Durnath -
Prologue - The
halls of Mogaruith - Chapter 2 - The Fire Egg - The Dwarven Lords - The Phoenix
- The
Harpies - Hall of
Legends - The
Ancient Library - Farpoint
Spring - The Guardian - Shrine of Durnath - Gozer - The Prison
Cells - Scharch - Mogdath - Daz - Khazim - The Ferryman - Hall of Illusions - The Lost Halls of Acharon - Entering Arundel
Resumé:
Wren was only a
child when she was forced to leave her home and parents.
A raiser of spirits had arosen and his goal was clear. He would
conquer the world and use it as he pleased.
This would be devastating to all life and Wren had to find a way
back to the firstborn peoples of the elves, the dwarves, the
halflings and the giants.
Only they would know what could be done to save the world from
destruction.
In order to reach Arundel, the lands of the first borns, Wren
found the long forgotten gate leading into the mountain of
Durnath, where the dwarves once had built a mighty kingdom.
As Wren (after many adventures in Dead Forest) finally reached
the gate, dwarven warriors were fighting an undead presence which
tried to stop her.
However, under Wren's command the dwarves fought with bitter
determination crushing a horde of skeletons, zombies and wights,
led by three liches.
Prologue - Durnath, the
old dwarven kingdom
Upon defeating the last
lich, everything gets quiet for a brief moment.
Then a dwarf approaches Wren and her friends.
"We are greatful for your assistance. Without your help I
doubt we would have been able to defeat those creatures".
"I am Daurin, King of Durnath... what is left of it..."
"We are in a desperate situation. Many of my people have
been killed and captured by the dreadful forces you just
witnessed".
"This is our last resort, I fear. I don't know how much
longer we can hold out before everything is lost".
"There is a way...", an old dwarf with long greyish
beard comes up to the king.
"This is Kor-Dur, my late father's advisor", Daurin
says, introducing the old dwarf with a proud smile.
"Daurin, I remembered an old legend I heard when I was
young...". The old dwarf hesitates for a moment...
"Let's see if I can recall it... hmmm... yes... this might
be our only chance to stop the invaders...
Somewhere in the mountain, before our ancestors built Durnath...
very long ago... an ancient Mage built a secret
throne-room".
"Why he chose this place I don't know, but maybe it is
linked to the undead somehow.
The legend talks of powerful guardians and hoards of treasure and
artifacts too, but I wouldn't put too much belief in those
stories...". Kor-Dur hesitates again but continues...
"But maybe, somehow, we can gain help from these guardians
and destroy the undead forces that now invade us and have already
devastated the Halls of Durnath.
The legend also tells of a female elf and her friends coming to
restore the throne room when dark times befall upon us..."
Astonishment and hope fills the dwarves' eyes as more dwarven
fighters gather closer to listen to Kor-Dur.
"Set out guards! Report back to me immediately if you see
any undead", Daurin commands to his officers. "We are
returning to the village".
A few battle experienced dwarves are assigned as guards and Wren,
her party and the Dwarves start walking further into the dark,
scarsely lit corridors of Durnath.
"Come, we need to talk in private", Daurin explains and
leads the way for an hour, deeper and deeper into the mountain,
finally reaching a small village made up by worried dwarves who
not long ago had to abandon their homes because of the sudden
undead invasion.
Now the story
continues, but first - let's turn our attention to a different
place...
[read 'The
halls of Mogaruith']
The halls of Mogaruith
The Observer overlooked a gigantic
fortress made out of black stone. Around it, a huge black city
rested in an area of lifeless volcanic plain. From far and nearby
mines, loads of black cargo arrived and was used as fuel for the
countless workshops producing weapons and arms. So much black,
sulphurous smoke did they release, that the whole area was dark
and no normal daylight could be seen. So terrible was the air,
that no living creatures could stand it more than a few years.
The whole area was a display of gloom and horror to every living
creature.
Here resided no living creatures apart from the multitude of
miserable and dying slaves who had to work as labour in this
darkest of dark places.
Being an Observer, it had no emotions and was therefore Objective
and had no cares about 'good' or 'bad' or anything else for that
matter. It could not make any decisions and did not act. It
existed everywhere and nowhere at all times. Its purpose was
simple - to be the eyes of its master, Fate (or Destiny as it
also is called).
Fate would then decide the general lines of progress...
In the huge, chilly throne-room of Mogaruith, a messenger arrives
to convey news to Dakoth.
The messenger is clad in a black robe and has bony hands which he
extends in a deep bow in front of Dakoth who is sitting on his
throne.
"Ssireh, reports of an elf opening the gate to Durnath have
been confirmed by our advanced scouts inside the halls of the
mountain. We know who she is and where she came from", the
messenger wheezes.
Then he briefly reports about Wren's home village.
"Destroy that village but spare one villager to be brought
to me!"
Hissing furiously, Dakoth thinks "They will pay for their
aid in letting the elf getting away...".
"Wait, on second thoughts, bring the whole village here - we
need more labourers in the mines", Dakoth redirects the
messenger and laughs hollowly.
"Now begone, I have assault plans to finish!"
---
[end of 'The
halls of Mogaruith' - continue by reading Chapter 2]
Chapter
2
During the long walk down the narrow
tunnels of Durnath's hastedly and lately built tunnels you (Wren)
start to worry about your friends (- that is the human friends;
Eldur and Giljath are elves like you and you are certain they
will be alright even down here).
Ivil, and Filundrus are unusually quiet and seem very uneasy.
Ariel and Kara are more calm and observe the surroundings
carefully, almost as if looking for new species of plants and
herbs.
Arathor is (as always) in your vicinity, being protective and
alert to any physical dangers that might threaten you.
You sense that he is very attached to you but that is not an
immediate problem.
Tuvinel doesn't seem well at all and she is almost in tears. You
realize that you have to talk to her and find out what is
happening to her. Eldur and Giljath have also noticed her state
and give you their silent support. Could it be the absence of the
skies above that is affecting her?
You ask Daurin to halt the march a while and let you rest.
He looks a bit surprised and a little annoyed but accedes to your
request.
You take Tuvinel aside and ask her in your friendly manner, with
your melodic elvish accent;
"I see great pain in your eyes, please tell me what is
making you feel this way."
Tuvinel tries to hold herself together and to be 'strong' but her
emotions are too overcoming and she bursts into tears.
"I-it f-feels as if my mind and soul are being ripped apart
and drained", she sobs and shivers violently.
"I don't know why this is happening to me and I can't stand
it any longer". Tuvinel cries with pain and you see that her
emotional condition is very unbalanced and distressed.
"When did all this start", you ask mildly and hold her
closely.
"I, I don't know", she squeaks and cries to your
shoulder.
"Is it because we are in these tunnels", you say
gently.
"No, I've experienced it before, but now it is becoming
unbearable", Tuvinel sobs.
"Maybe it is connected with the magic you are using",
you say and look into her anguished eyes.
Before Tuvinel can collect herself to answer, Giljath comes up to
you, saying;
"I think you are right, Wren. It is likely the using of
magic that is causing this state of chaos in her mind. I have
observed these things and it seems as if you get a huge emotional
boost of 'power' and 'confidence' when you are successful in
'taming' the energies involved in the magic-using. However, there
is of course a dangerous reaction as well. To simplify it as much
as possible you could say that it is kind of like a huge wave. As
it comes in to the shores and you are on top of it and are swept
forward along its direction it is great. But afterwards you can
easily get caught in the surge towards the open sea again and if
this happens, you're lost. I guess this is why many magic users
go mad and so. They simply can't handle the enormous emotional
stress that magic has on the user".
"What can we do to help Tuvinel", you ask, as you are
comforting her.
"First, she may not use any magic at all but as she is in a
very distressed state already, we need to put her mind at ease. I
know of some methods to make her sleep but I it won't cure her,
only delay her rapidly worsening condition. Maybe there are
herbs... I am not sure".
Eldur comes up to you accompanied by Ariel and Kara.
You continue comforting poor Tuvinel as Giljath explains the
situation to Ariel and Kara, and asks if there might be any herbs
or so that might help releave the pain until you can reach
Arundel, where Tuvinel probably has the best chances of getting
balanced again.
Unfortunately they haven't come across the appropriate
ingredients for such a medicine in Deep Swamps, but there might
be some fungi in this subterranian environment that could have
the same properties as the medicine they are referring to.
At any rate, they will be searching for fungi and ask around
among the dwarves when you reach the dwarven settlement.
Giljath asks you to go and ask Daurin to prepare a stretcher for
Tuvinel. He will put Tuvinel to sleep.
Giljath then sits down on the ground with Tuvinel and places his
fingers around her temples. He talks to her slowly and
comforting...
Daurin is not amused by the situation.
"By Moradin's hammer, what is happening! How are ye supposed
to be of any help if ye aren't even well. Can't you leave the
humans and continue? They shouldn't be here anyway!"
"Don't get carried away by some emotional outbursts. That
would be pointless", you reply.
"Aye, you're an elf if I ever saw one. Always rambling about
harmony and emotions. Very well, but you will do nobody a favour
if ye can't help out down here and that's the Truth, simply
put!", Daurin snarls.
"The truth is always in the eyes of the beholder, my friend.
We can't turn our backs on the needing, that would be to show
disrespect to Life. For now, I would be most grateful if we could
help each other and not argue."
"I am not argu... Ah, what's the point discussing with an
elf - you don't listen anyway!", Daurin mutters.
You give him a warm friendly smile.
"I knew it! You elves always respond with a smile like that
in the end! 'Tis so aggrevating!" Daurin finishes.
You notice that he has a bit of a problem holding back a smile
himself, but he covers it with a stern look in his face to
instill authority over his dwarven subjects (?).
Well, anyway - he arranges a stretcher to be brought to the now
sleeping Tuvinel and you continue the march to the dwarven
settlement.
Yet an hour later, you finally reach the small dwarven refuge. It
mainly consists of small cottages in a tremendously large cavern.
The cottages surround a large tent building with dwarven
standards in front of it, set up on mithril pikes.
Daurin leaves the rest of the group and signs to you to follow
him into the tent.
Meanwhile Kor-Dur makes arrangements for the rest of the party.
The interior of the tent is spartan, with the exception of a very
decorated throne of some black material.
Daurin makes his way to the throne and sits down. You sit down on
a cushion facing the throne.
"Now, then. As you have witnessed, terrible undead invaders
have taken us completely by surprise, aided by High Undead Lords
wielding powerful magicks and raising the undead as they fall for
the mighty blows of our axes.
We have been forced to retreat and regroup here at the very edges
of Durnath".
You sit in silence, urging him to continue.
"It started merely a winter ago. Some of our miners returned
home one day, reporting strange sounds in a newly built tunnel
(- Offmap - this map only covers a part of Durnath). They were
not taken seriously and the next day they didn't return from
work. That very night our shaman, Kor-Dur had a strange dream
where the Mountain Spirit told him that cursed spirits were
amassing and preparing an assault and that actions had to be
taken immediately or the kingdom would be destroyed.
"I was a fool for not listening to him. We've lived here for
so long and not since the days of our first king, Kalin, have
there been a war, except for scirmishes with various scavengers
and other dwellers in this mountain. I was certain that he
referred to such beings and I felt sure they could not pose a
threat to our well equipped forces.
Durnath has developed much since the days of Kalin and there are
more tribes of dwarven kin living in other parts of the mountain.
We don't usually communicate very much, but just as a precaution
to honour the wisdom of Kor-Dur, I dispatched a group of
messengers to the other tribes to hear if something seemed wrong.
They have yet to return...", Daurin says sadly.
"Shortly thereafter more miners went missing and the runners
looking for them also didn't return.
"Then the assault came and we scrambled to arms but were no
match for the High Undead Lords and their abilities".
"So, what can you do for us? You showed us how to defeat the
undead despite their overwhelming strength. I think this
seriously crippled them as they were launching a decisive attack
just as we were sealing the final tunnel leading to the Halls -
at least the final known tunnel".
"I will try to find the means to defeat the undead. But I
would be grateful for any assistance", you answer.
"Well, I wish you luck - you'll need it. As for assistance I
can only offer you two of our veteran fighters. They are familiar
with Durnath and very capable. At the moment they are on guard
duty, so go to them and see what you can do. I will not expect
any miracles, though. I only believe in you out of respect to
Kor-Dur who seems to put a lot of faith in you. Now prepare for
the mission and may Durnath be with you!"
You spend the
next day preparing for the journey. Ariel & Kara wanders off
to search for possible ingredients that may help Tuvinel. Eldur
and Giljath tell you that they will be looking after Tuvinel on
the journey (- that means they can't participate in combat
situations on the map) and you agree that that is the best
solution.
As 'night' falls Ariel and Kara are nowhere to be seen and asking
around among the dwarves yields nothing.
Kor-Dur suggests that you should rest while he sends some fast
dwarven runners to search for Ariel and Kara. You thank him
appreciativly and go to sleep (- elves don't sleep like normal
humans, though. They meditate for about three hours and sleep
naturally for about two hours. This seems to envigorate them the
most).
As morning comes the runners have returned with bad news. Ariel
and Kara have disappeared. You are now forced to leave without
them and can only hope that they are alright and that you will
find them or they will find you.
(- If you are wondering what happened to Ketolous; he returned
back on the way to Elusia. That was his wish and you didn't wish
to ask of him that he should stay)
[End of Chapter 2 - Begin the map...]
The Fire Egg
As the secret slide door opens, you
step through (amazed), and trot along (carefully) through a long,
ancient tunnel covered with dust on reddish soil. Along the
walls, lines of ornated torch sockets give the impression of an
ancient passageway leading maybe from catacombs up to a temple or
a shrine. A strange impression is the light emanating from pores
in the 'torch sockets' (- you have a feeling that the torch
sockets aren't 'torch sockets'). How could these sockets
illuminate the corridor... without torches attached...(and) after
such a long period of time (- judging from the dust layers of the
floor) of being abandoned?
The corridor slopes upwards and finally you come to a big double
door of solid mithril.
As you get within a metre of the double doors, they silently open
inwards, revealing a huge oval hall filled with pools of fiery
liquids.
The fiery light would be incredibly intense were it not dimmed
and partly absorbed by the semi reflecting walls and the ceiling,
both which are obviously made of unknown materials.
The walls and the ceiling are highly decorated with pictures of
all kinds of beings - some slightly familiar and the rest
entirely unfamiliar - in a world that looks extremely beautiful
but at the same time violent and destructive. You can see that
some creatures are depicted as destroyers and the hieroglyphs (on
the obsidian floor) seems to explain and warn of what those
destructive creatures had done to that world.
In the center of the oval shaped hall rests a book upon a
pedestal and a metre beside it stands a wand like structure of
black metal (the top formed like a claw), grasping a faintly
firish glowing Egg.
The wand is firmly buried in the obsidian floor.
A faint mental sensation for help seems to emanate...from the
egg!
You urge the others to stay put but let Arathor join you in
investigating the strangely decorated book (written on leaves of
some kind of metallic but perfectly smooth and easy to handle
materials), as he is concerned of your well being.
To your big surprise you see that two of the pages in the book
are written in elvish.
The first page says (you mumble it as you read):
"I am Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow, and I have the power
to be born a second time.
I am the divine hidden Soul who created the Gods and gives
Sepulchral meals to the denizens of the deep, the place of the
Dead, and Heaven... (here the text is again unknown, but it
continues a bit further down)
Hail, lord of the shrine that stands in the center of the earth.
He is I, and I am he!"
Beneath is written "- From Book of the Dead".
The other page is filled with hieroglyphs but contains one
passage, reading:
"The burning lashes of Hél whips our heels as we try to
flee its horrible embrace...(unfamiliar hieroglyphs)...
...There can be no escape from the relentless beasts of
destruction..."
As you are reading, an upsetting motion in the lava pools starts
to grow and you quickly retreat to the rest of the party as a
terrible creature materializes between the wand and the pedestal!
"Aműn Ghátah - Khorim Li!", the creature thunders and
continues with a twisted sound;
"Mortals and Elves! This is no place for you! Surrender your
lives without a fight and I will grant you a quick death!"
"Begone, or by Eledain, I will send you back to the flames
that spawned you", Arathor says with a firm, loud voice.
"Mwuuhahaha, so the human in steel has foolish 'courage'. I
can't be killed(!), but you can..."
"We had no intention to disturb anyone when entering here.
We are looking for two of our friends. However, we sensed a cry
of help from that 'egg' over there. Might you be able to explain
this, strange one?", you say in your (always) friendly
manner.
"Ah, courteous elf woman... You bring my thoughts back to
the days when I was...
No! Nooo! Don't try to trick me with your innocent appearance and
soft voice! I can never be freed from this eternal damnation. You
and your likes made me give up my soul to my master...all I ever
wanted was that Sevirel should love me...He promised me her in
exchange for my soul...why...why did I agree", the creature
moans with a tearing disrupted voice.
You can picture his pain in a most clear way and it is very
profound - he must have caused Sevirel's death; an elf could
never be with a human, not like husband and wife, anyway.
For a moment the demon almost loses his hatred and hostility but
maybe his master noticed it for the next moment he is cold (or
should I say flaming hot) with rage and his voice reflects this
when he utters these last words before attacking:
"The Egg will be served to Zhűl! You will die for your
intrusion!"
Arathor draws his sword, anticipating the next move of the
creature and charges forward with a mighty crusader battle cry;
"For Eledain!"
[Resolve the
clash with the demonic guardian, then continue this entry]
The poor(?) demon has been vanquished but not released from his
eternal pain, you fear. You know that the demon would have killed
you if you hadn't vanquished him first but that does not make it
easier on you. You used lethal force - are you any better than he
is? This tragic dilemma will be in your elvish mind all the time
until you get to Arundel where the elves will help you.
You are awakened from your troubled mind by the Egg which
emanates a strong wish to be taken away from here and placed
somewhere else (- preferably where it can hatch!).
[By visiting
the light blue Tent, you will bring along the Egg]
[End of The
Fire Egg]
The Dwarven Lords
You stand at the gates of a
dark, cold and ancient dwarven cemetery.
"This is the long forgotten cemetery of the Dwarven
Lords", Rindur shudders.
"If you did something really stupid when you were a child,
you would hear that you would be taken by the spirits of the
Dwarven Lords if you did not go to the Shaman and talk to him.
The Dwarven Lords were a group of nobles who were very greedy and
wanted power above all. They murdered Queen Gwinna (- that would
be the 5th regent of the Durnathi dwarf tribe, if I am not
mistaken), and put themselves in power. They ended up fighting
amongst themselves, tearing up the entire queendom. A curse lies
over all four of them. I never thought I would actually stand in
front the gates of their cursed tombs. No dwarves have visited
this place since they were buried here, around a thousand winters
ago! It is rumoured that they had accumulated great treasures,
which were sent in the graves with them. Nobody wanted to have
anything to do with them, not even their Axes! I fear this place
as much as I fear the Undead, please let us return", Kaldor
finishes.
[Continue this
entry if you wish to continue anyway]
You open the ancient gates
which give way with a screeching, metallic sound. The surrounding
is utterly dark and chilly.
Arathor lights a couple of new torches and hands them to Ivil and
Filundrus.
(Arathor to Ivil): "You go with me in front..."
(Arathor to Filundrus): "and you go with Wren in the
back."
(Arathor to Giljath): "Maybe you three should wait here,
we'll be back soon". Giljath agrees.
The slithering road ahead is covered with pebbles which resemble
small skulls. Each of these pebbles was a victim of the cruel
rule of the Four, according to the dwarves (- symbolically,
naturally).
[Continue this
entry when prompted by the map]
After a while you get a glimpse of the contours of a dark
mausoleum.
A rattling sound of bone is heard from within the closed gates of
the mausoleum (- I wouldn't dare to venture inside that
mausoleum, if I were Wren, and I'm not, but if I were, somehow)
and you all stop.
As you wait in front of the mausoleum, indecisive about what to
do next, a muffled ringing sound emanates from within the
mausoleum and the double doors leading in to the mausoleum slowly
open!
Three pale spirits slowly levitate out of the mausoleum (you have
no idea as to why - and should they not be four?) but they stop
dead(!) in their tracks as they obviously sense your presence.
"Reveeenge!", the front spirit suddenly wheezes and
they launch forward with incredible speed in order to drain you
of all the life contained within your bodies...
[Resolve the
combat situation]
The spirits have been
banished, at least for the moment. At the gate door of the
mausoleum a large and exceptionally strong round shield is
attached on the door and Ivil releases it without triggering any
concealed traps and gives it to Arathor.
"Well done, Ivil! This Enchanted Shield may help us in
coming troubles", Arathor exclaims enthusiastically.
Ivil looks proud but is a bit dissapointed that Tuvinel wasn't
here to see the 'good work' of his.
Kaldor: "Let us leave now! We will all be cursed into evil
spirits if we stay! I'm turning back right now!"
Rindur: "And so am I!"
[End of The
Dwarven Lords]
The Phoenix
As you approach the abrupt end of the
tunnel, the Fire Egg starts to generate mental sensations of
excitement. You get the notion that it wants you to look for a
suitable hatching place! Everybody senses this and start looking
for anything that will satisfy the Egg! Not very surprisingly(!),
Ivil and Filundrus uncover some strange inscriptions, not
visible, but touchable. They call for you to have a feel at the
symbols.
It feels rather like Press
the last letter of Egg to reveal the Candelabra.
The symbols are very rare. You recall your mother,
Elana, teaching you ancient elvish written language. You were
only about five springs of age and a very inquisitive little elf
girl. The knowledge that you learned then will help you now.
The party watches as you find and press one of the symbols in the
wall. A quiet rumble follows and a section of the floor is opened
as a strange golden Candelabra with a fire bowl instead of
candles slowly rises through the dark space beneath the floor.
A moment later it has risen through the floor, standing
on a podium which is now the new floor.
You immediately sense that the egg wishes to be placed in the
bowl and so you bring it forth and place it there, gently.
What happens next is truly a remarkable and exclusive sight.
The Egg and the bowl seem to merge into a bright light and with a
lightwave the egg and the bowl have been replaced by a fiery bird
of exquisite beauty.
"I thank you for my birth, dear friends", it sings.
"I know of your hardships, and even though I am neutral in
these matters, I will help you once now and once in the future.
For now you need guidance. Follow the tunnel behind this wall and
you will reach the shrine of Durnath or the guardian of
Zaedra".
With a breath of intense fire, the Phoenix melts the natural wall
and a secret tunnel behind it is revealed.
"Now I will leave you, travel wisely", it sings and
disappears.
[End of The
Phoenix]
The Harpies
The roughly carved tunnel seems to
open up in a cavern, further ahead.
This red soiled tunnel was not built by dwarves (- the argument
between Rindur and Kaldor further back was over who could have
constructed this tunnel; they let you know this when you asked
them after they had cleared an opening in the wall. Actually the
technique being used seems based on primitive tools but deep
understanding about tunnel stability and the two dwarves couldn't
agree on who carved this tunnel).
As you near the spring it becomes evident that other creatures
inhabit this cavern.
You reach the spring and the fresh water envigorates you and
relaxes you. Kaldor and Rindur decide that they will scout the
immediate surrounding (- you get the notion that they wish to get
away for a while, strictly hush hush, of course) and return with
news.
Meanwhile you tend to Tuvinel and meditate while the others are
occupied with equipment maintenance.
Some time later, the dwarves return, reporting of a huge rift in
the eastern part of the cavern and of winged creatures who
according to them are "probably intelligent, very hostile
and aggressive, and should be left alone".
You prepare to leave...
[1) You wish
to visit the winged creatures - maybe they have information about
Ariel and Kara - procced to 1 when the harpies address
you]
[2) You decide that if they are hostile, Ariel and Kara would
have avoided them, and so will you - proceed
to 2]
1) Despite the warning of the dwarves (- this may by the way
be the reason why the dwarves seek to be by themselves; you don't
seem to listen to them very much, do you?), you decide to try to
communicate with them.
You head off eastwards, towards the rift. The croaking and
flapping sounds intensify and suddenly a strange ferocious
looking creature accompanied by 7 sisters swoop down from beyond
the rift.
"Craaw, craaw - at last dinner, sisters, dinner and
treasure!"
They attack before you get the chance to ask them anything!
[The Ring - 'Lefaleth' - is a long lost elvish parting gift to
the dwarves]
2) You
listen to the dwarves and
follow their advice. Soon you are out of hearing range of the
spring and the harpies.
[End of The
Harpies]
Hall of Legends
You reach a splendid door made
entirely of mithril. Kaldor and Rindur stare at the fine art of
craftmanship that has been put into this door. Signs in Old
Dwarvish say:
"Enter the Hall of Legends"
You touch the door and it slides into the mountain, revealing a
magnificent hall filled with scrolls of ancient times.
The scrolls are historic and tell stories about days with
conflict and peace. They are so old that they even tell the
stories of the Wars of the Elves. Those forlorn times were before
the Elves learned from their mistakes (when they were in
disharmony).
Some scrolls are prophetical and a few even mention Durnath.
You wonder who have written all these scrolls over the times.
[Read Legend 1
and Legend 2 when prompted by the map]
Legend of Mogdath
(i.e Legend 1)
...And in the far eastern land of Karn, during the regency of
Zaedra, a member of the Order of the Golden Sickle arose. His
name was Mogdath and when he came to be known, he bore the title
of Black Knight Lord whithin the order. He was an awesome fighter
and wielder of Dweomer. All over Karn people whispered his name
in fear, for he was a very evil man.
He had great plans of becoming the ruler of Karn but he also had
many enemies...
However, his plans were in vain, for he was betrayed by his own
subjects (bribed by his rivals) and he was almost killed in an
ambush in the stronghold that he called his own.
He was left for dead, and thrown into the woods for the
scavengers to feast on, but there a dark figure (raiser of
spirits) unknown to us gave the spirit of Mogdath the power to
stay in the world even after death.
So rose the new and terrible Mogdath the Black Knight in the
guise of Death. He retrieved the stronghold and his armour and
slew all traitors.
Nobody has dared to enter this stronghold ever since even though
it has fallen apart into ruins.
The rumour had it that one of the assassins was of dwarven kin
and he especially cursed the dwarves as he retrieved the
stronghold...
There will come a day when the dwarves of Durnath shall pay for
the actions of that dwarf on that day. May Durnath have mercy on
them if this will ever happen...
Legend of Durnath (i.e Legend
2)
...But all will not be forfeit. Durnath, offspring of Karkor,
protector of the Dwarves and Spirit of the solid Mountains holds
many secrets and will seek the help of the Elves, should the
dwarves ever be threatened to their very existence.
A pact he made with the powerful Zaedra, Arch Sorceress of Karn.
She promised to help the dwarves from Mogdath's curse and in turn
Durnath revealed great mineral riches which helped building the
lands of Karn.
Zaedra did not destroy Mogdath, though - could and would she have
tricked Durnath...
You find nothing more concerning 'Durnath', since many scrolls
are written in unfamiliar tongues.
As you are about to leave, you have a sensation that Durnath and
Zaedra are watching you...
[End of Halls
of Legends]
The Ancient Library
You arrive at a tunnel furnished in
smooth black marble. The right hand wall holds a line of torches
(unlit) and you see an opportunity to restock your supply of
torches. These torches are of exceptional quality for they are
easy to light and generate a smooth flame despite having been
left here for... well you don't know for how long. Oddly enough
there is no dust on the floor either.
Intrigued by this place you follow the hallway deeper until it
ends up at the gates of a brimstone(?) building. Well maybe not
brimstone, but it smells strange and it is yellow...
At any rate, you knock on the sturdy doors and to your surprise
you hear footsteps closing from the other side.
The door opens and an old, slim, rather peculiar looking man
opens the door. It is Windhand, the mage from Dead Forest!
But now he seems much older than when you encountered him before.
You are so amazed that you can't open your mouth to speak.
Windhand smiles;
"Hello there, young Wren! So you met with my old friend
Ulat-A'ar. Well, aren't you surprised?", he laughs.
You recover from your surprise and say:
"I will not hurt you mr Mage, but why wouldn't you give me
the Horn of Shell if you knew I needed it?"
Windhand: "I doubt that you could hurt me, even
if you wanted to, however you pose a question that you should be
able to answer yourself. You are an elf with a brilliant
intellect, are you not (laugh)?"
Wren: "You say things about me that I don't
understand. I may be able to guess what your intentions were and
are right now, but is there a point in doing so? As far as my
experiences of you go, you have been nothing but cruel to me.
That I don't understand either.
Windhand: "Cruel is such a subjective word,
don't you think?"
Wren: "All emotions are subjective, mr
Mage. In my understanding everything involving emotions is
subjective and everything without emotions is objective. However
without emotions a living being wouldn't be a living being, at
least it wouldn't be able to make decisions or act."
Windhand: "A wonderful game of words! We could
continue this discussion for a long time...however, I think you
have pressing matters, so I will be brief with you.
Wren: "That would be most kind, mr
Mage."
Windhand: "Yes, well you see, I have been asked
to test your abilities and as much as I dislike it, I must
confess that you have passed the tests. So, now you are entitled
to receive a little aid! I will teach you something from this
library, for a small compensation, hrrm, of course."
Wren: "I appreciate your 'generosity', but
I must ask you if you had anything to do with the disappearance
of my friends, the clerics Ariel and Kara?"
Windhand: "Well, why...you are a nosy little
thing aren't you? I had nothing to do with it, at least not
intentionally. I was looking at a few intriguing pieces of fungi
when I heard them tramping about and opened a 'door' back here -
maybe they saw the 'door' and entered before it dissolved. That
would be most unfortunate..."
Wren: "What could have happened to them,
you have to tell us!"
Windhand
(smiles): "Well, I don't
have to but I guess I'll indulge you on this one. If they were
stupid enough to enter through a dissolving 'door', then they
could end up pretty much anywhere within these caverns. However,
as my expertise in casting 'doors' is so great, they could not
end up in solid rock, so they would probably have survived it!
Now, if you'll excuse me I can't stand around and chat all day,
so show me what you wish to learn and I'll teach it to you. Then
You're on your own, 'cause I've really had it with all these
caverns. I can't see why you dwarves (ironically at Kaldor &
Rindur) live your whole lives down here, it's terrible!"
You decide that there is no point in furthering the discussion
with this seemingly arrogant mage so you tell him what you would
need to learn and he actually teaches you that!
Then he bows and vanishes in a puff of smoke, leaving you all
alone with plenty of books and tomes (- it would take a human
lifetime to finish reading all these books).
[End of The
Ancient Library]
Farpoint Spring
A marvelous, hidden cavern opens up
in front of you. The sparkling sounds of fresh water echo through
the cavern and the lights of your new torches is reflected by a
huge underground lake.
By the lake, a white shrine (built around a small natural spring)
is situated. The spring water is exceptionally fresh and
releaving!
Kaldor: "This shrine was built long ago, by
elves. They called the spring 'Farpoint', I don't know why."
Near the temple you see another building.
As you get closer, the building turns out to be an abandoned
trading post where the Durnathi dwarves used to trade with other
dwarven tribes.
Kaldor: "This trading post may seem to be
abandoned to outsiders, but it is not. As you can see it is
filled with goods and gold."
Rindur: "We usually trade by leaving minerals
to the tribe which has few of them and take gold or any other
minerals in return. It is a system built on trust and it works
fine among dwarves. I doubt it would work among humans."
Kaldor: "We restock our minerals once every
year. At that time dwarves from different tribes can meet and
maybe even talk."
(- Dwarves aren't very talkative when meeting dwarves of other
tribes under such circumstances - maybe it is a precaution to
avoid conflicts)
Here you can exchange minerals for something else (- Ivil
suggests gold coins).
[End of
Farpoint Spring]
The Guardian
Having stepped through the
strangely shimmering door, you feel an eerie shill wander through
your spines and for a moment you think that you are lost in the
fabric of nothingness. To your relief, you emerge the next moment
in an unknown environment.
It is warmer and dryer here. Your eyes adjust quickly to the
switch from the complete darkness (- Never(!) enter a 'door' with
torches lit) in the void to the brighter (although gloomy like)
caverns around you.
The floor is smooth and black with glassy red patterns in it. It
looks very nice, but is warm to the touch and smells strange.
The walls seem to have been cut out from the mountain but they
are kind of dark semi transparent, and 'deep' inside them you see
trees caught in their moment of death since they are all black
and lifeless. At various sections the walls 'contain' volcanic
mountain sides and together with the trees it gives a strange
impression of a long gone era destroyed by a conflux of some
kind.
At a few places some fungi have sprung up from the floor - it is
strange how they seem to pop up even from the most sinister and
barren of places.
Making your way forward, everybody in the party is silent.
Tuvinel sleeps and is carried by Eldur and Giljath. After a while
you see another 'door'. It is transparent with reddish flickers
wandering around the void.
It seems to be an exit from this place but you have no intent on
using it - yet.
Instead you move northwards through a tunnel, seeing strange
pentagrams with treasures inside them. Ivil and Filundrus are
tired but nevertheless they wish to explore these sites. You tell
them to be still - maybe later will you explore the pentagrams.
For now it seems better to investigate what might be waiting at
the end of the tunnel.
Then, finally it ends - the landscape in the walls has changed
and now it resembles a land of dry valleys, yet strangely rich
with life of flowers and cacti. A cloaked woman of great beauty,
surrounded by friends of the animal kingdoms, seems to smile
through the walls ahead of you and so you move forward...
[Continue this
passage when the Guardian Greets you (- that is a map prompt)]
You suddenly stand face to face with the woman, only the wall of
the end of the tunnel is between you.
She looks young with dark hair and pale skin. Her eyes are brown
and she wears a tiara of silver. Her voice rings melodically:
"I am Kalindra, a former High Priestess in a land called
Karn. I have been waiting here for a long time, although I did
not wake up until you approached, travellers."
Suddenly you notice that she has multiple arms and a slithering
body. Ivil and Filundrus look afraid and Kalindra says:
"Don't be afraid mortals. I have been waiting for you in
order to help you in a time like this. It was Zaedra's wish that
I be your protector against Mogdath the Black Knight of
Death."
With a slight motion of one of her arms she lowers a seemingly
invisible barrier and steps out of the wall!
"Come, we need to find Mogdath and end his fury in this
plane."
As Kalindra joins with you she gives you a strange rune and tells
you that it will help you to defend against dangers.
[End of The
Guardian]
Shrine of Durnath
Having stepped through the strangely
shimmering door, you feel an eerie shill wander through your
spines and for a moment you think that you are lost in the fabric
of nothingness. To your relief, you emerge the next moment in an
unknown environment.
It is warmer and dryer here. Your eyes adjust quickly to the
switch from the complete darkness (- Never(!) enter a 'door' with
torches lit) in the void to the brighter (although gloomy like)
caverns around you.
The floor is smooth and black with glassy red patterns in it. It
looks very nice, but is warm to the touch and smells strange.
The walls seem to have been cut out from the mountain but they
are kind of dark semi transparent, and 'deep' inside them you see
trees caught in their moment of death since they are all black
and lifeless. At various sections the walls 'contain' volcanic
mountain sides and together with the trees it gives a strange
impression of a long gone era destroyed by a conflux of some
kind.
At a few places some fungi have sprung up from the floor - it is
strange how they seem to pop up even from the most sinister and
barren of places.
Making your way forward, everybody in the party is silent.
Tuvinel sleeps and is carried by Eldur and Giljath. After a while
you see another 'door'. It is transparent with reddish flickers
wandering around the void.
It seems to be an exit from this place but you have no intent on
using it - yet.
Instead you move northwards through a tunnel, seeing strange
pentagrams with treasures inside them. Ivil and Filundrus are
tired but nevertheless they wish to explore these sites. You tell
them to be still - maybe later will you explore the pentagrams.
For now it seems better to investigate what might be waiting at
the end of the tunnel.
The tunnel ends in a large stone door, with inscriptions in the
languages of the first born:
"Shrine of Durnath".
An imprint of a delicate hand is the only other decoration of the
stone door. No opening mechanisms can be seen.
You notice that your left hand seems to match the imprint and so
you place it gently over the imprint - perfect match!
The door suddenly shivers a little, as if it had been awoken in
the middle of a deep sleep. It then quietly slides to the left,
into the wall.
You step into a natural cavern which seems permeated with a
presence of a powerful being. Kaldor and Rindur are almost
overcome by emotions as a strangely vibrating voice echoes from
the walls of the cavern:
"Wren, I am so glad you came! Kor-Dur was right about you.
You truly are a beautiful sight to behold and so gently you awoke
me...But you are on a quest and I shall not speak of the
sentiments of mine. You have braved the tunnels well to reach me,
dear Wren...but more dangers lie ahead. We have been invaded by
undead and they are led by the vengeful Mogdath.
Zaedra didn't keep her promise...well, there is little to do
about that now. I will give you the means to destroy Mogdath and
free my dwarves. Come to the shrine and I will show you."
The voice fades away and all is quiet. This must have been
Durnath!
[End of Shrine
of Durnath]
Gozer
Before the last vampire (who was
guarding an emerald key) was destroyed, it hissed out:
"Gaaaah, we will be avenged! I call upon the terrible Gozer
to end your miserable lives!"
You turn eastwards after having rested and prepared for the
coming dangers. The cavern is so large, dark and cold that you
doubt that any living creature could endure an extended period of
time here. The air is not still (as one might expect). It makes
ghostly sounds and you have a difficult time finding your way
eastwards.
Then, almost suddenly, after what seems like hours of walking in
darkness, you reach a gallery with burnished walls cut out from
the solid mountain. The torch light is reflected from the walls
and illuminates quite a large area around you.
At the edges of the light, where darkness gains the upper hand,
you barely make out skeletal figures with readied weapons,
soundlessy advancing towards you. An ancient Skeleton Lord, clad
in a dress that resembles a blend between a mithril mail and a
sorcerer robe stares at you with red glowing spheres. In the
background you can make out stairs leading down.
The ancient skeleton hisses (and swings a bone staff):
"Aahkarosh khatar makuzai khag..."
Immediately more skeletons rise from the very ground at his feet
and his ancient death call also attracts higher undead in the
form of Vampires and cursed spirits. An echoing whisper delivers
a chill which starts running up your spines: "Gooozer,
Gooooozeeer."
You ready your weapons and take a defensive posture. Ivil and
Filundrus are shaking with fear and Arathor is calling for
Eledain to intervene against these unholy forces of unlife.
Then Gozer, the Lord of Ghaneel, the city of Skeleton Warriors,
commands his minions to attack!
If you have met Kalindra, see 1
If you have met Durnath, see 2
1)
Kalindra utters Power
Words and transforms into a dreadful Naga Queen, drawing several
mithril blades which shimmer of magic. "Gozer, I have come
for you, evil spirit! You are hereby sentenced to leave this
plane for all eternity!" she wheezes in a way that makes
Ivil and Filundrus even more afraid than they were before. You
quickly encourage them to stand next to you as Kalindra advances
fast, followed by a more cautious Arathor.
Gozer laughs hollowly:"Kalindra, you fool! Nothing is for
ever except the pain I will inflict upon you and your pathetic
companions!" With that the battle has started.
2)
You quickly realize that
the time has come to again invoke the powers of Durnath. It is a
strange and unknown kind of magic, which is extremely rare. You
used it against the many Vampires which were sent to kill you and
you don't feel comfortable using it.
As you weave the mighty Dweomer with ancient words and gestures
and you feel the strange powerful emotions which channel through
your body, you struggle to not get carried away by these
emotions. If you would, you know you would be in extreme danger.
Arathor unsheathes his golden 2-handed sword and moves forward to
meet the assault of the undead.
[Resolve the
struggle, then continue this passage]
All the undead have fallen. Some crumbled into dust and some were
shattered in piles of bones. A gravelike silence now rules. You
look at the remains of Gozer. The once flaming spheres have
vanished and he resembles a long dead warrior destined never to
find peace. You wish you could put him into a flowery earth so
that life again will prosper around him and so that he will be a
part of life again. However there is no way to do that now.
Instead you move forward to the stairs...
[End of Gozer]
The Prison Cells
The stairs lead down to some cold
prison cells. Here the surviving dwarves were taken but only
their bones remain now. You can feel the pain in Kaldor's and
Rindur's eyes but the dwarves don't weep openly. You believe
their 'pride' (- an emotion which has caused many tragedies if
not balanced with other emotions properly. That was one of the
first things the Elves learned during The War of the Elves)
doesn't allow them to express the grief in front of non dwarves.
You open a stone door with the emerald key and enter a corridor
with cells on each side. A whinnying sound emanates from the end
of the corridor and you also hear two muffled human voices -
Ariel and Kara!
You hasten your steps and find Ariel and Kara in the last pair of
cells at the end of the corridor. In the facing cell, a beautiful
winged mare stands, softly whinnying as you come closer.
Ariel and Kara also see you and say:
"Praised be the Gods that you found us, Wren". Then
Kara bursts into tears and is comforted by a shaking Ariel.
"We have been looking so long for you. I'm so relieved that
we are reunited again", you say and hug them both.
Then you let the rest of the party welcome them and you release
the Pegasus who has been imprisoned too.
She instantly recognizes your elvish heritage and whinnies
happily as you caress her head. [- She is from the lands of Arundel.
Somehow she was caught and brought here. She was probably going
to be used in some dreadful ritual].
Ariel and Kara explain that they saw a strange shimmering portal
while searching for fungi and as they entered it they were
teleported to the halls of Durnath. They tried to find a way back
but they were almost immediately spotted and captured by a band
of Orcs, commanded by an orc chieftain calling himself Scharch.
Then they were brought to a Black Knight, who started questioning
them, trying to find out what kind of magic they had used to
teleport to the halls. He didn't believe them as they told him
that they had no idea and so they were brought here. They think
that the Black Knight was preparing a torture chamber to make
them reveal this 'secret magic'.
[You are now
with the Pegasus during combat situations (- Eldur will use the
elvish bow if it has not been destroyed - i.e you have lost the
Grand Elf on the map)]
Kaldor suggests that you should try to find equipment for Ariel
& Kara in a dwarvish armoury to the south west. Maybe there
will even be something for the Pegasus.
[The gold cost
symbolize the difficulty of finding proper equipment. It's crude
but that's the way it is]
[End of The
Prison Cells]
Scharch
You enter the halls of
Durnath through a narrow gallery to the southwest. The halls are
immense! A whole dwarven city was once located here. Now
everything has been destroyed and of the buildings are only
fragments. All the material must have been transported away and
used somewhere else, you conclude, because there seems to have
been some method involved in the dismantling of the buildings -
they weren't just razed. You wonder what the undead forces might
be building...
[If you
initiated the combat with Scharch, see 1]
[If Scharch initiated combat with you, see
2]
1) In the distance you see huge mine shafts leading deeper
down into Durnath. You decide not to venture down there.
Instead you focus on more nearby, growling sounds! As you
advance, you take cover among the remnants of the dwarvish
buildings and soon you see a band of Greenskins! They are
commanded by a large, meanlooking Orc. A couple of Trolls are
arguing with the Orcs (seemingly over some kind of treasure) and
a number of wolves are howling and growling too.
"That is Scharch, they are allied with the Black Knight,
somehow", Ariel says.
"We must avenge our kin!", Kaldor says and unsheathes
his axe.
You doubt that it is the best move but it is already too late for
a stealthy method. The dwarves have initiated an assault and
Arathor leads them!
2) In the distance yoy see huge mine shafts leading deeper
into Durnath. You move closer to have a look at the shafts. The
area is covered by remnants of dwarvish buildings and as you
advance forward, you are suddenly ambushed by Orcs, Trolls and
Dark Wolves!
"It is Scharch!" Ariel shouts and fires a bolt of
mental energy into the approaching foes!
[Resolve the
battle situation, then continue this entry]
The Greenskins have been either put out of action or fled the
scene. You tend to the wounds of both sides. Scharch is mortally
wounded but very surprised that you are helping them.
"Ih...Mogdath...will curse...for failure...you!..help
Scharch?...why?"
Tears are coming to your eyes. Another life is on the edge of its
end. And for what? You ask him and he coughs:
"Treasures...big treasures Mogdath promise..."
With these final words he loses his conciousness and quickly
drifts away to the unknown.
You are left crying over the loss of lives and through your tears
a fungus sees its first 'daylight'. It is as if Tevatenu has seen
your pain and guilt and has decided to ease the pain and tell you
that life (and you) must continue. You pray that everybody who
died will get another chance in another time and place.
[End of
Scharch]
Mogdath and the Cursed
Palace (Hechal Arur)
In front of you towers an enormous
Palace of stone. It is flanked by huge temples, all obviously
made from materials of the dwarven city. Neither the Palace nor
the two Temples are finished and you know you have to defeat the
undead before they can finish these stronghold and summoning
buildings.
You suspect that Mogdath has retreated into the Palace, where he
is on home turf and his powers are greater.
You have no choice but to enter the Hechal Arur.
All is dead quiet as you walk through the open Bone Gates of
Hechal Arur (- the bones seem to come from tremendously large
creatures of a kind that you might have seen guarding a narrow
pass in the vicinities of the burial mound in Dead Forest).
You enter a hall which is so large that the torch lights can not
push the darkness to all the walls. Six huge pillars stand along
the southern wall.
You walk eastwards and see stairs leading down. Walking to the
north you see another six huge pillars standing along the
northern wall.
You prepare to walk down the stairs when the Bone Gates slam
together with a thundering noise which makes the floor tremble a
little.
You retreat westwards and a throne of black marble with golden
and ruby decorations comes into sight. The throne is flanked by
two statues of dwarven warriors in full field armour and 2-handed
axes. This was the throne of the Durnathi regents. Now it is the
throne of Mogdath (- it is a symbol to him of the utter defeat of
the dwarves).
At the other end of the hall, Mogdath ascends from the stairs. He
is truly a fierce warrior and an adept wielder of Dark Dweomer.
He relies more on the sheer offensive strength of his in battle
and uses defensive Dweomer to become even more formidable. He is
an utterly dark shape and his armour makes no sound as he
advances forward and inspects you. You are almost paralyzed by
the intense chill which emanates from his presence.
Mogdath
(rasps): "Intruders! I
have seen your 'progress'. Gozer will be avenged! You have been a
severe thorne in my side ever since you helped the damnable
dwarves at the gates of Durnath. Do not think I will treat you
leniently! You will make good slaves after you have had your
lives removed."
Wren: "You are Mogdath, I assume. We have
come to release you from the unlively ties which bind you to this
world, in that you may again return to the cycle of Life!"
Mogdath: "Hah! Thou knowst not to whom thou
art speaking. I am not as weak as Gozer or any other of my
vassals were!"
You will find that coming here was your last mistake, elf prat! I
will squeeze the very life out of you and drink it while you take
your last painful breaths."
[Is Kalindra
present? If so, see 1]
[Otherwise, see 2]
1.
Kalindra
(harshly): "Wren may not
be a match for you, but that is why I have come with her. I am
Kalindra, High Priestess of the Order of Zaedra. I am sure you
have heard of her, Black Knight!"
Mogdath: "Zaedra! I have no quarrel with her!
You are lying!"
Kalindra
(wheezes): "It is you who
are lying! You are here to destroy all life! Is Zaedra not a
living creature? You would turn against her as soon as you were
powerful enough! I will end you here once and for all! Tamaresh
Khatuul! ( = 'Insolent Abomination!')"
Mogdath: "Your words do not frighten me! If
Zaedra had any sense she would have sent a more powerful
adversary. A mere 'High Priestess' - don't make me laugh! See now
how I crush your 'friends' - and see how powerless you are to
stop me!"
[Resolve the
combat, then proceed reading the main entry]
2.
Wren: "I may be no match to you physically,
undead Knight but I hold the power to destroy you for all
eternity. Even though you are undead and mean harm to me, this is
something I am reluctant to do. I ask you - yield and let us find
a way to restore you to the cycle of life."
Mogdath: "What are you talking about, living
child! Your life is contained within a fragile shell. You pose no
threat to me, yet you speak of your inflicting my
destruction...if I had any sense of humour I would probably laugh
to death! I have no desire to return to the 'cycle of life' as
you call it. How about you exiting from 'the cycle of life'? No,
I didn't think so! However, I am not restricted by your empathic
emotions and have no problem with killing you and all your
companions! In fact I will show this to you right now!
[Resolve the
combat, then proceed reading the main entry]
Mogdath (last
cry): "Nooo! This can't
be! I have not aquired my revenge! Dakoth! Rescue me!"
Mogdath vanishes and only a shimmering black sword remains.
However, your party has suffered greatly. Almost all of you have
been wounded and many of you are not able to defend any more. You
will need to find a healer in Arundel, otherwise many of you
might die! The dangers are not over, though. You still haven't
found an exit to Arundel.
The dwarves have been saved, though. Kaldor and Rindur thank you
profoundly and ask you to let them leave and carry the news back
to Daurin.
You agree.
[Map info: Put
any surviving dwarves in garrison or dismiss them!]
You rest in the cursed castle for several days, feeding on fungi,
before your wounds allow you to travel again.
[If Kalindra
was with you and still is]:
The mission Kalindra was assigned by Zaedra is now over. She will
stay with you until you exit Durnath, though. She sees that you
are weakened and wishes to help you. Then she must return home (-
the moment she leaves Durnath a teleport spell back to Karn will
activate).
[End of
Mogdath]
Daz
Daz was once the most devoted
disciple of Gozer (when Gozer still was retaining his human life
form). When Gozer changed into a form of High Undead, Daz
followed into that form too, eager to please Gozer.
He didn't realize the consequences of his choice until it was too
late. Since that day Daz has become hateful to all living beings
and he has been sent to these parts of the halls, so that he
wouldn't kill the Orcs who have been enlisted as servants by
Mogdath (- of course Mogdath intends to give Daz the Orcs when
they have fulfilled their purpose).
Daz is aware of Gozer's destruction and will attack relentlessly
in order to avenge his master.
[End of Daz]
Khazim
Having repelled a terrible creature
of fire which materialized from the fire membran as you tried to
open the urn, you are again surprised!
This time it is not a dangerous fire being, though. No, out of
the urn a blue spirit emerges and grows until it reaches a height
of well over two metres. The creature presents itself:
"Ah, free again! I am Khazim, a Sorcerer of some repute! To
whom do I owe the gratitude this time?"
"I am Wren and these are my friends", you answer
softly.
"Oh, an elf girl! I last remeber being trapped here as I
prepared a gift for the dwarves...where is my spell book! Oh, no,
whithout it I can't cast my famous spells!"
"No offense, mr Sorcerer, but was it a spell of yours that
put you in this box?" you ask.
"Why, yes. I was trying a newly concocted spell. If you
don't try new spells you will never advance as a Sorcerer."
"I see", you reply.
"I think I saw a strange book of sorts in that armoury to
the southwest", Filundrus says.
"Did the cover read 'Khazim'?" the 'sorcerer' asks
eagerly.
"I'm afraid I didn't notice that", Filundrus says (- he
and Ivil never had a chance to learn how to read).
"Alright, I am sure it was my spell book! We have to go
there and retrieve it! I'll accompany you to wherever you are
headed, if I only can have my spell book back!", the Genie
says (- You guess that the character is a genie, because of his
notoriously strange behaviour and blue appearance. However he
might prove to be of great help in these troubled times).
[End of
Khazim]
The Ferryman
[This entry supposes
that you have brought along Khazim and defeated Mogdath - if you
haven't, you are strongly recommended to do so! Defeating Mogdath
is part of the Victory Condition!]
You have reached the western beach of
a subterranean river. You eye out towards its black depths. It
seems to stretch out to the east, into the darkness. To your left
you see a rusty bell with a sign reading: "Ferry, 2 Gold
Pieces - Please Ring".
You wish the dwarves were here, maybe they would know what this
might be. Cautiously you ring the bell...
The bell tolls with a dull sound. A few moments later you see an
old haggard man, slowly poling a 'boat' towards you. He berths
the 'boat' and asks you to pay 3 gold pieces. As Ivil protests
about the price, he utters a vague excuse of 'inflation' (- what
the...does that word mean?). The protests of Ivil's seem to upset
the old man and you (Wren) intervene and calm them both down:
"Let's not argue over 'gold' (- you are amazed that humans
seem so attached to 'gold' and other 'things'). Here, please take
these (- i.e 5 gold coins, to Ivil's frustration!)", you say
in order to calm the old man down.
The old man calms down and grabs the coins. Then he invites you
to embark on the 'boat'.
The cold dark waters are calm and the man starts a conversation
with you as he poles the 'boat' forward:
"So, you are here to see Acharon? Nobody has visited him
since he went mad a long time ago."
Wren: "Oh, I am sorry, I don't know
Acharon. We are looking for a passage to Arundel. Have you heard
of this land?"
Ferryman: "You are not here to see Acharon?...
I guess it's for the better... Acharon means 'last', you see. He
was the last 'sane' member of a brother- and sisterhood of
Dhulnar. They were a group of magicians, trying to find out
secrets of eternal life. I too was involved in their experiments.
I bitterly regret having ever been talked into these madnesses.
Now I'm stuck here for ever. All I can look forward to is finding
someone to end Acharons life. This would end the spell he has put
on me and I could retire from this ferry business and settle
somewhere in Karn or Sendari (- nowadays called Dead Forest)...
But about Acharon...the rest of the group went mad and
transformed themselves into beasts, hoping that some 'adventurers
would come and slay them'. They gathered some treasures and
instructed me to tell all travellers about the 'enormous'
treasures of theirs.
You are actually the first travellers ever since that day.
Acharon is the only one who has not completely lost his 'sanity'.
He too now retains a beastly form, though.
Khazim: "I know of a mage called Tarnag - is
this the man you call Acharon?"
Ferryman: "Yes! That is him, before he started
his foolish experiments down here."
Khazim: "Poor old Tarnag. I warned him about
these things..."
Wren: "I will see if there is a way to end
your problems."
Ferryman: "That would be wonderful! Beware of
his dogs in the ante-chamber. They are a bit hungry by now, I
suppose. This land...Arundel...I have heard of it but I don't
know how you can get there from here. Maybe Acharon knows."
Wren: "Do you know the way, Khazim?"
Khazim: "Urrm...heh, I seem to have
forgotten about it during my stay in the box. Actually I was
'born' in Sendari. Close to the Elvish settlement in the north
east."
Wren: "Alright, then. We'll probably have
to speak with Acharon about it."
The 'boat' reaches the other side of the river and the ferryman
wishes you good luck on your journeys.
[End of The
Ferryman]
Hall of Illusions
You step away from the portal, to
investigate the surroundings. Strange - this hall is dark and
windy...
A narrow path is leading eastwards. The walls reflect chaotic
images of yourselves!
The images seem to have a life of their own, and they seem to be
hostile towards you!
Actually, they are moving towards you!
What sorcery is this?!
[End of Hall
of Illusions]
The Lost Halls of Acharon
You leave the portal, a bit dizzy
from the journey through the void. In front of you is a pair of
double doors, moulded in bronze and covered with inscriptions and
pictures. You open them and step into a hall filled with
pentagrams and other magic symbols. The hall itself is very large
and you hear distant roars of beasts all around you.
These must be the lost halls of Acharon and his collegues. So,
the legends which Kor-Dur told you were all true...
There was a secret hall, maybe not a throne-room but
nevertheless. The ferryman warned you about the magicians of
Dhulnar. They are obviously all retaining beast forms. This might
be dangerous, especially if they have gone mad.
Four shining pillars in the center part of the hall support the
place. They all shine faintly and seem to contain a fire spirit
within themselves. The light they radiate illuminates the whole
hall in a pleasant way.
You must decide whether to confront Acharon or to try to avoid
him and find a way out of here.
[Resume the
map but return here if you either attack Acharon or are attacked
by Acharon]
Acharon
You make your way forward through the spaces of the hall. Here
and there lie small amounts of magic ingredients and other
oddities. Bookcases with torn scrolls and books are placed around
the walls and frightening roars seem to emanate from galleries
leading to distant chambers in the east and west. You decide not
to venture there. Instead you lead on forward to the north.
There you see a big throne flanked by statues of winged beings
which you have never seen before (- angels).
On the throne sits a fearsome and hideous creature, at least
thrice as large as a cave bear and with four claws, each
measuring at least the length of Arathor's 2-handed sword,
protruding from two huge brown furred arms.
The creature has a mouth filled with carnivorous teeth and sits
in a forward leaning posture.
The creature eyes you and then he slowly rises:
Acharon (dull
voice): "Adventurers,
indeed! I knew that somebody had to come sooner or later."
Khazim: "Greetings Tarnag! It is I, Khazim!
You seem to have gained some weight since we last saw each other
(hehe)."
Acharon: "Very amusing, Khazim! It is always
a pleasure to meet you. Why are you here and who are these people
with you?"
Khazim: "They... are with me. We're headed
for Arundel, but, hrrm, we're kind of lost. So I figured I'd stop
by to see how you were doing - maybe ask for directions... but
you seem busy, so we'll be out of here right now..."
Acharon: "Well you have come to the right
place! There is a hidden magic gate leading to the lands of
Arundel just north of here... I created it to get there, long
ago. However, I'm afraid I can't let you leave yet. You see, well
of course you see, I had a slight accident... and it needs to be
corrected. Long have I waited for this opportunity! All my
brothers and sisters have gone mad and are locked up in their
chambers. I am the only sane person left. I can't leave this
place because of this accident so you are my only hope."
Khazim: "W-what can we do for you?"
Acharon: "It is quite simple, actually. One
of you must volunteer to change form with me. Whoever does it
will gain a very long life and tremendous physical power. Surely
there must be one of you who wants that.
Khazim: "R-right, I'll ask my
companions..."
It turns out that all of you wish to remain as you are...
Acharon: "This is most disappointing. If my
situation weren't so severe, I might have let you go - if you'd
have promised to send a suitable 'subject' down to me. However,
my mental state is rapidly changing to suite this form and there
is no time for that now."
Wren: "Is there no other way? Surely you
can't..."
Unfortunately the creature formerly known as Tarnag was tired of
listening so he attacked before Wren had a chance to speak her
mind.
[End of the
Lost Halls of Acharon]
Entering Arundel
Finally you have left Durnath!
The journey through the void feels remarkably long but you are
getting somewhat used to such journeys and soon you come through
and leave the void at a mountain entrance in an unfamiliar
surrounding. You check to see if everybody is with you and then
you continue...
[The story continues
in the file "Arundel2.htm"]