Hogar’s Journal (Translated from Giant)
Year 781 of the
founding of the City
14th
Day of Meloramensis – Part I
We rose early the next morning. Glen was up first and had breakfast waiting
for us in the common room.
“Sausages?”
I asked as I recognised the smell. “What would your best friend think about you
eating one of his cousins for breakfast?”
“What
he doesn’t know can’t hurt him,” was the curt reply “and if you want me to
continue cooking it you wont be saying any more about it.”
I
took a seat at the table and Charrak fussed about me fetching food and
ale. Eventually I shooed him away.
“I’m
quite capable of fetching myself a slice of bacon Charrak. Why don’t you get yourself some food?” The small brown creature wrung his hands
apologetically and bounced up and down in his excitement.
“Oh
no sir. Charrak must see that you are
all catered for sir. Charrak does so
enjoy the shop having so many people in it again. Oh yes!”
As
Minron, Krevath and Rodney came in to join us Charrak scuttled off to fetch
breakfast for them. For a while we sat
and ate our breakfast waiting for Eligos to emerge so that we could head off to
the teleportation circle. When she did
arrive the reason for her delay was evident.
“Minron!”
her voice echoed through the door several seconds before we saw her. Eventually a female kobold burst through the
door, naked except for a sheet she had hastily wrapped about herself. “I’ve
turned into a kobold!”
Silence
dropped over the room like a heavy blanket.
It was only broken when Charrak trotted into the room with a pewter cup
in hand. When he saw the new Eligos he
stopped dead in his tracks and the mug tinkled across the flagstones as he lost
his grip on it. His eyes were transfixed
and though you wouldn’t think it possible for a creature covered in russet
scales to blush, I could swear he did.
“What
are you staring at whelp?” She hissed at the poor creature. He fled as though faced with Belor himself.
Minron
rose and went over to her. “This is not unexpected,” he said inspecting her arm
“the condition progresses. We should
head to Silverkin Manor soon.
“I
can’t go anywhere!” Eligos almost screamed. “None of my clothers or armour
fit! I’m not going anywhere.”
“I
can adjust your equipment.” Rodney said. “It will take a little while, best to
get started.” He rose and gently ushered her out of the room.
We waited until Eligos emerged once again
clad in her purple robes and body armour re-sized to suit her now diminutive
frame. If her right hand she clutched a
halberd in place of her flail.
“What’s
with the weapon change?” I asked her?
“I’d
struggle to hit most foes above the ankle with a flail like this.” She replied.
“This will give me a bit more reach.”
We tramped to the teleportation
circle. Some quick words from the
attendant mage. Some more piercing white
light and instantaneously we found ourselves standing in the library at
Silverkin Manor. Rook fluttered from my
shoulder to climb to the loftiest heights of the soaring room. Impressive
his awed voice came to me faintly.
Jacob was not in the library. As Minron, Rodney and Eligos set off to the
kitchens to look for him I led Glen outside with Sid in tow carrying Vic over
his back.
“You need to construct a pyre?” The
dwarf asked.
“Yes.” I replied. “It’s Praetorium
tradition. It prevents our fallen from
becoming the pawns of Orcus.”
“You are part of the Praetorium?”
Krevath piped up. He had tagged along with
us and his interest had suddenly been piqued.
“Yes.” I answered. “and Minron as well.”
“You do not wear their symbol.”
“We are scouts.” I said. “Sometimes
it’s beneficial if people don’t immediately know our allegiance.”
“What was this Vic’s full name?” The
dragonborn asked, now visibly excited.
“Vicrael of Endhaven. What’s getting you so excited?”
“How old was he?”
“I don’t know.” I said, starting to
get a little annoyed. “A hundred and fifty or something stupid like that.”
Krevath placed a clawed hand on
Sid’s bridle and brought the beast to a halt.
“May I look upon him?” He asked, indicating the shrouded corpse.
He was in such earnest that I did
not refuse him. He drew the pale cloth
back and revealed the face of my commander.
Vicreal’s skin had pulled taught across the bones of his face and his
eyes had sunk back into their sockets.
The waxy hue had gone from his complexion. He looked pale, fragile and empty.
“He looks different” Krivath murmured.
“but it is him.”
“You knew him?” Glen asked in
surprise.
“Yes. My clan came to the defence of Fallcrest when
the Bloodspears invaded. I met Vic there
and he offered to recruit me into the Praetorium.”
“What?” There was too much information in that one
statement for me to take it all in at once.
Vic had fought against my grandfather?
This dragonborn was an acquaintance of his from 90 years ago? “Did he
not recruit you then?” was the question I settled on.
“No, I abandoned him.” He replied
sadly. “Before Falcrest fell I managed to escape with some of my clan and never
saw him again. I had thought him dead.”
“You abandoned him to die? In your place I would keep such a craven
story to myself. You are in the company
of Vic’s friends and companions at arms.” I growled at him.
“Before I would have agreed with
you. The guilt I felt for my actions
weighed on me for the next forty years.
Eventually it drove me seek out the challenge of the Platinum Dragon to
prove my valour, to myself as much as any other. That bought me half a century of
contemplation inside that pillar, until you set me free. I have been foolish, selfish and cowardly for
most of my existence. I do not wish to
add liar to my list of character flaws.”
“It’s time for us to build him a pyre.” I said and stalked off into the woods.
We headed off into the tangled
forests surrounding Silverkin Manor and cut down some trees to build a grand
funeral pyre for Vic. After a while we
had constructed a lattice of tree trunks sufficient to fuel a hot blaze. The others filed out of the house as the sun
began to fall behind the mountains to the west.
Vic’s shadow was cast long over the ground, a dark mantle draped over a
tired land made orange by the fading sun.
Minron lit two torches and passed one to me. As the last of the light faded away we strode
forwards together and thrust our torches into the lattice of wood. I stepped back to stand alongside Glen as the
flames rose to lick at the oh so still form lay atop them. We had dressed Vic in the finest clothes he
had with him a lain trousers and a purple velvet jacket that I had always
relished teasing him about. His hands
clasped his wand to his chest and all of his belongings were placed alongside
him for the trip to the Raven Queen’s realm.
“Are you going to say anything?” Glen
asked me as Vic passed from view behind an orange curtain of flame.
“Vic does all the talking.” I replied.
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