The Strike of Saarii - Final Chapter

Coming out of Enligt Castle, the group discussed what the odds were that they would survive through the storms close to Saarii one more time. Deciding that adventure and living through peril was their life style, they sought the general to acquire resources for the journey to Saarii. Before they left, the general gave them one last piece of advice, "go back to Kalastaia, leave on a small boat from there. The enemy has his eyes on Enligt, Kalastaia holds no threat to Saarii, you should get fairly close to Saarii before he sees you, if he does at all."

Having received all the resources needed for their journey, they left for Kalastaia, luckily, not being disturbed on their way. Arriving there, they did not dally, for they knew that the residents here could remember who these warriors were, although time had gone by. So they talked to a young fisherman and bought his boat from him, offering him an unreasonably high amount of money for it. He did not hesitate to give them the only boat he had.

So they left for Saarii once again, this time, moving to the east instead of Southwards towards the island. Going a long way to the east, and then heading towards the island on its East side. On their way there, they noticed that there was no soldiers standing on the bastions guarding the island; their focus was all put to use at the Western part of the island. So the Druid was right. They eventually managed to find a small beach they could land on; they managed to arrive at Saarii safely, avoiding all of the bad weather they had faced before.

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Once on the island, the group scouted the area to check if there were any hostile forces, none could be found. Having landed on the beach late in the evening, they camped in the shadow of some large rock formations, to avoid being seen by a random guard who decided to actually look their way, instead of the way their leaders ordered. Waking up in the morning, they had something to eat and prepared to look for the cave they were to find.

This did not take too long, apparently, the sorcerer they were to kill liked to live close to the waters. Creeping towards the entrance, they looked inside to see if they could locate their target without him knowing they were there. Nobody could be seen inside, only the dim light coming from a couple torches hanging on the walls. Walking inside, the group started exploring the inside of the cave, finding nothing of use on their way, only torches and a few lanterns. After what seemed like an hour, they started noticing that the wall was no longer rough stone eroded by the sea, but finely cut to form a corridor. At a certain point, they even found a couple of rooms, in which they found animated corpses brandishing swords. They had to be killed; once more, not lasting long enough to strike once. the group moved on, deeper and deeper into the tunnels beneath Saarii, until they arrived at an opening leading to a huge hall. Inside, the dark figure they saw in the Druid's orb.

"If the dwarf did not drag his feet so much, I would not have heard you coming." The voice boomed throughout the hall, the dark figure not moving yet. "This does not mean I have not seen you coming, a small boat to be unseen; a wise move." At this the figure turned to face them, the cloak dropping to the ground; their enemy was nothing they had expected. An elf, taller than any of them, with heavy armour; not the type usually used by mages and sorcerers. Giving them a few seconds to know what they were facing, he said "Let's play." He stretched out his arms and in a second, all the lights in the hall were extinguished, a strong gust of wind blowing dust out towards the warriors at the entrance, covering their eyes to avoid visibility problems later on. Opening them again, the only thing they saw were two small glows of red light. Amal immediately cast a spell to illuminate the hall; he was right, their enemy's eyes were now bright red, his stance, that of a warrior ready to strike.

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They all drew their weapons, but before any one of them could do anything, bolts of red lightning were shot at them, they had to make a lot of effort to avoid them, this guy was leagues above the one they met up in the mountain. Any time Dan or Duryraen got close enough for the sorcerer to think they had any chance of hitting him, he turned his focus onto them and shot blasts of wind at them to throw them back against the wall, making them easier targets for his precise attacks while dazed from the blast, but the other was also getting closer, while he also had to take care of Dean's arrows and Uuragan's icicles.

When one of Dean's arrows hit the sorcerer in the shoulder, he decided to take it up a notch. He stamped his foot, blasting Dan and Duryraen away from him while he cast a wall of ice to block off Dean's arrows, and a wall of fire in front of it to block off Uuragan's ice. He then conjured two magical swords which he used to fight off Dan and Duryraen. This surprised the two, for they did not imaging a sorcerer to be this skilled with arms.

Amal immediately knew that magic would not pierce through the fire, the same death magic that gave energy to the corpses they dealt with before was fuelling these flames. He focused all his energy to dispel the magic holding them at bay; while Uuragan and Dean waited, furious that they were cut off so easily. Dan and Duryraen on the other side of the walls were having a hard time keeping up with what seemed like a veteran swordsman. After hundreds of strikes from each one, all three of them had visible cuts, blood oozing freely down their armour. At this point, life started flowing back intro the cave, Amal managed to stop the fire and then Uuragan melted the ice. Arrows shot through, one after the other, but the sorcerer was quick to avoid them. This time, it was Uuragan who attacked, having had time to position himself while Dean distrated their enemy, Uuragan now cast a wave of frost at the sorcerer, slowing his movement and decreasing his visibility. This time, arrows did hit their mark, the second one hitting him in the back; as soon as he turned to face Dean, another pierced his stomach.

Falling to his knees, the sorcerer dropped his swords, which faded away quickly, Duryraen who had recovered a little moved in quickly and stabbed him in the back, lodging his dagger deep into his foe, the blade protruding from the sorcerer's chest. Using his second dagger, he slit his throat, letting him drop to the ground. At the back of the cave, Amal was working hard to heal Dan's wounds, as he was in a much worse shape than Duryraen.

The terrible storms outside suddenly subsided, beautiful weather followed, the opportunity the army of Enligt was waiting for. Aboard longships was the entire army, already on the way towards the island of Saarii.

Uuragan Oakwale, Dean Dalgaard, Dan Scott, Duryraen dar'Vuzmur and Amal Cal.These are the men who beat helped make Saarii the strategic military base of the Enligt empire. These are the men mentioned in song and legend. These are the men who vanquished the power of Saarii. These are the men from the Strike of Saarii.

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The Strike of Saarii - Chapter VII

On they journeyed, up the mountain side, until they arrived at an opening, a plateau, tents were visible as well as elves in golden armour, crossing their halberds as soon as the party approached the encampment. The group were asked why they were in such a remote location, to which they answered that they needed to speak to the Master Druid. At this reply, one of the guards left and entered a cave, into the side of the mountain, at the far end of the plateau. Upon returning to the group, he told the others that the Master Druid wanted to see them, but before escorting them to the cave, they asked the group to leave all weapons outside.

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"I know," the Druid replied, "I have seen your coming, and I know what you seek. You seek answers; why have Runo's men never made it to Saarii? My dear Runo, you should have realised by now." The Druid finally turned to face them, smiling when he saw the composition of the group. "Not too many, but enough to cause damage. Good. You will do." He started walking towards a small orb which was sat upon a round table a few paces away. He placed his hand over it, started whispering, and almost immediately images started forming within the orb. "Look, my friends, this is the reason your leader never managed to take Saarii." The orb showed a dark figure hunched over a small table, much like the Druid himself when the group entered the cave. "Magic. Great magic. Enough to affect the weather. But too much going on to notice a small vessel. Go, tell your Lord that a small strike team is all he needs. His target is in a small cave beneath the island of Saarii, to the East." With one last glance at the party, he clapped his hands twice, and turned back to his business. Hearing his summons, two guards entered the cave and issued the group outside, giving them their weapons back.

Before the group started their journey back, they were granted a tent in which to rest for the night, very much appreciated by the Runo's agents. They rested, and prepared to start their journey back to Enligt early in the morning. However, before they left, they heard someone calling Uuragan, a female voice. Turning around, Uuragan's face shone, his long lost best friend was alive, the one person he used to trust before he joined Enligt's army. A dark elf, just like him, a mage just like him, and the one who saved him from near death when nobody else cared. He turned to his friends and told them to start on their way down the mountain, promising he would catch up with them when he was ready.

Entering the cave, they did not find any grand hall for a mighty leader, nor did they see any fine banners or a golden throne. All they saw were a couple of tables and chairs and magical artifacts glowing in bright violet and blue light at the back of the cave. A dark figure, his back facing the entrance, was the Master Druid, busy with one of the artifacts. He raised his hand and motioned the group forward, his guards leaving the cave when he did so. The party moved in closer, stopping some feet away when the Druid held up his hand again. Amal took it upon himself to break the silence, "We bring you gifts from Runo, Lord of Enligt."

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A day later, the group saw him enter the cave where they were camping for the night, the same cave they fought the mages on their way up to meet the Master Druid; a new weapon sheathed at his side, his brother's ice sword, which he had lost prior to joining the army. Two days later, they arrived back at Enligt and requested audience with Lord Runo, which he granted immediately. "Rise." he said, as the men knelt in front of him, "and tell me all the Master Druid said." Telling him all that the Druid had told them, and what they saw in the orb, the Lord's face darkened, "Grave news again, never a good sign when one's enemy holds such power. No matter, if the Druid thinks we can deal with this foe with a small team, we will try. Go, ask the general to provide anything you need for battle, and go forth to Saarii. Use a small boat to get there and try to attract as little attention as possible. The fleet of Enligt will be ready to sail to Saarii as soon as the storms subside."

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The Strike of Saarii - Chapter VI

Once the party was satisfied with their purchases, new weapons and trinkets with magical properties to boost their abilities in combat, they regrouped at the start of the passage up the mountain to the north of Enligt and were on their way to find the Master Druid. walking up through the snow was slow but nothing interfered for a while, until they started hearing wolf growls all around them. Careful and alert, they moved on until they found a white dire wolf in their way. Dan immediately drew his axe, not a wise move he learned as more dire wolves jumped out of the surrounding trees ready to pounce if he makes a move. The leader of the pack didn't move and neither did the rest, but Dean did. He edged forward, slowly, motioning to the others with his hand to drop their weapons.

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"Vargo?" Dean said, to which the dire wolf nodded. The reply was confusing though, for he spoke only in riddles.

"In riddles I must speak, the reason I cannot say.

A trident found in a mountain pass,

The first spike is colder than the rest,

One is short and dark,

The last, rumoured to host great power.

At the end of each,

you can find what you seek."

At that, the speaker left, as did the rest of the dire wolves when their leader was done. Confused at what Vargo had said, the group discussed what the clues could have meant, not agreeing on their guesses. In the end they decided to keep walking and find out on the way.

They walked until they found a fork in the path, split into three other paths; "A trident found in a mountain pass," said Amal, "this is what Vargo meant, three passages, each with its own perils." They discussed again what these troubles might be, in the end choosing the last option, the one hosting great power. Moving on, they found that the path was not the most comfortable to choose; only enough room for one person to walk forward for quite a while. They walked this tight passage until they found a clearing with four long poles stuck in the ground, placed to form a square; remains of cloth hanging from the top, hinting that this was some form of tent or canopy. Behind the remains of the tent was an entrance to a cave, the only possible way out of the clearing, other than the drop off the side of the mountain.

When Uuragan, Dan and Duryraen started walking inside, a booming voice shouted "You have no busniess here!!". A blue light sparked deep inside the cave, a bolt of lightning shot towards them. The three warriors ducked the lightning strike, which hit one of the four poles outside, immediately spreading to the other three, forming four high walls of electricity; blocking Dean and Amal inside a cage. A bright white light also shone inside as a form of magical shield was created to protect the aggressors, two human mages were walking towards them inside the barrier. A man, who started shooting electric bolts at the party and a woman who kept up the barrier.

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Whatever Uuragan tried, his magic could not pierce the barrier, and wherever Dan and Duryraen hit, the barrier was reinfored, the enemies' red eyes flickering in delight when they saw the futile attempts of the people who fell into their trap. Amal tried all he could from behind the shock wall, creating small shields for his friends outside, to deflect the bolts shot from the shock mage. Dean shot arrow after arrow, at the enemies, none of them piercing the barrier.

Dan, furious that his mighty blows were not hitting home, tried to enter the barrier himself instead of his weapon, which worked. He was now standing between the two mages. He hit the healer with his head, his helmet dealing enough damage for her to loose focus and drop her barrier, and turned to smash her partner with his axe, not knowing how agile his foe was. Noticing what had happened the shock mage turned his focus onto Dan and quickly grabbed the dwarf's axe, channelling his fury through its metal, into the dwarf, sending him flying into the cave wall, falling into an unconscious lump on the ground.

Having no magical barrier, the mage was now vulnerable to Uuragan's frost magic, slowing his movement, while Duryraen launched a full frontal assault. Although his agility was diminished, their enemy was still able to deflect most of Duryraen's attacks. As his fury grew, the shock mage's wall around Dean and Amal grew in intensity, allowing them barely any visibility; Amal tried to help Dan from inside the cage, but it was difficult to do so. Dean on the other hand tried shooting arrows at the enemy healer as she was separated from the group, this way he could not hit any of his friends. One of his arrows hit the mark, piercing her side, her scream in pain filled the cave. Hearing this, her partner knew exactly what had happened, he cast a huge explosion of electrical energy around him, blasting Duryraen and Uuragan away from him. He was now invisible except for a whisp of electricity, which floated over to his healer, her physical form also turned to electricity, they flew off deeper into the cave and out of sight. Only then did the electrical barrier around Dean and Amal vanish.

Having defeated the mages, the group needed some time to recover their strength, Amal tending to their wounds. They camped for the night in the cave, and followed the whisps into the cave to find another exit, the one the mages took to escape. Here they followed the trail until they arrived at a large plateau, with elves guarding the only entrance, spears crossed, denying entrance.

For the curious readers: 
The first spike is colder than the rest > Frost trolls
One is short and dark > Underground tunnel full of goblins

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