Expedition to Abar

Expedition to Abar

A journal entry found in a cave in the Great Expanse.

I know not what type of foul magic I encountered, but if I see its' like again I might have to gouge my eyes out. I'm not returning to that Light forsaken place. If Ramza wants to know that bad he can come to Abar himself. It's not that I can't fight. The Rowdy Razors wouldn't have hired me if I couldn't. I should have stayed in Lasonia. Gallath was an arrogant worm who barely paid, but at least he never made me do half the shit Ramza paid the Razors to do. I'm leaving my journal here and getting as far away as I can from this place, if you are reading this, do the same

Ramza hired the Rowdy Razors regularly. He's a merchant in Qufra. It started off with the usual jobs. Guard caravans, guard him, guard his palace. Hired the Razors so much they had a garrison in his palace. It was my idea to set one up, so they gave me command of it. He paid well, but if I see him again I'll strangle him for sending me on this job. I still remember his first words when he gave me the job. “Only silence coming from Abar, Fulvio.” He used to mock my name. Pronounced it 'Foolvio'. I guess I am a fool for taking this one.

It was true enough, though. There hadn't been word from Abar in days. At first, we thought it was a raid. Expanse raiders attack cities regularly enough. It's why there's so many mercenaries here. But Ramza hired us to check it out and report back to him. He did a lot of business with Abar. I got the men ready and we headed out. It's a good four-day slog from Qufra to Abar, and that is considered close.

When we got to Abar, the place was deserted. No blood. No bodies. Certainly not the work of raiders. Povan suggested we check the tavern. Not sure if he just wanted a drink or if he was smart enough to think that there might be a journal to find. Didn't get to ask him. Everything in the tavern was as you'd expect. Nothing had even been taken. We helped ourselves to wine. After four days in the heat we deserved a bit of wine. After a while of drinking, Jomane said he could feel a chill. We laughed at him at first, but then I noticed it too. A chill in the Great Expanse. Something had to be up. The door burst open and a hooded man walked in. We asked him his business. His reply haunted me, and I imagine it will until my death.

“I am merely a humble harbinger.” He looked up and stared at Povan. I caught a glimpse of his face... He was hideous. His face was gaunt, but his eyes bulged out. His brow rested low, barely above his eyes. I could see from my angle that his nose was hooked and bent out of shape. He pointed at Povan and an ice blue blast shot out from his finger. Povan was covered in frost and he dropped to the floor. The man turned to me. His face was covered in deep scars, like something had clawed across his face, but the claw was like no animal I ever saw. The scars were accompanied by warts... A lot of warts. My eyes were fixed on the man’s face. I saw his hand rise, his open palm facing the ceiling. He curled his thin lips into a sickly smile and Povan stood up, charging at me.

Jomane ran to my side and let a crossbow bolt fly at Povan. It hit him in the stomach. Povan grunted and his blood poured out of the wound. He stumbled back slightly before continuing his charge. I flipped the table as I stood up, making Povan fall over it. I pulled my sword from it's scabbard and thrusted it through Povan's throat. When I looked up, three more of my former comrades were charging at me. The man had disappeared. Jomane shrieked and fired another bolt. I turned, grabbed his shoulder and sprinted to the back of the room and up the stairs. Myself and Jomane ran into one of the rooms and slammed the door shut. I pushed the dresser in front of the door. Jomane was sat on the bed, muttering. “N-n-necr-”. I gave him a back hand before he could finish. We didn't have time for this. I paced over to the window and looked out. We were too high to jump without something to break our fall. There were more of them out there, too.

I called Jomane over. He was still muttering. I grabbed him and shoved him out of the window before jumping out myself. It was selfish, sure. I'm a mercenary not a priest. The guy was a mess anyway. Using him to break my fall was frankly one of my better ideas that night. My sword went through his leg when I landed. We both started running, but he lagged behind because of it. That part wasn't intentional, but I'm still glad it happened. I heard him scream when they got him, but I didn't dare look back.

I don't know how long I've been running. The place I leave this is the first time I've stopped. The cave offers some shelter for rest. I'm leaving most of my stuff here and heading back out to find water. If my pack is with the journal, I've died.

Fulvio Draranius