Chapter 6
once again, a week had past. with brief skirmishes against beasts and bandits. The party had passed briefly through Sarllamor, before crossing the border into Edroma. As Glendir came over the hill, he saw a town. normal sized walls. However, Glendir saw no activity. He urged his black mount forwards. "somethings not right over there..." Huldrar said. he held his weapon close. (he has an axe and a mace for different situations.) Eroden raised his hand. "i know how we Can learn what going on over there." He chanted, and summone dhis familliar. A red tailed hawk swooped down and landed. "yes?" The hawk asked, its voice strong and hardy.
"Go and scout out the ton form overhead, return in an hour with whatever you find out. Can you do that?" Eroden asked. the hawk swooped towards the city, after a quick nod. "and now we wait..." Glendir said sitting.
"Eroden?" Huldrar asked. Eroden turned. "i came into the group after you did...how did you get here?"
"not much really to tell... I was a wizards apprentice. He died, shortly after i had reached level 3 spells. and his tomes, died with him." Eroden paused. then continued. "I now owned the tower, but i didn't want it. i abandoned the tower to find new ways of increasing my skills." Eroden sighed and pulled out some elvish bread. "I wandered the gray coast for nearly 3 ears, constantly getting into fixes. then, i met Glendir and Odias. knowing they could use a good mage, i joined them and followed them. now...I'm here." He took a bite out of his bread. Huldrar nodded. "which brings me to ask you Odias. how did you join the group?"
Odias slumped. he never liked telling this tale. it reminded him of the old war. "i...used to belong to the Da lorea military. there was a war between Mellemar and Embros. i served in that war." He paused. as if a terrible reminder just hit him. "i...i lost many of my closest friends. the war raged until i was forty, then, it abruptly stopped. everything plummeted, and i was removed from duty. no longer reacuired you see. and i was getting "Old" and, "fragile" according to the higher ups." Odias grimaced.
"i joined Glendir at a tavern only 3 years later. and Ive been travelling with him ever since." Odias finished, relieved that he didn't have to talk about it anymore. He looked to huldrar. "and what of you, huldrar? How did you come to be here?" Huldrar grumbled.
"oh fine i can tell ya." He said. "ya see, i didn't always want to be a favored soul. i wanted to be a fighter. but that slipped me by. I was part of a group before... a group of bandits. but when i disobeyed an order to kill a women on the road, i was nearly killed in my sleep. lost all my stuff." He shivered as he was reminded of how close he had come to loosing his head. "i wandered til i came to Da lorea. no one knew me, and i wanted to redeem myself. wanted to repent for my crimes. and i knew those who could help me best, were the Selldroll priests." huldrar looked down at the symbol of selldroll on his armor. "They took me in as a favored soul. i accepted the job gladly. and for 5 years served them, tracking down those who had betrayed me. soon, they were all dead." Huldrar smiled happily. "i was redeemed. i was walking the roads when met you gents. and we've been travelling together since." Glendir watched the city.
--
an hour later, the bird returned. "Ive done my search...there is No one down there." the hawk said.
"what?" eroden said in surprise.
"well, nobody alive." The hawk said. Eroden called the hawk back inside of himself. Glendir mounted his horse. "come on!" He ordered. and set off at a gallop.
--
The town was a ruin. bodies everywhere scattered, and dried blood covered the ground. There were also fallen undead. "The blood rain must have hit recently..." Odias said sadly. Glendir felt remorse for these people. all of them mutilated, and many devoured. "where are the undead then?" huldrar asked, sensing no undead in the area.
"they must have left the town." Gelndir observed. His horse shifted uncomfortably. Glendirs eyes drifted to a mother, shielding a baby...both dead. His mind rang with the screams they were making before they were killed. glendir turned away from form the two, and tried not to look at the bodies. His hands tightened around his reigns so hard He drew his own blood. "come. the town is lost. we must press on to the red dragon desert." He turned his horse for the exit and set off at a gallop. Leaving behind a reminder, that the land was under a horrible curse...
--
they set up camp after a days worth the travel. None of them said anything. they were all a bit shaken form the horrible sight they had seen back at the town. Glendir looked at his hands, The skin was starting to heal. He sighed and lay down to sleep. And that night he dreamt, about the undead walking through his home in the great marsh, and laying waste to everything he knew. his friends, his family...all murdered at the hands of the gruesome undead...
