The Tomb of Rassala

The Tomb of Rassala

The following was found as a bookmark in a battered volume of lewd drawings and it is thought to be an extract of the notes made by the renowned sage & scholar Finias Grissom while he was composing his famed epic saga of love, betrayal, heroism, destiny and countless encounters with the forces of darkness. It is possible that further extracts will emerge as the ancient library of Helmgard is explored and archived, hopefully shedding new light on the composition of this remarkable work.

This controversial section appears to be an early interview conducted, by Finias, with Torvald Gr?msson and it describes their first meeting and the true origins of each of the companions. The first paragraph is classic Finias but students will be relieved to find that Gr?msson’s recorded testimony is slightly less florid.

"The formidable Sergeant Gr?msson did not seem to be the most loquacious of myrmidons but after our return from the Tomb of Rasyla his demeanour seemed quite cordial. We repaired to a local hostelry to imbibe a few refreshing beverages and he was delighted to expound his insouciant views on our recent exploits and proceeded to impart to me his own account of the shocking events that had thrown us together."

"After the beastmen get a kicking they tend to head back North to lick their wounds and plan their revenge. If we hurt them badly we won’t see them for months and the Guv’nor soon finds things for idle legionaries to do - mostly so they don’t get too cocky and lose their edge. After coming out of a nasty little skirmish with my skin intact, I was well pleased with myself and thought I’d at least myself earned a well-earned evening at Madame Lucy’s but the Guv’nor had other ideas and I was summoned over to his rooms in the Vermilion Tower. For a man that had just slaughtered the largest beastman raid for months without losing more than a handful of men he was bloody bad tempered and like a sensible fellow, I kept my mouth shut and wondered what I’d done last time I staggered out of the ‘Slaughtered Lamb’. Don’t get me wrong, the Guv’nor’s the best captain Helmgard’s had in a long time and I’d follow him to hell without blinking but there are a few things that make him really mad. If you are dumb enough to commit one of his cardinal sins you’ll choose a trip north in your skivvies rather than piss him off again.

Anyhow, he looks me up and down and asks me if I knows Twrch Tyler. You’ve met Twrch and I expect you think he’s a mad bastard and you’d be only half right. I tells the Guv’nor that Twrch is one of the Chosen and a damn fine scout and he tells me I’m a lying fool. So I then tells him that Twrch is a bit too close to Gaulti for his own good sometimes but he’s pretty fair if you know the rules and you are wise enough to slip Blodeuwedd the occasional apple and a pint or two on feast days. The Guv’nor nods and tells me to escort some men to Stormgard as they have lost a few boyos to the pox and need a dozen likely lads in case of pirate raids. He then gives me one of them looks and says I need some sea air and a change of scene - hinting that Lieutenant Taylor should be able to find something useful for me to do for a couple of months. The Guv’nor seems to be able to smell trouble and as I’m selecting some of the dross the city sends us as recruits I sees Twrch strolling over, with Blodeuwedd in tow, and twitching like he always does when Gaulti has asked him to sniff out something nasty. He needs to head over the Stormgard and is hoping I’ll help him out. While he’s ranting happily I see all my lads roll their eyes in terror. Twrch takes things a bit seriously sometimes and the lads don’t like being crucified for farting out of turn. Luckily I know Twrch is mostly grunt and not much gore, if you follow a few basic rules, so I dismiss the men and casually ask him what he really needs. It turns out that one of Blodeuwedd’s kin has gone missing, along with one of the Chosen, a Boar-Friend called Watt who my dad said was one of the best scouts in the realm. Twrch is majorly pissed…

He then explains that he’s heading South and as he rarely goes anywhere near cities he’d value my company. I live in the Vermilion tower and I know the city well but I’m a Gr?msson so I know the woods even better (and I respect ‘The Three’) so I count as ‘civilised’ to someone like Twrch. Now I like Twrch but he’s a overly moral fellow and in a city he’s a jumpy as a cornered mouse. My chances of a quick drink, a nice tumble and a cushy & profitable job checking merchant ships for juicy items of contraband was receding fast.

We headed off down the road straight away and soon caught up with a merchant caravan that was heading to Stormgard. They were happy to see a few soldiers and when we camped alongside them and offered to supplement their useless looking guards they were delighted. Twrch would have like to have run all the way to Stormgard but Blodeuwedd has more sense and soon made friends with a bloke transporting turnips. In the meantime we met you Finias, laden with books and delighted to see that the army had arrived. Now I admit I’d rather bump into a willing strumpet but with Twrch in tow, mumbling about temptation and the wages of sin, a sage is a useful find - as you know I’d like to be a captain one day and while I know my letters I also know I’ve got a lot to learn. I also admit that watching you & Twrch debate comparative theology really made the journey fly by!

After delivering my men to Lieutenant Taylor it was laughably easy to get him to assign me to Twrch. Some officers like responsibility but most of them like the sergeants to do their thinking for them. I suspect he had no idea what to do with me. Anyhow, I checks the map and the story Twrch told us on the way down suggests that we ought to stick together. Twrch doing the tracking, you doing the research and me talking to the authorities. Luckily a missing Chosen qualifies us for expenses so all three of us headed into the forest.

Watt and his Boar turn up after Twrch sniffs about for a bit. It looks like a murderous ambush and the body of a Stormgard soldier suggests that the situation is even worse than it looked when we realised Watt was just plain dead. After the appropriate rituals we head back with proof to report to the Lieutenant. (I don’t know what Twrch does to them bodies and I’m not sure I want to know, everyone’s got to have a hobby...)

Taylor is mightily worried and he wants everything investigated nice & quiet. If it gets out that one of his men killed one of the Chosen the Stormgard Council will have his guts for ratlines. He suggests we go and chat with a local informer called Devlin. You (Finias), Twrch and I don’t know Stormgard too well and this Devlin bloke is said to be discrete and very efficient.

We head for the 'The Dolphin' and you say hello to Devlin - as he might do a runner if we corner him mob handed. Devlin turns out to be a cool customer and doesn’t bat an eyelid, even when Twrch looms into view. He’s busy sorting out a scruffy kid’s acquisitions and he calmly finishes his business before accepting a drink from his new customers.

We explained that Harris had gone AWOL and suggested that he find out who Harris’s employers were so we could investigate further. The price seemed very reasonable and it quickly apparent that our new ally understands the importance of expanding his network of 'friends'. To our surprise he turns to the kid beside him and tells her to check a few leads. (It’s only when she runs off that I work out that she’s a girl) Devlin is supremely confident that he can help us and explains that Meg 'finds' things so he can return them to their original owners. A nice scam but one that could get her hand cut off - Devlin shrugs, he reckons Meg is the best weasel he’s seen in years and doubts the Watch have ever seen her - let alone tried to catch her. Plus he has arrangement with Meg's Mum and he’s promised to keep the kid out of trouble. Later that evening Devlin reports that the Tyranus Embassy employed Harris for a couple of jobs and that they are expanding the cellars of the embassy… Devlin knows pretty well everyone we meet and he smooth-talks me into a job on the site. Meg gets to pretend to be my cousin and is meant to carry messages to Devlin, who intends to watch from the 'Laughing Goblin'. While we are planning this Meg sneaks into the embassy (!) and overhears some Tyranus types discussing the diggings. It seems they are trying to find something in a shrine under the city and they are near to the sewers. It’s amazing what you can get away with when everyone ignores you but I wonder if she’ll get away with that trick quite as easily when she fills out - when she gets a bit older you’ll see why Meg’s Mum wants her away from the family business, there’s more than one dirty old merchant would pay quite a lot to chase Meg round a nice big feather bed.

The temple to the Minotaur God sounds a bit dodgy and Twrch is very keen on messily desecrating it before it gets sanctified. Meg has a way with words that makes her sound innocent but I reckon she usually knows more than she claims and when she saves the most important fact for last she almost goes over my knee. The Tyranus Ambassador appears to want to release some kind of Wyld Entity and then invade while we are fighting a Wyld incursion! Naturally, I promise Devlin & Meg a bonus (plus I apologise for not telling the whole dastardly plot sooner) & head off to Lieutenant Taylor to report my findings. He seems a bit flustered so I suggest he requests a mounted company off the Guv'nor and takes his own men out on manoeuvres. To make sure he isn’t in on the plot I check in with an old mate of the Gov'nor's, a sergeant called Tyson, and ask him to keep his ear to the ground in case of a double-cross.

When I get back the plan has changed. You’ve mapped a way in through the sewer and Devlin wants me to check out the main diggings while some likely lads help Bob carve a nice new entrance to the cellar complex. We can’t afford to start a way with Tyranus so we need to catch them red handed or ambush them outside of the city before they reach Rasyla’s Tomb (Which you identified as the likely target of the Tyranus plot and Blodeuwedd confirmed that it was in Watt’s charge). Digging is nothing new to a soldier so I fit right in. Meg scuttles about keeping everyone informed and when they break into some kind of underground shrine she’s off like a scalded hare to get the lads to hurry up. By the time she gets back the Priest has found an amber jewel and is satisfied that he has the key to Rasyla’s Tomb. I try to delay their departure but the bastards plan to bury the workers anyway and I’m forced to start a riot. Meg proves to be useful in a fight by filleting anyone I knock over with my trusty spade. She has clearly never killed before but wields her nasty little blade like a veteran. If she was a boy, and a bit taller, I’d sign her on to the company books like a shot. The entrance tunnel is collapsed ahead of us but the miners are delighted when we show then our alternative entrance. The Tyranus Priest and his bodyguards have everything nicely planned but our chum Devlin is ready with some horses and we head off in hot pursuit. Even though we know the ground well and Blodeuwedd is very keen to catch the bastards they stay ahead, particularly as they have a change of horses ready to keep up their momentum… I liked the way you and Devlin kept their ambush party busy while we sneaked round behind them. I almost stopped to listen to your blithering myself!

Anyway, we reach the huge great granite plug that is the location of Rasyla’s tomb and Meg runs straight up it as if it’s a gentle slope. You & Devlin have a bit more bother but at least we bought some decent rope! (Poor old Blodeuwedd was heart-broken - it’s a shame we didn’t let the bodyguard escape as he’d have given him a hell of a shock when the Tyranus Warrior got down to where the boar was waiting) The Tomb of Rasyla has already been entered and the Tyranus desecrators have helpfully located all of the most lethal traps. In the final chamber is Rasyla herself, shrouded by a mystical force-field. I don’t mind telling you that I wasn’t expecting to actually see Rasyla - I was hoping she was sealed behind a wall, or something, so she couldn’t see us thwarting her escape! The Priest was placing the jewel when we entered and seemed supremely confident that his guards would eliminate us before we could do anything to stop his little ceremony. Twrch bellowed in fury and I followed in his wake, hacking down anything that tried to flank him as he chopped and butchered his way to the podium on the other side of the shrine. Swordwork is a funny old business, you can play with a skilled opponent for hours but the real bloody work is in a melee - where team fighting really makes a difference and you spend more time covering your psychotic mates than playing heroics. Meg proved her worth again - that’s a great kid. By the time we reached the steps she was wading in blood, having bloodily finished off anyone who had got in my way. It’ll be a damn shame when she starts wearing dresses and reading poetry and stuff.

Meanwhile, you and Devlin were in ambush as the second Tyranus squad tried to flank us. The marbles were a great idea and we had nothing to worry about while you noisily slaughtered some of their best men. I don’t know about you but I’d heard that Devlin was one of the best darts players in Stormgard - so I wasn’t completely surprised when he started throwing knives about - but, even I didn’t expect him to be so bloody deadly. It’s always the quiet ones I suppose (as you suggested after the fight, he probably does the occasional assassination) Twrch & I looked a bit battered but both the Priest and his Champion fell to Ace Devlin’s daggers before we could do much to contribute to the final mayhem. I wasn’t too bothered as I was completely knackered. Next time we have a fight in a mystical shrine we need to make sure it’s not on top of a bloody cliff!

Twrch was grateful for me covering his flank but he was keen to check with Gaulti to make sure we kept Rasyla in her little prison. Devlin, of course, wanders over for a chat and I was amazed that he didn’t try to sell her something. The main thing is that he got her to admit that she had been asked to attack Stormgard, as a pretext for a Tyranus ‘rescue’ fleet invading the city. Just when I thought he was being really cunning Devlin casually plucked up the amber jewel (the one with Rasyla’s pet inside). I’m no sage but I’d have checked with Gaulti first and I was ready to vacate the shrine at a sprint, even with my collection of swordcuts, if that damned glowing wall had faded.

Twrch was livid and I thought it was going to be a trip behind the hedge for our friend Devlin. He’s a brave lad, I’ll give him that (It’s probably a good job the ground began to shake)… We headed down the cliff and slowly staggered back to Stormgard with enough proof to make the Tyranus lot look pretty foolish… We were just in time for the Tyranus Fleet to sail into view and to watch as the Stormgard Company and the assembled militia waved at their ships and hear Harris’s Captain tell them that they weren’t needed… It seemed to be the best bloodless victory in years but I wasn’t quite so cocky after Taylor told me that the messenders he sent to Helmgard were ambushed & murdered. (I bet the bastards will be back for more as soon as they can find another way to catch us when we’re not watching them like hawks) Lieutenant Taylor seemed mightily pleased with himself. He’s probably taken most of the credit for our success but as Devlin hinted darkly as we got back into town the Tyranus Council will soon know who really made them look like idiots… The main thing is that the Guv’nor will soon know and he’ll be right chuffed that helped out the Stormgard Captain with the Tyranus mob…

Signed & dated by Finias Grissom in the city of Stormgard...

Cast List:

Party

• Twrch Tyler - Chosen of Gaulti
• Blodeuwedd - Son of Gaulti + Boar
• Finias Grissom - Sage & Archivist
• Meg Horson - Rogue & Quantum Sneak-thief
• Devlin - Rogue, Knifeman & Streetwise Specialist
• Torvald Gr?msson - Sergeant

NPCs

Helmgard

• The Guv’nor - Captain of the Vermilion Company

Stormgard

• Watt - Murdered Chosen of Stormgard
• Harris - Stormgard soldier killed by Watt
• Bob the Builder - Devlin’s contact (Tyranus Embassy job)
• Mrs Horson - Meg’s Mum and Proprietoress of the Finest Bordello in Stormgard (Note she also has a son)
• Tyson - An old Sergeant in the Stormgard City Company

Tyranus

• Priest of the Minotaur - Killed in Rasyla’s Tomb

Entities

• Gaulti - Boar God (Brother of Wolf & Bear)
• Rasyla - Female Wyld Spirit of Chaos