to convince Dram to do so), three gnolls walked forward with the white flag in hand.  “Who can speak gnoll?” asked Darius.  Pax said he could.  Grog could too.  They were accompanied down the hill by Kayla and Dalin at their backs, their best wizard and best warrior.  Grog defiantly held the white veil high in the air.  “Perhaps I should conduct the parley, Grog,” Pax said flatly.  

“Do you wish to buy some of our slaves?” yelled the leader in the gnoll tongue.  Pax took a deep breath to calm his nerves.  
“How many do you have for sale?”
“Twenty adults.  15 children.”  Pax rubbed his chin trying to look shrewd.  
“How much for all of them?” he asked.
The three gnolls yipped with laughter.  “50 gold”, said the leader staring hard at Pax.
“Hmm…. including the wagons?”
The leader barked.  “No!  No wagons.”

The terms were set. Kayla asked Pax to try and move them closer to the oval of gnolls.  Pax turned back to the leader and made friendly conversation trying to ingratiate himself.  He asked to inspect the slaves before purchasing.  The leader took Pax back towards the wagons.  Kayla and Dalin quickly followed along.  Grog was confused and stayed with the two gnolls who began to shift nervously.  As they moved the large oval of crouched gnolls shifted direction so Pax and the other two were covered by crossbow as well.  The gnoll leader seemed friendly, but his forces had not relaxed at all.  Kayla looked knowingly into Dalin’s eyes.  She wanted to cast her sleep spell now she was close enough to catch everyone in it.  Dalin counted at least forty gnolls in the oval and shook his head slightly.  

The leader pulled a small human form from the back of one of the wagons.  Inside its’ covered bed were several more gnolls guarding other wrapped bodies.  Each one was covered in cloth from head to toe.  It was impossible to determine if any were alive or dead… or even human.  “We give them something to keep them quiet,” said the gnoll leader.  “They should wake up tomorrow sometime.”  Pax was not sure he could trust the warrior.  The leader spoke again, “No.  Sick, but okay.  They will vomit.”  Pax smiled broadly.  He was fearful of what might happen should he lose their trust.  A second gnoll slit open the wrappings of the small bundle.  A human child of around ten years old slipped out unconscious to the ground.  Moving slowly, Pax examined the body.  The boy appeared to be asleep. 

Just then the gnolls’ horses started neighing loudly.  Something had disturbed them.  Pax heard the gnoll force creak as it shifted before firing.  “No! No!” he shouted waving his arms above his head at his friends on the hill.  He looked at the leader. “That was not us.  We wish to do business.”  Up on the hill Father Ben looked over at Rose.  She was whistling innocently, and then stopped.  After another tense minute the leader laughed in the peculiar manner all gnolls do and slapped Pax on the back.  Negotiations were back on.  “Let us go into the forest where it is safer,” he suggested.  Pax was not exactly thrilled by the proposition.
“There is a cave nearby.  I think we would be safer inside than in the woods,” said Pax.  The leader grinned and said no.  Each side was too scared of an ambush.


----------



## howandwhy99

Pax spoke with the leader and everyone else waited out the tense moments.  In the end he had bartered down the price to only thirty-five gold for the entire collection of slaves.    Kayla pulled out her smallest money pouch and began counting out the price.  She used small coins (silver and copper, picking out the lead) to appear poor.  “Good?” asked the leader when he was finished counting.  Pax agreed.  The leader spit in his hand.  So did Pax and they shook on it.  The leader hollered and waved his hands giving orders to his soldiers.  Pax, Dalin, and Kayla dropped back ready to pull their swords.  At the same time, the tarps of all three wagons were pulled off and the gnolls inside started unloading the wrapped bodies to the ground.  

Pax and the others eased their stance.  “You have been very successful,” complimented Pax.  The leader was in good spirits and agreed.  “Has slaving always been this good?  I hear Kera has many people,” said Pax.  
“Livinia says this place is open,” replied the leader.  Pax took a wild guess.
“A gray skinned witch?”
“You know her?”
“I have heard of her,” said Pax trying to look disinterested.  “What did she say?”
“She is not to be trusted. Lavinia traveled from this way before us.  She was with her sons and another, a stranger.”  Pax shook his head to show he had not seen them.  “One of the sons kept pets,” the leader continued.  “Animals from the forest.  He makes them do bad things.”  A low growl like a wild animal grew in the back of the gnoll leader’s throat.  Pax did his best to stand his ground.  He thought to himself, “the wildcats that attacked Grog?”

“What was the stranger like?” he asked aloud.
“The stranger wore all black and covered its face,” said the leader.  “It was hunched over.”  Pax’s great intellect sifted through the possibilities.  He remembered Igor would have fit the description, but that was long before he had met Darius or the chef.  “He’s probably dead now anyways”, thought Pax to himself. 
“Lavinia’s failing cost us five gnolls,” the leader rambled on. 
“Where was she going?” asked Pax.  “Does she live around here?”
“She lives in the caves far away.  Through the pass and over the mountains.”  It sounded to Pax like Urkwin was not going back to Kusnir any time soon.  He decided to change the subject.

“What is your troop called?  I see your banner and everyone in the same mail armor.  Do you have a name?”  The leader laughed again, which got the other gnolls laughing too.  He reached into a nearby pack and pulled out a large metal shield.  “Your calling card, I presume?” said Pax.  The shield was embossed with a tankurd with a skull on the side and had writing in the Common Tongue etched along the bottom.  ‘Murylind Mercenary Co.’ He gave it to Pax as a gift.  The two chatted on as all thirty-five bodies were unloaded and accounted for by Kayla and Dalin.  The rest of the party maintained their position on the hill.  

“Are you the leader?” asked Pax.  The gnoll shook his head.  He explained he was the captain.  Their leader was a troll in the mountains eastwards.  He smiled broadly.  
“He has a bigger, meaner friend though who sleeps during the day.  (laughs)  Don’t wake him during the day.”  The gnoll captain started laughing like he had just told a joke, so Pax join in.  When the gnolls were finished Pax, Kayla, and Dalin retreated back to Grog’s side at the bottom of the rise.  The gnoll warband stood up and started marching away in orderly lines with the mounted cavalry at their flanks.  “I hope we meet again!” shouted the gnoll captain to Pax and gave him a salute.  Pax saluted him in return.  
“It has been most profitable.”  

Father Ben and Rose stayed at the top of the hill to keep an eye on the gnolls in case they doubled back.  Everyone else circled around Pax asking him what had happened.  He summed up the transaction as best he could.  As he talked Darius rewarded him with a few gold pieces for his own.  Kayla was deep in thought about the black, hump-backed man.  Dalin, Dram, and Grog ignored the dull storytelling and went straight to the bodies.  They slit open all of the bundles just enough to learn what was inside each of them.  “AAAAhhh!”  Grog started screaming.  Five of the bundles were actually strange blue men.  Four were taller and one the size of a child.  Dalin recognized them from his dream.  Grog called the short one his mushroom friend.  The blue men were taken out of their wrappings and they found the four tall ones were actually dead.  “The little one is still breathing,” said Dalin trying to cheer Grog up.  But he knew one out of five was bad odds all around.  They examined the humans too.  All were in various states of health, but none were dead.

Darius called everyone over to Grog’s side.  “We need to make some decisions and fast.”
“What are we doing now?” asked Dram boldly.  The town in the distance was on fire.  The black smoke billowing from it was as thick as ever.  There was still the problem of moving all thirty-five of the slave bodies.  “We could try pulling them on large litters?” suggested Dalin.  They would need to collect wood from the forest’s edge to build them however.  Darius was adamant about saving the town.  “It’s all these townsfolk have left.”  Kayla had an idea.  
“What if we collected all the litters and Grog used his sword to grow to Giant size?  Then we could pull them all at once?”  Darius agreed.  He put Kayla in charge of the team and rode up the hill to Ben and Rose on lookout.  He recruited them to help him save the town and the three galloped off towards the burning blaze.


----------



## howandwhy99

As he coaxed his horse down the only road in the small village Darius could see every building had been torched.  Several were beyond saving, but some still had a chance.  Father Ben and Rose helped him quickly count the dead that lay all around the street.  They counted the buildings too and looked for any that might have goods or people inside.  It did not take long to survey.  Thirty-three buildings once stood, but most would be ash by nightfall.  Perhaps fourteen to fifteen bodies were discovered.  It was difficult to tell for certain.  At least one safe building was found that could easily be extinguished.  Rose turned her horse around to go back and tell the others.

Father Ben and Darius dismounted to check for people inside the buildings.  The paladin heard suddenly heard coughing from somewhere within a small hay shed.  He ran up toward the open door and large dog jumped out attacking him.  Ben turned around when he heard Darius shout.  Near the edge of town, Rose’s pointed ears picked up the noise as well.  Darius grappled with the dog unsuccessfully as Ben ran to his side.  “Call off your dog!” Ben shouted into the shed hoping for a response.  Behind them Rose galloped up on her horse, leapt off it’s back, and tumbled in behind Darius.  The dwarf was struggling, but finally pulled his sword.  He swung at the dog with the flat of the blade.  Ben heard Rose start barking at the dog, so he ran into the burning building looking for an owner.  It was roughly twenty deep and forty feet wide.  The ceiling was slowly filling with smoke.  Across from the door was a gnoll lying on its back.  Nearly a dozen arrows stuck out of its chest.  It was dying.  

“They left me,” it croaked. 
“Call off your dog or we could die!” demanded Ben.  “We worked with your company. We even bought slaves from them.  We are friends!”  
‘Ah HA!!” growled the gnoll.  It lifted a crossbow it was hiding under the hay and shot Ben in the shoulder.  Behind him Darius saw what happened.  He broke away from the dog and ran up to the gnoll.  He lifted his sword with its point hovering over the creature’s eye and said, “we mean you no harm.  I can even save you, but you need to call off your dog!”  
“What’s going on in there?” called Rose from outside.  The dog was refusing to listen to her.  Taking another tactic, she swung at the dog with the sharp edge of her sword.  She hit and it bolted away.

Fear flowed through Ben’s body.  This was the dream sequence he had shared with Dram when they first awoke.  Ben swung his flail at the gnoll, but the bolt in his shoulder shifted as he moved doing further damage.  Darius attempted to deflect Ben’s blow as well.  “I am here to protect you, if you need aid,” he said to the gnoll.  “It is my duty to protect all in need.”  The paladin laid his hands on the gnoll and healing power coursed into the monster.  The arrows in its grey-green, rubbery skin pushed their way out.  The wounds sealed up and the gnoll’s gaze became more focused.  Ben could see it gaining in strength.  Stunned by the dwarf’s actions he shook off his fear.  In a fit of rage Ben lunged forward in trying to strangle the creature before it fully revived. 

He failed.  The gnoll deftly squeezed Ben’s head into an armlock and grasping for the cleric’s flail.  Darius realized his confusion and swung at the beast missing.  Rose had made her way inside through the growing smoky haze.  Using her club she helped Darius attack, but only succeeded in hitting Father Ben.  Fortunately for him, the blow bounced off his chainmail.  Ben struggled to break free of the gnoll’s grasp, but it was far stronger than him now.  All its wounds were scarred over.  It hunched down and took a bite out of Ben’s shoulder.  Darius pulled out a torch and lit it off the flaming walls.  Rose did the same, but neither landed a solid hit.

For the next few of minutes the gnoll attempted to devour Ben.  It took two more bites out of him mitigated only by his armor and helm.  Blood poured from his wounds and weakly Ben flailed at back without effect.  Rose and Darius battered at the beast with their torches, but their luck had failed them.  Not one blow landed square.  Furthermore, all three were getting fatigued from the exertion and smoke.  Ben and Rose were coughing loudly.  Regrettably, the gnoll was stronger than ever.  

Darius swung and missed yet again.  “Blast it!” he cursed.  Ben swung, but only managed to hit Darius.  He was bit a fourth time.  Ben staggered in place.  He was woozy and could feel his consciousness slipping.  Coughing uncontrollably, Rose backed out of the front door.  Darius swung again.  Another miss.  “This is the end”, thought Ben to himself.  Before he could fall unconscious however, he felt a muscle in his head twitch.  His body pushed up into the air.  He screamed, but could see fear in the gnolls eyes.  “The Gods will Destroy you NOW!!!” he shouted with his last breath.  Darius looked dumbfounded up at the floating cleric.  Fresh urine stained the gnoll’s leggings.  

“Ben?  Get down here right now!” ordered Darius.  Rose curiously peered back inside the shed and was amazed by what she saw.  The gnoll was being pulled upwards by Ben.  It let go and ran towards the exit in panic.  Ben bounced up into the ceiling and hung there.  Ironically, Rose and Darius landed two devastating parting shots on the gnoll before it reached the street outside.  Rose watched it sprint out of town towards the forest.   Ben released the muscle in his mind and floated back down to the ground.  He quickly healed himself with a prayer and walked out to the street with Darius to one side.  “Well that was…” and he fainted dead away.


----------



## howandwhy99

Dram stood watch on one of the higher rises in the broken lands.  His eyes scanned for gnolls coming back from the forest, but nothing had happened since they left.  Turning back to the burning village he spotted a figure running toward him.  “Hot Damn!”  It was a gnoll.  “Looks like it just left the fire for the frying pan,” Dram said.  He spurred his horse to a gallop.  Riding up to Pax’s horse he grabbed the big man’s lance.  The crazy-legged gnoll came back into sight.  Dram charged lowering the lance just as he reached the gnoll.  OOOF!  He planted the tip into the ground and nearly toppled off his horse.  The gnoll ran by without a second glance.  Pax and Ormond were watching to see what was happening and began peppering the creature with arrows.  It fell down dead. 

Dram rode back to the kill and hogtied the creature just to be on the safe side.  From behind him he heard another horse coming.  This time it was Rose.  He took her back to Kayla who was working in a rocky flat trying to situate all the sleeping bodies within the litters.  Only three quarters could fit without crushing some of the bodies.  “Father Ben can fly!” exclaimed Rose.  Dram and Kayla looked at her incredulously.  Rose repeated herself, “Father Ben can fly!” but they simply shook their heads in disbelief.  “The town is on fire and we need your help!”  That got their attention.  The slaving team was regrouped pulling back the wood collectors near the forest’s edge.  Grog was ordered to stand watch over the excess slaves until the party returned.  Pax took Grog’s sword and grew to Giant-size.  “We’ll be back for the second load later,” said Kayla.  The caravan moved towards town protecting the large series of litters pulled by Giant-Pax.

Darius found a well in the center of town and filled a bucket with water.  He dumped it over Ben’s head.  “We are going to talk about this flying business later!  Right now, get up and help me save some of this town!”  Ben slowly struggled to his feet.  Darius was already tossing water on a building that looked like the village inn.  Another bucket was found for Ben and the two set about dousing the flames.  Then the earth began to shudder beneath their feet.  Behind them Pax’s massive form lumbered, towering over anything else in the village.  The massive litter was unloaded and Giant-Pax slowly walked back towards the remaining slaves.  “Look, more vultures,” said Rose pointing to the sky.  

Kayla, Diedre, Pax, Ormond, Dalin, and Rose left the unloaded villagers sleeping in the road as they ran to help put out the inn.  Hours passed, as bucket after bucket was needed to quench the fire both inside and out.  Pax returned after collecting the remaining villagers and Grog.  He attempted to stomp out some of the smaller house fires, but only succeeded in smashing the buildings with his foot.  By mid-afternoon the inn was thoroughly soaked but saved.  Darius selected a nearby warehouse to douse next.  Giant-Pax picked up the villagers, one in each hand, and placed them inside the inn’s front door.  A loud BOOM echoed from the far side of the village.  Kayla ran over and discovered the remains of a silo blown to pieces.  She quickly surveyed the rest of the town as the others saved the warehouse.  The process was taking too long.  Most of the houses had already been burned to the ground and the larger buildings were infernos comparatively.  Thankfully, there were no other silos, but Kayla did locate a general store.  “Over here!” she shouted.  Darius split the group and buckets.  

By the time night fell, four buildings had been saved: the inn, warehouse, general store, and a small, one room home.  Inside each the goods and foods were ruined by heat and smoke damage.  With the light quickly dimming, the team piled the dead bodies into a funeral pyre alongside a burning building.  Father Ben and Darius prayed and chanted holy mercies for the dead.  “Hold one minute,” said Darius to Ben.  The dwarf pulled a blue man from the pyre.  This one was taller like the four others they had found wrapped up.  Darius used a pole to search the rest of the burning corpses.  “There’s another!”  Ben helped him douse the two bodies.  No more blue men could be seen.  Both of the creatures had their arms manacled behind them.  “Prisoners of the town, maybe?” Ben pondered aloud.  Checking the pile he realized most of the bodies were of old men.  Darius set aside the blue corpses for later study.  Late in the evening, when the pyre had finished burning, Giant-Pax buried the ashes in a hole outside of town he had dug up with his hands.  “May ye rest in peace”, intoned Darius.  

Before resting two rooms upstairs in the Inn were swept out and cleaned.  Ash and soot had covered everything, even the tops of the sleeping slaves.  Diedre and Ormand the Redd helped remove the wrappings from the saved villagers.  Each needed a good washing down as well.  A few had blood on them and most an assortment of bruises.  Each one was laid down on the floor in the common room.  Rose went out to hunt for food, while the rest of the team retired to bedrooms upstairs.  A double watch was set, one person inside and one on the roof above.


----------



## howandwhy99

*[DAY 99 – Feastday, Sceptre 3rd, CY 81]*

Ben awoke to the sound of birds singing outside the window.  Immediately he smelled smoke, but after untying his bed ropes he saw no sign of a new fire.  He and Dram were the last to take watch.  As Dram climbed up to the attic, Ben descended downstairs.  Slaves were scattered all around the floor, so he started counting them to check their number.  Before he could get halfway to thirty-one a woman near his leg spit up vomit.  Quickly, Ben turned her on her side.  Then he proceeded to turn all the slaves on to their sides, but it only caused to wake more of them.  As each one aroused he or she doubled over and threw up on whatever (and whomever) was around.  Father Ben ran back and forth trying to help, but the common room soon became a vomitorium.  Ben ran out the front door before he lost his own lunch.

Several minutes later he ducked back inside braving the stench.  The villagefolk were almost all awake and many were helping one another control the sickness.  Dram arrived at the bottom of the stairs with Darius behind him.  The slaves shrank backw upon seeing the two.  In fact, Ben felt they were all deathly afraid.  Darius rapidly discovered their de facto leader, a woman named Mathilda.  “What happened?” he asked.
“The gnolls struck in the night, just before daybreak,” cried Mathilda.  “They came in and killed the men and captured everyone else!”  Darius asked if anyone was missing besides the men.  The woman looked around.  “Some are missing still, some women and children.  Where are the men?”  Darius did not answer her question. 
“We’re going to clean you all up and get you some fresh clothing.  Can you help us do that?  We need everyone here to follow orders.”  Mathilda nodded solemnly  

Dram and Ben went upstairs to wake the rest of the team.  They were all a little sleepy, but started moving once they heard the noise below.  The team members collected what clothes they could from among the saved buildings and inn.  Darius looked over all the purchased slaves and could find not a single adult male among them.  “This is why they sold them so cheaply,” he thought to himself.  “PREPARE YOURSELVES!” he shouted to get everyone’s attention.  “We are traveling to Kera very soon.  Get ready!”  The villagers cringed, but hurriedly started packing what they could. 

Outside Dram mounted his horse and left to check for signs of unwanted visitors.  Ben prayed near the remains of what had been the funeral pyre.  Out of nowhere Rose walked past him toward the inn.  She was stretching and yawning.  “Has she been sleeping outside this whole time?” he thought.  Ben vowed to be more observant around her.  Upstairs Kayla and Diedre prepared their castings by reading the books Kayla carried.  Dalin, Pax, and Ormand simply sat around waiting for the villagers to finish.  

Retracing his tracks, Dram came upon the gnoll carcass he had killed yesterday. (He had killed it in his mind at least).  It was still dead.  Its friends had not come to collect the body.  This was simply another sign of the savagery and disrespect for their own kind.  Dram gave the corpse a few hard kicks, but it did not move.  He road back to town and pulled up some of the well water for his horse.  As he took a sip he noticed it smelled funny.  It tasted coppery on his tongue.  Using his finger he made himself vomit.  “Are you sick too, Dram?” asked Rose walking over.  He did not answer, so she took a sip of water.  It tasted like metal – horrible.  “It’s spoiled with blood,” said Dram.  Rose licked her fangs inquisitively.  Calling Darius over the dwarf looked into the well.  Far below he saw a body partially submerged in the water.  

Dram retrieved his grappling hook and rope from his horse.  All three struggled to pull up the body.  It collapsed over one side of the well.  It was human, tall, and obscenely bloated from the water.  The stench was overpowering.  Chained around its ankles was a block of salt.  Darius looked down the well again.  He reported that there was another salt block, this one attached to a long metal rod.  “It’s for moving the saltlick around the fields,” said Ben.  He had walked up unnoticed.  The four pulled up the other block and tossed it aside.  When asked, Ben had to admit his divine power was far to weak to purify the entire well.  He decided to check the corpse’s wounds instead.  It was a wise move.  “He was killed in battle,” Ben declared.  “Not from drowning.”  Several wounds penetrated deep into the flesh and blood still oozed out thicker than normal.  

Darius went to fetch Mathilda from inside.  “Who is he?  Your leader?”
“We do not know him”, she answered.  Ben reflected that she was not even close enough for a proper look.  He guessed she might have seen him killed as the body had died but a day ago.  “He does look sort of familiar now I think about it”, said Dram.  Dalin, Pax, and everyone else standing around the village square moved closer to view the body.  “CERTA!!” several cried out in unison.  “The perfect sleeper,” whispered Rose silently.  A table from the inn was brought outside and Certa was set upon it.  The body was stripped of clothing and they found tattoos underneath.  A pair of crossed axes was on his chest.  On his back was a large rising bear.  Dram recognized it instantly.  He was of the Bear Clan in the Greenwillow Forest.


----------



## howandwhy99

“More and more puzzles are going unsolved,” thought Ben.  Darius collected the team back upstairs in the bedrooms for a meeting.  “We need to plan our next move,” he said.  “The villagers cannot be left here.  They have no homes, lodging, or protection from another attack.  Even the food Rose collected will run out in a day or two.  I have told them they are to prepare for travel to Kera.  I think we should take them.  What do you say?”  Everyone agreed.  They began to make plans for overland travel with thirty-one on foot.    “Where’s Grog?” asked Rose.  The last anyone had seen he was speaking with the blue man downstairs. 

In one of the back booths of the common room Grog was snorting happily.  The little blue man was telling him jokes in a strange chittering language.  They fell silent when the team approached.  “I’m glad to see you happy again Grog,” said Darius.  “Who is your friend?”  The blue man made a honking noise. “Zvart” it said.  This was the smaller ones found in the bundles.  Its huge head was disproportionate to the rest of its body.  







“How did you get here?” asked Kayla.
“Livinia brought us here,” the creature spat brusquely.  It spoke swiftly and in a whiney voice.  Darius explained to it that we had cleared out his farm. 
“It’s a hobbit hole, right?” asked Kayla.  Apparently she knew more about littlefolk than anyone else.  The blue man honked rudely in response.
“This is Grogfriend,” said Grog smiling happily.  “He is a mushroom friend.”
“What about Certa.  Did she come with Livinia too?” said Dram directly.
“No.  She brought Serta with her.  And the other two.” sneered the creature.  
“Was he wearing black clothing, or maybe a hump on his back?” asked Kayla.
“No” it honked again.  “That was farther on to Kera when we met the gnolls.”

Rose dug a couple of mushrooms out of her pack and handed them to the strange man.  “Mine! Mine!” it shouted.  “My precioussss…” It cooed as it held the mushrooms.   The team asked more questions, but the creature was hardly forthcoming.  Lavinia was a customer of theirs.  She had told them she wanted the skinny man with the glove on one hand.  The skinny man had been paying the Xvarts to stay inside the mushroom farm.  “Do you remember his name?” asked Kayla fingering the map they found in her pocket.  It honked another “No”.  It was never told the man’s name.  He had only stayed two nights.  He paid and babbled and scribbled all over the walls.  Zvart complained about having to clean up after it – and after Lavinia’s sons.

“How many sons did she have?” asked Darius.  
“There are four.  And a new one now,” the blue man responded slyly.  Her sons were half-orc and half-human.  He believed Lavinia was too.  One of the sons took animals of all different kinds from all over and made them do strange things.  Dram leaned over and whispered into Ben’s ear, “Livinia sounds like villain.”  Ben smiled.  “Live in ya?” he joked back.  The blue man honked loudly at them.  
“Are you a hobbit or a halfling?” asked Kayla.  It began to laugh loudly in a vulgar way.  
“We eat halflinghobbitses.  We are Xvart.  My name is…” Ben lost all ability to understand what it said.  The name sounded like a minute’s worth of run together nonsense words and honking.  
“What may we call you in short?” asked Darius using his charm.
“I answer to nothing!” it honked back.  Darius attempted to smooth over the situation.  
“Do you live in very deep holes then?”
“You are thinking of gnomes.  We are not gnomes,” it replied disgusted.

The team had just about enough.  Darius gave a short goodbye and was ignored for his efforts.  Everyone but Grog was ordered upstairs to prepare for the journey.  Walking across the common room Darius looked for Mathilda.  He wanted to find out just how safe the city of Kera was before leaving.  He found her in one of the back rooms whispering to some of the other women.  “I have a question.”
“Yes”, said Mathilda smoothly.  The other women cleared out of the room.
“Are there slaves kept here or slave traders?”
”No.  We farm.  We have no slaves,” she answered carefully.
“What about Kera?  Do they deal in slaves?” asked Darius.  Mathilda hesitated.  
“Kera does not slave either.  They mine ore.”
“We could take you to another farming village then…” started Darius.  She shook her head.
“No. We would prefer to stay in Kera. If you would let us.”  This was baffling to Darius.
”Do you know the Wainwrights?  Are they here in town?”  Mathilda stopped breathing and went still.  Darius started again, but she cut him off.
“Are you selling us?” she asked.  Darius scoffed at the idea.  He tried to clear up the confusion.  
Finally he just stated, “You are free.  You are all free!  Why are even asking me this?”

“Aaaaaeeeigghhhh!!” Mathilda let out a loud, shrill scream.  She bolted out the front door of the inn screaming all the way.  Darius saw a number of other villagers run out the front door too screaming in fear.  It was perplexing.  A second later the rest of the team came stomping down from upstairs.  They went outside.  Not a single villager was in sight.  Rose skipped out to the village’s edge and searched for tracks.  No recent footprints were towards the east and Kera.  Then she noticed a few villagers hiding amongst the remains of a burnt building.  She went back to Darius and reported.  “They’re hiding from us.”  Darius was irritated.  
“Fine. Let’s go without them,” he said.  

The team loaded up their horses to leave.  Father Ben asked if he could hold back for a minute or two.  “I’ll catch up.”  Darius shrugged in response.  Ben went back into the inn’s common room and pulled out some of the parchment he used to write Father Stauk-Flezr.  Hastily he scribbled a note: “TO HELP YOU FIND YOUR WAY”.  He opened one of his large sacks of gold and counted out one hundred gold pieces.  He left them on top of the letter.  “I only hope that’s enough to save them” he said to himself.  Afterwards, he scrambled atop his horse and cantered to catch up with the party.


----------



## howandwhy99

The ground under the horses’ hooves became thick with grass.   They were leaving the badlands.  No one talked for a long while after leaving Orlaine.  Finally, before noon Grog broke the silence.  “Once Grog keep slaves”, he said.  “Grog give it up.  Trolls convince owning slaves was a bad idea.  Grog was very bad at keeping slaves.  Slaves never worked right.  Grog not know how to treat them.”  
“I’m sure you treated them very well,” said Darius.
“Maybe, but Grog have very hard time carrying slaves everywhere Grog go.”  Everyone burst into laughter.  Grog joined in though he missed the joke.  “Slaves too heavy,” he complained.  “And too many.  And they squirm all over Grog.  Pull Grog’s hair.  Complain all day.  So Grog give up slaving.”  

”I think you made a wise decision,” said Darius.  When the laughter had died down he switched subjects.  “Grog, we need to find a good place to stay once we arrive in Kera.  Do you know of any goods inns within the city?”  
Grog nodded roughly. “Yes.  Very fine inn.  Named ‘Sleeping Horse’”.
Ben looked up.  “Uh…Grog.  Did you say ‘Sleeping Horse Inn’ or “Sleeping… uhhhh.”
“What the Father’s trying to say,” said Dalin, “is it named ‘Sleeping Whores?’”
“Sleeping Horse” repeated Grog.  Only he might have said whores.  It was difficult to tell.
“Is it like your inn?” Dalin asked.
“No! Grog inn much better.”  Dram and Dalin started laughing again.  
“Well, is it like your inn or is it like the Sleeping Dragon Inn back in Kustler?” Dalin tried again.
“Like Sleeping Dragon Inn.  Not nice.  Not nice people there.”
“Are there women there?” asked Dram loudly.
Grog shrugged.  “Some.”

They gave up trying to get a straight answer from the half ogre.  Grog still did not know Gerda ran his inn as a brothel and no one wanted to risk his leaving if they told him.  Ben thought back to Orlayne.  He still felt bad about leaving the villagers to fend for themselves.  Something else was nagging in the back of his mind too, something he had forgotten.  “Something to do with a table,” he thought to himself.  He pulled out his pack and looked for his bowl and utensils.  They was not it.
“Husband?  How is it you can fly?” asked Rose.  Ben was shocked back into reality.
“Rose, I cannot fly.  We should not talk of this now.  We need to plan on what to do while we’re in Kera.  We really need to think of how to find Dram's brother Tankard.”
“You mean the wainwrights?” she asked.  Ben groaned. 

Rose recited the story of how she, Darius, and Ben had fought a lone gnoll trapped back in Orlain.  She said Ben had flown up into the air to frighten the gnoll away.  Ben saw thankfully that none of the other members believed her story.  They let her continue on without question.  All but Darius and Grog.  They traveled ahead in front ignoring the story.  

By the end of a full day’s travel Kera City finally came into view.  It was near nightfall, but Ben could see the full breadth and length of it.  He had never seen a city before.  Beyond, hills rose up higher and higher until just at the horizon Ben could see a row of tall mountain peaks.  Kayla pointed out the city was much smaller than Harling, but the team had spent very little time there.  As they approached a road formed nearby.  They followed it and passed by several outer farms, small cottage homes, and even a few large outlying noble estates.  A large stone wall was built around the city.  It was easily twenty feet high with towers along its length every so often.  Dram pointed out several large weapons on top that could launch things.  “That one there is called a catapult,” he said.  He had not forgotten Radcliffe’s teachings.  The large doors leading into the city were open wide with an armed guard standing to each side.  Without thinking the team rode their horses straight through the gate.  Inside were a small square and several houses of various sizes stretching away in every direction.  “Hold on,” said Darius.  He led the team back outside to the door guards.

“What are the laws and customs of this city?” he asked one of the guards.
“HA!  Hahahaha… Didja hear that Franklin?  Laws of the city? Hahahaha.”
The one named Franklin said, “Just don’t piss off the Earl.  Earl Kera.  He runs things here.”
Darius walked his horse towards Franklin.  “How?”
”You know, beat him at gambling, taking women he likes, that sort of thing.”
“He’s not usually about these days,” said the other guard.
“Is there much crime in this city?” Ben asked.  This brought about another round of guffaws from both guards.  
“No.  No crime whatsoever.”
”What of the church?  For your religion?” he asked.
The two guards looked at each other quizzically.  “Religion?  What’s that?”


----------



## howandwhy99

Father Ben offered to teach the guards the tenants of his faith, but Grog was in a hurry.  At least that what everyone else said.  Once again inside they rode along a wide, main thoroughfare into the heart of the city.  Many different sorts of people were walking and standing around.  Several side alleyways branched off from the central street giving a glimpse of even more cityfolk.  Along the road shops were pushed up right next to each other.  They displayed finely carved signs with both pictures and written names upon them.  There was a top hat, an anvil, a cauldron bubbling, and more.  It was almost too much to take in.  Ben looked around for a banner of the city, but there were none.  There were no flags or statues or fountains anywhere either.  He had been raised to believe cities always had these things.  But then he had never visited one before either.  

Grog took a sharp turn down one of the dingier alleyways.  “Lots of fights at the Sleeping Horse Inn” he said.  “Grog like.  Grog not been in a good fight for a while.”  Farther on they saw a small, seedy tavern built onto the rear of a larger building.  “Best ale in town,” declared Grog.  Above the entrance door was a small wooden sign.  A picture of a horse was on it upside down.  All four of its legs stuck straight up into the air.  Dram and Dalin burst out laughing again.  “Dead Horse Inn,” whispered one to the other.  The two dismounted and agreed to accompany Grog inside for a drink.  Fishing out some gold from their pouches they handed over the rest for safekeeping, as well as their horses and supplies.  

After the three entered the rest of the team rode back up to the main street again.  The shops were much nicer looking there and soon they found a large stable.  The stableboy quoted them a price of one gold per horse per day, very expensive.  The stables were of high quality however so they paid for all eight of the mounts.  Darius ordered Ormond the Redd to stay with the horses and guard them.  The team tried to memorize their horses just in case of trickery or horsethieves.   “You can stay up in the loft,” said the stableboy pointing to the rafters overhead.  “One silver per night.”  The team browsed around checking the other horses within.  They were in good health and well fed.  Ben recognized Margrave brandings on many of the horses.  He had been raised on a horsefarm.  It seemed strange to him, as there were no roads leading back to Margrave.  The saddlebags and supplies were taken off to bring with them. Pax managed to carry five.  

The sun was down and the city was getting dark fast.  They hustled further into the city along the central thoroughfare and soon came to a section where many inns lined both sides of the street.  Every inn was richly decorated on the outside.  Darius, Kayla, and Diedre separated to price check each one.  They read the names as they went.  Standing in the street Ben watched the crowd pass by.  Most of the people were human, but there were several nonhumans too.  He was glad for Darius when he saw several dwarves walking around without fear.  Lots of half-breeds were about too.  Ben thought he recognized orc and goblin blooded humans.  Some were impossible to tell.  Rose spotted some half elves, but they ignored her calls for attention.  Darius came back with Diedre and Kayla in tow.  “The average price is about five gold per night. We’ve decided on a nice one over there for that price,” he pointed.  “It’s called The Wyvern.”  

Inside was a large, well lit, finely appointed waiting room with plush furniture and tables.  Darius secured the team two rooms for the night.  Both were next to each other and had two large feather beds, tables, and chairs within.   The windows and doors had several locks as well.  Ben had never lived so well in his life.  Because he was a priest he volunteered to sleep with the three women in one room, while the rest of the men shared the other.


----------



## howandwhy99

Dram and Dalin looked around the smoky Dead Horse tavern.  Unbathed men and women sat suspiciously sipping their drinks.  Dalin noticed one table of customers dicing over in the corner.  He decided not to join in right away.  Grog moved over to an occupied table and sat down.  The other occupants stood up and moved elsewhere.  Dram and Dalin joined him.  “Best ale in town!” said Grog again.  A bar wench brought over a pitcher and they started drinking.  After awhile Dram noticed a Bard come in and pluck away at his lute in another corner.  No one paid him any attention.  

Dram and Dalin tried to strike up conversations with some of the other patrons.  It took some doing, but they learned a bit of local gossip.  Something large had been circling the skies above.  Some thought it was a dragon.  Others suggested it was something even more sinister.  One man bemoaned the fact that almost all the Sky Knights were away.  Dalin put two and two together.  He guessed the knights were probably Kera’s contribution to the war effort.  Another man told them a dark and terrible creature lived in the caves to the northeast.  “I shouldn’t tell ya this, but ee’s preparin’ ta unleash the power of several volcanoes to destroy every human and our allies throughout the region.”  Dram and Dalin took it with a grain of salt.  Grog wanted to know more.  He was seriously worried, but the man left after the half ogre took an interest in his ramblings.

A group of licentious, young women walked inside later in the evening.  “That’s what I’ve been waiting for,” said Dram.  He succeeded in drawing one over to their table.  She toyed with him, but did not sit down.  She and her companions had heard a new, powerful ogre was rallying warriors to his standard up in the mountains.  They were thinking of going to join in.  “Maybe you should come?” she suggested.  Dram hesitated.  Grog did not speak, but his expression towards the woman spoke volumes.  She decided not to wait around for an answer.  “This isn’t exactly working,” said Dalin stating the obvious.  Across the room the Bard finally began strumming a tune.  He was pretty good.  In fact, he was really, really good.  The other patrons stood up and started to cheer.  Then began singing along.  Overcome with emotion Grog and Dalin stood up too and sang with big smiles on their faces.  

“Whoa…” said Dalin.  “I feel weird.”  Dram felt a bit woozy himself.  The music sounded strange to him.  “Must be the beer,” he told Dalin.  It was uniformly bad.  “I need to clear my head,” said Dram.  He stood up to go outside for some fresh air.  As he walked out the door a stranger bumped into him walking in.  The stranger pushed hard.  Dram braced himself and pushed back, harder.  “I’m sorry,” said the stranger.  Dram did not let him by. “I’m very sorry,” the man said again.  Dram checked his own pockets for gold, then for his weapon.  Both were still there.  “Hmmmm….” He let the stranger go by into the tavern.  Dram stood outside for a few minutes, clearing his head, and gathered his thoughts.  He felt tired from the long day’s journey.  

Turning around he went back into the bar.  All of the patrons and staff were slumped over in their chairs.  There was no music either.  Dram took a step inside and saw the Bard hunched over one of the patrons rifling through the man’s pockets.  A flash of steel bounced off Dram’s shoulder and brushed near his face.  The stranger was hiding behind the shadow of the door.  Dram crouched and reached for his sword.  Before he could unsheathe it the Bard turned around and tossed a dagger at Dram’s chest, right into his heart.  It pierced his cloak and shirt, but it deflected off his hidden armor.  Scrambling, Dram backed away towards Grog and Dalin who were both asleep.  He shook them, but neither awoke.  “There is no need for fighting,” said the Bard.  Gracefully, he walked forward, picked up his dagger, and retreated to his stool and lute.  

Dram was in no mood for talking nice.  Unshouldering his bow he fired two arrows.  He hit the Bard straight in the back, but the arrow bounced off his cloak with a metal clang.  His second arrow plunged deep into the other rogue’s neck.  The stranger fell dead to the floor.  Picking up his lute, the Bard strummed a peaceful little tune and Dram realized he had been in the wrong all along.  This musician was not such a bad guy after all.  “Help me collect my donations,” ordered the Bard.  Dram nodded happily.  He moved over to the rogue he had killed and searched the body.  He recovered his arrow intact and found a solid gold arrow besides hidden in the man’s vest.  “I’ll just put this with my other one from the Fair…” He seemed to have misplaced it.  “Ah ha!”  Secretly he hid his arrow just in case his new friend tried to take it as a donation.  Next he moved to Grog and Dalin and tried to shake them awake again.

“What are you doing?” asked the Bard.
“They will help us?”
“No!”  The Bard changed demeanor.  “I mean… they would want a big share. But let them keep theirs.”   Dram moved away to the other patrons and searched for whatever valuables he could find.  He collected over two hundred coins.  It was mostly copper and some silver, but five gold pieces were in the barkeep’s till.  The Bard moved close to one of the young women and pulled out a pair of pliers.  He plucked out several gold teeth from her mouth.  “Why didn’t I think of that?” pondered Dram.  When he was finished the Bard fixed his gaze on Dram again.  “I will head back to my room now.  You stay here and when I return we will leave.”  It sounded like a poor idea to Dram.  The Bard went up some back stairs.  Dram moved over to wake up Dalin and Grog so they could get ready to go with the Bard too.  “Damn fine ale here,” said Dalin groggily.  
“What a great time, just like always,” agreed Grog  
They went out the door weaving as they walked.  Grog dragged a struggling Dram after him out into the dark night.  “That one good inn,” said Grog.


----------



## howandwhy99

Once they were outside again Dram shook off the enchantment.  He realized none of the team had come back for them.  He helped Grog and Dalin walk back up to the main road.  Both sobered as they moved along.  Plenty of people still coursed through the streets with lanterns and torches in the night.  It was almost as busy as during the day.  The three found the row of inns relatively easily, but were not sure which to choose.  Dalin spotted the large stable down the road and they turned to go ask about their friends.  “There you are!” shouted Darius as he ran across the street to them.  Dram told everyone the story of what had happened back at the tavern leaving out the coin he had collected.  “Dram,” said Darius patting him on the back.  “No more drinking for you.”  The others laughed.

Darius showed them back to The Wyvern and up the stairs.  Grog barely fit in the door and collapsed on one of the couches in the common room.  Pax was alone and awake in their room. He was first on watch duty for the men’s side.  The other three went straight to bed.  All through the night footsteps could be heard coming and going past the bedrooms’ doors.  Plenty of activity went on in the common room too, but Grog snored so loud he never noticed.  In the other bedroom Rose was tossing and turning.  Finally, she got up and checked under the mattress.  Metal held the wooden slates together.  She sighed and told Diedre who was on watch that she was going to join Ormand in the stables.  Diedre informed Pax and the two of them escorted her to the stables just three blocks down.  They were taking no chances.

Ormand was having a rather dull night.  He had helped the stableboys brush down and feed their horses.  He had also found a truly noble steed, an exquisite white horse stabled on the other side near the doors.  It was strong, lean, and was obviously bred for speed.  It had a Margrave branding on its flank too.  When Rose came in during the middle of the night and lay down next to him his heart pounded in his chest.  He furtively looked at her flaming red hair.  “I-I found a beautiful horse below,” he stuttered.  Rose asked to see it.  He led her to its stall and she went and walked right in.  

Rose put her hand lightly on the horse’s neck. It neighed as it awoke.  Slowly she started neighing back.  “My aren’t you a beautiful horse.  You must be very special.” The horse agreed.  Rose complimented the mare gaining its trust before beginning her questions.  “Who rides you?” she asked.
“Lady rides me.”
“She must use a special harness or saddle.”
The horse sniffed. “No metal rides on me.”
“Are you alone here?” asked Rose.
“No… with other horses here.”
”But you must receive special treatment.”
The horse shook its head up and down.  “I carry lady, treated better.”
“What does the lady look like?”
”She has short hair.” It thought for a second, “like straw.  Pale skin like the sky.  She puts things on me.”
“Interesting,” said Rose.  “How long have been with the lady?”
“Two moons”
”All here?” 
The horse neighed.  “This similar to nine sleeps ago.  Traveled with sun, over mountains.  And before that plains.  Before that fields.  Then home.”
“What is home like?”
”Home has fighting going on, blood smells.”
Rose thought perhaps the horse had come over the mountains from the Front Lines.  “You said the lady’s skin was the color of the sky.  Like my skin?”
“Lighter.”
Rose pointed her over to Ormand who stood outside the stall.  “Like his skin?”
“Darker.”
Rose had a feeling Lavinia might be closer than they expected.  She hazarded a guess.  Pointing to the grey stone floor outside the stall she asked again.
“Yes” nodded the horse.
“At last some success,” she thought.  Dram had said Lavinia had gray skin.  “What about the other horses?  Who rides on them?” she asked the horse.
“Little one who can talk to horses.  Gives gifts.”
Alarm bells went off in Rose’s head.  “Do not tell the little one of this talk alright?  In the morning I will bring you some fresh fruit to eat.  Would you like that?”
“Sugar”, said the horse.
Rose smiled.  “Of course.  And what should I call you?  What’s your name?” 
“Lady calls me Sprite.”
Rose cooed and complimented the horse again.  She promised to bring it fruit and sugar in the morning.  And reminded the horse to not tell the little one of their talk.


----------



## howandwhy99

“Stay here”, Rose told Ormand.  “I must go back and tell the others what I’ve found out.  Make sure you hide and tell me if anything happens.  Okay?”  Ormond nodded dumbly.  Rose flitted out the stable door and out into the street.  As she skipped along a sharp point poked into her back.  “Your money or your life!” growled a voice behind her.  She could feel the metal of the blade irritating her skin already.  As she stood there the voice behind her started snigering as if it was some kind of joke.  Feeling desperate Rose bolted forward hoping to catch the man off guard.  It did not work.  The blade slid under her jerkin and into her back.  Purple blood spurted out of the wound and the horses inside the stable whinnied.  Rose ran as fast as she could.  Heavy footsteps followed her, but she quickly outpaced them.  She had learned to outrun many an animal in the woods with the Elves.  She did not dare turn back until she reached The Wyvern’s entrance.  

It was unlocked.  Inside the common room Grog was snoring.  Several people were milling about as Rose swooned in place.  Purple blood had fully drenched the backside of her clothes.  She could feel the metal poisoning burn as it ran through her veins.  “Help!” she gasped feebly.  No one even gave her a second glance.  Blindly she stumbled to the stairs and crawled upwards.  “Help!”  Darius came out from his room seconds later.  

Back in the stables Ormond listened to the horses kicking and neighing.  From his hiding spot up above he saw a short, enshrouded figure enter through the main door.  It moved slowly over to the stall of the horse Rose had called ‘Pixie’.  By its size and shape he guessed it was one of Grog’s blue friends.  The figure bent over and examined the footprints inside the stall.  Then it began neighing to the horse like Rose had.  Ormand suddenly felt emboldened to help her.  Staying as silent as possible he let the horse noises cover his movement.  Carefully he stepped off the loft built above the rear half of the stables and inched his way atop the front stall walls using the rafters for support.  When he made it to Pixie’s stall Ormand could see the small figure inside at least ten feet below.  

Darius lifted Rose up like a leaf and brought her into his room.  He kicked the three sleepers inside awake and deposited Rose in a bed.  She protested.  “The floor,” she said faintly.  He decided to do as she asked.  He picked her up again and called upon the power of Thor to heal her weakened body.  As Rose’s wounds healed, a torrent of words gushed forth.  She rapidly explained what she had learned from the horse in the stable.  “I believed it is Livinia’s.  She is with several others.  We must buy fruit and sugar tomorrow.  Ormand the Redd watches the white horse.  The blue man group is here.  Svarf Svarf!”  Rose passed out.  Darius started barking commands.  “Wake the others!  Get your weapons, then follow me!”  He set Rose down on the floor.

Ormond watched patiently.  While perched above, the little cloaked man continued to neigh at the horse.  Several minutes went by and he could feel his legs cramping.  The figure looked angry.  It gesticulated with its arms and grunted loudly.  The horse barely answered.  When the man started to leave Ormand put his plan into action.  In his mind he had already determined out how to stop him.  He would bend down, grab the bar above the stall door, and swing down on top of the little man.  Only it when he tried it Ormond’s fingers slipped.  FLOP!  He landed face first on the stone floor.  The blue man darted forward and stabbed him with its dagger.  Ormand groaned in pain.  Shaking himself he got up and swung wildly with his sword.  The man stabbed again and tried to slip past, but Ormond kicked him back in into the horse’s stall.  Pixie began to rear.  The other horses started neighing again.  Feinting to one side the blue man rolled forward between Ormand’s legs.  Ormand tried to grab him but missed.  The blue man ran out the door and Ormand took off after him.

Darius and Pax ran down to the street as the others were putting on their armor.  They hurried towards the stables and Darius saw a small figure run out into the darkness.  A few seconds later, Ormand ran out after it.  “Follow me,” he told Pax.  The chase progressed into an alley.  Ormond ran for all he was worth, but the little blue man was faster than he appeared.  They turned left and right zigzagging through small, darkened alleyways.  The passersby paid them little attention.  As Ormond turned another corner, he saw the Xvart duck under a cloak and slip into a hole in the street.  The cloak dropped back covering the hole.  It was hard to tell, but it was almost as if it was torn from the creature’s back.  Ormand ran forward and pulled back the cloak.  Pax and Darius caught up and saw him crouched over the hole.  It was barely a foot across.

“What is a hole doing in the middle of the street?” howled Darius angrily.  Pax observed that he had seen several of them since entering the city.  Only this one had no grating like the others.  Darius tried to enter, but he was far too thick.  The Xvarts had ridiculously thin bodies with large, bulbous heads planted atop.  The creature had simply dropped inside.  They dropped a lit torch down the hole, but it went out after a few feet.  “I’m sorry Darius,” said Ormond.  “I’m always in the right place at the right time, but I can never seem to help out.”  Darius remembered the thin man back in Custler and reassured him.  “You’re a good man, Ormand the Redd.”  Pax pointed out that Urkwin might somehow be related to the Xvarts.  The four tall blue men who were dead in Orlaine had bluish-grey skin too.  “Perhaps he was a half-breed like so many are around here?” said Pax.  Darius nodded.  Kayla had been calling Urkwin a skulk in private with him.  

Darius picked up the cloak and examined it.  It felt strange in his hands and was hard to look at.  He had always seen through shadows, but this cloak’s blackness had a depth he could not focus on.  They made their way back to the Wyvern.  Everyone was gathered in one room.  Kayla was given the cloak to inspect, while Darius, Rose, and Ormand told everyone what transpired.  Afterwards, Kayla told the team the cloak was a fine, oiled, animal’s fur and very well made.  She had tested it for magic.  And while it was not magical in itself, it could be used for magics.  However the only person it fit was little Rose, so it was given into her care..  

It was very late, so the whole team went to the stable to inspect it.  All the horses were still there, even Pixie.  Rose spoke with the horse and confirmed it said nothing to the little blue man.  Pax was left with Ormond and Rose to keep watch.  His sheer size would likely scare away any other attackers.  As he nursed his bruised and battered body, Ormond lamented the fact that all his heroic actions had done were to bring a massive he-man between he and Rose.  “Perhaps it’s not meant to be?” he thought before drifting to sleep.


----------



## howandwhy99

*[DAY 100 – Weddingday, Sceptre 4th, CY 81]*

Rose was the first to awake.  Outside the stable she saw a beautiful sunrise come up over the eastern mountains.  When she entered The Wyvern she found a large, gourmet breakfast set up on the tables in the common room.  Grog was already eating everything in sight.  Rose took a few nice, red apples and walked upstairs to wake the others.  They were all still asleep, exhausted from the struggles of the night before.  Their feather beds looked exceedingly comfortable and she wished she was able to enjoy one too.  Back downstairs she asked the innkeeper for a block of sugar.  He handed her a small cup of white cubes.  Rose tested one just to be sure.  When she arrived at the stables again a number of stablehands were already busy with customers.  Surreptitiously, she walked over to Pixie’s stall and dropped the apples and sugar cubes inside.

Later, the rest of the team upstairs slowly woke up and dressed.  Father Ben hid under the covers until Kayla and Diedre left.  Then he untied his ropes and began his morning prayers.  “Ooohh, my head,” moaned Dalin as he walked downstairs with the others.  Surprisingly, Dram had no ill effects from the ale at all.  Everyone partook of the wonderful breakfast laid out.  There were many juices, fruits, roast pheasant, (nearly) poached eggs, and a number of dishes Grog had already finished.  The innkeeper pulled Darius aside when he saw the paladin speaking to Grog.  Another five gold was needed to keep the half ogre inside.  

Without much of a plan, the team split up to explore different parts of the city.  Darius and Pax walked down the thoroughfare towards a small castle in the center.  “Do you think Lavinia was sent by your enemies in Harling to kill you?” asked Pax.  He was worried about his mentor.
“Doubtful,” replied Darius.  “Unless she somehow knew we were turning east to Kera and moved to cut us off.  But that wasn’t decided until we reached Kustler.  In truth, I don’t think she knows who we are.”  The pair stopped at a local store and Darius chatted up the owner to learn more about the city.  Many guilds operated throughout: the lost key guild, the wheat and flour guild, the guild of the locked box.  The storeowner listed quite a few, but there were more than he could remember.  “Ahhh,” nodded Darius.  “But what I really need is some help around the home.”  He paused.  “If you know what I mean?”  The storeowner held his hands behind his back.  Pax saw his palm was open.  He fed it.  “I will give you some directions to a small building.  When you reach it, knock on the window and ask for Bob.  Tell him, ‘Zonter sent you’”.  

Dram walked off alone.  He was looking for local smiths and metalworkers.  The side streets were confusing, but he eventually found his way to a district in the city where many craftsmen plied their trade.  Dram walked around looking at the shops and inspected their conditions.  As he explored he scanned faces looking for his brother Tankurd.  The journeymen smiths only complained about long hours and being overworked.  Dram asked the headsmith about smiths passing through the city or possibly looking for work.  “None,” the headsmith snapped back brushing him off.  Dram looked through the swords checking their quality when the headsmith walked up to him again.  “Where did you get that sword, might I ask?”  He was pointing at the blade he found in Quesquaton.  The dwarven mark was showing on its pommel.  “Family heirloom,” lied Dram as he pulled his cloak tighter to cover the Elven chain beneath.  

Kayla and Diedre found Rose outside studying the street around the stables.  She had left Ormand inside to keep watch.  “Do you want to come shopping with us?” they asked.  Rose was delighted to go.  Kayla headed back down towards the citygate where she had seen the store with the boiling cauldron sign.  Through a large display window to the street, they saw a perfect crystal ball.  A clawed hand grasped the ball holding it up like a stand.  The dried up, thin hand was severed at its wrist.  They asked about it inside.  “Yes.  I have received many inquiries about that piece,” said the owner.  She was finely dressed and had a unique aura of intelligence about her. “It is one of my favorites.”   
“Diedre can tell fortunes,” blurted out Rose.  “Maybe she can look at it and tell you about where it’s from?”  The owner smiled politely.  
”How much?” asked Diedre.  
“The crystal ball is six hundred gold.”  She said nothing about the hand.  Diedre stayed calm and said she would keep it in mind.  The rest of the shop held an assortment of goods, exotic powders, bizarre liquids, paper, parchment, ink, glassware, cauldrons, mortar and pestles, and more.  Most of the items appeared to have little purpose whatsoever, but Kayla cleaned up on components for her spells.


----------



## howandwhy99

Upstairs in The Wyvern, Ben prayed.  It had been some time since he had the chance to kneel in private for several hours.  He prayed for the village of Orlaine.  And the city of Kera.  And all the slaves he saw in the streets, though no one called them that.  Ben prayed for the capture of Lavinia.  For the safety of his teammates and their followers.  He prayed for the souls of all the people in Kera who had no temple.  And he prayed that somehow a temple might be built within.  Afterwards he began to meditate on the abbey he had left only a few short months ago.  He thought about his family back home as well.  This reminded him of the family his parents had run from so long ago.  The ones he was not allowed to talk about.  He reflected on what he knew of them.



> _Benedict’s family in Kera consisted of his father's much older sister... Celestia Wainwright (formerly Szelskin) and her husband Sebastian Wainwright.  And their 14 children.
> 
> The horsetraining part of the Szelskin family in Margrave had dealings with the Wainwrights of Kera. And the union was a good match.
> 
> Kera was the fiefdom of the 5th Earl Barthol Kera. He owed allegiance to Count Margrave.  Kera's main resources included wood obtained from the Greenwillow. Which was in turn manufactured into lumber and wagons. This accounted for 40% of the Gross National Product. Another 40% came from mining and smelting. However, the ore from Kera was very poor. And as such was usually made into cookware or flatware or as decoration. The remaining 20% came from various ‘other’ services and/or natural resources. The land there was less fertile than in Margrave.
> 
> There is a reason Kera was away from County Margrave and not right next to it.  The land was poor. The resources were poor. And yet Kera still seemed to keep up its regular taxes..._



After a few hours it occurred to Ben that no one had stopped him to let him know what was going on for the day.  Stretching his cramped legs he got dressed to go find out.  

Darius and Pax arrived back at the inn.  Inside the common room Grog was napping and Dalin sat well fed, but bored.  “Pax, you’re on guard duty.  Make sure the rooms upstairs are safe,” ordered Darius.  Then he woke Grog.  “The three of us are going on a special mission,” he whispered.  As he, Dalin, and Grog were about to leave Father Ben came down the stairs.  
“Where’s all the food?” he asked.  The waitstaff was busy clearing dishes.  Darius told him to stay inside and help Pax.  Ben agreed and they left.  He picked up some spare food off a platter and called the innkeeper over.  “Are you the concierge?  I seemed to have missed breakfast.  Perhaps you have something in the kitchen?”  The innkeeper grimaced and held out his hand.  Ben handed over a gold.  Then another.  And another.  Eventually he paid to lodge the team and Grog for a second night.  Before the innkeeper could get away Ben asked another question.  “Are there any shrines in town?”
”Yeah, the jakes around back.”
”No, no,” laughed Ben.  “Places of worship?”
”Yeah.  That’d be the plopboxes round back!”
Ben considered.  “But where do people go to pray in this city?”  Sadly, this exchange went on for several more minutes.

Darius, Dalin, and Grog went down an alleyway near the inn.  After a short walk Darius stopped, knocked on a window, and asked for Bobb.  “Zontor sent me.”  Further down the alley a nondescript doorway opened.  Inside they found a small room with stairs descending off to one side.  A strong, surly man sat behind a desk in the center.  “Hand over yer weapons,” he said.  Many were already in weapons racks alongside the walls of the room.  Dalin offered to stay behind and keep watch.  Darius agreed.  He and Grog placed their weapons in the racks, then handed their sheathed swords over to Dalin.  With Grog bent over, the two descended down the long stairway.

Kayla, Diedra, and Rose left the alchemist's shop.  Rose suggested they go looking for her husband’s contact the wainwright.  “That is the smart way of doing things,” said Kayla.  After asking for directions they found the local wagon maker close to the entrance of the city.  A salesman came right up to them and started his spiel.  The three women listened graciously as he tried to impress them with all the newest deals on wagons.  It was obvious he was very eager for a sale on what he called “your standard, four wheeled, covered wagon”.  

“What about places to hide things?” asked Kayla.
“Coin? Oh sure, under a panel in this model.”  The salesman opened a secret compartment.
“What if we wanted to hide larger fair, like people?” asked Diedre giving the man a stare.
“Okay. Okay.  Over here this larger model’s seat opens up.  See?  Whaddya think? I can sell it to ya today!”  The compartment could hold one full sized person.  
“Hmm…What if we wanted to hide LOTS of people?” asked Kayla.  The salesman squinted at her for a second and asked to see some gold.  Kayla obliged pulling out a large pouch and removing a few coins.  The salesman led them around to the back of the lot to a very large wagon.  A full team of horses would be needed to pull it anywhere.  Removing a detachable lever he inserted it into a secret hole and began to winch.  The entire covered bed tilted backwards revealing a compartment in the chassis underneath.  Two people could fit comfortably lying down inside.  

“Okay…”said Kayla.  She decided to be direct.  “We were told to come to Kera seeking the wainwright and to ask about sneaking people out.  But this is obviously wrong.”  The salesman went stark white.  Rose giggled.  “He’s at a loss for words!”  
“Oh,” said the salesman.  “You want the OTHER wainwrights in town.  They are close to the center of the city.”  He was slowly backing away from them.  Kayla pulled out a gold piece.  
“You never saw us.  Understand?”  
The sales man nodded. “Perhaps another gold for my time?”  
Kayla handed over another. 
“Perhaps one for my silence?” pressed the salesman.  
Rose howled like a wolf and barked at the man.  He took off running from his own lot.  The three ladies left.  They decided to find out where the other wainwrights lived.  

The stairs were dark, but Darius could see them descend deeper and deeper under the city.  When he and Grog reached the bottom a narrow passage continued forward for a distance.  Then space opened up to either side.  A massive room held dozens of living men stacked and stored like cordwood waiting for the forges.  Other men with whips and torches moved amongst the chained bodies.  A clear path led forward from the passageway across the space and into another room.  It’s interior was lit by flame and a crowd of figures huddled around a man shouting numbers like an auctioneer.  “We need to get Dram down here”, growled Darius.


----------



## howandwhy99

_From the Referee:_



> *Races:*
> 
> Goblins come in many different sizes. They are typically yellow, dull orange, to brick red in skin color. with red to yellow eyes. and hair typically a darker shade of their skin tone, thin and wispy. They stand 4' tall. roughly 50-60lbs. they prefer dark color armor.
> 
> Larger goblins come in a red-orange to deep red skin color. with blue noses. yellow to dark brown eyes. and red-brown to gray-black hair, long and straight. They stand 6-6.5' tall. roughly 150-200lbs. They prefer browns or reds for their armor.
> 
> Even larger, hairier goblins have yellow to yellow-brown skin color. gray-black eyes. and tan to brick red hair, full coat/ all over. They stand 7' tall. roughly 200-250lbs. they prefer orange to red color armor. or so you have been told.
> 
> Orcs are brown to green in skin color. with a bluish sheen. Pink snouts and ears. dark brown to black, bristly hair. and black eyes. 6'tall. 180-300lbs. they prefer black and red for armor.
> 
> Kobolds are small dog faced scaly creatures. they have rusty brown to black scales. or if in the sunlight tan to green scales. no hair. small ivory to tan horns on their foreheads. 3' tall. about 25-30lbs.
> 
> Gnolls are greenish-gray skin color. with darker shades near face folds and mouth. black eyes and nails. coarse dark hair. 7-7.5'tall. 250-350lbs. they were bred from gnomes and trolls.
> 
> Trolls or so you have been told have moss green to mottled green and gray skin. the skin hangs on them and looks thin and rubbery. Black to iron gray hair, thick. dull black eyes. 7 to 10 ft tall. 500 to 1500lbs. fierce carnivores.
> 
> Humans range in skin tone, hair color and type, and eye color. typically 5-6' tall. 120 to 250lbs.
> 
> Ogres are similar to Grog. 7 to 10 ft tall. 600 to 1800lbs. dull dark green to blue black hair. heavy furrowed brow. coarse hair all over. purple eyes. very clumsy but strong.
> 
> Giants are even bigger. 15+ ft tall. 3000lbs+
> 
> Hobbits/Halflings look at Farned. 3-4' tall fair to ruddy skin. stocky. curly hair. 60-120lbs.
> 
> Dwarves/Gnomes. look at Darius. 3.5-4.5' tall 100-300lbs. ruddy, tan, brown, or gray skin. beards. brown, black, gray, red, white hair. brown, red, blue, gray eyes.
> 
> Elves look at Elian. 4.5-5' tall. 70-100lbs. tan to fair skin. Light colored hair.. gold, silver, green, white, blue. same with eyes.
> 
> Faeries look at Rose. vary wildly. 6" to 10' 1 lb to 2000lbs. shape, size, color, number of limbs, number of eyes, etc... all vary. another example Greenwillow the Dryad. dark, brown hard skin. 5' tall. 120 lbs. green hair. green eyes.



[sblock]_From a couple of the players:_

*Race: Father Ben*
Brown hair turning lighter from the summer sun. It's kept cut short and his face is always shaved. Pale yellowish/white skin has become tan over the past months. Brown eyes and ruddy complexion. He stands around 6' tall. About 180-190 lbs.

*Race: Dalin Hoyle*
Dark hair which used to be neatly cropped but has grown a little long of late. Wears a goatee or neatly trimmed beard, as it is easier to care for than a clean-shaved face. Dark green eyes, a little over 6' tall but only about 175 pounds, he is a little on the lanky side.

The part of Dalin Hoyle will be played by  Dave Navarro[/sblock]


----------



## howandwhy99

*[Session 14]*

“We’ll be back,” Darius said to the large man at the desk as his friends retrieved their weapons.  When he, Dalin, and Grog arrived at The Wyvern only Pax was upstairs.  “Where is everybody?” asked Dalin.  
“They all went off on their own shortly after you left,” reported Pax. “No one told me where they were going.  I’ve only seen Father Benedict standing out by the privies through the window.”
“We need to find them.  We might have found Tankurd,” said Dalin.
Dalin went on to explain to Pax about the slavepits under the city.  Darius paced around the room silently.  Pax was to inform anyone who came back how to enter the pits and to meet them there.  
“Damn it all!” cursed Darius.  “It doesn’t matter, if Dram isn’t with us.”
“What doesn’t matter?” asked Dram as he strolled into the bedroom.

Grog was left in the common room as he had already started on the complimentary lunch.  Before going back to the secret entrance, Dalin asked to stop in and check on Ormand the Redd and the horses.  Strangely the hireling was not in the stables, but they soon found him circling around the street outside.  “They’re everywhere!” he exclaimed.  Ormond had found sewer openings every one hundred feet down all the roads and alleyways surrounding the stables.  Not a one had a cover or a grate.
“They probably go all over the city,” said Dram.  “That Xvart fart could be anywhere by now.”
Darius ordered Ormond back into the stables and to be ready in case of another attack.  Ormond shrugged bored and went inside.   

The password worked again.  Dalin stayed behind as before.  And Darius and Dram went down the steps to the slavepits below.  The smell was overpowering.  Once they reached the large room of slaves Darius could see Dram losing his temper.  The scene was one of nightmarish horror.  Feces and urine caked bodies were stacked in long rows.  There were over one hundred on each side of the room.  Long iron chains threaded through wrist and ankle manacles forcing the prisoners into a prostrate position on top of one another.   “Not now,” Darius whispered to Dram.  “Let us see if we can find your brother Tankurd first.”  When they stepped from the cleared walkway to search through the slaves one of the whip-holding, leather-masked slavers approached, but did he not move to intervene.  

The search took a great deal of time.  Some of the slaves had the same build and features as the friends in Hamfast Dram and grown up with.  A few even held a distinct resemblance to him and his brother, but Tankurd was not among them.  Once Dram was certain Darius took him into the auction room on the far side.  The crowd of buyers was still gathered in a circle around a podium where a barker stood.  “SOLD!” the man shouted.  “For three silver!”  A young adolescent boy was unshackled by guards from a large board against a wall.  Then he was dragged off to one side by his new owner.  Dram and Darius watched as an old woman was brought out and secured to the board.  The guards were bringing new slaves from a cordoned off exit behind the podium.  Darius studied the audience of buyers.  It was made up of mostly humans and from every walk of life.  

Dram watched in disgust as the woman was sold for a mere copper.   He did not want to think about what happened to the slaves that did not sell.  Darius strolled over to the guards, so he followed.  “I’m only here to buy a smith.  Do you have any?” asked Darius.  One of the guards shook his head.  
“A group came through here not long ago.  They wanted to much for it.”
“Really?  What did they look like?  The owners,” said Dram.  “We might be interested.”
The guard stuck out his hand.  Six silver described Lavinia and four men.  Dram and Darius presumed they were her sons.  Four silver more and they learned she had brought twenty slaves with her.  Dram continued with the silver one by one until he learned all he could.  Lavinia was heading to Aldeweeg.  She had sold the rest of the slaves, but had kept the smith.  Dram gave the man a goldpiece and told him to say nothing of their conversation.  “His word is worthless,” whispered Darius as they exited the auction room.  Dram spit in response. 

Upstairs Dalin was happily collecting Kayla, Rose, Diedre’s weapons.  They had just arrived.  “Pax told you the message then?” asked Darius. 
“No,” replied Kayla.  “We found it on our own.  It was not that difficult.”  Over in the corner Rose shivered from being so close to so much metal.  Darius walked over and helped her to the exit.  
“Let’s talk in private.  They do not have what we are looking for below,” he said.  Dram had already brushed by Kayla and Diedre and was out the door.  The group walked back to The Wyvern.  Once upstairs, Dram insisted on washing before anything further was discussed.  Darius followed suit.


----------



## howandwhy99

“Are you a believer, fine sir?  No?  Are you interested in becoming one?  Stop!  Wait!  You young man.  Do you know of the heavens above?  What of the world that comes after this one?  Madam, madam, please stop.  Listen to what I have to say.  You too can be a believer in the Goodly Gods above.  This world is not long for us all.  We need something greater than ourselves!  I am here to proclaim it!”  

Father Benedict stood on a crate behind The Wyvern near a row of outhouses.  He desperately hoped someone among the crowd of passersby knew of the Gods.  Unfortunately, though the crowd was large, not a single person stopped to listen.  He did not give up, however.  Every town and village he had passed through on the trip south was yet another sign of the dire need for the Gods.  The number of poor and oppressed even in Kera City was unlike anything the priest had ever seen.  Coupled with the ever-growing temptation of his curse and the continuing nightmares, Ben was as fervent as ever to spread the tenants of his Faith.  He stepped off his crate and circled around to the front of The Wyvern.  With any luck he would bump into a friend, like Darius, who might help him.

“Are you a believer?  Have you seen the glory of the Gods above?  Have you felt the power divine Faith can bring to your own lives?”  Ben saw a beggarman standing in a sewer trench along one side of the main thoroughfare.  He was dirty, bald, and babbling to himself in a tongue Ben did not understand.  Confident, Ben maneuvered across the heavy traffic over to him.  “Are you a believer, fine sir?  My priesthood heals and cares for those who are in need.”  The beggar looked up at him with wild and crazy eyes.  Ben was reminded of Igor.  The old man paused and his voice dropped low and ominous.  



> _"Though swords reap on the barren heath,
> And scythes upon the fruitful field.
> Though fire may bloom a funeral wreath,
> The quill alone may make me yield."_



“That’s interesting,” said Ben.  “So, you are a believer then?”  The beggarman began babbling to himself once more.  

“All I am saying is,” said Darius, “if we purchase slaves, I am going to free them.  They can go to the Front if they choose after that.”  The team was in the common room of The Wyvern.  Grog could not go upstairs and they wanted his input while they made strategy.  The meeting was not going as Darius had planned, however.  Kayla launched into her retort.
“The greatest threat to Margrave County lies at the Front.  We all agree on that.  Rose is here to find whatever aid possible and to return back to the Front with it.  Be that people, food, weapons, supplies, whatever.  If you say strong men and women are available for a mere pittance, I say we give them their freedom and let them help save the County.  That is all.”

“Most of the slaves we found below were sorted into lots,” said Darius.  “Dram and I asked.  If we were to purchase groups of slaves, we would have to do so in groups.  That means some men, some women, and even some children. That’s not a fighting force in my mind.”  He paused catching his breath.  “And not all of ‘em are human either. The humans had tickets on ‘em with a number and a letter.  All those of… mixed birth were set aside for some other method of sale.  Or hired to sell the others before ‘em.” 

“If you’re afraid of going to the Front, I understand,” said Rose who was sitting on a windowsill across the room.  “But I’m sure no one from Harling would be hunting for you there, if that’s what you’re worried about.”  Darius the paladin harrumphed loudly.
“I fear nothing!” he stated.  Rose did not bother to point out his purpose for traveling south.
“Well then, if they have lots of half-breeds like you say, maybe they’ll hire me to work there?  I don’t mind the beatings.”
Kayla arched an eyebrow at the fey.  “No Rose.  Lavinia saw all of us when we fought at the mushroom caves.  If she returned, your life would be in her hands.”  Rose tilted her head and pondered the thought.

Darius paced the room again.  “Lavinia is here,” he said.  “I know it.  Why would she leave her horse behind instead of taking it back to Alderweg?  I don’t think she would do that.”
“But after last night, she knows we are here too.  And that we are searching for her,” said Kayla.  Darius stopped and turned.  His face was red.  Slowly he began counting to himself.
“One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight….” He stopped.  “Where’s Father Ben?”
“Outside by the privies, I think,” said Pax.  He looked out the window. “Wait, no.  He is in front.”  Darius opened the door and ran out into the street.   
“Are you a believer, sir?!”  Father Ben was standing out in the middle of the road shouting at people as they walked by.
“Damn it Ben, will you get in here!”  Darius grabbed the priest by the wrist and nearly dragged him back into The Wyvern.


----------



## howandwhy99

“Wait!” pleaded Ben.  “I have not eaten all day.”  Darius was in no mood to listen, but another thing had caught his eye.  Four down on their luck mercenaries with weapons and armor sat on a couch in the back of the common room.  Grog was actually sleeping on the floor in front of them.  Darius let go and walked up to them.  Seizing the opportunity, Ben grabbed a plate and began piling it high with food.  He looked back at Darius and saw him staring suspiciously at three men and a woman.  The rest of the team was still deep in discussion in the front of the room.  “Greetings friends!” Ben called over while still grabbing food.  “What business brings you to Kera?  Why aren’t you at the Front fighting in the war?”

“We’re hired help,” said one man.  
“We just came in on a two-wagon merchant caravan we were guarding from Adlerweg,” said the woman.  Ben asked what was so valuable to guard.
“Merchant Urkwith…” the woman looked at her companions with a puzzled face.  “Erkwith.  He did not show or speak of his goods.”  
“Fine, fine, I don’t mean to pry.  I am Father Ben of the Goodly Gods.  Who might you be?”  He tried hard to ignore Darius who was staring at the four unabashedly.  Ben decided it was best to wait before asking if they were believers.
“My name is Gwenna,” said the woman.  “This is Hanz, Miklesh, and Ensler.”  She pointed to each of the men in turn.

Darius gazed brutally at the mercenary band.  They had overheard the conversation about Lavinia and the slavepits.  He knew it.  He sized up each one in turn.  All four were human and wore similar green cloaks.  Gwynna was a young female in chain.  She carried spear, sword, and dagger.  Miklesh was strong and tall, if a bit older.  He had dark skin, curly grey hair, and functional human platemail.  He carried sword, spear, and battered shield.  Hanz was slimmest and looked weak to Darius.  Barely out of his youth, he had studded leather, daggers, a shortsword, and shield as well.  Enser was pasty faced.  Average age, average human height, chainmail, and sword.  Darius noticed a bow by his side.  “The brains of the group,” he thought to himself.  “And all are warriors.  Hmmm…” He wondered what to do.  “They know their way to Adlerweg,” he thought.  “Maybe they’re just the help we need.”

The rest of the team walked across the room to find out what was going on.  Dalin and Dram came last.  They had each wrapped leather cord around the pommel and crosspieces of their swords to hide the dwarven mark thereon.  Dalin went over to ask for Darius’s and woke him from his trance.   “Are there any good places to ambush people along the road to Alderweg?” Darius asked the mercenaries.  Hanz flinched.  
“There may be,” said Gwenna noncommittally.  Darius shifted his gaze to her.
“Do you go to Adlerweg often?”
“We know the road as well as anyone,” she responded.
“Do you know who Lavinia is?”  The three men shifted in their seats.  Hanz stood up and moved around Grog to the food tables.  Gwenna did not break eye contact.
“We know of her,” she said.  “We have seen her.”
“You have had business with her?”
”Never,” spat Gwenna.
That satisfied Darius.  He offered the group a job, to take them to Keep Adlerweg.  Gwynna agreed and the bartering began.   

Dalin tapped Darius on the shoulder.  “Maybe we should move to our rooms?  For some privacy?”
“Maybe we should pay off the innkeeper so he doesn’t say anything?” said Dram sarcastically.
“GOLD!  I’ll take Gold!!” the innkeeper shouted jumping up from behind the counter.  Darius flipped him a goldpiece, which the man promptly bit into.  Ben graciously led the four mercenaries upstairs to the bedrooms.  Kayla stopped Darius before he could go up.  She had made plans for Rose, Diedre, and herself.
“Okay,” said Darius.  “Wherever you need to go, I trust you.  Just be back before nightfall.  It’s too dangerous in this city.”  The three women left.  Darius went to continue the bartering.


----------



## howandwhy99

The sun had reached its zenith and the heat of the day had thinned the crowds outside.  Diedre, Rose, and Kayla headed up the main road towards the heart of the city.  They were looking for the Earl’s palace, but lavish estates seemed to flourish around the center of town.  All had high stone walls and guards at their gates.  After a couple of hours of searching, and asking total strangers for directions, they finally found the estate of the Earl.  Two guards stood outside the entrance.  “We’ve come to speak with the Earl,” said Kayla.  The guards looked at each other.  Both held out their palms.  Kayla thought to herself, “if there ever was a common greeting in this city, this is it.”  She tossed a goldpiece to the ground between them.  Both dove forward for it doing no little injury to themselves.

Inside the palace a long hall stretched down to two large wooden doors.  They were open. Paintings and cloth drapery of great value decorated he hall.  Through the double doors was a much larger room with a raised throne and several pillars.  Every surface was richly adorned.  On the throne sat a small man with sharp features.  Several other men stood around him of varying size and dress.  The Earl was in conversation, but stopped when the three women entered.  “Ah ha! A Fey!  In the city no less!  And your friends?”  Kayla, Diedre, and Rose approached.  At the foot of the steps Rose bowed and kneeled.  
“I come from the Front.  There is great trouble and I have been sent back to appeal for aid from any who might give it.  The armies are in desperate need.  Our forces require soldiers, and weapons, and any supplies you can offer.  Whatever you can send will help greatly.  But soldiers and weapons are in direst need.  I beseech thee.  Please help however you can.”  She paused.  “I bring a letter from the elven forces.”

Taking a slim, folded parchment from inside her clothing Rose handed it to a servant who in turn gave it to the Earl.  He read the note slowly.  “It is as I feared.  You may take some from me.  Stand.”  Rose stood up and approached the Earl at his signal.  “Go to the armory and quartermaster,” he continued.  As Rose stared at the little man his face changed peculiarly.  It seemed to stretch towards her and then shrink back again.  “Ask the quartermaster for a fully stocked wagon of weapons.”  The Earl’s face elongated again.  His eyes turned red and then back to black.  His face returned to normal.  The change reminded Rose of a rat’s face.  “And ask him for a stone.  He will know what I mean.”

When he had finished, the Earl dismissed them.  Another servant led the three out a side door, down several hallways and into a large, high ceilinged, storage room.  Rose relayed the message to the man in charge there.  “Interesting,” said the quartermaster.  “Here.  Take this.”  He handed Rose a strange yellow stone with circle markings spiraling inside to its center.  As Rose held it the stone flashed with light.  Everyone averted their eyes except Rose who stared hypnotically into the stone.  She saw it spiral out elongating to a point a hair from her face.  Then the stone shifted back to its spherical shape and the light subsided.  Rose was still a little dazed.  
“It will tell those at Adlerweg you are in the Earl’s employ,” said the quartermaster.

Two large doors slid open on the other side of the room.  Sunshine streamed through the opening.  Then a very large wagon with circle slats around its bed – a wagon without a cover – was driven inside.  Four strong horses pulled it into the room.  Inside its bed were four long wooden crates.  The quartermaster brought Rose and her friends to the back and had the covers pulled off.  Rose backed away.  One crate held swords, another spears, the third axes, and the fourth bows.  “We will reseal them for your journey,” said the quartermaster.
“My journey?” exclaimed Rose.  Collecting herself she nodded.  “Thank you.”  The three women climbed aboard the front of the wagon and Diedre drove the team of horses out of the estate and back to The Wyvern.

“Okay.  23 silver per day for each of us,” said Gwenna.  Dram was enjoying the bartering process.  
“Are you really worth it?” he said.

Hanz looked over to Gwenna.  “We don’t have horses though…” Gwenna groaned.
“19 silver and horses.  That’s our offer,” said Darius.  Gwenna carefully controlled her face.  Four horses cost quite a bit.  She suspected the dwarf would not be willing to let her keep them, but she shouted, “DONE” before he could take back his offer.  The bartering had took its time and toll.  Darius stepped out of the room for a breather.  When Ben escorted their four new mercenaries to the common room to wait for further instructions, he noticed Darius standing down the hall.  Alone, he came back upstairs and went over to his side.

“Are you okay?” he asked.  Darius was in a state of deep concentration.  “You know they will want to keep those horses you offered?”  Darius looked up at Ben.  While bartering the mercenaries had told Darius they would go all the way to the Dwarven Kingdoms, but were wary of traveling to the Front.  The four had not even been over the mountains before.
“I can feel it, Ben.  It is close, very close…. Perhaps I should head out on my own.”
“I understand,” replied Ben.  “I’ve had those dreams too.  You should have told me before.”  Darius shook his head.  It was not what he meant.
“It’s not dreams.  I’m talking about my mount.  It is close.  Perhaps even as close as the mountains by Adlerweg.  Only… I feel it is constrained.  Something’s wrong.  I should leave.”  Understanding finally dawned on Ben’s face.  He changed his tone trying to sound wiser than he felt.
“All things are in the same direction.  Tankurd is in town.  Or possibly at Adlerweg.  The keep is in the mountain pass to the East as Gwenna has said.  Now your mount is too.  We will find it soon.  Lavinia cannot hide forever.”


----------



## howandwhy99

“Whoaha!” shouted Diedre.  The horse team came to a stop outside of The Wyvern.  The pedestrians who had been jumping out of the way grumbled loudly.  Rose was learning several new gestures.  Grog came outside and started hollering in amazement.  His whooping alerted the rest of the team who came outside as well.  
”Who’d you steal this from?” asked Dram.  Kayla pointed to Rose and proudly explained how the Earl of Kera had given her the wagon free and clear.  “Plus huge crates in back with weapons to go to the Front.”  
Dalin shook his head in amazement.“Unbelievable! He just gave it too you?  This is great!  Rose you have to come dicing with me tonight.  You’re the luckiest person I know!”  Rose had a big grin on her face displaying all her fangs.  Then she spotted Dram walking around the back of the wagon.
“Dram! Get away.  Shoo.  These aren’t for you.  The weapons are all for the war effort.”

Darius came outside after everyone else.  Kayla and Rose repeated the story at length to him.  Rose stepped forward and put the spiralstone in his hand, but it stuck to her palm as she drew it back.  “That’s strange,” said Darius.  He went over and gave it a tug.  It was stuck hard.  Rose set the stone down in the street.  Darius bent down to pick it up, but before he could Rose dove out over the stone preventing him.  “Pax. Come over here and hold Rose for a second.”  They tried again.  Pax picked up Rose and moved her a few feet away.  Darius bent down and picked up the spiralstone.  As he did so, Rose screamed out in pain.  Her little body rattled and convulsed until she passed out.  Ben ran over to her.  Even unconscious her body kept writhing in Pax’s Herculean arms.  
“She’s gravely injured,” said Ben.  Darius placed the stone back on her palm where it stuck.  Then he called upon Thor’s might.  Healing energy passed from his body into Rose’s.  She stopped convulsing, but the damage would need time to heal.  Ben and Pax brought her upstairs and put her on the floor in the bedroom.

“Well… that was a bad idea,” said Dalin.  Darius stood stoically looking over the wagon Rose had won them.  Kayla and Diedre climbed aboard again.
“We’ll store it in the stables until we leave” said Kayla.  “I think the crates are too large for anyone to steal without a lot of help, but we should assign Ormond some company on watch tonight regardless.”  Darius agreed.  The rest of the team clambered into the back and Diedre drove the massive wagon into the stables.  Ormond was napping up in the hayloft, but woke and ran down when he heard the massive wagon enter.  It had been slow all day.  Other than the stableboys, each of whom he knew by name now, no one had even come close to the team’s horses. 

Darius paid the stablehands to care and feed the four horses and to store the wagon.  Ben arrived a minute later.  “Rose will be okay.  Pax is staying with her as he watches the rooms.  Grog’s with the mercenaries.”
“What do we do now?” asked Dram.  Kayla and Diedre left saying they were going back to check on Rose and to study.  The other six moved over to an empty horse stall to discuss plans in private with Ormand.
“Well, the slavepits were a dead end,” Darius whispered.  No one laughed at the joke.  “Hold on!  I’ve got an idea.  Don’t go anywhere.”  The dwarf ran out of the stables and back to the inn.  He came back with Rose’s cloak in hand.  
“Ohhhh no!  I’m not going into any sewer,” said Dram.  

Darius told them his plan.  They would recreate the scene from last night.  With any luck, they might be able to learn what happened to the blue man.  Leaving Ormond in the stables again, the team retraced their steps from the chase the night before.  Eventually they found the sewer hole.  “When I looked in the hole last night all I could see was sewage,” explained Darius.  “But Kayla said the cloak was used for magic, even if it was not magic itself.  So let’s test it.”  Shaking the cloak out he placed it over the hole.  It promptly changed into a circular shape and disappeared.  The hole’s width had increased commensurably.  “What’ya see?” asked Dram.  Darius shook his head.
“It’s not normal.  I can’t see anything.”  To their surprise, Darius stood up and jumped in.


----------



## howandwhy99

Darius found himself floating in empty blackness.  He felt weightless and looked around for an exit.  He saw a small hole far above him.  Outside were his companions, but the daylight somehow did not enter.  “!!!” He tried to shout out, but he could not make a sound.  Closing his eyes he willed himself upward.  It only caused his body to start spinning around.  He tried to stabilize by moving his body around, but he was paralyzed.  

“Beware of the blue man group!” shouted Ben into the hole.  Dram noticed a wrinkle near the edge of the hole.  He reached down and tugged.  The cloak lifted into his hands.  He started shaking it.  
“Darius, get out of there!”  The shaking only caused the cloak to stretch into odd shapes.  It had an unusual elasticity.  Dram pushed and stretched it back into a circle and laid it back down.  It was a hole again.  With Dalin holding him Dram stuck his hand in the hole.  “Darius come out!”  He felt a hand grasp his.  Slowly he pulled the dwarf out.  It felt as he did so.  Darius’s body grew heavier and heavier as more of it emerged.  

“That was… not pleasant,” said Darius after he came out.  “Thank you Dram.”
“It’s some sort of cloakhole!” exclaimed Ben.
“Uh… Darius?” said Dalin.
“Hold on.”  Darius knelt down and stuck his hand inside.  “Get ready,” he warned the others.  They drew their weapons.   “Lavinia’s son”, Darius said.  He felt a hand touch his own.  It did not move.  Darius tugged on it.  Struggling, he pulled out a six-foot long body from the hole.  It had grey skin, was emaciated, and obviously dead.  
“Look!” pointed Dram.  The body had no left hand.  “It’s Urkwin.”
”Ugh!”  Revolted, Darius pushed the body back into the hole with his boot.
He knelt down again and stuck his hand back inside.  “Lavinia’s Other son…”
“Uh… Darius?” Dalin said louder.  Darius felt a hard corner touch his hand.  He felt along its edge.  The item was large and square shaped.  
“What is it Dalin?”  said Darius turning around.  A crowd of people had gathered watching them in the alleyway.   They decided to go back to the inn and test the cloakhole there.

Pax drew the curtains closed in the bedroom.  “Should I inform Kayla and Diedre next door?”  Darius shook his head.
“No.  Their okay.”  Forming the hole again he stuck his hand inside and called out for Lavinia’s other son.  He pulled on the hard shape and a large chest slowly slid from the hole.  Pax helped him and they set it in the center of the room.  The chest was two by four feet wide and two feet tall.  It had a rounded top and square bottom and was made completely of wood.  Darius examined it for traps.  There was an old keyhole in the front, but its lid was already slightly open.  Peering inside he saw a thin, green film covering the interior of the gap.  He informed the others.  They made preparations.  Pax lifted Rose’s sleeping body and moved her to a bed in the next room where Kayla and Diedre were reading.  Then the tables, chairs, and beds in the men’s room were moved towards the door.  The furniture was arranged so it could be used as cover.  Then the team stood behind and out into the hallway with bows and weapons ready.  

Carefully, Pax and Darius lifted the chest and turned it around so it would face the far window and the empty portion of the room when it opened.  It was heavy, easily two hundred pounds.  Darius and Pax stood on either side of the chest a good distance away and stuck two spears into the gap.  Darius counted aloud.  “Three…Two…One…Pull!”  They used the spear tips to flip open the lid.  A green, billowy sheet flopped out covering the front half of the chest and five feet of floor beyond.  To everyone’s horror it came to life.  Rising into the air it stretched out its sides like arms.  It looked like a transparent, green sheet ghost like children sometimes wore.  Then its center opened into a wide maw.  “WOOOoooOOOoo”


----------



## howandwhy99

As the green sheetghost rose into the air the team could see two more begin to unravel and stick out the sides of the chest.  Father Ben sensed a great evil.  He ran forward and slammed the lid back down.  The other two sheets were trapped inside, but the first was mostly out.  Only its tail was stuck under the lid.  Opening its maw wider it emitted a bloodcurdling scream.  The unholy sound could be heard resonating throughout the inn.  Behind the beds Dalin and Dram froze, paralyzed with fear.  In the bedroom next door Kayla and Diedre recoiled in terror.  They stuck their fingers in their ears and ran into the hall to find out what was happening, leaving Rose alone in the room.  The rest of the team hesitated unsure of what to do.  

Ben ran around the chest to the right.  He swung at the green sheetghost with his flail, but it dodged aside easily.  Darius dropped his spear and pulled out his sword.  Circling around Ben, he moved behind the chest.  Using it as cover he swung, but missed as well.  The sheet shrieked again and the noise reverberated.  Father Ben was now frozen in place.  Taking care to stay out of its reach Pax jabbed at the ghost with his spear from the other side of the room.  His blow landed dead center, but the sheet swirled like the wind around the spearhead.  The weapon found no purchase.  “Help us!” shouted Darius back towards the door.  The paralysis holding Ben and Dram slowly thawed.  

Bravely, Darius jumped up on top of the chest’s curved lid.  Toe to toe with the trapped creature he swung with all his might.  Pax moved around towards the window.  Using his spear’s reach he flanked the creature with his mentor.  Even with their superior position neither could land a hit.  Safe in the hall, Diedre looked to Kayla for what to do.  The sheetghost stretched its arms wide and swept over the chest engulfing Darius inside itself.  It wrapped around the dwarf’s small form as he pushed at it from the inside.  Ben could see him struggling to breathe.  “Get out of the way!” warned Kayla.  Pax and Ben ran to the front of the room.  The wizardess stepped to the forefront and performed an arcane ritual.  

Darius could feel the spell’s effects from within the sheet.  His eyes closed and he fell to the ground towards the window asleep.  The ghostsheet wound even more tightly around him cocooning the still form within.  The fear slowly released Dalin from its grasp.  Dram ran forward to Darius’s side.  Grabbing the edge of the ghost still trapped in the chest he pulled with all his might.  The sheet resisted.  Dram had actually pulled Darius’s body several inches off the floor.  Gwenna and Enser ran upstairs from the common room.  Seeing Diedre in the hall they both stuck their fingers in their ears.  Father Ben clutched at his torso.  Raising his other arm high he called out, “Release Darius you foul beast!”  The power of the divine filled his body and shone forth onto the creature, but had little effect.

Dalin ran forward to Dram’s side and tried to help him pull off the ghost, but his hands kept slipping off its slick form.  Pax dropped his spear and ran in as well.  The colossal man grabbed Dram’s fists within his own and tore at the ghost’s flap with all his might.  “Ahhhh!!” cried Dram in pain. The ghostsheet did not rip.  Dram tugged his hands away and moved back.  Dalin did likewise.  Pax saw his effort had only served to dislodge the sheet fully from the chest.  It now formed a near seamless cocoon around Darius’s sleeping body.  Only Dram’s crushed hand held a small flap.  The young warrior had fire in his eyes.  Even in pain Dram refused to let go.  

A crowd of patrons began to form in the hallway outside the room.  Miklesh and Hanz had arrived as well.  “What can I do?” said Dalin looking at Dram.  “I can’t stab him!”  Ben moved over to the chest and called upon the power of his Gods again.
“I said release my friend!”  He could feel the power penetrating the ghostsheet.  Something was happening, but it was not enough.  
“Aim for the armor!” shouted Kayla.  Pax moved first.  Grabbing Darius’s dropped sword he stuck the point into the dwarf’s chestplate.  It dug in deep.  As the sheet rippled in defiance, Pax tore a long slit down Darius’s front and leg.  
“Success!” shouted Dalin back to the others.  Unfortunately, he had spoken to soon.  The sheet stretched expanding over the slit and sealed Darius within again.  

Father Ben calmly collected himself.  He did not call out.  He did not gesture towards the creature.  Instead, he asked the Gods for all the strength he could contain.  It was only a small chance… but it succeeded.  Holy power poured forth and washed over Darius and the ghost.  Its pale green form quivered and released the dwarf.  Then it flew over to a far corner of the room and cowered trying to escape the Gods’ sight.  Quick to act again, Pax grabbed the cloakhole from behind the furniture pile and charged the ghost.  He swept the cloak high over his head and trapped the creature inside.  

Everyone stood silently for a second looking around in awe.  Then Ben and Pax ran forward to check on Darius.  He was breathing, but barely.  Ben could see his skin had turned blue, but his normal ruddy tan was slowly coming back.  “Why did the chest come out when he asked for Lavinia’s other son?” asked Dalin.  “That thing wasn’t alive, was it?”  Ben shook his head no.  
“Hold on!” said Kayla raising her voice.  “What happened here?  Where did you get this chest?”
“Yeah!” said Hanz from out in the hallway.  The rest of the team turned around and saw the crowd outside.  Taking control over the situation Kayla had the crowd dispersed and the door shut.  Gwenna and her men refused to leave.


----------



## howandwhy99

When Darius awoke he explained how the sheetghost had covered him head to toe.  It had slid under and around his armor and even penetrated every oriface.  He was still shaken from the experience.  “My lungs…my stomach…everything.”  Dram and Father Ben made sure the chest was fully closed and moved it under the window.  They checked the outside for secret doors or compartments, but could not find any.  

Then the team and mercenaries helped move the furniture back to their proper places within the room as Darius told Kayla what had happened in the alleyway.  He omitted the part where the crowd had gathered around.  “So it belonged to the Zvart,” said Kayla.  It was more of a statement than a question.  When the room was back in order she asked for a demonstration.  Darius laid the cloak in the center of the floor and it became a hole again.  The room was full with eleven members of the team now gathered around to watch.  As Darius kneeled down Pax picked up his spear in case the sheet attacked again.  The paladin put his hand slowly inside.  Nothing happened.

“Key” tried Darius.  He felt a smooth object come to his hand.  He pulled out a large golden key.  He tried it on the chest’s lock, but it was far too big.  It looked more like an honorary key to a city.  He dropped it back in the hole then asked for Pax’s help with the chest. The two put it in the hole for safekeeping before starting again.  “Gems” This time Darius pulled out a small, carved figurine.  It was made from green stone.  “This is jade.  Fairly valuable,” he told the others.  The figure was of a small, chubby man holding his hands out.  Diedre indicated the hands were formed as if to hold some ball or sphere.  Darius stuck it back in the hole.  






“Another key,” tried Darius.  He waited, but nothing came forward.  Dram leaned over to Dalin.
“Should we really be doing this in front of the mercenaries?” he whispered pointing to the four along one wall.  Dalin rolled his eyes and stood up.
“Don’t you think the innkeeper might show up?” Dalin asked aloud.  “Or maybe even the city guard?”  Ben told him no and Kayla agreed.  The priest explained how the law meant very little in Kera.  Dram walked over and locked the door just in case.  Darius had already started on the next item.
“Weapon” He pulled out a slim dagger of fine workmanship.  Attached to it was a colorful sash.  He handed it to Kayla to use in battle.  The rest of the team began shouting out different things for Darius to ask for.  Dram and Dalin shrugged to each other.  They gave up and joined in with everyone talking over each other.

“Hot apple pie,” said Darius.  No.  “Weapon” No.  “Severed hand” He pulled out a grey skinned left hand.  “Urkwin’s” he said looking over to Kayla.  He tossed it back inside.  “Glove” Darius waited for a few minutes to be certain.  He explained that sometimes it took awhile for the hole to deliver things, but no glove came forth.  “Tankurd” He pulled out a large metal stein and everyone laughed.  Except for Dram that is.  Darius held up the vessel.  It was silver and very well made.  Pax saw it bore the same insignia as the shield the gnoll warband had given them.  Darius handed it to his henchman to examine.  “Hammersmith” Dram watched hoping for a little luck, but nothing came.  “Blacksmith” No.  “Human” No.  “Slave” No.  Ben asked to check for paper or books inside.  “Paper” Darius drew a folded parchment out.  It was a map.  He handed it to Ben who examined it.  He told the others it was a detailed map of a temple.






Darius went back to the hole.  “Scroll” No.  “Book” No.  “Wand” No.  “Symbol” He pulled out a silver bracelet clasped around a paired silver necklace.  Each was inlaid with amber and looked very expensive.  He handed them to Kayla who saw the bracelet had a long flowing inscription.  She beckoned Diedre who could read Elven. “BEHOLD THE AIR IS OPEN” A whirlwind of air issued forth from the bracelet and quickly grew larger.  Everyone else in the room jumped to their feet and drew weapons.  The air coalesced in front of Diedre.  She could understand the wind as it blew. “What do you command?” it said very slowly in Elven.  
“Return home,” said Diedre.  The whirlwind spun back into the bracelet.  The rest of the team breathed a sigh of relief.  Kayla took the jewelry back telling Diedre they would talk of it later. 

Darius resumed again.  “Elion” No.  “Elf” After waiting he pulled out a glass vial full of oily dark liquid.  
“A potion?” asked Ben.  Darius handed it to him to inspect and began again.  “Potion” No.  “Dwarf” after another wait he pulled out a largish hand mirror with a handle.  It was ornately carved from silver, but the mirror itself was unpolished.  He put it back in the hole.  “Wood” He pushed the chest back in.  “Metal” Several pieces rushed forth.  He took one.  A silver piece.  Dram pulled out an empty sack from his pack.  
“Here, try this…” he said.  Darius held the sack open as he put it in the cloak.  
“Coins” Objects rushed inside filling it.  “Stop!” shouted Darius.  He pulled out the sack now filled with coins and looked inside.  There were over five hundred, mostly gold and silver, but some platinum.
“The Motherload!” Dalin shouted.  Darius dumped the coins back in.
“Platinum coins” This time the bag only partially filled.  He counted about sixty in all. 
“Aren’t you glad you joined?” said Dalin to the mercenaries.  Gwenna nodded without smiling.
“We like what we’ve seen…”


----------



## howandwhy99

Darius poured the platinum back in the hole and handed Dram his sack.  “Horse” No.  “Animal” He pulled out a pair of ivory dice.  Darius tossed them over to Dalin and they rolled up seven.  
“That’s a sign of good luck!” Dalin said.  He leaned over and gave them some test rolls.  Each time they came up seven.  
“Magic” said Darius.  He pushed the chest back.  “Food” He felt a bone…and pulled out a steaming hot drumstick.  The others laughed.  “It’s still hot!” he exclaimed.  He tossed it back in the hole.  “Zelligar” No.  “Rogahn” No.  “Certa” No.  “Pendra” Slowly a large pelt was pulled out.  Dram recognized it as an owlbear skin.  It was put back in. “Quasqueton” No.  Darius had an idea.  He pulled off his gauntlet and stuck his hand back in.  “Glove” He waited, but nothing came.  “Igor” No.  “Mirel” No.  “Contentsofthechestnotincludingthesheets”  He waited.  Gwenna lit a torch in case of another attack, so Darius pulled his hand out before trying again.  “Paper” No.  “Wood” The chest came again.  Book, paper, papyrus, and scroll all were No’s.  When Darius would wait only the chest came.  

A scream rang out from next door.  Ben jumped up, but he could already tell it was not the sheet.  In the women’s bedroom they found Rose struggling fitfully in a featherbed.  She was still asleep, but having a nightmare.  Ben had Pax place her on the floor.  Kayla told the others about the metal in the bed and its effect on Rose.  Pax stayed behind as everyone else went returned to test the hole some more.  “Armor” said Darius.  Nothing.  “Shield” No.  Clothi…” He quickly pulled out his hand.  “Gotta be more careful,” he said smiling.  “Gem” No.  “Rock” They waited expecting a stone like the Earl’s gift.  Darius pulled out a slingstone instead.  “Sling” He pulled out a pouch of stones and set them aside.  “Sling” Nope, so he tossed the bag back in. 

There was a knock at the door.  Darius hurriedly started to roll up the cloak, but Pax came through the door without waiting.  They had forgotten to relock it.  “Rose is over there mumbling in her sleep.  I thought you should know.  She said something like ‘A dragon is in the skies, but the nights are away’.  It sounded important.”  Darius dismissed him.  
“It’s the Sky Knights.  Just make sure she doesn’t hurt herself.”  Ben reflected Darius knew a bit more than he was telling.  Pax backed out of the door and Darius turned his focus back to the hole.  “Drink!”  He drew out his wet hand.  “Hand me the tankurd,” he told Dram. Pax had left it.  “Ale” No.  “Beer” The mug was an inch full.  He laughed in spite of himself and tossed tankurd and all back inside.  “Symbol” No.  “Barth” No.  “Pen” No. “Quill” No.  “Ink vial” No.

“Aren’t you getting tired yet?” asked Kayla.  “It’s getting very late.”  Ben looked over to the curtained window.  No light shone through.  He had not noticed, but his grumbling stomach said some time had passed.  Darius pulled the cloakhole back up and handed it over to Kayla.  He instructed her to have Rose wear it.  While he was small enough it looked less conspicuous on her.  The curtains were opened and Ben saw the sky was black with no moon.  Diedre and Kayla left to go study and a horrible noise drifted in the room when the door opened.  Grog was singing bawdy songs in the common room below.  
“He’s already drunk!” said Dalin.  Dram elbowed him in the side and winked.  Then he looked over to the mercenaries.  
“See what we have to offer?” he bragged.  
“Yes. We’ll take ten percent of everything found now and in the future,” said Gwenna.  Dram was stupefied.  

”Oh no!  No, no, no.  JUST the future,” said Dram.  Dalin began bartering with the woman.  
Dram interjected, “The whole lot should get ten percent and that’s it, not apiece like she says.” 
“Why?” asked Gwenna.  Dram and Dalin looked at each other.
Darius spoke up.  “Because we’re seasoned fighters!  That’s why.”  
“We’ve been back and forth to Adlerweg!” retorted Hanz.  Darius took Gwenna out into the hallway and began bartering in private.  Ben followed along just to observe.   The two finally agreed on terms.  Gwenna would pay the three men out of her portion, and in return would receive a full share of future spoils.  Both were satisfied with the agreement.  “At the moment anyway,” thought Ben.  They went back into the room.

“Seeing this was just a taste of our future together.”  Dram was trying to impress the other three mercenaries.  Darius stopped him and announced the agreement they had forged.  Then he walked up and handed each of the four a platinum coin.
“You get this to start and your pick of personal weapons from the Earl.”  
“Tomorrow we will all take a pledge in the morning after prayer,” said Ben.  Gwenna looked at him as if he were mad.  He led the four mercenaries to Rose’s side in the other bedroom.  Kayla and Diedra were already counting out the coins from the cloakhole.  “I will show you the power the Gods posses.”  Ben laid his hand on Rose’s brow.  Soft light poured into her body healing the remaining bruises and scrapes.  Gwenna was stunned.  Ben seized the opportunity to sermonize on what the Gods stood for, but Dram came in and cut in.  He kept saying how Thor demanded a different path from His followers.

Ben watched as Kayla leaned in close to Gwenna’s ear.  He heard her whisper, “Just nod and don’t speak and those two will leave you pretty much alone.”  Ben was astonished.  
"Does this mean we have to join the church now?” asked Gwenna.
“No. No, but…” Ben tried to say, but the mercenaries immediately left.


----------



## howandwhy99

Food was brought upstairs to the bedrooms from the dinner tables below.  The team discussed what to do about guarding the stables.  When they finished eating the majority of them went to check on Ormand the Redd.  They found him inside the stables trying to peek in some shuttered windows along the rear wall.  Apparently, one of the inns bordered the stables.  It was called called the ‘Foot and Tassel’.  Ormand reported that nothing had happened all day.  He looked extremely bored.  Darius made introductions and then had everyone help him put the weapon crates from the wagon inside the cloak.  They were just narrow enough to fit.  Kayla suggested they search the wagon for secret compartments.  She found a handle under the front seat.  BOING!  The rear tilted upward revealing a second flatbed beneath.  Several ropes were laced around inside.  Darius counted.  It would hold ten bound slaves, if crammed in tightly.  They lowered the bed again and decided to set watch.

”Ormond’s comin’ with us,” said Dram throwing his arm around him.  Dalin was already leading around a drunken Grog.  Ben was not pleased, but Darius agreed.  The dwarf asked for volunteers for the watch.  Hanz’s hand jumped up.  Enser was more reluctant.  Darius set them up in the loft to keep watch for the night.  Pax would hide in the rear of the wagon in case there was another attack.  When Ben turned around Dram and Dalin had already left with their new drinking recruit.  The rest of the team retired back to The Wyvern to sleep.

“Where are we going tonight?” asked Dalin.  Dram had no idea.  Ormand had not been able to leave the stables since he had arrived, so he knew nothing of the city either.
“The Sleepin’ Horsse” slurred Grog.  The half-ogre lurched along.  He had already drunk a gallon of the inn’s dinner wine.  
“Sounds good to me!” said Dalin.  Dram was not quite so sure.  He remembered what had happened last time.  It was why he had left so much of his coin with the priest.  It was becoming standard practice.  
“Maybe the bard’ss back” slurred Grog again.  He let out a thunderous belch.  Ormand nearly jumped out of his skin.  He needed the night off.
“Fine,” said Dram.  “The Dead Horse Inn it is…”

Around midnight Pax checked on his two fellow watchers in the hayloft above.  As he predicted both were asleep.  He lied down next to them and woke the bigger one to help him keep watch.  About an hour later he heard a noise.  The doors opened below and a small blue man entered. It shut the door behind itself.  Ensler saw it too.  The man looked slightly taller than a normal Zvart. “Probably a mixed race again,” thought Pax as he watched the figure move across the room to one of the stalls.  Ensler stood up and began slowly creeping along the tops of the horse stalls to look in from above.  The blue man had disappeared to where the white horse was sleeping, the horse they came to watch.  Pax quietly crawled over and climbed down the ladder to the hayloft.  He walked around the wagon and down the center of the stables towards the door.  Ensler was only a shadow in the rafters above.  

Pax unsheathed his long two-handed sword.  When he came abreast to the open stall he looked over.  Five people stood inside around the horse.  He wondered how he could have missed all of them entering.  One of the figures looked up.  Thinking fast he took a few steps further reaching the stable door and then looked back.  A woman with blonde hair scowled at him.  “That must Lavinia,” thought Pax.  The Zvart and three large men with grey skin were by her side.  The men were easily as big as himself.  “Careful,” he called over loudly.  Pax tried to hold a straightface.  “We are watching for thieves who tried to steal horses from the stables last night.  My men and I are waiting to catch them in the act.”

Enser stopped tiptoeing when he saw Pax.  He was not sure what to do.  “Get ‘im!” yelled Lavinia.  Pax turned and heaved open the door.  He stepped outside and started running along the wall to his right.  Ensler saw three men sprint after him.  He looked back down into the stall.  A woman and the blue man exited from it.  Then he felt a sword plunge into his back and out his chest.  Enser fell to the fell to the cobblestones below.  Outside Pax heard a body fall, but the footsteps behind him left him no time to think.  They were already catching up.  Then he felt a blade tear into his kidneys.  He collapsed onto the street spitting up blood.  Swords plunged again and again into his back.  The light was fading.  From somewhere behind the wall of the stables he heard a voice.  It was Hanz’s.  “Whew! You would not BELIEVE what I’ve seen today!”  And Pax’s world went black.






The four ‘nightprowlers’ as they had nicknamed themselves walked back from the Dead Horse tavern late in the night.  Ormand was disappointed the fabulous bard had never arrived, but Dram had other thoughts on the matter.  Grog had sobered up as the hours passed.  “Likely the beer bein’ more water than anything,” thought Dram to himself.  He looked over to his lucky friend.  Dalin had beaten the odds again and again that night.  He had won them all the cost of drinks and twenty coppers besides.  When the four passed by the stables nothing looked amiss.  They had already promised Ormand a soft bed for the night.  When they reached The Wyvern they found several dirty dinner plates piled up outside the bedroom doors and the watch awake inside.


----------



## howandwhy99

*[DAY 101 – Thunderday, Sceptre 5th, CY 81]*

The next morning was grey and overcast with clouds.  Ben prayed while Diedre and Kayla studied from their books.  Rose was still asleep in a hay bed they had made for her.  In the other room Dalin, Dram, and Ormand slept in from the effects of night before.  When they finally woke up Darius recruited them to go with him to check on the stables.  Downstairs they found Grog snoring as Gwenna and Miklesh ate breakfast.  The four left the inn and walked down the street.  “What’s that!” pointed Ormand.  A large crowd was gathered around the entrance to the stables.  They ran ahead up to find out.

Darius pushed his way through the crowd.  Several guards walked around inside the stables.  Just inside the doors he spotted a body.  It was stripped naked.  “PAX!” shouted Darius and stumbled forward.  Two guards came over to him.  
“Your friends were overcome by robbers in the night,” one said.  “The two bodies were stripped clean.  Do you know if they were carrying any valuables?”  
Darius was confused.  “Two?”  Dram and Ormand found Hanz huddled over in one of the empty stalls.  His face was badly bruised and he held his side as if his ribs were broken.  
“They really worked you over, huh kid?” said Dram.  Darius started pushing people away from Pax’s body.  When they backed off he fell to his knees and inspected his dead comrade.  There were several deep cuts, all in the back.  

“They jumped us,” said Hanz holding his sides.  He was having difficulty breathing.  “Three big brutes and a woman with straw colored hair and blue eyes.”
“Did the blue man return?” asked Dram.
“No… But he may have been the one who struck me from behind.  Pax went to run for help.”  He gestured weakly over to the body.  “They left town.  Took everything… and their horses…” Dalin sent Ormand to run and tell the others.  Dram clenched his fist and cursed under his breath.  Pushing his way out he began running back down the street towards the The Wyvern as well.  Dalin helped Hanz up to his feet.  Darius picked up Pax’s huge body and began stumbling back to the inn with it.  Dalin found Ensler’s body.  A guard helped him bring it to the inn as he and escorted Hanz.  Before he was half way there most of the team was running up to help.  

The guard was instructed to give Ensler’s body to Gwenna.  She and Miklesh left to deal with its burial.  Father Ben bandaged Hanz’s wounds.  He had not prepared to heal anyone that day.  Upstairs Darius found Diedre and Kayla.  He asked to be alone with Pax’s body in the room.  After cleaning it, he carefully placed the corpse into Rose’s cloakhole.  “If anyone asks,” he said to himself, “I consecrated you to the God Thor.”  Downstairs Dalin looked around the common room.  Several gawkers watched on as Hanz’s repeated his story again and again filling in all the details.  
“Where’s Dram?” Dalin asked aloud.  He had not returned.

Dram felt like his chest was going to explode.  “Damn that tavern and its cheap ale,” he said to himself.  His Elven chain weighed little, but his legs still burned from running.  When he finally made it all the way to the far end of the city, Dram found the eastern gate.  He stopped to catch his breath in front of the guards.  “Did…anyone leave…in the night?” he asked.  
“Yes,” said one. “Lots of people.”
Dram was too tired to protest.  “An ugly lady… and three men?”  He gave the guards their descriptions getting his wind back in the process.  
“Yes.  We saw them.  They left on horseback.”
“With a wagon?” he asked.
“Noooo…. No wagons.  Six altogether.  A woman who had straw colored hair, and five other riders.”  Dram asked about the others. “The three ugly men you mentioned.  Big guys.  A small fellow and another wrapped in a cloak.  I couldn’t see his face.”  Dram asked if the cloaked rider was bound in his saddle.  The guard was not sure.
“How long ago did they leave?”
“Oh, about seven hours ago.”
”Direction?”  Dram was getting antsy again.
“East” The guard pointed out the gate.  Dram tossed him the first coin to come to hand and took off back to The Wyvern at a sprint.

Dalin noticed Gwenna and Miklesh return to The Wyvern after being gone less than an hour.  He was glad to see Dram enter in after them.   The whole team was inside the common room now.  Father Ben called everyone forward to witness the oathswearing ceremony.  Hanz complained he was in no condition to do so, but Gwenna would not hear of it.  First Father Ben called on Miklesh to honor Gwenna, and then Hanz to do so.  He then called on all three to swear oaths of loyalty to the group.  As Ben said the invocation he performed a miracle.  He remembered how well it had worked back at Keep Margrave and used his detection prayer.  He could see auras of all the people in the room emanating.  Bright white light radiated around Miklesh.  Ben was amazed.  His aura was more powerful than any he had seen before, even Darius’s.  

Gwenna shone a normal white.  Strangely Hanz had no color at all.  It was if he had no aura whatsoever, like a rock.  Turning his head, Ben inspected his new companions in the room.  Grog was rich green.  Rose’s sleeping form was white, which surprised him.  In the back of the room he saw a darkly purple.  It was the innkeeper.  When he was satisfied he completed the ceremony.  Dram was in an awful hurry to be after Lavinia.  In private, Ben mentioned what he had seen to Darius and Dalin.  “I think we should have the innkeeper swear an oath to remain quiet as well,” said Dalin.
“I ain’t swearin’ a DAMN thing!!” said the man jumping up and down.


----------



## howandwhy99

Darius moved across the common room and took off his gauntlets.  He laid his bare hands on Hanz.  His ribs rejoined, but many bruises still remained.  “WOW! Thank you!”  He felt quite a bit better.  “A voice spoke to me.”
“That was Thor,” said Darius staring him in the eyes.  “He is the God of Thunder… And he is a Wrathful God.”  
“I will travel with you now!” Hanz said enthusiastically.  Hanz bounced up and down testing his body.  The bedrooms were packed and readied to go as Gwenna and Miklesh drove the wagon to the front of the inn.  Kayla purchased a mattress from the innkeeper so Rose could ride inside the wagon.  When the rest of the horses were brought up Darius told Hanz he was to ride on the wagon.
“To heal,” he said with a wink.  Diedre pulled the lever under the front seat and the bed boinged backwards.  Father Ben was not happy about it, but at least Hanz was not tied up before they closed the lid.  

Kayla suggested they stop to cover the wagon before leaving.  She knew just the place.  The team went back to the wainwright the three women had visited before. The salesman ran in fear when he recognized them.  Fortunately another was nearby.  Diedre supervised he tied a tarp over the bed’s circle slats.    Dram then directed the team to the eastern gate and to the road beyond.  It led due east, over the hills and into the mountains.  

Kayla and Diedre rode in the back of the wagon with Rose as she slept.  Deciding to make the best use of their time, Diedre cast a Read Magic spell to inspect all the things found in the cloak the day before.   



> Golden Arrow: Human Magic
> Dice: Fey Magic
> Jade Figure: Elemental Magic
> Necklace & Bracelet: Elemental Magic
> Cloak: Strange Magic
> Potion: Clerical Magic
> Mirror: No Magic
> Owlbear: No Magic
> Dagger: No Magic
> Sash: No Magic
> Coins: No Magic
> Key: Weird Troll Magic
> Map: No Magic
> Tankard: Dwarven Magic
> Stones: No Magic
> Dalin’s Rod: Dwarven Magic



Two hours of traveling later, Gwenna said she knew of a shortcut, if they wanted to take it.  It would save time.  “How long will it take to reach Alderweg normally?” asked Kayla.
“With the wagon?  Almost two days, but we could push on come dark.”  Dalin pointed out they would lose Lavinia’s trail, if they took the shortcut.  The team decided against it and took the main road instead.  Darius let Miklesh ride one of the three spare horses.  He would be their outrider and watch for travelers.  “Or Lavinia,” Dalin added.  
“It will be a test of trust like we gave to Ensler and Hanz last night,” said Darius.  Miklesh agreed to do his best.  He did not want to ride in the bottom of the wagon like Hanz.  

As the caravan rolled along Ben pulled out the potion Diedre identified as clerical magic.  He did not agree the miracles of faith were the same as magic, but he took of sip anyways.  A day’s growth of beard promptly grew on his face.  “Ha!  It’s a beard growin’ potion obviously,” said Dram.  Ben smiled and put it away for later.  After another two hours Miklesh doubled back to the wagon.  He had spotted two wagons off to one side beyond the next hill.  Traffic had thinned out since leaving the city, so it was an unlikely stopping point.  The team decided to drive ahead and test their luck.  Over the rise a large campfire was blazing below.  They could smell the food cooking over it.  Dozens of people were talking and laughing.  
“Hail!” shouted Gwenna.  She counted thirty in the other party.  Recognized some of them as fellow teamsters, she pulled the wagon alongside and got down to talk.  

“Going to Keep Adlerweg?” asked one man.  “We’re headed that way too.  It’s not a good sign.  The road is out ahead.  Something caused an avalanche about an hour further up the road.  It’s blocked most the way.”  Gwenna asked her employers what they wanted to do.  
“The others are headed back to Kera before nightfall.”  Darius was off to one side concentrating.  He could feel his mount was closer than ever.  Kayla asked Gwenna what she would do in her place.  “Well, we could backtrack to the shortcut.  It’s about two hours the other way.  But it would bypass the landslide.”  Kayla agreed.  Gwenna went back to convince the other wagons to go with them.  There was safety in numbers.  

Grog was already asking for food from the cookfire.  Dram and Dalin were with him.  “We’re looking for six riders on horseback,” said Dram.  “Have you seen them?”  One of the women had.  
“They went past several hours ago.  They had no wagons, so…” she shrugged.  “The avalanche don’t much matter.”  Dalin peeked in the bed of the other wagons.  They were filled with logs and pelts.  Gwenna reported back to Kayla again. 
“The other wagon drives have agreed to follow us.”  She chuckled to herself.  “They’d forgotten about the the shortcut.  I also convinced them to follow my plan for guard organization.  We’re in the middle spot,” she said with a wink.  Then lowered her voice, “that’s good.”  The three wagons were turned around.  Along the way the other caravans shared their cooked meal with the team.  Things were turning out better than anticipated.  Two hours later they reached the entry point to the shortcut.


----------



## howandwhy99

The shortcut was far narrower than the main road.  And it led steeply up hill too.  After an hour the hills were so tall their tops were nothing but barren black rock.  Ahead, the mountains loomed.  Wind swirled down from the peaks chilling the travelers.  Nothing but scrubby bushes grew in the crags.  Most of the day was gone and long shadows stretched across the land.  Dalin tried to take his mind off the road by practicing with his dice.  He had learned the night before they had an odd tendency to roll whatever number he last called out.  Then he decided to test the rod he had won in the MidSummer’s strength competition.  Rose was finally awake and saw him playing.  “Let me see,” she called out.  Dalin was unsure, but remarkably Rose had no aversion to the bar’s metal.  She held it up in the air and said, “Hold!”  It dropped to her lap.  

Rose handed Dalin’s rod back to him.  Kayla’s curiosity was piqued however.  She pulled the mug out of the cloak.  It was full to the brim with beer.  She dumped it out.  “Heeey!” said Dalin in protest.  Kayla called out names of different drinks, but the mug did not refill.  
“It must only be once per day,” said Kayla.  Rose nodded wondering what she could possibly be talking about.  The wagon lurched to a halt.  The shortcut had joined back with the main road.  
“We may want to rest here for the night,” said Gwenna pointing to a large campsite nearby.  “There’s nowhere else until we reach the Keep.”
“How long is that?” asked Dram. 
“Another four hours up to the mountain pass.”  As the sun set behind their backs it illuminated a thin ribboned road between two mountain peaks.

The second caravan was already setting up camp.  Gwenna steered her wagon away from the other two for some privacy.  Rose got out and stretched her legs.  She searched the ground around the campsite for tracks.  Several horses had passed through a half-day ago.  “I bet that damned witch set off that avalanche,” spat Dram when he heard.  “Tankurd is close!  I can feel it!”
“Hmmm??” said Darius.  He had been distracted.  “Yes.  I can feel my mount too.  It is very close now.”  His eyes searched the starry sky above.  Rose heard the horses neigh.  She went over and talked with them.  They were scared.  They smelled cruel two leg scent on the wind.  
“It will be alright,” said Rose.  “I will return later to sleep nearby.  Stay calm for now.” She walked back to the fire Gwenna and Miklesh were building.  She sat down and contemplated all that had happened since arriving in Kera.  She was now ‘wealthy’ as the others called it.  When the rest of the team sat down for dinner she struck up a conversation.



> Rose: "So tell me, this mon-E that seems to be so prevalent in these lands. You exchange it for good and services I understand that. But I have no need of anything right now. I wonder. What would be the best use for such...things. Would it be better to spend the coin on extra weapons to send to the front? Better to give it to the poor and hungry who are unable to fend for themselves? Perhaps I could buy out all of the slaves but what would I do with them then? We would have to go back to Kara to get them and then what? It’s too far for them to reach the front? Perhaps they could go back to the town full of young and old, but what then? Maybe the best thing to do would be to reinvest it. That way Dram at least could finally get some real armor so he wouldn't be up front with only his normal leather armor to wear.”
> 
> “What think the rest of you?”
> 
> Grog: _“Ale and Women”_
> 
> Rose: “	No no Grog, I've chosen not to eat people anymore remember?”
> 
> Father Ben: "The church is always in need of money. If we can free the slaves in Kera or send a large contingent of soldiers to the front lines, these would be the best investments. But we have neither the money or influence to stop either right now. Perhaps a small chapel in Kera may be a start to closing their slave trade business?"
> 
> "I agree taking the slaves back to Custler or Orlain would do little good as they would simply be collected again."
> 
> Rose: "Why would I give money to your church, the Wainwrights don't seem like very nice people for priests of your faith."
> 
> Darius merely raises an eyebrow at Grog.
> 
> Darius: "My people invest money.  They use it to fund their businesses and such.  An example would be that my father would spend it on forge assistants and materials before he retired.  My brothers would likely spend it on arms.  My sister would probably donate it to the church or buy holy relics.  I would invest in armor and arms.  Perhaps there are some dwarven techniques and metals that you can use without causing you pain, like the rod.  When we get to my home, I will show you wonders unlike those seen perhaps in your lifetime.  The Great Forges, the Hall of Thanes, the taverns and ale... ah, yes, the Ale.  Nothing against your homelands, my friends, but I do miss dwarven ale.  I will show you the Great Temple of Thor, the other temples of the gods.  The Temple of Dumathoin, Keeper of Secrets.  I will introduce you to my mentor at Thor's temple.  My brothers and sisters.  Perhaps show you the Great Spire itself.... I..."
> 
> Darius shakes his head a bit.
> 
> "My apologies.  I find myself missing my home more with each passing day.  Things within these lands move so rapidly.  I long for the unchanging stone."
> 
> Rose: 	“Darius, you should look at the longer view. Both of our homelands are static, but that doesn't mean these lands are not as unchanging as our own. Consider the grass beneath your feet.  It grows now as it has grown decades ago and will grow decades hence. Life cycles. The young ones grow and die living little longer than the flowers in the field in summer. New ones are born to take their place. Seasons change just as does the day. Time passes and though things appear to change, the rhythm of the world always remains, ever constant in it's flux, like the blowing of an eternal breeze.
> 
> Darius considers Rose strangely for a second.
> 
> Darius: "I never said I disliked it, so much as that I miss my home.  I do apologize to my friends if they felt otherwise."


----------



## howandwhy99

> Dram: "Lady fae, my gratitude to you for your concern over my safety.  However, my father's craftsmanship protects me well enough in battle. Now, I could make use of an Elven bow if you knew how to obtain one. I have heard that the enchantments elves place on such weapons make them truer in aim."



Rose turned her attention to Dram



> Rose: How can your father's craftsmanship protect you if you aren't wearing armor. I thought he was a smith not a tailor. You don't clank when you move like Darius, so I figured the armor you wore was leather.  But you wear nothing but the clothes on your back to protect you. Isn't that somewhat dangerous?”
> 
> Ormand the Redd: _“Master Dram is made of sterner stuff than that. They'd have to do a lot to cause him harm.”_
> 
> Dram: "Ahhh my child. You seem to know of many mysteries and oddities yet my protection puzzles you. My father is indeed a smith, a very skilled one, and I shan't reveal his secrets just to satisfy your idle curiosity. Is my word not good enough? There is danger everywhere and I am not exempt. Father Darius wears chain armor yet he has suffered more from the dangers that we encounter than I. Besides, I do not care to sink like a stone in water nor lumber over the ground like a laden mule."
> 
> Darius glanced at Dram before shaking his head and chuckling.
> 
> Dram: "Nothing against your father's work, but give me good, solid Dwarven steel any day.  You should see some of the armors the great smiths have crafted.  Armor that could turn away the blows of an ogre.”
> 
> Rose smiled furtively at Dram.
> 
> Rose: Oh I know where you might obtain the bows you speak of. I know where you could find a bow made of ice that will not break when you draw it nor melt in the noonday sun. Or perhaps arrows that sing when you fire them? A cloak that will make you as invisible as a leaf in the forest, of boots that would make you as silent as an owl gliding through the night air. I know how you might even possibly obtain all of this as well. Though the way may not be easy. I know many things. And yet I don't know how you manage to avoid injury though you wear no armor.
> 
> Dram: "Tell ya what. You tell me where and how to obtain these wondrous items and I'll tell you my little secret."
> 
> Rose: “The bows you speak of are not elven bows, merely bows of elven make from fine rare woods grown deep within their lands.”
> 
> “Elven bows are something different entirely.”
> 
> “Make yourselves comfortable, this will take time to explain.”
> 
> “Every elf has a tree dedicated to them, planted when they are conceived. When they are married a cutting from each partners tree is grafted together. The tree that grows from this is very special, for it only ever produces so many fruit. When the couple first conceives of a child, an elven woman always knows when she has conceived. They go to The Grove. Find the tree that is the symbol of their marriage and pluck, usually, the only ripe fruit there. If there is more than one ripe fruit the mother will have dissimilar twins. If the ripe fruit has more than one pit, the mother will have similar twins. In any case, the fruit is eaten by the parents and then planted into a vessel at the home. For nine months the pit grows, each day fertilized with a drop of blood from both parents. When the child is ready to be born, the mother is brought to The Grove. The father plants the seed and the mother bears the child. The blood from the birth is placed around the seedling and all remnants are ground into fertilizer for the seedling.  For a day and a night the parents stay with the child in The Grove, bonding themselves with the child and the child with the tree. Into the tree a small part of the child's soul is placed bound by it's first blood. The parents see to the needs of the tree and child until the child is able to care for the tree on it's own. For the next hundred years the tree and the child are one. At the child's first century he is brought to his tree. The druids of The Grove harness the soul piece of the child into a branch and then the child breaks the branch off of the tree. Always a small piece of the child's soul is left behind. This symbolizes what is lost from childhood to adult hood and the breaking of the branch is the scars that growth leaves us with. The branch is then ever green. The branch stays with the now adult and is shaped by him as he grows. Druids shape it into a staff, minstrels a harp, warriors a bow, weavers a distaff, etc. In times of war, an archer takes the wood of the arrows from his tree and makes the fletchings from the birds who make the tree their home. The bow and the elf are forever intertwined. For bowmen they are one with their weapon. This is the reason that elven archers have no peer. No archer can know their weapon as intimately as an elf.”
> 
> “For you, you want a finely crafted bow made of some unusual woods found only in elven lands. They'll make you ooh and ahh and champ at the bit for it. Make you jump through whatever little hoops they set of one of the "short lifers". And in the end, they will give you what you asked for and you might have been content believing you had one of the finest crafted bows in the world and you might even have believed yourself an equal marksman to an elf. But now you pay the price for your curiosity, the knowledge that no matter what you do, you bow will only ever be second best when compared with the living wood of the elves. A bow made of such you may have seen and may want, but which will forever be out of your grasp. The bow you would get could be found any number of places. You could journey to elven lands, or go to the front lines and take one off of a corpse. But you could never have an elven bow, they will only ever draw for one person and when that person dies the bow will snap, and both body and bow will be ground into fertilizer for The Grove.”
> 
> Ben: Ben's eyes went wide. "That certainly not like any birthing that went on at the temple were I was taught. Humans are a little ..uh, messier"
> 
> Rose: Rose smiled slightly at Ben. "We still have all of the same mess, and screaming and swearing and blood. The seed is not the child, the seed is what a piece of the child's soul is bound into. The tree and the child are like conjoined brothers, each connected and an integral part of the other. The child is born and grows normally as any other creature in this world. However part of learning to take care of themself as they grow is learning to take care of their tree."
> 
> Dram: "Hmmmm. Or so you say Fae woman (though Rose is slightly more believable to Dram now that her floating priest story has been confirmed). In any case, it makes for a good Faery tale that I'll no doubt regale my brats with someday. A very good tale indeed. Whether it be true or not I shall not press further, but in exchange for your offering I will reveal my secret to you. Some others in the party already know of it but I ask you now not to speak of it again."
> 
> When nobody else is looking Dram raises his shirt to reveal the Elven chain below. With a wink, "You see, my father was skilled indeed and seems to have had a bit of elf about him, eh?"
> 
> "As for Elven archers...I've never seen one unless those cowards who shot at us from the moathouse qualify. I wasn't too impressed to be honest. I'll take my chances agin the best of 'em. Perhaps you could one day guide me to the Elven lands so I can put my skills to a test?"
> Rose giggled when she heard Dram’s request.
> 
> Dalin: "Investing money like the dwarves, or spending it on ale and companionship as Grog suggests are all excellent options. But you will find no matter what you do that money eventually runs out, and you will end up wanting more"
> 
> "If you like, I can teach you how to double your money, with very little risk, and enjoy a few games and strike up a few friendships in the process.  Perhaps once we get into town we should look for a tavern."


----------



## howandwhy99

The night was getting late.  Moving to their beds Darius set up a camp watch.  The other caravan had already set one too, but the team made sure to have one of their own members awake at all times.   During the first watch Diedre heard something flapping overhead.  A flying creature swooped down over the fire.  She could barely make it out.  Remembering Darius going on and on about his mount she went and woke him.  She told him she saw a creature with feathers and a head like a deer.  “With antlers too!”   Darius reached out for his mount, but it was still some distance away.  As the watch were switched out, the flying creature swooped by every hour or so.   Darius saw it himself during his own shift.  .  
“Perhaps it is some sister to my mount?” he wondered.


*[DAY 102 – Fastday, Sceptre 5th, CY 81]*

The next morning the sky was bright overhead far before the sun came over the mountains.  A light breakfast was cooked during prayer and study.  Before the team gathered to get under way Father Ben asked to check the power of the magic on the items Diedre read the day before.  



> Combined from before:
> Golden Arrow: Very Very Strong Human Magic
> Dice: Strong Fey Magic
> Jade Figure: Weak Elemental Magic
> Necklace & Bracelet: Strong Elemental Magic
> Cloak: Very Strong Strange Magic
> Potion: Weak Clerical Magic
> Mirror: No Magic
> Owlbear: No Magic
> Dagger: No Magic
> Sash: Residual Incomplete Magic
> Coins: No Magic
> Key: Weird Troll Magic
> Map: Weak/No Magic, but written with magic
> Tankard: Weak Dwarven Magic
> Stones: No Magic
> Dalin’s Rod: Subtle/Average Dwarven Magic
> Spiralstone: Weak



While the power coursed through him, Ben decided to check for magic on the new mercenaries as well.  Miklesha and Gwenna had none.  Hanz was nowhere to be found.  “Where’s Hanz?”
“Oh crap!” said Dalin.  They had left him in the wagon overnight.  Kayla raised the bed and found Hanz passed out underneath.  Ben saw he had strong magic coming from one of his fingers.  Oddly, nothing was there.  He grasped Hanz’s hand and felt an invisible ring upon it.  Carefully Ben removed it and the ring became visible.  He promptly put it in his pocket.  Darius came over and pulled him to one side asking if he could wear it.



> Darius: “…some of the people we encounter may not be too keen on meeting a Paladin.”
> 
> Ben: Ben took out the ring and handed it to Darius in private. "I would be cautious before putting it on. I believe that ring is what blocked the Gods' sight from Hanz's soul. It may simply make a person undetectable to certain power, but it also may have other effects on the soul. You may be right about Hanz's actions being duplicitous behavior, but that may be another effect of the ring.  Perhaps I should test him again now it has been removed?"
> 
> Darius: Darius nodded to Brother Ben.  "Perhaps peering into the wellspring of his soul would be more... fruitful now."
> 
> As Darius took the ring he heard a voice in his head.  It was Thor’s.  _“Place not this band upon your person. For it shall make you unknown to me forever more."_
> 
> He tossed the ring back to Father Ben.  “"Um, tell you what.  Keep that thing as far away from me as Dwarvenly possible."
> 
> Dram walked up interrupting the two.  “I’m willin’ to be a guinea pig,” he said.  If you're willing, I'll wear it to see what effect it has, if any.”
> 
> Ben then handed him the golden ring, but gave a stern warning.  “It is a very brave thing you dare. Be forewarned, I cannot say what will happen to you with this on your finger. I suspect you may go mad or worse. You must promise now, before you put it on, to give it back after we test you. Take this stick too lest you feel compelled to write like the dead creature in our cloak-hole."
> 
> Then he turned back to Darius.  Kayla was standing by his side.  “This will be the final test to see if the ring is a means of demon possession as I suspect. If he does not give it back, it is likely of vile nature."
> 
> Darius waved his hands when he saw what was occurring.  He grabbed Dram by the shoulder before he could put the ring on.  “"Thor has spoken to me.  He will no longer be able to see me if I wear the ring.  Wear it not, for it may severe your connection to him as well.  Let one who does not follow the gods wear it, instead."
> 
> Dram: “Well, in that case...  I thought the priest was just trying to frighten me with his dooms and curses."



Father Ben took the ring one last time and hid it in his pack.  It almost felt to him as if the ring were drawing attention to itself.  Over by the wagon Hanz had been pulled out and gently woken up.  “Ow…my head.”  Dalin could see some of the man’s bruises had faded only to be replaced by new ones.  They moved him onto Rose’s mattress in the back of the wagon bed.  When the team mounted up they noticed a woman from the other caravan approach.  Gwenna ran over to speak with him.  
“Ready to go?” asked the woman.
“We’ll be under way shortly,” said Gwenna.  “Do you have a stone from the Earl?”
“Yes, but ours does not cover you…” Gwenna knew she was referring to the wagons.  Then she recalled what Darius had told her earlier that morning.
“Can we go before you?  We are in a rush to get inside the Keep.”  The other woman had no problem with it.


----------



## howandwhy99

As Gwenna and Miklesh doused the fire, Dram and Dalin removed the weapon crates for the Front into the bed of the wagon.  Rose was hoping the Keep’s commander would find a way to send them to the Front for her.  Hanz was resituated on top of the crates.  The team started off, but had trouble gathering speed.  The wagon was much heavier now.  Upwards they climbed cutting back and forth along the nearest mountain’s edge.  The path narrowed and fell off sharply to one side.  

Darius sat in a daze letting his horse follow Dram’s.  His quest was near an end.  His mount, which he had bonded with long ago back in Keep Margrave, was here.  He could feel it.  Thor’s gift was near enough, but it was unsure of how to approach.  Darius scanned the high mountain peaks and noticed two horned birds perched below him on a lower crest staring back.  They were large birds with antlered deer heads; one with six points the other eight.  Darius suddenly realized he was looking through the eyes of his mount.  Looking further down, he saw the ribboned road looping up the mountain pass.  A wagon was approaching with several riders.  Then he saw a dwarven figure on horseback… himself.  Darius realized the deerbirds were positioned for an intercept course on the caravan.







Using his mount’s eyes he looked down at himself.  He had a golden-feathered chest and long feathers on his legs leading to golden scales and claws.  Large wings furled behind him with a feathered tail at end.  Darius looked through his own eyes.  Ahead two mountains closed in on either side of the path.  To the right 1000’ upwards he saw his mount for the first time, a huge golden eagle perched high on a rocky crag.  He looked to his left and saw the two predator deerbirds about 800’ above.  Even from a distance they looked vicious and loathsome.  He stopped the caravan and pointed out what he had discovered to his friends.  Grog had never seen anything like the birds before, but the mercenaries had.  “The first time I saw them both was a month or so ago,” said Gwenna.  

Darius used the eagle’s eyes to scan the mountains again.  The walls of Alderweg Keep were beyond the next few mountain ridges.  The team was still some ways away.  Rose cried out to the deerbirds in a shrill language.  She sounded like a bird.  “OY! You want food!?  No fight.”  The pair did not move, but Darius realized he could understand what Rose was saying though his eagle’s ears.  Rose repeated herself, this time using the deer tongue.  The larger deerbird called down in perfect Common, 
“Give us one of the human.”  It’s voice sounded like no animal sound at all.  Dram leaned over to Darius and whispered, “Hanz?”  Rose bartered with the creatures.  She convinced the pair to accept three horses for passage.  It was all they could spare.
“The Eagle?” screeched the deerbird again.
“I can control it,” said Darius quietly and Rose conveyed the message. 

Three of the wagon’s draft horses were switched out for their own.  Rose did not like what she had to do.  Telling the three horses food was ahead; they sauntered forward to their deaths.  As soon as they were separated from the caravan the deerbirds soared into the sky and dove down with the sun at their backs.  Two horses died quickly.  The third galloped away in terror when the others shrieked.  The predators expertly mauled open the horses’ gullets.   Each tore out a single organ from within and went off to chase the third horse around the bend.  Neither predator nor prey returned.  When the violence was over the wagon lurched forward again.  Rose inspected the two horse carcasses in the road.  The deerbirds had torn out the hearts of the beasts leaving the meat to rot.  It was such a terrible waste in her mind.  She suggested taking the meat with them, but no one else wanted to eat horse.  

A few minutes later a massive 12’ tall eagle landed in the middle of the roadway.  Its wingspan was easily twice its height.  The horses spooked and their riders struggled to keep them under control.  Darius dismounted and handed his reins to Rose to calm his horse.  The eagle was ready for him and he eagerly climbed aboard.  WHOOOSHHH!!!!!  Darius was moving faster than he thought possible.  His mount climbed high into the sky, so high it was hard to breathe.  They were above the clouds.  The rest of the team on the ground saw the bird’s form grow smaller and smaller.  Then it reappeared in a dive. “YEEEEHAAAWW!!” shouted Darius, but he could hardly hear himself.  As flew he was the eagle.  Their hearts and minds were as one.  He learned several things during that first flight soaring over the mountains.  Their connection would always be felt, but within a mile’s distance of each other they could share each other’s thoughts and senses.  He could understand and speak in ‘eagle’, as it could speak his languages.  After what felt an interminable wait for those on the ground Darius finally landed again.  He instructed his eagle to fly above the mountain pass and to watch for danger.  






When it looked like they might finally get on the road again Kayla spoke up, “We need to warn the other caravans about the price of passage.  If they try and ride through, they will be slaughtered.”  It was wise council, but also another impediment to reaching the Keep.  Father Ben gave his horse to Miklesh to ride back down and warn the others.  As they waited for him, Ben went into the back of the wagon to escape the winds.  Hanz was still passed out on the bed.  Kayla and Diedre had pulled out and were inspecting Lavinia’s chest.  Because of how Darius had called it, ‘Lavinia’s other son”, they believed someone might be trapped inside.  Ben suddenly felt tingly all over.  He heard a voice in his mind.  A voice that was different than the others.



> _"OPEN THE CHEST."
> 
> "YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS DO NOT STAND A CHANCE OF SURVIVING THE HAZARDS OF CASTLE ALDERVEEG UNLESS YOU RELEASE ME FROM WHENCE I AM IMPRISONED.  IT TOOK ALL I COULD TO HAVE THE BLUE MAN DROP HIS CLOAK.”
> 
> “YOU MUST LET ME OUT.”_
> 
> Ben collapsed to the ground falling backwards out of the wagon. He began babbling.
> 
> "No.... no, no.... I will not listen to you. .. . No! We must not open the chest.. You are ... the cloak.... up to the heavens.. .. no.. not the chest... It cannot be so.... blue man dropped the?... we will survive the keep you are wrong.... uhh.."
> 
> He passed out.
> .
> .
> .
> .
> And then began to float. About 3' off the ground.


----------



## howandwhy99

> Rose looked at Kayla and Dierdre "See, I told you he could fly"
> 
> Kayla jumped up and rushed over to Ben.  Seeing that he appeared unconscious she then called for Darius. "Darius I need your assistance." She then looked at Rose and asked, "Was he unconscious the last time he was flying?"
> 
> Rose: “No he was very angry actually and promising fire and vengeance on the gnoll...fire, vengeance, hell, eternal pain...something like that I can't remember exactly
> 
> Darius trotted over on his horse to the wagon and saw Ben.  He looks him for a moment, then began to pray and see if Thor would give him insight as to why this was happening.  He received no answer.  He called Dram over to attempt to rouse the priest.
> 
> Ben awoke with a start his eyeballs spinning around at the others staring at him on what he believed was the wagon bed.
> 
> Ben: "Ahh.. yes, well. It seems like I've blacked out again. I heard more voices like the dreams we all had back in the water cave. Only these were not dreams. These spoke.... whoooaah!"
> 
> Ben noticed he was aloft and tried putting a foot on the ground only succeeding in spinning to the roadway below. Pushing himself up he hung his head sheepishly.
> 
> "Well, I was trying to keep this from you all. It seems though I cannot any longer. The truth is...I have been cursed. Cursed by what may be an evil god. Or perhaps it's a demon." he said looking frightful. "It is why my parents sent me to stay with the Fathers in Sylverton Abbey in the first place."
> 
> "Well, you don't need to know all that. What is important is that the curse has returned. I think it may have been in part to what we found in the caves below Quesquaton. What I called the Godnail. What I believe may be the missing piece from a God. Whether benevolent or malevolent I do not know. All I know is the time I spent studying with Father Hetrick did not lead to further revelation in the faith. Instead, my mind twitches more than ever.  Like a muscle after a long day's travel."
> 
> "After returning to Outpost Xavier is when I first noticed another event. The floating. It started accompanied with a number of nightmares. I awoke in terror only to find myself 'above' the blanket. There were many nights with changed bedsheets after that."
> 
> "I am sorry now that I tried to hide this fact as long as I have. I fear I may be putting us all at risk. Undoubtedly the County is better off with me not as head of the temple in Keep Margrave. It is why I agreed to travel with you to the Dwarven Kingdoms in the first place and abandon Margrave to its own cruel fate."
> 
> Rose: "Why do you think that it's evil simply to have the ability to fly without a giant eagle?"
> 
> Ben: "Well the voice in the cave was very evil. It spoke to me in my head using a language I did not understand. It tried to climb inside me. I cannot see any positive side to that."
> 
> "Also it is similar to other such vices. I feel urgings that I must strive to control. They usually come in the night.  I must be stern lest I am tempted to lift myself up and float to the heavens or... somewhere else. I am not ready to leave this place yet. So I fight and struggle against this ascension."
> 
> "Then there was the rat we believed was Elion and I spoke to it, but only later did I realize it was not aloud. It was verminous and we later learned not truly Elion, but might have been part of the attack."
> 
> "And just now I heard an evil voice telling me to release the sheets from the chest in our newfound cloak-hole. It said something like: 'you will surely die in the Castle Adlerweg if you do not release me immediately! I made the blue man drop me! I must be released!'"
> 
> "Only it sounded much worse. Surely this is an evil curse."
> 
> Darius: “Perhaps the head of my order can assist you somehow, my friend.”
> 
> Rose: “So if you knew about this then why did you deny what happened with the Gnoll some days ago?”
> 
> Dram: "Father Ben, you are my friend and have healed my wounds, and I thank you for that, so please do not take what I'm going to say the wrong way. Have you considered the worship of Thor? He would smite these demons from your head! A curse on a cleric of his? Not likely! Your God has left you, which is surely why you float. Thor's iron will is my anchor. Let him be yours! But, apart from the evil voices and the floating, is there any other harm that this curse may cause you or your comrades?”
> 
> Ben: "Well uh... um... er no. I guess not. But the wrath of these evil beings may be brought upon all near me, not just myself. It is a risk you need to know."
> 
> "And I do venerate the Goodly God Thor. His importance is made even more relevant in this time of war. But I still revere other Gods as well and strive to learn what is holy in all things. Given that this door was open before I ever became a Brother I do not think the curse of divine fault. Maybe I should sequester myself though? For the good of all?"
> 
> Darius: "I hardly find that needed, Father Ben.  However, perhaps it would be best to remain unarmed until as such time as you need your weapon again?"
> 
> Dalin:  Agreeing with Darius, "In fact, I think the opposite is true. Rather than being sequestered, one of us should be certain to watch over you at all times, to be sure you bring no harm to yourself or others and also to note anything you might say or do when overcome by one of these spells. The more information we have about them, the better."
> 
> Ben: Handing his flail over  "A sound idea. I will keep the sling just in case. It is poor defensively in case of...  By the by, I would like to be of some aid if we are attacked."
> 
> "I do think it is unwise to enter the Adlerweg Keep. Now Livinia and her sons lie within she may have called an alarm. The gnolls mentioned their troll leaders having taken over the keep and his having a friend 'we would not want to wake'. The deer-birds spoke clearly in the common tongue too. And I suspect they are wild creatures working with the trolls as lookouts. Our presence is already known."
> 
> Dalin: "While I do not doubt there are dangers within the Keep, can we truly take the chance of Dram's brother being in there?"



Reluctantly, Father Ben gave in.  He would go with them into the Keep, but he asked for his flail to be returned to him if there was trouble within.  Dram and Dalin had moved off to one side to talk.  Kayla and Deidre were busily storing the chest back in the cloakhole.  In truth, Father Ben’s revelation had set off a number of different conversations around the stalled wagon train.  An hour after his departure Miklesh finally arrived back from the other caravan.  The team was on its way again.


----------



## howandwhy99

*[Session 15]*

A little further up the road, Dram spotted a large nest in the rock face above.  He guessed it was the deerbirds’.  As the others looked up, Rose moved over to the cliff’s edge on the right side of the path.  The vertigo did not seem to bother her.  Far below in the ravine were the remains of the third horse.  The thin line of a river ran along the bottom.  It paralleled the road up and down the mountain.  After a few more hours of travel Dram finally called out, “Halt the wagons!  Around the next bend in the road they saw Keep Adlerweg.  It was built right into the side of the mountain.  As tall as it was, the Keep was still dwarfed by the surrounding cliffsides.  It hugged the edge rising up over five stories in height.  The road wound around its large base perched on an outcropping of rock.  Warmachines that looked like giant crossbows could be seen on the lowest rooftops.  Numerous windows were cut into the upper levels and arrowslits along the base.  Adlerweg was a truly amazing sight to behold. 






“A little young, but not too shabby,” said Darius.  He placed it at two centuries old give or take a decade.  He was certain Dwarfs must have helped in its manufacture.  Father Ben just felt fortunate there were no guards for the Keep in sight.   
“Traveler on the road!” shouted Ormand the Redd.  Further around the bend, about fifty yards away, a man was cowering behind some stones.  Rose took out her club and approached.  She could tell the man was human even with his dark skin and exotic features.  He did not resemble any of the dark-skinned humans she had seen in Kera.  

When Rose drew closer she heard him whimpering.  
“Please don’t eat me.  I am very sick and have been forced to eat rats.”  The man’s accent was as just as unusual as his appearance.  As he knelt in the road prostrate like a slave begging its master she looked at his dress carefully.  He wore only a dirty robe and a cloth wrapped around his head in a knot.
“Get up.  We’re not going to eat you.”
“Thank you, Thank you,” the man kept bowing low.  “Praise the Gods you have found me here.  Are you a spirit or a demon?  Who do I thank for my rescue?”  Rose could not help her amusement.  She twirled her club playfully.  
“It is…. complicated.  Are you injured?”
“No. No.  I am a lost traveler from far, far away.”
“In that we have a commonality.  Do you seek our aid?”

The dark-skinned man bowed even deeper and lower if such a thing was possible.  A greasy smile came over his windborne face.  “Oh yes.  I seek to go where you are going.  I seek to follow you in your path.”  
Rose was smiled again.  “Okay… If you are prepared to enter the keep behind you, you may follow.”  Rose began telling the stranger the team’s reasons for venturing all the way from their homelands to this mountain pass, and about the slaves in Kera City, and the search for Tankurd.  
“NO!!” shouted Dram running forward.  He and Darius had been approaching.  Dram pulled Rose backwards.  Looking at the kneeling foreigner he said, “What are you?  Some kind of slave?”  
The stranger sat up studying Dram and then callously regarded him.  “No barbarian.  I am not.”  He turned his gaze back to Rose ignoring everything else.  “I was a servant to a great merchant such as you have never seen.” Dram pulled out his sword, but the stranger did not break eye contact.  “We had an accident.  Or I did, at least.  We were to travel to a distant land.  I was to go first and prepare the way.  The next thing I knew, I awoke here.”  

“How long ago was that?” asked Rose sympathetically.  
“About… a few days ago.  Only this morning did I find this road.”  Darius finally arrived next to Dram.
“What is the name of the land you come from?” asked Rose. 
“The land I come from?  It…it cannot be pronounced in this trade tongue we converse in.”
“That is to bad.  Hmm… What other languages do you know?”  The stranger listed off some strange tongues, none of which she had even heard of before.  Then Rose remembered her manners.  “My apologies.  This is Darius our Dwarf Paladin.  And this is Dram.  He is… of Margrave.  I am Rose from the Front.  Who might you be?”
The stranger finally stood up and bowed formally.  “My name is Houshang.”
”Come again?” said Dram.  It was nearly impossible for him to understand the foreigner.  He only knew this ‘Wu-Tang’ had the thickest accent of any man alive.


----------



## howandwhy99

Darius was willing to take on new followers, but only if they were fully aware of the dangers of entering the Keep.  He wanted no one captured and sold into slavery without first knowing the risk beforehand.  “I am far from home,” said Housang.  “I need coin, money, cash, how do you say?  Gold.  If there is such inside, I will help cleanse it for you.”  Darius was unsure of what he meant, but the team needed any help it could get.  In his mind, the eagle had messaged him more disturbing news.  Leaving the dwarf behind, Rose took Houshang back around the bend and made group introductions.  
The others agreed on Houshang’s joining, but Father Ben had one question.  “What Gods do you worship in the land you come from?”  
Houshang bowed curtly.  “We have many.”  And he left it at that. 

“More wagons!” shouted Miklesh.  The second caravan was coming up behind them.  The team had wasted far too much time.  
“We need to stop them from entering,” said Darius.  “My eagle has been watching the Keep for the last several days.  Dozens of large green, hairy men have moved in and out during that time.  These must be the trolls the gnoll warband warned us about.”  Father Ben and Ormand the Redd moved to block the path with their horses.  Rose jumped up next to Gwenna in the wagon’s driver’s seat.  
“We need to talk,” she told the mercenary leader.  “I need to get rid of the Earl’s spiralstone, so I can use both hands again.  You must have used one before.”  Gwenna explained there was a box just inside the first gate with many such stones inside.  
“This is where the keeplord has always stored them.”  
“Wait just a minute!” shouted Rose standing up.  “That’s my sword!  Those are for the Front!”  She had just noticed the mercenaries were wielding some of the Earl’s contribution.  

“It was part of the deal for hiring us.  Take it up with your Dwarf.”
Rose was fit to be tied. “He had no right to give them to you!  They are my responsibility, not his!”  
“Tough luck for you.”
Rose regained control of herself.  Politely, she agreed to talk about the matter later when appropriate.  “Now.  When were you last at Keep Adlerweg?”
”Gee…” Gwenna considered.  “About two… maybe three weeks ago.  There was no avalanche then.  Everything was normal.  The guards were out.  You understand.”  Behind Rose Gwenna saw the other caravan’s wagons pull up and stop.  She quickly jumped down and ran over to go talk with their drivers.  Rose watched her run off without a word.

Darius was concentrating on his eagle again.  His new mount had seen a veritable army of red people, goblinoids Darius believed, fighting the tall green people near their stone nest.  He knew by now, the eagle termed the Keep a people-nest.  The Red Army was fighting the Green Army to get inside.  I had been repelled every time so far.  Darius asked if it had seen any humans and fixed Dalin’s face in his mind.  It had. Six riders entered a day ago and had not left.  “Heeere bird bird bird bird bird.”  Rose was calling birds to her and he could understand the meaning of her chirping.  Rose asked a sparrow to go inspect the Keep, but it kept calling out ”Seed? Seed?”  

Dram and Dalin ducked back around the bend.  Three figures had come out from the Keep and were walking towards them.  Peeking around the stone again, they saw the grey figures reenter the Keep through the nearer gate.  “We can’t just sit here,” whispered Dalin.  Dram agreed.  The two went back and interrupted Darius who was simply standing in the road with his eyes closed.
“Listen,” started Dram.  “That keep is full of trolls.  We both know it.  I don’t think they are just going to let us stroll in there like slavers from Kera and buy my brother back.  I think we’re DEAD, if we go inside – if you don’t mind me sayin’ so – or even if ya do!   But I have better plan.  If someone were to sneak inside, we could see where they have Tankurd tied up.  Then we know he’s been sold to the trolls, right?”
Darius nodded solemnly. “It’s good of you to volunteer.”

“Oh no!  I’m not so big a fool as to sneak in a keep o’ trolls!” said Dram.  “That’s suicide!”  Rose hopped down from the wagon and ran over.  She had overheard the conversation, as did half the team. 
“I’ll go.  I need to get rid of this thing anyways,” Rose said holding up the spiralstone.  Darius looked over at Dram who twice as tall as Rose and three times as heavy.  
“Thor’s Hammer was never so heavy!  Here!  Take this.”  Dram handed the Fey a potion in an unmarked vial.  “It should make you harder to see.”
“Thanks!” said Rose gleefully.

“Just a moment,” Darius told her.  He had been interrupted trying to learn as much information about the Keep from his eagle as possible.  His mount knew of a much smaller structure farther up the road where more people stayed.  Darius did not quite understand if more people meant goblins or the Keep’s original human occupants.  The eagle then showed him a second path.  A narrow trail wound back along the roadway some seventy above the team.  It led to a door in the Keep at a much higher level.  Darius believed the original occupants had fallen back using that exit.  In his mind’s eye he saw it wind upwards to the mountain’s precipice.  Unfortunately, the eagle had seen no human people during its stay here, only more red walking on the high narrow path.

Rose was tired of waiting.  She swallowed all of Dram’s potion and unexpectedly disappeared.  Dram and Dalin watched as her little footprints formed in the dust walking away.  Suddenly a large hole appeared in the middle of the road.  Dalin went over and picked up the cloakhole.   “If the Gods are with us Dram, she’ll come back alive.”
“I sure hope so,” replied Dram.  Behind them Ormand the Redd still watched sadly as the little tracks marched closer and closer to the Keep.  
“Get a move on!” shouted Gwenna.  Miklesh was already helping her maneuver the wagons around for a quick getaway.


----------



## howandwhy99

Rose could smell the sweat of gnolls before she even entered.  The Keep’s bottom floor was by far its’ largest.  Two arrowslits overlooked the road.  Then a large gate loomed open to any who dared enter.  Beyond more arrowslits followed the wall around a corner.  As Rose walked she saw a furry shadow standing behind the second arrowslit.  She stopped and inspected the first gate.  Two gnolls guarded the entrance, one to either side.   “They must have spotted us,” thought Rose.  “They are waiting to ambush anyone who comes through.”  She looked at the open gateway.  Even some twenty feet below it, the raised metal portcullis tickled her skin.  In front of the portcullis were three, curiously small, dark windows angled downwards.  Rose wished she could climb up without being heard and stick her head inside to get a better view.  But she did not dare try it.  Still, the windows was perplexed her.  “Maybe they’re slides for cats?” she guessed.  






Very quietly Rose tiptoed past the two guards and into the Keep.  The gateway walls funneled inwards and then opened into a single large space.  Torches lit the room.  Rose did not breathe as carefully moved deeper inside.  Looking to her left, she spotted the gnoll behind the arrowslit.  Two more guarded the second gateway across the room.  The far wall held the only interior door, a wooden one with banded metal.  In the room’s center several large piles of stone were jumbled.  Each was carved, as if it were once a statue, but now crushed to pieces.  She could not determine if they were dropped or simply piled in place.  Then she saw it: a large wooden crate without a top.  It was against the wall near the gnoll in the arrowslit.  Quietly walking over, Rose saw three more spiralstones inside.  She gently placed her own stone in the bottom and drew her hand back.  The stone was still stuck!  She tried touching it to other stones or to the crate, but nothing worked.  






Rose knew the cursed stone would be nothing but trouble.  After a few more experiments, she finally relented and walked around the room searching for secret passages.  She found two.  One was in the interior stone wall just to the left of the normal door.  The second reminded her of a covered pit trap.  It was built into the floor several feet across from the first secret door.  Rose listened at both, but heard nothing.  Moving to the normal door she immediately heard rough voices within.  Light streamed out a large keyhole in the door tempting her to peek through.  Rose obliged.  Beyond was a smaller room.  Four half-humans sat playing cards around a wooden table.  There was so much gold on it her eye tickled just looking.  “Let’s take stock,” she thought to her self.  “Five gnolls, two with bows, three with axes, all in scale armor and shield.  Add to that four half-somethings in leather armor – obviously weaker.  I think we could take them.  The key is getting inside without being seen beforehand.” Trying to think of what to do next, she decided to wait.

A full hour later, four more large gnolls marched inside through the far gateway.  “They must have been patrolling the pass,” Rose thought.  The five guarding the exits switched positions with them.  Rose was amazed at how regimented they were.  Every one marched in formation, whether they were paired, in a group, or alone.  Rose followed the five gnolls as they left out the second gateway.  They marched down the road and just as the soldiers reached the end of the Keep’s wall they stopped.  One stepped over some fallen rocks where the wall abutted the stone.  Somehow it opened yet another secret door.  Rose could barely see a set of stairs inside before the gnolls entered and the door closed.  Checking the wall for seams she found the sides to the secret entrance.  “It’s very cleverly hidden, but once you know where to look…” she thought.  Taking her time, she checked the rest of the Keep’s exterior wall, but found nothing.  

Rose walked back around the mountain bend and towards Darius.  She could see Father Ben walking like he had a full bladder again.   “Rose?” Diedre searched around blindly with her hands out.  Somehow the woman had sensed her return.  
“I’m back,” said Rose.  The rest of the team gathered around.  Rose had to grab a hold of Darius to avoid being stepped on.  She gave as full a report of everything she had seen.  The team listened in dismay.  A long discussion followed afterwards about whether or not to the Keep could be entered by force.  In the end, they decided to head back towards Kera and make plans that night.  

Rose tugged at Kayla’s robe.  “How long do invisibility potions last?” she asked.  
 “I am unsure,” said Kayla.  “We may need to find an antidote.”
”What!” cried Rose.  She enjoyed walking around unseen, but with large slow-moving humans about it would be dangerous.  She stared at the large feet moving around her sullenly.
“Did you bother to look for Tankurd?” asked Dram.
“I-I couldn’t.  They would have seen me,” Rose whimpered.
“What about your stone?” asked Ormand.  Rose pouted and wanted to cry.  She shook her head, but no one saw.


----------



## howandwhy99

Gwenna led the team’s large wagon down the mountain.  As Houshang had no horse he walked beside it.  The merchants of the second caravan followed the group a good distance behind.  They were very afraid of the deerbirds for some untold reason.  Darius concentrated on his eagle again.  He learned the deerbirds were gone, probably out hunting.  As the caravan descended dark clouds covered the sky and the wind picked up.  Drops of rain began to fall slicking the road and slowing travel.  At dusk the campsite from the previous night was at last reached.  A fire was built for warmth and for the watch to see, but most slept in the covered wagon to stay out of the rain.  

Hanz was fully awake and active after having slept the whole day on Rose’s feather mattress.  Ben removed the man’s bandages as Darius tried to convince Hanz to join the worship of Thor.  The mercenary only listened humoring Darius without asking questions.  He did not even ask about his missing ring that had been taken from him as he slept.  When Darius set the watch order Hanz suggested he could stay up all night and sleep in the next day.  Wisely, Darius decided against it.  

Lightning crashed amoung the mountains illuminating the night sky in flashes.  Dram and Miklesh sat in the rain near the fire on first watch.  Dram reflected on the prospect of finding his brother alive, if at all.  He believed Keep Adlerweeg would be impossible to attack without an army.  And if Darius was right, a goblin army already stood on the far side of the pass waiting to attack even if they were successful.  None of it boded well for rescuing Tankurd.  Miklesh silently pulled out a tarp for the two to share.  Dram regarded the man.  He said little and was surer of himself than Ormand was.  “And he doesn’t complain like most people,” thought Dram.  He was glad to have him on his side.   Lightning flashed again.  For a second Dram could swear he saw a shadow of a man coming up the roadway.  The lightning flashed again and he was certain of it.  

“Go wake the fighters, Grog first.”   Miklesh followed orders and crawled under the team’s wagon to where Grog slept.  Dram unsheathed his sword and regarded the thing approaching from below.  From afar the figure looked like a huge giant, but distance was deceiving.  “Thor’s hammer, he must be twice the size of Grog!” thought Dram.  Darius joined him by his side, but said not a word.  The whole team was awake now.  Dram sent Grog out to talk with the Giant. 
“Draw your sword first!” called out Rose over the wind.  Grog grew to over twice his normal height, twenty feet tall.  Then he strolled down to meet the Giant.  Darius could tell it was moving much faster than the half-ogre.  Father Ben saw Whoshang hiding under the wagons.  “Who you!” called out Grog.  The Giant man held up his hand in greeting.  It was difficult to see his features in the rain.  “Come close to light.  Talk to Darius.  He know more.”  The figure climbed higher and higher.  As it did so it seemed to slow down and grow shorter and shorter.  The dimensions of the slope and the road readjusted themselves in Dram’s eyes.  When the Giant finally reached the firelight, it was only a normal human.  

“Hello my friends.  It is one named Darius I seek.”  The stranger grinned broadly.  His misshapen body and horribly scarred face distorted the smile.  Darius approached him and looked in the man’s eyes.  Then the two moved down the path a little to talk in private about things like ‘Thor’, ‘Odin’, and the ‘Rainbow Bridge’.  When Darius returned he introduced the team to Jakob the Monk.  “He and I actually dreamt of each other,” explained Darius.  “It happened shortly after Pax was killed.  I don’t know the reason behind the dreams, but he wishes to follow me.  And I have agreed to hire him on. Out of my own funds of course.”  Grog blinked sleepily.  The rest of the team gave their general assent.  Ben asked Darius to watch over Jakob until he could be tested.  

The second watch passed without incident.  The wind and rain had lessened by the time Grog and Houshang sat alone on the third.  “Grog!  You are a mighty warrior!” said Houshang.  Grog looked over at the foreigner he had been ignoring.  The man’s mouth had not closed once since he sat down.  “And you carry a mighty sword and shield!  If only I had such weapons, then Houshang would be as great a warrior as Grog!”  
“Grog sword not for sale man.  Grog win sword.  This sword of Krag, King of Giants!  Grog steal this sword.”  Houshang coaxed the whole story from Grog of how he killed many trolls in revenge of his brother’s death.  It was during his battles with these trolls, and orcs, and other strange creatures that Grog had come upon the sword.  “And now sword Grog’s,” he finished.  “Grog carry and remember brother.”

“And a very compelling story it is, if I may say so,” said Houshang.  “Grog,” the stranger sprang to his feet.  “Grog, I must tell you a secret.  Will you keep a secret between us two?”
”What secret?”
“A most powerful secret, my tall friend.  You see, I can make you stronger!”  
Grog slapped his knee.  “Ha! Haaahaa… Grog already strong!”
Houshang was not deterred.  “Please bend down so I might show you precisely how strong I mean.”  Grog crouched and looked into the stranger’s eyes.  Suddenly he realized the stranger was actually a great friend of his.  “Here,” said Houshang, “take this gold this coin from my hand.”  He held out a cheap lead coin to the half-ogre.  
“Grog like.  Grog feel stronger already!”  
“Ah Yes!  And as long as you keep that gold coin and… and show it to no one, then you shall remain strong.”  Grog told his new best friend many secrets during their watch.  In return Houshang was allowed to test Grog’s sword.  The stranger grew to four times his height, swung the sword, and laughed merrily.


----------



## howandwhy99

*[DAY 103 – Holyday, Sceptre 7th, CY 81]*

“Yep, two of ‘em,” said the other caravan’s leader.  “Run off in the night.  I’d’ve suspected foul play, but nothin’ could’ve attacked us up here without someone seein’.”  Gwenna listened closely.  It was early morning.  The clients she was currently working for were taking their sweet time in choosing what to do next: either go to the Keep, or go back to Kera.  She was actually sad, however, to hear about the loss of two caravan guards.  It could easily have been her and a mate.  If the men were lucky, the caravan would find them on the road back to the City  “If they decided to go off trail into the hills…” Gwynna did not want to finish the thought.  

Rose had been on last watch.  To her dismay she was still invisible.  She overheard Gwenna and the other caravan leader talking and decided to search for the lost guards.  Scouting the perimeter she found signs of a scuffle near the cliff’s edge.  Three pairs of booted feet were involved, but only one pair led away.  Over the edge she saw nothing but rocks and the river.  A gust of air suddenly blew up and almost pushed Rose off the side.  Darius’s giant eagle landed.  The paladin had decided to ride on his mount for the rest of the trip to Kera.  The team had not reached consensus and put off working on one yet again.  When they reached Kera, they would see what resources were available and then make a decision.  Rose secretly hoped the Earl would send an army to take back the Keep.  Other members did not believe his rulership was so benign.  

Under cover in the wagon Kayla and Diedre pulled out Lavinia’s chest to inspect it again.  Rose took advantage of her situation and hid in back to watch them.  Her own horse was harnessed to the wagon anyways.  Kayla showed Diedre a new discovery.  The cloakhole could be folded in on itself.  She shrunk it down to the size of a handkerchief and left it on the floorboards next to the chest.  Deviously, Rose stuck her hand in the little hole and whispered.  “The servant that pushes the items out” Her fingertips tingled then a powerful shock coursed through her hand and up her arm.  Instinctively Rose jerked backwards, but not before screaming out in the pain.  “Who’s there!” shouted Diedre accusingly.
“Nobody, but us nobodies…  Ohhhh, I think I need to lie down.”  Rose’s form pressed into the featherbed.
“It is dangerous to test things you know nothing about,” said Kayla.  Then she returned to attentions to the closed chest.  

_“LET ME OUT!” _Ben heard in his mind.  The voice had returned… the one that sounded just like his own voice. _ “LET ME OUT!”_  Ben reined his horse to a stop thinking he might pass out again and fall off.  Dismounting, he sat down in the road and felt the gravel in his hands.  
“Who are you?” asked Ben.  
Dram rode up behind Ben and called out “Stop the wagons!”  
_“I AM THE GUARDIAN OF THE KEEP”_
“The guardian?  But what is your name?”  The rest of the caravan halted.  Darius rode over to Ben’s side and dismounted.
_“THE SENTINEL”_
Darius gave Ben a shake.  “You’re talking to yourself again, Father.”  
Kayla and Diedre hopped out from the back the wagon.  “I think he can hear Lavinia’s son inside the chest!” called out Kayla.  “If we can release him from the chest, maybe he can tell us how to sneak inside Adlerweg?”

_“LET ME OUT!” _Ben heard in his mind again.  Kayla’s proposal sounded quite plausible to him at the moment.  Grog was already pulling Lavinia’s chest out from the wagon.  
“I think we should do it,” said Ben.  “Either way, the ghosts must be destroyed.”  The team arrayed themselves around the chest in the middle of the open road.  Gwenna and Miklesh drove the horses and wagon a good distance away for safety.  Darius was already formulating a plan.  He would hide behind the chest, while Grog in Giant-form smashed the sheets with his sword.  
“Be careful not to hit the chest,” Darius cautioned him.  Father Ben was given a spear to pop open the chest.  He was to look inside for Lavina’s son as soon as it opened.  

“Ready?” shouted Darius.  “One… Two… Three… Pull!”  Ben flipped the lid open.  The two green sheetghosts slowly drifted out left and right from the interior.  Darius slammed the chest lid back down from behind.  NOW!” he shouted.  The two sheets hung one from either side.  Jakob threw a curved blade about the size of a knife.  It stuck into the side of the chest missing.  Ben swung awkwardly with the spear and missed horribly.  He had never used such a weapon before.  Grog in Giant-form heaved his massive sword downward and struck the left sheet.  It tore and turned white around the wound.  A disembodied voice was heard speaking a strange language.  Ben looked behind him, but could not find the source.  

“Damn it all!” Both of Dram’s shots missed, ruining his the precious silver arrows he had chosen.  Ormand the Redd hit the torn sheet twice with his own arrows.  It turned completely white and then dissolved into ash.  

The second sheetghost struggled to pull itself out of the chest.  Dram fired a third silver arrow missing again.  Ben called upon the power of the Gods, but the ghost resisted.  Grog moved to over and swung his sword. The swing rent the other sheet in two.  It turned white and then deteriorated on the ground like the other.  “We won!” shouted out the disembodied voice.
“That was much easier this time,” said Dalin.
“Let’s open it up!” called out Kayla.  “Father Ben, do you hear anything?”  Jakob moved up to the chest and opened it.  Ash from the dead sheetghosts covered the contents.  Blowing it away, he saw silver and gold coins filled the chest to the brim.  A gold statuette stuck out of the pile on one side.  Lying on top in the center was one white glove.  
Ben peeked over Jacob’s shoulder.  “No one’s in there!” he said.  Then in his head he thought to himself, “Are you the glove?”






_“I AM THE SENTINEL” _
Ben was confused.  He remembered back to Kustler and Urkwin the thin man. “For Keep Adlerweg?  You’re the Sentinel of what or who?”  Ben stared off into space not speaking aloud this time.  
“What is it?” asked Kayla.  She moved forward and looked inside the chest.  The stranger Jakob was curious as well.  Seeing the glove inside, he reached for it.  ZAP! He flew backwards ten feet and hit the ground hard.  His body was still shaking and smoking from the blast when Darius reached his side.  
“What was that?” the dwarf shouted.  Darius searched for wounds on his new friend.  There were none, but the monk was still gravely injured.
“It’s a blasted trap!” said Dram and he kicked over the chest with his boot.  Coins spilled all over the roadway.  The rest of the team ran forward to pick them up before they rolled over the edge.  Grog shrank down to normal size and nearly squashed Rose who was trying to avoid the wave of rolling metal.


----------



## howandwhy99

Ignoring the scene around him, Ben casually reached down and picked up the glove that had fallen from the chest.  When his hand touched it, the glove came alive and molded itself onto his right hand.  Then it returned to normal as if Ben had put it on himself.  It was made of smooth white goatskin and finely stitched.  The glove was so soft and light it felt like wearing nothing at all.  “Can you still hear me?” he thought to it.
_”GIVE ME TO THE WOMAN” _Ben looked around for Kayla and saw the rest of his team crouching down and picking up coins.  They was mostly silver, but a good smattering of gold and even small white gems were strewn across the roadway. 

“It is worthless,” Houshang was telling Darius.  “It is trash that no one would ever buy.”  The stranger held the gold statue in one hand and several coins in another.  “I would be doing you a favor in getting rid of it for you.  Please, let me sell it to someone for twice its price and we can split the profits, yes?”  
Darius disagreed.  He took the statuette away from Houshang.  It was far too heavy to be anything but solid gold, hardly worthless.  The figure resembled a human warrior with its hands thrust outward.  “It resembles the jade statuette,” he thought to himself.  “Perhaps it’s a twin?”  To Houshang he said, “We’ll be keeping it until we know what it is for certain...  until then, hand over the coin.  We have yet to come to terms on how you will be paid or even what you’ll be doing.”  
Houshang pocketed the silver coins defiantly.  “They are mine.  I found them on the road.  They had no owner until they reached my palm.”  Darius decided to let the incident pass for now.  

Kayla looked at Ben who was standing in the pile of coins and whispering to himself.  “What have you found?  Ben!  Are you still with us?”  Bizarrely, a severed hand floated out from the back of the wagon.  
_“WE ARE THE GUARDIAN OF KEEP ALDERWEEG”_ Ben repeated back what he just heard to Kayla.  _”GIVE ME TO THE WOMAN”_ Ben closed his mouth.  He had known for months now Kayla was a witch, but one who used her sorcery for his benefit and the others.  Still, he did not know how long her good intentions might continue.  Unexpectedly he felt a rock in his right hand and he grasped it.  
“Rose’s spiralstone?  What’s this?” said Ben.  Still invisible, Rose giggled from behind Kayla.  
“Well at least she’s rid of it,” said Kayla.  “The glove must have something to do with the Earl.  What are you hearing?  Can it answer questions?”
Ben nodded.  “It’s been slow to speak.  Quick!  Get me some of your parchment and a quill and ink.  Remember the skinny man?  I just had an idea.”

Ben picked out the writing utensils he used for letters to Father Stauk-Flezr while Kayla retrieved her books.  The rest of the team finished brushing the fallen coin into the cloakhole now placed in middle of the road.  Out of the corners of their eyes they studied Ben and the glove he now wore.  Gwenna and her two mercenaries directed the other caravan’s wagons past the congregation in the road.  When all was ready Ben set his inked quill to the page and the glove began to write:



> _IT IS OUR DUTY TO FREE THE KEEP ALDERWEEG FROM THE OPPRESSORS THAT NOW HOLD THE PASS TO ALL FREE LANDS_



“Which side are the free lands!” called out Diedre.  She, Kayla, and Darius had gathered close to the book.  They were the only others who could read.  Houshang the stranger watched over Darius’s shoulder intent on watching anyways.  Ben repeated the question in his mind.



> _NEITHER NOW UNTIL WE FREE THE KEEP OF ALDERWEEG._



“Well then, which side was free?” grumbled Darius.  Ben tried to repeat the question his head, but the answer came before he began.



> _THIS SIDE WAS FREE_



“What’s it saying? shouted Dalin.  Kayla started reading the answers aloud.
“Ask it what it can do!” spoke Rose’s voice.  



> _I CAN OPEN ANY DOOR WITHIN THE KEEP.
> I CHASE THOSE WHO ARE EVIL AWAY.
> I EMBOLDEN THE GUARDIAN AND THOSE WITH MAGIC I STRENGTHEN.
> I ALSO COMMAND WITHIN THE KEEP AND I KNOW THE AURAS OF THOSE WHO ENTER WITHIN_



Ben immediately tried to use the last power.  Calling on the glove like he did the Gods’ power he scanned for auras.  It did not work.  “Perhaps it means the powers work only within the Keep?” he said aloud.  
“Ask it how often it strengthens the guardian with magic,” said Kayla.  
Ben was a little put off.  He suddenly realized what the glove had written.  Dropping the quill he asked in his mind, “Is it sorcerous magic you command?”
_“YES” _

Ben screeched.  “I don’t want it!  Get it off me!  It’s sorcery!  Likely a trapped demon!”  
_“GIVE ME TO THE WOMAN”_ it said in his mind again.  Ben’s distrust was all that stopped him.
“Pray tell, what exactly are the gloves powers?” asked Houshang.  “Perhaps it needs a magician to properly control the forces within?”  The strange man with the funny hat held his hand forth as if to touch the glove.  Ben hastily jerked it away.  
_”GIVE ME TO THE MAN”_ the voice said.
Ben was confused.  He knew virtually nothing about the stranger Whoshang, but he suspected he may be some kind of wizard-in-training like Kayla.  Closing his eyes he whispered a little prayer asking for guidance on what to do.
_“GIVE ME TO THE MAN”_ The voice would not shut up.


----------



## howandwhy99

Deciding the best thing to do was to leave the choice up to the Gods Ben repeated his prayer.  Divine energy filled him and the light in his eyes changed.  He could see the auras of those around him again.  Kayla’s was white, but so was Whoshang’s.  “Well that doesn’t help,” thought Ben.  The glove was strangely silent.  Ben held it up to his face, but saw no aura other than his own.  Looking around he noticed Dram’s green aura had turned whiter in nature.  Ormand’s too.  Ben pulled out the gold ring he had taken from Hanz.  It gave no aura either, but that was normal for mundane objects.  Looking across the roadway at Hanz he saw the mercenary still had no aura just as before.  “Did this ring steal his soul?” thought Ben.  He quickly pocketed it again.  

“I have prayed for guidance, but received no revelation to help me choose,” Ben said aloud.  
“Next time try Thor!” shouted Dram from in back of the crowd.  
“Here!  Let me take it!” said a voice.  Ben felt something grab his gloved hand.  Power jolted from the glove outward and he heard a voice in his mind scream in pain.  Rose’s now visible smoking form appeared unconscious on the ground in front of him.  Ben backed away as others rushed forward to help.  Darius channeled healing power into Rose healing her wounds, but she did not wake.  Dalin and Ormand carried her into the wagon’s bed.  Dram and Darius laid Jakob comatose body next to her.

“I think the glove believed it was being stolen,” said Father Ben.  “I probably have to give it up willfully.” 
“I agree.  That is the wise choice,” said Kayla.  “But you must choose a user of magic to wear it.”  Ben pondered the situation.  There was a discussion on the nature of what the glove might be.  During it Houshang admitted to dabbling in the mystical arts.  In the end, Ben resolved to choose the lesser evil in his mind though it grieved him to do so.  
“Perhaps if one of you agreed to give a donation to the church?  Kera is in dire need of a temple.”
”What is this?” shouted Dram.  “Some sore of bribe for your Gods?”  
Ben looked away embarrassed.  “No.  But if the owner of the glove rules Keep Alderweg, maybe the new owner could promise to introduce religion in the nearby area?”  Both Houshand and Kayla readily agreed to the stipulation.  

Ben pondered again.  “What Gods do each of you follow?” he asked.
“I grew up learning from Balorn,” said Kayla.  “He didn’t really have time for Gods or religion.  And I must admit I have learned nothing about them.”
”I’ll teach her!” called out Darius.  “I will teach her about the ways of Thor.  Will that suffice?”  Ben still waffled on what to do which angered the dwarf.
“In my land we have many Gods,” said Houshang.  “The wind and sand are venerated.”
“Wind and Sands?” mused Ben.  “They are Gods?”  The decision was getting more difficult, not easier.  
“Listen.  I will vouch for Kayla,” said Darius. “That should be enough!”
Grog moved forward and put his hand on the strangers shoulder.  “Grog pouch for Whosang

Ben scratched his head trying to think clearly.
“Enough of this!  Give it to Kayla!” yelled Darius.  “She’s going to get it in the end anyways!” Ben took step back.  The dwarf looked ready to fight.  
“I-I don’t know…” Darius drew his hammer and moved to a fighting stance as if he were going to smite Ben.  The priest cowered.
“Okay! Okay.  I will give the glove to Kayla,” said Ben.  Looking over to Whoshang he apologized.  “I have known her much longer I have you.  This is probably the best choice, okay?”  The stranger said something in a tongue no one understood.

Ben reached forward with his gloved hand and touched Kayla’s.  The glove melded over to her and reformed.  The conflict was over.
“Wow!” exclaimed Kayla.  “Ben, you were right about the voice in your head!”
“Oh yes!  Though it’s not like the voices I normally hear.  Or like the voice I heard when…” Ben rambled off looking embarrassed again.  He moved away from the group to go bind Rose’s wounds in the wagon.  

_“FIND THE ENEMY”_ Kayla heard in her mind.
“Who?” she thought back
_“THE OTHER IS THE ENEMY.  FEED US THE ENEMY”_
“Who is the Other?  This Enemy you speak of?”
_“THOSE NOT OF THE LIGHT IN THE KEEP”_
Kayla conversed in her mind as most of the team watched.  She learned the powers she now commanded, beyond those Ben had written of.  “Darius,” she called the dwarf near.  “It says I will have the ability to hurt flying creatures when in the Keep.  I think this Enemy it speaks of might have the same power.  You should tell your eagle not to get too close.”  Darius nodded and relayed the message.


----------



## howandwhy99

“How long are we going to be?” asked Gwenna who had walked up the road.  “The other caravan’s already left and has a good head start on us.”  Another long discussion broke about what to do.  Now Kayla had the glove taking back Keep Alderweg was near unavoidable.  Gwenna wandered back to Miklesh, Hanz, and the wagons throwing her hands up in frustration.

Ben wanted to stay in Kera and spread the word of the Gods.  Kayla felt compelled to conquer the Keep now she wore the glove.  Darius wanted to go to the Dwarven Kingdoms.  Rose had always said her mission was to go to the Front.  Dram wanted to get his brother back.  Houshang was mostly interested in counting the gold and finding a way to get more.  Grog wanted to kill trolls.  And Dalin just wanted to do “Something, please!”  Fortunately, their hirelings stayed quiet throughout.  In the end they decided to go to Kera to seek aid from the Earl.  With any luck they could conquer the keep and save Tankurd.

“I cannot go with you then,” said Darius.  “The Dwarven Thanes sent me to Margrave as an ambassador of the Hold.  I must go back to give my report.”  The rest of the team was stunned.  The Dwarves were at least two weeks away.  “I will fly south on my eagle and meet you back here.  But I must return home,” said Darius.  The group conceded to his decision.  Plans were made to meet again at the campsite in the mountains in ten days time.  The coin was counted out, over twenty pounds of it for each member, and divvied up.  Darius mounted, said his goodbyes, and flew off into the sky.  The rest of the team regrouped and finally headed back to Kera.  
“Grog?” said Houshang.  “Please carry me.”  The strange foreigner had found his own special mount.


*[DAY 104 – Sunday, Sceptre 8th, CY 81]
– [DAY 113 – Feastday, Sceptre 17th, CY 81]*

For three days Darius flew south over the mountains on his eagle.  He had heard many stories as a child of the dangers in the Hellfurnace peaks and like most Dwarves he had avoided going above ground whenever possible.  It was his desire to meet new people and his habit of making quick decisions that ultimately convinced the Thanes to send him to the human lands.  But now he was glad to be heading home.  During the night Darius slept on the barren lands west of the mountains.  He did not even dare to cross over east of the Hellfurnaces when he flew during the day.  When he finally recognized the peaks of Thoria, those of his Hold, he thanked Thor for blessing him with a safe trip.  As fast as his eagle flew most voyagers never returned from entering the mountains alone.  

The Dwarven Kingdoms were the same as they had always been.  The floor of the stone cut Hold echoed under his footsteps.  Darius’s first appointment was with his family.  He gave his sister a gift from the human lands and learned some surprising information.  When he had left his Father was being considered to become a Thane.  The decision process was still going on.  It was all Darius needed to remember how different Dwarven culture was to the human’s.  Everything took time to decide.  The next day he was allowed to make his report to the Thanes.  It took all day as they questioned him ensuring every detail was known about his journey.  Darius formally requested they send a contingent to fight at the Front and save County Margrave.  He also asked for weapons to be sent, if no soldiers could be.  The petition was tabled for further discussion at a later time – which meant any decision would not be reached for many months.

The second day home Darius went to the smiths and showed the headsmith the sword he found in Quesquaton.  To his surprise the smith said he did not recognize the mark, but that it looked dwarvenforged.  Darius searched through the weapons and shops nearby, but remembered how costly everything was compared to the human lands.  He could afford almost nothing.  On Thunderday he went to the priests and paid due fealty.  From the priests he learned of three holy weapons and of past quests of paladins for renowned weapons.  Choosing one, the beginning of a bond was created and he felt its presence far northward.  On the last day Darius trained with the Thanes.  In the morning before leaving for his journey back north he spoke with his father.  Darius was curious about dropping dwarven powder kegs from the back of his eagle.  His father said he would look into it when he had more time.  With a last wave goodbye he soared up into the air again.  Three more treacherous days north and he could reunite with his friends.


----------



## howandwhy99

*The Dwarven Kingdom*

_Dwarves have a high resistance to magic. They note slopes, slants, new stone work, and depth. They can see in the dark as if in the day. They are a proud race of stout warriors. They wear beards. 

Dwarves are on friendly terms with Elves, Humans, Halflings, and Gnomes. They are slightly cooler towards Half-Elves and Hobbits.  They hate Orcs, Goblins, and Giants.

The average dwarf stands four feet tall, stocky of build, weigh 150 lbs, shoulders very broad, their skin is ruddy tan, brown, or gray. hair ranges from brown, red, and gray to stark white.  and are of various types (hill the most common, mountain the next most, and burrowers aka gnomes). Gnomes are slightly smaller, thinner, and more gray in skin tone and hair color.

Dwarves work well with their hands in making things to help them reshape or reform their homes. 

The Kingdom of Thoria is the ancestral home to most dwarves the party will encounter in Margrave. The Kingdom has a standard array of 16 city blocks. It has been said that if you've seen one dwarven city, you've seen them all. Nothing could be more true. Once a dwarf finds something he likes, he stick with it. Dwarves leave architectural fantasies to other races, who enjoy that sort of thing. Dwarves like utility. The 16 City blocks roughly described are 
1) Gatehouse 
2) Great Hall 
3) Kings Wall Corner I 
4) Kings Wall Gate 
5) Kings Wall I 
6) Kings Wall II
 7) Kings Wall Corner II 
8) Court of Thanes 
9) Residence 
10) Transport Shaft 
11) Wharf 
12) Great Temple 
13) Dungeons 
14) Smithy 
15) Transport Machinery 
16) Gardens

The Government/ Ruling Council: The Overthane rules the city. Darius Great, great Uncle is the current Overthane. The 6 other thanes handle the day to day events and report to the Overthane. These thanes are Hornfel of Clan Hylar, Realgar of Clan Theiwar, Rance of Clan Daergar, Gneiss of Clan Daewar, Tufa of Clan Klar, and Bluph of the Gnomes.

What Darius knows:

Darius's GgUncle is getting on in years. Soon (within the next 20 or so years) he will have to consider stepping aside. Traditionally the next member in line would be his choosing. Darius's Father has his Great Uncle's favor. But most if not all but 1 Overthane have come from the ranks of true War chieftains ... previous thanes. Darius's father is thane of the clan. But still most decision fall on the Great Uncle by default of his position as Overthane.  (you can read more in background about how this Clan is a working clan. One with many smiths.)

Hornfel is the father of another great dwarven Hero, Arman Kharas Hylar. He is a cautious leader and a veteran of wars.

Realgar believes himself destined to become Overthane and pursues his goal with all available means. He wants the dwarves to become a power to be feared by the Humanoids in the mountains.

Rance is an angry war chieftain and vicious fighter who plays dirty at every opportunity. He is a dangerous man, but his temper and lack of control keep him from being the leader he dreams of being.

Gneiss is a war chieftain who administers his realm with a professional hand. He is calm and steady, but not an inspiring leader. His Clan admire and respect him, but do not love him.

Tufa is a modest, though respected man. His Clan is at the bottom of the chain. They perform most of the menial tasks. He works to improve their lot. He is allied with Hornfel.

Bluph has great dignity and feels himself destined to be the first Gnome Overthane. He is considered to be a genius. He is much beloved and a great Hero himself._

*Holy Weapons of the Dwarvish Faith*

_There is a legend of an Axe of the Dwarvish Lords. There is also another one concerning Moradin's Hammer, a replica of which the Lord Thane holds. And yet another involving Splinterstrike... a blade used to kill multitudes of Orcs.

The stories told in his youth about the Axe include tales of great battles fought. The axe wielded by some great warrior or other. And with the death of the warrior. Usually also in the battle. It vanished. Only to be found or used again in another tale.  

The Hammer made the dwarven race. By Moradin's hand. It was used also to chisel a place in the mountains and hills for the people. When hurled it causes a loud boom/thunder and boosts morale of all dwarves while causing fear in their enemies.  Every parent has told the tale of Moradin's Hammer to his/her offspring at one time or other. And it is partially mentioned at the opening of every prayer and council session.

Splinterstrike killed the last Hordeking Orc Garnash. It was also stolen by the Orcs after the battle. And is one of the reasons dwarves hate orcs so._


----------



## howandwhy99

The team spent the rest of the day and all day Sunday returning to Kera City.  By the time they had purchased rooms at The Wyvern Rose was up and walking again.  However, Darius’s friend ‘the monk’ was still unconscious and healing slowly.  He was put in a bed to sleep as soon as they arrived.  Rose collected everyone else into the second bedroom, for a surprise.
“I believe my powers are growing,” she said.  “It’s something unusual.  I feel like they are coming in bits and spurts.  I’m… I am not quite sure what will happen if I train and try to control them.  It could be dangerous.”  Ben wondered if this meant she was going through puberty.
“Are you growing taller?” he asked.
“No.  It’s not that.  The problem is, if I don’t try and control these changes… Well, the forces within me may explode out chaotically.”
“Perhaps they could be controlled through magic?” suggested Kayla.
Rose’s eyes sparkled.  “Oh yes!  It may be possible for you to use this in your magic.  You could release the force and substitute it in your magic rituals.”  

Ben was stunned.  “I’m not so sure,” said Kayla.
“It would be like tapping the magics of the queen of the wild!” Rose was getting more excited by the idea.  “It would be dangerous though. There would be an effective backwash into the user giving you some of the power as well.  But the effects could be truly wonderful!  I can’t say what, but the power created would…”
“No, Rose” said Kayla cutting her off.
“It is true Fey Magic is highly addictive to humans,” Rose continued on.  “So we might want to start with small amounts.  I would want to be able to heal the flesh taken anyways.”
“Absolutely not!” said Ben.  “I will not allow this to happen!”
“But?  What about in a last ditch effort?  If there was no other way?” Rose pleaded.
“Give up our faith in truth and purity?  To give side with chaos when things are at their darkest?”  
That ended the conversation.  Ben did not hear Rose talk about her proposal after that and he could only hope she would forget it.  

For the next week the team studied and trained.  Father Ben made a makeshift shrine in the bedroom next to Jakob’s body, so he could watch over him while praying.  In the evenings he continued his preaching in the streets.  Kayla and Diedre who spent their time reading watched Jakob when Ben was out.  Gwenna, Miklezh and Hanz were still being paid and took residence at a cheaper inn across town.  Grog simply lazed around the common room the entire week eating and carousing with Dalin and Dram in the evenings.   Sermonizing in front of The Wyvern, Ben took notice of the comings and goings of the rest of the team as the week progressed.  Dram, Dalin, and Rose explored the city and the stranger Houshang had all but disappeared.  A bargain had been made with the foreigner shortly after Darius left.  He would join the team and fight with them against Adlerweg.  What his reasons for allying were Ben could not say.

Dram found a moneylender for reasonable rates and helped the rest of the team switch over from heavy coin to lighter gems to ease traveling with the treasure.  Then he purchased an extra strong bow for himself and another for his Ormand the Redd   He ordered Ormand to continue watching the horses in the stables.  Oddly his hireling was more than willing to go back.   When not training with Dalin in swordsmanship, Dram spent a lot of his time at the Dead Horse tavern alone.  He had some plans in mind and was looking to purchase a little assistance.  Unfortunately, the bard never did return, but Dram he did meet other patrons and heard several different rumors.  

“An orc ‘nd gobbo army are up in the pass.  They’re commander is a giant and they’re attacking the keep the trolls took over.” 
“There is a new businessman in town.  The word is, he has purchased one of the inns and is looking for help to run it.  Ten to one the Earl will seize the property soon.”  
“The Earl?  Oh, he’s a shrewd one that one.  Spends all day in ‘is palace and all night in the city below.  Keeps tight control on everything ‘round ‘ere if ya know what I mean.”

One evening Houshang showed up inside The Wyvern with a stunningly beautiful woman on his arm.  Father Ben was outside preaching, but he saw him through the bay window approach some of his teammates individually.  When Ben went inside for dinner he found himself propositioned by the stranger.  “Ah Father Benedict.  Just the man I was looking for.  How would you like to double your treasure?  I have a hot new business deal and am looking for investors.”
Ben noticed Houshang was carrying a newly made spear.  “What exactly is your business?” he asked.
“Just a little something on the side.  I’ve have a few things I’m planned, but first let me introduce you to Kepala.”  Houshang gestured to the dusky woman Ormand the Redd was clearly drooling over.  “She will be overseeing the female services.”
“I see,” said Ben.  “I would advise against this.  There are laws and customs in our land prohibiting such activities.  Perhaps your culture handles this differently where you’re from?”
“We’re not all followers of Ben’s beliefs,” said Dram cutting in.
“Are you serious Father?” Houshang looked truly surprised.  “Grog has been quite successful in Kusnir.  And Kera looks ripe for the plucking.”  
To one side Ormand was shyly talking to Kepala’s.  “You’re not married, are you””
“HEY!” shouted Houshang.  “She is my woman. Get your own.”  Ben used the opportunity to sneak upstairs and finish his meal in peace.


----------



## howandwhy99

Ormand went back to the stables for another long night alone.  Living in the stables had grown on him ever since he learned of the adjoining inn, however.  Near the rear door he discovered some of the stablehands.  Talking to them, he learned they had overseen Pax’s death.  “Yeah,” said one, “me and my friends watched as the straw haired woman and her sons entered.  Then reeeal slowly the blue man came afterwards.  You could tell he was up to no good.  They went over to their horse and the big man came down the ladder.  Then he made his move, ran over to the door, and outside.  A bunch of the woman’s sons chased after.”
“Did you hear anything?  Any names?” asked Ormand.
“Well, the two chaps the big man was with?  They scuffled up top.  One yelled out ‘YOU TRAITOR!’ and the other fell to the floor dead.”
“Wait.  You’re saying the traitor was slain?” asked 
”Oh yeah!  Stabbed him deep too.  There was lots and lots of blood.  Then the sons came back in and beat up the other one.  It was rough stuff, but no weapons.  I think they did it for fun and just left him for dead.  As soon as they took off we ran and told the guards.  You should know I was the one who reported ‘em.”  The boy held out his hand awaiting his reward.  Ormand ran back to The Wyvern to tell Dram.

When he heard the news Dram was furious.  Father Ben watched as he and Dalin stormed out to the street.  Ben chased after them to find out what happened.  Dram and Dalin went to the small inn where the mercenaries stayed.   Inside they questioned the three remaining mercenaries.  Ben quietly observed to make sure they did not hurt any of the hirelings.  Mishek and Gwenna knew nothing of the rumor or the events of the night in question.  When Hanz was brought forward, however, Dram could barely contain his anger.  Dalin began relating the story of Ormand had heard from the stableboys.  “What we want to know,” he finished, “is did you kill Ensler?”
”DID YOU MURDER HIM IN COLD BLOOD!” shouted Dram.  “WAS IT ALL A SETUP?  YOU’RE WORKING WITH HER, AREN’T YOU!?”
Hanz crumpled in on himself and started bawling.  Ben studied his reaction.  Hanz looked honestly ashamed to him.  “Maybe I did?” said Hanz.  “Maybe I did it all?”  He howled and sobbed uncontrollably.   It was difficult to learn anything else him, but the mercenary did claim not to know of working for Lavinia.  In the end Hanz was left under Gwenna’s supervision.  The questioning had led to fewer answers than hoped.

During her time in Kera Rose explored the city looking at the strange creatures within.  The variety of humans and other mixed races behaved quite differently than they did in Margrave.  Feeling sorry for the short-lived folk, she decided to use her bits of metal to help them.  Entering the slavepits alone, Rose felt strangely at home among the bound slaves.   As she looked them over she recognized a commonality within herself.  It was still difficult for her to relate to a world where beating was wrong.  Then she remembered Tankurd and Rose called over a slave driver.  “Do you have any smiths available?” she asked.
“No, but lemme know if ya find one.  They’re gettin’ more popular.”
“Trained guards perhaps?”  There were three on hand.  “What about exotics?” 
The grubby man looked Rose over.  “Ya like Elf?”
“That will do,” said Rose.  “But what about children?”
”Oh plenty.  And cheap.”  Rose politely thanked the man and walked over to watch the auction.

A short time later a male Elf was brought out and strapped to the auction board.  He looked different than the ones Rose had trained with in the forest.  He had blue tinted skin just like Rose’s, but with green hair.  She bid on him and the price went up and up, from five gold to fifty.  “One hundred gold pieces!” she shouted.  Rose won.  The Elf was released and brought to her side in chains.  Using the Elven tongue Rose learned he was something called a ‘River Elf’ and had amphibious gills for breathing underwater.  She wanted to ask more questions, but the auction had begun again.  Over the next few hours, Rose purchased the three trained guards and then six human children between the ages of ten and twelve.  When she took them up above to the streets, Rose questioned each of the adults in turn.  All the slaves were silent and very compliant to her commands, all but one that is.  One adult male was particularly rude.  Rose thought she recognized goblin features in his face and manner.  Splitting up her remaining coin, only about fifty gold pieces, Rose let the half-goblin go free with a quarter portion.  When he had left, she divided up the six children: two to each of the remaining adults.  “In return for your freedom and this metal, this gold, you are each ordered to watch over your new children.  You will raise them into adults as if they were your own.  Do you understand?”  The slaves could not quite believe her at first.  But then they gladly agreed.  When she left the new families in the street Rose wondered how the river Elf might raise his two new human children.  “What a fun and interesting childhood that will be!”

The day before the team was to leave Kera, Rose went back to the Earl’s castle.  Inside she found him sitting alone on his throne.  Pleased to see the Fey again, the Earl asked Rose several questions who in return answered each fully and without discretion.  She reported on the Keep, the spiralstone, the weapon crates, the glove, how the glove was found, and who and where the new wearer was.  When she was done four sinister looking men moved out from behind the room’s pillars.  All were short and had similar pointy features like the Earl’s.  Rose was congratulated and sent to see the quartermaster again.  There she was given fifty gold.  Instead of spending it on more slaves she decided to purchase nonmetal weapons for herself instead: a long whip, three nets, and some unusual balls that had struck her fancy called bolas.   

The next morning Ben realized Jakob was still unfit for travel.  Deciding to stay one more day in Kera, the whole heard gossip spreading like wildfire though the streets.  “Rumor ‘as it, the Earl ‘as left for the Keep with ‘is esteemed army.”  Some in the crowd laughed.  “While the mouse is away the cats will play!”  Ben had been preaching in the streets every day and had seen no army leave or even gather.  In fact, the streets still looked full of able-bodied people to him.  In the evening Dalin came back to The Wyvern with a stranger in tow.  “I’ve been doing pretty well in the gambling arena, so I thought I’d hire a specialist to help us break into the Keep.”  Dalin pointed down at a chubby little man with hairy feet and big grin.  He was even shorter than Rose, barely three feet tall.  “Say hello to my little friend!” said Dalin.  Later they learned his name was Farnid and came from a community of littlefolk just outside the city.


----------



## howandwhy99

During the night Jakob finally recuperated from his injuries.  Early in the morning the team gathered up all its members, followers, mercenaries, horses, and the wagon and left the city for Adlerweg.  Using the shortcut again it took them two days to return to the campsite in the mountains.  Darius was there waiting.  Camp was made and they settled in around the fire.  “Thor has given me another quest,” said Darius.  “It is for a great weapon.  One that belongs to the Dwarves.”  His soul was now tied to the weapon and he could feel its distance.  Conferring with Rose, she placed it near the Front close to where she had left.  “There is something else,” said Darius.  “After speaking with the Thanes I believe the Earl is not the original guardian of Keep Alderweg.”  This was good news.  The team believed they might be able to claim the Keep as their own, if they conquered it.  Kayla related the rumor about the Earl’s army having left Kera.  Rose called down a little bird to check on the castle.  Fortunately, she remembered to bring seeds for the bird this time.  It flew back and confirmed the presence of men.   Then Rose told the rest of the team about her meeting with the Earl and about the strange men behind the pillars.  Some were angered by her reporting on the team.  She was told not to be as open with information in the future.  The group resolved to approach Adlerweg carefully in the morning.  Watch was set.

Shortly after falling asleep the first watch spotted four torches coming down from the mountain pass.  The whole team was quickly woken and armored.  Darius counted six horses with riders.  “Hail!” he called out.
“Hail on the road.  There is trouble ahead.  The keep is taken!” shouted a voice.
“Who are you?”
“We are the Earl’s men!”  
Darius saw the figures stop and take swords in hand.  “Sheath your weapons,” he called back.
“No.  You sheath yours! Who addresses us?”
“We are here to help the Earl,” shouted Dalin over by the fire.
“Good!  Send some men forward.”

Darius walked forward and Rose followed him with a torch.  The two stopped when they could see all six riders in the torchlight.  Each carried a thin sword and wore leather armor.  Rose recognized one from the Earl’s throne room.  All six had similar pointed features like the Earl’s.  “We’ve run into some trouble ahead,” said the lead rider.  “Perytons.”
“You mean the deerbirds?” asked Rose.
“We’ve dispatched them.  It should be safe for now.  But the Keep holds many gnolls.  And a giant troll.  It is larger than any I have ever seen.”
“Uh oh” said Darius.
“We’re going back to Kera for more reinforcements.”
”Your eighteen are not enough?” exclaimed Rose.
“How did you know our number?” accused the man.
“I counted your hoofprints.”
”What about the secret entrance?” asked Darius.
“Guarded.  No entrance lies unguarded.  The gates are down.  We attacked, but have lost many men.”
“We need the glove,” said another rider.

Rose looked around innocently.  “We have brought the glove,” called out Darius.  “We are the reinforcements.”
“Uh… Okay,” said the leader.  “Perhaps…  Let us go ahead and send for the Earl’s reply.”  He called on a lieutenant to ride back to the Keep.  The other five stayed.
“What’s your heritage?” asked Rose bluntly.
“Our family crest is Lycanthra,” said the leader.  “We have a large family.  The Lycanthra are widely known in Kera.  Even the Earl belongs to Lycanthra.  Tell me.  How did you know about the gnolls?”
“We have encountered them before,” said Darius.  “They over took Orlain.  We learned they were paid to come down from this Keep and enslave the townsfolk there.”  Darius pulled out the shield with the gnoll’s tankard emblem on it and showed it to the riders.
“This mercenary band will be added to the list.”
”Where are my manners? I am Rose and this is Darius the Dwarf.  What are your names?”
“I am Sargath Lycanthra,” said the leader.  “My lieutenant is Nupa.”  The other four riders were left unnamed.

Darius and Rose invited the men to stay with them at the campsite until morning.  Back at the fire, the rest of the team had overheard the conversation.  There was little wind that evening.  Going back to sleep the double watch was reset.  This time they kept an eye on the soldiers more than anything the surrounding mountainside.  The five riders sat around the fire and sharpened their swords.  Not one rider slept the entire evening.


----------



## howandwhy99

*[DAY 114 – Weddingday, Sceptre 18th, CY 81]*

In the morning, after prayers and study were completed, the caravan moved higher into the mountains.  After an hour two peryton carcasses were passed on the road.  Both bodies were peppered with arrows.  Darius called upon his eagle to check the nest above.  Three eggs lay inside.  “Should I collect them for food?” asked the eagle.  Darius told it not to.  Traveling farther, the team was about fifteen minutes from the Keep when more riders were spotted on the road ahead.  It was the Earl and Lieutenant Nupa.  Fifteen more men followed them on horseback.  All had the same Lycanthra features.  The Earl stopped the withdrawal and addressed the team.

“The resistance is tough.  We cannot get inside the Keep.  But Nupo here says you have the glove.”
”Yes, we do,” answered Ben.
“Did you see the troll?” shouted Dalin from in back.
“Yes. It threw large stones at us from up on the Keep.”
”What exactly was your plan when you left to invade?” asked Darius.
The Earl squinted.  “We came to the Keep to enter it by force.  And to use this.”  He held up one hand.  On it was a white glove similar to the one Kayla wore.
“Another glove?” said Dalin.
“Yes, the Sentinel and the Enemy.  There are three gloves.”  Ben asked what his glove was named.  “It has no name.  It is the Earl’s glove.  The enemies have the Enemy inside… which is very bad.  The Sentinel was designed to destroy the Enemy.  But you will need to get close to do so.”  The Earl spotted the Sentinel on Kayla’s hand.

“Grog!” called out Houshang.  “You should fight the troll for us.  With your sword.”
”Grog here for that reason specifically.”
“Well… good,” said Houshang.  “I have a plan.  We can call out the troll to have an honor duel in front of the Keep.  Grog, you can fight it in Giant-form and if you are doing poorly, we’ll jump in and finish him off!”
“How would that be honorable?” asked Darius.  
“What does this have to do with honor?  We want to win back the Keep!” said Houshang.  The two began arguing about honor and the heights and strengths of those who wielded Grog’s sword.  
“Wouldn’t Grog need to wear the glove, if he fought the Giant troll?” asked Darius.  The argument turned to tactics.  
“Maybe we should storm the Keep with the doors open this time?” said Kayla holding up her glove.
“I could attack the troll with my eagle from above to stop the boulder tossing,” said Darius.
“What about the army on the other side of the pass?” pointed out Dram.  The Earl’s ears perked up at this last.  Ben had a few questions of his own.



> Father Ben: “Who created the Gloves if you know that the Sentinel was designed to destroy this "enemy" glove?  Was the enemy glove held by the previous Keep Castellan? Who was that person? Perhaps you could describe their features for us.  Tall? Thin?”
> 
> Earl: _"A man of the cloth.(smiles.. not a very nice smile) Father or is it Vicar? No matter. The Sentinel and this glove (shows the one on his hand again) were created many years ago by a crazy old fool. He said it was needed to stem the forces of evil. What could my family do, but fund such an endeavor? Supposedly, a similar crazy old coot did the same for the Lord of the land on the other side of Mount Spira. A very good ploy and one which cost the old man his life for swindling us of our riches. However, one is never to disregard the insane. So we placed one glove in the Keep and one with my ancestor. Turns out the one in the Keep had powers dissimilar to this one. Those of magic could call on these powers. One by one the seneschal of Keep Alderweg seemed to always be replaced by another of similar powers. Eventually the attack never came from The Enemy. So the position of seneschal was deemed too expensive and unnecessary. The guild took over the commerce and toll at the Keep. The seneschal retired to a manor to the West. I guess the Old Fool was right."_
> 
> Father Ben: “Do you know of a merchant woman named Livinia? We have reason to believe she and her sons are inside and working against Kera and with the Trolls and Gnolls.”
> 
> Earl: _"Lavinia, I know well. She and I have traded on several occasions. It does not surprise me to hear she gained access. She has a way with magic herself. She has no love of gnolls or their leaders. But she would also not be afraid to trade with them either. My guess is she has probably come down from the Mountains already. Perhaps even returned to Harling."_



Rose asked the Earl how he knew she was of the Fae since they have little contact with these lands and few had even heard of one let alone recognize one on sight.



> _Those of the Earl's men not already armed drew their weapons.  _
> 
> Sargath: _"Be careful little lady how you address the Earl."  As if the light was playing with your eye, some of the men who were injured seem to grow longer hairier features and then return to normal. Their wounds almost gone.
> 
> Must be the light. Or else the blood wasn't theirs._
> 
> "Sargath, Sargath, Sargath.....” Dram muttered under his breath. The name was driving him crazy.  Dram whispered to Kayla while keeping a watchful eye on the weapon brandishing and posturing, “Sister Kayla, the Earl and his men are of an odd appearance. They strike me as almost ratlike. I find it a strange coincidence that the imposter we mistook for Elian assumed the shape of a rat. Any thoughts?" The fact that the Earl had even had business dealings with Livinia placed further suspicions in Dram's mind.
> 
> Kayla whispered back to Dram as quietly as she could, "No matter my feelings on it, I think we need him as much as he needs us right now."


----------



## howandwhy99

> Darius stepped forward to the Earl and Rose.  His hands were out and palms open, no weapons raised.  "She meant no harm, I assure you my friends.  She was simply curious as to how the Earl was familiar with a being so unusual as herself.  I am sure she intended no slight towards His Majesty“.  Darius bowed before the Earl.  "Darius Kord, Diplomat of the Dwarven Kingdoms of Thoria, and Liaison to the Council of Thanes."
> 
> Earl: _"Well met, Sir Darius. As you are most assuredly well aware duties at court have at times drawn me to mingle with those of many races. Yours included. (He smiles broadly) And when this deed is done I will most likely have to attend to court dealings again to report the cost of this expedition. All help you may offer to defer the expenditures will surely be appreciated."_
> 
> Darius: "That is why we are here, my lord, to assist you in the reclaiming of your keep and to allow free passage for the merchants that bring wealth and prosperity to your lands.  I find it imperative to make sure that you and your people are not restrained because of this incursion by the gnolls.  When the gates open, what is your plan of attack, so that we may best assist you, my lord?"
> 
> Earl _"My thanks. To best assault the Keep I propose a two pronged attack.  Using the glove, open the gates, then the doors inside the gates. My men and I shall attack the barracks. While you and your troop, secure the dungeons. The dungeons are around the side your lady scout mentioned. It will be a hard fought battle I'm sure for both our forces. Once an area is secured, send what troops to aid the other."_
> 
> Houshang spoke up: "Humbly, milords - if these creatures are active in the night, they must place watches during the day, and a mid-morning attack would be most likely to catch those not on watch in deep slumber."
> 
> He mutters under his breath, gesturing to Grog.  "Although I still feel we should engage their captain singly, and thereby shatter their morale before entering this deathtrap.
> 
> Darius: "Do you know what we might be expected to find in the dungeons?  My other concern is this troll you spoke of.  His appearance in any side of the battle with our forces split would make a difficult battle impossible... that is a concern we'd best prepare ourselves for.  Do you know anything about this creature specifically?"
> 
> Earl: _"Cells, many, many cells. Places to store resources in case of siege.  The well. I'm sure they also have guards there too.
> 
> I've hoped that by taking out the troll's army we would have a better chance to assault the area above. I don't know much about him. He is a large brute. Bigger than any trolls I've yet seen or heard about.  Also with us inside it will make it harder for him to throw stones at us."_
> 
> Darius: "I cannot fault your logic, my lord.  I just worry about splitting our forces, without knowing just how many creatures we can expect.  However, it is possible that we can expect the bulk of their forces to be at the main gates, as they have already endured an attack and will likely bolster those locations.  The dungeons might actually be lacking some of the gnolls they would normally have."
> 
> Houshang grumbled some more and turned to Rose.  "Do you think there might be an entrance through the well?"  Turning to Kayla, gesturing at her gloved hand - "Perhaps the Sentinel knows of a surprise access point?  Anything to avoid a direct assault, I pray."
> 
> Darius to the Earl: "Another option might be to enlist the aid of the orcs and such on the other side, depending on whom they swear allegiance to.  Or perhaps get their assistance in exchange for allowing them to leave Kera alive."



Darius turned quiet.  He got the impression the Earl's logic was flawed.  The other fighting men in the party felt the same. The Earl sounded like he was making his plans up on the spot, more fantasy than reality.  “Especially when you consider what Houshang mentioned about approaching in the open,” pondered Darius to himself.



> Darius: "Perhaps, my lord, either a stealth attack, or a direct challenge between champions would be better for this.  If I may grant you my advice and council in the arts of war, I would be glad to assist you in the plan of attack."
> 
> Houshang arched an eyebrow while the diplomat stole his plan and proposed it to the Earl. While Darius and the Earl talked things over, Houshang quietly tapped Dram on the shoulder and attempted to take him aside, to whisper the following: "Barbarian, it seems plain to me that anyone with eyes in his head may see the Earl wishes to bridge the moat with our bodies, if you take my meaning.  He may not hate us, but I doubt he would mourn our loss.  I for one do not wish to throw my life away, and remember barbarian that your brother might still be held captive within, so do not risk your life needlessly, I beg.  I believe we should keep a close watch on our backsides, and if you shall guard mine, I shall guard yours, and my friend Grog shall watch over us both.  We must avoid any plan that calls for our charging through open doors in front of the Earl and his men."
> 
> In response to Houshang's quiet pleadings Dram assured him that a full frontal assault against a well defended stone keep was never in his plans. "I have fought side-by-side with Grog, broken bread, shared ale and wenches. He has trusted me enough to let me wield his mighty sword. The bond of our friendship has been forged in the heat of battle. We've already got each other’s backs. I reckon he fancies you, stranger from &%$#^%%^, and a friend of Grog's is a friend of mine. My brother may or may not be inside. I am not wholly convinced one way or the other. But I do not plan on dying in this place."
> 
> Rose: “Your accent is horrible. I believe it's pronounced $@)&$*!$@%”
> 
> Grog: _ “Grog already hungry. Grog not think we last too long ourselves up here in mountains without food and water. Grog not understand waiting for trolls to starve when Grog starving already.”
> 
> “Grog also wonder if Earl happy destroying own Keep. Grog know he not want his place burned down.”_
> 
> The Earl’s ears pricked up listening to the side conversation.  When Grog’s voice boomed he looked back at Darius and answered the paladin’s question: _“Yes, your plan does have merit. Perhaps we should fallback to a more secure area and discuss this more. I'll leave a couple men here to observe the Keep and fetch us if something amiss occurs."_
> 
> Darius agreed with the Earl to fall back and discuss the attack further. "I think we should include some of my compatriots on this plan.  All of them have seen more than their fair share of combat, save Jacob, and possibly Houlsfang.  However, it was Houlsfang's ideas for a challenge or a sneak attack.  Let me introduce you to the rest of the group."



Darius gave the first name of each of the other members gathered around in the road carefully watching the Earl’s reaction to each.  



> Dram winked at the paladin and said, "Ormand and I will stay back with the Earl's sentries. We will help keep an eye on things." Dram did not want any of the Earl's men out of sight of the party at any time. He whispered to Dalin, "I do not favor a frontal assault. I trust your judgment in the planning." He secretly drew his dagger but kept it hidden under his cloak.


----------



## howandwhy99

Sargath assigned two men to stay behind and watch the Keep.  Dram and Ormand the Redd stayed as well.  Gwenna and Mishek turned the wagon around.  And then they, the rest of the team, the Earl, Sargath, Nupo, and the remaining fourteen soldiers descended down the mountain pass.  The ride took about an hour and a half before reaching the campsite just after midday.  As they traveled conversation continued.



> Darius rode on his horse next to the Earl.  “What type of relations do you have with County Margrave?” he asked.
> 
> Earl: _"Oh, pardon my manners. I guess I did forget to inform you of how we owe (sarcasm) so much to County Margrave. We trade with them routinely and relie on them for all our agriculture needs. The Count and my sire go way back. Well that is until my sire's unfortunate death.”
> 
> “But be that as it may we still protect the Mountain borders for the southern parts of County Margrave."_
> 
> Darius: "My lord, would you be opposed to the idea of the Keep being manned by the dwarves, if I could arrange a... profitable situation for all parties involved?  I cannot promise anything, but I might have a plan that would work..."
> 
> Earl: _"I would not be adverse to that at all. In fact, it would be most appreciated. Do you have an idea about when the dwarves will be here?"_
> 
> Darius: "None.  I would have to travel there, make the proposal, and see how quickly they wish to act on this.  Depending on various matters, it could take as little as a month... and as long as a year.  That's why I am only offering it as a suggestion.  If I were to leave now, I could be at the Dwarven kingdom in 4 days.  Any force would take two weeks to arrive, minimum."



Back near the Keep Dram examined the two rat-faced men he had elected to stay behind with.  



> _They were both mounted, wearing studded leather, cloak, carrying short swords, several daggers, and a short bow with a dozen arrows. Both horses were light warhorses better trained and outfitted than either Dram’s or Ormand's._
> 
> Positioning himself and Ormand behind the Earl’s two men, Dram struck up a conversation, "So, it was pretty rough last night, eh? What time did you make your assault? What was the plan of attack? Surely the Earl knows of ways to enter his own Keep besides the front door? What should we be looking out for here?"
> 
> _They looked at each other and then one turned to Dram while the other turned back to the Keep.
> 
> "We struck about 2 hours ago. Before the light crested over the mountain. The Earl thought to open the gate with his glove and then we would dispatch the gnolls in their sleep. But some reason they were ready. And we fought touch and go. The men on the roof got pressed in by the Troll.”
> 
> “We don't go to the Keep much. And the Earl even less. We believe the gnolls took advantage of that fact.”
> 
> “Keep your eyes for a reprisal attack. When it comes ride like the wind."_
> 
> Back on the road Kayla looked as though she was thinking very carefully about something. In a moment she looked up and said, "There are numerous ways into the Keep. The three on this level. One more on a sidetrail going partway up. And two in the Depths of the Earth. One is wet and the other more treacherous. Also access on the roof by way of flight. And I must warn you the Enemy is within."
> 
> Darius noted what Kayla just said.  "A subterranean route... it sounds as if one must go through the well... I wonder where the other one comes up at... can you tell us more Kayla?"
> 
> Houshang nodded his head once, slowly.  "The treacherous way - what more can you tell about it?  It might be a wise plan to have a feint at the gates of the keep with the Earl's men, while we seek access from below, and take them from behind, by surprise."



Kayla shook her head.  “This is all have garnered so far.  Give me some more time and I will tell you what I learn.  I think at least one entrance should be promising for us.”



> _The Earl had a few words with Houshang on the way to safety. The Earl's men made sure the conversation was private.
> 
> At the camp the Earl's men seemed rather pleased with themselves. None showed any signs of injury now. After a head count, Sargath reported having lost 4 men so far to the first assaults on the Keep not counting the 2 men still with Dram and Ormand.
> 
> The Earl told them of his glove’s failure to open the gates. Of the ambush by the gnolls. And a pitched battle of arrows and boulders. Some of his men did scale the walls. Those were the ones now missing. Nupo reported having seen them fall to the Troll as he led that foray.
> 
> Rations wise the Earl's men had enough for themselves for another 5 days. Water was another matter. With the horses water wouldn't last 2 days._


----------



## howandwhy99

At the campsite, Darius spoke with the party off to the side.  He asked the Earl to excuse them for just a moment, stating that they had personal business to discuss that they would not want to bore the lord with.  



> After they sat down, he seemed to peer closely at Houshang and Jacob, then breathed a sigh a moment before going forward.
> 
> "Basically, what we know is this... All the information we have on the keep is over a week old.  We know what happened before, and we know that at some point Lavinia was here, but aside from that, we know only what the Earl has told us, and he was unable to penetrate into the keep.  So our knowledge of what is inside from a personnel perspective is unreliable at best."
> 
> Darius looked around at the rest of the party.
> 
> "What we do know is that there are factions within the dwarven kingdom that would be very willing to remove the gnolls and troll from the keep.  They have the means to cut off all supplies going in and out of the keep.  We would need to be present when it comes time to invade the keep because of the glove, but aside from that, we have little chance of taking a well fortified keep with our current forces, sneak attack or not.  The gnolls have already shown themselves familiar with the secret passages of the keep... I do not think that we can assume that they will be ignorant of the underground passages as well.  To do so would invite death."
> 
> Darius pulled out his sword and looked at the balance, and checked the sharpness of the blade.  He also checked his armor and made sure no immediate repairs were needed.
> 
> "I am no longer your commander, only your friend.  I would trust most of you with my life.  Whatever you choose, I will abide by.  My first thoughts were of glorious battle, calling Thor's name as I smote gnoll and troll with sword and hammer.  As I think of it more, however, I feel that such a mission might to the death of one of my friends.  We have already seen death enough on this journey, and I have already had to bury a trustworthy squire.  I do not wish to bury any more of my friends, if I can help it."
> 
> Darius turned to each person in the circle.
> 
> "If anyone else can recall pertinent information that would assist us, please share it now."
> 
> Houshang nodded solemnly, pulling back the hood to reveal a shaven and completely tattooed (in a strange spider-like script) head.  His eyes, a light green, rested on Darius as he spoke with lowered voice.  "We know more, Chosen of your Gods.  The witch has told us "the enemy" - the counterpart glove - is within.  Do you believe that this Livinia controls this glove?  If so, then she is surely within."
> 
> He looked around at the fighters, and continued.  "We also know the Earl and his men have been repulsed by the fortified enemy, and that another enemy lies on the other side of the keep.  We believe that the barbarian's brother may be held captive within, for which I am willing to endure a small amount of risk to gain entry.  It would seem with the glove - " he gestured at Kayla, "that we have an advantage.  The sentinel knows of secret ways, she has told us.  Whether these ways are secret to those inside the keep or not, their attention is fixed on us here, outside, at the gate, with the Earl's men.  A diversion with the Earl's men can easily continue, though they must obtain supplies in order to continue their farce, while we employ the spider-ways below and obtain the Keep in secrecy.  And even if we cannot obtain the keep in secrecy, the sentinel can open the gates and allow the Earl's men entry should those within turn their attention to us below.  And, above all, narrow ways are to our advantage, being smaller in number AND size - remember that.  Our advantages we must be able to perceive and capitalize on.  It is the Way."
> 
> Houshang sighed and pulled his hood back over his bald head, leaning once more on his large pike.  "I shall not perish here, my new friends, and I hope that you shall not choose to, either.  Their is, however, the other alternative: a direct combat.  I believe the Sentinel is protected fairly well, yes?  From archers too?  If so, it would be a simple task for her to draw them out of the keep into an ambush of our choosing.  Or there is the idea of a challenge combat between the Troll and Grog, although with the presence of this Livinia you speak of, it is in doubt if the Troll leads them still.  Especially if the Enemy glove is present within the keep."
> 
> Grog (softly): _"Grog like this whisper game. Grog know Grog hungry. Grog not have food for much longer if we don't do sumpin. Grog know even Grog not big enough to open gate without help."_
> 
> Dalin: "My training and experience does not cover seige of a keep. Instead I am most suited for personal combat or small skirmishes. I wish I had more to offer in the way of suggestions, but it seems to me if we are to engage the enemy we will be doing so on their terms. Anything we can do to shift that in our favor, such as surprise attacks, seems like the best idea, if picking this fight is the best idea at all."
> 
> Houshang grunted.  "I am no leader - but someone must decide, and soon.  The Earl grows impatient . . . so what shall it be?  Do we search for Livinia and Tankurd, and this halfling's relatives, within Adlerweg keep?  Or do we pursue a different course of action?  Clearly, to leave, will highlight each of us poorly in the Earl's eyes.  But I am unknown in these lands, and the Earl's opinions of my battle prowess do not concern me overmuch.  Though I have pledged my aid and friendship to both Grog and Dram personally, and I would see their quests fulfilled if I am able."
> 
> Father Benedict Selzkin peered around at the others. He was nervous and unsure of himself, but stage whispered among the group nonetheless.  "Whooshang is right. He voices the heart of the matter. What shall we do and how shall we do it? The Dwarves have received our call for aid. County Margrave is in dire trouble. The battle at the front is by all signs going poorly for our Lord. Friends in the towns to the South are unruly and in this Earldom two-faced indeed. Many men in this city, slave or not, should be fighting the good fight in the North.”
> 
> “If I am right, the forces of the enemy have reached the far side of Keep Adlerweg. Joining with them to overthrow it would be contradictory to our aim. Right now the fortress appears impregnable; held by both troll, gnoll, and Giant-kin. It stops what evil lies to the East from invading the Earl's land. The Earl and his men alone will not overcome it without time and aid. Evil fights Evil fights Evil.”
> 
> “As with Hamfest supplying weapons to the Lord's soldiers, we see the weakness of such chaotic allegiances. It seems these are times when those of pure heart must choose between opponents. Though the forces of darkness surround us they remain at odds with each other. The greatest strength of the just is in unity. Our belief in goodness grants us this gift: of friendship, of courage. Let us choose our course and choose wisely.”
> 
> “I have seen the faces of the people of Kera and my heart goes out to them. I wish they had freedom, and justice, and faith. If I had but the time and conviction I would plant the seeds of my life here to build such a lasting treasure. But my desires must learn to adhere to a greater good. I believe the welfare of our friends and family may need lie in jeopardy for some time longer. For if we do not defeat the forces of the enemy looming across the Eastern Mountains neither saint nor sinner will be left to save.”
> 
> “Let us take upon ourselves the mantle of truth and honor. Let us pledge ourselves to overcoming such ferocities gathering against us. Let us choose with wisdom as good watchherders who seek to save their flock, if not every lamb. Truly, it is with trepidation I make my choice. To call out for the people of Kera to be lead through this mountain pass and against those forces threatening all the West. To set aside differences and other obligations. To win victory and protection for all Margravians!”
> 
> Ben realized he was shouting at the end of this and hunched his shoulders back down.
> 
> Houshang appeared dubious, raising the hand not gripping his pike in a supplicating gesture.  "You seek to lead the populace of tradesmen and townsfolk against Trolls and half-orcs?  Aren't you the one they say hears voices?  I hope your sanity has not given way, Brother Ben."
> 
> Father Ben: "Well...uh, yes, I guess. Who else will fight with us? Could it be believed that we might work our enemies into fighting each other towards our own ends? That would be a difficult task. Maybe I am wrong about stirring the populace. So far they seem to ignore my urgings for a higher faith. But I stand by my word. We represent the hope of Margrave. Our Lord protects our families back home. I believe it is up to us to help him. If we let these beasts through the pass, I suspect they will lead a greater army behind them. You may not like my plan, but I still think the weight of our choices are heavy indeed."


----------



## howandwhy99

> Houshang nodded.  "Brother Ben, your sentiment is shared.  As I have my own interests within the City of Kera to protect, I'll not stand and watch it be overrun by lawless brigands.  (Kera's own populace aside, chuckle.)  But surely you must understand, these people are not warriors.  The mere sight of a giant troll, or massed archers, or the magic of the Sentinel," he gestures to Kayla, "is likely to send them fleeing.  Then what you have counted on for strength of numbers is erased.  No, I must say, I believe whatever plan we have to take the Keep must be undertaken on our own, for the good of the County."
> 
> His eyes narrowed slightly, mere slits of greenish light within his shadowed hood.  "Surely within the Keep there is treasure enough to satisfy our needs, and the good deed done for the County will likely also be rewarded, as you suspect.  But for myself, I seek only to help Dram and Grog, and to protect my business interests."
> 
> Grog: _"Grog like Father Ben. Grog like Houshang. Grog fight. Grog also like Lord Margrave. He good guy. Grog not know what come of it. But Grog promise Lord Margrave to keep South safe. Grog not like Trolls. Grog getting too old."_
> 
> Father Ben's ears perked up and he eyed Grog intently. "You spoke with Lord Margrave? When was this? I urge you, please, what he told you might be of grave importance. Perhaps he left a clue on how the South might be protected?"
> 
> Grog: _"Grog speak with Lord Margrave last time, oh, (scratches his head) over year ago. He ask Grog to join army to fight evil. Grog tell Lord Margrave he protect South for him. This make Lord Margrave happy. Grog not be told how to protect. Just Grog use his head to know when and what to do."_
> 
> Father Ben: "Yes, well uh, you are doing an excellent job Grog. Keep up the good work."  He turned back to the others.  "Houshang. You may be right about the Kerans. But my suspicions have not been confirmed yet either. In the name of gaining help to overthow the current Keep's occupants, perhaps we could send someone over to speak with the orc/goblin army? It would have to be someone quick on their feet and with their tongue. I think it is important to learn why this force desires the keep. If it truly is an invading army. The trolls may actually be benefitting us. I can only hope the Earl would agree. Perhaps one of his men should accompany one of ours on such an escapade?"
> 
> Houshang considered for a moment, cleared his throat and spoke in a low tone.  "Consider this option.  Ride forward to the Keep with the Earl's men, but keep the majority of our forces to the rear and out of sight of those within the Keep.  Fly a banner of truce - is it also a white banner in this country? - and request to speak with their master.  Inform them that an army lies to their east and will drive them from the Keep.  We will allow them safe passage to flee the Keep through our gate, although of course they may not go on to Kera, but must disperse to the surrounding mountains.  I recommend that we, of course, renege on such a bargain and engage and destroy them, once the majority of the weaker-willed have fled the safety of the Keep, but that is up to you," he says, with a quick glance at the Paladin.  Houshang shrugs.  "I still prefer to enter the Keep by a secret way, and catch them unaware."



The rest of the team considered the options carefully.  Near the unlit campfire ring, the Earl and his men sat quietly swords in hand.  Back up near Adlerweg, Dram was still dubious about the Earl’s intentions.  Taking the initiative he struck up another conversation as he and Ormand watched Adlerweg Keep.



> Dram: “What is the Earl's name? How about his men, besides Sargath?” Dram asked the two sentries. “What about the Earl's clan history. Are all his men part of the same clan?”
> 
> Sentry: _“He is called the Fifth Earl of Kera by those from Margrave and the Eighth Earl of Kera by those native to Kera. His family name is Lycanthra.”
> 
> The other sentry clucked his tongue at Dram. "If needs be you may call me Suttar and he Tarr.  We are of the Earl's line. Only family can handle such missions as these."_
> 
> Dram: "Yes, I understand the importance of family and having people you can trust whilst on important missions. Tell me though, why is the Earl only the fifth in line to Margravians whereas Kerans claim he is the eighth? Is there some dispute over the legitimacy of the bloodlines?"
> 
> Suttar:  _"Nyah, the Fourth Earl swore allegiance to the Viscount of Margrave, Rogahn Bearclaw, to help stem the flood of humanoids. The Orcs of the Skullcrusher Clan. He was slain shortly thereafter and the Fifth Earl started calling himself the Second Earl and spending much time in
> Margrave.”
> 
> “There has been a rapid succession of Earls since. The Eighth Earl has only held his office for a little under 10 years.”
> 
> “The first 4 Earls had each held the office for over 50 and up to 80 years apiece."_


----------



## howandwhy99

_Posted on behalf of Beermotor:_

*Houshang’s Background*

Houshang is a merchant from a far away land of sand dunes and spice caravans, camels and caliphs.  Apprenticed to a capricious mystic and trader of antiquities, drugs, potions, cures, ointments, minerals, hides, water, camels, donkeys, and just about anything he could get his greasy paws on, Houshang's lot in life was scribe, accountant, and servant (occasionally cook).  As part of his servitude, usually a byproduct of simply being underfoot or on-call at all hours of the day or night, he gained surreptitious knowledge a small amount of mystic secrets, which he honed and practiced in secrecy.  Longing to strike out on his own, and thereby amass wealth of his own, Houshang toiled in dejection.  Until one day, traversing a dangerous region through a blasted canyon, their caravan was attacked by a lone figure dressed in tattered black robes, hurling bolts of fire and screaming obscenities against Houshang's master.  Startled (well, afraid for his life and mortal soul might be more appropriate), Houshang sought cover beneath a wagon ... filled to the top with rare miscellanea from a far Eastern region.  A purple-blue bolt of energy struck the wagon during the fray, and a terrible explosion threw the breath from his body and darkened his consciousness.  He awoke in a different place, bruised but not otherwise hurt, with only the gear he was carrying at the time of the ambush and an incredible, gods-cursed headache.  Standing up, brushing the dust of a far-away land off his clothes, he understood he would be collecting a different dust on his sandals in the very near future.  Well, at least there was no more master to worry about.

Tall and dark skinned, Houshang wears grubby sand-colored robes (well, they were white, once), which hide his heavily-tattooed skin.  Black ink forms mystic spider-like writing all over him, including his shaven head, and while it marked him as a servant and apprentice to his master in his homeland, here it probably just looks exotic, weird, and possibly evil.  He will take great pains to hide the markings at all times, keeping his head hooded and covered with the assistance of (whatever once of those rope cord dealies are called - a la Yasser Arafat), feeling they are marks of shame and his humble past which will cloud his newfound freedom.  Houshang's love is for gold and women, in that order, and only for them.  He isn't mean-spirited or evil and finds (unjust or unwarranted) cruelty reprehensible, but is honest (to the point of being blunt) and trustworthy as befitting his mercantilist nature, a firm believer in capitalism and survival of the fittest.  And while he hated his master, his secret desire is to become that man - master of the caravan, seeker of rare treasures and hidden knowledge, possessor of a sizable harem and herd of camels, and of course, servants to do his bidding.  (Thus the Neutrality alignment.)

Current Dress
Dressed in loose, flowing beige (once they were white) robes with a leather cord to affix the hood, Houshang stands at an average height for a human. His well-travelled robes and wrappings (not tattered, ahem) conceal a lean but hardy frame, covered in a strange inked script. Hoisted over his shoulders is a large backpack which clanks loudly of pots, pans, and all the gear necessary for the life of a merchant's servant, which he claims once was his ... before he ended up here. He now stands leaning on a wicked 8-foot pike, looking around from the depths of his shadowed hood, quietly assessing his surroundings and their inherent potential for profit. The backs of his hands are carefully wrapped in cloth to the forearm to hide his tattooed skin from suspicious eyes. His sandal-clad feet and lower legs are wrapped in a similar manner.


----------



## howandwhy99

Happy Holidays!  See you after the New Year!

[sblock]*CHARACTER ADDENDUM *

CHARACTERS
Dalin - JoeBlank 
Darius – skrayper 
Dram – loki44 
Father Ben – howandwhy99 
Gwenna – AllanyaKT 
Houshang – Beermotor
Kayla – no profile 
Rose - biorph 

FOLLOWERS
Jakob – following Darius 
Farnid – following Dalin
Ormand the Redd – working for Dram 
Diedre the Seer – following Kayla

HIRELINGS 
Hanz – working for Gwenna?
Miklesh – working for Gwenna

OTHER
Grog – a friend and compatriot
Eagle – Darius’s mount

REFEREE 
Diaglo [/sblock]


----------



## Deuce Traveler

Awww... I was enjoying this.  Dropped off, huh?


----------



## JoeBlank

Deuce Traveler said:
			
		

> Awww... I was enjoying this.  Dropped off, huh?




The game is still going strong, but the the story hour is running behind. Our scribe, howandwhy99, has had his time taken up with other endeavors, including running our 3.5 game now that our DM for that game, Olgar Shiverstone, is moving.


----------



## Deuce Traveler

Ah, I see.  Thanks.


----------



## howandwhy99

Bumping for posterity.  

Shoot.  It's almost the end of the "new" year and I don't even have a post in.  Life has just been too busy.


----------



## beer_motor

Pretty amusing ... Houshang says "I shall not die here..."

Famous last words, eh!


----------



## diaglo

next session is in Dec


----------



## diaglo

still plugging away.


----------



## diaglo

the last huzzah for father ben


----------



## loki44

diaglo said:


> the last huzzah for father ben




Huzzah!


(Better late than never.)


----------

