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Chapter VII: Revelations

Carn Barley

- The Iron Wall -


​
Carn did not feel comfortable with Laurolf walking off, but with the apparent calm and with his need to know of Aron’s condition, Carn did not feel inclined to stop him either. To Carn’s relief, the ambush Carn so feared never arrived, and what better, Aron was alive.

“Thank the Creator,” Carn sighed. The lucky bastard was always hard to kill, with whoever doing him in unable to land the finishing blow… However, something was odd. Now that the first issue was taken care of, Carn noticed this situation was off. As much as Carn was happy for Aron's safety, why was Aron still alive and not the Commander? Also, why was Varys’ man still alive also? It could have been so easy for their assailant to kill them. However, while those pressing questions were very important, they weren’t as important as getting out.

“I’ll leave Varys’ man to you, Maggie,” Carn passed. With that, Carn hustled over to where Aron was bound up, and upon reaching there, Carn began pulling the chains apart. Though the task was a bit difficult, applying just a bit of force magic helped tear apart the links, each chain giving giving way with a satisfying “snap.” Granted he wasn't interrupted, Carn wouldn’t have taken too long in freeing Aron, especially with the help of Laurolf.
 
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"What kind of research?" Maggie wondered, but rather absently. The drakkar's condition was puzzling. Nodding at Carn, she knelt next to the smaller, motionless drakkar and began inspecting him more closely, looking for signs of internal injuries, or enchantments or other magical means that would cause this. Her posture meant her back was to the door they'd entered by, which left a nagging feeling between her shoulder blades, but she trusted Laurolf to keep an eye on things.
 
Faron Firestorm

- The Fiery Brawler -
​

Faron eventually regained his consciousness several minutes after being knocked out. He opened his eyes and looked around as he saw a strange woman aside who was inspecting his injuries. He was relieved that she did not seem to be hostile, but remained cautious nevertheless. "I have never seen you before, and I don't know why you're here, but we should leave this place as soon as possible. The dragon has ambushed us several times and it can do so again at anytime. Many of us have fallen and we won't have much chance to survive another attack," Faron told Maggie, randomly alternating his words between Drakkar and Common language as his mind was still a bit fuzzy.
 



Maggie couldn't understand half of what the poor drakkar said, but that he was awake and speaking was a good sign. "My name is Maggie," she replied reassuringly. "I'm a priestess of the Maker, and I'm here with friends -- we're friends of yours, too, if you're with Aron?" She glanced up at the table, where Carn was taking apart (literally) the chains that bound his friend. "Are you injured? Do you need help standing?" For the moment, she remained kneeling beside him, smiling slightly but sincerely.
 
Carn hardly needed help from Laurolf; the chains that bound Aron were quickly undone in the powerful hands of the drakkar, though this did not have any effect on the unconscious unit commander. At about the same time, the other drakkar woke up and started getting up. This caused immediate scrutiny from Laurolf.

"Oi, easy there," the dwarf said, moving a bit closer to Maggie. Unlike Carn and Maggie, Laurolf understood basic Drakkaric and thus was able to make full sense of what the drakkar was saying. "Take yer time, we're 'ere to help. Things are under control, at least for now... I'm more interested in what's been goin' on here," the dwarf waved one hand about, indicating that he meant the room they were in. What happened to you and these two? And what's yer name?"
 
Faron Firestorm

- The Fiery Brawler -
​

It did not take long for Faron to fully regain his consciousness and realized that he was mixing up his words.

Kaerri said:
Maggie couldn't understand half of what the poor drakkar said, but that he was awake and speaking was a good sign. "My name is Maggie," she replied reassuringly. "I'm a priestess of the Maker, and I'm here with friends -- we're friends of yours, too, if you're with Aron?" She glanced up at the table, where Carn was taking apart (literally) the chains that bound his friend. "Are you injured? Do you need help standing?" For the moment, she remained kneeling beside him, smiling slightly but sincerely.​
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"I'm sorry that I didn't speak clearly. Aron is a member of our dragon hunting team, and I'm glad that I've met some allies. My name is Faron, the Runic Blacksmith. Nice to meet you," Faron answered, sitting up and offering Maggie a handshake. "I'm probably injured, but I can still stand. I will really appreciate it if the Maker could make me a cup of hot chocolate though."

Wolf Rawrrr said:
"Oi, easy there," the dwarf said, moving a bit closer to Maggie. Unlike Carn and Maggie, Laurolf understood basic Drakkaric and thus was able to make full sense of what the drakkar was saying. "Take yer time, we're 'ere to help. Things are under control, at least for now... I'm more interested in what's been goin' on here," the dwarf waved one hand about, indicating that he meant the room they were in. What happened to you and these two? And what's yer name?"
Click to expand...
"Thanks so much for coming here. While hunting for a dragon, we have been ambushed multiple times. Many have fallen. When checking up on my teammates, I found them here, lying unconscious, and I myself was knocked out by an unknown force before I could do anything. Luckily you have arrived," Faron answered, offering Laurolf a handshake as well.
 



Maggie was quite willing to shake hands with their new acquaintance, and to smile at his joke. "I'm afraid hot chocolate is not currently available, but I'll try as soon as I can!" She accepted his self-assessment of his condition with a nod, her smile fading as she heard his words to Laurolf. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid your commander is beyond my help. However, now that you're awake, I'll take a look at Aron." She stood up (as per the description earlier, she doesn't need to walk any distance?) and helped move any remaining bits of chain out of the way so that she could get a clear look at Aron and see whether he was injured, or showing signs of spells or other magic cast on him.
 
Carn Barley

- The Iron Wall -


​

After taking apart the chains, Carn examined Aron’s injuries, and from what he could see, nothing seemed to be too dire. However, he wasn’t a healer. Maggie’s more experienced eye would be needed to make certain of Aron’s condition. Once she was finished, the group would need to figure out what to do next, especially with an unknown enemy and a fire-breathing dragon on the prowl. An attack from behind or a burial of bricks would be problematic for everyone’s wellbeing.

When Maggie walked up to check Aron, Carn moved aside to give her the space she needed. However, given the current danger, Carn whispered a request to Maggie.

“Thank you, but please be quick,” Carn muttered, “As much as I want Aron fully healed, our ‘hosts’ probably know we’re here already.” With that, Carn continued to stay at Aron’s side, but upon realizing he hadn’t introduced himself to Faron, Carn faced Faron fully to give a proper greeting.

“The name’s Carn,” Carn spoke as he clasped his hands together. “Sorry for not arriving earlier. Had we been faster, perhaps we could have helped against the dragon.” Carn empathized greatly with Faron’s loss since they both lost comrades to this damned lizard. “Soon as we’re certain we can move Aron, we’ll get out of here and work something out.”
 
Maggie's examination revealed that there was indeed nothing obviously or physically wrong with the man lying peacefully across the table. He was breathing evenly as if sleeping yet was not roused through the process of Carn's breaking of the chains that had bound him or Maggie's check-up. Whatever it was that was wrong with him had to be on a deeper level, possibly even caused through arcane means. There was no telling what had been done to him.

Laurolf seemed satisfied with the inspection of the room and went back to the open hallway, casting a look both down the hallway as well as on the slain body of Commander Rains. Not a sound could be heard except the wind, now and then, yet they knew that they were not alone in this place.

"Whatever yer plannin' to do, do it fast," he said to the priestess. "I'd like to get out of 'ere while it's still quiet."
 



Maggie shook her head. "I can't tell what the problem is. Nothing physically seems to be wrong with him. There is something else I could try, but you're right, we shouldn't stay here much longer. Does anyone see a book or notebook that might tell us what's been going on here? Then we can carry Aron and the book both to a safer place, or at least back to the others."
 
Laurolf's disapproval could be heard from the doorway, in the form of a slightly frustrated grunt. "If there's something can be done, go for it, lass. I'd rather not be caught carrying a comatose teammate when the beast returns for us. It's proven quite apt at surprise attacks already. To say nothin' of our... greater task at hand, hm? We need that fellow on his feet, even if he's in no shape to fight."
 



The priestess nodded. "All right, then." He was the better fighter between them, she knew, and she trusted his judgment on the timing. She laid one hand on Aron's chest and the other on his forehead, then bowed her own head and closed her eyes. "Maker, bless our efforts, and keep us safe in the meantime," she prayed, then cast the Purify miracle.
 
Though they could not feel the inspiring warmth of the Miracle the way that Maggie (and possibly Aron) could, Carn, Laurolf, and Faron were left to bask in the quiet amazement that often accompanied the actions of Creationist priests. A wave of restorative energy passed from Maggie's hands into the unconscious Aron, and after a few doubtful, uneventful moments, the man at long last began to stir. His breathing grew uneven, his body moving as if seeking a less uncomfortable position to be in, and his eyes slowly fluttered open.

"What..." he finally spoke, inevitably noticing the large drakkar looming next to him. "Carn...?"
 
Carn Barley

- The Iron Wall -


​
When Maggie cast the miracle, Carn eagerly waited for Aron to wake up. Every still moment that passed unnerved Carn, but when Aron shifted about, Carn’s tense shoulders fell slack as he sighed a relieved breath.
“Good to see you back, Captain,” Carn responded in a curt yet happy tone. His cheer, however, did not last long. “Though, as much as I want to give you noogie for running off, we need to leave now and regroup with the Commander and the dragon hunters. We’ll fill each other in as we move out. Can you walk?”
 
Faron Firestorm

- The Fiery Brawler -​

Parrot Parfait said:
“The name’s Carn,” Carn spoke as he clasped his hands together. “Sorry for not arriving earlier. Had we been faster, perhaps we could have helped against the dragon.” Carn empathized greatly with Faron’s loss since they both lost comrades to this damned lizard. “Soon as we’re certain we can move Aron, we’ll get out of here and work something out.”​
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"Nice to see a fellow Drakkar here. I really appreciate your companion," Faron answered, being really impressed at Carn's size.

While Maggie was checking up on Aron, Faron patiently waited and tried not to disturb her, as he was not a healer. He then was relieved when Aron finally woke up.
 
Aron's intelligent blue eyes focused entirely on Carn while he spoke, blinking now and then with a slight follow-up frown. The events of not just that day, but possibly the last few days were likely passing before the man's eyes as he gathered his wits about him. "H-Hunters... Command-" he started to speak, then stopped to clear his throat, which turned into a cough. With some effort, he leaned sideways to gain support from his left arm and finally succeeded in sitting up on the table.

A deep frown was left on his face when he continued: "Commander Rains? I think he's... I don't think he made it. I don't think any of them... by now..." Aron stretched his neck as he looked left and right, assessing the room. His lips moved almost silently, as if he was performing some mental calculations. He seemed about to try standing up...

Then, suddenly, he froze. His gaze snapped back to Carn.

"W-Wait. Where is she? Riannon - you've dealt with her? I don't see her."

This prompted Laurolf to leave the hallway. "Riannon," he repeated, though the word sounded strangely foreign due to the dwarf's accent. "Ya don't mean..."

"Anna Elena Riannon. She's here. She's the reason why you found me on this table," Aron said while resuming his attempt to get off said table. Laurolf uttered a common Knalgan swear word that was usually translated to "shit" in the Common tongue.

An accomplished sorceress and scholar, Anna Elena Riannon was famous for being the leader of the prestigious (and somewhat elitist) Yastrebov Academy in Alicante - thus her name was well known not just in scholarly circles but well beyond them, especially in the capital, but to some extent the rest of the kingdom, as well. In the last three years, however, she added to her fame a close friendship with the Sorceress, something that obviously spawned all kinds of talks and rumors. Unofficially, she was known by some as the Sorceress' other right hand (the first being General Shadowleaf, obviously)... Yet few outside of the Resistance were aware of Riannon's true role as the head of Ilhirel's Circle - a small and secretive order made up of fanatics and zealots whose allegiance to the Sorceress was beyond reproach.

Aron's feet hit the floor with a soft thud. He seemed surprisingly alright, considering the state they had found him in. "Rains and I took shelter in the keep after the dragon attacked us yet again. Almost immediately we ran into Riannon, doing... Maker knows what. She tried to pass herself off as someone else, a hermit, or I don't know what. We didn't get very far talking. That might have worked on Rains, but I recognized her, and unfortunately she saw that I did. She attacked us with some sorcery, I saw Rains go down... Next thing I know, I'm waking up to Carn's ugly mug in my face."
 
Carn Barley

- The Iron Wall -


​

Carn knew of Riannon’s role as one of the Sorceress’s key players. The fact that she was here was troubling, and considering her profession, Carn was paranoid that Riannon somehow had control of the dragon, which could explain this dragon’s unusual aggression and coordination. Just as Carn was waiting for Aron to finish recounting what happened, Aron topped his briefing with a not so flattering comment. With that, Carn’s expression soured into a twisted, toothy smile.

“Ugly mug? Eh?” Carn playfully jeered. With the fact Aron was probably sluggish from just waking up, Carn quickly wrapped his arm around Aron’s head. “I be busting my ass through this cold and you call me ugly?” Soon after, Carn gave Aron a quick but painful noogie before quipping, “That’s for the insult and for running off without us!” Carn let go, before following up by saying, “Next time you do that, I’ll noogie you so hard, it’d look like the cows licked off your hair! But it’s good to see you’re back, Captain.”

Turning towards the rest of the group, Carn resumed his thought, suggesting, “We best be finding Rainnon now. I have a hunch that she might know a thing or two about that dragon.”
 



Maggie smiled warmly at the waking Aron. How she loved feeling the Maker's power flow through her, especially when she'd chosen the right miracle and it had the effect all were hoping for! She'd been uncertain that this would work, not because she doubted the power of the Maker and the miracles he granted, but because she doubted her own knowledge and ability and hadn't known whether Aron's condition was the sort of thing the Purify miracle was meant to work on. But it seemed she had, in fact, known the proper miracle and had made the right choice. "Thank you, Maker," she prayed gratefully. "All praise to You who give us guidance and strength!" A brief prayer, maybe, but heartfelt. And surely He would understand about their need for haste.

A need made more pressing as Aron's thoughts cleared and he explained what had happened to him and his commander. Maggie shook her head. "We haven't seen her," she said, then paused, memory stirring. "We haven't seen her. All the rest of your party that we've found were dead, except Faron here of course -- and a young man who said his name was Varys. He's been up in the tower, and he said he saw a woman dressed as a sorceress down in the courtyard. He said that was after the dragon's attack." An awful thought occurred to her: what if Varys was Riannon in disguise? But surely if that was so, the disguised sorceress wouldn't have told them about "seeing" herself. All the same...

"I think we should get back with the others, quickly," the priestess suggested. "Before something else happens."
 
Faron Firestorm

- The Fiery Brawler -
​

"Good to see you being awake, Aron," Faron said to Aron, then giggled a bit at the interactions regarding Carn's "ugly mug." "Chill out, Carn. Everyone knows you're handsome," Faron said to Carn, attempting to reach the top of his tall body to give him a head pat.

When hearing of Riannon, he tried digging into his memory to see if he had heard of that name before, but all he could recall was the name passing by several times unremarkably. During his time working at his smithy, he had heard many stories from his customers, but he had rarely paid much attention, much less remembering them as he had been too occupied with crafting stuff. "I don't know much about that 'Riannon,' but if she is behind all of this, then I won't let that go," he said.

Kaerri said:
"I think we should get back with the others, quickly," the priestess suggested. "Before something else happens."
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"You have allies? How many? Are they far from here?" Faron asked.
 
Standing up tall (though appearing not as tall next to Carn...), Aron let out a long sigh while he listened to what the others had to say. He'd rolled his eyes at Carn's playful reply but the mood was dour; made so by the sheer gravity of the situation - the immediate threat as well as the nearly forgotten reason why the Chosen were really here in the first place - to say nothing of the unobstructed view of the body of the fallen commander, slumped against the wall in the hallway, just barely outside the room. It was to this that Aron's gaze was locked when next he spoke.

"If what you say is true, then I suppose that this is the end of the Silverthorn Company," he reflected. "For neither I nor Faron were truly ever with them, and the young Varys may well be the last one alive. Hardly -"

Aron was interrupted by a loud crashing sound that could be felt reverberating in the building itself, though it clearly originated outside the keep. A heavy silence fell in contrast, but only for a few moments, before the deafening, blood-chilling roar of a dragon filled the air outside, lessened only for the layers of stone in between.

"That... was very close," Laurolf said, and in doing so even the normally fearless dwarf's voice seemed to quiver a little. "That's not from up in the sky. That's here... In the fortress." And he stared at the wall as if he fully expected the dragon to burst through it.

Aron fumbled for his gear, which was fortunately just under the window, next to the table he'd been tied to. "We have to kill it! The mission," he said hastily, but did not finish the sentence. After all, to him, Carn was the only one who was supposed to know.

Laurolf's axe was out of its sheath and gripped firmly in his strong hands. "The others! Hurry!"
 



Maggie jumped at the loud crash, looking quickly upwards (despite all the mass of stone walls and roof and all in between). "Yes, let's!" she agreed hurriedly. "Lead on, Laurolf? Carn, watch our backs?" She readied her staff and followed as soon as someone started for the door. "Maker, watch over us all, and our friends outside," she prayed.
 
Carn Barley

- The Iron Wall -


​
At Faron’s remark, Carn thought the comment odd but regardless gave back a smile, or as good as a smile a Drakkar with pointy teeth could give. Though, his expression quickly faded into a frown with the dour atmosphere. Even that didn’t last long when the destruction could be heard from across the castle.

“It’s here,” Carn growled at the same time as Laurolf. Before Laurolf had urged them to go, Carn already had his sword and shield at the ready. However, he didn’t take the vanguard, waiting for Aron to charge ahead. Carn wanted to ascertain Aron’s fighting condition by observing his gait. Though they’ve been a team only a couple of years, Carn was confident he’d be able to notice if something was wrong with Aron.
 
Faron Firestorm

- The Fiery Brawler -
​

Faron was immediately alert the moment he heard the crashing sound. Despite still being severely injured after all the previous incidents, he put on his gauntlets and slowly but steadily got into a fighting stance, before igniting his fists on fire. He was not in a good position for a direct confrontation, but his ranged and support sorceries might prove useful. The thoughts of scavenging from the dragon after slaying it for some rare crafting materials, such as the scales or the claws, for his smithy gave him some motivation to keep going.
 
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Date: October 12th (Sunday), year 3321
Location: The Frostback Mountains
Weather: Overcast, gloomy, and cold with light snow.


  • Around 16:00 h
    Ancient fortress temple in the Frostback Mountains


    The scene outside the keep looked like it was plucked straight out of a children's fable.

    Across the courtyard from the keep, right next to the ruined building with the tower, stood the dwarf priest, Ingvar; his arms up in the air while he maintained a dazzling Great Divine Shield. Huddled around him, safely within the Miracle's protection, were Violet and Dina. Violet was aiming with her bow in the direction of the castle wall behind the keep. There, in all its deadly glory, stood the menacing black dragon of the Frostback Mountains; its long, leathery wings spread wide and its open maw glowing with dragonfire about to spill forth.

    bCT8LHJ.jpg

    Maggie, Carn, Faron, Laurolf, and Aron emerged out of the keep just in time to witness the dragon's fiery breath rush across the courtyard accompanied by the sound of a violent wind, the heat from it so immense that they almost had to face away. It wasn't directed at them, but it wasn't far, either - they were close to finding themselves between the dragon and its prey. Up close, the beast was even bigger. Perhaps 60 feet in length? No more than a few of those things could even fit inside the fortress. And the fully grown, adult dragons of lore were supposed to be even bigger. There was a reason why such beasts used to be worshiped by Carn's and Faron's people once...

    Dragonfire completely engulfed tiny Ingvar and his magical shield, and apparently not for the first time. A lot of the snow had already been melted and the ground beneath it charred and smouldering. Yet a few seconds later, when the flames subsided, the Great Divine Shield and its caster remained, immovable and unharmed. Only Maggie could truly appreciate the effort that it must have cost the priest, though.

    The dragon emitted a low growling sound, as if annoyed or angered at its target's endurance. Then its attention was drawn to the side, and it spotted the Chosen who had exited the keep. With a piercing screech it began to charge towards them, somehow faster than one would expect a being of that size to be able to move. The sight of two drakkar did not seem to give it any pause at all. The Chosen had seconds to react.

    For Carn, the sight brought painful recent memories to surface. This was exactly how his unit was wiped out.
 
Carn Barley

- The Iron Wall -


​
As the group ran, Carn observed Aron’s gait, and though Aron obviously just awoke from being knocked out, Carn could tell Aron was in an acceptable condition to fight. Now confident, Carn took the front of the group before matching everyone’s pace. The run towards the main hall was tense, with Carn, and perhaps the rest of the group, hoping for the best, but any hope would be dashed with the sight of the dragon.

Not too long ago, Carn was but a mere farmer. Never as a child would he have imagined meeting a dragon, much less having to face said dragon after it killed his comrades. Yet here he was, watching the dragon’s flame engulf Ingvar’s shield with a blinding, crimson red. As the fire poured out from the dragon’s mouth, Carn’s breathing stopped as a pit formed in his stomach. When the embers finally dissipated, Carn could see Ingvar and the others were fine. A relief, but much less could be said for Carn’s group when the dragon started charging towards them.

When this same scene happened to his previous group, Carn stubbornly stood his ground with his force magic anchoring him down. He greatly overestimated the effectiveness of his magic against a dragon weighing over a ton and charging faster than a horse. This time, Carn knew better.

When the dragon was close enough, Carn turned and boomed, “MOVE!” At the same time, he pointed to the left before moving himself towards that direction. Given the dragon’s large size, it would be difficult for the dragon to make sharp turns, meaning its momentum would push further along before it could give chase again. Hopefully, that would give the group time to regroup and establish a better position.
 
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