Most of you already know that in the beginning all necromancers were men. The power awakening inside one person randomly and changing their hair and eyes white. For ages many wondered, how exactly it came to be.

It began at ancient times, that next to no record of exist – the era when the world was still young and the people were few and gods lived in the world among men. These were the gods left behind by the Makers- the true gods of the universe, to watch over the planed they had made and whatever life forms happen to exist on it. Being servants of the Makers they did as ordered and lived among their creations. In palaces, temples, caves, up on mountains, in deep woods the servants made their homes. Eventually they became worshiped beings- gods of that world, answering the prayers of the weak and granting them guidance. Their presence granted humans a lifespan that could rival the elves, though not immortal- humans could live for centuries and retain their youth for as long. Sickness was few,gardens bloomed and food was plenty, seasons were warm throughout. The world was almost paradise like. Still there was death, there was war, not common but still real.

In this age lived a prince, who believed himself to be the most beautiful in all the lands. Being the only son of the king he was expected to choose a bride and one day succeed as the new king. Many kings would bring their daughters in the hopes he would choose one of them, for his kingdom was great and would make a beneficial union. The prince had seduced many of his would be brides with empty promises and pretty words. He bedded all women he deemed worthy, beautiful enough, regardless weather they were noble or peasants. He would court a girl- weeks, months, sometimes a year or two but in the end he would feel dissatisfied with his companion and seek out another.

One day the prince set out hunting with his escort. The hunters chased a deer though the forest but the animal had evaded every arrow. The horses were tired and the men begged to turn back, but the prince refused to give up and return empty handed. He wanted to capture the deer that eluded him all this time. The hunters were told if any of them returned before the hunt was complete they and their families would be executed. So thought the night they hunted, without stopping to rest. Finally one of the horses tired and collapsed to the ground send it’s rider of a cliff. The hunters once again pleaded with the prince to return home or to at least rest. Finally relented saying in the dark they would catch nothing but once the sun was up they will continue. 

Descending to search for the fallen rider at the light of dawn they found a lone woman standing over his body. She was tall and pale, with long flowing hair and dressed in black robes that looked like they were woven from mist. On her head she wore a crown that was made of bone. This was the goddess Orthica- the goddess of death.

While the hunters looked away in fear, the prince did not. He watched her intently and realized that before him was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes upon. Leaving the spot in the shadow of the trees he began to approach. The goddess looked at him, telling him that the rider was already gone. The prince responded that he did not care for the rider. She stated her work was done and vanished before he could say another word.

Returning from the hunt the beautiful goddess haunted his dreams along with the ugliness of death. The women he had once adored had become bland in comparison with the beauty of Orthica. He wanted to see her once more. As moths passed he grew more desperate, so night he had snuck poison into his lovers chambers and poured it into her drink. He pretended to be asleep, lying next to her and silently waited for her to die. After hours of waiting the goddess silently emerged from the shadows, he got up and asked the goddess if she remembered him from before. She said that she did. He confessed to have been thinking about her all this time and that could never love another woman for none of them could ever compare to her in beauty. The goddess stated that it was not love that he felt. Taking this as a refusal the price grew angry but he goddess had already left.

Few weeks have passed and the prince had grown increasingly obsessed with the goddess that refused him. Woman just as before would line up for a chance at becoming his wife but he had refused to see anyone. He begged and leaded the goddess to come back. He took a maid to the backwoods and had her throat slit but the goddess still didn’t come. As time passed his pleas to give him a chance had become angry. He was the prince all mortal women wanted, he was the one who adored her despite many fearing her, how dare she ignore him.

No matter how much he pleaded, or shouted or threatened or sacrificed, the goddess would not come before him. But one night something else did. The prince had found himself in the presence of a giant snake. It’s moss green skin, with a much paler underbelly and piercing emerald eyes. The prince froze in his seat. The windows were closed, the door never opened yet out of the shadows before him the snake emerged. First it’s piercing eyes appeared, like floating orbs of fire, then its head and then it’s seemingly endless body. It filled the room, head reaching up to the ceiling. The prince sat there and watched, realizing it was no mere snake. Indeed, it wasn’t, this snake was Roaken- the god of lies and trickery and he came with a deal. Roaken would help him to seduce Orthica an exchange for aid against invaders that were ailing his people. The price agreed, but he could not lead the troops into battle since he was not king yet. Roaken just laughed and repeated the phrase yet.

Soon after the visit the kind suddenly fell ill and died. Upon becoming king his son had dispatched an army to deal with invaders in the northern swamps. The north was a masterless land that served a punishment for those who broke the law. Living there was said to be a fate worse than death. Exiles from many different corners of the world inhabited it as nomads and hunters without a king or army to defend them.

Many had questioned the decision but once the king threatened to behead any who doubted him, the questioning stopped. Not months had passed since his coronation and Roaken had returned. He brought the king a vial of liquid and instructions to follow. The liquid in the vial was magical and would put anyone a sleep like death, but only for a few minutes.

Unable to wait any longer he set his plan in motion. Following the instructions the god had left him he prepared a magical seal in the room and drank the potion. It worked as Roaken had promised, making it seem like the king was on the verge of dying, thus tricking the goddess into showing up to collect his souls. As she approached him the effects of the potion already wore off and he jumped to his feet grabbing her. Once again he had asked her to be his bride. Orthica refused attempting to flee and finding herself unable to do so. Angered by her refusal the king raped the goddess, rendered powerless by Roakens magic. Thus Orthica cursed the king:

“You are a foul, arrogant man. If death be your desire, then so be it. You and the men who bare your blood will only bare my curse for as long as they walk this earth. “

As dawn came and seal lost its power the angered goddess placed her curse. The king did not react with fear but with mockery as he remained unchanged.

Days passed and the king began to see his hair changing to white, the color in his eyes fading. He was still young in appearance yet still his hair grayed. Then one night when he touched a woman he decided to bed, she cried out in pain and began to wither and decay in front of him. Everything he touched, except for himself would deign to decay. Rumors spread about him and the servants began to avoid him.

Later he discovered another power: while his touched killed living things it could give life to the dead. People have abandoned the castle in fear of the king and his strange new power. Once living corpses began to be seen around the castle, the fear among the villagers grew. The king performed experiments his powers, creating horrors that terrorized the villages around the castle.

Unable to bear it any longer the villagers united and eventually made their way to the kings chambers and killed him. As he died he smiled, believing the goddess would have no choice but to except him now. He was wrong. Orthica denied him entrance into her realm, she created an invisible wall and a door and shut it before him - leaving his souls outside and forever denied the bliss of eternal peace.

As years passed he became consumed with rage and it began to transform him. He became a monster that was part man and part spider. He would try to get back at Orthica by capturing souls that were passing thought, to keep them from entering her realm, keeping them in a dark web until they became corrupted like he was. Those corrupted souls became the first Death creatures.

To protect souls on their way to her Orthica made the veils. They slowed the spread of the toxic corruption but didn’t stop it entirely. Some souls, those where less than good in life, were drawn to the corruption and even abandoned eternal rest to stay outside with the king and become creatures.

As times changed and the gods left the world, the curse still lived on in the many illegitimate children, passed on thought the women who went on to have daughters. 

 

2: Origin of morphs

 

The shape shifting morphs that inhabit many parts of the world, capable of assuming forms of birds and animal a power that no one else possess. There have been attempts at replicating the power of changing ones form- the creation of enchanted capes and animal skins, but most such attempts end in failure.  The power was deemed mystical and the only way to obtain it seemed to be born into it.

The truth is that the origin of morphs begins not in Midland, but in another world- a world called Everlure. To explain how morphs came to be it is first necessary to explain how druidism came into existence. While different forms of druidism exist, different worlds having their own versions of it. Morphs are directly tied to Everlure.

The first druids were of course elves, not just any elves but dark elves. Why dark elves? Well, before a certain moment in time dark elves didn‘t even exist and it was their existence that led to the creation of druidism. Let’s start at the beginning. 

In the beginning there were gods, the gods created the worlds. But one day one of the gods got injured and from where his blood fell on asteroids came dragons and the drops that touched stars became elves. The first living creatures that resembled the gods themselves. Tasked by the gods to govern the worlds they left behind the elves scattered thought the universe in their flying ships. As beings born the blood of a god the elves are tied to cosmos- a source of pure energies. The cosmic magic is the most powerful form of magic in existence; it has granted the elves their immortality and immense magical power. Cosmic magic is harmonious, light and one might even say “good”, though it leans more towards neutrality, it doesn’t tolerate dark magic. For this reason one could not find an elfin the entire universe practicing the dark arts. 

That is how things were until one elf mage named Ill’Branir discovered a portal into a demon world. Not knowing what he had encountered he had called a demon forth and absorbed it into himself finding that in doing so he had greatly increased his magical powers. He had experimented with the portal and called forth demons and absorbed all of them.  He became powerful and renowned for his magical power and gathered a following. He had shared this secret of another world that he thought could be easily exploited for power, with his growing number of followers. The demons however did not take kindly to this and launched an assault on the elf city.

Ill’Branir did not confess and instead fought the demon invasion, absorbing their essence and growing more powerful than anyone should rightfully be. The elves who knew not the reason why they were assaulted, hailed Ill’Branir as a hero.

By this point some of his followers were already starting to lose their connection to the universe and fall ill. Sickness was a foreign thing to the elves. Ill’Branir had avoided this fate, but instead he had begun to change, skin turning ash in color, blond hair becoming black. He was eventually found out and imprisoned for his crimes. But his former followers who finally realized their mistake were cast out.

Marked by ash coloured or even tar black skin they were no longer able to cast magic, no longer immune sickness or the demonic essences that were poisoning them within and they were no longer immortal- cut off from the cosmos and hated by their kin and forsaken by the gods.

 Left to die in the deep dark woods. After many died, some have discover that plants and clean water could lessen the corruption, prolong their life by a few weeks or even months. Learn to draw on the life essence of the nature around them and to eventually ridding themselves of the demonic influence. Filling the void of cosmic magic with the power of nature. They became the first druids- masters of nature, having dominion over the trees and flowers, the wind, the earth and the beasts. Living among beasts, taming them as companions and defenders of their forest home. But to watch and eagle fly is not the same as flying alongside it.

After many years the first shape shifting was accomplished. Through totems and ritual a druid was able to take the form of an animal. But with the transformation came a risk. The mind became divided into two parts: elf and animal. And if the animal senses and instincts ever overpowered the rational mind the druid would become lost, forgetting he was ever something more, and would become just an animal, never able to change back.

After centuries passed and the dark elves were once again accepted by elf society, thou the dark elves never fully returned to society, remaining in the deep woods, and even humans- inter racial families became a thing. Not common but once in while there would be born a half elf that despite having an elf parent had no magic aside from one ability- turning into a single animal. They were born to those who had a druid in the family, several generations back.

 It was seen as a unique ability- a mutation of sorts. When one of the parents had this ability there was a chance the child born would be able to change into the same animal as the parent. But when two people with the ability to change into two different animals had a child- the child could transform into both of them. As this became evident communities of these, not yet named shape shifters, began to form. The children would inherit the ability of both their parents and were more powerful. They never seemed to lose their selves to the animals and could easily change back into human. Born with a mind that was already fragmented into pockets for each animal form, and seemed to have a thicker shell around them so the lines between animal and human never blurred. And while they lacked the powers to command the forces of nature that the druids had and the cosmic and arcane magic of the elves, morphs could do the one thing that none of them could- transform.

As the elves travelled to other worlds, some druids and morphs travelled along with them. Thus spreading druidism and the morph gene across the universe, eventually reaching Midland and the other four continents.

 

3: The Origin of Magicians and Wizards

Magic is mostly associated with wizards, but that not how it used to be in the old days.  Back when the gods walked among men, magic was only given to few chosen ones; for the gods feared that if men gained too much power they might rebel against them.  Indeed while any god could grant human powers it was a not a common practice.  A Wizard would act as go- between   the kings and the gods, a task that was entrusted only to the most faithful and wise.

However not all gods abided by the same rules. While some busied themselves with governing humans and guiding them, other did not. In the northern lands- the land of the exiled, land with no king, was the domain of Roaken the god of lies and trickery. All who resided there were criminal exiled from their home kingdoms. The land was unwelcoming to the exiles who tried to make a living there.  The wild lands as some called it took the majority of present time Kalmer and Middland.  They had never in their time been ruled by any king.  The north was Roakens domain while the southern part belonged to the god of woods – Tapialis, who was not fond of humans.

The exiles struggled to survive and some made their way to Roakens home and begged the deity to aid them. Roaken was amused by this, allowing them to stay in his palace and giving them magic as long as they did what they were told and denounced  the other gods. Over the decades his followers grew, given that anyone could come and ask Roaken to give them magic. But one day a tribe from the other part of wild lands came to ask for help. They were being attacked by invaders from outside and asked those who served Roaken to come and fight for them. Roaken asked what they would give him in return. The people were poor and had nothing but their alliance to give, however one woman in the group was a worshiper of Aneya, the goddess of healing and protection.  Roaken refused to help the people, saying that they should go and ask Aneya for help instead. 

Aneyas home was in a kingdom far west, a journey they did not have the strength for, and they would have to cross several kingdoms. Being exiles they were forbidden from entering any kingdom. As the people left some of Roakens followers felt sorry for them. As the group left Roaken forbade for anyone to help them. Despite the restriction during the night some of the younger one slipped out to help the tribe and fend off their attackers.

Once Roaken heard of this he was furious.  He had chased after the disobedient ones for days. He had made them unable hide using the power of illusions so they could not use his greatest power against him. He had captured and devoured many; he had not stripped them of all the power, finding the chase amusing. After long days and nights the surviving ones had found themselves in the forest home of Tapialis.  Roaken was hesitant to enter the home of another god without permission.  The forest god heard the plea of the people and decided to aid them by taking them into his care.  Roaken demanded they met and one they did he asked Tapialis to surrender the traitors to him. The god responded saying the he was welcome to look for them and take them if he found them.  Before the meeting Tapialis had transformed the survivors into forest animals: ferrets, squirrels , raccoons,  hares, weasels, ermines  and others.  No matter how long Roaken search he could not find them.

Angered he left, but in doing so he summoned a storm that rained and poured until it formed a sea so they could never return to their families.. Dividing the wild lands in two. The northern park that belonged to Roaken later became Kalmer and the part that belonged to Tapialis – Middland.

4: The origin of Rangers

The Origin of the Rangers

The goddess Aneya resided far in the west, she was revered as the Goddess of healing and protection. Her followers gained from her the power to heal, however she mostly excepted woman into her service. However, to the dismay of many Aneya was the fiancé of Roaken the god of lies and trickery. Roaken had sawed the young and beautiful goddess  from savage beasts that attacked her  and in return he had asked for her hand in marriage. Having little choice she accepted.

Next to the mountains where her temple stood were the forests of Edoran – the god of the hunt. Aneya would often walk the woods , awaiting the day she would become Roakens wife. Edoran would often walk beside her and the engaged in conversations. Edoran was kindhearted and Aneya fell deeply in love with him, but despite this she swore to uphold her promise. On the night she was supposed to leave for the north Edoran kissed her as they said their goodbyes. Roaken saw them and was enraged. Transforming into a snake a venomous snake he bit  Edoran  after Aneya left. He then confronted her in the temple accusing her of disloyalty and saying that she will pay dearly for this. Rushing back into the woods she found Edoran dead. 

She took his body out of the woods , into the vale and wept for seven days. Her tears formed a lake around his body. She then covered his body with dirt, creating an island. Once she was done she saw that people had gathered around the lake. They were the people that served under Edoran. They shared in her grief, now left homeless and leaderless. Seeing their grief she took up the bow Edoran used to wield, swearing to look after his people now that he was gone.

But the hunters wanted revenge against Roaken, some of them had visited him kill Edoran. It was forbidden by the makers for the gods to kill each other. Aneya forbade the people to go, if they were become her subjects  they were to abandon all thoughts of revenge. A few hunters put their bows aside and agreed to the terms while others  unable to put their hate aside set out for a long journey north  to get revenge.

Aware of this Aneya sent a group of hunters royal to her  after them.

„Go after your kinsmen. Do not stop them, do not aid them. Watch, observe and commit to memory what happens and tell me.“

So they group left.

Meanwhile the goddess of death Orthica had received Edonars soul. Fully aware that Roaken broke the laws. She had placed a curse upon him, forcing him to change into a serpent, unable to assume any other form for as along he lived.

As the army of hunters descended on the wild lands, Roaken watched from his palace, piloting revenge. The hunters were winning, crushing one wild tribe after another. The watchers observed with horror as the slaughter went on. After moths, suddenly a well-armed army descended upon the hunters and crushed them.  Saddened to see their kinsmen resort to such violence and even more by their deaths the  watchers returned to Aneya and told her what transpired.

„There is no justice in revenge. Remember this.“ She said.

„We will never forget what we witnessed. We will tell this story for many who come before us. „

„So that you never forget- here is my gift. In memory of out beloved Edoran and as a warning  of what becomes of those who lose themselves to dark temptations of revenge“ she touched their bows that were regular wood and they became light, merging with the bodies of those who touched them and appearing at will, shooting without arrows.

Aneya took up the tittle of the goddess of healing and hunting, while those serving under her became known as the watchers, observing and passing down stories of old times. But the outsiders had began referring to these mysterious travelers as rangers , mistakenly using the name of wandering elf archers that protect the woods from poachers.

 

5: Spiaders Legacy part 1

It was the age of man. Gods have left the world, called away by the Makers to watch over other worlds. Indeed, mankind had been left to its own devices. Kings ruled and warred with eachtoher, peasants tilled the soil like they always have, but outside the cities there were monsters- horrible and hungry. This was also a time when necromancers wandered the world, hated and feared by common folk, they killed monsters in exchange for gold or food.

 

The girl looked down at the ground; her bare feet were muddy and scratched from walking for a long time.  Pale blond hair flowing down over her left shoulder, hands chained in front of her as four, armed men walked surrounding her. There were other people being walked in a similar manner.  Just a week ago she had been sold to the slavers by her own parents, and just a couple of days ago the slavers got attacked by bandits who took the slaves that were healthy and young, but not children,and killed the rest. 

As the procession of bandits along with the captured slaves was walking on the empty road, a figure emerged. From the height and broad shoulders it was most likely a man. He wore a black cloak with a hood, clipped at the left shoulder so it completely covered him. The stranger walked to the opposite direction of the bandits and seemed to ignore them completely. Some of the bandits noticed the stranger and began to look at eachtoher unsure of what to do. One of the bandits who had been accompanying the girl motioned to stop and approached the traveler.

“Hey, you!”

The man didn’t stop and kept walking until the bandit caught up to him placed a hand on his shoulder.  The he turned his head slightly.

“ You think you can just ignore it when people call you?” The bandit yelled.

The man just shrugged off his hand and continued walking. The bandit stood there taken aback for a moment. He turned to the others, who rose their crossbows and aimed at the man’s back.

“We can’t risk him alerting anyone that he saw us.” The leader of small group said. “You know how it is, anyone sees -we kill ‘em.”

The bandit took out his sword and ran after the man.

“You’re really unlucky, pal.” He said aiming to stab the man in the back.

The cloaked man turned around with a quick movement and grabbed the attacker. There was a flash of light and the man crumbled into a pile of clothes and ash.  The other bandits began to murmur among themselves.

“One of them.”

“a necromancer…

“we can win”

As the man turned towards them, the group of several armed men visibly took a step back from where they stood.

“Leave” was all the man said and all of them ran off after the rest of the caravan.

Turning away the man began to walk.

“You can’t just leave me here! Shouted the young woman who had been silent until now.

He looked over his shoulder at her then turned away and kept walking.

The woman began walking after him. The chains around her bound wrists rattling loudly.

“Wait up!” she yelled.

The man turned around once more.

“You can’t leave me here all alone. I’m defenseless.”

“Not my problem. Go home” he said beginning to walk away.

“If I come back, they will just sell me again, once the food is all gone.” She said after him.

The man had walked a good distance away. She tried to run after him, but soon stumbled and fell. No matter how much she shouted, he didn’t turn around. Tears began running down her face as she broke down crying.

The man walked at a fast pace. Vaguely aware of the living presence he left behind him. She didn’t seem to be moving closer. Assuming the woman gave up he kept walking. 

“What a strange woman. Doesn’t she know what I am?” He thought to himself.

People covered in fear, shouted insults, hid their children and wives, or tried to kill him. Mostly all of the things would happen all together. Once the news got out there was a necromancer in the area. 

The afternoon sun was still hot, so the man stopped to rest in the shade of the trees. Inspecting the food supplies, he took one of the few remaining pieces of bread

 

The woman knelt on the dirty road. Time passed but no one came. Getting back to her feet, the blonde began walking towards the direction she had seen the man go. Dark clouds began to gather, announcing an approaching storm.

He had felt the presence coming closer. Still distant but unmistakably moving closer. Surprised, he cut his rest short. Soon he was far enough to not feel it anymore. The road leads out of the forest into a rather barren and rocky ground. Lightening flashed across the sky but it did not rain.  The white haired man spotted his destination :a graveyard. Surrounded by a fence of metal bars, not a large area but it would do for the night. Necromancer were forbidden to enter towns without permission and unannounced.  Following the stone path into the mausoleum, he descended to the crypts. Underground was where they buried the poo folks who could not pay for a grave up above. Burning the bodies to make more room had been a common practice in some places, but not here. The man was slightly surprised seeing full remains of bodies in the walls. Neat and symmetrical areas were carved into the stone and bodies placed on them. Most have been severely decayed- only blackened bones left.  This turn of events please the necromancer, having bodies always made work easier.

It was soon after he had entered the crypt that the first drops of rain began to fall. Sitting down on the stone floor, he leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. It had been a rather long journey. On the verge of sleep he felt them. They entered his feel of sense. One, two, six, no more than that. Still far, probably somewhere in the woods- wolves. He dismissed the presence and was about to go back to sleep. But then he remembered the woman from before. No one else had passed this way all day, she probably still alone out there. Perhaps the wolves will find some other prey. Sighing he pulled his cloak tighter around himself and tried to go to sleep. But sleep wouldn’t come.

 

The woman kept walking, as fast as her tired and aching feet allowed it. Thirsty, hungry, exhausted and all alone. The rhythmic moment of walking, the heavy weather, and her eyes began to close. Still walking forward, fighting of sleep. There was a sudden pain. Opening her eyes she sees blood coming from under her foot. A rather sharp rock embedded in her foot. Ripping of a part of her dress she binds the injury as best as he bound hands allow it and waits for the bleeding to stop. Lightning flashes above. Soon rain begins to fall. Trying to find shelter she crawls on her knees, to avoid stepping on the injured foot. But the trees prove to be a poor shelter, as drops still make their way onto her. Burying her head in the torn skirt of her dress she cries. A part of her wishing she had not been fried from the bandits, for they at least gave their slaves food and water and shelter. She did not know the area, and even if she found a town – she had no money. There seemed to be nothing but misery in store for her and thinking about it she thought that maybe being dead was better.

A sound had snapped her out of he thoughts. It was a sound she had never heard but immediately recognized. The sound of the wolves howling. Her blood ran cold They were louder than the dogs in the village and had different pitch. Blood, she remembered – they can smell blood. Getting up she tried to hop on one foot. Grabbing to a low branch attempted to pull herself up but it snapped. The woman fell.  In the dark she could see yellow eyes.  Holding the branch in front of her and waving it she screamed:

“Stay away! Get away from me!”

But the wolves didn’t seem to care. They began to approach her in a circle, growling. One was getting ready to jump at her. Closing her eyes the woman frantically swung the tree branch at it. The bite didn’t come. Opening her eyes she saw all the wolves looking away from her, sniffing the air. Their fur was standing up, fangs bared. The pack growled at something and began to back away. The woman looked back but saw nothing. With a final howl the wolves charged not at her but at past her towards what ever had them so wound up. There was flash of light, sounds of howling, then whining another flash and then silence.

Terrified the woman wondered whether she could get away in time. Attempting to stand and run away, but her injured foot didn’t react well to being stepped on. She stumbled to the ground, catching herself by leaning on the tree. A dark figure emerged from the depth. It looked like a human. As it moved closer she recognized the man from earlier.

“Here to leave me again?” she said angrily.

The man said nothing as he walked towards her. Then he grabbed her wrists. The woman gasped in surprise. Light came from his hands and the metal cuffs began to turn to rust and fell away.  He turned around and began to walk away.

“Wait” she called out to him.” My foot is injured. I can’t walk.”

Sighing he turned around. He knelt so the woman could get on his back. It felt strange, almost surreal to her but  she began to relax and feel embarrassed for her anger- the man did save her life.

“Thank you.” She whispered into his back.

“You are more trouble than you’re worth” he said with a slight hint of annoyance. “So do you have a name?”

“It’s Eliza. And you?”

“Alister. Cross”

 

6: Spiders Legacy part 2

Eliza slowly opened her eyes. A heavy cloak covered her body. For a moment the young woman was confused as to where she was. It was dark, damp and smelled of mold and decay. Then the memories began to return. The man had saved her. But where was he now? She was alone. Looking around she noticed the bodies. Sleep all gone, she jumped to her feet. Pain reminded her of her injury. Leaning against the wall to avoid falling she managed to stand up. Muscles aching from the uncomfortable position of sleep and the hard stone. The light coming thought the entrance was blindingly bright.

As shadow eclipsed the light as footsteps echoed in the crypt. Squinting she saw a man with long white hair. It fell down his back, contrasting with the dirty black shirt and pants. This was the first time she saw him without the cloak. He looked so much younger than she had assumed. His voice sounded much more like that of an older man’s. There was wide belt around his waist. Hinging from it was pouch, and a book with dark leather covers. Eliza was too captivated at first by the book to notice a giant black bird that looked like it was made of bone and tied together by strings of muscle. Before she could say anything he grabbed his cloak that was still draped around her.

“Hurry up. We’re leaving” he said putting it on and walking out

“Well good morning to you, too” she said.

Walking still hurt but rest had restored her energy and she decided she could put up with it for a while.

“Where are we going?” she asked catching up with him.

“I have work. You are going to stay in the town.”

“So you’ll just leave me there?”

“Would you rather I left you here?”

Eliza shook her head.

He walked slightly in front of her and if she got closer he walked faster. The sun rose higher, crickets chirped in the dry grass. The rain had not been enough after a long heat.

“So what is this work?” she asked after a while, traveling in silence was becoming too awkward for her.

He didn’t immediately answer. Eliza wonder if he didn’t hear her or just pretended not to.

“A monster.” He finally said.

“What kind of monster?” she wondered.

“That remains to be see.” He stopped “We’re here”

The town was a good few feet away from them.

“No we’re not.” She said “let’s go.”

“We wait.” He said.

The creepy bird took off towards the town. It had been sitting on Alister’s shoulder the whole time. Few moments passed.

“So what are we waiting for?”

He didn’t answer. There was the sound of galloping horses. Four men approached them. One of them that looked more important than the others rode up to Alister.

“You do the job. Take your pay and get out. Got it” the man tossed a scroll at him.

Alister caught it and read thought it.

“That’s fine. But there is one thing I would like to request”

“You don’t make requests” one of the men said.

“This girl claims to have escaped from slavers.” Alister continued talking, ignoring the man completely” found her in the woods.”

“What do want to us to do about it?” the other asked glaring at him from behind.

“ Is it possible for the town take her in. “

The one who seemed more refined than the others looked over at Eliza.

“I suppose we could.”  He seemed to think for a bit” just leave to old Martha at the inn.”

“Thank you” Alister said.

Few of the men laughed as they rode off towards town.

Alister began walking towards town, with Eliza following behind. There was no one at the gate, though she spotted a shadow of a man in the guard house, by the window. Alister just kept walking. The streets were empty at first glance. The windows were covered. Some kid tried to leave the house only for a woman to quickly drag him inside. It made her feel unease, people were hiding, but definitely watching. Alister didn’t stop, walking straight towards the inn.

“I’m sure the people in this town will take care of you.” He said opening the door.

Inside was an old woman. Rather large, but short, missing some front teeth. She shot a look at Alister.

“I’m afraid we don’t serve your kind here. You’ll have to find you comfort elsewhere, necromancer”

“The town mayor promised to take in the girl. She escaped from slavers.”

“Is that right?” the woman began eyeing Eliza. “A pretty little thing aren’t you?” she grinned. “Oh, don’t worry, I’ll take good care of you.” She took Eliza by the hand and began dragging her upstairs.

As the girl looked back she saw the back of Alister’s cloak flapping as he walked out. The old woman dragged her into a small room upstairs.

“You can sleep here.” She pointed to the dusty bed. “But first we have to get you cleaned up. You’ll have to work, of course.”

“I can cook and clean. I can do a bit of sewing too.” She said.

The old woman seemed kind. Elise couldn’t recall when she slept on a bed.

“Good, good. You’ll do fine here. “

The woman was a little rough washing her hair but the warm water felt so nice she didn’t dare to complain. Her mind wondered back to Alister.

 

The sun was setting. The town was small, surrounded by mostly grass field, but the heat caused the grass to wither. Few month ago something had appeared and started attacking the people that headed north along the river road. The so called river was a miserable drying stream, more mud than water. It attacked at night, mostly, as the people said. Some kind of man eater, or so they thought. Never found the bodies, only the horses, stuck inside the river mud, throats ripped out. Alister began walking towards the river. There was a buzzing of bugs, the crunching of dry grass. Then slowly the smell hit, on the wind, coming from further down the river, a sweet and coppery scent mixed with that of stale water and decay. But despite this he kept walking towards the something that caught his attention. Lined up by the river were rocks, not small, reaching up the knees, the ground around them seemed disturbed. One had a cloth doll placed against it. There were nine mossy large rocks. Behind them were smaller ones. A total of sixteen. Like a little graveyard of tiny tombstones. But the ground was unconsecrated, unblessed, it gave no rest for the souls of the dead buried here. Not that it would do any good against a necromancer.

Following the river, puddles in the mud began merging into something more resembling a body of water. The mist rose with the heat of the day dying down. He stood there, silent, waiting. As the moon rose higher a wail came from the direction of water. Sounding much like a woman crying. Cautiously he took a few steps in that direction. Dried reeds growing on the shore line. Moon reflecting in the water. And then it echoed again a mournful cry. He waited. The reflection of the moon changed the more he looked at it. It was not as around anymore, the full moon had passed but two days ago, it’s roundness fading, but not it did not look like the moon at all. Like a white cloth floating in the water. Alister stepped into the water, it was shallow, reaching up this ankles, slowly getting deeper, but only slightly.  Coming closer, black tendrils could be seen coming from under the cloth and then the stench of decay hit.  Reaching for his sword Alister too k the last few steps towards it. He felt a hand grab his leg under water and readied a strike. The bone handle of the sword forming a blade of pure white light. A head rose out of the water, eye sockets empty, skin a greyish green color.

“My baby… where?” it let out a sharp cry again.

Alister brought the sword down, impaling the creature. The light burning it into nothingness. He hung the blade handle back on his belt where it was covered by the cloak. For a moment a beautiful woman with black hair and rather revealing dress appeared on the shore of the river. He hear another sharp cry behind him.

“Looks like this is going to be a long night” he thought to himself.

 

Since early morning Eliza had been up, helping with the chores in the inn. Making bread and stew, helping to get water from the well. Her thought would occasionally drift to Alister. She tried to ask about the monster, but the old woman would tell her not to worry about it.

“Have you been with a man?” the old lady asked while Eliza was tossing logs into the fire.

The girl shook her head.

The old woman laughed. Eliza turned around not sure what was so funny.

“That reminds me. You need to get changed before people start coming in” she began pulling out clothes from an old chest.  It looked like it was full of woman’s clothes inside.

Eliza soon found herself in a rather uncomfortable dress with low shoulders and a low neckline. The dress was a little too big, but the old woman just put a tight corset over it.

“It’ll be fine” she said. “You’ll bring in a lot of customers, as pretty as you are.”

 

When Alister walked back into the town the few people that were in the streets hurried to get out of sight. He headed towards the inn. One of the men from the previous day stopped him.

“The mayor’s office is that way. Take your money and get out”

“Keep your money.” He said in a low but menacing voice.

He took a step upon the stairs leading to the inn. But the man put his hand on Alister’s shoulder.

“I said, get out, freak”

“I will once I know the girl is alright.”

“Oh, she’ll be just fine. Don’t you worry about that? Martha will make a proper whore of her. Just like the others”

Alister took the man’s arm that was still on his shoulder and squeezed it. White flashing in his eyes and the man. He screamed in pain and tried to pull his arm back, but Alister didn’t let go. And the man crumbled at a pile of ash and bones.  Somebody screamed, several people yelled. Alister walked into the inn. The people inside looked startle. He ignored all of them and walked towards the woman.

“Where is she?”

“What does it matter to you?”

“I’m taking her back. Where is she?”

A scream came from upstairs and Alister stormed off. The wooden door of the room burst into pieces under his power. Two men had Eliza pinned to the bed, one holding her by the arms, the other lifting her dress.

“Hey, what.”

Before he could finish his sentence they both were dust. Eliza looked at Alister, eyes full of tears.

“Come on, we’re leaving” he said turning his back to her and walking downstairs.

Eliza got up and readjusted her dress, getting back into her shoes and almost ran after him.

“You can’t do this!” the old woman yelled. “You monster!”

Alister turned to her. Eliza hiding behind him.

“The only monster here is you” he said looking at the woman.

People in the street shouted as the walked out of the town.

“Monster!”

“Murderer”

Some threw rocks or trash at Alister. He kept Eliza covered, wrapped in his cloak as she walked beside him. As the left the town and he once again began walking ahead of her, Eliza said nothing. A sound startle her back to reality as they were walking in silence.

“Keep up” Alister said from further ahead.

“I think I hear a woman crying” she said looking around the fields and the shallow river bend.

“You’re imagining it. Now let’s go.”

In the shallow water of the river bend stood woman with long black hair covering her face. Her sharp cries echoing even in the day.

7: Spiders Legacy part 3

Spider’s legacy part 3

Eliza slowly rose the spoon to her lips, the vegetable stew was probably the best food she had in weeks but a deep seethed feeling of dread kept her from enjoying it.  It had been three days since they arrive here.  South Astoria was a lot different from the   wetlands. It was a lot wilder and monsters were rampant. Alister had left her in the care of two elderly famers.   They were kind to her but a feeling of dread seemed to never quite go away.  She supposed she was worried that Alister would just leave here.  That he would just wander off when the job was done and she would never see him again.  During these few weeks on the road she had grown to depend on the man. While he spoke little and kept his distance she knew he was kind.

Alister waited. It was dark under the trees and damp, the moisture causing the clothes to stick his body. The land was swampy and there were many wild animals. But that was not what he was after. Several homesteads he had come across were empty. People in the last town reported that folks lowing out in the bayou were going missing, no trace like they left and never came back. He had already been paid for taking any creature or creatures he came across while traveling through the bayou. In the past three days he hadn’t encountered anything that could lead to such a large scale disappearance.  A few chupacabras but those only fed on the blood of goats, deer, horses and similar animals. He had killed an ape man the other day. Those were carnivorous and known man eaters but he doubted the creature was responsible. After inspecting g one of the homes he found no damage done to it. An ape-man would have broken things, and they typically avoided human homes only attacking lone travelers.  There was a colony of giant spiders, but they were very territorial and never went beyond their hunting grounds. So far he hadn’t seen anything that was out of the ordinary.

“Perhaps the people just left.” He thought to himself.” But almost all of them so quickly?”

Life in the bayou was harsh. It was hot all year, the land was moist, but unsuitable to grow most crops and vegetables. People here lived scattered on the small patches of land surrounded by the pools of water. Herbs and plants grew here that grew nowhere else. The mangroves around the coats were rich with fish, those who lived closer to the meadows kept goats and cows. Many of the locals allowed travelers to stay at their homes, that’s why the disappearances were noticed so quickly.  Travelers arriving to places they stayed before only to find the house empty.

If he was honest with himself, there was nothing keeping him here any longer. He had killed several creatures he encountered in the bayou, and he already had his payment. He could walk away right now and probably not be in the wrong either.  Just leave. The girls was safe, the old couple would take good care of her.  But somehow, a part of him felt wrong. There was a feeling deep down that was almost like fear. Something he could not explain to himself. This feeling made him stick around.  He checked again. The shallow pools and the deeper ones. Great place to get rid of bodies. Maybe it was done by people, robbers of something. But while there were bones they were old and gnawed on by alligators, nothing recent.

Taking the book out of its holster Alister flipped thought the pages keeping descriptions of creatures and places where he had encountered. There were many creatures, some from his own encounters, others obtained from other necromancers he encountered along the way. The books was almost full now. Flipping thought swamp and bayou creatures. Nothing that could cause such a disappearance.

Could it be some type of new creature? Something unseen before. Perhaps he was overthinking it. Placing the book back he remained in the shade listening to the buzzing of insects. The feeling that something was wrong only growing deeper.   He could not place a finger it. The insects buzzed even more intensely. What was missing? Everything seemed fine, yet something seemed to be bothering him since the moment he set foot into the bayou.

All he could hear were the various insects and the occasional breeze rustling the trees. That’s it. But where were all the birds that should be plentiful this time of year? Not a single animal has do the water to drink. No muskrat trails around the water either. In three days he had not seen any other creature aside from the monsters and even those were few. Something had scared all of them off. But what could ir be? What would make the monsters run in fear?

 

 

Eliza lay in bed awake, unable to sleep. Something bothered her since they had arrived but the young woman couldn’t put a finger on it. Her stomach growled in complaint. The old woman had been insistent she ate all of her food. Eliza was used not having much to eat, so this becoming a mild annoyance. But she couldn’t refuse them either. They were so welcoming to her and even to Alister but he left quickly. She wondered if had perhaps already killed whatever monster it was and left her behind. She guessed she could get used to life in the bayou, but It would get lonely and dangerous after the old folk die. A young girl living alone in a place like this- seemed like a bad idea. Monsters, passers by one can’t be sure about safety.  Lying in bed didn’t seem to help her stomach feel any less bloated. Quietly she got out of the bed and opened the door into the hall. Out the window she caught a glimpse of something like a light.  A lantern? It quickly vanished out of sight. Eliza tip toed to the end of the hall where the bedroom of Eustace and Muriel was. The door was slightly ajar. Careful to not make any sound she looked inside to find the room empty.

“No. Sure not….” The woman thought to herself. “But how did they survive here, when everyone around is going missing?”

 

Alister watched the house from afar.  There were people still living here. Ones of the few who didn’t go missing yet.  Whatever it was, targeting people. It would come. If not tonight then soon. Aside from the old people he left Eliza with he noticed three other homesteads in his wanderings around the bayou. Relatively far apart from each other but they showed signs of people living in them.  He felt something wasn’t right.  These people didn’t go outside, the windows were covered with cloth from the inside. The house was more decrepit despite being lived in. Some of the empty ones had been the same.  There was a feeling in the air, like something was approaching.  A scream came from the house. Alister focused, preparing to move, then he stopped. He could see it. It was tall, white, reaching up to the branches of the trees, long limbs stained with red. Empty eye sockets glowing. The necromancer felt a chill run down his spine. The creature approached the house, seemingly shrinking as it moved. He didn’t see it after it reached the door, then angle blocking it from his view.

Slowly moving towards the house. He crouched near the wall of the house. There was a sound of crunching coming inside. Inching closer to the door he could see the pale creature sitting with its long legs bent to the sides like some strange giant frog. Its mouth was open and what resembled legs was sticking out of it. The crunching sound came whenever it swallowed.  Noticing Alister the creature seemed to gulp down its meal and prepare to leap at the man. Alister moved to the side as it leaped out of the entrance. It turned around and howled at him in a raspy low voice. Then it leaped back into the woods.

He entered the house once more. Trying to locate the source of the scream. The house was filthy, flies and various insects buzzing around the fire place. There was strange smell. Almost like burning flesh. Stoking the fire, he noticed something in it. Blackened bones, too big to be a chicken of a muskrat, not big enough to a deer. Being a necromancer he knew these bones well. 

The basement was dark, the smell of dampness, mold and blood was thick in the air. Light from the upstairs illuminated buckets full of dark liquid. On the table lay the body of a woman, head and limbs severed.  A deep cut in her stomach, organs in the process of being removed. The creature had interrupted the residence in the middle of their work. She had died a short while ago. Reaching out with his power he felt around of her spirit. The severed head moved slightly, it’s eyes beginning to glow.

“What happened here?” Alister asked.

“They took us in for shelter. We were three, looking four our missing friends. They were traveling and then never came back. They put something in the food. We woke up chained in the basement. They took my brother first. They ate him. Then my lover. “

Alister vanished the spirit, sending it to Death. He left the house. The people here got what they deserved. Going back to the nearest abandoned homestead he found similar traces of bones in the ash, or shallow graves on the property, remains in an empty well. No doubt the creatures of the swamp, like spiders or the ape-men would be blamed for vanishing travelers, while the real monster were hiding in plain sight.

 

Eliza sat curled up in her bed, holding a kitchen knife hidden under the covers. She hear the footsteps of them returning. It was still dark out. They seemed to head into the bedroom. Fearful she fell into an uneasy sleep only to be startle awake by a knock on the door.

“Eliza dear, breakfast is ready.”  

Nervously she got out of bed. Looking tired, with dark circles under her eyes.

“Oh my. You look dreadful.  Is everything alright?” the old woman inquired.

“I had a stomachache.” She lied.

“I’ll make you some nice herbal tea.”

Making her way downstairs she was surprised to find Alister sitting in the kitchen.

“You’re back? Does that mean you’re done with the job?”

He slowly nodded.

“Are you staying for dinner?” the old woman chimed in.” I’m making muskrat stew. Lately they have been harder and harder to find. We had to move the traps farther out.” she was holding a wooden cage with a muskrat inside.

Eliza felt guilty for being suspicious. After breakfast Alister headed to bed. Eliza helped with the cooking. The strange feeling of unease was gone. She wondered if Alister was going to tell her to remain behind. She ate lunch trying to hold back the burning question. It took almost all of her concentration, and she barely touched the food.

“Is something the matter dear? Is it you stomach again?”

Eliza shoot her head.

“Well, are coming or not?” Alister was already getting ready to leave.

“Yeah.” She cleaned her plate in seconds, overjoyed that he wasn’t leaving her behind.

It was a while after they had walked further from the house that she heard it- the songs of various birds were in the air.

“I don’t think I’ve hear birds since we got here.” She said.

Alister said nothing.

“So what was it? The monster? You got it right?”

He was quiet for a while.

“Let’s just say that the ones responsible got what they deserve.”

“One thin still bother me.” She said” how did Muriel and Eustace survive, why didn’t they go missing like everyone else?”

“Well, I guess, in a swamp full of monsters they were only true humans.”

‘What does that mean?” She said confused.

Alister said nothing and kept on walking. The bayou gave way to a denser forest. From uphill they could see the valley and in the distance the lights of a town.

“You never told me where we are going?” Eliza said.

She had been wondering about it since they met.

“There is port there” he pointed to the lights.” You can stay behind. I’m taking a boat to Midland.