"I don't like it," Sanjaya commented. As they drew closer, it became more apparent that there was something very wrong with the town. No smoke from the chimneys, no sign of movement. "Maybe we should get off the road." Their approach was easily visible from the settlement. Just then, the temple gong sounded in the distance.
The group looked at each other. "Seems like someone's still alive down there," said Stuart. "Prād, can you go check it out?" The monk nodded and untied the strip of cloth around his waist. From the small of his back, he removed a fist-sized egg and handed it to Sanjaya. "Please look after this for me," he said and set off at an easy jog, making his way through the long, waist-length grass towards the outer wall nearest to the temple.
The stone wall surrounding the town was only about chest high. Enough to be a defensive barrier, but certainly not enough to keep anyone out. Prād quickly approached, keeping low. He paused for a moment with his back to the wall to slow his breathing before peeking over. There was a small house with a well kept garden to his left and a graveyard to his right. Ahead of him were the outer walls of the temple, slightly higher than the town walls but still easy enough to climb. To the right of the graveyard was a large, squat building built directly against the town wall. Extending past the right side of the temple stood several large houses - some grand enough to be called mansions - with thatched roofs, immaculate gardens, and tasteful stone pathways decorated by fruit trees and flower beds.
Surveying the scene, Prād noticed a person in the garden of one of the houses. The person wasn't moving at all, just standing there. Looking carefully, he spotted another and another. They were too far away to make out any distinguishing features, but all of them simply stood where they were. Then one of them moved, took a single, lurching step forward and stopped, remaining motionless once more.
After observing his surroundings for a few minutes, Prād decided that it was safe enough, so he effortlessly hopped over the outer wall and slunk to the larger temple wall. He waited a moment to make sure that he had not been spotted, then pulled himself up and peeked over. There were a few people inside, milling around the temple grounds and chatting to each other in hushed voices. One of them looked his way and he quickly let go and darted back over the outer wall. They had looked like regular townsfolk but he did not want to take any chances. Deciding to be thorough, Prād cautiously moved around the town's outer wall, he spotted many people just standing around. There was something very wrong with them. He decided to take a closer look, confident that he could outrun any danger.
Making sure the coast was clear, Prād hopped over the outer wall and slipped toward the edge of a nearby house. He poked his head around the corner - straight into the grey flesh and sunken eyes of another man. The corpse lurched forward with a dull moan, snapping its jaws and grabbing at Prād's face. The startled monk moved on pure reflex. He jumped back just in time and bolted for the wall, easily leaving the shambling corpse behind.
Effortlessly vaulting over the outer wall, Prād ran from the town then circled back to the others, keeping low in the grass to make sure that he wasn't followed.
Under the afternoon sun, the men discussed Prād's report with grave expressions. If there were survivors, perhaps they should make contact, or maybe they should avoid the town altogether. But what had happened? Dragon's Rest usually housed many powerful magi and yet it had fallen. Perhaps they should take refuge in the temple since it was easily accessible and there were only a few hours of sunlight remaining. But how would they get the wagon in? Were the people in the temple friendly or were they part of the problem? What horrors roamed the night in this wretched place and could they really afford to remain outside? After some deliberation, they decided to leave the donkey behind and head for the temple as a group to gather information and decide on the best course of action.
They kept low and with Prād's scouting, easily managed to find an unseen angle of approach. With a soft, cascading 'shink' of his chainmail, Stuart landed in the temple grounds, much to the surprise of the people within. "You there," he pointed at the nearest person, a disheveled-looking young man staring at him with wide eyes. "Take me to your leader," he commanded. Behind him, Brax landed heavy on his feet, followed closely by Prād and Sanjaya.
"Reinforcements!" the man called. "Reinforcements are finally here! Please sir, come this way!"
"How many troops have you brought," demanded a lady in a fine embroidered dress as the group was lead towards the temple entrance. "When can we expect to leave?" Stuart ignored her.
"Sorry madam," said Sanjaya as he passed, "We need to assess the situation before we can answer your questions."
The group was led up three long marble steps to the entrance of the temple. Massive lacquered wooden doors stood open, carved with depictions of the Sun in a chariot drawn by four horses.
Through the doors was a long, wide hall with marble columns. Stained glass windows depicting scenes of dragons and angels on either side bathed the hall in multicoloured light.
Straight ahead, bathed in sunlight from an oculus at the top of the dome, was a large golden deity of the Sun god, Surya, standing in front the Sun globe and basking in its radiance. Upon seeing the deity, Prād immediately knelt down and offered his obeisance while Stuart, Brax and Sanjaya approached.
To the side of the altar stood a tall, blonde man in white robes with golden trim. "Welcome, newcommers," he greeted. His warm smile reached his pale blue eyes. "We haven't had many new faces around here since last week, but those who have come seem quite dedicated. How may I be of service?"
The people from outside had followed the group in, and a small crowd had formed around them - listening to the conversation.
"Good day sir," said Stuart with a slight bow, unsure of how to address the priest. "We came from Lone Creek. Our supply wagons are late and we were sent to see what is going on. We also need the services of an exorcist...."
"So you're not here to help us?" A woman's voice was full of despair. Some of the people in the crowd looked crestfallen, others grim as their fleeting hope for salvation was dashed.
While Stuart and Sanjaya described their situation, Prād drifted away to examine the stained glass windows. The first window showed two red dragons in flight. In the second, one dragon lay curled around eggs with its mate soaring overhead, an angel stood in the background as though observing. The third scene turned violent: aerial dragons fought, one biting the neck of the other. In the final depiction, an angel stood next to the corpse of the fallen dragon while the survivor sat perched atop a distant mountain.
"Mister," a young girl tugged at Prād's dhoti, "Are you here to stop the bad people?" Prād looked down, observing the child for a moment. A warrior's duty was to protect those who cannot protect themselves, however, these people already had the sanctuary of the temple and he wasn't sure how much difference he could make. "I will see what I can do," he replied softly, then turned and walked back towards the altar.
"...that is neither our mission nor our concern!" Stuart's heated voice cut through the hubbub of the clamouring crowd. Raymond had stepped back, distancing himself slightly from the dispute.
"You want to come here, take shelter, and leave us with nothing!" A woman in a fine dress thrust an accusing finger toward Stuart. "We have almost no food. You want us to starve!"
"We can eat the donkey," a man muttered from the crowd.
"Your priest said we could stay the night!" shouted Stuart, his face flushing red. "When we reach the Veil of Stone, I will personally inform the commander of what happened here."
"Hush, all of you." Raymond's voice carried over the din - soft, yet carrying an iron firmness. "These travelers are as welcome here as any of you, and you will not bicker before the Lord in His own temple."
"But they just intend to abandon us!" the woman cried, her voice reaching a desperate crescendo.
"If you break the laws of the temple, you destroy the sanctity that keeps you safe," Raymond said, his tone brooking no argument. "You draw breath only by the mercy of the Lord. Have faith."
Faith. Sanjaya disliked the word. Faith was an expectation - a wager that some higher power would step in on your behalf. He could never commit himself to rely on some higher power that may or may not be watching, surrendering himself to a deity whose whims he could not predict. Sure there were miracles, and perhaps the gods were watching, but maybe the performance of those miracles was just another way of harnessing magic. What if belief was a force within itself. Sanjaya pushed the thoughts aside. He was in a temple after all and certainly something was keeping the undead outside at bay.
---------------
That evening Sanjaya and Prād stood in the temple grounds watching the sunset. The crimson sunlight painted delicate, dappled patterns across the sparse clouds - a quiet reminder that even in the midst of disaster, nature held its beauty. Beside them stood Juan Smith, a burly man whose surname, as with many common folk, was also his trade. "I know that there is a lot of dispute and expectation around our arrival," remarked Sanjaya, "but we really are clueless as to what is going on. What exactly happened here?"
The smith frowned, staring off into the distance as he gathered his thoughts.
"It started a few days after the eclipse. Word came from Namek that an army was gathering and the king was summoning his forces. The wizards were called in by their guilds to join the upcoming war and many of the nobles left with their retinues. Only the town guard and a few apprentices remained behind. I've never seen Dragon's Rest so empty. Then, three nights ago, I was at the inn with some friends when the alarm bells started ringing. I rushing out to see what was happening and I saw some armoured men across the market circle. One of them grabbed someone and just pulled the life right outta them. And there was like a wave of shadow around them. It sounds crazy but the shadows were alive. Everywhere the shadows went, people just screamed and died. Then I heard the temple gong sounding and I ran. On the way one of the shadows touched me. It was cold-like, and I could feel my strength leaving, and they were chasing, but as soon as I got to the temple, everything stopped.
Then I realised that my wife and daughter were still out there," Juan's voice cracked and his eyes reddened, "but I couldn't go out. How can you fight a shadow?
Then the next day, some of the dead started to rise. Just shambling around. And every night when the sun goes down, you can see the shadows moving, waiting for us. Now we're stuck. Luckily the temple has food and water but that's running out. A few of us left to find help, but nobody has come back yet. We thought you were sent to save us...."
As the sun dipped beneath the horizon, the residents retreated into the safety of the temple, leaving Prād and Sanjaya alone in the courtyard. "They're everywhere," chimed in Elhandriel's voice. The pixie had decided that it was safe to show herself. She manifested a tiny orb of light in her palm and flicked it past the temple gates. Shadows writhed and recoiled from the glow, their vague, humanoid shapes pooling at the fringes of the illumination. She sent a second globe out into the dark and the shadows drifted away like swirls of black ink.
Sanjaya stroked his beard, observing the reaction. "The light seems to repulse them but not harm them. I doubt a camp fire would keep them at bay. I wonder if they linger only here or if they roam the countryside as well. They must retreat to dark places during the day - perhaps people's basements. I wonder if direct sunlight kills them." He was tempted to test a spell on one of them, he was fairly certain that a bolt of pure, condensed ether would harm them, but decided against it. Damaging or even killing one would be like removing a drop from the ocean. "Since they avoid the temple grounds, maybe holy water or blessings would work against them. What are your thoughts Prād?"
The young man took a slow, deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment before responding. "This is good life experience. I know that there are masters who can touch spirits with their Ki, but I don't think I can do that yet. I want to help these people but I don't know if there is anything that I can do."
"We should catch one!" Elhandriel declared. "You can make one of your fancy magic arrays with pixie dust and holy water, and then we'll trap it and make it do a shadow dance with my lights!" She twirled, causing another globe of light to flare into existence behind her, casting her tiny, dancing silhouette against the stone.
Sanjaya smiled faintly. "Not a bad idea." He was more interested in studying one than making it dance, but to each their own. "I originally came to Dragon's Rest for the library and now that it is abandoned, I'd hate to leave without at least getting a few tomes." He imagined that there were numerous magical traps and wards in place - especially in the restricted sections - but didn't feel the need to mention it. "The shadows shouldn't be a problem during the day and I'm sure we can handle a few shambling corpses, especially if we can secure some holy water. They're probably just mindless zombies. There should be plenty of places with food stockpiles if we know where to look. What I'm more concerned about is the armoured figures that Juan mentioned. If they're still here it might be a problem. Perhaps Raymond knows more, as a priest of the sun, he may have some insight into the dark nature of the invaders."
The following morning, Sanjaya and Prād bid farewell and good luck to Stuart and Brax. Sanjaya had only agreed to come as far as Dragon's Rest, and now their paths were diverging.
As for Stuart and Brax, they still faced a dilemma: whether to turn back toward Lone Creek or press onward with their mission. In the end, they agreed that their very first priority was to check on the donkey they had left tethered outside.
A conversation with Raymond revealed a startling amount of information. The armoured figures were known as wights - formidable undead warriors in their own right. Their deathly touch could drain the life-force from a person, leaving a corpse that would later rise as a zombie under their command, though the number of zombies that they could control was limited. The shadows were malevolent spirits. Though individually weak, they could swarm and sap the strength of even the mightiest warriors. Those who died in their cold embrace would be bound to rise as a shadow themselves. Driven by a singular desire to extinguish all that is good - only the darkest souls had nothing to fear.
At the head of this horror stood a wraith a king among evil spirits - intelligent and malevolent, a being of pure evil. Its incorporeal touch could cause those recently slain to rise as specters under its command. Its very presence gradually corrupted the countryside, twisting and withering all living things around it. Yet all of these creatures of darkness were loathe to walk in the light - sunlight weakened and blinded them, while holy water, consecrated weapons, and pure magic could destroy them.
According to the priest, three wights held the town: one had taken residence in the town hall, and two held the barracks. The wraith itself lurked within the Dragon's Rest Inn. When asked how he could know their locations with such certainty, Raymond replied simply, "The Lord of Light sees all - especially the shadow."
As the morning wore on, Sanjaya and Prād interviewed the remaining survivors to learn the layout of the town, gradually piecing together a plan...