06/03/05

In the Kaer of the Horror King

For a few weeks after the events of the Sky Mountain, Nazeer, Phylinius and Buulgath were the toast of the town. They purchased a home in the city of Yistane in Throal, and settled into their new surroundings. However, before too long, they felt the need to do something. That, and their money was running thin. Following up on a rumor they heard in The Angry T’skrang, their local tavern, they purchased a map from a merchant that supposedly detailed the location of a lost kaer. The merchant was glad to be rid of it, and the Samsarans set out to locate the kaer.

After some time spent wandering the Tylon Mountains, they finally located the entrance. The doors, however, were standing open, indicating that at some point the seals had been broken. They made their way carefully inside, expecting anything.

What they found, however, was disappointing. The kaer did not seem to have been breached, rather it seemed it had never been finished. There were still building materials laying about, and incomplete statue of the Passion Garlen in the main entryway. The statue looked sad, as though she regretted not being completed.

Looking about, they saw that the dust had hardly been disturbed except by their own footprints for all these centuries. The only curious thing was the light crystal fixtures: there were only three of them in all the rooms that had been created, and some rooms had none. Buulgath discovered that when he placed his light crystal into one of them, there was a barely audible click. They quickly placed crystals into each of the holders, and the statue of Garlen pulled back to reveal the entrance to the true kaer, well hidden from the Horrors by a clever ruse.

When they approached the door, this time covered in protective runes and sigils, they found it only sealed with mortar. Apparently the Name-givers within had relied on their ruse to keep them safe. However, it would seem to have worked – the mortar was still intact and did not appear to be disturbed. They gradually chipped away at it, and started to hear the sound of movement within the kaer. They shouted to the inhabitants that they were not Horrors, and that the Scourge was over, hoping they could be heard through the stone walls. When they finally opened the door, they were immediately attacked by a group of Humans, who were shouting “Protect the King! Defend the King!” They easily beat back the Humans, while trying not to hurt them too badly. As they proceeded inside, the people of the kaer screamed and ran, while Phylinius played his lute and sang as loudly as possible to assure the people he was not a Horror. Despite all their actions, the people acted as though they were rampaging Horrors, and ran in terror at the sight of them.

Inside the main entrance, there was a strange structure, covered with what seemed to be magical symbols and protections. When they proceeded inside, they saw a man standing over an alter, a dagger held high in his hand, and tears streaming down his face. Tied to the alter was a little girl, screaming “Daddy, no! Daddy, no!” The main looked at his daughter and said “The King protects us. For the good of us all…”, and plunged the dagger into her heart. The Samsarans, who were in mid-leap attempting to stop the man, suddenly found themselves in the entrance hallway again, the door to the kaer sealed over with mortar as though it had not moved. A sickly gurgling laugh echoed though the hall, confirming what they had suspected – the people were under the influence of a Horror.

Knowing that they had to stop the people from sacrificing themselves to the Horror, they devised a plan to get back into the kaer: they quickly chipped away the mortar again, and rushed straight into the structure past all the guards, and only barely managed to stop another sacrifice. The child was less well restrained this time, and escaped Phylinius’ grasp and ran down the halls, being chased by her knife-wielding mother. Buulgath restrained the woman, while through the kaer came the cry again: “Protect the King! The King protects us!” Several more guards attempted to attack the Samsarans, but they were no match for trained Adepts.

Further back in the kaer, Buulgath discovered something odd: tracks that led to a blank wall. Surmising that this was the King’s Throne Room, the Samsarans burst through the illusion covering the door, and came face to face with the Horror King. He seemed to be a Name-Giver, but his body was covered with chitinous growths, his hands were twisted into permanent claws, and the flesh and bones of his face were twisted around and upward, forming a crown of spikes on top of his head.

The Horror attacked them immediately, disappearing and reappearing whenever he was threatened. Finally, the Samsarans managed to cut him down, and his body dissolved into ash, leaving behind only his bony crown, which Buulgath collected. The people of the kaer seemed to wake up when he was dead, realizing what they’d done, and what they’d been forced to do.

The Samsarans led them outside, and showed them the world they’d never had a chance to see before. They led them to the nearest small town, and told the townsfolk of what had happened.  In their gratitude, the people of the kaer presented the Samsarans with three magical items: a brooch carved in the shape of a insectoid face, a decorative dagger covered with images of leaping fish and swimming T’skrang, and Farliss’ Dagger. Phylinius took the Dagger of the legendary Troubadour Farliss, Buulgath took the pendant, and Nazeer the T’skrang dagger. Little did they know what trouble these items would lead them to…

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