Bard Tales
The Death of Kedrin
It was a proud day for young Kedrin when he became a paladin of Soltana. His family had always served the Church, and it was always his dream to follow that tradition. Kedrin´s father, Kalros, lead Hurva´s churches as Archbishop. Before her death, his mother Larya had been High Priestess of Soltana´s temple in Geston. His older brothers had all been ordained: Korathan and Nyal served Estereal in Tonn and Reggis. Kol served Azkal in Ft. Kalohar. Sabin had been tattooed as a priest of Torodin in Dalwa. Jvaros and Geryon served Jvelto and Soltana in Geston. Kedrin´s sisters, Ileah and Varesse, traveled Hurva in service to Wajen.
Despite the embattled reputation of the Paragons, they were all thrilled when Kedrin joined the order. When Kalros spoke at the ceremony, many thought they saw tears in his eyes Kedrin promised his esteemed father that he´d do his part to help restore the Paragons to their former glory, and for several years he prospered under the guidance of his mentor, Master Brother Valistor Aungerson.
In Kedrin´s twenty-fourth year, he was chosen to help guard a church delegation sent to Northern Valsar to offer aid and comfort to villagers whose homes had been destroyed by Harati raiders. Roselyn of Soltana and Tarhe of Wajen led the delegation, which consisted mainly of novices from the various churches in Geston. Kedrin´s guards were a respected group of dwarven and human mercenaries known as the Chu´gazi - dwarven for Blessed Warriors. The Chu´gazi had worked for the church many times before. Their leader, Inistag, had been a close friend of Kedrin´s since they´d met a few years earlier. Inistag believed that his warriors were blessed by Tritherion and would only fight for causes deemed worthy by the god of justice and revenge.
They planned for Kedrin and half of the Chu´gazi solders to stay close to the village, offering protection while the priests and novices helped the people. Inistag would take the rest of his warriors and hunt down the raiders.
The first village they came to was a small, coastal fishing village called Haman. Kedrin had dealt with bandits before, and he was relieved when the damage in Haman turned out to be minor. A few outlying buildings had been burned, and it looked as though the livestock had been gathered to a central corral. There was no sign of other damage. Kedrin had seen much worse.
"It was the storm," explained Jamel, leader of Haman´s council of elders, who quickly gathered all the people together in the feast hall to meet the delegation. "Jvelto be praised, a storm came in, fierce and fast. Drove those accursed raiders off before they could get more than a few chickens."
"Aye," said another. "Remiére´s own luck was with us. But they´ll be back. Their kind don´t give up easy."
The villagers muttered in agreement, and Kedrin caught Soltana´s name among the whispered prayers. Looking around at these simple people, he could see their frightened and weary faces light with hope when they returned his gaze. He prayed to Soltana to be worthy of their faith in him.
Tarhe stood and faced the elders. "Your people have spoken to us of other problems," said the burly, black-bearded Harvestmaster. "An outbreak of yellow fever, and barren wombs among your women."
"Aye, Brother Tarhe," said Jamel. "There has been much illness this past year. And not a child born since Beka´s twins came nigh three years past."
Roselyn stood and clasped Tarhe´s hand. "Soltana´s mercy be upon you, and the Good Mother´s blessings. My husband and I will tend your people, as the gods have asked us. Do not give up hope."
"What about the bandits?" a fisherman called out. "They´ll kill us faster than any fever."
"Aye!" cried an old woman. "Tormal and Herrington are naught but smoking ruins now. The same could happen to us."
Kedrin stood, and the feast hall grew quiet.
"Good people of Haman, do not lose heart. I am Kedrin, son of Kalros, a paladin of Soltana. My good friend Inistag, his noble warriors, and I vow to do all in our power to hunt down these raiders and stop the violence against this village and others like it. The gods willing, we will not fail."
A rousing cheer greeted his words. Calling for quick action, Jamel dismissed his people. Kedrin, Inistag, Tarhe and Roselyn were asked to dine with the elders and plan the defense of the village.
While they planned Haman´s defense, Kedrin found himself distracted by the lovely lady sitting beside him. She was young and shapely, with long hair that shone like ripe wheat in the sun. Soft, brown eyes regarded him shyly as she introduced herself.
"I am Sadya, Jamel´s niece."
Charmed, Kedrin lifted Sadya´s work-callused hand and pressed his lips against her palm.
"Gentle lady, I am Kedrin of Soltana, your servant."
When Sadya blushed prettily, Kedrin suspected that Soltana had led him to his soul-mate. One week later, while Inistag and his soldiers still scoured the hills for some sign of the raiders, Kedrin and Sadya were both certain they had found true love. Roselyn married the happy couple before the entire village. During the wedding feast, Kedrin told Sadya all about his family. He knew they would love his gentle bride and could not wait for her to meet them.
The next morning, Kedrin and Sadya were jolted from their sleep by someone pounding at the door of their cabin. Kedrin leaped out of bed and grabbed his sword.
"Kedrin," called Gimle, one of Inistag´s lieutenants who´d stayed to help defend the village. "To the docks. Hurry!"
Ordering Sadya to bolt the door behind him in case of trouble, Kedrin dressed hastily and ran after Gimle. At the docks, he found a crowed gathered around a fishing net that had been dragged onto the shore. People stared with wide eyes. Tarhe held Roselyn while she sobbed.
Kedrin stepped closer. What had happened? Had a child been somehow caught in the net?
Gently pushing his way through the crowd of villagers, Kedrin stared in astonishment. As his shocked mind slowly registered the awful sight before him, all strength left him. Kedrin sank to his knees in the sand. It was not a child, somehow trapped when the day´s catch was pulled in. There were no fish inside the net at all. Instead it was filled to bursting with dismembered body parts. Inistag´s lifeless eyes seemed to stare accusingly at Kedrin from the severed head.
"Soltana have mercy," Kedrin cried. "How can this be. How can men do such things?"
Elder Jamel held up a rolled parchment. "The fiends left this at my door. They claim allegiance to Athelstan and Azkal. They swear they will come in the night when Reeba is full and destroy us all."
The villagers cried out in terror and began arguing among themselves. Kedrin approached Jamel, needing to see these terrible threats with his own eyes. But the elder tore the parchment to shreds and threw it into the sea.
"Damn them all to the Abyss. May the sea devour them, and fish pick their bones clean. They will destroy us all. There is nothing we can do."
Kedrin grabbed the man´s shoulders and shook him. "Elder Jamel, calm yourself. Your people look to you for guidance. You must be strong."
The old man took a deep breath and regarded Kedrin steadily. "You are wise beyond your years, young paladin. You are right -- I must be strong. I will do what I must to save my people."
Inistag´s remaining soldiers took it upon themselves to bury the grisly remains of their comrades. While Roselyn and Tarhe said prayers over the mass grave, Kedrin wept for the loss of these good men. Sadya held his hand, silently offering comfort.
Tarhe sent a messenger owl to Ft. Kalohar asking for aid. Knowing that any help could take a month or more to arrive, Kedrin and Gimle prepared to defend the village with the soldiers that were left. They put up a brave front, dividing their men into watches and keeping a constant vigil. But to the elders they admitted the truth -- they would be hard-pressed to defend Haman for so long against raiders who´d defeated the great Inistag. Kedrin wanted to send the women and children away, but the nearest village was too far away, and might not offer them any more safety. There was nowhere to run. Kedrin ached for the safety of his bride and prayed for Soltana´s mercy.
The nights grew steadily colder as Reeba waxed full. It was as if the sky itself sensed their peril. No soldier slept that night; all stood guard, waiting for the attack that must surely come. The villagers had gathered in the feast hall, arming themselves as best they could while Kedrin and the soldiers patrolled outside.
Kedrin shivered in the cold wind and clung to the memory of Sadya´s tender kiss as a shield against his fears. He prayed to Soltana for strength, offering up his own life to protect the innocent people of Haman. He was surprised when Elder Jamel approached him with a steaming mug of cider. The other elders were serving Kedrin´s comrades.
"With all due respect, sir, you should be inside the feast hall. Your people are frightened, and they need you."
"The council wished to express our gratitude for the courage of you and your men," said Jamel. "This brew seemed the least we could do. Drink, and may the blessings of the Six be upon you."
"May they guide us all," said Kedrin. He drank the steaming cider. It had a strange, bitter taste, but it warmed him quickly.
"Thank you, elder. I --"
Kedrin froze as a sudden dizziness staggered him. The mug slipped from his numb fingers and fell to the snowy ground. All around him, his men were falling. Sinking to his knees, Kedrin looked up at Jamel in horror.
"Why?"
"Forgive me, young paladin. The raiders swore to leave us in peace if we gave you to them. I must protect my people."
"Sadya..." Kedrin said weakly.
"She knows nothing of this. I will tell her you died bravely."
"Protect her," Kedrin pleaded, before collapsing onto the cold ground.
One month later, soldiers from Ft. Kalohar arrived, only to find Haman destroyed. They found the mutilated bodies of the villagers in the ruined feast hall. Beneath the scarred floor boards, they found a bone scroll case containing Elder Jamel´s confession and a prayer for forgiveness.
A few miles from the village, they found a burned and blackened circle of ground in a clearing. In the center, the holy symbols of Kedrin, Tarhe and Roselyn lay beneath a stone carved with The Torturer´s symbols. The soldiers carted the stone away and threw it into the sea. After burying the dead of Haman, they returned with Jamel´s confession and a sad tale to tell the people of Hurva.