Chapter 1 - Prelude to Hell

4th of Autumn’s Grace
Lyla, Sturic, Ulysses and I ran into a peculiar man today at the inn. I have nothing against Dark Elves but he struck me as a little creepy, the only reason we even spoke with him was because he said he had information on the cult we’ve been tracking down. Traven I think his name is, honestly I don’t really care as long as we’re on the right path. Sturic doesn’t trust him but then again he doesn’t trust anyone who can’t drink his way under a table so that’s not saying much. We’ve been trying to find these bastards for weeks so anything that can help is welcomed, Lyla seems to agree. Ulysses is just here for the ride as usual, I don’t get how he could be so happy-go-lucky all the time but I guess that’s how bards are. Well we’re about to have breakfast then leave so I’ll write about what happens. Solaris guide us.

Silvana closed her diary before reciting her morning prayers to the Matron of Mothers and left to the dining room to meet her companions. They were already eating breakfast; Sturic had his usual Dwarven-style meal of pork sausage & mead, Ulysses having a colorful chicken salad with a medley of fruits and Lyla having a simple platter of eggs & bacon with a glass of milk. Silvana herself had a bowl of lightly sweetened oatmeal and sat down with her friends.

“We were talkin’ about that Elf and if we should even bother with him.” Sturic was as gruff as he was blunt.

“Honestly it’s the only lead we’ve had in weeks, seems we’re just running in circles without him.” Lyla never cared for his blatant anti-Elven sentiment but kept it to herself.

“Well, we could simply investigate where he says the cultists are. No reason he needs to come with us.” Ulysses made his point clear.

“Boy makes me think he’s leading us to a trap, mighty convenient he finds us at the end of our ropes.” The Dwarves’ ways were old and rigid but served them well.

“For once I agree with Sturic, we should look for another lead and ditch him.” The ranger trusted her own instincts.

“What about you Silvana? You should trust Traven the least given who made his people.” The bard wanted her input.

“Not all Dark Elves worship Nex in the same way not all humans worship Solaris. Besides, we know that we’re looking for vampires and he doesn’t seem to be enthralled.” Silvana laid out her case.

“Doesn’t mean he’s not in league with those bloodsuckers. We shouldn’t trust him.” Sturic said stubbornly.

“We don’t have to trust him, we just need to follow the lead to where it takes us.” The cleric replied faithfully.

“She’s right, the trail leads to here and we’ve looked through the woods and the surrounding towns and found nothing. The only place we haven’t checked are the mountains near the border.” Ulysses backed her up.

“Oh no! Ain’t no way in hell we’re going there.” The fighter declared.

“Well I guess we’ve got to find some other quest to fulfill if that’s your attitude, all that time and money wasted.” The Half-Elf said backhandedly.

“I know it’s so close to Malkoth but it’s the only place they can be, at least it’s not winter, otherwise we’d have to trek through ice and snow.” Silvana pleaded.

Lyla sighed. “Fine, we should go. I’m tired of looking around and finding nothing.” The Elf said solemnly.

“You can’t be serious?” Sturic was dumbfounded.

“I think she is. Look, I don’t like the idea of getting so close to Malkoth but you know just as much as we do that the longer we wait the more people will go missing and more people will be turned into vampires.” Ulysses argued.

Sturic knew full well what the bard said was true and he couldn’t in good conscience just let the innocent suffer from his negligence. “Very well, we’ll go.”

Almost as if on cue, Traven walked in and greeted them. His dark hood shielding his eyes from the sunlight. “I am ready to leave if you all are, I assume you wished to get there before nightfall.” He spoke with a soft candor.

“We were just about done, you sure you want to come with? Could be dangerous.” Sturic asked with a feigned concern.

“I would give you a map but that area is uncharted and just pointing in a certain direction won’t be helpful.” He told the group.

Of course Sturic thought.

“Your help would be appreciated, I’m mostly skilled in navigating forests and underground so we’d be lost going into the mountains without a guide.” Lyla admitted.

“I’d be happy to assist, those cultists don’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.” Traven observed.

“What’s your stake in all this? Why do you care what happens to these people?” Ulysses wondered.

“My sister, she’s been missing for nearly a month and the guards don’t seem to bother. I wouldn’t really care but I’ve grown rather attached to this community and I know it isn’t going to end unless they’re stopped.” He elaborated.

“How do you know it’s the cult we’re looking for?” Silvana inquired.

“Because they’re becoming sloppy. I’ve been sleuthing into this matter and have found a remarkable amount of blood in the homes of the missing persons. I think the guards are either in on it or are being controlled somehow, either through bribes or by unnatural means.” The Dark Elf revealed.

“It seems this cult revels in toying with their prey, we encountered a neonate in the last town who fell into our trap. That’s how we know they’re vampires and not just some blood cult.” Lyla conveyed.

“Well it’s settled, I think we should head off so we don’t have any run-ins with the dead.” Ulysses suggested.

“Then what are we waiting for? I’ll start packing the cart.” Sturic stated.

The group left towards the unknown. Silvana still felt uneasy about Traven coming with but had no real choice in the matter, any other guide would have turned away the offer. Ominous clouds hung over the mountains, dark mages maintained them to shield Malkoth from the sun’s holy light and to outline its boundaries. Cold winds and light snow flowed onto the barely visible road which was hardly maintained, built in an age long since passed.

Lyla spotted something. “Look, footprints.” She said straightforwardly.

Traven raised his head. “Surely we’re on the right track, it seems like a group of them.” He pointed out.

“One two four or more it doesn’t matter, just means more to slay.” Sturic claimed.
As the hours passed, the sky grew darker and the air colder. Ulysses said they should find a cave but Traven insisted not to since that would be the perfect spot for an ambush in the middle of the night. Silvana could sense the sun set even though she couldn’t see it with her eyes, the group almost voted to return to the inn but Traven spotted lights in the distance. They were windows inside what appeared to be some sort of fortress nestled on the side of a mountain, the group would be happy to see the sanctuary if it weren’t for the reason why they came here. Ulysses made sure to bring the cart with their horse to a small cavity to protect it from the chill. The team prepared themselves the best they could and ventured to the castle, Lyla suggested that Traven watch the cart but Sturic pointed out that he could just take all of their belongings so it was decided he would come with them. Ulysses, Lyla and Traven went ahead since they were more quiet than the heavily armored Sturic and Silvana.

An eerie silence rang throughout the citadel, even the front doors made little noise after Traven picked the lock. Barely lit braziers dotted the walls and the air was choked from the bitter winds, every breath was like steam from a kettle. The strangest element was the vague scent of something actually quite pleasant; bread, wine, cheese and meats seemed to emanate from the kitchen. The hardy Sturic had to steel himself from the temptation of seeing what there was to offer, instead he and Silvana followed the others to what looked like the main hall which housed plenty of amenities such as furniture and a blazing fireplace. The open flame provided a sense of comfort and warmth to the weary and frost-kissed travelers. The fighter and cleric decided they needed the extra heat due to their metal armor and walked in front of the fire.

Before they could react a trap door opened right underneath them and they fell, separating them from the others. By the time they realize what happened it was too late, the tank and the healer were gone. Lyla wanted to go after them but the hatch had closed itself as quickly as it took them, Ulysses had readied a spell but before he could cast it, a poisoned dagger was plunged into his back and he fell.

Lyla saw Traven stand over him wielding the blade. “You bastard!” She drew her bow but before she could reach for her quiver she was surrounded by blood-eyed monsters in humanoid form, she didn’t stand a chance.

Below, Silvana found herself on top of Sturic, he seemed to have broken her fall but at the cost of being knocked unconscious. She saw that they landed into a dungeon filled with cells and torture devices which were littered with the remains of prisoners, both fresh and forgotten. It was a gruesome sight but Silvana braced herself knowing if she didn’t, she’d become one of them. The stout Dwarf beneath her started to groan, prompting her to heal him with divinely granted magic. He started to awaken, renewed by her effort.

Sturic stood up with the aid of his warhammer. “Thanks lass, my head was pounding.”

“Of course, I’d never let anyone suffer if I could help it.” She said warmly.

“But can you help yourself?” A velvety voice asked from the darkness.

Silvana raised her spear. “Who’s there?”

Sturic primed his hammer. “Don’t matter, they’re dead.”

The figure walked forward, revealing she was indeed a vampire. “That’s more true than you think.” She wore a thin black garb that showed much of her lithe form.

Without warning, Sturic shouted a warcry and raised his weapon against her but with a flick of a wrist she froze him in place. Silvana took the opportunity to thrust her silver-tipped blade into the shoulder of the villain. To the shock of the cleric, the wound in her shoulder seemed to cause pleasure instead of pain.

The vampire moaned and even twisted the shaft to increase its damage. “I love when my prey thinks they can hurt me.” She said in a sultry tone.

Silvana tried to pull her spear back but the tip was broken off like a thin twig and was pocketed as a trinket. She raised her shield against the monster, branded with the sun as if it could protect her. At a snap of her fingers, a handful of vampires were summoned and seized Sturic who was still paralyzed. His weapon was taken and he was tossed into a nearby cell, anything else on his person was stripped save for his armor.

“You’re going to drop your shield, follow me to a cell much more fitting for you and when we get there you are going to doff your armor.” She commanded.

As if her will were subverted, Silvana let her shield fall to the floor and walked with her to the next chamber. She could see her body move and act without her permission and could do nothing to stop it. She was taken to a much nicer part of the dungeon, fitted with paintings on the walls, lit by overhead chandeliers and somehow warmed by an unseen force. Once in the cell she started taking off her armor which was humiliating, for roughly five minutes she had to endure the embarrassment of revealing more and more of herself to her captor. Finally she stopped once she was down to her clothes and could feel her control return to her. Tears fell down her cheeks from the dishonor.

“You’re quite cute for a cleric.” The vampire said in a semi-mocking way. “You can keep the rest of your belongings, we want you to get comfortable.” She giggled then walked away.

Silvana wiped away her tears and took in her environment which was surprisingly posh for a prison cell. The bed was fully furnished, candles were provided for lighting, the walls were decorated with a nice creamy color and there was even a desk with a chair for her comfort. She decided to sit down and laid all of her possessions onto the table; her diary with a quill and ink, the symbol of Solaris that she had around her neck and even a knife she kept at her thigh. She made sure to stash her weapon under the mattress so it could be hidden. She heard footsteps and saw Lyla being escorted into the cell across the hall, she too was stripped of her armor and weapons.

Lyla noticed her friend in the opposing room. “Oh thank the Gods you’re okay.” She beamed.

“I wouldn’t say I’m okay… but I’m happy you’re here with me.”