A/N: The world of Avernum (Exile) remains the property of Jeff Vogel and Spiderweb Software. Following my fun, I promise to return unharmed to the game the following people: King Micah, Rone, Benth, Patrick, Hathwisa, Kai, Anjii, Captain Granby; and places: the Castle, Patrick's tower.
It was with a somber mood that the companions made their way back across the Great Cave to return to the Castle. The guards were in no less of a morose mood as they waved the companions on into the throne room where King Micah sat, awaiting their return and evidently having slept little during their absence.
"Your majesty," said Ansel, once King Micah had gestured for him to speak. "We have been to Fort Remote, and now know something of who destroyed it. Something called Grah-Hoth."
King Micah looked distraught and shook his head at this news. "This is what I was afraid of," he said, looking to the group of adventurers. "I wasn't sure why the fates brought you to me. Now I know. Grah-Hoth is a mighty demon. Once we imprisoned him. Now he is breaking free," said Micah. "You must kill him. If you do, you will be rewarded with all the wealth I have the power to give you. If nobody kills him, all of Avernum may be lost. I charge you with this holy quest."
"Please, sire, tell us more about this Grah-Hoth," said Ansel, "that we may be better equipped to go on this quest."
"When humans first arrived in Avernum, Grah-Hoth was already here. He is a duke of the dark realms, but for reasons we never determined," said King Micah, "he lived in our world. For Avernum to be ours, we had to fight him."
"Who fought him?" said Brother Theo, his journal ready.
"An army of warriors and mages, led by Rone, the royal magician, Linda, Solberg, and most powerful of all, the incantrix Erika. They, their apprentices, and our finest warriors did battle with the demons. We won, and imprisoned Grah-Hoth," replied Micah.
"Where will we find Grah-Hoth?" asked Brother Theo.
"Grah-Hoth is where we placed him: in a magical prison in Skarragath, a hidden tower in the caves far to the west. His prison is flawed, though. He can summon demons to attack us, though he is trapped. To deal with Grah-Hoth," replied Micah, "first find Skarragath."
"Will we be able to get through Skarragath?" asked Rudel. "Is it trapped?"
"There are traps, and the entrance is barred. I have sent envoys to open the gates into Skarragath. They won't, however, be able to remove the traps. They were created by Erika the incantrix, and she never shared her secrets with us," replied Micah. "You can get in, but then you will be on your own."
"How can we then get to Grah-Hoth's fortress?" asked Ansel.
"I'm afraid that I have no idea. He lives in a dark, hostile realm, far beyond my control," replied Micah. "I simply will have to trust in your skills."
"Is there anywhere else we should go for information?" asked Jynx.
"You should go and talk to Rone, my court wizard. He's here in the Castle. Find out all he knows. He will be a great help to you, if you can get him to focus," replied Micah.
"Thank you, sire," said Ansel.
Leaving the throne room, they asked directions of a guard, who pointed them to the royal library, where they found Rone sitting at a desk.
"Excuse me, may we speak with you?" said Jynx.
"Please. I'm very busy. Leave," he replied. Then, he seemed to have a second thought take him, and he looked over the group. "Wait! You are adventurers! Maybe you will believe me when I speak of the threat that faces us all. Heaven knows nobody else does."
"Which threat would that be?" asked Ansel.
"Threat? There's a threat?" Rone stopped, seeming to regroup mentally. "Ah yes. The threat. I've written all you need to know in my memoirs. They're around here somewhere. I forget where. Read them, and you'll know some of what you need to know."
"Thank you," said Jynx. She turned to the others, and said, "Let's try and find this journal."
"He's losing it," said Brynja.
"Hush, he'll hear you. Now, come on, let's look for the journal," said Jynx.
Finally, Rudel found a leather-bound journal in the drawer of one desk, filled with a cramped, scratchy writing, and he called the others over.
"This appears to be the memoirs," said Rudel. "Not complete, but what we need should be here. He was cast into Avernum along with two other mages, Erika Redmark and Patrick Padraig after they were at the wrong end of a political struggle in the Mages' Guild."
Scanning through the pages, he said, "Seems they cooperated closely and were able to elevate the society from its starving, embattled, confused depths to the current state, even if we are still embattled. But here's what is interesting. They, with the help of a large band of warriors and a small cadre of mage apprentices, stormed his fort, which was hidden beyond a sea of lava. They won after a lot of losses, shattered the fort, and sealed it behind an enchanted door. They put Grah-Hoth into some sort of sealed enchanted bottle."
"All right," said Jynx, ticking them off on her fingers, "let's see if Rone has anything else that will help. Then, Patrick Padraig, Erika Redmark, Linda, and Solberg."
"And anyone else we meet along the way that might have something helpful," said Ansel. "This won't be easy."
Jynx nodded, and they made their way back to Rone.
"Excuse me," she said, "What is it that you might be able to tell us about Grah-Hoth?"
"Grah-Hoth," said Rone, closing his eyes, as though reliving a more heroic moment in life. "We imprisoned him, but there are signs he can strike out at us from his bottle. Someone needs to go there, open the bottle which holds him, and kill him. Otherwise, the threat will never end."
"You imprisoned a demon in a bottle?" said Duncan, wondering why they hadn't killed the demon in the first place.
"We raided Akhronath, his now ruined fort to the east, and fought him there. I, Patrick, and Erika trapped him in a powerful bottle of our own making," replied Rone. "To get him out of it will take a blessed athame, and I can't remember where you might find one of those down here in Avernum."
Sensing they might need to go there, Brother Theo said, "Where is Akronath?"
"To the east. We sealed up his demon servants inside after we took their leader. Patrick took the key to the lock we used to seal the demons inside," replied Rone. "Ask him about Akhronath. If you need to get inside, he'll tell you how."
"So, what is this athame, and where would we start looking for one?" asked Duncan.
"Only a blessed and enchanted dagger can break the seal of the bottle. Alas, the forces that keep him in keep us out, and thus keep him safe from us. The Tower of Magi would be the best place to look for such a blade. But they wouldn't give it to you," said Rone. "You see, nobody believes me when I speak of this threat. The fools there think that Grah-Hoth is gone."
"I don't think that will be a problem any more," said Ansel, his mouth forming a grim line as he remembered the ruins of Fort Remote. "Who is Patrick?"
"He lives in his own tower, to the southwest. Go see him. He knows as much as me, and probably remembers more," replied Rone. "So would Erika, but she's harder to find."
"Who is Erika?" asked Brynja.
"Who? Oh! Erika! She was the best wizard of us all. But she thirsts too much for revenge on the people above, and she went off to find a way to get it. Damned stupid, if you ask me," said Rone. "We have enough problems without angering the Empire."
"Thank you," said Brother Theo, "this will be most helpful."
As they wandered out of the library, they met a tall thin man with brown hair, smoking his pipe, though the spotless priest's robes and holy symbol revealed that he was a man with a purpose, no matter how idle he seemed.
"Greetings," said Ansel. "you wouldn't happen to have any side jobs that might help us, would you?"
"Why yes, thank you for asking," replied Benth. "I am also the Castle historian during peaceful times. I am trying to learn all I can about what has happened in our land. If you ever find works of history, bring them to me, and I will pay you."
"I think we did find some," said Jynx, pulling out a few of the scrolls that they had found in their travels.
"Excellent," said Benth, looking them over happily, and passing over the promised coins.
"You wouldn't have happened to read anything on demons in the past?" said Ansel.
"Demons? No, I'm sorry. Much more mundane stuff," said Benth.
"Thank you," said Jynx. "We've got to get going now."
As they walked down the slope from the Castle itself, Ansel said, "So, which way do you think we should go?"
"Let's try visiting with Patrick first," said Jynx. "I don't think we've met him. And then maybe ... I didn't want to say anything in there, but what do you think about meeting up with the Scimitar?"
"Every little bit is going to help," said Ansel. "Fine, after we visit Patrick, we'll look into visiting the Abyss."
As they continued down the road toward Patrick's tower, they happened upon a group of bandits that had just cornered some merchants.
"Seems Avernum needs the usual help, too," said Ansel, drawing his sword. "Let's go!"
The bandits were defeated handily, and the merchants bandaged up their wounded, thanking the companions profusely for their assistance. Accepting the thanks, they continued on their way into Patrick's tower.
Entering the tower, they were quickly shown to Patrick, a tired and bent old man whose rich robes hung loosely from a now thin frame.
"Hello, are you in charge of this fine tower, then?" said Ansel.
"Yes, I am," replied Patrick. "Once I fought. Then I built. Now I just wait."
"What are you waiting for?" asked Jynx.
"For my wife to pass on," replied Patrick, sounding old and tired. "She has a slow, wasting disease."
"What is the matter with your wife?" asked Rudel.
"She is very ill. If she was given some graymold salve, it would cure her. But I haven't seen any of it for a long time," said Patrick. "If someone could cure her, I would reward them well. But until a miracle happens, we all just wait."
"What did you build?" asked Brother Theo.
"I was one of the Triad that ruled the Tower of Magi for many years. We, and those under us, wrote most of the books of magic you will find in the libraries down here, pouring forth our memories of magical secrets onto crude, handmade paper," replied Patrick. "Thanks to that task, our art flourishes down here. I also led some research."
"What did you do at the Tower?" asked Jynx.
"I was part of the first Triad, with Erika and Solberg. But Solberg is gone now. Nobody knows where he is. Erika left to plot her revenge on those on the surface," replied Patrick. "And I came here."
"What sort of research were you involved in?" asked Jynx.
Patrick's empty gaze suddenly focused sharply, and he said, "On things it can bring great danger to know. Is there a particular thing you seek?"
"Well, not exactly," said Jynx. "Can you teach us?"
"I am far past my apprentice-taking years," replied Patrick. "I am old, and tired. I cannot help you."
"So, what did you fight?" asked Ansel.
"Oh that was long ago. I was one of a group of magi who formed this society who made it possible," replied Patrick. "We first had to defeat the demon Grah-Hoth. I helped lead the attack. I helped seal him in Akhronath."
"How did you imprison Grah-Hoth?" asked Rudel.
"Oh, it doesn't matter. Not anymore. He's gone, and his foul fort lies in ruin," replied Patrick. "And sealed forever."
"Just the same, I would like to know where his prison is," said Jynx.
"His prison is far to the west of Fort Spire. It is called Skarragath. You would have to pass through the Abyss to reach it," replied Patrick. "There are many traps and guardians along the way."
Brother Theo had been searching through his belongings, and said, "There it is. We found some graymold salve."
"Excellent! I wouldn't have thought that you would spare it," said Patrick. "Take it to my wife. She is in our chambers in the northwestern tower."
Following Patrick's directions, they came to a room where there was a very sick woman, slumped into a well-padded chair. She was half-conscious, mumbling incoherently. Her skin was pale even for an Avernite.
Very carefully, Brother Theo rubbed some of the curative salve on her face and arms, and fed her some. Then he waited.
Soon, her color returned, her mumbling stopped, and her eyes opened.
"You have healed me," she said, lucidity rapidly returning. "Go and tell my husband, I am sure he will reward you."
"Is there anything else we can do for you?" asked Brother Theo.
"No, just let me rest," said Hathwisa. "Thank you."
Leaving Hathwisa, they returned to Patrick to give him the news.
Patrick smiled, looking less tired and old. "Thank you, I am immensely grateful to you for healing my wife. In return, I will tell you something which I, somehow, sense you will need to know. There is a lava-filled fortress far to the east of here. Important things lie within," he said.
"Go, search my desk, and you will find your way to a bookshelf. There is a purple journal there," continued Patrick. "There is a phrase inside its back cover. You can use that phrase in the Castle to get a gold key. Look in the cells. It will be very useful to you, someday."
"Thank you," said Ansel, and they returned to the small study they had passed through when looking for Hathwisa.
Searching the desk revealed a button, and when the button was pushed, one of the bookcases swung away to reveal a passage blocked by a magical barrier.
"I'll get that," said Jynx, and she cast the spell to remove the barrier.
Continuing down the hidden hall, they were startled momentarily by a basilisk, before Ansel drew his sword, "And I'll get this," he said, and quickly slew the basilisk before it could harm any of the companions.
The small bookshelf was crowded with dusty books filled with obscure notes on obscure experiments. But finally, they shifted the contents around until they found the purple notebook. Inside the back cover was the phrase, "The Fort Beckons Anew."
"I guess that's that, then," said Ansel as Brother Theo jotted the information down in his journal.
"Indeed," said Brother Theo.
As they walked out, Jynx looked at all the books, and said, "It's positively amazing ... I've never seen anything like this down here."
They walked into another room filled with books and tables. At one of those tables, a black man with short-cropped hair and wearing traveling clothes was sitting, reading a scroll until he set it aside upon hearing the group's approach.
"Hi, what are you looking at?" asked Rudel.
He held up the scroll, and said, "Hello—I'm Kai from Formello. I'm just reading this scroll here."
"What sort of scroll?" asked Rudel.
"It's a recipe for a special potion that almost, but didn't quite work. I'm hoping to improve it. Then, I'll go to the Tower of Magi and try that, and try to learn to make graymold salve," replied Kai, giving them a rather appraising look. "I also do a bit of teaching. For a small fee, there are some recipes I'm willing to share."
Brother Theo looked over to Ansel, who shrugged, and then he said, "Do you know how to make graymold salve? We found a bit before, but used it for Patrick's wife."
"It's an incredibly strong curative," replied Kai. "I don't know how to make it yet, but there's an alchemist at the Tower of Magi who does. I can teach you recipes that make very potent elixirs that will help adventurers such as yourselves."
"I would like to learn," said Brother Theo.
"How much?" said Ansel, getting out the party's gold.
Kai named his price, and Ansel handed over the coins, and Kai and Brother Theo conferred until the recipes had been shared.
"Where'd all these books come from?" asked Jynx.
"Many places," replied Kai. "Some were smuggled into the teleporter. Some of them we wrote, others are copies of our best memories of books on the surface. Creating the library here was quite an accomplishment."
"Well, I'm impressed," said Jynx, her tone awed.
"Thank you," said Kai.
Meanwhile, Brynja bumped into a woman who was busily looking for something, although it was quite apparent she was having little success, and Brynja asked, "What are you looking for?"
"I'm looking for accounts of the First Expedition. There were items they brought which I'd like to find, if I ..." replied Anji, and then she coughed, and then again. "If my health permits."
"Are you ill?" asked Brynja.
"It's the cave," said Anji. "All the dampness. Gives me a cough."
"Sounds awful," said Brynja sympathetically.
"You don't know the half of it," said Anji, sensing a kindred spirit. "All the mold makes me sneeze," and she did just that. "And the chill makes my bones ache. And, oh, how I cough!" Anji coughed again.
"Tell me about the First Expedition," said Brynja.
"The first humans who came down here," said Anji. "They were slaughtered! Don't you know your history?"
"Apparently not," said Brynja, who'd paid little attention to those matters in their travels. "What killed them?"
"Arrogance, mostly," said Anji. "They split up to explore. The dragon Motrax killed some. Sliths killed others. Others just starved. The Empire decided it was lethal down here, and that's when they started exiling people here."
"What sort of things did they bring?" asked Brynja.
"Well, right now, I'm mostly interested in finding 'Smite'. That's a giant-killing spear!" said Anji. "With all the troubles with giants in the north, that'd be really useful."
"Hey, Brynja, you ready to get going?" asked Ansel.
"Yes, I guess so," replied Brynja. "Well, good luck on your search."
As they were leaving, their paths crossed with a soldier with a very bitter expression on his face, with one leg and a polished cavewood cane.
"Are you part of the guard contingent here?" asked Ansel.
"I'm the captain," replied Captain Granby. "Big honor, huh?"
"You don't sound too honored," said Ansel.
"It's my big reward! Years of faithful service aboveground, but someone wants my post, plays a few tricks, and I get sent down here. Join the army here, lead a charge on the nephilim," said Captain Granby with an ugly smile and a glance down to his missing leg, "end up at the tower."
"What's wrong with the tower?" asked Ansel.
"The tower of Patrick," said Captain Granby with obvious bitterness. "Far away from anything important and everything interesting. Guarding books. Bah! Just get out of here. I'm sick of the lot of you."
"Yeah, sure," said Ansel, and he beat a hasty retreat, and they quickly departed from the tower.
"So, where do you figure we should go next?" asked Brynja.
"I think it's time we checked out the Abyss," said Ansel. "I've wanted to get over that way since I first heard about it."