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Tirlanolir/D'nemy's Tales of Turgos: The Heroes of Goldfire Glen (UPDATE 7/26)
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<blockquote data-quote="Canaan" data-source="post: 2820270" data-attributes="member: 40239"><p><strong>Chapter 11: Suffer the Innocent</strong></p><p></p><p>Chapter 11: Suffer the Innocent </p><p></p><p></p><p>All I can recall, from the time we left the Wildlands and arrived at the horrors that awaited us on the Granite Bridge, was the sound of my heart pounding in my ears and the air slapping my face, keeping me alert in the saddle as we pushed our horses to the point of collapse through the night and into the next morning. </p><p></p><p>Our mounts caught the scent of the carnage first. Almost in unison, they skid their impressive gait to a standstill, kicked their forelegs up, flared their nostrils. Their maws fell open, spewing out a chorus of shrill whinnies. Lilian and Gabriel’s shouts could be heard over the cacophony, trying to wrest control of their horses. </p><p></p><p>I followed suit, with surprisingly effective results. I jerked back on the reins, gave a commanding shout and my ride calmed down. After some spine jarring moments, our horses were calm enough to carry on and we galloped eastward, toward the Granite Bridge. A strong wind battered my face. It was heavy with the stinging coppery stench of fresh blood. </p><p></p><p>Lilian signaled us to halt our steeds at the edge of the Granite Bridge. The smooth, stone surface was awash with drying blood and gore. The center of the bridge was clogged with the mutilated remains of white robed travelers. </p><p></p><p>I recognized the emblems and markings on the robes immediately. It was the delegation from Soliel. They had all been slaughtered mercilessly. Ponds of blood, soaked up by the robes, covered the golden Canaan Cross on each of their robes. </p><p></p><p>We each, in turn, tossed the traditional pinch of salt over the ledge of the bridge for the ghost legend told haunted there. Even in the wake of this carnage, none of us dared tempt the wrath of a restless, hungry spirit. I pushed ahead of the rest of our party, hastily searching the bodies for any sign of survivors.</p><p></p><p>All the bodies lay faced down. I took hold of the shoulder of the first one I came to and turned him around. I gasped and stared deeply, frozen in dismay from what I saw. </p><p></p><p>The flesh of the face of this man, the highest ranking priest by the look of his insignias, had been shorn off. All that remained was a skull masked in of browning mush of pus and blood. </p><p></p><p>“How horrible.” I heard Lilian say behind me. </p><p></p><p>It was the same with the others. All their faces had been removed. </p><p></p><p>“Some kind of Cultists!” Hu Li announced with great authority. “Face collecting, blood worshipping madmen!” </p><p></p><p>“Perhaps.” I said quietly. “I have read of dark, corrupted magics that require such an act to evoke. They need the face of those whom they are going to emulate to mask not only their likeness, but also their true nature.”</p><p></p><p>“I have never heard of such a thing.” Said Hu Li. “Intriguing.” </p><p></p><p>Lilian gasped. “Tanner.” She said. “They’re after the boy.”</p><p></p><p>“He’ll just march right in and take the child.” Added Gabriel.</p><p></p><p>“Something tells me they want more than just the boy.” Talon said. “They want chaos. They want blood. They want fear. We must act now to save what is left of Goldfire Glen!” </p><p></p><p>Just then we heard a howl. It was followed by several more. Up the road on the far side of the bridge, masked, black and red robed Cultists barreled toward us. They bore wide, curved blades in their heavily scarified hands. </p><p></p><p>“For Orcus and Kharas’Vhoories!” They shouted.</p><p></p><p>Gabriel answered their howls with a cry of his own, thrust his fist into the air and hurtled himself forward. Lilian and Talon were right behind him. Hu Li and Aesendal stayed back as I began to pray to Canaan to, once again, bestow my allies with his strengthening grace. </p><p></p><p>From behind me, blue, glowing balls of energy curved toward one of the Cultists. They slammed into the man’s chest, burning holes in his robes and hurtling him back. He fell, dead.</p><p></p><p>Canaan’s blessing shone down upon Lilian, Gabriel and Talon as they engaged the remaining three. Lilian’s blade, infused with Canaan’s Holy Might, smote the screaming Cultist in one blow.</p><p></p><p>Talon and Gabriel’s fists shattered the faces of the other two. In less time it takes to sip wine from a flagon, four men’s lives were snuffed out. Wicked as they were, I could not help but take pity on them. They were still human. I wondered if their fall from holiness into depravity was the result of a tormented life, simple lust for power, or the soul rendering lies of some contemptible prophet of decadence. </p><p></p><p>Once again on horseback, we pushed eastward, trying to gain ground on the imposters, hoping beyond hope that we would overtake them before they reached Goldfire Glen and succeed in kidnapping Tanner. </p><p></p><p>We rode hard for a few miles coming to another sudden halt when Lilian signaled us to stop. </p><p></p><p>In the middle of the road stood a little girl. “More of Veshra’s trickery?” I thought, but as Lilian dismounted and stepped toward the child, I recognized her. It was Carrie, the youngest daughter of Farmer Jed’s. Her eyes, though the same crystal blue, were remote and frantic. They stared through us as we all approached, she was speaking to Lilian in a harsh, hushed whisper. </p><p></p><p>“I ran. I could only run. My mommy told me to. She told me to and I obeyed. They broke through the front door and my mommy told me to run. I didn’t want to, but she told me to. She told me to run until I could find help.”</p><p></p><p>“Who came?” Lilain asked. “Who broke through the front door?”</p><p></p><p>“Priests of Canaan.” She said, almost inaudibly. </p><p></p><p>Carrie led us back to Farmer Jed’s farm. </p><p></p><p>The butter churn on the front porch had been knocked over. Watery butter mixed with blood splattered the floorboards. </p><p></p><p>Talon decided to stay with the girl while the rest of us cautiously explored the farm.</p><p></p><p>Lilian and I went into the house. Aesendal, Hu Li and Gabriel went off to search the rest of the property. </p><p></p><p>Inside the house, the scent of copper, mixed with offal, urine and curdling milk, married into a nauseating malodorous stew. The furniture was broken apart. Clay pots and bowls were smashed into pieces, strewn across the floor. </p><p></p><p>I heard Lilian gag as she entered into the kitchen. I quickly caught up with her, but had to turn away when my eyes beheld what had sickened her. </p><p></p><p>Farmer Jed’s wife lay on the table in the center of the kitchen. Her legs were bent at the knee. Her unmentionables had been gutted open like a fallen tree trunk that had been ravished by termites. Blood dripped from what was left of her, expanding a pool that stretched to nearly every corner of the kitchen. </p><p></p><p>We heard Gabriel shouting from the barn. Lilian and I rushed out to find him at the barn doors, pointing urgently at what was inside. When we all entered, we saw Hu Li staring dumbstruck at what remained of Farmer Jed. The innocent, sweet, provincial farmer stood impaled on a pitchfork that had been shoved a foot into the soft ground. </p><p></p><p>A cloud of flies gathered to sample from the crusting wounds that sealed around the sharp ends of the fork which sprang from his chest. </p><p></p><p>Aesendal, breathless, face full of rage and sorrow ran into the barn. </p><p></p><p>“I found their son.” He said.</p><p></p><p>We all followed him to the north end of the farm. Hidden in a copse of trees was the decapitated, fragile frame of Farmer Jed’s boy. </p><p></p><p>“He was trying to run away.” Aesendal said, battling emotion. </p><p></p><p>“They chased him down.” Gabriel added through clinched teeth. “This was fun for them. This was sport.” </p><p></p><p>Hu Li’s piercing, high pitched voice let out a scream.</p><p></p><p>We all ran after the sound, coming upon Hu Li at the outhouse. </p><p></p><p>“You found his son?” He asked us.</p><p></p><p>“What’s left of him.” Said Lilain.</p><p></p><p>“I found the rest.” Hu Li said.</p><p></p><p>One by one we looked. What possessed us, I cannot say. Was it the need for final proof? Was it morbid curiosity? Did we need to bear witness to one more heinous act before administering justice?</p><p></p><p>All I know is that as long as I live I will never forget the image of that small face, that little boy’s head, wreathed with human waste, bobbing on the surface of a brown and yellow pool at the bottom of the latrine’s narrow well. His eyes were wide open, staring aghast into an eternal, abyssal void.</p><p></p><p>We rendezvoused with Talon and Farmer Jed’s youngest. In hushed voices, so as not to frighten little Carrie, we told Talon of what we found. </p><p></p><p>At last the girl had had enough of waiting and asked us what was going on. Lilian bent down to her.</p><p></p><p>“We’re taking you away from here.” She said. “Bad men have done some bad things to your family and I am going to take you someplace safe.” </p><p></p><p>“Goblins?” Asked the girl. </p><p></p><p>“Something like that.” Admitted Lilian. </p><p></p><p>Carrie nodded, tears bubbling up in her eyes. Lilian held her in her arms and picked her up. We helped Lilian hoist the girl into the saddle of Lilian’s horse. </p><p></p><p>Lilian took in a deep breath. She looked at all of us, then wordlessly climbed into her saddle. The little girl held on as they rode off to the east, then turning to the south. </p><p></p><p>Any lingering exhaustion that may have plagued me after our all night ride, evaporated. I did not wait for anyone else to answer the Champion’s lead, and soon realized I did not have to. </p><p></p><p>We pushed our tired steeds onward, chasing down the sun as it climbed to its zenith. Chasing down fear and dread and horror, determined to lay down my life if necessary, the moment we had cornered our prey.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Canaan, post: 2820270, member: 40239"] [b]Chapter 11: Suffer the Innocent[/b] Chapter 11: Suffer the Innocent All I can recall, from the time we left the Wildlands and arrived at the horrors that awaited us on the Granite Bridge, was the sound of my heart pounding in my ears and the air slapping my face, keeping me alert in the saddle as we pushed our horses to the point of collapse through the night and into the next morning. Our mounts caught the scent of the carnage first. Almost in unison, they skid their impressive gait to a standstill, kicked their forelegs up, flared their nostrils. Their maws fell open, spewing out a chorus of shrill whinnies. Lilian and Gabriel’s shouts could be heard over the cacophony, trying to wrest control of their horses. I followed suit, with surprisingly effective results. I jerked back on the reins, gave a commanding shout and my ride calmed down. After some spine jarring moments, our horses were calm enough to carry on and we galloped eastward, toward the Granite Bridge. A strong wind battered my face. It was heavy with the stinging coppery stench of fresh blood. Lilian signaled us to halt our steeds at the edge of the Granite Bridge. The smooth, stone surface was awash with drying blood and gore. The center of the bridge was clogged with the mutilated remains of white robed travelers. I recognized the emblems and markings on the robes immediately. It was the delegation from Soliel. They had all been slaughtered mercilessly. Ponds of blood, soaked up by the robes, covered the golden Canaan Cross on each of their robes. We each, in turn, tossed the traditional pinch of salt over the ledge of the bridge for the ghost legend told haunted there. Even in the wake of this carnage, none of us dared tempt the wrath of a restless, hungry spirit. I pushed ahead of the rest of our party, hastily searching the bodies for any sign of survivors. All the bodies lay faced down. I took hold of the shoulder of the first one I came to and turned him around. I gasped and stared deeply, frozen in dismay from what I saw. The flesh of the face of this man, the highest ranking priest by the look of his insignias, had been shorn off. All that remained was a skull masked in of browning mush of pus and blood. “How horrible.” I heard Lilian say behind me. It was the same with the others. All their faces had been removed. “Some kind of Cultists!” Hu Li announced with great authority. “Face collecting, blood worshipping madmen!” “Perhaps.” I said quietly. “I have read of dark, corrupted magics that require such an act to evoke. They need the face of those whom they are going to emulate to mask not only their likeness, but also their true nature.” “I have never heard of such a thing.” Said Hu Li. “Intriguing.” Lilian gasped. “Tanner.” She said. “They’re after the boy.” “He’ll just march right in and take the child.” Added Gabriel. “Something tells me they want more than just the boy.” Talon said. “They want chaos. They want blood. They want fear. We must act now to save what is left of Goldfire Glen!” Just then we heard a howl. It was followed by several more. Up the road on the far side of the bridge, masked, black and red robed Cultists barreled toward us. They bore wide, curved blades in their heavily scarified hands. “For Orcus and Kharas’Vhoories!” They shouted. Gabriel answered their howls with a cry of his own, thrust his fist into the air and hurtled himself forward. Lilian and Talon were right behind him. Hu Li and Aesendal stayed back as I began to pray to Canaan to, once again, bestow my allies with his strengthening grace. From behind me, blue, glowing balls of energy curved toward one of the Cultists. They slammed into the man’s chest, burning holes in his robes and hurtling him back. He fell, dead. Canaan’s blessing shone down upon Lilian, Gabriel and Talon as they engaged the remaining three. Lilian’s blade, infused with Canaan’s Holy Might, smote the screaming Cultist in one blow. Talon and Gabriel’s fists shattered the faces of the other two. In less time it takes to sip wine from a flagon, four men’s lives were snuffed out. Wicked as they were, I could not help but take pity on them. They were still human. I wondered if their fall from holiness into depravity was the result of a tormented life, simple lust for power, or the soul rendering lies of some contemptible prophet of decadence. Once again on horseback, we pushed eastward, trying to gain ground on the imposters, hoping beyond hope that we would overtake them before they reached Goldfire Glen and succeed in kidnapping Tanner. We rode hard for a few miles coming to another sudden halt when Lilian signaled us to stop. In the middle of the road stood a little girl. “More of Veshra’s trickery?” I thought, but as Lilian dismounted and stepped toward the child, I recognized her. It was Carrie, the youngest daughter of Farmer Jed’s. Her eyes, though the same crystal blue, were remote and frantic. They stared through us as we all approached, she was speaking to Lilian in a harsh, hushed whisper. “I ran. I could only run. My mommy told me to. She told me to and I obeyed. They broke through the front door and my mommy told me to run. I didn’t want to, but she told me to. She told me to run until I could find help.” “Who came?” Lilain asked. “Who broke through the front door?” “Priests of Canaan.” She said, almost inaudibly. Carrie led us back to Farmer Jed’s farm. The butter churn on the front porch had been knocked over. Watery butter mixed with blood splattered the floorboards. Talon decided to stay with the girl while the rest of us cautiously explored the farm. Lilian and I went into the house. Aesendal, Hu Li and Gabriel went off to search the rest of the property. Inside the house, the scent of copper, mixed with offal, urine and curdling milk, married into a nauseating malodorous stew. The furniture was broken apart. Clay pots and bowls were smashed into pieces, strewn across the floor. I heard Lilian gag as she entered into the kitchen. I quickly caught up with her, but had to turn away when my eyes beheld what had sickened her. Farmer Jed’s wife lay on the table in the center of the kitchen. Her legs were bent at the knee. Her unmentionables had been gutted open like a fallen tree trunk that had been ravished by termites. Blood dripped from what was left of her, expanding a pool that stretched to nearly every corner of the kitchen. We heard Gabriel shouting from the barn. Lilian and I rushed out to find him at the barn doors, pointing urgently at what was inside. When we all entered, we saw Hu Li staring dumbstruck at what remained of Farmer Jed. The innocent, sweet, provincial farmer stood impaled on a pitchfork that had been shoved a foot into the soft ground. A cloud of flies gathered to sample from the crusting wounds that sealed around the sharp ends of the fork which sprang from his chest. Aesendal, breathless, face full of rage and sorrow ran into the barn. “I found their son.” He said. We all followed him to the north end of the farm. Hidden in a copse of trees was the decapitated, fragile frame of Farmer Jed’s boy. “He was trying to run away.” Aesendal said, battling emotion. “They chased him down.” Gabriel added through clinched teeth. “This was fun for them. This was sport.” Hu Li’s piercing, high pitched voice let out a scream. We all ran after the sound, coming upon Hu Li at the outhouse. “You found his son?” He asked us. “What’s left of him.” Said Lilain. “I found the rest.” Hu Li said. One by one we looked. What possessed us, I cannot say. Was it the need for final proof? Was it morbid curiosity? Did we need to bear witness to one more heinous act before administering justice? All I know is that as long as I live I will never forget the image of that small face, that little boy’s head, wreathed with human waste, bobbing on the surface of a brown and yellow pool at the bottom of the latrine’s narrow well. His eyes were wide open, staring aghast into an eternal, abyssal void. We rendezvoused with Talon and Farmer Jed’s youngest. In hushed voices, so as not to frighten little Carrie, we told Talon of what we found. At last the girl had had enough of waiting and asked us what was going on. Lilian bent down to her. “We’re taking you away from here.” She said. “Bad men have done some bad things to your family and I am going to take you someplace safe.” “Goblins?” Asked the girl. “Something like that.” Admitted Lilian. Carrie nodded, tears bubbling up in her eyes. Lilian held her in her arms and picked her up. We helped Lilian hoist the girl into the saddle of Lilian’s horse. Lilian took in a deep breath. She looked at all of us, then wordlessly climbed into her saddle. The little girl held on as they rode off to the east, then turning to the south. Any lingering exhaustion that may have plagued me after our all night ride, evaporated. I did not wait for anyone else to answer the Champion’s lead, and soon realized I did not have to. We pushed our tired steeds onward, chasing down the sun as it climbed to its zenith. Chasing down fear and dread and horror, determined to lay down my life if necessary, the moment we had cornered our prey. [/QUOTE]
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Tirlanolir/D'nemy's Tales of Turgos: The Heroes of Goldfire Glen (UPDATE 7/26)
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