The One True Game: According to Hoyle, and Others - Page 7

howandwhy99 · 27th June 2005, 08:42 PM

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 · 28th June 2005, 01:49 PM

Muwhahaaaaaa

howandwhy99 · 28th June 2005, 03:19 PM

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 · 6th July 2005, 09:52 PM

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 · 7th July 2005, 02:02 PM

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 · 8th July 2005, 02:42 PM

[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 · 9th July 2005, 08:58 PM

[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 · 10th July 2005, 03:11 PM

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 · 13th July 2005, 05:16 AM

[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 · 13th July 2005, 05:23 AM

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 · 13th July 2005, 05:29 AM

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 · 14th July 2005, 01:25 PM

“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 · 15th July 2005, 04:44 PM

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 · 15th July 2005, 04:46 PM

CHARACTER ADDENDUM

Spoiler:

howandwhy99 · 4th August 2005, 04:42 PM

Spoiler:

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..

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diaglo

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 · 11th August 2005, 04:46 AM

[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 · 11th August 2005, 03:11 PM

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 · 13th August 2005, 03:39 AM

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 · 13th August 2005, 03:00 PM

[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 · 14th August 2005, 04:10 PM

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.