From the Journal of Valet Recent Paladin Graduate

Murgatroid had been mauled by a badger and nearly killed the day Garain called us to accompany Gerard’s party into the rift.  Namgibel, the stable master at the Temple had asked Revlis and me to take Gerard’s chosen steed and the riding dog, Hessendorf out and put them through their paces.

 

We rode south and forded the Grakken River.  Since Revlis was one of our newest Paladin candidates I felt it prudent (and Kord layed it on my heart) to warn him we were getting close to the Whispering Cave, home of a notorious adherent of the trickster God Meeric, named Nyos.  But he and Hessendorf seemed to pay my admonition little heed. They were enjoying the crisp morning air way too much, and I must admit I found it quite heady myself.

 

We came upon a gray bag in the middle of a well beaten path.  Revlis dismounted and approached the bag.

 

“It appears to be empty Valet.”  Revlis told me.

 

“Why you have to stick your hand into it Laddie.”

 

I turned and saw what seemed to be an old peddler, his bag of wares hanging from his belt.

 

“In the name of Kord, I demand you tell me who you are!”  I shouted, but if the man intended to answer me, Revlis cut him off.

 

“I feel a ball of fur.”

 

“Toss it high in the air Laddie!”  The old man instructed and Revlis complied.

 

In midair the fur ball sprouted a head, tail and four legs.

 

It was a badger and when it landed it went right after Murgatroid who reared up on his hind legs.  The badger jumped and sank it’s claws deep into the horse’s shank.  Murgatroid bolted and the badger gave chase,  As the horse passed the  old man he proved himself to be spry by jumping into the saddle and guiding the animal south over the hill.

 

“Oh and to answer your question Paladin; my name is Nyos!”  The old man called back over his shoulder as he and Murgatroid disappeared.

 

As Revlis and I stood there dumbfounded, we heard someone calling our names coming from the north.

 

“Valet!  Revlis!”

 

It was Namgibel and Cristic.  They were both mounted on horses.

 

I quickly explained what had befallen us to the stable master and he took charge of the situation.

 

“Valet, you and Cristic should ride back to the Temple and secure Hessendorf at the stable.  We can’t afford to lose another prize mount.  Revlis, you will ride south with me on Horatio here.  We shall seek out Murgatroid and deal with that rascal Nyos once and for all.”

 

The Temple was already at prayer when Cristic and I returned from the stable, but Garain signaled us to join him in the antechamber where he told us we would be accompanying Gerard, Pax Ironlight and their party on a grave mission.

 

 

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In the heat of battle, the barbarian gnome, Grizzlegar had revealed to me that Pax was pregnant by him and yet the two were not married.  I could not let this stand!  As soon as the Mage, Yesha Falkin had led us to a fairly secure chamber, I performed the ceremony that would bind them forever in the sight of Kord!

 

We decided to rest in the chamber but every time I closed my eyes I saw Cristic’s lifeless body lying atop the spire.  I missed him so much and yet at the same time I was filled with such pride for him.  He had sacrificed his life for our fellow Kordians, Gerard and Pax.  What else could a Paladin ask but to die in such a manner?  He was surely standing with Kord right at that moment.  I drifted off and awoke the next morning brimming over with a zeal to destroy evil in the name of Kord!

 

Pax and I made a great team when we found a room filled with caskets.  I smashed them open and either they were empty (in which case Pax would pour a drop of holy water into them producing a werebeast ) or they contained a houndbeast.  Either way we dealt with them quite efficiently.  We cleared several rooms this way.

 

And then Gulthias returned.

 

The Litch proposed a deal to us.  We were to discover the whereabouts of a heart he could use to bring his prize dragon Ashardalon back to life.  Gulthias would trade the heart for our lives.  To aid us in our quest, he summoned his last three vampires, Galius, Rollo, and She.  He instructed them not to harm us while we were seeking the heart.

 

I wanted to kill the three of them right then and there but Gerard excepted the offer and I trusted him as a fellow Kordian (later, when we were out of earshot of our escorts, he explained that the heart must be object we were supposed to bring back from the rift.  We could kill our escorts once we found it).

 

With our escorts in tow we set off into the bowels of the spire.  Along the way we encountered several plaques with dragon’s heads on them that had been defaced with some kind of tree sigil that Gerard seemed to recognize.

 

I was still longing for a fight but every time we came upon a threat, the vampires warned them off.  I calmed myself with the knowledge that these vampiric scum would die in the name of Kord once we possessed the heart.

 

Deeper and deeper we went until at last we came upon the entrance to the catacombs under the spire.  In front of the entrance we found a gray sack.  Before I could warn her, Pax reached into the sack and pulled out a fur ball.  She tossed it on the floor and it became a dead cat.

 

“I’m definitely keeping this!”  Said Pax, referring to the sack.

 

“How quaint.”  Gulthias appeared before us, the dead cat at his feet.  He picked it up and looked it in the eyes, then tossed the carcass to the vampires who drained it of what blood it had left.

 

“I must admit, I didn’t think you’d get this far.”  Said Gulthias.  “What we seek is somewhere on the other side of this door.”

 

And I knew in that moment that whoever or whatever was guarding the heart frightened the Litch to his very bones.  If he was afraid, what chance did we stand?  But in the name of Kord I knew we could prevail.