Grim Views

Mordria silently rowed her small boat across the lake. Her bones ached and her dress was torn and tattered. She tried to figure out how everything had gone so terribly wrong, again. A small tear rolled down her bruised face. Her thoughts returning over and over to her meeting in the arena, how stupid and careless she had been. She couldn’t seem to do anything right. She glanced down at the boxes sitting at her feet, the unopened keg of wine, the cake, a few cheese wheels. How ridiculous they seemed to her now. She pulled up to the small dock and carefully stepped ashore. She grabbed her backpack and limped up the path, leaving the food in the boat, it could all rot, she didn’t care. The island was virtually untouched, its only inhabitants were the wandering gnolls. They were undead and seemed to go about their days in a robotic repeat of the same movements. They didn’t pay her any attention as she walked through the gates, growling and snarling only if she strayed too close.

She opened the heavy door to the keep and walked in, letting it slam behind her. Karnya had set it with weights, to prevent any of the gnolls from wandering in as they slept. She gingerly stepped around the crates and other piles of garbage they had yet to take care of. She walked into the main hall, the troll was looking over some maps laid across the dining table, she looked up as the elf entered the torchlight.

“So ‘ow did it go? Who won da contest?â€

Mordria rode hard through the morning mists. Her mount, an undead warhorse chosen specifically for its stamina, horse did not tire. Its bones, held together by the same magic’s that enabled all undeath to continue, did not need to stop for water or rest. She had ridden all night, hunched over the horses neck. A thick cloak enveloping her, allowing her moments of sleep as the horse continued mercilessly through the darkness. A few whispered words into its delicate rotten ear were the only direction it needed.

She arrived shortly after dawn on the edges of the Redridge Mountains. She dismounted quietly and surveyed the town before her. A faint rooster crowing was the only sound, no one had stirred as of yet. There were no women out drawing from the well, and the stalls and shops remained shuttered and closed. She reached into one of her saddlebags and removed a small scroll. She had paid quite a bit of gold for the information contained here, and she had no reason to believe it false. For the goblin informants of Gadgetstan, their loyalty lie with the highest bidder.

She examined the writing. “Ignas, the High Paladin of The Fabled Order, has a new apprentice. an Adept , and aspiring Paladin of the Light. Particularly driven individual, strong, bright. He is currently on a trial of knighthood in Lakeshire. Name : Gregor Marlson.â€