Vampyrical Vindication
Vampyrical Vindication
by: Nial Stewart - 11/12/2003
Thwip!
"By Tunare, your skill with the bow is astounding!" bellowed Hager Sureshot.
Thwip!
"A bullseye! Perhaps one of these days it is you that will be teaching I!" he said with a gasp.
The local archery master looked upon his former pupil with admiration. She stood almost 6 feet tall, with short red hair cropped below her ears. A cloak, clasped at the neck, covered most of her form, save a faint glow from the sheathes her swords rested in underneath. Two magical blades resided there, covered in lightning and blessed by the God of the storm, Karana. Her armor was crafted of the finest material in Norrath, dragon skin harvested in Velious, and fashioned into a thick chain weave. The Ranger returned her bow to the folds of her cloak and placed the remainder of her arrows back into her magical quiver.
"It is good to be back in the Glade." said Dumela, as she smiled at her old friend.
It indeed was good to be back. She had been in the wilds for some time now, and welcomed the company of like minds. Her provisions were dwindling and her purse shrinking. She had visited Grathin Nilm at the Ranger guild earlier that day and refilled her pack with rations and supplies, but had barely enough coin to cover her bill. She did not need to pay of course.
On many occasions before she had been the difference in the never ending battle between Surefall Glade and the Darkpaw Clan. Indeed, the Glade felt very much in debt to her. Dumela recognized no such debt however, and insisted on paying.
As she strode away from the archery range, a young woman walked over to her hurriedly.
"Dumela. A message for you." said Krystal Aspen, a local weaponsmith.
"Thank you." Dumela said, accepting the scroll.
The note was written in common, but it was obvious that it was not the writer's native tongue. Placed on the top of the note was a wax seal, the depression pressed into it made Dumela take notice. It was the mark of Innoruuk. She quickly tucked it away, not wanting to draw any negative attention and quickly excused herself from the company by the range. She made her way back to the camp she had pitched the night before and sat down under the tree she chosen yesterday, and many times before that. Next to her was the circle of stones she made to surround the campfire. The wood she had used was still smoldering, an orange glow still visible in the center of the heap. The smoke smelled good to her, the wood here had a different scent than it did in the Karanas.
Unrolling the note, she began to read:
"Ranger, I require your services for a task. The reward will be worth your while. Meet me at the Crow's Pub and Casino this night. I will reveal myself to you."
Dumela did not know what to think. It was obvious the writer was Teir`Dal. She began to toss the note into the smoldering pile of wood, but stopped. She remembered how little money she had in her purse. The prospect of working with a Dark Elf was not appealing in the least. They were untrustworthy. They lived only to serve Innoruuk, the God of Hate. "Innoruuk" she chuckled as she ran her fingers down the hilt of her magical blade, named "Earthcaller".
Perhaps it would not be so bad, she mused. "I will go to Qeynos and meet with this Dark Elf." she said to no one in particular. She made her way through the small tunnel that lead out into the hills that surrounded Qeynos and looked back with a sigh. Never one to walk, she broke into a light run and pointed herself in the direction of the Human city, Qeynos.
~
I hate beggars, Dumela thought as she passed through the gates of Qeynos. Drunken reprebates lined the gate and path into town, pleading for alms and donations. She despised this city, and made haste to the pub for she had no desire to spend any more time in this city than she had to. The door of Crow's Pub and Casino was already open when she approached, the sounds of raucous laughter and drunken merriment pouring out. She had heard rumors of this place, how it served to house rogues and thieves alike. She moved in and took in the scene.
There were five to six tables lining the back wall, with the bar to her right. Behind the bar was Crow, the proprietor. He cast her but a cursory glance and went back to the task of cleaning glasses. To her left was a staircase leading upwards to the second floor. The tavern was dimly lit with only two lanterns. A group of halflings sat at one table, gambling with cards and dice. At an adjacent table sat an Erudite man, muttering to himself and crying-he had obviously had too much to drink. On his table were 8 mugs of ale, one of which had spilled and coated the bench and floor in a now sticky film. In the far corner of the pub sat a Dark Elf. Averting the direction of his gaze when noticed by the Ranger, he looked down at his table. Dumela made her way over to his table and rapped on the sturdy wooden surface.
"Please have a seat" said the Dark Elf, not looking up from the table.
"May I know the name of the one who requests my presence? Or does he not wish my services?" shot Dumela, with a tone of indignance.
"My name is Mowang, High Priest of the third gate. Servant of Innoruuk" replied the seated elf.
At the mention of the God of Hate, the halflings at the table across the pub halted their conversation. Mowang threw them an icy glare and they continued on with their conversation in a more guarded tone.
Dumela reconsidered the encounter. A Dark Elf High Priest was not simply a cleric. He was the ordained servant of Innoruuk, the exactor of the God's revenge, and the cruel instrument of his hate. She would have to be careful not to anger this one, as he was a formidable creature.
She sat down and started the impending dialogue. "What do you want of me?"
Mowang looked up from the table and locked eyes with Dumela. She blinked astonishment at the sight of his pupils which glowed red. His skin was dark blue and his hair white. He did not look much older than her, but she knew that the Dark Elf race was reknowned for it's longevity.
Mowang tossed a bag of coins in Dumela's direction. The small purse bounced and landed in her lap. She opened it to reveal a large sum of gold, more than she had seen in quite a while, and certainly enough to keep her in provisions for some time.
"You will receive the rest upon completion of the task.", the cleric put in.
"What task?" Dumela asked, as she tucked the small purse into her pack.
"We will journey to the Tenebrous Mountains, there I will make it clear to you, but not before then."
At that, Mowang stood up and holstered the flail he had hidden under the table and walked over to the door.
Careful indeed! Dumela thought to herself. After a moment of consideration, she stoodup and followed the Dark Elf outside where he waited.
"We leave from here tomorrow at dawn." He said as she approached him from behind.
He strode off and left Dumela to her thoughts.
"I hate this town", she muttered.
~
They departed Qeynos the next day at dawn. The Tenebrous Mountains lay on the outskirts of the Loyalist Combine city, Katta Castellum. The city was founded on the moon during the second exodus of the combine empire. Dumela was able to secure a teleportation to the moon by currying a favor from a wizard friend of hers, Taautos. Upon arrival in Shadow Haven, they set out immediately for the Tenebrous Mountains. They chose to avoid the route through Katta Castellum, as they were worshippers of light and did not welcome the Teir`Dal.
Their path took them through the Paladul Caverns, a maze of tunnels filled with lesser beasts and shrieker fungus mushrooms. Though neither had ever been through the tunnels, Dumela was able to discern the correct route by tracking the predator species through the stony corridors, eventually leading outside. Exiting the murky tunnels, they found themselves outside of the cat people city, Shar Vahl. Not wanting to linger in a land unknown to them, they set out with renewed vigor.
Through the Shadeweaver Thicket and the Grimling Forest they made their way quickly. Not much was said between the two, aside from brief directions from Mowang as he consulted the map he had procured in Qeynos. They soon found themselves in the Tenebrous Mountains and began making their way to the mark Mowang had drawn on the map.
The Tenebrous Mountains, like much of the moon, was shrouded in eternal night. Dumela found it very disorienting, as the sun served as a natural beacon for her direction finding ability. Their path took them over many hills and past some very strange looking structures. The structures had an unnerving aura about them. Something evil, Dumela thought.
They crested a hill and both Dumela and Mowang both let out a collective gasp at the sight before them. A giant castle stretched upward in front of the pair. Even from the hill they stood atop of, the structure towered above them. It was relatively nondescript, having but one door, and a balcony two thirds of the way up, easily two hundred feet. A dull yellow glow emanated from inside the castle, from torch light Dumela surmised. Something else caught her eye though. At the base of the castle were two figures, guards most likely. She did not sense any living animals or creatures nearby, something was amiss.
"Undead" Mowang said. "Coterie vampyres. They thrive on the blood of others. Do not let them touch you."
Dumela had no words.
"What we are here for is in there." pointing to the castle as he said it.
"Are you mad?! We have not the might to take down such creatures!" Dumela fumed.
"I have heard of your exploits, the lesser forms in there will hardly challenge a Ranger of your caliber" Mowang said, hoping that his flattery would sway her.
Dumela like most Rangers, was not the most modest. She accepted the compliment and began to size up the guards.
"Let us begin." the cleric said, as he shuffled down the hill towards the entrance.
Dumela followed behind and pulled back her cloak to ready her blades.
~
They worked their way down to a bluff that abutted the castle and gave them a clear view of the guards while still concealing their position. Dumela pulled out her bow and notched an arrow. She pulled back on the draw string, taking aim and suspending her breathing.
"Take care not to--"
thwip!
The arrow sailed through the night air in a motion to fast to see. The twang of an arrow striking wood rang out as the first coterie guard writhed in pain, pinned to the wooden door jamb by the expertly placed arrow. The second guard, reacting instantly rushed towards the direction from where the arrow came. Dumela came out of hiding and ran in to meet the hissing guard. She broke into a momentary chant as she moved in, the Coterie howling as she finished speaking. Thick vines had sprung up from the ground and grabbed hold of it's legs instantly, constricting and halting his movement. The distraction was all the Ranger needed. With one well placed slice, the vampyre no longer had to worry about the roots binding his feet. The torso of the monster slid off and fell to the side, leaving the legs standing in a grotesque pose. Moving to the door she quickly dispatched the other guard, separating it from the arrow in it's neck with a thick slice to the throat.
Dumela and Mowang stood at the entrance to the castle and looked inside. There were a dozen or so sarcophagus inside lined in dim torchlight. None of them were open, and looked like they had not been used in quite some time. Cobwebs stuck to the lids and a thick film of dust covered the surface. The ceiling was very high, too dark for Dumela to see. But Mowang, an elf of the underworld, could see at night as if it were day. The buttresses of the ceiling crisscrossed in a spider web fashion, meeting in the middle with a bass of metal bindings and bolts. On the far wall away from the door was a staircase leading upward. Mowang motioned to the staircase and Dumela nodded.
They moved in between the rows of the sarcophagus, all the while keeping a watchful eye on their perimeter. Not so much as a sound was audible, save for their light footsteps on the torn and matted carpet below.
Something moved off to the left.
Dumela spun to the left throwing up her arms as she sensed something rushing at her. A pale white hand grabbed Dumela's shoulder. Recoiling from the hand, a thick cloud of green bubbly gas exploded from every pore in her body. Two coterie suddenly appeared from behind the sarcophagus they had just passed. Mowang pulled his flail from the holster and swung in the direction of the Coterie that had attacked his partner. Dumela fought back the bile welling up in the back of her throat and fumbled the swords in her hand. The Coterie may have achieved the element of surprise, but Dumela was as skilled with her weapons as anyone in all of Norrath. She blinked away the moisture welling up in her eyes away, and charged in. The two vampyres had surrounded the cleric and began to move in on their prey. Moving in with lightning quickness, she kicked at the knee of the coterie in front of Mowang. Bone and sinew buckled and snapped, sending the vampyre crashing to the floor. The other Coterie sensing the advantage slipping away, charged in towards the cleric. Mowang brought his flail smashing down into the skull of the fallen Coterie, just as the other came crashing into his back. Dumela moved in instantly to separate the Coterie from her partner. The coterie hissed and clawed at Mowang's back. The cleric dove forward to escape further attack, causing the clawing Coterie to fall forward. The two momentarily separated, giving the Ranger the opportunity to finish her foe. A leather boot came down on the back of the vampyre pushing it into it's fallen comrade. Her blade slid easily through both coterie and clinked into the stone floor.
The two coterie vampyres lay still, defeated and vanquished.
"Did I not tell you?" asked Mowang.
Dumela began to speak, but the cleric walked off towards the staircase and stopped at the base.
"Up there. That is where we will find what we seek."
Dumela, still choking back the acid in the back of her throat thought to protest, but realized the futility in such an argument. The cleric was right, the foes had been dispatched without a great degree of trouble. But she sensed the upstairs lurked something that might not prove such an easy encounter.
"Let us go upward" said Mowang and started up the staircase.
~
Mowang and Dumela silently made their way up the stairs, stopping every so often as an errant noise would catch the Ranger's ears. "I do not like this place" said Dumela, who often did not often say such things. Mowang guffawed, careful not to let her see. She had only agreed to come on this adventure at the promise of a hefty purse at the conclusion of it.
"Just tell me what you see" Mowang said after a minute or two.
The ranger knelt to the ground, sheathing her lightning wracked swords with such ease that her dark companion wondered if it had even required thought from her. She sniffed the air and examined the old torn red carpet that lined the stairway.
"Two generals, one centurion, all three will make easy prey." she said.
"Excellent" said Mowang as he looked away from her and started tentatively up the stairs. Dumela muttered to herself as she watched the brazen Teir`Dal cleric move up the stairs.
"By Karana, how are we to remain unheard and unseen if he insists on wearing such cumbersome armor" she breathed.
Mowang peered up over the the top edge of the stairs and confirmed what his partners superior tracking skills had moments before revealed. He positioned himself out of view of the Coterie Centurion and began the incantations of a hex.
The Coterie Centurion shuddered as the spell outlined it's pale white skin in a dull red aura. The fiend hissed, spraying red spittle as it spun to face it's assailant. Mowang took a step back when he made eye contact with the vampyre, for it was truly unhappy with the intrusion. With speed he had not felt in quite a while he ran down the stairs, hurtling two and three at a time towards his partner.
Dumela, sensing the coterie drawing near, unsheathed her swords even before she saw the cleric bolting towards her.
"Only one" he exhaled, almost out of breath. A cleric was not used to such activity!
Dumela nodded and stepped forward to meet the undead foe. The coterie rounded the corner of the staircase running much the same way the others did. And she dispatched it just as quickly.
Mowang knelt down to loot the corpse, retrieving some Coterie Leggings and coin from the monster's rapidly decaying corpse. The Ranger took note that even though she was promised coin for her services, she had not yet received any. She further noted that the chinks in the cleric's breastplate would easily allow her blade to slide through... should the need arise of course.
How strange it was, the Ranger thought as she stood over the corpses of 3 more dead Coterie, that there was no need to clean her blade after the battle. The Coterie, in a strange twist of irony, had no blood themselves... yet yearned for it always. Dumela slid her swords back into their scabbards and turned to her companion who was methodically searching the corpses for valuables and platinum pieces.
"You have to make sure you check their back pocket, they like to hide valuable trinkets there" said Mowang as he flipped a coterie over to finish his search.
Dumela mutterd a short prayer to Karana, and then looked up saying with a voice louder than she had intended, "We should not tarry here, let us finish what we came here to do." She paused a moment, looking around. "Will you tell me now what we came for?"
The dark elf, noticing the agitated tone of the Ranger and her hand resting on the hilt of her blade, sensed that now was as good a time as any to tell the Ranger.
"We are here for Trilexior Aeridia."
"And who, perchance, is that?" said Dumela, growing more impatient by the minute.
"He is a powerful Coterie, who carries a treasure of great price. I have decided to cut you in on the fortune that it will fetch. In Neriak, the home of my peoples... the item, a cloak of considerable power... fetches fifteen thousand pieces of platinum."
Dumela's eyes grew larger at the mention of such a sum of money. They would have been considerably larger had Mowang told her the cloak would actually fetch no less than thirty thousand pieces. But Dumela was not stupid, and was very aware of the scent that pervaded the air as Mowang made his proposition. He was nervous, and sweating.
Her voice did not tell of this as she replied "I require half of the fifteen thousand pieces of platinum".
"Agreed" replied Mowang, a little too fast he thought. But she was just a stupid ranger, unable to fathom the intricacies of his deceit. Better that way he thought.
~
They ascended the staircase to the top floor of the Coterie castle and met no resistance. According to Dumela's tracking skills there was but one Coterie left in the castle, and it was upstairs. Mowang knew this already. He had called upon his clerical ability to sense the undead hours before his meeting with the Ranger in Crow's and discovered the same. It would be on the balcony, exactly where he saw it in his mind.
"There, out on the balcony" whispered Mowang.
"By Karana's Hand! What manner of beast is that?" the Ranger exclaimed.
There were many sarcophagus that separated the staircase from the balcony that overlooked the Tenebrous Mountains. But through the opening that lead to the balcony was a flying coterie, fully 8 feet tall. It's wings spanned no less than 10 feet across, attached to the thing's back between thick muscular shoulders. The monster's gaunt face bore sharp features covered with pale grey skin that stretched across it's nose, eyes and mouth. It's lifeless ebony eyes seemed to draw in any light nearby. Even the indirect gaze of the Coterie's eyes was enough to make both adventurers shiver and turn away.
"What now oh wise cleric?" asked Dumela, visibly amused at the sudden paleness of the dark elf.
"Now we kill it." said Mowang, feigning courage.
He explained to her that they would use the same strategy they had before. He would place a hex on the creature and run back to her where she would attack it. Dumela sat on the ground and opened up her spellbook, memorizing some spells she thought might prove useful against this considerable opponent. Whe she was done she nodded to the cleric and pulled out her blades, Swiftwind and Earthcaller, and tapped them together, sending streams of miniature lightning arching off. Mowang turned from Dumela and began making his way towards the balcony.
The Teir`Dal kept his eyes on the balcony as he made his way between the rows of sarcophagii. They were nearly as tall as the dark elf, lined in cobwebs and reeking of decay. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed one of the sarcaphagus was ajar. He paused for a moment when a pair of red eyes peaked out of the darkness inside the ceramic tomb. Mowang jumped backwards placing his hands behind him to steady himself against a sarcophagus as he fell backward. A carrion spider scuttled out of the darkness over the ceramic lid and up onto the massive stone cover.
Mowang spat a curse and regained his composure. He passed the final row of sarcophagus and took up position behind a wall, out of sight of the Coterie but close enough to cast his spell. He stood with his back to the wall separating the balcony from the room they were in and closed his eyes. He called upon his innate ability to sense the undead and took aim upon Trilexior, who floated just beyond the wall. His pulse raced as he heard the beating of the fiend's wings. The Dark Elf began his incantations as blue energy dripped from his hands...
~
Mowang opened his eyes as his spell approached completion, and prepared himself to run back to the Ranger waiting where he had instructed. The spell ended and a brief red flash of light erupted from the balcony, instantly alerting him that his spell had been successful. Mowang did not wait to see if Trilexior was following as he took flight, running back to where the Ranger lay in wait. He glanced over his shoulder fully expecting to see Trilexior in pursuit. A startled choke of a cry came from his lips when noticed that this was not the case. There was noone in pursuit, coterie or otherwise. As he neared Dumela he tripped over a crack in the stone floor and came crashing down at the Ranger's feet.
"What is the matter Dark Elf" Dumela said, relaxing a little seeing that nothing had accompanied Mowang.
"I do not know. He should have followed me but he did not."
"Where might it be?" She wondered, her eyebrow raising as an odor of decay suddenly entered the air.
Mowang shook his head in disbelief, "I cast the spell correctly, it--"
A loud sizzle erupted from in front of Dumela as Mowang's eyes bulged and his skin burst into flame. Mowang writhed in the grip of agony as the force of the spell threw him to the floor a dozen feet from his partner. He cried out "TRILEXIOR!", but Dumela was already in position.
The Ranger deftly twirled her weapons and waded into battle. The Coterie's defensive skills were quite formidable. She could find no gap in it's defenses at first. Every thrust was parried and every slice dodged. A pale clawed hand swung in with a quickness she was unprepared for and she bent backwards, rocking onto her heels. Diving into a roll, she came up a dozen paces behind her original position. Quickly, she decided she would have to lure the vampyre into traps where she could take advantage. She came at Trilexior again, dipping low and darting her blades in at it's waist. She feigned a stumble and fell to her knee, dropping one sword to her side to support herself. The Coterie reacted as she expected, instantly moving in to take advantage of the deadly mistake. Dumela, already anticipating this, spun around on her planted knee coming up beside Trilexior and plunged her sword between it's ribs, deep into it's side. She jumped backward quickly to avoid the coterie's attack as it raked it's claws scant inches from her face.
Mowang was to his feet now and began casting magical damage spells upon the vampyre, staggering it. Dumela was still the focus of Trilexior's rage as he spun to face her and stepped in menacingly. Dumela knew he was near defeat though. The dark pulsing light in it's eyes began to ebb and wane as he winced from wounds sustained. Dumela saw her opportunity.
She began casting a spell, the tone rising in pitch until the final word in which she shouted. Red sparks of mana flew off her hands and crashed into the forehead of the weakened vampyre, snapping it's head back. Trilexior blinked and stumbled, confused for a moment, it's vision temporarily stolen by the dizzying attack. It did not falter long, for as soon as it's vision cleared it was staring directly at the cleric.
Mowang shouted in protest, "Help! Help me Ranger!"
The Coterie started in towards Mowang, knocking him to the floor with a blow to the chest that dented his breastplate and knocked the wind from his lungs. Dumela looked on from behind the Coterie and made no effort to aid her partner. Mowang exclaimed "Help me now--" but did not finish.
The Coterie's sharp claws dug into the cleric's throat, tearing it open and spraying blood across the floor. Mowang choked and gurgled as he looked up at his attacker with incredulous eyes. Trilexior smiled and cackled gleefully as it lifted it's hands over it's head preparing to deliver the killing blow.
Dumela came up behind the coterie swinging her blade through the vampyre's neck, sapping the darkness from it's eyes. It's head tumbled to the ground and bounced at it's feet. The lifeless frame of Trilexior Aeridias toppled to the ground with a soft thud. Dumela straddled the corpse and undid the clasp of the magical cloak. Making no effort to hide herself, she looked at Mowang and tucked the cloak into her pack. She further searched the coterie, reaching into the back pocket, revealing a considerable amount of platinum.
"Valuable trinkets indeed" said Dumela with a smug smile.
"Wh-what h-have you d-done..." gurgled Mowang, trying to speak through the blood in his throat.
"I would be careful frail cleric, the Coterie will be back soon" she said as she began the incantations of another spell.
"You... can-cannot ... leave m-me.." He said, trying to hold onto consciousness.
Dumela finished her spell and faded away. Mowang heard a chuckle and the sound of light leather-clad feet descending the staircase as his vision turned black.
The End?
June 5, 2006
