It is just after dusk when the band of adventurers makes it to the small town of Feron. The buildings here are crudely built, settled amidst a great number of snow covered hills. By appearances it is a mining town with many dwarves moving about doing their business. Some look at the group warily but most go on their way. All here are heavily armed and look as though they can carry themselves well in a fight.
The handmaidens are still unconcious, and there is some worry about how they will recover. Their bodies will heal but they will have scars on their heart for a long time to come. As gently as they can, Dril and Kazier carry them along on their hastily built litters.
Looking around and with the guidance of Lady Elysse, the head over to the local trading post and inn. Inside a dwarven woman sees the group and there is some surprise in her eyes. "Lady Elysse are you alright?" By her manner and dress it's obvious that she works here.
Giving a somewhat grim smile she nods. "I am fine. However I did have some trouble when I left Feron yesterday. I will need my old room tonight as well as some for my friends." Some quick introductions are made as well as explanations as to what has happend. The dwarven barkeep's name is Anhagu and she immediately helps with the two girls being carried in. Very quickly she gets rooms for the group, has a bath drawn for the still shaken Elysse.
"How about a stiff drink?" She asks and everyone gives a positive response. After several beers and ales later, the group begins to relax. Anhagu, or Ann, talks at length with Alex and Amy. She knows the two Cedar sisters and has seen them before. Amy takes it on herself to act as Lady Elysse's bodyguard now until they return to Bird Keep.
While waiting to change clothes and clean up, Dreznat goes and sits down by Lady Elysse. Though her memory is still fragmentary from her bout with lycanthropy, she finds herself strangely attracted to the elegant Elysse. "I just wonder why those goblins didn't have their way with you as they did with your attendants?"
Lady Elysse shudders and drinks more of her ale. Though she is certainly nobility, the days events have taken their toll on her. "I don't know why. I am just thankful they didn't."
Both Dril and Kazier think it would be an excellent idea to return to Bird Keep to tell the Duke what has happend. Amy thinks it would be wise for them to wait until morning, but the surly sprig and dark-garbed elf think that leaving as soon as possible is the best way to go. "We can rest when we get back to the Drink and Fight Inn," says Kazier. Quaffing a few more drinks the two bundle up and get upon horse and warg, riding out of town.
There is some discussion as to who might have sent the message to Duke Dave, and going over the grisly details of the wrecked carriage Elysse realizes that one of her entourage is missing.
"That person might be the one who sent the Bird to Fiery Dave," says Maurice. "They might still be alive out there somewhere. I'll use my elven tracking abilities to find out their fate, you have my word on that my lady." Elysse just looks at the large orc when he says that and blinks. Alric buzzes over and lands on her table, shaking his head before she can say anything.
Drinking a bit more to warm himself up for the coming cold, Maurice makes ready to leave. Alex comes over and smiles. "You aren't going out there without me," she says quite pleasantly. He returns her smile and lightly touches her chin with his finger.
"Dress warmly."
On his way back from his family keep, Methos detours to the small mining town of Feron. His brother has been giving him headaches and it won't be too long before something will have to be done. It is nightfall and travelling alone out here in Sigel, especially with all of the ice goblin activity going on, would be foolish. He decides to stop for the evening and travel on during the day.
As he approaches the local inn he sees Maurice and Alex Cedar heading out from it. It is something of a surprise to the young magician. Seeing him the two salute then shake hands. "What are you doing here," he asks quizically.
Both Maurice and Alex give him a rapid synopsis of what has gone on with the Lady Ellesse saga. Methos listens to this, and wonders if they ever have a boring day.
While talking outside, Ann speaks to some of the local miners and convinces them to travel along with Maurice and Alex. "They need to get Lady Ellesse's carriage back here so she can leave in style. Would you go with them and fix up the wagon?" They agree to this for a few ales and join up.
"Go warm yourself," Maurice says to Methos as he, Alex, and three dwarven miners head out into the cold, wintry night.
Inside the warm and rather comfortable bar Alric is the first to greet the chilly Methos. He introduces Dreznat and Lady Elysse. There are many dirty, rather odorous dwarven miners here drinking and eating having a good, relaxing time. Methos gets himself something to drink and settles down.
A bit later Alric goes to the room where the handmaidens are resting. He does a few more curative spells for them, hoping that they will recover and put this ugliness behind them. Though small, the pixie's cares are quite big.
The air is so cold a person's breath comes out in ragged plumes. Alex wraps her scarf around her head to give herself some more protection against the harsh elements.
At the remains of the wagon the dwarves begin to work on repairing it, hoping to drag it back to Feron and finish it there. Luck for them there is snow on the ground.
Both Maurice and Alex quietly start moving out in slow circles, looking for tracks in the starlight. They take their time, finding many signs of the previous battle, blood, arrows, torn up earth. Farther and farther they move out, and the big orc finds one set heading away from the carnage. "Looks like they were hurt," he says in a soft voice to Alex.
Following the trail it leads them north of Feron. Below is the town, a few of the lights glowing dimly. Ahead is the rise of a rocky hill, like a rough, miniature mountain. There is a bit of sparkling blue light coming from it. At the top of this ridge there is a circular cave opening with a glowing blue mist bubbling within it. Nearby is a ramshackle house made of crude pine trees roped and mudded together.
Going to the shack, Maurice knocks on the irregular door. A small, wiry dwarf with wild eyes and even wilder hair comes out with a little pick. He's filthy and there is a stench about him. "Get away from my treasure! It's mine you hear me? It's MINE!" Stepping towards Maurice he swings the pick and it is easily dodged.
"I am not here for your treasure! I am trying to find a person who might have come this way." Again and again the snarling little person swings at the moving orc. Alex watches all this with a sense of amusement and cannot help but smile at what is happening. "What's your name?"
"No one came this way! I am alone! I am called Hengist but I am friends with no one!"
Again Maurice evades another whirl of the pick.. "I wonder why."
There is a short discussion between them and Maurice realizes that there must be something in the cave that Hengist is guarding. Though he rants about his treasure he dares them to go into the cave and find out what is there. From the way he talks it seems like there is a trap within. Seeing that the tracks do indeed head that way Maurice knows it will need to be explored.
Alex heads back to the Inn in Feron to get the rest of the group while Maurice chats it up with the crazed little man.
Lady Elysse Attenmoor of Posa is a very articulate and dignified woman. By the manner of her speech and her actions she certainly comes across as a person of nobility. She is not condescending in tone or insulting, but she is definitly a high class lady.
"I will be married to Duke David shortly, unifying our provinces under one house. We will be stronger that way and it will certainly aid our people. Many oppose us doing this deed, since he is human and I am elven. However I do care for David and I know in my heart that this is the right decision in this time of troubles."
While she speaks, Dreznat looks at her and has many thoughts travelling through her mind. She wonders if she will ever truly remember everything, and has the suspicion that she should be farther south. The confused Dreznat also thinks about the strange group of people she has fallen in with.
As if she were reading minds, Lady Elysse looks at the people who had rescued her. "You are certainly a very odd group, a very unusual mixture of people. Elf, pixie, orc, human. Usually people stay with their own kind and seldom if ever make lasting friendships outside their own racial circle."
Methos speaks up, "Maurice isn't an orc, he's an elf." He nods over at Lady Ellesse and goes back to eating some of Ann's fine food.
"What? Do not insult my intelligence. He's an orc. But more importantly why does he think he's not what he truly is?"
Shrugging Dreznat rolls her eyes and raises her hands. "Who knows? Maybe he just had some bad corn-squeezings." There is some laughter at this, but Lady Elysse just seems puzzled by this rather odd viewpoint.
"I am afraid I don't understand you." She looks over to the white-haired Amy who is nearby. "I understand Amy here. I have travelled with her many times and David has told me that she is an excellent scout and tracker."
"She's good at other things too," says Dreznat with a wink.
The usual composure Amy has melts away in an instant. "What are you talking about? You must have memory loss!" It is Dreznat's turn to laugh some. Amy Cedar's face flashes crimson for a moment before getting herself back under control.
"Well I know David, he wouldn't have sent rabble to protect me. You must all have a great degree of skill. I am very grateful for my rescue as well as what you have done to help my friends. For that and everything else, I thank you."
In from the cold comes Alex, stomping the snow and ice off her boots. "Hey guys, we got to go. Maurice and me followed the tracks up to a cave outside of town. He's talking right now to some crazy old coot."
Hearing this, some of the miners and Ann look over to Alex. "You went north?"
"Yes. The person is crazy, worse than Maurice. The trail headed towards a cave there."
A look of concern comes to Ann's face, and she frets some with her braided hair. "We used to mine the area up there years ago. But a monster came and killed a lot of people, always travelling around in a blue mist. The miner is immune to it for some reason. Now we stay away from that area completely, it's too dangerous."
Blowing into her hands for warmth Alex nods. "Maurice thinks there may be a problem up there too. That's why I'm back to get you. It might not be anything but it could be trouble. Always best to go in a group if you know what I mean."
"I'll stay with Lady Elysse," says Amy. "You should be able to handle whatever is up there without me."
With Alex leading them, Jinx, Alric, Methos, and Dreznat go out once more into the night.
Up by the circular cave, Maurice plays tic-tac-toe with Hengist using a stick to mark in the snow. The little man reeks, filthy smelly, and his home is a hovel. They have various strange arguments, like who would win in a fight, the Hulk or Sauron, and stuff like that. When Alex and everyone else shows up it sets the manic Hengist off even more.
"Mine! It's my treasure!" He rants and raves until Alric zaps him with a holding spell and Dreznat gives him a solid right cross knocking him out. Maurice lifts up the crazed little man and puts him into his home so he won't freeze to death.
A bone-chilling howl from hell erupts from the mouth of the cave. It sends a shiver of sheer fear down everyone's spine. It is ghostly, unnatural, and very very scary. For a moment it drones on and then passes, leaving the group shaken with weapons drawn.
"I don't think something wants us to go in there," says Jinx still shuddering. "It's dangerous, and that bothers me." Drawing her fighting staff she pushes the little button causing it to unfold in an instant.
Thinking quickly, Maurice stuffs his ears with some cloth to muffle the sound. He hopes that might provide some protection from the terrible noise.
Using his earth magics, Alric talks to the stone at the cave entrance. "What lives in here?" The reply from the rock is rather oblique, it is what it is after all.
With the sound of a grinding boulder it speaks to the small pixie. "The races of everyone in your group lie beyond and two unknown entities." Another fearful roar comes rolling out, and there is some blue light throbbing inside within the low laying mist. Again a wave of fear washes against the group, but they stand their ground and do not give into it.
Maurice takes a martial pose, and prepares to go in. Alex looks to him and touches his shoulder to get his attention. "Do we want to do this?" She asks in a loud voice so he can hear.
"The man might have come this way. We need to find out." Drawing his well used saber, he stalks through the opening and the others follow. The passage is very smoothe, and very circular, making this all very odd. Some glowing mist curls up around their feet and Alric is grateful he has wings to fly above it.
Opening up into a large cavern there is a stone ring in it's center. Before it lays the body of a man. It is the missing guard from Lady Elysse's entourage. Maurice turns him over and he's frozen solid, his skin a sky blue color.
Within the circle comes another freakish scream. "OOOOOOOEEEEEEE!" And both Dreznat and Alex stop in their tracks, eyes wide open with overwhelming fear. "Maybe it's just defensive," yells a hopeful Dreznat.
A whirling maelstrom of mist and glowing light begins to form above the stone circle. The mass begins to take form, and a gigantic, howling mouth appears where it's head should be. With unbelievable speed it moves like a living tornado across the chamber, crashing into Alex sending her spinning and rolling onto the floor. She leaps up, a blade in either hand. The air starts getting dangerously cold.
Alric zips through the air and blasts off a burst of fiery energy from his magical ring. The flame strikes at the whirling, roaring mist and some of it's form is destroyed. Methos launches an arrow from his bow, but the arrow passes harmlessly through it.
Thinking the elemental-like creature might be linked to the stone pit, Dreznat hurls a few damaging spells at it. After a few blows it breaks the rock but the raging entity remains, whirling madly about the room, hurricane winds buffeting everyone.
The air creature focuses it's wrath on Maurice. The dextrous orc does a back flip, a Kirk shoulder roll, and a Xena air leap, evading each and every one of it's attacks. Many in the group, especially Alex, are amazed at what the large Maurice can do.
Calling to St. Lyssa for strength, Jinx gives a battle bless to her allies, hoping this will enable them to defeat this supernatural foe. Both Alex and Maurice stab at it with their swords, and when they connect it does seem to have some effect on the creature. Methos, Dreznat, and Alric pour on the offensive magics. Each hit, each blast of magic causes the glowing elemental to shrink in size, getting smaller and smaller.
Eventually Dreznat finishes it off with one of her own spells and it vanishes completely. All that is left is a small howling sound that rapidly fades away.
"You alright?" Maurice asks Alex, concerned about the hit she took.
"Just a little frost bit in the chest . . ." She gives a naughty smile. "But you'll take care of that, right?"
Hearing this Jinx just rolls her eyes. Taking out a stick she lights it with a minor magick and with the soft glow of the torch they look around.
Going to the circular rock formation in the chamber there is a shaft going down. There is a slight breeze coming from it, and when Alric casts a light spell, it goes down and down and down. It seems as if there is not bottom to it. The breeze from below starts to raise the temperature in the cave. It is very warming.
"An enormous hole," says Methos.
Alex looks over to Dreznat, and narrows her eyes. "Are you a male or a female?"
"Does it matter?" She says a bit indignantly.
Searching around the chamber, another circular corridor is found. Cautiously and prepared for almost anything, the group carefully moves ahead. Before them another chamber is at the end. Peering ahead they see forms of people looking as if they were frozen in the gloom.
Slowly, Alric flies in, his illumination making things inside a bit more clear. The people appear to be statues of warriors, with weapons and armor. Each is in a different pose. There are twelve in all, six on a side. Between them is a great chasm in the floor, and beyond that at the far side is another dais with a dull blue glow emanating from it. The cavern seems to be some sort of ancient temple that has partially crumbled, probably due to a large earthquake or the dwarven mines below it. Some pillars fell to the ground and now lie shattered in hundreds of pieces.
Buzzing back Alric raises his arms. "I think it's a standard mage trap. We go in the room and the statues activate, six on one side and six on the other."
"Cover me," replies Maurice stepping into the chamber. With sword in hand he steps on the floor and expects the statues to come to life. They do not. Going over to the large gash in the stone he feels wafts of warm air coming up from it. Gazing around he sees what look like to be human tracks in here, having come across the frozen surface. He moves closer to the raised stone looking over the statues as he goes, they are incredible works of art, if they are that and not something else.
One by one everyone else joins the big orc. Alric casts a stone speak on one of the magnificent carvings. "Do you move?"
"No."
Looking them over carefully Jinx seems to recognize something. "Ganam would have loved to see these things.", "These appear to be ancient warriors from ages ago. I almost see a familiarity with them . . "
From the raised stone at the far end of the chamber comes a distant rumble that turns slowly into a very powerful roar. The cry reverberates off the stone walls and everyone spins towards the sound, weapons and spells at the ready.
A column of mist begins to rise there, and Methos wonders if another elemental creature is about to attack. There is another bellowing roar then a flash of bright blue light, like lightening. From out of the bubbling blue comes a huge figure of blue, black, and white. As it moves into everyone's view they see a monstrously large tiger of unnatural color. It's cerulean blue eyes glow with an inner light and it roars, fangs seemingly made of jagged ice.
Despite the status of the room, the magical forces that have protected the temple for so long are still strong. The tiger is enveloped in pale blue flames. The flames of the tiger illuminate the whole room. The tiger looks over everyone in the room and with huge flexing muscles it leaps at Maurice, razor-sharp claws and teeth trying to rend him into bloody chunks of steaming meat. Amazingly he rolls backwards and ducks over and over, keeping away from the rampaging beast.
Methos fires an arrow, Dreznat, Jinx, Alric hurl spells, and Alex and Maurice slash with their blades. The creature is huge, nearly eight feet at it's shoulder and over fifteen feet in length. The fighting goes all across the chamber, with the huge tiger doing it's best to kill the evasive Maurice. At one point an arc of blue flames erupts from it's mouth striking him in the leather of his vest to little effect but a slight singeing.
From all sides the great beast is attacked by the mundane and the magical. With a rapid strike it rips talons across Maurice's face and leg, knocking him flat onto his back. However before it can leap again the damage it takes is too much. Methos finishes it off with a rending spell and the creature flashes brightly and then vanishes, it's roar slowly fading away.
Immediately Alric flies over to the wounded orc and heals him with some magicks. With a shrug he stands, blood pumping down his face. "Thanks Alric. I've taken a lot worse. Dril can vouch for that."
On the raised part of the floor there is a sword. It has a slightly curved shape to it, like a scimitar made of red crystal. Inside it are veins of glowing red. Jinx's eyes get wider as she knows what it is. "That sword, it's a hanji-sah, a bloodsword. That must have been a replica of Avranis's Tiger, the one from Ganom's tale. The scimitar has the blood of a god in it."
"It's one of the thing we are looking for, right?" Asks Dreznat.
"Yes. One of the blades. It can never be used against those who are good of heart or it will shatter like glass. But against evil it will never lose it's edge. We are most fortunate that St. Lyssa has guided us here to this."
"Why don't you use it then Jinx," says Dreznat still marveling at the beauty of the magical blade.
She shakes her head. "This is something I cannot, and will not use. It has a different type of power . . . If we find more of these we can destroy the Knights of Discord. Should we do that, then Corvel will not have them to worry about."
Alric lands close to the blade, marveling at it's design. He sees something wickedly destructive in it, he can almost feel the violence it can mete out. "A very wondrous weapon."
Maurice steps forward, reaches down, and picks up the blade. It is almost like air in his hand, and a dim, amber glow emanates from it. A scabbard materializes nearby and he picks that up too. He looks at the blade, studying it. "Rellian has guided us here to this, let's use it wisely." Sheathing the blade he puts it into his weapon's belt.
Leaving the cave they take along the body of the frozen guard. Hengist is no longer in his hovel, he's gone, as tho he had never been there. The group tread back to Feron and turn the body over to some of the local dwarves to be taken care of along with the others.
They return to the Feron Inn where their entrance awakens Ann. She comes out with a candle in her white nightie. "Everything all right?"
Alex nods and smiles. "Oh yes. It's very right."
Each one of the soon falls asleep whether in a bed or in a chair. It has been a very long and arduous day for all of them. Only Amy remains awake down in the Inn, keeping watch over Lady Elysse and everyone else as well.
In the morning Ann is told about the cave, the statues, and the strange hermit. She hopes to investigate the cave later on and see the place for herself in person. "This should be very interesting."
Last night Lady Elysse's damaged carriage had been dragged back to town and repaired. The handmaidens are doing better, being a bit sore from their ordeal.
The bodies of the slain guards are taken and properly buried. It is a solemn time for Lady Elysse, and Amy always stays at her side.
It is decided to wait one more day, to rest up some more before journeying on to Bird Keep. Duke David will be worried, but the recovering girls need some more time to heal, and its a good days journey.
Drawing out the bloodsword Maurice looks at it carefully in the sunlight. It seems almost as if it were alive, red veins pulsing within it's clear flesh. He can almost hear it speak to him. He grins, holding the blade over his head, sparkling crimson. "I'll need to do some practicing with this weapon if I am going to use it."
TO BE CONTINUED . . . .
Chronicled by Ken Paynter aka...Maurice leChevalier
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