The Devine Demon {Chapter 106}
Chapter 106
“What do you mean she is joining Orcus? She would never! Lilith would never give in to them. She would fight and fight until she had…. nothing…. left...” She yelled at first but then her words died in her throat as she trailed off.
“She was possessed. She even attacked me twice and she killed you. I saw your body before it turned to sludge.” Kevin explained as he began to rub a single finger underneath Bindi’s chin.
For the next thirty minutes they spent time catching each other up on what happened while Celeste, Feldin and Davis continued to tend to the Paladins. As more and more of the Paladins recovered, some came over and spoke to Bindi. Most were cuious at to who she was. Making the connection between the girl with the blue hair and her new form was a bit of a shock to them but they could at least see the resemblance. Eventually one of them even thanked her for fighting with them to the bitter end. As they traded stories it was becoming increasingly clear that Lilith wasn’t in control of her faculties during her rampage especially if she had killed her own daughter. Sir Bentin even joked about how he was happy he hadn’t been brought back as a snake and how Bindi should have some stern words with the cleric that messed that one up.
Now with all of the Paladins alive and healed, they began to discuss the fate of the guests in the Dining Room and whether or not it was safe to let them leave.
“Well are they in any danger? I mean, if we can’t get in, then I would think they are pretty safe.” Sir Bentin asked looking at the Morninglord whose cloak was still in tatters revealing his true for all to see. His glowing eyes and white wings were quite striking to those who hadn’t seen them before. A few of the paladins had even touched his wing out of curiosity mostly while some seemed to bin in awe of them.
“Well are they in any danger? I mean, if we can’t get in, then I would think they are pretty safe.” Sir Bentin asked looking at the Morninglord whose cloak of seeming still hadn’t been repaired. His glowing eyes and white wings were still clearly visible bringing a few stares from the paladins.
“Well they have access to all the food and drink they could ever want. A talented bard for entertainment and it seems there are rather nice bathrooms in there too. The only thing they are lacking are proper beds and privacy. I think if we got an experienced wizard here we could get them out but we should probably not let them leave the palace. I don’t want any of those souls becoming lost on the mortal plane.” Father Trendel explained as his gaze shifted between Amon and Sir Bentin.
“Do you want me to go get Wendel? There is still a portal open to Waterdeep and to Daggerford inside the Grass Farm, its just that only Kevin and I can open those doors now that Lilith is gone. Its a shame we can’t give the servants any new orders.” Bindi suggested drawing a few odd looks from the paladins.
“Wendel is that the wizard who was throwing all those ice spells back at the second battle of Daggerford?” Sir Bentin asked as he saw the looks of confusion on his men.
Bindi and Kevin both nodded yes and then looked to Father Trendel for direction.
“Ok lets try to release the guests from the dining room and get them proper accommodations in the palace. Are there enough rooms for them?” He asked now looking at Kevin specifically.
“Yes I think I heard Lilith saying there were just over 300 rooms between the three floors. Most of the guests are couples or families so they may only need half of that.” he added placing emphasis on the last part.
“Good, then all we need to decide is what to tell the Open Lord and the rest of the people of Waterdeep. By the end of the day she is going to be worried about 400 or so of her citizens going missing inside an extra dimensional vacation spot.” He lamented while the breeze ruffled some of the feathers on his wings.
“Some vacation this has been.” Amon said rubbing his shoulder while looking down at the hole in his chest plate.
“Leave that to me. I need to report back to the Highwatcher anyways. I will send a message to the Open Lord as well. Amon, you have command of my men while I am gone. I hope they don’t give you too much trouble.” Sir Bentin said as he slapped the senior paladin on the back while some of his men shouted various retorts from every which way.
“Oh we will go easy on him.”
“Best behavior sir.”
“Till the next dawn”
Amon turned to shake his hand and found his gesture met quickly. “We will set up a watch and keep our eyes on the guests.” With a nod he released his hand and Sir Bentin turned to head for the palace with Bindi by his side snaking through the grass.
“I’ll go with her.” Kevin said as their impromptu meeting seemed to be over.
“Amon, garrison the men and establish a perimeter. I am going to try and speak to Lathander. If Lilith is under the control of Orcus or Yeenoghu I don’t know what he will ask of us. I just hope there is some way to save her.” He pondered his face sagging a bit with a grim expression.
With a sharp voice, Amon called the men into formation and they began marching into the Palace, two abreast. As they went down the hall he assigned two of them to a room and then claimed the corner room of that wing for himself. Inside the men found clean clothes and fresh running water in their bathrooms which were attached to each room. After about 30 minutes he sounded a muster call and then began issuing orders. They formed two 8 man watches. Four at the front entrance two at the back entrance and two guarding the conference room. The off-duty men changed into the fresh clothes and got some rest while the others kept watch. The last remaining paladin named Jacob was sent to stand outside the Dining Room and keep the mercenaries and guests there informed of the conditions outside, during daylight hours at least.
With the perimeter secured and the watch established Amon went to look for Father Trendel to report in and also to see the results of his deviations. Finding him in one of the first floor guest rooms with Dawnbringer Davis and Celeste he waited patiently as the Morninglord seemed to be in prayer. His wings were folded around him and his head was bowed as he rested on his knees.
After a few minutes his head came back up and he turned to look at Davis and then at Amon and Feldin. “Well that was… enlightening.” He said with a smile and a laugh that was hard to miss.
“Good news I take it?” Amon asked as Father Trendel stood up and faced the group standing near the doorway.
“Yes but I can’t talk about it here we will need to ward a room before we can talk in any detail. But suffice it to say he has a mission for the five of you and it is most integral to his plans for this realm.”
“Well don’t tease us Father. Out with it.” Celeste insisted as she gave him a discerning look.
“Someone could be watching I can’t say. It is that important. All I can tell you is that it will require the five of you.”
“Really? That's all you can say?” Celeste asked her arms now crossed in front of her.
“Yes, I can’t tell you anything more but it has something to do with the reason he summoned Lilith here in the first place.” The winged man said looking down at the young Dawn Agent.
“But there are only three of us here. Myself, Amon and Feldin. I don’t think you are going to send Davis with us are you?” She asked extending a hand towards the old cleric.
“No, Kevin and Bindi should join you. I think it will take all five of you to succeed. Its a very dangerous place.”
“Bah you would be lucky to have me but I would probably slow you down. I don’t move as quickly as I used to. I seem to remember that dungeons often involved a lot of running or flying as it were.” Dawnbringer Davis chuckled seeming to be thinking back on a past experience.
“I guess we can go. I am sure Kevin and Bindi will want to as well, especially if it helps Lilith in some way.” She admitted letting out a frustrated stream of air from her lips which she directed upwards making her bangs move around in the breeze.
“Good I will tell you more when the others are here. But first we really need Kevin and Bindi to get back as well as those reinforcements.”
“Reinforcements?” Amon asked sounding a bit surprised.
“Oh you didn’t think Sir Bentin was going to see the Highwatcher for nothing now did you.”
Most of the people in the room turned towards the hallway at the same time. There were some muffled foot steps as a paladin approached and saluted Amon. The soft carpet having silenced his metal clad boots to dull thuds. “Sir, the young Duke and the Snake have returned with the Wizard and they are looking at the barrier on the Dining Room.”
“Well that didn’t take long. Lets go see Master Wendel. Maybe we can finally get the guests out of there. Shame, I was hoping we would get our reinforcements first.” Father Trendel said as he began to head out of his room motioning for the others to follow.
“Do you want me to wake any of the off duty men?” Amon asked as they filed out one by one.
“I think we should be fine for now. The only thing I am really worried about are my wings I don’t think most Waterdavians will know what to make of them.” He said shrugging both his shoulders and his wings a the same time.
“Ya I have been meaning to ask you about those but thought it would be a little….. impudent. Were they a gift from Lathander?” Celeste asked as they continued walking down the hall.
Father Trendel slowed his pace and turned to speak to the group with him although it seemed only Celeste didn’t know the answer to that question as the others had neutral expressions on their faces like they had heard this story before. “Yes and no. I am not truly human you see. I am an Aasimar. I am related to a celestial some time in my families past but both my parents were human. I just happened to get the golden eyes and wings. They were much smaller and deformed originally but Lathander fixed that for me.” He smiled spreading his wings a bit. “I am used to hiding them though otherwise people get the wrong idea and start to worship me and ask me for divine favors rather than the attention being on him Even if I do regularly heal people as part of our services it is important that Lathander gets the credit. After all I would be nothing without him.”
“I think I get that. You know, I can hide those for you.” Celeste said as she cast minor illusion on him causing his wings to appear as a long flowing cloak not to dissimilar from the one he normally wore.
“Thank you Ms. Baker.” he said as they continued down the hall.
Arriving at the entrance to the Dining Room they found Kevin and Bindi standing to the side as Wendel had his head dipped and his eyes closed as if he was meditating or casting some kind of spell. Celeste recognized his battle robes. They were heavily enchanted a refined mix of several shades of dark blue with gold trim. The thick material made him look far more regal than his normal garb.
While the others stopped short seeming to wait for him to finish his spell, Celeste went up to the distracted wizard and gently gave him a hug.
“Oh Celeste. You’re wearing armor. I guess that makes sense. I heard there was quite the battle.” He let out in a much higher voice that soon normalized as the surprise faded.
“I’m glad you’re here Wendel.” She said with a mischievous look on her face that he knew could only mean trouble. Ignoring it for the moment, the wizard surveyed the group she had brought with her and waved. “Hi, I was trying to use sending to talk to Lilith since she cast this spell but all I got back were a few grunts and a growl” To this he threw up his hands in frustration and then continued. “So it looks like I am going to have to try and dispel this after all.” He said as he took a step forward, laced his fingers together and bent his hands backwards to crack his knuckles. He then pulled out his staff from somewhere in his robe and held it high as it began to glow with arcane energy. The wizard spoke two rune words and held the staff high as more and more arcane energy swirled around its head. He then said the final rune word casting Dispel Magic at 8th level.
With the impact of his spell on the wall there was a shudder as it seemed like the weave in the immediate area had absorbed a shockwave of some kind. Wendel then pulled back his staff and tapped it on the area where the wall should be only to find it intact and still quite solid. “Well that didn’t work.” He said turning around with a finger pressed to his chin. “I had better call Lara” He admitted before he spoke the rune words for Sending and closed his eyes yet again.
Meanwhile, the mercenaries from inside the dining room came up and started poking the wall with their weapons. Oblivious to this, Wendel spoke into Lara’s mind thinking of the Vicemage and her black staff. “So there is a wall of force that was cast by a certain Demon Lord in their home domain. Any ideas on how to break it?”
“Oh you mean Lilith? I had completely forgotten she was a Demon Lord. I think you can use a similar type of spell energy, something that uses magical force like an enchanted weapon or the Disintegrate spell.” She replied much faster and with more certainty than Wendel had expected.
“Hey Kevin why don’t you try using that weapon of yours. Lara seems to think it could bring down this wall of force since it is enchanted.” He suggested after opening his eyes.
“Oh ya that's how the main gate and the front door got destroyed. I should have thought of that first.” he admitted giving Wendel an embarrassed look, as if he was asking him to spare any further injury to his pride. He then drew his sword taking several swings at the invisible barrier. Each swing sounded out like the ringing of a bell leaving behind purple and blue gashes in the barrier. He then worked to connect some of the cuts together and once they made a hole about the size of a person the entire barrier shattered and dissipated like so much purple confetti.
“It seems like you have had some practice at that. Is there a reason you decided to destroy your front gate and front door? Were you trapped outside the palace?” Wendel asked motioning at the opulent building around them.
“No I….. Nevermind! I will explain later.” he said with a bit of frustration as Bindi and Celeste laughed to themselves at his expense.
With the way now clear Father Trendel and Kevin went into the dining room while Celeste motioned for Bindi to climb up to her shoulder so they could talk. For a while Kevin explained the situation to all 430 guests while Amon, Feldin, the Helmite on duty and the clerics stood back at the door. Hearing that Kevin wanted to make a registry for who was in each room Celeste pulled out some paper and a pen and brought it over to him. Amon and Feldin then began taking groups of 10 to 15 people each down the halls and assigning them rooms while the Bard struck up a tune to entertain the rest of the crowd while they waited.
After about an hour all of the guests were housed in their own rooms on the second and third floors. During this time Sir Bentin returned with Ten additional Paladins and several new suits of armor along with other supplies. Amon got them all lodging as well on the first floor but didn’t return command to him until he was done rooming all the guests.
“Well done Amon, consider yourself relieved. I think we will have a shift change in about 4 hours. There should be more armor brought here by mid day tomorrow. Any word on when we can get these people back to Waterdeep?” Sin Bentin asked after giving the senior paladin a salute
“I don’t know for sure but it sounds like Father Trendel has a task for us that might help. I am sorry to put this burden on you but your men will have to hold this palace for some time perhaps a whole tenday.”
“Don’t worry the Watcher wants this to succeed as much as you do apparently. I won’t even pretend like I understand what is going on here. Friendly Demon Lords that turn hostile, Gnoll armies and lost souls. A golden haired girl that turns into a golden eagle that breathes sun beams and a blue haired girl that died and turned into a blue snake. I am really out of my element here but holding this palace and keeping the guests here safe until the Morninglord says they can leave, that's something I CAN handle.” Sir Bentin insisted with a nod.
“Good, now it seems it is time for me to find out more about this mission.” Amon gave him a salute as he turned to leave the command room which was the first one closest to the front entrance.
“Be ever vigilant and you won’t need luck.” he called out as his brother in arms left.
Going down the West hall, Amon found the others in the conference room waiting for him. Inside there was the portal to the Grass Farm along with the large conference table and a strange machine that made an infinite supply coffee in ten different flavors. Seated on the far side were the two clerics and Wendel while on his side was Kevin, Bindi, Celeste and Feldin. Sitting down next to Feldin Amon gave Father Trendel a nod as he was the one who called the meeting.
“Close the door please.” Bindi said seeming to talk to no one in particular. Soon enough the doors did close and lock as the unseen servants did their duty. The two paladins stationed outside the door didn’t move or flinch even as they were still visible through the wood and glass doors.
“Good, now, what I am going to tell you should not be repeated. I have warded this room, with the help of Master Wendel, so it is safe to speak about this for the time being but after we leave here, say only the bare minimum out loud. We never know who may be watching or listening. Now the reason I have gathered you here is to issue you a holy mission. A mission from Lathander himself to go to a dungeon and kill a Lich.” Father Trendel looked around at each of them seeing only a bit of shock on their faces he smiled. ‘I knew that wouldn’t scare this lot’. He reassured himself before he continued. “As you may have guessed Lilith killed Yeenoghu but Orcus brought him back as a spirit of some kind during the battle. He then possessed Lilith and caused her to run amok before she regained some of her faculties. Since then Lathander has helped her regain control and set her against Orcus. I have been told by the bright one that she is on her way to see him now and has no intentions of joining his side. When she reaches his palace in Thanatos she is going to try to kill him and take his throne. I am sure you heard the announcement earlier, it seems she has claimed the land that Kali once held. If and when she defeats him, there will be a similar announcement. It will be heard by anyone in the Abyss. Someone will need to relay this to the mortal plane as the timing is most important. I think Wendel will be staying here is that correct?”
“Yes I will stay here and message Father Trendel, then Celeste and then Kevin and Amon. I will also stay here to help control the unseen servants while Lilith is gone.” The wizard clarified.
“I knew it. I knew Lilith wouldn’t join those fiends.” Bindi shouted before looking back at Kevin and then at Celeste.
“Ya that's a real relief.” Kevin said wiping a tear from his eye. “I take it you don’t want Orcus to know she is free of his influence. You want her attack to be a surprise?”
“Not just her attack but your attack as well. I am sending you to the crypt of a Lich one of Orcus’s last allies that could be relied upon toe bring him back to life but the timing of it is very important. Once you hear of Lilith’s success you will have one or two hours to find the phylactery belonging to the Lich Gygax. It shouldn’t be too hard. It will be glowing and making a humming noise as it draws on power from the living and the unliving in that dungeon. It needs a lot of power to transport him back from his hiding spot on Earth. Now I can’t stress this enough, you need to destroy his phylactery before he is summoned there. If he arrives, he will most likely kill some if not all of you and then bring Orcus back to life as well. He may even use your body to do so. Gygax is one of the oldest and most powerful Liches in service to the Demon Lord of Undeath and is not to be trifled with. So find his phylactery destroy it with a magical weapon and then return to the spires.” Father Trendel explained pointing a single finger at the table for emphasis.
There were nods from all across the room and some serious looks. However it was Wendel who spoke up first. “Here is a scroll I made today. It will bring you back to the Blackstaff tower. If it looks like you are going to be captured by the Litch, destroy it or else he may try to take revenge on the city.” He said in a serious voice as he passed the scroll to Celeste.
“So lets say we fail to find this phylactery how will we know that the Lich has been…. How will we know that we have failed and need to leave?” Amon asked with a bit of hesitation.
“You should hear the sound of a soul being torn from its body. It might sound like a loud high pitched scream.”
“What do you mean a soul being ripped from its body? Whose body?” Celeste asked in surprise.
“There should be a vessel somewhere near the phylactery maybe in the same room. It should be dormant but it contains a soul. This is the body that the Lich will possess if he returns so it is bound to be a powerful one, but it shouldn’t be active when you get there. Now listen this is important. Whatever you do don’t kill that vessel if you destroy it then the Lich will possess one of you instead and you will end up trapped on Earth while the rest of you are killed by the Lich using your body. Instead focus on finding that phylactery and destroying it.”
“Got it. Ignore the scary sleeping body, destroy the phylactery then teleport back.” Bindi confirmed with a nod of her blue scaled head.
“But if we find the scary sleeping body, that means we are in the right room correct?” Celeste asked looking across the table at Trendel.
“Yes… more or less. It could be that room or the one next to it. The spell has a range between 100 and 200 feet.” He confirmed.
“What spell?” Celeste asked.
“Magic Jar. Its in the school of necromancy. If it is being cast or re-activated you should feel a cold breeze flowing towards it. The spell might also make you weaker. It drains life from any body or form it can reach, not enough to harm or kill you but enough so that you will feel tired and have difficulty casting certain spells.” Davis explained surprising both Wendel and the opposite side of the table but not Trendel.
“It sounds like it will be easy to find then. This doesn’t sound too bad overall. I have been in a few dungeons before. So where is this place and how are we getting there.” Kevin asked as he patted Bindi on the top of her head seeing how she looked bit more nervous than the rest.
“The stronghold of this Lich is built under the ruined city of Karse, just East of the Star Mountains. I think Wendel has arranged for a wizard to help transport you there tomorrow. Someone you might already know.” Father Trendel explained
“Yes Lara has studied those ruins, even helped place some wards to try and contain the aberrations that spawn there. She can get you to Karse safely. But you bastards had better not try and talk her into joining this expedition. That place is a death trap. I already stand to lose an apprentice and two of my friends on this endeavor. I can’t……” Wendel finished, letting out a sharp exhalation indicating his displeasure with something he couldn’t quite put into words.
“Oh what? You’re worried we are going to get your girl friend killed?” Celeste asked in a mocking voice with a smile that she quickly withdrew when she saw the serious expression staring back at her. “Oh…. OH! When did this happen?” She asked showing a reserved type of interest as a hundred different questions formed in her head half of them being for Lara.
“None of your business. Now are there any other questions or can we head back to Waterdeep. I would like to purchase a few scrolls that you might need before the shops close.” Wendel almost growled.
“Yes are there any questions? I am hoping that you can set out as soon as Lara is ready at about 8:00 tomorrow morning.” the Father asked looking left and right to each end of the table.
“Tell them about the weapons.” Dawnbringer Davis reminded him gently putting a hand on his shoulder.
“Oh yes the weapons. We have a few weapons made for occasions like this. You will want to attune to them tonight. But before we go. Remember, don’t say a word about your mission to anyone. Don’t say anything out loud that has to do with you know where and to kill you know whom. If you have to, use sending or a sending stone to communicate unless you are within one of the towers. Speaking of which lets head to the Tower of Protection and the holy armory within.” With that Father Trendel stood a smile showing on his face as he looking at the brave heroes across the table from him. A young duke, a half demon half human snake, a Wizard who had received the majority of a cleric’s training and two of his most trusted paladins. Suddenly he felt almost the same sentiment as Wendel. Like he couldn’t bare the thought of losing them to the same calamity but he quickly pushed that thought to the side. ‘Lathander will watch over them’ he thought as they all stood and headed into the Grass Farm and then to the Tower of Rest beyond.
Once there, they made the familiar trek up the curved stairs and out into the late daylight of the Sword Coast. After they passed the guards at the tower’s entrance, Wendel went his separate way leaving the campus to do some shopping. The rest of them, however, continued on going across the courtyard to the Tower of Protection.
Inside, down in the basement, they found many sets of armor and swords each on racks and polished to perfection. They didn’t use an enchantment like the Helmites did, no theirs were polished by hand leaving the occasional dent and ding from long hours of practice visible for the world to see. Father Trendel did not stop here though, instead he continued on past over a 100 sets of arms and armor to another room with a sturdy metal door that was guarded by a rather short paladin who looked almost as old as Davis.
“Sir!” He called out with a salute as their group approached.
In a fluid motion Trendel handed him a key and the paladin placed it in one of five key holes. Celeste began to wonder if the others were decoys or if they were meant for different keys that operated the same mechanism.
With his duty performed the old paladin stood aside as they entered a large rectangular chamber that had several armor racks in the center and thee large tables along the edge of the room.
“This one should fit you Feldin.” The Morninglord called out placing a hand on the second armor set in the row as he continued walking further into the room. “And this one for you Amon. Each of you is now on a mission for Lathander and so you may wear his creations.” He explained leveling a hand at the row of armor.
Looking at it, Celeste could see that they were made of a type of metal she had never seen before. It wasn’t painted white. It was white. The purest color she had ever seen and it was inlaid with a black metal that outlined each piece that made up its shape. The contrast between the two gave the armor plates a look like they were floating on each other unconnected by anything visible.
Lifting one of the pieces above his head Amon let out a small chuckle. “Knew it, all of the enchantments are underneath.” He confirmed before he slung it onto his shoulder as Feldin did the same to his.
Approaching the back table now the Morninglord took off the tattered remains of his cloak and picked up a new one from a pile that rest against the back wall, folded neatly. Dawnbringer Davis took the old rags from him and began pointing at a square of shimmering metal near by. “Ah Celeste come look at this. It should fit you perfectly.”
“Its enchanted Danwbringer. Of course it is going to fit perfectly” She teased as she walked up to the back table as the old cleric lifted the chainmail haubergeon to present it to her. As he did the armor began to shimmer and shine as if it was made from liquid sunlight.
“I had better get you a tabard to go over it.” He Davis said with a nod.
“Why does it look like that?” she asked taking the shining metal garment from him only for the look of shock on her face to increase. I was light too and felt warm to the touch.
“Well there is no flat space to enchant chainmail so it has some permanent divine spells cast on it instead.” The Morninglord explained seeing her expression of wonder and excitement he couldn’t help but smile himself. “It has the protection of his faith and his blessing so long as it is worn by someone who believes in him. I think that is what Davis meant when he said it would fit you.”
All she could do was nod as she folded it back into a square only to have the Dawnbringer place a folded tabard on top of it. Seeing that Father Trendel was now moving on to the table with the weapons on it she thought it might be best to put the armor in her satchel which caused the room to become noticeably dimmer as it had produced the same amount of light as a bonfire.
Seeing that they were now moving on to weapons Kevin spoke up asking. “So no armor for me I take it. Just kidding. Just kidding. At least my armor didn’t get a whole blasted through it. I should be fine.”
“Ya I do feel a bit exposed really.” Amon said looking down at the discolored hole in his plate armor revealing the tattered remains of his arming jacket and his bare skin.
“I probably can’t wear armor at the moment either. Or rings for that matter. You did pick up my rings didn’t you?” Bindi asked looking up at Kevin from about waist level.
“Yes I put it all in your room, your weapons too.”
“Its kind of weird being naked again. I feel even more defenseless without any of my swords but I don’t even have a belt to hang them from.” She lamented tilting her head slightly as she looked at the Morninglord.
“Or hips to hang the belt on.” Celeste added
“Well, what you do have is a neck. Try this on.” Father Trendel said as he handed a small necklace to the snake and her invisible hands that only he could see.
It was a gold chain that held a single ruby clasp by platinum vines. Placing it on her neck she felt a warm sensation as it tightened to fit her. Suddenly she felt protected. It was as if no chill or fire or natural calamity could ever hurt her again, at least, not fully. “Thanks Father it fits. Look.” She cheered taking her mage hands away from her neck.
“Its very nice.” Kevin praised patting her on the head as the Morninglord was looking over a set of weapons.
Soon enough he had handed out three weapons to them that glowed blue just like Kevin’s sword. There was a warhammer for Celeste and longswords for each of the brothers.
Looking at the longswords that the Brothers were now adding to their belts Kevin couldn’t help but notice the similarities. They were not only glowing the same color as his sword, but they had the same hilt and crossguards as well. As he watched them retie their belts he didn’t even notice that his mouth was open as he tried to figure out how their weaspons could be that similar if not identical.
Noticing Kevin’s stunned silence, the Morninglord spoke up. “As you may have guessed your sword was originally made by Lathander for use by this order. I don’t know how you got it, but keep it with his blessing.” Father Trendel assured him placing a hand on his shoulder.
“Thanks.” Kevin managed, not sure what else to say.
“Here, these are for you Celeste. They are scrolls of Revivify. I hope you won’t need them. But you never know with these two around.” He said handing the scrolls over to the Dawnagent.
“Hey.” Both of the paladins responded at the same time.
“Now go get some dinner and some rest. Report to my office at seven tomorrow. I will have the supplies and packs prepared for you then.” Father Trendel assured them while motioning to the door.
The five of them nodded as they said there thanks and goodbyes. Kevin being the only one leaving empty handed, he bent down to get a better look at Bindi’s necklace.
As Celeste Feldin and Amon were already heading back into the larger armory Trendel’s gaze settled on the two Daggerfords, on kneeling in front of the other. ‘What string of fate or divine plan brought these two into my service I will never know.’ he mused to himself before he thought of a much more worldly question to ponder.
“Oh that reminds me. Bindi, what kind of food should we pack for you. I assume you don’t need as much.” Father Trendel asked a slightly apologetic expression on his face.
“Oh I like meat but it needs to be bite sized.” She replied nodding rapidly to show she was happy he had asked at all.
“That shouldn’t be too hard. Now go, get some rest. I will see you in the morning.” he said chasing everyone out of the vault except for the Dawnbringer.
“Is there anything else we can do to help them?” Davis asked after he was sure the others were heading up the stairs at the far end of the other room.
“Lathander will be guiding them. But a lot of it depends on timing. The least we can do is ensure they have the right equipment and food.”
“Yes but what about Lilith? What can we do to help her?”
“Are you volunteering to join her in Thanatos?” Trendel joked giving his friend a wry grin.
“No no no. I mean, we can talk to her send her a message to let her know everything is alright here. When she left everyone was dead. Remember?” He chastised him slightly as if he should have thought of this by now.
“Oh, ya I had better tell her that Bindi is alive at the least.” He said with a pained expression before he spoke the rune words for Sending while thinking of the demoness with the bright red hair.
“Lilith, everyone is alive, even Bindi. Although she looks like a snake again. So don’t worry, there is a place for you here when your mission is done, I spoke to Lathander.”
Hearing the familiar voice in her head Lilith slowed down and closed her eyes for a moment to give her reply. “Thanks, glad she’s alright. I spoke to Lathander and then AO believe it or not. He helped me quite a bit so I am feeling much better now. I have my mind back, mostly, but I am still a bit angry. I am going to kill Orcus, or try to at least. Its what Lathander wants me to do.” She replied her mind sounding a bit off and jilted.
After hearing the reply, the Morninglord looked up at his old friend who was waiting patiently. “AO helped her out. So she is in much better shape it seems. And she is definitely going to try and kill Orcus just like Lathander said.”
“You know I wonder who hates that bastard more, her or Lathander?” Davis asked.
“Come now, you know that the bright one doesn’t hate. He is just reacting to what the Demon Lord has done. Sending his own energy back at him.” Trendel cautioned, once again telling the Dawnbringer not to humanize the deity.
“You can’t fool me. I know there is more to this than you are letting on. Lathander sent us into that crypt once before and we failed. You and I were lucky to come back from that accursed place at all. In fact if you were as human as the rest of us, I think we would have died there too.” He argued stepping forward to tug at the edge of the Morninglord’s cloak which was actually the edge of his wing.
“I wish I could have done more that day and yes this is related to our lat trip there. The reason we know so much about Karse and what Orcus is using it for is precisely because of our last expedition there. Don’t worry I will explain the rest but you will have to wake up before seven, you can join me for the final briefing before we send our agents out on their holy mission.” Father Trendel teased as he guided Davis out of the vault, the two of them walking together side by side.
“I think I can manage that just this one time. Its getting harder you know.” He admitted as they walked back into the large armory. Now in the larger room, they walked by the armor racks while the guard began to close the vault door behind them. There was a scraping noise of wheels on stone followed by a resounding thud. Waiting for the sounds to subside Davis spoke up just after the echo ended. “Its hard to believe you and I are the same age and joined the order at the same time. It seems like a lifetime ago, that I led our expedition there. Its a shame really, that we couldn’t finish it back then.”
“I know.” Father Trendel assured him thinking how fitting it would be if Davis got to see the results of their sacrifice all those years ago. A second thought then occurred to him. ‘Is that what Lathander is doing? Trying to set right a past failure? Is that why he has been so involved? He wants it to succeed while Davis was still with us.’ He mused thinking to himself as they went up the stairs. ‘Come on Theodore, you know Lathander isn’t sentimental like that’. Shaking his head he continued to help his old friend up the stairs. They still had lots of work to do that night and yet more in the morning. But it was the kind of work they both loved doing.
Unofficial Fan Fiction, Not Endorsed by WOTC
Map of Waterdeep Waterdeep is the most important port city on the sword coast also called the City of Splendors.
Map of Faerun
Daggerford is on the Sword Coast, South East of Waterdeep and south of the Sword Mountains
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P.S.
Ok, so now you know about Theodore Trendel’s first name and his wings. Also this is the last mission of the book!!!! I don’t know what will happen next. Lilith might succeed or fail. Anyone could die, especially if that Lich gets summoned back. He is one scary DM after all. He can simply say “Rocks Fall” and they will be done for. Please let me know what you think of the chapter and sorry about the odd timing of my posts.
Posted Apr 20, 2022, 4:12 PM UTC · edited
Oh I didn't know if anyone noticed but I have been posting some music at the end of each chapter. Sometimes it is themed to match the chapter other times it is just my mood while editing. Hope you like it.
(Edit) Just updated the first 4 paragraphs of this chapter to add some clarity. (Edit 2) Updated last page of this chapter.