By Volk-Oboroten'
"Dead of Winter"
Roderic watched the portal intently, waiting for the arrival of Nasoj's tribute collector. The wizard's emissary appeared just before sunset, materializing under the middle of the archway. As guild lord, Roderic had collected taxes from the miners of Lik for several weeks, but still felt uncomfortable when Nasoj's envoy arrived. Looking into the arch, he got a scornful look from the haughty envoy.
Roderic resented being treated as an inferior, but realized that Nasoj was the true master of Lik. No one knew the envoy's true name, for he only identified himself as the Great Wizard's agent, and demanded to be treated with the same degree of deference. Roderic knew the envoy could summon real power if needed, so he complied with all of his demands.
At least it wasn't the wizard. Nasoj himself was sometimes known to personally appear in Lik, so Roderic was always ready to show his absolute loyalty. Walking forward, he presented a bucket of gems to the envoy, displaying the tribute gathered during the past week.
The envoy's eyes sparkled as he looked at the stones. "That's more than your brother ever collected. But we need more. A lot more. Scour the town for every gem you can find. Make sure no one is hiding a secret hoard in one of the deeper shafts."
Roderic replied: "Isn't this more than our normal quota? Valaric took many of the stones with him when our regiment marched off to war. We also gave the circle of Moranasi all the gems they wanted."
The envoy glared at Roderic: "Silence! You haven't yet proved your fealty to Nasoj. We received word of your brother leaving the battlefield near Metamor over a week ago. There are even rumors that he was seen with a band of rebels. But he is dead now. No deserters or traitors defy the will of the Great Wizard! You will also be dead if you resist."
Briefly shaking with fear, Roderic quickly handed the bucket to the envoy. He then received new orders from the envoy: "Tell Lik's circle of mages to assemble at the portal. Nasoj needs their services because the Moranasi are unavailable. Act promptly, or we shall find someone else to replace you. You will suffer the fate of your brother if you fail to carry out the wizard's orders."
Later that evening, Roderic watched the mages walk into the portal to join Nasoj's envoy. Together, they vanished, being instantly transported to Nasoj's distant citadel. He was glad that the envoy was gone, but worried about his demand for more gems. Once, it had been easy to find precious stones in the soil beneath Lik. However, the nearby veins played out as mining intensified, due to Nasoj's constant need to fund his wars.
Thus, Lik now relied more upon the wealth hidden in the surrounding hills. The lutins were paid off with trinkets, ensuring that they would not interfere with miners searching for new lodes. Many men from Lik's garrison would work the mines during the summer, bring the ore down into town in wagons, and then send it to Nasoj by means of the portal.
Nasoj's demands had been unusually heavy during the fall. First, the Moranasi requested special gems for their magic, tapping much of the supply which normally would have been sent as tribute in January. Before leaving, the Moranasi ordered part of the garrison to join Nasoj's army. Valaric rode off with them, giving his brother temporary command in his absence.
Roderic had been glad to see his brother leave, because he always wanted to take Valaric's place in the guild. He hoped that Valaric really was dead, as Roderic enjoyed being in charge. He'd always thought Valaric had been too soft on the villagers, who clearly had more than enough wealth to spare. Besides, Valaric understated the amount of gems produced, allowing his friends in Lik to hide the surplus. Roderic saw no need to be popular with mere villagers, as winning the favor of Nasoj would be far better.
Roderic looked at the secret panel in the wall in which he had stowed several gems. He would be more subtle, and make sure Nasoj never guessed that anything was missing. Valaric never shared the wealth with him, when it should have been kept in the family. Now, things would be different. All of Lik's riches would flow directly to Nasoj, except for the small number of stones Roderic skimmed off the top, as suitable for his own treasure trove.
A few days ago, Roderic had ordered men from the garrison to search the shafts under Lik for hoarded stones, and deliver them to the guild. He thought it would be enough to satisfy Nasoj' envoy, but it wasn't. He would just have to try harder this week.
Suddenly, Roderic saw a black figure silhouetted against the sky. What was it? It couldn't be an eagle, because it was far too large. Its enormous wings flapped a few times before it vanished into the mists of the Tauremorna, the Black Woods west of town. A wolf howled weirdly and mournfully in the distance.
In the village below, people were grumbling about Nasoj's higher taxes. Many wished that Valaric would return from the campaign, and swore that he would punish Roderic if he knew how much wealth had been sent through the portal. While Lik had served Nasoj for years, the miners had always been careful not to let the wizard know the actual amount of ore produced. Now, Roderic was sending the garrison out to find the last gems in town.
Recared walked by the tavern, wondering what could be done. He had no gold left, for the garrison had taken everything. He had worked in the mines all day, but was told that he would only be paid with food, because supplies were short. At least he still wore his coat, but Roderic's troops might demand it next. He shivered as the cold wind reminded him it was January.
Near the western town gate, he saw an odd shape in the fading twilight. A woman wearing a jet-black cape beckoned to him from outside, standing on the long unused path leading west into the Black Woods. As he drew nearer, he gazed at her pale face, which seemed to radiate an air of dark mystery. Her finely curved hand pulled him closer, as if he were beguiled by a spell. "Who are you? I have never seen you in Lik before. Do you live in a nearby town?" Recared said.
"Some call me Kriemhilda," the strange woman replied. A black cat paced to and fro near her feet, making low purring sounds. "I have traveled to many lands, but cannot say that I lived in any of them," she said. Recared was surprised she had reached Lik without being arrested. Normally, several soldiers were posted at each gate before sunset, to watch for intruders.
Recared then looked at her black satin dress, flowing in the winter wind, and wondered how she could remain warm on a cold January night. "You must be freezing. Please come into the tavern and have some mead. I don't have any money, but I'm sure the bartender will be happy to meet someone new." Recared opened the gate, and Kriemhilda walked inside. Her cat prowled outside, arching his back briefly as if startled, but then bounced away to pursue something.
Kriemhilda said: "Thank you for the invitation, but I do not drink mead. Why are you short of money? I heard the men of Lik were quite wealthy, as the most favored subjects in all of Nasoj's realm." Her dark eyes seemed to penetrate right through Recared, as if she was searching for something. He was captivated by her prominent lips, which had a violet-maroon color, contrasting greatly with her stark white face.
Looking at the intriguing lady, Recared replied: "Nasoj is taking everything! When Valaric was in charge, we could keep at least some of the ore. But now his brother takes more away each day. We'd do something about it, but Nasoj can always send troops through the portal. There will be nothing left by spring!" He stopped talking, hearing the clatter of horse-hoofs on a nearby street.
Kriemhilda glanced at Recared's neck for a moment, and said: "Would you be happy if Valaric returned? He's said to be a valiant warrior, the leader of a troop of men in the battle against Metamor. But, I must know something first. Is this just about money?"
Recared felt uncomfortable, looking at Kriemhilda's elongated hands. Her fingernails were extraordinary long, making him think of the predatory talons of a raptor. He then said: "It's more than just money. Nasoj keeps increasing his demands. When we saw the Moranasi, we were convinced that it was something different. Mages are bad enough, but that circle seemed to be made of pure evil. If only we could destroy that arch, and be rid of Nasoj!"
Kriemhilda looked intently at Recared: "Valaric is coming back to deliver you from his brother's tyranny. As for Nasoj, his arch can only be destroyed by a magic weapon. Such items may only be wielded by one who is pure of heart, for a fearful fate awaits anyone bearing it with an evil motive. I will return tomorrow evening to this place with the weapon."
Recared wondered what sort of weapon could break the magic wards on the portal to Nasoj's citadel. Suddenly hearing a metallic sound in the distance, he turned to see if some of Roderic's soldiers were coming. After discovering it was only a few miners heading out to the shafts, he decided to ask Kriemhilda how the arch could be destroyed.
She had vanished. He hadn't looked away for more than a few seconds, but she was gone, producing no sound when she left. Seeing a few gold coins in the place were she had been standing, Recared picked them up, and noticed they were inscribed with odd symbols that he could not read.
Kriemhilda must have been afraid, and dropped them when she ran out the gate. Were the coins a gift? He would return tomorrow at sunset, and see if Kriemhilda returned.
Two hours later, in the ancient moss-covered tower used by the guild lords ruling Lik, Roderic gave new orders to the captains of the guard. He had been overjoyed when Valaric marched off, and was even more happy when rumors started that Valaric would never return from the winter campaign. He would prove his loyalty to Nasoj by gathering more tribute than his ineffective brother had ever collected.
Facing the captain of the mountain regiment, Roderic demanded: "Why haven't you brought more! Last summer, the mines in the western hills produced twice as much ore. Aren't the giants supposed to be working those shafts? Make them work harder!"
The captain replied: "The giants have all deserted. They started to act strangely a few days ago, after going to the mines at the edge of the haunted forest. It started when they drank the water from a stream flowing out of the Tauremorna. Then, some of the human miners also started to act odd, like they were entranced. Yesterday, the whole group vanished, and were last seen marching due west, into the Black Woods. We didn't stop them because we were afraid."
"Afraid!" Roderic interrupted. "You should fear Nasoj, not a bunch of trees. Get them back! Lead an expedition into the Tauremorna after dawn, and retrieve them. The western regiment will also go into the woods to ensure they resume work without delay."
The captain of the western regiment then reported: "We have been attacked by mysterious forces from the Black Woods. Just an hour ago, we found several soldiers lying dead outside the western gate of Lik. Their bodies were almost entirely drained of blood, and seemed to be swelling, as though they were about to burst. This foul and treacherous deed occurred this evening, for they had been posted to the gate just before dark. We think a cat was involved."
"A cat?" Roderic said, with a sneer. "That's laughable. Tell me what really happened. Now!"
Nervously, the captain continued: "When we arrived at the gate, our soldiers saw a cat licking the blood off the ground, next to the dead men. As we walked toward it, the black beast stopped feeding and glared at us. I still remember its eyes. They were cold and unblinking, and glowed with a red light, as if the pupils were ringed with flames. It was a demon!"
"A second-rate demon," Roderic said. "Nasoj can send monsters through the portal that really inspire fear. Or perhaps you would like to become one? Nasoj enjoys transforming men into beasts at Hornulaq. The wizard will punish any soldiers who fail him."
Dismissing the two captains, Roderic stared at the commander of the road crew, hoping for good news: "Is the road to the north open? The portal is only reserved for special business authorized by Nasoj himself, so the path to Bremen must be repaired. Clearing some snow and a few fallen trees shouldn't take long. If it isn't ready, you better have a good explanation."
The officer said: "We had the men working on it this evening, carrying torches for light, but then the lutins arrived. They had strange dogs with them, eerie creatures which rushed across the snow noiselessly. Some thought they saw dire-wolves. Then, we heard howling from the Black Woods, and felt something awful was about to happen. Together, we fled back to Lik, running as fast as possible. Some of the men are still shaking with fear. It won't be easy to get them to return there."
"That's not a good excuse," said Roderic. "We've never had problems with lutins here before. Never show weakness to a lutin tribe! That will only inspire them to attack you. You will return there at noon tomorrow, and resume work."
The road crew leader said: "The lutins never bothered us, because we supplied them with regular gifts. But you have sent everything to Nasoj. It was better when Valaric . . ."
"Valaric is dead!" shouted Roderic. "I'm in charge now! You follow my orders! Never question my authority, or you will be severely punished. Get that road open, regardless of what the lutins do. Tell the men that anyone who doesn't work won't receive any food. You are dismissed."
The man trudged away, worried about whether he could carry out Roderic's orders. Below the tower, the two captains addressed their men, telling them of Roderic's order to search the Black Woods for the missing workers. The soldiers were dismayed, for they had heard tales of the army of shadows that waited in the gloomy forest. All knew that Valaric would never have sent them on such a foolish mission. Perhaps he would return, and set things right again.
In the middle of the night, Recared walked toward the entrance to the mine shafts. At least it would be warmer down there, out of the icy breeze. Roderic had denied fuel to most of Lik, saying the miners hadn't produced enough ore to please Nasoj. Nothing seemed to be enough for Roderic, who just wanted them to work harder, and get little in return.
Entering the mine, Recared looked into its depths, trying to spot the new shafts. He could barely see them, lit by dim fires. Roderic started work in the abandoned pits last week, claiming that more gems could be found by digging below Lik's old lodes. However, the miners did not want to work in these shafts, fearing what might happen if you delved too deep. A monster could be lurking in a tunnel. Who wanted to dig ore there, when you might suddenly be attacked by a fierce kobold or balrog?
Recared held the gold coins, wondering what to do with them. The coins glowed yelllow, reflecting light from self-luminous stones set in the mine walls. He had earlier intended to go to the tavern, but had decided against it. There might be questions about he got them. Also, he remembered Kriemhilda's words, and thought this might be a test. Perhaps she wanted to see if he was "pure of heart," and left the coins to see if he would return her money. Recared vowed to return to the gate on the next evening, sure Kriemhilda would be there, waiting for him.