The shadows had always been friendly to Narsia the assassin, keeping her
protected and hidden. The Shadow Disciplines she'd learned helped, but it
seemed to her that the shadows were just friendly. Of course, they seemed
to have failed me or I wouldn't be here.
Narsia had been following a sorceress east from Westmarch, waiting for a chance to strike, but this sorceress was cautious. When she stopped she put up a protection spell, but that wasn't necessary since she never slept. Narsia had waited and watched, being mindful of the skills she'd learned.
Then the fallen had attacked. She killed them easily with simple traps, but they rose again, there deformed and mutilated bodies joining together. She had lost the sorceresses trail and had been forced to take refuge in a forest where the fallen had surrounded her. A paladin had come dashing into the forest, hacking the fallen to pieces with its longsword. She had managed to flee back to a safe distance and watched as barbarians charged through the wood finishing off the fallen. She had heard enough of their talk to know they were headed to the rogue encampment. She listened carefully to their words and for the first time since leaving Duncraig she doubted if she had the right target. What if I was sent to kill these men? The prophecy was unclear of whom to kill. Just that they would follow the path in the path of evil.
"Well, now that you know who we are, do you trust enough to enter?" Laor stood, drenched in rainwater, arguing with the rogue guard. "We've answered all your questions, so let us in!" "I'll have to tell Akara. When cant just let a bunch of strange men wander through camp. Rhea, go tell Akara there are foreign travelers who claim they come to kill the demons." Laor and his companions traveled together for two days, heading for the rogue encampment. It had rained constantly for both of those days, which made traveling harder. Rhea returned and whispered to the guard, who turned back to the travelers. "You'll have to leave your weapons here." "I won't leave my wand in the hands of these fools" Balkor said, contempt rising in his voice. "Do not press their hospitality, necromancer, or we will leave you in the mud and let you skulk here" Laor replied. Balkor turned to the guard. "Keep it well, or you will find yourself in worse pain than can be imagined."
Lera watched the strange company enter the rogue encampment. She studied each of them. A large group of barbarians strode through the camp, the huge men unmistakable as outsiders. But the barbarians were not the interesting or even strangest of the group. A man of eastern decent easily determined by the darkness of his skin, and a man wrapped in animal pelts with strange orange hair. The easterner can only be a paladin with a sword like that. The men strode through camp, eyed suspiciously by the rogue inhabitants. Lera turned and sighed. These rogues will never trust anyone from outside their realm, men especially.
Lera was a tall proud woman. If her raven black hair and green sorceress robes did not betray her for a s one of the Zann Esu, then her staff, covered with runes, did. Lera had come to Khanduras to finish her training. She had gotten much more. The first day out from Duncraig she had found she was being followed. Her immediate thought had been highwaymen, who would have been easy enough to deal with. But as she traveled on it became apparent that a thief would have long ago given up. Lera was more cautious then.
Lera kept her eyes on the travelers, watching them weave their way the tents. They split up, the barbarians heading for the smithy and inn, the paladin and the other man heading for Akara, the leader of the rogues. Lera followed the paladin keeping a fair distance; curious of what business this follower of Zakarum had with the warrior maidens of the west.
"Your coming here is far from timely, but it is welcome all the same" Akara told Laor as he explained his company's coming. "About four months ago, a great evil entered the rogue citadel. The great demoness Andariel is holding the passage east shut for her master, Diablo. While we cannot hold with this defilement, there is little we can do. Andariel raises are own dead against us, mocking us by giving them back the weapons they used in life. To stem further loss of life I have ordered Kashya to not allow rogues to leave the camp." Laor took at the mention of Diablo Laor blanched. So the Three are loose again. Or at least one of them is. Laor turned to Wruendel. "What do you think the barbarians are going to do?" "You can ask them your self." Wruendel nodded to Sammath, who was returning form the smithy. When he arrived, Laor explained what had happened. "There's no question really is there? This is why we came, are expedition would be pointless if we went home now" Sammath replied when Laor questioned his intent. All right then. We'll go to the rogue citadel and crush this evil before it has time to spread." "You'll find it harder than that" said a voice in the shadows. A sorceress appeared and approached Laor. "You're a paladin aren't you? I am Lera, sorceress of the third class." "Obviously you've picked up our names." "All but your pale friend." Lera nodded toward Balkor, who was skulking in the shadows. " I am Balkor, student of the arcane arts." "A necromancer. For paladin you keep strange company" Lera said to Laor, her lip curling in disdain. " I did not come to talk to you so I could critique your company, however. You will need help getting through the wilderness alive." "I think my barbarians can handle themselves" Sammath replied haughtily. Laor turned to Sammath. "We should not so lightly refuse the skills of a sorceress" Laor whispered in Sammath's ear. Laor turned back to Lera. "We would be glad of your company." He bowed slightly. "Then, I would suggest we stay here until the morrow, when we can set out fresh." "A good plan." Laor again bowed ever so slightly. A sorceress offering her skills. This is almost unheard of.
At dawn the company left, cheered on by a few, hopeful rogues. But there leaving was not just marked by the rogues. A slit pair of bright green eyes watched them from the cover of the forest surrounding the rogue encampment. The eyes followed the in travelers wake marking and remembering each of the troop now numbering thirty. Now I have them all together. Narsia the assassin had her target at last.
Narsia had been following a sorceress east from Westmarch, waiting for a chance to strike, but this sorceress was cautious. When she stopped she put up a protection spell, but that wasn't necessary since she never slept. Narsia had waited and watched, being mindful of the skills she'd learned.
Then the fallen had attacked. She killed them easily with simple traps, but they rose again, there deformed and mutilated bodies joining together. She had lost the sorceresses trail and had been forced to take refuge in a forest where the fallen had surrounded her. A paladin had come dashing into the forest, hacking the fallen to pieces with its longsword. She had managed to flee back to a safe distance and watched as barbarians charged through the wood finishing off the fallen. She had heard enough of their talk to know they were headed to the rogue encampment. She listened carefully to their words and for the first time since leaving Duncraig she doubted if she had the right target. What if I was sent to kill these men? The prophecy was unclear of whom to kill. Just that they would follow the path in the path of evil.
"Well, now that you know who we are, do you trust enough to enter?" Laor stood, drenched in rainwater, arguing with the rogue guard. "We've answered all your questions, so let us in!" "I'll have to tell Akara. When cant just let a bunch of strange men wander through camp. Rhea, go tell Akara there are foreign travelers who claim they come to kill the demons." Laor and his companions traveled together for two days, heading for the rogue encampment. It had rained constantly for both of those days, which made traveling harder. Rhea returned and whispered to the guard, who turned back to the travelers. "You'll have to leave your weapons here." "I won't leave my wand in the hands of these fools" Balkor said, contempt rising in his voice. "Do not press their hospitality, necromancer, or we will leave you in the mud and let you skulk here" Laor replied. Balkor turned to the guard. "Keep it well, or you will find yourself in worse pain than can be imagined."
Lera watched the strange company enter the rogue encampment. She studied each of them. A large group of barbarians strode through the camp, the huge men unmistakable as outsiders. But the barbarians were not the interesting or even strangest of the group. A man of eastern decent easily determined by the darkness of his skin, and a man wrapped in animal pelts with strange orange hair. The easterner can only be a paladin with a sword like that. The men strode through camp, eyed suspiciously by the rogue inhabitants. Lera turned and sighed. These rogues will never trust anyone from outside their realm, men especially.
Lera was a tall proud woman. If her raven black hair and green sorceress robes did not betray her for a s one of the Zann Esu, then her staff, covered with runes, did. Lera had come to Khanduras to finish her training. She had gotten much more. The first day out from Duncraig she had found she was being followed. Her immediate thought had been highwaymen, who would have been easy enough to deal with. But as she traveled on it became apparent that a thief would have long ago given up. Lera was more cautious then.
Lera kept her eyes on the travelers, watching them weave their way the tents. They split up, the barbarians heading for the smithy and inn, the paladin and the other man heading for Akara, the leader of the rogues. Lera followed the paladin keeping a fair distance; curious of what business this follower of Zakarum had with the warrior maidens of the west.
"Your coming here is far from timely, but it is welcome all the same" Akara told Laor as he explained his company's coming. "About four months ago, a great evil entered the rogue citadel. The great demoness Andariel is holding the passage east shut for her master, Diablo. While we cannot hold with this defilement, there is little we can do. Andariel raises are own dead against us, mocking us by giving them back the weapons they used in life. To stem further loss of life I have ordered Kashya to not allow rogues to leave the camp." Laor took at the mention of Diablo Laor blanched. So the Three are loose again. Or at least one of them is. Laor turned to Wruendel. "What do you think the barbarians are going to do?" "You can ask them your self." Wruendel nodded to Sammath, who was returning form the smithy. When he arrived, Laor explained what had happened. "There's no question really is there? This is why we came, are expedition would be pointless if we went home now" Sammath replied when Laor questioned his intent. All right then. We'll go to the rogue citadel and crush this evil before it has time to spread." "You'll find it harder than that" said a voice in the shadows. A sorceress appeared and approached Laor. "You're a paladin aren't you? I am Lera, sorceress of the third class." "Obviously you've picked up our names." "All but your pale friend." Lera nodded toward Balkor, who was skulking in the shadows. " I am Balkor, student of the arcane arts." "A necromancer. For paladin you keep strange company" Lera said to Laor, her lip curling in disdain. " I did not come to talk to you so I could critique your company, however. You will need help getting through the wilderness alive." "I think my barbarians can handle themselves" Sammath replied haughtily. Laor turned to Sammath. "We should not so lightly refuse the skills of a sorceress" Laor whispered in Sammath's ear. Laor turned back to Lera. "We would be glad of your company." He bowed slightly. "Then, I would suggest we stay here until the morrow, when we can set out fresh." "A good plan." Laor again bowed ever so slightly. A sorceress offering her skills. This is almost unheard of.
At dawn the company left, cheered on by a few, hopeful rogues. But there leaving was not just marked by the rogues. A slit pair of bright green eyes watched them from the cover of the forest surrounding the rogue encampment. The eyes followed the in travelers wake marking and remembering each of the troop now numbering thirty. Now I have them all together. Narsia the assassin had her target at last.