Part II of the Danger Zorn Campaign!
A beacon of light shone ahead as Kaldara looked into the dense fog from the bow of their ship. This light, however, was different. It was spiritual in nature. Kaldara felt the words of a young dwarven lass speaking a prayer from a distance further than his ears would have been able to hear. It was as if Malvanis himself was directing him to these two survivors. The Boil, the red moon of the sky, was full, causing the dense fog and hot rains. Conak, the white moon, was only a crescent, yet growing with time. It was also known as the Eye of the Gods, as many believed that it watched over those on Zorn when it was present. It was also known to create magical holes in the oceans, into which water fell from all sides into a bottomless pit. No man or woman ever returned from one.
Gertrude, the dwarven priest, and Elf, the elven bard, were not alone. Other sailors littered the surrounding waters, clearly from the same affected vessel. Kaldara called out to them.
“Climb aboard!” as he dropped ropes into the waters.
Pedro and Snively [not present for this session] were below deck, tending to other important matters. Kaldara had focused his gaze on two specific bodies in the water. One young dwarven lass and an elf of some kind. He found it odd that they bickered at each other, without notice of the aid Kaldara had provided. Gertrude clutched a bag tightly to her chest. An oiled leather square.
“We cannot leave the book!” cried the dwarven priest.
As Conak grew in size in the evening sky, water began to sweep the ship and remaining floating survivors in one direction. Oceyra, otherwise known as ocean flow, was the last thing you wanted to see while at see. Kaldara looked up to see the reflection of the white moon. Conak was at half-size. Elf shouted to Gertrude.
“Do you trust me?”
She nodded with fright in her eyes.
Elf removed his knife and cut the rope. They immediately began to flow towards the growing hole nearby. Its edges were visible now.
Tying a rope to his waist, Kaldara lunged into the dark blue waters. As he clutched the short remaining rope, the ships injured sail was suddenly released. Likely due to the aid of Pedro, snively, and the new-found crew. The force was too strong, however, snapping their lines and causing the three adventurer’s to be plunged into the darkness of the gaping ocean hole. Gertrude released a final prayer to Malvanis as the sky was becoming a distant memory. The ocean suddenly collpased from the surface to fill the void above them. It chased them for what felt like an eternity. As the water engulfed their bodies, everything went dark.
Soft waves lapped at the bodies of Kaldara, Gertrude, and Elf as they lay in a sea of milky white. Wide-eyed, they rose to ther feet. The sandy beach ahead of them was as white as the sea. A wave of fiery red, orange, and yellow colors appeared from underneath the frosty white surfaces of the leaves of the treeline ahead of them for only brief moments. As Kaldara and Elf discussed details of their introductions in the shallows, Gertrude explored. A voice spoke to her as she approached the treeline.
“Come play.”
“We are in trouble, can you help us?”
“Come play with me,” it repeated.
As Gertrude entered the trees, three ghostly white children appeared before her. Only a moment passed before their innocence disapeared, revealing the maws of three ghastly horrors. She screamed and put out her holy symbol as she called out to Malvanis.
Gertrude opened her eyes to see the figure of an elf standing behind the children, Kaldara and Elf suddenly appearing from the thick brush behind her.
“I am Sigrum. Welcome home, Elf.” the group followed Sigrum deeper into the trees.
Elf was stunned. As he walked privately with Sigrum, the others not far behind, Elf learned of his family’s past, how their village on Zorn was destroyed and they retreated to their true home, here on Conak. They spoke as they walked along the edge of a large white lake, hundreds of elves bathing their weapons in the milky water.
“We are preparing,” Sigrum looked to Elf. “Malvanis is spreading his influence through his dioces on Zorn and erradicating the children of the world that he believes do not belong. Our kind were included.”
He glanced back at Kaldara and Gertrude. “They cannot be trusted.”
Elf was torn.
As the group climbed hundreds of steps up to the cliffside looking over the white lake, Sigrum turned towards Gertrude. He smiled.
“Place the book on the altar, child. We must free the souls from their purgatory.”
The book contained thousands of names. A record of all the souls that have been born and died on Zorn. Gertrude refused. She did not trust him. Politeness turned to anger as Sigrum attempted to force the book from her hands. As Kaldara attempted to speak with lawful word, Sigrum’s hand clutched the air, denying Kaldara’s speech. Sigrum snatched the book away and placed it on the altar as he began to chant. Elf tried to discern just whose side he was on. He turned as a resounding thud of opening steel doors attracted his attention from up a long set of stairs that ascended to a pristinely white spire of a castle. A large figure dressed in white with fiery reds, oranges, and yellows from under its cape began to descend the stairs.
Kaldara suddenly broke Sigrum’s attention with a flanking crash. Elf took the initiative and locked the tome of names with the notes of his pipe and a singular, binding word. Sigrum snatched Gertrude by the scruff and held her over the cliffside.
“Release the tome,” he commanded.
Kaldara looked into Gertrude’s eyes.
“I know what I must do…”
She looked back at him without hesitation.
“For there to be balance.”
Kaldara’s feet thrust him from the sandy ground as he charged towards Sigrum, tackling both him and Gertrude over the cliffside, high above the white lake.
Stay tuned for part three! Subscribe to @semidarkarts to catch live tweets while we play!
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Kaillan Reukers Johnny A Gabriel Aliaga Ian Francis Rory MacLeod