Chapter 3
Tristram
It was after supper the night of the battle against Blood Raven. It had begun to rain so everyone moved inside a giant tent within the encampment. The noise was at a dull roar, everyone was rumoring about Blood Raven's defeat in his or her own versions of what happened. In one corner stood Kayasha, Akara, Maeko, Elly, and Glacian.
"So this is the famed bow of Blood Raven?" asked Kayasha, "Thank You for bringing it back to us to investigate. It is truly an artifact of power."
"Indeed it is, it is engraved with the initials of Dephasto the Smith himself. He is the evil brother of Diablo's own servant, Hephasto the Armorer. This can only mean Blood Raven held an important place in the mind of the evil brothers." said Akara intellectually. She was now definitely the smartest person Glacian had ever known.
"Well then, all seems to be well, let's rejoice for a night, a much longed for night." said Charsi energetically as if a giant albatross had been lifted from her shoulder.
"Yes, I need a drink anyways." replied Glacian walking towards the crowd. But before he could wander into the mass of people, Akara grabbed his arm and pulled him back.
"Glacian," she began with a dull whisper " I know now that you are trustworthy and a friend to the sisterhood. I have a quest for you. I fear it is a dark one indeed, but a very important one, very important indeed."
"I will hear it, but after a good drink." Glacian wandered through the crowd until he found the keg of rum. He took a good long drink and wound his way back to the corner where he had left Akara. She was gone, but a trail of smudged dirt in the shape of her robe led out of the great tent into the rain. He followed the trail and found that it led to another tent, obviously Akara's quarters. It had potions lining the outside and scepters and staffs lying against its side.
"Come inside." Akara's voice came from inside her quarters.
Glacian walked in and saw Akara sitting at a desk, which was surrounded by candles and various potions.
"You wanted to talk to me of a quest?" asked Glacian.
"Yes, a very perilous but important one. Glacian, your quest, should you choose to accept it, is to rescue the last of the horadrim race, Deckard Cain. He is the last of his kind. Nearly 200 years old, he lived in a peaceful southern town called Tristram. Just weeks ago it became corrupted. One of our rogues was passing through and talking to Deckard when a horde of skeletons and carvers ransacked the village and captured Cain. The rouge only had a chance to kill two carvers before she fled. She looked back to see Cain being lifted off the ground in a wooden cage. After telling me I knew I would find someone to rescue him. I need you to travel to Tristram through the power of the Carrin Stones. They are six large stones in a circular formation. If you activate them in the right order, which is found on the Scroll of Isthmus, a portal to Tristram will open and one person will be able to travel through. I have the scroll with me, but you will have to travel past the Cold Plains of Despair, past the Black Marsh, and to the Stone Fields to find the Carrin Stones. Only one person may pass through these stones to Tristram. That is the hard part. Will you find Cain and bring him back safely?" Akara's lengthy speech held Glacian's attention well, however, he did not know exactly how to get there.
"Where are the Carrin Stones and who are the Horadrim?" he asked eagerly.
"The Carrin Stones are in the Stone Fields beyond the Cold Plains of Despair and the Black Marsh. The Horadrim are a race, or were a race, of geniuses. Cain is the last surviving of his kind, and a very intelligent person. If we could recover him, we could learn everything there is to know about defeating Diablo and restoring peace to Earth."
"I will go, but I need a week's rest before venturing that far into evil."
Glacian's bargain was a great one to Akara, but she feared that would be too long and Cain would be slain.
"You must hurry good paladin, they could slay Cain anytime. Wait a minute while I get something."
Akara hurried off outside of the tent and Glacian could hear here handling potions behind the thick leather flap.
"Here we go, a rejuvenation potion. Take this and you will feel completely rested. Your body will feel like it has just awoken from three days' sleep. Take it as you awake tomorrow morning and you will be ready to go tomorrow. But remember to take it tomorrow, not now. If you take it now, you won't sleep tonight and you'll be tired tomorrow."
"Ok, thank you." Glacian got up and headed toward the door, "Oh, by the way, could you get me some more healing potions? I'm low."
"Come tomorrow, and you will find eight potions on my desk, take them all."
"I will do that." Glacian walked out and back to the crowd.
The next morning Glacian awoke to a warm breeze. Someone had opened the flap to his tent and let the heat from the fire in. The sweet smell of food entered his nostrils and told him that bread and rum were close. He opened his eyes and saw Charsi laying a platter of food at his feet.
"Mornin`" said Charsi. She was in good spirits, obviously still happy about Blood Raven's defeat.
"Good Morning." replied Glacian, rubbing his eyes and sitting up. He had fallen asleep still in his mail and with his boots on. He stood up, stretched and sat back down. The bread was sourdough, his favorite and the rum was delicious. After eating breakfast, he put on his cap and gloves, reached over his pillow and grabbed his scepter and sword and walked outside into the fresh air. Everything seemed warmer and brighter. Glacian figured it was just the mood, which had swung from a dull gloom to a cheery lightness. He visited Akara's tent and found the potions, they were the largest healing potions he'd ever seemed. Alongside the potions he located a very large scroll, he opened it and found it was the Scroll of Isthmus, on it was the order of the stones' correct activation and a map to get to them.
After saying goodbye to the rouges he headed off towards the black marsh. He walked hours and fought off any creatures that stood in his way. After what seemed like a good half-day he found what he was looking for. Six huge blacks stones, which looked like pillars for Stonehenge. Each was marked with a symbol different than the others. Glacian looked at the scroll, hit the first pillar's symbol with his scepter. The pillar immediately lit up in an orange glow, he did this with the other four until he was faced with the remaining pillar. He hit it with his scepter and the stone lit up, all six began to change colors from orange to blue to red to green and back to orange. After nearly ten seconds a ray of light from each pillar met in the center where they concentrated into a deep red portal. He walked through it and found himself in a burning town. Next to him were three cows, all dead and cut open. In the distance he heard an old man yelling for help and the demonic cries of skeletons and carvers. He'd already seen skeletons, but the carvers were much different than anything he'd seen before. They were small, about two feet tall with gray flesh and each held a knife large enough only to slice through rope. He ran through the crowd of demons until he reached Cain.
Cain was old and feeble. Dressed in a faded gray tunic and carrying a long wooden staff. He was encaged in a wooden basket nearly fifteen feet off the ground.
"I'll get you down, don't worry!" Glacian yelled to Cain as he looked up.
"I wouldn't be too sure of that!" a loud booming voice came from behind Glacian.
Glacian slowly turned around. He'd never really been frightened before, but the visage that stood in front of him was truly a demonic and sad sight. It was Griswold, an old friend of Glacian's. The two grew up together and were good friends. Griswold became a blacksmith and Glacian a paladin. Now, standing before him was a tainted version of his old friend.
"Griswold?" said Glacian, not believing his eyes.
"Ah, fresh meat. Glacian you will not defeat me or rescue this pitiful old man."
"But Griswold, what's happened to you, you used to be so righteous and good, what happened?"
"I lived here when the demons attacked the village. I made the mistake of fighting them. Only when they captured me did I see the truth to their power. It is Diablo who is righteous, neither Angel or Archangel can match the power I now posses. Turn, Glacian, join me in the army of the underworld."
"Never, Griswold, you have been utterly brainwashed. Look at you, you are a torn soul, I can sense the good in you, but you deny fighting evil. You gave up when you were ahead. Griswold, fight the evil inside you. Only then will you know that you are right in fighting Diablo, in defeating evil. Turn back and walk away, before you are destroyed."
"Hahaha, pitiful, weak paladin, you do not know the power of the dark side. Witness the strength of evil!" as Griswold finished this statement he threw an ax a Glacian, who ducked it and bashed Griswold over the head with his scepter.
"The light offers much more vision than the dark. Come back to good and you will be offered more power and speed than you could ever receive from evil."
Glacian's statement seemed to make some sense to Griswold, but he needed more proof. Griswold charged Glacian and swung his sword as hard as he could. Glacian did not react but instead concentrated on his holy auras. As Griswold's sword was about to connect with Glacian's mail, it froze and shattered.
"It's called holy freeze, a great aura stronger than any blight offered by evil." Glacian's words finally sunk into Griswold's mind. Griswold sunk to his knees and dropped his head. He shook violently and began to scream. His fists clenched together and his forehead began to glow. Suddenly a green mist rose out of Griswold's body and sunk into a carver.
The carver grew three times its size and its muscles began to bulge.
"Look out!" yelled Cain as the carver swung at Griswold. Glacian stopped the carver's weapon with his own sword just before it hit him. With his scepter he bashed the carver in the side. Griswold found the strength to stand and grabbed the ax he'd thrown at Glacian.
"Ah, thank you Glacian, I feel as if I just woke up from a nightmare." said Griswold, who was dazed and tired looking.
"I'll tell you later!" Glacian yelled, "Now give me a hand here!"
"Certainly." shouted Griswold.
The carver fought, but failed to destroy the two friends. Glacian broke the rope holding Cain's cage and Cain fell to the ground with a thump. He got up and slowly looked around.
"Thank you good man, I was starting to think no one would save me from my old friend. Here," Cain opened a portal which led to the encampment, "we can take this to the encampment where the rouges are settled, that is the only place of safety I know of."
"That's where I'm headed also." said Glacian, who was becoming dreary of battle.
"I'll go with you and see if I might be able to redeem myself." added Griswold.
Tristram
It was after supper the night of the battle against Blood Raven. It had begun to rain so everyone moved inside a giant tent within the encampment. The noise was at a dull roar, everyone was rumoring about Blood Raven's defeat in his or her own versions of what happened. In one corner stood Kayasha, Akara, Maeko, Elly, and Glacian.
"So this is the famed bow of Blood Raven?" asked Kayasha, "Thank You for bringing it back to us to investigate. It is truly an artifact of power."
"Indeed it is, it is engraved with the initials of Dephasto the Smith himself. He is the evil brother of Diablo's own servant, Hephasto the Armorer. This can only mean Blood Raven held an important place in the mind of the evil brothers." said Akara intellectually. She was now definitely the smartest person Glacian had ever known.
"Well then, all seems to be well, let's rejoice for a night, a much longed for night." said Charsi energetically as if a giant albatross had been lifted from her shoulder.
"Yes, I need a drink anyways." replied Glacian walking towards the crowd. But before he could wander into the mass of people, Akara grabbed his arm and pulled him back.
"Glacian," she began with a dull whisper " I know now that you are trustworthy and a friend to the sisterhood. I have a quest for you. I fear it is a dark one indeed, but a very important one, very important indeed."
"I will hear it, but after a good drink." Glacian wandered through the crowd until he found the keg of rum. He took a good long drink and wound his way back to the corner where he had left Akara. She was gone, but a trail of smudged dirt in the shape of her robe led out of the great tent into the rain. He followed the trail and found that it led to another tent, obviously Akara's quarters. It had potions lining the outside and scepters and staffs lying against its side.
"Come inside." Akara's voice came from inside her quarters.
Glacian walked in and saw Akara sitting at a desk, which was surrounded by candles and various potions.
"You wanted to talk to me of a quest?" asked Glacian.
"Yes, a very perilous but important one. Glacian, your quest, should you choose to accept it, is to rescue the last of the horadrim race, Deckard Cain. He is the last of his kind. Nearly 200 years old, he lived in a peaceful southern town called Tristram. Just weeks ago it became corrupted. One of our rogues was passing through and talking to Deckard when a horde of skeletons and carvers ransacked the village and captured Cain. The rouge only had a chance to kill two carvers before she fled. She looked back to see Cain being lifted off the ground in a wooden cage. After telling me I knew I would find someone to rescue him. I need you to travel to Tristram through the power of the Carrin Stones. They are six large stones in a circular formation. If you activate them in the right order, which is found on the Scroll of Isthmus, a portal to Tristram will open and one person will be able to travel through. I have the scroll with me, but you will have to travel past the Cold Plains of Despair, past the Black Marsh, and to the Stone Fields to find the Carrin Stones. Only one person may pass through these stones to Tristram. That is the hard part. Will you find Cain and bring him back safely?" Akara's lengthy speech held Glacian's attention well, however, he did not know exactly how to get there.
"Where are the Carrin Stones and who are the Horadrim?" he asked eagerly.
"The Carrin Stones are in the Stone Fields beyond the Cold Plains of Despair and the Black Marsh. The Horadrim are a race, or were a race, of geniuses. Cain is the last surviving of his kind, and a very intelligent person. If we could recover him, we could learn everything there is to know about defeating Diablo and restoring peace to Earth."
"I will go, but I need a week's rest before venturing that far into evil."
Glacian's bargain was a great one to Akara, but she feared that would be too long and Cain would be slain.
"You must hurry good paladin, they could slay Cain anytime. Wait a minute while I get something."
Akara hurried off outside of the tent and Glacian could hear here handling potions behind the thick leather flap.
"Here we go, a rejuvenation potion. Take this and you will feel completely rested. Your body will feel like it has just awoken from three days' sleep. Take it as you awake tomorrow morning and you will be ready to go tomorrow. But remember to take it tomorrow, not now. If you take it now, you won't sleep tonight and you'll be tired tomorrow."
"Ok, thank you." Glacian got up and headed toward the door, "Oh, by the way, could you get me some more healing potions? I'm low."
"Come tomorrow, and you will find eight potions on my desk, take them all."
"I will do that." Glacian walked out and back to the crowd.
The next morning Glacian awoke to a warm breeze. Someone had opened the flap to his tent and let the heat from the fire in. The sweet smell of food entered his nostrils and told him that bread and rum were close. He opened his eyes and saw Charsi laying a platter of food at his feet.
"Mornin`" said Charsi. She was in good spirits, obviously still happy about Blood Raven's defeat.
"Good Morning." replied Glacian, rubbing his eyes and sitting up. He had fallen asleep still in his mail and with his boots on. He stood up, stretched and sat back down. The bread was sourdough, his favorite and the rum was delicious. After eating breakfast, he put on his cap and gloves, reached over his pillow and grabbed his scepter and sword and walked outside into the fresh air. Everything seemed warmer and brighter. Glacian figured it was just the mood, which had swung from a dull gloom to a cheery lightness. He visited Akara's tent and found the potions, they were the largest healing potions he'd ever seemed. Alongside the potions he located a very large scroll, he opened it and found it was the Scroll of Isthmus, on it was the order of the stones' correct activation and a map to get to them.
After saying goodbye to the rouges he headed off towards the black marsh. He walked hours and fought off any creatures that stood in his way. After what seemed like a good half-day he found what he was looking for. Six huge blacks stones, which looked like pillars for Stonehenge. Each was marked with a symbol different than the others. Glacian looked at the scroll, hit the first pillar's symbol with his scepter. The pillar immediately lit up in an orange glow, he did this with the other four until he was faced with the remaining pillar. He hit it with his scepter and the stone lit up, all six began to change colors from orange to blue to red to green and back to orange. After nearly ten seconds a ray of light from each pillar met in the center where they concentrated into a deep red portal. He walked through it and found himself in a burning town. Next to him were three cows, all dead and cut open. In the distance he heard an old man yelling for help and the demonic cries of skeletons and carvers. He'd already seen skeletons, but the carvers were much different than anything he'd seen before. They were small, about two feet tall with gray flesh and each held a knife large enough only to slice through rope. He ran through the crowd of demons until he reached Cain.
Cain was old and feeble. Dressed in a faded gray tunic and carrying a long wooden staff. He was encaged in a wooden basket nearly fifteen feet off the ground.
"I'll get you down, don't worry!" Glacian yelled to Cain as he looked up.
"I wouldn't be too sure of that!" a loud booming voice came from behind Glacian.
Glacian slowly turned around. He'd never really been frightened before, but the visage that stood in front of him was truly a demonic and sad sight. It was Griswold, an old friend of Glacian's. The two grew up together and were good friends. Griswold became a blacksmith and Glacian a paladin. Now, standing before him was a tainted version of his old friend.
"Griswold?" said Glacian, not believing his eyes.
"Ah, fresh meat. Glacian you will not defeat me or rescue this pitiful old man."
"But Griswold, what's happened to you, you used to be so righteous and good, what happened?"
"I lived here when the demons attacked the village. I made the mistake of fighting them. Only when they captured me did I see the truth to their power. It is Diablo who is righteous, neither Angel or Archangel can match the power I now posses. Turn, Glacian, join me in the army of the underworld."
"Never, Griswold, you have been utterly brainwashed. Look at you, you are a torn soul, I can sense the good in you, but you deny fighting evil. You gave up when you were ahead. Griswold, fight the evil inside you. Only then will you know that you are right in fighting Diablo, in defeating evil. Turn back and walk away, before you are destroyed."
"Hahaha, pitiful, weak paladin, you do not know the power of the dark side. Witness the strength of evil!" as Griswold finished this statement he threw an ax a Glacian, who ducked it and bashed Griswold over the head with his scepter.
"The light offers much more vision than the dark. Come back to good and you will be offered more power and speed than you could ever receive from evil."
Glacian's statement seemed to make some sense to Griswold, but he needed more proof. Griswold charged Glacian and swung his sword as hard as he could. Glacian did not react but instead concentrated on his holy auras. As Griswold's sword was about to connect with Glacian's mail, it froze and shattered.
"It's called holy freeze, a great aura stronger than any blight offered by evil." Glacian's words finally sunk into Griswold's mind. Griswold sunk to his knees and dropped his head. He shook violently and began to scream. His fists clenched together and his forehead began to glow. Suddenly a green mist rose out of Griswold's body and sunk into a carver.
The carver grew three times its size and its muscles began to bulge.
"Look out!" yelled Cain as the carver swung at Griswold. Glacian stopped the carver's weapon with his own sword just before it hit him. With his scepter he bashed the carver in the side. Griswold found the strength to stand and grabbed the ax he'd thrown at Glacian.
"Ah, thank you Glacian, I feel as if I just woke up from a nightmare." said Griswold, who was dazed and tired looking.
"I'll tell you later!" Glacian yelled, "Now give me a hand here!"
"Certainly." shouted Griswold.
The carver fought, but failed to destroy the two friends. Glacian broke the rope holding Cain's cage and Cain fell to the ground with a thump. He got up and slowly looked around.
"Thank you good man, I was starting to think no one would save me from my old friend. Here," Cain opened a portal which led to the encampment, "we can take this to the encampment where the rouges are settled, that is the only place of safety I know of."
"That's where I'm headed also." said Glacian, who was becoming dreary of battle.
"I'll go with you and see if I might be able to redeem myself." added Griswold.