Dreams of the night

[Kharn597]

In an inn in Red Mist during the middle of a cold night, a man with a shaven head and many tattoos sleeps lying still with a suit of obsidian black armor resting at the foot of the bed. He begins to turn in his sleep as he seems images of a dwarf in dark armor with a black sun radiating behind him. Many brief scenes flash before him as he sees the dwarf kills priests of Bane and Zhent soldiers. The face of the dwarf becomes large as the dwarf utters “Banedeath.” He wakes sweating and then seats up strapping his obsidian black armor and drapes a red cape over his shoulders. He knows what must be done.

[Kharn597]

The night has been rainy and dark turning the roads to mud. A man in black armor is kneeling on the ground looking at foots prints of what appear to heavy dwarf. He follows them with his eyes seeing they lead off the road to the right. He nods to a woman dressed in ghost grey robes and blood red armor next to him. He stands and begins to follow the tracks. The woman follows slowly behind but not appear to pay attention as she let the rain mat her hair to her head.

They come across soon an encampment. Every where is the remains of hobgoblins body parts with blood spatters the tents making it appears as it a storm had been through. The man watches the blood on the ground flow away in small water stream. He sees a pair of bloody foot prints that had left the camp site starts after them.

The two soon come across a small grove of trees. Lightening flashes showing a bloody trail on the ground leading to a dwarf lying on the ground. The two begin to approach the bloody dwarf who appears to be battered up from a recent battle. The man draws forth a great sword from his back which becomes covered in flames as it leaves the sheath. He gives the dwarf a hard kick in the chest. “Get up bloody dwarf. The time has come for you to make amends for your heretical crimes,” the man screams at the dwarf.

The dwarf appears to wake up and then pulls forth a double ended axe ready for battle. He jumps up scream, “Who be bothering me.” The man bends down drawing a pentagram on the ground and pours various powders into the center. Lightening flashes again making the man, woman and dwarf appear like shadows in the light. He puts his hands together and stands chanting. The sound of thunder overpowers the sound of his chanting. The ground begins to shake and a portal appears at the center of the pentagram in which a beautiful woman demonic creature with wings steps through and bows to the man.

The man points at the dwarf which appears stunned by the scene still but then charges in rage. The demonic woman then flies at the dwarf taking him to the ground and fights the weakened dwarf. The injured dwarf soon falls to the ground with more blood flowing away on the ground in the rain. The demonic woman stand and wipes away the blood on her mouth. The man points to the portal which the demonic creature reluctantly begins to steps towards and then through. Pulling a number of ropes off his belt, he ties up the dwarfs hands and feet, and then throws him over his shoulder with ease. The woman watched the entire scene and then sighs with boredom of it all.

[henny]

A viscious battle had left the dwarf weak and tired, though he would never admit it if asked. The night had stolen in early and a warm rainstorm had increased the ever present gloom surrounding him. Stumbling down a animal trail through the brush, bleeding freely from his numerous wounds, the dwarf spies a rocky outcropping set into a cliff near the a fork in the river. A small,wet, dark cave, "perfect" he thinks to himself. Moving forward into the opening his eyes slowly adjust to the pitch black surroundings. A few more heavy steps and he throws himself down against a boulder for some much needed rest. Like a lightning stroke, a stabbing pain shoots through his body, his signal of warning from his god as always. The boulder behind him shifts, rears up and shrieks a high pitched warbling cry. Standing at least 10 feet tall and at least 600 pounds, the creature, at least to the dwarf, is nothing but a large ball of claws, feathers, and a overly large beak. The battle is short, as the dwarf lops its head from its shoulders, but the wounds received put the dwarf past his limits. A cry from nearby, it mate having returned home, sends the dwarf scrambling from the shelter back into the storm.
A copse of trees beckons him, another stabbing pain through his body, uttering a small cry of frustration he shouts to the sky "Damn it Cyric, quit wit da warnins already, I be knowin deres an ugly out der who probly don't be liken me.. I be smashin its beak in too!" Loss of blood and overexertion overcoming his dwarven stubborness he slumps down under a tree, little but some shelter from the storm, as sleep swiftly engulfs him. He dreams of two black figures battling a titanic battle ... with himself lying on the ground as the spoils....

[Kharn597]

Guards at a door part before the man carrying the dwarf. Following close behind is the woman. Inside is chamber where many wearing black armor or black robes. Infront of a large statue of a black fist is many robed men and woman on there knees bowing before it and chanting. The man marches forwards and pushes one of the men out of his way as he throws the dwarf onto the ground before the statue with a great thud. “Where is the Lord? I have a gift for him,” the man demands. He looks around the room with a commanding stare at the group. One of the robed women immediately stands up and runs out of the room.

He bends down and then lifts up the face of the dwarf from the ground and stick out a hand which a robed figure puts a quill in. He takes the quill and writes on the forehead of the dwarf using the dwarf’s blood, Heretic. He throws the head back to the ground while tossing the quill aside. He stands tall now and gives a kick to the dwarf in the ribs.

[henny]

A dull pain throbs in his head... a sharp impact into his side... again...and again... "hngfhhh" the dwarf inwardly realizes he is being beaten, kicked, hurt ... but as consiousness returns to him he feels a pain more striking and frightening then any physical torture that could ever be inflicted on him. The weight on his heart and the shadow over his mind has left him, the blessings of his god are gone. It has been many years since the dwarf has felt fear. Real mind numbing teeth chattering fear. Opening an eye only magnifies the terror. His first sight is of images of the dread lord Bane. Everywhere. Closing his eye quickly, he realizes his god has fled him and left him at the tender mercies of his most despised enemies, enemies that days ago he had hunted in the most bloodthirsty ways he could imagine. His confidence gone, the physical pain increasing wit each new torture and blow... the fear sinks in...

[Grozer]

The robed woman burst into his personal chamber disrupting his prayers. Rising to his feet anger washes across his face...

"Who dares disturb me!"

She motions and whispers something about a gift. With quick stride, he moves into the main hall standing over a cowering dwarf covered in blood. The air pulses with a choking fear from the beaten prisoner feeding the appetite of the Priest. A hint of pleasure seeps into a half grin as he looks up at the Black Knight...

"What have you brought me?!? Why does he still breath?"

[Kharn597]

The knight reaches a hand down as he bend over lifting up the dwarf into the air. The dwarf hanged loosely facing the lord.

“The heretic breathes yes, but because he still has possible uses to us. I see the fear of the dark lord entering him, give him one last chance to redeem himself and we might grow in strength as a result. If he does not, we could use a sacrifice for the ritual, and I believe ones like this would please the Lord of Darkness.”

He gives a violent shake to the dwarf making sure he was still awake cause blood to drip all over the ground below him. The knight stares with cold tactical thinking at the lord.

[henny]

Awareness has returned to the dwarf. Refusing to open his eyes, every muscle in his body tensed to resist the beatings, tortures , and humiliation. One word echos through his mind above all else "Survive" he had been warned years ago about the fate at the hands of Bane of any Cyricist sacraficed to him. That thought terrified him more then any mortal pain or punishment. More so then the wrath of Cyric. Never had he feared a god as much as he feared his soul in Bane's hands now. "Survive" the word continues to echo through his head. But it is not his voice nor is it the thousand voices in one of his faithless and traitorous god. ....

[Grozer]

With a glaring look to the knight, "He is a heretic! However skillfull he is, how can he be trusted to serve faithfully? Drop him."

Turning to the dwarf as he struggles on the floor, "You are trying my patience, I only let you continue to live because some believe you are worthy. You have few breaths left to convince me your soul is more valuable in this realm. Speak!"

Before a word can be uttered, the man stomps his metal boot into the dwarf's skull knocking him flat and spraying blood across the floor. The Priest waits and studies his reaction.

[henny]

"Mercy" the dwarf groans out.. "spare me life lord" one of the knights notices his chain and rips it off tossin the holy symbol of Cyric on the floor. Knowing what he must do to live and without hesitation he spits on it and watches in mute awe as it sizzles away on the talisman... "A pox on ye ye least of skulls, ye lecherous, traitorous god, ye be me curse and ye be my werst thoughts. Be dammend ye I be!" With that he realizes that he has just placed his souls fate squarely in the hands of another god....