Alair - Holy Wars |
 |
Of a warm, bright June day, three riders came into view travelling along the road between Beror and Farrox. Although all wore the emblems of the Triad, they presented a study in contrasts.
One was a tall, well-built young woman with pale skin lightly dusted with freckles, piercing green eyes and a riot of ginger curls that cascaded to her shoulders, armoured in a light mailshirt and with a heavy hand-and-a-half sword jutting over her right shoulder for a left-handed draw. Both the sword and her cloak bore the emblems of Belisama, the Lady of the Triad. This was Egia Ezpata Farreldottir, knight of the Red Flower.
To her left was a second woman, close enough in looks to be Egia's close kin - which she was; this was Ghlaads Farreldottir. Of far lighter build, she wore practical leathers with a red-and-green overrobe, and had a light but serviceable sword slung at her saddle. A crossbow hung at the opposite side. A bag bulging with the unmistakable square shapes of books was slung from her saddle. Her skin, far darker than her elder sister's, was olive in tone, and her eyes had gold flecks which seemed to catch the light more than an observer would expect. Her hair was far redder, a blaze of flame in a heavy braid that fell to her waist.
On the right rode a different figure. Clad only in plain robes of a monastic cut, Hougaard's hair was cropped to a plain top-knot. A heavy knife hung at his belt among an assortment of pouches and a case for crossbow bolts, and a plain staff was thrust under his saddle leathers; other than this he was unarmed, not unusual for a member of the Unfettered.
The dirt track they'd been following didn't look like it got much use these days. It had been hours since the last people they had passed and the sun was beginning to set. A tangled, forbidding forest stretched away on the right, full of shadows and undergrowth; but it hadn't done anything interesting since they came upon it three hours ago.
Suddenly the monotony was shattered by shouts and cries from the trees, the sounds of galloping and crashing underbrush. Three surcoated riders burst from a small game trail just ahead, followed by a bouncing carriage pulled by two wild-eyed horses. One rider saw the travellers, raised a hand and shouted a greeting with evident relief before the whole lot careened crazily in their direction, pulling up close by. The riders and coachman, all wearing a livery of a charging boar, looked winded and terrified, though also happy to see the three.
 |
The carriage door opened and a somewhat disheveled noble emerged. He was of average height with slicked-back salt-n-pepper hair and watery blue eyes, around forty, slightly paunchy, and dressed in red and gold velvet with several rich rings. He had the same blazon on his robes and Egia tentatively recognized this as the symbol of House von Denn.
"Well met, good travellers," he said, a bit out of breath. "I am Count Noliss von Denn, liege lord of these lands, and I am pleased to make your acquaintance." He glanced nervously back into the trees. "Ah, if you would be so good as to - "
 |
He stopped short as, with a strangled cry, a strange human-like creature tore from the trees, making a beeline for the group. The monster resembled a man made of nothing but skin, bones and muscle, running low to the ground, teeth flashing. The count gulped and dived back into his carriage with considerable alacrity. His men glanced at the creature, then at the three newcomers, then back at the creature. They hefted their weapons but their nerve was clearly on the verge of breaking. "Ghoul!" muttered Egia. "or... perhaps Ghast. Anyone got an elf in their pocket to check?"
Hougaard reacted instantly, flowing off his horse, staff in hand, and into a sprint across the intervening space as the monster closed. Levelling the staff like a lance, he lined it up without slowing. "Hyaaah!" With a sharp cry he smashed a heavy blow into the undead's abdomen where a more normal creature would have had its' groin and sprang clear, just in time for Egia's arrow to slam home. The ghast recoiled under the double impact, and before it could recover Ghlaads dropped a Fireball neatly on top of it. The blazing ghast staggered a couple more steps, its' movements slowing as the flames consumed its' undead flesh, then suddenly the unholy animation that drove it failed and it dropped onto its' face and lay still.
Quiet fell as the noblemen's three guards glanced at each other and lowered their swords, broken by a quiet click as the carriage door opened and the Count himself emerged. "Impressive," he said warmly, "it's been too long since I saw such fighting skills. Thank you for your assistance." He sorted out his robes a bit. "Perhaps we should continue where we left off. I am Count Noliss von Denn, as I said, and you are...?"
Hougaard glanced at him a little suspiciously but didn't reply, leaving Egia and Ghlaads to make the introductions.
"The pleasure is mine. Listen, it just happens that I have a little issue with which I need help, and after witnessing that, I think you're the people I need. You see, I recently bought back an old keep that once belonged to my family, long ago, now long since abandoned. I have reason to believe that there is proof down in the cellars of this keep that will serve to connect my House, House von Denn, to the House of the Queen - House Tandalin." He gave them a meaningful look, which Egia, at least, understood; such a connection would increase the status and power of this Count. She began to understand him a little better.
"The problem is, well, that," he continued, gesturing to the remnants of the creature. "I need a few courageous souls - such as yourselves! - to venture into the cellars of my empty keep and see if you can find something - anything - that might speak of a family tie between my family and that of our noble Queen. Are you interested, my friends?"
Initially, the three were ambivalent, especially Hougaard who saw no reason to disturb any undead they didn't have to. Ghlaads pointed out that such creatures were a violation of the natural order, and reluctantly Egia accepted that this was the sort of thing her order existed to root out.
Noliss explained a bit more. The keep he referred to was built more than two hundred years before by his own ancestors, but for some reason not known to him sold to the temple of Ehlonna (Egia bristled at the name of the thrown-down goddess of the old Empire). An order of peaceful monks serving some lesser deity moved in and lived there until the civil wars of the 1700s, when they either left or were wiped out. With the triumph of the church of the Triad, all religious buildings passed into its' ownership, but no use had been found for these lonely ruins and there was no objection when Count von Denn bought it back, planning to build a summer retreat there.
He hired dwarf masons to work on the project, and one day these broke through a walled-up corridor in the cellars to discover a marking of the yellow star on black wing emblem of House Tandalin - the family of the present Queen of Stryre, faded enough to date back to the days when the von Denns owned the place. This interested Noliss enough to come and take a look, but by the time he got here - yesterday - the dwarves had completely disappeared, leaving only a few hammers and chisels rusting on the floor.
The count sent one of his men deeper into the keep to see what had happened to the dwarves. He never came back out, even though the count and his men waited all night, and Noliss decided it was time to leave and seek reinforcements.
On the way back it became apparent that something from the keep was following them. Glimpsed vaguely through the trees, loping through the underbrush, it had such a smell of death that the horses shied and reared. A man was thrown and those looking back saw a dark shape leap on him and rip out his throat with its' teeth.
The count smiled graciously. "Of course, you're wondering what you get out of this. We're all people of the world, aren't we? Well, I'm certainly an honourable man and I always pay my debts. You will receive the undying gratitude of House von Denn - coin that may prove much more valuable if you succeed in this quest. But of course I'd be remiss not to offer something more tangible." He waved his hands with a flourish as if presenting something. "If you accept my offer and agree to help me, I hereby relinquish to you anything you find in the keep that doesn't form evidence of a relationship between Houses von Denn and Tandalin. There's bound to be wealth down there; my family has always been wealthy. It's rightfully mine of course, but I give it to you. Or to your churches of course. I'm a good son of the Triad and respect the Gods" He sighed. "Such a sacrifice, but I'm certain it will be worth it!"
 |
Hougaard eyed the noble. "Does that include the keep?" he asked. "It'd be nice to set up a chapter-house out here, peaceful for meditation." Noliss laughed, treating the suggestion as a joke, but Egia wasn't at all sure the Unfettered wasn't completely serious.
"Very well," she said, "we'll take a look. How do we get there?"
"Excellent." The count smiled and beckoned one of his men. "This is Lortes. He's the messenger who brought me the good news about the painted wall, although if all this bears fruit he will become much more than a mere messenger! But in the meantime, you need a guide. Lortes here will show you to the keep and watch your mounts for you as you explore. Oh, he also knows the dwarf foreman..." He glanced at Lortes. "Urgan Stonefoot," said Lortes helpfully. "Just so," said Noliss. "I am afraid that I myself must leave you now; a nobleman's work is never done. Take as long as you need for this, though if I don't hear from you in a week I'll assume I need to hire alternative help. I'll be staying in my hunting lodge about three miles northeast from here; again, Lortes can show you the way. Meet me there after you've completed the quest - I eagerly look forward to seeing you again."
By the time they reached the site of the keep, it was nearly dark. Egia had observed the tracks of a band of humanoids - perhaps ten or so, maybe hobgoblins - crossing their path, but they were a day old at least and seemed to represent no hazard. The dark bulk of the crag loomed up against the evening sky, and nobody fancied climbing it in the dark, so they pitched camp at the foot of the hill, ready for an early start.
 |
Lortes made some efforts to prepare food, but the combinations of his limited cooking skills and the minimal rations made the results a bit dreary. He was only a lad, sixteen or so, shy and good-natured and possibly developing a crush on Ghlaads, and the reception awarded to his efforts left him rather downcast. Hougaard went out to forage. To begin with, what he found confirmed the impression they'd formed earlier; far fewer animals and birds were to be found in the vicinity of the crag than one would expect. He had to walk almost a mile before he came on a couple of deer quietly feeding in a clearing. One of the moons was up and near full, so despite the slightly damp mist he had an excellent view. A carefully-aimed shot from his crossbow despatched one, and after cleaning and preparing it he shouldered it for the return journey, unable to shake the feeling of being watched...
Ghlaads straightened, her eyes clearing as she stopped concentrating on her familiar's sensations. "Good news," she said to Egia and Lortes, "Supper's on the way."
The next morning, Lortes stood on the edge of the camp. They were in a more uneven area than the forest, marked with cracked boulders and stunted trees clinging to whatever purchase they can find. Ahead, a hill rose out of the surrounding wilderness like a skeletal finger; at its' top were traces of a ruined building, silhouetted against the morning sky.
"That's it," he said. "There's a flight of steps down to the cellar in the north-east corner of the ruins, and the painted wall was at the south-eastern corner of the cellar. I didn't go any further than that. Triad bless you with luck, ladies and gentleman."
Having encountered one ghast roaming loose, Hougaard was very skeptical of Lortes' chances of survival alone with the horses, and said so, which dented the young messenger's eagerness slightly. Nevertheless, the three travellers unpacked their equipment and set off up the crag, following the track indicated by their guide. Ghlaads left her familiar Clauch with the young man, whether because it was safer or to protect him or for him to protect her she wasn't completely sure. Some experimentation had shown that their horses would under no circumstances approach the crest of the crag, so these too were left with Lortes.
 |
Clauch the weasel had already been up the hill and explored the basic layout, but even the weasel's eyes hadn't been enough to pick out much in the dark. Now, the details were a bit clearer, and they weren't all that impressive. What's left of the keep was perched at the pinnacle of the desolate hilltop. The upper floors were reduced to remnants of wall no more than 4' high, though which the wind howled disconcertingly. A few abandoned hammers and chisels of dwarvish make were scattered along a rough line between the cellar stairway and the ruined archway. Hougaard, who'd had a few dealings with dwarves, noted that the owners must have been in mortal terror to cast them aside; dwarves will part with their tools only with great reluctance.
Just beyond the east wall lay the corpse of a young man, slumped against the outer wall. Above the body was a symbol, smeared in dried blood, no more than a week old - almost certainly from the body. Ghlaads recalled reading of this once, and recognized it as the sigil of Immshin, a lesser deity of Ehlonna's train, known as The Master of Winds. The corpse itself wore rough countryman's clothes, torn and shredded by claws and teeth similar to those of the ghast they'd killed, and had a woodsman's hatchet at its' belt and no more than a couple of coppers in its' pockets. Egia and Ghlaads blessed the corpse in Belisama's name, Ghlaads laying a dried flower over its' empty eyes.
 |
Following Lortes' instructions, they descended the cellar steps, Hougaad lighting a lantern as they did so. Everything had a look of long abandonment about it - deteriorating pieces of furniture, tattered wall hangings, ruined possessions. There were no rats, though, and nothing had been chewed or eaten. The walls were made of large blocks of the local grey granite, with a ceiling height of 10'. There were no lights, though ancient sconces were set along the walls at regular intervals. Hougaard lit some of these with his lantern until the cellar was well illuminated.
At the far end of the cellar, in between the old, dusty storage areas, was an opening at the end of the corridor where a dividing wall had obviously been knocked down. Rubble and broken masonry littered the floor, and a stack of building materials stood nearby, obviously put there by the dwarves. The corridor on the other side had obviously not been used in far longer, and ended in a flight of stairs leading down.
1. The floor of the corridor was covered in a thick dust, disturbed in only a few places - probably by the masons who broke through the wall. The walls were painted with magnificent frescoes, all chipped and faded, obviously ancient. The wall to the left bore a three-foot representation of the black-wing-against-yellow-star of House Tandalin - this was what has so excited Count von Denn. Surrounding it were paintings of small figures that seemed to be dancing or celebrating. On the right-hand wall was painted a sceptre leaning against a large, magnificently adorned crown.
 |
Halfway down the hall was one more painting, much more crudely done. It showed a dark figure a yard high, holding a sword out horizontally to point deeper into the cellars. The left hand was at its' side, slightly away from the body and with the cupped hand held up, depicted as dripping with red fluid.
The stairs descended 20' to a 180 degree turn into the corridor below.
2. The ceiling of this corridor looked to have once been elaborately done; a painting of the sky adorned its' entire length. Now the paint was chipped and faded, but clouds and blue sky could be seen, hinting at its' former glory. The walls were even worse, but might once have been painted with trees and bushes to represent a forested landscape.
The dust was heavy, but anyone looking at it with any care could see it was disturbed recently, and a lone footstep could be seen around 10' along, made by a heavy boot, similar to those worn by Noliss' guards.
"Hello?" called Egia, rather optimistically hoping for the lost soldier from Noliss' men to answer her, but silence was all she recieved.
3. The corridor opened into a square room with hallways radiating from all four walls. The dust was minimal here and much disturbed; beneath the thin layer can be seen dark brown bloodstains, and in the centre a work of art - the symbol of House Tandalin set into the floor in three colours of marble. Piles of what might have been furnituire are scattered at the edges, and a small block or pedestal sat at the northeast corner of the room. A terrible stench of decay permeated the chamber.
All three regarded this with great suspicion, and Egia extended her paladin's senses to seek for traces of wrong. A dark miasma filled her perceptions; without doubt, great evil had been perpetrated here in the past. Ghlaads cast a Magic Circle against Evil, to protect all against any attack.
 |
Carefully, Hougaard stepped into the room, heading for the altar-like object in order to investigate it. As he did so, there was a scurry of clawed feet and three humanoid forms barrelled into the room, one from each side passage. Shreds of vestments clung to two of them, and much less rotted remains of a dwarf's clothes on the third - the ghasts evidently left at least one dwarf uneaten to rise and join them.
All three adventurers promptly retreated back into the pasage with the clouds from which they'd emerged, and Egia lifted her father's sword. The Flower of Belisama on the brazen hilt glittered in the lamplight as she bade the undead begone in the name of her Goddess. For a moment, to her comrades' eyes, she herself seemed to flare with a warm, wholesome light. Then the three ghasts were frantically fleeing, two down the corridor directly opposite and one to the right. The sound of their running faded as they disappeared from view.
Ghlaads and Egia approached the altar. Ghlaads recognized it from the writings she'd read, and was able to read what it said above as she, alone of the party, could read Krultac. "You are entering the sacred house of Immshin, Lord of Winds. Display proper reverence or risk his rage." She was just in time doing this because Egia then proceeded to smash the altar to fragments and desecrate it. "Heretic false gods," she muttered savagely.
After a moment's thought, the three companions followed the single ghast down the right-hand passage. This turned into a hallway bearing faded paintings, all in black, of regal-looking humanoid figures. Not much detail could be seen of them, except for the occasional crown or sceptre. At the far end was a heavy wooden door, closed fast, and looking as if it had been put in place yesterday. Cowering against it was the turned ghast, still struggling to get as far away from Egia as it could.
 |
Hougaard sprang in and struck, but the creature evaded his attack with speed born of fear. Ghlaads used a Disrupt Undead spell to smash its' arm and then Egia shot it with her bow. This was enough to overturn the effects of the turning, and it charged unexpectedly. Egia swiped with her sword and missed completely as it bounded past and fell on Ghlaads, biting and tearing. Blood spurted as its claws and teeth sank home, before Egia got a better balance. Then she delivered a massive two-handed blow with her father's sword, practically bisecting the undead monster.
The wizard sagged backwards, groaning in pain, and Egia laid her hands on her sister's chest, releasing the power given her by her Goddess into a healing. The wounds closed, but Egia could feel the sickness that came with them still lurking below the mended flesh. "I'll need to look at you again in a day or so," she commented.
4. The three turned their attention to the door the ghast had fetched up against. It was wooden, and obviously magically preserved given its' state. Rattling, kicking, weapon blows and even shoulder-charging had no effect until Ghlaads cast a Dispel Magic on it, suppressing its' protective enchantment long enough for Egia and Hougaard to smash it down. As they did, a hidden trap released a blast of magical cold, searing the paladin as Hougaard dived to safety. Inside, a narrower corridor led towards a similarly preserved and even stronger-looking iron door. A little investigation of the corridor showed strong signs that it too was trapped. A suspicious-looking square area in the centre attracted their attention, and each in turn jumped over it in order to reach the iron doors beyond.
 |
Session Date: 28th November 2012 |
 |
