War and Sanctity

Leaving the city, the Quest travelled swiftly through the hinterlands surrounding it to the shores of the dark lake. There, Silustriana negotiated with the Dark Boatmen once more, and soon the quest was plummeting through the earth aboard one of the weird enclosed fallships.

After half an hour or so, they disembarked at the edge of a similar lake within the realm of Bel'raldar, shown on the Tormtors' maps as controlled by High Clan Aleval - the only politically neutral High Clan. Both the Fae Mhor and the surface-worlders were rather expecting some sort of facilities at the landing-point, and were rather nonplussed to discover nothing of the sort.

Resigned to walking, they set off across country, and soon picked up the road shown on the rather old map Silustriana had brought. Following this, they made good progress towards the marked Fall, and camped for the night.

(Bel'Raldar, 30^th January, 1601)

About half-way through the day, they came over a ridge and into sight of the city of Hernidar. What they saw came as rather a shock. A mighty army surrounded the city, and a siege was clearly in progress! With the aid of Surya's spyglass, they could tell that the city was being defended by Fae Mhor wearing the badges of Clan Aleval; the attackers were like nothing any of them had ever seen before; like upright, humanoid toads.

It was quite clear that the city's defenders were doomed to defeat, even to those unaccustomed to sieges. The travellers looked to their Fae Mhor guides, to see if the latter were inclined to attempt to get into the city; but neither was keen on the idea.

The main body of the Quest set out to describe a wide circle around the conflict; Surya and Sack were curious, however, and taking Hildraft with them, headed for the centre of the great army of peculiar beings. Before they went, they got Kobort to equip them with spells of Flying - just in case a sharp exit was called for.

As they walked, they noticed to their surprise that the creatures didn't pay particular notice to them - humans - walking through the camp. This was explained when, of a sudden, a creature passing them suddenly shimmered and shapeshifted into a human form. Turning their steps towards what was obviously a command group on a small knoll nearby, the adventurers approached it, to be firmly halted by the guards at the base. The language they spoke was strange to the Tellaran and the half-orc, but Hildraft of course understood perfectly. "What Septum are you, and where are you going?" they demanded. "4^th," snapped back Hildraft. Kord appeared to be with him, because this answer appeared acceptable. "We want to see the Commander," he continued, gesturing towards a pale white creature, head and shoulders bigger than the others, which was clearly in charge. The guard laughed. "Why should I let you rabble bother the Commander?" it barked contemptuously. "Because I'm a White too," answered Hildraft, fluently in the creature's own language.

Doubts clearly struck the guard, and he wavered. "I'll, uh, check..." he said. "No!" rapped Hildraft, "I don't have time for this. Shall I tell the Commander that you impeded me?" The guard flinched, and let them through.

Topping the knoll, the three observed that the battle was clearly being run from here. Several scrying spells were in action, displaying parts of the battlefield, and the white Commander was directing it all with skill and authority. Suddenly, he stopped, and glared at the three intruders.

"Surface worlders?" it growled, in perfect Common. "How did you get in here?" Surya gestured towards the guard. "He let us in," he replied guilelessly. Without another word, the Commander waved a hand at the stricken guard; a dark ball of ...less than nothing... floated over to the creature and burned its' way into his hapless body. By the time the ball dissipated, over half its' body was gone.

"Arrest them," commanded the White, and the rest of the guards closed in. Glancing at each other, the three decided it was time to leave, and sprang into the air; Sack drawing his sword and striking one of the guards as he did so. With a gesture, the White waved a hand after them. "Desist!" it declaimed. Instantly, the three were falling rather than rising.

Sack twisted around to get another blow in as he came down, cleaving the guard almost in half and coming down in a tangled heap with its' body. Surya managed to get his legs under him, and landed on his feet, drawing both swords as he did so. Next to him, Hildraft fell to earth with a loud crash of metal plates.

The guards ringed them around, but now the Commander's interest was piqued, and he backed his forces off to talk to the intruders. They assured him they were merely passing through, en route to Melaskos (he laughed at that, and clearly thought that letting them go would be the easiest way to be rid of them forever). They discovered that the commander was Lord Estival, and the creatures he led were Slaadi, a name that Surya dimly remembered seeing once in a book somewhere as a Chaos race out of Limbo; usually so disorganized that five or six were a large group. He glanced around again at the mighty army ranged against the Aleval. Something odd was clearly happening in the Underdark... Losing interest, Estival had them escorted to the edge of his army.

Leaving the Slaad Lord and his army, they rejoined the rest of the Quest, and completed the journey to the next Fall without further event. By the next morning, they were docking at the landing stage on Jerrata, the next realm on their journey.

(Jerrata, 1^st February, 1601)

Setting out, they followed Silustriana's ancient maps, heading for the city of Makka, where they felt they might get supplies and mounts. Quickly, however, it became apparent that there was no life beyond plants in Jerrata; the landscape was desolate, and the city they approached had already begun to crumble back into the plain.

About this time, Hildraft noticed that the ring Verdaeth had provided the Quest for detecting Sancrist Crystals with had begun to glow faintly, and was slowly changing from red to green. The Quest looked at one another, baffled. If the signs were correct, it meant that there was a Sancrist somewhere on Jerrata - but how could there be? All the signs indicated that it was guarded with all the force High Clan Eilservs could muster in the depths of Melaskos!

The only thing to do was to follow the trail, and so they did. Soon, they saw the ancient stone circle (marked on the map as Maraka) coming into sight, and   perceived that a pale blue glow was emanating from something at the centre.

Reaching the edge, they paused, considering. The circle was a quarter of a mile across, with huge stones thirty feet high in an outer ring, then a second one of man-high stones, and finally an inner ring of smaller ones about Hildraft's height. All were hoary and crumbling, leaning and tilted with age, and yet the circle gave a distinct feeling of quiet power, of being somehow real, more real than anything else in this bereft landscape. Those capable of discerning magic reported that waves of arcane power on a scale almost beyond belief were radiating from the circle and across the landscape.

Boldly, Surya stepped forward between the outer stones. Instantly, a searing pain slashed through his body at waist height, and everything went black. The Tellaran dropped like a stone.

Digging in his pack, Sack unearthed his grappling hook, tied it to a length of rope and tossed it gently over Surya's still form. The tines caught in the links of his mailshirt, and the half-orc pulled the fallen warrior back out of the circle of stones. Almost immediately, he stirred, and was soon sitting up again, shaken and nauseated but basically unharmed.

Returning his attention to the circle, Sack studied it intently. Now he looked more closely, he could see that the air in between the stones was alive with a very tiny shimmer, like a heat-haze. Theorizing the effect might be linked with metal, he shed all his armour and weapons and tied a rope about his waist, then stepped carefully into the circle.

He wasn't struck down in the same way; but he did not feel at all well. A great drag seemed to be on his spirits; his thoughts were slow; his mighty muscles weaker than normal. He could endure it, though, and pressed on towards the centre of the circle.

In the middle, he found a stubby plinth about waist-height, with a huge blue crystal the size of his head resting on the top. The glow suffusing the inner ring was clearly coming from here. He examined the plinth, and the stones of the inner circle - which appeared to be in better condition than the outer ones. Some of the carved runes and symbols were clearer, and he recognized a couple of them. They were sigils of Good; of the Light.

All was now clear. Surya did off his swords and stepped into the circle, finding the same sensations as the half-orc but with an additional cold ache at his hips where the two dark weapons were accustomed to hang. Then Hildraft entered the circle. With an expression of shock and joy he fell to his knees, overcome by waves of beatitude; he was looking full in the face of Kord, and understood his ineffability in this moment far better than ever before.

It took the other two several minutes to get his attention, and then they went to examine the crystal. Hildraft's minimal knowledge on the subject and the locator ring confirmed that this was indeed a Sancrist Crystal - but it could not possibly be the one they were looking for.

At this point, Sack's thieves' instincts took over, and gripping the crystal in both hands, he lifted it from its' plinth. Instantly, the glow vanished, and he and Surya felt much better. Hildraft, however, looked as if he'd receieved a deathblow; stricken, he plunged from a blessed state to drear mundanity.

Both Sack and Surya looked at him. The dwarf shook his head. Deep within him, in that place that was ever linked to Kord, he knew that the crystal had to be left where it was. Reluctantly, Sack put it back.

They left the circle, Hildraft the last and slowest. Then they resumed their journey to the Fall, and boarded the Fallship for Melaskos.