The Southern Road

Ptholomus the grain merchant packed up his cart and with his wife Julia, daughter Maggie, his nephew Boris and his wife Agatha along with two hired men at arms rolled through the south gate of Caladan. The gate-guard waved them down.

"Hail, merchant," he said. "Where thou may be headed this fine day?"

"Why we are headed to the town of Braken to sell our wares to the fishermen," replied Ptholomus.

"Ah, that is well," said the guard. "But travel with haste and caution for I hear tales of mischief in the woods along the Great South Road."

"We too have heard the talk, that is why we hired these two veterans here."

The guard look over the two burly warriors sitting in the back of the cart.

"Very well, then," said the guard. "Safe travels to you."

And the merchant road off down the Great South Road towards Braken.

Though the winter was long and dark and the night of the Black Sabbath especially eerie, the hint of spring in the air was enough to give anyone hope. Even the hired men cajoled with their employer.

Their journey was slow and by mid-day they were well away from Caladan and the new Moon-Tower and were soon surrounded by the thick woods with bright green buds, chirping birds, and pretty white flowers.

Ptholomus brought the cart to a halt for standing in the middle of the road with is back turned was a ragged soul.

"I say," shouted the merchant. "You are blocking the road and we would like to pass."

The ragged figure just stood there without heed.

"Are you a hungry traveler? Perhaps we can offer you some food?" again the merchant shouted but no answer was given.

The two hired men-at-arms looked at each other. The smaller one hopped off the cart and, with is hand on the hilt of his sword, approached the figure standing in the middle of the road.

"Are you without hearing, friend?" the guard said. "We need to pass."

Still no answer. The guard looked back to his companions then to the sides into the trees suspecting a trap. He drew his sword fully and approached the man.

"Come now, do not be insolent," said the guard as he placed his hand upon the shoulder of this haggard man, though man he wasn't. The figure quickly turned around and his face was a decayed mask of death! This fiend raised it's clawed hand and brought it down across the neck of the hired-hand severing his jugular. Blood flowed freely as the guard spun around and fell to the ground dead.

Ptholomus and his family gapped in shock at the violence before them. Maggie screamed and covered her face. The remaining hired man leaped from the cart with his sword drawn and charged towards the ghoulish fiend who just stood there with dripping claws and unholy grin. Suddenly, from the trees on either side of the road rushed a hoard of these ghastly creatures. The warrior was overwhelmed and taken to the ground before he could even raise his weapon. The cart and it's occupants were covered with these undead horrors. The sound of rending flesh and bone filled the quite springtime afternoon.

Suddenly from the forest, a voice called out. "Cease!"

The beasts froze in their slaughter and looked up as a dark robed figure stepped out of the forest with a mailed arm raised.

"Kill their bodies but do not consume them," said the voice. "Let them swell our ranks.

He reached out a mailed arm to pet the greasy head of a beast. "Worry not for there will be plenty of flesh to fill your ever hollow souls soon enough as has been foretold to me when I had bestowed onto Her my gift. For, lo, Caladan's doom and all of Eri'an's is nigh!"