ADVENTURE 45: Of Gods and Rats
Gudlag, the dwarf druid, has taken over telling the tale of the party. (Thanks, Jon!)
Part I: Of Rats
Immediately after the necromancer disappeared with Aoelif, the rest of the battle bloodied group decided upon a course of action.
“Well,” said Ingolf, “this really sucks. The necromancer is obviously dead… as in living dead. With that magic ability, and the complete disregard to an arrow through the heart, he is either a Lich, or something damn close to it.”
“I’m not going to fight that necromancer again without getting some magic items from Tavia!” Nyssa exclaimed. “I can teleport back now!”
“Not a bad idea.” Agreed Ingolf. “I think I’ll go with you. It occurs to me that Lord Vihar may be very interested in hearing about this encounter. He is at war with this creature. It will hinge on Vihar being not only willing but also downright eager to assist us. I am hoping that his desire to destroy the Necromancer, coupled with the knowledge that said Necromancer asked us to kidnap Vihar's own son, will be enough to motivate him.”
“We need to find Aoelif!” Gudlaug growled. “He could have taken her anywhere, so for lack of a better place to start, I’m going to Caldor’s Fortress. But first…” The dwarf pulled some parchment and ink from his Handy Haversack. “We need to get a message to Brice now!” The dwarf sat down and quickly started writing. The others discussed options.
Theon stepped forward. “I don’t have a grand plan,” he said in his slow drawl, “but I would also like to return to Tavia. I could petition the archbishop for assistance with the next assault.”
Nyssa shook her head. “I can only carry 800 pounds. Between myself, Ingolf and Winter, I would not be able to take you. Would you be willing to pen a letter to the archbishop? It would not carry as much weight as a personal appeal, but it would be something.”
“Is it absolutely essential that Winter go with you? Her ranger skills will be of much more use here than in Tavia.”
“Winter vowed to protect my life with her own, and has always been loyal. Loyalty is a two way street. I will not leave her here where the danger is. She is coming with me.”
Theon started to argue the point, still heated by the recent battle, but Ingolf stepped in. “Nyssa, I understand your reluctance to be parted from your bodyguard, but Theon makes a valid point. Nonetheless, if Winter is to accompany us, Theon, please write as Nyssa suggested. I myself will deliver your plea to Father Martaine, with whom I have some passing acquaintance, and I am sure he will hear you out. His influence in the church is great enough, I believe, to convince them to come to our aid.
“Nyssa, in your dealings with the college, consider that we may (hopefully) need to return with one more person than we bring with us to Tavia, should Lord Vihar be favorably inclined to my proposal for him to impersonate his own son.”
Gudlaug stood up with the parchment. “Here, listen to this.” He read his note to the others.
"The Ollave of Arawn is actually a very powerful undead minion of the Rolgulkan god Nyag. We suspect he is using his necromantic magic on members of some noble households to make them beholden to him, however, these households probably don't know his true nature. Now that we know who he really is, I suspect he will be moving his army soon, if not immediately. I believe the purpose of all of this is that he is trying to start a war in order to generate a large amount of corpses to use for a ritual to his god.
Also, if he does manage to take control of the Helvetti, he can attack Tavia, which will draw all of the Human attention here, and away from supporting Lord Vihar in Rolgulka, who he is at war with. Time is of the essence to stop him. He has captured Aoelif, and I am going to Caldor's keep, where I am hoping he has gone, to try and rescue her.
Marshal your troops now!
Gudlaug"
The dwarf looked at the others. “Is there anything I forgot?” They shook their heads. “Alright then.” He looked around and glared up into the sky. “There’s one,” he mumbled as he spotted a buzzard slowly circling overhead. He cast a spell, and the giant bird descended down. Using his magic, Gudlaug instructed the bird to fly the note towards Brice’s castle, and deliver it to any Cimbri who was wearing the colors of the king’s guard. The vulture took off and started winging it in the right direction.
“All right, now to quickly check out this pit, and make sure that there is nothing disastrous that we are about to leave untended.”
Winter stepped up. “I’ve scouted the pit. There are five tunnels leading into the hillside from in the pit where Aoelif fell. There are dozens of graves down at the bottom also.”
Gudlaug stepped to the edge and cast a Detect Magic spell. “There are various necromantic effects going on also. No surprise there.”
Theon flew up to scout around from above. He reported that there are several, round hillocks to the north and west of the pit - the closest is but two-dozen yards away. They seemed to be old, as they are overgrown. He flew back down to the others.
“So do we all know what we need to do?” Gudlaug asked
“Um no, not really.” Theon replied. “I guess I’ll hang around here.”
“No you won’t.” The dwarf answered back. “You need to return to Edinç’s keep post haste. She has to be warned that Caldor’s forces may be marching soon. She also should be told that the ‘man’ who cast a spell on her daughter is actually an undead servant of a Rolgulkan god. She will likely find that whatever support for Caldor’s cause she may have had will evaporate at that point. We will all meet up back at her keep when we have accomplished our tasks. We should be back there before nightfall.” The druidical dwarf stepped away from the others.
“Wish me luck. Hal and I go to find Aoelif!” Hal the rat’s head poked out of Gudlaug’s breast pocket, and it slowly shook its head miserably, mumbling to itself in low squeaks. Suddenly, Gudlaug’s body shrunk down into that of an Eagle. He flew up, circled once, and flew off.
Nyssa gathered Ingolf and Winter. She cast a spell, and they all disappeared in a flash.
Theon grumbled, but started trekking back towards the horses. When he found them, he realized that he, along with all but one of the horses, were still under the effects of the Pass Without Trace spell that Gudlaug had cast on the party earlier that day. Cutting the horse that didn’t have the spell cast on it loose, he led the others back towards Edine’s keep.
When they arrived In Tavia, Ingolf split off from the others. He immediately started off for Lord Vihar’s house. “Ok, how am I going to put this…” he mumbled to himself. When he arrived at the house, he had no problems being escorted in to see the lord. After a surprisingly short wait, Vihar appeared.
Ingolf skipped the chitchat, and dove right in to the meat of the issue. “Lord Vihar, I come on an urgent errand, which I think you will find interesting.”
“Oh?”
“My companions and I have run into an old enemy of yours in Helvetti. The very necromancer that you are at war with.” Ingolf paused to see Vihar’s reaction.
Vihar’s face betrayed no emotion, but he did seem interested. “Please continue.”
“The necromancer is in Helvetti in order to foment war between the Cimbri and the humans, or so we believe. We also think that he is going to attempt the same ritual to summon the giant undead worm that we foiled up north.
“Our immediate concern, however, is that he has captured Aoelif. He attempted to bargain with us for her life. If we would agree to come and capture your son, and take him back to the necromancer, he would release Aoelif back to us.”
Vihar’s mouth turned up in a smile, although his eyes didn’t seem to share the mirth. “And are you here on that errand now? You probably know that my son is not here.”
“No, of course not. I don’t think any of us seriously considered accepting this deal, but Gudlaug reminded us that Aoelif, as a Fianna, would rather die than be used as a pawn to harm Faerie. The Necromancer, receiving no deal from us, took Aoelif and teleported with her to places unknown.
“Why I’m here is to try and enlist your support in our fight against him. I believe it is certainly in your best interest if we can kill him. Here is what I propose. If you, or perhaps your wife, Zlata, could change your appearance to look like your son, we could indeed make the deal that he asked for. Of course, he would be surprised to find that his intended hostage is actually you! I believe that it could work, and we could slay him, as well as save Aoelif. Time is of the essence, however.”
“Well, my old friend, now we have common foe. That pleases me, although I am very sorry for your loss of a dear, and beautiful companion. My best guess is that she has already been gutted and salted for his larder. Would you care for some wine?” Vihar poured two large goblets full.
“I will not risk myself and my kingdom in your polymorph trick, although it is damn clever. The Necromancer has seen through such before. I once convinced an Eater of the Dead, a "holy knight" of the Hanged God to attempt such a ruse, I had him magicked into the form of a zombie, and yet he was slain. From your tale the Necromancer does not think you really want to bargain. He might fall for such, but only if he is overwhelmingly confident in his power over you.
“Your best bet is to close with him with several doughty warriors and kill him as quickly as possible - force him on the defensive and have magicians in the wings to prevent his spells of escape. You may then slay him in the lands of the Helvetti...”
Vihar paused and turned to look out a window. ”But even then he will NOT die. He will be reborn again as he has done in the past. Twice he has died, just to come a plague me again! Still, I have waited 15 years to catch him out of whatever hole he hides in.
“The lair, which what was left of Kamak led my forces into, was but a trap. Perhaps this is an opportunity to strike at my old foe and plant the seed for his permanent destruction.”
He turned back to face Ingolf. “Hmmm. I think so. First I will give you a potion of Invisibility to Undead and Heroism to aid you in your attack against our enemy. Don't take too much heart in the former. The Necromancer is a wary foe.” He sighed, “But it may aid you get past some of his defenders. The second is to help you with this…” Vihar walked to the corner and picked up a small, slender item. He walked over and handed it to Ingolf, who now saw that it was a quiver built for a single arrow.
“I give you an arrow. A single arrow that I have invested much magic in. It may slay the fiend outright, but moreover a successful strike will mark his soul-essence for a period of time so that my servants may track its progress and possibly discern his true lair.
“I will give this to you, Ingolf. Revenge yourself upon him.” He looked Ingolf in the eye. “Do not waste it.” He turned around and moved away. ”I will also have one of my Glitterdeath warriors accompany you if you can transport him - his life is mine, though. Not yours. Understand? I will even have him enspelled into the visage of my son, if you wish. I doubt it will work, but it might give you a brief edge, who knows? Perhaps you can catch him unawares for a moment - if so, strike my friend and may your aim be true!”
Ingolf looked at the items he had been given. “Although these items are not the equal to what we hoped to receive from you, they are very much appreciated. Do not change the appearance of your warrior. If what you say were true, it would be a waste of your magic.
“We will do our best to kill the bastard. And if we fail, perhaps our undead bodies will meet you on the field of battle some day.” He smiled at Vihar, drained the rest of his goblet, and went to meet his companions.
After a few more hours, Ingolf met back up with Nyssa and Winter, who were successful in acquiring other useful items for the upcoming fight. They went to the edge of town and teleported back to Helvetti…
During this time, Gudlaug flew up to the keep of Caldor. When he was in the woods outside the area of the encamped army, he turned back into his true form and removed Hal from his pocket.
“It was for times like these that I awakened you, little friend.”
“For suicide missions? Great.” Hal said back in his high-pitched voice.
“No, of course not. I need you for silence, hiding, and most of all cunning. I will take you to the keep. You must scurry in and try to find Aoelif. We don’t know that she’s here, but it is as good a place to look as any. Start off with the lower levels, and work your way up. Ask any other rats you meet for any useful information. We need to find Aoelif!
“Also, if you come across the room where lord Caldor is resting, take note of it. It may be useful information to know in the future.”
He set the rat down and cast Listening Ringworm on him. “This will allow me to hear what you hear, and you can talk to me. Quietly! I will not be able to talk back, however.
“Above all things, avoid detection! Now, go limp,”
Gudlaug turned into a scroungy looking dog, and picked up Hal in his mouth.
“I hope you don’t get carried away in your role as a hungry dog.” Hal whispered. “And for crying out loud, chew some mint or something. Great Rat in the sky!”
A low growl from the throat of the Druid quieted the rat.
Gudlaug trotted out of the woods, rat in mouth, and headed towards the keep. He had to pass through the encampment of the army surrounding it. He could tell that they were packing up and getting ready to march. He passed a sergeant who stood next to two zombies, talking to some troops. He was convincing the other Cimbri that the undead were gifts from Arawn, the Cimbri god of the dead.
Gudlaug dropped Hal at a side door, under which he scurried. Gudlaug then went back out to the woods to wait.
Hal quickly ran though the keep. He talked to other rats, and determined the layout of the place, and learned that Aoelif was not there. He did find a gibbering female tied up in a separate outside hovel, who turned out to be the priestess of Brigit who had been missing.
Returning to the keep, he did find the room where Caldor was convalescing, and snuck in. Caldor was in a meeting with his advisors, as well as the Necromancer, who had resumed his role as Maccara, the Ollave of Arawn. The men discussed their plans for marching north. Caldor dismissed the advisors, but Maccara stayed behind.
When the others had left, the Ollave cast a spell. “This will keep us from being scryed.” He told Caldor. Hal Smirked at this.
Hal, and Gudlaug, listened in as Maccara reaffirmed to Caldor that they needed to get marching immediately. Especially since the friends of King Brice, meaning Gudlaug and party, had been to the mine. The Ollave spoke of needing more time to break into the tomb of the Ancient Saluri king, Cathal, which was apparently at the old mine. He seemed to want the crown that was to be found there. He asked Caldor who in the area would know of the ancient Saluri legends, and was told that the bard, Lord Dillion, was the most knowledgeable. It was Dillion who had told the party Rowan’s Tale a few nights before. The Ollave told Caldor to send hunters back to the mine to keep track of the adventurers. Maccara seemed intent on finding Dillion himself.
Hal scurried back out and net Gudlaug back at the door. They left the area and headed back to Edinç’s Castle…
While the others were about their business, Theon arrived at Edinç’s castle and told her about what was happening. She was understandably concerned to find out that the person who had “Healed” her daughter was actually an undead pawn of a foreign god.
The others arrived from their various locations in short order. They held a council with Edinç and Lieth, her Tattooed husband. Ingolf and Nyssa told the others of their meetings in Tavia, and the Glitterdeath warrior was introduced. Gudlaug told them that Caldor’s army was going to be marching soon. He also told them of what he had heard between Maccara and Caldor. It was agreed that Dillion needed to be warned, and Lieth, agreed to go immediately and perform the task. Edinç planned on packing up her family and abandoning her castle. She asked for a letter of introduction to Arcois, the Credi king, which Ingolf gladly provided.
The others thought it best to leave the castle, and go back to the Mine. They wanted to check things out and try and find the tomb of Cathal for themselves. They packed up fresh supplies and left.
To be continued... (Really, just watch!)
