Chapter 4: The Lost Relic

Maryelle Orinth, the head Court mage, had called together a group of adventurers for an expedition into the old Ayleid ruin Yondsil, laying north of Fergana Vale. She wished to venture into the ayleid ruins to retrieve an family artifact that was believed to be lost within, she did not know what it was or how it got lost, all she knew was that it would be inside and she would attempt to retrieve it.

The group of adventurers consisted largely on volunteers, not wishing to waste militant troops on her own expedition into the ruin. Six people volunteered to join her on this. After a speech about the reason and giving everyone time to prepare the group set out to Yondsil.

Arriving at the ruin they met with Nostag Gro-Molog, an orc militant in service of the house. He was send there by Maryelle with a few other militants to keep watch over the ruin till Maryelle arrived. He told them that the ruin had several cave in's over the years and that the entrance leading further into the ruin had caved in and there is no other way inside. He and his men had uncovered the library within the ruin.

Inside the library were bookcases reaching up to the sky, each filled with scrolls and books. Lady Maryelle found a book called "Our last stand" explaining that the ruin was one of the last ayleid strongholds against the rebelling humans, to ensure this place was protected they had installed an device within, though what it was precisely was yet to be discovered....

A gust of wind blew a piece of paper onto the ground, found by Nuty, she tried to read the content but it was blank to her eyes, till she gave it to Maryelle who, for some odd reason, seemed to be read something on it. Showing it to the others, they also only saw a blank piece of paper.

But the court mage tried to read the paper in front of the caved in entrance and the large boulders that kept everyone from continuing their journey would have turned to dust almost in an instant and the road further in was now open to them.

As they ventured deeper into the ruin, they discovered a chamber, recently there was a collapse and rubble fell down from the room upstairs. Though as they came closer, it was not only rubble that fell down, also corpses from days long passed. Four apparitions appeared before them, like an echo of the past. They spoke of being challenged to go down this ruin. Wanting to proof how brave they were by going down into an Ayleid ruin. The corpses then started to move and attack the adventurers!

After a messy fight, they came out victorious with luckily only with some minor injuries. After a short break to tend to their wounded they continued on and moved to the next chamber, once they arrived they noticed there was a stream and a light got their attention at the end of the stream. Slowly they made their way to the light....

As they finally reached the platform, the lights turned into apparitions, playing another echo of the past. This time the apparition was between only two of the four they saw earlier. One was called Tristane, pleading with his friend and coming lord Markus, to stop and simply return to the surface, he had proven enough by simply going down there in the first place. But the other apparition, Markus, simply declined that notion and explained that his family was responsible for their downfall and he would want to see this through!

This brought quite some questions with the adventurers and Nuty asked Maryelle if she knew anyone named Markus in her family. Then she explained the only one she knew was her late cousin, Markus Orinth, former count of Fergana.

Ghostly footsteps lead them to the main chamber of the ruin, showing a skeleton on a throne and another echo was played, this time by a insane Tristane who cursed the Orinth's and wishes all of the Orinth's to die!

After that two ayleid ghosts appeared and the corpse of Tristane awoke with an elven blade made of rubidite metal and a large red ruby at its pommel.

They fought and the undead Tristane targeted Mary, seeming fixed on her by the facial similarities with the late count. He identified her as an Orinth and pushed her to the ground and placed the blade against her throat. But as the undead Tristane spoke his words to Maryelle she mentally prepared a spell to push him off her, keeping her throat from being pierced a moment longer.

Also Bella got her hands full with the fight with the ayleid ghosts and did her best to fend off its attacks bravely. Unfortunately most of the group were ill prepared to face such creatures and most attacks simply had little weight of went straight through them...

As the fight went on, Galen managed to sneak passed all the commotion and fighting and noticed the source of the spirits was a crystal, binding them to this place with foul magic, located behind the throne. He knocked an arrow on his bow and with a precise aim he destroyed the crystal, shattering it to a million pieces.

The magic it unleashed and all the undead dropped dead to the ground and showed a final echo from the past, showing Markus in his younger years, trying to stop his friend Tristane from running back into the ruin to retrieve the sword the young lord had left behind.

After that, the entire ruin shook and the ground caved in, the ceiling was coming down on them. Maryelle managed to pick up the rubidite blade that lay on the ground and ordered everyone to run. Managing to escape the ruins just as the entire ruine of Yondsile collapsed onto itself, leaving nothing but a pile of rubble....

With some injuries, they all returned to Dragonrock where Maryelle told them to rest and she returned to the estate to inspect the blade they had recovered....