Rain pours down outside the rusted iron gates of Goliath, and four very unalike figures stand guard. For many weeks now several bands of undead skeletons have been attacking, and these folks have protected the cities borders. "Do you think more will come?" asks the broad shouldered dwarf named Nakunda Frosthorn, who leans on her trustworthy maul impatiently.
"I would not be surprised," shouts Lukvar over the downpour. Lukvar is a Halfling, who, even for a Halfling is abnormally small. But in his line of work, it comes into good use. He is a bounty hunter, and a quite successful one to add. "If you're frightened of the fragile vermin, Goliath is right behind you." Nakunda slowly turns to see Lukvar smirking, then gives him a shove. "They are the ones who should fear me," she whispered.
"Unfortunately, Nakunda, it seems like they have no fear," interjected Xiro, the ingenious cleric, who gracefully combs back his black hair with his fingers. "I have been studying the glowing gems that were placed in the sockets of their eyes, and it seems that this is some sort of necromancy that a dark sorcerer or wizard, like myself, could have used to control the carcasses. My theory is that-"
He is cut off by the tantalizing glare from Nakunda and Lukvar. "O spare me your needless boasting," murmured Lukvar. "We get it, you can spot the miniscule details that nobody thinks of."
"In what way is what I said minuscule?" asked Xiro, sounding truly confused. "I would like to think that any hopeless cantankerously-caterwauling conglomerate of intellectual constipation could have come up with such a conclusion."
The man standing silently next to Xiro, Terricarus, chuckled under his breath. He was normally an outspoken, but well-mannered individual. It would only be on the rare occasion you would see him in a pub, and unlike many of the warriors in Goliath, you would never see him in a whore house. He is a fierce warrior who grew up in a barbarian village a long ways from here. They trained him at a young age to be a ruthless enemy of the Royal Alliance, in which Goliath was a part of. But after Goliath raided the village, they captured the once young boy and brought him back to the city, right before slaying the lad's parents in front of him.
The four stand motionless in the rain, waiting for some sign of the skeletons. The group scans the dense tree line that surrounds the entire city, and sure enough, Lukvar, with his keen eyes, spots something. He points them out with the tip of his pipe and casually draws his sword.
The bony creatures start to march toward the group, wielding rusted swords with flimsy shields. Nakunda tosses her maul into her right hand while tightening her gauntlets. She shouts," Good, I was getting a bit bored!"
The companionship knows how weak and fragile the skeletons are, so they show no hesitation to plowing right through them, even with no armor or weapons. It would be an incredibly simple task. So they charge. But of course wielding their trustworthy weapons. While the Dwarf, Halfling and Man charge, Xiro casually mutters under his breath magical incantations. His fingers start to glow as he lifts them and touches his thumbs together. Then a large streak of fire speeds toward the enemy. Their raggedy clothing bursts into flames and three go down. Xiro smiles, satisfied.
After Nakunda glares back at Xiro and shouts," You'd better leave some of 'em for the rest of us!" she turns and slams one of the skeletons skull with her blunted maul. The two gens that once filled its eyes fly out and land in the grass. She then smashed the rest of the flailing body with her shield, and it explodes into a pile of bones.
One of the skeletons turns to face Lukvar, and runs toward him. He snatches a glass bottle out of his bag and throws it at the opponent. As soon as it cracks, the bottle explodes in a ball of green flame. He then launches himself at another one, toppling it over. He then punches through its ribs and rips out the spine.
Terricarus draws his great sword and shield and swings at the final few skeletons around them. He blocks the feeble blows of the foes and relentlessly strikes back at them, finishing them in one strike. The brawny man, after saying his enemies, kneels down and picks up the skulls of his fallen adversaries and shoves them in his pack.
The group looks at each other, not even breaking a sweat. They scan the pile of bones, awkwardly picking through them. "Really?" Nakunda said aloud, "that is it?" They all burst out laughing. They continued to chuckle as Lukvar and Nakunda throw the bone at each other.
They loot the bodies, finding only corroded coins and empty leather pouches. But Xiro seems to find the gems from the eyes rather interesting. He goes through the skulls, tugging the gems out of the eyes. He puts them in his pack, along with the others from past battles. They pile the bones into one pile, then Nakunda sits back and takes out her pipe once more.
They sit around, not sure whether to stay at their post or leave. But, soon enough, they hear the sound of hooves slamming on the cobblestone path, and saw four beautifully decorated Royal Guards riding towards them, their white banners flowing in the wind. They also pull along 4 saddled horses at their sides.
"You are relieved of your post," said one of the Royal Guards. "Andor Hornraven has a message for you."
He pulls out a piece of rolled parchment and sticks his arm out. As usual, Xiro is the first to step forward. He unrolls the scroll and reads it aloud. "To my loyal friends, you have fought valiantly, though I am sure it was not any trouble at all. We at the Royal Alliance would like to invite you to one of our meetings. I believe what we have witnessed with the undead was merely a distraction. I fear that there are other concerns we must focus on, some that could be spreading throughout our cities. Meet me at the Staggering Satyr at sun down. There are matters that I must discuss with you in person. Thank you, Andor Hornraven." Xiro finishes the letter and folds it carefully, then shoves it into his pouch.
"Take these, "the guard says, signaling the others to bring forward the horses. All four saddle on the horses, but the Halfling does not know how to ride it. One of the guards, reluctantly, grabs the rein and pulls it aside his horse.
They all ride toward the gates that slowly rise to allow them entry. Goliath is one of the oldest cities in the Royal Alliance, as well as one of the wealthiest. Many who are reading this might be wondering, what is the Royal Alliance? It is a coalition between the cities of Goliath, Belvsketh, Panketh and Linstow. They have vowed to protect the Zokonian Empire, ever since the reign of the dragon kings.
Passing the entrance into the stone courtyard, they are greeted by the second in command, Darvon Kelegemy. He gives the orders when Andor is not here, which is quite frequently.
"My friends, welcome back," he happily greets them, "I can see those scum were no problem whatsoever."
"No, they weren't, "Nakunda says gloomily," The real struggle was staying awake for the four hours we were sitting out there."
"Ah," Darvon says, embarrassed," We had no idea when they would come back. They do seem to come at random times. I have been keeping my eyes peeled."
"You mean you are ordering your soldiers to keep their eyes peeled, because I don't see you doing much besides drinking and giving orders." Nakunda stares at the general for a moment, then glances up at Xiro, who shuts her up with a threatening look. "My apologies, general," Xiro says without looking away, "We have had a very long evening. We could use your help however. Where is Andor?"
"Oh, he will be here shortly. He had some business in Belvsketh. Their leader, it would seem, is not budging on the trade agreement with Panketh and Goliath."
"Will he be back in time?"
"In time for what?" the general asked, though without much interest.
"He said he was going to meet us tonight. At the Staggering Satyr."
"Really?" Darvon asked, sounding confused at the same time, "He did not tell me this."
Not sure what to say to him, Xiro just bowed his head and turned away. The rest of the group followed him, for the sun was already beginning to set. Xiro whistled for a cabby and ordered for it to drive downtown to the Staggering Satyr. The pub was also an inn, and a rather cozy one I should add. It is a clay building held up by oak support beams, with red tinted windows, creating a rosy glow that shines out into the cobble street in front of it. From outside, you can hear the loud chatter and music playing.
Xiro and is friends walk in, to be greeted by the sounds of drunken men and dwarves. The man, or should I say satyr, who owns the inn, sleeps behind the check in counter, with a mug of ale in his hand. Ignoring him, they look for an empty spot themselves. The chaos in the bar area is immense, so they find a table on the opposite side, near the window looking into the hustling and bustling street. The waitress, a beautiful woman named Laela, gives them drinks. They personally know her, for they spend much of their unused time here. But, they do not talk, for they are too focused on spotting Andor through the door. They wait around half an hour, then they see him come in. He wears worn out cloaks and carries a satchel which seems rather heavy, for he is putting all of his weight to the opposite side. Nakunda whistles to him," Hey Andor! Over here!"
He quickly walks over, avoiding any of the looks from others. He sits down next to Terricarus and says, "I would very much appreciate it if you could not say my name in public. The king does not know I am back in the city, and I would hate for him to find out."
"Why?" Nakunda asks, sipping her ale.
"He wanted me to stay in Belvsketh, but I never went there in the first place. I was scouting out the ruined fortress, Mogdul. It seems that the skeletons you were fighting were truly a distraction from the real danger. A few weeks ago, King Vareth was killed by one of the reigning cult group, The Cult of the Black Moon. They ended the peace of Goliath, and now his son, Dubran, is the king. Many have been suspicious of him being a part of the scheme, and many have tried to expose him for it. But they never come out and say it. I have friends in high places, like the king of Belvsketh. He is planning to separate himself from Goliath and the rest of the Alliance. The overthrow of the king is inevitable."
"Is there any proof of Lord Dubran being a traitor?" Xiro asked, "I mean, we cannot blame him for something he did not do."
"I understand that, my dear friend, "Andor replied quickly, holding up a hand in defiance, "which is why I have men digging into his past. I would not want to put fault upon an innocent man."
"But you are intentionally going into his past, his private past, to support a hunch that could or could not be right," Lukvar quickly said.
"Why should he keep it private?" Andor said quickly rebutted.
"Because we all have secrets, "Xiro defended, "I do, and I would not be surprised that every single person in this rom does too. It is not our business to go through a private life. It is private for a reason."
With their point being made, they sipped the ale that had been sitting there, untouched, the entire time.
"I do understand what you are saying, "Andor said," but he has a secret that has to do with the murder of his father. I know it. It just doesn't make sense. His father is killed, one of the most powerful, yet the most peaceful, man to ever sit upon the throne. Then he is killed. And Lord Dubran willingly takes his place one day after the funeral of his father, then disappears for a week."
"Wait, what? "Xiro asked, confused at the last statement.
"Yes, he traveled to a place, I know not where, and returned as if nothing happened. But the only think we know is he came back a changed man. The once cowardly man had turned into a ruthless ruler. He changed this city into a cesspool of crime and corruption."
"Why are you telling us this? What do you want from us?"
"I have another task for you, "Andor said, sliding a piece of parchment towards them.
The piece of parchment was wearing down, the sides already fading. It was a letter, written in a language unknown to any of them.
"It is Abyssal," Andor told them." The letter says 'Midnight: Meet at the temple. Bring the supplies. He shall rise tomorrow.'"
"How did you get this?" Xiro asked.
"I caught one of the cultists and found a little penthouse where I also found supplies, including these." Andor picked up a bag and gave it to them. Do not open it in here. It is the cultists' gowns and masks." He leans in closer to them. "I have a strong feeling it is the Cult of the Black Moon. They have been doing several rituals for weeks now. It starts there. If my intuition it true, then I would start there."
"What do you need us for?" Lukvar asked, now sounding interested. If it had anything to do with killing evil beings or solving mysteries, then he was in.
"I need all of you to meet at the ruin in these gowns. Find out what they are doing, and if they are performing human sacrifices, stop it immediately."
"Do you know where the temple is?" asked Xiro.
"Yes I do. It is outside the city borders, in the Harold Forest."
He gives them a map, showing the trail towards the old temple. He them stands up and says in a hushed voice, "I am drawing attention to myself. I must go. Thank you for your help. When you are finished, I will be in cabin 4 outside the walls." And with that he walks away and out the door.
"Well, what do we do now?" Terricarus asks.
"Grab your gear," Xiro said, "We leave immediately."
"Finally, I was waiting for you to say that," Nakunda says, already standing up and grabbing her weapons.
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART II