The Chronicle of Heroes: Chapter II
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Another book is delivered to the library.
The Chronicle of Heroes: Chapter II
Based on a true storyThe Cult of Necromancers
The Heroes
Kerrick Krown - The Aspiring Arch Mage
Gnok the Dwarven DefenderThe Villains
Muric - The Boneman
Eckhart Gul - The Rotting one
Misa Rift - The Weeping Death
Muric - The Beginning of the Cult of Necromancer
Ominous man lead a group of adventurers through the sands of Helmland. Wild with magic, these lands had long been abandoned by all faiths, declared dangerous and unnatural. Yet this man, this leader of souls- all he saw was potential.
Boneman, is what they called him. Clad head to toe in skulls and bones of unfortunate creatures, he was once the member of the Brotherhood of Iron Will, an organization controlled by the Banite faith of the city.
The potential he saw was in the cursed nature of the land. He sought its power, its true might- upon discovering a towering monster known by survivors as none other than a Forest Blight, he found just that. A chaotic battle ensued where the group took their brave stance against the forest blight, and the creature was eventually brought down through their combined might.
Muric, known by others as a healer back then, made his way to the Forest Blight, cutting its chest open only to find its beating heart. He had done terribly strange things before, of hideous and somewhat dark nature, but this was beyond comprehension. Thus flabbergasted, the humble bard confronted him, intrigued- What truly, was the aim of the man?
Muric turned his skull-helm onto the bard, the bloody heart still beating on his hand as he opened his lips to form words with a cold, knowing chuckle: "My aim? Oh, nothing in particular. Despite what you might think of me, I do not want the city to fall."
We should have knew these were lies, but we did not back then. Not yet- that is of course, before he used the heart of the forest blight, to bring forth the bones of a giant back to the world of living. beginning what we now know as the era of the Lord of Bones.
Soon after establishing his mastery over various other abominations, he gained allies with like-minded ideals. Soon surrounded by people such as Eckhart Gul, the rotting priest of Velsharoon, and one of the Dread Queen- priest Misa Rift
-Events recorded predate the bounties, early days of The Claw of Winter.The attack on East haven, the battle of four armies
Heading outside the old gates of eastern district after whispers of Muric and Misa lurking in the realm of East Haven, Kerrick Krown, the Aspiring Archmage joined in company alongside Jurgen the Stormpriest, and made their way without delay to East Haven, only to find these whispers true.
Muric was there, companied by a horde of undead he'd managed to gather by then, and alongside him stood Misa Rift, with an equal horde of his own. Kerrick and Jurgen knew they couldn't take such a force on their own, thus the adventurers of the city had been called to aid.
Standing still and gazing toward the forest of Hullack, the necromancer and its undead seemed strangely ignoring to their presence. But as the adventurers came, did Jurgen and Kerrick realize why that was- for they were not alone.
At the tree-lines of Hullack, a massive horde of orcs gathered. Ominous chanting spilled out before anyone could react- and blasts of magic brought forth yet more ominous figures- demons. Without hesitation, the undead forces clashed on the demon and orc, soon joined by the adventurers and their folk. Meanwhile, Jurgen and Kerrick, saw an opening against the necromancers.
Blasted to bits by the combined might of the Aspiring Arch Mage and the Stormpriest, Misa was suddenly no more. Muric took this as a sign to flee, and no matter how they searched- he had gone beyond their reach.
Meanwhile, holding back armies of undead, demon and orc, one among the adventure folk clearly stood out from the rest.Gnok the Dwarven Defender stood valiantly alongside the adventurers in protection of the goodly souls, taking down a hundred of their orc and demon before facing their chieftain. The combat was fierce, but Gnok was true to his purpose, mustering his might to take him down. And like a dragon with the might of Ironhand, because of him- they stood victorious.
The undisputed hero of the day was Gnok. And perhaps, from this grand show of force, we may soon see his glory again, on a battlefield, fighting for our lives with the goodness in his heart.
Meanwhile, the lord of bones licked his wounds. This was the day Muric had suffered a loss he could never recover from, and this was the time he was fully consumed by the insanity of the Mole- and he did not see his end approaching.
Ending the Reign of the Lord of Bones
3rd of The Claw of the Sunsets, year 1393. Nortram, a guide and an advisor of the Company of Heroes, lead an expedition into the depths of underdark in search of Lich dust to break the wards on the secret lair of Pale Sands, where Muric was known to be hiding.
The moment they fell into Underdark through a prank-floor of Cloakshadow, a glutenous fragments of an elder beast spotted their group of eight. A fierce battle ensued by they quickly realized the elder beast was too much, thus a frantic retreat followed.
The group saved themselves by reaching the ruins of Bhresken point. Yet there, the united group was divided. The master explorer of a halfling demanded they went back and tried to sneak past the glutenous monster, while Nortram insisted they had failed. Thus, bickering, the group got separated with one another, where the humble bard saw it fit to join the halfling and his gnomish friend, for they were few in brave souls as eager.
They made their way into underdark- only to be discovered by none other than Vadim the forsaken, and Muric the Lord of Bones. Without hesitation, the triot were assaulted by their insanity. Their ignorance was costly, for the humble bard did not tolerate such an assault on his comrades, but retaliated with the anger of his father. Thus, while the chaos of the battle took its toll- Vadim and Muric soon found themselves bested.
By then, a grand bounty had been issued on the head of both Vadim and Muric, but the humble bard did not see his treasure in gold- he saw beyond it. What he saw in Muric was more than what he had expected- he had grew in confidence and -power- so much more than the humble bard could have ever imagined. He now knew there was something more that even this chronicle has yet told- and Muric, was his key to discover and destroy it. And to do that, he would have to let them go, to devise the ultimate prank on the cult of Necromancers.
Yet before prank could be pulled, Mahtan the dishonorable elf took his turn and seized the opportunity from shadow. His arrow flew through the darkness and straight onto the back of Muric. The humble bard protested, but did not fight back, for while Mahtan posed a threat to the necromancer, he was no threat to the humble bard or the exploring company alongside him.
And thus, Muric was hanged. Ending his reign as the Lord of Bones. While the Cult of Necromancers still exist out there with the necromancer Eckhart loose and scheming, it may be soon that the insanity of the White Mole would bring their threat back upon the city steps. And what is more concerning is the greater evil that escaped from being revealed to the humble bard, an evil even he did not recognize. But today, was the day of celebration for all goodly souls, as evil was destroyed and its terror ended from the land- and good stood once again victorious.
- Fandon'Zorak Hairyscales, the humble bard