Chapter I, Part 3

General Summary

Back On The Road

Spring 60-63, 117 YA

On the morning of the 60th, the companions prepped their gear and made ready for another expedition. Their course was undecided and yet they knew that traveling north was as good as any direction. They settled their accounts with Wilf Bailey and waved goodbye to the guards at the front gate. As they passed through, the guards asked them to be on the lookout for the Bright Spear Company who had been gone over two weeks although no one seemed worried. The companions grunted their assent as they had heard enough of the bravery of the Bright Spear Company and yet had learned very little of their actual exploits. Taking the rough path north, the companions headed towards and passed the patrol marker a few miles from the keep. Once there, they decided to head northwest and picked up the pace once they got onto the scrub plains to the north of the Border Hills.

Their pace was steady and they came to a recognizable patch which was near the strange cave that they had discovered sometime back. They set up camp for the night to decide on their next course of action. The night was uneventful although in the morning they discovered the tracks of humanoids near the camp and decided to move quickly. They continued northwest and decided to skirt the strange cave as Prospit still worried about the size of its inhabitant based on the width of the door. While Greevik seemed nonplussed, the others agreed that maybe it was best to avoid such a thing until later.

Another day passed and Geller came across the tracks of a serpent, a large one, in the rough ground. They followed it for some time until they came upon a shed skin. Judging by the torn skin discarded, they were able to identify it as a Rock Viper and likely a young one for it was only about 12ft long. When Prospit heard that, he was not amused and yet Geller made clear that it was no joke. Rock Vipers were poisonous and grew to great lengths out in the wilds. Corthaine pointed out that vipers of that size had body parts and poison sacs that could be sold to the right person for a great amount of gold. Hearing that, the group decided to continue tracking the serpent.

Viper Rock

Spring 64, 117 YA

As they marched, a large plateau became apparent a few miles distant. A mesa-like structure that jutted out of the earth like a carbuncle and stretched high into the air. Its sides were steep and so the companions headed for it. Once they grew close enough, it was decided that the base of it should be scouted before any decisions were made.

Geller circumnavigated the plateau as his friends awaited him. He found a narrow cleft that seemed to terminate not far in and three cave openings in the sides of the plateau. The largest cave opening, rounded and approximately eight feet in diameter, made Geller pause as his nose wrinkled. A sickly, sweet, musky odor emanated from the darkened hole in the side of the plateau and he chose not to investigate further. The other two lacked the smell or any signs of use and Geller quickly returned to his friends with the news.
It was not long before they chose one of the smaller cave-openings on the eastern side of the plateau. All of them agreed, after a night of fretting over giant rock vipers, that anything with an eight feet egress was likely not going to be friendly. With care, Prospit whispered to the Divine Triune as Corthaine gathered his arcane energies to bring light forth. Geller was handed a stone from Prospit that gleamed brightly in the fading sunlight; blocked as it was by the plateau itself on this eastern side.

So Geller and Greevik slid their way into the narrower cave and followed it as it slanted downwards under the plateau. The walls were natural, unworked and a hard sandstone. They reached a dogleg and came out in a small, rounded cave that was filled with the light of their lantern. A few old bones and fallen sand piles were all that greeted them. But Geller located a small alcove, square and clearly intentionally worked into the wall of the cave. It was not large, four by four feet, and it was dominated by a thick slab of non-native stone that rested on the floor. The slab was square with sharp corners and clearly worked by some…thing.

As the others gathered in the cave, they managed to lever it up and discover a blackened shaft beneath the slab. A capstone or a hiding place, they did not know or care. Rhys panned the light stone down the shaft and discovered a wider room or hallway below them. The rusted remnants of a twisting staircase stretched towards the shaft opening but it stopped six feet short of the cave. After a quick discussion and anchoring of the rope amidst a pile of stones gathered from outside, the companions slid down a knotted rope and shed light on a four-way hallway choked with dust.

With their light penetrating only so far, the companions moved slowly as they wound their way through the complex. Easily found were the wooden caskets, pale due to dehydrated wood, that sat upon the floor of the hallway. One at either end of the left-right passage. A series of alcoves were quickly investigated only to find that each of them, three on the east and three on the west, contained stone coffins of similar make. They were resting places for the dead of this strange structure.

Rhys and Corthaine found, directly south of the staircase, a towering statute of bronze, cubist in form, with harsh planes and angles that suggested an angry visage. The statue was of a great warrior bearing a shafted club and a gleaming shield. The marks on the shield were familiar to Prospit who recognized them from old Divine Triune sites; this was of his faith despite the wrongness within his breast. It was then that he identified one of the marks as belonging to Vorkys, the Rape King and Lord of Merciless War. One of the Vexations! Those dark Powers that sat opposite the Virtues of the Triune were the fear and darkness of any true Triunist. Prospit knew now that they stood within a church to a Power that had been proscribed even in the days of the Over-Kingdom. The visage of Vorkys, the patron of those who sought power and dominion over others through war and violence, was not a welcome sight deep beneath the earth in the silence and the dark.

Prospit quickly informed the others and they resolved to be very careful going forth. And go forth they did, through winding hallways, doors jammed with rust and the detritus of age, they moved through the silent darkness. The old bricks that had been used to form the walls were crumbling in many places and revealed the rock face behind them. In two of the larger chambers, they found pools of clear water, accumulated from who knows how many years of condensation off the rock ceiling. The pools were shallow but crystal clear and containing nothing of interest. But, in each chamber, were more of the wooden coffins. Even the steady drip of condensation was not enough to saturate the air and they all bore the appearance of desiccated wood.

In alcoves set off from the glowering statue of Vorkys, they found a pair of sarcophagi that were far more ornate. Sealed in the old traditions, their stone lids bore life-sized depictions of their contents; men in robes and religious insignia. Prospit hissed to all not to touch the sarcophagi but the warning was unneeded; everyone belowground felt the weight of silence and death in the halls. Rhys, the most curious of them, had already perused the statue with his eyes and found nothing of concern; no mechanisms or falsities. It was only when the half-elven eyes of Corthaine arrived that they discovered the wall behind the statue to be hiding the temple’s secrets. Rhys made short work of the locking mechanism and a hidden door within the wall creaked open to reveal a small vault-like chamber.

Quickly moving into the room, Rhys discovered a crate, an urn and a chest set within the chamber. With Greevik’s crowbar, he levered open the crate first and found the decayed straw that had once safeguarded the items inside. He drew out a finely carved silver necklace, long enough to loop twice, a candelabra well-wrought and an intricately carved Bone Comb. After informing his companions, he pocketed the necklace and comb and handed the candelabra over to the others. Then he set to work on the chest only to find that brute force was required here as well. Greevik’s strength shattered the lid off the top and they all sucked in dry air at the sparkle of silver coins within the chest.

Chiseled with unfamiliar markings, the coins filled the chest and Prospit quickly armed them with sacks from his pack. They split the haul, over nine hundred silver, into four bags and grunted under the weight. After shifting their burdens around, it was clear that they had found what they had been looking for however they were in for a long walk back to Dyramar. They filed out of the vault and headed towards the stairs.

As they moved past the statue, the crack of old wood echoed down the corridor. First here, then over there, more from a distance, the sound was that of a tree slowly cracking under its own rotted weight as wood seemed to crack from all over the in gloom of the church. Then the sound of grating stone and everyone began moving at once… the coffins! The sarcophagi! Something had wakened to their pillaging of the church!

From the sarcophagi loomed a ragged figure of bone and rot, tattered priestly vestments hung from its frame, and it howled a silent intake of air at the intruders. As it did so, the sound of splitted rotten wood continued to sound from all over. Rhys, Prospit and Corthaine still near the staircase gasped in horror as rotted humanoid forms spewed from the alcoves where they had seen the sarcophagi. One of the wooden coffins down the corridor split before their eyes and its long-dead occupant rolled empty sockets in their direction. They soon found themselves fighting for their lives against the flailing hands and ragged fingernails of the long-dead. They shouted to Greevik and Geller who had hung back near the statue and found them fighting with all of their might against similar undead though these seemed possessed of a fury greater than the others. The entire party was engulfed in bone and battle; fighting for their lives. One after another of the undead was dropped to the temple floor but another took its place within seconds.

Finally, Greevik managed to dispatch the priestly undead and the others faltered enough for the companions to make their way to the staircase. They fought a retreat up the stairs and the lighter companions were able to grab the rope. The others fought viciously in a semi-circle against the undead and soon the ranks were thinning and others were not joining the fight. The ending of the robed undead seemed to have stopped the animation of new defenders but still they hurried. When the dust cleared, the companions hauled themselves and their loot out of the old temple and back into the small tunnel. They levered the slab back over the hole to ensure that none of the horrors beneath them could escape and fled the underbelly of Viper Rock.

Back To Keep Dyramar

Spring 69-74, 117 YA

It was a slow pace that brought them up the trail from the scrub flats to the gates of Keep Dyramar five days later. Laden with coin and loot from the temple, they headed to the front gate and were passed through by the guards. This time the guards noted their heavy packs and reminded them to pay the excise on such things at the keep. While they were passing, the guards looked uneasy and asked if they had any sightings of the Bright Spear Company; it had been three weeks or more and still the Company had not returned. One of the guards noted that they were rarely away from the keep for that long on past expeditions. The companions could only wearily shrug and head for the comfort of the Traveler’s Inn. Once there, they shed themselves of dirty trail clothes and armor and spent some time eating and refreshing themselves. Since it was so late, near supper, they decided to call it a night and head to the keep in the morning after disposing of the fruits of their venture.

The following day, for the first time in a long time, the companions were flushed with success and coin. Even at the ruinous valuations from the local merchants, the group walked away with over a thousand silver pieces! They paid their excise on it although Rhys grumbled about it the remainder of the day. They spent the day refreshing themselves and, on the following day, looked to see if there was good items for sale. Unfortunately, they learned that there would be more merchants on the 75th of Spring. It seemed a fair was conducted every fifteenth day and they had to wait for it. So the companions settled into their regular routine and managed to recruit Sergeant Erlik of Dyramar for some additional training at arms while they awaited the market.

It was during this week that Brother Prospit called on his friend, Kili and Sister Karia, at the chapel. While the Sister was not present, Brother Kili listened with interest to the tale of the temple of Vorkys. Like Prospit, Brother Kili knew that while Vorkys was recognized by the Triune, it had been centuries since his cult of dedicants had flourished during the middays of Aendor. The entire cult had been outlawed, the scrolls said, and it had not been seen since.

Brother Kili warned Prospit of the dangers of old relics especially ones tainted in the shadows of the Vexations. He made Prospit promise to be wary to which he readily agreed. The warning still ringing in his ears, Prospit dropped the Bone Comb off in their warehouse space and resolved not to think about it for awhile.

Market Day-Keep Dyramar

Spring 69-75, 117 YA

The companions were impressed with the amount of stalls and activity that had been jammed into the narrow streets of the keep for Market-Day. They perused the various wares in search of anything that could part them from their well-earned coin. A few things were bought here and there. It was Corthaine that was in search of something specific and he found it with a traveling mage; Alquin. The two spoke of magical components and ingredients long enough for Alquin to know that Corthaine was legitimate. It was then that Rhys pitched him to keep his ears open for those in need of strange components and reservoirs of power from creatures foul. Alquin agreed to do so and indicated that should he return with any specific requests that they could split the proceeds. Rhys laughed and indicated that they could discuss that when it was proper. From a female Hin, Gilda Traih, the companions purchased a pair of tins that bore a salve that she swore would ease their hurts. When inquiries were made of its origin, Gilda grew tight-lipped and merely indicated that she would see about ensuring she replenished her stock before returning to the keep.

Rewards Granted

The Bone Comb

A small, smooth comb carved from human bone.

Herbal Salve

Purchased from Gilda Traih, the origin of the salves was unknown but she swore by their healing qualities.

Various Valuables

Silver braid necklace, copper and silver coinage.