34. Death to My
Enemies (The Cloven Mountains - the Claws of Winter)
Once we had defeated
the first group of orcs and ogres, we determined to move down the slope toward
the two campfires we had seen during the night, hoping that perhaps our latest
foes had come from one of those locations. Rock forged ahead to scout a
path for us. At about mid-morning we reached the first campsite and found
it empty. Rock surveyed the site and informed us that it had been
abandoned perhaps only an hour before our arrival. He saw evidence that
there had been approximately 5 ogres and 10 orcs resting at that spot.
Their tracks led in the direction of the second camp.
As we followed the
tracks, Nikos and myself caught sight of movement among the trees ahead of
us. I glimpsed an orc peering back at me and rode forward to confront
it. From my right I saw Phaele hurl a ball of lightning at an ogre.
My target ran behind a tree and I pursued him to find that another of his kin
was nearby. Two ogres also appeared and I soon found myself
surrounded. I drew both my blades and guided Aratan with my knees as I struggled
with them.
With four foes and a
tree blocking my view I could not see my friends, but they told me later what
took place. Phaele hung back and aimed her spells at many enemies, while
Liadan stood with her so that our doughty flame-haired mage would not be unprotected.
Though she chafed not to join the fray, Liadan was able to send out her
summoned spell-mace to attack in her stead. Nekaya rode forward astride
Pekuah to face both an orc and ogre. My friend Rock also eagerly battled
one of each type. Erim found himself face to face with an orc, but before
he could engage it Nikos had brought it down with his arrows.
We heard one of the
ogres bellow out something that might have been a war cry, little good though
it did him. My blades found the flesh of my foes again and again, and my
brave Aratan even attempted to strike them with his hooves, though with little
success. Soon I had only one ogre left beside me, and Rock ran up to
strike it down with a mighty blow of his hammer. Two orcs struck him as
he passed by them but he seemed not to notice their blows.
As the last ogre
fell, it grew quiet in the woods, until we heard the harsh cries of birds
overhead. Liadan called out that these were storm crows, a larger and
more dangerous breed than ordinary crows. We wondered if they might be
minions or summoned creatures of the ogre shamans, but there was no way to
know. Phaele considered blasting them from the sky with her magics as
they circled overhead, but there were too many and they did not fly close enough
to one another.
Then a great horn
blast echoed from the direction of the ruined temple. Liadan rode to my
side and extended Lathander's grace to me for the wounds I had suffered from my
enemies, for I had not gone unscathed in my fight. We heard a crashing in
the trees. Several ogres and a giant emerged into our field of
view.
Rock went at once to
face the giant. Liadan cast a spell upon herself that permitted her to
understand their speech. It seems that they had been seeking us. We
met them eagerly. Phaele let the giant feel one of her fireballs, and
Liadan's magic mace began to pound upon his flesh. I could see by the
tension in Rock's stance that he had slipped into one of the cold rages he
often enters during battle.
Rock struck the giant
a blow of such power that I thought the huge creature might fall to one strike,
but it remained on its feet. Liadan and Nekaya were near me, battling an
ogre. Erim ran behind them and called something out to Nikos that I could
not quite make out. He might have endowed us all with increased alacrity,
but we stood too far apart for his spell to reach. I found myself
occupied with another ogre, this time facing him on foot as I had chosen not to
subject Aratan to further danger. I decided to forego striking with both
my swords and instead leaped quickly away after each slash, thus forcing the
ogre to keep moving about in order to swing at me.
A great flare of
light came from Phaele's direction and pierced an ogre that had run up to
her. She calls this spell her 'thunder lance', an apt name in my
opinion. Nekaya struck down the ogre she and Liadan faced. Liadan
then called upon Lathander's power to blind the giant, though it seemed that
her spell did not entirely succeed. It wounded him but did not take his
sight. Nikos and Liadan both slew an ogre, and Nikos began to head toward
the giant to aid Rock.
An orc ran up between
Rock and the giant, but Rock paid no attention to it and continued to punish
the giant with his blows. Phaele also began to move toward the
giant. Nekaya turned toward me to attack the ogre I faced. Pakkin
the goblin then ran up behind the orc that troubled Rock and stabbed it in the
back with such a well-placed strike that the ogre fell almost at once. Perhaps
the goblin is not so useless as I had previously thought.
Then I heard a
strange voice call out "Death to my enemies", seeming to come from
Rock, but it did not sound like his voice. The giant fell thunderously to
the ground. Overhead the storm crows screeched. Liadan's floating
mace struck down an orc, and the battle was done.
It is still only the
middle of the morning. Now we must find a place to rest and recover
ourselves before we begin our assault on the remainder of our foes at the
ruined temple.
35. Going to Ground (The Cloven Mountains, the Claws of Winter)
All of us were still suffering from wounds we had incurred during our battles with the ogres and orcs, even after Liadan and Nekaya had offered us the healing mercies of Lathander and Horus-Re. We determined to seek a hiding place in which to rest and recover our strength before assaying an assault upon the remaining enemies amid the ruins.
It was suggested that in this rocky, sloping terrain we might seek out a cave large enough to accomodate our party. Rock considered this and offered the thought that the dire wolves we had previously slain might have had a lair in the vicinity. He began to follow the wolves' tracks in search of this lair. The circling storm crows continued to follow us as we traveled.
After a time Rock located the dire wolves' lair in a cave. The cave smelled strongly of wolf, so I remained with the horses to calm them while Rock and Liadan investigated the den. Rock reported that he could hear movement from within the wolf den. He found that it was still inhabited by a she-wolf and three cubs, each as large as a fully grown wolf of the ordinary variety. Nikos made to enter the den as well but Nekaya prevented him, suggesting that surely Rock and Liadan could manage this on their own.
Rock attempted to use his knowledge of wild creatures to calm the she-wolf when she reacted threateningly to his presence, but he failed to allay her fears. I was startled to hear him shout suddenly, "This being nice sh*t isn't working. Back off!" at the wolf. He was quite frustrated in his attempts to persuade the animal not to attack him. When he made to withdraw from the den she leapt at him and he was obliged to strike her with his hammer, though he made all effort to do her no actual injury. He told me later that he would have liked very much to take one of the cubs, for there was one that appeared to be the runt of the litter, but he could not get close enough to lay hands on the animal.
We agreed that this cave would not satisfy our needs, as it was not large enough to hold all of us and our horses, and in any case the horses would be very uncomfortable there amid the odors of wolves. We then set off in search of another location. Erim was most displeased with our choice to seek shelter in a cave; he felt that we might become trapped should the ogres track us to our lair. His fear was not unfounded, I confess, but the rest of us considered it more dangerous to be in the open where we might be surrounded or ambushed.
After some while Rock located a second cave, this one also not large enough to hold the horses, but there seemed no better choice. We made camp there, keeping the cave for ourselves and tethering the horses outside under guard. We had decided to rest until darkness and then move on, hoping that under cover of night we might elude the storm crows that followed us. Nikos had briefly entertained himself with shooting a crow, but to bring them all down would be a difficult task that would occupy us for a long while and risk wasting a good deal of arrows, as well as making our position more obvious to our enemies.
While we rested Nekaya asked Pakkin to search for another campsite we could move to after dark. It is peculiar to me that we have come to trust the goblin with our lives, but Nekaya is confident of his trustworthiness. When he returned he told us he could not find another cave suitable to our needs. We would have to camp in the open for the night.
Once darkness had arrived we began to move. We were able to remain under cover of the trees and thus avoid notice by most of the storm crows. We found a new campsite where we could settle, and Nikos perched in a tree all night to pick off the few storm crows that did pursue us.
Pakkin crept out once again to scout the ogre village, being small and much stealthier than any of the rest of us. Nikos is stealthy, but not skilled in the lore of the wilderness. The goblin reported to us that all of the remaining ogres and their compatriots were in the village amid the temple ruins. He did not see as many orcs or ogres as he had reported previously. We could not determine if this was because some of them had departed, or because Pakkin's skill at counting is barely adequate. He told us that there were 4 ogre shamans, 4 ogre bulls, 7 ordinary ogres, 13 orcs, and a female giant in their encampment.
Having these numbers in hand, we began to plan our attack on the ogre camp. We could not come to any agreement on a strategy that would allow us to avoid a frontal assault; the rough ground surrounding the ruins made this nigh impossible. We might have lingered near the descent from the ruins and ambushed passing ogres, but this would have taken far too much time and left us vulnerable to attack from behind, as there is a second path leading down from the terraces where the ruins lie. At last, over much protest from Phaele, who considers us all very foolhardy, we approached the ogre camp in full force and mounted, riding up the main path.
Erim and Phaele had prepared themselves with protective spells, and Erim now cast a spell upon all of our horses that would permit them to move with greater speed. This is a most effective spell. I rode to the forefront of our group since with the exception of mighty Pekuah, my Aratan is the steed most experienced in battle. Nekaya called upon Horus-Re to bless us with his divine might before the coming battle. Then Phaele hurled a ball of flame into the camp and the battle began.
We heard a great horn blast from the ogre camp and the thunderous footfalls of the giantess. I rode up into the beginnings of the ruins and turned Aratan off the path to my left. Rock dismounted and prepared to meet the giantess, who greeted him with an angry bellow of "Are you the one who killed my husband?" We shall have to call him Rock Giantslayer from now on.
An ogre rushed out and struck me with a javelin. I drew my blades and struck him in return, and as he had already been badly scorched by Phaele's fireball he fell. A second ogre struck Aratan a harsh wound. I sprang from the saddle and prepared to face my opponents on foot. As is always the case, I could see little of what my friends did, for my back was to them much of the time, and my view was blocked by the ruins. But I have persuaded them to tell me what they recall.
Before the rest of my friends could urge their mounts up the path, an ogre leapt off the cliff at Erim, injuring the mage but failing to knock him from his mount. The ogre then landed on the ground on his face and Phaele summoned up her magical lance to pierce him. Erim rode up behind the rest of the group, and when they dismounted he cast his spell of alacrity upon all of us who were within reach. I felt myself able to move with great swiftness, striking more times with my blade than I could under ordinary circumstances.
Nikos was hurling his darts at the ogres with the speed of a whirlwind. His projectiles hit home with deadly accuracy. Rock pounded the giantess with his hammer as though he were beating a spike into stone, and she fell far sooner than had her mate. Nekaya had dismounted, her hakra being an awkward weapon for use while on horseback, and Pakkin now rode Pekuah into battle. Unfortunately the goblin was badly wounded by an ogre.
Rock turned to face several of the ogres, including a shaman, near the pit we had discovered on our previous visit to the ruins. Suddenly the shaman vanished from sight, though Rock could sense that he was still near. Phaele had become quite a warrior for a sorcerer, piercing the ogres with her lance of arcane energy. Meanwhile Erim and Pakkin, both badly injured, were obliged to withdraw from their foes.
Rock slew two more ogres, and managed with his backswing during one blow to slay an orc as well! An ogre threatened dear Phaele, but she had cast a spell on herself that made her appear to be where she was not, and he could not strike her. The ogre shaman who had vanished reappeared and chilled Rock, Phaele and Nikos to the bone with a spell. Rock struck him down, but he appeared to have a trollish ability to regenerate his injured flesh, and it took Rock many blows to slay him.
A second shaman appeared in flight above Rock's position. He attempted to cast some spell at my dwarven friend and ordered Rock to attack the rest of us, but his magic failed to affect the dwarf. Unfortunately Nikos could not see that the spell had failed, Rock being in one of his cold rages at that point, and Nikos hit Rock with several darts in an effort to deter him from harming his friends. At the time Nikos did not realize how badly hurt the dwarf was. Though he aimed his darts so they would cause little harm, Rock was very near the edge of death.
Phaele stabbed an orc with her lance, then shot a jet of flame at a bull ogre. From behind me, Erim cast a spell that caused three ogres before me to lose speed. On reflection it is rather amusing to think of myself darting about like Phaele's little companion Zahi, while the three ogres lumbered toward me with the swiftness of snails. But my speed did not save me from the power of their blows when they reached me.
Pakkin and Pekuah had not been able to escape the ogres on the opposite side of the path from my position. Pekuah managed to bring down one who had earlier been injured by one of Phaele's fireballs, I believe. Nekaya then leapt away from slaying ogres to go to the aid of her little goblin friend. I had seen that Erim was also badly wounded and attempted to draw the ogres away from him. Nikos managed to eliminate one of my foes. Despite his wounds, Rock leaped up to strike the flying shaman from the sky, then peered down into the pit, where he heard the roars of something large and the sound of rattling chain.
Liadan and Phaele had been occupied in trying to eliminate the ogre bull who had tried to knock Erim from his horse earlier, but this one seemed almost indestructible. Liadan had been most frustrated that her spells failed to harm her foes as she wished. Nikos went to help them, and at last the bull fell. Phaele then began directing spells at an ogre shamaness who stood farther up the slope. Erim also fired his magic missiles at the shamaness.
Rock came vaulting over two sections of ruined wall to come to my aid. By this time I was almost as badly wounded as was he, both of us ragged and dripping blood. When he arrived he was so weary he could not aim his hammer and his blows missed their target. Then the ogre struck him in return and the dwarf fell. I shouted out to Liadan to come quickly to my friend's aid. She galloped to his side and leaned out of the saddle to call forth Lathander's healing power. Had she not been so near I doubt that Rock could have been saved.
Praise Corellon that she was close by, for moment's later a second ogre struck me and I, too, was plunged into that darkness that is so near to death. I am told that Nekaya was across the battlefield ministering to Pakkin, who had very nearly died as well, but she soon raced across to bring Horus-Re's grace to us. Our enemies had all been slain, though I am certain I have failed to properly account for them all here in my writings.
Then Nikos went to peer down into the pit, and heard the sound of chain snapping...
All of us were still suffering from wounds we had incurred during our battles with the ogres and orcs, even after Liadan and Nekaya had offered us the healing mercies of Lathander and Horus-Re. We determined to seek a hiding place in which to rest and recover our strength before assaying an assault upon the remaining enemies amid the ruins.
It was suggested that in this rocky, sloping terrain we might seek out a cave large enough to accomodate our party. Rock considered this and offered the thought that the dire wolves we had previously slain might have had a lair in the vicinity. He began to follow the wolves' tracks in search of this lair. The circling storm crows continued to follow us as we traveled.
After a time Rock located the dire wolves' lair in a cave. The cave smelled strongly of wolf, so I remained with the horses to calm them while Rock and Liadan investigated the den. Rock reported that he could hear movement from within the wolf den. He found that it was still inhabited by a she-wolf and three cubs, each as large as a fully grown wolf of the ordinary variety. Nikos made to enter the den as well but Nekaya prevented him, suggesting that surely Rock and Liadan could manage this on their own.
Rock attempted to use his knowledge of wild creatures to calm the she-wolf when she reacted threateningly to his presence, but he failed to allay her fears. I was startled to hear him shout suddenly, "This being nice sh*t isn't working. Back off!" at the wolf. He was quite frustrated in his attempts to persuade the animal not to attack him. When he made to withdraw from the den she leapt at him and he was obliged to strike her with his hammer, though he made all effort to do her no actual injury. He told me later that he would have liked very much to take one of the cubs, for there was one that appeared to be the runt of the litter, but he could not get close enough to lay hands on the animal.
We agreed that this cave would not satisfy our needs, as it was not large enough to hold all of us and our horses, and in any case the horses would be very uncomfortable there amid the odors of wolves. We then set off in search of another location. Erim was most displeased with our choice to seek shelter in a cave; he felt that we might become trapped should the ogres track us to our lair. His fear was not unfounded, I confess, but the rest of us considered it more dangerous to be in the open where we might be surrounded or ambushed.
After some while Rock located a second cave, this one also not large enough to hold the horses, but there seemed no better choice. We made camp there, keeping the cave for ourselves and tethering the horses outside under guard. We had decided to rest until darkness and then move on, hoping that under cover of night we might elude the storm crows that followed us. Nikos had briefly entertained himself with shooting a crow, but to bring them all down would be a difficult task that would occupy us for a long while and risk wasting a good deal of arrows, as well as making our position more obvious to our enemies.
While we rested Nekaya asked Pakkin to search for another campsite we could move to after dark. It is peculiar to me that we have come to trust the goblin with our lives, but Nekaya is confident of his trustworthiness. When he returned he told us he could not find another cave suitable to our needs. We would have to camp in the open for the night.
Once darkness had arrived we began to move. We were able to remain under cover of the trees and thus avoid notice by most of the storm crows. We found a new campsite where we could settle, and Nikos perched in a tree all night to pick off the few storm crows that did pursue us.
Pakkin crept out once again to scout the ogre village, being small and much stealthier than any of the rest of us. Nikos is stealthy, but not skilled in the lore of the wilderness. The goblin reported to us that all of the remaining ogres and their compatriots were in the village amid the temple ruins. He did not see as many orcs or ogres as he had reported previously. We could not determine if this was because some of them had departed, or because Pakkin's skill at counting is barely adequate. He told us that there were 4 ogre shamans, 4 ogre bulls, 7 ordinary ogres, 13 orcs, and a female giant in their encampment.
Having these numbers in hand, we began to plan our attack on the ogre camp. We could not come to any agreement on a strategy that would allow us to avoid a frontal assault; the rough ground surrounding the ruins made this nigh impossible. We might have lingered near the descent from the ruins and ambushed passing ogres, but this would have taken far too much time and left us vulnerable to attack from behind, as there is a second path leading down from the terraces where the ruins lie. At last, over much protest from Phaele, who considers us all very foolhardy, we approached the ogre camp in full force and mounted, riding up the main path.
Erim and Phaele had prepared themselves with protective spells, and Erim now cast a spell upon all of our horses that would permit them to move with greater speed. This is a most effective spell. I rode to the forefront of our group since with the exception of mighty Pekuah, my Aratan is the steed most experienced in battle. Nekaya called upon Horus-Re to bless us with his divine might before the coming battle. Then Phaele hurled a ball of flame into the camp and the battle began.
We heard a great horn blast from the ogre camp and the thunderous footfalls of the giantess. I rode up into the beginnings of the ruins and turned Aratan off the path to my left. Rock dismounted and prepared to meet the giantess, who greeted him with an angry bellow of "Are you the one who killed my husband?" We shall have to call him Rock Giantslayer from now on.
An ogre rushed out and struck me with a javelin. I drew my blades and struck him in return, and as he had already been badly scorched by Phaele's fireball he fell. A second ogre struck Aratan a harsh wound. I sprang from the saddle and prepared to face my opponents on foot. As is always the case, I could see little of what my friends did, for my back was to them much of the time, and my view was blocked by the ruins. But I have persuaded them to tell me what they recall.
Before the rest of my friends could urge their mounts up the path, an ogre leapt off the cliff at Erim, injuring the mage but failing to knock him from his mount. The ogre then landed on the ground on his face and Phaele summoned up her magical lance to pierce him. Erim rode up behind the rest of the group, and when they dismounted he cast his spell of alacrity upon all of us who were within reach. I felt myself able to move with great swiftness, striking more times with my blade than I could under ordinary circumstances.
Nikos was hurling his darts at the ogres with the speed of a whirlwind. His projectiles hit home with deadly accuracy. Rock pounded the giantess with his hammer as though he were beating a spike into stone, and she fell far sooner than had her mate. Nekaya had dismounted, her hakra being an awkward weapon for use while on horseback, and Pakkin now rode Pekuah into battle. Unfortunately the goblin was badly wounded by an ogre.
Rock turned to face several of the ogres, including a shaman, near the pit we had discovered on our previous visit to the ruins. Suddenly the shaman vanished from sight, though Rock could sense that he was still near. Phaele had become quite a warrior for a sorcerer, piercing the ogres with her lance of arcane energy. Meanwhile Erim and Pakkin, both badly injured, were obliged to withdraw from their foes.
Rock slew two more ogres, and managed with his backswing during one blow to slay an orc as well! An ogre threatened dear Phaele, but she had cast a spell on herself that made her appear to be where she was not, and he could not strike her. The ogre shaman who had vanished reappeared and chilled Rock, Phaele and Nikos to the bone with a spell. Rock struck him down, but he appeared to have a trollish ability to regenerate his injured flesh, and it took Rock many blows to slay him.
A second shaman appeared in flight above Rock's position. He attempted to cast some spell at my dwarven friend and ordered Rock to attack the rest of us, but his magic failed to affect the dwarf. Unfortunately Nikos could not see that the spell had failed, Rock being in one of his cold rages at that point, and Nikos hit Rock with several darts in an effort to deter him from harming his friends. At the time Nikos did not realize how badly hurt the dwarf was. Though he aimed his darts so they would cause little harm, Rock was very near the edge of death.
Phaele stabbed an orc with her lance, then shot a jet of flame at a bull ogre. From behind me, Erim cast a spell that caused three ogres before me to lose speed. On reflection it is rather amusing to think of myself darting about like Phaele's little companion Zahi, while the three ogres lumbered toward me with the swiftness of snails. But my speed did not save me from the power of their blows when they reached me.
Pakkin and Pekuah had not been able to escape the ogres on the opposite side of the path from my position. Pekuah managed to bring down one who had earlier been injured by one of Phaele's fireballs, I believe. Nekaya then leapt away from slaying ogres to go to the aid of her little goblin friend. I had seen that Erim was also badly wounded and attempted to draw the ogres away from him. Nikos managed to eliminate one of my foes. Despite his wounds, Rock leaped up to strike the flying shaman from the sky, then peered down into the pit, where he heard the roars of something large and the sound of rattling chain.
Liadan and Phaele had been occupied in trying to eliminate the ogre bull who had tried to knock Erim from his horse earlier, but this one seemed almost indestructible. Liadan had been most frustrated that her spells failed to harm her foes as she wished. Nikos went to help them, and at last the bull fell. Phaele then began directing spells at an ogre shamaness who stood farther up the slope. Erim also fired his magic missiles at the shamaness.
Rock came vaulting over two sections of ruined wall to come to my aid. By this time I was almost as badly wounded as was he, both of us ragged and dripping blood. When he arrived he was so weary he could not aim his hammer and his blows missed their target. Then the ogre struck him in return and the dwarf fell. I shouted out to Liadan to come quickly to my friend's aid. She galloped to his side and leaned out of the saddle to call forth Lathander's healing power. Had she not been so near I doubt that Rock could have been saved.
Praise Corellon that she was close by, for moment's later a second ogre struck me and I, too, was plunged into that darkness that is so near to death. I am told that Nekaya was across the battlefield ministering to Pakkin, who had very nearly died as well, but she soon raced across to bring Horus-Re's grace to us. Our enemies had all been slain, though I am certain I have failed to properly account for them all here in my writings.
Then Nikos went to peer down into the pit, and heard the sound of chain snapping...
36. In the Pit (Cloven
Mts., the Claws of Winter)
As I recovered from my nearly fatal wounds under the ministrations of Liadan, I was able to sit up and rest my back against the well that lay among the ruins. It was recalled to me later that one of the ogres I had fought had fallen down it when Erim's spell of slowing affected him. Nearby, my friend Rock was being treated by both Liadan and Nekaya, who had only barely saved Pakkin's life moments earlier. How close I was to awaiting my Erendis in Arvandor. I should be sorry to leave the mortal realm so soon, for dwarves cannot come to the realm of the Seldarine. I murmured prayers of thanks to Corellon Larethian for sparing my life a while longer.
It was still only mid-morning by the time we had slain all of the orcs and ogres. While I recuperated my strength, Nikos, who had survived the battle without harm, let a rope down into the pit to discover the source of the noises he had heard. Lighting his way with a sunrod, he set to examining the underground structure, which he had not seen before. He reported later that he saw a large beast, going about on two legs, but it had no eyes whatsoever. None of us could determine what manner of creature it might be. When the eyeless thing appeared to detect Nikos' presence, it let out a piercing cry that caused his rope to disintegrate to dust. Nikos had begun to climb up out of the pit once he saw the size of the creature, and this event very nearly tumbled him back down. Nekaya was waiting at the surface and was able to catch hold of his arm and draw him up.
Once Rock and I were on our feet once more, we debated what to do about the creature in the pit. Deciding we should do nothing in our current depleted condition, my friends and I set about removing the corpses of our foes to a central location at the edge of the terrace, and searching them for anything of interest or value. The ogres carried quite a substantial quantity of coin, which we discovered when we moved uphill to the actual temple remains, where the ogre shamans had been lodging. Liadan cast a spell to examine some of the items we had taken from the bodies. She found a number of magical objects, including two swords, a pair of bracers, a ring, and a staff. When Rock and Nikos examined the bracers they learned that these would resize themselves to suit the wearer, and Nikos attested that he felt better able to use his bow while wearing them. As he and I are the only members of our party who often use a bow, we may take it in turns to use the power of the bracers.
We set up our camp in the remains of the temple. After our evening meal, Nikos approached Rock and sought his forgiveness for attacking him when he thought my friend had been enspelled by the ogre shaman. I think the blow to the abdomen that he took was more than sufficient punishment for his transgression.
At sunset Liadan decided to attempt to open the portal through which we had arrived from Cormyr so many months ago. She did not know if this portal would pass in both directions, or if it might open onto some entirely different location than where we had originally come from with our missing companions. But she felt it would be useful if perhaps we needed to make a retreat. Sadly she could not make the portal function. She believes this is because Covenant aided her on the first occasion.
On the following morning we rose and prepared to return to the pit to pursue removal of the eyeless creature. Liadan once more attempted to open the portal, this time with aid from Nekaya, but they had no more success than on the previous evening. As we neared the pit we saw that scavengers had been at the bodies of the slain ogres - including the storm crows that had followed us in previous days.
Liadan had sought Lathander's grace to cast a spell of silencing on an amulet Rock wears. We hoped this would prevent the creature from harming us with its powerful cries. Nekaya called on Horus-Re's blessings to protect us, and Erim cast his spell of haste upon us. Then we all descended into the pit, with the exception of Nikos and Phaele, who chose to remain on the surface in the event we should need their aid to escape.
I had seen little of the underground structure on our previous visit, but Liadan pointed out with dismay that the creature appeared to have severely damaged the inscriptions on the walls. The creature waited in a side passage, dragging a length of chain that was stapled to the floor. It had a second piece of chain about its neck that had broken, explaining the sound Nikos had heard. It attempted to screech at us as we approached but Liadan's spell held and we could hear nothing. In the passage beyond the creature we could see a sort of box or cupboard such as the others had described to me during our first visit to the ruins.
The creature seemed confused when its cries did not affect us. It was obviously very able to sense its surroundings despite its lack of sight. When Rock attempted to subdue it with a blow of his hammer it leapt forward threateningly, so I struck with my blades. It attempted to claw at Rock with its short arms, to no avail. Rock stunned it, and I then slashed it several more times, though I did not slay it. Rock then smashed the chain that held it.
While Rock and I subdued the creature, Liadan and Nekaya examined the remaining inscriptions on the walls. They found one area, directly opposite the passage in which the creature was chained, where the plaster surface had not been as badly damaged. This was peculiar as the area was directly in the creature's path when it roamed the length of its chain. Liadan determined that the area was enchanted in some way, though she could not discern quite how. She thought perhaps it might be another portal but could not provoke any response from it.
Erim attempted to dispel the magic but met with no success. While examining the curious box-like construction at the end of the passage, he found that there was a hidden opening above it. We then realized that the underground chambers were in fact a curving passage with five shorter straight passages radiating off of it, in the form of a stylized sunburst - the emblem of the long-lost deity Elishar whose temple this had once been. Each of the passages ended in one of the stone shapes with a hidden opening above it. The stone shapes were not boxes or cupboards as had first appeared. They had a sloping section at the top, with the angled portion facing the hidden openings. When the first opening was cleared a shaft of sunlight shot through and reflected from the angled surface.
All of the stones had been covered with leather, which we now removed. Erim was able to open two more of the shafts with spells, but the inscription on the wall indicated that there should be a central doorway or shaft that we could not locate. It appears that we will need to dig for it in the center of the sunburst. When Nekaya prayed to Horus-Re for guidance the shafts glowed slightly. It recalls to me that once our battle with the ogres had ended, I noticed that she was glowing softly with a golden light.
In the meanwhile, Rock and Nikos had hauled the unconscious creature up from below, and set it free once it regained its senses. It did not appear to be very grateful for their efforts, for it screamed at them before it departed, doing them some minor damage. The world beyond the Hidden Hills is indeed full of peculiar things. I only wish that Erendis were here to share the wonder with me. Thanks be to Lord Corellon that I may continue to seek her.
As I recovered from my nearly fatal wounds under the ministrations of Liadan, I was able to sit up and rest my back against the well that lay among the ruins. It was recalled to me later that one of the ogres I had fought had fallen down it when Erim's spell of slowing affected him. Nearby, my friend Rock was being treated by both Liadan and Nekaya, who had only barely saved Pakkin's life moments earlier. How close I was to awaiting my Erendis in Arvandor. I should be sorry to leave the mortal realm so soon, for dwarves cannot come to the realm of the Seldarine. I murmured prayers of thanks to Corellon Larethian for sparing my life a while longer.
It was still only mid-morning by the time we had slain all of the orcs and ogres. While I recuperated my strength, Nikos, who had survived the battle without harm, let a rope down into the pit to discover the source of the noises he had heard. Lighting his way with a sunrod, he set to examining the underground structure, which he had not seen before. He reported later that he saw a large beast, going about on two legs, but it had no eyes whatsoever. None of us could determine what manner of creature it might be. When the eyeless thing appeared to detect Nikos' presence, it let out a piercing cry that caused his rope to disintegrate to dust. Nikos had begun to climb up out of the pit once he saw the size of the creature, and this event very nearly tumbled him back down. Nekaya was waiting at the surface and was able to catch hold of his arm and draw him up.
Once Rock and I were on our feet once more, we debated what to do about the creature in the pit. Deciding we should do nothing in our current depleted condition, my friends and I set about removing the corpses of our foes to a central location at the edge of the terrace, and searching them for anything of interest or value. The ogres carried quite a substantial quantity of coin, which we discovered when we moved uphill to the actual temple remains, where the ogre shamans had been lodging. Liadan cast a spell to examine some of the items we had taken from the bodies. She found a number of magical objects, including two swords, a pair of bracers, a ring, and a staff. When Rock and Nikos examined the bracers they learned that these would resize themselves to suit the wearer, and Nikos attested that he felt better able to use his bow while wearing them. As he and I are the only members of our party who often use a bow, we may take it in turns to use the power of the bracers.
We set up our camp in the remains of the temple. After our evening meal, Nikos approached Rock and sought his forgiveness for attacking him when he thought my friend had been enspelled by the ogre shaman. I think the blow to the abdomen that he took was more than sufficient punishment for his transgression.
At sunset Liadan decided to attempt to open the portal through which we had arrived from Cormyr so many months ago. She did not know if this portal would pass in both directions, or if it might open onto some entirely different location than where we had originally come from with our missing companions. But she felt it would be useful if perhaps we needed to make a retreat. Sadly she could not make the portal function. She believes this is because Covenant aided her on the first occasion.
On the following morning we rose and prepared to return to the pit to pursue removal of the eyeless creature. Liadan once more attempted to open the portal, this time with aid from Nekaya, but they had no more success than on the previous evening. As we neared the pit we saw that scavengers had been at the bodies of the slain ogres - including the storm crows that had followed us in previous days.
Liadan had sought Lathander's grace to cast a spell of silencing on an amulet Rock wears. We hoped this would prevent the creature from harming us with its powerful cries. Nekaya called on Horus-Re's blessings to protect us, and Erim cast his spell of haste upon us. Then we all descended into the pit, with the exception of Nikos and Phaele, who chose to remain on the surface in the event we should need their aid to escape.
I had seen little of the underground structure on our previous visit, but Liadan pointed out with dismay that the creature appeared to have severely damaged the inscriptions on the walls. The creature waited in a side passage, dragging a length of chain that was stapled to the floor. It had a second piece of chain about its neck that had broken, explaining the sound Nikos had heard. It attempted to screech at us as we approached but Liadan's spell held and we could hear nothing. In the passage beyond the creature we could see a sort of box or cupboard such as the others had described to me during our first visit to the ruins.
The creature seemed confused when its cries did not affect us. It was obviously very able to sense its surroundings despite its lack of sight. When Rock attempted to subdue it with a blow of his hammer it leapt forward threateningly, so I struck with my blades. It attempted to claw at Rock with its short arms, to no avail. Rock stunned it, and I then slashed it several more times, though I did not slay it. Rock then smashed the chain that held it.
While Rock and I subdued the creature, Liadan and Nekaya examined the remaining inscriptions on the walls. They found one area, directly opposite the passage in which the creature was chained, where the plaster surface had not been as badly damaged. This was peculiar as the area was directly in the creature's path when it roamed the length of its chain. Liadan determined that the area was enchanted in some way, though she could not discern quite how. She thought perhaps it might be another portal but could not provoke any response from it.
Erim attempted to dispel the magic but met with no success. While examining the curious box-like construction at the end of the passage, he found that there was a hidden opening above it. We then realized that the underground chambers were in fact a curving passage with five shorter straight passages radiating off of it, in the form of a stylized sunburst - the emblem of the long-lost deity Elishar whose temple this had once been. Each of the passages ended in one of the stone shapes with a hidden opening above it. The stone shapes were not boxes or cupboards as had first appeared. They had a sloping section at the top, with the angled portion facing the hidden openings. When the first opening was cleared a shaft of sunlight shot through and reflected from the angled surface.
All of the stones had been covered with leather, which we now removed. Erim was able to open two more of the shafts with spells, but the inscription on the wall indicated that there should be a central doorway or shaft that we could not locate. It appears that we will need to dig for it in the center of the sunburst. When Nekaya prayed to Horus-Re for guidance the shafts glowed slightly. It recalls to me that once our battle with the ogres had ended, I noticed that she was glowing softly with a golden light.
In the meanwhile, Rock and Nikos had hauled the unconscious creature up from below, and set it free once it regained its senses. It did not appear to be very grateful for their efforts, for it screamed at them before it departed, doing them some minor damage. The world beyond the Hidden Hills is indeed full of peculiar things. I only wish that Erendis were here to share the wonder with me. Thanks be to Lord Corellon that I may continue to seek her.
37. The Chamber of Dawn
We had determined
that at the end of each of the five radial passages in the underground
structure stood an angled reflecting column. Above each column was a cunningly
designed trap door intended to admit sunlight. We at once set about uncovering
the columns and opening the trap doors. The shafts above the trap doors were
all blocked by many years of debris. I stood upon one of the reflecting columns
while Rock steadied me, and found that there was a circular catch, apparently
intended to be opened by a priest or servitor using a pole. By stretching my
arm as far as I could reach, I was able to depress the catch. Rock and I
scarcely managed to avoid the fall of earth and stones that tumbled in when the
trap door openend. A brilliant shaft of noontime sunlight flowed down the shaft
and into the passage in which we stood. Much to my surprise, the light flowed
around the bend in the passage without hesitation. We followed the light into
the curving main passage and saw that it turned the corner into that corridor
in a most unnatural manner.
Erim had managed to open another of the shafts from above, and now light shone from all five passages. When the rays of light met in front of the magical section of wall that Liadan and Nekaya had examined earlier, the wall vanished, revealing another passageway. We had suspected that there must be a hidden chamber in the center of the arc formed by the curved corridor, since the symbol of Elishar included a dot at the center of its arc.
Liadan approached the new passage with much interest. Nekaya descended into the subterranean structure and joined her in the entrance to the passageway. Strangely, though we could see a clear passage, we could also see an image of solid earth in that space. At the end of the passage a small circular room was just visible. Strange lights glimmered from within the chamber.
Liadan and Nekaya went first toward the circular room. Within it we could now see a small dais in the center of the floor, and murals upon the walls. Something shining in the form of a man stood upon the low dais, the beam of sunlight halting where it struck this shape.
As the two young ladies made to enter the chamber, a voice spoke in a tongue I could not understand. But Nekaya appeared to recognize the words. She told us that the figure had said that as we did not bear a certain mark, we were not welcome in this place. The figure now resovled itself into a man-like creature seemingly made of white crystal. Then the light within the chamber pulsed twice, and two more crystalline entities appeared, one of green and the other black in color. The black crystal man assumed an threatening stance, while the green figure stood at the rear of the room, watching us with its featureless face.
I was so concerned with the threat of these crystalline things that I hardly noticed the murals upon the walls. Rock told us later he had noticed that they, too, were all in shades of white, green and black. The different sections of color intertwined in an intricate pattern, and where one color crossed another the images within appeared different. The green images were all obviously of our world, Toril, and showed pleasant pastoral scenes. The white images appeared even more pleasant and brilliant. But the black scenes were difficult to make out. Where the black and green scenes intermingled, the imagery became less pleasant, showing scenes of decay and destruction. Rock could not make anything out where the black and white bands mingled.
Nekaya began to speak in her native Mulan tongue, conversing with the white crystal figure. It told her that this room was known as the Chamber of Dawn, but it gave her little other information. It appeared to her that as none of us carried the emblem of Elishar, the crystal beings that were the chamber's guardians would not give us any information. Then Erim called out to us that the light was fading, and we hurriedly exited the Chamber of Dawn. Once the noon light vanished from the tunnels, the wall reappeared across the end of the hall that led to the chamber.
We decided to remove ourselves to the upper temple area uphill, where the portal lay, and seek further knowledge from that ruined structure. Sadly most of the murals and carvings there had been much damaged, perhaps by the presence of the ogres. We rested there for the remainder of the day while Nekaya carved herself a likeness of Elishar's emblem to wear. Curiously, as Rock told us more of what he had seen in the murals, he indicated that he had noticed a structure in the form of a bird, shown in yellow in the green band of images. This sounded to Liadan like an illustration of Morningdawn Hall, a great temple of Lathander that lies in Shadowdale. But this hall is not yellow; it is made of rose-colored glass. None of us could fathom why it would be shown in yellow, nor how it came to be depicted in a mural in a structure that was made long before Morningdawn Hall came into existence. Perhaps, as Elishar was a god of prophecy, these murals portray events that have not yet come to pass.
After a quiet night, we determined to investigate the Chamber of Dawn once again, hoping that Nekaya's new symbol would gain us more information. Before noon we spent our energies in preparing to disguise the shafts above the trapdoors, so that when we departed this place we might hide them from prying eyes. As noon neared we descended to the tunnels once again to await the opening of the Chamber. This time Nikos and Phaele came with us, so that fresh eyes might observe the chamber's interior.
When the Chamber opened I remained at the end of the entry passage to watch for the fading of the sunlight. Erim had also joined the others, and both he and Liadan called upon the powers of magic to allow them to understand the speech of the crystal guardians, though they would not be able to communicate with the guardians themselves. This magic required them both to touch Nekaya so that they might comprehend the words. In this manner they all proceeded down to the Chamber of Dawn when the entrance appeared.
On this occasion, when the white guardian saw the symbol Nekaya wore, it receded into a crystal nodule that was set into the wall. Liadan then stepped across the low dais, and observed that she felt infused with a positive energy. She attempted to expend a power granted her by Lathander, and found that her power was restored immediately rather than having to wait until the following dawn. Nekaya also trod upon the dais and felt a similar experience.
Phaele examined the murals upon the walls intently. She speculated that the black band represented the Plane of Shadow, but while it seemed logical that the white band then represented a Plane of Light, no such plane was known to exist to her knowledge. She also told us that there was so much magic in the chamber that for a moment when she cast the spell to detect it, she was blinded by the energy.
Sadly our time in the Chamber of Dawn was too brief to glean anything further. We retreated once again as the sun moved on its endless course and its rays grew too dim to activate the magic. Once we returned to the surface we spent some while covering the trap doors, and Liadan used Lathander's grace to seal up the hole that had been broken in the ceiling of the curved corridor. We then decided to spend the remainder of the day traveling toward Camber. We had realized that it must now be the beginning of Spring, and soon our friend Billy Tanner would celebrate his nuptials. As visiting Camber would not take us far out of our way should we continue toward Calimshan, we decided to go and wish the Tanners well.
We found the river much higher than it had been when we passed heading toward Arrabar. We took the time to make our way back to the ford to cross the waters. This carried us near to the Winterwood once again. As we rode quietly along the edge of the wood, Liadan appeared to catch sight of something no one else could see. She suddenly spurred Shadowcast away from us, then began riding to and fro in a most curious manner. When we caught up with her and Rock called out to ask her what she was doing, she announced that Califax was galloping toward her repeatedly and then veering aside!
We all recalled how she had claimed to see Califax running ahead of her during our last visit to this place, and suspected some phantasm. But when the mages sought for evidence of magic, they felt some stirring as the image of the great steed drew nearer. Each time Liadan rode toward Califax he would turn aside, then circle back to approach. At last, Liadan dismounted and stood her ground when the horse moved toward her. Suddenly she staggered, and at once all of us could see Califax there, just completing a powerful kick with both of his rear legs!
Though Califax had often snapped or kicked at Liadan when she groomed him, this kick did not seem as petulant as his previous behavior. He continued to kick and bite her as she stood before him. Liadan grew angry with his viciousness and blasted him with holy light, though her first attempt seemed not to touch him. Rock had also dismounted and stood behind her, and I now urged Aratan up to stand guard at her other side. Nekaya moved nearer astride Pekuah.
Shadowcast was standing behind Rock at this time, and quite unexpectedly began to attack my friend. Her behavior was odd and unnatural, as though she did not truly wish to strike at him, and as she is not a trained warhorse her kicks were weak. We all recalled that in the past Califax had shown the ability to control other horses when he led us to Gadron's hidden lair.
Shadowcast kept striking out at Rock, and Rock grew frustrated with the horse's attentions. He attempted to calm her but his efforts had no effect. He then struck her a mighty blow with his fist, and she toppled to the ground! Truly my friend has a prodigious might. But I was too concerned with what occurred between Califax and Liadan to give much thought to Shadowcast. For after Rock struck down Liadan's horse, he then stepped nearer and remarked to Liadan that perhaps this behavior was some test of her worthiness.
Liadan then caught hold of Califax's mane when he stepped closer to bite her, and vaulted upon his back. He wore no bridle or saddle, only a blanket that was near to slipping off. When Liadan sprang astride him he bolted away from us. Nekaya reacted more quickly than I and sent Pekuah galloping after him, and I followed a moment later. Aratan is swifter than Nekaya's great steed, and I was quickly able to catch up to the disturbed Califax. Liadan was clinging on his back with great determination, but when he carried her into a low-hanging tree limb she could not maintain her grip and fell to the ground.
Liadan scrambled to her feet, but Califax loomed over her in a most aggressive manner and renewed his attacks upon her. He now appeared extremely threatening to my eyes, and I doubted that Rock's suggestion was accurate. Something was seriously amiss with Califax. Liadan shouted angrily that Califax would never try to harm her in this way, and continued blasting him with Lathander's divine light. Earlier Nikos had flung a number of darts unerringly at the horse, and Califax was now burnt and bloodied, but showed no sign of relenting.
I rode up to him as Liadan once again sprang onto his back, and was able to catch hold of his ear. This obviously irritated him greatly but I was able to maintain my grip against his tossing head for a few moments. Then he pulled free of my grasp and Liadan tumbled to the ground again. Califax made as if to trample her and I swiftly pushed Aratan in his way. He then began circling about, seeking an opening to renew his attacks. I kept Aratan moving, always interposing my faithful mount between Califax and Liadan.
Nekaya provided healing to Liadan and joined me in blocking Califax's approach. He had become so persistent that I drew my sword and shouted to him in anger that he would die if he attempted to harm Liadan again. His eyes were wild and I felt that my words meant nothing to him, though I had known him to have the intelligence of a man. Then Liadan decided to call upon Lathander's power in the manner that she would employ to turn aside an undead thing. She stepped between Pekuah and Aratan to aim her spell. As Califax lunged toward her once again, he was rebuffed by some invisible force. Suddenly he reared, blood and foam flying from his lips, and emitted a harsh scream that echoed among the trees. Then he vanished.
Erim had managed to open another of the shafts from above, and now light shone from all five passages. When the rays of light met in front of the magical section of wall that Liadan and Nekaya had examined earlier, the wall vanished, revealing another passageway. We had suspected that there must be a hidden chamber in the center of the arc formed by the curved corridor, since the symbol of Elishar included a dot at the center of its arc.
Liadan approached the new passage with much interest. Nekaya descended into the subterranean structure and joined her in the entrance to the passageway. Strangely, though we could see a clear passage, we could also see an image of solid earth in that space. At the end of the passage a small circular room was just visible. Strange lights glimmered from within the chamber.
Liadan and Nekaya went first toward the circular room. Within it we could now see a small dais in the center of the floor, and murals upon the walls. Something shining in the form of a man stood upon the low dais, the beam of sunlight halting where it struck this shape.
As the two young ladies made to enter the chamber, a voice spoke in a tongue I could not understand. But Nekaya appeared to recognize the words. She told us that the figure had said that as we did not bear a certain mark, we were not welcome in this place. The figure now resovled itself into a man-like creature seemingly made of white crystal. Then the light within the chamber pulsed twice, and two more crystalline entities appeared, one of green and the other black in color. The black crystal man assumed an threatening stance, while the green figure stood at the rear of the room, watching us with its featureless face.
I was so concerned with the threat of these crystalline things that I hardly noticed the murals upon the walls. Rock told us later he had noticed that they, too, were all in shades of white, green and black. The different sections of color intertwined in an intricate pattern, and where one color crossed another the images within appeared different. The green images were all obviously of our world, Toril, and showed pleasant pastoral scenes. The white images appeared even more pleasant and brilliant. But the black scenes were difficult to make out. Where the black and green scenes intermingled, the imagery became less pleasant, showing scenes of decay and destruction. Rock could not make anything out where the black and white bands mingled.
Nekaya began to speak in her native Mulan tongue, conversing with the white crystal figure. It told her that this room was known as the Chamber of Dawn, but it gave her little other information. It appeared to her that as none of us carried the emblem of Elishar, the crystal beings that were the chamber's guardians would not give us any information. Then Erim called out to us that the light was fading, and we hurriedly exited the Chamber of Dawn. Once the noon light vanished from the tunnels, the wall reappeared across the end of the hall that led to the chamber.
We decided to remove ourselves to the upper temple area uphill, where the portal lay, and seek further knowledge from that ruined structure. Sadly most of the murals and carvings there had been much damaged, perhaps by the presence of the ogres. We rested there for the remainder of the day while Nekaya carved herself a likeness of Elishar's emblem to wear. Curiously, as Rock told us more of what he had seen in the murals, he indicated that he had noticed a structure in the form of a bird, shown in yellow in the green band of images. This sounded to Liadan like an illustration of Morningdawn Hall, a great temple of Lathander that lies in Shadowdale. But this hall is not yellow; it is made of rose-colored glass. None of us could fathom why it would be shown in yellow, nor how it came to be depicted in a mural in a structure that was made long before Morningdawn Hall came into existence. Perhaps, as Elishar was a god of prophecy, these murals portray events that have not yet come to pass.
After a quiet night, we determined to investigate the Chamber of Dawn once again, hoping that Nekaya's new symbol would gain us more information. Before noon we spent our energies in preparing to disguise the shafts above the trapdoors, so that when we departed this place we might hide them from prying eyes. As noon neared we descended to the tunnels once again to await the opening of the Chamber. This time Nikos and Phaele came with us, so that fresh eyes might observe the chamber's interior.
When the Chamber opened I remained at the end of the entry passage to watch for the fading of the sunlight. Erim had also joined the others, and both he and Liadan called upon the powers of magic to allow them to understand the speech of the crystal guardians, though they would not be able to communicate with the guardians themselves. This magic required them both to touch Nekaya so that they might comprehend the words. In this manner they all proceeded down to the Chamber of Dawn when the entrance appeared.
On this occasion, when the white guardian saw the symbol Nekaya wore, it receded into a crystal nodule that was set into the wall. Liadan then stepped across the low dais, and observed that she felt infused with a positive energy. She attempted to expend a power granted her by Lathander, and found that her power was restored immediately rather than having to wait until the following dawn. Nekaya also trod upon the dais and felt a similar experience.
Phaele examined the murals upon the walls intently. She speculated that the black band represented the Plane of Shadow, but while it seemed logical that the white band then represented a Plane of Light, no such plane was known to exist to her knowledge. She also told us that there was so much magic in the chamber that for a moment when she cast the spell to detect it, she was blinded by the energy.
Sadly our time in the Chamber of Dawn was too brief to glean anything further. We retreated once again as the sun moved on its endless course and its rays grew too dim to activate the magic. Once we returned to the surface we spent some while covering the trap doors, and Liadan used Lathander's grace to seal up the hole that had been broken in the ceiling of the curved corridor. We then decided to spend the remainder of the day traveling toward Camber. We had realized that it must now be the beginning of Spring, and soon our friend Billy Tanner would celebrate his nuptials. As visiting Camber would not take us far out of our way should we continue toward Calimshan, we decided to go and wish the Tanners well.
We found the river much higher than it had been when we passed heading toward Arrabar. We took the time to make our way back to the ford to cross the waters. This carried us near to the Winterwood once again. As we rode quietly along the edge of the wood, Liadan appeared to catch sight of something no one else could see. She suddenly spurred Shadowcast away from us, then began riding to and fro in a most curious manner. When we caught up with her and Rock called out to ask her what she was doing, she announced that Califax was galloping toward her repeatedly and then veering aside!
We all recalled how she had claimed to see Califax running ahead of her during our last visit to this place, and suspected some phantasm. But when the mages sought for evidence of magic, they felt some stirring as the image of the great steed drew nearer. Each time Liadan rode toward Califax he would turn aside, then circle back to approach. At last, Liadan dismounted and stood her ground when the horse moved toward her. Suddenly she staggered, and at once all of us could see Califax there, just completing a powerful kick with both of his rear legs!
Though Califax had often snapped or kicked at Liadan when she groomed him, this kick did not seem as petulant as his previous behavior. He continued to kick and bite her as she stood before him. Liadan grew angry with his viciousness and blasted him with holy light, though her first attempt seemed not to touch him. Rock had also dismounted and stood behind her, and I now urged Aratan up to stand guard at her other side. Nekaya moved nearer astride Pekuah.
Shadowcast was standing behind Rock at this time, and quite unexpectedly began to attack my friend. Her behavior was odd and unnatural, as though she did not truly wish to strike at him, and as she is not a trained warhorse her kicks were weak. We all recalled that in the past Califax had shown the ability to control other horses when he led us to Gadron's hidden lair.
Shadowcast kept striking out at Rock, and Rock grew frustrated with the horse's attentions. He attempted to calm her but his efforts had no effect. He then struck her a mighty blow with his fist, and she toppled to the ground! Truly my friend has a prodigious might. But I was too concerned with what occurred between Califax and Liadan to give much thought to Shadowcast. For after Rock struck down Liadan's horse, he then stepped nearer and remarked to Liadan that perhaps this behavior was some test of her worthiness.
Liadan then caught hold of Califax's mane when he stepped closer to bite her, and vaulted upon his back. He wore no bridle or saddle, only a blanket that was near to slipping off. When Liadan sprang astride him he bolted away from us. Nekaya reacted more quickly than I and sent Pekuah galloping after him, and I followed a moment later. Aratan is swifter than Nekaya's great steed, and I was quickly able to catch up to the disturbed Califax. Liadan was clinging on his back with great determination, but when he carried her into a low-hanging tree limb she could not maintain her grip and fell to the ground.
Liadan scrambled to her feet, but Califax loomed over her in a most aggressive manner and renewed his attacks upon her. He now appeared extremely threatening to my eyes, and I doubted that Rock's suggestion was accurate. Something was seriously amiss with Califax. Liadan shouted angrily that Califax would never try to harm her in this way, and continued blasting him with Lathander's divine light. Earlier Nikos had flung a number of darts unerringly at the horse, and Califax was now burnt and bloodied, but showed no sign of relenting.
I rode up to him as Liadan once again sprang onto his back, and was able to catch hold of his ear. This obviously irritated him greatly but I was able to maintain my grip against his tossing head for a few moments. Then he pulled free of my grasp and Liadan tumbled to the ground again. Califax made as if to trample her and I swiftly pushed Aratan in his way. He then began circling about, seeking an opening to renew his attacks. I kept Aratan moving, always interposing my faithful mount between Califax and Liadan.
Nekaya provided healing to Liadan and joined me in blocking Califax's approach. He had become so persistent that I drew my sword and shouted to him in anger that he would die if he attempted to harm Liadan again. His eyes were wild and I felt that my words meant nothing to him, though I had known him to have the intelligence of a man. Then Liadan decided to call upon Lathander's power in the manner that she would employ to turn aside an undead thing. She stepped between Pekuah and Aratan to aim her spell. As Califax lunged toward her once again, he was rebuffed by some invisible force. Suddenly he reared, blood and foam flying from his lips, and emitted a harsh scream that echoed among the trees. Then he vanished.
38. Sorrows and Celebrations
In the aftermath of
Califax's disappearance we stood in silence for a moment, startled by how far
the struggle had carried us from our companions. Liadan was much distressed in
both spirit and body. Once she had called upon Lathander's mercy, we made our
way back to our friends whose mounts had been delayed by Erim's spell. Phaele
was quite cross with Pakkin for taking her horse without her leave. Liadan was
also displeased with Rock's treatment of Shadowcast. I assisted my friend in
helping the horse to her feet.
Once we had all recovered a bit from those strange events, we discussed making camp at that spot, though it was only midday. We thought that perhaps Liadan would wish to rest following her upsetting encounter, but she desired that we continue our journey toward Camber as soon as possible. In the end, however, we chose to remain where we were. Erim sent a spell into the Winterwood in hope of contacting Gadron.
While Nekaya went hunting with Pakkin, Nikos climbed a tree to scout the area. He found nothing of concern. Later he and I sparred for a time to hone our skills. Nekaya and Pakkin brought rabbits for our meal. Liadan chose to pray and fast, seeking guidance from Lathander regarding Califax's condition. Whether he is gone for good none can say. Nekaya suggested that perhaps his separation from Covenant has caused him to go mad; she has more knowledge of such divine bonds, being similarly bonded to her steed Pekuah. Liadan fears that the horse was possessed by some evil entity.
Before dawn Liadan rose and prepared herself carefully for a full service to the Dawn Lord. Shortly afterward, as we were preparing to break camp, I caught sight of something moving through the forest, appearing to come toward us. Rock and Nikos also spotted movement among the trees. Rock moved closer to the tree line.
When the creature cleared the trees we saw that it was a large troll with a very bulbous nose, carrying a twin-bladed sword of fine make. It bore the weapon almost carelessly, and its eyes seemed vacant. Rock attempted to converse with it in the language of the giants but it did not respond. Nikos then shouted out to it in the common tongue to stop, also without result. Phaele next used her magical skill to toss a false ball of flame at the troll, but this did not deter it. Its eyes did seem to light up once it was attacked. Then I heard the sound of Rock's shield being thrown to the ground. I had forgotten that trolls are of the giant-kind he so loves to fight.
Rock rushed forward to meet the troll. Nikos fired arrows at it but they scarcely penetrated its rough hide. Nekaya moved closer to aid Rock. Phaele flung lightning at the troll. Erim attempted to cast his spell of reduced speed upon it but the spell failed to take effect. Liadan was attempting to mount her horse. I chose to hold my position while all this took place, assuming that my friend Rock would hardly be troubled by a mere troll after having slain a giantess single-handed.
Erim now enspelled those who were near enough with enhanced speed. Liadan rode up and seared the troll with divine light, while Phaele sent a true ball of fire to explode just behind the creature. It fell to the ground, but Nekaya reported that its wound appeared to be healing themselves with preturnatural speed. Using my increased alacrity I ran forward and moved behind it so that should it rise again I would be able to strike at once.
Recognizing that her magical fires were not having as much effect as she desired, Phaele then burnt it with corrosive acid. This appeared to have somewhat more efficacy. Liadan also attacked it with her quicksilver mace. Abruptly the troll transformed into several snakelike forms of green smoke - an apparition all of us but Nikos recognized from our first meeting with the wizard Gadron.
The snakes passed through our camp until they were near the remains of the fire, where they emitted an explosive sound and appeared to deposit something upon the ground. Then they returned to the Winterwood and vanished. Liadan retreived a sack of leather from the ground and removed a sealed scroll, which she opened. It contained a letter from Gadron.
The letter indicated that this was a difficult time for the wizard. He warned us not to remain in the area, for, as he said, "Do not tarry near this place; terrible events come borne on foul winds". He repeated this warning twice. He also spoke of his researches into the whereabouts of Covenant's party. He had been able to find no trace. He theorized that perhaps they had been utterly disintegrated, but seemed to doubt this explanation. He also spoke of other planes of existence that cannot be scryed upon or divined, planes that can be created by folk of great magical might. This portion of his letter made sense only to the wizards in our party.
The letter said nothing of our encounter with Califax, which caused Liadan to angrily curse at Gadron. Erim then sent another spell message to the wizard urgently seeking further information and informing him that we would continue to Camber. We gathered up our possessions and continued our journey toward the town.
The farms we passed as we neared appeared to be empty, but not abandoned. We guessed that perhaps the residents had gone to town for the celebrations. Our remaining journey there continued uneventfully, and a day and a half after the message from Gadron arrived, we reached Camber. There were far more folk within the walls than we had ever seen before, even during the seige when many of the outlying residents came within the walls for safety. We were greeted with pleasure by the guards, who were surprised to see us again so soon.
Peculiarly, several of us noted a large quantity of crows in the vicinity, though they were not storm crows, and I observed that there was a white crow among them standing out starkly against the black plumage of its fellows. As the orc shamaness we had seen with Micah had taken the form of a crow when she fled the town, we were concerned by this, but could not determine if the white crow was an omen of danger or merely an oddity of nature.
When we arrived at the First Gate Inn we found it fully occupied. We encountered Captain Puffleweis of the town militia, and were surprised to find her clad all in black during such a festive occasion. We did not speak to her, but were told by others that during our absence her husband had been slain by orc raiders.
We were surprised to learn that the priestess Esther whom Nekaya had brought to town was now marrying a local man - perhaps this explains why she did not wish to accompany us when we left for Arrabar. We also found a number of visitors who had no relation to any of the townsfolk, which seemed odd since Camber is not on any major trade route. An elder from Phaele's native land of Halruua was there with several companions and a number of servants, as well as a Chessentan fellow, a traveler from the Dragon Coast, and a pair of brothers from Athkatla in Amn, the city from which our former companions Garrett and Fallon had hailed. We have no cause to be suspicious of any of these folk, but it does seem curious that they have come so far out of their way at a time when we have been warned that danger nears. Now we ponder whether to advise the good folk of Camber of Gadron's warning.
Once we had all recovered a bit from those strange events, we discussed making camp at that spot, though it was only midday. We thought that perhaps Liadan would wish to rest following her upsetting encounter, but she desired that we continue our journey toward Camber as soon as possible. In the end, however, we chose to remain where we were. Erim sent a spell into the Winterwood in hope of contacting Gadron.
While Nekaya went hunting with Pakkin, Nikos climbed a tree to scout the area. He found nothing of concern. Later he and I sparred for a time to hone our skills. Nekaya and Pakkin brought rabbits for our meal. Liadan chose to pray and fast, seeking guidance from Lathander regarding Califax's condition. Whether he is gone for good none can say. Nekaya suggested that perhaps his separation from Covenant has caused him to go mad; she has more knowledge of such divine bonds, being similarly bonded to her steed Pekuah. Liadan fears that the horse was possessed by some evil entity.
Before dawn Liadan rose and prepared herself carefully for a full service to the Dawn Lord. Shortly afterward, as we were preparing to break camp, I caught sight of something moving through the forest, appearing to come toward us. Rock and Nikos also spotted movement among the trees. Rock moved closer to the tree line.
When the creature cleared the trees we saw that it was a large troll with a very bulbous nose, carrying a twin-bladed sword of fine make. It bore the weapon almost carelessly, and its eyes seemed vacant. Rock attempted to converse with it in the language of the giants but it did not respond. Nikos then shouted out to it in the common tongue to stop, also without result. Phaele next used her magical skill to toss a false ball of flame at the troll, but this did not deter it. Its eyes did seem to light up once it was attacked. Then I heard the sound of Rock's shield being thrown to the ground. I had forgotten that trolls are of the giant-kind he so loves to fight.
Rock rushed forward to meet the troll. Nikos fired arrows at it but they scarcely penetrated its rough hide. Nekaya moved closer to aid Rock. Phaele flung lightning at the troll. Erim attempted to cast his spell of reduced speed upon it but the spell failed to take effect. Liadan was attempting to mount her horse. I chose to hold my position while all this took place, assuming that my friend Rock would hardly be troubled by a mere troll after having slain a giantess single-handed.
Erim now enspelled those who were near enough with enhanced speed. Liadan rode up and seared the troll with divine light, while Phaele sent a true ball of fire to explode just behind the creature. It fell to the ground, but Nekaya reported that its wound appeared to be healing themselves with preturnatural speed. Using my increased alacrity I ran forward and moved behind it so that should it rise again I would be able to strike at once.
Recognizing that her magical fires were not having as much effect as she desired, Phaele then burnt it with corrosive acid. This appeared to have somewhat more efficacy. Liadan also attacked it with her quicksilver mace. Abruptly the troll transformed into several snakelike forms of green smoke - an apparition all of us but Nikos recognized from our first meeting with the wizard Gadron.
The snakes passed through our camp until they were near the remains of the fire, where they emitted an explosive sound and appeared to deposit something upon the ground. Then they returned to the Winterwood and vanished. Liadan retreived a sack of leather from the ground and removed a sealed scroll, which she opened. It contained a letter from Gadron.
The letter indicated that this was a difficult time for the wizard. He warned us not to remain in the area, for, as he said, "Do not tarry near this place; terrible events come borne on foul winds". He repeated this warning twice. He also spoke of his researches into the whereabouts of Covenant's party. He had been able to find no trace. He theorized that perhaps they had been utterly disintegrated, but seemed to doubt this explanation. He also spoke of other planes of existence that cannot be scryed upon or divined, planes that can be created by folk of great magical might. This portion of his letter made sense only to the wizards in our party.
The letter said nothing of our encounter with Califax, which caused Liadan to angrily curse at Gadron. Erim then sent another spell message to the wizard urgently seeking further information and informing him that we would continue to Camber. We gathered up our possessions and continued our journey toward the town.
The farms we passed as we neared appeared to be empty, but not abandoned. We guessed that perhaps the residents had gone to town for the celebrations. Our remaining journey there continued uneventfully, and a day and a half after the message from Gadron arrived, we reached Camber. There were far more folk within the walls than we had ever seen before, even during the seige when many of the outlying residents came within the walls for safety. We were greeted with pleasure by the guards, who were surprised to see us again so soon.
Peculiarly, several of us noted a large quantity of crows in the vicinity, though they were not storm crows, and I observed that there was a white crow among them standing out starkly against the black plumage of its fellows. As the orc shamaness we had seen with Micah had taken the form of a crow when she fled the town, we were concerned by this, but could not determine if the white crow was an omen of danger or merely an oddity of nature.
When we arrived at the First Gate Inn we found it fully occupied. We encountered Captain Puffleweis of the town militia, and were surprised to find her clad all in black during such a festive occasion. We did not speak to her, but were told by others that during our absence her husband had been slain by orc raiders.
We were surprised to learn that the priestess Esther whom Nekaya had brought to town was now marrying a local man - perhaps this explains why she did not wish to accompany us when we left for Arrabar. We also found a number of visitors who had no relation to any of the townsfolk, which seemed odd since Camber is not on any major trade route. An elder from Phaele's native land of Halruua was there with several companions and a number of servants, as well as a Chessentan fellow, a traveler from the Dragon Coast, and a pair of brothers from Athkatla in Amn, the city from which our former companions Garrett and Fallon had hailed. We have no cause to be suspicious of any of these folk, but it does seem curious that they have come so far out of their way at a time when we have been warned that danger nears. Now we ponder whether to advise the good folk of Camber of Gadron's warning.
No comments:
Post a Comment