The Lord of the Morning

 

Chapter 1
In Search of the Skull Tower

Part 1: Screaming Death on Wings
19 Aurel 1317

  Rhodian threw down the bloody arrow, spit on the corpse of the harpy, dropped to one knee and uttered painfully, "Cursed winged hellspawn!"

  The battle had been fierce, but the companions had managed to survive it without any casualties. It had looked grim from the beginning, as the party had stumbled upon an unfortunate traveller surrounded by a group of five harpies. Immediately, one of the foul creatures winged skyward, screaming her piercing, bewitching song and hypnotizing Ranald, Olwyn, and Bodkin, leaving the traveller and Rhodian to deal with the remaining four.

  Suddenly, out of the reeds lept a large mountain cat, intent on shredding the first harpy it saw. Two harpies turned to face the fierce predator, while the traveller fought for his life against another, and the last sped towards Rhodian. The mountain cat quickly dispatched its two foes, and began attacking the harpy which tormented the traveller.

  Meanwhile, Rhodian exchanged blow for blow with his hideous foe, letting his elven instincts for survival take hold, and focusing on slaying the evil creature that lay before him. She was beginning to weaken, he could tell, but so was he. It was a battle of attrition, and he prayed he would emerge the victor.

  The mountain cat slew yet his third victim, ripping her arm from its socket with a twist of his powerful head, tearing flesh with his razor-sharp teeth. The traveller then focused on the airborne harpy, calling a ball of flame forth from the Ether, and sending it towards his howling foe. As the flaming sphere lunged at her, she stopped singing and the three pacified companions snapped back to reality. Weapons were drawn and spells flew, and the harpy fell dead along with the others.

  The party turned just in time to see Rhodian finish his foe off and drop to one knee in exhaustion.

  "I thank you all greatly for intervening when you did. My friend and I were surely doomed otherwise," spoke the traveller softly. "My name is Maddox, and this cuddly beast is Mr. Whiskers."

  Ranald and Bodkin simply nodded, and it was Olwyn who spoke, "You are most welcome. What brings you to such a bleak place alone?"

  "I seek whoever disturbs these lands. There are strange goings on of late and I wish to find out the source," spoke Maddox honestly.

  "We seek the same as you. The Necromancer seems to be to blame for what is happening. Our mission is to slay him and his minions before the peace of eastern Aris is threatened. You are welcome to join us if you so desire, yet be aware that what we attempt could lead to death or worse," Olwyn said with a grim tone.

  Maddox looked at his feline companion as if to ask his opinion, then turned to the companions before him and spoke, "Mr. Whiskers and I shall join you in your quest, as it is our quest now as well. We should be moving on, as the daylight in this swamp can disappear unexpectedly."

Part 2: The Mouth of the Cave
19 Aurel 1317

  The party quickly left the area where the harpies lay dead, and moved off down the only clear path through the marsh. As they turned a bend a foul stench permeated the air, different from the normal smells of the Fens. They soon came upon a large tree, to which the decaying body of what had most likely been a hobgoblin was tied. Across the creatures chest was carved the word 'FAILURE'. A quick search of his body led to the discovery of a pair of bracers, which seemed to be magical. Rhodian took the bracers for safe keeping and the party continued on.

  Not even a short walk later, they came upon a large clearing of solid ground. In the middle stood a lone lizardfolk examining a peculiar cave from a safe distance away. The cave looked as if it decended into the ground, and piled around the entrance were leaves, branches, and brush. Ranald recognized his friend Soren, who he had been told by Lloth-logan had left before the dawn to scout out the first leg of the journey and verify the map they had drawn up. After a quick banter, the party decided to investigate the cave.

  Maddox volunteered to take a quick look inside the cave, and strode forward to see what lay within its darkness. The moment he moved to step inside, the cave mouth closed upon him and the mound rose into the air. The party scattered, startled by the trap of what looked to be a giant plant beast of some sort. The mountain cat lunged towards its friend and began to claw and bite at the plant monstrousity. Rhodian fell back and began to light a flame, while Soren, Ranald, and Olwyn faced it head on. Bodkin began to chant incantations and hurled magical energy from within himself.

  Both the mountain cat and Soren were both swallowed by the plant creature in short order, but by then Rhodian began to launch fiery arrows at it, and Bodkin continued to throw spells. From within the creature, the mountain cat began to tear through the creature with renewed ferocity, and along with the blows of Ranald and Olwyn, the creature soon fell to the ground defeated.

  With Soren and Maddox unconcious, Olwyn prayed to Vesta for healing and repaired his friends' wounds. The party rested and talked while they waited for their two injured companions to awaken from their healing sleep. Shortly after noon, they once again set off down the path.

Part 3: A Party In Shambles
19 Aurel 1317

  The path began to narrow after a few miles, culminating in a 25 foot high pile of dead trees and branches resembling a giant beaver damn. All around there was now open water instead of the reed filled marsh that was present earlier. The party began to debate about what to do as Ranald moved to take a closer look at the giant mound, still wary of their last encounter. No sooner had he reached the mound then two vine-like arms burst from the water and wrapped around Bodkin, wrenching him from the path and plunging him into the water.

  Before the party could react, the creature dragged Bodkin off into the water away from the path. Soren quickly dove in and began to swim after him hoping to find some way to free the captured halfling. The creature swam down to the base of a giant weeping willow and into a dark hole in the roots of the tree, which was guarded by two more of the creatures. Soren realized he was outmatched and turned back for the shore.

  When Soren returned, the party decided to climb the mound and reach the other side. They did so and Soren and Rhodian scouted down the path a bit to see what lay ahead, but there was no other clearings to be found. Once again as they talked of what to do, they were attacked by the shambling creature, and once again it claimed another victim and pulled him into the swamp. This time it was Olwyn.

  Confused and split on what to do, the remaining members argued on their next course of action. Ranald and Maddox inexplicably decided against forging ahead in hopes of continuing their mission, instead wanting to return to camp and regroup. Soren fought to keep them focused on the task at hand, but only Rhodian was willing to press on. Going their own way, Soren and Rhodian moved on down the path, unhindered by their loss of strength in numbers.

Part 4: The Island of the Swamp Witch
19 Aurel 1317

  It was late when the two unlikely companions, lizardfolk and wood elf, came to the end of the trail. Ahead lay a series of small islands, and the water seemed to be much deeper than before. Soren swam first, using his powerful tail and the skill of his race to move quickly through the water and scout out a safe path. Rhodian followed, not pleased to be soaked with swamp water, yet determined to follow his companion with the utmost speed.

  Soon they came upon an small island from which they could see a rope bridge connecting two larger islands. The closest seemed to have a number of trees along with some very large webs between them. On the farthest could be seen what looked to be a small hut and perhaps the light of a fire. They both approached the closer island cautiously, swimming around to the bridge along the edge of the island. From there, they formulated a plan. Soren would swim across, and Rhodian would take the bridge, hoping that by splitting up, both would not be caught in a possible ambush.

  As they both reached the far shore, they saw a terrible sight; Olwyn and Bodkin lay bound and gagged in an oversized black iron cauldron, and what looked to be the rumored swamp-witch overlooking them and laughing. Quickly, Soren swam around the island stealthily while Rhodian loosed an arrow at the witch. Creatures began to come across the bridge after Rhodian, as the witch used some sort of telekenesis to fling the captured companions' equipment into the water. As Soren emerged upon the far shore, he snuck to the cauldron to release Olwyn. At the same time, the witch had fired a ray of energy at Rhodian from a headband she wore and moved to engage him in melee. Olwyn began to climb from the cauldron, and Soren moved towards the witch, but was too late as she fell Rhodian with the raking of her claws. She sent the creatures who had moved across the bridge away, then turned back to her work at hand, suddenly realizing her prey was escaping. She ran towards Soren and he engaged her in melee, hoping to keep her attention away from his other companions to give them a chance to escape.

  Suddenly, Bodkin unleashed a volley of magical missles at the hag, still bound and gagged in the cauldron. The witch was struck and clearly hurt, and abruptly disappeared from sight. Olwyn then moved to free Bodkin, and Soren ran into the hut to see if she had somehow teleported there, as well as to see if the dagger lay somewhere within. He spied it on a small table and moved to retrieve it. As Soren grasped the black blade, he was struck from behind by the hag, and dropped unconcious to the ground. Bodkin immediately fired another blast of eldritch missles at his putrid foe, and she collapsed dead to the damp ground.

Interlude
20 Aurel 1317

  It was midafternoon and they couldn't feel the sun or its warmth, though they knew it must be there because the swamp was dimly lit. A thick fog was blowing off the water from the northeast. It was eerily silent for a swamp, and the only sound that could be heard was the crackling of the now diminished cooking fire and the creaking of the moss-covered boat docked on the eastern shoreline.

  Near an outcrop of swamp willows Olwyn Kindric was performing a ritual over five freshly mounded graves. The holy man's purity did not hide the horror of what had happened. The stench still permeated the air, and blood and entrails were still visible splattered against tree and rock.

  Bodkin Smoothfoot sat near the dying fire, eyeing his two new 'friends', Maddox and Ranald.

  Maddox and Ranald sat across the fire from Bodkin. Both were soaked from head to foot and shivering. Neither seemed very happy. They stared at the ground as if in defeat.

  Soren had awoken from the recovery of his grievous wounds. He looked around and rose to his feet, ready to hiss out the questions in his mind.

  Rhodian also had awoken from recovery. His expression was bland as he surveyed his surroundings and sized up the current situation.

  Suddenly, from across the suspension bridge came the sounds of an ensuing struggle, the unhuman scream of some creature. The party stood and readied themselves for another attack, but relief and joy spread across Maddox's face. Out of the gloom, the soft padding of feet was heard coming across the bridge. It was Mr. Whiskers, and in his mouth was what remained of an Ettercap. He approached Maddox and lay his prize at his master's feet.

 

............................................................

 

  Slowly Soren rose from where he lay upon the damp ground, still a bit groggy from his healing-induced sleep. He examined himself in the places where the pain still lingered, but found no wounds. "The power of Vesta is great," he thought to himself. He glanced about at the scene before him, and was immediately puzzled by what he saw. The memories of the battle with the swamp-witch came rushing back to him and he quickly realized he had been asleep for sometime, though likely less than a day from the looks of it. Many questions rolled through his mind, though many he felt were best not to ask.

  He glanced over at his newfound companion Olwyn, giving the rites of renewal over some newly made graves, and said a quiet prayer to Vesta for her kind favor. He squatted down as his people often do, used his tail to support him, and began to carefully remove the bandages that covered his tattoo. Slowly the dragon was once again revealed, although now it was different, much clearer than it had been, and fully healed. He flexed his muscles, and the dragon almost seemed to roll and twist, and he could feel the power that it infused into him. He smiled to himself, as he now knew his First Journey had come to an end, though his face returned to its solemn state with the knowledge that the road ahead had become more dangerous than ever.

  He looked over the rest of his companions, curious to know what had brought Ranald and Maddox back in the fold, wondering if the gods played some cruel joke upon them, or if the fog and the tricks of the Fens were to blame. He observed Bodkin staring intently at the pair, glanced over only to acknowledge Soren with a nod, then returnined his gaze to them as if he were deciding their fate. He noted Rhodian still lived and was glad for it, knowing that he could not have saved his new friends alone but not willing to pay the price of death with anyone but himself.

  Suddenly the noises of battle came rushing from the bridge, and the whole camp readied for another attack. Soren focused quickly on the box within his mind, as his mentor had taught him, and lept to his feet. Just as quickly as he and his companions tensed, they relaxed as they realized that the would-be foe was but the druid's feline companion, yet the grim mood did not dissapate despite the welcome sight.

  Soren broke the silence.

  "If sssomeone could enlighten me on the events that brought us to this point, it would sssettle my mind. I apologize for missing anything, but I was taking a much needed nap," Soren uttered as he eyed his companions.

  Olwyn walked back into the circle of the small fire and told Soren the tale of what befell them before they were rescued.

  "While the two of us were bound, gagged, and in the pot, the hag had a visitor. From our vantage point we could see the glimmer of light approaching from the swamp. It was a craft much like the one we found here on the island and the glow was from one of its lanterns. When the boat reached the shore, two massive creatures departed it. One I recognized as a Bugbear much like the one our companion Winter Trueblade had slain before his untimely death. The other was an even larger creature standing 7' tall with horns coming out of its head, which we soon realized was a Minotaur. The three exchanged words that we could not hear, and the witch seemed agitated. Suddenly, the Minotaur smashed her to the ground with a single blow from his fist. She crumpled and begged for mercy. Through the sobs we could hear her calling the Minotaur Urth. Urth and his Bugbear compatriot departed, but not before Urth dealt the hag a final kick to the gut. She followed them to the boat crawling on her knees. They pushed off and faded back into the swamp. After the glow of the lantern finally diminished to nothing, the hag stood and returned to her hut grinning. She seemed very pleased with herself. She exited the hut with the black dagger she had taken from Bodkin and was stroking it gently. She looked up and noticed us watching her. She smiled her rotten grin and hackled."

  "Sssounds as if ssshe had the sssame plans as we. It's unfortunate we cannot question the witch. I would like to know more about this minotaur called Urth. It would ssseem he calls the Necromancer his master. Tell me, can you remember if he was a Lashan Minotaur or a Ssselshan Minotaur? I would hope the latter. It is never a good omen to sssee a ssson of Lashar ssstray from the Code. Either way, it ssseems our mission will now be more difficult than expected," hissed Soren gravely.

  Then he turned to face Ranald and Maddox with somewhat of a quizzical look, "I thought you two were done with this marsh. Change your minds?"

A Letter Home

  Found on one of the swamp witch's Wood Elf victims. Translated by Maddox and Rhodian from a secret elvish script known only to the Wood Elves.

  "Dearest Hariellen,

  For five months we have been on the march gathering what brethren we can find in local woods, secluded glaves, and in the hills. It is true, there are so few of us in the Kingdom of Aris. We are so scarce the other races hardly know we are here, in some places we are but myths or legends. So far we have successfully gathered an army and are now entering this festering swamp, known as the Fens. On the morrow I am to scout ahead to find the enemy, observe him, and report back. I only hope that what the Elders believe is untrue. With luck we will smash the Necromancer and his forces and then continue on to the Great Forest. Imagine, a forest of Elves nearly as large as Aris. I cannot wait until I look upon the forgotten city. Perhaps, if I perform my duties with honor, I shall dine with Lloth-Logan, Rendellen, and the Ancients when we reach the city. I can only dream.

  But, I am still troubled by what Rendellen, Lloth-Logan, and the Elders say. Could it be true that the lost city has fallen? Why has the forest been so quiet? What will we find there? There are rumors and whispers among us. An ancient evil has found a passage up the the Cliffs of Ganflen, the city has fallen into the hands of Giants, the city and it's inhabitants have been enslaved by one of the dark ones, Dragons have burnt it to the ground, or the dead walk the forest. None of these sound appealing and the closer we get the more despair I feel. Dark days are ahead for us all if this is true. We can only hope, for both man and elves, dwarves and halflings, and even orcs that the Ancients still protect what was entrusted them long ago or else Fire will engulf us all.

  There are even darker whispers, secret ones in the night, about the forgotten kingdom far to the east, about a queen, a prophecy, and a forgotten hero whose return could save us all..."