Whispers in the Forbidden Crypt
 "Common soldiers can't understand what a sidar knows; the enemy can be a resource."--Sidar Jabari |
| "Common soldiers can't understand what a sidar knows; the enemy can be a resource." --Sidar Jabari |
The Shadow Guild is a faction of mages responsible for the burial of the city's dead and the appeasement of the city's ancestor spirits. Their guild will have lots of work ahead, if the siege is lifted. If Kaervek's forces swarm over the walls, though, they'll join the restless dead along with the others.
Just thinking about the Shadow Guild turns you to morbid thoughts. You dislike visiting them, but their power is undeniable. You walk to the Shadow Stairwell in the center of town, and climb down into the earth. The Shadow Guild makes the common people nervous, and so the guildmages do their best to stay out of sight.
The stairs wind down through the earth and into stone carved by magic. An embalmer's apprentice greets you at the entrance to the Forbidden Crypt, surrounded by other apprentices and journeymen. They look to you with hope in their eyes and whisper among themselves.
A tall, gray-haired man steps forward from the group and introduces himself as Guildmaster Lunami. "Welcome to the Crypt. I've been giving our problem a lot of thought. I have some solutions that my guildmages can put into practice if you so command." The guildmaster gestures to an ebony stool for you, but remains standing.
He continues, "The simplest thing to do would be for me to summon the Necrosavant from our crypts. Each time he is slain, he can be restored to life with the life of another. Now, before you protest that you cannot shed innocent blood to fuel this magic, I must inform you that the Shadow Guild keeps condemned prisoners down in the crypts for just this purpose. No innocents would die to summon the Necrosavant."
"Another option," says Lunami, "is to assemble a nocturnal raiding party. Our guild's mages would accompany the warriors to add magical might to their attacks and allow them to strike with the strength of many, disrupting and distracting Kaervek's troops. The night is our home; we would suffer few losses."
"Of course, not every warrior is suited to raiding by night, and some of your knights might consider it dishonorable," notes the guildmaster, his eyes darting away from yours. "However, there are other ways to increase the strength of your army. For instance, we can magically infect a volunteer with vampirism. That person's strength would grow greatly, while the strength of those around him would decline. I fear this would lead to great losses among the refugees, however."
Lunami pauses for a moment, his thoughts turned inward, then returns to the matter at hand. "There is one more spell I can offer you. If you wish, we can enchant one champion to gain a wicked reward. By sacrificing a prisoner in the crypts, we can add that soul's strength to the champion's. He would be an unstoppable force on the battlefield."
The guildmaster lowers his head in a brief bow as he finishes. You thank him and prepare some questions for the Oracle before making your decision.