THE SIGN OF MAGIC - The Geekolaus adventure

The GEEKOLAUS campaign is something special this year. Together with every nerd who has the time and desire, we're spending the lockdown with a interactive story to take part in!
Every working day from December 14 to December 21 we will be on our Youtube livestream from 19.00 will read out a fantasy story in which three heroes experience an exciting adventure - and you as a viewer decide every day how these heroes should act and drive the story forward. The decisions will be recorded in our Discord group because each character gets to make their own decision!
We are happy about every nerd who wants to participate or just listen!

And if you missed an episode or want to find out what's happened so far, check out our Youtube channel to watch the recording, or read about it here:

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What happened so far...

CHAPTER 1

The first thing you notice as you slowly come to is the gentle sound of water around you. You lie on soft ground, your eyes closed and you enjoy the almost cozy warmth that permeates you. Something is wrong. For a moment, you hoped to wake up in a warm bed. But then you feel the pain slowly and steadily spreading through your body like a tide returning after the ebb. The warmth also gives way after a few heartbeats, giving way to a cold so penetrating that your whole body begins to shiver. With burning lungs, you begin to gasp out smoke, blood and salt water. Only after several attempts do you manage to breathe properly and open your eyes. Slowly, you look around as you sit up as quickly as your aching limbs will allow.

You find yourself on a stony beach surrounded by numerous floating debris. The small bay is framed by high, steep cliffs, and the view of the water shows rows of sharp rocks sticking out of the water like the teeth of a gigantic sea monster. A few hundred paces off the coast, you can make out the still-burning wreck of a ship against the low sun, only parts of it sticking out of the water, literally impaled by the rocks. Dark clouds stretch out above your heads, but quickly clear towards the sea and the sun. Your breath freezes in pale clouds as soon as it leaves your mouth. You think you can see the white glitter of snow on the cliffs.

As you try to remember where you might be, each of you is startled to realize that not only can you not answer this question, but you remember very little else. A few faint images from your life pass you by, but too few to form a coherent impression.

The deaf man rubs the small spot on his forehead between his horns as he tries to make sense of the images in his head of a forest full of fragrant, colorful flowers. He briefly thinks he hears wolves howling in the distance... but even that is just a faint memory.

The wiry warrior wipes through her short brown hair a few meters away as a memory of a fight, or perhaps some kind of training, comes to her mind. She sees a blade coming towards her face, but just manages to dodge it and counterattacks skillfully - meaningless images that are ended by a final thought of the stinking, wet and crowded deck of an unknown ship.

Before the dark-haired Amazon woke up, images of a damp, warm jungle flashed through her mind. She remembers the feeling of grass under her feet, the smell of sweat and blood and the feel of steel in her hands. But none of this remains more than a distant glimmer for her.

 

One by one, you slowly manage to stand up. Now you notice each other. All of you are clad in the same plain, gray-brown rags and, as you notice with surprise, you all have a dark tattoo on your foreheads, the symbols of which, however, mean nothing to you. It is a not quite closed circle, inside which two lines form an intertwined pattern that runs downwards through the circle. Although you can't remember almost anything, you think you remember your names: Lumix, Raylania and Hedwig. Lumix is the Taurean, with some seaweed still clinging to its distinctive horns. Raylania is the brown-haired woman whose slightly pointed ears and fine facial features bear witness to her elven ancestry. Muscles are clearly visible under her simple clothing, and her oval face appears friendly despite her hard gaze. The strong Hedwig's sinewy arms and a few fine scars on her face suggest that she is not entirely inexperienced in battle.

With the exception of Lumix's mane, your hair is all cropped short. You look at each other uncertainly and walk towards each other. The faces, the bodies, the voices of the others seem familiar - almost familiar - and so you hesitantly introduce yourselves. As you hear the names, a wave of emotion enters your mind, they sound so strangely familiar. So many more questions lie heavy on your tongue, but the cold that penetrates your body with a thousand pinpricks and makes your limbs and thoughts heavy is a bad background for a longer conversation.

None of you seem to have any serious injuries. Only the dull roaring in your ears and the taste of smoke, blood and salt water in your mouth remain. You are still in shock and have difficulty concentrating on anything. Almost without a word, you begin to walk around one by one and examine the flotsam for useful items. You don't find any more survivors - but fortunately you don't find any dead bodies either. After a bit of searching, Lumix really does find something. A small bag, slightly burnt but still sealed. It contains sweet cookies and other treats. Whoever takes something like this with them on a sea voyage... - The find is definitely welcome.
You stow your find in a torn piece of sail, which Raylania throws over her shoulder like a sack. You are just about to turn away from the shore again when Lumix's gaze catches on a branch swaying slowly in the waves. He fishes it out of the water before the next wave pulls it back in, lifts it carefully, almost reverently, and looks at the piece of wood, which turns out to be an artistically decorated stick. It feels good in the large paw of the tauren. Familiar. 

The tauren instinctively closes his eyes and concentrates for a moment. Without being able to say what exactly he has done, the coldness recedes a little from your three bodies. "What was that?" Hedwig asks skeptically. "I... don't know exactly" Lumix snorts thoughtfully in his deep, roaring voice "It was just a thought... it felt right. But we'd better warm up more - including our clothes. I don't know if I can do it again so easily or how long it will last." He pauses for a moment and looks around before continuing to speak "The wood from the ship is too wet, maybe we'll find some branches further up the beach that have blown down. Or we can warm each other with our bodies." "No thanks, I'd rather freeze to death." Raylania replies dryly with a sideways glance and a slight wrinkle of her nose. Her face brightens when she hears a soft squeak in the sand next to her. She bends down and reaches out to a bundle of fur lying on the ground. A small, soaked mouse hops up her arm and sits on her shoulder. The feeling seems very familiar to Raylania, while the others look rather surprised at the small animal nestling close to the woman's neck and gazing at you with extremely intelligent-looking beady eyes.

So you set about searching the rest of the small bay. To your regret, you can't find any dry wood in the entire bay, let alone anything you could use to light a fire. By now the sun is a little higher in the sky, so you still have the whole day ahead of you instead of having to spend a cold night in this bay, as you first feared. Hoping to have more success in the hinterland and because your still aching joints need some exercise, you decide to leave the beach

One of the cliffs looks as if it would be easy to climb, even in your condition, so you brave the ascent with stiff limbs. Raylania seems to find climbing as easy as a walk across green meadows, while Hedwig slips several times and ends up having to be pulled over the edge by Raylania.
Once at the top, you find yourself several dozen steps above the sea. However, even from here you can't make out much of your surroundings in the dim daylight. The area near the rocky coast is covered in moss, grass, ferns and only a few trees and bushes. A dense forest begins about a hundred steps inland. The terrain is very hilly and gradually rises. Beyond the forest, you can make out the peaks of an impressively high mountain range in the distance. Perplexed, you look at each other, hoping that someone will make a guess as to where you might be. But none of you recognize this area.

"We should go into the forest," Raylania suggests. "We're sure to find some dry wood there and maybe some shelter from the cold." Hedwig seems less convinced. She gives back: "The idea has some merit. But do you know how to make fire without a flint? At least I don't. Maybe it would be better to look for a fishing village along the coast. Do you see there ... what looks like a small, flattened path? Surely there must be other people around here somewhere." Lumix nods. "I can agree with that. We should hope to find a settlement."

So you decide to turn west, after all, one direction works as well as the other. 

 

You have only been walking for a few minutes when you come across two solitary figures sitting on the grass at the side of the path, looking a little forlorn. The stocky dwarf woman and the slim, impressively tall man are wearing the same gray-brown clothing as you and also have this marking on their foreheads. The man looks at you in silence, while the woman speaks to you in surprise: "You ... I can remember you. At least I think I do. You were on the ship too, weren't you?" Images of the two strangers are also floating around in your heads... but far too vague and distant to be of any use to you. Instead of forcing an answer out from between his lips, which are numb with cold, Lumix just points to his still damp and partially frozen clothes.

"Damn, of course. It's just ... I ... we can hardly remember anything. I suppose it's the same for you?" Hedwig stands next to the tauren and nods silently while Raylania keeps a little distance. She obviously doesn't quite trust this "chance" meeting. "So you were washed up somewhere else? Did you find anything helpful? Or something that might provide some answers?" Hedwig lifts the bag of provisions she has found. "That's all. Nothing else except the burning wreck at sea. We landed back there. On a small beach. A bit of flotsam and some provisions, nothing else. No other people either."

The dwarf looks greedily at the bag, but quickly regains her composure. "Then I assume we're in the same boat. Or no longer in the same boat, hah!" she grins briefly... very briefly indeed "Come along, I think we have something you'd like to share your feast with us for. I'm Khayriyya by the way, but call me Khay, it's easier for frozen lips to pronounce, the long one here is Orm." Without waiting for an answer, the compact lady turns around and trudges off towards the coast. Orm's gaze lingers on you a little longer, but then he gives you a forced smile and moves forward too.

Raylania catches up with Lumix and Hedwig. "What do you think?"
Lumix nods gently. "Those two don't look like bandits... let alone fighters. If they had wanted to attack us, there would be plenty of opportunities for an ambush here."
Hedwig just nods: "We follow them or we freeze to death here in the middle of nowhere."
So you put your doubts to one side and follow them. Khay and Orm lead you to a hidden bay that is slightly larger than the one you landed in. It is apparently only accessible via a path hidden by bushes. Your hearts begin to beat a little faster with joy and relief as you see smoke rising and the smell of a large campfire fills your nostrils and nose. In fact, there is another female figure sitting by a small campfire who smiles at you almost effusively when you arrive.

"You found some after all!" she turns to Khay before taking a closer look at you as you warm up by the large campfire. She points to your foreheads. "Oh, you three are also... you have... ahm... whatever. I was so hoping we'd find survivors without these marks. We were all washed up on this beach - along with a few others. But only we survived. Everyone else was already dead when we woke up. Maybe the others could have given us some more answers..." She puts a hand over her mouth. The only reason the gesture doesn't seem absurdly exaggerated is because she seems to mean it seriously. "I'm so sorry. Of course I'm glad you survived. I didn't mean to say that ... "

"All right, Cal, by the gods of stone, don't you think the three of them have more to worry about than a wrong word from you? We should warm up in peace first. And try to find out what we can remember together."

Dividing the already scarce provisions between six people is hard - but an important gesture of peace to ease the slight tension here. It's enough for everyone to get half-fed and regain their strength. Your clothes are also drying and life is slowly returning to your bodies.

However, as you soon realize, you all seem to suffer from the same memory lapses. Your names, a few pictures from your lives - but nothing that could really help you. Orm doesn't speak a word, responding to your questions only with nods and shakes of the head. Cal appears to be a nun or priestess. She tells you that she remembers a monastery. Meanwhile, she examines you for injuries, although she can't say exactly what makes her do this. After you have warmed up, the dwarf Khay shows you the corpses on the beach. In addition to some people wearing the same outfit and the same mark as you, there are also some who lack the latter. They are also wearing different clothing to you, which is mostly better made and very similar to each other, like a kind of uniform. In various shades of red, they have embroidery on their chests in the shape of a black sword, which is struck by several bolts of lightning from a fist raised in the air. Apparently they belonged to the crew of the ship.

But then who were you? You briefly consider putting on your uniforms. However, since they are no warmer than your current neutral clothing and you have no idea how the colors and emblems will be received in this area, you decide against it. To find more answers, you take a closer look at the flotsam that has washed ashore. Sure enough, you find a few things that the other three had apparently missed in the morning twilight: a few pieces of soaked, thick winter clothing, a few dozen crotches of good rope, and finally a small crate containing the personal effects of a higher-ranking crew member. In addition to coins, the value of which remains unknown to you, there are a few pieces of jewelry and, in some wax-sealed clay jars, spices whose names you cannot remember, but which are certainly suitable for bartering.

 

With your spoils, you return to the fire to discuss where you want to go from here. The plan to march along the coast until you come across a settlement doesn't exactly make you happy, but none of those present have any better ideas. You decide that you can double your chances by splitting up and setting off in both directions. You are just about to divide up your meagre haul when Orm, who has been working some longer pieces of wood with a sharp-edged stone and hardening their tips over the fire all this time, suddenly hurries to tell you to be quiet and points his improvised weapon at the embankment by the path. Hedwig and Rayla each grab the next best piece of wood as a club and Lumix clutches his staff with both hands.
A whole group of derelicts break noisily through the undergrowth. With a few exceptions, they look bedraggled and disheveled; despite the cold weather, sweat leaves clear lines on dirty faces. In addition to a few humans, you can also make out three dwarves, an elf and a fur-covered figure in the group, which is in no way inferior to Lumix in size and reveals a row of pointed teeth every time it opens its protruding mouth. The hairy creature is somewhat reminiscent of a giant baboon in linen clothing, but appears to be intelligent. Some of the people carry simple clubs, others rusty axes or daggers. When they become aware of you, they stop in surprise and their hands move to the weapons they are carrying on their belts. A tall, well-built human woman in robust leather clothing with a rusty gladius in her hand takes a few steps forward and addresses you in a very annoyed and aggressive tone: "Devez mat! Et camen savo our beach. It damo estah also our booty! How many times must I tell you wretched Kreijans!" As she rants, she continues to walk towards Rayla, who is standing near the fire - but then she stops abruptly and raises her hands in appeasement, while her companions remain standing behind her. "Dosta éh, my mistake. I see you were on the ship, yes? Good for you that you're still alive." Then she grins almost kindly "Just stay calm, give us what you were able to salvage and no one gets hurt. We don't want any trouble with you, so don't do anything stupid."

Something about the woman's language strikes you as odd. It seemed strange at first, but after a few words you were able to understand her as if you had never spoken any other. Khay, Orm and Cal seem to feel the same way by the looks on their faces.

Given your condition, the offer seems tempting. However, you don't know if you can trust these people and it's clear that the odds wouldn't be quite so even in a fight.

 

CHAPTER 2

Hedwig slowly straightens up, demonstratively grabs a long club lying in the sand next to the fire and fixes the spokeswoman of the group with an iron gaze. Lumix also stretches threateningly to his full height and snorts loudly, causing some of the strangers to take a step back.

The woman pulls the corners of her mouth up slightly and says in a mockingly disappointed tone: "What a pity. I thought you would be content to escape death once a day. But that's fine with us." She raises her sword and the whole group follows suit. The fur-covered monster leaps towards Lumix in several hasty steps and throws him to the ground, just managing to raise his staff to protect himself from the creature's jaws.

Raylania is beset by a bearded dwarf and a human, both armed with woodcutting axes. The men's superior grins reveal that they believe they have an easy game with their unarmed counterpart... a mistake. The Amazon can easily dodge the blows, which are delivered with great force and little skill. A second of carelessness on the part of the human is enough for her to deflect his axe blow with a slight twist of her forearm into the dwarf's skull, where the axe weapon grinds to a halt. The bearded man collapses backwards, while Raylania rams her knee under the chin of the panicked-looking man with a smooth leap. A few teeth fly through the air and the man lies motionless in the sand.

Meanwhile, Hedwig stands opposite the leader. Rusty metal hits wet wood in regular, dull blows as the two fight, slashing and stabbing. The bandit leader seems to have plenty of experience, but Hedwig can see through her fighting style just a few sword strokes later and anticipate her next moves. With a powerful thrust, the tip of her staff penetrates her opponent's neck like a spear and she falls to the ground with a gurgle. Even before she hits the ground, Hedwig already has the gladius in her hand and helps Khay defend herself against other attackers.

The hairy monster immediately lunged at Lumix, drooling, and brought him to the ground. Dodging the bites and claws again and again, the Taurean is able to bring one of his legs under the creature's belly and fling it off him with a powerful hoof kick. It rolls over several times, but immediately gets back on its feet - just like Lumix. Leaning on his staff, Lumix's gaze falls on the brightly blazing campfire. He instinctively grips the wood tighter and concentrates on the flames, which suddenly flare up even more vigorously. A pillar of flame emerges and surrounds the monster. Shrouded in flames, it runs screaming and howling towards the water, where it topples hissing into the water and doesn't get up again.

This is definitely too much for the rest of the attackers. The survivors turn away and flee in panic. Hedwig starts to chase after them, but is held back by Orm, who shakes his head and points to a figure by the campfire. Cal is lying there, twitching on her back, holding her stomach, from which dark blood is seeping into the sand. As you bend over her, she tries to say something else, but only a gush of blood escapes her mouth before her gaze becomes obscured and her limbs go limp.

You look at the woman you only knew for a short time. Orm and Khay look particularly sad, but say nothing.
But that doesn't change the fact that you should get out of here soon, before new danger threatens you. Too many bandits have escaped. If they call in reinforcements, things will get really dicey. As you don't have time to dig any graves, you quickly carry in some more wood and brushwood and, with a little help from Lumix, a few more fires soon blaze behind you as you make your way back to civilization.

 

Long shadows line the path as you finally see thin columns of smoke rising in the distance towards the shimmering reddish horizon in the early evening twilight. Despite the scraps of canvas you have wrapped around your body as extra protection from the cold, you are still bitterly cold. Your fingers and toes are already numb from the cold and you can feel the fatigue rising up inside you. The relief is all the greater. Lumix claps her hands in delight and even Orm shows the beginnings of a smile. The smoke promises a warm meal and at least a bed of straw.

Only Khay furrows his brow and grumbles: "We are strangers here and have hardly any money or anything worth mentioning to exchange. Besides, we know nothing about this area. Who knows how we'll be received. Better be vigilant instead of rejoicing too soon." Despite the words of warning, the prospect of the fruits of civilization hastens your steps.

 

Even before the sun has completely disappeared behind the horizon, you can make out the red-roofed roofs of a small harbor town nestled close to a deep bay, partly surrounded by rocky cliffs. At first glance, you must count 40 houses, but you suspect that there are even more, sheltered from your view in the bay. As you get closer to the town, you can see that it is surrounded on the land side by a handsome palisade wall that appears to be well maintained. On closer inspection, however, the wooden posts show some recent repairs. A fast-flowing but navigable river, a good 80 paces wide and gurgling peacefully as it carries clear water from the mountains into the sea, flows through a gap in the palisade. This is closed with a lowered iron portcullis, which has also been pinned down with wedges and has a strange dent in it.

Khay grunts in confirmation and turns to the group: "Can you see the woodwork and the damaged grille? I was right, we should be careful. Not everything here is as harmless as it looks right now.”
“Or it was just a storm and a skipper in too much of a hurry. Don't let your imagination run away with you," Raylania, now in a better mood, replies, earning a scowl from the dwarf. Since you still look pretty run-down and don't want to be mistaken for a group of bandits, you decide to leave your makeshift weapons outside the town.

With the last rays of the setting sun, you approach the only gate in the palisade. A stocky human man, his receding dark hair showing the first traces of gray, stands comfortably in front of it, leaning on a halberd and carefully examining you with watchful eyes as you approach. His gaze lingers uncomfortably long on the marks on your foreheads. As he begins to speak, you recognize the same language as the people on the beach, but it still sounds familiar to you - though you are almost certain it is not your own.

"What do we have here? You don't look like traders to me, and if you're running from anything or anyone, you'd better try your luck elsewhere. Decent people live here who prefer to stay out of trouble."

"Not at all," Hedwig begins to speak hastily but kindly, "we are contemplating evil. On the contrary, we suffered great hardship when our ship ran aground a few miles from here and we were lucky to be washed up on the beach. We only ask for the protection of your city for one night, some food and a place to sleep. We were able to salvage some of the cargo and are willing to barter for it."

The guard looks at you in turn again, but his face brightens a little as he does so. He runs his free hand thoughtfully over the dark stubble on his cheeks. "Does she always talk so puffy? Hrm, it really was a bad storm last night. If your story is true, you really are very lucky to have made it here at all. Let me take a look in your bags. I just want to be on the safe side before I let you into our beautiful Skjarige."

After a brief examination of your few belongings, the guard seems to see no danger in you and opens the gate. As you gratefully pass through the gap, the man calls out: "Hey Helene! Wake up and lead our guests to the Three Trout! They're shipwrecked from last night's storm." The woman addressed, a young woman with dark blond hair, a plump figure and a short sword at her hip, who was sitting slumped on a chair directly on the other side of the palisade, yawns heartily and looks at you out of narrowed eyes. Then she swings herself deftly to her feet and, with a curt "Follow me!" ahead.

You follow the guard through the winding alleyways. The town is larger than the palisade or the small bay would suggest at first glance. The houses nestle close together and against the cliffs. Their inhabitants do not seem to suffer any great hardship, as the houses are made of well hewn stone and sturdy half-timbering, are quite large and in impeccable condition. The main road behind the gate leads directly down to the beach, where a few small fishing boats are moored. A pier extending far out into the water is not occupied by any ships at the moment and the four large warehouses you can see in the harbor are completely empty. After a short walk, you stand in front of a particularly wide, three-storey building that borders directly on a rock face at the back. A wooden sign above the door shows a circle of three fish and the sounds of a busy bar can be heard from the closed shutters. The guard who led you here tells you to wait a moment and goes into the inn first.

 

When you are invited in a little later, all eyes of the people in the stately taproom are on you. Apart from the crackling of the fire in the large fireplace on one side of the room and the occasional smacking and slurping noises, not a sound can be heard while a good twenty people look at you curiously. There is a colorful mix of young and old, as well as people in the simple clothing of a fisherman sitting at a table with well-fed people whose embroidered and fur-heeled clothing identifies them as wealthier citizens. A white-haired dwarf looks at you with interest through his monocle.

Finally, an elderly man with a greasy apron around his bulging belly and a nose red from heat or wine, begins to speak as he hastily beckons you closer. "Stop staring at the poor like that. What are they supposed to think of us? Welcome to the three trouts! I am Yannik, I own this modest house. Please, sit down by the fire." He opens a table for you right in front of the fireplace while the interrupted conversations are gradually resumed. The innkeeper continues with a nod in the direction of the guard, who sets off to disappear through the door again: "Helene here has already told me what happened to you. Your captain was either particularly brave or particularly stupid to sail so close to the coast at this time of year. On the other hand ... "his gaze remains on Lumix, who bears it with equanimity, "... you don't seem to come from this area. But warm yourselves in peace before I bring you something to eat and drink. You look like you're half starving."

Yannik then goes into the kitchen to prepare your food. A shy, white-blond girl with freckles places a tankard of malty-scented liquid on the table for each of you. Lumix and Khay empty theirs with a hasty draught and both slam the vessel down on the wooden top, grinning with satisfaction. Raylania, on the other hand, just sips the drink - but doesn't seem averse to it. Hedwig looks skeptical and grimaces at the sweet smell of honey and alcohol. Orm doesn't touch the yellowish brew either, although he holds it in his hand so as not to appear rude. But when the innkeeper brings over plates of garlic-scented fried fish and mountains of roasted vegetables, all five of you are overcome by hunger and your inhibitions fall away.

As you hastily tuck into your sumptuous meal, a man sits down at your table with a deep gasp. The wrinkles on his pale face clearly bear witness to his age. Thick hair sprouts from his ears and nose, on which sits a well-crafted pince-nez. With surprisingly deft fingers, he removes the eyeglass from his nose and wipes it with an embroidered white cloth before taking a closer look at you. "Greetings to you! Please, I hope it's not presumptuous of me to just sit down with you like this, but you must admit that you arouse quite a bit of curiosity with your outfit." He grins broadly and bares well-groomed teeth. "May I ask where you come from and what brings you to this coast?" Before anyone else can say anything, the dwarf replies somewhat curtly with her mouth half full: "From far away. Hardly think you know our homeland. Wanted to trade. Lost the entire cargo."

If this curt, dismissive answer bothers the man, he doesn't let it show. Instead, he leans mysteriously over the table and continues in a low voice: "Interesting. Very interesting. You see, here in Skjerige we have an ancient legend that is only passed on to the town's scribes, of which I happen to be one. According to this legend, in times of great need, just before the time of the winter festival, a group of strangers are said to come to the town. They are said to bear the mark of the gods and save us if we treat them well.”

You stare at the man in disbelief and your food almost sticks in your throat for a moment. Hedwig swallows her bite hastily and utters a breathy "Really? But how..." out. Lumix and Orm look at each other and feel their foreheads in disbelief. Raylania seems on the verge of choking on her mead, while Khay continues to look suspicious.

After the old man has savored your reactions at length, he throws his head back and begins to laugh loudly until tears well up in his eyes. With a joint, disgruntled grumble, you continue with your meal. Only Orm seems to take the joke with humor. When he has regained his composure, the man continues to speak in a normal voice: "Apologies to an old man for his jokes. But you should have seen your faces. Wonderful. Ancient legend! Hah. I have no idea what your symbols are all about, sorry. They don't come from any gods I know. And does it look like we're suffering any particular hardship here? No, no. Just eat in peace. And come to me tomorrow, I'm the best... well... and only tailor in town. I'm sure we'll find something that fits you so you can get out of these rags. In return, you can do me a small favor while you wait for the next ship to return to your homeland. ... Or even a big favor." He adds the latter with a wink in the direction of Orm and Lumix. With that, the man stands up again and goes back to another table, whose other guests seem to be apologizing for their tailor's prank with their looks - but not without grinning faces themselves.

After you have finished your meal, spared any further interruptions, Yannik shows you to your room. The large room on the third floor is furnished with six comfortable-looking beds, on which thick blankets lie ready. There are two basins of water and even a small stove at your disposal. According to Yannik, another locked door leads to the adjoining room, which is currently occupied. The shutters in front of the only window are closed and a thick woollen blanket hangs in front of it as additional protection from the cold of the winter night.

After you have washed up and are lying in your beds, Khay and Hedwig look at each other briefly and nod in silent agreement before Hedwig takes the floor: "I don't know. It all seems too good to be true. Doesn't it to you?" Khay looks just as worried as the tall warrior and adds: "Who ever heard of strangers being welcomed so kindly. And this doesn't strike me as a settlement of saints. Besides, there was ..."  With each word, her voice fades more and more into a murmur, replaced by calm, even breaths. She closes her eyes and simply falls asleep. One bed over, Orm is already lying motionless. Hedwig, Rayla and even Lumix can hardly keep their eyes open at the same time.
Lumix struggles to stay awake for a moment. But even he senses that he doesn't have much time left. The deaf man crawls out of bed towards the fireplace. A cast-iron poker lies there in the embers. His hand grasps the handle... but then sleep wins out. 

It doesn't help that, one after the other, your senses slip away and you plunge into dreams that are clearly influenced by the events of the day. Raylania's dream is particularly vivid. Her elven blood also gives her a certain amount of control over her dreams. Although she cannot completely control the dreams themselves, as real elves are said to do, she is aware that she is dreaming and can even move almost freely. When images from the tavern appear in front of her, she takes a closer look at the citizens present on a whim ... and is startled. One of the faces standing further away in the taproom, who only turns to her briefly, looks familiar. She scrutinizes him closely - and sure enough: the man was definitely part of the group you met on the beach. He must have fled here. With all her willpower, she forces herself to wake up and slips back into the real world - just like the rest of you.

You feel as if you've just fallen asleep when you hear loud voices outside your door. Someone is very angry out there. Although only the last, faint embers of the stove burning down and the glow of light under the door bring a little light into the room, you can see the latch on the door slowly moving. The attempt to open the door ends abruptly, however, as Lumix wedges it with the poker of the fireplace. With a loud crash, someone throws themselves against the door and by now you are all awake again.

 

CHAPTER 3

You quickly try to assess the situation. Still a little dazed, a ruse seems best until you can tell for sure what you're up against. "Let's pretend to be asleep" Hedwig whispers as loudly as she dares without being heard from outside. "Let's see what they want." Tense and ready to fight, you try to feign calm as you quietly lie down again and close your eyes just a crack.

After a few loud kicks, the makeshift wedge is removed from the door and it swings open. You can hear several voices discussing quietly.
“What if they've woken up now?”
“You've poured so many drops into the mead, I'm sure even the Taurean will sleep until New Year's Day.”
“All right. But be careful and tie them up. But remember: no dead bodies. We need them alive, otherwise we won't be able to sacrifice them.”

You shudder at the word "sacrifice", but the fact that they want to treat you with care opens up a whole new world of possibilities. As the people you can only dimly make out from squinted eyes in the pale light, you remain calm with great effort. Only when three people try to lift Lumix by the arms as carefully as possible in order to tie him up does the Taurean jump up and throw them off.

All four others also jump out of the beds, ignoring the emerging dizziness and pounce on the completely surprised intruders. With a startled cry, they drop the ropes and knives and storm out of the door. With a swift kick, however, Raylania is able to knock one of them off his feet and bring him to the ground. With another hard kick in the side, she turns him onto his back. The young man with the downy beard on his face coughs violently and winces again as he looks into your angry faces. In the flickering light coming in from the corridor, he lies in front of you, visibly struggling with fear. Brown strands of hair lie across his face and the first tears well up in his wide-open eyes. "B-b-b-please," he stammers softly, "d-d-d-d-don't kill me! We... we didn't know what to do. We ...”

“Who is 'we'?" hisses Khay. "And what are you planning to do with us?”
“I ... I ... I," is all the boy can stammer. He turns white as a sheet and is noticeably on the verge of a panic attack. Hedwig snorts: "The brat is about to wet himself. I think it would be better if we got out of here." She takes the poker and presses the cooled, pointed end into the boy's side. "Up you go. You lead the way. And don't make a wrong move!" You quickly grab your few belongings and set off behind the trembling figure.

Peering suspiciously into every doorway, you walk slowly through the wooden hallway and down the stairs. A group of around ten citizens are already waiting for you in the taproom. All of them have drawn weapons and two loaded crossbows are pointed at you. Hedwig pulls the boy in front of her as protection and carefully drills him in the side with the poker while you stand still. You stand motionless on the stairs for several long heartbeats. Apart from the whimpering of the human shield, no sound can be heard.

“ENOUGH!" a loud voice echoes through the taproom, which you recognize as the innkeeper's. "I told you we shouldn't even try this! Stop this madness before someone else gets hurt!" Stunned, you realize that the words are not directed at you, but at the other citizens. You consider, then lower your crossbows and put away your other weapons as well. Turning to you, the innkeeper continues: "I suppose I owe you an explanation. Everyone else will leave my house now and GO HOME." He speaks the last words emphatically before turning to you.
Slowly, the fat man raises his hands. "I'm handing myself over to you. If you want to disappear immediately, you're welcome to do so, take me hostage. No one will stop you. But I can only ask that you at least hear me out first. And by heavens, let Björn go before he pisses all over my stairs.”

The other people actually leave the pub. Some mutter angrily, others lower their eyes in shame. Hedwig pushes the boy away, who runs straight through the door. "That better be one hell of an explanation," Raylania says as she sits down at the large table in the middle, while Lumix stands in front of the front door with his staff at the ready.

„There are probably no words with which I could apologize properly. But I ask you to at least try to understand our motives." After a disapproving grunt from Lumix, he continues: "As you have no doubt already noticed, our little town has not necessarily fared badly in the past. The bay provides a good anchorage and the river brings in timber and ore from the mines in the mountains. In recent months, however, the situation has taken a turn for the worse." Yannik exhales heavily. "Since the spring, fewer and fewer traders have been coming into town along the road or across the river. Those who did reported that the road here is no longer considered safe. Something is said to be roaming the forest. Something big. Something evil. And since there was nothing to trade, the ships from overseas soon avoided our harbor.
After the summer, when it got colder again, things got even worse. Over the past few weeks, we had to take in more and more farmhands, woodcutters and miners from the surrounding area. They reported huge shadows in the forest. Of missing livestock, then even of missing workers or family members. The game is said to have fled from the whole area and there are hardly any fish left in the river upstream, if the hunters are to be believed. People no longer feel safe outside the town. When we sent out a larger party, they reported that some of the farms around the river had been completely abandoned. Even the old sawmill is completely shut down. Only the huge flocks of crows still roam the land.”

Raylania and Khay are still looking at the man with their eyebrows drawn together suspiciously. Hedwig pushes a strand of hair out of her face and says in an expectant tone: "That sounds pretty gloomy. But I still don't see what all this has to do with us.”

“Of course it does," Yannik says mischievously. "I'll get to that in a moment. We sent messengers to our sovereign to ask for his protection. But we received no reply. And after something big and very strong attacked our palisade at night, we slowly became desperate. Some of the elders remembered one of our legends, according to which a terrible river spirit had lived in this area a long time ago and after one of the boatmen thought he recognized a massive, horse-like figure in the water ..." Yannik pauses, lost in thought. A cold sweat appears on his forehead. Only after Orm snaps impatiently does he continue.

“Well ... According to the legends, the only way to calm these river spirits ... I'm ashamed to say it out loud ... is a human sacrifice." In response to your angry looks, the innkeeper turns his gaze to the ground. Then he continues: "We discussed it for a long time and saw no other way out. And then, as if called by the gods, you came to the city. Lost souls, barely escaped death anyway, whom no one would miss. Many saw that as a sign." The dwarf's face was already flushed with anger. Lumix at the door also huffed angrily. But Yannik raised his hand again. "Please let me speak. Now that you know about our situation and have shown that you know how to survive, we would like to ask for your help.
I realize that you have no reason to trust us and that it seems to be a dangerous task. But please, take a moment to think about it. We would provide you with good clothing, provisions and weapons. And if you are really successful and get rid of the ghosts - or whatever is causing trouble out there - our treasurer will reward you handsomely. We would finally be safe again and could live here without fear. The whole town would be forever in your debt.”

This opening is difficult for all of you to digest. After all, none of you had a short career as a sacrifice to a water spirit on the agenda. Well ... at least you're pretty sure of that. The innkeeper retreats to his kitchen behind his counter to let you discuss the matter.
You argue back and forth for quite a while. Khay is clearly against it and keeps emphasizing that you can't trust these townsfolk here, no matter what the innkeeper says. Orm seems undecided, but seems quite taken with the promised reward. "The people are desperate." Hedwig interjects "You've seen them. The fear on their faces when they tried to catch us. The discomfort when Yannik talked them into it." Raylania nods and grumbles: "They're all just fishermen, craftsmen, farmers. Simple people. They'll need help, if there's any truth to these rumors.” “That's exactly the point." objects the Taurean. "Who says it's not all humbug? Disappearing fish, flocks of crows, abandoned farms. Even if it means anything at all, it doesn't have to be connected. Superstition is a dangerous thing." The discussion goes back and forth for quite a while. In the end, however, you decide to accept the offer.

Yannik is visibly relieved when you wave him over and tell him the good news. And indeed, the townspeople go out of their way to equip you well. You are given swords, hunting bows with arrows, warm and sturdy clothing made of leather and fur and enough supplies to survive a few days outside the town. Two eager young lads from the militia even offer to accompany you. But Khay only laughs derisively at the sight of the ruffians and Hedwig politely declines. In the evening, Yannik appeals to your conscience again and repeatedly emphasizes that the whole town is hoping for you and trusts you.

 

As you set off from Skjarige in the early morning of the third day, you all briefly have the idea that you could just leave and try your luck somewhere else. But nobody says it. You are driven towards the forest by curiosity, the prospect of reward and, not least, the knowledge that you are the townspeople's greatest and perhaps only hope.
With a familiar feeling, Raylania balances her new hunting bow on one finger before skillfully aiming an arrow into the distance. Khay chooses two small daggers as her weapons, while Orm also chooses a well-crafted bow. Lumix was satisfied with his staff and wanted no further equipment. Hedwig swung the blade of her short sword up and down with satisfaction, tapping it every few steps on the shield donated to her by a young woman from the family trove. The blonde warrior even accepted a few coins for the group, which now jingled in a small bag at her side.

On the roughly sketched map made for you from the description of some farmers, the river rises in the not-too-distant mountains, flows through a settlement called Cumnor - a larger village a good day's walk from here, according to Yannik - and then winds its way through the forest to Skjarige. There are a number of prominent points in the area noted in case you need to get away from the river. 

However, as you are looking for a river spirit, you decide to follow the water for the time being. The vegetation around you becomes denser and denser and it becomes increasingly quiet. The sound of the sea and the cries of seagulls from the coast fade into the distance and are replaced by the whispering of the wind in the trees and the rippling of the river. But apart from that, it is very quiet in this forest. No songbirds in the trees, no deer roaring in the distance, no mice rustling in the undergrowth, no squirrels in the leaves. An oppressive silence. Only very rarely do cawing flocks of crows fly over your heads and disappear again towards the mountains. Yannik's words force themselves back into your mind. This forest really is something strange.

 

Towards midday, thick, gray clouds gather in the sky and it gets windier. You reach a large clearing near the river. A few huts stand around several pits, above which lie half-sawed tree trunks. You have found the sawmill you were told about.

There is a large circular saw by the river that could be powered by the flowing water - if the drive wheel wasn't broken. In one of the trees is a large blade saw, the end of which protrudes from the top of the trunk, swaying gently in the increasing wind and making a ghostly squeaking sound. Finished boards are neatly stacked on one side of the camp, a large kettle hangs over a cooled cooking area. Wooden plates and cutlery lie abandoned.

When you receive no answer to your calls, you carefully search the huts. You don't find a single person. Fortunately, there is also nothing that clearly indicates a fight. However, the camp seems to have been hastily abandoned. There are playing cards on the table in one of the huts and you find a now very unappetizing but untouched stew in the cauldron.

Suddenly, the deaf horse ruffles its mane and stretches its nostrils into the wind. "I smell blood. Human. Not far from here." He points to the north. You immediately draw your weapons and gather in the square between the huts.
“Come along, Orm." Hedwig points ahead. Khay, Lumix and Rayla get ready, while Hedwig, with the shield in front and Orm right behind her, disappear into the undergrowth. After just a few moments, the two return and Orm throws something at your feet. What you initially think is a branch turns out to be a human arm. He is still clutching a blunt butcher's knife.
While your stomachs rebel a little, Raylania bends down to examine it. "Torn at the joint," she informs you. "Was there more?" Hedwig cradles her head. "Blood. Plenty of it. Too much for one person. The arm was lying a little further away in the bushes. No other body parts.”
Raylania nods at this and snorts: "I'm having faint doubts about the theories that don't involve monsters. It could still be a bear... a very big bear. But it definitely doesn't look like the work of humans.” 

 

Carefully, you look around a little further in the immediate vicinity of the logging camp, but you really can't see any more tracks. The undergrowth is damaged here and there, but you can't pick up any tracks.

So you decide to continue following the river. From now on, however, you always keep your weapons at the ready and talk as little as possible. You wander tensely through the forest for a few hours, always following the river, until Orm raises an arm and you come to an abrupt halt.

The forest clears in front of you, revealing another clearing on the bank in the slowly fading light of the evening. Despite the occasional piles of snow and the frozen ground, whole rows of flowers unknown to you bloom here in multicolored splendor between some man-sized stones arranged in strange formations. The strangeness of this place is only surpassed by the creatures standing opposite each other in the open field between the high stones and the river. 

At first glance, it almost looks as if a pack of large wolves has cornered a wild white stallion and is preparing to tear it to pieces, baring its teeth.
However, as you approach just a little from the cover of the large stones, this image quickly collapses. They are definitely too big for simple wild animals and do not walk on all fours but lean forward with a high hump. Their gray-black fur is covered with scraps of cloth and their front legs are more like humanoid arms with long, sharp claws. They bare their white teeth and drip saliva. However, they stand with their backs to the river, flanked on the right by some rocks. And they seem extraordinarily hesitant to attack the "horse" standing opposite them on the only free side. The closer you sneak up, the more it seems as if these wolf creatures themselves are the ones who have been cornered here. Then you can finally get a better look at your opponent. The white creature, which you thought was a stately white horse in the distance, emits a gassy, pale glow. Its small eyes glow greenish in the darkness. The elongated mouth reveals a row of sharp fangs and from the shoulders over the back to the hind legs, the fur gives way to a layer of whitish-silver scales. Tangled seaweed hangs in the smooth silver mane and the tail whips back and forth. However, the creature is not completely unharmed: a long gash adorns its right flank.
You watch what is happening intently. The horse creature takes a determined step towards the wolf figures as one of them leaps forward and, slavering, opens its jaws to bite. However, the horse rears up at the last moment and then brings its front hooves down on the wolf's head. The wolf is immediately knocked to the ground by its opponent's enormous strength and the "white horse" slams its own fangs into the wolf's neck.

Surprised, you watch as the wolf's form slowly turns into a young, naked woman, lying bloody on the ground with her skull crushed. You are obviously dealing with werewolves. And the horse creature also seems familiar deep in your memory. Lumix is the first to whisper: "A kelpie. That's the water spirit we're looking for.”.

Then suddenly two of the wolves leap forward at the same time. One distracts the kelpie for a moment, allowing the other to drive its fangs deep into the kelpie's neck. Enraged, the kelpie rears up again, tearing the werewolf by its neck into the air and flinging it halfway across the clearing, where it hits a stone with a howl and lies motionless. Moments later, a bearded man lies there instead of the wolf. The second attacker only just manages to dodge a hoof strike and retreats back to his fellow wolves. The two remaining wolves retreat backwards to the edge of the river, but apparently do not dare to enter the river. Instead, they growl menacingly and wait for another opportunity to strike. Meanwhile, the water spirit has paused. Viscous, amber-colored liquid leaks from its throat and it is in obvious pain. A tremor runs through its white body and for a moment it looks as if it might topple over... but immediately it stands firmly on its hooves again and looks even angrier and more determined than before.
Then you suddenly hear something - not physically in the wind - but in your head. It sounds like the voice of an old, croaking woman: "Help me. I beg you." You look at each other to make sure the others have heard it too. Everyone nods uncertainly. Without knowing why, you are sure that the request came from the water spirit. But there is no time for further coordination. The wolves have noticed the kelpie's trembling and see their chance. Still cautious and keeping the greatest possible distance, they try to circle their opponent from two sides. It is unclear whether the werewolves really want to attack or whether they are just hoping for a chance to escape. In any case, you only have a few seconds to decide what you want to do before either the wolves or the kelpie strike.

CHAPTER 4

It happens so suddenly that the creature makes contact with you, even asks you for help, that at first you stand frozen and don't really know what to make of it. Instinctively turning your spiritual gaze inwards, you gather the strength that you have all felt within you several times and try to answer the kelpie in your mind. You reach out, but instead of words, you are gripped by a wave of despair, which quickly mixes with anger. Anger at you for choosing this moment of life and death to start a conversation.

But immersed in the effort of concentration, you can do nothing more than watch the two werewolves attack the water spirit. Strange images flash through your mind. The combined effect of magic and the mental connection you have formed seems to break down some barriers within you and you see individual, further images from your memories. Raylania, looking up at a brown horse with the eyes of a child and stroking it carefully. Khay, cutting a pouch from a man's belt with a skillful slice of a small knife. Orm, as he makes contact with a colossal stag in the dense forest. You share these and other images, and the intrusion of foreign impressions occupies you to such an extent that you cannot break the connection so quickly. Time loses all meaning, sometimes passing faster, sometimes slower. You are only casually aware of the battle around you.

The kelpie directs its fury at its opponents and despite the injury, it barely manages to dodge the first attack. The werewolf's powerful jaws snap together in the air like a leghold iron where the kelpie's skull was just a moment before. It rears up for a counter-attack, but its hooves also fly unhindered through the air, shattering a stone into hundreds of small splinters when it hits the ground.

The three creatures attack each other again and again, but none of them can land a decisive blow. You continue to maintain the mental connection to the kelpie. Since you wouldn't know why you should risk your life for any monster, be it kelpie or werewolf, you might be able to find out something this way. However, the mental bond that holds you together and which you have extended to the kelpie does not allow you to receive images from the creature or even start a conversation, and the few feelings that spill out towards you are also centered around the fight. During a brief pause in the fight, in which the wolves slowly circle their opponent, the water spirit looks over at you once more. Although the look is little more than a brief nod of the head in your direction, you can feel it pulling at your insides. Like pushing against a closed door that is suddenly opened, you rush towards the kelpie with your thoughts. The creature, which previously resisted your intrusion into its mind, has changed its mind and decided to use your power.

Your bodies remain in the same place, but from the water spirit's point of view, this battle has now become yours too. You sense that you are now also connected to the kelpie and that your well-being is linked to his. Now impressions and memories of the creature pass you by, but they consist of such strange images that you can hardly describe them. The world consists only of contours, criss-crossed by streams and swirls of colors that have no name. The wind tastes of the scent of roses and the sound of a blackbird reminds you of the number nine.

And yet you can clearly see that the being that you does not want to die and the kelpie draws new strength from this. You can even feel the wound on its neck closing a little, but you feel some pain of your own.

The two wolves have decided to attack together. They charge at the kelpie, at you, from both sides at the same time. At the last moment, the horse creature dodges, causing the two wolves to fall into each other in a whirl of claws and teeth. They get up again, somewhat dazed, just as the kelpie has already turned on its own axis and throws one of the wolves into the river with a powerful kick, knocking him unconscious. The last werewolf sees himself in a hopeless situation and decides to try to escape. In its injured state, the kelpie can only stare after the fugitive. As soon as the last opponent has disappeared into the forest, you are catapulted back into your own body. After a brief moment of orientation, you see the kelpie slumped on the ground. 

“Why did you do that?", the figure weakly presses out, its wounds torn open again. "Why didn't you help me when I asked you to?" - Hedwig is the first to answer: "We didn't know if we could trust you, spirit. After all, we were hired by the inhabitants of Skjarige to hunt you down so that you would leave the town alone." The creature looks at you uncomprehendingly, but then seems to understand. "No, I didn't attack the town. On the contrary, we Kelpies were the protectors of the river and its inhabitants a long time ago. But then something happened to this area. The magic faded and with it many beings who were dependent on it. We Kelpies also became fewer and fewer and the less often they saw us, the scarier we became to the humans, elves and dwarves. Eventually they called us monsters, killed us or chased us away. But I returned a few months ago because I sensed that the old evil was being called back to this area. However, I was too late, the evil had already become too strong. Those were-beings who fought me. There was something strange about them. Different from before. Artificial." The kelpie speaks with an increasingly weaker voice. "Go further up the river. You will find a settlement. I sense there is something there that will give you answers. Drive away ... the ... evil." With these words, the creature freezes and dissolves into thin threads of white light that float towards the river and drift like spray towards the sea.

 

The kelpie's words weigh heavily on you as you continue to follow the river. Could you have saved the creature? And can you really trust this creature?
“Why should it have lied to us at the moment of its death?" Hedwig asked. "I also think we should ask around in Cumnor before we rejoice too soon," agreed Lumix. "And besides, according to the map, we're more likely to make it to this village before nightfall than all the way back to the town. It's only a few hours ahead. And I could do with a mug of beer and something to eat right now." Khay adds, to which everyone nods in agreement.

You march further and further along the river. But although you hurry, you don't reach the village before the sun sets and night falls. A bright full moon rises, but is all too often obscured by thick clouds that cast their threatening shadows over the land. Even though you can no longer see them, you can still hear the flocks of crows flying around. Soon you are stumbling through the forest in the black night, the river and the dim glow of your torches your only guide. Now in the darkness, the frighteningly silent forest seems even more menacing and alien than it did during the day. You keep your weapons ready and listen for any sound in the darkness.

Fortunately, you don't have to march much longer into the night. Before midnight, the forest clears again, revealing several cultivated fields. A paved path now leads you away from the river, past frozen fields where crops are grown in the summer and past meadows where quietly grunting animals huddle close together to protect themselves from the cold. Not too far away, you can see the illuminated huts of the village of Cumnor in a wide depression. 

After the reports from Skjarige and your recent encounter, you had actually expected to find a small, desolate village. So you are particularly surprised to hear the lively babble of voices from a distance, interspersed with laughter and the joyful cries of children. In addition, the center of the village shines in the bright light of numerous large fires, which appear again and again between the shadowy outlines of the individual houses. For a remote forest village, this settlement is surprisingly large. The path widens into a cobbled path that leads between simple but well-built houses made of wood and clay into the interior of the village.

Apart from a few sparsely scattered, unmanned watchtowers and a boggy moat, the village has no defenses against bandits or wild animals. There is not even a guard at the entrance to the village. All the inhabitants seem to be enjoying themselves inside.

As you walk past the first houses, you will notice several man-sized menhirs that seem to be spread out in a circle around the village. One of the menhirs is right next to the path, so you can take a closer look at it. A cloth is tied around the wide stone. Coarse linen, painted with numerous interwoven lines in all kinds of colors. In the four corners of the cloth is the symbol of a blacksmith's hammer.
Lumix scratches his forehead briefly and looks at the pattern a little more closely. "Don't some of these patterns look strangely familiar to you? I could swear I remember some of them."
Raylania nods in agreement. "Yes, I know them too. They seem familiar somehow... " says Raylania and then grimaces "... but not in a good way. The longer I look at her, the more my stomach turns. I just don't know why." You can't make sense of the confusing pattern, though, until Orm suddenly points to Hedwig's forehead. "Do you really not see the resemblance? These marks have exactly the same style as the tattoos on our heads.”
You instinctively touch your foreheads. Now you all recognize it. But for the life of you, you can't think of any more. A black veil hangs impenetrably over your memories. You are silent for a short while until Raylania speaks up thoughtfully: "Very strange that we only see such signs here. Nobody pointed them out to us before. Don't they know something like this in Skjarige? It can't be something that only exists in this village... or can it?" Lumix grumbles: "Remember the Kelpie's words. Maybe we should keep our signs to ourselves for now.”

Everyone is in agreement. You pull the hoods of your cloaks a little further over your heads. Lumix combs his long mane between his horns and deep into his face. He looks even stranger than usual, but the sign is hidden.

 

Suspicious, but made curious by the hustle and bustle, you go deeper into the village. While the houses are further apart at first, the interior of the settlement can almost be compared to a town. Even the first stone houses were built here, closer together. Above the paths between the houses hang colorful pennants and garlands adorned with carvings, painted wooden panels or even fruit and pastries. Loose threads bear witness to the fact that some of the residents have already made use of them. The doors of most of the houses are also decorated with colorful symbols or small sayings, but more hastily and less artistically than on the stones at the edge of the village. 

Apart from a few frolicking children, you don't encounter a soul as you move through the village. When you reach the huge village square, it becomes clear why. All the inhabitants seem to have gathered there. Dozens, even hundreds of tables have been brought together and set up in long rows, with mostly humans, dwarves and even a few halflings sitting at them, eating, drinking, talking and laughing together. Other villagers stand in small groups around beer tables or booths. Numerous stalls and cooking areas have been set up around the sides of the square, with tempting aromas wafting from them. People wait in long queues in front of these stalls for their turn. Occasionally, a few bards even play on the tables and are accompanied by roaring citizens.

Most of the people here wear simple, country clothes. A particularly large table has been set up on a raised platform at the head of the square, at the center of which sits a white-haired but lively woman in light green aristocratic clothes sewn with mink, laughing and toasting various villagers with her tankard. To her left sits a dwarf adorned with gold chains, his polished chain mail shining in the light of the numerous torches and fires. His brown beard reaches almost to the ground and he seems to be having the time of his life as he tries to shove a whole leg of goose down his throat. Finally, to the white-haired woman's right sits a tall, scrawny man in a turquoise robe decorated with silver threads. His muscular arms are free despite the cold. On his otherwise seemingly bald head, he wears a small cap in the same color as his robe. Every now and then, someone in the crowd raises their cup in the man's direction and shouts something, whereupon he calmly but benevolently returns the call.

While you let the impressions sink in, a fat dwarf has approached you. He is wearing a simple brown cloak, but a ring with a shining red stone on his finger is evidence of his wealth. He briefly wipes his disheveled red hair from his face with one hand and addresses you with a slight slur in his voice: "Heda, you! I wish you a happy winter festival! Strangers here too, eh? You've come at just the right time, I can tell you." He wants to take a sip from his tankard, looks puzzled, looks into it and looks at you again. "Oops, it looks like I need a refill. Come on, you have to try this spiced wine!”

In the hope of perhaps getting some answers, you follow the dwarf to one of the stalls. The dwarf hands each of you a waiting tankard of warm, fragrant wine and places a few coins next to it. "But the next round is on you!" he says with a wink.

“Thank you very much!", Raylania finally replies "'Also foreign', you said? So you're not from the village either?" The dwarf laughs in reply. "No, no. Some of us have settled here in the meantime, but like almost every good dwarf, I still work and live under the mountain - a whole stretch away. But the winter festival is worth the trip and our friendship with the people here is good for us. That's our hetman up there, by the way." He points to the dwarf on the pedestal, who in the meantime is already making a mess of the next bird. "He lost a bet and had to load the entire Stollen Four today. But he certainly doesn't regret it, by the looks of it. This year's winter festival is exceptionally impressive.”

“We're a little surprised about that," Hedwig confesses quietly "Sou see, we come from the coast, not far from here even. There, people live in fear of river spirits and monsters of the forest. And here, everyone enjoys themselves as if the world were free of worries.”

“Hah, Skjarige. They're just mad that they weren't invited! Let them just find their own mage!", a young woman next to you, who seems to have overheard the conversation, says gruffly. "The best thing that's ever happened to us." She already looks very drunk, her brown hair hanging down in strands and several red spots covering the gray doublet she is wearing. Nevertheless, she seems reasonably friendly. Raylania turns to her with her tankard and smiles in a posed but convincing manner. "The Skjarigers are a strange bunch, you're right. But a mage?" she then asks, acting completely naive "We weren't told about that. Would you like to tell us about him?" The drunk grunts contentedly and looks at the pedestal: "He turned up here less than a year ago and promised us protection - for a small price, of course. The village bailiff wanted to chase him away at first, bah! But this is just a small village. Wolves, bears, goblins, bandits. Last winter was hard. Luckily she changed her mind. Since then: nothing more. A few flags put up, a few amulets distributed and ZACK! No more wild animals stealing our livestock. No more of those damn goblins and all the other monsters trying to get into the village. Nothing! Of course, it wasn't for nothing... really." The young woman becomes calmer and more level-headed for a moment... then she burps loudly and grins again "But what don't you do for a carefree life, right? And now, excuse me. I have to take a piss.”

“Interesting ... maybe we should have a chat with him?" Hedwig says, also looking at the bald man in blue. You apologize to the dwarf, who only bids you a fond farewell.

Lumix easily makes your way through the celebrating crowd until you finally stop in front of the podium. Your first attempts to talk to the mage or the village elder are stifled by the volume of the crowd. But conspicuous as you are, the elder soon beckons you closer. "Thank you," Hedwig begins to speak, "and ... uh ... a happy winter festival!” “The same to you," the woman replies in a neutral tone, while the mage looks at you with great interest. Only the hetman of the dwarves completely ignores you in favor of a pudding. "What's so urgent that it can't wait until after the party?" The reeve's tone becomes slightly annoyed now and her features look stern as her fingers play with the amulet around her neck. Her gaze keeps sliding to your weapons. She clearly seems to have a problem with you displaying them so openly among all these people.
“We've come because we've heard of a helpful mage who is said to be in the area," Hedwig says, looking at the man in blue, who looks at you with interest and, lost in thought, runs his left index finger along the engravings on an impressive, shiny silver forging hammer lying on the table in front of him. Khay involuntarily clicks his tongue at the sight of the masterfully crafted piece, but this is drowned out by the general noise. "In a city not far from here, plagued by many evils, his services could be put to good use.”

The village elder looks visibly pleased at the man, whose smile has widened a little. He stares at you oddly from his icy blue eyes, in which you find no trace of humor. "You see, Tidopror? Word of your great deeds has already spread." Turning to you again, she continues a little more seriously: "But is this really so urgent that it can't wait a little longer? This is a peaceful festival. Not a day for worries.”

A group of drunken dwarves approach. They are carrying a long, tacky wreath of flowers and are obviously heading for their hetman. Raylania stands in their way and the cheerful, staggering bearded men simply push her aside - much more brusquely than was probably intended. Her hood falls back. She immediately pulls it back over her head, but it was enough for the mage to catch a glimpse of her forehead. The eyes of the Amazon and the mage meet briefly. None of the others noticed, however, and Hedwig continues: "It's really urgent. We have traveled a long way. Would you take just a moment to talk to us?" The mage rises gracefully. "Of course I would." His voice is deep and very calm "It's best if we talk in a quieter environment. Let me just get my coat." He turns away and climbs the stairs on the other side of the platform before rubbing his arms in the cold. "I'll be right back.”
The reeve looks after the mage for a moment and then watches, giggling cautiously, as the hetman is ceremoniously adorned with the wreath of flowers by his comrades.
You wait.

As you wait, the volume in the crowd suddenly increases. The hetman, who has just been amused and cheerful, is clearly not in the mood to be decorated with flowers. The cheerful dwarves want it anyway and the fraternal teasing turns into a serious argument. The reeve barks at the dwarves in an unnecessarily harsh tone. The mood also changes at the tables around you. Angry shouts ring out from the crowd that was still celebrating. You hear crockery breaking. Then an angry farmer next to you tips over the whole table because a waitress has poured beer over his head. Hedwig uses her shield to fend off a stone beer mug that would otherwise have hit her in the head. Khai and Orm are almost dragged into the fight between the dwarves and their hetman on the platform. The wreath of flowers turns red as a bearded man thrusts it into the reeve's face. You reach for your weapons, but leave them in your holsters - for the moment.
As you turn around, you see mugs of ale flying across the square in all directions. Some of the humans and dwarves begin to attack each other with fists, broken bottles and chairs, shouting wildly at each other. A group of halflings kick a man lying on the ground. More and more citizens seem to go into a rage and suddenly you find yourself at the center of a full-blown, unrestrained mass brawl with no safe way out. 

“Do you feel it too?" asks Lumix, holding his staff protectively in front of him. "Yes," answers Hedwig "There is powerful black magic at work here. The air is full of it and it's getting stronger. This is going to end badly.”

 

CHAPTER 5

“But what can we do?" Raylania says doubtfully, looking at you in turn as you continue to dodge various projectiles, glad that the angry crowd isn't trying to advance on the pedestal - yet, you must assume. "I'm still completely new to this magic thing.” - “I'm not really sure what to do here either," adds Lumix. "I feel safer with the elements.”

“Then let's get out of here for now and hope that they calm down on their own and don't burn down the village right away," Hedwig gives her opinion, which you gladly agree with after you have to dodge some thrown food scraps. The platform is on the edge of the square, but you are surrounded on all sides by villagers. They seem to be arguing with each other rather than paying attention to you - in fact, you can tell from the scraps of words that all sorts of old arguments seem to have broken out again all at once - but you don't expect to get through just like that.

You can't expect any help from the village elder either; she has now started an argument with the hetman, but fortunately the two of them only shout at each other. When Khay tries to draw her daggers, Hedwig holds her back. "None of them seem to be armed. And it's almost certainly the work of the mage. So we should try not to kill anyone." Somewhat reluctantly, but with an understanding nod, Khay holsters his weapons.

“Alright then," says Raylania. "Lumix, Orm, if you please." Indeed, the two largest members of the group stride ahead and divide the crowd in front of them. After just a few steps, you hear shouts of "Hey, I'll give you a thaler if you pull my plow so my ox can rest!" or a more general "The foreigners probably just want to steal our land!" and the humans, dwarves and some of the elves around you become more hostile with every step you take across the large village square. Some arms reach out towards you and it becomes increasingly difficult for your two breakwaters to move forward. Step by step, you fight your way forward, shaking off uninvited hands, with Raylania also using the odd grab, causing the grabbers to cry out in pain. Broken table legs and other wood are swung at you as clubs, some of which Hedwig can fend off with her shield, while others hit you painfully. Things get even more dangerous, however, when some ruffians attack you with knives. In the crowd, you can barely dodge or wield one of your weapons properly. Lumix uses the small sickle he took from Skjarige to collect herbs as a makeshift weapon, while Raylania relies on her melee skills and Orm uses an arrow as a stabbing weapon. As the attacks intensify, you also stab the crowd with no regard for them in order to finally escape.

Eventually you reach the end of the square, regain some space and start running seamlessly. Some of the crowd chase after you, shouting nasty slogans. However, they are so drunk that they soon give up. You run out of the village and hide in a nearby bush until you are sure you are no longer being pursued.

“I swear that in future I will give every seemingly friendly settlement a wide berth," Khay etches. "It's not your fault, remember?" Lumix replies and Orm nods in agreement. He makes a movement with his fingers as if he were pouring sand from one hand into the other. - "Exactly, we should wait a little," Raylania guessed the gesture correctly. "And then we should see if we can find the mage somehow. He has a lot to explain.”

So you wait until the noises from the village subside and finally fall almost completely silent. You return to the village with a queasy feeling, but are not attacked. The villagers look at each other despondently, most of them looking uncomprehending about their own behavior. Some of those with more serious injuries are quickly rushed to help.

 

The eldest rubs her head in despair and amazement and looks at the crowd, in which the villagers seem to be slowly awakening from a trance. Those who have fallen to the ground are helped up, some shoulders are patted apologetically. But nothing remains of the exuberant mood. "What was that all about?" she asks vaguely. "I've never experienced anything like it. A few small arguments, yes. But ... .” - “The mage must have influenced you in order to escape," Lumix replies, whereupon the woman looks at him in surprise. "And why would he do that?" She lets her eyes wander over you and then says much more briskly. "You! This man is known and honored as a benefactor here. Then you show up and all of a sudden everyone turns on each other. Tell me! What did you want to do to the mage?”

The question surprises you at first. But then Raylania begins to speak: "Nothing, we really just wanted to ask him for help. But I have a suspicion that your mage is not the good person he claims to be. When he saw this," she pulls back her hood and reveals the sign, "he walked away. And I didn't like the look on his face at all." The eldest looks at the sign for a moment. "I don't know what it's all about. But it reminds me a little of the shapes the magician paints on our amulets.” - “We have a reasonable suspicion that the mage is behind the attacks on Skjarige. And if he is so well-disposed towards you, why would he abuse you in this way? Do you know where we can find him?" Hedwig says. - "Unfortunately not, he comes into town regularly, but I can't say exactly where he lives," the woman replies.

“But I can," the hetman of the dwarves intervenes from the side. "At least I have a hunch. You see, there are some abandoned mines in the mountains. I recently sent out a small party to explore the mines, but my scouts reported that they couldn't get to one. Strangely bad weather and attacks by wild animals, even monsters, had pushed them back. I had assumed that there was just a bit too much snow on a pass for them and as they otherwise brought excellent news, I let the matter rest. But now I'm thinking - what if the mage has taken up residence in the mine.”

“There could be something to it," Lumix agrees, Orm and Khay also nod. "Can you tell us where this mine is??" Hedwig puts your map on the table and the hetman calls another dwarf over, who pulls a charcoal pencil out of his coat and adds the mountains and passes with surprisingly artistic strokes. He thinks for a moment and then adds a few points on the mountain where the mine is supposed to be located. "If I remember correctly, this mine was dug in a fairly typical style. Then it should be around here," he points to the dots, "there should be ventilation openings. With a bit of luck, you'll find one through which you can get in unnoticed." You thank him and turn back to the village elder. "Can we stay here tonight? And rent horses tomorrow? Of course, we can also pay for it." - She looks at you and nods. "Of course. The party seems to be over anyway." The villagers and guests slowly leave the square, some limping or holding scraps of cloth to their heads. "There's an inn, I'll take you there. Maybe there's still a seat available. Excuse us, Mr. Hetmann." The man addressed sits brooding in his chair and looks up, a few shreds of the flower wreath still dangling from his head. "Of course. And you, please do me a favor. If you get in and out of the mine safely, please stop here on the way back and tell me what you saw so that I know whether it might be worth reopening the mine. You will, of course, be compensated." You agree and make your way to the inn, where you can spend a quiet night. 

The next morning, you hire horses and add some climbing hooks, ropes, torches and thicker gloves to your equipment so that you are prepared for the mountains and any climbs and set off into the mountains. The initially gentle hills become increasingly steeper, mixed forests make way for pines and larches. Again and again you find small streams where you can quench your thirst and the occasional antler peeking out of the thicket at the side of the path tempts you to supplement your supplies with some fresh meat. When Orm actually picks up his bow towards evening and signals that he wants to go hunting, Raylania gently holds him back. "Maybe we'd better stay together. Who knows what else the mage has up his sleeve if he really wants to get at us." Orm looks a little disappointed, but nods in understanding. His face brightens a little when Lumix gives him some of the dried fruit he had bought in the village. You have set up camp in a small hollow, which is well protected from prying eyes by the surrounding rocks and undergrowth. Nevertheless, as a precaution, you prefer to take turns standing guard and spend a rather restless night.

Despite your aching limbs, you can continue on your way the next day, fresh and in wonderfully clear weather. In the afternoon, the vegetation disappears more and more and you have to be careful on the stony path to make sure you take the right steps. The snow cover also seems to become denser, with only the short ends of grasses and shrubs peeking out of the bright white. The soft ground and the increasingly steep path demand more and more of your stamina. However, when you arrive at a small cave in the evening and look back along the path while Orm lights a small fire from branches collected along the way, you can't help but admire the view that presents itself to you in the glorious air. Looking south, you think you can almost make out Skjarige and the sea in the distance. Raylania shares some very tasty cookies that she used to supplement her provisions in Cumnor, which lifts your spirits even further.

After a quiet night, however, you wake up to an unpleasant surprise. The clear air has given way to a flurry of snow in which you can barely see a few steps. You decide to tie yourselves together for safety, for which the ropes you have brought with you are more than sufficient, and so you set off again with your hoods pulled low over your foreheads. Orm, with his good eyesight and sure footing, carefully but surely takes the lead, while Lumix goes to the back of the group.

You can only dimly make out the figures of your companions in the swirling flakes, while the biting cold digs its sharp fingers into every gap in your thick clothing. The white lies thick on your shoulders and backpacks. It grows along your ankles and legs as if you were slowly sinking into an icy swamp. Your steps become heavier and heavier, you hardly dare to speak because cold water immediately blows into your mouth.

After a short time, the path splits and when the snowstorm subsides for a moment, you realize that the path to your right drops steeply. Unfortunately, Lumix sees the precipice a moment too late. He flails his arms wildly for a heartbeat before plummeting down. He hangs in the air with a jerk and is knocked roughly against the rock as his comrades, who were just able to hold him by the rope, pull him back onto the path. Breathing heavily, Hedwig clings to the rock face on your left for a moment, not daring to take a single step further. Lumix talks her down, while Raylania looks to Orm to get him to stop. Then she spots a movement in the drifting snow behind the man. "Orm, watch out!" she calls out. But the warning comes too late. A terrible paw suddenly emerges from the snow and hits Orm on the cheek, tearing open half his face and sending him tumbling over the abyss. You watch in shock as the sudden jolt knocks Raylania off her feet and sends her tumbling over the precipice. Hedwig is next in line, but just manages to keep herself from losing her balance with all her might. You are just about to start pulling your companions back up when the creature in front of you is forced back into your consciousness. A huge, silver-grey bear slowly emerges from the swirling flakes and blocks your path. As it rears up on its hind legs, it towers over even Lumix by a good step. Its unnatural, ice-blue eyes remind you of those of the magician at the village fair. "This is where your path will end," you hear a deep voice echoing in your head, but it doesn't seem to come from the bear. Instead, you hear the mage's voice in your head, but much wilder and louder than in the brief conversation in the village. He brings a claw down on Khay with far too swift a motion, but she just manages to catch herself and duck at the right moment, sliding a few more fingers towards the abyss before regaining her composure. Meanwhile, Lumix has raised his staff and several chunks of snow fall from above onto the bear, who merely shakes off the hits. His gaze falls on Hedwig, who is still struggling not to fall over the edge as well.

Khay draws her daggers, cuts the rope to give her more freedom and pushes forward towards the bear. Just at the right moment, she slams the blades into the monster's side as it tries to strike at Hedwig. But even this hit only seems to distract the bear for a short time. It snaps its jaws at Khay, who reacts a little too slowly this time. The jaws close around her upper left arm. The armor crunches under the mighty force and she cries out in pain as the arm is suddenly released again after Lumix tears off several sharp shards of ice and hurls them at the bear. Hedwig has now found her footing, using her inner magic more unconsciously than intentionally, and the pull on the rope has become a little easier. She draws her sword, but has no time to unbuckle her shield from her back and is also able to land a hit on the bear, which is just within her reach. After another hit from Khay, the bear stands up again and hurls bloody drool at you with a bloodcurdling roar, which immediately freezes on your face.

At this moment, the pressure on Hedwig eases and Raylania climbs back onto the path behind the bear. A quick glance into her eyes is enough to make a spontaneous plan. You pull on the rope with all your strength and a sudden gust of wind from Lumix is enough to send the bear tumbling over the rope into the abyss. Exhausted, you sink to the ground despite the cold and contemplate for a moment the severed rope dangling from Raylania's waist, bearing witness to the fate of your mute companion. "He cut it himself," Raylania says in a low, broken voice. "I could only see him vaguely, but he was hanging from the rope and moving weakly. His head was covered in blood. I couldn't find a grip on the rock and ... and then he pulled out his knife and ..." Her voice trails off. Hedwig walks carefully towards the abyss and tries to look down, but can only see a few steps because of the snow. "We should try to climb down and save him!" she says, but Raylania just shakes her head sadly. "It was a few seconds before I heard his bow clatter against a rock. It must be a long way down. And we can't find a foothold in the snow." You stand together for a few more minutes as the snow slowly begins to cover you. "We have to keep going, who knows what the mage will send our way," Lumix finally says. "Maybe we can look for his body on the way back so we can at least give him a proper burial." Despite your dejection, you see no other way.

“You heard the voice too, didn't you?" Hedwig asks the group. "Yes, as clearly as if he were standing next to us. It looks like we're on the right track. We should keep going.”

Tied together again, you trudge on through the driving snow for another hour or so as the air clears and only a few flakes blow around you. The path you are on remains narrow, the precipice steep. You have to stop several times so that Lumix can check the snow cover with his staff if you are not sure exactly where the path continues. Nevertheless, you are spared any further surprises and finally see a wider valley below you, framed by the peaks of the surrounding mountains. Even without consulting the map again, you can see from the prominent peaks that the mine must be located here. In fact, you can see an opening in one of the rock faces about a mile away, but you can detect movement. Two human figures in brown robes are standing there, clearly visible from a distance against the gray and white background. The path on which you are moving winds down between rocks, so you should be protected from the view of the guards most of the time.

Raylania raises her hand and points in another direction. Also slightly below you and about a hundred paces away, six figures, also clad in cowls, trudge through the snow towards the entrance to the mine. They appear to be wearing thick clothing under their cowls and have pulled their hoods over their heads to protect them from the cold, so you can't make out any details. However, two of the figures are significantly smaller than the others and appear to be dwarves or gnomes. 

A large net, with the paws of a dog or wolf peeking out of it, is dragged through the snow by the group. "They shouldn't be visible from the entrance right now," whispers Raylania. If we surprise them, we could disguise ourselves.

 

Chapter 6 

You don't know if there might be skilled fighters among the cowls, so it doesn't seem like a bad idea to avoid a fight and enter via one of the ventilation shafts the dwarf had pointed out. You try to match the position of the entrances on the map with your surroundings and actually discover a small ledge on the ridge behind which such an entrance could be located. Although the climbing required does not appear to be without danger, it is easier to control compared to a fight against unknown enemies. You have also made provisions for this eventuality in the town, so you set about scaling the wall with crampons and hammers. Luckily for you, the ascent is on one side of the mountain, where you are safe from the eyes of the guards at the entrance to the mine. The wind and the last drifting snow make your cover here perfect.

Rayla shoulders her bow and climbs ahead. When Hedwig holds out the crampons to her, she smiles with amusement and refuses. Skillful and fast as a mountain goat, she pulls herself up every little ledge and reaches the top after a few minutes. There she attaches the safety rope and the others begin the ascent. Hedwig's heavy equipment hinders her climbing somewhat, but she still makes good progress. The dwarf has no problems at all, but then it's the big Taure's turn. Lumix keeps slipping with his hooves and can only cling to the rocks with his immense strength. Only when he swings the rope around his waist and is pulled up by Hedwig do you all stand safely on a small ledge that has been artificially created in an already flattened area. In front of you, under a small underhang, there is a rectangular opening in the rock of the mountain that leads steeply downwards. A grate closes the opening, but despite good dwarven blacksmithing it is so rusty that you can easily break it out of the stone. The shaft is so large that you have to duck down to descend it carefully. 

Lumix looks doubtful, trying to make his broad shoulders as narrow as possible, but still gets stuck in the entrance. "Do we have any grease with us?" Khay asks jokingly, but only earns an angry growl from the tauren. You push him out of the opening again and think about it.

“What about the scrolls you have with you?" Raylania asks. "Is there anything you could use here?" Lumix rummages in his pouch and sighs deeply. "Yes. But I'm not happy about it. They were really expensive," he returns, looking over the precipice you climbed earlier. "But before I have to climb down there again, I'd sell my left horn." A scroll moves into his hand, he pulls it apart, squints his eyes and begins to speak in a soft singsong. It dissolves into fine dust in his hands and the tauren's body begins to change. In the process, which seems extremely painful to you, but Lumix doesn't let on, his bones deform, the horns recede into the skull and the skin contracts. You have a vague suspicion that this is a transformation into dog form. However, the mage who made this scroll seems to have had a great sense of humor, because instead of the massive tauren, an extraordinarily short-legged, fox-red little dog with pointed ears is now sticking its tongue out at you. Raylania's little companion climbs onto his shoulders and sticks out his small sword.

The rest of you stifle a giggle with difficulty, take the druid's things and carefully make your descent. Even for the humans, it is always a tight squeeze in the shaft and you start to sweat a lot, but eventually you reach a dark mine passage unharmed. You have barely lit the light when Lumix turns back again. "That was ... different," is his only comment as you cautiously venture inside the mountain.

 

Deeper and deeper you go into the abandoned mine, being extremely careful and listening for voices at every fork in the road. The path leads gently downhill, past trolleys left behind long ago, rotting away on rusty rails. Your torches only illuminate the few steps around you. The corridors are usually several steps wide and surprisingly high - but from the point of view of the dwarves who created this mine. While the others can walk upright, the Taure must make himself much smaller. To make sure you don't get lost in the corridors, which branch off again and again and are generally very similar, Hedwig carves a small "X" as inconspicuously as possible at hip height on the corner of each junction. Lumix grumbles to herself, dissatisfied. Raylania turns to Khay questioningly: "Can't you help somehow? You must know how a mine is constructed." She stops and puts her hands on her hips. With a tone of mock surprise, she replies: "Oh, of course! Why didn't I think of that myself!" She leans towards the rock face and pretends to lick it. "Hm, yeah ... mhm ... traces of copper ... this is the main tunnel, which means we have to go that way." She is silent for a moment. "I think you're confusing dwarves with ants, my dear. Even if I had ever been in a mine - I doubt they're all built the same!”

You soon lose all sense of time and seem to have been wandering around the mine for hours, going round and round in circles. When you come to another junction, Lumix notices that the torches in one of the three possible corridors seem to be flickering a little more. "I think we should try this one," he grumbles softly. "There seems to be a draft here." You follow the suggestion and sure enough, after a few dozen steps you notice another passage to your left that is different from the previous ones. At first you can't tell what's so special, but then you notice that it looks as if the rock has simply been torn apart. At the edges of the roughly triangular opening, the rock is folded into each other - as if you were pulling apart a curtain divided in two.

Curious, you stick a torch through it and see that the opening leads into another passage, which runs parallel to the one you are in now. It doesn't appear to be hewn either, but looks like part of a natural cave system. In addition, the new passage is not only higher than the previous ones, it also leads further upwards, not just deeper and deeper down, as in the rest of the mine. "If I were an evil mage ... ," Khay begins in a thoughtful tone. "...I would warm my feet by a fire and sleep all day," Raylania continues. "But this must mean something. Perhaps we should follow the path upwards for a change?” - “A good suggestion," adds Lumix, whose horns are in danger of rubbing off on the ceiling.

So you enter the cave passage and follow the increasingly steep path upwards for a long time. The natural cave seems to have been artificially widened again and again, but there is no fresh overburden in the passage and the walls do not look noticeably younger than the natural ones. There is a little growth of moss and lichen, and small stalactites hang above your heads on the ceiling, which appears to have originally been smoothed. After a few hundred steps, the passage opens up and you are presented with a sight that takes your breath away for a moment. A huge vault opens up in front of you, illuminated by several rays of light that have somehow found their way through the rock. Numerous natural rock pillars hold up the ceiling of the cave, the floor is littered with numerous pools, between which narrow paths lead. The water shines turquoise in the incident light. On a broad pillar in front of you, you discover something else that curiously draws you closer.

A large plaque has been carved into the stone, in which completely unfamiliar characters form an illegible text. You try in vain to decipher it for a while. However, the patina on the text shows that it must have been created a very long time ago.

Meanwhile, Khay had moved away from the group and returns a few minutes later. "Look what I found at one of the ponds," she says, holding out a pristine, fairly new bucket to you. For a moment you don't know what she's getting at, but then it dawns on you: "These caves are still inhabited" says Raylania. "We still seem to be on the right track.”

With your destination in mind again, you put the riddle about the text aside for now and follow the path through the vaults. You come across further signs that there must be inhabitants here, such as a net lying next to a pond from which the heads of pale, carp-sized fish stretch out towards you, attracted by the light or warmth of your torches.

At the other end of the cave, several tunnels lead off again, of which you first choose the one on the left. This leads into an artificially created system of several torch-lit corridors and rooms with wooden doors that seem to serve as living quarters. You gradually explore the labyrinthine lair, trying to be as quiet as possible and listening carefully at every bend and door.  You find a spacious dining hall with several large tables, some smaller, simply furnished chambers with only one bed, as well as two larger dormitories with several beds. In total, you estimate that there are probably at least twenty people staying here. Fortunately, the only one you come across is a man who is tying his belt as he steps out of a room that smells like a latrine and whom you can easily overpower. The only door that remains closed to you is marked with strange symbols. It has no visible lock or bolt, but resists all your attempts to open it.

You turn your steps back to the large cave and follow another corridor. There are again several branches, which you examine using the same system as in the mine. Finally, you see another natural glow of light ahead of you and hear faint voices. Hastily extinguish your torches and creep forward. Through a wide gap in the wall, you look down onto a large, roughly oval cave that opens up at one narrow end through the mountain to a natural plateau. The floor of the cave is decorated with symbols hewn or carved into the rock, but they appear to be so old and worn that they only stand out faintly against the stone.

The magician stands in a large circle in the middle, unmistakable in his blue robe. He is surrounded by his followers, who are holding hands and mumbling to themselves with their heads bowed. Next to the mage lie a wolf and a naked woman, who appear to be asleep, as you can see from the faintly heaving chests. The murmuring of the group swells, becoming a chant that eventually booms throughout the cave, with the mage circling the ornate hammer you noticed back in the village above his head. A vibration goes through the cave, the light seems to change. The colors become more intense, the contrasts sharper. Now you can clearly make out the signs and symbols. The lines seem to light up, and you recognize some of the characters from the tablet in the large cave. The woman and wolf are slowly decomposing. First the skin flies away in small flakes, then the muscles, intestines and bones. As if caught in a tiny whirlwind, the particles circle the mage, mix together and then re-form into the shape of the woman. The wolf disappears.

The chanting fades and the colors return to their everyday form. At an unintelligible command from the magician, the still unconscious woman is picked up and carried away by several figures, the rest of the cowled figures following her in two rows. Only the mage stays behind, walking slowly towards the opening in the mountain. Raylania puts up an arrow and aims at his back.

“I wouldn't do that if I were you," the druid says in a casual tone over his shoulder, though you can hear his voice as clearly as if he were standing next to you. "You'd better come down and let's talk. Then maybe no one will have to die today.”

Since he has stepped out of the line of fire by now anyway and your current position could all too easily become a trap, you see no other option but to go for it. An inconspicuous, narrow staircase leads down and a short time later you are standing on the floor of the cave. Strangely, the symbols seem to give you strength. No, rather they reinforce the magic that is already within you. And the few scraps of memory you have also seem to become clearer. The mage has now turned to face you. He is standing several dozen paces away from you on the plateau, but you can still hear him clearly.

“Let me guess: you've suddenly woken up somewhere, wearing these marks and remembering almost nothing. How do I know that - quite simply, it was the same for me!" He makes a theatrical bow and pulls his cap off his head. Despite the distance, you can clearly make out the symbol, which is also on your foreheads, on the mage's bald head. "I woke up on a coast and wandered around alone and lost. I soon realized, however, that some form of magic must be dormant in me, because heat and cold, hunger and thirst did not bother me much. Fortunately for me, I stumbled across an ancient ruin in a remote place and found this artifact in its dark halls," he pulls the finely decorated hammer from his belt and slowly turns it back and forth. "With his help, I managed not only to master my magic, but also to increase it. I was even able to get my memory back!” 

“But why did you use your power like that?" Lumix asks the mage. "Why do you create monsters? Are you responsible for what's happening around Skjarige?”

A bitter laugh is all you get in response to this question. Then the mage continues: "Do you even know why it happened to you like that? Of course you don't. You come from a distant land that most of the local inhabitants only know from hearsay. Whoever you were in your old life, you share access to magic. Stronger for some," he looks at Lumix and Hedwig, "for others only to a certain extent." At this, he looks at Raylania and Khay, who are more than surprised by this opening. "But the inhabitants of the land began to fear all forms of magic. Priests erased your memories and you were herded like cattle onto a ship that was to take you to a distant island. And the barbarians who tore us from our lives, from our families, who wanted to deprive us of our strength, they felt good and righteous about it because they didn't just ram a dagger into our hearts!" The mage talks himself into a rage, saliva flies out of his mouth with every word and his bald skull turns red. After a short pause, he calms down a little. "You owe nothing, absolutely nothing to those around you who treat you like this for something that is not your fault, but rather a gift. I quickly realized that. And ending up in this area was yet another gift. There are only a few people here who have truly mastered magic. But my art is not that of a healer, to whom people are happy to hand over their money. So I needed another way to gain influence and income. It turns out that villages and towns are extremely grateful, as you have seen, when you protect them from monsters and wild animals," his voice takes on a tone of false pity, "which, oh sudden misfortune, fall upon their inhabitants. After deciphering some writings carved into the walls of the chamber where I found the hammer, I learned of this place of power, next to which the ignorant dwarves drove their mine into the mountain. Its inhabitants, of whom even I know little, have long since died out. But this hall alone bears witness to the fact that they were great magicians.”

“When I first saw you, I thought you were after me, trying to expose me or steal this place! I realized too late that you could end up like me at the beginning." He looks at you urgently one after the other. "I'm right, aren't I? Join me. I can help you regain your memory and your powers if you swear allegiance to me. Together we could restore the magic of this place to its true greatness and amass more power than you can imagine.”

„We can't just let you get away with this!" Raylania shouts angrily at the mage, making sure he understands her. "Gexactly, too many people have already suffered because of your actions," Hedwig adds. "And our memory doesn't defend that. We find another way," Lumix adds. Khay says nothing, a glimmer of doubt even appears on her face. But then she draws her daggers and glares angrily at Tidopror.

He sighs slightly and replies in a smug voice: "What a pity. I had hoped for a little more understanding. I wonder who you were in your previous lives, that you are now so willing to sacrifice yourselves for others ... Just one more thing before you ster ..." The mage breaks off as one of Khay's daggers flies towards him, but he sweeps it out of the air with a swift blow of his hammer right in front of his face. "You talk too much," she says as she runs towards him and you also bring your weapons to bear.

Hedwig runs towards the mage with her shield raised while Raylania takes a step to the side to have a clear field of fire for the arrow that is already on the string of her bow. Lumix raises his staff above his head with both hands to prepare a powerful spell. Khay, who reaches the mage first, immediately unleashes a wild hail of stabs at him. He parries the first with his hammer, which appears to be weightless in his hands. He takes a few steps back, then makes a quick lunge and drives his weapon so hard into the dwarf's side that she is whirled through the air and lies dazed a few paces away.

However, the attack was enough of a distraction to ensure that Raylania's arrow hit its target. It pierces the mage's right shoulder, who grunts, takes a few steps back and takes the hammer in his other hand. Just in time to parry Hedwig's attacks, although this hand causes him a little more trouble, which is why he retreats further and further. He is now standing in the middle of the plateau that juts out of the mountain. Lumix lets your staff crash to the ground and a rumble fills the cave. Hedwig delivers another particularly powerful blow from above, which the mage has trouble parrying, forcing him to bend his knees. Then she throws herself backwards as white masses of snow fall from above and bury the plateau beneath them.

Still with your weapons drawn, you stand around the almost completely blocked opening in the side of the mountain and look at the wall of snow in front of you. Khay has also picked herself up and collected her daggers. "That was kind of easy," she gasps, still a little out of breath and holds her side. A soft splashing can be heard and you can feel a steadily growing trickle of water around your feet. "Did you have to say something like that?" Lumix sighs and grips his staff tighter again. The snow flies apart in all directions and you can only just keep your feet in the white swirl as you protectively put your hands in front of your faces.

Still in the middle of the plateau, the mage stands, his hammer raised, in a crater of snow and ice. His eyes have taken on a violet glow and a red aura has settled around his entire form, which seems to flicker slightly like a fire. On the ground, multicolored lines from the carved symbols trace the shape of your adversary. Raylania shoots another arrow, but it burns to ashes just before it hits the mage's face. A bolt of lightning strikes Hedwig from the magician's outstretched hand and she pulls up the shield, which begins to glow bluish and drains the power of the lightning. Lumix thinks for a moment and then calls out "Distract him!" as he swings his staff slowly back and forth. Raylania sets up a new arrow and this time tries to siphon off some of the power flowing towards the mage from the ground and place it in the arrow. This time the arrow does not burn completely, but a long splinter penetrates the mage's body under the ribs. He roars and attacks Hedwig with incredible speed. Again and again the hammer strikes the shield, which is soon badly dented and splintered despite the magical charge. Khay intervenes and distracts the mage with new attacks so that Hedwig can throw aside the now useless shield and spare her battered arm. She also attacks the mage, but he parries the attacks of his two opponents.

Tidopror knocks the sword aside with his hammer while he raises his other hand towards Khays and lets lightning shoot out again. The dwarf is hit full force in the chest and thrown over the edge of the plateau. Her screams slowly fade as she tumbles down the mountain. Just as the mage turns his full attention back to Hedwig, Lumix finishes his incantations and sends the staff flying across the ground. Immediately, cracks appear all over the ground, widening as if over the collapsing ice. After a few heartbeats, the cave is covered in a layer of rubble and all the signs that once covered the floor have disappeared. And so the power drains from the mage, whose glowing aura fades and whose eyes return to their natural color. He is able to parry another of Raylania's arrows with his hammer, but Hedwig takes advantage of this to plunge her sword into his chest up to the hilt. She braces a foot against the incredulous looking mage to pull the sword out again and your opponent staggers back a few steps. He looks at you and is about to say something else when a final arrow drives right into his forehead and sends him tumbling backwards, over the edge of the plateau and into the depths.

You carefully peer over the edge, but the ground below you is too far away for you to make out the mage or the dwarf in the deep snow. You take a short breather, always ready to fend off attacks from the mage's henchmen. When you finally make your way back, however, you find the chambers and corridors deserted. You try for a few more hours to find a way around the mountain to search for your fallen companion, but have to give up in disappointment when the snowstorm sets in again and puts you in danger.

The dwarves in Cumnor promise to look into the matter when they investigate the mine and the hidden, forgotten dwelling. The citizens of Skjarige will once again reward you handsomely, so you can set off to find your own destiny or research your old one. If the mage found a way to regain his memories, you might be able to do the same - if you want to.

 

END