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Borodin has been standing silently through the exchange, lost in thoughts of the past. When he realizes they are no longer examining the body he asks, "If you don't need the light for further study, I would like to extinguish it." At the mention of his spell Borodin agrees. "I agree, Verik, and I'm sure Jemini and Nikolai would have no objections. Evie?"
"Well, I can't see anything that would help narrow down suspects. Anyone else have a clue?" The Magus stands back to let anyone else have a closer look should they want.
The Spymaster snaps his fingers in an abrupt manner and four glowing spheres pop into existence. He bends down to get a better look at Jhod's wound. "So if this is indeed the work of an animal, why in the nine hells is Verik, of Abadar no less!, a suspect in Jhod's murder?" Borodin stands upright and looks to his comrades. "The last time I checked he was partial to maces and long swords and showed no signs of Lycanthropy."
Borodin strides into the meeting chamber as Jemini finishes her last thought. He hasn’t yet made it fully into the room as he replies. ”I would think that Verik is quite protected from compulsion. He stood his ground with ease in the Shadow world. As far as his role in Jhod’s murder, I don’t buy it. It’s too convenient to blame him. It is Verik after all. He’s so concerned with law and order that it would be the very antithesis of him.”
Borodin wasted no time leaving the Founder’s meeting. He wanted to put quill to parchment while he had the chance and before his other duties pulled him away from the castle. He scribed a couple of short notes using a block cipher to both Elsir and Verik.
Cipher:
’Since we can’t discuss tactics in the open. I had a couple of thoughts regarding the lich. If we inadvertently release him from our explorations of Candlemere and Ghorraneaux’s ruins, what is to say part of the answer to locking him up again wouldn’t lie there as well.
In addition, do either of you have ideas of what the artifact that could help destroy Vordekai would resemble or where we could start looking? We would use our network of informants to keep an eye or ear open for ‘strange’ news or items without necessarily telling them what to look for. Borodin Message completed, the spymaster places the missives in a pre-arranged dead drop for later disbursement and strolls over to the Scales to have an impromptu meeting with Jabber. The little fellow was very happy to lend as many of his fellows to help in ferreting out potential plots from the Mivonese or Pitaxians while they were in Newhaven. Not wanting to take too much of his time away from Evie, Borodin excused himself and made his way towards the War Academy. Uncharacteristically, he passes his Aldori Fighting School grounds and the Home Guard Bar, nodding to many of the Wardens and Key Sworn he bumps into along the way.
"Would it help if we made someone else look like me while casting some sort of non-detection on myself? Perhaps try to give him a false perspective on reality?"
Well I'm completely offended...
What the heck is Hallit? some sort of strange meal?
Borodin can see everyone in the room tensing for a possible escalation of hostilities from the once friendly priests. ”Gentlemen! Please!” The Spymaster raises his voice a little higher than he wanted but it gets everyone’s attention. ”I think we can agree that the both of you have the best interests of New Haven in mind. What may be lost on you is that your methods are both appropriate for the different types of communities we have here. Jhod for the more agrarian villages, and Verik for the more cosmopolitan city of Sanctuary.” He lowers his voice and continues. ”If we don’t stop quarreling with each other and these armies decide to invade New Haven, they will not discriminate on who they will wipe out. So if we can get back to the agenda of orchestrating this much needed peace agreement, then perhaps we can get back to searching for the crazed undead lord bent on all of our destruction.”
28 Calistril 4713:
Spoiler: ”From all accounts, Irovetti is a megalomaniac. That he is a wealthy King of a city state makes no difference in his conniving for more power. I’m sure if he were able, he would become a lich to extend his rule and power for as long as possible.” Borodin stops for a moment, reflecting on the fact that this description also applies to Vordekai. He looks at Elsir and thinks the elf is probably contemplating the same thing. After a moment he continues. ”Now Raston Selline is a more complicated fellow. Mivon is more ‘free’ in that there is no outright oppression of its citizens. However, there is a large network of informers working for Selline that report to him on any people that would be a threat to Mivon or his rule. I can attest to this personally as I have seen his agents skulking around on the roof tops when I was a boy. I can even point out a few entrances they used in their comings and goings if we ever had the need.” ”I have given it a great deal of thought and I suppose that since I am here with memories intact of a time that does not match to this existence, that I have been cut out the former. I agree with you, and do believe there is a connection with my younger self here. But I feel things that he might do, may they be different from what I have done, will not have a great impact on my wellbeing.” He stops again and the two founders simply sit in quiet for countless minutes before Borodin rises from his seat. ”I will continue to press my informants for any information from both sides of this struggle. I will make sure to have any of this available to you without the need of my presence should I be called away. In the meantime, if you come across anything, please let me know. Even the smallest bit of information may mean a great deal to me even if it seems rather trivial. Unless there is anything else, I will bid you good day.”
28 Calistril 4713:
Spoiler: Borodin listens passively to Elsir’s lecture on his predicament. When prodded regarding his understanding he replies. ”Yes, your theories on alternate timelines make sense to me. What I do not understand is how it is possible for me to even exist outside the reality that I once knew. It has been said that you cannot be in two places at once. But yet here I am, doing just that. On top of that, we now have the current situation of the war which didn’t happen in my past. I have been careful to limit my interactions with anyone outside of Newhaven so as not to affect this reality adversely, so I am unsure as to how this difference exists.” He realizes he may be rambling so he stops short. ”Have your abilities given you any insight on what to do?”
Borodin can't help but interject after Jhod's remark. "Living cheek to cheek indeed. I have it on good authority that the Calistrans have become acquainted with all the new arrivals. By all accounts I believe they are making sure the community stays intact." He continues before Jhod can compose his thoughts to retort. "I have reliable informants in both the Pitaxian and Mivonese armies. If there are any treacherous plans, we should get fair warning and be able to react accordingly."
And now, with the fighting between Pitax and Mivon, the possible repercussions of his very existence here and now was enough to make his head hurt. But now something was different and it was up to them to figure out what. A subtle shift in his vision was enough for Borodin to realize Elsir was done with his “Tracing”. He looked up and could tell the elf did not have that “Thousand yard stare” any longer. His stomach growled and Borodin realized it was past midday. Food would have to wait a little longer. ”Well Elsir? What do your arts tell you?”
One thing that the old Spymaster couldn’t do was to establish good contacts in Pitax. This was due to King Irovetti. The man was a megalomaniac to be sure. But just because he had delusions of grandeur for his city state did not mean that he was stupid. Contrary enough, he was quite adept at rooting out spies or anyone that spoke ill about his decisions. Rumors and stories abound about how he not only executed any offenders, but also their entire family. This made the news Borodin received today all the more special. He had been cultivating a few contacts serving in the king’s army. One, Narseo Lanzillo, was a single man with no attachments. He was easy to buy off. But the other two, and officer named Leandro Blasi, and a sergeant named Soccorso Calderone, had families they were worried about which prevented them from committing. No longer. The influx of peoples from Pitax and Mivon fleeing the fighting was a perfect cover. He was able to get both men’s families smuggled through the Narlmarches and to Candlemere Lake. From there it was an easy trip to Sanctuary. With the knowledge their families were safe, both men agreed to supply Borodin with much needed information about the lunatic king. Halorouth, eat your heart out…
As the last of the dust from the patrol disappears on the horizon Borodin remarks ”I don’t like it Verik. It’s like having a fox guarding the henhouse.” When his comment is met with silence, he continues ”While I am confident that you can handle yourself, it has occurred to me that you don’t speak Aldori.” His friend looks at the Spymaster incredulously. ”Are you having fun with me? There is no such language as Aldori! Do not think me the fool.” Borodin chuckles a little at Verik’s retort. ”No no no. I don’t mean literally. I’m talking about the nuance and character of these “Swordlords”. He says with an obvious bit of sarcasm. ”Look. You’re too nice, even when you’re trying not to be. If you think he’s done something extra ordinary, just make it seem like you expected nothing less and just grunt an approval. Don’t go all flowery on him with praise. Just think of him like a spoiled rich child and then treat him like you were also a spoiled rich child and you should get along just swimmingly.” ”You don’t have to worry about me Loginov. I’ve held many a formal meeting and can handle myself just fine, thank you.” replies the Banker. ”I will miss you too my friend. If you need my services, you know where you can find me. If not I shall see you in a month or so.” With that Borodin leaves his friend to his thoughts as he watches the Northern horizon.
It was true. Gruesome as it was, there was something about actual combat that you just couldn’t get with sparing. He found that in the last few days he felt more comfortable without his armor. He felt faster, more sure in his foot and bladework. He buckles his war belt and walks out of the building into the main courtyard. He makes a mental note of the spells he wants to cast this day and starts to practice his forms. The concentration on arcane formula while cutting, thrusting, and parrying is enough to set the incantations firmly into his mind. The Magus is just finishing his routine when Tavin runs up and hands him a note. The boy reminds him so much of Ronan. Hopefully he exists somewhere in time, not in the one Borodin remembers. Shaking the past off, he looks down and a hastily written note from Verik. ”You should be aware that we have discovered survivors that were holed up at the Slinging Pixies.” For the first time in a while Borodin grins in mirth. ”Excellent. Thank you Tavin.” Borodin had been concerned about his contact in Varnhold. He finishes Verik’s note. ”As it turns out, the proprietor managed to secure her tavern before the hordes of undead took that part of town. In heroic fashion, Natasza Valusek saved not only her own life but those of everyone in her tavern as well as a few families that lived and worked across the street.” With that bit of good news, the Spymaster of Newhaven makes his way to the barricades to clear more of the undead threat.
Something tugs him from his sleep. He opens his eyes to Verik prodding him from a distance with his booted foot.
The gods have no care for us, old man. Borodin looks around the square, counting the remaining townsfolk. In the back of his mind he is calculating the odds of survival for Varnhold with what is left of the population. "Be that as it may, we are going to have to organize everyone with defensive duties until we can bring in more people to fortify Varnhold." He looks down at the former "Lady" Fraeja and spits on her corpse. "We may have defeated a supernatural foe, but there are plenty of goblins and the like that would take advantage of our weakness here." He looks at his companions, asking any or all of them. "How quickly can we bring in some of our troops from Sanctuary? And more importantly, how many?"
Borodin pulls forth an oiled cloth and thoroughly cleans his blade before sheathing it. "It is the unattainable carrot followed by the inevitable stick as we saw with poor Pharn. I agree that it makes no sense for that kind of blind devotion but it unfortunately exists. I would bet that there are more agents that are out there." He furrows his brow for a moment and turns to the Banker. "Didn't you tell me one time you were scouting on a mountain near the gold mine where you spied a witch queen accompanied by a four armed giant, a blue dragon, and a satyr? Could some of these be in league with Vordekai?"
Borodin recharges his blade and dives back into to melee. He knows that their fate lies upon a razor’s edge. He comes up behind the fallen maiden and strikes her hard in the back. Augur bites deeply but his spell is rebuffed.
Borodin sees the Valkyrie inflict a devastating blow to Nikolai and realizes he won’t make it to cover. The Magus charges his blade with electricity and dashes out to confront their foe. His strike is true but not as effective as he would have liked. ”No you B@#$%! Your god is the one that is false! Only a cowardly god would skulk forever in the shadows!”
”We’ve got to seek cover. There’s no way we can beat her out here!” Borodin makes a dash for the front doors of the Town Hall and waves for his friends to follow.
Borodin is about to take a swing at the Orb only to find that it moved to where he last stood. Instead of chasing it down he uses his training to recall the spell he cast on the Bodak. He moves closer to Nikolai and follows through with his casting. Three bolts of magical energy fly past the big man and strike the Orb.
"Hey Lady Fraeja!" The Magus points to the still form of her mount. "Your Nightmare was my plaything!"
Borodin holds his breath as the noxious cloud envelopes him. As the unnatural horse lunges forward to bite him, he brings up Augur in a diagonal sweeping arc catching the creature right under the neck. Augur bites deeply and the head severs from the body, both falling to the muddy ground with a sickening thud. Borodin turns his back on his vanquished foe and joins Nikolai on the opposite side of the Orb.
Borodin moves closer to the Orb of darkness. He uses his innate ability to recall the spell he just cast to rain more fire down upon the Valkyrie’s steed. Again a ray shoots forth from his blade and strikes the Nightmare squarely in the chest.
Borodin manages to dodge aside the noxious fumes exhaled by the flying mount. He finally gets a closer look at the dark orb at the town center and now understands. "Nikolai! The orb is what is keeping this place in the Shadow realm! If we destroy it, Varnhold will return to normal!"
As Nikolai yells a challenge to the creatures in the yard, Borodin lunges forward blade in hand. He casts yet another spell stops about half way into the muddy field and shoots a blazing hot ray from the tip of his sword. It scorches across the Nightmare’s chest as it rears back apparently ready to take flight.
”Thank the gods, we’re not too late.” Borodin draws Augur and starts to cast protective magics as quickly as he can. A few syllables and a flourish with his blade invokes a protective shield. Another casting and two facsimiles of the Magus appear next to him. ”It will be your death that has an audience, fallen one!” He calls out to ‘Lady Fraeja’. ”May it be quick but painful.”
At the last request from Verik, Borodin replies "I spied out the most direct route to the town center devoid of zombies. There is a small alleyway I'm sure we could hide in while you cast your last protective enchantments upon us."
Borodin nods at his large friend. ”Nokolai is right about the Valkyrie. But there is something different about it. I could feel the evil radiating from it and the Nightmare. If we had some protections from evil, that would give us an edge. And Jemini’s blade should bite deeply into either foe.” Verik can see Borodin’s eyes moving back and forth as if remembering something, or scanning an imaginary text. ”I almost forgot, Valkyries have been known to call down lightning from the skies. Any resistance of that type would also help our cause.” Borodin looks at his friend, readying scrolls and going through his items. It would almost be comical if the battle in the next few minutes weren’t so dire. ”By the way, a Nightmare is a mount, much like our horses. The only difference is that it can fly, their hooves spark and fire, and they can exhale smoke in combat. The smoke is thick and foul and can not only obscure vision, but sicken men as well.” ”I believe we should concentrate our attacks upon the steed first as it is more susceptible to our weapons. If we take it down quickly we can avoid the noxious breath which would leave us unencumbered to engage the Valkyrie. Thoughts?”
Borodin is still running full speed when the smithy comes into view. He knows it’s probably not a good idea to startle his friends so he begins to slow his pace slightly.
”Quickly! There are actually people still alive at the town center. There is a Nightmare and some sort of fallen Valkyrie about to take one of them as tribute to Vordekai. Surprise should help us greatly, but if you have some protective spells Verik, now is the time to use them. I can lead us around the hordes but we must hurry! ”
Borodin can’t believe his eyes. That there are any people still living is amazing. Got to act fast! He peeks over the wall and drops the roughly 15 to 20 feet as quietly as he can. He uses the narrow space between the stockade and an adjacent building to slow his descent, bounding off one surface and then back to the former. The Magus lands and is immediately running at full speed to reach his comrades before the “tribute” is selected.
”If we are to be successful, foreknowledge is exactly what we will need. You three stay here at the smithy. I will scout ahead. If I don’t return within two hours, I won’t be coming back.” The Magus looks around the immediate vicinity and then promptly makes his way towards what looks like the center of town. To him, it seems as if the air is getting colder…and quieter. Another block in, and the light is getting fainter, making it difficult for him to sense the foes he is sure to meet. He avoids a few walking corpses using the shadows and stealth to his advantage. He is forced to dispatch a pair of walkers whom could not have been older than 10 or 12 in life. He can feel the sorrow of his future/past rising up. The specters of his past threaten to consume him but he beats it back as if it was an adversary of flesh and bone. Once he is calm again, he resumes his mission. Borodin ventures further into the darkness. He creeps up to a wagon, using it for cover while he scans ahead. Half way up the block he can see another mass of zombies like the one that almost overwhelmed the group minutes ago. He ducks back behind cover quickly. He knows he cannot survive an encounter such as that alone. He skulks across the intersection and down the block to make sure the next avenue is clear leading to the town center. No luck. There are zombies all over. He comes back to the previous intersection looking around for a way out and realizes the answer is right in front of him. The wagon is stocked full of lamp oil. Perfect! With a quick gesture, Borodin lights the oil wagon on fire, hoping to attract the zombie horde. It works, a little too well… The mass of zombies lunge toward the wagon, many caught on fire and destroyed, like a moth to a candle flame. He sprints down the street and again turns toward the center of town. The immediate threat gone, Loginov slows his pace in favor of stealth. He is now within sight of the palisade that protects the heart of town and is close to reaching the gates themselves. The hairs raise on the back of his neck, the only warning danger is approaching. He ducks as a clawed hand tries to rip out his throat. So intent on his goal was he, that Borodin did not see another large group of zombies pressed up against the closest building. He draws his mace and dispatches a few more but he is driven back, away from the stockade. He ducks into a building and bars the door, a large drinking establishment by the looks of it. He bars the door and dashes upstairs looking for a way to the roof. I should have done this earlier. He thinks to himself as he leaps across a small gap between the bar and the closest building to the wall. He keeps his momentum up and leaps the final distance to the top of the stockade wall, barely making it. He pulls himself up and flips over the wall, executing a quiet roll on the second floor parapet. He makes his way quietly along the second level before finding a good place to observe the heart of Varnhold. He calms his breathing and begins to watch….
"Thank you, I guess?" he responds with a smile. Borodin looks around at the carnage and the few remaining undead moaning in the square. It is then that he notices that all his comrades are covered in ichor. He steps back into the smithy for a moment and returns with some blankets that he dispenses so the rest can clean themselves. "I noticed these before. I don't think the former proprietor will have need of them."[//b] As he removes most of the gore he asks Verik [b]"Do we have adequate healing available? After that exchange I wouldn't be surprised if we had to do without."
Borodin walks out of the smithy on the opposite side of the Bodak, mace still flaming. "Hey Nik, nice shot but could you have let that bastard come to us so we ALL could have attacked it?" He puts his mace away and points to the building with his thumb "I almost skewered myself in there."
Borodin uncorks the potion in his hand and gulps it down. He knows it won’t heal him much but it could be the difference between life and undeath. He can still hear Nikolai and the giant beast clashing in the small alley with no clear path around. The Magus kicks in the door of store front he is hiding behind, warily looking for more creatures to attack him. Raw blades and iron tools suggest this was a smithy, as Borodin enters he can see tool and an unfinished project littered on and around a large anvil. He pushes through the interior looking for a path that will take him to a flanking position of the Bodak on the far side of the alley.
Borodin has his back to the wall but can clearly tell that there is not sufficient room in the alley for both Nikolai and him to fight side by side without risk of hitting one another. Instead Borodin casts three bolts of magical energy down the alley at the Bodak while trying to avert his eyes from the foul gaze. He turns back again, looking into the square full of the undead and pulls a potion from his haversack.
Nearly in a panic now, Borodin pulls his arms free with all his might. He rips the arms off the two closest zombies, their hands still grasping his wrist and bicep as he swings his mace back and forth. He smashes a few skulls to his left then shatters the torso of a once attractive woman who is trying to tear out his throat. The undead still clamor for him and he continuously swings his cold iron weapon, killing as many foes as he can.
The horde continues to tear at Borodin. It is all he can do to keep his feet planted on the ground. He tries to lash out with his mace, but the press of rotting flesh pins his arms in and he is unable to land any effective blows.
Borodin draws his mace and leaps forward to the building closest to the giant zombie. The horde is already advancing, hungry to kill the only living souls present in the square. The Magus is almost overcome by the stench but manages to channel some of his energies into his weapon. It pulses with a cold white glow and the head bursts into flames. He strikes repeatedly at the slow moving mass of undead, trying to ignore the putrid flesh, some which sloughs off their bodies even before he strikes them. Corpses are falling, burning, and yet still they come. Borodin calls out to Nikolai. ”Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to get angry!?”
Borodin leads the group towards the town center, all the while on the look-out for threats and clues as to what happened here. They cross the line from rain to stillness and the hairs on Borodin’s neck stand on end. ”Is this it? Have we crossed the threshold into his realm? Perhaps this is what happened to the rest of the inhabitants here. They sought the safety of the walls and trapped themselves in this, this shadow of reality.”
After their recent experience with Mordekai, this spectre seems somewhat tame in comparison. He gives the creature a wide berth but makes no aggressive actions against it. "Jemini, Verik. Can either of you banish this thing?"
Borodin pulls his blade but does not attack. "I don't know. If we back off, will it follow? Or is it tied to this location?" |
