New Friends, Old Enemies part 1

Orla stepped out of the cupboard door and looked all around, taking in the lavish decor and furnishings of the wealthy residence. It was reminiscent of the great homes she had visited in Dalen whilst working as a gardener and florist to the rich. Judging by the protective glyphs and wards arranged and layered throughout the palatial manor that were visible to her faerie sight, this was clearly the home of a wizard, and a paranoid one at that.

“And I know just which one,” Reise said after she shared this tidbit with him.

“Who?” Severos asked.

Reise gestured up at the tapestry on the wall and the coat of arms it bore. “We're standing in the oldest surviving noble house in Dalen, the current stronghold of the Soldor family. I came here about twenty years ago trying to barter knowledge of Ceriden's whereabouts. Estaban Soldor isn't as mighty as his father the Count, but he's the hereditary leader of the landowning elites and mageocracy from our time that were aligned with Queen Thalia, including what's left of the Malkaan line. Some call it Soldor's Bastion. Together they're still one of the strongest power blocs in the Dalen Remnant, but they spend most of their time just fighting to hold onto what they—”

A sudden sound of an explosion echoed through the nearby doorway, cutting him off.

“What was that?” Orla asked, wincing from the loud blast to her overly sensitive elven hearing.

“Nothing good,” Severos and Reise both replied at once.

The two glanced at each other before stepping forward and pushing open the double set of doors leading into the Great Hall beyond where the noise had come from. There in the chamber stood Estoban Soldor and a deathly pale, long-haired familiar figure.

“Draken?” Reise muttered, unable to believe it. What a stroke of dumb luck to find him so fast. He turned to the others with a smile. “Am I good or am I good?”

“That's the son of Soularous?” Severos said.

“Yes, he is called Draken Darkward,” Orla affirmed, seeing him recognise her as they approached.

“He looks a little different now, but it's him all right,” Reise added. “The wings are new. He never had those before. But who am I to judge? I've been like...three other people since then.”

As the lord of the manor looked on with approval, the Diablo bound a vampire woman in heavy chains and said, “Well, I never thought I'd run into you again Orla.”

“Hello, Draken," she responded with a friendly smile. "'Tis been quite some time since last we met.”

“It has indeed. I'll be with you in a moment,” he said politely to her before roughly dragging the chained vampire to a window. He whistled at another foul woman. “Hey purple hag! Tell your boss he has an eye missing.” Draken showed the vampire who looked furious. He snarled, “Back off, or I'm making sure your master doesn't get the eye back.” He bashed the vampire into the wall to knock the woman out again. “Tell Gelt we have unfinished business!”

Orla's small face flinched at the violent scene and she averted her eyes from it.

“I always heard Dalen was a savage place,” Severos remarked.

“We should get out of here as soon as possible,” Reise said. “We don't need to get involved in any business that doesn't concern us.”

“Who are you then, if you are not of Dalen?” Soldor asked. “And what are you doing trespassing in my house?”

“We're associates of Horo Inu,” Reise told him.

“Inu?” Soldor looked intrigued, interested. “He still lives? Is he with you?”

“He's very much alive and close by,” Reise said, giving the others an exaggerated wink.

Draken slung the unconscious vampire back inside before turning to Soldor and the others. “So what can I do for you?”

“You've done more than enough already my friend,” Esteban said, all smiles. “I accept your offer of an alliance. Accept it wholeheartedly! As you rightly say, you and I have a common foe. With the combined might of your demons and my own forces, we might just stand a chance at stopping Gelt's complete takeover of Dalen.”

“That is good, but I meant what can I do for you,” Draken said, looking at Orla.

She looked up at him, regaining her composure. “We need some information about one of your old friends. Shade.”

“He stole something very important and we would like it back,” Severos said, a threatening note in his voice.

Riese placed a hand on Severos’ shoulder “Deep breaths, we are guests here. Calm yourself.”

“You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?” Reise asked Draken. “Or where to find Shade? If not, we can let you get back to the private little war you got going here.”

“Where is that damn shadow demon!?” Severos shouted, sudden and wild fury springing up within him. “What has he done with the Mortith?!”

“The Mortith?” Esteban Soldor said, recognising the dark tome's name. “That book was lost ages ago...”

Severos stepped toward Draken, shaking with rage. “No, it was in the possession of Miekrannis, and then mine. It is mine! Tell me where it is, demon spawn! Or I will make you tell me!”

“What! How dare you speak to my new ally like that! Leave my house before you end up like the vampire,” Soldor said firmly.

“Cool it, will you?” Reise said, putting his hands up in half jesting surrender . “We're just here to talk.”

Orla looked to Draken. “Please forgive Severos. The book we seek has affected him, changed him. It is not merely a necromantic spellbook, but the phylactery of a very powerful lich.”

“Ceriden Malkaan?” Soldor asked. “That is the one Horo Inu seeks, is it not?”

“Not any more,” Reise said. “And you're thinking of the wrong lich. It's Kelmoran who resides in the Mortith.”

“Galathus Kelmoran?”

Reise nodded to Solder. “Yeah, him, and if he gets out of that damn book, trust me, we're all in big trouble.”

Soldor shook his head. “Surely this is nonsense. Kelmoran was destroyed by the Verdish army more than a century and a half ago. It is Gelt who we must concern ourselves with; not some spectre from the past.” He turned to Draken. “What say you, my friend? Shall I send these fools away so we might get on with planning our campaign against Gelt?”

Reise interjected. “Only half of what you say is true.” he said “You can’t destroy things, nothing can be. Only changed to something else. He was changed into something that could infect that book and anyone who touches it. Maybe even Shade.”

Draken silently stared at them, "Shade? Shade is dead, he died years ago protecting me from a raiding party." He grabbed Severos by the collar, who spoke through clenched teeth, "Where is he?" His golden eyes narrowed at the mage. "So that's what that was." He let go of the mage, "They can stay here if they wish, we are under attack. As for the Mortith, well no one from my bloodline messes with necromancy, the darkest magic we possibly use is blood magic, and that's more for rituals. To me or my father, that book is completely useless." Draken glanced outside, hearing the sound of combat grow louder. "Kragan, Gelt's experiment. Those will be a bit tricky to kill, that bastard of a wizard pumped them up with so much magic that one of them is enough to take down five men."

Draken was dealing with two different conversations, "Shade is a shadow demon, a human who died an unrighteous way, becoming bound by the hells. They are masters of stealth, able to become a shadow or change their appearance; someone might have summoned him to retrieve the book. Whoever they are, they have it now, knowing Shade, he would try to get revenge on anyone who wronged him, I can sense his power. The problem is that anyone he would want revenge for is already dead, unless you know something I don't Orla." He looked at the group, "Shade recognized you when you healed me, but you didn't recognize him. You must have known him when he was alive, maybe is trying to get revenge for his past life. I would say that would be it, however there is a problem. He spoke to you not as an enemy, but someone he knew. He is after someone, the problem is who." Draken tapped his foot, thinking for a moment.

“In the time since our first meeting in my garden I came to realise who Shade must be and how he knew me,” Orla explained. “I was very young and it was so long ago that at the time I did not make the connection. I suppose Shade could be after my cousin Maelwin, who was not terribly nice toward him. But it might rather be the people who betrayed him…”

Draken nodded. "Before we hunt for my old warden, we probably should deal with that army outside."

Reise looked at Draken, “I’ve no skills to help in that matter. Should we go look for more leads while you handle this? Meet back here later?” he questioned, sounding as though he preferred that option. “I know someone else we could ask about the book. Trick is knowing if they are even still around. Orla? Do you think we should look for you-know-who?”

“You-know-who?” Orla said, frowning, at a loss as to who he was referring to. “I’m afraid I don’t…” He leaned down and whispered into her ear. “Oh…” She nodded, thinking she ought to have guessed.

Draken looked at Reise, "Sorry have we met before? Already I kinda want you to be quiet. How about you be useful for a moment, and figure a way for the people to get out of here before we have bloodshot gorillas barg in and killing everyone. Or would you like to add your commentary as a literal siege happens." He looked over the room, "Anyone got some clothing and armor. I doubt running around in nothing but a ragged cloak and pants is suitable for a siege."

He whistled and held his hand out, an imp flew by and dropped a bag into his hand. Draken motioned the imp to keep going, so it flew off. Draken dropped the bag and started going through it, he pulled out his sword and sheath, and he put it on a belt. He pulled out another black cloak that was in pristine condition, however it had the symbol of a two headed dragon, as well as a necklace with a metal pendant of the same design. The cloak was his grandfather's, and the necklace was his mother's. He noticed some strange looks, "What? They're from the human side of my family."

“You are a Sainte, then?” Soldor said, quite bewildered at this unexpected revelation as he recognised the obscure crest. A crest that at one time had not been so obscure. “I had thought their line died out. I… I am related to the Sainte’s on my grandmother’s side. That would make you and I distant kin…”

Draken looked at the crest, "A Sainte, huh? I never truly knew my mother. However she was murdered and burned in Verden. If she was a noble of Dalen, nevermind. We have other things to do. Can someone get me some armor please? And new Clothes?"

Estoban Soldor was about to see to this until Reise waved him off and approached Draken. “Arms up please,” the strange young man instructed, before wrapping him in what looked like a hug around his waist to gauge his measurements. “Okay, back in a flash,” Reise said, pushing a key into a nearby closet door’s lock, vanishing inside, only to return shortly after with a brightly polished adamantine breastplate and bracers, a pair of black pants, and a dark gray shirt. “On the house.”

Draken gave him a nod, "Thank you, now I look ready for battle. If we survive this, we are all going to have a long chat, about Shade, the Mortith, and the Sainte family."

“We’ll all be looking forward to that.” Reise clapped his hands together, “As far as evacuation, I guess if I were able to get the people out that needed out, where would you like them to be sent?” he asked. “I can take them almost anywhere, within reason. So long as there is a door about the same size and shape as a closet.”

Draken did a quick turn, "Have them taken to a place safe from any threat. Maybe the church of the Fair Lady. They are one of the more peaceful and accepting religions. Speaking of which, do any of you know a man named Joseph Lithwick? I have been getting strange visions of him, trying to enter their cathedral in Varland. Not sure if it's the past, present, or future."

Orla and Reise exchanged a knowing look remembering the poor, tormented man they had encountered in the Dalen Alps.

“We met Joseph in the recent past, but that might be a tale best left for the future than the present,” Reise finally answered before Orla could get a word in.

Draken nodded. "The Iron Queen...I need to deal with her as well once we dealt with Gelt."

"That name is used but I must ask the question of 'who is Gelt'"? Severos went, a bit exasperated.

“I know him not,” Orla said. Though thinking about it, she wasn't sure if that was true.

Riese shook his head. "I heard about him somewhere, can't say I remember. But he is menace that we should not-"

Another resounding boom echoed across the town, Esteban stumbling a bit as if the wind knocked out of his chest of its own accord. He turned to the others. "Someone has just breached our inner defenses. We must rally!"

Severos had gone over to the windows and looked out. He saw the Kragan and suddenly went still. "No…"

"What now?" Riese sighed.

"I recognize them. These were at the college…" Severos said, shocked.

“Those creature things?” Reise asked, making a face. “They were taking classes there?”

“I think he means when Miekrannis was destroyed,” Orla said, sensing the young mage’s stunned horror.

“It was they that did it,” Severos said, starting to hyperventilate at the traumatic memories of two years ago. “They killed everyone and burnt the school to the ground…” As if in repeat of the tragedy he saw Gelt’s Kragan tearing violently through the guards and mages outside, charging through the gates and over the walls. "They... they are coming...."

(A Joint Post w/ The Team)