Post by The Ascendant on May 11, 2006 15:05:38 GMT -5
3 Alturiak 1374
How had it come to this? The day had started off like usual with Krap squeaking out orders and insults that had become just another part of the routine. Cronabilis’ familiar was no more sadistic on this day then he had been in the past, but something felt different; an uneasy feeling had crept in that none of you could let go of. When the rain became sleet, it simply got harder to shake and most of you traded those glances that kept asking ‘What the hell are we doing out here?’ You were on your way to Narfell, passing through the rolling fields of the Great Dale pursuing your master’s insanity.
The delusions guiding your master are dangerous. As slaves, you are rarely privileged to know the mind of your master unless it is expressed through Krap to you, since your master believes most of you unworthy of his superior intelligence. You have been on the road without much pause for over 6 months and in that time, you have learned a little about the man who owns you. While he wears the robes and colors of the Red Wizards, he has no more allegiance to that sect than he does to any of you. The association merely furthers his ends, and due to his expertise, the Wizards benefit from the arrangement as well. Cronabilis is also not Mulani, but his bodyguards are, and that speaks volumes as to the perceived importance of the man who commands you. He is well respected by the enclaves who sponsor him.
Cronabilis is a student of ancient cultures and summoning magic. He has written treatises on the Cold Lands and the former empires which once dominated them, and is widely considered the foremost authority on the area. In your time with him, you have traveled from Thay to Halrua visiting ancient sites and libraries, temples, and other mage’s towers as your master pursues his increasingly obsessive studies. Somehow it has all been building, this tension and madness, towards his demise. He seems to know it too and has become more and more reclusive as the months have progressed and as your journey north has gotten you closer to Narfell. Only a mad man would go into the Cold Lands pursuing a dream. Those lands are rough and frozen, filled with strange monsters and barbarians, orcs, goblins, and a host of living enemies that would kill your entire group without pause, and the living aren’t the worst of it. The damned souls of the former empires of Narfell and Raumathor are said to walk the frozen plains both day and night. Artur speaks of the Cold Lands with a soft reverence that seems to acknowledge both the beauty and horror of the place.
9 Alturiak
The sleet kept falling. The smell of burning wood and thatch was overwhelming as you stood as close to the burning building as any of you could stand, and even then, the shivering still clawed at your flesh doing its damnedest to fight its way back in. The man’s daughter hadn’t said anything that would have caused a normal man discomfort let alone rage, but rage is what burst from your master’s body and the blaze was the result. Cronabilis was no longer a normal man. If you could have made a run for it, the terror of what you had just witnessed would have likely driven each of you screaming out into the darkness and cold. How had it come to this?
She was beautiful. You had been traveling for a couple of tendays through the countryside avoiding the common folk of the Dale who viewed slavery and the Wizards with disgust, but Cronabilis was ailing and tired. In need of a warmer place to sleep, Ch’endrik insisted that you seek shelter at an inn near the road. The warmth of the place was enough to put most of you to sleep almost within minutes of your entrance. Because of the weather, you were the only travelers staying there which made Ch’endrik happy and gave Cronabilis the chance to hopefully overcome the fever which had begun to grip his body. Warm soup and soft bread filled your bellies as the inn’s owner and his family did their best to accommodate your large group. The innkeeper seemed a likeable enough man who also seemed wise enough to avoid any behavior that might upset your master or his guards. His wife was a stout woman who also seemed guarded, but warm hearted and genuine. Their two young children were what stood out to all of you though.
A pair of twins, though boy and girl, they were two of the most beautiful children any of you had ever laid eyes on. The pair seemed to be able to speak to each other without saying a word, and in the few days before the fire, the girl seemed to spend an inordinate amount of time with Tammy who also seemed to share the twin’s talent to some degree. The three days spent resting at the inn were the nicest you had spent in your time with the master. His fever was still raging, which forced Ch’endrik to concentrate on attending to the Wizard’s needs. Even Krap seemed more concerned in his master’s suffering then with tormenting you. This evening though…
The girl had taken food to the master’s room during your evening meal, but only moments later, her screams filled the narrow space of the inn. In shock, you watched Cronabilis come striding from his room, sweat pouring down his face, yanking the girl behind him by her hair. The innkeeper came running from the kitchen trying to get the Wizard to calm down, but the mage just screamed, ‘No one mocks the majesty of the House of Cronabilis!’ The girls screams continued to fill the room as her father made to try and cut her hair loose from your master’s grip. Seeing the knife in hand, Ch’endrik moved quickly to loose his own sword and impale the man from behind. Blood spilled onto the floor and the girl’s screaming rose louder. Several of you began to move to help, but the restrictive bonds around your necks tightened as Cronabilis forced his will to keep you under control.
A nightmare later and the inn lay burning with the remaining child and his mother left inside. The image of the summoned daemon devouring the young girl had scarred itself into your memory. It wasn’t the first time that you had witnessed your master summon daemons, nor was it the first time that you had seen a person devoured as a result, but a child? It was too much. It had only been early in Hammer near the time of Midwinter when Jerret was similarly sacrificed? And for what had he died? So that the mage could learn that he was not the only Wizard seeking the damned ruins of Gyddsel. It was madness and the insanity was taking tighter control of Cronabilis’ mind. The screaming inside the place had finally died with their owners. It was awful and on top of it all, the sleet kept coming.
16 Alturiak
The mage knows he is being followed and it has him panicked. Ch’endrik and the other guards are also nervous, but Koji seems the most concerned. Ch’endrik is a Thayan Knight who seems preternaturally aware of danger, but Koji is a survivor. Cronabilis found Koji when he was younger and in need of a guardian. Although the Shou rogue has never been a slave to your master, he is undoubtedly his servant in almost all things. Koji doesn’t share either Krap or Ch’endrik’s disdain for you since he himself is a common man. Above all things though, he is a survivor and his face shows clearly that he thinks this isn’t going to end well. You are camped in the ruins of a fallen tower, doing your best to stay out of the snow when Cronabilis finally turns and stares at you, his deep voice rolls slowly out as if from his very bowels, ‘I am going to share with you the location of the ruins, and you are going to go there. You will take tools and begin tunneling into the earth. You will hear voices, but these you must ignore. Above all else, you must keep digging. I will stay here and send Koji, Tr’ael, and Kraphaestres to escort you to that place. Dig and be faithful. If you try to stray from your labor, I will know of it. Those who are unfaithful will be sacrificed to the most deliberately painful Baatorian I can summon. To you, I am life, and should you fail, I will be death. Now leave, and I will be with you as soon as my business here is complete.’ The clothes on your back, the packs you carry, and the tools and trappings contained inside them are all that you have as you set out into the blustering snowstorm.
28 Alturiak
12 days later, the snow was still falling and the road had completely disappeared. Tr’ael seemed intent on carrying on with the mission and soon enough the Firward mountains began to dominate the skyline. Into the foothills you marched, staying as close to the trees as you could. Several of you had come down with fevers and coughs, let alone the shakes. Krap kept guiding the group forward until you came to an area in the foothills where the trees spread out a bit. Before you, a large opening in the earth came into view. The snow had also finally let up allowing you to see the activity around the newly dug mine where white kobolds moved in a slow line with sacks and animal skins laden with earth. Large tailing piles lined the route out of the cave, down to a pit which you could not see the bottom from your current vantage point. A large outcrop of rock listed to the north over the area, and since the trees had been cleared away, allowed the sentries perched there to keep a good vigil over the surroundings. Krap laughed, “Looks like someone beat us here, but there is the spot. Koji, if you would, scout it out for us. The master certainly won’t let degs stand between he and his prize.” It appeared that the fiend intended to take the cave... that feeling of dread crept back in; this day was only going to get worse.
How had it come to this? The day had started off like usual with Krap squeaking out orders and insults that had become just another part of the routine. Cronabilis’ familiar was no more sadistic on this day then he had been in the past, but something felt different; an uneasy feeling had crept in that none of you could let go of. When the rain became sleet, it simply got harder to shake and most of you traded those glances that kept asking ‘What the hell are we doing out here?’ You were on your way to Narfell, passing through the rolling fields of the Great Dale pursuing your master’s insanity.
The delusions guiding your master are dangerous. As slaves, you are rarely privileged to know the mind of your master unless it is expressed through Krap to you, since your master believes most of you unworthy of his superior intelligence. You have been on the road without much pause for over 6 months and in that time, you have learned a little about the man who owns you. While he wears the robes and colors of the Red Wizards, he has no more allegiance to that sect than he does to any of you. The association merely furthers his ends, and due to his expertise, the Wizards benefit from the arrangement as well. Cronabilis is also not Mulani, but his bodyguards are, and that speaks volumes as to the perceived importance of the man who commands you. He is well respected by the enclaves who sponsor him.
Cronabilis is a student of ancient cultures and summoning magic. He has written treatises on the Cold Lands and the former empires which once dominated them, and is widely considered the foremost authority on the area. In your time with him, you have traveled from Thay to Halrua visiting ancient sites and libraries, temples, and other mage’s towers as your master pursues his increasingly obsessive studies. Somehow it has all been building, this tension and madness, towards his demise. He seems to know it too and has become more and more reclusive as the months have progressed and as your journey north has gotten you closer to Narfell. Only a mad man would go into the Cold Lands pursuing a dream. Those lands are rough and frozen, filled with strange monsters and barbarians, orcs, goblins, and a host of living enemies that would kill your entire group without pause, and the living aren’t the worst of it. The damned souls of the former empires of Narfell and Raumathor are said to walk the frozen plains both day and night. Artur speaks of the Cold Lands with a soft reverence that seems to acknowledge both the beauty and horror of the place.
9 Alturiak
The sleet kept falling. The smell of burning wood and thatch was overwhelming as you stood as close to the burning building as any of you could stand, and even then, the shivering still clawed at your flesh doing its damnedest to fight its way back in. The man’s daughter hadn’t said anything that would have caused a normal man discomfort let alone rage, but rage is what burst from your master’s body and the blaze was the result. Cronabilis was no longer a normal man. If you could have made a run for it, the terror of what you had just witnessed would have likely driven each of you screaming out into the darkness and cold. How had it come to this?
She was beautiful. You had been traveling for a couple of tendays through the countryside avoiding the common folk of the Dale who viewed slavery and the Wizards with disgust, but Cronabilis was ailing and tired. In need of a warmer place to sleep, Ch’endrik insisted that you seek shelter at an inn near the road. The warmth of the place was enough to put most of you to sleep almost within minutes of your entrance. Because of the weather, you were the only travelers staying there which made Ch’endrik happy and gave Cronabilis the chance to hopefully overcome the fever which had begun to grip his body. Warm soup and soft bread filled your bellies as the inn’s owner and his family did their best to accommodate your large group. The innkeeper seemed a likeable enough man who also seemed wise enough to avoid any behavior that might upset your master or his guards. His wife was a stout woman who also seemed guarded, but warm hearted and genuine. Their two young children were what stood out to all of you though.
A pair of twins, though boy and girl, they were two of the most beautiful children any of you had ever laid eyes on. The pair seemed to be able to speak to each other without saying a word, and in the few days before the fire, the girl seemed to spend an inordinate amount of time with Tammy who also seemed to share the twin’s talent to some degree. The three days spent resting at the inn were the nicest you had spent in your time with the master. His fever was still raging, which forced Ch’endrik to concentrate on attending to the Wizard’s needs. Even Krap seemed more concerned in his master’s suffering then with tormenting you. This evening though…
The girl had taken food to the master’s room during your evening meal, but only moments later, her screams filled the narrow space of the inn. In shock, you watched Cronabilis come striding from his room, sweat pouring down his face, yanking the girl behind him by her hair. The innkeeper came running from the kitchen trying to get the Wizard to calm down, but the mage just screamed, ‘No one mocks the majesty of the House of Cronabilis!’ The girls screams continued to fill the room as her father made to try and cut her hair loose from your master’s grip. Seeing the knife in hand, Ch’endrik moved quickly to loose his own sword and impale the man from behind. Blood spilled onto the floor and the girl’s screaming rose louder. Several of you began to move to help, but the restrictive bonds around your necks tightened as Cronabilis forced his will to keep you under control.
A nightmare later and the inn lay burning with the remaining child and his mother left inside. The image of the summoned daemon devouring the young girl had scarred itself into your memory. It wasn’t the first time that you had witnessed your master summon daemons, nor was it the first time that you had seen a person devoured as a result, but a child? It was too much. It had only been early in Hammer near the time of Midwinter when Jerret was similarly sacrificed? And for what had he died? So that the mage could learn that he was not the only Wizard seeking the damned ruins of Gyddsel. It was madness and the insanity was taking tighter control of Cronabilis’ mind. The screaming inside the place had finally died with their owners. It was awful and on top of it all, the sleet kept coming.
16 Alturiak
The mage knows he is being followed and it has him panicked. Ch’endrik and the other guards are also nervous, but Koji seems the most concerned. Ch’endrik is a Thayan Knight who seems preternaturally aware of danger, but Koji is a survivor. Cronabilis found Koji when he was younger and in need of a guardian. Although the Shou rogue has never been a slave to your master, he is undoubtedly his servant in almost all things. Koji doesn’t share either Krap or Ch’endrik’s disdain for you since he himself is a common man. Above all things though, he is a survivor and his face shows clearly that he thinks this isn’t going to end well. You are camped in the ruins of a fallen tower, doing your best to stay out of the snow when Cronabilis finally turns and stares at you, his deep voice rolls slowly out as if from his very bowels, ‘I am going to share with you the location of the ruins, and you are going to go there. You will take tools and begin tunneling into the earth. You will hear voices, but these you must ignore. Above all else, you must keep digging. I will stay here and send Koji, Tr’ael, and Kraphaestres to escort you to that place. Dig and be faithful. If you try to stray from your labor, I will know of it. Those who are unfaithful will be sacrificed to the most deliberately painful Baatorian I can summon. To you, I am life, and should you fail, I will be death. Now leave, and I will be with you as soon as my business here is complete.’ The clothes on your back, the packs you carry, and the tools and trappings contained inside them are all that you have as you set out into the blustering snowstorm.
28 Alturiak
12 days later, the snow was still falling and the road had completely disappeared. Tr’ael seemed intent on carrying on with the mission and soon enough the Firward mountains began to dominate the skyline. Into the foothills you marched, staying as close to the trees as you could. Several of you had come down with fevers and coughs, let alone the shakes. Krap kept guiding the group forward until you came to an area in the foothills where the trees spread out a bit. Before you, a large opening in the earth came into view. The snow had also finally let up allowing you to see the activity around the newly dug mine where white kobolds moved in a slow line with sacks and animal skins laden with earth. Large tailing piles lined the route out of the cave, down to a pit which you could not see the bottom from your current vantage point. A large outcrop of rock listed to the north over the area, and since the trees had been cleared away, allowed the sentries perched there to keep a good vigil over the surroundings. Krap laughed, “Looks like someone beat us here, but there is the spot. Koji, if you would, scout it out for us. The master certainly won’t let degs stand between he and his prize.” It appeared that the fiend intended to take the cave... that feeling of dread crept back in; this day was only going to get worse.
