Rest for a Rider
Ghosts! Shades! Hordes of undead, unsurprisingly right off the Karrn river! Tales of death from the Northern villages! Your very own Prismatic Guild sends investigators to crack a dreadful unsolved mystery, their story exclusive to The Chromatic Chronicle. Find out how our very own adventurers quelled the forlorn spirit, bringing us the story of decades.
Six adventurers armed with experience, their blades, and a certain sense of duty find themselves seeking the remains of a “Rider”. A mystery of the decades saw the fearless expedition brave twisted and tainted stretches of forest. This endeavor succeeded in bringing closure to the greater family of House Orien, not to mention the surviving friends and family. How could a tale of the lost messenger fail to provoke a mythical scale of adventure?
This is the inside scoop! These six adventurers had a time limit of five days to figure this mystery out! Five days where many of those who undertook this challenge failed to free the rider from his ride. During those days, they spent time researching and looking into anything that could seem even slightly off. At night they would attempt to make contact with the rider. Contact that would take them deep into the forest.
The first night of contact started as they watched the rider fall from his horse, attacked by shadow beasts! The group made contact and quickly took care of the few that lingered and attempted to make contact with Bardulf but he was drawn off his path by “pretty floating lights”. He spoke a bit briefly before fading away. The group charged into the forest and dealt with these lights. This was possible thanks to the clerical strength of Rosalie Calimoon! A powerful call upon her deity sent the undead shrieking in terror as they took the dark forest, leaving the adventurers to lick their wounds and take stock. While they looked for anything useful, they found themselves turned in circles; getting lost themselves! This goes to show that even experienced adventurers should remember to always mark their path.
With most of their night, and soon day wasted sleeping and needing more information, the group decided to attempt just talking with the ghost. Now that the wisps were out of the picture, they could speak to the spectator without him losing his path. This is where the story begins to turn for our adventurers though. They sent the beloved Perseverance and Rosalie out to speak with him. The ghost looked between the two and appeared to become more whole while speaking about his wife “Tia” and having to get home for the delivery. He faded before they could speak more to him but now they came at the challenge with a new purpose!
Night three saw the guild members following the ghost. They wanted to see where it might lead them without intervention and low and behold, it took them to a place of darkness and undead. The manifest zone! They saw something sparkle along their path but an onslaught of undead came rushing through the darkened forest and began to attack them. Once one fell, another popped up in its place! It was a never-ending battle so they did what anyone in that situation would have done. Run? No! Perseverance rushed forward and seized the sparkling pin that was in the darkness as Sylvia and Khassahk began a fighting retreat. Maneuvering the rest of their party, they began a fighting retreat until they safely made it out of the forest and looked to their prize. It was an Orien badge, but to have survived for so long in the zone made it manifest magic?
Night four was their most challenging night. Taking Lev, Bardulf’s son, out to the zone where he would be seen a change to their usual nights! The ghost became more corporeal, the things chasing him became more corporeal and now it was a fight to save Bardulf! Quick thinking saw Khassahk, Rosalie, and Perseverance rushing to defend the rider as Sylvia moved the rider to Lev. Impressive shows of magic displayed by Vil and Nyx saw to the safety of the now duo riders as they rode to finish Bardulf’s last delivery. After a long fight that ended in victory, the group returned to see that Lev had reunited with his father.
The restless spirit of the late Bardulf d'Orien found its repose in the most graceful of endings. Mark that one down for the history books, would anybody expect an exorcism through the power of love? We sure didn’t, our very own quills aching to pass on this heartfelt story of reunion. It would not be until our very own reporters persuaded a hurt, thought-forgotten son, to brave the undead, that the restless soul finally found peace. It was hard to find an eye dry, a heart unmoved, seeing the gap between living and dead broken in the name of peace. I don’t know about you, but it has me spoiling to take another crack at adventure!