Old Friend, New Enemy
Jun 29th – Jultar 2nd
At the end of the banquet in their honour the party speak to Duke Andrilar of Dros Goran. Malethrax wants horses to travel east to the coast where they plan to head for the wealthy kingdom of Myrid. The duke gives Malethrax a letter of introduction to the king – his brother – and the noble leader of Dros Goran thanks them for their bravery and prowess during the siege.
Drusor Luckwarden embraces Malethrax. "I’ll miss you my friend," he says, "but I cannot leave this citadel when there are armies close."
After buying provisions the party, which include Rell and his remaining five mercenaries, ride out on the eastern road. Malethrax Spirit Senses the thooligans and discovers that they are bound to them in a strange way.
Rell has his mercenaries scout ahead and behind. A couple of hours out of Dros Goran the scouts report a lone Rosen horseman ahead of them. Malethrax, Zavien and Danat ride ahead to greet an old friend…Caldron the sorcerer. It was Caldron who had employed the party to attack the village of Karsus in the borderlands – an action that laid the foundations of the current Rosen attack.
"We meet again Malethrax," he says pleasantly.
But Malethrax and his friends are cautious. Caldron wants their help to take Dros Goran but the party is not interested. Barely able to hide his disappointment Cladron says; "We part as enemies, Malethrax."
The next night is quiet. As they ride through Drenai the roads and villages are deserted. The closer they go east the more habitation they see. A makeshift barricade by an elderly gentlemen wielding a spear does not stop their easterly journey. He is called Barthwaite – Drenai home guard – and the old man mistakes the party for a Rosen horde.
At noon on the same day one of the mercenary scouts reports that a Rosen death squad (containing ten killers) are tracking them. The party decides to lay in wait to ambush them.
The five thooligans, Rell, two mercenaries and Malethrax find suitable locations at maximum longbow range. Closer are Danat Peres, four other mercenaries, Zavien Scourge and Talarn. The plan is simple: when the longbowmen open up those closer will engage in hand-to-hand…but the Rosen death squad has other ideas.
Trained in the art of stealthy movement the Rosens get close before the longbowmen can engage. Talarn suddenly faces a killer and reacts with a couple of strokes of his blade. Zavien remains in the shadows as the unseen killers hurl small projectiles – shuriken – into the fray. Malethrax is hit in the head with a small five-pointed star and collapses…though the wound is not sufficient to kill him he topples over paralysed. At the same time Danat is hit in the stomach but the poison is unable to take a hold of him.
The Rosen killers are suddenly upon the group. Rell has his throat cut, as do several of his mercenaries. The thooligans see the melee and decide to launch arrows into it. Several of the Rosen killers are felled by the salvo but a stray shaft hits Talarn, he clutches his side but continues to fight despite the deep wound.
Danat Peres slashes one of the Rosens to death with his deadly dagger and spins dextrously to kick a second in the face and another Rosen falls. Zavien slides from the shadows, his dagger rips through the spine of an unsuspecting killer and he slinks back out of the fight to wait for his next victim. Danat backs up against a tree as protection against the unseen killers. To his horror a metal garrotte is placed around the tree – and his throat – and pulled tight across his neck.
Zavien realises that Danat has only seconds to live and leaps at the killer from the shadows. His knife rips a ten inch gash in the Rosen’s arm, the tendons, muscles and nerves are all severed and the garrotte falls harmlessly to the ground. Angered Danat removes the shuriken from his side and stabs the killer – the fallen man is instantly paralysed and Zavien ties him up for later interrogation.
The battle is over quickly. Rell and his mercenaries are slain but the thooligans are undamaged. Malethrax wakes groggily from his paralysis and the interrogation of the Rosen killer can start. An ESP aids the interrogation – Malethrax sees in the man’s mind Caldron soliciting their help.
Malethrax decides to ride all night, fearing Caldron has other surprises in store for them. He Spirit Senses The Bloodstone – an item Zavien has in his possession – and determines a tentative spiritual link between it and Malakar.
The next morning Malethrax’s hawk spots Caldron on a swift steed galloping toward them from the west. Malethrax pushes the party on as his hawk keeps an eye on the dark sorcerer. When Caldron stops a couple of miles behind them he starts to create a circle in the earth (they fear he is about to create a pentacle). They all decide that if the sorcerer summons they will be in trouble and – as a unit – they turn their horses and gallop toward him. Malethrax reasons that he will not have time to complete the pentacle in time before they are upon him.
Malethrax’s plan is correct. As Caldron sees them in the distance he abandons the pentacles but gathers his will about him. He casts a Demonic Horde and sends many baying, slavering creatures at the onrushing party. The horses are spooked. They sense the demonic souls and each man has trouble controlling them…only Talarn, a skilled horseman, is able to drive his horse around the horde and he is within a few hundred yards of the sorcerer.
Malethrax, Zavien, the thooligans and Danat leap from their horses and decide to meet the demonic horde head on. Zavien moves expertly into the shadows and Malethrax (who has already cast Invisibility) casts Jump – he knows that the demons can sense his soul – he cannot rely on the invisibility protecting him. Danat and the thooligans take the brunt of the demons, their blades cutting the imp-like horrors to pieces.
Talarn is close now. He raises a weighted dagger as he bears down on Caldron, his skill with the throwing knife as yet untried. But Caldron is ready for him and casts the awful Death Spell – which stops Talarn and the horse instantly…they fall dead at the sorcerer’s feet.
Malethrax and Zavien have broken through the demonic horde and now stalk Caldron. They are aware that speed is of the essence but both men know that the dark sorcerer will be able to cast another spell before they reach him…
Caldron gathers his will…
The spell is not what either Zavien or Malethrax expect. There is a white glow around the sorcerer and he vanishes instantly…along with the remains of the demonic horde…