What Lies In Darkness

Welcomed Guests

The three Draconians walk for the better part of two hours before they reach a large residence. It has been built at the bottom of a rather imposing mountain. They can see that a wall protects the residence from outsiders. Atop the wall, guards are posted at different points. They begin to scurry about once they see the approaching travelers. The General sighs. Maybe he was given an invitation just to be killed. That would be what a heartless Human would do. He had faced them in combat, but that was long ago when he was nothing more than a foot soldier. Still, he remembered the ferocity with which they, and their Gnome allies fought.

The other sapient races tried to stop the war. Dwarves, Elves, Trolls, Ogres, and Goblins sent delegations pleading with the three races to come to an agreement. These attempts at peace, however, were met with fierce opposition by the warring races. The Humans and Gnomes executed several of the peace negotiators that sought their leaders' cooperation in ending the conflict. The Draconians, for their part, executed some and sent others back, maimed and unable to speak.

It was strange, the General thought, that all three, who had been very close, suddenly broke out into war. His thoughts were interrupted as he found himself, and the others in front of a closed gate. He raised his head, only to find several of the guards armed with crossbows pointing at the group. It was becoming clear that this invitation was nothing more than a elaborate trap to end his life.

As he watches the Humans pull back the darts that will soon send he and his companions to the afterlife, a shout is heard on the other side of the wall. The guards stop, and one looks down toward where the sound came from.

"It's Draconians. I don't know how, but we have three of them right outside, probably expecting to catch us off guard so they can eat us." The guard looking down shouts back.

"No respectable Draconian would eat such sour meat!" The General finds himself shouting up at the guard, offended by the idea that he is being thought of as a savage. The two other warriors chuckle at the joke, but the Humans do not. They raise their crossbows, positioning them to send the Draconians to whatever afterlife exists.

Before the weapons can be used, another shout is heard, this one very clear. "Put down your weapons you bunch of imbeciles! If you actually looked at your orders, you would see that these guests were expected either today or tomorrow!" Grumbling can be heard from many of the guards, but they lower their crossbows.

"Now open up the gates you brainless good-for-nothings!" The voice shouts again.

The General frowns at the verbal abuse being dished out by the owner of the voice. No one, not even Humans, deserved that kind of treatment. Why were these soldiers working for someone like this? Part of him wishes he could talk them into leaving their employer and finding someone with proper manners. The thought itself actually surprises him. He never thought he would feel sympathy for his enemies. He shakes his head, he shouldn't be concerning himself with their welfare.

The gates of the residence open, revealing a beautiful courtyard of stone. Straight in front of him is a giant fountain. It is decorated with statues of every sapient race raising bowls up towards the heavens. From the bowls water pours down. The General can tell that the elder of the city was speaking truth when he stated that the family residing here is old.

Guards usher the three Draconians into the courtyard. Beyond where the fountain lays, he can see the large house. It is constructed of polished red stone.  Two large obelisks reach to a height of about 25 meters on either side of the entrance.

As he walks into the courtyard his gaze is drawn toward other statues. Some are of creatures that no longer show themselves, while others are of creatures that no longer exist. Over to the north side of the courtyard, the stone ends and a path of grass begins into what can only be guessed as a garden. He can see trees and he hears the sounds of birds chirping merrily. He looks to the south side and finds that the wall connects to the mountain there.

As he takes in all that is around him, a Goblin, short and wiry, comes up to him. He is only about 1.5 meters tall. He bows before the Draconian General. "Welcome my Lord, to Valandeer Manor."

The General recognizes the voice as the one that hurled insults at those who would have ended his life. Even though he feels some gratefulness for that, he also feels disdain for how the Goblin insulted them.

"You are the one who stopped the guards from murdering me, I am assuming." He states, as civilly as he can. The Goblin rises up and nods.

"Yes. If I had not come out when I did, these morons would have filled you with so many holes we would have been able to see the sun through you when we lifted you up." The Goblin laughs at his own dark joke. When he notices that the Draconians do not share in his humor, he composes himself. 

"I meant no disrespect on what I stated. I was merely making jest of a situation that could have turned out far worse than it has." he states.

The General frowns. "I do not have the time, nor the patience, for any jokes you may have. I am appalled at how you belittled those who protect you. What kind of Master does that?"

The Goblin laughs loudly at being called the Master. "I am not the Master of anything. I am just another humble servant of those who control this magnificent place. I called these humans such names because it is true. My Masters made sure to get quite possibly the most unintelligent soldiers possible to be their guards."

The General shakes his head at the Goblin's words. "You're rather grumpy for a Goblin," one of the warriors states. The Goblin for his part actually nods in agreement.

"I have been made supervisor of quite possibly the worse group of servants and guards Valandeer Manor has ever seen. My family has worked for this family for generations, but now the family seems to have forgotten how to find people with brains." The Goblin huffs. "Follow me, we don't want to keep the Valandeer Elder waiting. "

With this the Goblin leads the three into the manor house. The vestibule of the house contains a high ceiling from which a golden chandelier is hung. At this time servants are cleaning the candle wax from the night before that dripped onto some of its parts.  There is glass all over the top of the ceiling, allowing as much light as possible to shine in.

"Pardon my manners, but I have not given my name," their guide says. He turns to the three and bows low. "I am Pincheon. My family has supervised Valandeer Manor for six generations now."

The General returns the bow to Pincheon. "Then maybe you can tell me why the residents of the city fear the people who live here so much, and why they told me I was given a fake name."

Pincheon shakes his head. "It is not my place to speak of the family or their business to anyone. As it is, those of the city that you came through fear this family because of the knowledge and power that they possess." With that he motions for them to sit on elegant and comfortable couches. "I shall let Lord Valandeer know of your arrival. For now make yourselves comfortable. If you wish for any refreshment, just let a servant know buy ringing the bell." With that he heads up a large staircase toward the back of the house, leaving the three Draconians there.

The General decides that sitting is not a bad idea and does so as Pincheon heads off to retrieve his master. He watches the servants going back and forth, most not even paying the Draconians any mind.  His warriors have seated themselves on another couch, looking as though they are going to fall asleep. He did not blame them. He remembers how for most of the trip to the city, they were seasick and got very little sleep. Hopefully this Lord Valandeer would allow them to have at least one night to stay and rest up before sending them back on their way.

As he is thinking this, he too finds himself starting to become tired. He can tell it is not a normal tired, but instead something magical at work. He tries to move, but is unable to. His guesses that the magic is a slow working one, and that is why Pincheon took his time with them. He looks to his men who are now fast asleep. He tries to speak, but the exhaustion is too much. In time he slumps over and darkness overtakes him.