he ine f lood

"I'm after someone." Began Rintrah that evening once Bremmar had banked up the fire and ushered the last of his serving maids from the private dining chamber that Rintrah had booked. "A wizard who goes by the name of Morbion. He did me a great disservice, an injustice you might say. I have tracked him ever since. I have become wise in the way of, exotic, magics. In this time I have become aware of a very powerful item. One that might help me in fight with Morbion and one that I would hate to fall into the wrong hands, Morbion's hands to be precise.
"I have been looking for a group of people that would be brave enough to obtain it for me. If I went looking for it Morbion would sense my interest and get there before me. Hence I have come to you to ask if you would be willing to face the challenge."

He paused and looked around the table. All stared intently, eyes glinting in the fire's glow. All that is except Gieve who avoided the mage's gaze.

"Tell us a little about this item, Rintrah. What does it look like and where might it be?" asked Trimus.
"Is it evil?" added Ako. "We couldn't be involved with any evil artefacts, except in attempting to destroy them."

"It's not evil, friend Ako. The Nidus, for that is its name, is an armband. According to the chronicler Romor it was created by the wizard Namulas in the city of Ardelphia which lies on the borders of the Broken Lands. The city was overrun by orcs in 846 AC, they plundered the city and overwintered there destroying most of the cities fine buildings for firewood. When the last orcs were chased out the following spring the city was like a carcass after the vultures have fed. Nothing has been heard of the Nidus since. It has some powers that would aid me in my hunt for Morbion. It protects the wearer's body and mind from magical harm and allows him to travel to places instantly.
"Now the quest will be dangerous and take you to places you might wish to avoid. I will reward you well and offer you these gifts to help you on your way."
Rintrah pulled a large pack from beneath the table and opened it in front of the companions. Arrayed on the table were a number of potions, rings, gauntlets and wands.
"Please take what you think you might be able to use." Offered Rintrah.
Darkhawk picked over the neatly labelled flasks and took a potion of super healing, Ako tried on a pair of gauntlets and flexed his hands, the metal plates moved smoothly over each other.
"Those will give you the power of an ogre aiding you in your struggle with any enemies you meet on your journey."
Trimus bit his lower lip and ran his eyes over the remaining items. The ring of protection perhaps or maybe the wand that could indicate the location of hidden doors, one of the remaining potions or possibly the ring that protected his soul from being drained by evil undead creatures. He decided eventually to take the wand. "The Nidus is likely to be hidden." He reasoned, "And it's hiding place may itself be hidden."
Grabthroat thought for a moment before he reached across the table and plucked the ring of life protection from the cloth and jammed it on his pudgy finger. "Gieve? What about you?" asked Rintrah.
"I will not take anything." The thief replied. "I am going to return home to Selenica, I wish to enjoy the spoils of my adventures for a while before continuing on. Let Trimus take another in my stead."
"Are you sure Gieve, you are welcome to stay with us. We have valued your aid and company on the journeys." Said Trimus softly.
The thief nodded quietly.
"Very well I will take the ring of protection and remember you when I wear it." Said Trimus bowing towards Gieve. "Now there is one other thing I would like to ask you Rintrah. How is it that you can wield a sword. I have tried and nigh on took my head off. Were you a guardsman before you turned to the arcane?"
Rintrah smiled. "No Trimus, my secret is deeper than that. I am not what I seem." With that Rintrah's body seemed to shatter then reform in a different shape. The shape of a Minotaur. Looking at the shocked faces around the table Rintrah changed form again. "Yes I can see that surprised you. Morbion destroyed much of my homeland and my people tasked me to track him down and kill him. Do you still wish to aid me?"
The companions looked at each other silently before Trimus nodded.
"Good! Now I have one more item for you Trimus. This amulet will allow you to talk to me wherever you may be. Now I cannot promise to come straight away as I might be busy with another of Morbion's minions. But if I can I will come." Rintrah handed Trimus an amulet in the form of a small silver minotaur on a silver chain which the mage slipped over his head and tucked inside his shirt.
"Now I must leave you. I have heard rumours of Morbion's whereabouts and so I must continue with my quest." With that Rintrah vanished.
"Now how are we going to explain THAT to the innkeeper!" mused Ako.
Gieve stood and bowed. "I have enjoyed my times with you. I will think of you as I sit by my fireside in Selenica. Keep yourselves safe and take care." All were silent as the thief walked to the door and out of their lives.

The next day the companions were up bright and early, interviewing possible helpers for the journey to Ardelphia. After an hour or so they chose a young burly man by the name of Lovax and a quiet keen man by the name of Cambris, the latter partly because he could speak orc, an advantage as they were heading to lands bordering orcish territories. They made good progress that first day, once they had got used to saddles again. Their path took them through farmland, wooded hills then back into farmland before nightfall. It was in one of these farmhouses that they managed to get rooms for the night. The farmer, a swarthy gentleman by the name of Dermus, was wary of them at first and kept his large dog close at hand while he talked with them. Ako was soon able to put him at his ease and before long they were seated round a large table eating mutton chops and boiled potatoes. All could sense however an air of unease about Dermus and his family and it was relief when Ako broached the subject.

"The last few years have been a problem." Dermus begun, lighting his pipe and passing the taper to Grabthroat who had pushed his chair back and was warming himself by the fire as he smoked. "Very difficult. Cattle and sheep have been going missing. Just ones and twos. Not orcs, no they would take ten or twenty at a time and slaughter the rest. No this is someone or something that is trying not to be discovered. Or so we thought. Then just a few weeks ago travellers, like yourselves, have started to disappear. And villagers too! We have called in the guard but they have found nothing. We even asked the clerics at the local monastery for aid but since the death of their abbot they have become more reclusive."
"Of what order are these monks?" asked Ako.
"Felmasar, if that makes any sense to you." replied Dermus.
"Yes, I have heard of the order. A small but old one, dedicated to doing good works. It might pay to visit them. I know that this is not what we are here for but we may be able to aid in some way. Where is the monastery?"
"Near the village of Crowlerd, but one bit of advise. Stay clear of the Nine Of Blood. It's an ancient circle of stones, legend says that there used to be nine, but for as long as people can recall there have only been seven, though legend has it that no two people will ever count the same number."
With that Dermus refused to say any more about the circle and talk turned to the crops and a few tales of adventure.

The following morning the companions set off again on the road to Ardelphia, a road that also led to Crowlerd, a large village of some eight hundred souls in the heart of some of Darokin's best farmland. As they rode into the village they could not help but see the reward notices posted at almost every street corner. Intrigued by the level of concern shown by the village and the people of the surrounding countryside, Trimus and the others decided to offer what assistance they could. Seeking out the village headman was not difficult. Mayor Gurse had seen them approach and was on his way to ask for their aid. He invited them to the village inn for an early lunch over which they discussed the problem at hand.
"Everyone seems to be suffering" Gurse began in a rich educated voice. "The stone circle seems to be the centre of the evil, more now then before."
"As anything changed recently that might have caused this?" asked Ako.
The mayor rubbed his chin and looked thoughtful for a moment. "Now that you mention it, yes. There have been some strange lights seen up at the circle recently along with chanting. Nobody dare get close enough to see what's going on, not with all the disappearances and all. Then there is the monastery. The new abbot has been good to us, buying much more from us and the farmers, I suppose he's been losing sheep as well. Perhaps it was some of the brothers from there trying to cleanse the place with their lights and chanting, brave of them if it were."
"Perhaps we should visit them?" suggested Ako
The mayor shook his head. "They wont see you, not even a fellow cleric as yourself. They don't see nobody."
"I think we should try anyway." Said Trimus looking across the table to Ako who nodded.

They headed cross country following the directions of the mayor to the monastery and came to a pair of very solid wooden gates set into a high stone wall. Ako rapped on the door with the large brass knocker in the shape of a blazing sun that was set into the centre of the left hand door. Minutes past and Ako was about to knock again when a face appeared at a small slit window in the wall beside the door.
"Yes. What is it? We haven't ordered provisions." The voice sounded sly and rude.
"We have come from Crowlerd, they are worried about the disappearances. We wondered if you knew anything about them or the lights seen at the Nine Of Blood?" Ako asked politely.
"No. Go away. We do not wish to talk to outsiders. Leave us."
"Have any of your livestock gone missing?" Pressed Ako.
"No. Now be gone from here. We must attend prayers." With that a shutter was slammed shut and despite Ako knocking again no further answers were forthcoming. "Hmm." Mused Ako. "Not very friendly at all. Still I know little of their order so perhaps that is their way."
"Should we visit this Nine Of Blood and see what clues it has to offer?" asked Grabthroat.
Everyone nodded and after a final knock on the monastery door they rode back up the road and east towards the stone circle.
The Nine Of Blood stood at the summit of a low hill that looked out over two heavily wooded valleys. A small construction, only some 40 yards in diameter it consisted of six large stones though they soon found disturbed ground which suggested that indeed nine stood there in the past. The stones themselves were greyish black in colour with flicks of some sparkly mineral. About two foot square and eight foot high tapering towards the top. One of the disturbed areas hinted that the removal of at least one stone had happened recently. Grabthroat examined the remaining stones, taking great care not to touch them after a warning from Ako and Trimus. "Granite." He announced. "Once carved with runes and images but I can't make them out. I would say from the degree of weathering that these have been here for many centuries."
Trimus pulled out his wand of magic detection from his pack and pointed it at the remaining stones. After a moment or two he shook his head.
"They aren't magical unless some form of enchantment is upon them that can deceive the wand."
Ako suddenly dropped to his knees at the centre of the circle.
"What is it Ako?" asked Darkhawk joining the cleric.
"Blood. Fresh blood."
"Lookout!" cried Grabthroat drawing Kagyar and striking a defensive posture next to Trimus. All about the circle the ground was cracking and figures were emerging. Ten emaciated figures clawed they way free from the soil and encircled the party. Lifeless eyes seemed to bore into the heroes as the zombie like creatures approached. They wore a variety of clothing, some recent in style others ancient, their weapons were also a strange mix of ancient and modern. Lovax and Cambris joined Grabthroat and Darkhawk in forming a defensive circle as Trimus and Ako prepared spells. Raising his hand in front of him Ako declaimed "Be gone and return no more, foul spawn!" Of the six creatures in front of him four collapsed to the ground the other two came on and engaged Darkhawk and Lovax. Ako spun on his heal and repeated his actions against the other four undead, causing all but one to collapse. Cambris stepped forward and dispatched the last one with a few swift blows of his sword. Meanwhile Darkhawk and Lovax had accounted for the remaining two. Despite the stench of rot and decay, Ako insisted that they take the bodies back to Crowlerd for identification and a decent burial. Reluctantly the others agreed and they tied the bodies to the backs of the horses and lead them back into the village. News of the procession's approach drew a crowd of gawkers along with a few members of families who had lost relations in recent weeks. The wailing of the women when they saw someone they recognised amongst the dead was too much for Ako.
"We have to do something about this." He whispered to Trimus. "I feel that something is not quite right at the monastery. I think we should investigate the brothers after dark, what say you Trimus?"
Trimus looked at the cleric's red-rimmed eyes and nodded.

After a early evening meal at The Star, the party rested before leaving the inn an hour after sunset. Wrapping the hooves of the horses with rags to deaden the sound of their approach they rode towards the monastery. Leaving the horses in the woods loosely tied to the trees they made the final approach to the gates in silence. Trimus muttered an incantation and the door swung open on silent, well oiled hinges. Inside the enclosure were two groups of buildings. To the west the monastery, built of a honey coloured stone with tall thin windows filled with coloured glass. Light from inside lit up windows on the western side of the building. The other building appeared in the moonlight to be a farm building or barn. Grabthroat and Lovax left the others by the gate to investigate the barn and returned a few moments later. "There's lots of cattle in there, all very scrawny, don't look like they've been fed in a while." Reported the dwarf.
"Let's see what's going on in the monastery." Suggested Ako, fingering the end of his mace. The others nodded and they approached the porch that jutted out from the north wall of the building. Carefully they turned the heavy iron handle and swung the thick wooden door open. Grabthroat led the way into the dark entrance hall, his eyes more attuned to the dark searching for any figures or traps that might announce their presence. A single door in the south wall of the room opened out onto a candle lit corridor, that ran east with doors in north and south walls and a further door in the west wall. Grabthroat turned to Ako for guidance and the cleric pointed east. They continued along the passage all the while sure that someone would emerge from one of the doors and challenge them. They passed a pair of double doors in the south wall from behind which quiet chanting could be heard, the words of which could not be made out. Grabthroat reached for the handle but Ako held him back and pointed to two other doors in the opposite wall.
The first led into a small room lit only by the moonlight through the window in the north wall. A wardrobe inside contained 4 heavy red robes and a box of white candles. Returning to the corridor the entered a larger room. Lit by a small oil lamp the room appeared comfortably furnished. An iron framed bed, a table and a wooden chest all of a high quality were neatly arranged in the room. Trimus strode over to the desk and opened the drawers. Inside he found a some sheets of blank paper, a glass bottle of blue ink and a few small books. He quickly flicked through them but couldn't make any sense of the symbols and letters therein. "Looks like some kind of code." He said passing them to Cambris who was looking over the mage's shoulder.
Darkhawk, meanwhile, had been investigating the chest. Inside he pulled out an assortment of clothes before he found a fine grey robe. Lifting it out for a better look he discovered a heavy pouch containing an assortment of gold and silver coins along with two large turquoise beads. Smiling he stuffed the pouch and its contents into his pack.
Returning to the corridor they tiptoed silently past the double door. The chanting inside had become both louder and darker since the last time they had listened. They opened the door at the western end of the corridor and found that they had a choice of passages. A longer candle lit corridor leading south or a short passage leading west. A silent conversation followed before they decided to check the western arm of the 'T' first. Two doors led off of the corridor at its far western end. The northern door opened onto a large room dominated by a wide wooden table with over a dozen plain chairs set around its perimeter. The opposite door led into a kitchen. Scrubbed pine surfaces and a dark slate floor all showed signs of recent use but the fire had been banked down for the night and gave off a soft ruddy glow. Shelves and cupboards lined the walls all containing sachets and jars of herbs, spices and pickles. A door in the south wall led to a pantry where Darkhawk had to duck to avoid the rings of sausages and the salted hams hanging from the beams. A few kegs of beer and barrels of salt pork were neatly stacked against the wall. Trimus examined the symbols branded on the barrels.
"These came from Crowlerd." He whispered to Ako.
"That backs up what the villagers said about selling them supplies at least."
They went back into the corridor and opened the next door along. Inside were two narrow beds, a table, a pair of chairs and a two lockers. All the furniture was plain and functional. Darkhawk carefully examined the lockers and pulled out some tunics, breeches and a pair of grey robes. Trimus started towards the next door but Ako put his hand on the mages shoulder and shook his head.
"They will be at the height of their ceremony now. If we are going to find out what is going on I think we should return to the main chapel now." Trimus nodded and with Grabthroat and Darkhawk at the front they moved as carefully as they could back towards the double doors and the source of the ominous chanting. Outside the large doors Darkhawk's form shimmered and changed and was replaced by the dark armoured fighter who nodded, the signal for the dwarf to open the door and slip into the room followed closely by Lovax, Darkhawk, Trimus, Ako and Cambris.

Inside smoke, heavy with pungent incense, roiled up from large braziers. Nearly a dozen red-robed clerics swayed and chanted to an incessant driving rhythm between four thick stone pillars. At the far end of the room in front of a black altar topped with a beast like figure stood a cleric, also in red robes but with a thick black cord about his waist. More shocking still though was the sight of three of the massive sarson stones poised on the dais beside the altar.
"Trimus, this is evil. You must destroy them." Ako whispered into Trimus' ear.
Trimus frowned for a moment then flung out his hands. A huge fireball engulfed the centre of the room and the chanting stooped. It was replaced first by a roaring crackling sound and the shattering of glass as the fireball expanded and blew out the stained glass windows. This was followed by the screaming and moaning of the dying clerics. Seven were killed instantly and two more were swiftly paralysed by the swift use of his wand. The arch cleric at the altar turned and let his hood fall back revealing a pale skeletal face devoid of any hair, and dominated by dark pit like eyes under bulging brow ridges. Seeing the carnage in front of him he hissed a curse before clenching his fist and muttering an incantation. Ako shivered as four of the charred figures scrabbled to their feet and turned their lidless eyes on the companions. Raising his hand he urged them to depart. His will was so strong that 4our of the undead shattered into moist fragments at his command. Meanwhile the head cleric had freed two of his paralysed underlings and ordered them to attack. Seeing this Trimus loosed a pair of magic missiles at the head cleric before casting a mirror image spell on himself.
Then suddenly all went quiet.
They could see the fires crackling up the tapestries and licking over the wooden panelling but they could not hear them.
"Silence" mouthed Trimus to the puzzled Grabthroat.
"Futtocks!" replied the dwarf silently.
Over the heads of the advancing clerics, both live and undead they could see the cleric casting spells.
Ako let out a silent wordless scream and raised his hands to his eyes oblivious to the cleric beside him who swung a vicious mace into Ako's ribcage. Using his staff Ako cured his blindness before ramming the butt of his weapon into his foe's throat. Grabthroat almost completely severed the head of his attacker before freezing in mid swing as did Ako.
Seeing his friends paralysed, Darkhawk released a burst of energy at the cleric beside the altar. Some of the power seemed to be dissipated by a glowing shield about the clerics person but it still knocked him back a bit.
Trimus could see that things were very evenly balanced. He knew that the cleric had to be destroyed if his friends were to survive the encounter. Reaching into his pack he pulled out a potion of invisibility. Quaffing it down swiftly the thick silvery, lemony liquid coated his throat and Trimus moved off towards the altar and the head cleric. Lovax and Cambris were making headway against the rest of the clerics, slowly driving them back as Trimus casually strode past them. They gave each other a puzzled look. Trimus was still visible, the potion hadn't worked!
At the altar the cleric turned to face the hideous statue crouched atop the stone slab. "Kharg, destroy these despoilers!" he shouted. As he raised his hands in supplication the tall stones beside the altar started to give off a sickly yellow radiance and started to move forward.
Trimus got to the altar just after the cleric had called upon his god. Bracing himself against the wall the young mage tried to force the statue off the altar. The cleric grinned evilly and prepared a spell but was distracted as he was about to cast it as Darkhawk cannoned into him.
A scream rent the air as Cambris collided with one of the sarsons, his face had become drawn and his muscles wasted. Lovax seeing his companions distress charged in and dragged him free as the other stones closed in. Trimus and Darkhawk had the cleric pinned against the altar and finished him off with a flurry of stabs from their daggers. As the cleric slid down into a pool of his own blood he whispered, "Receive me, immortal Kharg into your embrace."
They relaxed momentarily as the cleric's eyes rolled up in his head, but then Lovax pointed to the stones. They still glowed and slowly converged towards the dais. Cambris and Darkhawk rushed to draw their paralysed companions to relative safety while Lovax, Trimus and Trimus guarded the rear. Moving as fast as they could with the dead weight of their companions on their backs they made their way out of the chapel and into the corridor.
They weren't fast enough though.
As Lovax slammed the doors shut behind him one of the stones broke through the wall beside it, blocking the exit from the monastery. The companions dived into the nearest room. Darkhawk laid Ako on the floor and helped Lovax jam the door shut with a wardrobe and a table.
"It won't hold them long!" shouted Darkhawk above the squealing sound of stone sliding on stone.
"Rintrah!" called Trimus clutching the amulet in his left hand. "Rintrah, we need you now!"
The sound of shattering glass broke Trimus' concentration as Darkhawk hurled a chair through the window. Removing the rest of the glass with his armoured fist the fighter urged everyone to get out as fast as they could. Barely had Darkhawk left the room when the stone burst through the door and moments later through the wall as well.
"We have to destroy them." Said Trimus his voice quaking with fear. "Otherwise they could rampage through all the farms in the area."
"Yes." Replied Darkhawk. "But how, you must be low on spells, Ako and Grabthroat are paralysed."
Suddenly the stone was illuminated by a hail of magic missiles. Chips flew off in all directions and it rocked backwards, for a moment it appeared that it would topple but then it came on.
Astonished Trimus turned to see Rintrah standing there, a little surprised himself at the foes his associates were facing. The mage unleashed another volley of missiles this time the stone was covered with a web of glowing fissures before it shattered into countless fragments.
Rintrah silenced Trimus' babbling explanation with a raised hand.
"Be swift friend, another ogree approaches." As Trimus spun on his heal he saw one of the giant stones burst through the monastery doors, followed by the third stone. Rintrah turns to the prone forms of the dwarf and the cleric and casts a spell upon them. Dazed and confused they shook their heads as if awaking from a drunken stupor. Ako swiftly assessed the situation and blessed the whole party. The warm benediction raised their morale and they stood firm awaiting the advancing stones. Rintrah cast another spell. This time a huge ball of flame engulfed the stones but as the smoke cleared they advanced, scorched but apparently unharmed. Ako grasped the haft of Grabthroat's chopper and cast a spell on it. "I have given it the ability to do more damage, friend dwarf." The cleric replied to the dwarf's confused glance.
The nearest stone lurched towards Darkhawk but the agile fighter dodged out of the way allowing Grabthroat to hew a chunk from the stone's flank. Rintrah cast another spell at the stones, a look of desperation in his eyes now as he realised that it had no effect. Seeing this Trimus grabbed Cambris by the shoulder and dragged him towards the monastery. "The statue!" the mage called back. "We will destroy it, it may stop them."
"We must give them time." shouted Grabthroat and he and Ako attacked the nearest stone. Their flurry of blows caused a web of fractures across the surface of the stone to grow and merge until it collapsed into a pile at their feet. Bone weary they converged on the other stone flanked by Darkhawk and Lovax.

Trimus and Cambris picked their way through the still smoking bodies that littered the floor of the chapel towards the altar and the beast shaped idol that squatted atop it. They climbed up beside it and braced their backs against the wall and pushed. With a grunt they managed to topple the statue from the altar. It hit the ground with a loud crash sending fragments skittering across the mosaic floor. Leaping down from the altar they searched the cleric's body and those of his acolytes. All they found amongst the fragments was a single small garnet. Turning the head cleric's body over Trimus found that he was wearing a mask. He reached towards it and pulled it from the dead cleric's face. A chill ran up his fingers and the pentagram on his palm glowed bright for a second. Beneath the mask was a nondescript face, human, mid-thirties with long blond hair.

"You did it!" shouted Grabthroat from the door. "The stone just stopped and toppled over."
"Find anything?" asked Ako looking around the bodies on the floor.
"Not much, just a garnet from the statue."
"Should we check the rest of the building?" asked Darkhawk "There may be more of the clerics in hiding."
"Not if they've got any sense." Smiled Rintrah. "They'd be half way to Darokin by now!"
They all laughed.
"But I think it may be worth searching the building. The villagers deserve to be rewarded for their lost ones and the animals that have been killed by the stones." The mage continued.

An hour or so later they had completed their search of the monastery. A pair of chests containing several thousand gold and silver pieces and three potions was the sum total of the treasure that remained in the building.
"Now all we have to do is get this lot back to the villagers." Sighed Grabthroat.
This they did. The villagers were very pleased to here of their success against the stones. They offered the money to the companions in reward for their actions but Ako firmly but graciously turned them down. The mayor then ordered a great feast to be organised in honour of the heroes the following evening. Ako was about to refuse this as well but Grabthroat elbowed him in the ribs and accepted the offer on behalf of the others.

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