3. A New Dajemma

A New Dajemma

  • A

    The wind was cold, biting through the cloaks of the seven who sat huddled around a fire. Three women, and four men, a small caravan perhaps, but sometimes the greatest feats were performed by those small in number. Not that this was a great feat, merely the road they walked.. but then, who could tell where the roads lead?

    The fire fluttered and danced with each gust, cloaks huddled against all but two. Lilly, clad in her black and purple robe, stirring the cookpot that the men grumbled about, and a powerful man with his back to a tree, half hidden by shadows. To look at him, he seemed little different from ordinary men, except an aura seemed to cling to him.. a dark aura no doubt, the symbol of Talos about his neck lending that notion. A katana sheathed at his side, nothing to mark it apart from other blades of similar make, except the look in the man's eyes that he would not need many cuts to bring about any being's destruction. The name he gave was Tempest, and the impression was the calm before the storm. Still, until one met his eyes, he was unremarkable for the brown leathers and cloak that he wore.

    In the late afternoon, with the sun just setting, Penny sat in animated conversation with the other men. One a gentleman who seemed almost of noble birth, wearing brocaded silks and a richly embroidered cloak, most likely with magical enchantments to ward off the elements. Indeed, earlier in the day, the rain had seemed to go out of its way to avoid collision with him. He wore a trimmed goatee, and a thin, curling mustace, a silvered rapier giving credence to his assumed station in life. His name was Gerrard, and he was the trader and leader of the caravan.

    Seemingly in contrast with Gerrard, a hafling and a gnome sat on the log opposite him and Penny, though they weren't removed from the conversation. The gnome, seeming to bely the stereotypes often given to his race wore a large bastard sword and seemed to always be clad in his chainmail colored silver and a green so dark as to almost appear black. Yet despite his grim visage, he appeared quite a nice fellow, always with a kind word and very wise of the world. His name was Teldrin.

    The hafling, is a much easier read, with his dream filled eyes and mischivious grin, the lute upon his back proclaiming loudly for any to hear that he was a bard. Soft brown, curly hair upon his head, a clean shaven face and respectable, though in no way rivaling Gerrard's, clothing. A small dagger at his hip and a pouch of stones on his other. Kierlin was his name, which sounded much to grand to be the name gifted him at birth, as an entertainer and rock skipper he'd introduced himself. From the looks he would often send Ria's way, it was easy to notice he also fancied himself a romantic.

    Ria, for her part, tried to largely ignore his looks, holding Lilly in idle conversation as the pink haired bardess stirred the cookpot, Ria all the while searching Lilly's face for signs of her depression to reoccur. Thankfully, the woman seemed calm for the moment.

    In Lilly's mind however, the mask didn't reach. Depression swirled through her, fighting bitterly with her last bit of hope that Mirkali could be brought back, that a Bombadilian priest could do what no others had been able to do. Was it all just delaying the inevitable? A wild hope that the gods had not taken away what she considerred most precious? It didn't matter for now.. there was hope, and even if she failed Mirkali, then there was still Penny and Ria she had to live for. To see them back to Narfell, to the people they loved and cared for, then perhaps she could search for her death on her own.

    None of her thoughts showed, like all good bards she'd found her mask, all the others saw was a resigned woman, who said in simple tones. "The Food's ready".

    She filled the wooden bowls with stew, and after passing one to each of the group, she made her way with her own bowl to the wagon which held the body of Mirkali's corpse. There were only two wagons, and for a long while no one disturbed her silence as she ate by the wagon with the corpse of her deceased lover.


  • Rage, hopelessness, determination: three emotions that I had never thought could coexist. Yet as the wagon rolled on toward Narfell, Lilly's boundless sobbing emanating from the back where Mirkali's corpse had once been, I found all three swirling inside of me, once again proving me wrong.

    Rage. Perhaps it is the Red that lives within me. Or perhaps this is what anyone would feel in my position after being forced to hand over the body of a beloved sister's fiance to a demon. One thing is for certain. Were I to ever lay eyes on that abomination again, my first move would be to tear out its throat with my own teeth. This urge, I know, comes from the Red.

    Hopelessness. Not only was Mirkali dead, his soul had been contorted into a demonic visage of his former self, destined to serve the same Yeenoghu whose minions had eradicated almost all traces of the Romani years ago. Since that time, no solution to the Gypsy Camp's fate had been found. Why should I believe that this would be any different?

    Determination. Had the circumstances been different and had I been the one demonized, Mirkali would have known what to do. Or at least he would have known -where- to start. Perhaps if I had paid more attention in my classes at the College, or if I had read more on the topic in our library, maybe then I would know as well. Ignorance, however, is the poorest of excuses. There must be a solution somewhere. As I listened to Lilly sob in the back of the wagon, I knew I would have to be the one to find it.

    Damn gnolls and their demons. First they took my home from me. Now they've begun to take my family: Mirkali, and, for that matter, Lilly as well. What next?

    I will need to watch Lilly closely now, for her own safety. I hope beyond hope that some solution can be found, for I don't want to have to follow through on the decision I made when this journey began.

    Tymora help me.

  • A

    "How.. many.. farkers.. are there?" Lilly panted out, blood running from several places, some serious and some not so serious, thankfully she was the worst off, though none of them were untouched.

    The battle had raged for almost two hours, gnolls had been killed by the score and tension was high. All three bards' voices were raw from singing, and spells were becoming more and more precious, with Gerrard was nearly spent, his spells having slain or lead to the death of nearly fifty gnolls, though now he leaned on one of the wagons, holding his side from where an axe had bitten deep. Tempest seemed unshakable, though in truth his spells were waning, he no longer called lightning from the sky or allowed it to leap from his fingers, or even heal the wounded except in the direst of cases, which already totaled to over a dozen.

    Teldrin and Lilly fought on, both bone weary and the waves of fresh gnolls obviously gaining the upper hand, though that in no way dimished the bodies around them. Penny for her part contributed the most to the bodies around them, arrow after arrow finding a heart, a lung, a kidney, anything to pain the gnolls and eventually succumb, though of them all Ria was perhaps in the best shape. Her defensive style of fighting had held off several gnolls at critical points until that particular rush could be fended off, with each axe descending upon her she would deftly parry with both sword and her small wooden shield, the shortsword she carried finding hamstrings and stomachs of gnoll after gnoll.

    "We can't keep this up!" Ria shouted, as she sidestepped a two handed axe which burried itself in the ground, her sword slashing to caught at the gnoll's hands that wielded it, "they aren't going to stop!"

    Truthfully, the waves of gnolls had been diminishing. Fewer portals had been openning in the last hour than the intitial rush, but perhaps thats because the part was wearying? Why they came at all was everyone's question, but in the midst of battle was not the place for contemplation, survival was far more important.

    A scream pierced the night, as head jerked to look at Kierlin, held high by one gnoll as another prepared to sever his head, then a great sigh of relief as Penny's arrow sliced into the gnoll holding him's spine and Tempest's katana seemed to grow from the other's belly.

    "Keep tight lads! Ring up, not thinking we can hold em much longer if we stay scattered" Teldrin called out, his voice beyond gruff now, as exhaustion settled even further into him. They all listened however, each forming a small circle, with Tempest, Lilly, Teldrin and Ria upon the outside, and Gerrard, Penny and Kierlin within. It was a good plan, though it helped them little, now the gnolls that remained poured into them, axes biting as screams lit the night mixed with howls of bloodlust, and when the dust settled, the flashing of blades stopped and the air was calm but for the breathing of tired mortals.

    "That.. the last..?" came the forced voice of Tempest, a truly worrying sign to see him so removed from his element. Blood pooled beneath him, some his and some gnolls, but his face was pale and he looked ready to pass out.

    For her part, Lilly looked little better, breathing was difficult, she knew a rib or three was broken, and the stoneskin had worn out long ago, she had taken much abuse during the fight, and only the defensive spells put upon her and well timed healing from Penny, Tempest and Kierlin had kept her alive. Ria looked well, she had taken little in the way of physical wounds do to the nature of her style, though she still had a large gash running down her shoulder into her back, and she was blackened and pale from the continuing bouts of lightning that had fallen.

    the others were more or less the same, blackened and burnt from lightning, with gashes and axe wounds covering various parts of their body.. for now, they were alive however, and the wave of gnolls had stopped.

    "We won! We won!" Kierlin shouted, the hinnish bard doubly ecstastic that they had both won, and not been killed that he almost felt he could dance a jig there, despite the blood leaking from his thigh where a gnollish claw had cut deeply into him.

    The other simply sighed, and readied themselves, drinking whatever healing potions they had left as a new portal openned, and Kierlin's sigh was perhaps louder than all.

    "Think we have time to get the wagons going before they show up?" Ria ventured, very, very sore and tired of fighting at the moment. Tempest answered her simply, some of his natural stoicness in his voice now, "No."

    Again, the sighs were audible, as they waited the inevitable wave of gnolls to pour through this new portal, however to their surprise, none came. No, no new portals openned, and instead only a single figure emerged.

    A demon, with horrible crimson wings extending from his shoulders, and wicked ashen black claws extending from his fingers, the body seemed that of a large human, though obvious a demon, even a spiked black tail swishing behind him. Fire licked the ground with each step the demon took, a malevolent grin upon his face, and as soon as he was close enough for his face to be seen clearly, a gasp was heard from the three women.

    The shield and scimitar dropped from Lilly's hands as she gaped, open mouthed at the demon, Penny and Ria staring in confusion at it, while the others seemed even more confused though slowly seemed to be catching on. With Lilly's next words, the four men understand at once why the face of the demon seemed so familiar..

    A fragile voice, nearly lost amongst the breeze that blew, a whisper in the dark.. but the demon heard it and laughed as from her lips came, "My love.."

    The smile upon the demon's face widened, "No, I am not your love.. not as you recall him..I am Vrag the Butcher, Liutenent of Yeenoghu, Torturer of a Thousand Souls, and Defiled Incarnartion of Mirkali… by Yeenoghu's graces.. and perhaps the minions who came before me failed to mention, but it is the corpse of your beloved I have come for."

    Lilly just gaped, this was her love, the person who gave meaning to her life, and now.. he was a demon. A small hope inside her bloomed, they wanted the body.. they needed the body, it could be stopped, it could be reversed.. she could have him back.. she wouldn't let the gnolls take him, no.. her body would cool beside the gnolls slain this night before she let this.. thing, take her love from her.

    A snarl rose to Lilly's lips, her eyes focusing on nothing, all emotion but anger and hatred draining from her body, in all her life, she had wanted nothing more than to slay this demon.. this demon who had dared to take her love from her. With agonizing slowness, she drew the greatsword from her back, no longer carrying that she was weak and weary, or that she would not be able to block any blows the demon decided to throw at her. She simply didn't care, as if her brain no longer worked, she felt no pain from her wounds, her ribs could have pierced a lung, and she'd not have felt it until death claimed her. In this moment, she was a berserker.

    The others watched, unsure what to do, as Lilly spit at the ground in front of her, her voice cold and hard, in some ways mirroring the way tempest talked she said the to demon Vrag, "You can't have him. I'll kill you."

    Vrag's demeanor chaned not at all, he still wore the smirk that Mirkali always seemed to have, though this smirk was not born of joy as Mirkali's was.. no, it was born of malice. Lilly no longer even saw it, her eyes saw nothing except the demon which had to die, and letting loose a wild howl, she charged, her greatsword held high to cut Vrag in two. She never even made it close, to him, with a wave of his hand and a guttural word, Lilly's body froze in place, in midrun, her body just ceased to move even enough to fall down. Her eyes though, continued to stare hatred at the beast, and her knuckles were white as she held the greatsword over her head.

    Seeing the charge, and Vrag's response, Penny fired an arrow at it, and Ria charged with her shortsword, trying to place herself between Lilly and Vrag, likewise did Teldrin and Tempest charge. None made it close to him, tentacles spring from the ground to enwrap Teldrin and squeeze at him unceasingly, each struggle only letting the black tentacles squeeze harder. A large fist enclosed around tempest, squeezing him and holding him fast. Ria did manage to get in front of Lilly, her sword and shield held ready to defend from anything the demon attempted to harm her oath sister.

    Vrag the Butcher only smirked, and with a wave of his hand cast a spell, Ria squeaked as the magical fear assaulted her, and as she imagined every horrible thing this demon would do to her and everyone she had ever loved, Ria ran crying to hide under one of the wagons.

    Another arrow thunked into Vrag from Penny, this time from much closer, he simply turned and grinned at her, plucking the arrow from his back. Penny squeaked and swore, though it was of little use as Vrag quickly completed his next spell, and then of all things he ordered Penny to go retrive Mirkali's corpse. Surprisingly, she did just that, the magical compulsion forcing her to acquiesce to his wishes, and drag the corpse of Mirkali to him. As Penny did so, tears began to leak down Lilly's face, knowing her love was well and truly lost to her.. the rage leaving her.. and she felt empty.

    "Yes.. thank you dearest Penny, you always were my favorite." Vrag grinned, now that the opposition was removed, with all the others immobilized except for Gerrard and Kierlin, Kierlin being fainted and Gerrard making no moves against the demon.

    "You have what you came for, will you leave us be now?" Gerrard, for the first time since Vrag had come said to him, Vrag only giving him a toothy grin.

    "Yes, yes, but first I feel I should look at the lovely woman with the sword.." the demon Mirk said, sadistic amusement dripping from his voice, "Yes, she is a fine mate.. Mirkali chose well.." an ashen claw tracing from Lilly's cheek to her breast.

    With that, the demon-Mirk walked through the portal with the corpse of the real Mirkali under his arm, the portal closing behind him and the spells ending. All those held fell to the ground, most rising quickly.. all except for Lilly.

    Lilly lay on the ground, tears pouring from her eyes, and a wordless wail coming from her throat, a truly wretched and pathetic sight, but then aren't we all when hope is gone, and the thing you love most is stolen? So she layed there, perhaps the final blow having been struck to her psyche, for now there was no denying that she was broken in spirit.. and i her heart, she wished she were dead.

    Ria, on the other hand, was furious, turning back to Gerrard, "Why didn't you help you ninny! I bet you had some sort of weird magical thingy that could have helped! You didn't even try to help! You.. you..!" Ria venting, as she searched for just the right name to call him.

    Gerrard however, held up only a single finger, "I did not help in the fight, because I had no more spell for which to help, nor could any of us have defeated him in our present state, so I chose to not risk death in facing him. Since you've been so nice to me, perhaps I may even tell you there was a chain extending from him.. an endless chain stretching back towards Narfell, but only since you've been so nice.." oozing sarcasm as he replied to her.

    "I didn't see a chain! You're just making it.." Ria started but, Gerrard just looked at her as if she was the dumbest person he had ever met, before answering her, "Of course you did not, I did not have a trinket to defeat him, but I did have one of true seeing. I thought perhaps it might have been an illusion to trick us, however I was wrong, and it was in fact a demon." Ria just glared at him.

    "Furthermore.. I believe we are finished travelling together, as it seems to me your quest now lies where it started, making you three fools for even setting out in the first place." his smug look was thrown from his face as Penny hit his jaw from the side, previously unseen.

    "Tempest darlin.. can you help me get Lilly into the wagon.. I think setting off home as fast as possible would be a good idea.." Tempest just nodded at Penny's words, walking over wordlessly to pick up Lilly's limp crying body and place her in the back of the wagon that had previously born Mirkali's body. As well, he also placed a note and a small necklace into Lilly's pocket, and with that he left.

    Morning was only a few hours off, and each group tied what horses weren't killed by the gnolls to their respective wagons, and without a single goodbye, they set off their separate ways. Four men, travelling to wherever the road led them, and three women, travelling home.

  • A

    Night was falling, dinner was nearly ready, and Lilly's good mood from the fight earlier was still about her, she'd even sung the "Ballad of Bishops Gate" for everyone while she cooked, she'd always enjoyed that song, a pity she hadn't seen Adlanail in so long. Ria was peeling an apple with a dagger, Penny off sneaking and probably trying to embarass Gerrard by depanting him when he least expected it.

    "Foods ready!" Lilly called out, ladeling the stew and roasted venison into small wooden bowls. Everyone stopped what it was they were doing, apparently all quite hungry and rushing for their bowl.. except Gerrard who waddled with his pants around his ankles, apparently Penny having won the game.

    "Looks good darlin, but I hope we find an inn soon, getting a little tired of stew." though surprisingly her words were uttered through the stew she was spooning into her mouth, but then Penny never was very lady-like when it came to food.

    A wolf howled from behind a ridge, echoed soon by many others, making Teldrin swear, "Damned yippers, probly smell tha stew an er coming ta get a bite. Well, ain't letting no wolves eat my stew." the gnome's grumbles becoming incoherant as he paused in eating long enough to slip his chainmail on and set his sword nearby, just in case.

    "You worry too much, if any wolves come I imagine I could drive them off with one spell." Gerrard boast proudly, leaning over to nudge Kierlin, who was staring off at the ridge.

    "So uh.. Gerrard.. what do you think about two or three spells.. you know, just to be sure..cause um, those aren't exactly wolves.. wolves aren't seven feet tall with axes.." Kierlin managed to squeak out before he scampered behind Tempest.

    "Fark.. how close?" Lilly barked out, her good mood fading as she started hearing the sounds of marching.. "better yet, how many?"

    "Oh.. only a dozen.. or two.." Kierlin squeaked, starting to play his lute as he wrapped himself in magical protections. Taking his cue, so did everyone but Ria and Teldrin, who could cast no magic, but were soon by the others.

    Not having time to put on her armor, Lilly drew her scimitar and shield, Tempest putting a stoneskin spell upon her. Ria and Penny took up flanking positions beside Lilly and Teldrin, Kierlin stay well to the back and even casting invisibility on himself, Gerrard and Tempest standing atop the drivers seat of the two wagon, both with an odd smile as they faced the approaching gnolls.

    "Bows if you have them, don't shoot until the spells hit, Tempest, prepared?" Gerrard barked out, Tempest simply nodding as he began to chant, Gerrard soon going into the motions of spellcasting. Gerrard flung his hand out, and a ball of flame flew away from him towards the gnolls, the explosion rocking a few from their feet, and more were slain as lightning began to fall from the sky.

    The smell of singed hair drifted towards them on the slight breeze, as arrows and knives were loosed towards the gnolls, their number now cut down by half, a gnoll shaman taking several arrows before falling to the ground to join his burnt companions, the spell he was casting lost.

    The gnolls no longer marched, they charged now, and at least three began to cast their spells, no doubt to try to rain lightning from above as Tempest had done, Magical bolts flew from Gerrard's hands as a bright ray of light shot from Tempest's, both striking one of the casters and laying it low, the other two however managed their spells as lightning started to rain from the sky amongst their camp.

    Thankfully the spells placed upon them all by Tempest and Gerrard protected them from the lightning, though now the spell was nearly spent, and they knew a second magical attack like that would no doubt leave its mark among them.

    Penny and Ria loosed another round of arrows and knives into the charging gnolls, both hitting the same target and causing it to drop dead, tumbling from the momentum of the charge, to their amazement, some of the other charging gnolls began to slide, tumble and fall, the charge soon falling apart some twenty feet before they would have been able to put those wicked axes to use.

    "Ah, grease spells.. so underrated.. and watch this!" came the sound of an invisible hafling, and then to their surprise a torch flared into life and was thrown towards the gnolls, the magical grease catching flame and leaving more burns upon the gnolls. Some, however, were not stopped, and clawed their way free of the grease, giving a blood curdling howl as they resumed the charge, others came behind them, some even set aflame.

    With a clash they met, the gnolls howling with each stroke of their axes, though none pierced the stoneskin on Lilly or Teldrin, and they fell quickly as Penny and Ria found their vital spots from the side. Gerrard and Tempest finished the casters with a final spell, and then all was quite for the moment as the caravan stood still, the gnolls dead and the stink of burnt hair all around them.

    From the other direction, a howl split the silence, and as they each turned, they saw the portals openning as gnoll after gnoll streamed from them, and then the lightning started to pour from the sky again upon both sides, as spells lit the darknening sky.

    (to be continued..)

  • A

    The wind whipped around them, the sounds of metal clashing against each other, and of grunts as the different combatants received the blows. They wore no armor, but none was needed as each seemed a statue of themselves, only animated. Gerrard had placed a spell of Stoneskin over Ria and Teldrin, who were sparring to one side of the wagons, and Tempest upon himself and Lilly, who sparred a little ways off.

    Watching Teldrin and Ria, the mock battle was close to even, for though Teldrin's attacks with his bastard sword were heavy and could deal a terrible blow, he got no more than glancing blows against Ria, who exploited his every weakness after twisting aside his heavy handed attacks with her shortsword and shield. Still, she could not hope to go on the offensive against him, and was forced into fighting defensively, letting him make the opennings and mistakes, unfortunate for him that was exactly how she preferred to fight.

    For Lilly, the battle was far from even. Tempest was far faster than she was, and even with the tower shield to help defend, she was being pressed sorely. Tempest seemed to flow from attack to attack, the blade never seeming to lose momentum, and even flowing from attack to the defensive without a noticable pause. Lilly was panting hard, her scimitar only scoring a handful of hits upon her opponent, while his had scored over a dozen in the first ten minutes.

    Kierlin sat and watched Ria and teldrin spar, well.. not so much watched Teldrin, but instead had his eyes focused purely on the stony Ria. Watching Lilly and Tempest were Gerrard and Penny, the two not talking much to each other.

    With a final sigh, Lilly dropped her guard and backed up, "You win.. damn you're fast with that blade." To this, Tempest simply chuckled and sheathed his sword.

    "You surprise me, Lilly.. I expected much more from you." Lilly just grumbled and sheathed her scimitar, though Tempest wasn't through.
    "You displayed none of the passion I expected of you.. you fought as if you didn't care whether you won or lost. When the undead came, I saw your face, and you were eager.. we've spoke of this before, why then did you lack that eagerness when facing me?" his face curious, a rare sign to see any emotion in the man.

    "It was just a spar, don't read too much into it." Lilly grumbled, still encased in the stone from the spell.

    "Very well.. I'm sure time will reveal all." followed by another chuckle from the priest.

    Still grumbling, Lilly glanced over at the spar between Teldrin and Ria, and couldn't help a smile as she saw the frustration on the gnome's face as Ria countered his every move, her shortsword finding hole after hole in his defense. Soon, Penny came to stand beside her and Lilly hugged her, whispering to her.

    "I knew she'd be a great fighter, she's got the spirit to do it, and the heart to not let it control her. Can't help but be amazed how good she's gotten, I'm sure not all of that could have come from me teaching her." Lilly whispered to her sister.

    Penny just smirked and whispered back, "She is darlin, but you always give yourself too little credit. Inside that chest of yours beats a heart as noble as any hero's, just need to let that head of yours listen to it once in awhile instead of beating yourself up. Darlin, despite what the priest says, you look better, maybe you should spar with him more."

    Lilly just shook her head, a smile again coming to her lips as Teldrin threw down his sword, "I give up lass, ye win." Ria smiling and walking over to join Penny and Lilly, receiving a warm smile and a hug from Lilly.

    "you look happier." the simple words coming from Ria, which set Penny into a giggle, and a melodramatic sigh from Lilly before she smiled again.

    "Don't look now Ria, but it seems Kierlin wants to give you a congratulatory kiss for winning.." Lilly whispered, grinning and anticipating Ria's responce when her head jerked to regard the advancing hinnish bard, and then a giggle escaping Lilly's lips as Ria tossed a dagger at him, sending him scurrying behind the wagon.

    "That should teach him, dumb man." Ria said with finality, sending both pink haired women into giggles, Lilly blissfully forgetting about Mirkali for the moment.

    "Now.. if you three are finished snickering, perhaps one of you would mind fixing something to eat? You know, watching you four strike each other with bits of metal for an hour makes me awfully hungry." Gerrard voiced over, "Actually.. Lilly or Ria if you wouldn't mind.. I'm afraid miss Penny's cooking tends to wear on one's palette."

    "Fine.. I'll cook." Lilly voiced back, before Ria could grumble and reach for another dagger at his arrogance.

    With that, Lilly set off to get the food prepared, as Ria grudgingly came along to help, and Penny went to get a bottle of whiskey. Teldrin went to help get some wood for the fire, as Tempest settled into a spot beside the shadows of the wagon, as Kierlin set about to preparing his evening song, which dinner always thankfully marked the end of, and may have possibly been his way of being sure that dinner was prepared quickly. Gerrard for his part, found the most comfortable seat he could, and took out an unmarked bottle of his own, taking a swallow.

    The sun continued it's slow descent as afternoon started to fade to night, and no one noticed the portals openning behind the ridge not a hundred yards from them.

    (to be continued..)

  • M

    Ria was getting the feeling that the nights at camp were not as peaceful as she was led to believe.

    Lilly and Penny would assure her every night that they were to sleep soon, but it seemed every morning they looked just as tired as before.

    "Must be that fool Kierlin keeping 'em up at night, " she thought.

    Ria made a plan to stay up one night and find out what's keeping those two up. But for now, she would content herself by talking care of that damn lute…

  • A

    The weather turned fair as the merry companions rode forth on another wearing day on the road, the horses hooves clitter-clopping against the hard packed dirt, the shrubs and trees slowly fading into the distance only to be replaced by more as no one pays particular attention to them.. ah, but there is hope for them yet, look at the clear azure sky, with nary a cloud in sight as Lathander shines bright upon them all. The company is mostly silent, the priest riding quietly.. no surprise there, for he is the quiet type.. maybe shy, maybe contemplative.. or maybe he is worried he'll say something dumb.. who can tell? Oh, and the mage and gnome, their backsides no doubt jostled and sore as they drive the wagon ever onward into the future! The gnome grumbling, as gnomes are often inclined to do.. or is that dwarves? No matter, perhaps there is dwarf blood in him.. probably is, he's too grumpy for a gnome.

    Only two fair ladies for the men to look at this particular morning.. the lady with the pink hair pulled back into a ponytail, a particularly beautiful specimen really, with lightly pointed ears hinting at elven blood, ah it would be a blessing for any man to see her much less to hold her. It is no wonder she grumbles so this morning, for by comparison she is deemed ugly, as the even more fair and of course immensly beautiful figure of the hinnish woman driving the other wagon.. oh but the gods had blessed her so.. so strong, so fierce, nay.. untouchable by the hands of mere men, surely that is the cause of her displeasure of her companions.. especially the gallant and handsome hinnish bard known only as Kierlin the great! Surely, that she saves herself for some figure of legend, surely, but can she wait? Can she resist the temptation that is Kierlin.. surely not.. for can any woman, when given enough opportunities deny that Kierlin the Great is indeed the gods' gift to them?

    And where is the other pink haired lady.. the one oft given to stoic silence, when not outright weaping.. ah but she is a complex one, carrying that big sword as she does.. no doubt beside the body of her dead lover, for truly she loves him deeply. Perhaps she is not so complex so, or at least not ignorant of the world's ways.. for soon she shall see the truth.. that indeed the world is always right. Perhaps the death of her lover is a sign.. a sign that a new symbol of her idolatry is due to her.. Kierlin perhaps? No, no.. well, yes.. but only if she can contend with the beauty of the hinnish woman, despite her cold disposition.. yes, that must be why she cries.. she knows for all her charms she cannot compare..

    "Kierlin will ye quit yer damned commentary!" Teldrin the gnome yelled out at the hafling, who had been the only voice until then all morning.
    "Ye haven't shut yer damned yap all morning, and I'm sick of hearing ye."

    "Oh but my friend, surely you know this is the way of bards.. a grand adventure, an epic tale sewn together of seemingly non-important events, but then aren't those the grandest of all? Why surely it is the gods' wish that such a tapestry as fate and history be woven… EEP!" Kierlin squealed, his monologue cut off as an arrow hissed by him to thunk into the side of the road.

    At this, the rest of the caravan traced the arrows flight to see a man wearing all browns with a bow in hand half hidden by a tree.
    "Next one takes your throat, now hand over your valuables and at least you can leave with your lives." the man spoke, almost boredly, obviously quite used to this.

    "You may not know it.. but you are surrounded, yes, there is a wizard among us who renders all but myself invisible so that we may safely attack without fear of retalliation.. resistance is futile and all that, and you will be killed if you fail to surrender your goods. Now hurry up, don't look at me as if I stutter." the man waved his hands in a hurrying motion, quite an arrogant man really.

    Gerrard briefly touched an amulet around his neck, looking around and shaking his head. The bandit though quickly responded to him though, "I thought as much, stubborn bunch. Well, are you satisfied that you are surrounded? I'm sure that little toy lets you see invisible creatures.. honestly, I give you a nice warning so you don't try to fight back and get yourselves killed and always met with distrust.. now.. enough daudling."

    "Allow me if I may.. to play you a brief song.. we are far from an unknown band that you've just accosted, and I assure you it is worth your while to listen.. no no, no need to aim the bow my way.. simply listen..then we'll go on our merry little ways.." Kierlin began, echoing the arrogance of the man and taking up his lute, beginning to strum.

    In a grand voice, seemingly filled with pride and not at all diminished by the slightly high pitch, Kierlin began his song, the bandit sighing and lowering his bow.

    "Now here's the tale that I'm sure will never bore,
    as you gave upon the band that stands at the fore,
    quite unassuming, you might say to your friend,
    but let me first tell you, that's how many a bandit has met their end.."

    He pauses a moment for dramaticism.. watching, and most likely watching that they don't follow through their promise of putting an arrow in his throat.

    "Weeellll... first we use the lightning.. cook the entrails good,
    next we use a certain spell, and brains leak from your hood..
    Oh but, they never learn, they always try again.. except for that one poor sot, who's legs we broke and skin we flayed!"

    "Do not dismay, there's a chance you may yet win..
    but how many friends will draw no breath again?
    With their lungs stabbed through, and windpipes crushed,
    by an irate gnome, raised on dwarven mush?
    Oh but the folly you make, oh, such a mistake..
    surely you know all your lives we will take?
    Wizards and priests and bards such as I..
    just awaiting the chance when our spells make you die..?

    "Perhaps a simple confusion.. and then you'll kill yourselves?
    or maybe let the gnome, through your skulls his sword will delve?
    perhaps the priest, will raise the dead, to snack upon your brain?
    or maybe, just maybe.. I'll sing til your all insane!
    Oh.. but what you don't know.. and something I'll tell.
    only when my song is done..
    is once my lute is still, my lips no longer moving..
    will be the minute, yes exactly the minute, that you all will be in hell!"

    "So.. maybe some arrows and knives, from beauties fair?
    do you think that would do the trick?
    or we could pretend we're orcs, and stab you with forks,
    and roast for an hour or three..
    oh nay, no nay, that wont do.. for surely we cannot stop..
    for even an hour in which the gnome, could cook you silly sots,
    no indeed, for we've far to go, and time is precious for all..
    but for you my friends, it's more precious indeed,
    for now your invisibility is up."

    The hafling quit singing, stilled the strings of his lute and smiled at them, all of them. To their surprise, they were all visible, and as they slowly realized that... and as the song started to sink into their brains.. they noticed the members of the caravan smiling.

    "Quickly! attack! can't you see we've been foo.." the wizard started to yell, but was quickly reduced to gurgles as Penny's arrow took him in the throat only a second before Ria's knife entered his eye. The bandits stared blankly, then fired their bows, a dozen arrows whistling towards the caravan. One struck Teldrin in the mail on his stomach, causing him to grunt, but then he calmly picked it out, charging at the nearest archer with his sword. Another struck a horse, causing it to rear and throw Penny off, her aim spoiled and the arrow she had trained on the initial bandit to shoot harmlessly towards the sky.

    Three arrows struck gerrard, though each fell to the ground as if striking a wall, he simply smiled at them and tapped his amulet, the grin turning from amusement to a sadistic pleasure as he began chanting. Similarly, Tempest was chanting, the arrow stuck in his shoulder ignored as if it were not there, Kierlin had finally fainted.. which was advantageous for him, as it allowed him to avoid the arrow that would have hit his heart.

    "Again! fire again! on the spellcasters you idiots! on the spellcasters!!... AAGGHHH!!" the intial bandit screamed as the bolts of lightning flew from the fingers of tempest and Gerrard, the bandits convulsing as the electricity flowed through them then jumped towards the next bandit to form a circuit.

    Smoke rose from the bodies, as they blackened and continued to convulse, the magic ending soon, though by that time they were all dead, only awaiting their charred bodies to strike the ground.

    "Was that better miss Penny? I thought I might lend a hand this time, but of course I refrained by excitement enough from falling off the wagon.. perhaps you should try dismounting next time, yes?" Gerrard grinned over to Penny, teasing her. "Now Tempest, would you mind healing the horses and any injuries? We have a ways to go still today if we hope to make that tower in two days."

    Tempest calmly set about healing Penny's wounded horse, then checking Penny for any injuries, then Teldrin, then finally one of the horses driving one of the wagons. Penny grumbling, and insisting she's fine, Lilly for the first time coming out from the wagon with Mirkali's body inside, seeing the corpses and calmly going to pick up the unconscious form of Kierlin, taking him back into the wagon with her. The caravan then set off again, most seeming grateful towards the dead bandits.. who had at least acomplished the goal of quieting Kierlin for the morning.


  • It truly pains me to see Lilly in such a state of distress and disarray. There are times, like this most recent night, where I wonder if there is more on her mind than simply finding someone to raise Mirkali. I know that she left the caravan during the middle of the night to talk to Tempus by the fire, though I doubt she'd ever believe that my snoring was merely an act to cover up my attentiveness. I didn't dare try to listen to what they discussed, for fear that I would wake Ria as I crept out of the wagon. Judging by Lilly's hurried return and her clutching of her small doll as she laid back down to bed, I suspect Tempus told her something that she didn't know… or perhaps something that she didn't want to know.

    As we set out again for Damara the next morning, I chose to sit next to Gerrard as he drove the horses that pulled our wagon. Lilly and Ria remained in the back, and with the boys in the other wagon, I had several hours to talk with Gerrard uninterrupted. A trader and caravan operator for many years, Gerrard had spent his most recent history running trade routes across Damara, with the periodic venture to Narfell to unload goods in the Peltarch shops. Judging by his clothing and affect, I figured him to have roots in the nobility of some town, though he seemed reluctant to share much with me other than state of the trade market throughout Damara. Frankly, he reminded me quite a bit of those pompous Waterdeep nobles who would rather save his own hide than risk getting his hands dirty.

    "Why didn't you offer us any help back there when those zombies attacked? Were you content to watch them devour our brains if Tempest hadn't stepped in to help?" I asked him.

    After a smirk and a short pause, he replied, "I am a trader, not a warrior. And besides, who said I had to justify myself to a -gypsy- like yourself?"

    Of course, I hadn't told him my truth, relying instead on the gypsy-girl persona that I'd used for years. Besides, I'm sure it would have terrified him to no end to know that as he spoke those words, no fewer than thirty-two slow and painful ways to kill a man coursed through my mind. I smirked as I thought about what Rix and Lana would have thought: "Only thirty-two ways? That's all you could come up with!"

    "Something amusing about what I just said, Penny?" he replied in an irritated tone.

    "Oh no, nothing Gerrard."

    Sometimes the truth just isn't worth the elaboration.

  • A

    The long days and nights passed, the weather eventually changing to more pleasant, even warm at some nights as the caravan drew closer and closer to Damara. They were through the Giantspires, unmolested surprisingly, though Lilly carried her own trouble with her, and now that they didn't need to worry what they would find in the Giantspires, she only worried more.

    It's worrying that she was this particular night, crying actually, the wagons circled and tents set up, Selune high overhead as all the others slept but two. Lilly, crying quietly, afraid Ria would wake again as she had when Lilly hadn't stifled a sob fast enough. It had taken a lot of convincing to get Ria to sleep again, and Lilly couldn't help but be thankful that her sisters loved her so much. She was also thankful that Penny snored so loudly that there was little chance she would wake and thus lose her sleep too.

    Crawling from the tent flap, her dirty travel worn clothes about her, Lilly moved past the dying embers of the fire to sit beside Tempest. She wasn't sure why, but she felt he may be able to give her some words that truly would comfort her..

    "Tempest..?" her voice croaked, her throat raw.

    "what girl?" his quiet tones, no emotion, no nothing.

    "Do you.. mind if I sit with you awhile?" she cautiously asked, not quite sure how the man would react.

    "Sit.. you've cried alone enough for today.." he conceded after a long moment. "Why are you here?"

    Nervously, not really sure what he meant, "Well.. I just.. didn't want to wake my sisters.."

    "Why are you here at all? Do you believe your husband will actually be brought back? Do you think that for some reason a miracle even grander than what has already been offered to him will bring him back to you?" his voice emotionless, no accusation, no sympathy, simply a voice to her own thoughts as if he had read her mind.

    For a long moment, there was silence.. and then her voice whispered weakly to the night, "I have nothing else…"

    More silence, before Tempest spoke again, "When the dead came.. you seemed eager, why? For a woman who says she has nothing.. you displayed a strong will to live."

    Her voice resigned, no longer feeling nervous, no longer even fully aware of what she was saying, Lilly was the lost in the moment, her thoughts inward, Tempest's voice the guide.
    "I wanted to fight.. to protect my sisters.."

    For the first time since she had come out, Tempest turned his head towards her, this action brought no more emotion into his voice, "You lie."

    If words were blows, Lilly would have been knocked to her back, a turn of the head and two words, and she was stuttering.
    "N..no.. I.. I had to p..protect my s..sisters.. and Mirkali.." almost fearfully she looked at him, her eyes dropping soon, unable to meet his.

    Calm, even tones, "No. You wished to give purpose to yourself." His eyes kept upon her face. "You fight.. because in battle there is an emptiness, there is a shield you can throw up. You fight with swords, because it distracts you from what you fight within..."

    Another long moment of silence, his head turned back to gaze towards the darkness, "If you continue as you are.. you'll never win either battle."

    Lilly hurried back to her blankets inside the tent, curling up and hugging a small doll she had brought, one intended for her daughter if she ever had one.. yet for all her dreams of being a mother, she felt a child. Mirkali taken from her, her own will to live slipping away as grains of sand from an hourglass.. was he right? Was it her sisters she fought for, or was it to turn a blind eye upon herself?


  • doses be sees any orcses bes at jiyyd? no more orcses!!! erugdish be lopper of all orc headses!!!!!!

  • A

    It had been several weeks that they'd been on the road, nothing exciting to be had except for a new dawn, the tales told by the various members of the little caravan, the two wagons rolling on until night claimed the day and the group stopped to make camp. This day was nothing out of the ordinary, an uneventful day followed by a night spent by the roadside, except on this night the rain poured down too hard for a fire to be lit.

    "Ugh, I hate rain" Ria muttered, ignoring whatever witty jest Kierlin had been making to her, causing Teldrin to burst into a fit of laughter. It was far from the first time Ria had said as much, and most likely far from the last time this night it would be voiced.

    Lilly just patted her leg and cast a minor spell, drying Ria's cloak for the third time that night. Stubbornly ignoring the rain herself, she glanced at Penny who sat beside her muttering, "it's so cold.." to which Gerrard was quick to offer her a seat beside him, where the rain conveniently avoided; unfortunately for him, Penny had had enough of his antics for one day, Gerrard sporting a purple bruise under his eye which he owed to a failed charm spell upon the woman.

    Tempest simply endured it, his eyes shut, meditating, perhaps not even feeling the rain. His clothes were soaked, his cloak cast aside, his sheathed katana laid across his lap, and his shirt clung to his muscles. He breathed, so slowly that he appeared to be just a wax sculpture, but from this he had explained that he could achieve nothingness. His thoughts empty, his body so utterly relaxed, and his senses so attuned inward that anything seeking to break that connection would be detected in an instant. An homage to his lord, he had called it, Lilly envied it.

    "Come on.. I swear I wont do nothing inappropriate.. just help me keep warm, alright? You know it gets so cold out here, all alone.. nice warm body beside you would be sooo much better than the cold rain, eh?" Kierlin crooned, once again trying his luck against Ria, his only answer was a dagger that seemed to appear just beneath where he sat upon the log, coincidently between both his legs.

    "No respect.. I swear, you women are about as much fun as an orc on a pig farm.. " Kierlin jested, giving that esoteric grin before turning away from the group as if the joke should be shared with some private audience. Then a scream escaped his lips and he toppled backwards.

    "Hells was that?" Lilly echoed Penny as all three women stood with weapons being drawn. Greatsword in hand, Lilly looked where he had, and as a stroke of lightning lit the sky, the wind blew towards them the scent of decay. Wet squishing sounds were audible now, and as another flash lit the sky, so were the horde of zombie shambling towards them.

    Poor little Kierlin, lay there with the rain pooling into his open mouth, fainted dead away, as Penny and Ria took up flanking positions beside Lilly. Gerrard watched calmly, making no move to even get up, while Teldrin calmly started slipping into his armor, tugging his sword from its sheathe with all the time in the world.

    They stumbled closer, ranged weapons useless with the deluge falling from the sky, one step, two steps, and on they shambled, as lightning lit the night they tried counting, but it was hard to discover anything more accurate than a horde.

    "Knew the men wouldn't help us.." Ria grumbled, ready to meet the first, while Lilly yelled out, "Get the wagons ready to ride! Leave anything we don't need!"

    Another flash lit the sky, and they were close enough to make out the decaying faces. White eyes staring at them, jaws agape, some even without jaws, skin missing, even limbs missing.. yet either they shambled, or they crawled, but they would not be stopped without a fight.

    Growling, Lilly tightened her grip of the greatsword, ready to cut them down before they could get close enough to threaten anyone, and then a flash of light blinded her. She scrubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand, but she couldn't see a thing, but that didn't mean she was clueless of what was going on. From the sickening smell of wet, decaying bodies set to torch, she made her guess that one of the men had finally prepared themselves for the fight, leading with a spell. Her guess was Gerrard, the arrogant man probably waiting until they were close for dramatic effect.

    She was wrong, for though black spots still threatened to block her vision, the man standing in front of her was unmistakable for nearly any other man she'd ever met. His short stature, nearly a head smaller than she was, yet obviously well muscled, the symbol of Talos clutched in his left hand and katana bared in his right. Both glowed with a fierce light that seemed to make everything else seem dull in contrast.

    "Talos, Lord of Destruction, grant me control over this which you have sent us. These being rise from their rest, without thought that their destruction has already been had. By your will, grant me the strength to render their end final." Tempest's voice cold.. barely a whisper above the wind which suddenly gusted from behind them. His face, seemed chistled from stone, perhaps it was a trick of the light, but Lilly was sure his eyes glowed with the same fierce light that did his katana and symbol.

    A trick of the light or not, the terrible destruction rained upon the horde of undeath was undeniable, with lightning shooting from the symbol to strike seemingly each lumbering corpse. The bolts seemed to weave through the bloated corpses and rebound, merciless in their quest to ravage each lingering remnant of undeath. What corpses were left standing after that, were soon laid low by bolts of lightning falling from the sky, on and on until not a thing moved were once the horde had been. Though the light still burned in his eyes.

    Holding the katana aloft, Tempest seemed to glide towards the mass of corpses, and when he spoke next, his voice was loud and hard. "The remains of unlife shall reveal themselves, and submit to the will that stands before you now." The light in his eyes definately no trick of the light, his glowing katana still upraised towards the storm, his symbol gripped in his other hand and held outstretched. "I command that you submit your will to me, and to be no more." and then the rains stopped, the wind stopped, there was nothing there but silence.

    Slowly, so slowly.. the heads of the corpses turned to look at Tempest, their sightless eyes unblinking as if looking at a god.. but only for an instant, as the terrible force of the storm crashed into the pile of corpses in one massive bolt. Again was Lilly blinded, her ears ringing as the thunder rolled from that terrible strike, even knocking her from her feet.

    It took long minutes before she could again see through the terrible spots before her eyes, or even to stand from the ringing in her ears. What she saw… was nothing. Not a single decaying corpse remained, nor even the footprints where they had passed.. only a hole in the mud, and Tempest calmly striding back towards them.. somehow seeming.. diminished.

    The women were speechless, they had seen magic before, and powerful magic.. but to render that many zombies.. fifty.. maybe even a hundred.. to nothing..

    Tempest wore no smirk, no hint of pride shown over his whole body, simply sitting and beginning to meditate again, his katana once again sheathed across his lap. Yet through his mind, one brief thought flickered before giving way to nothingness.."She was eager."

  • M

    "Damn that rain."

    Ria had opted to stay with Lilly on her horse when the storm hit. There were only two wagons, one with the wrapped body of Lilly's love, the other with huddled forms of four men that ran the wagons. She almost considered the former.

    Now she was soaked.

    Ria was huddled next to a fire while Lilly quietly cooked stew in an open pot. The rain was gone, but the wind had remained, to keep the small band miserable.

    "Damn that wind!"

    She saw one of the men staring at her, some hin named.. don't remember. Handsome lad he was, and he acted it, but her Jack had been handsome too, and she knew the pretty ones were always the worse. He best stay on his side of the fire.

    And why did Lilly join up with these men? She had told Ria it was to be the three of them: Lilly, herself, and Miss Penny. Trouble enough with Miss Penny, but now four strangers, and men at that.

    Ria could drive a wagon and would have welcomed it too. Been a long time since she had caravaned from town to town. She missed the feeling of the world slowly moving by you, the hills opening up to reveal small hamlets and such. Back then it had been Granny and her..

    Ah, Granny. Ria wondered where Granny was now. But before she could daydream about it anymore, she was shaken from revery by more immediate concerns.

    "The food's ready", Lilly intoned perfunctorily.

    Ria dove into her food like a child into a pool. She looked up to thank Lilly and noticed her eyes had not dried from the rainfall earlier…. oh.

    "Damn that rain."


  • Despite my sitting around the fire with my stew for dinner, I felt as though I were elsewhere, my thoughts focusing on the conversation around me just enough to make it seem like I paid attention. More prominent in my mind was the despair in Lilly's voice as she told me in Jiyyd that she was leaving, and that she would likely take her own life if the Bombadilian priests could not bring Mirkali back. Initially I had protested, crying in the Jiyyd commons as some uncomfortable adventurers looked on. Yet somehow, between that moment and the moment that we set off for Damara aboard the caravan, I had a revelation about Lilly's state of mind. If the Bombadilian could do nothing, who was I to selfishly demand that she live on without Mirkali? To do so would be like continuing forward with a vaccuum in one's soul, a hole that would continue to grow and consume until the mere act of facing the dawn would become an unbearable trial. At the same time, I could not let her take her own life and tarnish her soul's chances of a peaceful rest. Frankly, I came along on this journey with the hope that some solution to this immense dilemma would reveal itself to me along the road to Damara.

    After dinner, I wrapped myself in my cloak as protection from the biting winds and slipped off among some brush near the caravan for the night. As I lay staring at the stars, my thoughts swirling like a whirlpool in the briney deep, I decided that if the situation came to it and Lilly wished to die, then I would be the one to do the job. I shivered briefly at the thought. But if not me, then who? I could not make Lilly live on without the love of her life. I also could not risk Lilly tarnishing her soul's chances at peace. Seemingly, this solution would give Lilly what she desired without the risk to her eternal rest.

    As I thought more about my decision, I began to feel more at ease with it. My soul was lost long ago when I still lived in Waterdeep. Anyone like me who would spend years murdering a city's citizens under the guise of "righteousness" had no chance at peace after death anyway. Perhaps by selflessly providing for Lilly in her last moments I would at least achieve some sort of redemption for all my previous wrongs. As I slipped off into sleep, my racing thoughts subsided, the angry hissing in my mind calmed, and I experienced peace of mind for perhaps the first time in all my years. I had finally arrived at the "right way to go".