Letters from Reiver
Date 24, Doddul 1520Th
Rossi K'muccian
My Friend,
As you said one day would arise when I would
leave this ghastly place, that time is now. You were right about me master.
I am glad the day I tried to pick your pocket, instead of vaporising me,
you took me in and taught me the values of decency.
I thankyou also for my position as guard Sergeant,
those men are fine at heart, the city has made them rough but I am sure
they would honour Throal well, if it where there that they were stationed.
Well things have happened very suddenly, it was
not over a week ago that I arrested that crazy Nethermancer who told me
there where creatures in the sewers. Of course there are I thought, there
are always creatures in the sewers.
Some adventurers found the young human dead in
sewers. Not unusual for this bleak place, but it is.
I met these adventurers just a day ago, it is
them whom I have joined, the same forces of evil and filth that parade
around this place have, not long killed their courageous leader. With faces
of despair and gloomy hopes was how I met them.
Well they decided to hack on the little windling,
but what's new, remember what happened to the elf at the Spiders Loch Inn
who did the same, that fool will think before he speaks again, if he will
ever speak again that is.
I stray from my tale, after insulting me they
then required my help. I knew this to be my opportunity so I made the deal.
I would help them and they would let me join them. Lucky for them I did,
for surely they would have perished in the sewers themselves.
This is what concerns me most Rossi, we made
our way into the sewers that same day. This rag tag bunch consist of a
very smelly, but a fighter of great strength, Forge the weaponsmith. Also
a charming elf Swordmaster, Valantas. A human elementalist, who wares these
strange eyepieces, is known as Van Storme. I think this is just his last
name.
Finally another human, but with the courage of an ork Rossi. Wulf the Skyraider.
Already he owes me a tankard of Hurlag. Well
we travelled into the sewers and not long after we came across something
very disturbing. Three insect like pods, the size of a human, where attached
to the walls.
There was a human female figure trapped inside
one, I perceived her astrally, very badly corrupted. The strange thing
was Rossi, I felt it not the corruption of a horror, it was something else.
As we advanced we were attacked from all sides.
These creatures where tall bipeds, but giant insect like creatures they
were. It was a matter of minutes before all of the party were prone on
the ground.
If it were not for Wulf's bravery and the power
of my spells, they would all be rotting in the sewers.
Rossi, we discovered a letter. It said that these
creatures are the Invae they have returned, I fear great terror to come
master. You should leave for you haven in Throal. This place is not worth
its weight in gold.
I must go, there are many things to be done.
I will forward all my letters to you address in Throal.
May the Passions be with you.
Reiver Hastings
The Tylon Mountains, date unsure approx 1531TH
Rossi,
I will have sent this to you in Kratas as well
as Throal, in hope that you receive either one.
I fear the gravest master. Although it was only
a day ago this all began it is somewhat not coherent to me but I believe
it is ten years later, but I shall come to that in time.
Finally I left Kratas with this rag tag bunch,
we left on a drakkar called "The Crimson Hammer", it was of the
"Stone Claws" moot. To be honest with you Rossi, I found them
quite the cowards. We travelled toward Throal stopping at a cave in the
Tylon Mountains.
Apparently, according to my new companions they
had been plagued by a horror known as the "Black Locust", the
last they saw of it was after it had left its previous host, the former
leader of this group. The swordmaster Mantious.
Now Wulf's brother Njall had discovered the horror
in a cave, this was our destination. Well on our way there we soon discovered
that another sky raider drakkar was in pursuit of us. It was now the captain
of the stoneclaws Kargan Stonehammer, decided to tell us they had been
fleeing this other group who turned out to be "Bloodlores". By
Jaspree could it have been worse.
Well it was soon enough that the other vessel
"The Vengeance" caught up to us. The ships sailed side by side,
the Trolls of the Bloodlores hurling themselves over to our ship. Those
who made it across bought grappling hooks and chains which the imbedded
into the port side of our ship. The remaining trolls began to draw the
two vessels together.
The battle broke out, trolls killing trolls.
Wulf, who was in his element, leapt across to face the Bloodlore captain.
Forge and Valantas also joined the fray on the Bloodlore ship as the two
vessels came together.
Although against my correct judgement, Van Storme
insisted on attacking their Elementalist, ineffectively I must add. Well
the next thing I knew I was surrounded by fire. That damn Elementalist
blasted our ship with a fireball.
I grit my teeth, dealing with the pain I made
my move. I flew to the stern and coming up over the railing I saw my target,
a barrel of pitch. I flew in and pushed it over splashing the deck and
the pitch ran off to the hatchway below. Then I blasted it with Ignite
and she light up like an elf on a stake.
The battle continued, several trolls tried in
vain to extinguish the fire but it burnt on.
A battle of magics left Van Storme unconscious,
funny that, but I harp on him too much. I flew back to our ship and woke
Van Storme from unconsciousness. It was then that the trolls decided that
the "little windling" was actually a mighty threat.
In an attempt to stop my victorious attacks two
off them decided to fire their slings at me. Well the bullets were the
size of my head, so I tucked in deep behind my shield and tried to avoid
being struck.
Unfortunately they hit, and sent me skittering
across the deck. I managed to get up and flew into the crow's nest, looking
through the cracks in the wood I began to hurl mind daggers at these over
grown Thunderbeast lovers. They decided my demise, and began to climb the
mast to get to me.
Damn, so I leaped from the crow's nest and flew
over our bow. I saw Valantas in trouble over the bow of the Bloodlores
ship. As I came to his aid he yelled to me to "light them up".
I noticed that they too were covered in pitch. Well they went up like,
well a troll on a stake.
As this happened another boulder was flung at
me, sending me into blackness. When I awoke it was Van Storme who had gathered
me from the deck of the Bloodlores vessel. By some divine intervention
I had not plummeted to the ground when the boulder knocked me unconscious.
Looking around, the Bloodlores vessel had begun
its sinking decent. Yes, my fire had done enough damage to send their ship
to the earth below. No one should ever doubt my power for my size, not
even a ship full of trolls.
The Bloodlores ship plummeted to the ground exploded
the remaining air kernels on the way. I urged the Captain to follow the
ship so we could plunder it, but no the coward would not, he was afraid
that more of his men might be killed.
We now outnumbered them and the advantage of
our ship and still the troll coward would not engage. Well we would go
without those hard earned spoils.
Our destination was now this cave. Remember when
I said could it get any worse?
Well upon entering the cave we read an inscription in the stone.
I said that a contingent of soldiers from "The
7th Contingent of the Jerris Black Legion", had trapped a horror known
as the Black Locust in this abandoned kaer, and it was not to be opened
unless the persons could deal with the creature. The solders had stated
that they would return in a decade to kill it other wise.
You can see what's coming can't you, Here is
a warning flashing like a T'Skrang fire cannon, on the wall opposite the
door to an abandoned kaer. Wulf's halfwit brother, who Wulf informed me
couldn't read, opens the damn kaer.
I mean if you couldn't read and saw a huge inscription
on a wall opposite a name-giver made door that was sealed, wouldn't you
at least wake your brother who could read to check the inscription. By
the passions what kinds of blunderass would do such a thing?
Well now it all starts, we begin to wander the
kaer, in the first room two cadaver men point to a door to the north and
tell us that, that is where we want to go.
We walked past them and encountered two more
cadavers telling us the same thing. I was getting suspicious by now and
suggested that we take out these cadavers, while they were in two's, instead
of leaving them all behind us. Did the damn fools listen to me, no of course
not.
So we finally enter a room where four cadavers
blocked our way. The next thing an undead nethermancer appears behind them.
He says that even if we destroy him his master will deal with us.
Great, four cadavers infront, seven behind us,
and this nethermancer. Well I took to the top corner of the roof while
I watched Wulf laid out instantly by the nethermancer, Valantas finally
upon hearing my tactical advise moved in to attack the nethermancer, as
did Forge.
Van Storme held the door and shredded a cadaver
with his ice shards. Well I made a spell change straight away and began
threading to dispel Wulfs paralysing effect.
Then we heard a smash of the door behind us,
those cadaver men behind us, you know the ones I advised we destroy before,
came crashing through the door.
Van Storme was cornered by the cadavers, Forge
went down from a spell, but quickly regained his feet. Then four skeletons
entered the room, carrying crossbows. Now I began to panic, I had dispelled
Wulfs spell, and he moved into melee with the skeletons, I was about to
take cover behind Van Storme when the strangest thing occurred.
Valantas or Forge I don't recall who exactly
laid the killing blow into the Nethermancer. Then I blacked out. When I
came too, I was standing on the floor of the room the cadavers lay around
us but they were just skeletons, the floor was covered in dust. Like time
had gone by very quickly.
We all looked at each other for explanation.
It looked like the decay of the bodies was that of several years, but how
could that be.
We continued on through the kaer and finally
discovered a room with a gold illuminated statue of a windling, she was
beautiful. It was an image of Jaspree. Then the light began to ebb around
us and the windling came to life.
She said that we must venture out and discover
and destroy the horror, the Black Locust. She told us we had been suspended
for around 10 years, 10 years because of that illiterate sky raider FOOL.
She then spoke to me in private. The conversation
I shall keep for your ears only. When we went outside the land was barren
and desolate, just like it would have been during the scourge.
We were advised to seek Bloodwood for answers,
but first we will go to Throal to see if the ancient city still stands.
The most bizarre thing was the sun, it hung in
the sky like it was to be the last time we ever saw it.
Well master I do sincerely hope you are alive.
I will seek you in Throal.
What ever this time is in here and now, we will
find the answers, and by Jaspree when I finally meet up with Wulf's brother
in the afterlife, I'll kill him again.
Be well Rossi
Reiver