Chapter 3 – Meeting at the Nightengale
After nearly a tenday of travel, the young brown-haired ranger trudged through the torrential winds and heavy snow.The white flakesswirled menacingly through the air striking the ranger in blinding waves, whistling madly between the trees. The freezing cold cut through his clothing as if it wasn't there and chilled the hardened ranger to the bone. Nightfall approached as the filtered light began to deteriorate rapidly. The woodsman began to look for some place with enough shelter to start a fire without it blowing out from the heavy winds. As he scanned the area, he noticed faint lights up ahead through the curtain of snowfall.
Pressing on for nearly another hour he arrived at a small wayward building with a few lanterns glowing through the thin window panes. As he neared the place he noticed the wooden sign that was creaking loudly as it swung back and forth on a horizontal brass post. "The Nightengale," Velarus read as he opened the door. Swirls of snow sprung inward like white tendrils into the warm establishment. The door shut and the ranger filled his chilled lungs with the smoky, but warm aroma of the small Inn. He stretched removed his leather gauntlets and stretched his numb fingers as the roaring fireplace began to thaw his iced over clothing. He tried to hide his relief from the harsh weather from the occupants who took an interest in the newcomer. After a few casual glances of some that didn't appreciate the additional blast of artic wind in the cozy place, they soon returned to their drinks and quiet conversations.
Velarus scanned the room with a seemingly casual look, but actually carefully catalogued the occupants in his mind. Three warriors, two merchants, a Purple Dragon knight and a young lady in exquisite white robes, he noted. The bar itself was in good condition with close to a dozen oak tables and a smooth mahogany bar counter sat to the right of the cobblestone hearth that heated the room.
He lowered the cowl of his cloak and sat at a table near the lady and the knight, motioning to a short, blonde barmaid while trying to covertly listen to the conversation. "... the rumors are of skeletons or zombies, marked with magical runes, and they only appear in small numbers. These things were once soldiers! they had the Cormyrian arms and armor. I have never heard any rumors about anything like that. That gives me hope that they are rare enough that we will not be seeing any more of them."
Velarus heard the men talking and decided to introduce himself. "Hail fellow travelers. I am Velarus of Birchwood. I have been searching for clues as the extent of this new threat to Cormyr. I have gathered some things from the area. Mayhaps we could help each other." He nodded to the three and then fixed his gaze on the young lady.
The young woman's cheeks flushed slightly under the weight of his stare, and she stammered as she replied. "Umm...I'm Aliana.. of...umm...Asbravn, I guess. I'd be happy to help thee if I can." She rose gracefully from her chair and walked over to where Velarus sat, taking a piece of paper out of her belt pouch as she moved. She seemed somewhat more confident following this new routine, as if she's done it a few times already. She displayed an ink sketch of the man in plate armor with the somewhat orcish features. "I'm looking for this man. Have ye perchance seen him?", she asked while trying to keep her voice steady.
Velarus watched the pretty young woman as she approached and sat next to him. She wasn't sure of what town she was from, so she was probably a farmer, but was dressed like a noble. Perhaps a daughter of a noble with a small keep far from the city, he concluded, but wondered why she didn't use a title of nobility in her introduction if this was the case. He noticed a sadness in her bright blue eyes as she spoke. He raised his chin and nodded, "Well met, milady." He collected the drawing and studied it for a few moments before handing it back. "I'm sorry that I have not seen one such as this in my travels, but I will keep a keen eye out for him. I take it from the look in thine eyes, his not a friend?"
The young lady seemed a little flushed by the inquiry, so the ranger abruptly changed the subject. He noticed an arcane book in her possession and it dawned on him that she was some sort of mage or an apprentice at least. He softened his tone to a whisper, hoping that somehow this woman would have some answers to his questions, "I have found several bones of walking dead, no doubt at the hands of some evil magic. I found these strange markings on several of the bone fragments." Velarus repositioned himself as he pulled out the fragments to block the view from others in the tavern, particularly the three rough looking mercenaries. "Dost thou recognize what this might mean, or who may have created them? If ye can help with this, I can help thee track down thy... friend, in due time." The ranger turned as the barmaid stepped to the table."A pint of the house ale please."
"Anything else for ye?" The thin, blonde waitress asked.
"That's all ma'am," replied the young woodsman. He turned back to the robed lady, and noted the lack of surprise at the runes, which confirmed his guess at her arcane background.
She looked at the bone fragments for a moment, then took them, as her nose wrinkled up slightly, and rested them in the palm of her hand.
Velarus watched the lady with fascination, from her beauty or her shy demeanor he wasn't sure. He continued to speak quietly as she studied the pieces, "I fear the kingdom could be in serious trouble, the attacks I have investigated may be the precursor to something even more sinister. I hope my suspicions are false, but I must gather more information before I approach the Cormyrian rulers."
The mage lady looked at him with widened eyes, but ignored his grandiose statement for the moment. She turned the fragments over once or twice, and then sat them down on the table before her. Hesitantly she spoke, "Well...I was never any good with necromancy... And never really wanted to be," she added under her breath. "But I will see if I can learn anything from these." She drew a slim leather volume out of her backpack and began rifling through the pages.
Aliana studied the markings on the bones carefully for several more moments, then frowned and shook her head. "Some of them seem familiar, but it's too fragmented for me to be able to make much out. If I had a more complete sample to study, perhaps I might be able to discern more." A dejected look passed across her soft face. "I am sorry."
Velarus eyed the young lass with admiration at the sincerity of her efforts, and nodded appreciatively. "Thank ye, noble lady for thy help. 'Tis puzzling indeed, but they are of arcane origin. That is most helpful." He stopped and regarded the travelers again, and then spoke again to Aliana. "Ye journey with a merchant caravan of some sort, but thou art a student of the arcane. What have ye seen in the mountain passes. It looks from the condition of thy boots and clothing, ye have been already traveling several days."
Aliana glanced over at the merchants. "I'm not really with them, at least not permanently. They offered to let me come with them through the mountains in exchange for my help if we were attacked. I'm glad they did, too. I'm not really...used to traveling and I don't know that I'd have made it alone. We were attacked three times in the mountains, once by gnolls, and twice by these walking corpses...which could be the same undead ye are trying to find. I don't know why ye would want to find them, though. They were just awful." She paused for breath before continuing. "The knight was at the bar when we arrived, and he has been casually conversing with the three caravan guards.
Velarus raised his eyebrows as she mentioned the attacks. He realized that the scene he was at was no isolated incident, which concerned him deeply. "What brings thee to Cormyr, if I may ask, milady?"
"I'm trying to find that man in the picture. A pouch of his, that I managed to get my hands on, had some Cormyrian coins and a menu from a tavern in Suzail. So I'm looking hither. It's not much to go on, but it's all I've got." She appeared somewhat distressed by this last statement.
The ranger sensed the sadness in her voice and probed further, "I can tell that this half breed has done something bad to thee, or close to thee. Pray tell me, why dost thou seek this orcish man?" Velarus craned his neck slightly to look straight into the eyes of the lady.
Aliana stared into his eyes for a moment, and then shifted her gaze to stare at the table top instead. For a long moment, she did not speak, then, in a low, tremulous voice she stated, "I...I simply wish to ask him why. Why he found it necessary to invade our tower...knock me unconscious...and then...and then...my father..." Her voice became more emotional as she spoke, and tears began to trickle down her face preventing her from finishing. She wiped her face with the back of her hand and then said, "I'm sorry. I just want everything back the way it was before he came..."
"Lady Aliana, I'm sure thy father, as well as mine has passed into another realm. I lost my father after only fifteen winters, at the hands of orc marauders, while he defended this kingdom. I have developed a hatred that still burns deep inside, but my peace comes from my efforts to fight evil and wrongdoings, and protect nature from foul and unnatural forces. I cannot lie to thee and say the pain will go away, but thou must learn to use it for good. If we ignore the evil that infests our lands, we shall not be alone with lost loved ones, and I won't let that happen as long as I still have breath in my lungs and a beat of my heart," as he spoke, he brought his hand toward his chest, revealing scars of numerous battles. His eyes showed a true youthfulness that his rough and weather-beaten features seemed to hide.
Aliana gazed at Velarus, traces of moisture still visible around the edges of her bright blue eyes, as he spoke. When he finished, she spoke in a soft voice, "I'm sorry that thy father is lost as well. No one should have to, at least not until their time. How many years ago was that?"
Velarus noted the innocent yet beautiful face of the wizardess. "That was seven winters passing."
Aliana looked unsure for a moment and then continued "I'm sorry. I'm wretched at guessing ages. I never really had any reason to need to when I was with my father. I never met very many people, or got out much at all, really." She paused, took her flask out of her cloak and then took a sip of hot tea.
The youthful barmaid dropped off the flagon of ale, and the ranger brandished a silver coin. "Keep the change, lass."
The barmaid brushed the lochs of blonde hair from her face and smiled to the woodsman, before heading back to the bar.
The young, female mage spoke with more confidence, or at least tried to sound confident, "What ye are saying about helping protect people...I want to do that." She looked wistful for a moment. "I used to read stories that my father would bring me from his travels. Tales of knights and heroes and the good they did. That's what I want to be...though I don't know how yet. Any good deeds I could do would be a pale shadow of what my father would have achieved, had he not been taken away."
The elder merchant with the full black beard gave the girl a strange look and sighed as he stood from his seat. "The night is cold, and my eyes are heavy. I will pay for thy room girl, 'tis the least I can do since I'm not paying ya." He walked to the innkeeper who had been napping in the corner. He jostled his shoulder and said a few words to him, then headed up the stairs. The other smaller blonde merchant also got up and followed the other man.
The ranger and the brunette mage talked for a while as the knight and the mercenaries turned in for the evening. Velarus finally stood up and gently awakened the Innkeeper and paid for a room.
Aliana spoke up as she stood up from her seat. "Good night Velarus, until the morrow."
"Good night to thee as well, fair lady." The ranger smiled a comforting smile, a longing smile of many nights sitting alone in the cold, dark wilderness.