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Sigred explained that the scroll was a powerful holy spell, capable of taking the whole group immediately to the Basilica by magic. All that was required was to locate a piece of ground consecrated to Aderra - a temple or shrine, such as had been very common in this area in the PCs day. The ancient maps he'd managed to obtain showed one around ten or fifteen miles to the east; thinking back, the group remembered hearing of such a place as they passed through Oret on the way to the castle.
The village leader, who had been listening to their conversation, piped up at this point and offered some guides to help find the place. Surya was instantly suspicious of his motives, and, citing the example of the villager who reported them to the Dragonarmy patrol, demanded to know why the villagers should be trusted. Sigred spoke up in their behalf, and the village leader replied that the priest had been using his powers to help out the village for days now; they felt grateful and inclined to help. He also vowed to have his own revenge on the man in question; "I may be a slave," he stated, "but I keep my word." Surya relented, and four young farmers were introduced as their guides; strong-looking men, poorly dressed, but each carrying a long logging axe.
So they left the village. Climbing down the valley to the river below, they crossed over without trouble, and climbed up to the moors on the eastern side. With some mild grumbling about having to walk - their horses all being nine hundred years dust - they set off, following Sigred's map.
| Towards evening, they reached the place indicated. Cresting a wooded rise, they found themselves looking down - northwards - into a small, lightly forested valley. Among the trees and bushes at the centre of the valley, were visible the remains of a structure. It was once a multiple building, but now in most cases all that was left were fragments of wall and heaps of rubble. |
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Sigred was clearly taken aback by the state of the place, and while the PCs were scanning the woods, he was muttering gloomily about the propects of the ground still being suitably holy. Nose-Biter the owl soared over, his evening-tuned eyes perfect for this light, and caught sight of "several man-creatures" in the north section of the largest piece of ruin (1 on the map).
Then, as the group moved down the slope, Sigred followed Hildraft, who was angling out to the left and circling around, presumably wanting to concentrate as much clerical firepower in one place as possible. Kobort fanned out to the right, aiming to climb the sole remaining arch of the vanished nave so as to get a look from above. Sack and Surya, bows readied, worked forwards towards the nearer ruins. The four farmers remained on the fringes of the temple grounds.
As they approached the walls, both of them heard sounds that made them even more suspicious - and so, when the creatures within the two ruined outbuildings broke their cover, neither were surprised. A mixture of lizardmen and humans, all in Dragonarmy uniforms, started clambering over the walls out of the ruins. Both let drive immediately - and then all hell broke loose.
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Armoured men and lizardmen appeared from several places around the site, charging out
to engage the band, and from the largest section came .... something else. Lizard-like,
but not a lizardman; reptillian, nearly seven feet tall, clad in heavy plate armour and
carrying a mighty sword - stained with blood, it appeared, though no blows had been
struck. Sigred blanched. "Aderra preserve us!" he gasped; "Hrothgault of
the Kin!" Seeing the ambush sprung, the four farmer-guides came rushing bravely in to help; one managed to inflict a fairly minor wound from behind on a human dragontrooper before Sack hacked him to bits from the front. Encouraged, the man pressed forward and found himself in the centre of the temple, for the moment in the calm eye of the storm, with one of his compatriots who had similarly broken through with Surya. |
Hrothgault levelled his weapon at Sigred and thundered out: "So, Priestling! You thought you and your rebel friends - and the vermin - could quietly slip away from the scene of the crime, eh? Your interference has gone on long enough. Lord Varkar does not take kindly to the murder of his servants. I am his hand here, and my sentence is death. Surrender yourselves!"
Sigred, rallying from his fear, started calling on his goddess for protection and aid to the forces of light, and his magic settled over the field, encouraging and assisting the group and their agricultuaral allies. Then, for good measure, he enchanted one of the lizardmen, locking him to the spot immobile.
The heroes gave good account of themselves, and in several fierce fights across the clearing, the foe were beaten back. Horthgault, though, seemed intent on Sigred, and pressed forwards toward him, disdaining the crossbow bolts Kobort was shooting at him from his archway perch. Surya, finishing the last of his lizard opponents, snatched two of the rubies from his necklace of Fireballs, and hurled them at the advancing monster. Two vast blasts of fire washed outwards, roasting two human and one lizard dragontrooper, but apart from some scorching of his armour, Hrothgault appeared totally unharmed.
Sack, clear of his own opponents, broke through into the centre and charged across at the Kin, drawing the two surviving farmers with him. As the monster bore down on Hildraft and Sigred - who were still trying to settle two human troopers - Sack piled into him from the side.
With terrifying casualness, Hrothgault turned and slashed, twice, and the two brave farmers were pitched away, cloven almost in half. As he faced the Kin, Sack was uncomfortably aware of the small coils of smoke curling up from its' nostrils, and a sensation of distinct warmth emanating from him.
The half-orc engaged Hrothgault, trading blows and each being wounded in turn. Then, as Hildraft - dealing with his human foes - and Surya came up to help him, he was horrified to see, from the corner of his eye, the two farmers Hrothgault had slain lurch back to their feet, dead-eyed and tattered, and heft their axes ready to attack him! Before they could strike, though, Surya had cut them down again, watching as their bodies crumbled into dust and were gone.
Now the three warriors ringed Hrothgault, striking and dodging, slowly bringing him down. His confidence visibly ebbed, and shaking his left arm loose from his shield straps, he dipped into his belt and brought out a potion bottle. Too late. Sack and Surya dealt mighty blows; his arm rose to bring the bottle to his lips, but his great strength failed him, and he toppled at their feet, the bottle rolling from his claws across the bloodied grass. He made no move to resist - was probably already dead - as Hildraft swung his great axe and chopped his head off.
| Sigred was awed. "You slew one of the Kin!" he said. Then he sobered, and
went off to say a few words over the slain farmers. Hildraft went with him. "What is,
or are, the Kin?" he asked. "The Kin are the children of Varkar," answered the priest simply. "He sometimes takes human form, and has in the past sired children onto mortal women. Such are the Kin. The most powerful, he makes his generals and governers; the lesser, he sends about the world to cause trouble. Such a one was this Hrothgault; he has pursued me before and I escaped only through blind luck." |
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The band ransacked the bodies for their valuables, and Kobort Identified the magical treasures. Sack tucked the potion away, against the need for some extra-special intrusion, and Surya took the sword. Sigred was horrified. "That is a blade of ill omen," he stated, "and you do yourself no favours to take it. Forged by evil, with evil and for evil, it will turn you to evil in the end". Shaking his head, he went to kneel at the shattered altar and pray. Looking up after a moment, he smiled. "Fortune smiles, gentlemen," he reported. "The Lady's light still shines here; we can be away. Gather close." They clustered around, and he read from his scroll. In a flash of light, the group vanished.
With no perceptible movement, the group suddenly found themselves somewhere else. Stumbling a little, they looked around. They were in a high, vaulted stone hall, with an arched roof and thick round columns supporting it. Beneath their feet was a curious arcane symbol, glowing brightly when first seen, but fading even as they watched. Twin doors opened out at the far end, and guarding them were four men, mailed and helmeted, with white surcoats bearing the same emblems as Sigred's holy symbol the badge of Aderra. These men started as the travellers appeared, half-drawing their swords, but on recognising Sigred, they relaxed, and started up the aisle towards him with welcoming smiles. "Deacon Sigred! You've returned safely - and brought visitors," said one, reaching to take the priest's hand.
