Nightfall
Sage of the Scarred Lands
And so it begins...Part 1
The journey across the forbidding land close to the Festering fields and near the Mounds of man had been brutal for the small party. Opheila could only admire her stawalt companion, Sir Silas and the rest as they traveled closely together. They were apart of one of the few caravans brave enough to travel this way. Within sight of her strange silverly eyes, she could make out the distant mountain and some where out there, Hollowfaust, where Madriel had called her to come.
"By Kadum's black heart, I hope we can travel unmolosted then" said Varl, the half-elf apparently unused to the hot winds and dry lands surrounding them.
"Probably not, Varl." Ban seem to take the heat in stride. Apparently his "secret" training had been helping cope with such situations. "These lands are unclaimed by anyone and we past the last chance we had of protection when we crossed the Broadreach. I doubt anyone could hold them for long, especially with the Sweltering plains south of us, andd the Festering Fields to east"
Silas said nothing, merely nodded and kept walking. "Odd that he doesn't have a mount, like most paladins would." Opheila thought, "But then he's definately not like any paladin I've ever met..." She remembered meeting him in Rockvale. He wasn't quite socialable but certainly he radiated not just an aura of mence, but also that a devoted warrior. Some times she envied him. Varl they had met in Rust fang, where they traveled in cognito. Varl was crucial in helping them avoid or deal with some of the more vicious elements in the Calastian Hegemony. They had met the half-elf, alone and drunk, after losing an apparent wager with some minor official. He was loyal to them afterwards, even though he could be a bit mercucial in nature. Ban Stormwatcher apparently had contacts in Durrover and through out the range of the Ganjus and into Hollowfaust itself. His elven nature belied the actual hardiness his training apparently gave him, as he was defty and quick, but also strong as well. Thus he came to join their band as they traveled west ward towards Hollowfaust...
The name still made Ophelia shudder. Hollowfaust, city of necromancers. A place where the dead and the living walked side by side. It wasn't a normal place, but then that might explain why Maderial had called her there. Ophelia knew that while her offical papers proved she was here on a mission, she knew that the impetus for this had been the Angel of Mercy herself. Thus she was reassured by her companions. Ban, the guide and scout, a hardy man and devoted to the ideals of the earth and healing. Varl, while flamboyant and certainly a little mercanary, was not merely worldly wise but also loyal in his own way. And grim but resolute Silas, a man with some hurts inside she could tell...but even so, a strong and devoted man.
Together, in just a few short days, they would reach their destination. The march had been slow but mainly because everyone knew that raiders and titanspawn were high this year. No one knew why. The only hope was strength in numbers and faith in the gods. In any case, they only been attacked once on their long journey here, and that was just after crossing the Broadreach. Apparently some deranged titanspawn, of some name she couldn't remember, attacked. It flew over head, and killed the first two people to cross it. Ban with his longbow, brought it low and Silas finished it off. "Wyrmspawn!" she thought. "Yes that was it. Nasty little thing." Ban later told her there were much bigger ones, and that the one they killed was barely out of the egg so to speak. Still, they traveled with care.
For now the party sat and ate as the caravan had drawn to a stopping point. Just to the right of them, the clouded cover Gascar Mountains loomed large over the plains, though they were far from their great spires.
Varl started to tune his lute. Silas stood up and moved away. Ban however, was a little less tactful. "Varl, you may be of my race, but I'd rather hear a harpy's cry than have you play that. So please. Don't." Varl looked at Ban who, while usually the calm one, apparently didn't want to upset the paladin. Varl went back to his meal, putting the lute back in his backpack. Ophelia, being the more social of the group, joined the elf as he was checking his bow and the animals. "So Ban, I've never been outside of Angelsgate, much less Durrover itself. What can you tell me of Hollowfaust?"
"Very little I'm afraid. Being a follower of Tanil and Denev, I abhore undead. But I do know they still hold to the gods there. I know also there some god of the dead they worship as well. He's apparently well liked by these necromancers, as far as I can tell. I've never really been in the city. I've always enjoy being among the outdoors." "Well I don't mind the outdoors," she said as she slapped away a small bug. Ban turn and nearly jumped, as his eyes grew wide. "Opheila!" He reached with his boot and crushed it swiftly before it could skitter away "What? It was just a bug!" "Not just any bug, that was a Blood moth. You were lucky it wasn't hungry and there weren't more." "Oh" Ophelia felt a little embarrassed that she didn't know this. Ban saw this and smiled softly "It's okay Ophelia dear. I don't expect an innocent like you to know such things." " I know...but I feel so stupid." "Don't. It's not like you can expect everything in this world to be dangerous. Anyway I think it's best if we turn in. We still have three more days of travel I estimate. Maybe less if nothing impedes our progress."
They all then turned, as the sky dimmed and the night drew a little cooler. Tonight the slept under the same skies as those that would yearn for them...
For now I stop. But soon, I, Nightfall, Sage of the Scarred Lands will continue this tale. For theirs is a story that must be told. Unlikely though they may be, unwilling though they are, heroes are what they truly be. And one yet to come...
The journey across the forbidding land close to the Festering fields and near the Mounds of man had been brutal for the small party. Opheila could only admire her stawalt companion, Sir Silas and the rest as they traveled closely together. They were apart of one of the few caravans brave enough to travel this way. Within sight of her strange silverly eyes, she could make out the distant mountain and some where out there, Hollowfaust, where Madriel had called her to come.
"By Kadum's black heart, I hope we can travel unmolosted then" said Varl, the half-elf apparently unused to the hot winds and dry lands surrounding them.
"Probably not, Varl." Ban seem to take the heat in stride. Apparently his "secret" training had been helping cope with such situations. "These lands are unclaimed by anyone and we past the last chance we had of protection when we crossed the Broadreach. I doubt anyone could hold them for long, especially with the Sweltering plains south of us, andd the Festering Fields to east"
Silas said nothing, merely nodded and kept walking. "Odd that he doesn't have a mount, like most paladins would." Opheila thought, "But then he's definately not like any paladin I've ever met..." She remembered meeting him in Rockvale. He wasn't quite socialable but certainly he radiated not just an aura of mence, but also that a devoted warrior. Some times she envied him. Varl they had met in Rust fang, where they traveled in cognito. Varl was crucial in helping them avoid or deal with some of the more vicious elements in the Calastian Hegemony. They had met the half-elf, alone and drunk, after losing an apparent wager with some minor official. He was loyal to them afterwards, even though he could be a bit mercucial in nature. Ban Stormwatcher apparently had contacts in Durrover and through out the range of the Ganjus and into Hollowfaust itself. His elven nature belied the actual hardiness his training apparently gave him, as he was defty and quick, but also strong as well. Thus he came to join their band as they traveled west ward towards Hollowfaust...
The name still made Ophelia shudder. Hollowfaust, city of necromancers. A place where the dead and the living walked side by side. It wasn't a normal place, but then that might explain why Maderial had called her there. Ophelia knew that while her offical papers proved she was here on a mission, she knew that the impetus for this had been the Angel of Mercy herself. Thus she was reassured by her companions. Ban, the guide and scout, a hardy man and devoted to the ideals of the earth and healing. Varl, while flamboyant and certainly a little mercanary, was not merely worldly wise but also loyal in his own way. And grim but resolute Silas, a man with some hurts inside she could tell...but even so, a strong and devoted man.
Together, in just a few short days, they would reach their destination. The march had been slow but mainly because everyone knew that raiders and titanspawn were high this year. No one knew why. The only hope was strength in numbers and faith in the gods. In any case, they only been attacked once on their long journey here, and that was just after crossing the Broadreach. Apparently some deranged titanspawn, of some name she couldn't remember, attacked. It flew over head, and killed the first two people to cross it. Ban with his longbow, brought it low and Silas finished it off. "Wyrmspawn!" she thought. "Yes that was it. Nasty little thing." Ban later told her there were much bigger ones, and that the one they killed was barely out of the egg so to speak. Still, they traveled with care.
For now the party sat and ate as the caravan had drawn to a stopping point. Just to the right of them, the clouded cover Gascar Mountains loomed large over the plains, though they were far from their great spires.
Varl started to tune his lute. Silas stood up and moved away. Ban however, was a little less tactful. "Varl, you may be of my race, but I'd rather hear a harpy's cry than have you play that. So please. Don't." Varl looked at Ban who, while usually the calm one, apparently didn't want to upset the paladin. Varl went back to his meal, putting the lute back in his backpack. Ophelia, being the more social of the group, joined the elf as he was checking his bow and the animals. "So Ban, I've never been outside of Angelsgate, much less Durrover itself. What can you tell me of Hollowfaust?"
"Very little I'm afraid. Being a follower of Tanil and Denev, I abhore undead. But I do know they still hold to the gods there. I know also there some god of the dead they worship as well. He's apparently well liked by these necromancers, as far as I can tell. I've never really been in the city. I've always enjoy being among the outdoors." "Well I don't mind the outdoors," she said as she slapped away a small bug. Ban turn and nearly jumped, as his eyes grew wide. "Opheila!" He reached with his boot and crushed it swiftly before it could skitter away "What? It was just a bug!" "Not just any bug, that was a Blood moth. You were lucky it wasn't hungry and there weren't more." "Oh" Ophelia felt a little embarrassed that she didn't know this. Ban saw this and smiled softly "It's okay Ophelia dear. I don't expect an innocent like you to know such things." " I know...but I feel so stupid." "Don't. It's not like you can expect everything in this world to be dangerous. Anyway I think it's best if we turn in. We still have three more days of travel I estimate. Maybe less if nothing impedes our progress."
They all then turned, as the sky dimmed and the night drew a little cooler. Tonight the slept under the same skies as those that would yearn for them...
For now I stop. But soon, I, Nightfall, Sage of the Scarred Lands will continue this tale. For theirs is a story that must be told. Unlikely though they may be, unwilling though they are, heroes are what they truly be. And one yet to come...
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