Greyrawk (Book 2)

by Jim Greenfield

  Greyrawk decapitated one and another fled. His companion drove off the others. Greyrawk took a good look at her. She seemed insubstantial, like a ghost, but the tip of the spear was very real and bloody. Her hair was dark blue! She appeared human but her skin was a pale blue and her features had a feline quality that Greyrawk couldn't put words around. She saluted him and he stared into her copper eyes, then she vanished completely into the air. Greyrawk stumbled to his knees. He looked all around him, but he was alone on the hill.

  Castle Nunderburg sat amidst a lake fouled with lily pads and water birds. It was a scenic setting but at night, its charm was lost. It was not as large as Castle Greyrawk had been but the gate was solid and new wood and hardware was evident. The masonry had been repaired in several areas and the castle looked as secure as when it was built. Surrounding the castle was a small walled town. The gates were closed and no light showed from within the town. There was a single sentry on the castle wall when Greyrawk rode to the gate.

  "Hold. Who goes there?" At the sentry's words, two more men appeared on the wall both with arrows notched, ready to fly.

  "I am a friend calling on Lord Nunderburg."

  "No friends travel after dark. Leave or we shall loose our arrows."

  "I was waylaid by bandits else I would have arrived earlier," said Greyrawk.

  "Speak your name, friend."

  "Greyrawk."

  "Greyrawk? It cannot be! They are all dead. Are you a ghost?"

  "I am flesh and blood. I was taken to Herada when a child, before my Grandfather died. I was raised on Anavar."

  The sentries spoke among themselves. The gate opened and three guards gestured for him to dismount and enter the town. They escorted him the short distance to the gate of the castle. Their leader turned to Greyrawk.

  "I shall speak with my Lord and return. Do not approach further until given leave." The guard walked quickly across the drawbridge and the gate opened for him. It shut firmly once he entered.

  Greyrawk waited in silence. Above him on the wall stood a bowman with his arrow notched. Finally, the gate opened. Flanked by guards, a slender balding man extended his hand.

  "Greyrawk! Welcome! I am Walter Nunderburg."

  "The pleasure is mine, Lord Nunderburg," said Greyrawk, grasping his host's forearm. "I am Ian Greyrawk."

  "Please be my guest for dinner. It is well you saw fit to stop here tonight. It is not safe to be abroad at night. What brings you to my home?"

  "I was visiting the ruins and ran into an old family friend, Festin the blacksmith. He suggested that I seek your acquaintance. I did not realize the distance was so great. I did not plan to knock on your door in the darkness." Greyrawk glanced at the guards.

  "I see. I see. Come inside. We may speak more freely there."

  A stable hand took Greyrawk's horse and Nunderburg led Greyrawk by the arm up the steps of the keep. The large fireplace lighted the interior. Meat was turning on a spit. Several people stood when they entered.

  "Leave us," Nunderburg spoke to the servants. Two men and a woman remained.

  "Ian Greyrawk, may I present my wife, Lady Teresa Nunderburg, and my brothers, Roderick and Charles." The woman was many years younger than her husband as were his brothers. Lady Nunderburg was fair, slight of build with eyes that burned with intensity. Greyrawk felt her glance go right through him. Charles and Roderick were twins, darker and broader than Lord Nunderburg. Roderick's cheek was scarred and his smile was a grimace.

  "Greyrawk?" said Charles. "I thought they all died."

  "No. Mary left with a young son before the last months," said Nunderburg. "Father wrote that in his journal."

  "You claim to be that boy?" asked Roderick chuckling. "I don't think there's any Greyrawk treasure left on that hill. Belderag's picked it clean. You'll have to come up with another angle."

  "I am Ian Greyrawk. Whether you wish to discuss it civilly or at the point of a sword makes no matter to me."

  "Come, come," said Nunderburg. "I do not want trouble under my roof. If he says he is, that is good enough for me. You certainly have the Greyrawk size and coloring. Hmm, you do resemble old Arayr. We will not quarrel about this." He kicked Roderick sharply.

  "Then our family shame comes back at us," said Charles. "Greyrawk, do you know of what I speak?"

  "I do. Your father did not back my grandfather as he promised."

  "More eloquently put than some words we've heard on the subject," said Nunderburg. "Your grandfather's supporters cursed us and some avoid us even to this day. They blame us for their woes, as if your family could have made a difference in their misfortune. Our father is dead and yet we are blamed for his actions. Or inaction if you prefer."

  "You have been injured?" asked Lady Nunderburg, noticing the tattered sleeve. Greyrawk met her eyes and decided against what he was going to say.

  "Bandits to the south. I drove them off."

  "Bandits?" said Nunderburg. "Where's that Hagmock? What do we have a sheriff for if not for controlling bandits?"

  "Probably in Gornst, drinking wine with Belderag," said Charles.

  "No doubt, no doubt. Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only noble concerned with the safety of the land. Everyone is so centered on their own dealings."

  "They have not been as fortunate are we have," said Charles. "Our lands yield twice what the others have claimed. They use Father's failings to curse us for our luck, as if Belderag makes our crops yield higher."

  "And we pay more taxes too," said Roderick.

  "Why have you returned to this land?" asked Lady Nunderburg to Greyrawk.

  "To see the old castle and find out for myself what happened there. All my childhood all I had was stories of that place. My memories were few and unclear. I felt it was time to return here and walk where my father and grandfather walked. I didn't think it would affect me so strongly. I hadn't thought of it before but perhaps I could buy the land back."

  "Never," said Charles. "The Greyrawk's are gone from Cresida and Belderag will keep it that way."

  "For one thing, Belderag would never sell it to you," said Roderick. "And if he did he would charge too high a price. You'd never be out from under the debt."

  "Of course Belderag might enjoy that aspect of it," said Nunderburg. "Having a Greyrawk under his thumb might bring a smile to his sour face." His brothers laughed.

  "What are your immediate plans?" asked Lady Nunderburg.

  "For tonight, I merely wish a dry place to sleep. Tomorrow, I am not sure. I might ride into Gornst and see the town."

  "Careful," said Charles. "Belderag is likely to have you brought to him under guard."

  "On what charge?"

  "He doesn't need any charge," said Roderick. "He is the law around here and no one contradicts him. The king leaves him alone because of the wealth of the area. Belderag pays a nice sum to the crown. I can't recall the last time I saw an envoy from King Alec."

  "I understand the King frequents northern Anavar more than his own kingdom," said Charles.

  Greyrawk nodded.

  "The climate is more to his taste in the Anavar."

  "Have you seen the King there?" asked Nunderburg. "He travels south frequently as the seasons change. The damp air in the Amloth winter bores into his old bones."

  "Three times. Even got close enough for one of his guards to push me away."

  "Much closer than I've ever been," said Nunderburg. "But you must be more careful here. Do not get so close to Belderag for he will act quickly and cruelly against an opponent."

  "I don't claim to be an opponent."

  "Your very presence claims it," said Charles. "Understand what we are saying Ian. You are a Greyrawk. Your family was Belderag's only threat to his power thirty five years ago. In the years since he has tightened his grip on northern Cresida. He is very solid in his control of this area. He would not risk the chance that you would oppose him. There are people who dislike Belderag and would latch onto you as a figurehead of their cause even if you don't dr
aw your sword. Give Belderag the chance and you would vanish and if he were wrong, it was on the side of caution. And you would be soon forgotten."

  "Or at least he would set you loose without your horse or weapon into the north hills at dark," said Roderick.

  "I've been warned against night travel. The creatures that roam the hills, what are they? I've seen shadow moving in the distance, but I hoped it was my imagination." He decided to keep his first-hand knowledge secret for now. His hosts glanced at each other, unsure how to proceed. Finally, Lady Nunderburg spoke.

  "We do not know, but they have killed livestock and people. Whatever they are, they are real. Few ride forth after sundown and no one rides alone. I have heard whispers from the villagers that the creatures come because there are no Greyrawk's."

  Greyrawk chuckled. "I've heard similar talk-not about creatures but about the harvest. Seems we Greyrawks were fertility gods."

  "Do not scoff, Ian," said Lady Nunderburg. "I know a good deal of history of this area. There are many legends outside of our tidy world of men. Centuries ago, a people call Celaeri lived in these lands. They were a nocturnal people loving music and the land flourished under their guidance. When the first Men came, the Celaeri allowed them to share the land, but generations later enslaved the Men. They had a king named Jerue Adan who decreed Men to be inferior to Celaeri and killed those who tried to escape slavery. It was only after the rise of the great kingdoms of Anavar that the Celaeri withdrew into dark places. Some caves to the north of us it is said, are filled with music when the sun sets.

  "Greyrawk castle is said to be built on ruins of a major Celaeri castle. Perhaps their blood still flows in Greyrawk veins."

  "Daerlans in the dark?" laughed Charles.

  "The stories are true," said Nunderburg. "At least, the legends exist. Grandmother told me some of them as a boy. I do have written accounts of sightings stored in the tower."

  "You were always a dreamer Walter, "said Charles.

  "I've heard the music," said Roderick. "Five years ago up near Balder Rock. I took shelter during a rainsquall. The night closed in and I began to hear the faint strains of music from deep within a cave."

  "Did you have a bottle with you?" asked Charles.

  "No. I did not. Mock me further, Charles, and you will feel my fist."

  "Gentlemen," said Nunderburg sternly. "And I give you the benefit of all doubt on that salutation. Do not force me to cast you from the castle. The sun has set."

  The brothers grumbled to themselves but did not argue more.

  Nunderburg smiled at Greyrawk and shook his head.

  "The music was very faint at first," continued Roderick. "It reminded me of something forgotten - a memory just beyond my grasp."

  Roderick stopped talking and his eyes stared into the past, remembering his story as it happened. "It soothed me, yet also set my mind wandering on nameless roads unfamiliar to me." Charles made drinking motions behind his brother's back.

  "Tell me more of the Celaeri, Lady Nunderburg," said Greyrawk. "What legends tell us of them and what did they look like?"

  "Descriptions varied. Their hair was reported as white, a luminous blue, black and more. Their skin was always blue and their eyes copper or violet. Slender and swift, but taller than Men, they moved amongst shadows unseen until they strike."

  "What did they strike?" asked Greyrawk. He felt the hair on his arms rise.

  "Unwary travelers, I guess. They were warriors in the stories after we Men arrived. I never heard that they were hunters or farmers; all the stories portray them as killers of Men."

  "Stories to scare children?"

  "Perhaps. Some stories said they protected the land, but against what, I do not know. Some said they are here still, unseen by those unworthy. There were many stories, but they all centered on Adan's Hill, once the location of the Celaeri capital. The same Adan's Hill now called Greyrawk Mountain where Greyrawk castle was built and thrown down. Your home was once enchanted, Lord Greyrawk. Is it still?"

  "I cannot say. However, when I sat upon the ruins I did not feel alone. It was comforting in some way. Would that count for haunted?"

  "I sense the humor behind your words. Please do not take the matter too lightly. You have not lived here for many years. I was raised two days ride north of here at Anor and the legends of the Celaeri are very real to my people. Dark words against the Celaeri bring ill luck."

  "I shall remember to have more courteous words, Lady Nunderburg. Thank you for your instruction."

  "You are quite welcome. If will excuse me, gentlemen. I must retire."

  "I think I shall too," said Nunderburg. "It is getting late. Greyrawk, your room is the second one on the left at the top of the stairs."

  "I will have some wine before bed," said Roderick.

  Greyrawk drained the last of his wine and retired to his room. His body was fatigued but his mind still raced.

  Chapter 2

  The Altenguds walked among the mortals who worshipped them and the gods rejoiced in the lives of the people. The Altenguds remembered the darkness of chaos before the world was made and they ridiculed the Jungeguds' contempt of the world. The Altenguds cherished the world more than they did themselves. The Altenguds observed more than intervened and their presence dwindled from the world.

  The Jungeguds did not recognize the value of the bright world. However, the Jungeguds recognized the value of worshippers and cultivated their attention. They learned early not to show themselves often for their countenances were hideous, a sharp contrast from the Altenguds. The Jungeguds filled legends as monsters and demons, but found enough worshippers for them all.

  From Gerrand's Histories of Landermass.

  Greyrawk did not sleep that night. He stood at the open window of his chamber gazing out over the darkened landscape. The chill night breeze snaked its way around him into the room. The fire still smoldered in the fireplace, but gazing into its dying glow soon lost his interest and he did not desire its warmth. His eyes looked far across the shadowed fields. A slender strand of song reached his ears, but whether it was from a shepherd or the Celaeri, he did not know. It seemed wistful, perhaps sorrowful, and he thought it familiar. Other than that, the land was quiet and shadows and trees dotted the fields. Greyrawk could see no movement, but he sensed that he was being watched. He tried to spy out shapes of the creatures that had attacked him, but even the memories of them seem dimmed already. Perhaps like the Celaeri, they were creatures of magic.

  He heard footsteps in the hallway outside his room. They paused in front of his door as if someone was listening, and then moved on. Greyrawk almost expected Lady Nunderburg to tap on his door in the night. He was familiar with the look she gave him. Nor did he miss the way her eyes followed him. As the night waned, he received no visitor and that was refreshing, especially the fact he may have misread her. He had become jaded over time. His thoughts returned to Jaele, and the last time he saw her-the morning light glowing on her skin. He did not think he would miss her so much.

  The footsteps came back later.

  A soft knock on the soft and Greyrawk opened it. Lady Nunderburg came in. She looked boldly into his eyes. She smiled as she entered the room.

  "I'm not here for the reasons you think, however intriguing that might be. Festin sent you here to meet me, not my husband. Walter is a lapdog for Belderag, despite the venom in his voice. He will do nothing to gain Belderag's anger. In fact he will send word to Gornst that you are here. Count on it. Do not tarry in the morning and leave as swift as may be."

  "Why are you telling me this?"

  "Your mother was my aunt. Do you know nothing of your northern relatives? You and I are cousins and have scores to settle with Belderag. Because of the connection to Greyrawk, my family was treated poorly by Belderag."

  "You don't blame the Greyrawk's for that?"

  "I did, when I was younger, but I see clearer now."

  "Does my return pose any danger for you?"

  She smiled
and shook her head. "Thank you for your concern but there is nothing connected to your return that I cannot handle. There are people in Gornst whom you should contact. Festin will know how to reach them. I will send word to those in the countryside that can be counted on. You will have allies and if you do choose to reclaim Adan's Hill, you will have local support."

  "Lady Nunderburg, you are too kind."

  "Nay, it is the least I can do for family. The opposition to Belderag has been growing but not openly. He is a vicious man. We need to act together and we have no strong leader. Perhaps you may be leader we need. Your name alone will draw people to you."

  She put her hand on his arm.

  "One more warning, the Celaeri are real and very dangerous. There have been rumors of a connection between the Greyrawk family and Celaeri. I do not know the truth of it, but remember, they are not Men and their desires and goals may not be ours. They are alien to us and cannot be trusted. Be wary of Celaeri. And don't underestimate Belderag."

  She opened the door and peered out, then left silently.

  Greyrawk chided himself for misreading her so badly. Jaele would be laughing at him. Jaele was a distant cousin on his mother's side but she too must be related to Lady Nunderburg. Did Lady Nunderburg know Jaele? Had Jaele sent word he was coming north? No matter where he went he found himself out of his depth.

  As the sun lighted the sky, he heard music again and this time he knew no Men voice made such a sound. It pulled him towards the northern hills and he leaned out his window toward it. The music faded into the sunrise. Then he heard a cockcrow. He had not slept.

  The sky brightened and the noise of the castle activities rose to his ears. He saw the carts of farmers and merchants on the roads. The faerie world gave way to the world of Men and Greyrawk felt a bit melancholy. He watched for several minutes. Finally, he turned away from the window.

  He joined his host for breakfast. Only Lord Nunderburg was in the great hall.