Captian Hagen turned to her. “You say the Abyssal leader believes the key
to releasing their god Akylios lies within Hammerknell Fortress?”
Gwenllian nodded. “The messenger of Bahralt told me this
personally.”
“The cultists have an interest in Gorvaht’s
rituals. “Borrin echoed Gwenllian’s thoughts.
“What is the connection? If we
can understand why, we may be able to get ahead of them.”
All present paced Reclaimer’s Hold while
they considered their next move.
“Could anything be removed from the vessel? Maybe the Abyssal did not mean to release the
voidspawn. Maybe that was the after
effects of breaking it open for their true purpose.”
Captian Hagen looked at her in
surprise. “It would be impossible for
the Abyssal to know, but before Gorvaht released the demons from their
constructs, the vessels held the tools for runebinding.”
“Maybe the Abyssal were after these tools?”
Gwenllian asked, but Captain Haghen shook his head.
“We have retrieved many of the tools from
the undead who roam the gardens. All
were intact and accounted for.”
Borrin looked at the captain; a knowing
smile crossed his face. “May I see the
items you have recovered?”
Captain Hagen led Borrin to a table at the
center of Reclaimer’s Hold. Gwenllian,
clearly uninvited, remained behind as they examined the artifacts. After a few moments Borrin pointed at one of
the hammers in alarm. Gwenllian quickly joined
them.
“But it’s clear now.” Borrin said to Hagen. “See that all the hammers have their Runes
removed.”
“A decorative addition,” Hagen said, dismissively,
“nothing to be concerned with.”
“There is every reason to be concerned!” Borrin said sharply. “The Runes of Shadow were not merely pretty
pictures. They were the final pieces
that allowed the runebinders to do their work.”
Borrin took Gwenllian’s arm and lead her
back to his things.
“The time has come to be brave, Lass.” He
said to her in a hushed voice. “The
Runeguard are far too slow to realize what they have allowed to happen. I happen to possess an ancient relic from the
archives of Sanctum that is said to compel weaker minds to reveal their sinful
intents. If you were to use this Scepter
of Inquisition on the Abyssal in Hammerknell, we might yet uncover their plot.”
Gwenllian accepted the sceptre and left
camp before any of the Runeguard could question her. She once again entered Grey Gardens. The corrupted dwarves and Golems did not
attack her and she walked easily from one side to the other, coming to the foot
of the great fortress’s steps.
She stopped and considered her
options. The steps, and all areas
beyond, were swarming with Abyssal.
Fearing she would be caught and cornered if she continued, she retrieved
the Scepter from her satchel, but as her hand closed around it, she brushed a
second in her pocket -The gift from Scotty.
Unsure of its effects, Gwenllian braced
herself and closed her hand around the small stone. She felt no change and wondered what how the
trinket was supposed to react, but when she stepped forward she understood; She
had become invisible. Pleased, but
unsure how long the effects would last, she hurried up the steps to the open
area above. The Abyssal forces were
fewer here, and those that were present were busy with their tasks.
Gwenllian released the stone, pulled the
sceptre from her satchel, and directed it at the nearest cultist. She turned and walked slowly towards
Gwenllian, stopping a few feet away.
The woman began to shudder. “Stop! I will you our secrets! We have found a way to get inside
Hammerknell.” The woman’s eyes rolled
back in her head and she fell, dead, before she could continue.
Horrified at the strength of this artifact,
Gwenllian knew she was on the right track, but this information alone was not
enough. She found other cultists and
repeated the process. After several
attempts she had all the information she was likely to get and returned, using
Scotty’s gift, to Borrin.
“The Cultists say Brenin has mastered Death
Magic. He plans to use Dwarven
Runebinding to shatter the fortress and gain entry.”
“Your interrogation has yielded alarming
news, but no less than I suspected after my examination of the tools.”
Borrin lead Gwenllian to Hagen and retold
her story. “Hagen, you must see now.”
Sadly, Hagen nodded. “It all makes sense now. The shattered vessels, the runebinding
rituals, the Abyssal’s pursuit of death magic – Tidelord Brenin is creating
runebound machines to breach Hammerknell!”
Gwenllian sighed with relief. “Do you have anything powerful enough to destroy
them?”
“Quartermaster Balint forged one of the
runebinding hammers. If you can get
there, if you can wield it, it will do the job.”
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