Nordak Durthane took a sip from the cup of tea, letting out a sigh of relief. It was warm and not scolding at all with the right amount of herbs mixed in. There were many different adventurers gathered at other tables, sharing stories of their conflicts and travels. The Tea Kettle was a hot spot for such travelers, even though the dwarf never considered himself to be an adventurer. The only thing he had in common with this lot was that he hated staying in the same place for too long. He had no interest in saving day. He had no interest in seeing the world. He just cannot stand being idle for far too long.
Being the only dwarf lodging in the Tea Kettle, Nordak was among the shortest of travelers. He was at least content to be taller than Madam Freona and her daughters. He was marked as a cleric of Kelemvor by his holy symbol, a pair of scales that hung from his neck. The dwarf kept his hood raised, covering most of his dark hair except for two braids that fell down onto his shoulders. Likewise, his beard was braided into two braids right underneath his mustache. Underneath his cloak, he wore leather armor, with his mace holstered at his side. His crossbow and quiver of bolts were to his side.
Taking another sip from his cup, Nordak could not help himself but smirk. Although he was no adventurer, he certainly was armed to the teeth as if he was one. Yet, unlike them, he had more purpose than gold and glory. His purpose for fighting was his duty. The cleric took solemn oaths to see that any undead were destroyed. The cycle of life and death was sacred to his god, and undeath only made mockery of it. It was his divine purpose that brought him out to Phlan.
As if on cue, the doors to the Tea Kettle barged wide open, revealing a tall human in dark robes and wearing a black hat enter. He took off his hat, revealing his balding brown hair and his face full of sorrow. Nordak locked eyes with the man, who gave him a quick nod. The dwarf motioned to an open chair by him and finished his tea. Grelinda, the youngest of Freona's daughters with copper green hair, took the empty cup while muttering something about her work. The man took a seat across from the cleric, setting his hat on his lap.
"Ye kept me waitin'," Nordak clasped his hands together. "Not that I don't mind. Gave me time te try th' tea here. Not bad."
"I apologize for keeping you waiting," the man nodded. "I am glad that you answered my letters."
"Nay problem at all, Brother Keefe," Nordak replied. "So, what de ye need me te de."
"As I have explained in my letter, I am Keeper of the Dead of Valhingen Graveyard, the overseer of the permanent residents, if you would," Brother Keefe explained. "Disinterment of the residents is one of my many duties, and it is why I asked you to come here."
"Havin' problems with undead?" Nordak asked, leaning forward.
"Not quite, but there are other problems," Keefe sighed. "Evidence has been brought up that Xandria Welltran was not a human, but a green dragon. A polymorphed one."
"That is a big claim," Nordak relaxed in his chair. "Nay sure why ye need me fer such a job. Anyone can analyze bones."
"I have to go into her crypt to confirm if these rumors are true or false," Keefe told him. "However, there is something much more going on. I tried to tell the others, but no one would listen to me. Some even laughed. So I thought to approach an outsider to help me. I will give you a hundred gold for your aid, and if we encounter any trouble, I'll throw in a spell scroll for Protection from Evil and Good."
Nordak stroked one of his beard braids in deep thought. This was a bit below his pay grade for someone trained to fight undead and he did not work for coin. The lad was probably nervous about there being a dragon in his graveyard. Just a rumor as far as he was concern. Yet, the dwarf could not help but think about what if there was some truth to the story. Dragon bones would be a powerful asset for someone with ill intentions to get their hands on. Perhaps it was better to be safe by ensuring Keefe completed his job.
"Ye make a temptin' offer, lad," Nordak told Keefe. "An' had ye not included th' scroll, I would have laughed in yer face just like th' others. Just so happens I could use such a spell with my line o' work. Count me in."
"Excellent!" Keefe exclaimed, shooting off from his chair. "Let us be off to the graveyard at once!"
When Keefe turned his back on him to rush out of the Tea Kettle, there was a faint smile on Nordak's lips. It was relaxing to see others taking their duty to Kelemvor seriously as he did. Their line of work was sacred to their god and something that the dwarf intended to go through until he grew old. The cleric stood up from his chair and grabbed his crossbow and quiver. He holstered them across his back and made his way to follow the priest.
The two Kelemvorites walked through the streets until they came upon the graveyard. Nordak was surprised to see that it was so lively for such a place. The flowers by the various graves were tended to and the iron gates were polished thoroughly. There was not a single weed in sight. There were people who tended to graveyards, but during his years of travels, the dwarf had never seen one in such a state.
"Give my regards te th' gravekeeper," Nordak told Keefe. "They've done a wonderful job."
"Doomguide Glandon himself sees to the maintenance of the graveyard," Keefe informed Nordak. "Every morning, he's out inspecting the yard and seeing that it is kept to shape."
Nordak nodded, glad to see that the elder of the church was responsible for keeping up with his duties. The two walked down a dirt path, the graves disappearing and replaced with crypts. They were grand in size and built with the finest marble and stone offered in Phlan. It was to such a crypt that Keefe walked up to, pulling out a key from his cloak. The priest unlocked the door, allowing for the two Kelemvorites to step into the crypt.
Much like the exterior, the interior was also fine in quality. The walls of the crypt were engraved with many different scenes, each featuring a young, human woman. For the first, she looked out towards a mountain, the peak covered in stone. In the next, she was caught in a dangerous and powerful thunderstorm. Then, she was seated in a room with a comfortable fire. In a garden, she clutched onto a deadly snake. Finally, she was in a lab, working with various vials.
In the center of the crypt was the sarcophagus, finely crafted out of marble. On the surface, the same woman on the walls was engraved. Keefe opened the lid of the sarcophagus to reveal the remains of the woman. Decay had taken its course on her remains, leaving only bones. Strangely enough, there were five gems of varying color with the body as well. Nordak reached into the container, pulling out one of the bones, and examined it closely.
"Hmm…" Nordak stroke his beard braid closely. "Ayep, not human."
"Draconic?" Keefe asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice.
"Aye," Nordak nodded.
"This is terrible," Keefe muttered under his breath. "The Doomguide will need to hear of this at once.
"I'm not done yet, lad," Nordak placed the bone back with the body. "There are other bones missin'."
"Missing?!" Keefe gulped.
"Aye," Nordak repeated himself. "A leg. Th' lower jaw. Some ribs. A hand. A few toes…"
"How could someone have gotten in here?" Keefe asked out loud. "Only I and the Doomguide have a key."
"Maybe th' gems are a key," Nordak mused, taking a red one from the sarcophagus. "They're no jewelry."
"The sarcophagus has been moved," Keefe motioned his hand to the scratch marks on the ground. "And the carvings on the wall-"
Keefe was interrupted by a scraping across the stone ground. Nordak glanced at the door, seeing it slide shut. The priest screamed out in panic, running towards the door to try to pull it free. The dwarf muttered a curse in his native tongue, now hearing a hissing sound. He instinctively took a sniff and gagged. There was gas pouring into the room and it was terrible. With his comrade clawing at the door, it was up to the cleric to put a stop to their death trap, and he was confident that the gems played a part in it.
Nordak snatched the four other gems from the sarcophagus and held his breath. He turned to the walls, seeing that there were hollow holes in the five different carvings, just like Keefe tried to tell him. Looking at the gems, he recalled that they were all the colors of chromatic dragons. That was the key to their salvation. The dwarf recalled as much as he could about chromatic dragons while running to the walls, fumbling with the gems in his hands.
White had to do with snow, so it would go with the mountain. It was hard to stand to reach something so high, but he managed with his life on the line. Blue went with the lightning and red with the raging fire. Nordak grinned, glad to see that such a puzzle was so simple, even someone who knew little of dragons could get by with it. The green stone went into the fang of the snake, and finally, the black stone went into the vial. On cue, the door swung open, allowing the gas to clear the room. The sarcophagus slid across the floor, revealing a secret passage.
"Ye alright, lad?" Nordak asked, glancing towards Keefe.
"I'll live," Keefe breathed.
"So, this answers yer question," Nordak looked at the new entrance. "Stairs. Dusty except fer two trails o' footprints. So, shall we go down?"
"No way!" Keefe explained. "I am of no magic or martial prowess. Please, you have to go down for me and investigate. I'll be waiting here for your return."
"Aye," Nordak nodded. "See ye then."
Nordak pulled out his crossbow, bolt loaded in the weapon already. Slowly, he descended down the stairs, keeping his guard raised. His dwarven eyes naturally adjusted to the darkness, allowing him to see. The stairs descended sharply downwards until the passage continued to the left. He followed the path until he came upon a chamber. Three skeletons of draconic origin stood at attention, although they were unmoving. Towards the back of the room was a throne on a raised a dias.
Any adventurer might have been foolish enough to mess with the throne or skeletons, but not Nordak. The dwarf knew better than to start a big problem. Instead, he continued following the path, crossbow raised all the same. It was only a few more seconds until he came upon a new chamber: a lab. There were various tables set with alchemy potions and books set up. He walked up to the central table, marked with a blue clay pot, and read the note present.
Raaxil, I have figured out how to complete the process. When you are ready, simply pour the contents of this blue pot into the caldron and stir. The effects should be instantaneous, but DO NOT DRINK THE RESULTING POTION
Nordak let out a hearty chuckle and spat into the blue pot. Only a fool, like an adventurer, would bother trying to complete a dangerous ritual. He had no business performing such evil acts. He had a job to do, and a job to remain focus on. He pressed on, crossbow raised, and enter the passage that spiraled down. Twice, he had avoided the obvious traps that adventurers would have fallen victim to. The cleric grinned, ready to see what else awaited him in these catacombs.
Finally, Nordak arrived in the final chamber. Much like above, the walls were painted, although the scenes had no significant meaning this time around. However, they all pointed to a single alcove to his side, showing a large pile of gold that did not interest the dwarf in the slightest. Focusing on the paintings, he took notice of glyphs drawn into the wall as well, with one being above in the southern alcove while the rest were just above his height. Lying down on the ground across the chamber were corpses, four in total. They appeared to be humanoid until the cleric noticed the extra features: tails, wings, scales and the like.
Towards the corner of the room, Nordak found what he was looking for: a teleportation circle underneath one of the glyphs. He approached it wearily and sheathed his crossbow. His dwarven senses told him that it had been crafted recently, within the hour. He cursed, realizing that whoever was here likely overheard the secret entrance open and made their way to escape. He was no wizard, so for him, the mystery would go unsolved.
Nordak let out a slight gasp upon hearing a groan from behind him. The four bodies stood up from the ground, limping towards him rapidly. Zombies, from the looks of it. The dwarf was fortunate enough to pull out his mace just in time to block the first zombie's claws. He ducked underneath the second attack but the third clawed across his face, leaving a nasty gash upon his cheek. When the fourth tried to attack, the cleric shoved at its legs, pushing it against the wall while breaking free from the pack of zombies, panting from exhaustion.
While taking a few steps back from the zombies, Nordak was quick to notice a strange sight. Only three of the zombies stood, with one of them on the ground, motionless. While they regained their momentum, the dwarf looked for answers. Sure enough, he realized that the zombie he slammed into the wall struck the rune, marring it. The other three runes flashed brightly, connecting them to the zombies' lives. The cleric grinned, loving when a plan came together.
Nordak quickly struck at the rune he was close, creating a jagged line through it. The rune dimmed and one of the zombies collapsed to the ground. Two down, two to go. The dwarf ran towards the rune on the far wall, chased by the remaining two opponents. Given how short his legs were, he knew that he would not make it in time before the zombies caught up to him. Instead, he stopped just in front of the rune and turned around to face the undead creations. He was swift enough to trip one of the zombies into the rune, marking and ending the both of them.
The remaining zombie bit down into his shoulder.
Nordak screamed out in pain, shoving the final zombie off of him and onto the ground. His mace fell down onto the ground while the undead creature slowly pushed itself off from the ground. The dwarf clutched at his chest, chanting in dwarvish. The pain diminished slowly, although the wound remain. He could have healed the wound easily enough with Cure Wounds, but instead, he cast False Life. It was to remind him that he was on borrowed time and that he needed to end this conflict now.
The final rune that remained was the one at the alcove, above his reach. Even if he could hold onto his mace, it would do no good. It was going to take a shot from his crossbow to finish the job. His good hand reached for his weapon while the zombie dove for him. Nordak jumped to the side, pulling out his crossbow and taking aim with one hand. He pulled the trigger, and the bolt slammed into the rune. It dimmed from the strike and the final zombie collapsed onto the ground.
With the fight over, Nordak saw no reason to continue exploring the catacombs. Once back on the surface, he would be able to tend to his wounds. Let the other Kelemvorites investigate the lair. As for the gold, it would be a generous donation from him to the church. The dwarf holstered his crossbow and picked up his mace, attaching it as his belt. He made his way back through the tunnel, praying to Kelemvor that the skeletons he saw were still inactive.
Nordak's eyes adjusted to the light as he climbed up the stairs. Thankfully, the skeletons remained inactive when he passed by. The door leading into the crypt was still opened and the sarcophagus was closed. Outside in the graveyard, Brother Keefe was pacing back and forth, unsure of what to do. When he saw the dwarf stepped out, he sighed out in relief, then quickly panicked. The cleric chuckled, realizing that his wounds would probably scare off a lot of people.
"By Kelemvor, what happened?!" Keefe rushed over to him. "I don't know any healing magic."
"I'll live, lad," Nordak told him sternly. "Don't go treatin' me like a child needin' te be nursed. As fer what happened, yer goin' te want te send men down there. Until ye get reinforcements, don't touch anything! There were people behind th' theft, but they fled before I could git te 'em."
"Do you know who was behind this?" Keefe asked.
"Nay clue," Nordak shrugged. "Some o' th' zombies I faced had draconic features if that's help."
"Perhaps they were trying to create a Dracolich," Keefe muttered. "The Lord's Alliance was right."
"Yer with the Lord's Alliance?" Nordak questioned, raising his eyebrow.
"Of course," Keefe nodded. "They're the ones who told me about these rumors. They also told me the Welcomers are also interested in dragons as well. I must be off. For your services."
Keefe took off his hat, put a pouch of gold and scroll in it, and set it down on the ground. With a grim nod, he made his way off, leaving the dwarf behind. Nordak was taken aback by the revelation, but saw no reason to take action. The Lord's Alliance was a lawful order, one that would make sure Phlan stayed orderly. As far as he was concerned, Brother Keefe was a friend he could rely on. They both had a common and shared goal.
Nordak took his reward from the hat, leaving it on the grave, and walked away from the crypt. He was not one for staying in one town for too long, but it was clear to him that trouble was brewing in Phlan. The dwarf would rather not leave the town only to hear that it fell to undead shortly after his departure. For the time being, he would remain in Phlan, and ensure that it is kept safe. All he had left to do now was find somewhere to stay for the time.
A/N: I tried to avoid going on a brief hiatus, but ultimately, I failed. To make up for that. I present the final three stories of this fanfic, all in one night. Hoped you enjoyed part one.
Until next time.