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The Doomed Bastards: Reckoning (story complete)
- Thread starter Lazybones
- Start date
pallandrome
First Post
So, basically it's a coin flip if our lovely mage just got annihilated. That's a better chance than I give anyone else in the room, Orcus included at this point.
I've been lurking up till now, but I've got to say, you've done a magnificent job on this story hour LB. Screw RA Salvatore, you are my favorite D&D author.
I've been lurking up till now, but I've got to say, you've done a magnificent job on this story hour LB. Screw RA Salvatore, you are my favorite D&D author.
Lazybones
Adventurer
In the module, the throne is mundane, and the various magical treasures (and a whole lot of coins) are just scattered around. That didn't make a lot of sense to me, so I reworked it so that the throne was a power source that used the energies of the artifacts Orcus had picked up to energize the Big ol' Demon. While it was intact I gave him Regen 10, and allowed him to power some epic spells with it (the nasty smite he hit the group with at the start, which Alderis absorbed, and the death aura that Dar had sensed when he attacked a few chapters back).Cerulean_Wings said:
Yeah, sometimes the Friday thing just doesn't work out, although I do try and write so that big cliffhangers pop up on Fridays. Although earlier ENWorld was down for me (the reason for this late post), so I thought it might end up being the weekend cliffhanger after all. There are just two more posts left in the story, so there still is something to wait for...jensun said:
According to the module, he has several nice little quasi-artifacts lying around. The Sword of Kas, the staff, a book of infinite spells...wolff96 said:
Thanks, pallandrome! I appreciate the sentiment, and thanks for delurking to post.pallandrome said:
More revelations on Monday!
* * * * *
Chapter 367
FINAL AFTERMATH
Allera stirred as a gentle breeze slid across her flesh.
The healer blinked as consciousness returned, slowly clarifying through the haze of one who has woken from a deep sleep. For a long moment she had no idea of where she was, or even who she was, then memory came crashing back into her like an icy mountain stream. She shivered as the sudden rush of awareness nearly overcame her. Then another soft gust brushed her skin, and she felt a warm glow suffuse her, driving back the ugly moment.
She rose into a sitting position, and looked around. She was in a meadow, long stalks of soft green grass rustling slightly in the faint breeze. The sweet scent of flowers stirred in her nostrils, and there was a faint buzzing noise that might have been bees somewhere nearby. The meadow was ringed by a stand of majestic trees. The sky above... that gave her a start, for there was no sun, no clouds, no familiar blue; just a vague and diffuse brightness that cast everything at her level into a stark and welcome clarity.
She tried to stand and was surprised to find out that she could. Faint aches faded away, memories of wounds suffered. She was whole, intact.
Then she saw the lumps lying half-buried in the tall grass, and her heart froze.
She hastened toward the nearest, and nearly stumbled over something lying in the grass. It was a longsword with a black blade, its length slick with blood. The grass around it had already started to blacken, and faint wisps of noxious fume were rising from the ground around it.
Allera gave the unholy weapon a wide berth, and rushed over to the body.
It was Dar. He was dead, that was much was instantly obvious, although she checked anyway. Her body shook as she turned him over, revealing the terrible wound in his chest that had killed him. His face was covered with matted blood. She rubbed at it, tears pouring down her face.
Then she remembered, and checked his hand, all but tearing off his gauntlet.
The ring was there, the black stone flickering slightly.
“His soul is intact, and can be returned to his body,” a voice said from behind her.
Allera spun around, and her eyes widened in surprise. “Nelan!”
The priest looked as he had in life, although he was clad in a simple robe of white homespun cloth instead of armor. His holy symbol glimmered on his chest, dangling from a slender silver chain.
“Is this... is this real? Where... what happened...”
“It is real enough,” the cleric of the Shining Father replied.
“But you died... we saw your ghost, Orcus had your soul captive...”
“I, along with many others, were freed when you overcame the Demon.”
Allera looked around in confusion, then her eyes settled on the other body, lying a short distance away. “Varo.”
Nelan turned and looked at the dead priest. Allera rose, gently resting Dar’s body back upon the grass, and walked over to join him.
The body of Licinius Varo bore the marks of violence. Even standing over him she could see that his left arm was broken in several places, and there was a terrible wound in his head, deep enough so that she could see a protruding ridge of white bone under the ravaged and bloody flesh. His armor had been utterly ravaged, what was left hanging about him in wreckage. His skin had been blackened by some sort of explosive blast, but she could still see the look of calm that had been on his face as he had died.
“He is at peace, now,” Nelan said, bending to close the dead cleric’s eyes. “He is home.”
“I do not understand,” Allera said.
“A lot of us did not understand,” the cleric said. Allera was going to ask more, but others had arrived; a pair of tall, muscled figures had come into the clearing. They looked like men, clad in white robes, but cowls hung down over their faces, obscuring all but the lower halves of their jaws. They came over to Nelan, who nodded respectfully in greeting.
“Excuse me a moment,” the cleric said. He walked over to where the evil sword lay upon the grass. The patch of blackened growth had already spread to form a circle some five feet across around it. Nelan drew out a piece of white fur, and used it to carefully take up the sword. The weapon seemed to pulse in his hands, before he wrapped the fur around it and handed it to the nearer of the two newcomers. They turned and departed. Allera followed them with her eyes, and as they reached the trees at the edge of the meadow, they simply melted away, abruptly gone.
The healer looked around her. She could see that there were a few other small depressions in the grassy meadow, scattered items like the black sword, but nothing large enough to be another body. “Where is Letellia?”
“She is not here. At the end, she unleashed a retributive strike that destroyed the Demon. It is possible that she might have survived, blasted into another Reality, but we have been unable to locate her.”
“So she might have been utterly obliterated, like Alderis...”
“That is possible, I am afraid.”
“And Orcus... destroyed?”
“The avatar of the Demon was annihilated, and the demiplane it had created collapsed with its end. But the core of such a being is resilient. With Thanatos occupied, and few places in the Abyss that will welcome it, it is not clear where it will go, or what will become of it.”
“Then it was all for nothing.”
“No, Allera. The threat to Camar has been ended. What was Orcus may reconstitute itself into something new, someday, but the Demon that we faced is no more. Its power upon the Prime is broken, and its followers will no longer be able to draw upon the divine energy to wreak their havoc. Camar is safe, thanks to the sacrifices that you and your friends made.”
Allera’s gaze drifted back down to Dar’s body. “So what happens now?”
“You have the power to bring him back, and to return to your home. You may remain here as long as you need, and may take back with you whatever you find here. There are a number of potent artifacts among Orcus’s horde; the Demon used them to anchor its demiplane and fuel its power. Ultimately that proved to be a costly stratagem, for it gave its enemies a weapon to use against it.”
“So all the others... the knights, Serah, Marcus, the other clerics... they are here now, with you?”
“Some, yes. Others have gone on to their final destination, as befits their nature, and their faith. The souls that Orcus had enslaved were freed with its destruction. But those that were consumed by the Sphere of Souls, and those others that Orcus devoured to fuel its evil scheme to power, those are truly gone.”
“Talen? And Shay?”
Nelan shook his head slowly. “Their souls remain upon the Prime. They are bound to their unlife, and will not willingly relinquish it.”
Allera’s expression hardened. “We will find them, and set them free.”
A gust of wind penetrated the ring of trees, ruffling the grass within the meadow. “I have to go,” Nelan said. The cleric started to turn, but Allera forestalled him. “Wait! I have so many questions...”
The cleric’s smile was benevolent, but there was something wry in it as well. “I do not have the answers, Allera. Maybe you can find them, someday.” He glanced down at Varo, and Allera followed his eyes to see the slain cleric’s body dissolving away, leaving just his battered armor and other bits of gear behind. He looked back at her. “Tell Patriarch Jaduran that I was wrong; one man can make a difference.”
And then the wind gusted up again, and the cleric simply faded away.
Allera stood there for a long minute, soaking up the brightness of the artificial “day”, and letting the breeze gust through her hair and her tattered clothes. It was not cold, but she folded her arms tightly against her body, and shivered. Then she turned and went back to Dar, kneeling beside his body, and took a lifeless hand in both of hers.
Cerulean_Wings
First Post
All bow to Lazybones, for he has done pure awesomeness with each consecutive chapter of the story hour 
Great aftermath, loved it. Can't wait for the super-duper final aftermath
Great aftermath, loved it. Can't wait for the super-duper final aftermath
Burningspear
First Post
I would first ressurect the Priest, if i only had 1 ressurect that day, but then again, i am not that girl who is in love with Dar
GrolloStoutfoam
First Post
And that attitude is why he was my favorite character from the beginning.Lazybones said:
Bravo, Lazybones. Fantastic story.
Lazybones
Adventurer
Thanks for the posts, guys!
* * * * *
Chapter 368
REFLECTIONS
The door to the chapel swung open quietly, and Corath Dar entered.
The fighter looked a good deal different than he had in Rappan Athuk. His clothes were new, layered garments of wool and linen of muted and practical design. The terrible winter had finally broken, but the air was still chilly, and it felt as though summer would be a complete miss for this year. The suit was devoid of markings or insignia, and he bore only a long dirk for a weapon. His face was creased with hard lines, and he looked like a man a good decade older than his thirty-four years.
The only other man in the room looked up as Dar entered. The Patriarch of Camar did not look surprised to see him. Dar came up to where Jaduran stood near the altar, but said nothing; the two men merely stood there for a moment in tranquil silence, as the weight of events sorted themselves out for both of them.
“Has there been any word from the Tribune?” the Patriarch finally asked.
“I imagine you’d know before I would,” Dar said, his words a bit clipped. But when Jaduran’s placid expression did not change he shook his head. “No, nothing. I think he’s going to pardon Kyros Livius, though.”
“You disagree with that course?”
Dar shook his head again, more violently. “No, damn it, the people need peace, after all that Camar’s been through. But that bastard put us through a lot, and he deserves a blade in the gut more than a pension and a stern finger-wagging.”
“As you said, Camar has been through a great deal. From what I understand, the people of Dalemar did not weather the winter well.”
“Yeah, well, that’s one reason why they’re talking, instead of gearing up for a spring campaign.”
“At least matters are quiet in the south.”
“Yeah, it’s been placid enough since Gravorr’s dwarves cleaned out the region. But the freaking council vetoed my suggestion to establish a permanent base at Southwatch. They’d rather write off the whole south, and try to forget any of this ever happened.”
“Camar has lost a great many men, Dar, even in the areas not directly assaulted by the Demon. It will take decades even for the core provinces to recover. And you cannot fault people for not wanting to resettle the southern marches, not after what happened.”
“Maybe so, but in ten years, that entire region’s going to be a wildlands. Wouldn’t surprise me if the orcs move down out of the mountains as well, now that our forts along the frontier are empty.”
“You may be right. But we will face that challenge when we come to it.” The cleric started changing out the depleted candles in the altar display. Without looking up, he said, “I heard that you refused the permanent appointment to the council.”
Dar snorted. “I am not a politician. If I had to sit through any more of those meetings, I’d probably end up in a noose after throwing that fat bastard Eutropius through a wall.”
“I heard that Tiros offered you the command of the Dragon Knights as well.”
“Yeah, well, I’m no knight.” Dar ran a hand through his hair, scratching at his scalp.
“Have you decided what you and Allera are going to do?”
“I’m tired, Patriarch. I’ve had not one, but two swords broken; I think it’s a sign that I shouldn’t push my luck. There’s a little place, a community not far from Highbluff; it got emptied out during the war but the survivors are going to go back, try to make a go of it. Allera thinks she could open up a hospital there, maybe train some more healers.”
“Helping others is always a worthwhile way to spend one’s time, regardless of where it is.”
“If you want that armor back, I can bring it by before we go...”
Jaduran shook his head. “No, keep it. I hope that you will never need it again.”
The suit in question was a full set of plate mail of brightness, one of the magical treasures that they had recovered from Orcus’s throne. Dar had worn the armor, with a breastplate engraved with the blazing torch of Soleus, during the mopping up operations that had followed their victory at Rappan Athuk. They had also brought back with them a book of infinite spells, and an assortment of lesser items, including those that had been the property of Alderis and Varo.
“What about the dagger?” Dar asked.
“It has been secured somewhere very safe,” Jaduran replied. Dar nodded. Both men knew that the significance of the mithral blades went beyond the value of their inherent magical powers; they were keys, very important keys, to a place that had to be kept secure at all costs. Unfortunately, there had been no sign of the other two; those had been lost with Letellia’s magical pouch of holding within Rappan Athuk.
“Are you going to wait until Tiros returns?” Jaduran asked him.
“No, I don’t think so. I’m sure I’ll see him again before too long.”
Jaduran extended a hand. “I wish you peace in the Light, Corath Dar.”
Dar shook the extended hand. He started toward the exit, but hesitated, and Jaduran turned back toward him, waiting.
“Varo,” Dar finally said.
“Allera told me what Nelan said to her, in the Celestial realm.”
“I don’t pretend to understand any of it. I was dead when all that crazy stuff started happening, and Allera was barely conscious, and completely out of it by the time that Orcus bought it. Yet somehow, he and Letellia did it.”
“Faith can be a strange thing,” Jaduran said, lighting the fresh candles with one of the older ones that had nearly burned down to the nub. The glow from the tiny flames brightened his face, and cast a tiny sparkle into his eyes. “You know, I tried to read that book of his, the Codex Thanara.”
Dar grunted. “And?”
Jaduran finished, blew out the scrap of candle, and put it down on the tray that held the now-empty box of fresh ones. “I could not make any sense of it, to be honest. It just seemed like... chaos. Maybe it’s my training; my mind has been conditioned to seek things in orderly paths. But if someone hadn’t come along who had been able to see the warning in the book...”
“Someone crazy enough, you mean.”
Jaduran shrugged. “If that is so, perhaps we are the ones who are mad. In any case, we are entering a new era for religion in Camar. You have seen the new church that is being built in the Docks Quarter?”
“Yeah, well Varo got that, after all. Never thought I’d see a church of Dagos in Camar, not in the open, anyway. Though that guy Alzoun is about as crazy as Varo was.”
“I may go down and listen to a service. Perhaps our faiths are not so dissimilar as some have believed. You know, there are some old scholars who wrote that Soleus and Dagos are both aspects of the same god, a branching that enables a reconciliation of the necessary duality of order and chaos in a way that mere human beings can understand.”
“You’re shi—you’re kidding me. You believe that?”
Jaduran shrugged. “Why, it is heresy, of course. But an interesting concept, nevertheless.”
The two men faced each other in silence for a time. Finally, Dar’s mouth twisted in the approximation of a smile. “Well, like you said, ‘new era’ and all. So long, Patriarch.”
Jaduran inflected his head in a bow. “Good fortune, Corath Dar.”
The fighter left, the heavy wooden door to the chapel swinging shut behind him. The leader of Camar’s predominant religion stood there for a long minute, watching in silence, then turned back to the altar, and starting picking up the rest of the spent candles.
* * * * *
Chapter 368
REFLECTIONS
The door to the chapel swung open quietly, and Corath Dar entered.
The fighter looked a good deal different than he had in Rappan Athuk. His clothes were new, layered garments of wool and linen of muted and practical design. The terrible winter had finally broken, but the air was still chilly, and it felt as though summer would be a complete miss for this year. The suit was devoid of markings or insignia, and he bore only a long dirk for a weapon. His face was creased with hard lines, and he looked like a man a good decade older than his thirty-four years.
The only other man in the room looked up as Dar entered. The Patriarch of Camar did not look surprised to see him. Dar came up to where Jaduran stood near the altar, but said nothing; the two men merely stood there for a moment in tranquil silence, as the weight of events sorted themselves out for both of them.
“Has there been any word from the Tribune?” the Patriarch finally asked.
“I imagine you’d know before I would,” Dar said, his words a bit clipped. But when Jaduran’s placid expression did not change he shook his head. “No, nothing. I think he’s going to pardon Kyros Livius, though.”
“You disagree with that course?”
Dar shook his head again, more violently. “No, damn it, the people need peace, after all that Camar’s been through. But that bastard put us through a lot, and he deserves a blade in the gut more than a pension and a stern finger-wagging.”
“As you said, Camar has been through a great deal. From what I understand, the people of Dalemar did not weather the winter well.”
“Yeah, well, that’s one reason why they’re talking, instead of gearing up for a spring campaign.”
“At least matters are quiet in the south.”
“Yeah, it’s been placid enough since Gravorr’s dwarves cleaned out the region. But the freaking council vetoed my suggestion to establish a permanent base at Southwatch. They’d rather write off the whole south, and try to forget any of this ever happened.”
“Camar has lost a great many men, Dar, even in the areas not directly assaulted by the Demon. It will take decades even for the core provinces to recover. And you cannot fault people for not wanting to resettle the southern marches, not after what happened.”
“Maybe so, but in ten years, that entire region’s going to be a wildlands. Wouldn’t surprise me if the orcs move down out of the mountains as well, now that our forts along the frontier are empty.”
“You may be right. But we will face that challenge when we come to it.” The cleric started changing out the depleted candles in the altar display. Without looking up, he said, “I heard that you refused the permanent appointment to the council.”
Dar snorted. “I am not a politician. If I had to sit through any more of those meetings, I’d probably end up in a noose after throwing that fat bastard Eutropius through a wall.”
“I heard that Tiros offered you the command of the Dragon Knights as well.”
“Yeah, well, I’m no knight.” Dar ran a hand through his hair, scratching at his scalp.
“Have you decided what you and Allera are going to do?”
“I’m tired, Patriarch. I’ve had not one, but two swords broken; I think it’s a sign that I shouldn’t push my luck. There’s a little place, a community not far from Highbluff; it got emptied out during the war but the survivors are going to go back, try to make a go of it. Allera thinks she could open up a hospital there, maybe train some more healers.”
“Helping others is always a worthwhile way to spend one’s time, regardless of where it is.”
“If you want that armor back, I can bring it by before we go...”
Jaduran shook his head. “No, keep it. I hope that you will never need it again.”
The suit in question was a full set of plate mail of brightness, one of the magical treasures that they had recovered from Orcus’s throne. Dar had worn the armor, with a breastplate engraved with the blazing torch of Soleus, during the mopping up operations that had followed their victory at Rappan Athuk. They had also brought back with them a book of infinite spells, and an assortment of lesser items, including those that had been the property of Alderis and Varo.
“What about the dagger?” Dar asked.
“It has been secured somewhere very safe,” Jaduran replied. Dar nodded. Both men knew that the significance of the mithral blades went beyond the value of their inherent magical powers; they were keys, very important keys, to a place that had to be kept secure at all costs. Unfortunately, there had been no sign of the other two; those had been lost with Letellia’s magical pouch of holding within Rappan Athuk.
“Are you going to wait until Tiros returns?” Jaduran asked him.
“No, I don’t think so. I’m sure I’ll see him again before too long.”
Jaduran extended a hand. “I wish you peace in the Light, Corath Dar.”
Dar shook the extended hand. He started toward the exit, but hesitated, and Jaduran turned back toward him, waiting.
“Varo,” Dar finally said.
“Allera told me what Nelan said to her, in the Celestial realm.”
“I don’t pretend to understand any of it. I was dead when all that crazy stuff started happening, and Allera was barely conscious, and completely out of it by the time that Orcus bought it. Yet somehow, he and Letellia did it.”
“Faith can be a strange thing,” Jaduran said, lighting the fresh candles with one of the older ones that had nearly burned down to the nub. The glow from the tiny flames brightened his face, and cast a tiny sparkle into his eyes. “You know, I tried to read that book of his, the Codex Thanara.”
Dar grunted. “And?”
Jaduran finished, blew out the scrap of candle, and put it down on the tray that held the now-empty box of fresh ones. “I could not make any sense of it, to be honest. It just seemed like... chaos. Maybe it’s my training; my mind has been conditioned to seek things in orderly paths. But if someone hadn’t come along who had been able to see the warning in the book...”
“Someone crazy enough, you mean.”
Jaduran shrugged. “If that is so, perhaps we are the ones who are mad. In any case, we are entering a new era for religion in Camar. You have seen the new church that is being built in the Docks Quarter?”
“Yeah, well Varo got that, after all. Never thought I’d see a church of Dagos in Camar, not in the open, anyway. Though that guy Alzoun is about as crazy as Varo was.”
“I may go down and listen to a service. Perhaps our faiths are not so dissimilar as some have believed. You know, there are some old scholars who wrote that Soleus and Dagos are both aspects of the same god, a branching that enables a reconciliation of the necessary duality of order and chaos in a way that mere human beings can understand.”
“You’re shi—you’re kidding me. You believe that?”
Jaduran shrugged. “Why, it is heresy, of course. But an interesting concept, nevertheless.”
The two men faced each other in silence for a time. Finally, Dar’s mouth twisted in the approximation of a smile. “Well, like you said, ‘new era’ and all. So long, Patriarch.”
Jaduran inflected his head in a bow. “Good fortune, Corath Dar.”
The fighter left, the heavy wooden door to the chapel swinging shut behind him. The leader of Camar’s predominant religion stood there for a long minute, watching in silence, then turned back to the altar, and starting picking up the rest of the spent candles.
Nightbreeze
First Post
just one post left...sniff
SolitonMan
Explorer
Tremendous.
This has been a truly fantastic story hour, Lazybones. I thank you for sharing your creativity, it's been a pleasure to follow along!
Now, since I started with Doomed, I get to back track and catch up on your previous efforts!!! YEEEEEEEEEE-HAAAAAAA!
This has been a truly fantastic story hour, Lazybones. I thank you for sharing your creativity, it's been a pleasure to follow along!
Now, since I started with Doomed, I get to back track and catch up on your previous efforts!!! YEEEEEEEEEE-HAAAAAAA!
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