Page 2 of 4

The Demon of Bonespear
By the hand of Lady Danay Mayfern
Amazon priestess of Leya

This adventure took place on the 4th day of Olaesta in the year 5099. Lady Shadowkatt and I had been fighting the denizens of Bonespear Tower off and on for a few days. On this particular night, we had met up with an old sorcerer friend of hers, Lord Drulovrocathey, and he was aiding us in the fight against the undead that inhabit the place.

At that time we actually knew little of the history surrounding the tower itself. I remember the day it was discovered outside of Solhaven some months previous, but only had the occasional third, fourth and fifth hand account to go by. The only facts of which I was certain were that there had been a massive explosion of some sort, that a great beast, possibly a demon, was seen leaving the tower, and that Lord Truekillr had found a weapon of some interest while the tower was being explored in the aftermath. Unfortunately, my personal account of that day is mired in muddled memories of my first glimpse of a waern, while trying to defend myself from the merciless shan. The evil emanating from the waern was so intense, it caused me to drop to my knees in sobbing terror, whereupon I was promptly slain. So dear readers, please forgive my lack of clarity surrounding the discovery of the tower.

As is usually the case of places where the undead roam, Bonespear Tower is a creepy location. Most of the tower itself has been constructed of bone and there is one particularly hideous door made of teeth. I will not bother describing the rest of the tower here, but it is worthy of exploring once an adventurer is skilled enough. The tower is unstable in some way and often shakes, causing those not prepared or surefooted to fall. Occasionally odd sounds can be heard such as a door slamming or screams. I have never determined the source of the screams, but believe them to be manifestations left over from the horrors of what happened within the tower. Most visitors to the tower are greeted at some point or another with the spectral image of a dwarven mage. Though he does not speak, he clearly gives one a warning to leave for the sake of one's own health, and he often is seen to be shedding a tear. We soon came to understand that the spectre is Bonespear.

Entry into the tower is past a courtyard of vicious undead doglike creatures, called waern, and through some massive iron doors. About 15 feet up one of the doors, crudely scrawled into the metal, is this message: "Maleskari reigns supreme in this tower". About 13 feet below, handwritten in red, is the message: "Who's he?" Unfortunately I had never taken note of the message before the incident which I am about to relay, (dashing past frenzied undead dogs often causes a sense of urgency) and thus failed in what any intelligent adventurer would have done, attempting to determine who or what Maleskari is or was.

On that night in Olaesta, as the three of us engaged the undead in battle, strange things began to happen. The only proper description for it is a haunting. It began with faint indecipherable whispers and visions of flames, then a whispered, "Who dares!". The three of us made our way to the vault, where we found Lord Graeval resting. I asked if he had witnessed anything odd, and he reported that the table in the room had been wobbling and he had heard some growling noises from down the hallway. By that time the hairs were standing on the back of my neck and my hands were ice cold as I clutched my longsword in nervous fear.

It became obvious there was a presence among us, brushing against our bodies unseen, but it would not reveal itself. The vault was filled with shifting coils of mist and the air would turn alternately freezing cold and searing hot. A voice cackled at our confusion and discomfiture. Then all grew quiet again. We decided to all stay together and scout the tower to see if we could find anything else out of the ordinary. While we scouted, something whispered to Katt, "Flames and fire shall be mine this eve." That and another vision of dancing flames sent us back to the vault, away from the distractions of the restless undead of the tower.

Earlier the misty tendrils had wrapped around Shadowkatt and a voice had said something about perhaps she was the one. Once we returned to the vault, a voice whispered to Straax, who had later joined us, that perhaps our group would serve its master's purpose. Needless to say, we were puzzled by the words. As we were pondering the meaning, a booming voice rang out saying, "Ye have been banished once, begone fell one! Leave these folks alone!" And thus we became aware of a second presence. Soon after, two ice spirits floated into the vault and began an assault on our small group. Despite most of us being overcome with fear, we battled back. We vanquished the spirits in a frenzied engagement with no losses to our party. Once the last one was dispatched, a fireball roared violently down the hallway, then all was still once more.

In the quiet that followed, we again left the vault to scout our surroundings. We came upon a wavering spirit in the sitting room, the spirit of Bonespear himself. The spirit greeted us and said he had banished the minion for the time being. He explained it was one of the pawns of the demon that had overtaken the tower. The spirit went on to tell a tale that is all too familiar to many of us.

He said the lure of magic had been strong and that he had summoned something which he had been unable to control and that the tower had been destroyed in the battle. He explained he was still seeking a way to banish the demon back from whence it came. When asked if there was anything we could do to help, the spirit mentioned a weapon, saying it may be the key, but that he still needed to further research the matter. We believe that he was referring to the weapon Truekillr had found. The spirit stated there is currently an uneasy balance and that the demon has been unable to return, save through its servants.

Bonespear again made mention of magic being a temptress and that he had succumbed. The tower at one time had been a place for learning and the mastery of magic. But necromancy had been the downfall of Bonespear. In the battle he had been able to wall the demon withnin a magic barrier, but he had not yet unraveled how to banish it for good. What we had witnessed was just a small hint of the power the demon masters. Bonespear's victory was not without a cost, his implication being it had cost him his mortal form. He vowed that he would some day reclaim his physical body. When asked about his previous students and the knowledge they posses, he said they have since scattered and unless they had come to their senses as he had, would be likely to aid the demon.

Bonespear's spiritual manifestation began to weaken before our eyes. He said that he would need to leave and regroup. Before he left we asked about plans and if the demon would know of our conversation. He said the demon knows Bonespear plans for its demise, just as he knows of the demon's intents. But neither knows the details. After a few parting words, the spirit faded and then completely vanished.

As you now see, by not having paid attention to our surroundings before, we failed to determine the meaning of the message written on the door. Is Maleskari the name of the demon, and if so is knowing a demon's name important? Were those words there before the demon was summoned and concern someone totally unrelated? What of the students from the tower, where have they gone and how much do they know? Do they continue the study of necromancy elsewhere, soon to unleash yet more powerful beings on the unsuspecting people of Elanith? So many questions. Yet in all the time since our encounter with the spirit of Bonespear, there has been nothing but silence.

[Return to Page 1] [Continue to Page 3] [Continue to Page 4]