Rellick had barely washed the blood off when his next adventure would arrive, this time in the form of a stranger with no memory, and no identification other than a brand on his chest in the shape of a helm above a shield. He had arrived, only to pass out in the middle of the castle hall. The queen, kind soul that she was, suggested nursing him back to health, and Rellick was more than willing to help with such a goal.
When the man could speak again, he told them that he had no memory, save for one: "Bring the Protector to Baldur Mountain." Though such a mountain is unknown in these days, at the time it was known as a dangerous peek. Rellick suggested investigating what was there, and the queen agreed. Unfortunately, the queen was too curious, and instead of staying under guard, she stowed away after Rellick when he took the stranger to Baldur Mountain. By the time she was caught sneaking after them, they were too far from civilization to safely send her back, and so Rellick agreed to take her along, and simply protect her as he could.
Even reaching Baldur Mountain was an ordeal, though what waited for them could be seen as ten times that. The mountain itself was swarming with various predators, all with gold eyes, that would attack the moment they locked on to a target. Injuries from such predators were minor, but still brought up the need for a rest when they at last found a cave to take shelter in. The group set up a camp for the night, with Rellick on first watch.
But it was during the stranger's watch that things began to happen. A door, grand and ornate, had appeared at the back of the cave, and the stranger woke the group to show it to them. The doors did not easily open to the stranger's hand, but as Rellick approached it, the decorations began to twist from the image of a warrior in heavy armor and a massive shield, to the image of a man with antlers and two stags. Curiously, Rellick reached for the door and it opened easily under his touch.
With his bow in hand, Rellick started to venture in, with the heads of his stags by his side and the queen behind him. The stranger took up the rear as the ventured inward.
The hall was not particularly ornate, as torches lit themselves to expose bare walls as they passed. But it was not far in that they would learn the hard way that traps were lain in the hall. And by the hard way, it's meant of course that Rellick took the full brunt of a trap that would have otherwise hit the queen. Luckily, he was okay, and they were able to continue down the hall with a wary eye.
Yet another short while later and they would reach the first puzzle door. Though indeed puzzling, it only took a few minutes of pacing to recognize the traps they'd faced as pieces of the puzzle, and arrange the pieces accordingly. It seemed to open the door quite well.
They passed three total sections of the hall. Each with a series of traps, and each ending in a puzzle regarding said traps designed to open the door. After the final door, they emerged into a large, empty room with a single hole in the ceiling shining light down on a shield mounted on a raised dais in the middle of the room. As soon as all members were inside, the door closed, and a series of clicking sounds began to ensue.
The first to fall was the stranger, impales by the leg of a giant metal spider of craftsmanship that none of them had seen before. Many such spiders began to stream from the walls as Rellick rushed his stags and the queen to the center of the room to take a stand. And while the battle was fierce, it was overwhelming for what was available for them. They fought hard. The white stag was felled. More fighting. The black stag was felled. Even more fighting.
Rellick and the queen had been worn down, to the point that a single hit could have ended either of them, and Rellick made a decision. Lifting the shield off of the dais, he pushed the queen to the ground, pressed the shield atop her torso, and shielded her body with his own, making the decision that if he could save nothing else, he would save her.
But the killing blow never came. Rather, the room cleared out, and the spiders that were still functional retreated. Rellick took a moment to apologize to his stags for failing them, before rushing to get the queen out of there. Such a rush, in fact, that he would not see the stags revive in glowing glory to wait for him to join them again.
