Part 2: And the journey starts
Mulad, still sitting on the bench outside the tavern, found himself staring at one body some fifteen feet away from where he sat. The woman herself was an unknown person to him, but she reminded him of someone; someone once very close to him. The dead woman lay in the middle of the street, without a second body near her, with her face looking sideways as the rest of her body faced downward with her chest pressed against the cobblestone street. The woman was wealthy, as the makeup on her face showed; her cheeks a rosy pink color while a vibrant black color found itself coloring in the underside of her eyes. Her hair was long in style with a natural brunette color but it had long since been covered in dirt and blood; a result of the attack no doubt. Her eyes a dark blue color, much like Mulad's own, and they were staring out with a glossy finish over to the bench where Mulad sat.
"I will be seeing you soon, my old friend," Mulad spoke to the dead body. Sure, it wasn't her that lay there in the street but the visage of the woman none the less sparked a memory in Mulad's mind; one which Mulad willingly fell into once again.
"Mulad," his friend spoke as she entered the war tent; resting her long spear with its massive blade on the side of a table near the entrance. Surrounding an oak table that had small clay figures, either a blue or a red color to denote the forces allegiance on top, Mulad and three of his Purifiers sat planning the upcoming battle with a Firen commander. The commander was in full battle gear while Mulad and his Purifiers were still in their common clothes. The war tent was lit well by multiple candles placed strategically to fill the tent as a whole with as much light as possible. It was also spacious, with the massive war table placed in the direct center with enough room on all sides for any and all to move about freely and without hindrance. "I observed the enemy lines as ordered and what I saw suggests that the enemy will use the cover of dark tonight to sally forth and assault."
Mulad turned his head from the war table to face his female companion. "Aster," Mulad spoke as he beckoned his second in command to his side, "your report is well received and it is as we expected," Mulad paused, "we have bolstered our lines here, here, and here," with each 'here' which Mulad spoke did he point to a specific portion of the front-line, "with hidden poles that should be strong enough to withstand the charge of that damned Demonic Hound and give our mages clear shots, while we have also hidden our War Mages here, here, and also here," again pointing out the positions on the map, "to counter any and all Minoutaurs that have aligned themselves with the demons."
"Do we have enough soldiers to hold the line?" Aster asked as she placed her hands on the table, transferring most her weight in the process. "This defense needs to hold if a larger conflict is to be prevented."
"What we lack in numbers we make up for it with skill, miss," the commander of the Firen Shock Troopers said as he himself moved over to the war table, pointing to the center of the blue clay figures. "My best troops will make up the center lines, and we will hold them back; our flanks are bolstered by a few units of our newer soldiers and the militia you guys somehow convinced to fight; we will take a weak-center and encourage the beasts to charge us head on, and we will win," the commander finished as a smile crossed his face.
"What do you think, Aster?" Mulad asked with a smile.
Aster turned her attention towards Mulad and pulled herself from the table, crossing her arms as she did. She paused for a second, but she began to speak once again. "Deign we to meet under such gloom," Aster responded but the voice was not her own; gone was the sweet and gentle rhythm of her speech and instead replaced by the coarse voice of an elder and with enough bass that suggested a man was now speaking to him. As Mulad realized someone, in reality, was with him, the illusion of the memory fractured and Mulad found himself being pulled out of the memory and firmly back in the ruined Six Corners. In front of him stood a mountain, and the mountain talked.
Mulad quickly stood up, and gave the dead woman one last look before he turned his full attention towards the towering Sir Brandt; who had a head and a half on Mulads height or so it seemed. Mulad did not expect to see such a man respond to his call. Mulad eyes quickly scanned his face before sizing up his build. "Much too strong to be Lavas by birth, and much too big as well," he quickly thought, "maybe a tribesman, most likely Glamhoth," he finished the thought with a smile. The man before him, although old, had much strength left in him.
"Sir Brandt, you are a most welcome sight amongst this chaos," Mulad said as he stood up and gave the Knight a slight bow, "while I wish I was the ignorant fool who just stumbled upon the mess we find ourselves surrounded by, I cannot claim ignorance as to what happened here," he paused as he looked around the area, eyes resting on the dead woman with another 'last glance', "the dead can still talk for those who know how to listen, and they told me everything we need to know," Mulad paused as he turned his attention back up to the Knight, "Let us make our way inside the tavern, I think-"
"Human, I have arrived," snarled a monster from down the road.
Mulad shot his head over, preparing a spell as he did. His eyes grew wide and his mouth opened, with his body weight shifting backwards as he took in the sight of the creature which stood even taller than Sir Brant and with a visage so fierce it forced Mulad to question how the patrolling soldiers had not mistaken it for a hell beast. "Tall, collects trophies of its kills, smart enough to craft and use weapons and armor," Mulad thought, "of course!" After a brief second had passed, Mulad let the magic within him return to his core and allowed a slight smile to cross his face. "Never in my wildest dreams could I imagine a Gnoll answering my call, but here you stand." While the statement was delivered with the articulation and annunciation of a well-versed scholar, inside his mind his thoughts were more like a teenage woman's after meeting the man of her dreams; yes, yes and yes drowned out everything else as the smile slowly crept further and further across his face. "Monsters shall come for us in our journey, Gnoll, but they shall learn to regret the day they did when they meet your blade" he finished as he turned his attention back to the Knight, and in turn back to the Gnoll, "Let us make our way inside the tavern, all of us, I think-"
Click – Clack – Clop - Click – Clack – Click – Clack
Mulad turned his head around completely, pulling his body along with it, to face the complete other side as the sound of a single horse slowly moving its way towards the center of the town began to fill the air.
Click – Clack – Click – Clack – Click – Clack -
Mulad struggled to get a clean look at the rider as he swayed from side to side. Mulad channeled his inner magic once again before he turned and faced the rider. "I am Mulad," he shouted down the road towards the individual, "Grand Wizard of the Court and the one who had sent out the call for heroes to join me," Mulad again paused as he watched the man slowly move down the street towards them, "we were just about to enter the Tavern as we await any individuals who are yet to arrive. Let us all make our way inside the tavern, I think our upcoming discussions could use a drink or two to stomach." Mulad's eyes scanned over the man, and he let his magic yet again return to his core. The man was neither demon nor cultist, the eyes told him as much, and most likely he was responding to the call. Mulad motioned, giving Sir Brandt a long look as he did, for the small assembly to follow him inside with Sir Brandt and the Gnoll following him first and soon followed there after by the cloaked rider. Mulad knew the man wasn't a cultist, he did not reak of demonic influences, but a particular smell had caught his attention and it had given him cause for concern; grave dirt.
Inside the Tavern, the scene before Mulad was reminiscent of the war-torn streets outside. Smashed tables, broken chairs, shards of glass covering the ground at every possible location and a few bodies to boot that took away from the polished and, albeit charred, beautiful interior of the bar. There were signs a fire had started in the tavern; black soot marks danced up many of the sides of the inside, yet it seemed something, or someone had put them out. His eyes started on the back left most corner from the door, where he noticed three dead bodies, two of which were hanging from the wall with the wooden shafts of a spear protruding from their chests. As his eyes moved more towards the far middle corner of the room, he noticed a strange sight. On the wall by the corner there was a large pool of blood that started from a hole in the wall that was chest level with Mulad without a body to provide it; with lines of blood being forced along in a line towards the door.
"Seems the drunks fought back in here," Mulad spoke as he pointed out the area on the wall, "someone over there managed to drive a spear through one of the attackers," he paused as his head quickly scanned the room once again, counting all the bodies he could see in the process, "let's not be too picky, grab a seat wherever you please and I'll see about getting us some drinks," Mulad spoke as he diverted his attention away from the group and over behind the bar, "we may not be alone here after all."
Creeeeeeeeak
Mulad quickly turned his body once again and faced it towards the door, where a tall creature stood in the doorway with an ominous wooden mask adorning his face. Mulad, understanding the random appearances of those who responded to his call now did not channel his inner magic; instead, he faced the stranger with a smile on his face.
“So, there is someone here. Is one of you a Grand Wizard by the name of Mulad, perchance?”
Mulad relaxed as the man took off his wooden mask, revealing the sun kissed face of a well-travelled and aging elf. "One of us is, assuredly," Mulad said as he gave the elf a slight bow, "you arrived at a good time, we were about to discuss the quest," Mulad paused as he moved behind the bar counter, "this is Sir Brandt of the Lavasian order before you," he spoke as he motioned towards the giant of a man, "I know not the names of our Gnoll friend and the other human over there, but I'm sure they'd tell you if you'd only ask." Mulad finished as he returned his attention to the bar and began to look for any poison he could drink to ease the burden. After a few seconds of rummaging, Mulad rose up and placed three bottles up on top of the bar and grabbed a few clean looking glasses, at least they weren't broken and placed them next to the bottles. "We have brandy," Mulad spoke as he placed his hand on one of the bottles, "brandy," he said as he placed his hand on a second bottle, "and to mix it up we also have Brandy," Mulad finished as he pointed towards the final bottle. His eyes looked underneath one of the bottles, and much to his dismay he had placed one in a pool of blood. Quickly grabbing a rag, Mulad quickly started to wipe up the blood.
"So. You got any pie back there?" Asked a new face that had slid through the door unnoticed by Mulad and had crept up to the bar top.
"I do not," Mulad responded after a quick glance, smirking as he did, "and it breaks my heart to tell you that pie will be in short supply as we adventure further North." As Mulad finished, a knock was heard coming from the doorframe. In the doorway stood one of his purifiers, unmasked, with his guide in tow.
"Our party is mostly complete now, I suspect we have a few more to join us lurking in the shadows outside, let them know it is safe to make their way to us here," Mulad spoke in a raised voice, "you are free to put your armor on again as well," he finished as he motioned for his Purifier to leave with a wave of his right hand. The Purifier tapped his chest twice with a closed fist, before turning around and leaving the establishment. "Mardion, I assume, come on inside we don't bite," Mulad started as he began to pour some of the brandy into a cup; leaving it on the table for whoever wanted the first drink. "Your father had been a most useful scout for me in years past; if he could not make it I pray he is in good health and is as good a teacher as he was a scout," Mulad said as he finished pouring another drink.
His Purifier, upon exiting the tavern, reached into the front right pocket of his jacket and pulled out a trinket. The trinket was something remarkable to look at; it had a golden color to it and was round in nature, engravings bordering the edge in a mysterious language and it had a solid blue gem in the center. With force, the Purifier slammed the trinket into his chest. Immediately, the blue gem began to project a soft blue light. In a second the trinket began to expand across his body; first covering his chest in a solid, golden plate armor before it spread downward with his legs getting similar plate armor and finally it spread upward, covering the head of the Purifier with a winged helmet.
Now in armor, The Purifier quickly went to work. He looked around for one second before he started off down one of the roads, locating Kestrel on top of her horse within a minute. "You're late, Mulad is in the ruined Tavern," the Purifier said in a condescending tone as he moved away from the girl, shaking his head, and returned back to the crossroads. He then turned down the second street and began to down it for two minutes before running into Andin and Gala. "You're both late, Mulad is in the ruined Tavern," he again spat out in a condescending tone, shaking his head as he did once again. He then turned around and left the pair behind him as he again made his way back to the crossroads. He paused for a brief second before he again turned down a separate road and began to walk. After three minutes, he managed to approach Nimue and stopped a few steps ahead of her. "My dear, it appears you are running late to the meeting," The Purifer said in a soft, comforting voice, "Mulad awaits your arrival in the tavern; do hurry now!" As he finished, he gave the woman a slight bow before he moved passed her and down the road and began his journey westward.
A few minutes passed as Mulad poured out eleven shots of Brandy into the various glasses and waited. Soon enough, the rest of the group soon entered the tavern and found their way in and sat down across the room.
"As some of you are aware, my name is Mulad and as darkness fell all across our land did I put out a call for heroes," Mulad started as he leaned his body against the bar, "the hour draws late on all the mortal races and we are faced with a choice;" Mulad paused as he gave everyone who had arrived a long look, "we either make it to the Canyon of the Gods and retrieve the Staff of the Gods itself," he paused as he adopted a grim look on his face, "or we let everything we hold dear fall into ruin. All around us are the signs of the times; this one bazaar, far from conflict, serves as a reminder of what will happen to every city, every town, and every person if I do not make it to that staff," he paused as he let his voice echo off the far wall, "My time in the Court has granted me a unique perspective, one fueled by a combination of magical ability and by mental intellect. I have discovered how to activate the power of the staff, once used to quell the First Imperium of Man, and with it;" he paused to let the gravity of his words fall on the now assembled group, "and with it we stand a chance of ending this blight on our world, lock away the dragon once again, and banish the Mad King himself to the realm he so loves." He moved from behind the and quickly made his way to the front of the bar; stepping over one of the many dead bodies as he did. He leaned his back against the bar, crossed his arms, and looked out once again.
"Each of you is a key cog in the machine of war that I am building," he looked over to Sir Brandt, "You are its conviction," he then his head towards the Gnoll, "you are its ferocity," turning his head once more towards the robed figure in the background, "you are its focus," he paused as he looked at those remaining, "and the rest of you are key cogs in the scholar and the mage that is I," he paused and turned his head now to the priestess, "I have my faith," he paused as he looked towards Mardion, "I have my guide," pausing again as he looked over the remaining few, "and I have my hope, bolstered by strong individuals like yourselves." Mulad uncrossed his arms as he looked around the room once more, "I ask you to follow me, through lands filled with monstrous creatures to the very Canyon where-"
Mulad quickly paused his speech, which had started to drag on in all honesty, as his eyes shot to the back of the room. The dead bodies pinned to the wall had started to twitch, and Mulad began to feel the presence of Dark Magic filtering into the tavern and all around the Six Corners as a whole.
"Bold move," Mulad muttered in a low voice as a frown spread across his face and he began to make his way towards the bodies, "my friends, it seems we find ourselves under a cultist assault," Mulad spoke as he walked in front of the body, now moving more fluidly although their arms and heads jolted about in a janky fashion, "for the undead go for the head, either separate it from their body or destroy it by whatever means you can," he again paused as he began to draw his magic up to his hands and extended his right hand, clenched into a fist, towards the face of the creature. Electricity began to arch off his hand and started to scorch the face of the undead creature, which began to writhe around as it opened its mouth and began to moan as all undead creatures did, "for the cultist, attack in groups and overwhelm them but beware of their magic," Mulad added as the undead creature quickly turned its head towards the Priestess Nimue and began clawing at the air in her direction; Mulad quickly opened his fist, blasting the face of the undead creature with a bright white blast that obliterated the head of the monster, while the creature itself stopped it's moving and fell dead once again. Mulad pulled his magic from his hand, causing the bright white light to fade, and turned his attention towards the group.
"Get ready for a fight."
All around the Tavern, the dead bodies began to twitch and move around. Hundreds of dead bodies began to pull themselves off the ground, slowly as they did, as a group of five cultist, four mages and one summoner, began to walk into the six corners from the North. The battle was upon the group, if they took things slowly and carefully they would survive unscathed; on the flip side over aggressive attacks could prove costly. Time would tell how the group responds.
"I will be seeing you soon, my old friend," Mulad spoke to the dead body. Sure, it wasn't her that lay there in the street but the visage of the woman none the less sparked a memory in Mulad's mind; one which Mulad willingly fell into once again.
~ Many years ago on the eve of battle against a demonic force ~
"Mulad," his friend spoke as she entered the war tent; resting her long spear with its massive blade on the side of a table near the entrance. Surrounding an oak table that had small clay figures, either a blue or a red color to denote the forces allegiance on top, Mulad and three of his Purifiers sat planning the upcoming battle with a Firen commander. The commander was in full battle gear while Mulad and his Purifiers were still in their common clothes. The war tent was lit well by multiple candles placed strategically to fill the tent as a whole with as much light as possible. It was also spacious, with the massive war table placed in the direct center with enough room on all sides for any and all to move about freely and without hindrance. "I observed the enemy lines as ordered and what I saw suggests that the enemy will use the cover of dark tonight to sally forth and assault."
Mulad turned his head from the war table to face his female companion. "Aster," Mulad spoke as he beckoned his second in command to his side, "your report is well received and it is as we expected," Mulad paused, "we have bolstered our lines here, here, and here," with each 'here' which Mulad spoke did he point to a specific portion of the front-line, "with hidden poles that should be strong enough to withstand the charge of that damned Demonic Hound and give our mages clear shots, while we have also hidden our War Mages here, here, and also here," again pointing out the positions on the map, "to counter any and all Minoutaurs that have aligned themselves with the demons."
"Do we have enough soldiers to hold the line?" Aster asked as she placed her hands on the table, transferring most her weight in the process. "This defense needs to hold if a larger conflict is to be prevented."
"What we lack in numbers we make up for it with skill, miss," the commander of the Firen Shock Troopers said as he himself moved over to the war table, pointing to the center of the blue clay figures. "My best troops will make up the center lines, and we will hold them back; our flanks are bolstered by a few units of our newer soldiers and the militia you guys somehow convinced to fight; we will take a weak-center and encourage the beasts to charge us head on, and we will win," the commander finished as a smile crossed his face.
"What do you think, Aster?" Mulad asked with a smile.
Aster turned her attention towards Mulad and pulled herself from the table, crossing her arms as she did. She paused for a second, but she began to speak once again. "Deign we to meet under such gloom," Aster responded but the voice was not her own; gone was the sweet and gentle rhythm of her speech and instead replaced by the coarse voice of an elder and with enough bass that suggested a man was now speaking to him. As Mulad realized someone, in reality, was with him, the illusion of the memory fractured and Mulad found himself being pulled out of the memory and firmly back in the ruined Six Corners. In front of him stood a mountain, and the mountain talked.
"see I that neither feast nor rest are to avail us this day. Nevertheless, before you now, Ser Brandt of the Lavasian order, under charge of knight-commander Maleagant. Assume you just as ignorant as I to this tragedy fresh?"
Mulad quickly stood up, and gave the dead woman one last look before he turned his full attention towards the towering Sir Brandt; who had a head and a half on Mulads height or so it seemed. Mulad did not expect to see such a man respond to his call. Mulad eyes quickly scanned his face before sizing up his build. "Much too strong to be Lavas by birth, and much too big as well," he quickly thought, "maybe a tribesman, most likely Glamhoth," he finished the thought with a smile. The man before him, although old, had much strength left in him.
"Sir Brandt, you are a most welcome sight amongst this chaos," Mulad said as he stood up and gave the Knight a slight bow, "while I wish I was the ignorant fool who just stumbled upon the mess we find ourselves surrounded by, I cannot claim ignorance as to what happened here," he paused as he looked around the area, eyes resting on the dead woman with another 'last glance', "the dead can still talk for those who know how to listen, and they told me everything we need to know," Mulad paused as he turned his attention back up to the Knight, "Let us make our way inside the tavern, I think-"
"Human, I have arrived," snarled a monster from down the road.
Mulad shot his head over, preparing a spell as he did. His eyes grew wide and his mouth opened, with his body weight shifting backwards as he took in the sight of the creature which stood even taller than Sir Brant and with a visage so fierce it forced Mulad to question how the patrolling soldiers had not mistaken it for a hell beast. "Tall, collects trophies of its kills, smart enough to craft and use weapons and armor," Mulad thought, "of course!" After a brief second had passed, Mulad let the magic within him return to his core and allowed a slight smile to cross his face. "Never in my wildest dreams could I imagine a Gnoll answering my call, but here you stand." While the statement was delivered with the articulation and annunciation of a well-versed scholar, inside his mind his thoughts were more like a teenage woman's after meeting the man of her dreams; yes, yes and yes drowned out everything else as the smile slowly crept further and further across his face. "Monsters shall come for us in our journey, Gnoll, but they shall learn to regret the day they did when they meet your blade" he finished as he turned his attention back to the Knight, and in turn back to the Gnoll, "Let us make our way inside the tavern, all of us, I think-"
Click – Clack – Clop - Click – Clack – Click – Clack
Mulad turned his head around completely, pulling his body along with it, to face the complete other side as the sound of a single horse slowly moving its way towards the center of the town began to fill the air.
Click – Clack – Click – Clack – Click – Clack -
Mulad struggled to get a clean look at the rider as he swayed from side to side. Mulad channeled his inner magic once again before he turned and faced the rider. "I am Mulad," he shouted down the road towards the individual, "Grand Wizard of the Court and the one who had sent out the call for heroes to join me," Mulad again paused as he watched the man slowly move down the street towards them, "we were just about to enter the Tavern as we await any individuals who are yet to arrive. Let us all make our way inside the tavern, I think our upcoming discussions could use a drink or two to stomach." Mulad's eyes scanned over the man, and he let his magic yet again return to his core. The man was neither demon nor cultist, the eyes told him as much, and most likely he was responding to the call. Mulad motioned, giving Sir Brandt a long look as he did, for the small assembly to follow him inside with Sir Brandt and the Gnoll following him first and soon followed there after by the cloaked rider. Mulad knew the man wasn't a cultist, he did not reak of demonic influences, but a particular smell had caught his attention and it had given him cause for concern; grave dirt.
Inside the Tavern, the scene before Mulad was reminiscent of the war-torn streets outside. Smashed tables, broken chairs, shards of glass covering the ground at every possible location and a few bodies to boot that took away from the polished and, albeit charred, beautiful interior of the bar. There were signs a fire had started in the tavern; black soot marks danced up many of the sides of the inside, yet it seemed something, or someone had put them out. His eyes started on the back left most corner from the door, where he noticed three dead bodies, two of which were hanging from the wall with the wooden shafts of a spear protruding from their chests. As his eyes moved more towards the far middle corner of the room, he noticed a strange sight. On the wall by the corner there was a large pool of blood that started from a hole in the wall that was chest level with Mulad without a body to provide it; with lines of blood being forced along in a line towards the door.
"Seems the drunks fought back in here," Mulad spoke as he pointed out the area on the wall, "someone over there managed to drive a spear through one of the attackers," he paused as his head quickly scanned the room once again, counting all the bodies he could see in the process, "let's not be too picky, grab a seat wherever you please and I'll see about getting us some drinks," Mulad spoke as he diverted his attention away from the group and over behind the bar, "we may not be alone here after all."
Creeeeeeeeak
Mulad quickly turned his body once again and faced it towards the door, where a tall creature stood in the doorway with an ominous wooden mask adorning his face. Mulad, understanding the random appearances of those who responded to his call now did not channel his inner magic; instead, he faced the stranger with a smile on his face.
“So, there is someone here. Is one of you a Grand Wizard by the name of Mulad, perchance?”
Mulad relaxed as the man took off his wooden mask, revealing the sun kissed face of a well-travelled and aging elf. "One of us is, assuredly," Mulad said as he gave the elf a slight bow, "you arrived at a good time, we were about to discuss the quest," Mulad paused as he moved behind the bar counter, "this is Sir Brandt of the Lavasian order before you," he spoke as he motioned towards the giant of a man, "I know not the names of our Gnoll friend and the other human over there, but I'm sure they'd tell you if you'd only ask." Mulad finished as he returned his attention to the bar and began to look for any poison he could drink to ease the burden. After a few seconds of rummaging, Mulad rose up and placed three bottles up on top of the bar and grabbed a few clean looking glasses, at least they weren't broken and placed them next to the bottles. "We have brandy," Mulad spoke as he placed his hand on one of the bottles, "brandy," he said as he placed his hand on a second bottle, "and to mix it up we also have Brandy," Mulad finished as he pointed towards the final bottle. His eyes looked underneath one of the bottles, and much to his dismay he had placed one in a pool of blood. Quickly grabbing a rag, Mulad quickly started to wipe up the blood.
"So. You got any pie back there?" Asked a new face that had slid through the door unnoticed by Mulad and had crept up to the bar top.
"I do not," Mulad responded after a quick glance, smirking as he did, "and it breaks my heart to tell you that pie will be in short supply as we adventure further North." As Mulad finished, a knock was heard coming from the doorframe. In the doorway stood one of his purifiers, unmasked, with his guide in tow.
"Our party is mostly complete now, I suspect we have a few more to join us lurking in the shadows outside, let them know it is safe to make their way to us here," Mulad spoke in a raised voice, "you are free to put your armor on again as well," he finished as he motioned for his Purifier to leave with a wave of his right hand. The Purifier tapped his chest twice with a closed fist, before turning around and leaving the establishment. "Mardion, I assume, come on inside we don't bite," Mulad started as he began to pour some of the brandy into a cup; leaving it on the table for whoever wanted the first drink. "Your father had been a most useful scout for me in years past; if he could not make it I pray he is in good health and is as good a teacher as he was a scout," Mulad said as he finished pouring another drink.
His Purifier, upon exiting the tavern, reached into the front right pocket of his jacket and pulled out a trinket. The trinket was something remarkable to look at; it had a golden color to it and was round in nature, engravings bordering the edge in a mysterious language and it had a solid blue gem in the center. With force, the Purifier slammed the trinket into his chest. Immediately, the blue gem began to project a soft blue light. In a second the trinket began to expand across his body; first covering his chest in a solid, golden plate armor before it spread downward with his legs getting similar plate armor and finally it spread upward, covering the head of the Purifier with a winged helmet.
Now in armor, The Purifier quickly went to work. He looked around for one second before he started off down one of the roads, locating Kestrel on top of her horse within a minute. "You're late, Mulad is in the ruined Tavern," the Purifier said in a condescending tone as he moved away from the girl, shaking his head, and returned back to the crossroads. He then turned down the second street and began to down it for two minutes before running into Andin and Gala. "You're both late, Mulad is in the ruined Tavern," he again spat out in a condescending tone, shaking his head as he did once again. He then turned around and left the pair behind him as he again made his way back to the crossroads. He paused for a brief second before he again turned down a separate road and began to walk. After three minutes, he managed to approach Nimue and stopped a few steps ahead of her. "My dear, it appears you are running late to the meeting," The Purifer said in a soft, comforting voice, "Mulad awaits your arrival in the tavern; do hurry now!" As he finished, he gave the woman a slight bow before he moved passed her and down the road and began his journey westward.
A few minutes passed as Mulad poured out eleven shots of Brandy into the various glasses and waited. Soon enough, the rest of the group soon entered the tavern and found their way in and sat down across the room.
"As some of you are aware, my name is Mulad and as darkness fell all across our land did I put out a call for heroes," Mulad started as he leaned his body against the bar, "the hour draws late on all the mortal races and we are faced with a choice;" Mulad paused as he gave everyone who had arrived a long look, "we either make it to the Canyon of the Gods and retrieve the Staff of the Gods itself," he paused as he adopted a grim look on his face, "or we let everything we hold dear fall into ruin. All around us are the signs of the times; this one bazaar, far from conflict, serves as a reminder of what will happen to every city, every town, and every person if I do not make it to that staff," he paused as he let his voice echo off the far wall, "My time in the Court has granted me a unique perspective, one fueled by a combination of magical ability and by mental intellect. I have discovered how to activate the power of the staff, once used to quell the First Imperium of Man, and with it;" he paused to let the gravity of his words fall on the now assembled group, "and with it we stand a chance of ending this blight on our world, lock away the dragon once again, and banish the Mad King himself to the realm he so loves." He moved from behind the and quickly made his way to the front of the bar; stepping over one of the many dead bodies as he did. He leaned his back against the bar, crossed his arms, and looked out once again.
"Each of you is a key cog in the machine of war that I am building," he looked over to Sir Brandt, "You are its conviction," he then his head towards the Gnoll, "you are its ferocity," turning his head once more towards the robed figure in the background, "you are its focus," he paused as he looked at those remaining, "and the rest of you are key cogs in the scholar and the mage that is I," he paused and turned his head now to the priestess, "I have my faith," he paused as he looked towards Mardion, "I have my guide," pausing again as he looked over the remaining few, "and I have my hope, bolstered by strong individuals like yourselves." Mulad uncrossed his arms as he looked around the room once more, "I ask you to follow me, through lands filled with monstrous creatures to the very Canyon where-"
Mulad quickly paused his speech, which had started to drag on in all honesty, as his eyes shot to the back of the room. The dead bodies pinned to the wall had started to twitch, and Mulad began to feel the presence of Dark Magic filtering into the tavern and all around the Six Corners as a whole.
"Bold move," Mulad muttered in a low voice as a frown spread across his face and he began to make his way towards the bodies, "my friends, it seems we find ourselves under a cultist assault," Mulad spoke as he walked in front of the body, now moving more fluidly although their arms and heads jolted about in a janky fashion, "for the undead go for the head, either separate it from their body or destroy it by whatever means you can," he again paused as he began to draw his magic up to his hands and extended his right hand, clenched into a fist, towards the face of the creature. Electricity began to arch off his hand and started to scorch the face of the undead creature, which began to writhe around as it opened its mouth and began to moan as all undead creatures did, "for the cultist, attack in groups and overwhelm them but beware of their magic," Mulad added as the undead creature quickly turned its head towards the Priestess Nimue and began clawing at the air in her direction; Mulad quickly opened his fist, blasting the face of the undead creature with a bright white blast that obliterated the head of the monster, while the creature itself stopped it's moving and fell dead once again. Mulad pulled his magic from his hand, causing the bright white light to fade, and turned his attention towards the group.
"Get ready for a fight."
All around the Tavern, the dead bodies began to twitch and move around. Hundreds of dead bodies began to pull themselves off the ground, slowly as they did, as a group of five cultist, four mages and one summoner, began to walk into the six corners from the North. The battle was upon the group, if they took things slowly and carefully they would survive unscathed; on the flip side over aggressive attacks could prove costly. Time would tell how the group responds.