The pair walked for more than a tenday, always heading westward along the caravan trail leading through the mountains just north of the body of water known as the Deepwash. They avoided the city of Lachom, skirting around the edges and staying out of sight of any people. They passed Murpeth with only a brief pit stop in which Vallyn gathered more supplies while Kraggs camped out in a small cave just off the trail. The going was difficult at times, and their paths to avoid any towns turned too treacherous for the orc to attempt, after some backtracking - and trail investigating by Vallyn - they crossed the mountains and neared Lheshayl. Again, Vallyn entered the city and gathered supplies.
It was the way of things for the pair of friends. If ever someone needed their assistance, Vallyn was first to find out because of his dealings with the cities. Kraggs, on the other hand, stayed out of the discussion until it was time for action. He preferred it to the screams of death and the running for his life he was often greeted with when approaching a city gate. They had learned the lesson of dealing with humans long ago.
It was a lesson neither would forget.
Three more days of leisurely walking brought them to the bridge over the river that separated Impresk Lake from the Shalane Lake. Here, Vallyn veered to the north, away from the bridge. He had heard a tale in Lheshayl that intrigued him. The story of the haunted cathedral in the mountains bordering the lake. He grinned as he thought of the possibilities of finding treasure in a place no one dared venture.
When darkness fell and they set up camp for the night on the southern edge of the Impresk Lake, Kraggs looked at his friend for answers. The elf's hazel eye sparkled with excitement.
"What do you know?" the orc asked, suspicion plain on his face.
"Adventure, my friend," Vallyn said. "I heard a story about these mountains that I can not ignore and pass by without taking a glance."
"What are you talking about?"
"Do you recall the tales of the fall of the Weave?" Vallyn asked. "A time they call the Spellplague."
Kraggs looked at him with confusion. "The blue fire crossing the sky?" he asked. "Isn't that why we..."
Vallyn sighed and nodded his head, running his fingers through his shoulder length locks. The elf stood and struck a pose with his left foot in front of his right one and his hands spread out to his sides. Kraggs snorted with laughter at the imitation of a bard they had met years ago. The dramatic man had crossed their path near Myth Drannor. Ready and willing to tell a story to anyone who would listen - and often times telling them again and again - the bard had always struck the same pose Vallyn imitated.
It was in sheer mockery for the bard who, after agreeing to join the two friends on an adventure to a dragon's lair, tried to sing a song of comfort and sleep to calm the dragon when it discovered the intruders and, instead, made the creature angrier. Though Vallyn had been the one who had initially awakened the dragon, the bard had been the only one killed in the adventure.
Which meant that the payment for stealing one of the great wyrm's scales was split by two instead of three. Vallyn also believed that the acquisition of Run'sta was reward enough for the trip.
"Twenty years ago," Vallyn began, dropping his voice low. "The fabric of magic collapsed, causing chaos and fear throughout the lands. Spells, both arcane and divine, failed or misfired - some with catastrophic results. In that time, a place known as Spirit Soaring was under siege by a tremendous and deadly enemy.
"A dracolich with the power to raise the dead and bring forth creatures from the Plane of Shadow laid his eyes on that grand place. It destroyed the town of Caradoon, slaughtering the people with its army of undead."
Vallyn paused and looked at his friend. Kraggs was sitting with his chin propped up on his fist, taking in the story. When he noticed the gaze, Kraggs opened his mouth in a wide yawn, pointedly ignoring the dramatic flare the elf was trying to add, and motioned for Vallyn to continue. Vallyn chuckled and sat down, dismissing his bardic – or lack thereof – abilities.
"The priest living in the cathedral joined forces with a group of heroes and destroyed the dracolich," Vallyn said. "But by doing so, the priest sacrificed his life to bind the dracolich in the Plane of Shadows. It is said he still roams the land to this day."
"And what does that have to do with us?" Kraggs asked.
"The cathedral was a great library full of tomes and possibly many magical artifacts of great power," Vallyn said. "No one goes for fear of the dracolich and the many monsters of shadow that roam the land around the place. We might find something interesting in such a place."
Kraggs smiled. "Like gold," he said.
"Or the equivalent," the elf countered. "Either way, it is along the path that lies before us."
"And where will that path end?" Kraggs asked. He glanced curiously at his friend.
Vallyn merely shrugged and glanced toward the north, where the mountains rose high and hid the mysterious, haunted cathedral known as Spirit Soaring.