Fear No Evil

Flyz's Last Stand

They were in the courtyard where plants grew unkempt and wild, covering it in rotting vegetation. Mold sprouted from every crevice, and creeping vinery clung to the stonework. On the northwest side, the tower had fallen to the encroaching plant life, and a tall ash tree had sprung forth to replace it. Tangled brambles and shrubbery blended into the walls blocking any entrance or egress. The southwest tower was rubble, open to whomsoever dared to cross the alligator filled moat and climb it. The northeast tower was missing its rooftop and currently smoking like a giant chimney, open to all the weathering elements. Only the southeast tower remained intact, beaten and battered, but still standing. It was an unconventional, odd-looking castle, to be sure.

Beyond the courtyard were piles of brick and cut wood, burlap sacks of dried mortar, ladders, wheelbarrows, sawhorses, tool boxes, and other construction equipment. The skeletons were rebuilding the castle! The first floor had been erected, and they had started the outer stone foundation. Because they had no need for rest or food, it was highly probable that the castle would be complete within the month.

Off to the side and beneath the rubble, a caustic and noxious pit of acid steamed, ostensibly used to slough away any leftover flesh on the Undead masses. In the center of the courtyard stood an upright cross of two giant's bones, lashed tightly together with strong, coarse ropes. A place of ritual encircled by human skulls, many of which balanced melted candles. It was an altar of blasphemy to the God of Undeath-- Tricsor!

Cleric Sage split the party, telling them where to go and how to proceed. There was only one place Flyz could be hiding. Sage and Teal ran for the southeastern tower, prepared for hidden traps, expecting the worst.

At the bottom of the tower stood a heavy wooden door. Sage said, "Pick the lock, Teal, or I'll smash it down!"

The Kender quickly produced a lockpick and went to work. Ten seconds passed. Then twenty. Sage was losing her cool. "Teal..." She knew there must be a reckoning forthcoming.

"Almost got it." The knob clicked, and the wily thief pushed the door open. "Holy Clerics first."

Sage held her mace at the ready as they stepped over the threshold. Ensconced torches remained unlit. One broken window provided a ray of sunlight. The decor inside consisted of a dusty lobby of couches and chairs, rank with the faint smell of blood and fish. A tattered rug covered the trap door into Flyz's secret laboratory. Cracked stone steps led upward. A ghastly painting of Tricsor, his skeletal finger pointing out of polished black armor covered the back wall. The visage gave her goosebumps.

"Show yourself, Necromancer!" Sage ordered. There was no answer. Did he abandon his own castle? Doubtful. Did he flee in fear or disgrace? Possible, but not likely. What could he be doing? She summoned a floating ball of light, then carefully ascended the railless steps. "I shall accept the light within the darkness. There is hope in the light," she prayed.

Teal kept her mouth shut, pulled the rug away, lifted the trap door, and stepped down into the musty lab. She quickly found a hidden button and pushed it. Across the swamp, inside the confines of Castle Serowik, within an immaculately detailed parlor, and more importantly, someone's personal quarters, an alarm sounded. Luckily for Teal, there was no one there to hear it!

Experimenting with obscure, esoteric spells, Xadof Haws the Demonologist discovered a fascinating dimension: a plane of existence much like his own. A medieval world in which he could manipulate the inhabitants into his conniving machinations-- his secret agendas. And perhaps eventually gain enough loyal followers to form his own motley army. Meanwhile, in his absence, shocking events were happening. This was the drawback of crossing the boundaries of space and time. It cut him off from anything happening on this side of the doorway.