Fetch leaped upon the fallen ogre, and braced for his wounded foe's labored blow. It was a fair blow, but he easily blocked it with his shield and absorbed the force. The prayer he put on his shield gave it the strength of 5 folded shields. After absorbing the blow he countered with an unexpected kick to the chest. The kick didn't hurt the ogre, but it put him off balance. Which gave him the opportunity to slash the monsters face.
I got an eye I think , thought Fetch as the monster roared in pain.
"Stop showing off and finish him already !", cried Clovis.
This one's for Hank, thought Fetch as he slashed once again, this time scoring a blow to the creatures throat.
A small ball of fire exploded in the enemies rear rank, It wasn't a killing spell but it was good for disrupting enemy archers and casters. Clovis's handiwork , Fetch guessed. His helmet blocked most of his peripheral vision but he could "feel" Frank battling hobgoblins trying to get to Clovis on his left. On his right he knew Ymir was rolling up their flank, with Tyris supporting her attack. Tyris's singing was terrible , the first few weeks he called it the song of discord, but he eventually learned to block it out , like a creaky wheel on a cart. Still, she handled her self well in combat and the song seemed to drive the enemy more crazy then her friends. He could sense the enemy was about to break, since no foe stepped up to engage him. He decided to tip Ymir's flank. Cook taught him never to reinforce failure on the battlefield, and to throw reserves in where you are strongest as a finishing blow.
He picked a wounded looking ogre, and cautiously advanced to engaged him. He knew his mere presence was enough to doom this beast. He could either turn his attention to him , and faced Ymirs axe. Or he could ignore him, and face a sword to the back. The Cleric's dramatic dispatch of his last foe made him enough of a threat, for the ogre turned to face him, and roared a challenge. Something about a small hat on my pants? Oh..hes making fun of my manhood thought Fetch...Fetch learned a little giant on the plateau but there was still large gaps in his comprehension. Fetch easily pivoted away from the ogres first blow. Before he could strike back, the ogre fell with a gurgle, as his head was removed by a towering 7 foot tall Ymir. Ymir was scary enough, but when she used her "special" dwarf powers she was frightening . She didn't like to show her power, it was passed down from her mother, apparently it showed her clan had poor bloodlines. However, deep underground fighting ogres with her companions, she had no problem cutting loose.
That last slain ogre, was enough for their foes. The ogres and hobgoblins were thrown into a panic. A lone hobgoblin , perhaps a shaman or a leader tried to rally them but failed miserably. Some of the front rank immediately turned and ran. Frank got a glancing shot at a fleeing ogre, but the beast kept running. The rear rank, had enough as well and most broke and ran as well. The few that stayed in the front line , were dispatched by Ymir and Frank. The hobgoblin leader type, saw the battle was lost and was the last to run. But a blade from the shadows struck him in the armpit. The hobgoblin stood still for a second before the blade was retracted in a single motion and he fell motionless on the ground. Tyris was a fair fighter, better then Clovis in melee, but far worse then Frank or himself. Sometimes though, she would execute these flawless combat moves. Lord and Cook would be impressed he thought. Generally no one else noticed or appreciated the elegance of these blows though. Fetch was at a loss to explain them. Her ruthlessness in battle wasn't consistent , but they happened enough that he couldn't chalk it up to luck. Maybe she's a berzerker he chuckled to himself.
"I am the greatest fighter ever !" , shouted a high pitched roaring Ymir. "I've slain a half dozen ogres today. I thought it not too many!"
"Actually you killed 5", said Frank taking count of their fallen. " I killed one, and Fetch killed 2. an even 6 hobgoblins including their leader. I think 2 ogres and another 6 hobgoblins retreated. Good work on the Hobgoblin leader by the way Tyris. Good shot, nice and cleannnn.", he said with sliding motion with his hand.
Tyris just stood with her rapier in hand. She was silent and her yellow eyes smoldering. She almost seemed like she was in a trance, but Fetch could tell by her eyes, she was following everyone's movements. The rest of the group looted their foes, but Fetch always felt tense when Tyris had that "I'm about to kill everyone "look about her. Ymir tossed a jeweled short sword at Tyris, she instinctively grabbed it out of the air, and her trance was broken. Fetch breathed a sigh of relief.
"Great shot taking out the leader before he ran away, Tyris. The leader guys have all the good loot,", said Ymir happily as she sorted out the enemy weapon , coins, and jewelry. Tyris smiled sheepishly and took the weapon.
She was unable to locate her lord Roland in the 3 months since they were separated. No one saw or heard from him recently, she didn't give up hope in searching though. Fetch wondered if their relationship was deeper then lord and chronicler . She didnt speak much of him, but he could sense she deeply admired and missed him, which unexpectedly made him a little jealous.
Clovis, concentrated on the carnage, and simply said , " hand axe on the hob on the left, ring on the leader..the one with the scorpion...and the great sword on the mailed ogre. " One of the many talents Clovis had was his ability to sort out magic items. Apparently it was a common spell, but Clovis was specialized in the ability to find,identify and sort magic items from their foes. He even told Fetch he had a moderately magical axe, a minor amulet, and a minor enhanced breastplate. Fetch didn't even know he had magical gear. He felt kind of cheapen when he learnt he carried them. He always thought he was doing everything by his own skill and will. Apparently no one else had a problem with it though.
"Whoever has the most magic items...WINS!" , chipped in Ymir when Fetch revealed his distress.
Frank, apparently Hank was a triplet not a twin, filled his fallen brothers role. Fetch kind of grew attached to Hanks dry wit, and he felt kind of guilty that he didnt feel his loss more, but Frank was so damn close to Hank it made it easy to forget him. Hank served with them admirably for 2 months but was killed by a horrible acid covered demon. A bubba demon or something. His corpse was so badly dissolved that there was no way they could get his remains raised from the dead. However Frank showed up in the ruins in the caverns beneath Mammoth Keep, and took his brothers gear to continue the good fight. Fetch protested at first , expressing his fears that it was too convenient , and it might be a doppelganger. But no one else seemed worried in the least. Frank was the groups treasurer, and did a good job . As long as everyone got their treasure no one complained.
Ymir , was happiest though. Fetch didn't mind fighting on the front lines, but most of the heavy front line work was done by Ymir. Everyone else was support , and that just made Ymir look good. Having a bard write poetry, even bad poetry about her exploits kept her in a happy mood. Fetch has seen a glimpse of Ymir's bad moods, and was rather thankful that things were going well rather then bad.
Fetch himself, thought he was growing in skill as an adventurer. He wasn't the best at magic in the party , Clovis was. He was fair in a fight though, but he knew his limits on the battlefield. He could take an ogre or an owlbear one on one no problem, but something like a drake or a giant was beyond his skill. The rest looked to him as their unofficial leader. He did most of the talking for the group. His magic was getting stronger as well. He was surprised at the type of prayers he had mastered. He was even more surprised how easy it was for him to do it. He nominally picked Rawk as his patron god, but he never been to a temple of Rawk. Tyris told him, that the battle field was Rawk's shrine, and as long as he fought the good fight Rawk would smile on him. Fetch wasn't going to argue metaphysics with her.
Clovis and Frank were going over the treasure. "Ok 450 coppers, 500 silver, 100 gold, 3 small malachites, a jade umm...goblin ..head? a jeweled short sword, given in advance to Tyris , a minorly enhanced hand axe, a great sword...that changes in size... write moderately enhanced ...and what appears to be a minor ring of protection with a scorpion insignia on it. " Clovis was dictating to Frank as he wrote in his journal the treasure they claimed.
One of the duties of being the unofficial leader was he had to distribute the loot. coins and merchant goods that were easy to liquidate . Magic items on the other hand could get touchy. Normally he would give out the items to who could use them , but it was delicate balancing act to not give the appearance of giving too much to one person and always maintain the appearance of being fair. Fetch considered it for a second. " Sword goes to Frank, even though Ymir uses two handed weapons more, she uses axes exclusively. Frank could use a powerful two handed weapon if the situation arises. Ring goes to Ymir to augment her defenses since shes on the front line the most , hand axe goes to Clovis, maybe he can disenchant it or something and use its components for something useful . "
Everyone nodded and Frank marked it , in his journal.
Clovis came up to him after the loot was divided and loot was divied up. ,"shall we retreat to the surface, search the ruins some more, or pursue those guys that retreated. I doubt they have more loot though"
Fetch smiled ," we tie up loose ends."
The last expedition to the caverns beneath mammoth keep had proved to be their biggest haul yet. Captain Bartog was glad he hired these ruffians/adventurers to help him keep the caverns beneath the Castle clear. He was surprised at the extent the caverns stretched, and the ruins and monsters that lied underneath it. Well not completely surprised he knew that the old lords built this keep for the sole purpose of monitoring the caverns and preventing monsters from digging to the surface. They use to periodically collapse the tunnels, but the creatures below would just dig it up. Better to be proactive and send men to purge them, Bartog thought.
Frank emptied the skulls of the beasts they had slain onto Bartog's table from his bag. His magical bag was his prized possession , it let him carry all the loot he so adored . Bartog paid a bounty for monsters slain and was both delighted and dreaded when Fetch's crew came to the surface. 20 Ogres 30 hobgoblins, two displacer beasts, some type of jello creature, and a cave drake. That was 1050 gold, he felt safer when he saw the drakes blank eyes stare at him, but he would have to ask the lady Janya to increase his budget that month . She never had a problem with these budget shortages though, but he felt he wasnt doing his job properly whenever he asked for additional funds. He never questioned their bounties though. As long as they brought them their heads or proof of their deaths he paid them. Even creatures like shadows, their word was good enough. Once they brought 20 skeleton heads to him. He had his doubts at first but a divination spell later, confirmed that they had indeed dispatched 20 skeletons and hadn't stumbled on an ancient burial ground.
As he was counting out the coins he smiled, "Oh Fetch, the Lady Janya wants an audience with your group. This could be your big break.".
Everyone knew that the Keep was the headquarters of the famous knights of winters. The first knights of winter, were a truely noble and famous group. They slew numberous bands of giants, an elder titan, the demigod known as the king of ghouls, an even the devil queen of the Phelgathos. Since the lord Sealbach went missing after a duel with a fellow knight of winter, presumably he died, his wife, the Wise and eternally young Lady Janya , reformed the knights of winter 3 more times. The second group of knights , marauded through the north, eventually claiming the title of Silver Champion and battled the armies of hell itself. They even slew not one but two avatars of a wrathful goddess. However, internal bickering once again tore the group apart. The third group , sort of just vanished. Bartog didnt know much about them save for their names. Janya formed them and sent them out on a quest and never heard from them again. This current group seemed competent enough, but they were used more like soldiers then a band of questing knights. They didn't seem the type to inspire or achieve the greatness of the first and second order of the knights of winter.
Fetch looked at Bartog, "could you repeat that...sounded like lady Janya wanted an audience with our humble little group of second rate adventurers.". He was doing his self depreciation routine again sighed Bartog. I hope he doesnt try that crap on Lady Janya.
"Smarten up Fetch, this is your chance. Don't blow it. Get your group cleaned up and report to the castle tomorrow at noon. DONT BE LATE" , Bartog snarled.
"Yes Sir!", Fetch gave an exaggerated salute before hurrying excitedly to his comrades.
Ymir and Clovis were naturals at dressing as nobles. Since they were actual nobles. Ymir didnt need to buy a new dress, she had plenty of fine clothing in her room at the house they rented , but she bought a new orange dress anyways.
One of the first things Clovis did when the groups fortunes were improving was stock up his lab, and get a new wardrobe. His servants taught him how to appreciate fine food , fine wine, fine art , and fine clothes . He was happy for an opportunity to show off the formal wear he bought months ago.
Tyris , wasn't a noble and didn't seem to have the social graces that most bards had, but Fetch was sure she wouldn't let him down and look the part. Fetch though, anything would look good on her.
Frank knew he was out of his element. He showed up in a shiny new suit of chain, and wore a mammoth tabard. He wasn't an actual knight of the mammoth, but he serve the mammoth's militia troops, it was common practice to show your allegiance with these simple tabards. Apparently the heraldry on them, could tell , one who knew what he was looking for , the rank, station, and how many men one commanded. Fetch thought they all looked the same.
Fetch was out of his element as well. It was easy to tell everyone to get dressed up nice, but he wasn't sure what to do himself. He went to the crossed tusked inn, the fanciest establishment in town , rented a room, ordered a hot bath, and told the maid to bring him fine clothes and charge it to his bill. He knew it was going to cost him alot for the room service and the inn was probably going to charge him a price hike on the cost of the actual clothes. He was surprised an actual tailor came , did measurements , and hand made the clothing in the same afternoon. The clothes were definitely comfortable, and he thought he looked like a successful merchant or a wealthy noble. The inn charged a ridiculous amount , but Fetch was a wealthy man now. He understood it took money to make money. He looked at himself in the mirror, his beret and newly groomed facial hair made him look quite handsome he thought. His shirt had just the right amount of poof, and flare, and these pantaloons were absolutely sexy. The curved shoes might a bit too much, but they just felt right.
Fetch's band arrived separately at Mammoth Keep. Clovis rented a building for his lab, and Ymir had a room there to keep her "stuff". But everyone else lived separately when they weren't adventuring. Tyris had a room at the Crossed tusk. Fetch didn't see her when he awoke , and assumed she left early, she liked to practice by singing to ducks or something in the mornings. Fetch rented a small house , as soon as he could afford it . It was more of a shack, but it was his own, and he enjoyed living by himself for the first time in his life. Frank stayed at the guard barracks. He was a part time member of the militia. His service was sporadic, but the captain of the guard understood his circumstance, and he welcome having a seasoned veteran in his ranks even if it was only for a few days of the month. Fetch arrived earlier then noon, but was the last to arrive.
Ymir and Clovis, indeed showed up looking like important nobles. Fetch noticed that Ymir was wearing a lot more jewelry then normal. Clovis had the subdued courtier look to him. Frank had a simple military outfit on, not that impressive thought Fetch but at least he didn't look out of place. All Tyris did apparently was have her armor cleaned. She wore a new shirt, and he noticed new earrings, but that was all.
Ymir stared opened mouth at Fetch.
Clovis nudged Ymir, "Don't stare at the jesters they might want a tip...my god is that you Fetch?"
Frank chimed in .."Hey I thought we were suppose to meet Lady Janya..I didn't realize it was gonna be a masquerade party. "
Ymir paniced, "maybe we could all punch him the face and kick him on the ground.. and tell Lady Janya he was mugged." , Fetch noticed she was not laughing.
Frank continued. " So, is this dress like a clown day or something? Do I have time to get some make up on and a curly wig."
Clovis try to keep an aura of control, but couldn't help chuckling.
Frank kept talking, " Oh I get it,...you dressed like that to make the rest of us look good!, how thoughtful of you great leader!"
Frank just laughed at Fetch.
Fetch was use to being in control ...or at least to have some respect from his comrades, he wasn't use to this negative attention he was getting. He grew red with shame.
Tyris calmly walked up to him. She threw his beret off . She quickly drew a knife from seemingly out of nowhere. For a second Fetch though she was going with Ymirs plan. 2 quick flashes with her blade and Fetch's pointy mustache and goatee were gone. So were his groomed sideburns. He kind of liked those. She then said something in an arcane tongue and Fetch's clothes shimmered and changed. He looked similar to Frank now, but with a plain blue tabard. "We will discuss your clothing choices later", she said with a burning look in her yellow eyes, that chilled Fetch to the bone.
"I didnt look that bad did I?", asked Fetch still red faced.
"If we were being hired to fight mimes or to infiltrate an evil jester syndicate, then your golden." ,Frank said unable to suppress a chuckle.
For all the times they visited the keep, Fetch and his crew had only been to the gate house of mammoth keep. The gate house itself was a keep onto it self. The entire complex should have been renamed mammoth walled city. or Mammoth mega castle. It was huge. Fetch knew it garrisoned about 100 guards and had about 20 servants. But he realized it was severly undermanned. another 400 guards and 200 servants could easily be accommodated here. The main "keep" was decorated like a museum. Every room seemed to have a relic of the past. A trophy from a war, a head from a slain monster, a suit of armor of a noble hero.
When they arrived at the throne room with Bartog, Fetch realized he had never met or saw Lady Janya before. Supposedly she was the wife of the last lord of the castle. The great knight commander Sealbhach. She wasn't human, but some sort of super angel human. An assimar, her ancestors had celestial blood in them. It blessed her with literally angelic good looks, and long life. She was a middle aged woman, but she retained all her beauty from her youth, despite having several children. She had short curly blonde hair and wore a simple but elegant blue dress. She was the perfect picture of nobility Fetch thought.
She was attended by a younger lady in waiting. Fetch saw her in town before, he never caught her name, he didn't realize she directly served Lady Janya. He made a mental note of it, incase he met her again.
Sitting by Janya were 2 strange individuals. The one sitting in a chair and chatting with Janya , wore red robes, with gold trim. He also wore a purple cloak. He never seen a Grommish royal adventure before, but the infamous red robes of office, immediately tipped him off of his profession. The man was remarkable for his skin was deathly pale. Like those found frozen in the tundra. He had blueish black hair and what appeared to be small horns on his head. A tiefling Fetch thought. He also had pointed mustache , a goatee, and curved shoes. Fetch wondered how this guy could pull off the noble look , while he looked like a clown.
Standing next to the royal adventure, was an exotically dressed elf. She had a silken veil, and she was adorned with crimson cloths and silks. She wore numerous pieces of delicate jewelry, but it didn't seem out of place or showy. She had a pair of jeweled scimitars at her side that oddly did not look out of place considering her delicate appearance. She stood like a guard at the royal adventurer's side, Fetch noted.
Bartog was the first to talk" Lady Janya, Lord Reinhardt, lady Amirah...may I present to you the adventurer's of Fetch's band. " Fetch's band was not Fetch's choice for their groups name, but no one could come up with a better one. He remembered Bartok telling him , "Fetch's band will be your default name, it could be worse, I have one group registered as the raging goofballs. "
Clovis , Ymir , and Tyris all bowed. Frank and Fetch hesitated but bowed as well , trying to mimic their friends and not embarrass themselves.
Janya said in a melodic voice, " I've heard many great tales from your group from Bartok, which one of you is Fetch?"
Fetch cleared his throat" I am the one they call Fetch.", man that sounded dumb Fetch thought.
Janya smiled" The man they call Fetch, let me introduce to you my esteemed guests. The lord Reinhardt royal adventurer of the northern lands, and his companion the lady Amirah , royal tax collector. They have come to me seeking assistance, they have a small problem, and asked if I had some questing knights capable of solving it."
Lord Reinhardt took it as a cue to speak, "Greetings ", his voice was both smooth and calm, it was almost hypnotic how composed and confident his voice was," I understand that you are all busy adventurers, so I will get to the point. 6 months ago. The head of a foreign power that has had past hostilities with Grom entered the northern kingdoms. We are not at currently at war with this power, but we like to keep tabs on our former foes. 1 months ago we observed one of his servants riding to the region known as the Scar, a deep crevice carved into the tundra . One of the places where the demons from the last Chaos war fled I heard. This servant was observed tossing a chained box into the scar. Was this a gift to the demons ? payment for future services? Perhaps something he wanted hidden forever. A halfling prisoner perhaps? I do not know. We tried magic to help us divine the purpose and contents of the box, but due to the power of the individual in question, we are unable to gain any information on the subject. "
Reinhardt got up , the lady in waiting began to walk towards him, but he stayed her with a simple gesture with his palm. He walked to cabinet on the wall , and poured himself a drink. "Excellent spirits by the way Lady Janya , this is the finest elven wine I have ever tasted As fine as any libation from the court of stars. Dont you agree Amirah?" ,the silent elf nodded in agreement. Even though her glass appeared untouched.
Fetch noticed the bottle he was handling, He recognized the bottle and chuckled.
"Oh...you find something I said amusing?", said a bemused Reinhardt.
"No, no...that bottle of elven wine you are handling. I personally bottled it. ", said Fetch proudly , wondering if he made a courtly error.
"You are a wine maker? I did not know there was any local vineyards here.", asked Reinhardt intrigued while studying the bottle.
"I didn't personally make the wine, but I made the labels, ordered its production and personally filled and corked each bottle. See plateau breweries, thats my signature 20/1500 875. That's the 20th bottle out of 1500 in the year 875.", boasted Fetch, he didnt care if he was making a fool himself anymore.
"Ahh a man of talents I see. ", Reinhardt bowed to Fetch, "I salute a craftsman of your caliber.",he finished pouring a glass for Lady Janya and proceeded with his story.
"The information you need to know, or will probably ask anyways, is the foreign dignitary in question is also a man of many talents. Lord Kalidor, formerly the mercenary leader of the infamous Kal hounds , now the ruler of the former Grom province of Port Griffon, I believe they renamed it the tiny kingdom of Kalidon now. He is said to have taken a demon wife, no doubt the source of his abyssal powers , and also has a dragon at his disposal. " , Reinhardt said approvingly.
"The black blade ...", whispered Ymir in shock and admiration.
"Oh yes...hes also famous for wielding the black blade. One of those nasty vorpal weapons I've heard about. The ones that take your head off or something with a simple flick of the wrist." , Reinhardt continued, showing no sign of annoyance at being interrupted again.
"But fear not, your mission is not to battle this Kalidor fellow. We just want to know what secrets are in the box.", Reinhardt finished with a smile.
Janya resumed where Reinhardt left off," Grom is not the most popular nation to the northern kingdoms, but they have been our ally for the last 200 years. When we request soldiers they supply them. They have never failed us in the past. They are also our strongest trade partner. Even now a strong contingent of the Third Army of Grom is marching with the 7 orders to battle the gnoll horde that has troubled our lands. They already aided us in defeating the Infernal legions of Geryon, and years past they were instrumental in the last Chaos war. Sending troops into the Scar is suicide, but a small group of adventurers , they could succeed where numbers fail. "
"I do not have to tell you about the legendary coffers of Grom, you will be well compensated, your discretion and silence will be rewarded as well.", suddenly a white fox lept onto Reinhard's lap from underneath a chair , he didn't seem surprise and simply stroked its fur.
Bartok smiled and bowed. and signaled for Fetch and his group to follow him.
As the door closed, Fetch could vaguely hear Reinhardt ask,"Why was their leader dressed like a clown underneath that illusion?"
"Look we aren't gonna seriously consider this are we? First off hes a Grommer and a royal adventurer. The most hated nation in the world, and the most hated profession. They give adventurers a bad name, they should be renamed royal parasites. Second, hes a tiefling, hes already half demon already. ", Clovis ranted.
"Technically, not true. A tiefling only has a partial evil outsider bloodlines. A half fiend is what you are describing, most tieflings have very little lower plane blood in them. Also, the original source of the blood does not necessarily have to be demonic, it could be infernal or yugoloth in nature. Most in the north are 4 or 5 generations removed. From the great war.", said Frank plainly., "What? I learned that at the tiefling brothel."
Ymir calmly replied," you shouldn't judge a person by what their ancestors did.", the subject obviously close to home.
Clovis continued...," Third, didn't you guys feel that arrogant evil aura about him? The pressure of his evil ...I could almost cut it like a knife. I never felt anything like that since I was in Grom."
He paused..."Does giant white insect devil and weird wind woman mean anything to you guys?"
Everyone gave Clovis the ,"now you are grasping at straws", look.
Clovis sensed that his audience did not fully appreciate their situation at this point, " Lastly, you realized "IT" wants us to fight demons right? They aren't like our normal foes, each has strong magics at his disposal. Bred to fight, to inflict pain, to cause suffering. Our chances of survival are slim, and even if we do...each one of us will most likely be physically and mentally scarred for life."
A tense silence filled the room.
Fetch was the first to speak," We fought demons before. We killed that bubba demon and some of those chubby short ones with the spindly arms and legs."
"Babau", corrected Clovis," and if you recall it killed Hank as well." Clovis looked at Frank, but memory of his brothers passing didn't seem to evoke any emotion from him.
"I vote we do this, Grommers are rich, and most of the demons should be already recruited into the Gnoll horde anyways. ", said Fetch.
Ymir answered," Sure I'm in."
Hank said," Count me in."
Tyris stammered," I have no plans at the moment. I'll go with you , till I can find my lord..that's ok right?"
Clovis stared at the rest of them and then relented with a sigh , " I think I've heard this conversation before ...Ok...ok...someone has to keep an eye on you guys. Count me in."