Chapter Twelve - The Call of Longing, A Cry of Calamity

Session was held 2nd of June at the Altar of Games

The Cube Unfolds It's SecretsArius stared with awe, as he struggled to comprehend how could the magical cube of ancient origin call his stepfather Melkor by name. He forgot that Jared had been wounded grievously as a great outsider beign Nycaloth had ripped poor priests arms off. Harmaakelo's Mill had turned to be a stage for great suffering.

Suddenly Melkor started to translate Cube's ancient language, and even Douglas pricked up his ears while healing poor Jared.

     Melkor told how the Cube of Tybor was actually Tybor himself captive inside a magical artifact of his own creation. Tybor had once been the second-in-command in the cabal lead by Valthar the Wise. Together they had dedicaded themselves for the preservation and protection of the Netherese knowledge and magic. Tybor and "One-better-not-to-be-mentioned" were Valthar's two most trusted disciples, but as Valthar perished due extremely venerable age, a competition ensued between the two disciples. But Tybor had already created his magical cube that gave him much power, so the cabal named him as the follower of Valthar, and thus he was given the main-responsibility of protecting Valthars "legacy".

     The rivalry between the two turned into bloodshed as the "One-better-not-to-mention" was determined to obtain the legacy. With cunning evildoing the "One" managed to imprison Tybor inside his own cube. The Cube now held Tybor's powers at bay but rest of the cabal still turned the cube for their avail and with the lead of a wizard who later became the Witchking of Blood Mountain, they banished the "One-better-not-to-be-mentioned" to the far-east.

     Centuries elapsed and the cabal withered into the sands of time. And so the Cube was forgotten until the heroes managed to discover it from the Cauldron of the Wyrm.

Now as the heroes possess the Cube and it has regained it's awareness, it warns them that it once again senses the grave danger that lurked in these grounds centuries ago. Tybor suspects that the "One-better-not-to-be-mentioned" is near and that he possesses the Legacy of Valthar the Wise. Melkor stops translating but the rest notice from his gestures that knowledge of great importance is shared between the Cube and the wizard.



Cidela Pepperpath, the brave warrioress

 But they stop to pay attention to Melkor as the noise of hooves thunder into their ears. There, in the middle of a thunderstorm, a familiar figure cathes with them as Cidela Pepperpath shouts for them. She had rode from Berdusk to fetch the party back to Darnon, as the kingdom is facing a new dire danger. Cidela explained that black clouds gathered over the ruins of Dakhet-Mar and from there a doom would descends upon the village of Durunmer. Our magnificient adventurers promised to answer for this call of heroes, but first they woudld have to return to Triel, where they would bury Hashim and hide the Cube. Cidela was devastated from Hashims fate and the grave wounds of Jared.

On the way to Triel Cidela remebered old tale about the Blue Lady who lurked in the Reaching Woods. The old witch was known for preying upon men but also for it's potent but whimsical healing magic. As Melkor confirmed the tale to true, the group with more legs than arms decided to ride to Darnon through the forest and on their way there they would attend the Blue Lady.

But before their quest for Darnon, they had to put everything in order at Triel. Elvar the Grainlord was shaken from the recent events and promised to do his best to compensate the incident for the "diplomatic entourage". He even offered one of his houses to be the new "embassy" and none of the heroes didn't mind. At the late hours, just before the glimpse of dawn, Melkor, Arius and Douglas buried the Cube of Tybor deep into the soil at the basement of the newly acquired "embassy". They decided that Lot would be left to guard the house, but they didn't reveal the Cubes location for the poor squire.

Our brilliant champions managed to rest for few hours, but before leaving Triel they attended the funeral of Hashim, organized by Elvar the Grainlord. While wishing farewell for the redeemed Kothian Mercenary whose blade had proven to be one of the most efficient means of justice, mortified Jared told about delirious dream he saw last night, where Hashim stood behind the Cube of Tybor, leaning to his sword. Jared was convinced that the Cube would be safe as the Kothian would guard it even from the hereafter. While others wept, others stood motionless as the mercenary was laid down to rest. A priest from Triel started a hymn for the deceased and many united to the choir.



Ferocious battle at the Outpost

 Kingdom Come!
As Lot was left to Triel, Arius, Melkor, Douglas, Jared and Cidela strode towards Scornubel and beyond. They didn't stop to the wretched city as local group of villains called United Merchants/Murderers had charged them from the murder of Baron Von Schuberg and therefore death would be omnient at the streets of the Caravan City. A familiar ferryman aided them over the river Reaching and they were back inside the borders of Darnon. On their bold gait they didn't notice the signs of danger, and a Darnonese outpost came suddenly after a sharp curve of the road. A ferocius battle ensued, as the Darnonese soldiers and Skogarrim-mercanaries assaulted our heroes. The assault turned into bloodpath as Melkor unleashed his new potent magicks and summoned a great celestial dire bear. The beast shred the assailants into pieces and the outpost soon turned to smoldering ruin.

As they were leaving the site of destruction, two hunters alerted by the ruckus run into the heroes. The joy of reunion was tangible as Constantin Almert and Viril Massar step forth from the forest. The two foresters greeted the heroes and invited them to the lean-to from where they promised to guide the cavalcade to the house of the Blue Lady. After long remedial night of rest, the expedition to the witches swamp begun. The two hunters stayed at the edge of the bog as our brave heroes wade forth to a lonely rustic cottage. Douglas and Arius plundered into the hut, but no witch was seen. Douglas moved outside to investigate, but then the hag attacked, biting and clawing young Arius who was left alone inside the cottage. A combat began and Melkor summoned three great lions to their aid. The bitch was soon slain, and the heroes ripped it's glowing red stoneheart off and gave it to Jared. Strange magicks occured and before their very eyes, Jareds arms regenerated from nothing!



Close-up of Map of Darnon



Strenghtened from the visit at the Blue Ladys hut, our dexterous bandits rode to the Foresthouse were they spend the night. Early at the morning they began to approach the village of Durunmer that was located near the Middleroad Inn where they once visited (see Chapter Two). After days ride they rested for awhile at the Inn in question and quickly continued to Durunmer as the black clouds proceed rapidly towards the poor village. When they arrived to the doomed village, a crowd had gathered before the villages church, reviling the priest of the Bitter Lord who strongly disagreed that he had brought the doom upon the village.As the sky darkened and the black clouds grew, the heroes managed to brief with the village leader but then the foretelling became true as the earth began to shake. As panic spread amongst the villagers, great explosion occured and the church blew up into smithereens. Where the bastion of faith once stood, now rose a terrible monster, a gargantuan maggot of horrendous necromantic power, the Ulgurstasta. (Fiend Folio p, 180)



The mighty and terrible Ulgurstasta



On Ulgurstastas side came dozens of skeletons of various sizes. Luckily Jared was in his might and by the will of Lathander he turned the undead, utterly destroying those foul creatures. Unlike it's minions, the mighty Undead Maggot was unharmed by Lathanders divine powers and begun drumming our valiant defenders of justice. It grapped Arius to it's maw and swallowed the poor prince while it crawled and crumbled village houses beneath it's massive necrotic bulk. Enraged by the devastation, the rest of the villagers bravely attacked the maggot, only to be dismembered by it's 40ft. long razor-sharp tendrils that sprung suddenly from it's pores full of pus. Melkor summoned three dire apes to keep rest of the undeads at bay, so he could focus on the giant maggot, as the abomination was efficiently killing everything on it's path. Meanwhile Arius struggled inside the creatures abdomen as necromantic acid was feeding on his pure life-energy. He managed to cut open the stomach and escape, grievously weakened from his bumby ride. The fight was amongst the most wicked and severe, and eventually the beast was weakened, but it possesed enough unholy power to launch one final attack of retaliation. It regurgitated it's stomach's necromantic content as a mighty breath weapon that eated away the flesh and animated the corpse as a skeleton. Poor Jared was struck by this diabolic attack, and aghast the rest saw how their cleric corroded away and rose again as a mockery of his faith. This terrible fate of the beloved priest spurred the rest into frenetic attack, and together they destroyed the undead maggot.

Mouring their loss, the one's who were left promised to bring Jared back eventough he had often spoken against the black arts of resurrection. Still, the rest felt that he played key-role in the destiny of Darnon and thus the practice was justifiable. While aiding the villagers who were still alive, Melkor dropped a bomb. He told Arius and Douglas that he would go away for a while. Shocked from the wizards scheme, they protested against it. But Melkor told them that he had to do some research before they could use the Cube of Tybor in order to excecute the coup for the crown of Darnon, and therefore he should ride west, while the rest would stay in Darnon to proceed their guerilla warfare, weakening the power of the one's responsible of the tyranny and gaining followers and support amongst the masses. He told Arius, Douglas and Cidela to ride to Berdusk in order to bring Jared back. And then the wizard saddled and as he rode he declared that as he returns he brings the winds of change with him and thus a new chapter in the history of Darnon would begun.

GOODSPEED MELKOR!

Melkor the Wise riding his valiant steed!