The Barrow Wight Slayers - Rags to Riches - Part Four

Domečar 1st, 1483 AA. Roccastra, Republic di Virella. Noon.      

    The group reconvenes at the door, which Thalyros has not broken sight with since they entered. Argunijin enters first, with the group following. It leads into a small entry way, where there is a hall on either side and a ladder leading upwards. They first go left into a small armory. Most of the weapons are covered in dust and were underway repairs. Argun takes a spearhead from a spear set on the table, which has had it's shaft broken in two. They also grab a key.

    Moving across the hall, they find a small kitchen, with a locked trapdoor. They choose not to open the trap door.  

    "This is very strange." Levius says, opening a sack of flour, which has seemingly spoiled. "This fortress shouldn't be unmanned like this, yet it is. There are no signs of life here either."

    "Yes, strange indeed." Thalyros says.

    They then moved to the upstairs, going up the ladder one by one. In the barracks that they entered, an Auxilia¹ was present. However, he was not alive. A large gash was present along his chest, and he was strewn in a pool of his own blood. His left hand was on the floor, covered in blood, but his right hand was clutching a Gladius close to his chest. The gash on his chest cut through his chainmail and padded tunic, meaning that whatever struck this man was both large and powerful.

    "What in Voden's name..." Argun said, climbing up the ladder to see the sight.

    Thalyros, second up the ladder, quickly started muttering burial prayers.

    "...ura ebka mal cañi. Whatever struck this man must be swiftly brought justice. No Men shall fall to these beasts no longer, whether the beasts be Man or else." Thalyros says. He closes the Auxilia's eyes, and then points to the sword. "Perhaps we shall take the sword?"

    Levius, the last one to come up, squints at it. He then gets closer, to look at it.

    "Hmm. It seems to be magical in some way. I am not sure how." Levius says. He then picks it up along with the sheath off of the Auxilia, and attaches it to his bag. "We can bring it to an expert to learn more. I am curious why this blade is enchanted. Why would an Auxilia like this have an enchantment on his weapon? Aren't enchantments of Mythos?" 

    Levius then turns to Thalyros and Gunbu, expecting answers. However, it is Argun who answers. Argun is a Wildling, much like Gunbu, from one of the many Steppetribes. He was a chieftain -- or something close to it, at the very least -- in the Noyakin Clan. He has short, black hair and a mustache, with light brown skin. However, what you would first notice, is that he stands at a staggering 6'10" (~208cm) and is both muscular and fat. While he doesn't talk about it much, he was also a former slave in the Empire.

    "Hark! Whatever he carried is now our spoil, and we shall rectify the death of our fellow Man, by relieving whatever beast lies here of its life!" He says, proudly. He tends to make sentences more complex, as he is not the best speaker of Imperial, and learned most of it from the Noble who owned him long ago. "So, we shall sally forth from here to the basement!"

    "First, maybe we should go up the stairs?" Thalyros says, pointing to a wooden staircase, under which lies a stockpile of old food.

    They head up the stairs to a lookout, much like the top of many lookout towers. There is an inner area and an outer area, with the outer area being like a balcony. There is an unlit torch hanging from the balcony, which is usually lit. An unstrung longbow and a half-quiver of arrows rests on the inner wall, near the trapdoor which Thalyros peeks his head up from. 

    The rest of the group follows suit, looking over the lands. It is still early spring -- many of the trees are budding. Dark clouds brew to the north east, and it looks like it will soon rain. They had heard on the way here, when they stopped in Vireqosta², that this outpost was one of the oldest outposts in this region of the Empire, and was originally built to overlook the Montis Virella so they could warn the cities of southern barbarian parties. Levius wonders how many Auxilia, current and former, have looked at this very same view.

    They make their way back to the bottom floor, where the trapdoor lies. The group stand and look at it for some time, before Levius speaks up.

    "One us needs to open it, and that one of us will be me. So, stand back!" Levius says. He crouches down with the iron key, and opens the trap door. Below, is darkness. After thinking for some time about how to overcome the darkness, Thalyros goes up and grabs the torch, which he lights. The group descends down the trapdoor.

    Underneath the outpost, they find a small wine and grain cellar. Nothing out of the ordinary. However, they hear distant and faint dripping water from somewhere. They eventually notice that behind an empty crate, is a staircase down, dug by whoever lived here. It goes down for some time, spiraling. The dripping water continues, slowly. It echoes from where ever it is dripping from. The group stays silent, as they peer down the staircase, into the darkness. 

¹: Auxilia: non-citizen soldiers in former Imperial states
²: The capital city of Virella
³: The great southern mountains that bisect Virella

The Barrow Wight Slayers - Rags to Riches - Part Three

     

   

 Domečar 1st, 1483 AA. Roccastra, Republic di Virella. Noon.      

    The Dorsilva River trickles down, the water moving along. A single leaf slowly floats down the river, heading towards the Great Strybrne River, and finally the Imperial Sea. The four hop across the river, on stones from the fallen bridge, one by one, each splashing a bit of water onto their pants. They are getting close now. 

    However, from up ahead, they hear voices. Five men, including one wearing chainmail and a nasal helm, walk out from a large rock. They all have shoddy weapons and shields, other than one who has a shortbow and a poaching bag.

    "Stop! Hark! This is our trail! We don't let just anyone through. Unless you have the coin, that is. Two farthings for each man, so that would be two pence. Hand it over, laddies!" The most armored man says. 

    Argunijin squeezes his palm on his halberd, with Thalyros doing the same with his two-handed mace. Gunbu puts her hands into a small brown pouch at her waist, keeping it there for the time being. The only person that stays calm is Levius.

    "Right, that is reasonable. I apologize for trespassing, I hadn't the faintest idea that this was your land!" He fishes two pence out of his pocket and tosses them to the men. "We'll be on our way now, again, apologies!" Levius exhales a breath of fresh air. The group also loosen up after that point.

    The group finally arrive at the outpost. On a hill, sits a square-shaped palisade wall, and on one corner of it sits a three-floor stone based tower. It's upper levels are made of wood, with the highest floor having a small lookout with an unlit torch. The gate is ajar, the grass inside is overgrown, and there is no noise coming from the courtyard.

    "This is off. That torch is supposed to be lit, there's no noise, and there's no guards. This isn't good." Levius says. Levius is a young man with black hair, grey eyes, and pale skin. He was once a Auxilia in the Holy Karian Empire, but he doesn't talk much about that. He often talks about subjects that nobles would enjoy, however -- war, wine, women, etc.

    Argun does not heed Levius' warning however, barging into the fort. He shouts that it is clear, and the rest of the group floods in. In the inner courtyard is an abandoned wagon with molding goods. The tower itself is also open. There are also two smaller buildings and an outhouse. The first, on the left, is a small cottage. On the right is a shed, which sits next to the outhouse.

    Gunbu walks to the small cottage with Argun, and Levius goes to the shed. Thalyros stands and looks at the tower, but doesn't speak. 

    "Shash urdim. Stïvut don onzh ngotol? Onzh thoth? Voden mol torum... irol!" Gunbu mutters to herself. She speaks in a language that even Argun doesn't understand. Argun does understand Voden, the All-Father. Gunbu is a black-haired Wildling. Her hair is curly and unkempt, she wears no shirt, but rather forearm wraps and a dress that goes from her hips down. Her hair also covers her face, which hide her gray eyes and pretty face. She wears a belt over her dress, which has a small white leather pouch, a hunting horn, and a larger bag which holds a tent. She also has a spear.

    Walking into the building, she looks around, but finds nothing of note. The building itself has two beds, a table with a straw doll on it, and a fireplace. She takes the straw doll, and inspects it.

    "Gon mizh enur anir. Gon aval don, Ingrith." She says, before tucking away the doll. Argunijin spots a small bag of silver, which has four pence in it. Thalyros continues staring at the door of the tower, muttering the following in Anubic: "Nal alir mal abalalgi.". Levius finds nothing but tools covered in dust in the shed. 

The Barrow Wight Slayers - Rags to Riches - Part Two

Domečar 1st, 1483 AA. Roccastra, Republic di Virella. Early Morning. 

     The group, after circling the town, find a few places to go. The first is called Cassian's General Store. It is a small building, which looks to be a three room house; one to sleep, one to sell, and one to store. The building itself is made of stone, with the front door being an oak door. There also sat a mullioned window, which had a construction like two stacked plusses. Through the window, the group saw a middle-aged man, who seemed to be a northern Imperial.

    They walk in, opening the heavy oak door, which swings inward. The man at the desk, who they assumed to be Cassian, has a thick and curly brown beard, with short straight hair, which is a slightly lighter shade of brown. The room itself has two tables, a counter, and two doors behind that counter. One of them is an arch which leads to a bedroom, the other is another door, with a lock on it. 

    "Greetings! Welcome to my shop!" He motions his hands around the room to various goods. On one table is an old gambeson and a slightly rusty nasal helm. On another table, various supplies for caravans, and on the counter, a stack of bread. General stores like this are common in backwater towns, as trade still flows, but someone needs to sell the goods after purchasing them.

    "We're looking for supplies; food and water for a three day trip. Also some rope, twenty feet." Argunijin says. Argunijin fishes a small pouch of coins from his belt. The man then counts the people, and gathers a small pile of supplies. He then counts the supplies. "A shilling and two pence for all of it." Cassian says. The group then pile their funds, putting money towards the group's food. 

    "What do you know about the lost caravan?" Thalyros says, putting his share of food in his bag. Their rations consist of a leather waterskin, some saltpork, and a few breadrolls. "We overheard that it had gone missing, and we got curious."

    "Is that why my shipment didn't come in? I was expecting a few wicker baskets and a half-dozen candles, but they never came. If it truly is missing, that would mean it will be a dark week, as most of my stock of candles are already gone. That might be where that crazy caravan hand came from, in the Church. Brother James won't let us talk to him. Well, in any case, I don't know anything about it's disappearance. It stops at the Dorsilva Trade Outpost before it comes here, so I'd look there." Cassian says. "Have a good day now, y'all."

    The group steps out of Cassian's store, and then heads to the Rathaus. The Rathaus and the Church that is in its basement is a stone structure where the current manager of the town resides. Curiously, unlike all other towns, this town has no Lord nor Manor. However, they are here to visit the Priest who lives in the basement. Thalyros goes in first, then the rest of the group. They see an inner area with a few pews, a lectern, and two doors at the back of the room. One of them seemingly leads to an infirmary and the other leads to the priest's bedroom. 

    As they walk in, a man in brown ropes with purple accents at the hems of the robes walks out of the infirmary. It is rather obvious he is a priest. He is shaking his hands, which are wet. He has a standard Anubian Sun pendant around his neck, which hangs just below his collar bone. In the center of it is a golden-brown amber.

    "Greetings, my brothers and sisters!" He says. He smiles at the group. The man, who is most likely the Brother James they had heard about, has the Anubian tonsure (which is more uncommon now then when it was mandated when the Church was first founded) and stubble on his face. His hair is the same color as his amber, and his eyes are a deep hazel. "What brings you into my Church at this hour?"

    "We are looking for a caravan hand, not sure of his name. Cassian said we might be able to find him in here." Thalyros says.

    "He is in the back room, but I can't let you see him. He is delusional." The priest says. "It is best to wait a few days, to see if his condition improves." He smiles, despite the situation he is describing.

    "Hmm, but have you considered that I am Thalyros Anubus? The Second Prophet of Anubism?" Thalyros says, smiling. He is very serious. His group doesn't even bat an eye at this, other than Levius, who loudly sighs. 

    The priest's smile drops, and he immediately starts yelling at Thalyros, who in response, just smiles. Eventually they are forced out, and probably will not return to that Church as long as the priest resides there. 

    "God damn it, Thalyros!" Levius says. "That was our only lead! Can you not keep your beliefs to yourself for one damned second?"

    "It is true though, so it isn't really my fault, if you think about it." Thalyros places his left hand at the edge of his lip, almost mockingly. "If he can't accept that I am the Second Prophet of Anubism, then he can take that up with me later. For now, however, it is mildly unfortunate."

    Levius sighs. "Fine. Let's go to the outpost, and if anything bad happens, it is your fault, Thalyros."