urprise urprise!

Trimus started to nod then thought better of it sensing that the knife was scant inches from the vein in his throat.
"A wise decision. Now let us see what trouble your friends have got themselves into." With that the unseen figure pushed Trimus into the chamber where he tumbled to the floor.

He looked up to see a strange sight. Gavron and Amor where held in the gaze of an ancient lizardman, with an eagle feather head-dress and a bone necklace. Ten heavily armoured lizardmen lined the walls while on a stone throne sat another, slightly less ancient, lizardman, a bone sceptre across his knees.

"Thank you Gieve." Hissed the seated lizard. "I knew you could be trusted to bring the defilers to justice. The humans need to be taught a lesson. Desecration and grave robbing cannot be allowed to continue unpunished." He gave a sibilant command and four of the lizard warriors stepped forward.

"Wait!" shouted Trimus rising to his feet and then prostrating himself in front of the throne. "We have been tricked. We have been foolish, naīve certainly, but evil and malicious, no. These three," he indicated Gavin, Lewel and Amor with a wave of his hand, "Told us that you held one of their friends hostage. We came to rescue him.

"Hssss. We held him, yes. But he is dead. He killed two of my brood as they slept and destroyed eggs, many eggs, before burning the nest site. A heinous crime, for this you must be punished."

"Broodfather." Interupted Gieve stepping forward and kneeling. "I believe this one. He doesn't have the scent of lies upon him."

"You presume much human, but you have served us well in the past. You!" He stabbed his fore finger with its evilly curved claw at Lewel and Amor in turn. "Will fight you." This time his finger pointed at Ako and Darkhawk. "It will be a truth-fight to the death. No quarter asked or given. Free them shaman and return their weapons, but watch for trickery."

The lizardmen formed a circle around Ako, Darkhawk and their opponents. Ako faced Amor and Darkhawk paired off against Lewel. Both pairs of protagonists probed and circled looking for openings, seconds of action followed by what seemed to be hours of studied calm. Amor and Lewel's experience against Ako and Darkhawk's courage. To Trimus's despair the fight was going against his friends. Ako had a nasty swelling on the right side of his head and he could barely keep his shield up. Darkhawk was limping from a nasty gash in his left thigh. The battle would soon be over and Trimus was looking for a way to escape with his life when suddenly Amor and Lewel collided with each other as they each went for the killing stroke. Ako and Darkhawk saw their opportunity and took it. Darkhawk easing his blade into a gap between body and arm while Ako brought his mace down on Amor's shoulder shattering it, following it with a second swing into the cleric's throat crushing his windpipe and breaking his neck in a single blow.

The ancient lizardman stood up. "Semuanya has chosen. They may leave. Kill the other defiler." Sensing his fate Gavron make a run for the door. He didn't make it. Gieve drew and released a dagger in a single flowing movement and it embedded itself in the fleeing fighters throat. Gavron tumbled to the floor his hands clawing at the blade projecting from his body.

"You fought well." Said Gieve slapping Ako and Darkhawk's hands before retrieving his blade, wiping it on Gavron's shirt before returning the dagger to his belt. "He deserved to die."
"Leave us now, Gieve." Hissed the ancient, "We would welcome your return, but these others must never enter our chambers again."
Gieve nodded and indicated that the others should do the same, then he walked backwards out of the chamber.
Emerging into the early afternoon sunlight, Gieve sat on a fallen tree and laughed till tears ran down his cheeks.
"What's so funny?" asked Trimus indignantly.
"I've been trying to get rid of Gavron and his cronies for ages. What luck that they came back here. Now, you look an intelligent bunch, well at least some of you do. What made you team up with that bunch of crooks and losers?"
The friends looked at each other then at their feet. "Dunno" mumbled Grabthroat "They seemed genuine enough and we needed the money."
"Oh well. No real harm done - except a few less lizardmen and who's going to miss them. Before we head back to Ronawac there's something I want to take a look at. Want to come along?"
"It wouldn't be some sort of ruin would it?" asked the dwarf remembering the tumbled building he say the day before.
"Yes. There's a tower a few hours east of here. Are you with me?"
The companions shrugged and indicated that Gieve should lead on.

Apart from the numerous midges the journey to the ruined tower was uneventful and they arrived an hour or so before sundown.
"Hmm. Not much to see here." Muttered Darkhawk, "We should head back to the village."
"We wouldn't make it before nightfall. We should camp here" replied Gieve.
"Grabthroat! Over here!" shouted Ako from a tangle of creepers.
"What now." Grumbled the dwarf who had just sat down and lit his pipe.
"There's a chest and there's something very strange in it." Replied the Cleric who was kneeling before a mouldering wooden chest.
"Let me see." Insisted the mage who had got there before the dwarf and he reached out his hand to touch a pale grey orb. "Oooh its cold. I don't think we should touch it. Get me a sack Grabthroat."
The dwarf frowned and mumbled something about stuck-up mages but returned to his backpack and drew out a stout sack which he handed to Trimus.
"Don't bother saying thank-you or anything." He mumbled and tramped back to the fire that Gieve had started from wood brought by Darkhawk.
Trimus meanwhile carefully lifted the orb with the sack and gently placed it, still wrapped in the sack, into his backpack. "We'll investigate it later." He said to Ako who nodded silently. They turned and started back to the fire to see the others staring at them weapons drawn.
"Duck!" shouted Grabthroat as he threw an axe at them.
Trimus and Ako hit the deck as the bronze bladed weapon spun through the air. Trimus spun over and scrambled to his feet to see a huge scaly hydra climbing the remains of the tower wall. Gieve drew his sword while Trimus took a step backward. In the confined space of the ruins the hydra was not able to make its bulk tell and its assailants soon triumphed.
"Not bad, for beginners." Commented Gieve. "You still have much to learn though. Now let's find its lair."
"What!" exclaimed Trimus. "But it's almost dark."
"So?" inquired Gieve "It can't be far. In fact if I am not mistaken that depression by the swamp would be it."
So walking at a brisk pace through the short but wiry plants, Gieve led the others into the depression. As he had suspected the area was littered with bones, both humanoid and animal, but toward the back scuffed under an overhanging bank was a far more pleasant find.
"Coins, lots of them." Said Trimus. "Mainly copper and silver, but there are a few gold as well. Grabthroat what do make of this clasp? What's this? Yes there's a chunk of amber and a topaz gem as well." He stood up and bowed slightly towards Gieve who was standing, arms crossed in front of his chest and a smug expression on his face. "I'm sorry I doubted you Gieve. This was worth coming for."
"That's OK Trimus" said Gieve "Let's get back to the ruin I could do with a hot meal inside me. I've heard hydra tail is a delicacy in Darokin."

Trimus awoke at first light. The others had let Ako and himself sleep so that they would wake refreshed and able to memorise spells for the day ahead. Meanwhile Darkhawk had rekindled the fire and had boiled some water for drinks. After a quick meal Ako and Trimus studied the pearly orb.
"It's definitely magical." Mused Trimus.
"It appears not to have any evil intent towards us." Added Ako "Though that pentagram looks ominous."
"There is nothing else to do but pick it up and see it anything happens." Trimus sighed nervously. He wiped his hands on his shirt and reached towards the orb. As his flesh touched the smooth surface the orb glowed exceedingly bright and Trimus pulled his hands away as if he had been burnt.
"Wha!" he exclaimed looking at his hands. Apparently burnt on to the palm of his left hand was a pentagram, an exact replica of the one that had been on the orb. Had been on the orb, as the orb's surface was now completely blank.
"Do you feel all right?" asked the cleric.
"Yes. Fine." Replied Trimus obviously concerned as he turned his hand over again and again, rubbing the device with his right thumb.
Gieve who had watched the strange events with a weary eye clapped his hands together and kicked the fire apart.
"Let's be going then. We have a boat to catch."

They arrived in Ronowac to find that the Sea Spray was due to leave on the evening tide, barely an hour away. They spent some of their recent gains on passage back to Ierendi City in four well apointed cabins. They were to be very grateful for this foresight later that evening.
All started normally. A good meal of fish and fresh vegetables with steamed dumplings all washed down with fine Thyatian wine during which Gieve started to tell of his adventures including his discovery of a treasure map.
"Join me." he said "You seem to be lucky people, I need some of that luck in my line of business."
"And what would that be?" asked Grabthroat cynically.
"Bounty hunting, grave robbing, finding things that are lost, all the usual business. Just think, with my experience and your luck, we could be rich beyond your wildest dreams." He grinned widely and held out his hand. Trimus shrugged, Ako ran his fingers through his hair as the thief's grin grew slightly strained in the tense silence.
"Why not!" shouted the dwarf and banged his hand on the table, drawing attention from all around, then threw back his head and laughed loudly. "By Kagyar's Axe! What are we here for! Of course we will join you. Fame fortune and adventure! Waiter, two more flagons of Sheppy's Autumn Gold, we have reputations to make!"
A more sombre and quiet party sat around the same table the following morning. Even Grabthroat was looking a little fragile. Ako came to the table a frown upon his face.
"Trimus still not awake?" asked Darkhawk.
"No. And I didn't think he had had that much to drink either." Replied the cleric.
"He doesn't need to." Rumbled the dwarf "There ain't nothing to him."
"Well if he isn't up by the time we dock, I'll get Roger the cabin boy to chuck a bucket of water over him." Said Gieve only half in jest.

Just after noon they approached Ierendi harbour and there was still no sign of movement from Trimus. Ako was by now very worried as he talked quietly to the others in his and Trimus' cabin.
"This is no natural sleep. I've got a feeling it might have something to do with that orb." He looked sideways at his friends backpack. There was a slight shudder and then the sound of dock hands shouting to each other as the Sea Spray came alongside the harbour wall. This was soon followed by a loud knock on the cabin door followed by a voice shouting with a strong Makai accent "Ierendi Harbour! All Change."
"Darkhawk, you and I will have to carry him off the boat. If you take one arm and I take the other we can pretend that he is still just hung over. Grabthroat, can you bring his things." Said Ako taking control of the situation.
The plan worked. Smiling at the well intentioned jesting of the dock hands and sailors they carried the limp body of the mage off of the Sea Spray and back to the Adventurers Guild where he was soon tucked up in bed.

The others passed a restless afternoon and evening in the common room of the guild. Ako popped up to the room occasionally but reported no change when he returned.
"It is just as though he is sleeping." He reported "Yet something doesn't feel quiet right. We should get some help from the Peoples' Temple tomorrow if he hasn't woken up by then."

The following morning Trimus was awake and at breakfast before the others, in fact he had had two large helpings of everything.
"No honest, I feel fine. I must just have been exhausted." He explained between mouthfuls of fruit. "What did I miss?"
"Nothing." Sighed Grabthroat. "Nothing at all."

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