After two months of tidying up, Theodoric is crowned as the new Margrave of Ostmark. A strange monk crashes the afterparty.
Time has passed. Having expected some opportunity to peruse Alden's library, Red is disappointed in the extreme since we blew it up… he is now experiencing more fortune sitting and thinking, trying to reconstruct his memories while a tree. Or a tent.
The Coronation, performed in the glorious hall of Recared was actually fairly boring. Apart for the itch in the fur at the back of the neck that somewhere, something interesting and possibly dangerous was happening, it was near a challenge not to fall embarassingly, and more, asleep during it.
Eventually, the Odinese High Priest declared Thodric, Theodoric whatever margrave and the party began.
A strange and mysterious old man slowly struggled up the slope leading to the sally port of Castle Recared.
Party, celebration, fete, whatever was held in the High Courtyard, named after some ancient scion of Theo's family. Miles from anywhere. Bright side, good food and drink. Down side. Everything was cooked.
Never a fan of such dos, Red was looking up, down and around, perhaps seeking something. He at least had such an excuse for noticing a dark creature flying into the top window of one of the towers overlooking this courtyard. Aeskil also apparently noticed, mentioning his sighting to near-universal incomprehension. The two who had become aware of the creature decided to investigate further, and teleported straight inside the top room.
A strange and mysterious old man sought entrance to the castle. Upon inquiry, Thodric ordered he be allowed in.
The strange and mysterious old man approached Thodric at the party and was able to persuade him that some great evil was entering his castle, and he probably should deal with it. They chase, the strange and mysterious old man apparently having a feel for the movement of the evil.
We approached the castle vault. Thodric, the margrave, Aeskil, the Avatar of Thor, Connor [quickly introduce by Thodric], the strange and mysterious old monk man with a minor sexuality issue and Red. The big, quiet guy.
Up near the doors into the vault stood a creature, a beast Connor insisted be a demon. It had wings, claws, teeth, a strange blade and a burning aura. At it's feet were the bodies of the two guards who had been ordered to guard this room. The strange and mysterious old man warned us to beware the sword. We were not shocked.
There was the usual flurry of action. The strange and mysterious old man, whom I had somehow got the impression was some kind of demonic expert attacked the beast with his bare hands, which promptly got almost burnt off… The rest of us had equivantly little luck until the beast stood before Thodric, whom struck it to the ground. After it died, the beast turned into a human, a man wearing the same robes as the strange, mysterious and not entirely bright old man whom had lead us here.
Connor was very, very quick to inform us the blade could transmogrify any being that touched it into a demon like that we had just slain.
Theodoric, not surprisingly a little confused, admitted a similar blade lay within the vault, leading the strange and mysterious old man to the conclusion the demon sought that blade, hoping to create a bosom companion for those long, cold, lonely night. Mind, he also said his seneschal had touched that blade and had merely dropped it, declaring himself discomforted.
While they continued to natter, Red wended his way halfway across the castle to collect some tongs from the smithy to move the weapon more safely.
Aeskil the may-as-well-be-drunk and Thodric the host declared their intentions to return to the party while Red woke the blacksmith, interested in seeing if the heat of that fire would be sufficient to destroy one of these attainted blades.
Unfortunately, it soon appeared that the lone demon hadn't been, well, alone, as Connor and Red noted the incoming presence of a group of demons.
Red sent the smith's boy running to report the matter to Thodric, taking over the bellows himself. But five creatures arrived long before any reinforcements, drawn by the unprotected sword. Soon realising the fight would not go well, Red grabbed the smith and teleported to the top of the buildings surrounding the high courtyard, screaming a warning [albeit one designed to not scare the guests] to the grunts.
They eventually noticed and headed for the blacksmith's, Thodric by way of corridor, grabbing a weapon from a soldier on the way past, and Aeskil by air, apparently able to fly… go figure.
The strange and mysterious old man, having finally learnt his lesson about striking beasts with burning or freezing hides was happily bouncing around like a little flee disarming demons left, right and centre. While this kept them all busy, the demons not prepared to leave without the blades that made them what they were, he wasn't really able to harm them.
They were, despite Red arriving to help, and leaving the poor smith on the roof to consider his sins, able to retrieve their blades just after Aeskil arrived and all five, bearing six blades, fled.
Eventually the smith was rescued and the forge heated. And it couldn't even begin to tarnish the demonblade.
Where now? Why were the beasts hunting Connnor, destroying his kind and their monastery? Where is Red's mind?