FINAL REWARD: PART II
by: Taliaferro Erucolindo
Thanoslug stood in the gates of West Freeport and looked out across the Commonlands. It was from this direction that death had come for his parents, many seasons ago. The young Dwarf said a prayer to Brell Serilis for the souls of his departed parents, and vowed once again to do all in his power to rid the land of Darkness. The sun was setting over the Serpent's Spine, and soon night would fall across the land. With nightfall, came the undead. Perhaps spilling out of the Temple of the Befallen, skeletons and ghouls wandered the night. As a Paladin, Thanoslug felt it his duty to send as many of these cursed beings back to the darkness as he could. Unstrapping his double bladed, iron-backed battleaxe from it's place on his back, Thanoslug prayed for courage and Brell's blessing upon his armor, then stepped off into the night.
.......
Cricetus sprinted out of Nektulos Forest. The young woman raced as though death were right behind her. Out of the brush came a skeleton, hot on her heels, it's sword slashing the air just behind her. Like a woman possessed, she turned and raced towards Freeport.
.......
Thanoslug attuned his eyes to the darkness. While the undead were creatures of that same darkness, Brell had given him the means to detect their presence. Concentrating for a moment, he sensed a strong undead presence to the northwest, and set off in that direction. Soon, Thanoslug neared the valley leading north into Nektulos, and saw a young Human woman, armorless and weaponless, running in terror from a sword wielding skeleton. Giving a loud battlecry, Thanos invoked the power of Brell, rebuking the skeleton and the dark force that gave it motion. The Human woman fell to the ground as the skeleton staggered from the impact of Thanoslug's ward against the undead. Cowering before the skeleton, the woman screamed for help. Thanoslug waded into it with his battleaxe, "FACE ME, YE THRICE-DAMNED SPAWN OF DARKNESS!" The skeleton turned to him with malevolence burning in it's eyesockets. Somehow, this skeleton seemed stronger and fiercer than any he had encountered in the Commonlands. Thanoslug felt the skeleton's blade bite into his shoulder, slipping through a weak point in his armor. Muttering an assortment of Dwarven curses, Thanoslug swung his axe again and again, forcing the skeleton back, shearing off bone chips and the occasional appendage. With a last mighty shout, Thanoslug brought the massive axe crashing down through the skull of the undead beast, shattering whatever force held the bones together.
"Thank you! I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't come along!" cried the woman. "Be at ease, lass, I was nae goin' ta let the devil take ye," replied Thanos, as he cast healing magic upon the girl and himself, "What were ye doin' by yuirself in Nektulos?" The shaken young woman replied, "I'm most grateful, kind sir, but I have only recently escaped from Neriak. A kind Elven couple helped me get away, at great risk to themselves. They bade me find help and deliver a message to their companions, members of a guild called.....what was it....it was an Elven name....oh yes! Giliath Lang! Do you know of them good sir?" Thanos' eyes widened. "KNOW of them, lass? I AM one of them! Brell be praised, what message do ye have, and what are the names of this Elven couple?" The woman reached into her torn shirt and produced a folded piece of parchment. Handing it over to the Dwarf, she looked over his shoulder as he opened it. "Ach! Of course, it would be written in ELVISH...", Thanos grumbled. "Silly squiggldy language. I cannae read it, lass, but I know those who can. Come, let us get inta Freeport and check ye inta an inn. I'll contact me guildmates and get someone who can read this bloody thing."
.......
Thanoslug shut the door to his room in the Jade Tiger Den. The inn was painted too green for his tastes, but it would afford him privacy. Concentrating on his guild talisman, Thanos reached out with his mind and contacted Kiren, the Officer that had inducted him into the guild. Filling the Elven Ranger in on the night's adventure, Thanos reached the point in his tale that seemed to rouse Kiren's interest the most, "And then on tha way back ta Freeport, the lass says that she escaped from bleedin' Neriak itself, with the help of a kind Elven couple....a Warrior and a Paladin, I believe she said..." "WHAT? Did she say their names?", Kiren exclaimed. "Nay, Kiren, she didnae say their names, but she did give me a written message from them, which....alas...I cannae read. Elvish is a language that makes nae sense ta me," responded Thanos. "Stay there in Freeport, and guard that message with your life, good friend. I shall be there soon. Brell and Tunare be with you." "Aye, my friend, and with you," Thanos signed off. Placing the message inside his tunic, the young Paladin opened another bottle of Dwarven ale, and settled in for the night.
.......
"An Elven couple....asking for our help...could it be?" thought Kiren, as he raced across the Western Plains of Karana. Casting his thoughts back to his friends long missing, Kiren remembered the guild's famous couple, Glorelion and Lorfindur Galadhgil. Lorfindur, noble-born Koada'Dal Paladin of Tunare, had been listed as missing-in-action ever since the discovery that her identity had been assumed by a Teir'Dal woman who used a magic ring to change her appearance from Dark Elven to High Elven. The Teir'Dal woman impersonated Lorfindur so well, that even her family in Felwithe hadn't noticed the replacement. Glorelion, a mighty Fier'Dal Warrior of common birth, yet noble spirit, had gone searching for his missing wife, once the imposter had been revealed. Neither had been heard from since. Could this be the missing couple, reunited and seeking help to escape the dark clutches of Neriak? Glorelion had escaped the dungeons before, rescuing his own sister, but would he now be able to escape with his wife? Kiren ran faster, putting all thoughts of failure behind him.
.......
Darshan appeared magically at the Druid circle in North Karana. Kiren had seemed extremely urgent in his request for a teleportation across the Serpent's Spine mountains to the Commonlands. He had claimed it was of vital importance, but also of vital secrecy. Darshan scanned the horizon, now dark to eyes not gifted with nightvision. There. Kiren approached. Running with him was another Ranger of the guild, the Human-born Erros. Kiren was one quarter human himself, so he always seemed willing to help out those of the Human race. Not that Darshan wasn't, of course, but Kiren often went out of his way to guide the young, short-lived (by Elven standards) Humans in the ways of the Mother. That was one of Kiren's strengths. Darshan had also heard rumors that Erros might be related to the human side of Kiren's family tree, but he didn't have anything more substantial than rumor to go on. No matter. Kiren and Erros were his brothers in Giliath Lang, and that was enough. As they approached, both seemed worn out from the long run. Casting a spell that would extinguish their fatigue, Darshan spoke, "What brings us together tonight, my friends?" "We need to reach Freeport as soon as possible. There's a message that might...just might...be from old friends in dire need," responded Kiren. "Old friends.....you mean-!" Dar started to respond before Kiren silenced him with a look. "Speak not of it until we are sure, old friend. Whomever it is, we must respond to their plea for help," said Kiren. "Can I be of assistance, my friends?", asked Erros. "Absolutely, Erros. I'm glad I encountered you on the way here. Your help is quite welcome," responded Kiren. "Then let's be off!" said Darshan, as mystical energy gathered around them. "Next stop, the Commonlands!"
.......
"Duck Tal!", yelled Rekus. Tal dropped down as an enormous, bizarrely shaped weapon passed over his head, slicing a Drolvarg messily in half. Tal stood back up and swung both of his short swords at the Drolvarg behind Rekus, slashing through it's throat and brachial artery with the left and right blades respectively. As Tal's kill hit the ground, Rekus smiled approvingly. "Better!" said Rekus, slapping Tal on the back hard enough to knock him off balance. "You'd still do better with a heavier weapon though..." "At least HIS weapons don't look like a RAKE" teased Greyharte from nearby, wiping off his own blade. Tatina and Lacka both laughed as Rekus glared at Greyharte, then broke into a laugh of his own. Zosmann grinned, "Any weapon which does the job, works in the hands of those who know how to use them, my brothers." "Gimmie a bow anyday", added Soaren, chuckling. "You each have your own preferences, my friends, and truly the battles here today have gone extremely well. I daresay that the Drolvargs curse the day Tatina discovered this valley," Lacka said with a smile on her face. "With any luck, we'll be able to convince the cartographers to name it "Tatina's Valley", as we have," noted Mbwana. Tatina blushed, "Perhaps so, my friends. Certainly the Drolvarg population seems almost endless though." "Aye, I wish we knew what-", Tal was suddenly interrupted by Kiren's voice, which rang inside their heads, thanks to the guild talismans. "Tal, and everyone else, you need to come to Freeport. It is urgent. Can you reach here tonight?", Kiren's excited voice said. "Kiren, what is it?" Tal thought into the guild talisman. "A message....." came the reply, "...from Glorelion and Lorfindur!".