Sleeping Giants Game 39
Intro
The Massacre of Paladin's Retreat
We see a canopy of trees underneath us, stretching off in all directions as far as our vision permits. Directly in front of us, miles off, is a gargantuan tree that stands much taller than any of the others.
We look downward, as we begin sinking through the canopy. A lush forest resides below us, and nestled cozily inside of it are a few small stone huts, with tall roofs seemingly made of dirt and grass. A few animals graze and play on the outskirts of this village, and smoke rises from several chimneys. If they were present, some of the party would recognize this place as Paladin’s Retreat, the secret hideout of Maximilian Steingard.
The calm that rests over the village is suddenly disturbed, however, as the grazing animals dart into the forest in all directions. Outside of the village, about 500 feet from the buildings, land three winged horses clad in glistening, golden armor with blue trim. Atop each of the horses is a rider.
Leading the pack is Eva Thomsen, cardinal of Skyhammer, clad from head to toe in matching gold and blue armor with the crest of Skyhammer emblazoned on its front. Her six-foot long greatsword sits firmly in its sheath on the pegasus upon which she is mounted.
To her side is Elysande, the Skyhammer scout known for locating the first of James Madsen’s cult lairs. As soon as her mount touches the ground she has already hopped off and disappeared into the surrounding brush.
That leaves only the final rider, whom is none other than Archbishop Viggo Eshton, the funeral director of Skyhammer. A portly man, wearing his usual food-stained brown robes, he hoists himself up off of his pegasus and onto the ground, then begins rummaging through his saddle bags. It takes him a few moments, during which time Eva does not move from her mounted position, keeping a steady eye on the forest ahead.
Before long, Viggo pulls 3 ingredients from his packs: a pinch of dirt, a piece of rock, and a lump of clay. He walks a few steps in front of the mounts, and kneels down on the ground. “Are we ready to begin, Cardinal?” he asks as he lays out the components in front of him. A brief pause occurs, followed by a short “indeed” from Eva. Viggo looks ahead for a moment, then back down to his ingredients. He begins chanting, and as he does the clay moves to fully engulf the rock, followed by the dirt attaching itself completely to the exterior. The entire mixture then begins shaking, slowly at first then getting more intense.
“In the beginning, the earth swirled with torment and writhed with pain.” Viggo’s voice booms all around him, shaking the trees nearby. The mixture of dirt, rock and clay begins to swirl as if tormented.
In the distance, the entire village of Paladin’s Retreat begins to shake violently. Almost instantly, a deep fissure opens up in the ground, followed by another, and then another still. The fourth fissure opens directly underneath a house, which collapses in on itself with no warning whatsoever. A piercing scream can be heard coming from inside, which is quickly squelched. Another crack in the earth opens underneath a tree that’s several stories tall, causing it to crash into one of the houses and crush it completely.
The tremors only intensify. The very foundations of these buildings, which were not built with any kind of earthquake in mind, give way. Whoever was inside is almost certainly trapped. Cries of “help!” can be heard coming from several locations. From one of the collapsing buildings emerges a man dressed in simple robes – Simon Range. Dizzy and bleeding from the head, he attempts to steady himself as he makes his way to another building. “I’m coming!” he yells.
Hundreds of feet away, Viggo Eshton stands. His eyes have glazed over, completely white, and he begins walking slowly toward the destruction. His voice booms once more. “Hellfire scorched the land where nothing grew, and clouds as thick as soil blotted out the light of Heaven.” As he finishes his sentence, a storm opens up in the center of the village. Sheets of roaring flame rain down on the village itself, instantly igniting the fallen trees and bathing anyone unlucky enough to be outside in flame. And just as quickly as the storm appears, it disappears, yet the ground still quakes, tossing flaming debris in all directions.
A full minute of pure chaos passes, and Viggo’s eyes return to normal. His breathing grows heavy as he turns back to his mount. Him and Eva do not say a word to each other, and simply wait. Another minute passes, and while the flames still dance in the distance, the screams and cries for help have faded.
And then Elysande emerges from the brush nearby. Eva looks at her expectantly, but she simply shakes her head. “Max left the village a week ago and hasn’t returned. He was heading south. If we hurry I should be able to pick up his trail.” Viggo breathes a heavy sigh then climbs back into his saddle.
“It wasn’t all for naught, however.” Elysande hands a burnt book up to Eva, the only recognizable mark on it is the crossed feathers on its cover. Simon Range’s spellbook.
Eva tosses the book into the tall grass nearby. “He should have known better.” She kicks her spurs into the pegasus, and its wings expand to take flight.
