Primal Magic - Part 1 The Obsidian Lord

They had been out in the Novian seas for more than a month. A few encounters with Obsidian ships which filled Boris' coffers and made the trek worthwhile. Several ports had been visited and the poor were given enough gold to last them past the upcoming winter months.

As the stars lit up the skies Port Serenite was within reach and the "Dragon" docked in its usual spot. The crew where given orders to enjoy themselves in town while Boris and Razulah went over ship maintenance and other post cruise debriefings with the first officer. There was a soft knock on the door and Razulah opened it with a grin on his face.

"Captain, it seems the crew sent ye a gift as a token of gratitude".

Boris looked up from the planning table and smiled as two voluptous women gracefully headed towards him each with a bottle of rum in their hands.

"Razulah, I think we will continue the debriefing in the morning". Boris smiled as Razulah closed the door to his quarters.

The sun rose and a loud knock on the door awoke Boris and his two guests.

"Who Dares?" That was all Boris was able to say as Razulah entered the door with al look on his face that Boris had never seen before. The two women ran out in a panic as Boris hastily put on some clothing, grabbed his swords and stepped out onto the main deck.

An eerie green glow covered the entire Serenite Bay and an Obsidian ship was seen at a distance. Boris climbed to the crow's nest with his spyglass to witness a strange ceremony on that ship's deck. A tall dark hooded man looked onto the "Dragon" from the distance and uttered a phrase in a long lost language. Boris could read his lips with the spyglass and the words sank into his soul.

"Ye has defeated my cabalists now its time to come and fight the Dark Lord". I will take the seas away from you and we will fight on our terms and in my place of choosing"

The screams of men, women and children were heard as they were being sacrificed into this huge black cauldron and Boris knew human sacrifice was the only thing prohibited in Primal Magic ceremonies yet this abomination was doing the unthinkable to manipulate the darkest primal magic spells.

Boris gave the signal to untie the mooring ropes and follow the Obsidian ship yet nothing happened. The ship could not move. He knew something had to be done and he asked Razulah to bring an ox to their cauldrons.

'Razulah, tonight we must do what is needed and confer with our ancestral spirits".

 

Sigh. Wish we were getting ships sometime.

 

My white raven, Snow, flew in my window last night from her trip with Rentier.

I was half dreaming and half awake like in a sort of trance. When she saw my eyes open in slits she flew to me and landed on my chest like a feather that floats to the ground. She peered into my face and with her questioning peeps asked why I was in such distress.

At first I could not answer her but then I said "Snow, I could not sleep last night for every time that sleep seemed to settle on me the memories of Boris and Duke William would fill the space in my eyes. The dream was of the two of them as they feverishly worked to find the way to break the spell of our navies being unable to move. I would close my eyes and seem to relive the terrifying dreams of the Obsidian Lord casting his hideous spell. Dreams that were more real than just in my thoughts.

Oh, Snow, what do these dreams mean. They seem to be with me all the nights and now even in the day light.

I have not heard from our dear friend, Boris, nor Duke William in a very long time. "Snow, you must fly swiftly now and take this message. inquire not only if they are well but find out if they would have these relentless dreams interpreted.

Go Now. Return Soon."

My mind will not quiet. I wonder if Rentier or Xarras are having these terrible dreams as well. I will send Snow when she returns from Boris and Duke William to find out if they too are being disturbed in their sleep.

 

Magnus had not let up his research, he spent many sleepless nights traveling to and fro to find answers. It seems that everyone wants to bring arms to this Obsidian Dark Lord, but no one even knows his name. How do you destroy something you don't understand? If he is the evil behind all of this, there has to be more to his story than just another dark lord.

William's past few nights have been sleepless, the same nightmare over and over again. The sea outside Serenite is all blood red. As he runs out towards the sea, everything goes black and all he can hear is a whispering voice saying... "The moon is my sun and the night is my day." After a few nights of this he decided to bring it to Magnus' attention. Magnus was too busy with his own studying to bother with Williams non sense and shrugged it off.

Later that day William was in the market place and received a letter from a guard with the Duchess' of Dragomir seal on it. William *smiled* as he opened the letter. The duchess wants to know how he is and if he is having dreams... William didn't know what to think, but it seemed strange. William quickly scribed a reply describing his dreams and handed the note to the guard and he had it sent it back to Dragomir.

At the same moment William is reading his note, Razulah had just brought the ox over for the sacrifice. In the background the crew played instruments and prepared for the ceremony.


Boris sanctified the area by blowing mists of rum and fire through out the room. In the center sat the cauldron, the dead who speak to Razulah are closest to this plane of existence in this cauldron. It contains the blood, bones and skulls of a few animals and possibly people who were part of the rituals that created this rift between our world and the world of the dead. The cauldrons are very old and passed on from generation to generation and how they were made are secrets lost to time. Most people are not allowed to even see this cauldron or even know of its existence. However tonight, there is reason to confer with the dead. The cauldrons center was a goats skull with horns.

Razulah began to call the spirits name in a foreign tongue, he then brandished his knife and slit the throat of the Ox that stood next to the cauldron, he used a cup to pour the blood over the skull on the cauldron.

Razulah began to dance and follow the music, his eyes began to gloss over seemed to be in a trance as he danced. As the drums picked up he began to jump up and down quickly and his voice began to change.

Suddenly the music came to a stop as Razulah crouched over. Boris sat down as to not insult the dead. He quickly offered fruits and gifts to appease the dead. He said "Welcome our humble home, sit and enjoy."

Razulah's face and voice seemed feminine and so were his body movements. Razulah stood up quickly and said, "Why have you brought me here!?"

Boris says "We only seek your wisdom, we are all in grave danger. Please help us, we are fighting an evil we don't understand and we come to you for help."

Razulah paced around with a hand on his hip and turned to Boris and uttered in a female's voice."What you seek is part of something greater, certain things have earned their place in this world. For good and for bad. The reason they are allowed to exist is because the world always will keep a balance between the light and the dark. Look deep in Desolis for your answers, long ago a King named Kazgaroth ruled in Grunvald. He became the most feared man in the Obsidian Empire and earned the name of Kazgaroth the Terrible. Remember these words, not all the darkness in the universe can snuff out the light of a single candle."

Razulah suddendly popped back to be and seems disoriented and faint, "What just happened???!!!"

 

Boris stepped behind Razulah, Blew mists of rum at the back of his head and shook him by the shoulders to ensure he was all there. Unfortunately Razulah had come back too soo and as he came to, Boris was possessed. He held his head as this was not a simple possession where the host loses consciousness, this was mutual realities unleashing in the Captain's brain and the pain at the onset was debilitating taking Boris down to one knee. Visions of a huge cauldron full of human bones, a tall man in a black robe and both in a battle filled his mind. Then all went black for Boris, it was Siete Rayos lord of lightning and revenge. This powerful entity spoke in a taunting manner, he was made for war and war they would take to this Kazgaroth. Siete Rayo motioned for Razulah to take him near the shore.

The drummers had seen this entity manifest itself before and knew he liked loud drums. The electricity was in the air as the moon rose over Serenite Bay. Razaulah led Boris to the shore as his body was being tossed in a rhythm that displayer suggestive masculinity. Suddenly Boris pushed Razulah away, ripped off his shirt and took off his tricorn hat to reveal his long black dreds. He looked up to the sky and pushed his fists up towards it. Seven quick successive lightning bolts lit the sky much to the amazement of the crowd. He waded in to knee deep water and a luminous creature appeared a few feet in front of him. The Sea Goddess knew this was Boris' body yet also knew the entity Siete Rayos was here to exact vengeance. The Sea Goddess bathed Boris in a luminous blue light and uttered a few words in an unknown language.

Suddenly Boris came out of this trance and collapsed to his knees. Razulah and William helped him to shore and gave him some rum to calm him down. The vision was clear, William had the message that Madre Agua had given him while possessing Razulah and now Siete Rayos and the Sea Goddess showed Boris the vision of the battle with Kazgaroth. He was going to speak to both Razulah and William yet only said "We will find him in Desolis". Little did either of them know it was one more sacrifice coming to destroy this monstrosity and send it back to the netherworld. It would involve Boris' dragon descent blood in the garden of blood and bones.

 

Magnus returned to The Tower, exhausted by his journey back from Nightshade Pass. When he entered he saw Saul Silver gathering some personal items. "Magnus, welcome back. You've been gone for a spell. How'd your research go?"

"Hello, Saul. The research isn't going well. I was able to find a few ancient Obsidian texts in Hilt Fortress, but I had to come back to resupply. The Kobolds there are getting nastier, as if something has worked them up into a frenzy. It's quite odd. I came back to rest and resupply. I should be leaving again in a few days." Magnus placed several books in the chest by Saul. "Please catalogue these when you come back tomorrow." Magnus paused as he watched Saul pack his things. "I see your getting ready to leave."

Saul smiled and said, "Yep. I got some Nightshade Nirvana from Dale today, and I want to go try it out." Saul continued putting things away. "Oh, the Duke was here earlier looking for you. I told him you were away and that I'd send word when you returned. Do you want me to go ahead and let him know?"

"Please, but send a messenger in a short while, I want to get cleaned up. Good night." And with that, Magnus went upstairs as Saul left. He made a note in his mind to ask Saul to leave him some of Dale's newest concoction.

A short while later Magnus finished getting dressed. The hot bath soothed his aches. He looked in the mirror while he placed the chain holding the Theurgy Gem across his chest. It had been some time since he removed the Gem from his wand. He remembered the difficulty he had in extracting the Gem, and how Evard Dirae's powers lent to his through the wand. But Evard had exacted more and more control over Magnus the more he used the wand. Fighting to gain control, Magnus recalled the pain he suffered when he removed the Gem from the wand. Magnus now used a stronger staff that surpassed the power of his wand with the Gem. He was afraid to fuse the Gem with the staff, and he shuddered to think of losing control again. For now, Evard was contained and unable to affect Magnus - that is what he believed, and that was good enough for him. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the door to The Tower close downstairs.

As he descended the stairs, William greeted him. "Magnus, welcome back! You've been missed."

"Duke, always a pleasure." He approached William and embraced his friend. "Unfortunately, I've not found any answers. I did find some more ancient texts that I have to study. But that can wait. Did you need something?" Magnus reached over and picked up two glasses from a nearby table. With a few words he made a decanter appear. He poured himself and the Duke a glass of whiskey. He did not think to mention the Kobolds in Hilt Fortress. They both toasted and drank, and then William spoke.

William continued, "I've been having some disturbing dreams as of late. The same dream, over and over for the past few nights. The waters of Serenite are blood red. Each time I approach the water, everything goes black. And then I hear a voice saying, 'The moon is my sun and the night is my day.' Very odd."

Magnus didn't hear anything else the Duke said. He recalled one of the books he found in Hilt Fortress mentioning the moon and night, but he was not proficient at deciphering the ancient Obsidian language. He also did not have the time to translate anything in the book when he found it because he was too busy fending off a bunch of Kobold's. He wondered what it meant. His thoughts were interrupted by William.

"Magnus?" William paused and put his glass down on the counter. "Is everything alright?"

Magnus cleared his throat. It made no sense to him to form a connection if one could not be found, so he did not bother to part this information to William. "Yes, yes. Sorry. I was just thinking about what you said. I can't see any relevance or meaning in your dreams. It's probably nothing."

William looked confused. "Ok. Well, I'm not sure what it all means. If you think of anything let me know." William embraced Magnus, "Good to have you back. We have some new acolytes in town. I'll ask them to speak with Saul and we can start their training. They are all very promising."

"Excellent. Let's just keep quiet about the last group of acolytes." Both men grimaced as they remembered the sacrifice several acolytes made defending Serenite against the attacking Obsidian ships. Magnus poured himself and William another glass. He handed William back his glass and they both drank in silence. William placed his cup back on the counter and nodded his head toward Magnus. Magnus returned the nod. "Good night." William turned around and let himself out.

Later that evening Magnus sat with the Obsidian texts laid out on the table in the Great Library of The Tower. The decanter was empty, and Magnus took his last sip from his glass. He stared at the ceiling as he tried to decipher what he had read in the texts. With no formal translations available, he had to use intuition and make educated guesses about the meaning of what he was trying to translate. He looked down at the book. Magnus' eyes became heavier the more he read.

As he slept, he was unaware that Boris Mondragon and Razulah began a ritual. Drum beats could be heard in Serenite harbor coming from Boris' ship. As Razulah released the spirits a barely noticeable force dispersed from the ship.

The force passed through Magnus. He stirred from his slumber. He lifted his head and wiped the saliva from his face. His eyes focused on the page in the Obsidian text. He spoke one word: "Kazgaroth."

Edvard spoke in Magnus' mind, the first he had spoken in many years since Magnus suppressed his voice. "Kazgaroth, my master."

 

Snow, come take this message to Boris, William and Magnus in Serenite!

My crew and I, hopefully with Rentier and Xak as well, will dock there and continue our journey with camels across the desert. We will arrive in Desolis in ten days if the winds hold steady on the sea. The captain and crew of the Misti Sea will then continue on the journey. She will be waiting at the port in the Bay of Storms with enough food, ammunition and men to engage in any battle .

My two yr old dragon is currently being trained by Maximillian, a very well known trainer in the region, to give transport and to engage in fighting as needed. He will be ready when we arrive in Desolis and will then fly across Novia and into the Hilt Fortress.

Snow brought back a message from the Hilt that many evil Kobolds are gathering in Hilt Fortress to stop us from preventing their evil deeds. It may be wise to bring extra men at this time.

I must tell you that I continue to have very disturbing dreams for many nights now. I hope there will be answers as to what these dreams may mean.

Fly like the wind with this message Snow.

Duchess CatherineRose
Governor of Dragomir Mori

 

William woke up to a bird at his window. At a second glance he noticed it was a all white messenger pidgeon. He lifted the note from the pidgeon and opened it. It is a message from the Duchess of Dragomir, she is on her way to Desolis. He looked at the bird and it didn't seem to want to leave, strange he thought. It just sat there making that pidgeon sound. Perhaps he is hungry, he thought. William has a family of ducks he feeds that frequent his garden, so he always keeps a sack of grain with him. The ducks have gotten used to him so he carries the grain to feed them as he leaves the castle. He poured some on his windowsil and fed the pidgeon. He must have flown a long way, he seemed hungry. After he filled his belly, he flew off.

Damn these nightmares he thought to himself. Another night with only an hour of two of sleep. His head seems heavy as he peers out his windows he notices one of the mages from the tower talking to the guards. Strange, they never come up here... William though to himself.

William makes his way down to the garden and is greeted by his duck family. He smiles and starts giving them grain as he asks the guard to let the acolyte inside.

"How can I help you? William said.

"My Lord, Magnus summons you to his keep." William thought, Magnus summoning me, this is also new. This is getting stranger by the minute he thought to himself.

William made his way down to the Obsidian keep and Magnus greeted him. "William welcome, please come inside." William stood in shock, Magnus had shaved his beard and now has slicked hair and a Dali mustache. His robe also was decorated in Obsidian stones, very extravagant from his normal black robes he thought.

William asked. "Magnus what is it with this new robe and hair?" Magnus replied. " Well I decided its time for change. I have some news, my reasearch at Desolis has led me to believe we can find our answers there. William replied "You mean Kazgaroth?"

Magnus seemed surprised, he chuckled. "Hmm yes Kazgaroth the Terrible!" his eyes widened. William at this point was uneasy around Magnus, however he had saved his life many times and had many chances to take it. After some time chatting he seemed more relaxed, after all Magnus has always been recluse and odd to say the least.

"Lets find Boris and ask him to get ready to move out." William said. William and Magnus made their way to the dock where Boris' ship was anchored.

At the entrance to the ship were a group of sailors waiting to enter the ship. He moved past the line to speak to the gentelman letting people inside. "What is going on here?" William said.

Welcome to the Amnesia, 10 gold for the entrance and 20 gold for a lap dance. William pushed the sailor, get out of my way I will give you 10 years in the mines!

As William stormed into the ship he was greeted with music and several naked women luring him inside to the den at the belly of the ship.

The inside was like a strip club with poles and all. Ladies dancing nude, music playing and women entertaining the guests.

Boris was in the moment with one of the entertainers and did not notice William entering.

William yelled "Boris!! What is this debauchery!!??" Boris face whitened, my Lord I... I... was going to tell you about this. It all just kind of happened. I mean how about some rum and please sit. William looked around, "ladies out of my sight at once! Get some clothes on immediately. Party is over!"

William looked at Boris and smiled "You crazy basterd, an illegal strip club here in Serenite?"

Boris replied, "No this is perfectly legal, we are on water. You own the land and I Boris own the seas. We are in my territory now."

William thought to himself, "You have a point, however perhaps we can work out an arrangement later we have more serious matters to attend to. Can you PLEASE put some clothes on, my eyes have been violated enough for today."

Where is Razulah? We will need some men we are heading down into desolis and meeting Catherine there. Razulah stepped out of one of the rooms putting his shirt on and a woman quickly skirted behind him and ran off.

We are heading out at noon we will assemble here at the docks.

 

Rentier, I am so glad that Snow found you with my urgent cry for help. As you read the waters around Senenite prevent the Misti Sea from landing as planned. Even tho we planned to meet you, and hopefully Xak, in Serenite we have landed instead near the Solace Outskirts. We need your help getting to Desolis. Once we arrive at the entrance into Desolis we will then be able to continue together as planned to meet Duke William, Boris and Magnus in Desolis. We will be waiting for your arrival.

I pace back and forth for having to make such quick change of plans could be a major problem.

"Captain" do not let your guard down for we must see Rentier the minute she arrives. She has a special guide to lead her through Eastreach Gap. This guide is known for his special ability to clear the way of the infested area of skeleton, corpians and desert wolves. She has said that she has hired him many times and is the best in his business. Oh, I do hope that he is as she says he has been in the past but I know how just a small amount of coin offered can sway many guides to be unreliable.

What is getting even more troubling is that the nights are getting so much worse with these incessant dreams I am having. They are mixed with screams and blood and horrible laughter. The music that is heard is going to drive me insane if this does not cease soon. I dread going to my chamber at night for fear of having yet another dream one that is worse than the one before.

Elese, my chamber maid, heard my calls for her and appeared at the cabin door. "Yes, my Lady?" Is my bathing pool ready now? I must feel the soothing water on my skin for I am exhausted after last night's dream. Please pour some oils in the water and wash my back until you feel the tension leaving.

I pray this relaxes me for we must be ready when Rentier arrives to take us into Desolis to meet Boris, Duke William, Magnus and Razulah. We must be fresh of mind enough to discuss the need for this meeting.

 

The tall elegant pirate smiled as all the fine and elegant Gentlemen and a few Ladies were attending the grand opening of his den of pleasure. This was his way of leaving his mark on Novia yet a much deeper intent was part of this den of debauchery. As William had stormed out of his ship both he and Razulah burst out in laughter.

"Brother Razulah, I think the Duke could have used a bit of entertainment and chaos to relieve his stress".

Razulah looked on and laughed but knew Boris had something else going through his mind. "Captain, do ye want the club manager to prepare your bath"

"Aye Razulah, send Magdalena over and make the preparations along with a bottle of that special energizer brew, I was not quite finished when our prudish Duke walked in".

Magdalena walked in with a smile on her face, she handled the entertainment and was an exotic tall woman with Blonde hair, green eyes, a caramel skin that had been caressed by the sea and a voluptuous body that could make kings kneel before her. She had met Boris in one of his stops at Etceter where a vicious slaver had her and her friends captive. Needless to say the slaver had an unfortunate encounter with Boris and is pushing up daisies somewhere in the outskirts of Etceter. He took her hand in his and both stepped into the warm waters of his private bath.

Shortly before noon both Boris and Razulah stepped off the ship and headed toward the Duke's castle. They looked at each other just before arrival and upon meeting the guard burst into laughter. It would be difficult to keep a straight face during this meeting with the Duke. The female guard at the gate stopped both men and spoke in an angry tone.

"Who are ye and who do you seek".

Boris just looked at her and winked while the guard rolled her eyes. "Oh its Captain Mondragon and Razulah, Gentlemen the Duke awaits ye, please hurry".

Boris and Razulah walked into the meeting room to see Duke William pacing back and forth and looking at a large map on a table.

"Duke William, we are here and it is noon, what is on your mind" Boris and Razulah still had this particular grin on their face as they awaited either an answer or more unpleasant comments from the Duke due to their increasing fall into the hands of Chaos.

 

The magic potion Elese gave me brought deep slumber.
The clarity of the dream caused all my being to tense.

I bolt upright from my sleep.

NO! It can not be.

Kazgaroth you evil monster you will not succeed in this plan of yours. The blood dripping from your fingers and your your lips as if you have enjoyed these years of tearing babies from their mother's breasts and piercing their small bodies with your teeth as you force them to watch their babies die. You have become more evil since the day of the last battle between the pirates and cabalists in Dragomir. You are the most hideous of the Evil Lords. You call yourself Lord and have become the strength beyond strength. Your power seems to be unstoppable. Your heart and all who are your followers are beyond redemption. There is no hope for you.

"Snow". Take this message to William and Boris that my sentinel spy has informed me that the troll who protects the Pool of Destiny in Desolis has Alexander John in chains and demands a ransom from Kazgaroth for causing the death of his Obsidian followers. He has informed me that Kazgoroth will do all the evil that he has done in these ages before and since and will exact revenge on all of Dragomir and Serenite and any other town for the deaths of the Obsidian followers.

The troll has Alexander John chained and his mind filled with magic. Kazgaroth intends to prevent Alexander John from remembering his past.

We must soon meet the others to kill the troll in order to remove Alexander's chains.

"Snow, Go Quickly."

 

Rentier was found by her governess messenger, the white raven Snow, despite being way out of contact - after having travelled the moongates, which still seems to mess with her senses as she dreamed about some obsidian mage from the past of the obsidian order.

shaking her head to get clear of the bad dreams she fed the raven with the remnants of her latest catch - some rabbits did not escape her bow.

She was not really surprised to hear about the Misti Sea not being able to get through to Serenite but about the location they made landfall. The coast there is infested with bandits roaming the area and usurping the unwary ship that may seek shelter from the stormy seas in the calm bays.

As the raven was still feeding on the rabbits remnants, she wrote her answer to get to the Outskirts as fast as she could travel to meet up with Lady Catherine.
She put the message on Snow, who still was not ready to fly as long as there is something edible left of the rabbits. Smiling she petted the raven and went to speak with seamus her guide.

She already made contact earlier with Seamus from Greyacre, who was eager to earn some coin to get me through Eastrich Gap to Desolis. As I told him I first need to go to the Outskirts, he said he would await me on the road between Greyacre and Eastrich Gap.

I already know the area south of the mountains but was not in this area for years, so I asked if he would acompany me there - but he was very hesitant and still refused, saying that there were more powerful skeletons around the outskirts since a strange event he could not describe in detail, because he only heard rumors of it - about some reborn ancient blood sourceress.

So I bade him farewell and reassured him that I will be at the appointed area in about 3 weeks at most.

After she left the guide and was out of sight her waterelemental appeared from wherever she was living, making no secret of her feelings of dislike of Seamus, which seems to have increased since the last time she met him.

 

Meanwhile, Below The City of Desolis, Deep in The Epitaph....

As I Slowly regain consciousness and try to make sense of my surroundings, I look down and find myself chained unable to move.

I attempt to free myself but to no avail and thats when i notice that i am inside what kind only be described as a pool of some kind,

The Pool Felt oddly familiar, Almost as if to suggest i knew this place and thats when i began to remember The battle of Dragomir.

Deep in thought i remembered Being victorious over the Cabalist Horde That sieged The town of Dragomir.

I remembered The cabalists being burned at the pyre to remove all trace of them, thats when i noticed Something in the distance.
I Cautiously Went over to investigate and noticed Strange Markings on the Floor, i couldnt Make sense of them but i had a Feeling wash over me as if they were familiar to me,
as i turned to gain the attention of my fellow warriors, I heard a noise behind me and as i drew my sword i was ambushed.
Thats all i could Remember.

Just then, a pair of piercing Blue Eyes Emerged from the Darkness, they continued to approach until a Strange looking Being began to take form. The Being was Looming over me,
His presence alone instilled a fear that whilst it was terrifying, felt familiar.

''At last, You are awake. I have been waiting a long time for you''. trying to make sense of what he was saying i asked him ''Who are you? and where am i??"

"I am surprised you do not remember Me , My name Is Kazgaroth, And i have been watching you for a long time, When i saw you in the battle of Dragomir i was Curious, Because i knew of a warrior who fought like that, So tirelessly, and with such force. Once i ambushed you with the few remaining Cabalist and brought you here, I knew... I knew it was you!''
My Mind Was Clouded and so full of magic i could Barely remember who i was.

Was this strange being trying to suggest we knew each other?
I Continued to struggle against the chains but could not move, The pool i am Chained in seems to be weakening me preventing my escape.

Kazgaroth Came Even closer, Lifting my head with his Finger and Whispered in my ear
''i will use you to Draw them here, to this place and you will watch, as i destroy them''

As i opened My mouth to Further question him, we hear a commotion Over to the left....

 

Evard Dirae smiled through Magnus. This pirate, Mondragon, has truly embraced the Chaos, Evard thought in Magnus' mind as he watched Boris and Razulah grinning at the Duke. Magnus was silenced by a dapening spell Evard placed on his mind. All Magnus could do was experience whatever it was Evard thought or did. He controlled Magnus now, fully and completely. Magnus struggled to gain control to no avail.

Sensing that the Duke's patience was wearing thin, Evard saw an opportunity to continue to sow discord amongst them. He approached William and leaned over, as if to whisper, but spoke so Boris and Razulah could hear. "Duke, I wonder if it is wise to undertake this mission with enebriated pirates who reek as if they've spent the night in a den of inequity." Evard elicited a grimace from the Duke.

William faced his guests. "Gentleman, Magnus has uncovered some information about Kazgaroth. We must head to the city of Desolis to search for more information, and possibly a weapon that can help us defeat the Obsidian Lord. I wonder if you both are up for the task in your current state. Magnus, if you please..."

"There is no need to question or ability or commitment, Duke," Boris chimed in. "We are both capable and willing to see this through. I hear there are casks of ancient rum stored in Desolis, and we would relish the chance to sample some," Boris smiled and looked toward Razulah, who looked equally pleased.

"Enough!" The Duke pounded his fist on the table. "I know not what has overcome each of you, but this is a threat I take most seriously."

Evard interrupted in Magnus' voice: "We should not waste time bickering. Every moment we wait means more time that Kazgaroth grows in strength and gathers more to aid him in his cause. Kazgaroth is evil incarnate. His hunger will never be satiated. He will continue to feed his evil and grow in power. He will stop at nothing until Grunvald is his again. And after that, who knows..." Evard was pleased with himself having provided a sufficient enough story as to be believed by these three men. He knew Boris and Razulah would embrace any plan in their state, but the Duke worried him. Seemingly, the Duke's own hatred of Kazgaroth worked to Evard's advantage. William did not hestitate to trust in Magnus' plan, which made it easier to sway the Duke.

Evard thought about how they would enter Desolis. He thought of how the group would be distracted fighting the Troll. And how they would not notice the trap laid for them by Kazgaroth. Then he thought about how he could steel himself away and help his master by destroying the weapon that could kill him. I will kill Alexander John, and rid Kazgaroth of the one weapon that could destroy him.

In the dark recesses of his mind Magnus struggled to regain control over Evard, but he was helpless against the onslaught of chaos.

 

The group exited Serenite early in the morning and Desolis was a short trip for them. Boris had sent one of his Lieutenants ahead of the party to ensure that the accomodations would be fitting of this group and the impending arrival of Lady Catherine and her retinue. He briefly whispered to Duke William to allow him to get there first and ensure all was in order in Desolis and upon the Duke's Nod of approval stepped ahead of the party. Desolis was a dusty arid town and Boris did not like it much yet it was a convenience in this case. He took the path out of the town towards a large keep like structure and knocked on the door 4 times.

The door opened quietly and Boris stepped inside. A warm smile greeted him and the attractive woman hugged him briefly. " Captain, this good to see you again it seems ye has forgotten about me". He looked at her sensual smile and ran a finger down the side of her face. "Marla, it has been awhile and I am sure everything here is in order. I do not need any surprises for my guests".

"Aye Captain, I have set up two security rings 50 yards and 100 yards out from the premises. These stealthed pirates will not allow anyone but our expected guests to pass through. I do have a surprise for you though, Your room and bath have been prepared and I will come to you once the guests are settled for the night". Marla walked away and winked at Boris as she went about the final preparations.

Boris walked over to the bar near the entrance and poured himself a shot of the specially imbued rum. He then walked to the roof of the secluded property and looked upon the sunset. He noticed two of the steallthed men send a mirror signal to him and used his glass to signal back. He would await the arrival of both the Duke and Duchess' retinues while the warm sunset settled over Desolis. He smiled at the thought of Marla in his bed, it had been a while since he had been with the sultry brunette.

 

The heat of the desert drains you of all your energy in seconds out here. Legend says Grunvald long ago was as green as the lushest forests of all of Novia. Until the Obsidian Shardfall came and that brought the dragons thereafter. These shards the way they mutate everything around them. The vegetation has come to life in some areas around here. Then there is that constant hum that comes from the bigger shards just floating in thin air. They do hold power and some Serenites have devoted their lives to studying them. Like Magnus, he and a few other Novians have written a few volumes on them.

Magnus has spent many hours inside Desolis, studying every inch and he believes what we are looking for is just past the troll room. Just our luck....

This way Magnus waves his hand. William cant help to think how ridiculous he looks with this new mustache, its like tiny crab claws. William chuckles as the group enters Desolis.
Inside Desolis the two groups made light work of the monsters inside. At the entrance were a few kobolds and some spiders down the hallways. It was not long before they reached the troll room.
There the parties prepared for the fight the entrances were barricaded with heavy stones. "A troll with a brain", Magnus said. He placed stones to block intruders out. Magnus reached into a bag and pulled out a jar.
He looked at everyone, and said "Please stand back". Magnus rubbed the ointment on the rocks and walked a few feet away. He then threw the torch at the rocks and what followed was a thundering boom. It sent everyone in the party flying back a few feet and knock them on their backs.

Everyone woke up tied up with the troll and Magnus staring down the party as they shared a cage with a captive. Magnus and the Troll left the room for some time to discuss some matters.

You guys have to help me get out of here! I have been here since the battle of Dragomir. I dont know what they want, but they want me alive for some reason. Which is great, you dont want to be on the trolls menu. He likes to boil his victims alive in that pot over there...

 

ELESE!
Come please pour roses in my bath water. We must be ready to continue on our way to meet everyone in Desolis. Boris said that he has made accommodations for us and we will be quite comfortable tonight.

Captain check the anchor once again and make sure it is secure. Rentier has arrived with the guide she secured so that we will be safe as we continue. Captain, please come to my chambers after you have checked the anchor and have made ready to leave.

"I wonder where he is. He should have been in here already."

As I left my chambers I stumbled and fell over something blocking the hallway. As I bent down I saw a trickle of blood coming from Elese's face.

"What? Who are you? What are you doing? Why are you binding us? No, you must not do this. You...

 

As Both kazgaroth and i directed our attention to the left, a troll came Lumbering through The doorway, Carrying what looked to be some captives.

I looked at them, and they felt familiar to me, as though i knew them somehow, but my mind was still so foggy i Still couldnt remember.

Kazgaroth Sneered ''Throw them in the Cage, I want them to bear witness as i destroy the one thing That can be used against me''.

I struggled against my chains, trying anything i could to free myself, Just then, a feeling washed over me as one of the captives Called to me

''Alexander, Is that you?'' , i looked up at the captive trying to get my attention, Thats when it happened, i closed my eyes and concentrated, harder than i have ever done, and all of a sudden, without warning
A series of images began to flash in my mind, The fog began to clear, and i recognised the person calling to me, It was Catherine Rose, The governess Of the Town dragomir which i helped defend.

''Alexander You Must help us, Please, We need You'' Catherine Shouted.

I felt my strength Slowly Returning , I looked At the cage and then concentrated my gaze upon the Lock, I willed the latch to Unhook and it did.

I Noticed Another of the Captives , It looked Like The Duke William, Ruler of the Serenite Region, He noticed The lock was Undone and began whispering to his friends,

The Troll and an unknown man wandered off into the hallway, their conversation slowly fading from earshot, just then Kazgaroth Began walking towards me, i felt a surge of power course through my Body , and as he kneeled Down to meet my gaze, a noise could be heard similar to that of a door opening, as he turned round The captives Where emerging from the cage.

Kazgaroth, Rattled, Began searching for his Blade, But as he did i willed every Bit of strength i had and Phased through my Restraints, I gripped Kazgaroth By the Throat and told him i would destroy him for what he has done, but as i was About to Eviscerate him, i heard him Chant a phrase, i couldnt quite make it out but there was a blinding flash of light and when the light cleared , Kazgaroth Was gone, and so too was his cauldron.

I helped the Captives to their feet, and we heard footsteps in the hallway, as the troll and the unknown Man came in, i gripped the captives and Closed my eyes, Envisioning a safe place, when i opened my eyes, we were in a town i couldnt remember yet it felt familiar,

The captives explained that this was my town and that somewhere hidden within it was the key to recovering my lost memories.

 

Magnus sneered, a reaction from Evard. He faced the Troll and said, "You have done well General Kapersic, continue your charge." With that, the Troll turned around and went back to the rotunda to continue guarding the Pool of Destiny for all eternity.

Magnus turned toward Kazgaroth. "My liege," he said as he bowed his head.

"Who are you?" Kazgaroth was perplexed, but intrigued that this human Outlander showed no fear of him.

"I am Evard Dirae, your first acolyte. I possess the body of this Outlander." Magnus winced. I will not let you regain possession of your body, Magnus.

"Impossible . . ." Kazgaroth began to say before he was interrupted by Evard.

"And yet, here I stand. You will recall my experiments with melding various humanoids. The Troll that stands guard outside, he was my final creation before I was forced to conduct my last experiment . . ."

"You succeeded in your transference experiments," Kazgaroth replied, more of a statement than a question. "I have use of you, Evard."

"Anything my master commands," Magnus said as he lifted his head to display Evard's triumph.

"We must go to Hilt Fortress. It is there where my plans will take shape. But first, you must follow Alexander John. He has likely headed to Alexandria. You must stop him and his companions before he recovers his memories. Meet me at the Fortress once you are done." And with that, Kazgaroth raised his right hand, clenched his fist, and disappeared in a shroud of darkness.

 

The explosion sent Boris flying against the wall as he was the closest to it when it happened. Razulah went over to him and noticed blood on the captains' face. He reached down to help him up and noticed that Boris seemed to be looking back and forth trying to place his voice.

"Razulah, I cannot see, I am blind".

Razulah turned pale at the thought of his captain losing his vision and quickly ripped the sleeves off his shirt. He took his medicine pouch and sprinkled some herbs on the makeshift bandage, He poured water on the other sleeve and cleaned the captain's face. The bleeding had stopped from a gash along his forehead but he was more concerned about his loss of vision.

"Captain, I will bandage your eyes and with the herbs it should keep the area form infection. It appears there are no foreign objects and you must be suffering temporary blindness due to the blast. Stay calm and let me lead you out of this place".

Boris stood up slowly and reached out for his Lieutenant's arm. "Just lead me to Kazgaroth. you know what I must do to his cauldron. I had the dream again and I know how this will end. Once it is over I want you to destroy my cauldron as its customary, set me out to sea on a longboat and light the embers as you push me out ".

Razulah wished there was something he or someone else could do but this was the reason Boris had come to Novia and it was etched in stone. "Aye Captain, I will lead you to the beast and ensure you do what you must. I will respect your wishes for the aftermath."