The journey across these lands, though uneventful, did tire me. Long traveling from my monast did educate me, but dwindled my body. I arrived at the town of Channath at a perilous time. While walking the streets, seeking rest and shelter, a warrior- battle weary and desperate, marched into town with his squire. Planting his horse in the middle of town, barely missing me, he warned the town of an impending darkness about to swallow the city. Surely a madman I thought, watching a dwarf walk by with a mule, eyed suspiciously by a mage. ( I would later be crestfallen to hear of the dwarf’s life, that of love and opportunity lost, of a strange attachment to his mule, and a melancholy that would rival that of Hagal, the world bearer.)
Yet even a madman can have moments of sanity. For as I was about to ask him more about this darkness- so did it descend on all of us. In the pitch black, I retreated into the tavern behind me, tripping over the same mage. I raced into the tavern, trying to warn the others but only finding resistance and the persistent pestering of the bar help.
Arriving at back of the tavern, I was shocked to meet one of my superiors Tharamis. Even more of a shock when he burdened me with the news that I, Nauthiz, the Craver of Pain, was the last monk standing.
Luckily, the adrenalin of battle unified my thoughts.
The mage Pheruzius attempted an escape from the tavern at the end of a crossbow. I tried to disarm him but failed, allowing him to escape into the town (later I found of his attack on a defenseless donkey). A commotion outside, a trap laid by Amalar and Topo, shot three unearthly creatures into the tavern. The skill of the last two monks of Wo-tan repelled the invaders, bringing them the mercy of eternal peace.
Outside, the darkness cleared after Tharamis and I rounded the tavern.
One immensely large creature remained, and several warriors gathered to try and defeat the enemy. These included the valiant cleric Amalar, the nearly beserking dwarf Dar, a cooperative rogue named Topo, the quick thinking ranger Sparrow, and the questionable mage- who was only too happy to retreat.
The creature nearly killed Tharamis, and I was put in a positional unenviable by any warrior- that of choosing between his order of retreat and not leaving a fellow monk trapped in battle. Only the courage of a cleric saved my brother, as I shot a volley of arrows at the creature.
After a prolonged struggled, apparently killing the two dwarves, the creature gave us the opportunity of retreats- a wise move. For how can justice bring pain to a deserving brotherhood, if it loses its weapon on the earth? Amalor returned to save the two dwarves moments after the creature moved away.