Loral was enraged by the loss at the hands of Lady Vox. Watching his friends crushed and clawed like ants was more than his mind could take. He vowed to find what lead to this treachery and destroy it. He would help rescue Fironia Vie and avenge the deaths of the heroes he fought along.
Months later, while assisting in the war against the Kromdek, great giants who battled the Antonican armies, Loral found a clue. A Sarnak knight had struck at Loral's party and was quickly cut down by the blades of Shagnaz, the ranger, a long time friend of Loral. On his body they found a note signed by the circle of scale. Loral gave the note to Dinirose, Shagnaz' wife, a highly skilled enchanter and expert of dragon lore. She translated the note for Loral.
The note was from the Chancellor of Di'Zok to his lord. It stated that the circle of scale gave a reward to the lord for his help in protecting Lady Vox. This reward was in the possession of the Chancellor and he would be expecting Di'Zok's gate commander, Korasal Klyseer, to come and pick up the key. Loral had heard stories of this commander, a shadowknight who delighted in reanimating his victims and using them to fight for him later.
Loral had no intention of it ever being retrieved. He traveled back to the Lake of Ill Omen, a land he had traveled when first coming to Kunark. The young warriors of the Elven outpost continued their battles with the Sarnak at a fort deep within the area. Loral met up with the armies of Vie and found out that a small infiltration team had made it inside the fort but had been routed within. They were trapped inside the Chancellor's dining hall. Loral asked a near by wizard to cast the spell of invisibility on him and he slipped past the guards near the rear of the complex.
When inside, he heard the snarls of the beasts all around him. They passed him by in groups of three or four all heading to the outskirts of the fort where the battles raged on. Loral continued deeper within the fort until a Sarnak spellcaster, an extremist, sensed his presence. As soon as Loral heard the familiar chant of the Sarnak he countered with a wave of power that blew the spellcaster on his back. Another chant to Tunare drew roots through the stone floor and immobilized the unconscious beast. Loral open his hands and prayed to Tunare to release her wrath on the creature and a ball of magical energy blew the Sarnak into pieces. Loral smiled at his own power, noting how often he had to battle with such beasts with far less desirable outcomes.
Loral continued into the Chancellor's dining hall, sliding past those Sarnak legionnaires and recruits who guarded the place. Inside he found the small band of adventurers that had been trapped within. He healed and cast magical protections on the party who began their preparations to escape the room. As they finalized their preparations to leave, the Chancellor stepped into the hall.
The Chancellor of Di'Zok was physically large for his race, standing at almost two and a half meters. A spiritual wolf walked in with him, it's Grey eyes hollow and lifeless. In his hand he carried a massive spear inlaid with jade runes that glowed with a magical light.
Loral wasted no time. The band had already cleared out the Sarnak guards who the Chancellor had expected to protect him, so their time to strike was at hand. Loral called a wave of force, which slammed the Chancellor hard. The Chancellor was not as easily defeated as the extremist Loral had battled earlier, but the stunning blow still slowed him down. Loral, hit him with the retribution of Tunare. While the damage was mighty, the large Sarnak took it in stride. The Chancellor's wolf started charging at Loral, running at inhuman speeds. Loral expected the dog to knock him down and probably begin to tear him apart. He gritted his teeth and took comfort in the fact that he would die in the name of Tunare and Felwithe, when the armored barbarian, Tinyfeet, slammed the wolf with his shield, sending it sprawling just before it hit Loral. Loral ignored the cries of the wolf as the party cut and blasted it down, concentrating on calling spell after spell upon the Chancellor. The Chancellor's own majiks were mighty even without his wolf companion and Loral felt the sting of electricity soar through his armor and into his bones. Loral stood his ground through the onslaught of spells and finally the Chancellor fell to the ground dead, smoke rising from his eyes and mouth.
Loral whispered a prayer to Tunare and his wounds faded away. He walked over to the smoldering corpse and picked up the jade spear. The party finished off the wolf and cheered at each other and at Loral. Loral only looked at the spear and wondered whether this was the reward that cost the lives of so many.
After regrouping and preparing for their escape, the party made it's way back out into the sunlight and into the ranks of the army of Vie. Unlike the rest of the party, Loral found little comfort in their escape. Instead he found his rage building even more, telling him to travel to Chardok and give this necromancer the reward he so richly deserved. Loral ate silently before his journeys, imagining what rewards he would give the shadowknight, Klyseer, for the deaths of his friends
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution, Share-Alike License. Contact Loral at mike@mikeshea.net.