Library:Through the Lunar Rift I

The first of her series of Journal entries finds our favorite Outlander tavernmistress visiting a shady merchant and learning of dark happenings near her adopted home. The story was first published on the Shroud of the Avatar Forum, and the first three paragraphs were excerpted in Update of the Avatar #75.

The Darkness in Owl's Nest
by FireLotus

Sometimes, I don’t know whether I keep this journal to remind myself of my time here, or to get it straight in my head that this is really happening. It has been at least a year since I arrived here, and sometimes I still think it’s all a dream and I am going to wake up. Who knows, maybe I will. But for now, I am going to continue to learn as much as I can about where “here” is.

One of my suppliers, a resourceful fence named Laurent, had seemed a bit out of sorts lately, and it was definitely not like him to be late with a shipment. So I decided to use the tardiness of my latest import as an excuse to finally trek out to Owl's Nest. Six months ago, I would not have even dreamed of wandering that far out of town, but my own skills have grown, and I no longer fear the dark. Especially when I have the power of fire in my grasp.

Upon arrival, I witnessed a darkness that dwarfed even the brightest spark of bravery I could muster. The Wolf, the former leader of Laurent’s merry men, had been killed. But that in and of itself wasn’t what stole my nerve. He had been reanimated into an abomination who was under the complete control of a necromancer. I knew that I was not the only person who could tap into the magical forces of this land, but I had never imagined anyone would dare dabble in such dark magic. One thing is for certain, everyone there is terrified of Nestor. I barely got a name out of Laurent before he shoved my supplies into my arms and set me on my way.

To be honest, there was a part of me screaming for me to just leave. Yet, my curiosity has always been my weakness, and I could not help but want to learn more. Is he an Outlander like me? How long has he been able to tap into the magic of this place? How long has he known he could control the dead? Is he the source of the rumors I’ve heard coming out of Braemar?

So I crept down into the caves the Red Sashes call home. I managed to get some additional information from another bandit named Kelly. Laurent mentioned that she and The Wolf had once led the Red Sashes and I quickly learned that that she hated Nestor as much as she feared him. So she told me everything she knew about the necromancer; including that he claims to be part of an ancient order of mages known as the Obsidian Cabal. I’d heard stories of their rule, but even to the life-long residents of this land, they were always just that... stories. But according to the stories, they no longer existed.

The Obsidians of legend were as dark as they come. They were responsible for the abominations that now lurked in the forests and dark places of the world. If he were in fact an Obsidian Mage, he could be responsible for the growing darkness here in the Vale. But if he ~was~ that powerful, why is he holed up with a den of common thieves?

I had learned enough and, as I was losing the light, the time had come to head back to Owl’s Head. But on the trip back, I could not help but regret not continuing down into those caves to catch a glimpse of this necromancer. Perhaps that is an adventure worth pursuing in the days to come, if I do not wake up back in my bed before then.