A New Face

The room was quickly filing with noxious fumes. Gruffydd turned to nearest door and began smashing it with his hammer. Meanwhile, Miss Adventure sprinted to the far door and began to work its lock. The others were crashing to the floor, unconscious.
With a "sprang" the halfling's door opened. The gas stopped pouring out. Miss Adventure and Gruffydd began dragging the others out of the room. Most coughed up a green, slimey flem, but were otherwise unharmed.
They were in a hallway that ran south, but had a branch to the left not too far away. While the others recovered, Miss Adventure checked it out.
Beyond the hall was a room with a three branches. The far branch had a reinforced door. The north was hall headed back the way they came. To the south was a large double door. It showed terrible damage. Something large had clawed at the doors, trying to open them. More importantly, outside the doors were two columns. The bodies of two goblins were impaled on the pillars by long, black stakes.
"What's up?" Miss Adveture nearly fainted.
While her attention had been on the corpses, Gildrid and the others had walked up behind her. She pointed.
After a few moments, Gustav said, "I think we should head back that way," he pointed down the hall. "Maybe it links to where we came from. I'm exhausted and we are short on Healing vials."
There were nods of agreement.
Not far down the corridor a door appeared on the right hand wall. Unlike the rest they had seen, it was not reinforced, boarded, or even damaged. Miss Adventure started to pick the lock, but found it open. A quick listen reveal nothing.
After they readied themselves, Nemon pushed the door open. It got stuck but he shoved harder. It seems the door got stuck on all the silver coins covering the floor.
The light of their torches reflected off the the thousands of coins jewels filling the room. No one breathed.
Before they could set foot int the room, a dark shape moved from the doorway opposite. In a blur of motion a huge beast lunged at them!

Angel of Death

No one seemed particularly excited in finding out what was behind the door.
Gruffydd was the first to speak, "We either go down those steps, deeper into the dark, or we see what's behind this door."
There were more nods of agreement than nos. The dwarf began the smash at the boards and lock with his mighty hammer. The halls echoed with the banging.
A few minutes later the door swung open. Beyond was a long hallway. Nemon lead the way, torch in one hand, sword in the other.
The hall was finished stone, ten feet wide. A dozen yards into the hall and they came upon another door on the south side of the wall. It too was locked.The hallway still went on farther into the dark.
"I don't know if we should go forward, with an unexplored door behind us," Gildrid spoke. The rest of the group responded with raised eyebrows. Gildrid urging caution?
Miss Adventure was already at work on the lock. The door swung open to a large room.
It too was of finished stone. Another door was on the wall opposite. It was empty except for six large statues carved in relief from the walls. They were or robed, winged skeletons, each bearing a carved stone sword. Morr's Angell's were not an unusual sight for a crypt, but still, Gruffydd urged haste.
They were all busy searching the room when the door slammed shut! Immediately a foul smelling green gas pouring from the statue's mouths...

Locked Away

The little halfling prepared herself. With her magic boots she could easily run past them, but what lay beyond? There were four undead that she could see, but could there be more?
The zombies shambled ever closer. There was a noise behind from the rock slide, but she dare not look. Just as the lead zombie was almost upon her, ..."Thunk"!
An arrow was now sticking out of the eye socket of the closest zombie. It dropped to the ground. A quick look behind her revealed Gildrid had squeezed himself halfway through the a hole between the top of the rockslide and the ceiling.
"Thanks, Skinny", Miss Adventure said before she sprinted behind the furthest undead. Slash! Her short sword dug into the creature. It swung around to face her as the rest took interest in Gildrid.
The elf was trying to squeeze himself through as the zombies moved closer.
He had let loose another arrow, but it went wide. Suddenly he slid forward and smashed into the floor. Nemon, the old mercenary, had shoved Gildrid the rest of the way through.
Gildrd, crumpled at the bottom of the pile of rocks, was set upon by the zombies.
He slashed furiously as they pummeled him with rusted cudgels.
One of the zombies dropped when a large chunk of rock crushed his head. Nemon was halfway through the hole using rocks as missiles. Meanwhile, Miss Adventure had finished her undead foe, and was working on another.
On the other side of the collapsed tunnel, Gustav and Mellon were digging out the remains of Gruffydd. Finally an ankle appeared. Mellion began to tug. Gustav grabbed the other leg. With one last effort they pulled the dwarf free. He groaned.
"Still alive!" Gustav yelled. He grabbed his holy talisman and began to pray.
Nemon, Miss Adventure and Gildrid dispatched the last zombie in time to see a strange glow come form the other side of the rockslide. "What's going on back there?" Nemon shouted.
The weak voice of Gustav responded, "He's alive, but he's going to have a headache".
The rock pile was cleared. Everyone rested. All but 2 vials of the Tears of Shehalla were drank. The zombies had yielded little in treasure. But they had guarded a stairway down.
At the bottom of said stairway was a chamber. It showed damage from a massive brawl. There was dried blood, broken weapons, gouges in the masonry, and strangest of all, long spikes embedded in the walls.
The was another stairway down, but the party's attention was drawn to door. It was boarded shut.

Between some rocks, and a hard place

MIss Adventure jumped when she heard the rocks fall behind her. Dust filled the small passage. She took a few steps back, coughing, into the chamber behind her. She was about to run to Gruffydd's aid when she heard a low moan, and sensed movement behind her in the chamber.
When she turned, she saw 4 shapes rise from the floor of the room. There was the clanking of armor, and the low moans again.
"Ahhh, not zombies....."
She was trapped.

Rocks

"Aaaaaaaahhhh!" Gruffydd gave a shout as he charged the ghoul. His hammer smashed the creature in the arm. But the ghoul slashed with his claws. The dwarf was scraped, but the ghouls paralyzing toxins had no effect on the sturdy Gruffydd.
Nemon attacked with his mighty blade. The ghoul moved with an unearthly speed. He dodged the blow and wounded Nemon. The warrior soon felt the icy cold overtake him. Gildrid took his place in the fray and was also paralyzed.
While the ghoul was bust with his attackers, Miss Adventure had snuck behind him. She drove her short sword into the thing's back. With a howl it stood straight and flailed at his unseen attacker.
It was then the other finished him with quick hammer blows and arrows.
Gustav quickly went to the aid of his frozen fellows. Calling upon his god, he healed them, but he was exhausted by the feat.
In the ghouls den they found piles of gold. The creature had been waylaying adventurers that entered the cave. He must have been one himself long ago. The party found silver bracers and a heavy key around his neck. Much searching found no lock to match it.
Resyed a bit they moved further down the passage. The way became smaller. Miss Adventure and Gruffydd, being the smallest went first.
The halfling moved through easily enough, but as Gruffydd entered the passage, the ceiling above gave way with a crack. It was if the whole mountain came down on him...

Things shiny and shambling

Gruffydd took the brunt of the rat swarm, but soon others jumped in. It involved more smashing, squashing and flailing than real fighting.
Gustav was able to call upon his god to heal the minor scrapes and bites. What he couldn't fix, a few healing potions did.
That room yielding only a few coins amongst the refuse, they moved to the next room. There, in the dark, something shuffled and moved. The torchlight revealed and figure clad in once rich robes, now turned to rags. Shining through the filth something glittered. The creature wore a heavy chain of gold and brilliant silver gauntlets.
The thing itself hissed. It was the color of a deathly ill man. Its hands ended in razor sharp claws. It's eyes, burning red coals of hate.
Gustav pushed his way to the front. "Back! Back spawn of hell!" He thrust forth talisman and prayed to Arnor for strength.
A hideous cackling that sounded came from the ghoul. "Not strong enough....for me..."

Poking in Holes

"There are three ways we can do this," Gruffydd said. "We fight him. And we'll lose by the way. We can negotiate. Giants are stupid, but they're greedy and always hungry. We'' probably lose some gold and a couple horses.
Or, we can find a way around."
Just then, Miss Adventure returned from a quick sneak around the tower. "He looks like he's here to stay", she said.
Quietly, they all mounted up and rode into the unknown area down the river. The ground leveled out, and slowly became swampy. The river became a marsh, and fordable at a wide, flat lake. There they crossed.
It was afternoon by the time they made it to the cliffs overlooking the river again. A cool, fireless night was spent there on the cliffs.
Early the next morning they found the side entrance to the Well of Souls they had found weeks before. The cave mouth was overgrown with foliage, and it took some negotiating to get the horses inside.
The cavern inside was wide and tall enough to fit the horses in. It was agreed, this was for the best, rather than leave them to the elements. There were three small tunnels in the cave.
"Left to right?" Gruffydd asked, "or right to left?"
Torches lit, they went single file down the right most tunnel, the dwarf leading the way.
The tunnel was rough and sloped down into a small cavern. It stank of rot and animal dung. It stunk of RATS!
A horde of giants rats made their home here. On seeing the torchlight, they swarmed the closest adventurer.

Return to the Well of Souls

The unrelenting heat finally broke over Wall. Citizens and adventurers alike crept outside to enjoy the cool weather. After their humiliating last effort, Miss Adventure and Gildrid wanted another go at the lands Beyond the Wall. They gathered the rest of their adventuring crew, and set out early one morning.
Again, following the advise of the Lord Marshal to avoid their familiar routes, they left the Old Trade Road and headed cross country. The one place they knew to cross the river that bisected their route east-west, was the ford at the broken towers. It would take two days to reach it, and once there, they would have to be careful of the hornet like creatures that dwelled in the far tower.
Their two days past uneventful. The only other living soul they saw was a hawk circling high in the cloudless sky. By midday they had reached the ford. Crested the hill that led down the river, Gildrid spotted movement.
The rest dismounted while The elf and his cousin Mellion watched from the safety of the trees. The near tower definitely had activity. They waited, and just as they were sure their eyes were playing tricks large shape emerged form the ruined tower.
It was a hill giant. And it seemed he had made their only crossing point his home. The grouped watched as the massive humanoid slumped outside the ruined tower and settled in for an afternoon nap.

My Little Pony

And off they ran. It was over. Zombie plant creatures, bugbears, land sharks, and talking corpses. It was all too much.
They ran and ran. After a day and night they stopped. Exhausted, they entered the glen where their friend the Dryad, Newly, once lived. The grove of full on small trees. Despite the blistering heat a pitiful rain, these trees seemed to flourishing.
Then, they spotted movement. They tensed and waited for the ambush the Lord Marshal had warned them of.
Instead of monsters or bandit they saw a small pony.

"Amazon!" Miss Adventure screamed and ran to the horse. It must have escaped the Land Shark attack. Indeed, it was scratched here and there but otherwise unharmed.
It was only a short distance back to Wall. But the ribbing they would get from their fellow adventurers over this misadventure, would be long and brutal.

Next: A new adventure starring all your favorites. "Return to the Well of Souls"

Running Around

"Sounds like good advice", Miss Adventure said.
They turned and left the tree quickly. So quick that they almost ran into the bugbear they lost earlier.
The big creature turned and faced them. "Lunch!"
Gildrid drove his remaining spear into the belly of the bugbear. He grunted and snapped the shaft in two, leaving half still in his belly.
Miss Adventure took the opportunity to stab with her small sword, but missed.
The bugbear slapped her aside and bashed Gildrid with the haft of his halberd. The elf fell on his backside.
As the bugbear finally removed Gildrid's spear from his gut, Miss Adventure used the distraction to sneak behind him. She jumped and drove her sword deep into the creature's back. As he howled in pain, Gildrid stood and drawing his sword finished the Bugbear.
After they had stripped the corpse of it's few useful items, they decided to head back to the Deepen Wood. The two had a half-baked plan to burn the plant controlling the dead with oil and fire.
Once inside the woods again and out of the intense heat, pulled all their remaining oil from their packs. Gildrid lit a torch.
Once again, they entered the clearing. This time five walking corpses emerged from the undergrowth. They had the same sickly yellow flesh. They shambled forward, guided by the plant at the center of the clearing.
Miss Adventure's throw was off. Her oil landed just short of the plant. But it was too late. Gildrid had already thrown the torch. Instead of catching the master on fire, they had caught the slaves. Now, fiery zombies were attacking them...

the Quick and the Dead

Dust motes danced like fairies in the soft rays of sunlight that filtered through the broken roof. She awoke. "Oh no. No, no,no..."
Miss Adventure kicked Gildrid in the head.
"Ow! What?" the elf said, angrily.
"Shut up dummy. I think I heard something".
Sure enough, a twig snapped outside. They both peered through the cracks of the ruined hovel they had spent the night in.
Just outside their shack, a large, filthy, yellow furred creature wearing rusted armor trudged about. He, it looked male, poked around the refuse of the abandoned village with a cruel looking polearm. He stopped suddenly. He sniffed the air. Then again.
He turned and gazed with malevolent red eyes at their hiding place.

"Boots, quick", Miss Adventure whispered.
While Gildrid donned Miss Adventure magic boots he whispered back. "I can speak Bugbear."
"You think he really wants to talk? He looks hungry".
Just as they had gathered their things, and the halfling once again jumped piggyback on the elf, what was left of door burst open.
"BREAKFAST!" the bugbear howled.
But they were already gone.
Gildrid sprinted down the road, only stopping when they hit a somewhat familiar crossroad.
One track led east to the Deepen Wood. The other led west to a hill beyond.
As Miss Adventure climbed down from Gildrid's back she said, "Was that western trail here before?"
"I don't know," the elf said, "but I'm not ready for the those zombie plant things in the woods."
So, they followed the trail west. It led up a gradual, then sharp slope. When they reached the top, almost out of breath, they found a lone tree.
It was large and ancient. The wood was gnarled and twisted. But instead of leaves, this tree seemed to have sprouted corpses. From almost every branch hung a body in various states of decay. Some wore ancient armor, some simple peasant clothes. The ground below was dead to too. No grass grew.
The whole scene should have reeked of decay and offal, but instead Miss Adventure only smelled fresh baked pie. To Gildrid, it was the pines of his woodland home he smelled.
There was no breeze yet the corpses seemed to blow gently in the wind.
The two adventurers stood, transfixed by the scene. Miss Adventure was almost ready to say something, when the closest hanged man moved.
There was a sick cracking of bones as his head straightened and turned to them. It spoke.
"Leave this place"......

Run, run away....

There was a terrible scream as the beast tore into Gildrid's horse. He rose to spear the creature.
"No!" Miss Adventure yelled. "You can't hurt it it. All we can do is run."
After a short backward glance at her terrified pony, Miss Adventure took off, followed by Gildrid. They headed for the road.
"They love to eat Halflings," she said between puffs. Just then the beast let out roar. He was following.
"Stop," Miss Adventure said to Gildrid. "We can't outrun it, but I have a plan."
She pulled her magic boots from her backpack, and handed them to Gildrid. He was confused. She never shared. Never. After another roar from creature he sat upon the trembling ground and put them on. Miss Adventure hopped on his back.
In a cloud of dust they were gone.

They headed north along the Old Trade Road to where they had discovered  an abandoned village in a previous expedition. It had been infested from below with kobolds.
"Let's hope the previous residents haven't returned", the halfling said.
They found a burned out hovel that still had the remains of a roof. The magic boots gave you fantastic speed but took a toll on your body. Gildrid collapsed to the floor exhausted. There was still some night left, so Miss Adventure took the watch while Gildrid slept. Within moments she was fast asleep.

Out of the Frying Pan

"RUN!" shouted Miss Adventure.
Dragging the horses behind, the two ran back down the trail. The emerged from the Deepen Wood into the bright sunshine and heat.
"What was that?" asked Gildrid.
"I don't know," replied the halfling, "but I'm pretty sure I know what happened to those trees in a small ravine next to the slowly drying remains of a stream. Gildrid would take the first watch. At some point during the night the ground rumbled. At first he jokingly thought it was simply Miss Adventure's stomach. But, then it happened again. He was in the process of waking her when the ground twenty feet away erupted. The raining dirt pelted the elf and halfling waking Miss Adventure.
Through her bleary eyes she recognized the thing all halflings fear.
"Landshark!"

THe Misadventures of Gildrid and Miss Adventure

It was hot. It had been hot for weeks with little rain. Guardians on the Wall cooked in their mail, while the citizens below sweltered in hovels meant for harsh winters.
In the Inn known as Hole, Miss Adventure, a young halfling and her elven friend Gildrid were not only hot, but bored.
"Word is a party went out to the Deepen Wood and never came back." the halfling said. "Then another group went out looking for them. They're missing, too"
The elf looked up from his warm mug of ale, "So?"
"So, their families are offering 50 crowns for information about them. One hundred if we bring them back."
"I've got that much in my pocket now, and bags of gold at Professor Nodd's", the elf replied.
Miss Adventure only glared at him.
Gildrid sighed,"Okay..."
Before they left, the Lord Marshal himself paid them a visit. He warned them not to take the previous routes out of Wall they had used. Instead, avoid the road and cross overland.
This they did. But only a few miles out they were already worn by the heat. Their mounts walked slowly and it was late afternoon before they entered the Deepen Wood.
No birds called from within. The trees were twisted into themselves and covered with old cobwebs. The whole place had a choked, stifling feel to it. The two adventurers found an old animal track into the Wood from the west end. They were forced to dismount.
Only a few strides in they came upon a body half hidden in the undergrowth. It seemed human once, only the skin was taunt against the bones and a weird yellow color. Gildrid used his spear to turn the body over. Miss Adventure gasped. Vines grew out of it's face. Green vines with purple and yellow flowers. Gildrid quickly spun the spear around and lopped the corpse's head off. A puff of yellow dust "poofed" from the body.
Quickly they left the body and headed further in. They came upon a second trail. This one looked as if it had been hacked from the undergrowth. "Uh-no," the halfling said.
They kept on their easterly path. Soon they entered a small clearing. It was dominated by a large tree oak. The oak was being strangled by a huge viney plant. The plant was covered in the same yellow and purple flowers the corpse had.
Before this sight was completely absorbed by the two adventurers, the forest around them moved. From the trees beside them three figures emerged. They had the shuffling gait of the undead, but had dull yellow, parchment thin skin and vines growing out of terrible places. The vines led back to the large plant in the center. The plant was using the bodies like some sick puppet show!

Krolos

Krolos

Known as the god of War, also called Kral, Kullas, Lord of Battle, Master of Swords, Lord of Crows.

One of the Six Who Reign Above

His symbol is the sword, or in the North the battle axe. He is often depicted as a great lord in glittering armor or a bare chested bloody barbarian. Though not given mastery of the skies he is sometimes worshipped as god of thunder and lightning and also on cold, desolate places.

Krolos has a strange duality. He is a once a symbol of the strategy of war. The calm thinker and planner. The embodiment of the nobility of battle.

But, he is also war's ruthlessness and brutality. Those filled with the blood rage of battle are said to be possessed by Krolos.

Most of the early tales of Krolos revolve around his great battles with giant beasts of legend or other gods themselves.

One such battle involves the birth of the place known as the Sundered Hills. Legend has it, long ago Krolos, the Lord of Battle, went to Vaul, the Maker of Things. Krolos asked Vaul to make him a great war hammer that would be the envy of all who beheld it. Vaul agreed, and labored many days and nights to complete it. When the hammer was done, Krolos stared in wonder at its beauty and might. Vaul asked for payment. Still in awe, Krolos said he would pay anything for it. Vaul asked for the hand of Valena, goddess of love, and sister to Krolos.

Snapped from his trance by these words, Krolos laughed and refused Vaul his payment. The god of the Forge was enraged and snatched back the hammer. The two fought.
Their battle spilled into our world. They wasted the land in their struggle, and thus the Sundered Hills were born.
Children of Krolos are the great heroes of old. Thurn the Splitter, Ulkess of Arnar, Goroth the Mighty and Kell the Black to name a few. 
Paladins of Krolos always are at the head of every battle line. His clerics bless the common soldiers before every fight. Both are always where the fighting is thickest.
After the battle, it is said the Lord of Crows walks the corpse strewn field selecting bravest for his blessings. Krolos's daughters take the souls of the bravest warriors to serve as his own bodyguard. They spend an eternity feasting and fighting.
Whether common soldier or emperor, Krolos is an indifferent master. He only rewards the brave and the bold with victory. Cowardice leads only to his punishment.

A well used shield most likely carried by the 8th Legion of the Carro Dynasty, proudly emblazoned with the sword of Krolos.

Ul-Merr

Ul-Merr
Known as the Lord of the Sea, also called Murr, Urras, Deep Father, Master of the Depths, Master of Storms and the Taker.
One of the Six Who Reign Below
His symbol is the trident, or the kraken. He is often depicted as a bare chested, green bearded man or a great merman or squid.

Ul-Merr is brother to Arnor. To him was given mastery of the seas. As Arnor is distant and aloof, Ul-Merr is rash and inconstant as the sea. He may speed a ship along its way with gentle winds, or just as easily smash it against the rocks.
Seafarers often affix his symbol to the prows of their ships with three nails. Three being Ul-Merr's sacred number. Cautious captins make three sacrifices before each voyage. First is a gift of gold, as Ul-Merr delights in shiney objects. Second is a gift of food. The third must be a gift of blood. It is said, those who die at sea, become servants of the sea god, denied passage to Gates of Morr. Thus, one of his names id the Taker.

Ul-Merr has taken no wife. Instead he delights in enticing mortal women. He rarely stays long enough to see the birth of his offspring. Many women die giving birth to a demi-god. Those progeny that survive often become lesser gods of rivers and springs, most with their father's temper.

When not bedding mortal women or smashing ships, Ul-Merr hunts the depths for those vestiges of the dark gods. Mammoth creatures of the deep.

Gods and Goddesses

In the beginning, the primordial World was ruled by the Old Ones. Dark gods of chaos, ever changing as the planet itself. They were entropy and darkness incarnate. Then, came the One. The One was a light in the darkness. The One fought the dark gods and destroyed them. But, in the battle, the One became fractured, some say wounded. Depending on which priest you ask, the One either bled twelve single drops of blood onto the now stable world, or split into twelve pieces.
These twelve pieces became the pantheon of today. They are known as the "Twelve-Who-Are-One", or more often "The Six who Reign Above and the Six who Reign Below".
These gods have many aspects of themselves, versions that represent different things to different peoples and races. They have many names. In the Empire, Krolos is the god of War. To the men of North, the Thundri, he is Kral, god of War but also of Winter, and cold forgotten places.
The priests would have us believe they take very active roles in our lives. Their works, they say, are all around us.
Most adventurers will tell you they have seen many strange things. A whispered prayer that saved them from a dark beast. A talisman that holds back the dead.
To begin, we should start with the Father...

Arnor
Known as the Father, also called Aenir, Aesirah, the Lord of the Heavens, the Sun King and the Traveler.
One of the Six Who Reign Above.
His symbol is the sun and stars. He is often depicted as bearded man crossed with a sun, or wind manifested as face blowing clouds.

Arnor was first to rise from the One's ashes. As such, he chose mastery over the sky, the air and the sun. And with it he became Lord of Light. He is also master of Order and Law.
Travelers often pray to him to light their way, but it might just as often be a farmer, praying for good weather. But Arnor is an aloof god, as befits his station, distant from the world of men, He is neutral in his stance and really only intervenes when the forces of Chaos might prevail.
Many a priest or paladin chosen by Arnor spend their lives tested by their faith. The Sun King does not shower his faithful in gifts, but those who stay in his service often become those heroes of history.
Long ago, when the Empire was born, the first Emperors chose Arnor as their symbol. Even though Emperors through the ages have added their sigil to the Imperial standard, it is always surmounted by the sun of Arnor.
Arnor's wife is Nyalla, the Mother. As Arnor is master of those things above, she holds sway over those below. Theirs is a contentious marriage, as anyone who has witnessed a tornado or earthquake will tell you.

Mellion

One of the bravest in the group.

Evolution of a Character: Miss Adventure

Looking at her, Miss Adventure seems very much unchanged since she entered Wall. Unlike most of her companions, she hasn't spent much on the latest fashions or armor. She has squirrled away most of her money. Her only weakness seems to be fine cheeses.
Most of her equipment is watch she started with except for her very "un-halfling" like boots. Where most of her kin go barefoot, she has kept the very special boots she found in the dark depths. Indeed, she has collected many of the overlooked, seemingly useless items, that turn out priceless.

Evolution of a Character: Gildrid

Gildrid at 2nd Level.

Alabazium's Tale

They came in the night. Henchmen of their ilk rarely conduct their sort of business in the light of the day.
Alabazium had known on some level they would come. He'd known since he came to Wall. He thought his first foray into the adventuring life would pay off his debts. But that expedition had brought little gold, and many nightmares of cannibals in the dark.
Since then, he had wandered about Wall, trying odd jobs. His magical abilities barred him from most honest work, and attracted the wrong sorts wanting him for dishonest work.
A terrible winter spent on the streets of Wall, had lowered his standards. It's amazing what an empty stomach will make you capable of.
It was a simple job. All Alabazium had to do was loosen a few magical wards on a merchant's shop. The others would do the actual snatch and grab. In and out.
It all went remarkably well. His share would get him a food for a week and small room out of the cold. It even had a view of the wall.
It was on the third night, in his tiny room above the inn that they came. The boot to the head woke him. The room spinning, he tried to focus on the bearded man holding him firmly to the floor.
"Where's the money, Az?", he said grinding his heel further into the back of the magician's neck.
Alabazium managed a croaking, "In the bag. It's all I have."
There was shuffling noise as the tall one rummaged through Alabazium's bag.
"That ain't gonna even cover our expenses from the Border Kingdoms. By the way, nice trick joining those circus folks. Six weeks was it? You'd think they'd have more loyalty. They gave you up for two Crowns."
No doubt, Alabazium thought, they were still a bit mad over his incident with the lion. "I have an amulet. It's worth a king's ransom!"
"A king's ransom, huh?" The bearded one said."Judging by the rags your wearing, I doubt it. Let me see it anyway".
Alabaium felt the weight release from his back. He got up. A quick glance around showed four large men, filling his tiny room. The normally chilly room was warm with 5 men crammed in it. Two had crossbows trained on him.
"No funny stuff, or you'll get two in the chest. You may be worth more alive to Lurtz, but dead'll still pay us handsomely."
The skinny magician crawled over to his simple bed. Reaching under his pillow, he found the amulet. The crossbowmen were aiming at his head. Clutching the cold necklace in his hand, bead of sweat rolled down his forehead.
"Terrazahh!"
There was a flash of light. Alabazium went from the warm, musky room to freezing air of the Wall. The teleportation amulet had worked! He almost laughed, then he realized he was scant yards from his room. He was standing on the Wall, almost eye level with his window. About the time he realized this, so did the thugs.
Glass shattered as two crossbow bolts whizzed past Alabazium's head. He turned and ran down the length of the Wall, into the night.

Sidenote: One of our gaming crew has left us to return home to the magical land of Ohio. Alabazium was his PC. I thought it on;y fitting we send him out with a story...