Struggle and Strife- A scarred lands storyhour
- Thread starter Lars Frehse
- Start date
Lars Frehse
First Post
That is right. Furthermore, the Vigilantes plan to lure Mormo worshippers out in the open by carrying fake amphoras around...
Of course this plan is not exactly fool-proof, but which plan is?
And now to the next part. Sorry it took so long, but real life kept me from writing and playing. However, the story is back on track- both in the game and in the storyhour.
Of course this plan is not exactly fool-proof, but which plan is?
And now to the next part. Sorry it took so long, but real life kept me from writing and playing. However, the story is back on track- both in the game and in the storyhour.
Lars Frehse
First Post
Eve of the Taurosphinx part 2
Torn, who was close by, noticed the commotion and reacting fast, he too joined the pursuit. The rogue tried to shake the two by jumping over vendor's stalls and recklessly dashing through throngs of people, but in spite of the chaos he created by pushing over crates of fruit, he only made it to the end of the market square, where Niklas and Torn caught him.
Once the half-orc got a hold of him, the thief stopped in his tracks, not bothering to try to get away anymore. His shoulders and his head was hanging, showing that he wasn't ready to fight. While Torn held him, Niklas checked his backpack, but to his surprise, there was nothing missing. Instead, it looked like the thief had even added something: rummaging through the pack, he found a small silver brooch in the shape of a horseshoe.
Holding it up in front of the cutpurse's face, he barked: "What is this?"
The thief shrugged:" Dunno."
"We'll find out", said Torn. He lifted the skinny man from the ground, and together with their friends, who had just caught up with them, they went into a nearby alley.
There, Torn took the cutpurse by the collar, and using only one arm, he raised him against one of the walls. "Now, you will tell us why you planted that brooch on my friend, or else...", he snarled, his rage barely contained.
Seeing the halforc's face getting red with blood was enough for the man:" Allright, allright. I did put it into his backpack.".
Still holding him up, Torn ordered: "Tell me your name and tell me why."
"My name is Sangrus. Some merchant payed me to do it. He told me to wait in front of the Hall of Command for a group that consists of a halfling, an elf, a halforc and two humans and to plant that brooch on them before they leave. But I swear, I don't have the faintest idea why he wanted me to do that. All I know is that he payed me handsomely."
That really seemed to be all Sangrus knew. The friends questioned him for a while longer, but all he could do was describe what the merchant had looked like. Niklas wanted to bring him to the militia, so that the local authorities could deal with him, while Ben argues that they could rather use him as a bait to whoever had hired him in the first place.
After all, they were all puzzled. Maybe the brooch was a sensor for their enemies, but Trepat checked it, and didn't seem to be magical. And who had wanted to plant it on them in? If it were the servants of Mormo, this could only mean, that they had either shadowed them all along, or that they had an informer within the walls of the Vigil's Hall of Command itself...
After a klot of arguing, they decided to split. Niklas and Torn would go to the Vigil's Hall of Command while the others would take him to a quiet room in an inn.
After leaving the alley, Trepat Ben and Jan took their captive with them, but before they reached an inn, something unexpected happened. When they encountered a patrol of militia-guardsmen, their captive suddenly started screaming at the guards:" Hey! Arrest me! I'm a thief."
The guards turned towards the small group, all of them obviously puzzled at a potential thief turning himself over, as Ben interjected:" Good day, sirs. Don't listen to him. Our friend Sangrus has had one too many, and when he's drunk, he likes to rattle some cages..."
"No, no, no, don't listen to them!", Sangrus interrupted:" I have proof that I was the burglar of the house at the corner of pilfer-street and cobblerroad last week! If you want to check, there is still some of the loot at my home!".
The officer nodded, hiding his surprise:" Very well, then. You are arrested. And I must ask you, gentlemen, to come along as well."
Jan raised his hand:" I don't think this is necessary. You know, I am a paladin of Corean, and so I am an authority figure myself. And I can assure you that we have everything under control".
"Sir, I can see the emblems of Corean", the guard answered:" But here, in the city of Lave, you are first and foremost a guest. Please come along, sir.".
Jan wanted to carry on, but before he could continue, Ben flashed him an angry look. After all, their work for the Vigilantes was supposed to stay a secret. They followed the guards back to the militia-headquarter, where they told them everything that had happened, except for the things that had happened in the hall of command.
Then, they went to meet their friends. Torn and Niklas told them that the Vigilantes were taking the threat that the servants of Mormo posed very seriously and that they would investigate both their own organization and the background of Sangrus. However, there was little the heroes could do here, and so they decided to leave town and catch a boat to take them down the Hornswythe river.
Still, they were puzzled. The whole episode with the brooch didn't make much sense. And quite clearly, Sangrus the thief feared the people who had ordered him to plant the object more than the group. And why was he so willing to go to jail?
It all remained mysterious, so they sold the brooch, which neither the milita nor the Vigilantes had wanted, and then headed down to the gate. There were many people coming and going, and they had to stand in line since the guards were giving everyone who was coming and going at least a casual inspection.
As they were standing in line and waiting among traders, peasants and other travellers, a sudden shout behind them made them turn around. "Stop! Thieves!", it sounded behind them, and they saw a fat middle aged merchant with a balding head and sweat-drenched clothes puffing his way towards them. As he reached them, he used his last strength to raise a finger at them:" They... stole... one of my... best pieces!".
Torn, who was close by, noticed the commotion and reacting fast, he too joined the pursuit. The rogue tried to shake the two by jumping over vendor's stalls and recklessly dashing through throngs of people, but in spite of the chaos he created by pushing over crates of fruit, he only made it to the end of the market square, where Niklas and Torn caught him.
Once the half-orc got a hold of him, the thief stopped in his tracks, not bothering to try to get away anymore. His shoulders and his head was hanging, showing that he wasn't ready to fight. While Torn held him, Niklas checked his backpack, but to his surprise, there was nothing missing. Instead, it looked like the thief had even added something: rummaging through the pack, he found a small silver brooch in the shape of a horseshoe.
Holding it up in front of the cutpurse's face, he barked: "What is this?"
The thief shrugged:" Dunno."
"We'll find out", said Torn. He lifted the skinny man from the ground, and together with their friends, who had just caught up with them, they went into a nearby alley.
There, Torn took the cutpurse by the collar, and using only one arm, he raised him against one of the walls. "Now, you will tell us why you planted that brooch on my friend, or else...", he snarled, his rage barely contained.
Seeing the halforc's face getting red with blood was enough for the man:" Allright, allright. I did put it into his backpack.".
Still holding him up, Torn ordered: "Tell me your name and tell me why."
"My name is Sangrus. Some merchant payed me to do it. He told me to wait in front of the Hall of Command for a group that consists of a halfling, an elf, a halforc and two humans and to plant that brooch on them before they leave. But I swear, I don't have the faintest idea why he wanted me to do that. All I know is that he payed me handsomely."
That really seemed to be all Sangrus knew. The friends questioned him for a while longer, but all he could do was describe what the merchant had looked like. Niklas wanted to bring him to the militia, so that the local authorities could deal with him, while Ben argues that they could rather use him as a bait to whoever had hired him in the first place.
After all, they were all puzzled. Maybe the brooch was a sensor for their enemies, but Trepat checked it, and didn't seem to be magical. And who had wanted to plant it on them in? If it were the servants of Mormo, this could only mean, that they had either shadowed them all along, or that they had an informer within the walls of the Vigil's Hall of Command itself...
After a klot of arguing, they decided to split. Niklas and Torn would go to the Vigil's Hall of Command while the others would take him to a quiet room in an inn.
After leaving the alley, Trepat Ben and Jan took their captive with them, but before they reached an inn, something unexpected happened. When they encountered a patrol of militia-guardsmen, their captive suddenly started screaming at the guards:" Hey! Arrest me! I'm a thief."
The guards turned towards the small group, all of them obviously puzzled at a potential thief turning himself over, as Ben interjected:" Good day, sirs. Don't listen to him. Our friend Sangrus has had one too many, and when he's drunk, he likes to rattle some cages..."
"No, no, no, don't listen to them!", Sangrus interrupted:" I have proof that I was the burglar of the house at the corner of pilfer-street and cobblerroad last week! If you want to check, there is still some of the loot at my home!".
The officer nodded, hiding his surprise:" Very well, then. You are arrested. And I must ask you, gentlemen, to come along as well."
Jan raised his hand:" I don't think this is necessary. You know, I am a paladin of Corean, and so I am an authority figure myself. And I can assure you that we have everything under control".
"Sir, I can see the emblems of Corean", the guard answered:" But here, in the city of Lave, you are first and foremost a guest. Please come along, sir.".
Jan wanted to carry on, but before he could continue, Ben flashed him an angry look. After all, their work for the Vigilantes was supposed to stay a secret. They followed the guards back to the militia-headquarter, where they told them everything that had happened, except for the things that had happened in the hall of command.
Then, they went to meet their friends. Torn and Niklas told them that the Vigilantes were taking the threat that the servants of Mormo posed very seriously and that they would investigate both their own organization and the background of Sangrus. However, there was little the heroes could do here, and so they decided to leave town and catch a boat to take them down the Hornswythe river.
Still, they were puzzled. The whole episode with the brooch didn't make much sense. And quite clearly, Sangrus the thief feared the people who had ordered him to plant the object more than the group. And why was he so willing to go to jail?
It all remained mysterious, so they sold the brooch, which neither the milita nor the Vigilantes had wanted, and then headed down to the gate. There were many people coming and going, and they had to stand in line since the guards were giving everyone who was coming and going at least a casual inspection.
As they were standing in line and waiting among traders, peasants and other travellers, a sudden shout behind them made them turn around. "Stop! Thieves!", it sounded behind them, and they saw a fat middle aged merchant with a balding head and sweat-drenched clothes puffing his way towards them. As he reached them, he used his last strength to raise a finger at them:" They... stole... one of my... best pieces!".
Lars Frehse
First Post
Eve of the Taurosphinx, part 3 of 4
Torn shouted out:" Don't listen to him, he is trying to frame us!".
But the guards were taking hold of them, and their leader said:" That may be, but for now we have to ask you to come along to the gatetower with us. We will check whether the merchant's claim is true, and if not, there is nothing you have to fear.".
Hoping for a chance to get a hold of the "merchant", the friends went along. In the tower, the winded fat man described the brooch, which had been planted on them by Sagrus. But of course the guards found nothing when they searched the heroes- after all they had already sold the brooch. So, the guards turned to the merchant again:" Sorry, sir, but there is no evidence. That means that we will have to let those gentlemen go on their way.".
"Well, they must have hidden it somewhere", the merchant said with a consternated voice.
"Sir," the guard answered:" we are not able to check this. So, we have to ask you to be on your way then, as well.".
Grumbling and muttering, the man left. Meanwhile, the heroes gathered their things and ran out after him, seeing him turn into a sidestreet just as they got out of the guardtower. Walking briskly, they caught up with him, and keeping just a few feet behind him, they made sure that he knew that they were there.
Eventually, the man entered a tavern. Torn followed him in, while the others split: Ben and Niklas went around to the back, while the other two waited up front. In there, the man ordered a meal, and then, all of a sudden he vanished. A general commotion ensued, and Torn jumped up, keeping an eye on the door. As the door opened, he ran right to the doorway, but there was nothing there, and even though there was a muddy puddle in the entrance, there were no tracks in it.
Realizing that he had been tricked, he ran back into the tavern and to the back entrance, where he asked Ben and Niklas whether the backdoor had moved.
"Why, yes, there must have been a draft or something. It opened two or three minutes ago", Niklas said.
Torn cursed, but looking around, he found no tracks on the cobblestone street. Again, he went through the tavern to pick up Trepat. But even the Elf was unable to find any fresh tracks to follow... They had been tricked again, and it didn't look like there was a fast way to find out what was behind all that.
Trepat sighed, mirroring the frustration all of them were feeling:" We might as well leave now and find out whethere there are still any boats leaving this late in the afternoon...".
Again they went to the gate and this time they were able to get to the port without getting stopped. There was still one flat-bottom riverboat that would leave on the same afternoon and make use of the few remaining hours of daylight. After a short negotiation, the heroes booked a trip down to Barel near the mouth of the Hornswythe and soon they were on their way down the river.
It was a pleasant trip. The river was meandering through the countryside and the trees and flowers to the left and right were growing leaves and petals, displaying them in all their spring glory. Captain Yengly, an unusually short human, and his four crewmen were simple but pleasant companions and the Skiprock was calmly drifting down the water. At nightfall, they would beach the boat along the bank, and settle down to rest in the meadows or fields next to the river.
For three days and three nights, nothing happened. The wheather was mostly pleasant, and there were only few short rainfalls in between. Still, they put up watches at night. Even though they were in one of the tamer regions of Ghelspad, none of them had forgotten their previous encounters in Lave. Someone, or something, was after them. And if their foes knew when to expect them coming out of the Hall of Command in Lave, it was more than likely that those invisible opponents knew where they were heading as well.
In the middle of the third night, Trepat jerked up with a gasp, as he awoke from a troubled dream. Looking around, he saw that all his friends were asleep- and even Torn, who was responsible for the midnight watch, seemed to be dozing on the side of the camp.
As he got up, intending to wake up his friend, he suddenly stood frozen as an ear-splitting roar reverberated out of the night sky. The clouds were now swirling about violently and there was thunder shaking the earth and lightning cracking the sky overhead, and yet, in spite of this noise that was forceful enough to wake up a Titan, his companions and the crewmen of the skiprock remained asleep, unaware of their surroundings.
Trepat kneeled down and shook Torn, who remained asleep, as suddenly, looking up, he saw that the clouds were parting like curtains. An enormous beast, with the body of a lion, giant wings of a bird of prey and a gargantuan darkhaired head of a bull was plunging down. Frantically, Trepat slapped Torn, shouting at the top of his lungs at him to wake up, but the half-orc didn't react.
Then, the monster was down in the camp, and as he landed, he rammed the claws of his mighty front paws through Jan's body. Trepat saw the blood shooting out of the wounds, but except for a groan, there was no sign that the Paladin even felt the pain.
The elf decided that the sleep must have been magical, and hoping that he had a chance to wake up Niklas, he went over to the monk and kicked him. Meanwhile, the Taurosphinx rammed it's horns through Torn, and like a child would toss a potatoe with a fork, he threw the half-orc into the nearby river with a flick of his head.
With Niklas unresponsive but not yet ready to run, Trepat summoned his arcane powers and threw two magic missiles at the beast, but the energy missiles simply fizzled as they hit it's fur... The roar of the monster sounded almost taunting now as it bent down and picked up Ben between his mighty jaws. After biting and crushing the halfling once, he tossed him into the river as well, making sure that even if the bite wasn't sufficient, the water would be sufficient to kill the incarnate.
In spite of all the horror, something within Trepat hardened. A cold reason dictated him that there was hardly a point in running away now- this thing was winged, after all. With a smooth precision, he picked up his bow and shot an arrow at the monster. Again, he didn't pierce the beast's hide, and as it crushed Niklas chest, caving it in by throwing all his weight on the monk with his front paws, there were now only the two of them left.
With a sadistic grin further distorting it's obscene head, the beast now turned to Trepat and the expectation of another easy kill was giving it's eyes a deep, red glow...
Torn shouted out:" Don't listen to him, he is trying to frame us!".
But the guards were taking hold of them, and their leader said:" That may be, but for now we have to ask you to come along to the gatetower with us. We will check whether the merchant's claim is true, and if not, there is nothing you have to fear.".
Hoping for a chance to get a hold of the "merchant", the friends went along. In the tower, the winded fat man described the brooch, which had been planted on them by Sagrus. But of course the guards found nothing when they searched the heroes- after all they had already sold the brooch. So, the guards turned to the merchant again:" Sorry, sir, but there is no evidence. That means that we will have to let those gentlemen go on their way.".
"Well, they must have hidden it somewhere", the merchant said with a consternated voice.
"Sir," the guard answered:" we are not able to check this. So, we have to ask you to be on your way then, as well.".
Grumbling and muttering, the man left. Meanwhile, the heroes gathered their things and ran out after him, seeing him turn into a sidestreet just as they got out of the guardtower. Walking briskly, they caught up with him, and keeping just a few feet behind him, they made sure that he knew that they were there.
Eventually, the man entered a tavern. Torn followed him in, while the others split: Ben and Niklas went around to the back, while the other two waited up front. In there, the man ordered a meal, and then, all of a sudden he vanished. A general commotion ensued, and Torn jumped up, keeping an eye on the door. As the door opened, he ran right to the doorway, but there was nothing there, and even though there was a muddy puddle in the entrance, there were no tracks in it.
Realizing that he had been tricked, he ran back into the tavern and to the back entrance, where he asked Ben and Niklas whether the backdoor had moved.
"Why, yes, there must have been a draft or something. It opened two or three minutes ago", Niklas said.
Torn cursed, but looking around, he found no tracks on the cobblestone street. Again, he went through the tavern to pick up Trepat. But even the Elf was unable to find any fresh tracks to follow... They had been tricked again, and it didn't look like there was a fast way to find out what was behind all that.
Trepat sighed, mirroring the frustration all of them were feeling:" We might as well leave now and find out whethere there are still any boats leaving this late in the afternoon...".
Again they went to the gate and this time they were able to get to the port without getting stopped. There was still one flat-bottom riverboat that would leave on the same afternoon and make use of the few remaining hours of daylight. After a short negotiation, the heroes booked a trip down to Barel near the mouth of the Hornswythe and soon they were on their way down the river.
It was a pleasant trip. The river was meandering through the countryside and the trees and flowers to the left and right were growing leaves and petals, displaying them in all their spring glory. Captain Yengly, an unusually short human, and his four crewmen were simple but pleasant companions and the Skiprock was calmly drifting down the water. At nightfall, they would beach the boat along the bank, and settle down to rest in the meadows or fields next to the river.
For three days and three nights, nothing happened. The wheather was mostly pleasant, and there were only few short rainfalls in between. Still, they put up watches at night. Even though they were in one of the tamer regions of Ghelspad, none of them had forgotten their previous encounters in Lave. Someone, or something, was after them. And if their foes knew when to expect them coming out of the Hall of Command in Lave, it was more than likely that those invisible opponents knew where they were heading as well.
In the middle of the third night, Trepat jerked up with a gasp, as he awoke from a troubled dream. Looking around, he saw that all his friends were asleep- and even Torn, who was responsible for the midnight watch, seemed to be dozing on the side of the camp.
As he got up, intending to wake up his friend, he suddenly stood frozen as an ear-splitting roar reverberated out of the night sky. The clouds were now swirling about violently and there was thunder shaking the earth and lightning cracking the sky overhead, and yet, in spite of this noise that was forceful enough to wake up a Titan, his companions and the crewmen of the skiprock remained asleep, unaware of their surroundings.
Trepat kneeled down and shook Torn, who remained asleep, as suddenly, looking up, he saw that the clouds were parting like curtains. An enormous beast, with the body of a lion, giant wings of a bird of prey and a gargantuan darkhaired head of a bull was plunging down. Frantically, Trepat slapped Torn, shouting at the top of his lungs at him to wake up, but the half-orc didn't react.
Then, the monster was down in the camp, and as he landed, he rammed the claws of his mighty front paws through Jan's body. Trepat saw the blood shooting out of the wounds, but except for a groan, there was no sign that the Paladin even felt the pain.
The elf decided that the sleep must have been magical, and hoping that he had a chance to wake up Niklas, he went over to the monk and kicked him. Meanwhile, the Taurosphinx rammed it's horns through Torn, and like a child would toss a potatoe with a fork, he threw the half-orc into the nearby river with a flick of his head.
With Niklas unresponsive but not yet ready to run, Trepat summoned his arcane powers and threw two magic missiles at the beast, but the energy missiles simply fizzled as they hit it's fur... The roar of the monster sounded almost taunting now as it bent down and picked up Ben between his mighty jaws. After biting and crushing the halfling once, he tossed him into the river as well, making sure that even if the bite wasn't sufficient, the water would be sufficient to kill the incarnate.
In spite of all the horror, something within Trepat hardened. A cold reason dictated him that there was hardly a point in running away now- this thing was winged, after all. With a smooth precision, he picked up his bow and shot an arrow at the monster. Again, he didn't pierce the beast's hide, and as it crushed Niklas chest, caving it in by throwing all his weight on the monk with his front paws, there were now only the two of them left.
With a sadistic grin further distorting it's obscene head, the beast now turned to Trepat and the expectation of another easy kill was giving it's eyes a deep, red glow...
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*won't say more than that.* I just can't wait until the other shoe drops. 
Lars Frehse
First Post
Eve of the Taurosphinx part 4 of 4
Suddenly, he felt a slap to his face, and heard Torn's voice:" Wake up, wake up, and stop screaming!"
Trepat looked around, and there he was, in the middle of the camp, and all his friends were still alive. Except for Torn, all of them seemed to have been asleep. In spite of the cool spring night, he was drenched in sweat- even though he was over a hundred years old, he could not remember any dream that had been even remotely as intense... It all had felt real- the wind on his skin, the way the beast had looked and he had even felt the feathers of the arrow as he let it fly...
Trying to remember all details, he told his friends about the dream. When he was done, he added:" I am most certain that this was no ordinary dream. This was different- maybe a divine warning...".
"Odd,", Niklas said,"but what you have been calling a beast looks like the Taurosphinx, the herald of Hedrada. I can not think of a reason why the herald of the Lawgiver should attack us so viciously.".
Poking a stick into the glowing embers of their campfire, Torn said:" Maybe it wasn't a divine sending. After all, someone seems to be interested in stopping us, or at least slowing us down. I think that even if we would have been aprehended in Lave for stealing that brooch it would have only cost us a few days. So, that would have delayed our progress. And now, Trepat is having this dream... Could be that it is supposed to make us afraid of going to the lawgiver's city..."
They all agreed, even though Trepat was still feeling uneasy, then Niklas said:" You know, I had a dream, too. It is not as dramatic as the one Trepat had, but maybe it does have a special meaning. I was in a corridor with many doors. Then, I heard the voice of my father calling for me. He seemed to be searching for me, since I heard doors being opened and slammed again."
Niklas sighed deeply, and then continued:" I tried to find him myself- but whenever I opened a door, there was another corridor with lots of doors, similar to the one in which I had been. All the time, I heard my father searching for me, but I wasn't able to find him..."
Niklas fell silent. It had been years since the Black Dragoons had turned him into an orphan, but the wound had never fully healed. His friends looked at him with compassion, but none of them was able to say whether the dream had any meaning in their current situation.
Eventually, they went back to sleep. The rest of the trip down the Hornswythe was uneventful, and checking in Barel, they saw that they would have to cover the way to Lake Repose on foot. They said goodbye to Captain Yengly and the crew of the Skiprock and headed east.
In the first night, they were attacked by strange skeletons, which seemed to be animated by vines. The way it looked, it was the wines moving the skeletons and not the skeletons themselves. However, they quickly dispatched that threat. The adventurers had fought tougher foes before, and their experience and training made them far superior to those mindless monsters.
On the next day, they moved on, already forgetting about the fight of the previous night. After all, they were travelling through rather untamed wilderness- and plant-skeleton-hybrids didn't seem to be Mormo's style. It seemed much more likely that they had simply encountered one of the every-day nightmares, which was still making life so dangerous and hard for the divine races of Ghelspad.
They reached Sheer Falls just before sunset. From atop an enormous wall, the waters of Lake Placid where thundering earthward. The soaking spray around the waterfall were shimmering in all colors of the rainbow, as the clouds suddenly blocked out the sun's light, leaving only a single shaft of light that striked at the base of the falls.
As the heroes stood and looked in awe, the waters at the base of the fall split, and an enormous form launched itself into the air. It was the Taurosphinx, which Trepat had seen in his dream. As it circled once overhead and landed with a majestic flourish at the bank of the river next to them, Trepat stood paralyzed- the memory of his dream filled him dull desperation. There was no doubt for him that resistance was futile.
The Taurosphinx's wings shook once to get rid of the water and then folded primly along it's flanks.
"I have been seeking you", it announced with a thunderous voice.
Slowly, it approached Trepat, who stood absolutely rigid. " You have been beset by illusion and nearly unmade by falsehood", it said, "You labor on behalf of the Mother of Serpents, although you know it not.".
Now it stood in front of Trepat, and with it's huge right paw, it gently touched Trepat on the forehead, who was now able to see that his entire nightmare had been an illusion. Then, it continued to speak:" The dream you have suffered was a sending, inflicted upon you by the Witch Queen's servants, that you would be disinclined to trust my good council."
Niklas was the first who summoned the courage to adress the Taurosphinx:"Herald of Hedrada, I too have had a dream, in which my father was calling for me. Dou you know the meaning?"
It nodded:" Yes, that was me. I used the voice of Hedrada, which sounds like the voice of a father to all mortals, to call for you, but the magic of the witch queen's servants had blocked me from you."
"We fear that there are servants of Mormo among the Vigilants' ranks, since it seems to be the only way that they could know about our mission..", Torn said.
"You are right. You have all been deceived. There is indeed one of the Hag's vipers amidst the ranks of the Vigils. I know not who he is, for the servants of the Witch Queen are elusive, but I know that he exists.
"You have been send on a fool's errand- the information you are seeking can not be found in Hedrad. You were sent to the wrong place in order to ensure the Witch's servitors to get what you should seek.
"But all is not yet lost. High up in the Kelder Mountains, scattered about the peak of Mount Croiganne lie the ruins of Sky Keep. It once had been a flying fortress, but now it is nothing more than a wreckage. There you will find the Vault of Chardun, where you will find a manuscript that will tell you and the Vigils what you must know".
Meanwhile, night had fallen, and a strong wind was blowing from the south: "The children of the Serpent Mother are on their way to Sky Keep, too, but knowing the importance of what you face, my master and his brother Enkili have arranged top speed your way.
"There is a great storm stirring out at the sea. By tomorrow, it will make the Hornswythe reverse it's flow. If you hurry and get a boat, you can use this to your benefit. We can only reverse the river's flow for a short time, though, since we cannot risk the Bloodbasin grow once more and corrupt the land around it."
Seeing that the adventurers had understood, the Taurosphinx spread it's magnificent wings again:" But I have my own tasks to perform, even as you do, and I have already tarried too long with you as it is. Take to the road by dawn, and be swift! The fortune of all gods be with you!"
And with that, the Herald of Hedrada leapt into the air. Riding the growing winds, it disappeared into the nightsky, leaving the adventurers behind.
Suddenly, he felt a slap to his face, and heard Torn's voice:" Wake up, wake up, and stop screaming!"
Trepat looked around, and there he was, in the middle of the camp, and all his friends were still alive. Except for Torn, all of them seemed to have been asleep. In spite of the cool spring night, he was drenched in sweat- even though he was over a hundred years old, he could not remember any dream that had been even remotely as intense... It all had felt real- the wind on his skin, the way the beast had looked and he had even felt the feathers of the arrow as he let it fly...
Trying to remember all details, he told his friends about the dream. When he was done, he added:" I am most certain that this was no ordinary dream. This was different- maybe a divine warning...".
"Odd,", Niklas said,"but what you have been calling a beast looks like the Taurosphinx, the herald of Hedrada. I can not think of a reason why the herald of the Lawgiver should attack us so viciously.".
Poking a stick into the glowing embers of their campfire, Torn said:" Maybe it wasn't a divine sending. After all, someone seems to be interested in stopping us, or at least slowing us down. I think that even if we would have been aprehended in Lave for stealing that brooch it would have only cost us a few days. So, that would have delayed our progress. And now, Trepat is having this dream... Could be that it is supposed to make us afraid of going to the lawgiver's city..."
They all agreed, even though Trepat was still feeling uneasy, then Niklas said:" You know, I had a dream, too. It is not as dramatic as the one Trepat had, but maybe it does have a special meaning. I was in a corridor with many doors. Then, I heard the voice of my father calling for me. He seemed to be searching for me, since I heard doors being opened and slammed again."
Niklas sighed deeply, and then continued:" I tried to find him myself- but whenever I opened a door, there was another corridor with lots of doors, similar to the one in which I had been. All the time, I heard my father searching for me, but I wasn't able to find him..."
Niklas fell silent. It had been years since the Black Dragoons had turned him into an orphan, but the wound had never fully healed. His friends looked at him with compassion, but none of them was able to say whether the dream had any meaning in their current situation.
Eventually, they went back to sleep. The rest of the trip down the Hornswythe was uneventful, and checking in Barel, they saw that they would have to cover the way to Lake Repose on foot. They said goodbye to Captain Yengly and the crew of the Skiprock and headed east.
In the first night, they were attacked by strange skeletons, which seemed to be animated by vines. The way it looked, it was the wines moving the skeletons and not the skeletons themselves. However, they quickly dispatched that threat. The adventurers had fought tougher foes before, and their experience and training made them far superior to those mindless monsters.
On the next day, they moved on, already forgetting about the fight of the previous night. After all, they were travelling through rather untamed wilderness- and plant-skeleton-hybrids didn't seem to be Mormo's style. It seemed much more likely that they had simply encountered one of the every-day nightmares, which was still making life so dangerous and hard for the divine races of Ghelspad.
They reached Sheer Falls just before sunset. From atop an enormous wall, the waters of Lake Placid where thundering earthward. The soaking spray around the waterfall were shimmering in all colors of the rainbow, as the clouds suddenly blocked out the sun's light, leaving only a single shaft of light that striked at the base of the falls.
As the heroes stood and looked in awe, the waters at the base of the fall split, and an enormous form launched itself into the air. It was the Taurosphinx, which Trepat had seen in his dream. As it circled once overhead and landed with a majestic flourish at the bank of the river next to them, Trepat stood paralyzed- the memory of his dream filled him dull desperation. There was no doubt for him that resistance was futile.
The Taurosphinx's wings shook once to get rid of the water and then folded primly along it's flanks.
"I have been seeking you", it announced with a thunderous voice.
Slowly, it approached Trepat, who stood absolutely rigid. " You have been beset by illusion and nearly unmade by falsehood", it said, "You labor on behalf of the Mother of Serpents, although you know it not.".
Now it stood in front of Trepat, and with it's huge right paw, it gently touched Trepat on the forehead, who was now able to see that his entire nightmare had been an illusion. Then, it continued to speak:" The dream you have suffered was a sending, inflicted upon you by the Witch Queen's servants, that you would be disinclined to trust my good council."
Niklas was the first who summoned the courage to adress the Taurosphinx:"Herald of Hedrada, I too have had a dream, in which my father was calling for me. Dou you know the meaning?"
It nodded:" Yes, that was me. I used the voice of Hedrada, which sounds like the voice of a father to all mortals, to call for you, but the magic of the witch queen's servants had blocked me from you."
"We fear that there are servants of Mormo among the Vigilants' ranks, since it seems to be the only way that they could know about our mission..", Torn said.
"You are right. You have all been deceived. There is indeed one of the Hag's vipers amidst the ranks of the Vigils. I know not who he is, for the servants of the Witch Queen are elusive, but I know that he exists.
"You have been send on a fool's errand- the information you are seeking can not be found in Hedrad. You were sent to the wrong place in order to ensure the Witch's servitors to get what you should seek.
"But all is not yet lost. High up in the Kelder Mountains, scattered about the peak of Mount Croiganne lie the ruins of Sky Keep. It once had been a flying fortress, but now it is nothing more than a wreckage. There you will find the Vault of Chardun, where you will find a manuscript that will tell you and the Vigils what you must know".
Meanwhile, night had fallen, and a strong wind was blowing from the south: "The children of the Serpent Mother are on their way to Sky Keep, too, but knowing the importance of what you face, my master and his brother Enkili have arranged top speed your way.
"There is a great storm stirring out at the sea. By tomorrow, it will make the Hornswythe reverse it's flow. If you hurry and get a boat, you can use this to your benefit. We can only reverse the river's flow for a short time, though, since we cannot risk the Bloodbasin grow once more and corrupt the land around it."
Seeing that the adventurers had understood, the Taurosphinx spread it's magnificent wings again:" But I have my own tasks to perform, even as you do, and I have already tarried too long with you as it is. Take to the road by dawn, and be swift! The fortune of all gods be with you!"
And with that, the Herald of Hedrada leapt into the air. Riding the growing winds, it disappeared into the nightsky, leaving the adventurers behind.
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