A Chicken, a Page, a Pact and a Path

We had just crossed into the magically sealed cavern, behind the Candlenox door, to find whatever the gods had in store for us, the Harmonant's, Morgrim and Dame and I. I hesitated to bring Dame in here, but the unnaturally bitter cold outside was even more difficult to bear for just a tiny hawk.

Already we found footprints. Guards?

“Wait, I recognize these footfalls. I have seen them, but once before. They will not be so lucky as to see ours.”

We followed these Dark Elven feet for a time to be rewarded by two men and a Smilodon. Victory was quiet and swift and the beginning of satisfaction. I admitted to myself a wince of regret though for the beast slaughtered in the name of good. What does Narduna think of her pupil? Wasted carcass of her creation. I cannot think on it more for we are in a den of enemies now.

Deeper into the tunnels we crept, just enough light to see each other, maybe a few feet more. Dame shifted uneasily on my shoulder. Just then the light expanded outward to be lost in shadow, a much larger opening here. I felt it before we saw it. The smell, the quiver of life, breathing.

“Something lairs here!”, Simon warned. His connection to the world of magic let him feel it for entirely different reasons than I.

We instinctively spread out as eyes of hostile intention blinked at us in warning, almost entrancing me. What is this? It watched me start to flank until I left what little light we had and it followed our torch bearer more intently. Josiah, always unflinching courage in that one. For one so skilled in the arts of thievery, his role as the eldest son still seems never to fail him. I hope it never does, protector.

My mind started to race in the darkness, I could hear its breathing, I could feel something......more. For one second, the shadows spoke to my mind.

“Go. Hurt you, pain you. Mine here.”

Did it speak?

The torch outlined a large bird-like creature as well as my own substantially smaller form now. I glanced away for one second like an untrained fool, my emotions getting the better of me. Another wondrous creature to destroy, but I knew, without doubt it was born of evil. I knew what must be done and so we did just that.

As we searched this cavernous room we found several entombing piles of earth and ice burying deceased Drow, a reassuring sight normally. Was this planar bird truly evil? Did it take these Drow for food? Is that not the balance of nature, the balance of Narduna? To take and give in cycles we cannot fully understand. Does not balance serve evil as well as good?

The others were calling to move on when I felt it, almost as slight as a shiver from the cold, Dame shuddered. I probed about in the dim light searching for who knows what. There, almost calling to me, my hand landed on a half-torn journal with a few dangling pages remaining. Something of the nature of good lying in this rubble of evil. I had no time to read its offerings now, we had still more tunnels to investigate. A good omen, regardless, to put my mind more at ease.

We pushed ahead until we realized there was a small Drow community here, perhaps guarding, perhaps trapped as we presumably were now, for the Candlenox door opened only once a year. The amount of supplies we passed spoke more to guarding then unprepared happen chance.

Then we heard the rest of them, just outside a laboratory where we had sent more Drow to atone for their vile experiments. I was ready to punish more as a plan of surprise came together.

Elissa, atop her summoned steed immediately drew our attention to battle once more. No matter the age, the ways of the paladin are always an inspiration. Simon prepared to summon a bison of the wilds to charge our foes giving Josiah a chance to quietly enter the fray as the rest of us charged in behind Elissa.

Bison grunting, hooves clopping, weapons flailing in time with the dancing flames of Elias' scorching greatsword we rushed the undoubtedly shocked villains with a frenzy of first strikes. I heard someone get gored as I ran towards the drawn back archers. Then it turned bad.

Josiah had snuck ahead of me to be surprised himself by their priestess leader and her wraith-guard who quickly overcame me as I dropped to the ground with the light of a fireball flaring past me.

“Josiah..........”



We were sitting together, a circle of men around a fire of blues and greens. Eight of them were humans wearing only pelts and in their flashing eyes was an almost animal alertness. It was a meeting of some sort. Two other humans were present, more heavily clad in ceremonial armor bearing a crest I could not recognize. There also was a Dwarf in holy raiment and an Orc in fine leathers and myself.

There was much discussion of ancient legends, the loom, the weaver, the destroyer. I could not understand everything though it seemed they spoke Prendorian, older somehow. They pointed to the stars, to a constellation in the sky that night and agreed to join together. Then they looked to me and asked for my commitment. I was compelled to nod in agreement, I sat there powerless to control my own actions.
The dwarven holy-man brought forth a stone and a chisel.

“With this stone of binding do we all commit to the future.”

Each man engraved his family's symbol on the stone and let fall one drop of blood, willingly shed. When it passed to me, I watched my hands hammer the crest of my father, the Fyne family, and I felt no pain as I watched one red tear splash onto the stone.

Each man turned towards the fire and repeated, “Only evil can break this bond, only evil can betray us now. Only evil can break this bond, only evil can betray us now.”

One man in skins raised his hand for silence and said to me, “Read your destiny, offer yourself, be well as you return to duty.”

The older of the two men in armor turned to face me and sternly said, “Do not forsake my children, so did you swear, brother.”

From the woods around our fire a woman strode into the center of the the burning embers and stood a moment as the other twelve covered their eyes and each took a knee. She offered her hand to me and I instinctively grabbed for my weapons, but her eyes softened me to tears as I extended my trembling hand.

“They will bear your cousin home as I bear you home. Bear me as I have borne you. Let us carry each other.”

In her embrace I awoke to faint whispers of old voices and the glowing awe of Elissa before me. Before I could fully get to my feet Elissa was welcoming me back to consciousness with concern in her eye and a hand of comfort.

In my confusion and excitement I could only ask, “Where is the journal my dear paladin?”

“This ripped and tattered thing you found? It's here, I saw an aura of light around it as you slept. What is it Victor?”

“I don't know, Elissa, I was told to read it. Thank you for your concern, how are the others? The last I saw was a fireball streaking over my head.”

“We thought Josiah was lost, but he is breathing again, faintly now. The others are sleeping. We are whole again, thanks to Elos. Get some rest now Victor.”

I sat up a bit longer to thumb through the pages I had found after our fight with the bird creature, there were only a few left and the Elvish writing was broken in places as well. One intact paragraph drew my eyes downward,

“He was a most horrible foe to our kind. No one is sure how he came to the underdark on such a steed. Alas, he came with death in his hands and cunning in his eyes. Not even the priestesses could slow him upon that cursed beast. It was whispered that he rode as if on the back of Narduna herself. A curse on that bitch goddess and her damned riders, especially that one. Eloath will avenge us.”




- by Jon