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The Gate Pass Irregulars: A War of the Burning Sky Campaign
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<blockquote data-quote="Cafu" data-source="post: 5897312" data-attributes="member: 6692807"><p>Having heard Drudge’s warning we slowed down. Despite his call, I couldn’t see any figures personally; with the above exception, neither could anyone else at this point but then we heard someone blow a horn; obviously some sort of signal. Well, that tore it. Throwing caution to the winds, we began to speed up. </p><p></p><p>The whole situation was dangerous. The road had been cut through high ground with steep inclines to a height of about twenty feet on either side. There was a little foliage on the road side before the inclines began. John, who had obviously also seen them now, told us that two scouts were spying on us from the heights. I did a double turn when he said two: I had been under the impression that it was only one. Then an arrow streaked towards us; and still I couldn’t quite make out the archer though I could see roughly where the arrow came from. </p><p></p><p>That was enough for me. I was a very bad rider and my horse was getting very skittish. I slid out of the saddle and cast a spell which made me difficult to strike; and not a moment too soon as suddenly a rider appeared around a bend of the road ahead. A striking figure with metal armour glinting under his cloak but his most salient feature was an odd, flamboyant, helm that looked like a horse’s head. Inside, we could see his teeth as if he was grinning, anticipating the coming conflict; great, another madman. He drew a bow and fired towards us but fortunately his arrow missed. </p><p></p><p>Then, another figure, this time on foot, appeared running around the bend. This one was not nearly as impressively armoured and it was lugging a crossbow. </p><p></p><p>As I was still looking at this figure, I was distracted by someone from behind me: Torrent, urging her horse onwards, fearlessly confronting the horseman. I had hoped for a brief moment to try to talk our way through this but then I noticed the armband worn by the rider. It was the same as those worn by the individuals who attacked us in the Poison Apple Pub; they were not really interested in talking, just hitting us for their own mysterious reasons. So, I began spell casting, trying a long, complicated spell which would be hugely useful if I was allowed to finish it. </p><p></p><p>At this point, Victor also rode forward to confront the first horseman and aid Torrent but then another enemy horseman came around the bend of the road, fired his bow, thankfully missed and then faced Victor before he could reach his intended target. It was at this point that I saw the value of a trained war horse, as these creatures reared up and flailed with their hooves and tried to bite their enemies with huge, blunt teeth. I was amazed that Torrent and Victor managed to stay in their saddles. At the same time, I did notice that although the horses seemed to be hitting their enemies on both sides, it was obvious that Victor was certainly not used to fighting on horseback as he swung his sword wildly with little hope of actually striking his enemy. </p><p></p><p>Finally my spell finished and not a moment too soon as I felt another bolt strike me but thankfully my defensive magic managed to absorb its impact. Then I had to place my magic by calculating where the enemy would be and I let it go; I was aiming at the two crossbowmen hidden in the heights above us. I could not actually see the results. I also saw another rider come around the bend and line up behind his two comrades. </p><p></p><p>Drudge was our most effective combatant at this time, his arrows skewering several targets while the enemy seemed to be getting the better of Victor and Torrent; in fact, I saw Torrent having to jump down as her poor horse had had its head smashed by the hooves of its enemy. Victor still seemed to be flailing wildly and was struck several times by horse hooves. The third horseman began lobbing alchemical bags at Victor; I recognized them and prayed that the warrior would managed to dodge them because if he didn’t that he would become stuck to the saddle and be subject to great danger if his horse was struck and felled. </p><p></p><p>My prayers were obviously answered as one did come quite close but the warrior managed to dodge it adroitly. </p><p></p><p>Despite this though, it did not take long for Victor’s horse to be felled and Victor himself landed heavily, obviously badly hurt. Longhelim, although hurt by crossbow bolts himself, strode forward to help, followed by Felix. By this time, everyone noticed that the stream of crossbow bolts from above had ceased so obviously, my magic must have sent the two warriors up there to sleep. </p><p></p><p>Suddenly, we had our first success. Torrent struck the horse of one of the riders, felling it with its rider hitting the ground hard. As the poor wretch tried to rise, both Longhelim and Torrent struck him, making sure he stayed down. However, this left the third horseman who rode up and between him and his horse, struck the poor priestess several times sending her tumbling to the ground, obviously unconscious. </p><p></p><p>Longhelim engaged this new enemy while Victor was still locked in his struggle with the man with the horsehead helm. Drudge had already sent several arrows into him and Victor finally managed to hit him with a huge blow but he was then hit in return and this time he was knocked senseless.</p><p></p><p>To make things even worse, another mounted figure rounded the bend. This was the same mysterious horseman whom we had seen outside the Poison Apple in Gate Pass; as before, he was mounted on a magnificent steed and he just sat there watching us fight against his minions. Then, to my shock, almost leisurely, I saw him cast at least one spell before my attention was forcibly drawn to my self-preservation</p><p></p><p>I couldn’t continue to watch him as suddenly I saw that Longhelim managed to strike the man with the horsehead with a huge blow from his sword. Seeing this, the two foot warriors ran up to join the conflict. Longhelim was not able to enjoy his triumph for long as he was struck by the horseman and he himself was sent into oblivion. This left us in very dire straits with Drudge, Felix, and I as the final antagonists against the horsemen and two foot warriors. True, both horsemen had been hurt but the two foot warriors were intact. </p><p></p><p>Thankfully, at this moment Drudge sent two arrows sinking into the man with the strange helmet, this time felling him. Immediately, there was a shout from behind; the leader was calling his men to retreat. I was very puzzled at this as the battle was still very much in the balance. </p><p></p><p>This was enough for the last horseman and he withdrew but the last two foot warriors were trapped and they did not seem to be paying any attention to him anyway. John had managed to heal Torrent and between the surviving members of the group, the last two warriors were overwhelmed. </p><p></p><p>As we looked at each other and panted, I suddenly urged everyone to go and recover the two sleeping ambushers. The spell was going to run out soon. Felix did some rapid healing and then Slippery John, Drudge and Longhelim went up there and soon returned, half dragging and half carrying two individuals. Both were tied up and gagged and then we left them on the side of the road as we picked over the fallen; fortunes of war as Longhelim told me. At the same time, Torrent and Felix were busy doing what little healing they could although they were now very low in magic. However, a little was better than none. </p><p></p><p>I reflected on this situation with distaste. This had been the first true battle in which I had participated and if this was anything to go by, I did not care for it. It was nasty, smelly, bloody and I was barely able to react to our opponents never mind try to plan for their next move. There was lots of shouting, swearing and people moved so fast it was impossible to predict where one person was going to be from one moment to the next. Half the time, I was dodging swords, arrows and horses and the rest of the time, I was making sure that my allies were not caught in my magic. I felt that I had been lucky to cast my spell, never mind the effect it had. Victor told me that, considering our opponents, we had been fortunate and he said he was still puzzled as to why the rider on the powerful warhorse had declined to take part in the activities of his allies so far. Victor recognized a seasoned, experienced, powerful warrior and was under no illusion, saying that if the rider had chosen to take part, we would not be standing talking like this right now. </p><p></p><p>He then stared down the road, shaking his head. </p><p></p><p>So, we patched ourselves up as best as we could and continued riding towards the Forest, with Drudge slightly ahead, looking for tracks. A short distance later, we came to a side track leading off the main road. It was very likely that our ambushers came from that direction. Drudge decided to follow it for a short distance but returned fairly quickly, saying that the track led a reasonable distance and that if we wanted to investigate it further, we would all have to go. </p><p></p><p>We followed Drudge along the track and after a little time, we came to a clearing which ended in a cliff face. In it, we could see various rough doors which led into the cliff itself. Most of these were warped with age and looked as if they were just closed with the exception of one which was not only shut, but a new lock could be easily discerned in its centre. </p><p></p><p>The clearing also contained a rough encampment with several tents and a few tethered horses. This was obviously where our ambushers had settled to wait for us. </p><p></p><p>I also remembered that this place was very important to Gate Pass for another reason. </p><p></p><p>The City celebrated an important Festival each year, the Festival of Dreams when everyone asked for a divine boon in the form of a written prayer which was then placed in a sealed clay urn. A very select few were opened and if possible, priests attempted to make those lucky prayers come true; but the thousands of urns that were left closed were taken outside the city and deposited in these caves. </p><p></p><p>As we began to look through the encampment, Slippery John started to fiddle with the lock in the strange door. It took him a little time but he finally managed to open it. By that stage, we managed to find a small chest in one of the tents and when we opened it, we saw that it was full of gold coins. There were also various other valuables including a scroll case. When we opened that, we saw that it contained four warrants which could be redeemed at any Ragesian fort, promising a hundred gold pieces for the delivery of any dangerous spell casters. Well that solved one of the mysteries of our pursuers; they were very specialised mercenaries, capturing spell casters for the reward offered by the Ragesians. It still left a lot of unanswered questions though, especially about our mysterious rider on his huge war horse and his strange non-hostile behavior.</p><p></p><p>By that point, Slippery John had called us over, saying that he had managed to open the door and he was going to go inside. He went it and stayed for a little while. We called out to him, concerned at the time he was spending in there but he called back and assured us that everything was all right. Soon after that, he came back out, this time with a strange cloth wound around his waist. He told us that beyond the door was small room and in which was a corpse; around it, one could see some writing which said “do not let my death be in vain” and it had been wrapped in the shroud that was now wound around Slippery John’s waist. This was a stunning piece of cloth despite being dulled by age, embroidered with scenes of past heroics by some of the mythical figures from the past history of Gate Pass. Slippery John said he did not know why but the cloth just felt “right” around his waist he said that it had glowed as he had wound it around himself; he did say he had muttered a prayer to his god while he was doing this.</p><p></p><p>At this point, we put most of our gains in one pile and I cast a small spell which told us which pieces were magical. Not surprisingly, John’s Shroud was one. I have to say that having a large cloth wound around him like that changed the way he looked completely. He looked almost priest like.</p><p></p><p>Once we had looked around again, we took the horses and returned to the road. </p><p></p><p>This time, several hours passed without incident. We began to notice a rise in temperature, the snow started becoming patchy and the road became quite soft and muddy. By that time, there was an obvious orange glow in the distance. We were approaching the Fire Forest. I wish I could have felt more excited but in truth, I felt exhausted, sore and concerned. Some of us were still hurt and I had not had a chance to study my magic. As such, I was of little use at the moment; and there was a pair of mercenaries out there; and we had their cash; and there was another pair that we had left trussed up by the side of the road who had almost certainly freed themselves by now; and most likely we had their cash too. </p><p></p><p>As we rounded a bend in the road, the cliff fell away and we were able to see in the distance. Yes, the Forest burned, emitting enormous amounts of smoke. The area around it seemed to be completely gray, with little visibility and it took me a little time to realize that this was ash, blowing from inside the forest. The ground was covered thickly with the same gray ash. There was a river flowing on the edge of the burning area, acting like some sort of natural border to the whole conflagration. Even from here, we could all feel a wall of heat which fluctuated with the wind. I hoped Torrent’s potions were effective otherwise, we were not going any further. Finally, in the middle of the gray area, close to the fire but not close enough to be in danger, stood a stone building, with another wooden one nearby. Standing in the back yard of this building was a figure. </p><p></p><p>Slowly, our weary horses walked towards the building and soon we were able to discern the figure as that of a small woman, dark haired, wearing a blue dress and clutching a slim staff. Slowly and making sure we made no sudden moves, we approached and when we finally arrived, we could see that despite our arrival, she still stared into the distance. Then in a monotone she said: </p><p></p><p>“The Scourge Comes and the Skulls of the Dragon Pursue You – I saw it in a Dream”. </p><p></p><p>Then she shook her head, as if coming out of this dream and smiled at us. She greeted us and said: </p><p></p><p>“My name is Crystin. It is so good to see you. My father, Haddin will be so happy! I know you are going on a journey. I beseech you, please take us with you! We have to leave here. We are no longer safe.”</p><p></p><p>I stared open mouthed at her. I wasn’t sure what to say. I had never met this girl before; I did not believe that any of us had; yet here she was, already asking to go with a complete group of strangers without even knowing where we were going; unless of course, she had “seen our destination in a dream” again. </p><p></p><p>At this speech, Torrent said, very politely: </p><p></p><p>“Hello, my name is Torrent and these are my companions. Please forgive us, we have had a long journey and if possible, we would like to water our horses and then we would like to speak to you further.”</p><p></p><p>Crystin nodded at this although she looked a little impatient. As we led the horses into the stable and the water trough, Torrent quickly told us the she remembered this Haddin and related the following: </p><p></p><p>If it was the same man, Haddin had been a powerful mage as well as a gifted artist in Gate Pass. He also had a brother, Mondragon, a bad person who was a criminal and was forever getting into more and more trouble until suddenly, almost overnight, he seemed to turn over a new leaf and became a model citizen. Several people were very suspicious of this sudden change and a rumour began that Haddin had magically compelled his brother to act in this new manner. This willingness to dominate someone by magic scared some of the population so badly that it set off a riot and Haddin was forced to flee for his life. He took his wife and new born child with him. Ironically, the brother was slain, protecting Haddin. Many years later, a young woman appeared in Gate Pass and began to buy supplies; although she had not said anything, she looked so like her mother that several people recognized her as Haddin’s child. </p><p></p><p>We had obviously stumbled on their home. </p><p></p><p>Torrent added that a subsequent investigation proved that it was very likely that Haddin had in fact dominated his brother. This left Mondragon’s death open to a great many questions.</p><p></p><p>Once she had finished, we went back to Crystin and asked her to lead us into the house. She smiled, much happier and almost skipped as she moved, calling out to her father that we were coming. Once she opened the door and led us in, we could see quite a sizeable room. It was an unusual living arrangement. The furniture was made of stone, so smooth that it could only have been made through magic. The walls were covered with beautiful paintings and the whole place was scrupulously clean. There was a further hallway on the other side of this large room which led to a larger, grander door at the front of the house. </p><p></p><p>A figure was sitting in a chair, leafing through a book. </p><p></p><p>“Father, can I introduce you to….”</p><p></p><p>“I don’t care who they are! I don’t want them here. Get rid of them!”</p><p></p><p>“But Papa, you said we had to get out of here soon.”</p><p></p><p>“No I didn’t! Now, didn’t you hear me, get rid of them!” </p><p></p><p>Then Haddin turned to face us. He was a very unpleasant individual. He looked heavy set, running to fat, with little hair. He wore a stained shirt and he obviously sweated heavily from the heat. He glowered at us and needed a wash. As he lowered his head, I could see the extra layers on his neck and a sizeable double chin. He was obviously even heavier than I had thought previously. Just adding to the impression of ill health was his persistent cough and wheezing breath. </p><p></p><p>“I don’t know what she’s told you but get out. We don’t need you. You lot look like walking trouble, especially the idiot paladin. Go and rescue some maiden or something, will you?”</p><p></p><p>“…..and you, Crystin, get to the kitchen and prepare dinner. You and I will have words later”. </p><p></p><p>Longhelim stepped forward, using his charm although he spoke in an icy tone, obviously deciding to be civilized despite the provocation. </p><p></p><p>“Sir, we seek shelter for the night. We will not trouble you. If you could spare some space for us in your stable, we will not impose on you for any longer than tonight and tomorrow morning.”</p><p></p><p>Haddin, looked at him from his porcine eyes and just grunted. He did not say yes or no, just grunted which we took for an assent and then we left rapidly. Back in the stable, Longhelim turned to us and said: </p><p></p><p>“He is a nasty piece of work; evil through and through. If our errand was not so important, I would stay here and….anyway, judging from what you told us Torrent, it is very likely that he is up to his old tricks and has dominated Crystin. What do we do about it? I certainly don’t want to take him with us. If this is what he is capable of doing to his daughter, we will all be under his domination within a few days into our journey. In fact, he may already be plotting to do so. Having said that, I am really loth to leave Crystin here. She is nothing but his slave.”</p><p></p><p>This left us in a real quandary. We had no idea as to Crystin’s true feelings. In fact, we were unsure if she was even dominated but could we take the risk? In the end, after some discussion, we decided that we would try to break the domination magically. There was a spell which both Felix and I could do which would suppress the domination for a brief period of time and it was during this period that we hoped Crystin would be able to convey her true feelings about the situation. We would then act depending on what she told us. </p><p></p><p>That night, as I lay in the stable on top of my bedding, I loosened my clothes for the first time during this journey. It was uncomfortably hot and the strange roaring sound created by the Fire in the distance guaranteed that it would take me a long time to get to sleep, despite my exhaustion. So, left to its own devices my mind wondered, first to my family in Gate Pass, then to Gabal and his students; then to my friends the three human girls who were among those students. They would never have believed that the staid dwarven bookworm was sleeping in a stable outside the Fire Forest of Innenotdar in the company of a group of desperados, about to embark on a journey through one of the magical wonders of the world.</p><p></p><p>I spent some time thinking through some magical problems, especially trying to see if I could think of some magic that would shield me from fire. I had various ideas but these would take time. They definitely had potential though.</p><p></p><p>Then my speculation ranged even wider and I began to think about some of the recent events that had contributed to our current situation, both distantly and directly: </p><p></p><p>Who had killed Drakus Coaltongue?</p><p>Why did Leska want to conquer Gate Pass now?</p><p>What chance did the city have against such mighty forces arrayed against it?</p><p>How long could it possibly hold out?</p><p>If the Inquisition was already in the city, was the Scourge in full flow?</p><p>What were the Shining Lands of Shahalesti going to do?</p><p>Why hadn’t Leska used the Torch of the Burning Sky during this military campaign?</p><p>And finally, considering the forces we had seen arrayed against it, what powers did the Lyceum have that could potentially thwart the Ragesians?</p><p></p><p>Then, I was gently shaken and told I was due on watch. </p><p></p><p>The next morning, we rose early and were soon on the doorstep. Our plan was formalized. Both Felix and I had a spell ready which would temporarily lift Haddin’s domination from Crystin; all we needed to do was touch her. </p><p></p><p>We were greeted at the door by a subdued young girl. I wasn’t sure, but I thought I saw traces of tears around her eyes. As she allowed us into the house, she wished us luck in our journey and told us that breakfast was ready. As Felix shook her hand, I could see the spell effect beginning but she did not react. </p><p></p><p>We sat down for breakfast and during the meal, I asked her to pass me the bread and brushed her hand as she did so, again releasing the spell but again meeting no change from Crystin. Either she was not dominated or she was proving very resistant to our magic; having said that, we were very inexperienced at casting magic of this type and I suspect our spells were weak. However, we were now in a quandary. There was a strong possibility that she was not being dominated. We had made a couple of attempts which had been met with indifference on her part. Although we looked at each other around breakfast, we could not discuss anything. I gave a little shrug, indicating that I didn’t know what to do next. </p><p></p><p>As breakfast finished, we stood up and Haddin, who hadn’t said a word, just glowered at us and said: </p><p></p><p>“So, you have had your fill and eaten all my supplies; now leave.”</p><p></p><p>Just as we rose, there was bellow from outside the front door: </p><p></p><p>“Haddin. Come out and surrender in the name of the Empress Leska.”</p><p></p><p>We froze. Haddin looked very pale and Slippery John immediately rose and quietly moved to the back door. Suddenly, Victor shouted that he had been magically attacked. Someone had tried to do something although he couldn’t tell what, who or how. Then Longhelim walked to the front door and yanked it open. Then he quickly shut it again and walked backwards, drawing his sword and shield. Without turning around he said quickly: </p><p></p><p>“One goblin right next to the door, two armoured soldiers, one orc, magically grown with a huge axe and little armour and one humanoid with a bear skull mask and armour; oh, and six skeletons arrayed in the front garden”.</p><p></p><p>A bear skull mask; this was one of the infamous Ragesian Inquisitors, one of the people that Gabal called “The Scourge”; and he obviously had a support troop with him. I wasn’t sure just what or how good the warriors with him were but I suspected that they must have been hand-picked elite troops.</p><p></p><p>I hadn’t seen when, but Drudge had also gone out through the back door and I lost sight of him. Torrent had just finished doing a spell on Victor which made him grow. I knew the spell. Although it made the recipients grow and also made them much stronger, the disadvantage was that they became much clumsier. I was not sure how Victor was going to react to it but it was too late. He just shrugged and began to lumber through the back door, unwilling to face the onslaught in the very narrow corridor leading through to the front door. At this point, that door was opened by a skeleton but Felix, calling on his deity, brandished his holy symbol at the undead and they turned to dust. I was astonished by the power of the priest and the shouting from outside stilled for a few moments. It seemed this wasn’t part of their plan.</p><p></p><p>Haddin began shouting for everyone to save him and Crystin was keeping close to her father, looking pale and determined. Torrent was pressed to one of the side walls of the room. Longhelim stepped out of the front door to confront the large orc who had bounded in, following up the skeletons. As the paladin stepped out, he was attacked by an invisible foe, another goblin. Fortunately for us, his short sword did little against the paladin, bouncing against his shield and then Longhelim managed to hit the orc with a beautiful strike; even I, with my lack of knowledge about these things, could see that the orc was rocked. </p><p></p><p>Haddin, shadowed by Crystin, moved forward and cast a spell at the individual with the bear mask and for the first time, I could see the fabled counter spelling ability of the Inquisitors. It was amazing; he moved with almost contemptuous ease, waiting for Haddin’s spell to be released and then he batted it away as if it was a practice contest. I had never seen anything like it. For the first time, I realised why Gabal was always making us practice disguising our spells. I remember him saying that no matter how much practice we did, it would not prepare us for the real thing. We had to experience that. Now I could see why. </p><p></p><p>Seeing this, I moved through the back door, ran along the side of the house and joined Victor, who was facing the two orc soldiers. I tried to cast a spell but if Haddin had not been successful, then it was unlikely that I would be; and so it proved as the Inquisitor negated my magic. That left me with no spells, as I had cast my defensive spell at the beginning of the day and had also attempted to free Crystin from her domination. </p><p></p><p>Then, the Inquisitor cast his own spell; there was a huge bang and Victor seemed to be disorientated, unable to do anything but defend himself. The two soldiers took full advantage of this and our large warrior quickly fell over, bleeding badly. I had to retreat around the house and to my horror I realized that I was being chased by the enormous orc and his even bigger axe. Longhelim must have fallen. Things were looking very grim indeed for us. </p><p></p><p>As I rounded the corner, I was caught a glancing blow by the pursuing orc which hurt…a lot. Then he almost caught me again as I slipped through the door but again it was just a glancing blow although by this point, I was almost unconscious. I could see Torrent and Felix getting ready to battle the enemy but at that moment, I was struck for a third time and everything went black. </p><p></p><p>Someone was slapping me in the face and trying to feed me water. It was Felix. I hurt all over but that was nothing new; I had bruises on bruises; however, I wasn’t dead, so we must have won. I could see that Victor was still down as was Longhelim. Felix told me I was the worst one hurt so they healed me first. I had been very close to death. </p><p></p><p>As I sat up, I looked around. I could see the bodies of all the soldiers. Haddin was down in a heap and being tended by Crystin; oddly, there was another goblin standing protectively close to him. Otherwise, there were two other goblins, three orcs and the Inquisitor slumped on the ground. Once I looked around and asked what had happened, basically what I was told was that although several of us had been beaten unconscious, the warriors, well, Longhelim mainly, had hurt the enemy so badly that they needed just a few blows to beat them into unconsciousness. The paladin had made a superb showing, killing the goblins and hurting the enormous orc barbarian very badly; in addition, Drudge was turning out to be a very good archer, sending arrow after arrow into the enemy. He was also quite the hero. </p><p></p><p>As we husbanded our healing magic, we managed to rouse both Longhelim and Victor, even if they were both still very weak. We decided to leave Haddin where he was although Torrent made a final attempt to break the man’s domination on Crystin and this time it worked. The young girl shook her head as if clearing it and then looked at Torrent desperately and begged her to take her away from here, especially from her father whom she had come to detest. </p><p></p><p>Torrent promised her that we would but we would have to restrain her once the defensive spell wore off as she would then return to being dominated. Crystin agreed with no qualms. </p><p></p><p>We left Haddin unconscious in the care of his latest guardian, the goblin. Drudge looked at the latter with dislike and told us that he had been a sniper hiding on the roof of the stables and that they had engaged in an archery duel. Apparently, the goblin had put a crossbow bolt into Drudge which was why the archer was rather annoyed with him. </p><p></p><p>We took what we could from the bodies. There were various magical items, and the two warriors took the armour from the orc soldiers. Apparently it was very good armour, called “half plate” whatever that was. They were excited by it anyway. </p><p></p><p>We also found a scroll case with a scroll stating chilling orders that Haddin was “not needed” therefore he was to be eliminated. </p><p></p><p>Victor was also filing something on his falchion. I could hear him muttering: </p><p></p><p>“…the balance on this thing is all wrong….”</p><p>“…need to get rid of this ridiculous rabbit handle but how to do it without damaging the weapon….”</p><p>“…..I have to practice with it more……can’t hit a barn door right now….”</p><p></p><p>Longhelim quietly told me that Victor was having trouble adjusting the strange grip of his weapon. </p><p></p><p>I took out my spell book. There was a technique that allowed me to learn my spells at an accelerated rate. It was tiring, dangerous and recommended to be used only in emergencies by Gabal, as it left one weak and unfocused. Well, this was certainly an emergency. As I was learning my spells, I noticed Felix praying fervently and then meditating. It seemed as if he had a similar technique. However, once he had learned his spells, he was able to put at least some rudimentary healing on the warriors, both of whom were still very badly hurt; as was I for that matter but they were more important. </p><p></p><p>We still had to rest that night. We were taking a calculated risk that the group that had sent this Inquisitor was not expecting the squad back for a few days but we were in no shape to continue. We retired into the house and rested for the day and night. We needed this.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Cafu, post: 5897312, member: 6692807"] Having heard Drudge’s warning we slowed down. Despite his call, I couldn’t see any figures personally; with the above exception, neither could anyone else at this point but then we heard someone blow a horn; obviously some sort of signal. Well, that tore it. Throwing caution to the winds, we began to speed up. The whole situation was dangerous. The road had been cut through high ground with steep inclines to a height of about twenty feet on either side. There was a little foliage on the road side before the inclines began. John, who had obviously also seen them now, told us that two scouts were spying on us from the heights. I did a double turn when he said two: I had been under the impression that it was only one. Then an arrow streaked towards us; and still I couldn’t quite make out the archer though I could see roughly where the arrow came from. That was enough for me. I was a very bad rider and my horse was getting very skittish. I slid out of the saddle and cast a spell which made me difficult to strike; and not a moment too soon as suddenly a rider appeared around a bend of the road ahead. A striking figure with metal armour glinting under his cloak but his most salient feature was an odd, flamboyant, helm that looked like a horse’s head. Inside, we could see his teeth as if he was grinning, anticipating the coming conflict; great, another madman. He drew a bow and fired towards us but fortunately his arrow missed. Then, another figure, this time on foot, appeared running around the bend. This one was not nearly as impressively armoured and it was lugging a crossbow. As I was still looking at this figure, I was distracted by someone from behind me: Torrent, urging her horse onwards, fearlessly confronting the horseman. I had hoped for a brief moment to try to talk our way through this but then I noticed the armband worn by the rider. It was the same as those worn by the individuals who attacked us in the Poison Apple Pub; they were not really interested in talking, just hitting us for their own mysterious reasons. So, I began spell casting, trying a long, complicated spell which would be hugely useful if I was allowed to finish it. At this point, Victor also rode forward to confront the first horseman and aid Torrent but then another enemy horseman came around the bend of the road, fired his bow, thankfully missed and then faced Victor before he could reach his intended target. It was at this point that I saw the value of a trained war horse, as these creatures reared up and flailed with their hooves and tried to bite their enemies with huge, blunt teeth. I was amazed that Torrent and Victor managed to stay in their saddles. At the same time, I did notice that although the horses seemed to be hitting their enemies on both sides, it was obvious that Victor was certainly not used to fighting on horseback as he swung his sword wildly with little hope of actually striking his enemy. Finally my spell finished and not a moment too soon as I felt another bolt strike me but thankfully my defensive magic managed to absorb its impact. Then I had to place my magic by calculating where the enemy would be and I let it go; I was aiming at the two crossbowmen hidden in the heights above us. I could not actually see the results. I also saw another rider come around the bend and line up behind his two comrades. Drudge was our most effective combatant at this time, his arrows skewering several targets while the enemy seemed to be getting the better of Victor and Torrent; in fact, I saw Torrent having to jump down as her poor horse had had its head smashed by the hooves of its enemy. Victor still seemed to be flailing wildly and was struck several times by horse hooves. The third horseman began lobbing alchemical bags at Victor; I recognized them and prayed that the warrior would managed to dodge them because if he didn’t that he would become stuck to the saddle and be subject to great danger if his horse was struck and felled. My prayers were obviously answered as one did come quite close but the warrior managed to dodge it adroitly. Despite this though, it did not take long for Victor’s horse to be felled and Victor himself landed heavily, obviously badly hurt. Longhelim, although hurt by crossbow bolts himself, strode forward to help, followed by Felix. By this time, everyone noticed that the stream of crossbow bolts from above had ceased so obviously, my magic must have sent the two warriors up there to sleep. Suddenly, we had our first success. Torrent struck the horse of one of the riders, felling it with its rider hitting the ground hard. As the poor wretch tried to rise, both Longhelim and Torrent struck him, making sure he stayed down. However, this left the third horseman who rode up and between him and his horse, struck the poor priestess several times sending her tumbling to the ground, obviously unconscious. Longhelim engaged this new enemy while Victor was still locked in his struggle with the man with the horsehead helm. Drudge had already sent several arrows into him and Victor finally managed to hit him with a huge blow but he was then hit in return and this time he was knocked senseless. To make things even worse, another mounted figure rounded the bend. This was the same mysterious horseman whom we had seen outside the Poison Apple in Gate Pass; as before, he was mounted on a magnificent steed and he just sat there watching us fight against his minions. Then, to my shock, almost leisurely, I saw him cast at least one spell before my attention was forcibly drawn to my self-preservation I couldn’t continue to watch him as suddenly I saw that Longhelim managed to strike the man with the horsehead with a huge blow from his sword. Seeing this, the two foot warriors ran up to join the conflict. Longhelim was not able to enjoy his triumph for long as he was struck by the horseman and he himself was sent into oblivion. This left us in very dire straits with Drudge, Felix, and I as the final antagonists against the horsemen and two foot warriors. True, both horsemen had been hurt but the two foot warriors were intact. Thankfully, at this moment Drudge sent two arrows sinking into the man with the strange helmet, this time felling him. Immediately, there was a shout from behind; the leader was calling his men to retreat. I was very puzzled at this as the battle was still very much in the balance. This was enough for the last horseman and he withdrew but the last two foot warriors were trapped and they did not seem to be paying any attention to him anyway. John had managed to heal Torrent and between the surviving members of the group, the last two warriors were overwhelmed. As we looked at each other and panted, I suddenly urged everyone to go and recover the two sleeping ambushers. The spell was going to run out soon. Felix did some rapid healing and then Slippery John, Drudge and Longhelim went up there and soon returned, half dragging and half carrying two individuals. Both were tied up and gagged and then we left them on the side of the road as we picked over the fallen; fortunes of war as Longhelim told me. At the same time, Torrent and Felix were busy doing what little healing they could although they were now very low in magic. However, a little was better than none. I reflected on this situation with distaste. This had been the first true battle in which I had participated and if this was anything to go by, I did not care for it. It was nasty, smelly, bloody and I was barely able to react to our opponents never mind try to plan for their next move. There was lots of shouting, swearing and people moved so fast it was impossible to predict where one person was going to be from one moment to the next. Half the time, I was dodging swords, arrows and horses and the rest of the time, I was making sure that my allies were not caught in my magic. I felt that I had been lucky to cast my spell, never mind the effect it had. Victor told me that, considering our opponents, we had been fortunate and he said he was still puzzled as to why the rider on the powerful warhorse had declined to take part in the activities of his allies so far. Victor recognized a seasoned, experienced, powerful warrior and was under no illusion, saying that if the rider had chosen to take part, we would not be standing talking like this right now. He then stared down the road, shaking his head. So, we patched ourselves up as best as we could and continued riding towards the Forest, with Drudge slightly ahead, looking for tracks. A short distance later, we came to a side track leading off the main road. It was very likely that our ambushers came from that direction. Drudge decided to follow it for a short distance but returned fairly quickly, saying that the track led a reasonable distance and that if we wanted to investigate it further, we would all have to go. We followed Drudge along the track and after a little time, we came to a clearing which ended in a cliff face. In it, we could see various rough doors which led into the cliff itself. Most of these were warped with age and looked as if they were just closed with the exception of one which was not only shut, but a new lock could be easily discerned in its centre. The clearing also contained a rough encampment with several tents and a few tethered horses. This was obviously where our ambushers had settled to wait for us. I also remembered that this place was very important to Gate Pass for another reason. The City celebrated an important Festival each year, the Festival of Dreams when everyone asked for a divine boon in the form of a written prayer which was then placed in a sealed clay urn. A very select few were opened and if possible, priests attempted to make those lucky prayers come true; but the thousands of urns that were left closed were taken outside the city and deposited in these caves. As we began to look through the encampment, Slippery John started to fiddle with the lock in the strange door. It took him a little time but he finally managed to open it. By that stage, we managed to find a small chest in one of the tents and when we opened it, we saw that it was full of gold coins. There were also various other valuables including a scroll case. When we opened that, we saw that it contained four warrants which could be redeemed at any Ragesian fort, promising a hundred gold pieces for the delivery of any dangerous spell casters. Well that solved one of the mysteries of our pursuers; they were very specialised mercenaries, capturing spell casters for the reward offered by the Ragesians. It still left a lot of unanswered questions though, especially about our mysterious rider on his huge war horse and his strange non-hostile behavior. By that point, Slippery John had called us over, saying that he had managed to open the door and he was going to go inside. He went it and stayed for a little while. We called out to him, concerned at the time he was spending in there but he called back and assured us that everything was all right. Soon after that, he came back out, this time with a strange cloth wound around his waist. He told us that beyond the door was small room and in which was a corpse; around it, one could see some writing which said “do not let my death be in vain” and it had been wrapped in the shroud that was now wound around Slippery John’s waist. This was a stunning piece of cloth despite being dulled by age, embroidered with scenes of past heroics by some of the mythical figures from the past history of Gate Pass. Slippery John said he did not know why but the cloth just felt “right” around his waist he said that it had glowed as he had wound it around himself; he did say he had muttered a prayer to his god while he was doing this. At this point, we put most of our gains in one pile and I cast a small spell which told us which pieces were magical. Not surprisingly, John’s Shroud was one. I have to say that having a large cloth wound around him like that changed the way he looked completely. He looked almost priest like. Once we had looked around again, we took the horses and returned to the road. This time, several hours passed without incident. We began to notice a rise in temperature, the snow started becoming patchy and the road became quite soft and muddy. By that time, there was an obvious orange glow in the distance. We were approaching the Fire Forest. I wish I could have felt more excited but in truth, I felt exhausted, sore and concerned. Some of us were still hurt and I had not had a chance to study my magic. As such, I was of little use at the moment; and there was a pair of mercenaries out there; and we had their cash; and there was another pair that we had left trussed up by the side of the road who had almost certainly freed themselves by now; and most likely we had their cash too. As we rounded a bend in the road, the cliff fell away and we were able to see in the distance. Yes, the Forest burned, emitting enormous amounts of smoke. The area around it seemed to be completely gray, with little visibility and it took me a little time to realize that this was ash, blowing from inside the forest. The ground was covered thickly with the same gray ash. There was a river flowing on the edge of the burning area, acting like some sort of natural border to the whole conflagration. Even from here, we could all feel a wall of heat which fluctuated with the wind. I hoped Torrent’s potions were effective otherwise, we were not going any further. Finally, in the middle of the gray area, close to the fire but not close enough to be in danger, stood a stone building, with another wooden one nearby. Standing in the back yard of this building was a figure. Slowly, our weary horses walked towards the building and soon we were able to discern the figure as that of a small woman, dark haired, wearing a blue dress and clutching a slim staff. Slowly and making sure we made no sudden moves, we approached and when we finally arrived, we could see that despite our arrival, she still stared into the distance. Then in a monotone she said: “The Scourge Comes and the Skulls of the Dragon Pursue You – I saw it in a Dream”. Then she shook her head, as if coming out of this dream and smiled at us. She greeted us and said: “My name is Crystin. It is so good to see you. My father, Haddin will be so happy! I know you are going on a journey. I beseech you, please take us with you! We have to leave here. We are no longer safe.” I stared open mouthed at her. I wasn’t sure what to say. I had never met this girl before; I did not believe that any of us had; yet here she was, already asking to go with a complete group of strangers without even knowing where we were going; unless of course, she had “seen our destination in a dream” again. At this speech, Torrent said, very politely: “Hello, my name is Torrent and these are my companions. Please forgive us, we have had a long journey and if possible, we would like to water our horses and then we would like to speak to you further.” Crystin nodded at this although she looked a little impatient. As we led the horses into the stable and the water trough, Torrent quickly told us the she remembered this Haddin and related the following: If it was the same man, Haddin had been a powerful mage as well as a gifted artist in Gate Pass. He also had a brother, Mondragon, a bad person who was a criminal and was forever getting into more and more trouble until suddenly, almost overnight, he seemed to turn over a new leaf and became a model citizen. Several people were very suspicious of this sudden change and a rumour began that Haddin had magically compelled his brother to act in this new manner. This willingness to dominate someone by magic scared some of the population so badly that it set off a riot and Haddin was forced to flee for his life. He took his wife and new born child with him. Ironically, the brother was slain, protecting Haddin. Many years later, a young woman appeared in Gate Pass and began to buy supplies; although she had not said anything, she looked so like her mother that several people recognized her as Haddin’s child. We had obviously stumbled on their home. Torrent added that a subsequent investigation proved that it was very likely that Haddin had in fact dominated his brother. This left Mondragon’s death open to a great many questions. Once she had finished, we went back to Crystin and asked her to lead us into the house. She smiled, much happier and almost skipped as she moved, calling out to her father that we were coming. Once she opened the door and led us in, we could see quite a sizeable room. It was an unusual living arrangement. The furniture was made of stone, so smooth that it could only have been made through magic. The walls were covered with beautiful paintings and the whole place was scrupulously clean. There was a further hallway on the other side of this large room which led to a larger, grander door at the front of the house. A figure was sitting in a chair, leafing through a book. “Father, can I introduce you to….” “I don’t care who they are! I don’t want them here. Get rid of them!” “But Papa, you said we had to get out of here soon.” “No I didn’t! Now, didn’t you hear me, get rid of them!” Then Haddin turned to face us. He was a very unpleasant individual. He looked heavy set, running to fat, with little hair. He wore a stained shirt and he obviously sweated heavily from the heat. He glowered at us and needed a wash. As he lowered his head, I could see the extra layers on his neck and a sizeable double chin. He was obviously even heavier than I had thought previously. Just adding to the impression of ill health was his persistent cough and wheezing breath. “I don’t know what she’s told you but get out. We don’t need you. You lot look like walking trouble, especially the idiot paladin. Go and rescue some maiden or something, will you?” “…..and you, Crystin, get to the kitchen and prepare dinner. You and I will have words later”. Longhelim stepped forward, using his charm although he spoke in an icy tone, obviously deciding to be civilized despite the provocation. “Sir, we seek shelter for the night. We will not trouble you. If you could spare some space for us in your stable, we will not impose on you for any longer than tonight and tomorrow morning.” Haddin, looked at him from his porcine eyes and just grunted. He did not say yes or no, just grunted which we took for an assent and then we left rapidly. Back in the stable, Longhelim turned to us and said: “He is a nasty piece of work; evil through and through. If our errand was not so important, I would stay here and….anyway, judging from what you told us Torrent, it is very likely that he is up to his old tricks and has dominated Crystin. What do we do about it? I certainly don’t want to take him with us. If this is what he is capable of doing to his daughter, we will all be under his domination within a few days into our journey. In fact, he may already be plotting to do so. Having said that, I am really loth to leave Crystin here. She is nothing but his slave.” This left us in a real quandary. We had no idea as to Crystin’s true feelings. In fact, we were unsure if she was even dominated but could we take the risk? In the end, after some discussion, we decided that we would try to break the domination magically. There was a spell which both Felix and I could do which would suppress the domination for a brief period of time and it was during this period that we hoped Crystin would be able to convey her true feelings about the situation. We would then act depending on what she told us. That night, as I lay in the stable on top of my bedding, I loosened my clothes for the first time during this journey. It was uncomfortably hot and the strange roaring sound created by the Fire in the distance guaranteed that it would take me a long time to get to sleep, despite my exhaustion. So, left to its own devices my mind wondered, first to my family in Gate Pass, then to Gabal and his students; then to my friends the three human girls who were among those students. They would never have believed that the staid dwarven bookworm was sleeping in a stable outside the Fire Forest of Innenotdar in the company of a group of desperados, about to embark on a journey through one of the magical wonders of the world. I spent some time thinking through some magical problems, especially trying to see if I could think of some magic that would shield me from fire. I had various ideas but these would take time. They definitely had potential though. Then my speculation ranged even wider and I began to think about some of the recent events that had contributed to our current situation, both distantly and directly: Who had killed Drakus Coaltongue? Why did Leska want to conquer Gate Pass now? What chance did the city have against such mighty forces arrayed against it? How long could it possibly hold out? If the Inquisition was already in the city, was the Scourge in full flow? What were the Shining Lands of Shahalesti going to do? Why hadn’t Leska used the Torch of the Burning Sky during this military campaign? And finally, considering the forces we had seen arrayed against it, what powers did the Lyceum have that could potentially thwart the Ragesians? Then, I was gently shaken and told I was due on watch. The next morning, we rose early and were soon on the doorstep. Our plan was formalized. Both Felix and I had a spell ready which would temporarily lift Haddin’s domination from Crystin; all we needed to do was touch her. We were greeted at the door by a subdued young girl. I wasn’t sure, but I thought I saw traces of tears around her eyes. As she allowed us into the house, she wished us luck in our journey and told us that breakfast was ready. As Felix shook her hand, I could see the spell effect beginning but she did not react. We sat down for breakfast and during the meal, I asked her to pass me the bread and brushed her hand as she did so, again releasing the spell but again meeting no change from Crystin. Either she was not dominated or she was proving very resistant to our magic; having said that, we were very inexperienced at casting magic of this type and I suspect our spells were weak. However, we were now in a quandary. There was a strong possibility that she was not being dominated. We had made a couple of attempts which had been met with indifference on her part. Although we looked at each other around breakfast, we could not discuss anything. I gave a little shrug, indicating that I didn’t know what to do next. As breakfast finished, we stood up and Haddin, who hadn’t said a word, just glowered at us and said: “So, you have had your fill and eaten all my supplies; now leave.” Just as we rose, there was bellow from outside the front door: “Haddin. Come out and surrender in the name of the Empress Leska.” We froze. Haddin looked very pale and Slippery John immediately rose and quietly moved to the back door. Suddenly, Victor shouted that he had been magically attacked. Someone had tried to do something although he couldn’t tell what, who or how. Then Longhelim walked to the front door and yanked it open. Then he quickly shut it again and walked backwards, drawing his sword and shield. Without turning around he said quickly: “One goblin right next to the door, two armoured soldiers, one orc, magically grown with a huge axe and little armour and one humanoid with a bear skull mask and armour; oh, and six skeletons arrayed in the front garden”. A bear skull mask; this was one of the infamous Ragesian Inquisitors, one of the people that Gabal called “The Scourge”; and he obviously had a support troop with him. I wasn’t sure just what or how good the warriors with him were but I suspected that they must have been hand-picked elite troops. I hadn’t seen when, but Drudge had also gone out through the back door and I lost sight of him. Torrent had just finished doing a spell on Victor which made him grow. I knew the spell. Although it made the recipients grow and also made them much stronger, the disadvantage was that they became much clumsier. I was not sure how Victor was going to react to it but it was too late. He just shrugged and began to lumber through the back door, unwilling to face the onslaught in the very narrow corridor leading through to the front door. At this point, that door was opened by a skeleton but Felix, calling on his deity, brandished his holy symbol at the undead and they turned to dust. I was astonished by the power of the priest and the shouting from outside stilled for a few moments. It seemed this wasn’t part of their plan. Haddin began shouting for everyone to save him and Crystin was keeping close to her father, looking pale and determined. Torrent was pressed to one of the side walls of the room. Longhelim stepped out of the front door to confront the large orc who had bounded in, following up the skeletons. As the paladin stepped out, he was attacked by an invisible foe, another goblin. Fortunately for us, his short sword did little against the paladin, bouncing against his shield and then Longhelim managed to hit the orc with a beautiful strike; even I, with my lack of knowledge about these things, could see that the orc was rocked. Haddin, shadowed by Crystin, moved forward and cast a spell at the individual with the bear mask and for the first time, I could see the fabled counter spelling ability of the Inquisitors. It was amazing; he moved with almost contemptuous ease, waiting for Haddin’s spell to be released and then he batted it away as if it was a practice contest. I had never seen anything like it. For the first time, I realised why Gabal was always making us practice disguising our spells. I remember him saying that no matter how much practice we did, it would not prepare us for the real thing. We had to experience that. Now I could see why. Seeing this, I moved through the back door, ran along the side of the house and joined Victor, who was facing the two orc soldiers. I tried to cast a spell but if Haddin had not been successful, then it was unlikely that I would be; and so it proved as the Inquisitor negated my magic. That left me with no spells, as I had cast my defensive spell at the beginning of the day and had also attempted to free Crystin from her domination. Then, the Inquisitor cast his own spell; there was a huge bang and Victor seemed to be disorientated, unable to do anything but defend himself. The two soldiers took full advantage of this and our large warrior quickly fell over, bleeding badly. I had to retreat around the house and to my horror I realized that I was being chased by the enormous orc and his even bigger axe. Longhelim must have fallen. Things were looking very grim indeed for us. As I rounded the corner, I was caught a glancing blow by the pursuing orc which hurt…a lot. Then he almost caught me again as I slipped through the door but again it was just a glancing blow although by this point, I was almost unconscious. I could see Torrent and Felix getting ready to battle the enemy but at that moment, I was struck for a third time and everything went black. Someone was slapping me in the face and trying to feed me water. It was Felix. I hurt all over but that was nothing new; I had bruises on bruises; however, I wasn’t dead, so we must have won. I could see that Victor was still down as was Longhelim. Felix told me I was the worst one hurt so they healed me first. I had been very close to death. As I sat up, I looked around. I could see the bodies of all the soldiers. Haddin was down in a heap and being tended by Crystin; oddly, there was another goblin standing protectively close to him. Otherwise, there were two other goblins, three orcs and the Inquisitor slumped on the ground. Once I looked around and asked what had happened, basically what I was told was that although several of us had been beaten unconscious, the warriors, well, Longhelim mainly, had hurt the enemy so badly that they needed just a few blows to beat them into unconsciousness. The paladin had made a superb showing, killing the goblins and hurting the enormous orc barbarian very badly; in addition, Drudge was turning out to be a very good archer, sending arrow after arrow into the enemy. He was also quite the hero. As we husbanded our healing magic, we managed to rouse both Longhelim and Victor, even if they were both still very weak. We decided to leave Haddin where he was although Torrent made a final attempt to break the man’s domination on Crystin and this time it worked. The young girl shook her head as if clearing it and then looked at Torrent desperately and begged her to take her away from here, especially from her father whom she had come to detest. Torrent promised her that we would but we would have to restrain her once the defensive spell wore off as she would then return to being dominated. Crystin agreed with no qualms. We left Haddin unconscious in the care of his latest guardian, the goblin. Drudge looked at the latter with dislike and told us that he had been a sniper hiding on the roof of the stables and that they had engaged in an archery duel. Apparently, the goblin had put a crossbow bolt into Drudge which was why the archer was rather annoyed with him. We took what we could from the bodies. There were various magical items, and the two warriors took the armour from the orc soldiers. Apparently it was very good armour, called “half plate” whatever that was. They were excited by it anyway. We also found a scroll case with a scroll stating chilling orders that Haddin was “not needed” therefore he was to be eliminated. Victor was also filing something on his falchion. I could hear him muttering: “…the balance on this thing is all wrong….” “…need to get rid of this ridiculous rabbit handle but how to do it without damaging the weapon….” “…..I have to practice with it more……can’t hit a barn door right now….” Longhelim quietly told me that Victor was having trouble adjusting the strange grip of his weapon. I took out my spell book. There was a technique that allowed me to learn my spells at an accelerated rate. It was tiring, dangerous and recommended to be used only in emergencies by Gabal, as it left one weak and unfocused. Well, this was certainly an emergency. As I was learning my spells, I noticed Felix praying fervently and then meditating. It seemed as if he had a similar technique. However, once he had learned his spells, he was able to put at least some rudimentary healing on the warriors, both of whom were still very badly hurt; as was I for that matter but they were more important. We still had to rest that night. We were taking a calculated risk that the group that had sent this Inquisitor was not expecting the squad back for a few days but we were in no shape to continue. We retired into the house and rested for the day and night. We needed this. [/QUOTE]
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Story Hour
The Gate Pass Irregulars: A War of the Burning Sky Campaign
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