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As everyone stares in wonder, awe and fear at the front gates, which have been incinerated with the sacrifice of the Death Priests of Chemosh; everyone begins to exchange nervous glances with eyes constantly on the horizon. Why had they blown the gates apart if there was no enemy to charge inside? Were they buying time? To repair the gates would takes weeks - perhaps months - with cutting down lumber and bringing it to Varus. Was another attack, perhaps on the way to Varus?
Hawkwood approaches Ronlyn, "We will be holding a service for Kraun Crowfeather. I would like you to be there, as he often spoke of your friendship."
Ronlyn nodded, speaking softly, "I will be there."
Hawkwood turns to Feroz and the others, "The undead? Have you ever seen such a thing? How could this be happening?"
"We have," Tarli chimed in cheerfully, as most kenders tend to swing from cheerful to depressed, with very little emotions in between. "There was a time we saw them attacking people at a wagon. Well, also where we found his friend," the kender gestured towards Ronlyn, "dead. We also think that there's a Death Priest by the name of -"
The minotaur, Ferzoz, quickly clamped his massive hands over the kender's mouth. "Though excited, the kender is not wrong. We believe there is a Death Priest behind this, though we don't know yet his full purpose. The gods have returned, as you have seen - both light and dark."
Hawkwood paced the tattered battlement. "This is so much to take in." He paced for several minutes before coming to a stop. He turned to face Breara, elven eyes locking for a moment. "May I ask a favor of all of you? After Kraun's burial service, may I ask all of you to go to the High Clerist Tower? There are some Knights of Solamnia there - you should tell them what's happened here and what you have seen. Perhaps, if they have Knights - or even some of the mercenaries that are employed to guard the High Clerist Tower, during these difficult times - perhaps, they could send someone to help protect Varus while we rebuild the gates? The Knights must be told what has happened - and learn about the gods, if they have not already."
Breara nodded her head, "We shall go there after the human's funeral services."
The others glanced at Breara, who could not shake the memory from her mind - Hawkwood, and his wife, Lalena, had come to Qualinesti with a warning...
"We’re getting reports of people fleeing something in Nordmarr,” Hawkwood had called out.
“Nordmarr is far from here,” Breana recalled shouting back, “whatever threatens those people will be too far from us to be a threat.”
“You may be right,” the Silvanesti elf had replied.
“But you could be wrong,” Hawkwood's wife, Lalena had said. It had been at this time Breana had taken notice that Lalena was wearing white robes beneath her furs, and that she was pregnant.
For years, Breana remained on patrol of Qualinesti, but more and more, as human refugees came to Qualinesti, seeking shelter and you and the others had forcibly turned them away – but could not shake the feeling and warning of the woman in the white wizard’s robes: “You could be wrong.”
Hawkwood had not recognized Breana - it'd been many years ago. Or, if he had recognized Breana, he made no indication of it.
Two days later, the funeral service for Kraun Crowfeather was held, and it was Talarys Hopebringer who had opened the ceremony, speaking for the fallen Knight, and his friend.
"Friends, comrades, and fellow warriors, today, we gather under the solemn veil of mourning to bid farewell to a valiant knight whose sword sang in harmony with honor, his shield was a bastion of protection for those in need. His deeds shall be etched in the golden pages of valor, a testament to the unwavering spirit of courage that dwelt within his noble heart.
Let us not mourn his passing as a departure, but rather as a triumphant ascent to the halls of heroes, where his name shall be whispered in reverence for generations to come. For he did not falter in the face of darkness; instead, he stood as a beacon of light, guiding us through the shadows with his unwavering resolve and steadfast determination.
In battles untold, he was a stalwart defender of righteousness, wielding his blade with skill unmatched and a passion unyielding. His courage knew no bounds and his loyalty to the Knights and to his friends and family was unshakable. With each swing of his sword, he carved a path of righteousness through the chaos, leaving behind a legacy that shall never be forgotten.
Let us remember him not for the battles he fought, but for the lives he touched and the hearts he inspired. In the darkest of times, he was a beacon of hope, reminding us all that even in the midst of despair, there is light to be found.
Though he may no longer walk among us, his spirit lives on in the hearts of those who knew him, a flame that shall never be extinguished."
Talarys had fought to hide the tears, before looking out to the crowd. "Would anyone else like to speak about Kraun?"
Several of the remaining Knights in Varus, which now only numbered three, stood, and each took a turn. There was surprise, when someone who had not been a Knight, offered to step up and speak about Kraun.
Ronlyn nodded, "I would like to speak about my friend." Ronlyn approached the podium and looked out at the people gathered for his fallen friend. Ronlyn was never one for public speaking - he appreciated going unnoticed - he'd made a living of doing just that. But he could not let this day go without speaking on behalf of his fallen friend.
"I am deeply saddened to know my friend has left this world, and now is in the embrace of the gods. As Talarys had said, he died fighting, trying to protect those around him - and when he knew his time had come, he did not meet it with fear. He had even smiled, and said, though he knows it's too late for him, he has no regrets and would have died for these people all over again. I wish I could have reached out sooner, to see my friend again, before I found him dying - but life got in the way, and now I’m left with a heavy heart.
Even though we lost touch, I wanted him to know that he was great and never far from my thoughts. I remember the good times we shared and the impact he had on my life. His laughter, kindness, and determination to 'save' me and make me a Knight had always meant a lot to me, and I regret that I didn’t make more time to stay in touch.
I’m holding onto the fond memories we made together and the lessons I learned from him. His presence is missed, and he will always have a special place in my heart."
Tharrom had spent several days, moving around Varus, using his newly gained healing abilities - and though Habbakuk had been the one who helped him awaken these abilities, in Tharrom's mind and soul, he called about Gilean, the god of Knowledge. Feroz had spent these days helping bring some of the cut trees into Varus, dragging them by himself, so that the would could be cut and shaped, to help repair the walls. Ronlyn had spent his time speaking with Talarys, and asking how he'd known their fallen friend, Kraun, and getting to know Talarys through the tales he shared about the time Talarys and Kraun had been sent together as Knights to investigate. Talarys shared how he'd followed in his father's footsteps, until he met the daughter of Hawkwood, who had just returned from Palanthas. After their eyes had met, Talarys no longer cared for risking his life - he wanted to spend the time he was giving to be with Liliornin.
Seven days after the attack on Varus, Breana approached the others, "We have done most of what we can for the people of Varus. The wounded have been tended to and they have begun the reconstruction of the front gate; the rest of the work will take several weeks. We should not wait here any longer. We should make our way to the High Clerist Tower to warn the Knights of Solamnia that are positioned there."
Ronlyn shook his head, "Just don't expect a lot of Knights. Ever since the Cataclysm, the people of Ansalon have looked for someone to blame; and the Knights became an easy target for the people. Many Knights were forced to flee their homes because the people rioted and the Knights, being the good people that they were, did not want to hurt innocent people... so the 'glory' days of the Knights of Solamnia are long behind us."
The travel southeast of Varus, towards the High Clerist Tower, was an eerily quiet journey. The path that was once used frequently was now overgrown with towering weeds. The path, from time to time, would be so overgrown that nature itself had reclaimed, until several hours later, the path was discovered once again, further southeast. Mountain peaks to the east and west created a feeling of being enclosed.
The sun had begun to disappear on the other side of the western mountains, when Tycus called out, "There's a cave over there. Night comes quickly now. Perhaps we should take shelter there for the night?"
The cave was dark, damp, and much larger than any of them had imagined. Inside, the cave seemed to run sixty feet deep, before becoming a narrow hole where it appears the cavern had continued but collapsed upon itself. The ceiling of the cave was so high that it seemed to be painted black with darkness. As everyone began to take out their tattered blankets for the night, Tycus' half-elven eyes caught something unusual. He stood and saw that Tarli, the eternally curious kender, was trying to scale the wall.
"What are you doing?" Tycus asked, placing his hands on his hips.
"There's ledges up there," Tarli explained. "What if there's things up there? I tried to go through the hole at the back of the cave, but I'd need to be a gully dwarf to squeeze through that hole. Gully Dwarves are like snakes, you know? I don't know if they have any bones? I once heard a human say something about gully dwarves being gutless and spineless. Might explain how they can somehow squeeze into holes that seem impossible to fit through... and how they can eat the most wretched things."
"Gully dwarves have both guts and bones," Tycus sighed.
Tarli shrugged. "Well, there's a human out there that would like to argue that point with you, I'm sure." As Tarli continued to scale the wall, Tycus saw Ronalyn begin to scale the wall next to him.
"What are you doing now?" Tycus asked.
"What if the kender is right? What if there is stuff up there? I can't just let him have it all," Ronalyn smiled. "You know he'd never share. As opposed to me. I'd share... some."
"Comforting," Tycus muttered and returned to his bedroll.
Suddenly, Tycus heard Tarli mutter, "Oh oh."
In all of Ansalon, there are two things one never hopes to hear - a kender saying, "I'm bored" and a kender saying, "Oh oh."
Tycus leapt to his feet. "What have you done this time, Kender?"
"My hand's stuck," Tarli called back.
"Stuck? What do you mean stuck?" Tycus shouted, getting the attention of Tharrom, Feroz and Breana who all now came to stand next to Tycus and looking up.
"Stuck, as in can't move it," Tarli shouted. "I thought you were smart!"
"My hand is as well," Ronalyn called downwards. "Hand me a map. It feels wet."
Tycus handed Ronalyn a torch - and as Ronalyn held it up to look at his hand - it became immediately aware why he and Tarli's hand were stuck. The wet fluid was webbing - and the entire top cavern was covered in entricate webs - and the master of the web made herself known.
A colossal black widow spider, her body as black as the cavern, save for the hour glass of crimson death on her lower abdomen. Her glossy, jet-black exoskeleton gleamed against the torchlight of Ronalyn's flame; it's legs were like spears forged for giants, spiked with razor-sharp babrbs, giving it an even more formidable appearance.
The eyes, arranged in a fearsome array across its head, peered down with famished hunger; glowing with an eerie, blood-red light, casting an almost unsettling, hypnotic gaze driven by the common fear of normal spiders; let alone, one of this massive magnitude! The spider's fangs were like daggers, dripping with venom that seemed to glow with a faint, greenish, luminescence.
Ronalyn quickly put the torch to the webs hoping to burn them; but the freshly spun webs were moist and burned too slowly. He braced his feet against the wall and pushed with all his force until his hand came free, moments before the giant spider had lunged down at him. As he landed on the ground he reached for his dagger to find it gone! He looked around and saw that Tarli had cut himself free using Ronalyn's dagger - and left the dagger stuck in the webs! Though Tarli had cut himself free, the spider managed to catch the falling kender and wrap him, screaming, into webbing and began to quickly retreat into the darkness above!
Breana quickly drew on her bow and arrow, letting arrows fly with rapid speed and accuracy; the darkness would not hide the giant spider from Breana's vision, and before it could escape over the ledge, the fifth arrow was enough to slay the spider who then began to fall, dropping a wrapped Tarli as well. Feroz ran beneath the webbed Tarli and successfully caught the kender. Feroz cut him free, and the first thing Tarli said was, "Well, I've never been wrapped in giant spider webbing, and don't really care to experience that again."
Breana, Tarli and Ronalyn decide to climb up the ledge and see what the giant spider may have stored on their ledge. There were four cocoons that appeared to be small humanoids; two of them were goblins the other two were hyenas; all four were long dead, having either suffocated in the webbing or died from the spider's venom. The three looted the goblins from what meager possessions they had and descended down the webbing.
Meanwhile, Tycus using his knowledge manages to extract some of the venom from the slain spider's fangs.
The rest of the night was uneventful.
The following morning, each of them groaned about laying on the hard, stone, cavern floor; and each of them swore they felt tiny spiders climbing over them all night. "I did not get good sleep," Tarli muttered. "All night, I could swear I felt spiders climbing all over me. Tiny, little, spiders."
"We all did," Tycus growled. "Thanks to you alerting the giant spider to our presence by touching her web."
"She may have descended on us as we were sleeping," Tharrom said, beneath his breath, "not that I want to applaud the kender's curiosity. But that could have gone much worse."
Tycus seemed ready to say something - but found that Tharrom was right - they had no idea the spider was there... nor did the goblins in the cocoons who had probably taken refuge in the cave previously.
Traveling only a few more hours, as they crested over the last, rocky hill, the top of the High Clerist's Tower came into view.
The High Clerist Tower, originally called Dragondeath, before being renamed after the High Clerist, the head of the Knights of the Sword at the time. Solamnic clerics had called for the tower's construction, according to prophesies they believed in; however, whatever those prophecies were has long since been lost to time. The most common belief is that so long the men of faith who guarded this tower never broke, so too the tower would never fall.
Tharrom paused; though the Knights often worshipped Paladine or Kiri-Jolith, Tharrom's mother and grandmother, as faithful followers of Gilean, believing always he would one day return, praised the importantance of knowledge, for which Gilean was known for. Tharrom knew that Lord Yarus Donner was a cleric and elected as the High Clerist and that High Clerist Donner perished during the Cataclysm in the High Clerist Tower, when a pillar of stone crushed him.
He also knew the High Clerist (or called the Lord High Clerist) is one of the three High Knight positions in the Knights of Solamnia who heads up the Order of the Sword. Those who are of the Order, elect the position of High Clerist with no influence from the other two Orders. The High Clerist is the only person that can use representations of the Gods on his heraldic crest design.
After the Cataclysm and the dismantling of most of the Knights of Solamnia, the people of Palanthas built the Knight’s Spur – a section of the High Clerist’s Tower that blocked the passage between the canyon to Palanthas and the plains, often called the Wings of Habbakuk, south of it.
Patrolling the top of the battlement along the Knight’s Spur seemed to be a mixture of a handful of Knights of Solamnia as well as some mercenaries, undoubtedly employed by the current Lord Mayor of Palanthas. Even from down below, Feroz could sense the palpable tension between the Knights and the mercenaries but he did not have long to wonder why before one of the sentry guards, a mercenary by the look of their armor, shouted, “What is your business here?”
Ronalyn answered, "We were sent here by Mayor Hawkwood of Varus to speak to the Knights of Solamnia stationed here."
"In regards to what," the mercenary inquired.
"Personal business," the minotaur, Feroz growled. "Open the gate."
"We're not going to open the gate to someone we don't know and has a mixture of a minotaur, elf, kender, humans and a half-elf," the mercenary retorted. "The kender alone is reason enough not to open the gate."
"Well that seems rude," Tarli muttered beneath his breath.
"We come to warn the Knights about a Death Priest who raises and commands the dead," Breana finally shouted, bluntly.
The mercenary paused; he seemed to be giving Breana's words some thought, or perhaps he was waiting to see if this was in jest. When she - nor the others with her - said nothing else, the mercenary turned and spoke with someone behind him, who in turn quickly ran along the battlement, bringing with him a Knight of the Sword. The Knight gazed down at those gathered at the front gate. "What's this news of death priests?"
"We've encountered undead on our travels, and in defeating enemies, we have recovered evidence that there is a death priest - a follower of Chemosh - who has been raising the dead," Breana continued.
"Impossible, the gods are gone," the Knight of the Sword replied.
"They never truly left," Tharrom replied. "Ronalyn, give me your dagger."
Ronalyn reached into his belt and handed Tharrom his dagger. Tharrom proceeded to cut his palm, allowing the blood to flow, before returning Ronalyn's dagger. Tharrom closed his hand, clenching his palm and opened it again. The wound was gone.
"Charlatan tricks," the Knight called back.
"Then allow only me beyond the gates," Tharrom called to the Knight. "Allow me to show you this is no Charlatan trick. If you are pleased with what you see, you can allow my companions in, and we can explain what we've seen."
The Knight nods, "Open the gate. Let him in. If the others make a move to rush the gate fill them with arrows."
Once inside, Tharrom sees the Knight making his way down the stairs and approaching him as the gate closes behind Tharrom with a thundering sound. The Knight's face is grim as he strokes his mustache. “I greet you,” he said, extending his hand, “my name is Kallikus Elkford, and a Knight of the Sword."
Tharrom nodded. "My name is Tharrom, and I am a Cleric of Gilean."
"So you say," the Knight said dubiously.
"You saw me heal my own hand," Tharrom said, "and did not believe me. I understand. What if you were to cut yourself and allow me to heal the wound?"
The Knight shook his head, drew his dagger and cut against the back of his hand, knowing if he cut his palm and Tharrom was a charlatan, his wounded hand would put him at a disadvantage if he had to hold his sword and shield. The dagger cut across Kallikus' hand - he then thrust his hand forward. "Go on, cleric, heal me."
Tharrom nodded and placed his hands over Kallikus' left hand; a light blue glow eminated from beneath Tharrom's hand and Kallikus felt a warm, soothing sensation and when Tharrom removed his hand, Kallikus' wound had disappeared. He stared in awe. "Then the gods are back?"
Tharrom nodded, "In truth, they never left."
Kallikus called to the guards on the gate, "Open the gates. Let the others in."
Kallikus Elkford lead the others through the High Clerist Tower; they were surprised to see not only Knights and mercenaries, but what appeared to be thirty refugees. "Who are the displaced?" Tycus asked as they walked.
Kallikus looked over, then looked straight as they continued to walk, "As you can see, these people have suffered at the hands of the Seekers who follow their deity known as Cridheolc. They are originally from Hearthcrest, a small farming village south of us. We dispatched three knights to investigate four days ago, and have not heard from them. If are heading towards Hearthcrest, I would be indebted to you, if you can find out what has happened to the Knights as well as investigate the claims the refugees have made about the Seekers? One of the merchants from Hearthcrest, Barus Stormlight, managed to salvaged a few of their things as they fled.”
Feroz gestured to Tharrom, "We can go talk to him. You talk to the Knight."
Kallikus walked with Tharrom across the top of the battlements of the High Clerist Tower. "How did you come to discover your abilities? That the gods were granting power to the faithful?"
Tharrom chuckled and shook his head as he recalled Tegaru's face. "Would you believe a gully dwarf?"
"A gully dwarf," Kallikus laughed, something he had not done in a long time and it felt awkward. When Tharrom did not laugh, he paused in his march. "You're serious?"
"Very," Tharrom answered with a shrug of his shoulders. "In Winterholm, there was a gully dwarf by the name of Tegaru... she... claimed to have known magic, which - as you can imagine is a fearful thought. But she led us to where goblins had taken up shelter in a cave and showed us a secret entrance that she called home - it was a cave with a blue phoenix statue..."
"Habbakuk," Kallikus awed.
"Indeed," Tharrom confirmed. "She'd been calling this cavern home... not sure how she discovered it or what drew her to it... but she alone knew how to access it. The statue suddenly came alive as we entered... and... it was Habbakuk. The kender over there, his name is Tarli - he is a faithful follower of Habbakuk and a druid."
"A kender with magic? That sounds dreadful," Kallikus muttered.
"Our friend Tycus would agree with you," Tharrom said with a smile, recalling with Tarli had accidentally struck Tycus with a spell.
"So what's this news about a Death Priest and the undead you mentioned," Kallikus asked, now seeing that truly the gods have blessed their faithful.
"Twice now, we have run into people connected to the god, Chemosh - a death priest by the name of Krizzen Arcmoon. First, the goblins I mentioned - there was a hobgoblin that was leading the attacks against Winterholm and also travelers on the road. On his body we found a note from this Krizzen who seemed to be aware of Habbakuk being in the area. Later, we would fight a small force of undead, who had attacked a caravan. The people had already been slain by the time we arrived; and a Knight by the name of Kraun Crowfeather, who had been riding with them to defend them, also perished."
"Kraun perished?" Kallikus paused. "I knew Kraun. He was a good knight."
"Ronalyn," Tharrom gestured, "was a close friend of Kraun's before he'd become a Knight. We took his body to Varus, where we'd been going because his horse had remained ever faithful to the Knight. In Varus, he received a properly Solamnic burial. But it was in Varus where the town would be attacked by fellow cultists of Chemosh with a small force of undead. We were able to successfully help defend Varus, but not before the gates were blown apart. On one of the cultists, we found a note with Krizzen's name on it, again with demands of finding out about Habbakuk. We fear there is something much larger at play here."
Kallikus nodded, deep in thought. "Perhaps this might be a blessing. As you might have guessed, I am not a fan of these mercenaries that have been stationed here. I understand why the Mayor of Palanthas has done this, but the High Clerist Tower is sacred to the Knights of the Sword. These mercenaries walk about with little respect for the Tower's history." He smiled, "I could send some of these mercenaries to Varus to help there with whatever they might need."
"Mayor Hawkwood would appreciate any help you could offer," Tharrom assured him. "Perhaps we could get word back to Palanthas about these Death Priests as well?"
"I will send one of my Knights to run that errand," Kallikus explained. "I will send a Knight to ride with the mercenaries to Varus then once there, he can ride north to Palanthas."
Kallikus called to one of the Knights, a young man named Yavun Faithbringer, who was no more than sixteen years of age and a Knight of the Sword; which was impressive for such a young age. Tharrom believed that this young man probably came from a prominent family in Solamnia to have already earned such status among the Knights, and he wondered if that's why Kallikus had called on him; to either prove himself, or to potentially get the young man out of the way of whatever danger may be coming. "Take ten mercenaries with you to Varus - and leave them there to help the town which was recently attacked. I need you to ride north from there to Palanthas to speak of Death Priests. I will meet with you later to go into more detail. Until then, prepare for your journey."
Yavun seemed as if he was about to say something before silencing himself, and turning on his heel, marching off to gather his belongings and await to hear more from Kallikus.
Barus Stormlight saw a towering minotaur, an elf, a human, a half-elf and a kender approaching him; of all of those things, the one thing he feared the most was the cheerful looking kender, as he pulled his scattered wares closer to himself. He stood and greeted them, "Hello," he said, his voice shaking, "is there something I can help you with?"
"The Knight told us you fled from Heartcrest?" Feroz asked, his deep, minotaur voice rumbling from the depths of his throat.
"Yes, when the followers of Cridheolc," Barus answered.
"What did they want with Hearthcrest?" Tycus asked.
"Our crops," Barus replied. "At first, it seemed they only wanted it for the night and they would leave; but then they began evicting people from their homes and taking over; forcing the former home owners to either live in the barns or live with others. Houses rapidly became cramped as these Seekers demanded more and more. It soon escalated that we had to swear our allegiance to Cridheolc or be burned as non-believers, so that we can return to 'the wheel' as they say and be reborn as 'the faithful.' Those who refused were burned at the stake in the center of town, while the rest of us were forced to watch. Any who looked away or closed their eyes would soon find themselves tied to the stake next."
Barus' face bleached white as he looked up, clearly ill at the thoughts and memories swimming through his mind as he tried to forget the screams of friends he was forced to watch be burned alive. "I had to escape," he finally said, "for the sake of my wife and my child," as he gestured towards his wife, Dawn and their daughter, Bloom. "There's more to them wanting our crops... it seemed more and more of these Seekers were arriving daily, forcing more and more people from their homes, but demanding we work for them; any who tried to escape, as you can imagine, found themselves burned at the stake in the center of town, for all to watch. They barely even fed us when they forced us to work for them."
"We've had some dealings with these Seekers," Feroz growled, "it will be my pleasure to put my ax through their chest."
"I can provide you a map of Hearthcrest," Barus offered. "We have four towers around Hearthcrest - the North West Tower, West Tower, North East Tower, and East Tower. At night, I noticed when the Seekers came - they'd signal the towers every fifteen minutes. There is visibility issues - for example, the North West Tower can not see the West Tower because of trees, nor can it see the North East Tower for the same reason. The North West Tower can only see the South East Tower. The West and East Towers can see each other; but the West Tower can not see the North East Tower because of trees. The East Tower can see all four Towers. There is a large windmill at the south that I know the Seekers have posted guards in. There are three large corn and wheat fields - one between the windmill and the East Tower; one between the East Tower and the North East Tower and one between North East Tower and the North West Tower. A river wraps around most of Hearthcrest, with the only real road being from the south - where the windmill is."
As Barus penned a crude map of Hearthcrest, he looked up, his face etched in a grave expression, "Beware of the one they call the Hound Master. He has a hound mad of ash and darkness, whose eyes and mouth have flames like fire... some... unholy beast."
Tharrom rejoined the others. "Kallikus is a good man," he said, "despite how he may have appeared on the battlement. He's sending a Knight to escort some mercenaries to help at Varus; then the Knight is going to ride to Palanthas to speak of the Death Priests and the undead."
"In the meantime we're going to Hearthcrest," Feroz grinned as he brandished his ax. "We got some Seekers to take care of. It's much worse than them just taking over the town. They're burning people at the stake."
Tharrom wasn't surprised, "Well, that aligns then. Kallikus had asked if we were riding south if we could look into three Knights he'd sent to Hearthcrest that he's not heard back from."
"Barus provided us with some useful information," Tycus added.
Tharrom and the others had spent two nights in the High Clerist Tower, resting and gathering information from some of the other refugees who had taken shelter in the High Clerist Tower, in hopes that the Knights would protect them if the Seekers had come looking for them; all of them shared the same story that Barus had shared - people being burned at the stake if they did not convert. The Cridheolc were known for their extremist behavior; their hatred for any race that wasn't human, believing that other races need to be purged and reborn as humans... but never had they gone so far as burning anyone, especially humans. Whatever was happening needed to be put to an end. Kallikus had already sent three Knights and they had not yet returned... this did not bode well, and Kallikus could scarcely afford to send more Knights, and his faith in the mercenaries did not run deep, save for a few; and those few whom he had come to reluctantly trust, he had already promised now to go to Varus.
As they marched south to Hearthcrest, they developed a plan based on what Barus had stated. "We need to eliminate the towers," Feroz said during the first night they camped and gathered around a fire. "If we can claim the southwest tower and strike at the southeast tower at the same time, we could use the towers as points to take a look while continuing to mimic the signs the tower guards do every fifteen minutes that Barus described."
"There are guards in the windmill," Ronalyn reminded the minotaur.
"We could use the stream around the town," Tycus said. "The sound of the stream would hide our approach."
"We should have Ronalyn go after the southwest tower while Breana goes after the southeast tower," Feroz explained. "They can use the stream to cloak their presence, if we strike at night - if these are true Cridheolc Seekers - they will be only human and have limited vision at night," Feroz smiled. "Myself and Tharrom can march up to the windmill. Seeing two people approach shouldn't alert them."
"What about me?" Tycus asked.
"And me!" Tarli chimed in.
"Tharrom and I will try to draw out the guards in the windmill," Feroz answered. "When they see me, if what we've heard is true, they will come after me since I am a minotaur. If we can lure them out of the windmill, Tycus - you and Tarli go into the windmill and take that over. Ensure there's no one in there who didn't come out and stop them from raising any kind of alarm."
Though this had been a well thought out plan, what followed was chaos...
Ronalyn had alerted the archer in the tower of his presence and found himself struck in the shoulder with an arrow; Breana had managed to climb into the tower to attack the archer, however, she was not used to fighting in a small enclosed space, so using her sword to slay the archer proved to be far more difficult; the guard in the windmill had gone out to confront Feroz and Tharrom; but the remaining guard in the windmill was about to ring the alarm when Tycus, out of sheer haste, unleashed a thundering wave of energy that projected the man from the window, but also forced part of the windmill to collapse. Feroz had to rush to the southwest tower, and with a rushing charge managed to knock the tower over, sending both the archer and Breana crashing to the ground with it... the lantern in the tower, that had been used for signals, spilled its oil and quickly caught a building on fire, sending a round of screams and panic. Tharrom had to rush to Ronalyn's side to tend to his wounds while avoiding the archer there.
As smoke billowed through Hearthcrest, and the fire continued to spread, leaping from building to building, the small wooden buildings quickly going up in flame, everyone had lost sight of Tarli, the small kender.
Just as things were beginning to get controlled; with both southwest and southeast archers finally being slain, the town alarm began to ring...
Note: Tarli did not appear for the next session, so I had him disappear in the smoke at the end of this session, for the notes; to explain why he was not a part of Session 4.