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AABN:  48334
Title: the Quest for the Silver Halberd, part 4

The Quest for the Silver Halberd, part 4

by Sparity Ket, Captain of the Order of the White Knights

Justice related to others what he had seen in his vision.  The keep
entrance he saw had a sign written above the door, but he could not read
it.  Taking a stick, he drew the symbols in the dirt.  Zorat said that it
was Elvish and that the words were "Barrik's Keep".  Kenwick informed them
that Barrik was a powerful wizard who had been the mentor of Marchioness
Alicja von Ritter, and that his keep was situated near Torlynn.  Torlynn
was a thorp considered to be the southern border of the Rittermark located 
along the Gauntlet, the trade route that connects Ritterholm to the distant
city of Rogonia.  The party gathered some supplies and set out south from
the city.

It was a three-day journey to Torlynn, with lush taiga on the left and the
rolling wild foothills of the Ash Mountains on the right.  The party camped
along the road but didn't run into anything else on the first day.  It
began to snow during the second day, and they had a most strange encounter.

They saw a mound of snow about a meter and a half tall in the middle of the
road.  Using his ability to detect evil, Justice saw an red aura from
inside the mound but could not determine its exact shape.  The party
cautiously approached, and then less cautiously began to probe the mound. 
Jamarkas brushed some of the snow away, revealing a mass of grayish-green
scales.  Emboldened, the others (except Justice) began brushing away the
rest of the snow until a two-legged, reptilian creature with stitches all 
over its body was discovered, lying perfectly still with its head face-down
on the ground.  Since none of the touching seemed to stir it, Jamarkas gave
the beast a mighty kick.  The beast's flesh buckled and gave under the
force of the kick, but still the creature did nothing.  Zorat send Bill to
tunnel underneath, and upon reaching its face the beast suddenly seized up
and grabbed the mole rat.  Feeling the panic from his familiar, Zorat
attacked the creature and encouraged his fellow party members to do the
same.

Immediately they all pounced on it.  Employing his mighty draconic
strength, Jamarkas wrested Bill from the fiend's clutches while Zorat and
Silliriun peppered it with offensive spells, Kenwick shot it with his
crossbow, and Justice stabbed it with his halberd.  Whatever it was, it was
unable to weathered the combined assault of the team and soon laid still
again--this time for good.  The spellcasters all mulled over it trying to
figure out what it was, and ultimately came to the conclusion that it was a
lost or forgotten flesh golem.  No master presented himself, and with no
treasure to be had the party continued down the road.