A halfling in all manner of silk finery quickly walks down a dimly lit hall. Several armed guards stand to attention as he moves past them. He approaches a set of round iron doors and removes a key from within his robes. He quickly works the door lock and pushed them open.
He walks into a large
Spartan room. A few stone benches and a dozen small oil lamps line the walls.
The aid is thick with incense, steam, flute music, hushed feminine voices and
the sound of water being poured. The tiny figure pulls a silk handkerchief from
his pocket to cover his mouth and nose. He takes a few steps forward and lets
his eyes adjust to the room.
As he moves he can see
three scantily clad humanoid females dancing and gyrating throughout the room
to the music. He knows the other women attendants are nearby large shallow pool
giving his master his daily steam bath.
“My lord. I apologize for
the interruption, but I have news.” says the gnome. His voice a bit muffled and
muted due to the handkerchief.
“Let me guess.” replies a
wet guttural voice from within the steam. “That cockamamie death cult failed to
summon anything of worth.”
“Well yes and no master. They did fail to summon
any of the lower denizens and their deity did not answer. Still, they did
manage to fully weaponize the dead with various poisons and those hideous worms
they use to infest themselves and others.
“That same group of heroes ,that has been
harrying your plans, stopped them. It seems our informant had a change of heart
at the last minute and wanted to protect his city. He has since been found and
dealt with accordingly. Master.” The gnome braces himself for the bellow that
usually follows bad news. Strangely that doesn’t occur this time.
“What of the monks?” asks the voice from within
the steam.
“Well master, the Dark Moon have been successful in their mission. They have also met with our associate in the North. Their joint mission is moving ahead with little resistance. Their recent losses in battle were but a feint to draw attention from their larger goal. All is well on those two fronts. Master.”
For a moment the incense and steam seem to
dissipate and the halfling can see the
shadowy form of his master in the bathing pool. He quickly looks away as he
sees a trio of yellow eyes staring back at him. Not just back but staring into
and through him. Looking into his mind. His soul.
Two of his female attendants pour more water
into the pool and the rising steam quickly conceals the beast and give the
gnome relief from those piercing yellow eyes.
“Continue to fund the monks and that fool in the
North. I am curious to see what their plans bring to my table. Also activate
the remaining cults. That should keep any do-gooders busy. Keep the pressure on
the holy knights as well. Getting them out of my city is a must. Finally, rally
the those tomb beasts in the dead lands to the cause. That fool in the North
can use the extra help and it will finally end the agreement we have with
them.”
“As you wish Master.” Replies the halfling. He bows
and turns to leave.
As he makes his way out of the room he hears a
small splash, a woman screaming and then the sound of tearing flesh and bone.
Several more female screams are heard followed by a flash of light. Then silence followed by the sounds of wet tearing and crunching.
“One last bit lackey!”
Slurp
Chortle
Crunch
Whimper
Smack, smack
Slurp
“I will need a new group of
attendants
tomorrow, this group has grown stale.”
No comments:
Post a Comment