1/26/00 - Report by Eve
The sun rose softly, hidden beneath the dark clouds gathering in the morning sky. In these early morning hours, with the streets near empty and the wilds asleep, I would once again visit the grave of my brother Kovalian, in order to pay my respects on this, the anniversary of his passing.
My steed was silent and passive, seeming to sense the raging emotions of despair and regret that tore through me. Climbing into the saddle, I opened the golden cover of my runebook, and after a short prayer, invoked the power that brought me to the gates of the Moonglow Zoo.
The cemetary lay to the north, and through the morning fog, I could barely make out the rusted gates beyond the treeline. Kovalian had loved visiting the zoo, and it seemed only right to bury him near to something he so cherished.
I urged my mount onwards, shivering as a cold chill seeped through my clothing and bit into my skin. As I neared the cemetary, a horrible stench rose up to meet me, and I was quickly overcome with a nausea that caused me to almost fall from my horse. It was then I heard the screaming, a desperate and weak cry for help. Pushing my mount into a gallop, I readied my weapon, and rode towards the cemetary's gate...
Nothing could have prepared me for what lay before me. I knew that the dead within this cemetary were restless, often having to fell a skeleton or two on each visit, but the sight before me left me awestruck. My first count of the army before me totaled over fifty undead, liches and shades walking amidst a vast amount of skeletons and zombies. Two men were locked in heated battle, trying to hold back the surge at the gate, but they were quickly being overwhelmed.
Strengthening the defenders with the magicks of Greater Heal, I fell into a meditative trance for a moment, gathering the energy to assist in the battle. As I reached a state of peace, I screamed for the men to fall back, and released a Meteor Swarm into the mass of undead. A shower of molten rock slammed into them, shattering bone and searing flesh in a brilliant flash of fire and light. I called forth another torrent, watching as the wave of skeletons and zombies lay wasted beneath the fiery rain. The gates now unblocked, I drew forth my staff, rushing into the rows of gravestones, intent on destroying the evil that now desecrated my brother's resting place...
The two men followed behind me, their weapons brandished and their eyes focused ahead. Without words, we advanced as a team, quickly meeting another wall of undead not three steps into the cemetary's interior. Wave upon wave of the skeletal horde crashed into our midst, and with each victory, another enemy rose from the earth to tear at our flesh. Standing back to back, with the aid of magic and steel, we stood our ground for what seemed like an eternity, but desperation began to rise in my throat as I realized the assault was not going to end...
Felling a number of skeletons blocking one of the crypts, I motioned for the men to follow, hoping the inside of the tomb would be more easily defended. We rushed up the stairs and into the building, turning to hold the tide of undead that followed at the doorway. But the wave was too much, and we were soon pinned against the back wall. We quickly realized that rather than having gained an advantage, we had trapped ourselves in, and seeing no other option, I summoned forth a gate to the city of Vesper, and leapt through...
...right into the midst of a town siege. A contingent of trolls stood beside the bank, a valiant stand of citizens trying to force them back across the bridge. Retreating quickly to the interior of the nearby mage shop, I went into a trance to recover the mana I would need to assist the defense. After a moment of meditation, I rushed outside, and unleashed a volley of Energy Bolts and Explosions into their midst, smiling as I noticed the anti-magic field had been lifted from town. Within moments, the trolls had been laid to rest, their corpses littering the pavement in morbid grandeur, the citizens, broken and bruised, standing in their midst...
Weak with fatigue, I rummaged through my pack, pulling forth a total refreshment potion and downing it without pause. The liquid warmed my stomach, but I knew this would not sustain me for long, that rest was the only cure for my ailment.
As I prepared to recall home, the thoughts of sleep and relaxation dancing in my head, I heard a cry from the bridge. Dreading the words that I knew would come, I mounted my horse once again, my weapon in hand.
"Yew is under attack!"
Moments later, I stood before Empath Abbey, locked in combat with a wave of orcs in full armor. A sizable defense was already in place when I arrived, so I simply fell in rank and began to maintain those around me with healing spells. After a vicious cycle of combat, the tide of battle turned, the orcs routed and in disarray. We quickly switched to the offensive, pushing them back into the woods with sheer force of will and strength. Shouts of victory rose into the air as the remaining orcish warriors fell, Empath Abbey once again secure and safe...
One of the defenders approached me, telling me that the pass to the east of Yew was overrun by an army of trolls and ogres. Shaking my head in disbelief, I followed him towards the Northern Pass, the road that led past the desert and into the eastern part of the continent. After a short walk, we came across a patrol of them, with dire wolves and orcs in their midst. Finding myself low on reagents, and even lower on stamina, I pleaded with the man to flee back to Yew, and summon more reinforcements.
For now, fatigue had overcome me. I returned to my home through the magic of recall, stumbling through the door, sleep rushing up to meet me like a lost lover. I would now sleep enough to last the course of the campaign, for there is little time for weakness in a time of such danger.