If you haven't read Travels, you may want to start there, as that story is the introduction.
A gathering on Mt. Ea
It is an unusual group that sits around the fire this eve - the soldiers in the Count's retinue, travel-stained and battered yet dignified; the rough-hewn nomads of Del's tribe, clad in thick hides with their ancestral weapons; and Ferryll, his monstrous axe and bulky form contrasting even with the thickest of the others. A strange gathering, yes, but there is no rank or privilege here; the men freely swap tales and ales, the tribesmen still fresh from their victory of cleansing their sacred mountain, the soldiers jubilant that the curse had been lifted from their leader. Their merry-making lasts well into the night before weariness and drink take effect. When it is only the Count, the gnoll, and Del left awake, it is then that Del finds his tongue.
"Am feeling somewhat foolish that I was not recognizing you as Count when last we met, comrade." His accent is thicker for the drink, but he has been careful this evening, even chewing two or three of the bitter beans that he has carried these many leagues. "Then again, perhaps is better that it were so. Am liking that I knew you as a man before knowing you as Count. Is telling me good things about you, comrade. Knew I was telling truth to Boog."
"Boog?" Ferryll grunts.
"Is young giant, brother. He help a great deal in defeating bad man who was corrupting lands, using dark magic." Del shrugs and takes another draught. "I am glad to see you are well, Count. Am thinking is no accident our paths have cross again - especially with sacred mountain so close. You have been touched by sacred goddess of my tribe, comrade - she must see something special in you." He looks out into the night and sighs heavily.
"In truth, am not sure what I am to be doing now. I had not mention to you, but clearing the mine - had cost me, comrade. Not sure how to be making explanation, but felt... broken. Like crystal. Being with gnolls help a great deal, but still felt like something was missing from self." He touches the pendant around his neck, adorned with the single crystal he found atop Mount Ea. "Am having that now. Being with blood brother, with tribe, with goddess - it has helped me know again who I am, and am stronger for it. Yet now I am not sure what I should be doing."
"Return to our tribe." The gnoll's mode of speech is harsh, yet without malice. "You are ever welcome."
"Da, brother, am knowing. And would gladly be going with you. But as I say - our paths crossing again cannot be accident." Del casts a searching look over the Count. "Am thinking that our meeting was divinely touched. Tell me, comrade - did she speak to you?"
Three dozen creatures gathering around a lively circle to celebrate victory on the slopes of Mount Ea. The fire burned hot and bright. Three groups shared stories, drinks, and food.
A company of soldiers from the West celebrated the divine healing of their leader. They were hopeful to return to the rest of their company. A company of mountaineers celebrated the liberation of their homeland. A handful of Gnolls joined along, having made friends with one of the mountaineers. Their purpose or goals remained a mystery, but they seemed friendly for now.
These days most celebrated any loss of the Hoarde.
The Count dozed in the shadows, propped up on a stone until Hauk punched him on the shoulder.
"Feeling okay?
The Count scowled and said, "Aye. Until you awoke me."
"Oh, a pardon upon my house, Lord," he grinned and bowed bombastically enough to tell he'd been drinking.
"I shall consider pardons in the morning, thane." He replied, with a small smile, but pulled his hood down over his eyes.
Hauk turned back towards Kell, who mischievously looked on. Hauk held his palms up, but Kell waved his hand forwards as if to say, "get on with it."
"Come old friend. Share a drink with us like you used to," he spoke more earnestly.
The count shifted uncomfortably. A memory of his father flashed into his head, 'you're lucky, young son. I must avoid merriment with the men on campaign. you can be their friend, but I must be their commander'. He wished that were still the case.
"Let me rest. Wake me when it's just you and I'll sit by the fire."
Hauk sighed. "Aye. Rest well Rowe."
---
Hours passed by and one by one the revelers crept away to sleep until there was smoldering fire and just a few left. The Count still dozed on the rock. Hauk and Kell chatted quietly with a few mountaineers and the Gnolls. The Count finally stretched out his legs and pulled up to the fire.
Hauk took a sip from a crude flask and passed it to the Count. He took a mild gulp. For a moment, he was sure he was cursed again back in the nightmare realm. They all laughed though when he choked, but a warm pleasant burn replaced the bitter taste. Milk of the mother, they called it.
Now that the bulk of his men were asleep, Rowe sat at ease, and chatted openly with them. He finally had a chance to speak with Del, whom he'd met a few months ago in his homeland. "Now I'm the foreigner in your lands. You treat us well. Your gods must be proud of their people."
Del eventually asked about his encounter with Ea. Everyone leaned in to listen.
It was very unlike the nightmare curse. That had pulled him into a strange halfway state of in this world and not. Meeting Ea had been like leaving this world entirely. He spoke with her, about his deeds. She talked to him a short while, to assess his worth. He gave up his ancestral sword in tribute. He should feel more loss about it, but he had never really thought of it as his anyway. He was the fourth, and last remaining son of his line.
"Del - there is a foulness coming down upon these lands. The hoarde. Your tale of the adventures with the Gnolls. My witch encounter. Ea has given me a mission, and said she wanted you to join me. There is a power source in a nearby mountain, and the witch over there is using it to subvert Ea's followers into twisted followers of a foul rival god. She wants us to see if we can destroy their shrine."
Del blinked in surprise - though he had expected Ea's hand in reacquainting himself with the Count, to be specifically asked for by his goddess was no small honor. Looking to his side at Ferryll, he saw the gnoll was glowering.
"Brother?"
"I know the place."
He had feared that the warrior was enraged by the divine selection, or perhaps by the fact that they would once more be delayed from returning back to his tribe. This, however... one shock after another appeared to be the order of the evening.
"Go on."
"Should have destroyed it when we found it." Ferryll spat in disgust before taking a long drink. "Our tribe passed through here, years ago. The shrine bears the mark of Azkladash."
"I know not the name."
"One of the lesser sons of Zishi: goddess of goblins and kobolds, famine and pestilence. Good for us the shrine is for her child and not her - Zishi is a very old goddess. Your mountain goddess would have been badly over-matched by her. No offense."
Mildly insulted by the casual dismissal of Ea's power, yet conscious of how little he knew of the Hoarde gods, Del opted to let the remark slide without further comment. "What else can you tell us of this Azkladash? Or his shrine?"
"His realm is nightmares." Ferryll's mouth twisted downward in a deep scowl. "Zishi seduced one of the sons of Paesh to sire him, and Azkladash has his mother's talent for sickness and his grandfather's touch of the Shift. He will poison our dreams if he senses our intent. It is whispered that he can even bring the creatures of nightmare to life, if his power is strong enough." A shudder coursed through the gnoll's substantial frame. "The shrine is not large, but it is tended by at least two priests at all hours... so there is likely a goblin cave somewhere nearby."
Grimacing, Del contemplated the problem - a nightmare-god guarded by many goblins would make for no easy prey.
"It would be seeming that wakefulness is our ally. Some must be on watch at all times to ensure we do not succumb to nightmare. This, I have something for." Del pulled out a few of the strange beans to show to the others. "Boil these in water and they make bitter tea, but is good for making the weary alert. Have used myself, though tend to make heart race. Perhaps good to keep a few for those who must remain on guard." Tapping a finger to his chin, Del thought back to the days of his youth. "There is a flower, comrade, that is said to help with troubled sleep - may even provide some protection against nightmares, though I cannot be sure when dealing with god. Is called valerian. If we are having some, could be the weapon we need."
"You mean to fight a god with beans and flowers?"
"Not every problem is solved by hitting with axe, brother." At Ferryll's grunt, Del continued, "Well, my friend. It is seeming that our paths are joined once more. You will have my bow."
"And my axe," put in the gnoll, quickly. "I know the way there - your time will be easier if you have me as guide."
"Of course, brother - would not be leaving you behind. You are claiming great glory for your people, nyet?" Del nodded. "In the morning, then. I will speak with the others of my tribe; it will not be difficult to persuade them to follow the will of our goddess. Am thinking that a few should return home, tell the others what has happened, but many are like to wish for following." A broad grin stretches across Del's face. "Harasho, comrade! It is settled. For now, am thinking we are needs having of sleep. Tomorrow begins the next adventure."
The Count and his men were quiet around the fire after the talk of the nightmare god.
The crystal smith broke in briefly, "I have heard of Azkladash. I heard more humans pray at the altar of Azkladash now than goblins, and they disparage Zishi. Confusing times we live in."
He paused. "Still, I have been working on one of my crystals. Building it into a protection from the nightmares. It helped the Count when he was cursed, and I learned a lot about how that realm works."
A quiet fell over the group, until they began chatting amongst themselves again.
* * *
The Kell finally spoke quietly to Hauk and Rowe. "I don't like this one bit."
"Aye," nodded Hauk. "I'm dreading the prospect of seeing what you've been having nightmares about, knowin some of the company you keep at night."
Kell batted Hauk on the arm. "Shut it."
Rowe shook his head. "What are ye getting at Kell?"
"Well, our mission is what I'm getting at. We're supposed to be guarding the flank of the army in the hills, and making sure the mountain pass is clear for them to return home in the fall. Not fighting nightmare gods over in the wild lands."
Rowe simply said, "We are guarding the flank."
"How do you figure?"
"A nightmare god on the flank, seems like exactly what we're out here to combat."
"I never even heard of this place. What makes you think they're anything more than an little cult? It just seems like another adventure for ye Rowe."
"Don't you be talking to the Count that way, Kell," scolded Hauk.
Rowe held up he hand. "It ain't just carving day-marks into trees in the hills, waiting for strange beasts to swoop out of the sky. This is real work. The hoarde grows stronger every year. If we walk away from these people now, it'll poison any good will we have. We sure could use some allies these days on this side of the Grey mountains. Be they strange-speaking mountain men or axe wielding gnolls. I'd rather have them working with us than against us."
Kell scowled. "Aye. I'll grant you that. Still, is a dangerous affair."
Hauk punched him, "Ye a chicken Kell?"
"Ain't no chicken. I'm scared of nothin." Kell said, unconvincingly.
"Come on Kell, you're almost as big as that Ferryl fellow over there," Hauk continued. "You're one of our best fighters."
"Not seeing how this is our fight," Kell shook his head. He turned to Rowe. "How do you feel about fighting a nightmare god?"
"We're mortals. We can't fight a god. But we just need to destroy the temple and scatter his followers." He replied with a sly grin.
Hauk got up and added, "Sounds pretty easy if you ask me."
* * *
The crackling campfire had died down to a small pile of glowing embers. The sky turned purple from the sunrise.
The camp was quiet at first, and from the revelry last night, the sun was already two hands into the sky before the camp came alive. But they were used to traveling, and they packed up fast.
Rowe found Del early in the day. "These lands - are not so different from Headwaters. Less people, and a little drier, but I almost feel like I woke up at home here today."
"Ahem. Anyway, six of us will join the expedition to Azkladash's temple. The rest will rejoin our main force on the forts up north, and take news. It'll be Hauk, Kell, Dalivune, he's the crystalsmith, Buck, Kol and myself. Not sure you met them all yet, but they're some of the best that Headwaters has got in battle."
Hauk had wandered up, "Except the crystalsmith."
Rowe continued. "He means Dalivune's not from Headwaters. He's been good in battle just the same."
"Aye, that he is." Hauk added, "Begging your pardon, but Reg is ready with his crew and asking if you had any last order before he headed back North."
The Count motioned for Reg to approach. "Eh, well, I trust you to keep after the men. Don't start a fight if you don't have to. Getting back with news is more important. We'll meet up in ten days."
"Yea, or we be dead." Hauk interjected. "An try to keep the Duke from taking the Count's title right away? You don't want to be answering to that greedy oaf the rest of your sorry life! Now there's a nightmare."
Hauk and Reg laughed a good long while.
The Count shook his head, but they all saw a small grin.
Continues with On the road