Deathsworn Arc: 02 - The Verkreath Horror

by Martyn Stanley

  “Shhh! Do not talk of it! The duel with Ramon Hern was regrettable. I am deeply upset by my ‘experience’ as you put it. I am desperate to wash and change my clothes as a result. I do not want to talk about it though, it is a memory I am trying to file away in a deep part of my mind buried away from my conscious memory. You questioning me about it makes this difficult. I am feeling hopeful because we are travelling through the warren. Make no mistake, Tavion and Tubol will not have given up when I managed to shoo them away. No doubt one of them has been tracking us, unseen from afar - while the other returned to Eldenizar to gather reinforcements. They will be on their way to Strak now I don’t doubt, expecting to apprehend me. However I will not be there, and they will have no idea where I am.”

  “Why did they not intervene during the-”

  “Elves do not normally like acting alone. They may have seen what was happening, but decided I would ‘lock myself in’ and were waiting to recover me when Hern’s men had left. As it stands they will probably think me inside the Lo house, and when reinforcements arrive we will be long gone.”

  Brael chuckled, “I see. Tis true, unless they have intimate knowledge of dwarvish architecture and culture, it seems unlikely they will expect you to have entered the warren.”

  Korhan groaned from the back of the marching order, “Stop, stop, let me rest.”

  Brael walked back towards him, “We can stop, but we shouldn’t stop for long, we don’t know how powerful an enchanter the Dagon is. In our current state, if the servant or the Dagon found us, we will be killed.”

  Vashni, who had been attempting to feign a positive spiritedness jogged after him, “Where are we going anyway?”

  “To Beren’Gedt Holt, tis an abandoned Holt, overrun with Verkreath, once we have passed through we will make our way through the warren until we find an opportunity to either resurface or head south towards Kelen, looking for an exit on the way.”

  “Hmmph, and how will we know where we are?”

  Votrex pointed at the runic scripture carved onto the wall. “Simple, we read the signs, it tells us where we are headed and how far we must travel to get to the next Holt. There should be a map or two within the Holt too.”

  Vashni raised an eyebrow. “A Holt that is overrun with Verkreath? What a brilliant plan dwarf, we flee the insane murdering savages of the servant to deliver ourselves to more insane murdering savages.”

  “We believe the Verkreath may have since abandoned it also, besides, the servant will be looking for us, the Verkreath are not.”

  Korhan had slowly lowered himself to the side of the wide tunnel and was sitting resting his back against the wall. His breathing was still laboured, his muscles and bones ached. He could feel twinges of pain and tension within his torso as he breathed. Brael leaving Votrex to argue with Vashni strode over to him, “Can you move yet Avil?”

  “No... I need to rest, everything hurts.”

  Vashni, rolled her eyes and stepped past Votrex, scurrying after Brael. “Ri§ine, we must move!”

  “I can’t, I can’t move!”

  “You should be dead Ri§ine, I almost decided to end your life rather than save it - so hopeless did your predicament seem. I did not, because you are warrior, think about Hern. Remember him getting the better of you? Toying with you? Then skewering you like a pig and leaving you to die? Doesn’t it make you angry Ri§ine? Don’t forget Callen, that poor boy whose throat was slit? How about me? Your Mir§a, thrown in amongst the stinking, rotting corpses of the unfortunates of Strak?”

  She’d done it, there was a fire in Korhan’s eyes growing. As she spoke images flashed through his head and the anger built. She smiled at his rage bubbling up and filling him with hatred. “Now Ri§ine, channel your hatred, and your anger and move!”

  Korhan grunted with discomfort as he hauled himself off the wall and onto his feet. He stormed towards Saul, “Give me harbinger!”

  Saul held out the great sword and Korhan grabbed it. His arms sagged slightly and his face twisted into a momentary grimace of pain. He recovered, sheathing his sword and storming past Saul with a laboured step. Brael raised an eyebrow at Vashni. “Your words appeared to have awakened the beast.”

  She smiled softly. “He is proud, I was impressed with how he fought against the Dagon. I think the dragon priest was surprised. He expected to be able to toy with Korhan without risk to himself. Instead he found himself having to fight and fight hard. Korhan fought with a great deal of skill and determination. Despite his failure I am proud of him, and I am hopeful that he can improve further.”

  Brael stroked his scraggly beard, as if deep in thought, “And your claim that you were considering ending his life early? Putting him out of his misery?”

  “Pffft, of course not! Despite my initial distaste at Korhan I am finding myself growing fond of him, like one grows fond of the runt of the litter, which refuses to curl up and die, the one which fights for survival.”

  “I’m surprised at you Vashni, I noticed your disdain for all, the moment you joined our group.”

  “Hmmm, well my time away from Maerun and Eldenizar has served me a lesson. Humans are generally tiresome creatures who are complex and difficult to understand. They pack so much into their short lives, some of them, so much benign, banal activity, others so many great deeds. I have grown used to fostering a level of solitude. If you must know I am finding even the dwarf’s company preferable to meandering around the cities of Torea finding myself unable to speak to anyone, without my race coming into the conversation.”

  “Come, the others are leaving us.”

  They began strolling after Votrex, Saul and Korhan who were steaming ahead, after a moment Vashni turned to Brael. “How did you come to find your neck on the Berger of Trest’s chopping block?”

  “Hmmm, a fair question... As I explained before, because of ‘the truth’ I was banished not simply from Durth Orza but from the entire underdeep. I was allowed to leave through a deserted Verkreath nest, where we had long despatched the wretched vermin. From there I eventually managed to find my way into a disused section of the dwarves ‘warrren’. Leaving the warren was not straightforward; I eventually managed to make my way to a section of warren where movement of the ground had caused the roof to cave in. I spent many days underground, surviving by any means possible. By the time I reached the surface I had not eaten for well over a week, it was longer still before I could become accustomed to the brightness of the surface and living without a roof over my head. To be honest Vashni I have lost complete track of time since I left Durth Orza, though I suspect it has been well over two week.”

  She eyed him slowly, “Your experience sounds rather despicable gravian, no wonder you are all skin and bones. In your case I can forgive your consumption of meat, at least for the time being. You need protein and fat, you look malnourished.”

  Brael chuckled softly, “Thank you, hmmm, I think...”

  Vashni smiled and turned away, quickening her pace to catch up with the others, Brael followed suite.

  Return to Beren’Gedt Holt

  Eventually the group had trudged its way back through the warren to the secret door that led to Beren’Gedt Holt. Votrex opened the doorway, somewhat more quickly than last time, and stayed behind to lower the rune lights in the section of tunnel they were exiting. He eventually caught up with them in the connecting tunnel and allowed the way to swing shut where they had just entered from. “There, I’ve switched off the rune lights in the section below Strak, it should help to keep the servant off our backs.”

  Brael shrugged, “It may help, we should move though.”

  “Aye.”

  Votrex squeezed past the companions to throw the stone lever that opened the way into Beren’Gedt Holt’s section of the warren. As the false wall swung open Vashni screwed her face up. “Urgh! The smell! Tis vile, tis reminiscent of the plague pit.”

  She shuddered, visibly shaken as she spoke, memories coming back to haunt her. Votrex held the door and ges
tured for them to walk past. “My apologies mistress elf, but we should use the warren to get as far south as we can before we emerge, and this is the only way.”

  Korhan limped past with grim determination, followed by Brael, Vashni and Saul. Finally the stone false wall on a hinge swung shut with a quiet ‘click’.

  When the group walked down the narrow passageway into the main tunnel Vashni screwed her face up at the bones. “Urgh! What happened here?”

  Korhan, had stopped to rest, bracing his arm against the wall, but still wobbling. “A fight by the look of it. Seems the dwarves lost, but by the look of it, they took a lot of... Hmmph! What in Ishar’s name are these ‘things’ ?”

  Votrex strode past and kicked a rodentine skull with his boot, “Verkreath, sentient rodents who have long dwelled beneath the earth. The gravian knows of them too, I believe they are possibly responsible at least partly, for the decline of the dwarves .”

  Vashni had wandered down to the main group and was staring down towards the depths of Beren’Gedt Holt. “Are they still here?”

  Korhan grunted. “I hope not, I do not think I would be much use in a fight at the moment.”

  Saul sighed deeply. “Nor I, Braels magics have left me somewhat spent I am afraid.”

  Brael turned to face them. “The servant of the flame are looking for us, the Verkreath, if they are here are not. I suggest our chances are better here, particularly if we can use stealth and discretion, and make our way through unnoticed.”

  Vashni approached Korhan, “I have recovered somewhat from my hurried ministrations in Strak. Allow me to examine you and see if I can repair some more of the damage you have sustained.”

  Votrex shrugged. “She has a point, it may be some time before there is a safe place to rest. Let us rest here, sleep and continue in a few hours?”

  There were murmurs of agreement all around. They set up what was a very rudimentary camp in the dead end between the collapse and the side tunnel from which they’d entered. It didn’t seem sensible to light a fire, fearing it could draw the attention of the denizens of this place and fill the tunnel with smoke. Besides which the temperature and the lack of wind made the environment quite comfortable, except for the foul smell of rotting carrion, drifting up from the depths of Beren’Gedt Holt.

  Luggage was rummaged through, provisions nibbled on, and sleep mats laid out. Votrex offered to stay awake for first watch and despite the eerie location they’d settled on to sleep, amongst the dry bones of the dead - they were soon fast asleep, though Vashni administered Korhan with some small whispers after a quick examination of him. Brael woke after only a very short amount of time. He seemed not to need much sleep for some reason and as soon as his eyes were open he moved to sit next to Votrex. “Master dwarf-”

  “Votrex.”

  “Votrex, what can you tell me of this place?”

  “Tis a Holt whose major export was Mithril, the vertically running seam of Mithril accounts for the unusually deep and vertical shape of this stronghold. If you can call it a stronghold of course, in it’s day twas such a key settlement it joins the warren on several levels and acted as almost a trade hub, allowing surfacers from Strak to trade goods with the deep downers in one place.”

  “Deep downers?”

  “Aye, there’s nothing special about ‘em, they’re just dwarves who happen to have found their livelihood further down below the surface than most. The deepest deep downers probably live below the underdeep.”

  Brael nodded raising an eyebrow. “Interesting, I knew some dwarves lived deeper than the underdeep, but I did not real-”

  “Dwarves live where it’s convenient, if an enterprising dwarf found a seam of a valuable mineral they’d follow it. If they found a large repository then they’d probably set up home there to mine it. Many Holts were founded in this way.”

  Brael cast a glance at their sleeping companions, “They are tired, it has been a hard few days for them I think. I shall keep watch while you rest.”

  Votrex smiled at him, his initial mistrust of the gravian fading, not through the passage of time but through the rigors of hardship and companionship. Brael watched him curl up on his sleep mat, pulling his blanket over him. The thoughts running through his head were varied and complex. Partly he thought he’d fulfilled his vow, he’d saved Korhan, but then had he? Normally a dark elf would follow ‘avil’ until they had saved them through combative assistance, not through conjuring and treating wounds. In some respects he felt guilty; he hadn’t been there for Korhan when Korhan had needed him - though in truth he wasn’t entirely sure what he could have done. From Vashni’s description of the duel it sounded like Hern was a formidable opponent and may not have accepted a duel with Brael anyway.

  He cast these thoughts aside, having fled the underdeep he was penniless, without assets and without kin or companionship, he couldn’t even use ‘the truth’ or wield magic - due to the curse. At the very least he had to accompany the group to Cormaroth and claim his share of the bounty. Of course, at some stage, when it was safe, he intended to return to Durth Orza and his arcane laboratory. He appreciated the problems, ‘the truth’ had caused, but there were decades of research, all documented, and some powerful magical artefacts he’d crafted there...

  Of course part of him simply wanted to see that Durth Orza was surviving and thriving and that the revelation of ‘the truth’ hadn’t completely destroyed gravian society.

  The hours on watch passed swiftly and uneventfully. Despite the macabre, almost sinister surroundings, the companions slept deeply. This was largely due to their fatigue, caused by the relentless fighting and fleeing they’d experienced since the morning when they’d confronted Thrax.

  When the companions started stirring it had only been a few hours at most, but they felt somewhat rested anyway. Vashni was the first to arise, she thought for a moment about changing her clothes and trying to clean herself up. She smelled of death, but given they were about to traverse a Verkreath infested Holt, it seemed waiting would be the more sensible option.

  She yawned, climbed slowly to her feet and rolled up her sleep mat and blanket. Brael noticed her awakening, “How fare you?”

  She approached, peering down the passageway as she walked. “I would be lying if I did not say I had felt better Truthseeker. My Ri§ine was nearly killed, I was... Ahem, well we won’t talk about that. I am deep underground, about to enter an abandoned dwarven Holt which has been overrun with sentient rodents, and I probably have a band of mounted elves circling the skies above Strak, waiting for the right moment to apprehend me. No, my situation currently is not what I would describe as ‘good’.”

  Brael shrugged, “You fare better than Harald, Silus and Callen - you are alive.”

  She shrugged and walked past Brael, down the dimly lit tunnel. After a cursory look around she returned to find Saul, Korhan and Votrex rolling up their sleep mats. “We should check our bags and remove anything we do not need, tis a long way to Cormaroth, particularly to be lugging around our baggage without steeds.”

  Votrex nodded. “Aye, that makes sense, we should remove anything we can spare.”

  Saul and Korhan wearily murmured their agreement and the whole party was rummaging through their bags, making piles of clothing, tools, cooking utensils and other odds and sods, including Votrex’s heavy armour. They piled their belongings neatly, for some inexplicable reason, given that these things were to be abandoned. Korhan of course took longer, despite Vashni’s ministrations his body felt fragile and haggard, every movement was laboured and painful. Nonetheless after a few minutes of decision making and bag emptying, the group was ambling away from the collapsed tunnel towards Beren’Gedt Holt with a feeling of impending doom.

  Votrex, because of his familiarity with dwarvish underground settlements strode past the others, taking the lead. Of them all, Korhan appeared the most weary, using grim determination to maintain the pace. Eventually, after some time, the tunnel opened up onto the left side of the
m, a deep chasm falling away from the wall. They could see the other side of the chasm, stairs carved into the rock, and what appeared to be dwellings carved into the various levels. Everything looked derelict, in many places the shape was uneven, in some places the various balconies were set further back, creating big overhangs. There were bridges too in places, some stone, some wood, some intact, some derelict or broken. Where they were standing a thick stone handrail had been carved, in places on this and the other side of the chasm the handrail was wooden or missing, and some of the levels had broken away. A good stones throw from their position another chasm intersected the one they were looking down upon, making the shape of the holt from what they could see, a large ‘T’ with their position being the top of of the ‘T’ looking towards the junction between the top and the stick. The bottom of the Holt was so far down it was impossible to see from this point.

  Votrex silently approached the wall to their right and began tracing a finger across the runic writing. There was a map and runes carved all over the wall. As he studied it Brael peered over his shoulder, and the others gazed into the Holt in wonder. The smell was still wafting up from the depths. From the look of the place, it seemed hard to believe the Verkreath still inhabited this place in numbers, but something was down there, in the depths.

  After trying to take in the impressive, but forlorn looking vista of the derelict Holt, Vashni pointed towards the large tunnel which ran straight in front of them, branching off to the right. “Do we have to enter this place? Could we not follow this top level tunnel and look for an exit in that direction?”

  Votrex chuckled softly, “Aye, we could... I don’t know if you would want to though, this level runs very near to Brunwelt, then more or less under Duramer. I suspect the next exit point will be within the forest of Maerun - very near to your Eldenizar - are you feeling homesick Vashni?”