Dagger of Souls
Chapter 6
The next morning was crisp and cool as the deep blue skies paled under the sun rising through the buildings to the east. Keltar pulled on the reigns of his chestnut gelding, bringing it to a halt at the stone framed wooden guardhouse. The Moonmaiden priestess riding just behind him directed her grey filly beside his. The messenger dismounted gracefully and tied the reigns of his horse and Cera's to the post just outside the entrance to the wooden building. The priestess no longer wore the blue dress from the previous day but now she was covered with close fitted chain mail armor under a blue tabard with a moon and star symbol stitched in silver thread. Her grey wool cape twisted around her from the cold, gusty wind as she descended from the saddle. Keltar opened the wooden door to the guard house then stood behind it allowing the armored woman to enter. She had her auburn hair tied with a blue ribbon behind her. The priestess walked with a sure gait, confident yet not arrogant. Most women he met with her physical qualities were haughty and rude to all who weren't at their stature in the hierarchy of nobility or station. He followed her as she stepped in the doorway. A half dozen soldiers were milling about, some at a table having mugs of some beverage while others were sharpening weapons, adjusting armor or talking amongst themselves. The walls were drab and unadorned other than a few wooden tables and racks of spears, long swords, and crossbows along the walls.
One of the two soldiers speaking nearest the door turned his attention to the new arrivals. "Yeah, what do you want?" the man asked with very little enthusiasm. The other soldiers stared at Cera their eyes lingering on her form displayed under the shapely fitted armor. If she noticed their behavior she was ignoring them and only watching the guardsman speaking.
"I am Keltar. We are investigating the orc raids in Stalford and I am here to pick up a compliment of soldiers assigned to us. Sir Dural should be along shortly to command the troops."
"Sergeant Dural is already in the training room in the back, going over some things with the men. A wagon and driver are waiting in the rear of the building with supplies and rations loaded. There was also a message for you, Sir Keltar." The soldier with short-cropped blonde hair headed over to a table and grabbed a sealed scroll and handed it to him.
Keltar examined the waxed seal on the rolled up document. It was marked with the distinctive signet of the Masked Lords. He glanced back at the soldier, "Thank you. But it is just Keltar. I am no knight or noble. I am just someone in service of Waterdeep as are you." He broke the seal and read through the lines of hastily scribbled ink.
The priestess' auburn lochs brushed gently against his shoulder as she moved close to peek at the parchment. "Change of plans?"
He was a bit flushed at the angelic woman standing so close to him and suddenly felt self conscious about his rough appearance. He tried to ignore the strange feeling as looked into her azure orbs. "No, it seems they were able to convince the Watchful Order of Magists and Arcanists to send us an elven wizard to join our team. That is good news." A concerned look creased in his rough shaven face, as he brushed a greasy strand of his dark brown hair behind his ear.
"You don't look very happy about it. What's wrong?" Cera asked with a touch of concern in her voice.
"No, it is good news. But it's nothing. I'm just a little superstitious. Everything has gone a little too well so far. Many times when things start off really well, they end up very badly."
The priestess held her slender fingers over her cherry colored lips as she giggled and rolled her eyes. He hardly believed this was the same woman who crushed the strong armed attackers in the alley, she seemed so physical and sure. But sometimes like now she seemed to look at the world with child-like wonder and glee, which was refreshing to see the stark difference of her outlook from the gloomy attitudes of those in the city stuck in their class survival roles. She stopped her chuckling but kept a smile as she commented, "I don't think you're superstitious, but I think you're a bit cynical. I'm sure we will be able to handle whatever challenges arise."
Before he could respond, the wooden door behind them was pushed open and a short, lithe figure just an inch or two under Cera's height glided into the small entrance room. He was wearing thick, dark green robes with an oak brown cape wrapped around his slender shoulders and clasped with an emerald studded pin just below the nape of his neck. He pushed the cowl of his cloak down and shook his long, straight blonde hair free of the hood. His angular face and long pointed ears marked him as one of full Elvish blood. "I'm here to offer my services to a man named Keltar."
The messenger nodded, "You've found him elf friend. Well met. We welcome your assistance." He indicated the woman beside him, "This is Cera Moonleaf, a priestess of Selune and in the back with the soldiers is Sir Dural, knight of Tyr. I just got word that a member of the Watchful Order of Magists and Arcanists would be joining us."
The elf gazed at the pair as if sizing them up before he responded, "Well met. I am Einlan of the House of Moirilil." The elf gave a slight bow of respect before continuing, "I am an Arcanist yes, but only an initiate of the Order. This assignment was given to me as part of my requirements for full membership. I was told very little of this quest, perhaps you could provide me with the essential information."
"We have a wagon waiting. I will fill you in on the details on the way to Stalford. This time of year we will probably hit some snow that will slow our travel so it would be best to get started immediately."
The blonde soldier watched with only casual interest at the exchange, but responded to the last statement, "I'll take you to the Sergeant and soldiers assigned to your quest."
The group followed the watchman to a room near the back of the small building. Inside they noticed several straw figures balanced on wooden stands stood to one side, and several stacks of hay with red and white alternating circular rings painted on the side were lined up on the far wall. Several racks of weapons sat opposite the targets.
Sir Dural was off to the right side of the room instructing the six soldiers, who indeed looked like fresh recruits just out of training. Not one of them looked like they had seen more than eighteen winters. Though they carried long swords and spears they probably have never used the weapons for more than an epic duel with a straw training dummy, or a bout with a tenacious sewer rat. Keltar hoped that they would not be forced to find out about real combat. Though he had a feeling they were going to have to grow up real fast.
Keltar turned his attention to the knight, "Sir Dural. Good morning to you. This is Einlan, an arcanist assigned to our quest."
After the tall knight returned the greeting and proceeded to introduce them all to the soldiers, the messenger asked, "Are you and your men ready to go?"
The sergeant gave only a half nod, "As ready as we will ever be."
He deduced a hidden meaning from his statement that these recruits were not quite ready for action. Alas, there was not much choice in the matter since the city's military resources were a scarce commodity due to the recent Amnish war that heavily reduced the ranks of soldiers. He didn't have time to get into and he knew very well that Sir Dural understood this as well as anyone since he was heavily involved in that war. "Very well, Sergeant. Let us be on our way."
The motley group exited the rear of the building where a large wooden cart was connected to a team of four stout workhorses that stood waiting for them. The soldiers climbed into the back of the open wagon.
Keltar stopped Dural before he entered, "Could you please fill in Einlan with the details of this investigation?"
The paladin gave a simple nod of agreement in response as he climbed up into the cart. Einlan followed the holy warrior and sat near the rear.
Cera and Keltar took the lead with their mounts as they trotted side by side in front of the wagon. The cart's driver, an older man with short cropped grey hair and a thick, wavy grey beard and bushy mustache whipped the reigns and called out to the horses. The two lead horses responded and dropped their heads down as they moved forward to pull on the large weight behind them and they were soon on their way rolling through town.
Sir Dural watched the lithe figure in green robes and spoke up. "So you're with the Order of Magists and Arcanists?"
The elf nodded, "I am an apprentice wizard and not a full member yet. I was asked by my sponsor to help with this mission as a favor to one of the Lord's of Waterdeep, and was asked to complete this duty as one of my requisites for acceptance."
"I served in the war with a few of the Arcanists from the Order. They were a great help during the battle. We also lost several of those mages in some of the more intense battles. I didn't get much of a chance to know most of them well, although I did serve a while with a Tilvari Q'uesnari, a sun elf mage. He kept to himself for the most part, but we were fortunate to have him in our squad. He came to the aid of the soldiers whenever they were in trouble and risked his life on several occasions for them. He gained the respect of all of us.
The elf cocked his head as he tried to remember the name. "I have not heard of him, but there are many in the Order of elvish descent."
"Aye. Many elf friends served during the war in various capacities, as well as the other races. Such a senseless war because of the greed of those Sultans and fat merchants trying to stake claim to the newly discovered gold and platinum mines southeast of Candlekeep. I suppose they figured Waterdeep would cave in and not have the heart to enforce our borders. I was glad to see the Lords did not waiver and put an end to the incursions. They could have just partnered or had some of their representatives purchase the land from within Waterdeep and claimed a few of the mines through proper channels, but they wanted it all for themselves. I'm sure there were some merchants that supplied the war effort that profited from the whole thing, if not the same merchants that pushed for the war in the first place."
The elf shrugged his shoulders in response. "I've heard much the same from many people involved in it. Now about the current struggle?"
Sir Dural shook his head realizing he went off on a big tangent. "Yes, sorry about that. It appears that Keltar is working as a messenger for one of the Lord's of Waterdeep and he was asked to investigate a series of orc attacks on a tiny village of Stalford two days ride northeast of here. The orcs stole food stores and kidnapped people, both male and female which they deemed as very odd. We have been sent to investigate the attacks and help defend the village and if possible search and rescue the captives. Hopefully we can find the location of where the orcs have setup their encampment and assess the situation from there." He looked over to the soldiers and didn't want to go into more detail. He was worried to mention the fact that he would like to strike the orc camp, but with the inexperienced soldiers he didn't feel confident in taking that action. If they found the camp he would more than likely recommend Keltar request additional forces to deal with the threat.
The elf seemed to listen intently to the briefing, but made no comment. He also looked over at the soldiers and then nodded.
The group continued down the vast cobblestone thoroughfares and passed the city's northern gate, a massive stone portal wide enough for fifty horsemen to pass through side by side. The gate was set in a huge stone wall that was wide enough to fit three of their carriages and tall enough for three levels of rooms. The enormous wall they breached continued the length and breadth of the expansive city, standing guard as it has for thousands of years to ward off would-be invaders. Shortly after, they marched through another identical gate in the outermost wall of the city. More than a score of archers and crossbowman watched from atop the battlements on both sides of the gate as they crossed the final boundary and proceeded down the wide trade road that lead to the north and northeastern sections of the Western Heartlands. The soldiers stared wide-eyed from their bouncing seats as the city's tall buildings, sky reaching spires, and snow capped Mount Waterdeep slowly shrank away from their sight.