Athelmaun's Obsession

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Ranstag lifted the visor to his black helmet up; the barbed tongue of the mohrg lashed out catching the peasant who had tried to flee.

"May you know the hate I feel, may you know the hate of Bane, you maggot!"

The vile mohrg brought it's bastard sword down upon the paralyzed peasant ending his life instantly. Ranstag turned his attention else where, the lesser creatures following Athelmaun seemed to have already slain most of the peasants of this village much to the mohrg's anger. Ranstag would have turned his blade against the undead, but the slice through dead flesh did little to sate his hate.

This tiny village in the northern lands controlled by Waterdeep had little in the terms to defend itself, Ranstag was aware that the Duke governing the area, a Duke Lorrenvald, had withdrawn his troops from the outlying country in order to better protect himself. The castle that this Duke Lorrenvald was wholed up in was not far from here; surely it had the population for a sufficient slaughter. Castle Lorrenvald stood close to Athelmaun's path, close enough for Ranstag and the other undead not directly controlled by Athelmaun to temporarily depart from Athelmaun's presence to vent their hatred on those so deserving of it.

Ranstag's plan was of course assuming that he would have Athelmaun's cooperation, but even the mohrg was unware of what was going through the mind of his lich master. Undead flocked to Athelmaun in droves, but the liche made no use of them; it was if Athelmaun was some sort of hermit saint who others followed, but the saint path of higher enlightenment prevented him from interacting with those that followed him. Ranstag was unable to figure out why Athelmaun only made use of his mindless undead, in particular his skeletons or what was the puropse of Athelmaun's actions. Ranstag was often furious with Athelmaun who did not allow the mohrg to linger and slaughter mindlessly, but the mohrg dared not go against the liche.

For now Ranstag would have to satisfy himself with what was allowed to him. The fires of the burning building began to smolder and nothing living was insight. Ranstag's hatred drove him away from the dead, the dead that within days would rize again as vampire spawn, wrights and zombies.

[ May 10, 2006, 04:53: Message edited by: Ilmater's Suffering ]

 

"You wear the helmet because I tell you to. I'd rather not see your brains splattered about the floor, husband."

Daie sighed, and put the helmet back over his head. His hair hung down over his eyes, and he wearily brushed it back across his forehead.

Maron and Minstra hadn't yet come back from the tavern, so they waited still in the Temple.

He shook his head to get his unruly hair from his eyes again, and strode about the Temple foyer impatiently. Turning slightly, he caught sight of his reflection in a looking glass, and studied himself.

Tall, for an elf, and thin, his wiry figure was encased in a mixture of leathers and chainmail. Over his chain shirt hung a white tabard with the symbol of Selune, a Crescent moon and seven silver stars. The gold edgings to the stars marked him as an intermediate ranking Silverstar of Selune, and thus he was accorded some respect in this Temple. His leathers were reasonably clean; he'd had a day or two in Neverwinter to remove the dust of the roads from his clothes. He plucked the helmet from his head and held it inthe crook of his arm, and regarded his face.

His features were handsome, and although his features were angular, they were not as sharp as those of his wife. His skin was a deeply tanned brown, his eyes were green, and his hair was an unkempt black mass, as chaotic as a Talossian's soul. His long pointed ears, long even for an elf's, were bent painfully, and he removed his gloves and gently rubbed some life back into them

"See what your helmet does to my poor ears?" He moaned at the plate clad woman behind him.

In the mirror he saw the dark skinned woman approach, and take a delicate hold on his ears.

"Poor baby," she cooed, and stroked them. "You still wear the helmet though. I like you alive."

He regarded her over his shoulder. Her hair was shoulder length, and white as the first snows of winter. Her skin was a grey to blue colour, her eyes crimson. Her features, while sharper than his, were still almost stunning, and when she wore a smile as she did now, he fell in love with her all over again.

The plate mail armour she wore, with the dancing drow Eilistraee engraved on the chest, hid her figure well, but he knew the curves that lurked beneath the cold metal. Her leathers beneath the plate were a dark blue that almost mirrored her skin tone, with red facings, and gold braid at the shoulders. The tunic was the uniform of a cavalry colonel of Suldanessallar's armed forces, one she had acquired during the war, and had been wearing ever since, though she obviously washed it. She claimed it was her favourite, and the way it clung to her, it was his favourite too.

As she leaned over his shoulder to look in the glass, her scent washed over him, the unique smell of the scented waters she used flowing through his nose as if he rode through a meadow in summer.

Raven wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and held him tight.
"What do you think the next job will be, darthiir? Guarding a warehouse? Hunting wolves? Retrieving an amulet from a graveyard?"

Her tone showed her annoyance matched his, and he shrugged, lifting her up slightly as she stretched.

"Perhaps. Maybe there'll be some action this time?"

"Maybe you'll fall off your horse. That's all the action we'll get around here. We should go back to Tethyr, It was fun there."

"Remind me, which was the fun bit? The villages being slaughtered? Watching those same villages being raised as an undead horde? Seeing cousin ALexei burn the city? Having Father try to kill me? Being tortured by Alexei and the psychotc vampire woman of his? Being exiled? Being..."

"Peace, Vanya. Calm down, I was joking."

 

"You are hurting my hands you brute!"

"I'm not here for your pleasure, something you should have concerned yourself with before you decided to pull such an act."

The current issue was regarding the rope binding Kara's hands, for when ever Hjorvald would pull on the rope, it would cut into her aristocratic hands.

"Besides, it's not my fault you've ever had to de enough work to toughen up your skin."

"That would be because I am no simpleton like you who engages in menial work. Rough skin is so disgusting and if you keep pulling on that rope you are going make my skin rough and ugly."

"Tempus forbid it, that you become just like everyone else."

"Sune would be most displeased with you."

"I don't put much stock in what she says and I somehow doubt you do either."

"Do not be so cruel to me, loosen my bounds, just a little..." Kara batted her eyelashes as sweetly as she could at Hjorvald, "If you treat me kindly, I might treat you the same..."

Hjorvald snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Fine, you stupid brute, I could not imagine touching you anyway, even to save my life."

A third voice joined the converstaion.

"What's all the racket going on back here? A pack of rampaging orcs could probably hear what's going on back here."

Mira, the ranger, was the third voice.

"Comeon, Mira, if we where so loud, you should be able to us exactly what the racket was all about."

Kara blushed slightly, hoping some of what she had said had not reached the ears of others.

"Well, I may not have been able to make out most of it, but it was noisy all the same. Anyway, we'll be reaching Waterdeep soon and we can get her out of our hands."

Kara turned to Hjorvald, "What will they do with me?"

"You expect this simpleton to know?"

"I am well aware of your limitations, dog."

"Well, from what I've heard punishment is generally involves hard labor, mutilation or public execution."

"What! I... I am a member of the nobility... they... they could not do something like that to me... I... I am sorry for what I have done... I... I wish to make up for the wrong I have done... you cannot give me over the the law!"

"With all the lies you spew, it makes it very hard to believe anything you're saying."

"But... but a barbarian like yourself surely cannot believe in the laws of men. You would just turn me over to a process you do not believe in?"

"No, I wouldn't, but Saevilar will, he seems to believe the law is most appropriate in this situation."

Mira left Hjorvald and Kara to go talk with Saevilar, who immediately addressed the young half-elf.

"Look at the foot prints in the area, even one such as myself can identify what creatures made much tracks in the soft ground."

"Yes, I've noticed the traffic of skeletal feet through the area."

"We must make sure to move faster then, for it would be most disastrous if I failed to reach Lord Baeron Silmaeril on Lady Alustriel's behalf."

"Do you have any spells that could speed up the process?"

"No, as I have my doubts our prisoner would be a willing subject for a teleportation spell."

"Then we'll have to find some horses won't we?"

[ May 10, 2006, 21:24: Message edited by: Ilmater's Suffering ]

 

Daie sulked. "That as may be, but I'd rather stay away from Tethyr for the moment. Besides ALexei's war, the humans are hardly fond of the sylvans they share the land with."

Any response of Raven's was cut off by a familiar voice yelling across the Temple.

"Hey Daie, Raven, we found a job!"

The approaching avariel was shushed by several of the Temple's acolytes, but she bounded up the aisle anyway.

Behind her, a curly haired elf followed, along with an armoured human.

"This human has a task he wishes completed," the final member of the group stated as she approached.

The human paladin halted before them, and opened his mouth to speak, but stopped as a small grey cat crawled from beneath his tabard, and leapt to Maron's arms.

"Sorry," the beautiful cleric smiled sheepishly, and lifted the cat to her eyes.

"Shade, no! Leave Sir Kalias alone!"

Raven ignored the cat's antics, and addressed the paladin directly. "SIr, what did you wish of us?"

Judging by his face, Daie thought, Maron didn;t mention that we were led by a drow. Am I going to have to draw swords with this man?

 

"By the Even Handed, I never expected a drow within this company."

Sir Kalias paused for a brief moment.

"Just because I cannot sense evil, does not mean it is not there, not with your kind who is so predisposed to evil; I shall have to keep an eye on you."

An armored paladin came in through the door, his canine head quickly giving away the fact he was a hound archon.

"Have you found suitable and righteous heros to provide aid in our mission to end the perverse charade talking place to our south?"

"I am determining if these adventurers are truly devoted to the cause of good."

"Elves, they remind me of the Eladrin." said the hound archon making of face of indiscernable emotional content.

Sir Kalias turned his attention back to the elves.

"My Church is willing to hire your assistance, on one condition. I must know your resolve to serve good is absolute. The condition you must give me is that you would be willing to give your own life in order to protect the innocent. If you are a creature of good intentions you should be willing to give up your life in order to protect those who cannot protect themselves. I will be magically divining your answers for truth, so know that I shall be aware of any attempt on your part to lie in your answer."

Sir Kalias gave Raven a cold look as if he expected her to lie.

"I shall also tolerate no unlawful acts within my presence and I shall be obligated to treat you as a criminal if you act in such a way. However if you do exceed my expectations and we successfully defend the innocent from this army of ambominations who seek to escape Tyr's justice, these fiends who must be punished for their guilt, I assure you the Church of Tyr has the resources to provide a reward that will suite you well, not only that, but so long as you keep yourself in line with the law, the servants of Tyr will hold you in Tyr's favor for the services. The war against evil is an eternal one and the Blind God is always just, he never shall abandon an ally who lives justly."

 

Daie bristled at Kalias' words, but Raven accepted them with an air of weary resignation.

"Whatever terms you require, jabbuk. Whatever will quell your mistrust."

"Sir Kalias, perhaps you should tell us the terms for this task before you ask such things of us," Minstra interjected, even as Maron stepped forward and laid a hand on the furious Daie's arm.

 

"A being deicated to good should not be concerned with details, that the innocent suffer should be enough, but I will indulge you anyway, elf.
"Recently a lord of the night has returned to the world of men. He was once a human wizard of considerable power, who escaped the Loviatar's wicked lands of Dambrath, a land akin in both evil and structure to drow the Dambrathans so often interbreed with. He was believed to have died over fifty years ago at the hand of the twisted hands of Loviatar's servants, how I now wish it were so; instead the evils of Dambrath corrupted his soul without his knowing and the accrused being sought out lichdom. He has now returned from his half century of solitude and by Tyr, like any creature of undeath spreads destruction and undeath in his wake. A every growing horde of undead surrounds the lich slaying the guilty and the innocent alike.
"I plan to deal with the situation directly, the more we wait, the more we condemn the innocent to a fate reserved for the most wicked of men. I ultimately seek the lich's destruction and if that is all we are able to accomplish, we shall be able to spare weak and innocent the worse of what they would otherwise suffer." said Sir Kalias, becoming increasingly intense as he spoke.

 

"The being dedicated to good wishes to see that she doesn't throw her life away in a suicide mission," Minstra replied calmly, but Daie spoke up next.

"Will we receive any other help, or will it just be us against an army of undead? We've faced those odds before, and don't like them."

"Liches are the worst of the lot. At least ALexei didn;t have any liches with him.""

"The vampires were bad enough, believe me," Daie offered, and scratched an old scar under his chainmail.

 

"Aside from Brachaol and myself, who will be leading this mission, several clerics and paladins of the church of Tyr will be joining us." said Sir Kalias.

"A close friend of mine will also be aiding us." said Brachaol, "A juvenile male bronze dragon by the name of Eldenryss. He serves as my mount, a relation not uncommon for a hound archon who has taken the path of a paladin and a bronze dragon."

"Regardless of who is joining us, their are only two undead creatures that one should worry about within that horde. Athelmaun himself and a recently departed blackguard of Bane who as returned from the grave as morhg. Most of the other undead I will be able utterly destroy through turning and what escapes turning will not escape the magical abilities of my guardian." said Sir Kalias pressing his hand against his mithril full plate.

 

I'm pretty sure these horses don't have owners... and if they still do, I'm sure they're worrying about things other then their horses." said Mira looking back to Saervilar.

The ranger put one hand on the horse's muzzle and stared deep into the horse's eyes. After about a minute, the horse bowed it's head.

"Well, here's one mount, I'll go get us to more."

"Two more? You mean I have to ride with you?" said Kara to Hjorvald.

"We're not foolish enough to give you a horse."

"You had better not lay a finger on me brute."

"Oh believe me, I won't. I happen to be a bit more concerned with the undead bodies in this region rather then your body."

"You need not lie to me, just do as I say."

"By Tempus, this is going to be a trying trip."

Mira returned with two more of the horses who had escaped the destruction of their village and had been currently running wild.

"Well here we go, I'm betting we'll have no problem out running the undead with these horses."

"Let us be moving now, we need to get to Waterdeep with utmost speed before the destruction can be accelerated too greatly." said Saevilar.

"Mira, you want to give this cambion a boost up into the saddle so she doesn't bite my hands off?" said Hjorvald.

"Cambion? Such a learned word for such a simple man." said Kara.

Mira shook her head.

"By Mielikki's grace, you two sound like squabbling children."

"Oh come on Mira, if I touch her to put her on the horse's back she'll make the trip to Waterdeep more hellish then it will already be."

Mira laughed lightly.

"Poor Hjorvald."

 

Jex sprinted down the hill. The trees and other obstructions were nothing for the half drow. His hood which was rarely down was thrown back and he was enjoying the air against his skin. The pursuit had lasted for about 2 hours now and he could still hear the wretched beast comeing through the trees.

Stopping up suddenly Jex waited, a tree that he had gracefully sidestepped not 10 seconds ago exploded into a shower of slivers and dust as a spiked gauntlet came through it's slender trunk. Shoveing the remaining tree to the ground, there stood Johen, Jex's best friend. "Perhaps it is good you don't wear a helmet good dwarf. Your head is hard enough."

"Bah, never met a tree or a orc head me glove couldn't get me through." The grizzled dwarf muttered in return. "How much longer 'til we reach this damned city?"

"A few hours at most. We can slow our pace now though." Jex replied as he drank from his canteen. It was great to be back with Johen, he had missed the dwarf.

 

Daie turned back to Raven, his eyes full of glee.

"A Dragon, a hound archon, paladins, clerics, it'll be an army!"

Raven ignored her husband, and narrowed her eyes at the paladin.

"And the payment? While it is indeed right to perform such a task, our own churches have not asked this of us, so we must assure some form of payment. Valour does not feed adventurers."

 

Posting as Fylla

I stood on the wall looking down at the docks, my brother Jenza stood next to me looking intimidating, it was the greataxe strapped across his back on his baldric. Its double heads edges sparkling with a malicious gleam showing how sharp, and almost eager they were to come out and play, that did it for most people. I looked at the ship that would hopefully be taking us north to Luskan, I hoped we wouldn’t have trouble on this one, but couldn’t think of a reason why it shouldn’t happen again.

Twice on ships on the way here we’d had to fight parts of the crew to stay alive and stamp our authority, and with the smaller crew left limped into port. It was a shame we weren’t sailors or had uncle Van’el with us for then we could have kept the ships and sailed them all the way to Luskan, it would have been easier. I signalled to Jenz to follow me and walked down to the side of the ship, at the gangplank I looked at the sailor lazing against the rails, calling out I asked
“Is the captain aboard?” We heard he’s going to Luskan?”

“Ay, happen he is” came the reply.

“Permission to come aboard, then ?” asked Fylla.

“Arrr, you’d best be doing that, then” turning aside the sailor called out “Fetch, get the Cap’n tell him we have customers, good customers tell ‘im mind”

Jenz and Fylla climbed aboard, we’d been told in the Inn that of all the captains here in Athkatla that the Dark Mistress’s Master would treat us right, and here we were being called “good customers”? My suspicions were further raised as a voice came from the stairs under the for’c’sle

“A good customer, he says Fetch, Thorn wouldn’t know a good customer if they jumped up and bit him in the ….” The voice trailed off as the captain came on deck and saw Jenz and I standing there. “You may be right Thorn, you may be right” the Captain finished as he stood there looking at us, and we, him. He was dressed in black except for his belt, which was wide and silver, attached on the right was a cutlass and the left held a rapier and a dagger. On his head was large black hat with a huge fluffy grey feather, but most surprising was the fact he was half-Drow and almost familiar looking.

The captain looked at us and started pulling on a chain round his neck

“My name Jayl’dar Sib’em’tayl” as he said this he displayed his family emblem and I was able to place him then. I replied

“I am Fylla and this is my brother Jenza of house Der’am’toth, cousin for are you not the son of our father’s brother Van’el” I displayed our family emblem to him, he visibly relaxed, as did we. “We need passage to Luskan, what’ll you charge cousin?”

“I’m going that way via Caer Calidyrr in the Moonshae Isles I have some cargo to drop off there, and then to Luskan in total if the winds are with us a journey time of 10-14 days maybe 3 weeks if the winds slacken. How many are you? Five, you say, best take my cabin then . That’s Thorn my first mate and this is Fetch, for obvious reasons. It’s about 400 leagues so that’ll be 400 gold each, to include food and a ration of wine and rum, if’n you bring your own food 300 gold half now, half when we get to Luskan. If there’s trouble pirates and the like and you help out I’ll take 50 off the price. Are we agreed?”

I quickly agreed and paid 750 gold telling our cousin we’d bring our own food, his last comment was to be back before sundown as the tide left then and he wanted to be away.

 

"The Church of Tyr is not lacking in resources, nor does it forget the aid it recieves against those who would seek to do evil. Tyr is a just god and in his name we strive to do justice to those who would ally with us; I give you not only my word as a paladin, but my word as a servant of Tyr as well that whatever reward you recieve will be fitting to the deeds you preform." said Sir Kalias, "If you desire rewards beyond simple gold, it shall be provided assuming that your actions prove you worthy of the true gifts of Tyr."

 

The half drow and the dwarf entered Waterdeep through the main gates. Jex was known in the city and no one would question is heritadge and no one would notice another dwarf in the city.

"I was told to find my way to the temple of Tyr. Supposedly they are looking for people to go fight some evil. We need the adventure things are getting boring." Jex said as they wandered the streets. It took them a little time but eventually they found the temple.

Pushing through the doors Jex bowed his head. Although he did not follow Try's doctrines he respected all gods, but his heart was faithful to Ilmater. As his fathers had been.

He and Johen walked straight to the gathering group of Knights and clerics and the like. "We heard talk of people needing help against some evil. We offer our blades" said Jex looking at the others "we don't need money or awards, just companionship and adventure."

"And some mead." Muttered Johen from behing Jex.

 

"Stop that!" said Kara sharply.

"Who are you talking to?"

"Who do you think I am talking to you oaf?"

Hjorvald turned back around shaking his head, wondering what on earth was that girl's problem.

"I told you to stop that!"

"Look, I'm not doing anything, so what are you yelling about?"

Kara gave Hjorvald an angry glare, but seemed to pay little attention to him other than that.

"If you're going to be a noisy little prisoner, at least pay attention to what I'm saying when I respond to you."

"Why should I do that, I will say my piece, but I have no desire to hear what you think. What could someone of common blood say that could possibly be of interest to some with high or proper blood such as myself? There is clearly a distance between us on a racial level... I mean commoners cannot honestly be called humans can they? Well if commoners can be called such, then surely members of the nobility such as myself are something superior to human."

Hjorvald turned around in disgust. Kara smiled to herself as a tiny monstrous spider crawled out from with in her dress and onto Hjorvald's leg. The spider bit down as as powerfully as it's tiny fangs would allow it before jumping from the horse. Hjorvald gave a grunt of pain slapping at where the spider had been just seconds before.

"You might want to stop and have that looked at, a spider bite can be most unpleasant if not taken care of."

"It's just a little spider bite, why should it bother me? I'm too hardy to worry about some little creature's venom."

"Maybe it was not just a simple spider bit."

"By Tempus, what other nasty little suprizes do you have lurking under that dress of yours."

"You would be wise to make no attempt to find out."

"Oh, I wouldn't be the one to do it, I doubt you could make my complaints about Mira frisking you for whatever magic items you have."

"You should get that wound looked at, it is not looking too good from where I stand. I am willing to guess that you are not feeling so terribly strong right now..."

"What on earth did that spider poison me with."

"The poison of a purple worm, even a "hardy" brute such as yourself has a good chance of being effected by the poison."

Hjorvald grunted.

"Feeling weaker already? My, my, I think it is time for you to take a break and listen to what I want in turn for your speedly recovery."

 

"The Church will also provide for your food and lodging as we journey south." Sir Kalias continued, "Do you have horses or will you need them provided? We do not have the luxury to travel over land on foot."

Sir Kalias turned to Brachaol, "Ready our fellow Tyrians, we must move out with haste."

Sir Kalias turned back to Raven and Daie, "Will you serve the forces of good and ride forth with to confront the ambominations that lay waste to the lands of Waterdeep? I must emphasize that you will be representing Tyr and must act in accordance to his doctrine and while I do not expect you to join us at dawn in worship of Tyr, I expect that you will respect Tyr and grant him his proper dues as a Greater God. I do however require that any clerics put their gods or goddesses second for the time being as this is Tyr's mission."

 

Daie looked up sharply, and shook his head fiercely.

"Never. Selune is my goddess, and I will not forsake her for anyone."

"And I for Eilistraee," added Raven.

"I'll serve Sune before Tyr," finished Maron.

Minstra merely shrugged. "One human god is alike to any other. Follow whom you will, I serve nature first, and Rillifane second."

Daie took a quick look around his companions, and turned back to Sir Kalias.

"Your final request is too far. None of us will put our goddesses behind us for this mission."

 

Sir Kalias' eyes hardened

"I am not asking you to abandon your respective gods, however the actions to be undertaken are not to be done in the name of your gods, but in the name of Tyr and therefore any act which is undertaken will done so in Tyr's name, whether Tyr himself would commit such an act. I ask this as a favor to Tyr so he would be spared any potential dishonor. The inhabitants of Brightwater and the Gates of the Moon or Seldarine the implement... good... in very different manner then Tyr would approve of. I assume the philosophy of your gods puts good before chaos and I therefore ask you to set aside that chaos for the sake of good, just as I have set aside my feelings on anarchists for the time being for the fight against evil supersedes any other conflict within this world. The danger of the servants of Bane or Loviatar out weight the danger of the servants of Tempus or Leira a thousand fold."

 

"You ask followers of good gods to turn their backs to help your gods battle. Why can't the followers of a good god fight a battle against evil for their god." Jex said quietly from the background, seemingly haveing previously ignored by the group beforehand. "I'm sure Ilmater, Moradine, Sune, Eilistree, Selune and Rilifane don't appreciate the actions of this lich. No more than Tyr. You ask those willing to help to betray their ideals. Fellow Elves, I join you, not the humans. As does my dwarven friend. Especially those of drow blood." Jex said stareing hard at Raven.