Legio-IX All-Nighter
You have seen many comrades fall in battle; it is simply the nature of the adventurer’s life. The gruesome aftermath of the most horrific battle pales in comparison to this scene now before you. A fine meal interrupted by a courier at your table delivering a mostly empty pack, except for a small cube and a jar. The cube now displays this scene, obviously enchanted in some manner. A former adventuring companion, friend even, is at the center of the image. His personal place of worship desecrated with the blood from his veins, hands spiked to his alter. A headless corps split from loin to throat organs missing, an eyeless head stares at you from where it is impaled on the worship candle. You do not need to look in the jar to know what it contains.
Roll reaction please.
Suddenly the box shimmers back to life, another scene this one of a bed chamber in disarray. Laying next to the bed on top of the nightstand is a hankerchief with the emblem of a black horse. The trademark of the most ruthless assassin known, Nightmare. The rest of the scene being so gruesome that the watch must have sent for priests under the thought that only a demon could be so cruel. Now those same priests cross their chests praying over the scene before them. How could someone dismember such a beautiful woman and then mutilate her once precious womb in such a way? She has been basically turned inside out and had her skin tacked to the wall. Her head rested firmly atop the candlebra with two silver coins covering her empty eye sockets. A mirror has been set directly in front of her head as if to mock her in death. The fetus she once carried has been tossed into the wash basin like it was a useless piece of trash.
The image from the cube abruptly shimmers and then disappears. A deadly silence falls over the room, the serving wench looks to be screaming without sound. Most others are frozen their eyes locked on the now dormant cube.
1328 Year of The Phoenix Day 10 Summersong Master Sammand is becoming more and more engrossed in his new experiment. He keeps it a close secret but I see disturbing things on a daily basis that I know to be part of his research. My studies are suffering under the weight of the endless topics he has me researching.
Day 14 Summersong The master is starting to look troubled, I noticed many changes in his appearance and hes started to develop a hunched walk. I dont know what is taking place in his laboratory but it is making the mood of his tower dark indeed.
Day 21 Summersong I have had piled upon me one of the toughest research projects ever for the past week. Until yesterday the answer eluded me but I found it in an arcane tome in the masters extensive library. The project was for me to find the procedure for making a potion of red dragon control. I dare believe that only one book in the entire library held the answer.
Day 24 Summersong Today I watched as the master concocted a potion, a brew of several different potions into one. The ingredients I knew were a potion of invulnerability, the potion I researched and a drop of dark (black?) blood. I also noticed a new gem of large proportions in the masters study. It was the most beautiful exquisetly crafted piece of jewelery I had ever seen. The master quickly rushed me off saying he had much more work to do.
Day 31 Summersong I over heard the master making plans to travel to the mountains to the east. He has hired several tough looking mercenaries who are currently camped out in the barn. I have also noticed the master favoring a darker wardrobe these days and have discovered an interest in skull themed jewelery. Indeed his persona is changing could it be the research driving this change?
Day 2 Humulous The master set off to the east today. I talked with some of the henchmen who signed on with the master and found that they travel to the cave of Morgrandeath. I fear that my master has gone mad and will not return. I will await the masters return and continue my studies in the hope that when he returns he shall reward me.
The cowl leans back from the black orb it had hovered above. The orb larger than the cowl and head it contained seemed to lose some of it's radiance as the forms attention waned. What troubles you old friend, the steely voiced humanoid asked from across the darkened room. Pristine in dress and precise in movement he drew closer, well? Troubling developments, it seems I will have to move forward with the attempt very soon. Are the others prepared? This ritual has not been performed for many millennium, and it did not always go well then. Slightly turning the cowl revealed the silver rimmed purple pupils of it's wearer, all will be ready. Do not delay, should I fail the tomes must be secreted on the instant. I have never let you down and I will not fail a task of this magnitude. In life or death the knowledge will remain with you, I will see if I can find Logan just in case there is anything he can do if all goes wrong. Bah he will go straight to prayer and we don't need any god lings finding out beforehand, they tend to be very mothering.
Thirteen slender shapes moved slowly across the granite plateau, spreading around the edge until an even circle formed. Each standing at the end of a line etched in the stone, identical in all ways the lines streched out before them. Grey cloaks hanging motionless in the still night, standing in sharp relief under twin full moons. The plateau bare but for a single black obelisk in the center, commanding the attention of all those in the circle. Slowly the forms began to move down the lines to stop where a concentric ring crossed their axis, the outermost of twelve intersecting the straight thirteen.
Exact gestures repeated in unison thirteen times, the intonement began, voices low, even in pitch and tone. In time the outer ring glows, a rival to the intense moonlight. Movement, down the lines and with them the glow in the granite followed, at the next ring forward motion again stopped. The gestures becoming slightly more intricate as the voices increased in intensity. The ring now beginning to pulse and grow more intense, symbols start to appear inside the junctions of the two brightly glowing rings and their straight counterparts. As the symbols seemed they would melt the granite the thirteen moved forward yet again, the gestures and chanting never ceasing now.
The energy now radiating from the plateau outshone both moons in the night sky, eleven more rings… Edmund JR was awash in excitement, the convention was a grand event, adventuring partys, from places so distant most never hear them mentioned let alone get the tales from those who actually had been there. A reunion for many, as this is the only chance to meet and catch up with old comrades in person. A whole week set aside at the inn, even with its great size most were staying in pavilions erected to accommodate the crowd. The inn looked to be the center of a military encampment with tents stretching around for nearly a half league. Several years in the planning this was to be the largest gathering ever attempted.
True to its name the adventurers rest had been sheltering the foolish when the road was a mere dirt track and the roof covering just two rooms. A far different structure now stood where that once humble inn had stood. Dwarfing some keeps, the main hall seated 500 persons comfortably, shot round with private dining rooms of various sizes. Edmond Jr always wondered who built something like this so far from the nearest city, even in most cities one had to rent a castle ballroom to find this much space. Asking his father Edmond sr, produced little information, just that it was his honor to run the finest inn known to him, and that they had not paid a visit in many years.
Edmond had already received a great gift, caught too far from the inn. A fine lady with silver hair told him it might not be the best idea to roam near the red and black tents. Giving him a bracelet, far too big for him yet it fit as it was not there, she told him to call on his sisters if he had great need. Edmond found this very puzzling since he did not have a sister much less seven. He had only one spot of a scare when a large man in took offense to the way he looked at him, but when his sleeve slid back displaying his bracelet the man paled and backed away through the tents.
Day 8 Humulous Still no word from the master. I had hoped to see him returning within the week. I continue my studies and have tried several times to find several spellbooks the master teaches me from. I have looked high and low to no avail. Perhaps they are within his study or lab? I may have a try at bypassing the locks...
Day 10 Humulous I found the books in the masters lab, unfortunatly that is not the only thing I found. It seems the master has been researching the art of necromancy. He has many spells in a book I have never seen before. Indeed those spells were far above my understanding. I fear for his safety more now from himself than from Morgrandeath.
Day 15 Humulous Curiosity has gotten the better of me and I returned to the masters lab. It would appear that the formulas the master had me researching were for some sort of potion to turn the living into the living dead. Many of the runes in the ancient formulas are foreign to me. If the master is indeed upon this path then it may be a good idea for me to depart my studies. I aim to gather many of my masters items and leave this place.
Day 18 Humulous I did indeed leave the masters tower and after several days of riding south I have decided to return to the tower. I have nowhere to go and the tower has been my home for so long that I find myself longing for the comforts of the home. I also decided that if the master does indeed return that it may be his only hope to have his apprentice waiting for him to help him over come the dark arts influence. I only hope that I am not too late and the master will listen to reason.
Day 20 Humulous I returned to the tower to find it in smoldering ruins, destroyed. Every one of the people I have known my whole life, dead. Who could have done this? The answer I already knew... Sammand. He had returned and with the dark arts holding him he had destroyed the tower himself when he found his possessions stolen. I must ride and ride hard to outdistance him for he no doubt seeks me at this very moment. I can only hope to make a new place for myself far from this land.
The dark hooded figure who has instructed you and led many famous adventurers closes his diary and with that deep guttaral voice tells you that you must destroy the very Sammand who once instructed him in the arts he now masters beyond any power you have ever known. Indeed the night grows darker by the minute... Inevitable, it was always so predictable; the mortals cannot resist my presence. The first moment one has a hint of my power they thirst for it like the lotus addicts of their world. Their puny prayers so weak, beneath my notice, they are fortunate in that. Feeble as they are my presence would simply overwhelm them, blind them with glory and freeze them with fear. One voice is a familiar petitioner, it I know, I can hear it muttering what it believes to be a prayer of power. Mortals will never learn, getting my attention is never a good thing. I have some other trifling things to attend to on their plane, I will visit, it will be of interest to see how long this toy lasts. Throughout a long adventuring career you have known evil in many forms, this is of another magnitude entirely. No one should have nightmares like this, the figs must have been bad.
Somewhere in a darkened cave lies a gem so perfect that it was thought to have been cut by the gnomish god Garl Glittegold. With a bright flash of light the gem which had been dormant comes back to life seeking a vessel for the spirit trapped within. It senses a presence; indeed it has not felt this since its inception. Searching
In another area a black clad figure rides the fore of a ship, his eyes set on the ocean before him. Contemplating his next move, he must be careful. This is the most intricate and deadly job ever set before him but the rewards…
Having sent his minion to dispose of the troublesome dragon he did not expect at the time that his creation would be destroyed by a foolhardy group of adventurers. Thankfully they were not able to find the receptacle. Now seeing the body of his minion he began calling to the crystal. Soon they all would be dead in retribution for their deeds. It did not matter the price was worth it and the contract would be fulfilled in blood. Edmond had been very busy this day with all the arrivals. There was still a tenday left before the actual gathering officially started. He had been busy with chores but decided to stop for a brief rest to wipe the sweat from his brow. That is when he heard a name he had not heard in many years. He had heard a story many years ago about a group of hearty adventurers that had destroyed a Dracolich in a far away place. The storyteller had almost finished when his father had overheard the story being told and exploded in rage that ended the tale. His father had forbidden him to ask questions of the tale he had heard and was told to never speak of it again. But here was another group of companions talking about the same group. He listened intently and was upset to hear that several of the companions had been horribly murdered. Left with an unsolved ending the adventurers quickly drew their own conclusions about what had happened to the companions and what awaited the survivors of that adventuring band that had been celebrated as heroes.