The Return of a Lord

For all time? An eternity of visons, of servitude to strangers? Surely that couldn't be right. She counted quickly back. Sharrizade, Moricathe, Lemona... Seventeen in all. Some she had served a few months, others... decades. Rosie hadn't thought on it before. It was unimportant. One Master faded into the next, the unbroken line of fate. Did it actually have a purpose? Was there more to her existance? She was numb at the idea. But He was asking a question. She pulled her thoughts back, blinked.

No. There is never anything in my visions that concerns me. Only my Master.

She stopped. As He opened his mouth to speak again, she added,

The visions are yours. The signs are mine. I... know what I must do to help my Master. I see... hear. The vision is your destination. The signs are your path.

She bit her lip. She hadn't meant to tell Him. She'd never told a Master about the signs. She should not have told Him, either... But He knew what she was. Why she was. He knew.

 

The resin had a good effect on Wolfsbane, and he let out a sigh of relief as the pain faded away. Now, all he needed was something to eat. Sure, he was bleeding, but his body would heal that in a matter of minutes. He needed something to replenish his blood with. He needed meat.
Unlike other bovine creatures, Wolfsbane could eat meat with no drawbacks. Then again, a creature of his physical ability needed mre than grass and water.
He turned to the wyrm, bowed slightly and the tried to make a sign for the beast to show him that he needed something to eat. Maybe there was some kind of cattle around?

 

Sure, that'd be nice. I was starting to think there weren't too many friendly types round here. He smiled a gruff smile at her and introduced himself, My names Maximus, of the Iron Hammer clan, at your service.

Nice to meet you Maximus. I'm Vyenna.

She guided him to a free table and caught a passing waitress by the arm.

Dinner for two, she said and sat down. This isn't exactly a fancy place. You'll just have to eat whatever you get, I'm afraid.

A worried expression struck Vyennas face, fearing that this would scare the dwarf off.

 

The waitress brought back two plates of roast beef, a potato, and a piece of hard bread, and two glasses of mead. Max looked at the food as if it was a veritable feast.

After what I've been eating for the last week, this is a god-send. He emphasized the point by taking a bite of the bread and washing it down with some mead.

As they ate, he decided to tell his tale to this woman, perhaps she would be able to help him figure out his next course of action.

...so to sum it up, I was sent south to rally the armies of men to action in defense of our homes and land against the tyranny of an undead Lich Lord. Unfortunately, no one wants to listen to a Dwarf. That, or they have grown too complacent to rise to the occasion.

Do you have any idea's of where I should go next, or know of anyone who'd be brave enough to resist this Lord of the undead? The elves decyphered some old runes and scryed the world of magyk and discovered that if this lord can be destroyed, his whole army would fall apart, like so many sticks in the wind.

 

He's hungry...I am too.
Come! This is a town, and one this size obviously has some sort of livestock nearby.
Grossenschwaum walked back outside and found a good vantage point of the town. He reared up on his hind legs for a moment, lest he be seen, but he got quite a bit of information in that short time. A sizeable herd of cattle was spread out on an adjoining field, and next to that was a herd of sheep.
There were a few small buildings closer to town, in fenced in areas. The buildings looked like little cottages, but they seemed to house various types of fowl, and not men.
They've got everything...I could eat one cow and be satisfied for quite some time (so many other uses...), or I could have two or three sheep (numbers would decrease too quickly...), or perhaps I could have a dozen of those birds (bah, again with the numbers)...
We're safest with the cattle, for now. I'm sure your appetite would, especially now, rival mine. Our exploits would be noticed too quickly on anything else. I suppose our biggest challenge, then, is to get down to their fields unnoticed.
Gross stood once more on his hind legs, briefly scanning the area, and looked for a suitable cover, preferably that which would obscure his and Wolfsbane's movements the whole way to the field.
What a convenient row of hedges...
Keep your head down and follow me.
They both stealthily followed the hedges, making sure no part of themselves could be revealed until necessary.
They got to the end of the hedge row and Gross checked for any nearby food.
I'll go out first, and throw one your way.
Setting foot in the fields, Gross quickly leapt at a head of cattle. He snapped its neck and flung it back by Wolfsbane, nearly hitting him.
Oops...
As Gross went for his meal, the herder came out of some other bushes, fixing his belt as he walked. Then, he saw Gross.
G...g...Good God! WYRM!!
Shit!

 

The herder was too quick for Wolfsbane, who was, just to add, too hungry to really care about the man running away from them. What harm could he or any of the townsfolk do anyway? If they wanted to fight, he'd either run away or kill them all. He was used to killing many things at a time, and he had been told by his master never to fear commoners.

He ate as much as he could of the cow, and then turned to the wyrm. The minotaur did something with his face that, to a trained eye, could've looked like a smile. This revealed his pointy teeth, further distancing him from his grass-eating relatives.

 

Rosie. Just... Rosie.

He summoned his steward, and she followed the man out a side door. At the last moment she did not leave his previous question unanswered.

My visions will concern you so long as I serve you. That servitude is determined by your mortality.

She bowed shortly and followed his steward to a prepared chamber. A servant came with a meal and a change of clothes, and she sat looking into the fire, contemplating her existance.

 

The dwarf was about finished his meal when he was disturbed by a loud ruckus in the streets. He dropped some coins on the table, enough for both meals and then some, and finished the last of his drink.

They cant be that close behind me..., he said, standing up and moving towards the door, hand on hilt.

Outside, a man was standing in the town center, raving on like a madman. Wyrms and monsters lay in the hillsides! Terrible beasts are here to destroy us all! A woman tried to calm him down, but he pushed her aside, a look of panic and madness in his eyes. These monsters are even now slaughtering my herds, and the dragon even said to me that he will come here next and kill us all!! Men began yelling and cursing, grabbing up weapons and torches, women gathered up children and fled to the safety of their homes. Shortly, a growing mob started to assemble in the square, a rabble army fresh for the slaughter.

A dwarf tells them about skeleton hoards coming to kill them and they laugh, but some moron screaming about cows and the whole town is up in arms! Hrmph!, Maximus said in disgust, folding his arms across his chest. After a moment, he decided he needed to have a look for himself, in case the undead armies had somehow enslaved some mythical beast like a dragon. He took hold of the reins, and then mounted the warhorse, intending on seeing this creature from a safe distance for himself. On a whim, he glanced down at Vyenna and said with a hint of humor in his voice, Would you like to go take a look at the monster? He extending a hand questioningly toward the woman who'd shared a meal with him.

 

Gross caught Wolfsbane's "smile" and gave one of his own, then looked back towards the town.
Why now? I'm just hungry...Bah! Wolfsbane, I'm sure you're feeling better. The people will probably be coming in a large mob to attempt to drive us away. The whole town guard, perhaps...
Gross smelled the air...It seemed strangely heavy, as if it was burdened by a great power.
What an odd choice for a neighbor. Wolfsbane, do you feel anything out of place? There's...a mage here.
He'd rather not fight, because someone had to tend to the livestock, and he's on the top of the list of things cows will run from.
Most weapons either bounced off or broke on contact with Grossenschwaum's skin. Magic, however, was a bit of a grey area. Being inherently magical, he had some resistances. But there's always a limit; like how stone shatters when heated and chilled rapidly.
If some of the guards had magical weapons, there could be trouble.
However, the whole situation could be avoided if he instead ran. Then again, if there was indeed a mage in town, and not just an over-inflated magician, there could be a possiblity of talking a way out of this whole mess. Besides, if he could sense the mage, the mage knew he was there, too...and there's no hiding from his own magical "profile".
If you're up to it, we might need to fight. But...let's not make the first move.

 

Wolfsbane agreed with Grossenschwaum, and nodded to show him this. He looked for something to use, if they were up for a fight, and found to his great amusement a large boulder. He picked it up like it weighed nothing at all (Wolfsbane was very strong), and then positioned himself so that he had a good view of the towngate.

The hoard of townsfolk started to pour out through the gates like fierce wave, and Wolfsbane couldn't help but to feel at least a little nervous about their present situation. He could fight, but not at his best; he was still wounded. And he didn't know about this mage thing either. His master had been one, and he'd had power. Immense power.

He decided to let the wyrm do their first move.

 

Do you have any idea's of where I should go next, or know of anyone who'd be brave enough to resist this Lord of the undead? The elves decyphered some old runes and scryed the world of magyk and discovered that if this lord can be destroyed, his whole army would fall apart, like so many sticks in the wind.

Vyenna was just about to answer when a loud ruckus was heard, coming from the streets. Everyone in the pub started rushing out. A man was rambling on about wyrms eating his cattle. Soon, a mob had formed, and started rushing towards the town gates.

A dwarf tells them about skeleton hoards coming to kill them and they laugh, but some moron screaming about cows and the whole town is up in arms! Hrmph! He paused for a few seconds before asking Vyenna: Would you like to go take a look at the monster?

Aye, let's do that. She took his hand, and despite his small stature, he easily helped her up on the horse.

 

Maximus and Vyenna easily beat the mob into the fields and from about 200 yards away, and could see a large dragon of some sort and ... a bull on its hind legs? The Bull-like creature appeared sentient, but carried a large rock as if it intended on smashing something, while the dragon had an amused look on his face. The farmer wasn't barmy after all.
What sort of evil is this?

Then a man dressed like a scholar or mage approached the beasts confidently and started to speak to them. He couldn't quite make out what was being said, but the man was clearly out of his mind. He decided to try and intercept the man and save him from his own foolishness, but he would have to hurry. He compelled his horse to ride full speed towards the man.

Come away from there you bloody fool, before those things eat you!

 

Wolfsbane was supriced to hear himself say:

Sure, we could use some help. I'm not really in for fighting the whole horde at the same time. Especially not when being wounded and all...

His face shone up, as he realized that the man in front of him was a mage, and that he had just helped Wolfsbane regain his speech. He nodded in the mans direction, and added:

Thank you for my speech. I've... missed it.

Then, he spotted the dwarf heading for the man, shouting something to get away from the "beasts". Wolfsbane let out a terrefying roar, and then tosed the huge boulder in front of the dwarfs steed, causing it to fail it's charge and panic.

He tapped the wyrm on its tail, waved at the mage, and shouted:

Ok! Let's go!

 

In the peaceful town of Meadowbrook, words of War and evil are abundant. Ninjanaught, an exile from the Pit of Vipers, is leaning in a dark corner of the Spiders Web.

The Spiders Web, is a low down and very unsavoury pub on the outskirts of town. An ideal place for one such as Ninjanaught.

The Pit of Vipers was a training facility for those interested in learning the arts of Stealth Combat. Students are undertaken at a very low age and are treated with the upmost contempt and strictness. Students leave after 18 years of full training. Usually people who leave the Pit of Vipers are hired into the Royal Army.
Ninjanaught had trained at the POV for 17 years and his skills developed at an incredible speed. So much so, that other students grew feelings of envy and some, hatred. Ninjanaughts real name is actually unknown. That was his given name at the POV. One night, three of the students set fire to Ninjas bed. But there prank went much, much worse than expected. The whole dorm went up in flames and as such, Ninja was burned in an extreme fashion all over his body. He only just got out of the dorm and his flesh was literally falling off his body. He knew what had happened. How, he did not know but for some reason he knew and he was extremely bitter and angry about it.
After seven days of healing he got out of bed, and although very badly burned he walked to he Grand Master's quarters and busted through his doors. As he tried to shout at the Old Master he realised that even his voice box was burned. Before he could try and say anything the Grand Master went into an incredible rage. He said Ninja was to be severely punished. Ninja was tied by his feet about a meter above a well and dunked into the water every three seconds for seven seconds a dunk. This carried on for around 15 minutes and then he was spun around in a circle. Still hanging upside down he was beaten with planks of wood, covered in barb wire. As this all happened he didn’t make a sound or show any facial expression of pain at all. Not a whimper. When they finally stopped and let him down the Grand Master ordered him to kiss the emblem on his cloak. Barely alive, the young, burned, scarred man, spat on the emblem and then passed out.
In result of this, he was thrown out of the POV for good and left to die outside the gates.
He spent the next 15 years roaming from Town to Town looking for work as a mercenary. He would always charge 500 gold pieces no matter how big, or how small the job. Armed with two Falchions, throwing axes and a Large Spear Blade, he has destroyed all who have stood in his way. He also has a strange gauntlet on his right hand with what appears to be 5 large Ogre teeth where each knuckle would be. For a warrior such as he it is surprising that he wears no armour at all. He is dressed from head to toe in all black leather with some sort of strange black material covering his face. Like cloth but much, much stronger.


As he stands in the corner contemplating whatever it is that someone of Ninjanaughts, dark mentality would contemplate, a young man know as Binki, rushes into the pub shouting about War.

"Hey Everyone! There’s some Dwarf outside shouting outside about a Skeletal Army coming and there is going to be a War!"

Silence shrouds the Pub like a black mist befalling upon a dark night.

"Hey! Didn’t you hear me? Hey you idiots! Cant you speak?"

The bartender of the Spiders Web slowly looks up toward Binki. He is a very intimidating looking man with a large and deep scar going across his face.

"What of it kid? Why do we care? I think you should leave before i get aggravated..." Puts his hands under the Bar table as if reaching for a weapon.

Binki's face turns a pale white

"Uhhhh. Now now. Lets not be to hasty." A very scared smile befalls the face of the weedy young man.

 

The bull-thing threw a small boulder at him, and his warhorse seemed to know what to do by instinct, having survived the battles of Alysiums Fields and the siege of Cathors. The boulder crashed into the ground only five feet away, a close call indeed. Maximus slowed to a trot and helped Vyenna off the horse a mere 75 yards from the conflict, and then continued the charge.
Azathoth's hoards, I will not allow you to harm another innocent person so long as I have breath in me to fight you! He drew his sword, intent on defending the confused man who'd walked into danger without regard for his own safety.

He halted his horse firmly, between the man and the two odd looking creatures. The giant warhorse eyed the dragon confrontationally and huffed.
Begone undead beasts, or I shall lay you asunder.

 

Vyenna was helped off the horse and climbed on top of the boulder which had just been thrown at them. The dwarf continued his charge while Vyenna took out a small pipe and some tobacco and lit it, watching the odd meeting. She heard distant shouts, and looked towards the town gates. People were rushing out.

This should prove interesting, she thought.

 

Wolfsbane paused in his attempt of escape. Him being undead? What was this dwarf, blind? Surely he must've been able to see that neither the minotaur nor the wyrm was undead.
Then again, Wolfsbane thought and smiled, maybe he didn't see too well because of all the hair in his face.

He turned to the dwarf, and eyed the throng of townsfolk coming at them in the distant. Maybe making peace with the darf wouldn't be such a bad idea; it could prove hard even for Wolfsbane to break through the dwarfs armor.

You, he said, We are not undead, nor do we work for them. I, on the other hand, have recently fought them. See my wound? I got that fighting off a skeleton battalion just up the mountainrange. Maybe we can come to an understanding? We merely wanted to eat, that's all.