The Death of Amblay

cy 4850 - Sepos 27th - 29th

Dax, the Jandraki explorer, and Graz Tak are through the barricade in the Agras Pass as they head south out of Kulland. Aravan has already ridden away and Amblay (in the form of a hawk) soars above them keeping watch. Tstane, the bearer of the last remaining Aran Rinshai blade, detours to a stream bed...the blade has a spiritual voice that guides him. The young thief heads for the spot where the spirit was slain many years ago by a strange dragon-woman.

By the stream he sleeps under the cloudy autumnal skies of Kulland.

Hours later Tstane Tschermak wakes with a pounding heart to find a blade pointed at him and a dark, shadowy figure above him, his face not visible beneath a dark cowl. Without hesitation Tstane rolls away (flee) and into cover. Still gripped by fear he watches the sinister figure turn and move towards him. Stay absolutely still the blade informs him. Tstane Tschermak is like granite.

From the cowl emanates a strange yellow, noxious vapour. It rapidly expands like the ripple in a pool of still water. Tstane notices vegetation withers in seconds upon contact with the vapour. Stay absolutely still. The thief dare not move as the yellow vapour reaches him...but to his amazement - and relief - it melts around his statuesque frame harmlessly. The figure grunts and calls down a wyvern. Tstane realises that it is exactly the same steed as the Silk Guard ride. He only exhales when the figure is high above him.

Amblay telepathically informs Tstane of their progress and the thief heads out to the Agras Pass and a reunion with his companions. Two hours after midnight the party see several torches in the distance ascending the pass and heading straight for them. Amblay (hawk) flies out to see ten Darklanders - all heavily armed - moving as though they want trouble. He takes over the mind of one with major control and creates a sound on the ridge of the pass. Immediately the leader orders two of the attackers up the cliff face to investigate. They ascend the sheer face like professional climbers and the Marraq relays this to Aravan, Dax and Graz Tak.

Dax and Graz Tak knock arrows into their longbows as Aravan sneaks out to ambush the attackers. Dax fells the first one and Graz Tak shoots two more through the eyes as Aravan gets ever closer. Amblay lands on the opposite ridge facing the two climbing attackers and looses two shots without success. Meanwhile Dax and Graz fell two more before Aravan - blade of Menace in her hand - falls upon the unsuspecting three who are left on the pass. She splits the skull of the first and before his companions react carves a bloody line in the stomach of the second. Dax and Graz rush forwards with blades to help Aravan finish off the last opponent. Amblay skewers the heart of one of the ridge dwellers and grips the mind of the last one firmly.

A combination of Aravan and Graz Tak slay the last attacker. Amblay sees the shadowy cowled figure in the Darklanders mind but little else. He wonders whether this was just a scouting party before the main assault. Amblay coldly forces the man to throw himself off the ridge to his death and spreads out his mind in all directions. He senses black spots all around him and surmises that some kind of thought shielding is going on...he informs his companions and sends his familiar bat to investigate. But as the bat flies into one of the dark spots Amblay clutches his chest in pain...his familiar is dead!

He tells the party to be careful and polymorphs back into a hawk and takes to the skies once more. Graz Tak stands on one side of the pass and Aravan rests at the opposite side. Dax the explorer stays close to his cart and the horses. 

Graz Tak is the first to spot a pinpoint of light from down the pass. It expands rapidly and they realise - to their horror - that it is a fireball. It veers off right and Aravan tumbles away desperately as the ball of fire explodes close by. As she rolls she screams in pain; flesh burns, she swears and hurriedly suffocates any flames before they envelop her. Dax crawls from under the cart and aims for the shadowy crack in the pass that the missile came from. Both his and Graz's first shots go wide. A second pinpoint of light grows but this time Dax knows it is aimed at the cart - he nimbly scurries away before his cart, and several horses, are blown to pieces.

Aravan hurries towards the hidden sorcerer. Seconds before she finds his dark hideaway one of Dax's arrows thunders into the darkness and she hears the magician squeal in pain. She - and Menace - make light work of the sorcerer and Aravan squeezes herself into the good hiding place to await further attackers.

Amblay changes into human form and casts fly - he ascends rapidly and avoids a speculative arrow from a hidden archer.

Aravan sees two black robed assassins sneak past her. Their garb marks them as expert killers, the fabled ninja that the Darklands is famous for. Without fear and despite her burnt flesh, she cuts down the first assassin from behind, a single deadly stroke decapitating him. Simultaneously Aravan launches the dagger of speed with her off hand, the blade flies true - an astonishing double attack - it punctures leather armour and lodges itself in the ribcage of the second assailant. This man spins to face her. He hits under her defences but the ninja blade bounces harmlessly off her stoneskin protection. The killer is faster than any opponent she has ever faced, and possibly more skilled, she finds dust blinds her which makes her swing Menace without success. The ninja rolls away and into the middle of the pass.

Graz Tak knows this is the moment he was waiting for. He unwraps a scroll of fireball and reads it quickly. From his raised finger comes a ball of fire that accelerates towards the ninja in the middle of the road. But his aim is not good. For the second time that night Aravan finds herself in the path of the missile. She dives sideways and once again the flames engulf her, though this time not as badly as before. With incredible determination she rushes at the ninja and locks blades with him. Graz Tak and Dax rush out to help her. 

Amblay casts Improved Invisibility and is ready for battle. He descends into one of the dark spots that his mind cannot see and casts dispel magic. Instantly the veil of darkness disappears and he is amongst four startled Silk Guards, the wyverns hovering with the precision of humming birds. But one of their number casts a counter spell (dispel magic) with catastrophic effects. All Amblay's protection vanishes instantly; worse still the fly spell is now gone. More than three hundred feet above ground he flounders. His sharp mind looks for salvation; many things occur to him like grabbing the mind of a Silk Guard and commanding him to fly down and catch him. But there is no time. He plunges desperately and dies instantly as his heavy body shatters upon the rocks below.

In that instant Aravan - and the rest of the party for that matter - realise that with the death of the sorcerer the stoneskin is gone. But this does not deter Aravan as she fences with the brilliant ninja. Nothing will stop her...despite facing a more gifted swordsman she waits for the tiniest of mistakes. When the killer overstretches himself she cleaves his head from his shoulders.

Above them the three companions see thirty Silk Guards, perched on the two ridges high above them. A lone wyvern rider descends on Amblay's corpse and gently picks up the body. Dax and Graz Tak realise the futility of the fight and walk into the middle of the Silk Guards although Aravan maintains her place in the shadows.

"Justice!" reverberates around the bleak walls. Almai, the leader of the Silk Guard, descends and speaks calmly to Daz and Graz, though Aravan is furious about the death of the Marraq. She refuses Almai's offer of healing. Realising that he will not sway or calm her Almai orders his men to leave. As a parting gesture he lays the Marraq's equipment at Dax's feet before flying away.

Aravan emerges from the shadows and reverently takes the darkbow from the pile of Amblay's equipment. When Tstane arrives the party sit and discuss their next move. The consensus is to head south to the large island of Nyrn, ironically the best route will take them back into Kulland and along the east road to Keisho port where Dax, the explorer, assures them a ship can be hired.

After sleeping for the remainder of the night the party make their way back into Kulland and find the east road. All the while they know they are being watched. A hundred yards from the east road they make camp. Before long a dim light can be seen in a nearby copse. Not a lantern it appears to be the dull glow of a magical weapon. Graz (now in possession of a host of Amblay's scrolls) finds and casts stoneskin on himself before he and the rest investigate the dull glow.

A beautiful, tall, lithe woman wearing an unusual gown is in the copse. The light emanates from a strange curved broadsword strapped across her back, her penetrating eyes are deepest purple and there is no recognisable racial characteristic. To Tstane she bows; "Greetings sword bearer," she says. "I am Mesmira, I am the one you summoned earlier."

Aravan invites the woman back into camp for food. Mesmira reveals her draconian heritage and says that she is linked to the Aran Rinshai blade in a profound way. She tells them that she has travelled from far away and that she must return before dawn. "Before I leave there are things you must learn, sword bearer...walk with me into the trees and listen well..."