Private Tales The Necromancer

[Sir Eberwolf Kinniger]

Eberwolf stood on the wall just above the gates to his family castle, though it was called a castle, a citadel was a more accurate term. It’s walls towered high above the surrounding area, guarded by three separate walls, each thicker and higher than the ones further out. Each wall had a gate, portcullises of reinforced hardwood. And they were each progressively thicker than the last, and with walls on either side, so anyone with a ram would be hard pressed to get anywhere with it. He stood on the outermost wall, waiting for the help to arrive.

It had been extremely difficult for him to get a Monster Hunter to help him, but he knew that one would prove invaluable in this task. With their anti-monster training, they’d be better suited to fighting this than his men, who were busy holding the front in the war with the vampires who had built armies against them. It had come Tom a stalemate and he could finally work on getting rid of the necromancer in the southern wood.

He saw her approaching, and called for the portcullises to be raised. The guards on the wall, and at the gates were impressive. They wore chest plates of steel with sullets (gothic helmets), steel vambraces and full mail underneath. Each carried a halberd and a sword. Eberwolf met her upon her entrance, all but his helmet donned, which he held to his hip with his left hand. “Welcome.”

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

Caliane had a feeling she was getting a reputation for being the push over when it came to the Monster Hunters guild. The jobs nobody wanted to do because they were either paid poorly or because they had some grudge or other... they were silently collected and passed to the Avariel. Her sunny disposition made it hard for anyone to be mad with and she had no concern about the gold rewards like many of her fellows. She was curious about why there was exactly bad blood between the Monster Hunters and this... knight. Was that right? Cali's eyebrows pulled together a little as she tried to remember. Groundling lifestyles confused her still even if she had been wandering the world for a few months now.

She put a small bit of chocolate in her mouth as she walked.

Cali had flown most of the way here but as was usual she landed in an area devoid of people to done her cloak and approach as a normal elf. It was still hit and miss on how people responded to an Avariel; they were a race of myth and legend now. Many thought them extinct or angels or demons. If the fight demanded it she would have to reveal them but until then she would try and gauge what exactly these peoples reactions would be.

Her keen elfish eyes could pick out the man standing at the gate and she quickened her step as she walked. Dressed in her hunting fear and light leather armour she looked every bit a typical elf in style. A sword hung at her hip and a bow and arrows were slung over her shoulder.

"Greetings," her green eyes creased slightly with her smile as she came to a stop before the man she was presuming was her contact. "I take it you are Eberwolf?" her gaze shifted from him to the walls and the tense way those who prowled the walls looked.

 

[Sir Eberwolf Kinniger]

"Greetings," her green eyes creased slightly with her smile as she came to a stop before the man she was presuming was her contact. "I take it you are Eberwolf?" her gaze shifted from him to the walls and the tense way those who prowled the walls looked.

"I am indeed. I would presume that you are Caliane." He noticed her gaze shift to the guards on the walls, and chuckled. "Oh don't worry about them. They've been guarding this wall, and many others, for almost their entire lives. We’re currently fighting a many generations long war and they are slow to trust newcomers. They won't be trouble, they'll watch you, but they won't be trouble. Come, we have much to discuss."

He lead her into the castle, through several portcullises and reinforced doors, winding hallways and staircases designed to confuse and discombobulate any tresspassers and attackers. They came into a long hall, banners of white emblazoned with a black raven clutching a sword lined the walls, interchanging with braziers of fire to light the room. At the end was a man, an older man but not quite elderly, He too wore armour (Gothic full plate) without his helmet or bevor (Throat guard).

"Father, the Hunter has arrived." Eberwolf said to the man with a bow of his head.

The man, specifically the duke, turned from his conversation with the guard captain. "Ah, yes. It is a relief that they are willing to send anyone. Your team is waiting in the War Chamber, brief them and the Hunter there. I'll see to it that the payment is prepared."

Eberwolf nodded and then lead her out the side of the hall. "He requested that I inform him of your arrival immediately, so I thought that we might as well just go to him immediately."

They went through another maze of hallways and stairs until they reached another inconspicuous oak door, which opened to reveal a large table, upon which sat several maps, pieces representing armies and units, inkwells and quills. Around this table stood a team of six, three knights and three rangers, the knights were in full plate harness (Of the gothic style) and carried one sword each, and a single handed warhammer, each carried a longsword, and the warhammer would do the same thing as a mace and a warpick. The rangers wore hooded cloaks and carried longbows made of yew, with arrows fletched from owl feathers. each carried a dagger and a single handed messer.

"Good, you're all here. As some of you may know, we have a problem with a necromancer in our southern forests. She's been there for a while but it wasn't until recently that they became a problem. Villages have been burned by armies of undead that they have risen, and have been used to make more of them. Our task is to go in, apprehend or kill this necromancer, and lay the dead back to rest. Any questions?"

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

Despite his words Caliane watched them until he led her inside. She had had too many run-ins with bows and arrows recently. Quietly she snuck another piece of chocolate into her mouth as she followed in her contractors footsteps. There was not much point in attempting to remember the route they had gone but instead she let her mind go blank and focus on the odd little details here and there, filing them away into her mind so that should she need it she might be able to find her way out through small points of interest rather than rigid directions. It was a Hunters way.

As they entered the room with the Duke she bowed her head accordingly though her curiosity was piqued by the comment. Her emerald gaze slid to the man who was to be her guide and apparent leader during the upcoming battle but she kept her mouth shut. Perhaps in time she would come to know what had happened. Unless it really mattered to the mission she wouldn't press it herself.

Then they were off again. Gods why did humans build their halls like rabbits? This time to a room more familiar; like her fathers war rooms back home. Her gaze ran over the others assembled and she offered them a shy smile before taking a place against the wall to listen to what the briefing was.

"Are there any other mages?" Cali tilted her head. It paid to know the strengths of those you fought with.

 

[Sir Eberwolf Kinniger]

"Are there any other mages?" Cali tilted her head. It paid to know the strengths of those you fought with.

“No, we only have our knights and rangers.” He says. “It’s a four days journey to the southern wood. Get a good nights sleep, all of you, we leave at first light."

(time skip)

Eberwolf had shown Caliane to a guest room. It was actually a lot more comfortable than his own, as everyone in the castle slept in something akin to barracks save for the duke and his family, they just slept on cots like the men in the barracks. She was given the guest room for her one-night stay, and he had knocked on her door not ten minutes after daybreak.

She was then lead out of the castle by Eberwolf, where they found the six men preparing their horses for travel. The knights had destriers while the rangers had smaller, faster horses with shaggier fur. Eberwolf had a large white destrier, and he quickly mounted the beast. He had even provided a horse for her, a saddled horse for the road, it would be able to keep up with the group and run if needed, but it was no destrier.

As Eberwolf had said, it was a four day journey to the southern wood. Each morning was wet and foggy, and the roads were largely muddy. But the men seemed to be well used to this and weren't bothered by it. It had taken a long time, but eventually they came to their destination, although it wouldn't have been apparent that they had. It was a clearing where they had set up camp a short ways from the road. It was there that Eberwolf sent the rangers out to look for signs of the necromancer.

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

Caliane had declined the horse.

Her wings would make quicker work of the journey and in truth she didn't know how to ride; Avariel had no use for them after all. She had been sat on one once since leaving her sky city and it had been an uncomfortable and unpleasant experience. Instead she merely let them go ahead with the promise of catching up, then once they were out of view she would take to the skies and follow them from above the cloudline. She turned up each evening and though the men seemed curious nobody asked her how she had kept up with the horses whilst she was seemingly on foot.

It was just after the rangers were sent off that Caliane strolled into camp in her usual fashion, about half an hour after the others had settled. She had to keep up the pretence that she had been following on foot at least. She had just finished an apple and she fed the core to one of the horses as she went past to join the knight who was leading the charge.

"How many villages exactly has the Necromancer attacked?"

 

[Sir Eberwolf Kinniger]

"How many villages exactly has the Necromancer attacked?"

"To date, seven. Only one of them is still standing. All but that one had been robbed of all life. No survivors whatsoever, save for one or two men from each who had fought or sneaked their way out. We know that it is necromancy because our scouts report corpses that are walking, and skeletons too. There's even been a few unprecedented monstrosities that are humanoid, but not human, not even entirely undead. The smallest was reported to be three meters in hight, all of them seemed to be skeletal in shape, with a layer of skin hanging from it, but the worst thing is that they have no faces, no eyes, no mouth, no ears, no nose, nothing, just a head. The necromancer is to be taken dead or alive, but all of their creatures are to be destroyed, lest they cause further harm." He explains as he sharpens his sword. He, like all of the knights, carried a longsword at his hip, but his primary weapon was a two handed warhammer, basically a halberd with a warhammer's head rather than an axe blade.

Concerning her apparent upkeep, he had suspicions, as did the rangers, who were famous for their powers of deduction. They had pointed out to him that her cloak seemed bulkier than it should, and that her shoulders seemed a great deal broader than was natural. The rangers weren't entirely certain, but they were pretty sure that they knew what she was. And he was pretty sure that they were right. But he wasn't bothered by it.

"The rangers should be returning soon, when they do, we should have a good idea about where this necromancer is. If not, then we need to set up a good watch, because of that wretched black mage the undead stalk the wood after sunset."

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

Caliane nodded as she listened, thinking over what he had to say with care. The undead were not creatures she particularly enjoyed dealing with but her command over fire was often an asset in such cases. Even the dead could not rise when they were ash.

"Perhaps it would be wise to set up a ring of fire," her eyes swept the area as she mentioned it. Fire tended to be what scared the dead the most. It might alert the necromancer to their position but then she had very little doubt a woman of that kind of power would already know they were coming and be prepared for them. She peeled the leather gloves off her hands and pushed them in to her pocket.

"Out of curiosity, why did you want a Monster Hunter? You seem to have quite a good group of men here already."

 

[Sir Eberwolf Kinniger]

"Perhaps it would be wise to set up a ring of fire," her eyes swept the area as she mentioned it.

"It's an option, but that would use up resources and magic that we need for dealing with the necromancer. It is better to fight them if they become a problem and preserve our resources and your magic for our battle with the source."

"Out of curiosity, why did you want a Monster Hunter? You seem to have quite a good group of men here already."

"Because we have only ever dealt with vampires. Not necromancers. We have a focused speciality, which is not the undead like Wiedergänger, or those unearthly monsters I have just described. We have only ever fought vampires. I didn't really want a Hunter here, but I knew that it would be the best advantage we could have. My men are good at what they do, but none of us have experience or training for such a foe, so I thought that a Hunter would know more than us." He says sheathing his sword.

It was then that the rangers began to emerge from the swiftly darkening forest. Eberwolf stood and said, "Report."

The first ranger, the tallest of the three, spoke first. "Nothing to the west or west southwest. No undead, no necromancer. Signs of activity, but that is to be expected, and no more than usual. And also as expected, there are traces of black magic all over the place."

The other two gave similar reports, and none of them showed anything to suggest that the necromancer might be found. "Alright, Angor, you and I are on first watch, the rest of you get a good nights sleep. We'll need all the energy we can get."

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

It made sense. It probably made Caliane the wrong fit but perhaps she did know more about the undead than they did by virtue of the fact she had been dealing with them on and off for over 200 years. In the eyes of elves it was nothing but humans, something at the very least. She sat beside the small fire they had made in camp and offered a smile to the person who was cooking a stew over the fire opposite. He offered her a bowl and she took it with a soft thank you. She tried not to obviously listen to the report but her pointed ears twitched a little every now and then at one word or other. Information worth having anyway.

The man opposite was watching her and she ate the food quietly whilst returning the look.

When Eberwolf recommended they should all get some sleep she finished off her meal and found a little spot away from the other men to spread out her rollmat and pulled her cloak around her and fell asleep promptly.

 

[Sir Eberwolf Kinniger]

Their sleep was interrupted. This was when they knew that they were in fact dealing with a necromancer, because all of the sleepers were awakened hurriedly while the people who were awake, Eberwolf and the ranger Angor, were holding off skeletons who were attacking en masse. The skeletons were unarmored but not unarmed, most carried swords, some carried shields, and quite clearly knew how to use them.

But the most unsettling thing about these particular skeletons was that they weren't bare bones, they still had their sinews and a small amount of muscles attached to their skeletal structure, they had no eyes, and no nose, and no ears, but their mouths worked quite well. But their mouths weren't filled with human teeth, no, long, needlelike fangs filled their mouths, and were clearly ready to kill. The worst thing, not the most unsettling, the worst thing, was that they were clearly organised, they behaved like trained soldiers, not mindless corpses. They stayed close together, and moved as a unit, covering their comrades backs and openings.

Eberwolf was smashing skulls and bones while Angor used broadheaded arrows to sever the spinal columns, because the removal of the head seemed to disable them at the very least, though severed heads still seemed to move.

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

The yelling and clashing of swords roused the Avariel from her sleep but she was quick to her feet with a fluidity that betrayed her inhuman nature. She had slept with the sword next to her so it easy to have it in her hand and then drawn. Instead of leaping straight away to deal with the creatures she assessed the scene and the uniformed way they worked. It was interesting to watch and not entirely unheard of - soldiers who had been risen often did but she got the feeling these creatures had learnt after they had been risen.

Interesting.

One of the creatures was attempting to climb on a squealing horses back so she pulled it from its precarious position and sliced the head clean off before setting it alight a little ways from the scared animals. The fire was less terrifying than the smell of the dead at least even if they did still roll their eyes and strain on their ropes.

"Throw them in the fire when you take off their head," she called over the noise of battle as her sword slashed through another who had attempted to attack one of the others who had been asleep and was still scrambling from a weapon. The cook from earlier. They shared another look but this time he nodded as a thanks for her help and she was moving on. Decapitation and flame.

 

[Sir Eberwolf Kinniger]

"Thunder!" Eberwolf called to his horse before giving two very rapid whistles, and the horse, Thunder, obeyed, charging into the horde of bloody bones with fury. Trampling and fighting as though the horse himself were a warrior. He had focused on crushing and disabling necessary bones, they didn't need to kill them just yet, just disable them. They could kill them once the battle was over.

The knights were swiftly roused, and the rangers even more so. The rangers left their bows alone and instead drew their messers, the bow was practically useless against warriors of bone. So the battle ensued, with the knights at the forefront and the rangers guarding the flanks alongside the Hunter. It was rather hellish and quite long, but eventually all of the skeletons were disabled.

But before they could properly rekill them, all of the remaining heads spoke as one, with one voice, starting with a laugh. It was a feminine voice, very clearly female, despite being ever so slightly deeper than some womens' voices.

"My, aren't we quite the group of troublemakers? What might you be up to?" The heads spoke, making the voice compound, but still being one voice. "Better yet, Who might you be?"

After a moment Eberwolf questioned, "You are the necromancer aren't you?"

"You may call me Legion for now. I see that you have broken all the toys I've sent for you. Not very nice of you."

"This is not a game witch! Come out and face justice!"

"I'd rather not, I'm having too much fun. You and your little group are just too entertaining. I'll be seeing more of you won't I? I hope that you're here to stay. I'll see you in the coming nights."

And the voices ended.

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

Caliane had a ball of white fire in her hands and she was about to put it to the bodies when they began talking. Which was disgruntling especially as she had been holding one of the heads by the hair at the time. Her message was not a fun one; it seemed she sought to play not out right kill them which would mean a long and slow series of battles. Once the message was over she wasted no time in setting the bodies ablaze and gently pulled one of the Rangers back as he got a little too close.

"I wouldn't touch it," her fire didn't tend to hurt the good but it was burning away at the dead and that at times had unpredictable results. It turned from a white hue to a green one and smouldered for some time.

"We should move on," Cali turned to their leader and canted her head to the side.

 

[Sir Eberwolf Kinniger]

"We should move on," Cali turned to their leader and canted her head to the side.

"And go where? It is still dark and while we prepare to leave we will be vulnerable. No, not yet. Our best bet is to stay put until morning, then we leave. And even if we were to leave now, where would you suggest we go? We have no clear destination, and to leave this area would risk loosing our prey." He says with a hand to the chin of his greathelm. "No, I have a feeling that the only chance we have is to play her game while we look for ways to find her. This Legion character is a crafty one, and if I had to guess, isn't entirely of sound mind, which means that we cannot expect trying to think like her to work. It also means that she is an unusual kind of smart, which would entail outside-the-box thinking, and even further unpredictability. Besides, what purpose would moving truly serve?"

This was not a good place to be, but he didn't see how going elsewhere could help.

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

"Do you have a map? Running water is another thing that usually deters the dead, the currant is too strong for them to cross. It might afford some form of protection," she shrugged a little. It wasn't a lot but it would be something. It would also mean they wouldn't have to inhale the smell of slowly cooking bones and old failing flesh but she kept that thought to herself. But if he was content to stay here she would not push the subject anymore, it was of course easier to move in the day than it was at night.

Either way she wouldn't be sleeping any more tonight.

"If you are content to stay here until tomorrow I will take the watch for the rest of the night, someone needs to watch the flame," she glanced to the burning green flame. It didn't need saying it would be better for a mage to do that.

 

[Sir Eberwolf Kinniger]

"Do you have a map? Running water is another thing that usually deters the dead, the currant is too strong for them to cross. It might afford some form of protection,"

"Yes we have a map. And it's a forest, there should be running water in abundance."

"If you are content to stay here until tomorrow I will take the watch for the rest of the night, someone needs to watch the flame," she glanced to the burning green flame. It didn't need saying it would be better for a mage to do that.

"Not alone you're not. I will remain on watch with you, it will give us a good opportunity to discuss what we are dealing with, and how to deal with it best. I asked you here also as an advisor for this mission, your input should prove invaluable."

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

Caliane thought about protesting but then she inclined her head instead. He hadn't slept was her main objection and humans required more sleep than most races she knew. As the others began to go back to their sleeping mats the Avariel moved over to the spot he had been sat at before to keep watch and seated herself down on a stump of a tree nearby, close to the fire. If she wasn't a creature of fire it most certainly would have been too hot where she sat.

"What would you like to know?" her head tilted to the side as she raised her emerald eyes to him and offered him a smile. "I will admit I do not know much about the undead, I have only faced them a few times before in my years."

 

[Sir Eberwolf Kinniger]

Caliane thought about protesting but then she inclined her head instead. He hadn't slept was her main objection and humans required more sleep than most races she knew. As the others began to go back to their sleeping mats the Avariel moved over to the spot he had been sat at before to keep watch and seated herself down on a stump of a tree nearby, close to the fire. If she wasn't a creature of fire it most certainly would have been too hot where she sat.

"What would you like to know?" her head tilted to the side as she raised her emerald eyes to him and offered him a smile. "I will admit I do not know much about the undead, I have only faced them a few times before in my years."

Under normal circumstances, yes it would be too hot for a human, but his armour trapped his body heat, and similarly protected him from outside heat, as a result he could get just as close to the fire as she without getting burned. He stood rather than sat, his warhammer held in his right hand and planted in the ground.

"I would know how best to fight them without magic. And even more importantly, how do we combat a mage as skilled as Legion?"

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

"Hmm," valid questions though Caliane was not entirely sure the answers she had would be of help to him. "I have heard of a metal that kills them but you do not have time to find it and make them into weapons for all of your men; unless you happen to already have a sword forged in the fire of a dragon?" her eyebrows rose a little. There was of course a chance. Some times humans collected such things after all. "Otherwise it is fire that is the best method to kill them; we could make everyone carry torches or perhaps find some sap to coat weapons in to set them alight," she pondered the idea for a moment. It could work. It was that or she could attempt to keep everyone's blades alight at once but if her attention faltered it could be a disaster.

His second question she had to mull over more.

"The Legion... I do not know. Necromancers usually have a source of people who are alive who they draw their magic from so sometimes killing them before the mage works. At times though Necromancy is not the first magic a mage learns so you have to be careful of her. She could be human, which would make her easier to kill, elf too, but if she is something more then it might be harder. In truth I would not know until I saw her."

 

[Sir Eberwolf Kinniger]

"Hmm," valid questions though Caliane was not entirely sure the answers she had would be of help to him. "I have heard of a metal that kills them but you do not have time to find it and make them into weapons for all of your men; unless you happen to already have a sword forged in the fire of a dragon?" her eyebrows rose a little. There was of course a chance. Some times humans collected such things after all. "Otherwise it is fire that is the best method to kill them; we could make everyone carry torches or perhaps find some sap to coat weapons in to set them alight," she pondered the idea for a moment. It could work. It was that or she could attempt to keep everyone's blades alight at once but if her attention faltered it could be a disaster.

"Not a viable option. No, none of us have access to dragon fire for forging weapons, and to set our weapons ablaze would ruin and warp them, making them completely useless. So your fire and torches are the best bet in that area. I meant what are the places to target aside from the head and heart?" He says, clarifying his question.

"The Legion... I do not know. Necromancers usually have a source of people who are alive who they draw their magic from so sometimes killing them before the mage works. At times though Necromancy is not the first magic a mage learns so you have to be careful of her. She could be human, which would make her easier to kill, elf too, but if she is something more then it might be harder. In truth I would not know until I saw her

"Is it possible that there is more than one? A coven of necromancers rather than one? And what do you suppose the nature of this necromancy is? How does she command the undead, do they act as one organism with her effectively being the mind or does she command them like an army where they are each individuals working as a group to carry out orders?"

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

The slew of questions had her blinking. Caliane definitely felt under qualified for the mission and a small line appeared between her brows as she thought about how to best answer them.

"I don't know of any better way to kill them than the head and the heart I'm afraid. Even removing their legs just slows them rather than kills them," she held up one finger as if she were counting off the answers she needed to give. Then she was moving on quickly, staring into the fire as she spoke. "It is possible, though necromancers do tend to be a lonely sort. I've only ever heard of them pairing up not performing in a coven but I won't say it isn't possible. How she commands them depends entirely on what she is. If she is human it is likely to be spells she says so cutting out her tongue might work to stop it. If she is elvish or a race more in tune with the magics of the world it could be her natural born gift. Like how I can control fire," as if to demonstrate her point a small green tendril returned to her hand and turned into a red flame one more. "If it is like this then it is a part of her soul and you will need to kill her to stop her. As for how she is able to command them I do not know, necromancy is not something that has interested me a great deal in learning about," a soft sigh. In truth it unnerved her. "I believe it is through their minds like a collective, but I have also heard of some people binding the souls to figures and using them. Like voodoo."

 

[Sir Eberwolf Kinniger]

He had received the answers that he expected to receive. He knew from experience that one did not have to kill in the heat of battle, only disable and kill after the battle was over, as they had just done. As far as Legion's methods for controlling her creatures went, it was still undeductable. He thought to himself that it was best to ask questions that could be answered, and save the unanswerable questions until they had more information. It was going to be a long hunt, this he knew, the nights were likely to be sleepless, and he didn't know if he would bring all the men home alive.

"Thank you for your help. I suspect that you will be instrumental in the battles to come."

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

"You're welcome. I hope I can at least help you, in truth you seem to have annoyed enough of the Monster Hunters that nobody else wanted to come but they would have perhaps been a better fit than me," Caliane inclined her head and then glanced to the others who had managed to fall asleep in the way soldiers knew best. A ghost of a smile haunted her face and then she looked back to the fire and blew the small ball she still held in her hand back to the wall of heat.

"You should try and get some sleep, it serves us no good if the Commander is exhausted. I will be fine, I do not think she will attack again tonight. She seeks to play with us. I'll wake you if I hear anything."

 

[Sir Eberwolf Kinniger]

"You're welcome. I hope I can at least help you, in truth you seem to have annoyed enough of the Monster Hunters that nobody else wanted to come but they would have perhaps been a better fit than me,"

“My family and the monster Hunters have never really gotten along. I don’t know the exact details but it’s a bit of a bitter rivalry or something like that, maybe it’s because we don’t see monsters an inherently evil and only kill those who threaten us actively. Or maybe because my grandfather had killed a whole group of them to protect his wife-turned vampire. Maybe all of them, I don’t actually know.”

"You should try and get some sleep, it serves us no good if the Commander is exhausted. I will be fine, I do not think she will attack again tonight. She seeks to play with us. I'll wake you if I hear anything."

He wanted to argue, but her logic was sound and he could not. “Very well. I’ll send Cannan out to stay with you. You will not be guarding alone.”