The caves is quiet.
"Well, I want to follow my cousin to this church to ensure he is safe first. I am also thinking of visiting the gnome, after all he did not send a direct help to us when you visited him." You say. Fridiger says that all doubts about him are gone: "
My divine blessing has made me powerful but also wise." He says, "
Erdebred will be fine, let's go! It's the perfect opportunity to loot more than ever!"
You decide to stay behind with your wounded cousin. Fridiger tells you he's going and if he finds the undead creature that wounded your cousin, he will kill it and then come back to help you. You think about going with him in the pursuit of your cousin's foe but you can't abandon him wounded with a priest you barely know, meaning Fridiger will have to fend for himself. The giant adventurer leaves without you. Alphius comes out of the shadows and tells you that he's going to stay behind with your injured cousin. "
I will go with you too and later we can go see the gnome again." he says. "
Thank you," you reply. He says he doesn't trust Fridiger anymore. You're not sure what Alphius means but decide it's best for your cousin's sake if you don't go along with this line of thinking.
To get to the priest's chambers, you'll need to cross the next area. The passageway is dark and narrow, with low ceiling and rough walls. You reach the next area, where you continue walking with Alphius until you see the curve to your left where the priest said his church would be. At least, there's no longer any sign of the undead in this part of the cavern. Finally, you arrive at the priest's place, a large open space filled with statues and carvings depicting the Physician of Men of and Saints of the faith.
There are two doors at either side of the room and near a wall there is a middle aged man with a pickaxe type of tool, apparently working on some masonry work. As you approach, the man notices you and approaches. "Oh, hello, you must be one of our guests from the temple?" he asks.
"
Actually, I am one of the adventurers who came here looking for the guest brought here by the priest," you answer. "
We're looking for the priest who is supposed to be around here somewhere, but I can't seem to find him."
"Ah, yes, I remember now. I've been trying to finish the restoration of these rooms since the collapse of the ceilings. Here, let me show you," the man says and walks toward the nearest door. Before you is a small chapel with a single altar, on which sits a marble statue of a Angel wearing white robes. Father Agnus is standing in front of the altar, facing the statue and reciting the prayer to the Lord of Light, the God of Light. Behind the altar stands a bas-relief of the Physician of Man. To your right is a small alcove filled with icons of the god and Saint of the Church of the Light. The whole chamber is decorated with other religious symbols, paintings and sculptures. Despite the priest's reverence, his voice carries a hint of desperation and despair.
"
I'm afraid the last few days have been very difficult for us. My master, the Physician of Man, grant me the strength to carry on!"
The priest continues praying while you walk closer to him. "
Excuse me," you interrupt. "
But is everything alright?"
Father Agnus stops his prayers and looks at you. "
Yes, thank you for asking," he answers. "Y
our cousin is in good hands with my acolytes, he is resting. Let me take you to him. Follow me please." You follow the priest to the back of the room where he opens the first door. Inside, a young man lies in bed with bandages wrapped around his chest. "
This is your cousin, Erdebred. He has been badly wounded but he will recover soon enough. We have done all we could for him."
Erdebred is awake and lying in his bed. "
It's good to see you again," he says. "
What happened? Did the priest tell you anything about the attack?"
"
Not really," you say. "
As you finished one of the undead, the other hit you with his sword. The priest told us to bring you here and now you are healing."
Erdebred smiles weakly. "
I vaguely remember the other undead. Well, I hope you didn't go alone into the Mysterious Caves after him."
"
No, I went together with Fridiger, but he escaped," Alphius replies. "
We had some trouble chasing the undead."
"
Don't worry, I'll get my payback," Erdebred says. "
You should be happy that I survived this encounter. I would like to be able to collect my share of the loot and pay my respects to the gods before I return home."
"
That sounds reasonable," Alphius agrees. "
Though I think you'll need to pray to the God of Light if you want to get out of the caves alive."
"
Indeed," You add. "
My cousin is injured and I don't want to lose another friend. We should leave him resting here in the hands of the clerics and search for Fridiger."
"
Agreed," Alphius says. "
Let's go then, shall we?"
You two leaves your cousin's chamber and walk down the church in construction, meeting Father Agnus at the end of the hall.
Father Agnus nods at you. "
Good luck," he says. "
May the Angels watch over you."
You nod and turn around, walking towards the exit. You think about going to the see gnome Dignugget and ask Alphius about his opinion. "
Do you think it's wise to trust him?" You ask.
"
I don't know enough about gnomes to judge whether we should trust him or not," Alphius answers. "
But I wouldn't mind if we press him a bit more regarding what he told Fridiger. It doesn't sound right."
"
Well," you say. "
I'm sure it won't hurt if we try to find out more."
Alphius agrees. "
If there's something fishy going on, we'll be the ones to catch it."
You head deeper into the tunnels, turning on the spiral path upwards to the gnome's chambers inside the Mysterious Caves. You reach it, together with Alphius, accompanied closely by the weird rats of the cave. Dignugget stands at the center of his quarters, holding the Crystal Orb in one hand and pointing at it with the other. The orb has a blue light and emits a strange aura.
"
I've been waiting for you to came as well." Dignugget says. "
Your companion Fridiger was here earlier and I was finally able to show him the way to his ancestor home through the magic of the Orb."
"
Vanheim." Alphius says. "
Is that where Fridiger came from?"
"
Well, that's where he traces most of his lineage, indeed." Dignugget replies. "
Many deities and powerful creatures live there."
"
Fridiger told us that you performed a ritual to magically transform him into some kind of god?" Alphius asks.
Dignugget nods. "
It seems to have been caused by a magic gem that I found in the caves. I didn't expect that it would interact with the Crystal Orb and instill him with ancient divine powers."
"
Wait, you also gave my cousin Erdebred and Alphius here two other magic gems. Are those too in any way affected by the power of the Crystal Orb?" You ask.
"
No, not at all, as far as I know." Dignugget answers. "
From my understanding, they are only enchanted to improve your physical abilities, nothing more. I don't think they will give you the ability to transform into gods or even a wizard. I only wanted to help them get better with their skills."
"
Speaking of help, why didn't you send help for Erdebred when Fridiger came here?" You ask, trying to control your tone. "
Surely you could have done something about his wound?"
"
I'm afraid that you are mistaken." Dignugget says. "
You see, my spells have a certain range and I couldn't reach far enough to heal Erdebred."
"
So you didn't do anything?" Alphius asks. "
Couldn't you send something through Fridiger?"
"
I told Fridiger to bring Erdebred here. There is a reason he hasn't returned, seems like you found ways of helping Erdebred by yourselves." Dignugget answers. "
Besides, the Crystal Orb had shown me that you were coming back here and I guessed that you would come soon enough."
"
Where's Fridiger now?" You ask.
"
He went down the tunnels, but I can't see it clearly because the dark powers of the Ancient Fortress clouds the Orb's vision." Dignugget replies and, after a pause, turns to your companion. "
How about you, Alphius? Do you want to see your ancestors' homeland?"
Alphius scoffs. "
Heh, I know all about my lineage already, thank you very much." The gnome chuckles. "
But I could use a break from fighting and walking. Turn on your Orb, I'll sit here and eat my lunch ration." You notice you're starving as well, you wonder if what time is it. Inside the caves, keeping track of the time is hard. You prepare to eat your ration too.
"
Very well then," says the gnome. "
I will show you the place your ancestors come from."
The crystal orb starts to glow and you feel like you're suddenly transported to the outskirts of the city of Ludania, the capital of the province of Gallagli. You are in a position where you can see the forest, a river and some ruins of buildings in the distance.
"
Ah, yes, that's the place." Dignugget nods. "
They used to live there before moving to the capital."
"
What happened to them?" Alphius asks. "
Why did they move away?"
"
I don't know exactly," Dignugget replies. "
Perhaps they were forced to leave because of the war with the other clans of the region. This happened when I was still a young gnome, many years ago."
"
That's strange, though," Alphius says. "
My great-great grandfather was from one of the last of the Ludanian imperial families, and the family story is that the Ludanians were a proud and powerful people within the old empire. But I've never heard anything about their arrival in the capital."
"
I think it's an old story, let me see if the Orb can show something more recent." Dignugget replies. You did not know Alphius had this kind of family lore, you only heard about an ancient empire in childhood legends and bard songs.
You watch as the crystal orb glows brightly for a moment and then the image changes to show a large square surrounded by tall temples. At each corner stand huge statues depicting female figures holding high a lantern. You hear Alphius gasp, but he regains his composure. A huge crowd gathers outside the temples' grounds to witness a coronation ceremony of what appears to be some kind of nobility, but you've never seen anything like it. Many of them wear elaborate outfits made with tints of gold and adorned with jewels. All of these things seem to make you uncomfortable somehow, perhaps it's just that everything is unfamiliar.
"
These statues seem to be dedicated to the ancient goddess Hecate, I think." Dignugget explains. "
She was known as the Lightbringer and she protected their land from evil forces and darkness." You never heard of her.
As you continue watching the scene, the procession begins, led by three priests wearing robes with golden patterns and carrying torches. They march towards a temple, which is flanked by two smaller structures, one of which holds another statue while the other is empty.
The priests begin chanting prayers to the goddess and raise their arms up to her. She descends upon them in the form of a bright white light, surrounding them with warmth and protection. Then she takes the shape of a beautiful, colossal woman dressed in white, who gives them blessings and gifts. Dignugget tells Alphius that his family is among these people, and that this happened many centuries ago.
"
Were you there?", Alphius asks, with his eyes wide opened. "
Did you experience it?"
"
Oh no, I wasn't present at the event," Dignugget shakes his head. "
I always lived away from man's cities. But, you know, when you live centuries like I do, you end up hearing stories even in the deep of the forests. This is all I could manage to see with the Crystal Orb."
The vision ends there. "
Do you think we should go seeks these temples' ruins back in Ludania to investigate further?" You ask. "
We might learn something important."
"
There's nothing left behind from my family." Alphius replies. "
All records of their existence have been lost over the ages, all there is left are fading stories told in family reunions over many glasses of white wine."
"
Perhaps it doesn't matter anyway…" Dignugget adds. "
After all, the empire and this goddess died out during the collapse and the ruin that followed many catastrophes and infighting. Perhaps it's best if everyone forgets such an unpleasant history. I know I do." Dignugget smiles. "
Sorry about that, Alphius, let's concentrate on the task at hand instead?"
You have no idea of these ancient stories and events, but you agree with the gnome. If you wish to understand the past, it is wise to focus on the present first. In fact, you haven't explored the entire Mysterious Caves yet, and there may be clues hidden somewhere else, perhaps more in the Ancient Fortress, since it has the fame of being so old. Besides, tis much easier to explore when you're in a party.
Dignugget nods to you both to continue your exploration in the mysterious caves and to continue searching for a way into the ancient fortress. The crystal orb continues to glow and show visions from time to time, but they're too far removed to be useful to you right now. It seems that whatever is happening in the caves is drawing the attention of the gods and spirits around Cradle Valley. You say a little prayer to Tyr to give you courage to face whatever the dark forces are and say farewell to the gnome again, as you hold your torch and leads Alphius into the interior of the caves again.
You pass by the room with the purple mosses and reach the smaller room where you've fought against the undead. There's still two corpses lying on the floor, but you can hear a faint sound coming from the next room, after a long corridor. You run up there with Alphius and you arrive just in time for Fridiger to finish beheading the undead leader, the one who had possessed Cael's dead corpse. The undead is defeated, and it was the last one.
"
I'm impressed, Fridiger, to fight alone and defeat the last undead" you comment as Fridiger takes a seat on a boulder by the steep stone stairway carved on a wall slope. "
How did you manage that? Is it your new magical transformation into a Vanheimian god?"
"
Heh! I was lucky enough for one, my magic powers seem to recharge fast, and then I had a sudden surge of strength in my arms. The undead was hiding in the darkness and tried to ambush me, but I was quicker." Fridiger grins at his success.
"
So, how do we deal with the corpses? Should we take care of them, or should we leave them here, so they don't attract any unwanted creatures?" Alphius asks as he looks at the body of your fallen guide Cael, until moments ago animated by some dark spirit.
"
We'll have to bury them," you say. You don't want to attract more spirits with these headless corpses laying around, not to mention those weird necromantic rats that seem to live in these caves. "
But we need the help of Father Agnus' men to carry the bodies - and chopped heads - and to dig the graves properly."
You ask Alphius to accompany you back to the church to fetch the priest and his acolytes. Then you go down the tunnels carefully while keeping watch for anything suspicious. Before reaching the exit of the caves, you find the entrance to the tunnel system leading to the unfinished church, where the cleric and his servants are holed up. You enter cautiously, ready for another encounter, but nothing happens.
"
Father Agnus!" You call out optimistically. "
Are you here? We defeated he undead inside the caves and I'd like your assistance to carry their remains safely to a cemetery."
Agnus emerges from his shelter and walks over to you. "
Ah, my son, thank the Lord you returned safe and well. I feared that you were caught by the undead and would never return. How many undead were there?"
"
We beheaded three of them, one of whom had wounded my cousin Erdebred, the one who is resting in your quarters. Let's quickly bury them before some other evil spirit takes hold of what's left of the corpses and uses them to cause trouble again."
"
Very well, my son. I'll send some of the men to help you. They will bring shovels and other tools necessary to dig graves."
While waiting for the priest's assistants, you look around at the incomplete church. It's quite big but the place is rather bare, only the statues finished as decorations. It seems that Father Agnus will be busy with the construction of the building for the forty days he has left.
When the his main acolyte arrives with the assistants carrying shovels and picks, you go outside the caves in the cold dirt to start digging the graves. The ground is soft and moist, almost muddy, but you're able to dig a hole large enough for each corpse. The day is sunny but windy in this early winter season, so you cover the freshly dug graves with a layer of rocks and stones to protect it from erosion. The last thing you want is another nefarious shadow taking up these remains as hosts. Once all the bodies are buried, you return to the church to inform the priest.
"
Thank you, my son." Father Agnus says. "
I hope we can complete the church soon, so we can pray together in peace for their souls. I understand you are still committed to your exploration of the Ancient Fortress."
You nod and say goodbye to the cleric. "
I'll be sure to come back once I'm done. And I promise that after I'm done here today I won't get myself involved with any more adventures or mysteries. I'm going to spend the next few weeks praying."
The priest smiles at your determination. "
I'm glad you feel that way."
***
"
It's a trap!", shouts Alphius as he rushes to defend himself from the attack of two skeleton warriors wielding swords who appear in front of him in the Path of Shadows. "
Get back!"
Fridiger, the giant Vanheimer, who was following Alphius, is also surprised by the sudden appearance of the skeletons. He rushes forward to help his friend and faces the two skeletons with his mighty sword. He cuts down one of the undead with ease and moves in to kill the remaining.
"
Did you see them coming?" You shout out to Alphius. "
What were they doing here? Last thing we need this time is even more undeads."
Alphius was leading the party, moving a bit ahead with his skills honed since he was a leading scout in the Royal Guard. You and your companions have been walking through the dense forest since you emerged from the stairway carved into the caves' stone walls, right where Fridiger had defeated the undead leader. There was an exit from the caverns and a path through the forest that the gnome had shown, the Path of Shadows.
You were all excited about this journey, until you had crossed with these skeletons in the Path of Shadows. The creatures seemed like they came from a nightmare. They looked like skeleton but they moved strangely, as they had no muscles or flesh holding their bodies together. Your wishes of been done with the undead are squashed, and you haven't even reached the Ancient Fortress, supposedly cleansed from dark magic by Duke Riso's army months ago.
As if to taunt you further, another set of skeletons rises from the ground before the adventurers and start attacking. "
They're coming out of the ground again!" shouts Alphius, who seems to be the most frightened so far. "
I'm going to charge at them! Get out of the way!"
Fridiger, who is now fighting alone, has to deal with two of them, as Alphius rushes to his aid. He is fighting well, but he takes some hits while defending himself against the skeletal warriors. You rush to the aid of Alphius, branding your longsword. The room for maneuver is scarce, the leaves and snow make for a confusing lighting of the scene, and your legs are not that fresh from all the moving around the caves. You try to circle to flank the skeleton that has been fighting Fridiger. The other moves toward Alphius with its sword. "
They're not as slow as I thought they'd be," you murmur, swinging your blade at the skeleton and hacking it apart. You feel a sense of accomplishment when the monster falls in pieces.
"
Thank you," says the giant, and then he turns his attention to the skeleton that is heading straight towards Alphius. As he does so, Alphius manages to roll to the side and violently swing his short sword across the unholy bones, spliting the skeleton in half. You and Alphius are tired after the skeletons stop moving finally, and Fridiger says you should rest a moment before continuing on. "
I don't think any more will come out of the ground now," he ventures.
"
Are we going back to the caves?" Alphius asks. It's getting rather late in the afternoon.
You shake your head. "
From the vision the Crystal Orb showed, we must be near the fortress now."
Alphis looks around. "
Maybe. But we still have to tend Erdebred who is injured and resting in the church."
"
The clerics can help him, my dear Alphius," you say, and the three of you leave the resting place to press on.
***
You, Fridiger, Alphius and arrive at the base of the Ancient Fortress. It stands four floors high, its windows empty of any glass of wood, walls full of holes and towers in ruins. Not many birds flowing over it in this sunny winter afternoon, the woods are silent as if nothing else lives around it. "I'm getting a strange feeling from this place," Alphius says.
You nod. "This is where it ends, my friend. The end of our journey, and the start of an adventure."
How will you proceed:
A - Find some good sized hole in the first floor and get inside.
B - Search the ruins of the towers first.
C - Seek the main entrance.
D - Climb the walls, using vines and ropes if needed be, to reach the top.
