Chapter 1

A chill wind rushed forth, bathing everything in another thick veil of snow. This was the third day of the blizzard, and it wasn't showing any signs of letting up.

"Welcome to Thondraw," Irkalla said, looking back at me with a grin. Her eyes were twinkling with curiosity and awe in equal measure. Her heavy coat was almost completely white, blending in with the surroundings of the town.

"Now, now, now... To find the inn..." she said as she folded her arms, looking about. The various buildings looked so similar to each other.

"Is this it over here?" I asked, pointing towards a large wooden building ahead of us. Its windows were lit, and shadows could be seen moving energetically within. A wave of warmth washed over me instantly as I pictured the cozy environment. I would do anything at this point to get out of the cold.

"What I wouldn't give to be back in Waterdeep right now," Irkalla said, shivering. She was balancing herself on her battleaxe, the blade completely covered in the snow.

I drew her closer to me, holding her tightly for a moment. A futile endeavor, but I hated to see her shaking like she was.

"Come on, Sylv, let's go! The man should be here, hopefully." She laughed, as another frosty wind blew past us.

We arrived at the inn, and as I pulled the heavy oak door open, the warm air greeted us, complete with the scent of a freshly cooked roast. My mouth started watering immediately as I lowered my hood. I looked to Irkalla, beaming as she lowered hers. She was already looking for a place to sit as she patted herself down.

The tavern was busy, full of people laughing, singing, and carousing. It had a warm atmosphere; a welcome change from the frigid cold outside. Irkalla and I made our way to a booth by a window and sat down, making ourselves comfortable. Irkalla leaned her heavy battleaxe against the wall.

A barmaid came up to us, two full mugs of ale in her hand. "Haven't seen you two in town," she said as she set them down on our table. "You here for business?"

"We're looking for a man. Tall, dark hair, gruff demeanor." As I spoke, I realized how vague the description actually was. "He had a job request up and we're here to apply for it."

"You're looking for me," I heard a deep voice say from behind us. It belonged to a man matching the description exactly. He was dressed in a thick coat, but it was dry. He had been in the tavern for quite some time, it seemed.

"Joneleth Rendonbach, at your service," the man said extending his hand to Irkalla, and then to me. "And you are...?"

"Irkalla," she said, taking his hand and shaking it firmly.

"And I'm Sylvio," I nodded, doing the same.

"Took you long enough to get here. I was thinking I'd be here all night if you hadn't shown up just now."

"Didn't you see the blizzard out there?" I asked, wryly. "We're from Waterdeep, you know."

He sighed. "You two take some time to thaw out, and I'll be back to talk business." He bowed, then disappeared into the crowd.

"Can we have something to eat?" I asked. "That roast smells really good."

The barmaid nodded with a smile. "Of course! Let me go get you some." She hurried off.

"I'm so mad, Sylv," Irkalla said, pouting. "I shouldn't have let you drag me out here. All this cold. We don't know anyone here. We're probably gonna get an avalanche dropped on us and no one will hear from us ever again. Next time, I'll be the one to check the notice board."

I laughed, rolling my eyes. "Haven't you ever been to a place like this? The city eventually gets to be the same when you've lived there your whole life, doesn't it?" I tipped the mug back. The ale was smooth as it went down, a perfect mixture of sweet and bitter. "Now this is ale. Not that watered down stuff back home."

Irkalla scrunched up her nose as she took a whiff of her mug. She took a sip, holding it in her mouth for a few seconds before setting her mug back on the table. Finally, she swallowed. "Well, I guess it's okay..." she said, shrugging. She was trying look unimpressed, but I knew better.

"I guess I'll have yours too, then, since you don't like it," I replied casually, slowly sliding her mug towards me.

"No!" She replied, reaching out suddenly and pulling it back to her in one quick motion.

"...That's what I thought." I said as I grinned.

"I am good with an axe, you know!" She goaded. "Don't test me."

"Yes, yes. You've saved my hide so many times. You make every point to tell me you do." I was teasing her, but it was true, nonetheless.

Irkalla didn't reply to that. Thankfully, the barmaid came back, holding a plate of food in each hand. She set them down and bowed to each of us in turn. "Enjoy!"

The roast gave off a delicious aroma, and steam was still billowing from it. I took my silverware and cut off a large piece.

"Ohh... this is amazing," Irkalla said in between bites. "They must eat this all the time in the Celestial Plains!"

The meat was tender, juicy, and spiced to perfection. Irkalla was indeed right.

Not long afterwards, the burly man had returned. He made a waving motion with his hand, and I moved to the end of the booth as he sat down next to me. I took another sip from my mug.

"I figured it's been long enough," Joneleth started. "Let's talk, shall we?"

I nodded in return, taking another bite of the roast.

"I need both brains and muscle for this, so you two are perfect candidates. You see, there's this abandoned Temple of Myrkul a bit northeast of here."

I looked immediately to Irkalla, my heart sinking. Wherever there was somewhere relating to Myrkul, undead were sure to be there. Irkalla hated the undead.

"Something amiss?" the man asked, looking to Irkalla. She shook her head, trying to play it off. He shrugged, then continued. "There's been a rumour going on around town that the place was full of dangerous happenings years ago. People would go missing in the night, taken right as they were sleeping. Their loved ones would look around, searching for them, but to no avail. Eventually, they found this temple, and they could hear screams coming from it sometimes. Other times, however, it would be completely quiet. I've been inside once, myself, and I could definitely feel that something wasn't right. The air, you see. It felt ... unnatural."

"So you're sending us in there to look around?" I asked, finishing up my meal. His story was as intriguing as it was unsettling.

"Yes. I will go with you, because I want to see... just maybe... if my wife is there."

Irkalla dropped her fork, and it clattered onto her plate. "I thought you said this was a rumour?"

"A rumour, yes, until my wife was taken from me. It was a normal night, I still remember. We were sleeping, when I woke up suddenly. She was gone, no trace to be found. The bolts of the door were still fastened, as were the windows. There were no signs of any struggle, either."

My heart sank again. I didn't know what I would do if the same thing happened to Irkalla. We had been travelling together for years, and I couldn't imagine my life without her.

"We'll help you," I said, determination in my voice. "We'll do whatever we can."

Joneleth looked relieved. I could tell he had frightened others away by his reaction, but I am thankful he didn't play the story down or make it seem less serious than it was.

"We'll leave at dawn tomorrow. I have a room reserved upstairs for you. First left, then the third door on your right. Sleep well. It'll be a long trek to get there." He tossed a small sack of coins on the table. "Here. Think of this as a down payment." He clapped me on the shoulder, then left.

"Let's stay down here a bit more, eh?" Irkalla asked, clearly still unsettled by the story.

"We need to get some sleep," I said, shaking my head. The journey to get here had been long, and I was exhausted.

"Fine," she sighed. "My axe is going to be right next to me, though."

We paid the barmaid when she returned, then found our room. The second floor was thankfully much quieter. Our room was rather inviting, with small candles serving as lighting. The bed was clean, with thick blankets folded neatly at the foot of it. Some chairs and a small table were on the far end of the room, next to a large coat rack. The blizzard was still raging strong outside, judging from the window.

"You should sleep in your armour," I said with a laugh as Irkalla took off her coat, followed by her platemail. I reached into my bag and took out a small charcoal pencil, then sat down on the floor, cross-legged.

"Because that's comfortable," she said with a laugh as I drew an elaborate glyph around me. She continued. "For all I know, you could roll over and cut yourself on it."

"That wouldn't be good at all," I smirked, before calming my mind and closing my eyes. "Novis magicae videre," I said calmly, moving my hands in a pattern as I felt the Weave flow through me. My eyes burned for a second, then I opened them. I looked around hastily, trying to find a blue hue: a supernatural being, a magic artifact, or even a weapon. Anything.

"You see anything, Sylv?" I heard Irkalla ask, already under the covers.

"Just your axe," I replied. Indeed, it was gleaming a bright bluish tint: clearly magic. Nothing else was, however. I could see through the walls as well, but nothing else caught my eye. I sighed, relieved, as I shook myself from my spell.

"At least there's nothing around to steal us away." I said as I removed my coat and set it on the rack beside hers.

"You should trap the door. You know... just in case?"

I laughed as I disrobed and got into bed beside Irkalla. My arms were around her waist, and the warmth of her body against mine kept the cold at bay. I sighed, content, as I felt sleep slowly take its hold over me.