(Earth Season to Dark Season 1615)
Aransar’s endeavours to locate the Windsword through the friendship of the Aldryami had proven more successful than he had dared hope. After he had earned their trust with his raid on the troll outpost, so did the elf Strongbark impart to him some hidden lore. In return for undertaking an unfulfilled quest that had eluded elves for hundreds of years, they would tell him the last known resting place of the sword of Alakoring Dragonbreaker.
In the last days of the second age, in one of the many battles between Aldryami and Mostali, a prince of elves, and offspring of King Torasta Greenbow fell to the dwarves in an assault on a Mostali tower on the northern borders of the Rockwood Mountains. The battle was mighty, and those elves who saw and survived the climax of the battle knew only that the elves had carried the day and taken the tower. Then, through foul Mostali magic, and at the very moment of victory, the tower collapsed in on itself and was swallowed by the earth. Many Aldryami died in the tower, and the prince of the Elf Sea Dynasty was lost in the rubble.
Strongbark told Aransar that many Aldryami expeditions had tried to recover the body and the effects of their fallen prince, many of them heirlooms of the most noble of Aldryami houses. They had been foiled by enchantments placed upon the ruin by the Mostali and by the iron used in the construction of the original tower. Over the years the elves had even resorted to employing human mercenaries to try and penetrate the tower but to no effect. If Aransar could succeed where others had failed, then the elves would trade their lost artifacts for the knowledge that he sought.
Aransar was now reunited with his compatriots, Orstanor and Kenstral who had managed to make their way to Trilus after effecting their own escape from Elkoi after several adventures of their own. Although Aransar had gathered a group of retainers to him, the party decided to travel to the ruined tower by themselves. They further decided to go via the citadel of Dykene, the last of the three citadels in Balazar, and the one that they had yet to visit.
Three days out of Trilus they were camped in a small hollow on the East Plains of Balazar, with the horses tethered to some nearby trees. Whilst Orstanor stoked the small fire as the others slept, the horses suddenly spooked. Not wariness but genuine wild eyed panic. The group roused themselves, and Aransar went to try to calm the horses but to no avail. They could hear nothing over the screams of the horses, and then, suddenly emerging from the dark came the predator, a huge allosaur which leapt onto the horses, tearing them open with its huge hind legs. First to react, Orstanor hurled his javelin whilst Aransar started casting spells both at the beast and upon himself. The javelin merely bounced from the dinosaur’s thick scales. However, the giant monster turned its eyes upon its new attackers and bellowed its hatred at them. With an assuredness that belied his scholarly upbringing, Kenstral took aim with his bow, and as the creature took a step forward he let his arrow fly. Guided by some daimon the arrow flew true and took the monster high in the groin, piercing sinew and artery. The beast fell to the floor, kicking at the group as they gathered round it sending arrow after arrow into the creature until it lay dead at their feet.
Now down to one horse which they used to carry all of their rations and equipment they headed east to Dykene. A day out of the citadel they were intercepted by a haughty and aloof warrior woman in armour of gold and iron. She rode upon the back of a giant hawk, and landed beyond the group and approached them on foot. She warned them to come to the citadel only as friends and with no malice in their hearts, and then departed into the skies. The group arrived and were taken before King Skilfil of Dykene who appeared as a genteel old man in his robes, trimming the leaves of a tree in his courtyard. His warrior past and reputation put aside for the day, he cast a different picture than brutal King Yalaring of Trilus. The group remained at Dykene for several days, and Kenstral, his head full of his warrior deeds and entranced by the manner of their hosts took oaths to their god, Yelmalio. Aransar said nothing but was slightly put out by what he saw as Kenstral’s betrayal of his Lightbringer roots.
They left the citadel and took the three day journey into the foothills of the Rockwoods. They spied from afar the peak which was their goal, recognisable for the way in which it stood forth as a vantage point, and by the flat peak that once held the tower. They scouted the mountain after making the climb and found three possible entryways, including the near vertical pit at the top into which the tower had collapsed all those centuries ago. Orstanor found old signs of entry and exit into the lower tunnel, but judged them to be days or weeks old. Aransar explored the tunnel and found that steps had been carved into the sloping tunnel, and symbols which he didn’t recognise had been set along the way. He thought that these were Mostali, but didn’t truly recognise the script. The view from the lip of the peak showed only darkness.
They entered through the bottom tunnel and eventually found the ruins of the Mostali cellars that lay beneath the tower. The area hadn’t been used in centuries and everything lay around in a state of dry rot. There were large sealed doors that detected as magic when Kenstral cast his spells. Aransar figured that this must be some kind of warding, and Orstanor used his own magics to successfully dispel whatever enchantment it was although this cost him sorely in magical energy. They found a deserted armoury, and amidst the rubble they located an ancient iron axehead which they secreted for the return journey.
They continued their exploration and came across what appeared to be some sort of shrine. At the head of the room was some kind of humanoid sculpture of massive proportions. They began to search the room, and as Orstanor examined the altar the giant foot moved. Looking up in astonishment, Orstanor had just enough time to dive and roll away as the giant stone fist smashed into the floor where he once knelt. Aransar retreated through a nearby door, and both Kenstral and Orstanor followed him as they desperately dodged the earth shattering blows of the Jolanti. It was a bad move for the room offered no escape beyond the door through which they had entered. The stone monster trapped them there, but couldn’t get through the small door, but its fists rained down blows upon the frame of the door, and it would only be a matter of time before it broke through. Orstanor used his spear to attack the golem through the doorway, and succeeded only in chipping away at the creature’s stone facade. Thrusting his spear forward, Orstanor mistimed his blow and the creature smashed his spear back into his face, sending the warrior sprawling back onto the floor, twisting his ankle and obscuring his vision as his helm was twisted sideways. As Orstanor struggled, Aransar took up his friend’s spear and he and Kenstral began to fight the Jolanti through the doorway. The Jolanti was slowly but surely smashing the entire doorframe and it finally collapsed under the assault. Aransar threw the spear back to Orstanor who had healed himself, and then drawn his trusty sword. Then the three attacked the enraged monster as one. Although they were able to evade the creature’s attacks for a while, eventually its sweeping blows connected with Kenstral and Orstanor, for Aransar had cast a shimmer spell on himself and slipped aside. The heroic Kenstral, the sage who found himself cast as a warrior died instantly as the stone fist struck his helmeted skull, and Orstanor, despite managing to get his shield in the way was driven back across the room and into the wall. Somehow the Amadi maintained his stance and footing, and eventually, despite terrible loss he and Aransar felled the creature.
Wasting little time they looted Kenstral’s body and took their fallen companion from the ruin. They decided to retreat and gather their strength at the campsite. They retrieved the iron blade and returned down the side of the mountain, leaving Kenstral’s body on the side of the mountain. They returned to the smouldering fire and considered their next move. However, it was not to be. Alerted by Orstanor’s keen senses they were alerted to the approach of several intruders. Although none were seen and identified by the two as they left their camp equipment and fled on horseback, the volley of crossbow bolts, one of which found its mark, penetrating Orstanor’s hauberk, left them in no doubt that they had been driven off by Mostali.
They retreated to Trilus vowing to return in greater strength and better prepared. In Trilus they exchanged the iron axe head for training which lasted for several weeks of Dark Season...