Ahead of the Storm - Day 2

Redgorge, Six Months Ago

As the night sky to the north erupted in a blinding flash of light, Maavu knew in its heart what it meant - victory. Triumph for those chosen heroes who had led the fight in this war.

Yet he also knew two other things: that he was no hero... and that Redgorge was falling.

For two weeks now, his city had been under siege by the undead armies of the Wormgod. What purpose they had in attacking this meager town, he had no idea. It served no purpose, save for being a minor waypoint on the journey to Cauldron. Yet the undead legion seemed to care not for strategic value, only destruction. And the town's defenses were no match for their onslaught.

The past two weeks had been the harshest of Maavu's life. As leader of the Chisel, an underground secret society founded centuries ago by Surabar Spellmason (founder of Cauldron), Maavu's prime skill had been at information-gathering. He'd spent his life rising to a position of influence among Cauldron's merchant class, in order to gain a firm understanding of all that went on in the city's streets. With this knowledge, he and the rest of the Chisel did their best to support local heroes, and ward off criminals and evildoers. But all of this was done from the shadows. Few even knew of the Chisel's existence, or the fact that Maavu was more than a simple merchant... until a couple of years prior, that is.

He recalled it like it was yesterday. Cauldron's mayor under attack for increased taxes... Plans to supplant the local guard with brutal half-orc mercenaries... At the time, Maavu had felt he could no longer stand back in the shadows and watch life happen around him. Someone needed to give the people a voice, speak out for the dictatorship that was taking over the local government. And Maavu had made the mistake of choosing to become that voice.

The day of the riot, Maavu felt his whole life spiraling out of control. Where he'd wanted a peaceful protest, that underhanded fraud Vhalantru had arranged to turn things into a riot, both pushing the mayor to stronger action, and nearly costing Maavu himself his life. And to think, that criminal was still out there somewhere... the beholder who tried to sell out Cauldron to demodands, just for power and profit.

But things did not go that far, thanks to the Outsiders. They had saved his life, and saved the city. Saved Maavu, in other words, from his own stupidity.

Yet they weren't here to save him now... and for that, Redgorge would surely fall. For Maavu knew nothing of leading men into war... the city's guards weren't trained properly, the Chisel itself had nearly no resources. Everyone was counting on Maavu to save them, and after two weeks of holding off the enemy - even with the sign of victory for the Harbingers in the northern sky - Maavu knew that his city would fall, for the undead were still marching, even without their leader Kyuss, and he had no longer the power to stop them.

And then came the voice... "Maavu, do not give up on yourself. I have formed the Chisel, and made you its leader, solely so this day might come. You, and only you, have the power to defend Redgorge. You simply need find the courage to use it."

Maavu, shocked out of his daydreaming, looked around for the speaker, but saw no one. Was it in his head? Was he going crazy amid this destruction around him? What a fitting end for such a sad, pointless life...

Then, a thought... "Formed the Chisel"? Surabar Spellmason?! Was the voice from beyond none other than the Chisel's founder, the famed earth elementalist mage himself?

But what could he mean, by finding the courage to use it... What power did Maavu have? All he posssessed of value was the simple stonecarved necklace which signified his leadership of the Chisel. It possessed no power, save for unlocking the door down into the Hall of Carvings where the group made its base. But it was not defended, save for the single earth elemental who dwelled within. It couldn't possibly fight off an undead army...

Yet... "Defend Redgorge"... Had they been going at this war from the wrong angle? Could it be that the best offense was a good defense?

Marshaling his courage, Maavu yelled out to his men, busy at their guardposts, awaiting the next wave of attacking undead: "Everyone, to the Hall of Carvings!!! Gather all, women and children alike... we must get everyone into the Hall!"

Maavu's second, the bard Ekaym Smallcask, questioned his leader: "Retreat? They will break into the Hall, Maavu... It is not well defended."

Maavu spoke simply... "It will be."

And so, the guards gathered all the people of Redgorge, ushering them on to the Hall of Carvings, urging speed - for the next undead wave was about to come rushing the barriers around town any minute - barriers which under Maavu's orders were no longer to be manned or defended.

And as the last man rushed into the Hall, Maavu placed his necklace upon the back of the door, sealing it with its minor magic - a Hold Portal spell.

All around him, silence fell, as everyone feared the spell could never hold.

But Maavu spoke to them: "We have forgotten the ways of our forefather. Surabar Spellmason always spoke of the magic that lies inherently within nature, especially the earth itself. He claimed that when he summoned earth elementals, he was not controlling or commanding them, but rather speaking to the earth, letting it choose for itself whether his fight was righteous or not. And so must we do today. Not asking the earth to fight or kill. But to defend us. To protect us. The earth shall be our salvation."

Maavu's voice then lowered to an earthy rumble, as he muttered a prayer in Terran.

"Earth, be our defender. Earth, be our survival."

Then, the rumble began - first slow, then steadily increasing, growing in power and strength. At first, the gathered survivors of Redgorge feared it was the sound of the undead army charging the city above. But slowly, they began to realize - it was the voice of the earthy itself, all around the Hall of Carvings which had been carved and constructed underground, in the earth itself.

And the echoing rumble grew to a fever pitch, yet Maavu feared not - knowing that his prayer to the earth had been answered.

Finally, silence fell. All feared to speak, as if that would break the spell which had engulfed them.

At last, Maavu uttered the first word, again in Terran...

"Thank you, earth. Thank you, Surabar."

And he placed the necklace upon the door again, breaking the seal. Opening the creaking door, he peered beyond. And witnessed the power his prayer had conjured.

The Hall of Carvings lay in the center of a gigantic crater, filled with nothing but cracks, sand and dust. For an entire mile's radius, the crater showed no sign of anything - no buildings, no roads, no undead bodies. And just over the crater's rim, Maavu could see the sun beginning to rise, for the first time in the weeks since the Age of Worms fell on the land.

Maavu had prayed to the earth, and the earth had answered - swallowing up the entire city: buildings, roads and undead invaders alike. The crater was all the remained, save the the Hall of Carvings at its center - a sanctuary at its centered which had been protected and left unscathed. They were saved, and by the light of the morning sun, it seemed the war was now over.

Maavu had been right about one thing... Redgorge had indeed fallen. Yet perhaps he was more of a hero than he gave himself credit for.