A Long Winter's Night

A short story for Earthdawn
by Linda Naughton

This is a rather long short story I wrote based on an Earthdawn adventure gamemastered by Walt Schellin. The players were myself, John Jacobson, and Josh Karabin.

It was by far one of the worst storms of the season. Such weather wasn't too uncommon in the Throal Mountains, especially with the wind picking up as it gusts through the valleys, and the storm had been brewing for a good few hours before it finally broke loose. It had already been pouring down rain for about an hour when the newest guests arrived at the Inn of the Mountain Home, soaked to the bone.

I looked up from the song I'd been playing as they entered the common room. The group looked as if it had been through a war. There were seven of them. An older man with graying brown hair and a slight paunch seemed to be in charge. I recognized him immediately. Artimos Klimerestos was well-known to me, and definitely not well-liked. He was one of the most dishonest, manipulative merchant's I'd ever had the displeasure of meeting.

Another member of the group I recognized immediately was Gedron Melhaine. He was the lieutenant in charge of the company of militia which was stationed in the building next to the inn. He talked briefly with Artimos, and then took his leave, heading back to the barracks. Artimos discussed terms with the innkeeper, Abel Brandybone, and some silver changed hands. The merchant went upstairs, apparently to change out of his soaked clothing.

Accompanying Artimos were three people who were apparently the guards for Klimerestos' caravan. The first one was a beautiful blonde-haired lass, who was leaning heavily on a quarterstaff as she limped across the common room to take a seat near the fire. I met her eyes and smiled, and she nodded in my direction, greeting me with a weary smile of her own. And let me say, lads, that one of Jaslom Werdana's smiles would be enough to melt any man's heart, my own included.

As she sat down, the windling who'd been sitting on her shoulder climbed down to rest as close to the fire as he dared. Dalin Gubb was short, even for a windling, with long black hair and wings that seemed to reflect blue-green traceries in the firelight. The windling turned his back towards the heat, apparently trying to dry off his soaked wings.

The third guard was a tall dwarf. He wore a fine-bladed axe on his back, but set the weapon on the table in front of him as he sat down near the fire. His long, greasy-looking black hair was tied back with a tattered piece of rope. His beard reached nearly to his waist, and was parted into two braids. The dwarf's expression was a perpetual scowl, as if he was thinking hard about something. I later learned that this was actually the case. Axel Larjaxx had to think hard about everything. Otherwise, he just wouldn't get it.

I looked away from the dwarf and returned my attention to the young lady. Moving across the room, I took a seat next to hers and gave her my best charming smile. "Hello, lass," I greeted her, "You seem to have gotten here just in time. That storm's turning quite viscious outside."

"Yes," she agreed, "Is the weather always so terrible here?" As she spoke, I tried to place her accent. Somewhere from the Delaris Mountains, I decided.

"Indeed," I said, grinning, "I suppose one gets used to it, lass. Ah, but I'm forgetting my manners. I haven't even properly introduced myself yet. My name's Czeczelin. It's a true pleasure to make your acquaintance."

She returned my smile and introduced herself, "I am Jaslom Werdana." Jaslom held out her hand to shake mine, but I kissed it instead. I noticed her cheeks reddening slightly, but she tried to cover it by looking down at the windling. As she did so, some of her blonde curls shifted and I noticed for the first time the nasty gash high on her forehead.

Jaslom introduced the windling. "This is my friend Dalin Gubb, and the dwarf over at that table is Axel Larjaxx. We are escorts for the Klimerestos caravan." The windling glanced at me and nodded politely as he puffed on a small pipe, but didn't show much enthusiasm. I couldn't blame the lad, though. A wet windling is not a happy windling.

Dalin buzzed his wings experimentally and then seemed to pout for a moment. In a bad temper he said, "I'm going upstairs to my room." Jaslom asked if he needed any help with the stairs, but the windling refused and began trudging wearily across the common room, dragging his bow and quivver beside him.

As Dalin headed towards the stairway, there was a sudden commotion on the stairs as two people were having a somewhat loud argument. One of the voices was obviously Artimos'. He had apparently returned from changing out of his wet clothes. The other voice I recognized as belonging to Haldemar, another guest at the inn. He was a dwarven nethermancer, and looked the part. His long black robes were embroidered with strange, magical symbols, and various fetishes made of bone dangled from his belt.

I couldn't make out all of what was said, but I did hear the end of the argument. Artimos said curtly, "I'm sorry, but I simply don't know what you're talking about. Now leave me alone!" The merchant stalked the rest of the way down the stairs and into the common room. Haldemar shouted after him, "I must have it. You'll be sorry if I don't get it!"

Artimos didn't seem very shaken by the last comment. Haldemar could be heard stomping back up the steps. Artimos ignored him, and sat down at a table across the room from me.

Thinking back to what Haldemar had said, I turned to Jaslom to ask her if she knew what they had been arguing about. "I'll be right back," she told me with a look of concern on her face as I was about to ask, and she stood up and headed over towards Artimos. Jaslom spoke to Artimos for a few moments.

Something Artimos said seemed to upset Jaslom. "How can we protect everything if you will not allow us to?" she asked, raising her voice slightly. Artimor replied curtly, and Jaslom turned a bit red-faced and stalked back to her chair next to me, sitting down heavily and letting her staff fall noisly to the floor. "Arrogant fool," she muttered.

Jaslom and I chatted for a while, sipping some of Abel Brandybone's excellent wine. I told Jaslom a few of my tales and she seemed completely enthralled. I didn't know how much of it was due to the wine, the stories, and my own charms, but the end result was rather favorable, I'd say. Dalin returned from his room wearing another set of baggy leathers, these ones dry. His wings seemed to have dried off as well, and he was flitting about the room with the enthusiasm only a windling could posess.

Dalin seemed to notice Helmon for the first time and was absolutely facinated by the old, blind elf. I hadn't known Helmon for very long. He didn't speak much, spending most of his time in quiet contemplation in a corner of the common room, listening to everything that went on in the inn. His companion was a young boy named Puck. Puck was a simpleton, no doubt about it, but he showed absolute loyalty and devotion to Helmon. Elves don't appear to age much for most of their lives, so for an elf to look as old as Helmon did, he had to be positively ancient! I suspected that he had been alive even before the Scourge. Dalin seemed to come to that same conclusion, and flew over to strike up a conversation.

I watched briefly as young Dalin listened aptly to whatever stories Helmon was telling him in his quiet, melodic voice, but then I returned my attention to Jaslom. She looked quite worn out, and I suggested that she get some rest. "You look like you've had quite a trying day, lass." She reluctantly agreed, stifiling a yawn, and I escorted her upstairs. I bid her goodnight and then decided I may as well head off to bed myself. I went into my room and tried to get some sleep.

* * * *

I was wakened in the middle of my rest by a terrifying scream. It seemed to cut right through to the bone, and sent shivers down my spine. I dashed out of my room half-dressed in time to see the other guests doing the same. Dalin was flying at Artimos' door, putting all of his strength into trying to break the door down. He wasn't having much success at all. I glanced at the other people gathered in the hallway. Jaslom wasn't there, I noticed, and neither were the Brandybones (Abel and his wife), or Haldemar, the dwarven nethermancer. Helmon, the blind elf, came out into the hallway, and as I made my entrance I saw Lady Morgause, another of the inn's guests, ushering a young girl (apparently the girl had been placed in the knights' charge) back into the room she shared with Morgause and Knight Marshall Vahng. Pektabel Gavillion Troso, a T'skrang swordsmaster who was staying here, was also in the hall.

By this time, Axel had pushed Dalin out of the way and gave the door a hefty kick. It took two well-placed strikes before the bolt gave way and the door flew open. Dalin, Axel and I dashed into the room, and were met with a horrible sight.

There was blood everywhere. It was as if Artimos had exploded, and his blood splattered all over the room. But it was apparent that he hadn't, since the man was lying in the middle of the room on his back, a look of utter terror on his dead face. It was obvious to me that even one of the miraculous last chance salves would have trouble restoring a man who had been drained of blood, so I didn't bother suggesting it. Dalin, looking a bit pale at the sight, darted over to Artimos' body and pulled at the collar of the merchant's shirt. "It's gone," he said, looking at Axel. I wondered what he was referring to.

Axel cursed loudly and ran across to the window. He flung it open and looked outside into the rain. It was dark, but I suppose that doesn't bother dwarves with their heat sight. Or maybe it does...I don't know. In any case, Axel looked for a few moments more and then slammed the window shut in frustration. "Did you see anything?" the dwarf asked Dalin.

"Yes," Dalin said, a hint of either nervousness or excitement in his voice...I couldn't tell which. I had to admit that I was a bit nervous myself, after seeing what had happened to Artimos. "I was keeping watch on Artimos' door from that clock down the hall there. The serving girl, I don't know her name, was looking into the keyhole. I think she was spying on him. A minute later he screamed. She must have seen what happened."

We looked around the room for a moment longer, hoping some sort of clue would pop out at us, and then went back into the hallway. The rest of the guests had turned up by now, including Jaslom, who was sopping wet. She pushed her way through the other people, leaning on her quarterstaff, and stopped in front of Axel, Dalin and I. I looked her up and down, wondering how she had managed to get all wet. Anyone else might have thought she looked guilty as sin. "I looked outside when I heard the scream," she explained sheepishly, wringing out one of her sleeves, "There was a black cloud, with red specks inside it. It came from Artimos' window and went up on the roof. I climbed up there but it was gone. But I did hear a hissing sound. It was just like those creatures we fought in the valley."

"What creatures?" I asked her, but she gave me a look that said "not now" and I let it drop for the moment.

The innkeeper took one glance at the room and looked as if he was about to be sick. He tried to reassure his guests, as if he felt it was his duty to, but he couldn't seem to find any comforting words. Eventually he gave up. It was about then that Lieutenant Gedron Melhaine and two of his guards came up the steps. Gedron began interviewing everyone who had seen anything, including Dalin and Jaslom. He went into Artimos' room and looked around briefly, and then returned to the hallway and looked suspiciously at Haldemar.

"What do you know about this?" Gedron demanded. Haldemar said that he had no idea what had happened to Artimos. "You're a magician," Gedron accused, "the only one here and this was obviously an attack by supernatural means. Not to mention that the entire inn heard you threaten Klimerestos earlier this evening. Sergeant, arrest this man on suspicion of murder." Haldemar protested vehemently, professing his innocence as the two guards who had accompanied Gedron took him away in chains.

Most of the guests began filtering either back to their rooms or down to the common room (not wanting to be alone even with the suspected villan in custody) Axel went up to the loft to look for Greta, the serving girl who had seen Artimos killed. While Axel was up talking with Greta, Jaslom changed into dry clothes and then joined me in the common room with some of the other guests: Pektabel, Lady Morgause, and Knight Marshall Vahng, and Helmon and Puck. I glanced over at the T'skrang, Pektabel, who was seated in one corner of the room, staring into a mug of ale, apparently unconcerned about the night's events.

Axel came down from talking with the serving girl just as I was saying to Jaslom, "Best be wary of that one." I nodded my head in Pektabel's direction. When Jaslom wondered why, I explained, "He has a tendency to be around when people turn up dead. Not always in a fair fight, either, if you catch my meaning."

"You mean he is an assasin?" Jaslom said incredulously.

I shrugged, "Depends on what stories you believe."

Axel said gruffly, "One way to find out." He stood up and walked over to the table where the T'skrang was sitting. Pektabel looked up good-naturedly, and greeted Axel with a toothy smile.

"What can I do for you this evening, my dwarven friend," Pektabel asked in a loud, brash voice.

Axel looked over his shoulder at Jaslom and I. Jaslom had a pained look on her face, as if she had some idea what was about to happen. I didn't know Axel well enough then to predict what he was going to do, however. The dwarf looked back at Pektabel and said, "I can't think of any other way to say this, so I'll just be blunt. Are you an assassin?"

Jaslom slapped her hand to her forehead, and shook it in disbelief. I was a bit stunned myself. Even if he wasn't an assassin, Pektabel was a reknowned swordmaster adept, and one didn't cross people like that casually. Pektabel jumped up from his chair, his hand on his sword. "I've killed men for less of an insult! How dare you insinuate..." Then he calmed down a bit, "But apparently you are more dull-witted than you look. So I will forgive your lack of manners. Once." Pektabel moved around Axel, keeping a wary hand on his sword hilt, and stormed up the stairs.

Axel returned to his seat with us and said in annoyance, "He didn't answer my question."

"Don't worry about it now. What did the serving girl tell you?" Jaslom asked, quickly changing the subject.

"She saw the black cloud like you did. But she said that it came into Artimos' room, and he was staring at it. And then the white specks on the cloud turned red, and the blood exploded around the room."

I was about to ask Jaslom about the creatures that she'd mentioned earlier, but before I could do that a few dwarven guards from the barracks came into the inn with orders to begin searching Haldemar's room for evidence. It was about then that I noticed Dalin had disappeared. I asked Jaslom where the windling went and she reassured me that he'd be right back.

The dwarves went upstairs and we waited for Dalin. Quite a few minutes passed, and then the dwarves returned. Jaslom looked slightly worried and mentioned that Dalin should have been back long before. But just then Dalin came buzzing into the room and landed on the table in front of us. "I found it!" the windling said excitedly in a hushed tone to Jaslom and Axel.

"What did you find?" Jaslom asked.

"Everything!" Dalin exclaimed. There was that word again, I thought with a trace of annoyance, I really wanted to find out what was going on around here. "It's in my pouch. I found it in Haldemar's room. Sorry it took so long, but the guards were coming and I had to hide." Jaslom asked if he was seen. "No. I hid on top of the cupboard and climbed behind it when they looked on top. I had to wait till they left before I came down though."

"I do not think that Haldemar is the one responsible for the death of Artimos," Jaslom replied, "Even if he did steal the necklace."

I interrupted in annoyance, "Why don't you tell me what is going on here? Perhaps I can help you, but not if I'm kept in the dark."

"All right, Tetellen," Axel said, butchering the pronounciation of my name. I must admit it's an odd name, but it's not that difficult to pronounce once you've heard it.

Dalin began to explain, "We were attacked on our way here." I nodded. That much I knew already. "Twice, actually. The first time was by orc scorchers. But the second time, there were these creatures. They looked human at first, but when they attacked, they had these sword blades that came out from under the skin in their arms. It was very disgusting, it cut their arms up but they didn't seem to care."

Jaslom continued, "We killed four of the five..."

"But Dalin let one get away," Axel said, glaring at the windling.

"I would have gotten him if I didn't have to come down and rescue you two. When I flew back up he was gone," Dalin retorted.

"Down?" I asked in confusion.

"The fifth one was in a cave higher up the cliff. We were attacked in a valley," Dalin explained.

"Anyway," Jaslom interrupted, "We asked Artimos what was so valuable in his cargo that we would be attacked by such creatures on a common trade route. He denied having anything especially valuable, but when I began to root through his wagon he admitted that they were after a necklace he had."

Dalin said, "He held up the necklace, holding the scarab at the end so we didn't get a very good look at it. But the chain was just like the one I have in my pouch, that I found in Haldemar's room after the murder."

"We asked what the necklace was, and he said that it was "everything". I wanted to know why he was guarding "everything" with a few first-circle adepts and some pissant dwarf guards," Axel said gruffly.

Dalin explained, "He said that it was a secret."

"Bah!" Axel exclaimed, "Everything isn't a secret. By definition, it's common knowledge. I told Artimos that, but he wouldn't listen."

"He promised to explain more about the necklace later, but never got the chance to," Jaslom told me, "So we do not know exactly what is so important about the necklace, but Haldemar apparently did or else he wouldn't have demanded that Artimos give it to him. I think we should ask him about it. He may not have done anything wrong, but perhaps he knows something important."

"He is a nethermancer after all," Dalin agreed, nodding.

I said, "Well, then, let's be off, and have a few words with the lad." So we all stood up from the table and walked to the sitting room. Axel opened the door and the wind blew rain into the room. Hurrying out, so as not to get Brandybone's furniture all wet, we pulled the door shut behind us and found ourselves standing under the roof of the walkway connecting the inn with the border guard pavillion. Dalin rode on Jaslom's shoulder, his wings protected from the rain by a cloak pulled tightly around him.

At the end of the walkway stood two guards, their poleaxes leaned casually against the wall next to them. They asked us what we wanted, and then promptly informed us that no one was allowed to see the prisoner. One of the guards owed me a favor, though, and agreed to let us in just for a minute. He grabbed his poleaxe and escorted us through the door into the border guard barracks. We followed him down a short hallway which led to a set of stairs leading down. The lower floor was where the prisoner cells were located. All but one of them were empty. The cell in the center contained a depressed-looking dwarven nethermancer. He looked up dismally as we entered the room.

"What do you want?" Haldemar snapped.

Jaslom got straight to the point. "We don't think you killed Artimos, but we need your help to prove it."

Haldemar's expression softened slightly. "How?" Jaslom and Axel described the creature that had been seen in Artimos' room during the murder and asked if Haldemar knew what it was. He looked grim as he replied, "It sounds very much like a Blood Wraith. They are evil creatures, and were all sealed away in magical bottles many years ago. If one of them is loose, then we are all in danger."

"Bottles?" Dalin said with interest. "You mean they really put them into bottles?" Haldemar nodded.

"What about these other creatures? One of them was up on the roof, and we were attacked by some in the pass." Axel gave Haldemar the same description of the attack that they'd given me before.

Haldemar looked even more grave, if such a thing was possible. "I have heard tales of such creatures. They are servants of the Horrors. Two in particular, Irashid and Vurashim."

Dalin flitted over to the edge of the cell. "Why are they after the necklace? How come it was so important? "

Before Haldemar could answer, a powerful voice demanded from behind us, "What is going on down here? Drogan, you were instructed to allow no one to visit the prisoner. Escort these people out immediately." I turned to see Casgar, the second-in-command of the border patrol, standing in the doorway. He was a large man, both tall and muscluar, with angular features and very little hair.

"All right, you heard the Sergeant," the guard who'd brought us down here said. He motioned towards the stairs.

Jaslom moved in front of Casgar, extending her hand. She was obviously stalling for time. "Hello, Sergeant. I do not believe we have been properly introduced. My name is Jaslom Werdana."

As she was babbling to the Sergeant, Dalin hovered close to the bars of Haldemar's cage. "What about the necklace?"

"I said everyone out!" Casgar shouted, "If you don't leave I shall have you thrown into these cells. Drogan, I told you to escort these people outside!"

Drogan put a hand on Axel's shoulder. Axel resisted a little as the guard tried to drag him away.

"What about the necklace!!" Dalin repeated, more urgently.

Haldemar said with a note of urgency in his voice, "Find Drusail's Key!"

"What's it look like?!"

"A crystal, with an eye imprinted in the center." Dalin nodded, and flew back across the room to where the rest of us were being ushered out of the room. We all headed up the stairs, and returned to the common room of the inn.

After a brief discussion, it was decided that it would be best for everyone to try to get some rest before dawn. From what I'd been able to gather, Jaslom, Axel and Dalin had been awake for the entire day with very little time to rest at all. Axel was a stout lad and wasn't showing any signs of fatigue, but Jaslom was about ready to keel over from exhaustion and the effects of her injuries. It was decided that Axel would take the first watch in the hallway.

Jaslom, Dalin and I each retired to our own rooms. I fell into the bed wearily, and was asleep in moments.

* * * *

When I awoke again, it was morning. A small amount of sunlight filtered through the slits in the windows, although I could still hear the rain outside and it didn't seem as though the storm had let up much, if at all.

I got dressed and headed downstairs to the common room for breakfast. Axel and Dalin were already awake, looking much better for the night's rest they'd received. I sat down at the table with them, and Della Brandybone brought me a tray filled with food. The room was almost deserted. Most everyone was still asleep, resting after the events of the previous evening. The only other people in the room (besides ourselves) were Della Brandybone and Helmon the blind elf. Jaslom came down a short time later and joined us at the table.

As I was gulping down Della's great mutton soup, Jaslom asked me, "What do you know about a place called Drusail's Stand?"

I set the spoon down on the tray and put on my best storyteller's expression. Then I reconsidered. None of them seemed really in the mood for a flamboyant story. So I just summed everything up. "There was a kaer, somewhere in this area. The kaer's leader was a hero named Drusail. A creature, called the Ur-Beast, was terrorizing the land. Drusail lured it inside the now-abandoned kaer, and the doors were locked and sealed behind him. There's a place a few hours east of here called Drusail's Stand in honor of his sacrifice."

Dalin asked, "So if someone got a hold of Drusail's Key, they could unseal the kaer, but would release the Ur-Beast."

I nodded gravely. "Just the sort of thing someone working for a Horror might want to try."

"We must find the Key before they do, then," Jaslom said resolutely. Jaslom asked Dalin if she could look at the necklace. It was a beautiful gold chain, with the threads woven together in an intricate pattern. A circular gold scarab dangled from the chain, with a diamond set in the middle of the circle. Dalin handed it over and Jaslom began turning it around, examining it from all angles. "This certainly does not look like what Haldemar described. I cannot find any hidden compartments. Perhaps this is not the same necklace that Artimos had."

Dalin pointed out, "The chain looks the same, though."

"Maybe they took the Key off of there and put that other thing in its place," said Axel.

"Maybe it's still up in Artimos' room and we just missed it when we looked before. We should probably check again," Dalin suggested. So we all went back upstairs to Artimos' room. We began ransacking the room thoroughly, looking under and behind every piece of furniture and inside every crevice in the room. But we found nothing and returned to the common room to discuss our next plan. Dalin spied Helmon sitting alone in a corner and went over to talk to him. Jaslom and Axel decided to go discuss the recent events with Lieutenant Melhaine, telling him that it was becoming somewhat obvious to us that Haldemar was not the one responsible for Artimos' death. I remained in the common room and went over to join Dalin and Helmon.

"Where's Puck?" Dalin was asking as I sat down nearby. Helmon replied that he hadn't heard from Puck since the previous evening, and was getting very worried about the boy. "He never goes off by himself." Helmon told Dalin.

About then, there was yet another commotion on the steps. This time the participants were Lady Morgause and Knight Marshall Vahng, the two members of the Order of Crimson. Vahng was shouting, "I demand to know what you've done with it! Tell me, Morgause!"

"Calm down, Vahng, I told you..." Morgause began, but before she could finish, Vahng spied Helmon in the corner and stormed across the room towards him. "What have you done with Puck, old man?" Vahng demanded, his face turning an angry red.

Helmon remained calm, although a hint of confusion passed over his face for a moment. "I don't know what you're talking about, Knight Marshall."

"Don't bother to deny it, Helmon. Now tell me what you've done with Puck! Where is he?" Vahng retorted.

Helmon replied, still calm, "Knight Marshall Vahng, I will tell you once more. I do not have any idea what you are babbling about. I don't know where Puck is. He's not here, and I haven't heard from him since last night."

Vahng sputtered with rage a moment longer, looking around at the rest of us as if he expected us to support him. When he got no response, he stormed back across the room and upstairs without another word. Morgause looked around almost apologetically and then followed him. "What was that all about?" Dalin asked. Helmon shrugged, and said that he honestly didn't know what they were talking about. "Who are those guys exactly?" Dalin wanted to know.

Helmon sighed and explained, "They are members of the Order of Crimson. They have devoted their lives to the hoarding of secret knowledge. Information about lost kaers, ancient legends, magical treasures. I've opposed the knights for years. The truth is the property of all, not a select few. I've done all I can to ensure that whatever knowledge they come across does not remain a secret as they wish it to."

Dalin was going to ask something else but cut himself short as Morgause came back down the steps. She looked around the room to make sure no one else was about, and then approached us. Lady Morgause sat down in a chair next to Helmon and said to him quietly, "A great injustice has been done to you, Helmon, and I must make it right." She took Helmon's hand and looked at us for a moment before continuing, "Puck, your companion, is not who you think he is. He is not a human, nor any other kind of name-giver."

Helmon's face could have been made of stone for all the emotion he was expressing. He didn't say a word. Dalin asked, "What do you mean he's not a name-giver? What is he then?"

Morgause looked over at him sadly, "He is a magical construct, created by Vahng to spy on Helmon, so that his attempts to oppose our order would be thwarted. That is why Vahng was so angry. He had a crystal, one which allowed him to see through Puck's eyes and control his actions. But the crystal has disappeared, and so has Puck. Now Vahng does not know what to do."

"We must find Puck," Helmon said softly. "He may be in danger."

I looked at the elf incredulously. "What about everything Morgause has said?" I asked. "Puck is just a puppet for Vahng."

Helmon looked in my direction, but his unseeing eyes stared past my shoulder. "Vahng could not have controlled him always. Some of what Puck is, what he has done, were his own thoughts. He has been a loyal friend and companion for me these many years, and I will not abandon him now, construct or not."

I shrugged, and said, "All right, but what about Vahng?"

"Vahng is my own concern. I will deal with him in my own time, and in my own manner. Do not concern youself with that. But I beg of you, help me to find Puck," the elf asked.

Dalin patted his shoulder, and said, "Don't worry, we'll find him for you." The windling looked at me, and I added my vocal support.

It was about then that Jaslom and Axel returned from their meeting with Lieutenant Melhaine, looking rather downcast. "He would not listen to us," Jaslom said.

Dalin and I summarized what Helmon had told us, and we all decided to go searching for Puck. "We should probably check the stables and search the inn thoroughly," I suggested.

Everyone agreed to that, but as we were getting up to leave, Jaslom suddenly stopped and slapped her hand against her forehead in frustration. "I am such an idiot," she muttered under her breath, and then she turned to Helmon and asked, "Do you have anything that belonged to Puck. Something he cherished?"

"I suppose that I do. Why?" Helmon asked.

"I can use that to locate him, if he is close enough," Jaslom explained. Jaslom took Helmon's arm and led him upstairs to the elf's room. She returned with a few wooden blocks that fit together like a puzzle. "Helmon says that this toy was Puck's favorite posession. I hope that it works," she said to us, "We can try outside in the courtyard."

We walked outside, Dalin riding in Jaslom's quivver, the leather flap down to give him shelter from the rain. It was still pouring down, but the winds had died down slightly and the daylight made it at least possible to see through the rain. Jaslom handed me her quarterstaff to hold while she unslung her bow and strung it. "First things first. Dalin, would you hand me the necklace?"

The windling reached into his leather sack and pulled out the necklace. He handed it up to Jaslom and asked, "What for?"

Jaslom smiled and said, "I can use the chain to search for the item that really belongs at the end of it. Then we shall see if the Key was switched for this scarab, or if we have the wrong necklace. Also, it will tell me if has a strong magical nature." Holding the necklace in one hand, Jaslom concentrated on it for a moment and then wrapped the chain around her hand. Dalin handed her an arrow from the quivver and she aimed her bow at the sky. She fired the arrow, and it launched high into the air, red sparkles tracing out its path. The arrow hit the ground in front of Jaslom and began spinning. It went around a few times and then stopped spinning and burst into flames. The red flaming arrow pointed right back at Jaslom's hand.

Jaslom announced to the rest of us that the scarab didn't seem to be at all magical, and was really the item that belonged with that chain. "So I guess this isn't Drusail's Key, just an ordinary gold necklace with a diamond in the middle," Dalin said, then thought about that a moment, and added excitedly, "This is great. We're rich!"

"Dalin, didn't you get this from Haldemar's room?" Jaslom asked.

Dalin looked downcast, but then brightened, "Well, it's not like he'll have any use for it in jail," the windling said with a glint in his eye, "No sense letting it go to waste." Jaslom just shook her head in amusement and put the necklace in her pocket. She knocked another arrow. This time she held Puck's toy in her hand and concentrated on it. The arrow went up and hit the ground again, but this time the arrow began spinning and a moment later a flaming arrow pointed to the east, slightly elevated. There were wooded hills in that direction. "Puck is over there, within a mile of here."

"How do you know it's closer than a mile?" Axel asked skeptically.

"If he were not, then it would not have worked," Jaslom told him. She looked somewhat sheepishly at me and added, "I am not very good at this yet." I gave her a reassuring smile and then handed back her quarterstaff.

We began marching off in the direction the arrow indicated, and did our best to walk in as straight a line as possible, so that we would find Puck without Jaslom having to use her talent again. After some time trudging through the mud and being soaked by the rain (except Dalin, who was protected inside Jaslom's quivver) Axel held up his hand for us to stop. We all froze, and I could barely make out the sound of chanting, coming from ahead and to the left.

Everyone looked at each other, and then we set off in that direction. We came to a large clearing, surrounded on three sides by forest and on the fourth by a short cliff. In the center of the clearing knelt a girl in a pink dress. She was the source of the chanting, and had an oblong pink crystal in her hands, which she was staring at intently. I recognized the girl vaguely. She had arrived with Vahng and Morgause, and was apparently in Morgause's care. I hadn't been introduced to her, since she spent nearly all of her time in Morgause's room, but I did know that her name was Alwera.

Thinking that it might be Drusail's Key she was staring at, Dalin left Jaslom's quivver and zipped across our half of the clearing, grabbing the crystal out of Alwera's hands. He sped back into the safety of the quivver, his wings damp but not yet soaked. Jaslom knocked an arrow in her bow and waited to see how things developed while Axel and I scanned the forest around us for any signs of danger.

Alwera's eyes blazed with anger as she stared after Dalin. She reached down to the pouch at her belt and took out a small bottle. Axel saw it and charged across at her. Alwera was reaching for the cap when an arrow zipped across and struck her hand. Jaslom wasn't going to take the chance that the bottle contained one of the Blood Wraiths that Haldemar had described to us. Alwera dropped the bottle as she cried out in pain, and I held my breath in case it shattered (still, taking the chance that it would break was better than knowing Alwera was going to open it up for sure.) But the bottle remained intact. Axel scooped it up and kept an eye on Alwera, his axe ready in case she tried anything. Jaslom knocked another arrow, just to be prepared.

Alwera said nothing, merely glared at the lot of us. Dalin examined the crystal he'd stolen from her. It wasn't Drusail's Key, that much was obvious since it didn't at all match Haldemar's description. My first thought was that it might be the crystal Morgause had described: the one that Vahng used to control Puck.

As Dalin looked at the crystal, he saw inside it the view of a forest, from the point of view of someone walking. A moment later, the view showed a clearing, with all of us standing in the center of it. Dalin pointed excitedly from Jaslom's quivver and shouted, "There he is!" We all turned and saw Puck, standing at the edge of the clearing. He wore a necklace around his neck, a small crystal suspended on a beautiful (and somewhat familiar-looking) gold chain.

Puck just stood there at the edge of the clearing, without any clothes on, staring ahead blankly. We all just stared back for a moment, as it became painfully obvious that Morgause had been telling the truth about Puck. He definitely wasn't human. The raindrops coursed down his smooth skin...and I mean completely smooth skin. No hair, no nipples, no...well, you get the idea, gents. Dalin looked at the crystal, and concentrated on making Puck come towards us. It seemed to work. The boy--or whatever he was, since he really wasn't a boy at all-- walked through the muddy clearing, only to stop right in front of Dalin and Jaslom.

Jaslom reached out slowly and took the crystal in her hand. Her knuckles brushed against Puck's chest and she recoiled at the feel of his ice-cold skin. She lifted the necklace up over Puck's head and then looked at it more closely. The crystal was oddly designed, with many facets on each of its sides. It was nearly transparent, and in the center of it was the imprint of an eye. We'd finally found Drusail's Key. Jaslom slipped the necklace around her own neck.

"Pretty bauble, dear lady," came a voice from up above us. We all turned simultaneously and sqinted against the rain that was pouring down. On the cliff nearby, standing on the upmost ledge, stood Pektabel Gevillion Troso, the T'skrang swordsmaster (and perhaps an assassin, depending on which rumors you listened to), levelling a crossbow in our general direction. In immediate reaction, Jaslom and Dalin both raised their bows and took aim at the T'skrang. Axel, still holding the Blood Wraith bottle in his hand, charged towards the cliff, intending to climb up it to get to Pektabel.

"I'd stop right there if I were you, Axel," Pektabel challenged. The dwarf ignored him, and continued running towards the cliff. He was completely confident that his warrior's talents would protect him from any serious harm. "I suppose it would only be fair to warn you that this is a poisoned bolt." Pektabel said calmly. He was staring not at Axel, but still at Jaslom and Dalin.

"And you think mine isn't?" Dalin called back at him, staring down the length of his own arrow, "With arrows this small, you need all the help you can get."

Pektabel seemed completely unconcerned. Jaslom shouted up, "It would be easier on everyone if we could come to an agreement."

"Well said, dear lady. I merely wish you to release the girl," Pektabel said.

We all looked around somewhat confused. Even Axel stopped running at the cliff. He still held his axe at the ready, though. "What do you want with her?" I asked Pektabel.

"She is my employer. Quite simple, really. She pays me to protect her, so here I am. If you will just let her go, we'll be on our way and you can get back to..." Pektabel broke off in mid-sentence. The crossbow fell from his limp hands and he crumpled to the ground. It was then that we saw a figure in black standing behind the T'skrang. His head was nearly bald, and blades protruded from each of his forearms. One of the blades was being drawn out from Pektabel's back.

Three more of the creatures emerged from the forest, surrounding us. I got my first up-close look at the infamous creatures. At first glance, they appeared to be normal humans. However, I quickly noted the long, serrated blades that looked as though they were extentions of their own bodies, and had ripped free of their usual resting place. Their leader stepped forward slightly. We all recognized immediately the face of Sergeant Major Casgar, of the border patrol. Casgar stared coldly at Axel, Dalin and Jaslom, and said sharply, "So good to see you again."

Then chaos broke loose in a melee that would've made Thystonius himself proud. Everyone started fighting at once. It began with Pektabel, who picked himself up off the ground and sliced deeply into the torso of the creature on the cliff. He followed it up with a sweeping strike with his tail, catching the creature off-balance and knocking it off the edge of the cliff. The Horror-construct tumbled once or twice in mid-air and then struck the rocks below. It didn't get up again.

Jaslom and Dalin both loosed their arrows at once, aiming for Casgar's eyes. Both of them were slightly off-target, no doubt because of the rain that had been soaking their arrows and their bowstrings, and they both ended up slicing his forehead just above each eye. The tough skin of the construct prevented the arrows from doing significant damage, but they did manage to draw blood. The blood was thinned by the rain, and ran down his face, partially obscuring his vision. Casgar smiled sinisterly at them both as he ignored the wounds. He raised his arms, and the morning sunlight glinted off the two serrated blades extending from his arms. He charged forward.

I fought back-to-back with Jaslom, struggling to parry all the blows from the creature attacking me. He was obviously used to fighting with paired blades, whereas I was unaccustomed to fighting against them. Axel seemed to be faring much better than I. His style of fighting depended more on sheer power than on intricate bladework, so he was less affected by the fact that his opponent was using two blades instead of one. The dwarf lept into the air, spun around and brought the head of his axe crashing down into the shoulder of one of the creatures. The thing staggered under the impact, but remained on his feet.

Pektabel tucked his sword in his belt and lept off the cliff edge, landing hard in the mud to the left of Casgar. The swordmaster regianed his footing and drew his sword again. By this time, Casgar had closed with Jaslom and Dalin. The windling had left the dry shelter of Jaslom's quivver and had taken to the air. He didn't have much time before his wings became too soaked to sustain flight, but Dalin intended to make as much out of that time as he could. He buzzed around Casgar's head, swatting at him with his sword. The windling's blade didn't seem to be having too much effect on Casgar's toughened skin, but he kept trying.

Jaslom, meanwhile, was backpedaling away from Casgar, using her walking staff to defend herself. Her bow was slung over one shoulder, useless considering how close Casgar was standing. She managed to thwap him one in the face with the butt of the staff, but he didn't seem to register the pain. The Horror constructwas focused on one thing, and one thing only: Drusail's Key.

Axel finished off the creature he was fighting with a viscious blow to the chest and turned to help me. It was a good thing, too, because at that exact moment my opponent slipped past my guard and ran his blade deep into my side. My knees buckled and I fell flat on my back in the mud. I saw the creature raising its arms to finish the job on me. I heard Jaslom's gasp of shock and anger as, out of the corner of her eye, she saw me go down. She spun around, ignoring Casgar as she rammed her staff into the chest of the one who'd stabbed me. It was a good, solid hit, and managed to knock the creature off balance. He stumbled backwards, nearly falling, and an instant later Axel caught him in the back of the legs with a scything axe strike. That time, the creature did go down. Another hit from Axel ensured that he stayed there.

Jaslom had left herself wide open to an attack from Casgar, but fortunately he had other things on his mind as he was set upon by Pektabel. The swordsmaster, though wounded, was still able to hold his own against Casgar. I tried to get back up and help, but my body just didn't seem to want to cooperate. So I just lay there, the rain soaking me to the bone, and watched as Jaslom took a step back from the now-distracted Casgar and knocked an arrow. Dalin's wings were beginning to give him trouble. He was losing altitude quickly, and set down on the ground next to Casgar, still swinging his sword at Casgar's legs. Tenacious little fellows, those windlings, and Dalin was no exception.

Casgar knocked Pektabel backwards with a strike from the blunt end of his sword, sending the T'skrang sprawling in the mud. He booted Dalin aside with a sweeping of his foot and turned to face Jaslom, just as she let loose her arrow. This one flew true, striking him square in the eye, and there was a shocked expression on Casgar's face as he just froze there, motionless, for a brief instant.

Dalin shouted at him, "Good to see you again, too," as Casgar toppled backwards and landed with a splash of muddy water.

* * * *

The rest of the day is somewhat of a blur to me, mostly due to the wound in my side. The others came to an arrangement with Pektabel that, since he'd helped us all out, they'd let him and Alwera leave. They didn't return to the inn, and we're still not sure exactly what happened to them after the fight at the base of the cliff. Puck was reunited with a grateful Helmon, who ordered the crystal (the one that controlled Puck) destroyed. Axel delighted in splintering it with his axe. Vahng and Morgause left the inn, and I don't doubt that somehow Helmon kept his promise to even the score with Knight Marshall Vahng.

We had a little chat with Helmon, who finally revealed to us that he was a rather high-ranking Questor of Mynbruje. He arranged for us to have an audience with the King of Throal himself. So after recuperating from our injuries, we headed off towards Throal: Dalin, Axel, Jaslom and myself. We were escorted by Lieutenant Melhaine and some of his guards, and brought the wagons of the late Artimos Klimerestos' caravan.

A week after the battle with the creatures, we had our audience with King Varulus. We turned over the still-sealed Blood Wraith bottle, and Drusail's Key, entrusing the two items to the care of the King. He thanked us for our efforts to keep the Key from falling into the hands of the Horror-constructs, and sent us on our way with a pat on the back and a small reward. Very small, if I do say so myself. But I guess you don't get to be the king of Throal by being extravagant.

We stayed in Bartertown for a short while, resting and relaxing, but I guess restlessness got the better of us, and we headed off in search of adventure. And that's what brought us here tonight. So if any of you hear of any strange creatures, magical items, dangerous tasks to be done, pass the word along. Jaslom, Axel, Dalin and I are always looking for another chance to save "everything".