Sorrow Hill

Excavation Report - 34

The ruins surrounding Sorrow Hill are believed to be picked clean, possibly by scavangers. Please keep in mind that these ruins have been around for centuries, fog or no fog.

At your request, we are attempting to enter the Obsidian Tower. That it has remained untouched and unopened for this long speaks of powerful magic, possibly left over from the Cabalists themselves.



Sebastian Graynight, Governor of Knightmare Falls, leaned back and rubbed his forehead, squinting at the words written. The dim candlelight, far dimmer than he was used to, danced as stray gusts of wind blew through the shuttered windows of the stone structure commandeered to be the administration building.

"My kingdom for a flashlight," he sighed, remembering the good old days, good old world, of electricity and cell phones. With another sigh and a quick massage of his neck, he picked up the next in a long line of reports.


Excavation Report - 37

We have attempted to counter the magic of the Tower with our own, to unexpected results. Three more excavators have perished in the attempt. At your request, we have hired the services of a mage to investigate. She has stated the aura of Death magic is very strong, and has warned against summonings.


"Probably should ban Death Magic as well," Sebastian muttered, looking around for his quill. Dipping the feather into the inkwell, he made a slow count of two before lifting it, letting it drip. It had taken him near on three months to figure out how these primitive writing utensils worked, but he prided himself on being able to now make mostly legible notes.

Finishing his quick notes and leaving the page to dry, Sebastian stood up, stretching his back. It had seemed so much fun at first. Get sucked into a world of swords and magic; be the hero, save the world, and go home.

That had been many... many years ago. Now he was Governor of a once abandoned town; Governor simply because no one else wanted to put up with the bureaucracy. Caring for the land, taxes, housing, and lots of paperwork. If left to itself, the land would either become an overgrown Forest with monsters running rampant, or another bordertown filled to the brim with assassins and thieves. At least under his leadership; dictatorship, he thought sadly, the town was thriving once again.

Or had started, until that damnable tower had been discovered. The people who lived in the area had always been superstitious about the Hill. Rumors of great wars being fought, of how the town had once been a shining becon of hope... and how the tower had been erected when the Obsidians had destroyed everything, only to have the Obsidians die out within weeks of the completion. Where he was from, it would be considered rumors and nonsense. Where he was now... well, even rumor could have the element of truth.

It had take himself and his companions, Vindorein and Daemoh, three weeks of hard labor to cut the overgrown trail that had once been the main road back to a usable state. And another four to convince others to actually step foot on the Hill itself.

The Hill itself had been covered in fog; strange when you think about it, as fog should always occur at the lowest point. Perhaps a cloud then, locked on top of the mountain. But once they had cleared away the last of the rotting growth the sun had appeared, revealing ruins of an ancient city. And that tower.

At first glance, the top of the Hill had looked like any other ruin. Broken stone buildings, graves both marked and unmarked... but the tower that rose overlooking the town was untouched by age. The fence surrounding it was corroded with rust, fallen down in places where the stones of other ruins had collapsed upon it, but the tower had an aura of agelessness... and malice.

Sebastian sighed, an action he had been performing too many times for his liking lately, and sat back down, his hand going to the reports. His foreman, a capable lady with a voice like a bard and a fist like a blacksmith, had been sending him weekly reports on the excavation. He tapped his fingers on the desk, then rifled through the pages, finding an earlier report.


Excavation Report - 7

We have finished the remaining cleanup of the roads. Based on the placement of the ruins and the broken stones we have seen, we theorize that this was originally the town square. An additional road has been found and cleared, leading down the hill toward the docks. It is assumed this led to the lower town and assisted in restocking supplies. Additionally, we found the remains of a road leading out of the town.

The graveyard you were interested in has a new living occupant, a caretaker named Memory. She is a shriveled old hag with a strange sense of humor, and not a one of us can remember when she showed up or how. The guards you have patrolling swear they didn't see her enter.

Requesting additional guards, both to keep looters out as well as keep the peace with the excavators. Drinking has become a problem lately, and we have had three injuries due to inebriated workers


Hmmmmm... The appearance had been strange, but so far the caretaker had not caused any issues. Where she had come from and what she was doing there, that was another matter.

With a yawn and another half-hearted stretch, Sebastian went back to reading his reports. It was going to be another long evening of paperwork.

 

"Catch you later Mal, maybe we can hit up some burgers."

"Do they even have burgers?"

"No, we'll slaughter a cow and let the butcher grind it up."

"Appetizing."

"Yippo. See yah"

Sebastian gave a half-hearted wave to Vindorein and headed back to the Administration building. The sun was beginning to set, the shattered moon above glowing brightly in the sky above. The day had been uneventful, if you considered patrolling the roads for bandits, guarding the miners from Kobold attacks and hunting food uneventful. The day had passed quickly before the trio had returned to Knightmare Falls; Daemoh back to her mansion in the estates (Titans knew where she found the gold to purchase it or the crafters to build it), Vindorein to his island, and Sebastian to the administration building.

Taking flint from his belt pouch and lifting it to the wall torch, Sebastian ran his dagger across it, raising sparks. "Come on," he grumbled, making more passes. "Light, light." The torch on the wall stayed dark, refusing to ignite.

"Dangit, would you freaking light already?!" The Governor cleaved into the flint, nearly severing his own fingers in the process. The sparks flew across the oil soaked torch, winking out before one found purchase. The torch smoked oily blackness before bursting into flames, nearly taking an eyebrow with it.

Sebastian grabbed the nearest candle and used the torch to light it, then proceeded to use the candle to ignite the remaining wall torches. "Candle first then torch, idiot," he muttered to himself.

Making his way to the room he had claimed as his study (office, but the natives gave him weird looks when he called it that), he lit the candlebras and sat down at his desk, looking at the pile of papers sitting there. More reports. He picked up the first one.


Excavation Report - 40

With the road near the docks opened, we have moved our staging area down the hill. This is both to help with transporting, once you have granted permission, and to alleviate the workers fears. I have had to dismiss one of the senior diggers due to his screaming in the middle of the night. Workers have reported less nightmares since this move.

Without using the ruins as a staging area, I request additional space to place any artifacts found. Somewhere secure.

Sebastian looked up and rubbed his temples. "This place has a basement. They can throw their junk here."

Additionally, reports of a cavern or catacomb have been cross-referenced. Though no additional facts have come forward, we believe that the hill may contain underground passages used by the Obsidians.

"Now that is interesting. Let's get a bulldozer in and just start digging. Oh wait, we can't. Shovel's it is." He sighed and skimmed through the remaining reports, stopping at random.

Excavation Report - 42

... don't know why you insist on not allowing us to excavate the burial sites...

"The dead deserve some respect."

... makes it difficult to determine. Again asking permission to remove the covers of the three buried behind the tower...

"Permission denied."

... allow a greater insight into the events that befell this location.

"Not that hard to figure out. They came, they saw, the destroyed, they left."

Excavation Report -44

Successfully breached the magic barrier of the tower. Have sent in armed guards to make an initial sweep of the area, as per your instructions. I swear, if they touch anything but the floor, you will find their bodies floating in the harbor.

Sebastian smirked.

As always, requesting additional guards. Empahsizing this request as the tower looks to be untouched and unlooted (I took a quick peek). I also request that once the tower has been secured, you get off your backside off your cushioned chair and make the horribly long journey up here to see it for yourself.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll bring Vin with me. As long as he doesn't summon anything, we should be fine." The governor closed his eyes and yawned. "Enough of this." Setting the reports down, he made his way up the stairs. Somewhere on the top floor there was a bed, and he wanted to face-plant onto it.

 

Graynight, I really liked this. I especially liked the descriptions of the character dealing with the lack of technology ( mine has a pewter bowl under a chair in her bedroom for a chamber pot - no way am I going to an outhouse in the middle of the night!). The story makes me want to know what happens next.

 

Thank you. This is kind of the precursor for my town, Knightmare Falls. I figure once the story here is caught up, the adventure will be available in town. (As Governor, I currently have the tower locked down due to some unforeseen deaths. I'm hoping to reopen it soon)