The Fall From Grace

[DeletedUser31931]

As they came back Dist was chanting a stream of words. He didn't stop as he handed Oren the book he had taken earlier. Oren read over it quickly, seeing the bit Dist wanted to see. He must be trying to decipher the runes. Oren thought to himself before handing the book to the warden and motioning that they should leave.

 

[DeletedUser13682]

Rothaw decided not to answer this time. As Daniel was about to ask again, the Resurrector smashed Rothaw’s face with a very strong right hook. This did not prompt the desired verbal response. Instead, Rothaw began singing in a strange style, almost prayer like. Daniel immediately got out his pencil and pad, and began transcribing the primitive sounding, consonant filled language. It was a hard enough task, transcribing strange sounds, but it was made even harder by the Resurrector’s continued punching of Rothaw, along with threats to send him back into the darkness. “Resurrector, please, stop striking High Treasurer Rothaw, and keep quiet. This could be important, so I’m trying to transcribe it. You are making that task much harder.” With that said, Daniel went back to transcribing, leaving a line to indicate the parts that he missed.

 

[DeletedUser]

Daniel

“Resurrector, please, stop striking High Treasurer Rothaw, and keep quiet. This could be important, so I’m trying to transcribe it. You are making that task much harder.”
The Resurrector turned at Daniel’s interruption and stared hard, allowing Daniel to note that there were no eyeholes in the mask of human skin that masked his face.
“It matters not.’ He rasped. “He can’t feel pain anyway.” The Resurrector stepped back from the table, watching Rothaw.
As the former High Treasurer continued to sing, Daniel was able to pick out a few words, he could not understand them, but they were repeated multiple times, so they must bear some significance.
Brystkel, Ryk, were the most repeated words, but Dak, Rhah, Strosrd, Smek, were repeated as well.
The Scourge did not speak, nor did she take notes, merely standing still, silent and ominous.
Suddenly The Resurrector spoke. “His time is almost up. I will require another payment if he is to half-live for much longer.”
The Scourge turned to face Daniel. “Blackburn, do you wish to take more notes? If not, we shall move on.”

Oren

"Was there any type of mooring or anywhere they could have moored boats where the footprints vanish? They might have taken small wooden boats downstream."
The Warden shook his head. "No. But the stream was only four feet deep, they might well have walked along the riverbed."
"I'm going to go check on my associate Dist, you can come with me if you want, although I must warn you. He is a little..... strange."
The Warden nodded and followed Oren into the chamber to watch Dist, before heading back out.
"What is he doing?" The Warden whispered once they were out of the pungent chamber.

Dist

The symbols gave off nothing, they were blank, merely paint on the wall. Nothing special, Hardly the sacred force that the book implied – Suddenly Dist was cut off mid-thought by a sudden intense blast of pain, sending him and his chair crashing to the floor.
The pain was indescribable, a sudden surge of unspeakable torment seeming to emanate from the symbols.
Then an image appeared in the mage’s mind, for only a fraction of a second, but enough to be burned into the backs of his eyelids forever.
A screaming face, darkness flowing from all its orifices.

 

[DeletedUser31931]

"He's trying to decipher the symbols." Oren said to the Warden "They belong to some sacred religious order and according to his book, they've never been translated." Suddenly there was a crash from inside the chamber and Oren rushed in to find Dist's chair having fallen to the floor. "Are you ok Dist?" Oren asked "What happened?"

 

[DeletedUser]

Sir Krane nodded to the boy and smiled. 'Head to the Watchman's Barracks and ask for Percival. He will see you fed and properly equipped while I deal with business.'

After that he rushed out to look for the High Inquisitor. He really wanted to know what was in the box but his sense of duty kept him from looking till he was given permission.

 

[DeletedUser13682]

Daniel had begun to understand what was being said, not the meaning, just the sounds. The most repeated words seemed to sound like Brystkel, Ryk, Dak, Rhah, Strosrd, Smek. What they meant was anybody’s guess, but Daniel thought Dist might know, or at least have a book that explained, or at least made mention of the words, or some of them. The Resurrector announced that Rothaw was almost out of time, and that more money would be required to keep him alive, or half alive as the Resurrector said. The Scourge asked Daniel if he wanted more from Rothaw. “No, I don’t think that will be necessary. He seems to be repeating himself. Let him return to the darkness. I think I can get more information from Lord Uurden.”

 

[Deleted User - 819397]

Dist had been getting no results when suddenly a lance of pain shot through him. "AAAAAHHHHHHH" he yelled as he was thrown from his chair, pain arcing through him. "JAAAADDDE YOU'RE K-KIIILLLIINNGG MEEE!" he shrieked, not realizing what he was saying. Then a horrific image hit his brain...a tortured face with darkness pouring from every opening. "NNOOOOOOO!" he pleaded, his voice, already high-pitched, raised even more than normal.

As soon as it all had come, it all vanished. Dist slowly opened his eyes to see Oren standing over him, asking what happened. Struggling to a sitting position, he explained, "The symbols reacted to something I said...that or the presence of a mage attempting to work with them. The pain...oohhhh the pain...and that face...was it...a man...or the dark deity?" He looked at his chair, a couple inches away. "And why did it react with my chair? Unless it sought out magic itself...I need to conduct research. Find out more about this...surely one of my books has something!" He told his chair to move, then threw himself to the floor as it flew at him. "GAAAH!" he yelled in frustration. "Damn it! D-don't look at me!" he demanded of Oren. When he was sure the other Inquisitor wasn't looking, he started crawling towards his chair, muttering the whole way. "I can't believe...that I'm forced to...crawl...if it weren't for...that day...I...no...don't think of that...that's why...you...can't......" He finally reached the chair, hoisted himself up, and slowly returned himself to his typical position. "Ahh...there we go. Where'd my book go?" he asked, then flew towards it, perhaps a little faster than necessary, and snatched it up. "Ok, so, is there anything else you need of the great Dist before I return to research this all more?"

 

[DeletedUser31931]

When Dist told Oren to look away Oren did out of respect. He waited until he heard "Ok, so, is there anything else you need of the great Dist before I return to research this all more?" before he looked round and said "Yeah, give me a brief summary of what to tell Raerrith, he'll get angry if I don't tell him something." He stood there and waited for an answer from Dist.

 

[DeletedUser]

Sir Krane

It didn’t take long for Sir Krane to find Raerrith.
The High Inquisitor was sitting in the Inquisitorial chamber alongside Crux and Leo.
Raerrith turned abruptly at Sir Krane’s entrance. “Krane, did it work?” He said coldly, holding out his hand for the box. “We need that box opened, whatever is in there could be the reason Uurden was killed, and why Rothaw’s entire household was massacred.”

Daniel

The Resurrector nodded and abruptly pulled his dagger from Rothaw’s heart, immediately Rothaw’s singing stopped, replaced only by cold deathly silence.
The Resurrector moved onto the next table, upon which Lord Uurden was laid.
The Scourge followed, and watched as the Resurrector repeated the strange ritual needed to bring their souls to the surface.
Uurden woke with a gasp, though his chest did not rise nor fall.
“He got me…`’ He said, sounding shocked. “He killed me… before I could fight… the heretic defeated me…”
His head twisted to view his surroundings. His eyes fixed on Rothaw. “They got him too… we failed… WE FAILED!” He screamed…. “That’s why there was darkness…we failed the lord…” Uurden muttered to himself, evidently not caring if anyone else heard him.

 

[DeletedUser]

Krane suppressed a smile and remained totally proffesional as he approached the High Inquisitor with the box in hand.

'The boy has skill,' was all he said as he laid it on the table.

 

[DeletedUser13682]

Almost as soon as Daniel had given his blessing to release Rothaw from life, the Resurrector ripped the knife from Rothaw’s chest, forever silencing the High Treasurer. The Resurrector moved on to the table Lord Uurden was on, and performed the twisted ritual again. When Uurden awoke, he sounded shocked that he had been killed by a heretic (proving Rothaw’s statement that they were allied), and that they had failed. “Lord Uurden, I’m Inquisitor Daniel Blackburn. I’m also a Royal Guardsman. You swore my unit in when we graduated. I looked highly upon you, Lord Uurden. But now that I find you’re involved in a plot to overthrow the kingdom, the one that gave you everything, I don’t know how to react.

“You’ve been brought back from the darkness to answer my questions. If you prove uncooperative, you’ll be sent back immediately, and there’s no returning a second time. Tell me everything you know about the dark lord, your plans, what’s coming up next, and all who are involved. And don’t start praying. I have enough of that already.”

 

[DeletedUser]

Sir Krane

Raerrith nodded in affirmation to Sir Krane's statement as he took hold of the box. Nervously the High Inquisitor lifted the lid to reveal a pendant.
Carefully he lifted the pendant out of the wooden box, holding it up to the candlelight.
The pendant was quite small, and had no decoration aside from an obsidian disk, upon which was a black circle with white runes inscribed within.
"Is that it?" Leo asked, puzzled. "A trinket?"

Daniel

Uurden attentively listened to Daniel. Smiling as the Inquisitor demanded to be told everything. He chuckled to himself, before speaking. "You really have no idea of what is happening in front of your naive, narrow-minded chivalric eyes do you? You haven't got the slightest conception of what is going on?"
Uurden laughed.
"Remember the darkness?" Rasped the Resurrector. "Remember it's coldness? No light or heat? Just the darkness. And you're all alone, nobody there. Nobody ever comes for you. Just the darkness and your own regret as you languish in a prison of helpless despair. And you can't do anything about it. You're there forever. Remember that? So if you want to live a little longer, then answer his questions."
The smile on Uurden's face abruptly vanished as the Resurrector reminded him of what lay beyond. The former Guardsman looked up into the face of his tormentor.
"You've died too haven't you? You've seen it. But something has changed since you were there. Now you're not alone. They move in the darkness. Just out of reach, they speak, but cannot be heard. But they grow louder. They're coming. The Strosrd approaches." He shifted his gaze to Daniel. "That's why I turned. I saw what was coming. And we have to stop it. Only we can do it." He inclined his head towards the corpse of Vorashti lying on the next table. "They knew what was coming as well. But they didn't see what had to be done. That's why they tried to stop us, and why we had to stop them. Only through the Rhah'Smek can they be stopped. You have to understand."

 

[Deleted User - 819397]

Dist nodded. "Well...tell him that this setup is from a cult long thought dead, centered around pain. When I attempted to decipher the glyphs they activated and caused intense pain, and finally..." Dist closed his eyes for a second, then raised his head slightly so his glasses turned entirely reflective. "I received an image of a screaming face, darkness pouring from each of its openings. I am planning on returning to the castle and further researching both the symbols and the face...I think it may be the deity the cult is centered around." Dist stopped, then giggled slightly. "I'm going to have fun with this..books are so interesting, you know? Hehehehehe...Ok, I'm off!" With that, he quickly departed the area, heading back towards the castle.

 

[DeletedUser31931]

As Dist left cackling, Oren shook his head. "Warden, I must go. Keep a perimeter set up, I will likely be returning but it is time that I visited the High Inquisitor and gave him a full report on the situation." With that he strode out and mounted his horse, giving the horse a sharp kick he sped up and thundered out of the mansion, heading full speed for the castle.

 

[DeletedUser13682]

The way Lord Uurden insulted Daniel like that, it wasn’t the same man. There was something different about him. Besides the fact that he was dead, that is. Maybe it was the whatever there was, probably hell, that made him different. Still, despite the reason, Daniel didn’t like it. The Resurrector’s threat to send Uurden back to the lonely darkness got a better response out of him. He explained that there was someone else in the darkness now, where there used to be nothing. They were getting stronger, and were coming, to the land of the living, maybe. Uurden called them the Strosrd, or maybe there was one. He did use a singular verb form. Uurden then turned to Daniel, telling him that he turned to stop the Strosrd from coming. Another group also knew this but didn’t want to go with Uurden’s group’s plan, called the Rhah’Smek.

“Alright, Lord Uurden, I’ll try to understand. Why must the Strosrd be stopped from coming over here? Who is in your group and the other group? What is the Rhah’Smek, and how can it be carried out?” He looked Uurden in the eyes, with an expression of wanting to understand. “If I can, I’ll carry out your work for you. I’ll stop the Strosrd, with your help.” Whether Daniel would actually follow in Uurden’s footsteps depended on what the late Lord said next.

 

[DeletedUser]

Oren & Dist

Oren rode for some time northwards along the dirt tracks heading for the capital of the kingdom, evidently eager to report his findings to the High Inquisitor, Dist fly beside him in his chair, moving as fast as he could magically propel himself.
However it was as he was passing through a small forest that a man suddenly stepped out onto the track in front of Oren's horse.
The man was about five foot six, and wore a grey cloak, underneath which lay a brown tunic and leggings.
His face was quite unremarkable, with buzzed dark brown hair and a stubble-flicked chin, yet there was a faint air of mystery surrounding him, though no evident appearance of malice.
He gently raised a hand and Oren’s horse drew to a halt.
The man did not move, instead lowering his hand and speaking; “You are Inquisitor Oren Smil, you don’t need to know my name, so don’t bother asking. You have something that belongs to my boss, and he would like it back.” The man’s voice was soft, the vowels of /ʊ/ and /u/ were merged, /e/ was a monophthong in open syllables, and there was a rising diphtong in closed syllables.
He gestured for Oren to step off the horse and move into the trees on the left hand side of the road. “Step that way." He looked at Dist. "You too."

Sir Krane

Raerrith sighed. “Great, a pendant, at least we have something possibly solid to go on.” The High Inquisitor placed the medallion back in the box and stood up from his high-backed chair.
“I want you three to find out what the pendant is and what, if any connection it bears to the book. I’ll try and get a lead on Briccone. He’s got half the kingdom’s wealth on him, and he’s not getting away alive. I’ll see if I can find Shyther while I’m at it as well.”
With that Raerrith walked out of the chamber, sighing as he went.
Leo stood up and moved over to Sir Krane. He gestured at the pendant and book. “So then, where do we start?”

Daniel

Lord Uurden listened to Daniel's speech, smirking as he mentioned the Strosrd and the Rhah'Smek.
As Daniel finished, Uurden sighed, before replying; "No, you still don't get it, the lords are for us, they are coming to stop the Strosrd. If the Strosrd comes then it all ends. The Strosrd is the end. we wants to bring the lords here and stop the Strosrd, they want to stop the Strosrd too, but they're doing it wrong. They'll get us all killed. The Rhah'Smek is the answer, if it is achieved the lords will come and save us. That is why you have to stand aside and let us do our work! I am appreciative of your offer to help, but that is not for me to decide, if you want to join us. You must find the Archpriest."
Suddenly the Resurrector cut in. "His time is almost up. Pay me again or he goes back, and never comes out."
The Scourge looked at Daniel, she moved over to him, and indicated that he step away from the Resurrector. "Before you answer, you must be aware of something, the Resurrector's price is not money. It is lives. For every soul he resurrects he demands ten young, fresh souls of noble birth." The Scourge said flatly. Making the choice clear to Daniel. Ten lives for the possibility of obtaining information.

 

[DeletedUser31931]

Oren stepped off his horse and it snickered. He didn't like this, this case seemed to be taking a rather strange air about it. He had always stayed clear of magic, but this was, this was beyond magic, beyond the realms of all earthly things, and he didn't like it one bit. "What do I have that your boss wants? Who is your boss?"

 

[DeletedUser13682]

The lords, all of them? Was the entire nobility involved in this attempt, or these attempts, to stop the Strosrd? If so, then Daniel could question anybody and find answers. But maybe they didn’t know what was going on. Still, if every lord were being sent for, then there could be another mass killing. But if they didn’t arrive, then the end of everything could happen. But the way Uurden said it made Daniel think that maybe he wasn’t talking about the court. Maybe some other type of lord? That wasn’t important right now. Uurden said that if Daniel wanted to help, he would have to find the archpriest. Daniel was about to ask how to find him when the Resurrector stepped in and said he would need more payment. As Daniel was about to give permission, the Scourge took him aside and explained the price.

Ten souls of noble birth? One soul was more than enough shock to Daniel. But he had allowed 20 souls of those he was supposed to protect get sold to the Resurrector as if they were coin. It had granted Daniel valuable information, but he couldn’t allow anything like that from happening again. “No, I can’t allow ten more souls to be given to him. I’ll find out more a different way. Keep the Resurrector here, maybe he can scare the two thieves Sir Krane and I arrested. Speaking of them, send word to the Inquisitorial Chambers when they arrive. I don’t want anything done to them until an Inquisitor comes down. Right now, I must make a report to High Inquisitor Raerrith. Until later, Scourge.” Daniel walked out of the torture room, and headed toward the Inquisitorial Chambers, hoping to find Raerrith there. If nothing else came of this, he had to get two things done. One: find the Archpriest, whoever that was, and get into this group. Two: arrest the Resurrector (and maybe the Scourge) for taking the lives of 20 nobles. There was enough noble blood spilled last night, and Daniel would do all he could to make sure no more lives were lost.

 

[DeletedUser]

Leo stood up and moved over to Sir Krane. He gestured at the pendant and book. “So then, where do we start?”

Sir Krane thought a moment. He was no expert with books or Runic inscriptions. What they needed was someone who was. 'My thoughts would either be the Royal Librarian or Dist. I would imagine Dist will have his own investigations underway so lets head to the Library and see what we can uncover.'

 

[DeletedUser]

Oren & Dist

"What do I have that your boss wants? Who is your boss?"
“My boss will answer both of your questions, and more, so step this way. And I’m sorry if you got the impression that I was asking.”
Suddenly there was a rustle in the bushes on both sides of the road, on each side two people rose from the bushes, they were clad in hooded grey cloaks, and held bows, which were promptly drawn and aimed at the two Inquisitors.
“Now.” Said the man, “Step that way fellas.”

Sir Krane

"My thoughts would either be the Royal Librarian or Dist. I would imagine Dist will have his own investigations underway so lets head to the Library and see what we can uncover."
Leo nodded, as did Crux, who stood up moved over to where the other two were standing.
Crux and Leo respectively took the box with eh pendant and the book, and alongside Sir Krane moved down through the corridors.
The Royal Library sat on the floor beneath the Inquisitorial chamber.
The Library, biggest of it’s kind north of Fraldr had been built up during the 2nd and 3rd centuries, before the once mighty kingdoms fell. Through the tireless efforts of many generations of librarians the library had survived all the way through the fall, Yhrre’s hordes and even the scorching of the land by the Uirran fire magi.
A short while later they had arrived at the library, it was a gargantuan room, at least fifty feet tall and a hundred wide.
It was stacked full with great shelves, over twenty feet tall, packed with the gathered books, manuscripts and tapestries of nine centuries.
Librarians clad in plain brown robes moved back and forth carrying stacks of scrolls.
“Here we are.” Said Leo.
The head librarian, an old and wizened monk walked over to them. “Greetings Inquisitors, may I ask what you are searching for?”

Daniel

The Scourge stood still as Daniel commanded her to keep the Resurrector busy.
Moving out of the Scourge’s dungeon and back up into the castle, it didn’t take Daniel long to find Raerrith.
The High Inquisitor was near the Inquisitorial Chambers, instructing a group of guardsmen, as he finished, he turned, saw Daniel and moved towards the Inquisitor.
“Blackburn!” Raerrith called out. Evidently he was cross about something. “Briccone has taken flight, I’ve dispatched guardsmen to track him down and bring him to trial, and Shyther is still missing. How did the interrogations go?”