Episode 12

Finding himself face to rotted face with a zombie, Walf barely had time to call out before the shambling creatures began beating their decomposing limbs against him. Two attempted to wrap their arms around him, while the other two beat against his shield and armour; one managing to grasp him in its unnaturally powerful arms. Dexter reflexively threw a shuriken at the space beside where Walf had vanished through the wall, to no effect. With a cry, Walf burst free of the zombies' grasp, thrust them wildly aside with his shield, and backed out through the illusory wall. At this point he realised that he could no longer see his foes, but they could see him, so he plunged back through the wall, attacking the undead soldiers as best he could.

John and Aravin boldly entered the sarcophagus-lined chamber behind Flinch, who detected a slight scrabbling sound from within or behind the nearest. Aravin began contemplating the amount of damage a firey burst would cause a sarcophagus, and Xagoth began poking around the lid of one, when Flinch — noticing a pale light, as of stars in the wild, at the far end of the chamber — wandered that way. Suddenly a booming crash echoed through the chamber as all ten sarcophagus lids slammed back, and chittering, grasping skeletons emerged. Aravin instantly cast blasts of magic flame around several skeletal swordsmen — and John — destroying most of the skeletons and lightly singing John. The two largest and best-armoured skeletons, the two nearest Flinch, turned and engaged her as she backed off, firing arrows at them as she slowly retreated. John, casting aside his usual distaste for "lesser" races, ran to Flinch's aid, attacking the skeletons and turning their blows aside with his mail and shield.

One zombie shambled past Walf, as he engaged the other three, and moved towards Dexter. Eventually the big fighter manouvred himself beyond the reach of a third, which then shambled out to join its fellow, attacking the rogue. Dexter landed a devastating blow on one, driving it back, then continued to harry it, eventually driving it out of the secret chamber. Walf beat off one of his attackers, and was about to run to his friend's aid when the other zombie landed a crushing blow on Dexter's unguarded back, knocking him to the ground unconscious. Walf charged madly, thrusting the thing aside, and almost made it to Dexter when an undead soldier struck his fleeing back, knocking him too to the ground. With his last strength he tended to Dexter — who came to and leapt reflexively to his feet — then passed out himself. Dexter glanced down at his large friend, sighed, and whispered, "Sorry." Before turning and running.

Just as the tide was turning in their favour, the sarophagi boomed as once again the lids slammed back and more skeletal warriors emerged. Artin and John, the two closest to the things, noticed that the skeletons seemed to be emerging from some mystical portals located at the openings of the sarcophagi, rather than having been interred there. Xagoth moaned, "So they're never going to end?" Flinch backed away until she eventually found herself blocked in by two large doors, in an area with two small altars recessed into the walls, adorned with more of the draconic script that lined the sarcophagi. Images in bas relief surrounded the altars, of men in armour kneeling in obeisance, and the domed roof bore the image of a fantastic, regal dragon with silver scales in flight across an endless sky. Artin found herself drawn to the altars, and beat upon the skeletons around her, clearing a path. She studied the northern altar, and the images around it, then on an impulse dropped to her knees and offered a prayer to the Platinum Dragon. At that, the remaining skeletons suddenly ceased their attack, turned, and climbed back into their sarcophagi.

Dexter ran down a corridor and leapt agilely over a rune, then paused and shouted at the zombies, which all turned away from Walf's unconscious form and shambled after the rogue. He lead them around a circuitous path, always staying several steps ahead, then circled back and tended to Walf — nursing him back to consciousness. As the zombies approached the two discussed their options. Unsure of what to do, they decided that the zombies would probably not leave them alone, so the only way to be rid of them would be to destroy them; that said, their best chance probably lay in the chamber behind the illusory wall, where they would have a chance to mount an attack on the zombies who would probably be unaware of the heroes' locations. They backed into the small space and waited as the zombies approached. The first blows were effective, Walf catching one of the things off guard, when Dexter slipped a devestating thrust deep into its deteriorating flesh which suddenly collapsed into a heap of rotted meat, bones and rusted armour. A second zombie tried to slam the two but was foiled by the wall, and Walf and Dexter managed to destroy it and another zombie as well. The final creature smashed its way into the chamber and wrapped its arms around Walf, who struggled enough to keep the thing interested but not enough to actually break free. Dexter struck at it with a shuriken, and it finally realised that grappling a foe while on its own was pointless. It let go its grip on Walf, and before he could raise his defenses again it smashed its limbs into his head, knocking him to the floor bleeding and unconscious. Dexter ran past it again, in an attempt to lead it away to buy time to help Walf, but slipped and his foot pressed down on one of the runes. A terrible wailing cry emanated from the ground and Dexter suddenly believed that an unstoppable wall of death was bearing down on him from the north. He forgot about zombies, Walf, and runes, and ran as fast as he could southward.

As the skeletons left the fight and everyone looked around at each other slightly stunned, a distant wailing scream echoed around the chamber. The party glanced around nervously, but decided to continue exploring the area where they were, before making the probably one-way treck over the runes. Flo, in the rear with Spug, thought she heard the sound of running footsteps behind her, which stopped suddenly and a soft voice muttered something like, "Wall of death? What was I thinking?" But she hurried to join her friends rather than explore the darkness on her own. Xagoth listened at the doors for sounds of life, and hearing none pushed one aside to take a peek. The room beyond was illuminated by a brighter version of the starry light in the outer area, but was otherwise empty. He thrust the door aside and stepped in, noticing a small amulet by his feet, of blue wire twisted around a precious stone forming an eye. He immediately draped it around his neck, frowned, smiled, then called to Aravin, "Hey, do you want my wand? I don't think I need it anymore." Aravin took the wand, pocketing his orb, and weighed it in his hands. Then Xagoth turned and paid attention to the room he was in. The raised dais in this old crypt held a single coffin. Carved on the lid of the coffin was a warrior in plate armor with a sword laid across his chest, the point toward his feet. Xagoth cocked his head to one side, then jammed his rod into the gap and attempted to jimmy the lid open. Suddenly the heavy coffin lid exploded in a flurry of dust. A humanoid skeleton girded in plate armor arose from the cloud. It held aloft a longsword. "The rift must never be re-opened!" it croaked. "State your business, or prepare to die!"

Finally coming to his senses, Dexter remebered Walf laying helpless and bleeding on the floor, and started to run back to the north, leaping runes with disregard. He caught up with the shambling zombie just outside the secret chamber and dispatched it with many fast and furious attacks. He ran through the illusory wall and dropped to his knees beside his friend. Walf was not breathing. He was dead. A strange look came over Dexter's face, and he paused for a moment; then tentatively reached out and took the fighter's sword, which he knew had been the man's father's. He studied the blade, shook his head, then reached for Walf's pack. He took his purse and what supplies he could reasonably carry — not everything, since his strength and endurance were no match for what Walf's had been — then began to look around the room by the light of his sunrod and the glowing sword, refusing to focus on what had happened.

Xagoth answered the skeleton in his usual way, "We're here to get rid of Kalarel and stop the rift from being opened again." The skeleton scrutinised him closely, then posed a series of questions to several of the party members. Each time, he asked a question of Xagoth, whose disarming honesty and candor must have put the skeleton off. John struck a threatening pose and asserted that he was the baddest badass there was; Flo mumbled that she was devoted to Pelor and by extension was a servant of the light; Aravin nonchalantly boasted that his magical prowess was unmatched. Despite the deep misgivings written in the skeleton's stance, it nodded, accepting their stories, and told them that it was Sir Keegan, former commander of the Keep, who was driven mad the last time the rift was opened, and rampaged through the keep killing everyone, including his wife and children. Eventually he retreated from the allied forces of the keep, and locked himself in this crypt. Then, when the madness passed, he realised what he had done, and repented. Unable to leave the chamber, he announced that his sword, Aecris, given to him by King Elidyr, was free to roam, and maybe it would be glad to aid them in their quest. He handed the beautiful sword to John, who took it with honour.

As they turned to leave, Flinch — having just entered the room to see what was going on — asked, "Is there anything else you could do to, you know, help us?" Sir Keegan's skeleton asked her, "Who is your god?" "Er, none." she replied, having never given it that much thought. "Outside this room you will find two altars to the platinum dragon," the skeleton said, "Perhaps there you will find something to aid you." Flinch eyed him uncertainly, then stepped out and knealt at the southern altar. She mumbled some words asking for help, and then, in that place, a cool peace entered her mind, and she could feel the god nearby. Slightly unnerved, but awed, she gasped, and wondered at what she felt.

Meanwhile Aravin and Artin began poking around the northern altar, looking for secrets or treasure — to no avail. Flinch, regaining her composure, went to stand up and noticed right in front of her a secret drawer in the altar. She opened it and found inside nine small dragon statues of silver and platinum. She gasped again, and everyone turned to look at what she'd found. Spug cheekily took one and weighed it in his small hands, grinned at Flinch, and scampered off. The others gathered around to have a closer look.