Evil Ascendant
Disclaimer: I don't own the Diablo games or any derivatives there in, etc, etc dingos did not eat my baby, so on and so forth……
Summary: A boring beginning but later people will start killing each other. I promise.
Thanks: To Brightbear for fixing my mistakes. Maybe I will read that story…..
Chapter 2
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Salena sprawled out across the wagon's poorly padded bench. Her green robes draped to the floor and she propped her back to the water barrel. The last three days had ground on indeterminably as all the others in the carriage rested. Even her elder brother Selig was quieter than usual, using the opportunity to relax. Ramesh, a local desert dweller with a thick rustic accent, sat across from the paladin as always. The paladin hardly moved and rarely spoke but when he did he spoke in the dignified voice of a Kurast native. Ramesh and Lucifer would talk occasionally with simple and basic language usually of the politics of the world outside the west. Selig seemed to show a real interest in discussion with the two strangers but for the most part the journey was uneventful. That made Salena squirm. She hated being restless.
"What's our position?" intoned the Paladin's voice, breaking Salena's drifting trail of thought.
"When we began our journey last night we should have been roughly a day's travel from Agmar. However, Selig's horse is not coping well with the desert."
"He's a pack horse not a draft horse," Selig said, squinting back along the line of the caravan.
"There's a difference?"
"Enough to have slowed us down half an hour or so. It makes finding our exact position difficult," Ramesh casually replied.
"How long till we arrive at Agmar?"
"Not long at all," Ramesh said, grinning at the other occupants of the train.
"Some cool drinks are in order then. Salena, if you will?"
Salena slowly rose to her feet and filled four tankards from the water barrels.
"Ice for me, please. And you gentlemen?"
Lucifer and Ramesh turned to Selig a look of confusion on his face.
"I-ce you say?" Ramesh remarked, inserting an extra syllable into the unfamiliar word.
The Paladin chuckled.
"Forgive Ramesh, he has lived in a desert his entire life after all."
"Fine then, I shall try this ice. While you are at it why not let us eat snow as well," Ramesh began laughing.
Salena whispered several words as she handed each of the men the tankards. Cool water vapour wafted away from the mouths of the tankards as they took them from her in turn.
"That could be arranged but it is my belief that snow does not make good eating."
"By the spirits! In all my years I never thought I would see true ice!" Ramesh exclaimed, looking down at the drink before him.
"For mages you make little use of you magics," Lucifer commented in a off handled manner, ignoring Ramesh's surprise.
"We try not to bring attention to our….training."
"Yet you wear the garments of your position."
"Few people in these parts are familiar with our clothing," he added politely.
Lucifer whispered a few words to the tankard before removing his helmet, pulling back his hood and finally drinking himself.
"You do not have to check for poison," Selig observed as he sipped from his own tankard.
"It pays to be vigilant in the company of strangers."
"Very well, to each his own," Selig sighed.
Ramesh looked incredulously at his companions and shook his head.
"Am I the only one here who isn't a sorcerer?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lucifer sat back in the small chair provided for him by the inn. One of the barbarians was old and grizzled while his younger companion sat next to him silently. The two barbarians he spoke with would have been an odd find in the tavern of a desert village. However, the bar was swarming with barbarians resting from the heat and heavy drink. All bearing the same clan marking.
"So Paladin, what word comes from the West?"
"Many things indeed. But what of here? I very much want to know how exactly two dozen and one barbarians can be found in the desert," Lucifer enquired, curiosity getting the better of him.
"Our lands our troubled. We come here for aid."
"The proud barbarians of Harrogath? What could possibly trouble your kind so?"
"A unnatural shadow stalks the snow plains. Blades do not harm it I fear and so we travel abroad to find the aid of mages."
"I see."
"Unless you wield unnatural powers I doubt you will be of aid to us Paladin."
"There are two mages with my caravan."
"Who are these mages?"
"Those two over there…may I ask your names?" Lucifer waved his hand in the direction of the table Selig and Salena occupied.
The elder barbarian banged his gauntleted fist against his splint mailed chest.
"I am Broggart of the Brazen Claws clan. This is my son Wulf," The barbarian rumbled and the younger barbarian to his left nodded.
"I do not know why they are here, however, so you should have your wits about you should you inquire of them."
"Little good it would do. The lord of these parts, the desert prince has held everyone from travelling and we do not have a guide through the desert sands. We are stuck here until the crisis is ended."
"What crisis?"
"This forsaken desert is beset by demons and creatures."
"What? Is it possible to travel to Kurast?"
"I feel Paladin that we are stuck in the same fisher's net."
"Shall we concentrate on solving this problem ourselves?"
"I doubt the locals have the mettle to meet these demons directly."
"Then tell me. Have you heard any news of the source of these demons?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"We should travel to Lut Gholein. I hear a monster has been slaying the townsfolk."
Broggart started the conversation with the other parties that had assembled at the table. Salena and Selig sat at the corner of the table slightly withdrawn from the rest. Ramesh, Lucifer, Broggart and Wulf sat closer together around the table's edges.
"What point is there is slaying some mindless monster? We need to find the source of this evil and destroy it," Salena in a obstenate tone.
Selig nodded silently in support. Lucifer had expected the mages to refuse the barbarian's call for aid. When they had discovered that the barbarians planned to stop the evil in the desert they had, however, agreed. Lucifer was curious of their motives.
"We do not know what we face and yet you expect to it attack directly?" Broggart countered.
"We must find out about what is behind this," Ramesh began
He looked pointedly at the other occupants of the table. Ramesh continued.
"My family has taken refuge in Lut Gholein and I shall travel there shortly. I believe we should travel there and find what we need."
"Your kin should remain here and guard this town. It is one of the few ways to reach the port from here and needs to be held open," Lucifer told Broggart looking at him intensely.
"My men shall defend this place with their lives," Broggart replied as Wulf nodded again. Selig and Salena whispered quietly before Selig finally spoke up.
"I shall remain here with you men, Broggart, while Salena will accompany you."
"So it is agreed than. We leave tonight at dusk."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Disclaimer: I don't own the Diablo games or any derivatives there in, etc, etc dingos did not eat my baby, so on and so forth……
Summary: A boring beginning but later people will start killing each other. I promise.
Thanks: To Brightbear for fixing my mistakes. Maybe I will read that story…..
Chapter 2
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Salena sprawled out across the wagon's poorly padded bench. Her green robes draped to the floor and she propped her back to the water barrel. The last three days had ground on indeterminably as all the others in the carriage rested. Even her elder brother Selig was quieter than usual, using the opportunity to relax. Ramesh, a local desert dweller with a thick rustic accent, sat across from the paladin as always. The paladin hardly moved and rarely spoke but when he did he spoke in the dignified voice of a Kurast native. Ramesh and Lucifer would talk occasionally with simple and basic language usually of the politics of the world outside the west. Selig seemed to show a real interest in discussion with the two strangers but for the most part the journey was uneventful. That made Salena squirm. She hated being restless.
"What's our position?" intoned the Paladin's voice, breaking Salena's drifting trail of thought.
"When we began our journey last night we should have been roughly a day's travel from Agmar. However, Selig's horse is not coping well with the desert."
"He's a pack horse not a draft horse," Selig said, squinting back along the line of the caravan.
"There's a difference?"
"Enough to have slowed us down half an hour or so. It makes finding our exact position difficult," Ramesh casually replied.
"How long till we arrive at Agmar?"
"Not long at all," Ramesh said, grinning at the other occupants of the train.
"Some cool drinks are in order then. Salena, if you will?"
Salena slowly rose to her feet and filled four tankards from the water barrels.
"Ice for me, please. And you gentlemen?"
Lucifer and Ramesh turned to Selig a look of confusion on his face.
"I-ce you say?" Ramesh remarked, inserting an extra syllable into the unfamiliar word.
The Paladin chuckled.
"Forgive Ramesh, he has lived in a desert his entire life after all."
"Fine then, I shall try this ice. While you are at it why not let us eat snow as well," Ramesh began laughing.
Salena whispered several words as she handed each of the men the tankards. Cool water vapour wafted away from the mouths of the tankards as they took them from her in turn.
"That could be arranged but it is my belief that snow does not make good eating."
"By the spirits! In all my years I never thought I would see true ice!" Ramesh exclaimed, looking down at the drink before him.
"For mages you make little use of you magics," Lucifer commented in a off handled manner, ignoring Ramesh's surprise.
"We try not to bring attention to our….training."
"Yet you wear the garments of your position."
"Few people in these parts are familiar with our clothing," he added politely.
Lucifer whispered a few words to the tankard before removing his helmet, pulling back his hood and finally drinking himself.
"You do not have to check for poison," Selig observed as he sipped from his own tankard.
"It pays to be vigilant in the company of strangers."
"Very well, to each his own," Selig sighed.
Ramesh looked incredulously at his companions and shook his head.
"Am I the only one here who isn't a sorcerer?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lucifer sat back in the small chair provided for him by the inn. One of the barbarians was old and grizzled while his younger companion sat next to him silently. The two barbarians he spoke with would have been an odd find in the tavern of a desert village. However, the bar was swarming with barbarians resting from the heat and heavy drink. All bearing the same clan marking.
"So Paladin, what word comes from the West?"
"Many things indeed. But what of here? I very much want to know how exactly two dozen and one barbarians can be found in the desert," Lucifer enquired, curiosity getting the better of him.
"Our lands our troubled. We come here for aid."
"The proud barbarians of Harrogath? What could possibly trouble your kind so?"
"A unnatural shadow stalks the snow plains. Blades do not harm it I fear and so we travel abroad to find the aid of mages."
"I see."
"Unless you wield unnatural powers I doubt you will be of aid to us Paladin."
"There are two mages with my caravan."
"Who are these mages?"
"Those two over there…may I ask your names?" Lucifer waved his hand in the direction of the table Selig and Salena occupied.
The elder barbarian banged his gauntleted fist against his splint mailed chest.
"I am Broggart of the Brazen Claws clan. This is my son Wulf," The barbarian rumbled and the younger barbarian to his left nodded.
"I do not know why they are here, however, so you should have your wits about you should you inquire of them."
"Little good it would do. The lord of these parts, the desert prince has held everyone from travelling and we do not have a guide through the desert sands. We are stuck here until the crisis is ended."
"What crisis?"
"This forsaken desert is beset by demons and creatures."
"What? Is it possible to travel to Kurast?"
"I feel Paladin that we are stuck in the same fisher's net."
"Shall we concentrate on solving this problem ourselves?"
"I doubt the locals have the mettle to meet these demons directly."
"Then tell me. Have you heard any news of the source of these demons?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"We should travel to Lut Gholein. I hear a monster has been slaying the townsfolk."
Broggart started the conversation with the other parties that had assembled at the table. Salena and Selig sat at the corner of the table slightly withdrawn from the rest. Ramesh, Lucifer, Broggart and Wulf sat closer together around the table's edges.
"What point is there is slaying some mindless monster? We need to find the source of this evil and destroy it," Salena in a obstenate tone.
Selig nodded silently in support. Lucifer had expected the mages to refuse the barbarian's call for aid. When they had discovered that the barbarians planned to stop the evil in the desert they had, however, agreed. Lucifer was curious of their motives.
"We do not know what we face and yet you expect to it attack directly?" Broggart countered.
"We must find out about what is behind this," Ramesh began
He looked pointedly at the other occupants of the table. Ramesh continued.
"My family has taken refuge in Lut Gholein and I shall travel there shortly. I believe we should travel there and find what we need."
"Your kin should remain here and guard this town. It is one of the few ways to reach the port from here and needs to be held open," Lucifer told Broggart looking at him intensely.
"My men shall defend this place with their lives," Broggart replied as Wulf nodded again. Selig and Salena whispered quietly before Selig finally spoke up.
"I shall remain here with you men, Broggart, while Salena will accompany you."
"So it is agreed than. We leave tonight at dusk."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~