Coming of the Ghoul General

18th day of the Month of Conflict, 126th Year of Factol Haskar’s Administration/Month of Sunsebb 573 CY calendar

“Very well, when do we start?” Jamaros replies. Doresain smiles, his sharpened teeth glinting red in the low-light. “You are eager! That is a sign that bodes well for your future. Depart straightaway. Your lieutenants know the way to the portal that while take you to my chosen land. Your personal guards wait for you at the gate.”

Jamaros turned to follow the two surviving Risen, the ghouls who had killed him so Doresain could bring him back from the dead to serve as his general. Resentment burned deep in the undead barbarian’s still, cold heart and dark thoughts lurked in the back of his mind. He hadn’t lied to the Ghoul King. He had no desire to sit upon on a throne and he did want to rejoin his companions once he had become strong enough but he would exact his vengeance.

The two Risen lead Jamaros along a darkened path between crumbling mausoleums and beneath moss draped trees. The sky above was the dull, sick green of an infected wound and the air smelled of rot.

After several minutes, the path began to descend toward a cave. Black, flickering torches sat in sconces on either side of the cave mouth, doing little to dispel the pervasive gloom. Jamaros’ lieutenants paused to make sure their commander was behind them before ducking inside.

Within the cave, the barbarian found that the top of his helm scraped the loose dirt ceiling, dislodging bits and pieces of the overhead with every step he took. Two dozen ghouls lurk in the darkness, lounging indolently against the wall or milling about in the earthen chamber. The ghouls look on with disinterest or open hostility as the three newcomers enter the room.

The Risen made their way over to a pair of menhirs capped by a third large block to form the semblance of a gateway. None of the other undead makes any sort of move to acknowledge their presence or that of Jamaros. Doresain waves his hand, bringing the menhirs to life. A shimmering portal appears within the enclosed stone arch. The demon lord gives the general his orders and Jamaros passes those orders on to his troops and the entire band walks into glowing archway.

Arriving in the underdark beneath the Crystalmist and Hellfurnace mountain ranges of the southwest Flanaess, the ghouls find themselves in a cavern with four doors and two tunnels leading out from it. Three of the doors have a guardian positioned in front of them; a gargoyle, a mummy, and a skeletal warrior. The final door is covered with a thin layer of frost and smokes slightly in the cool but humid air. The tunnel leading to the southeast is broad and smooth while the one leading northeast is much narrower.



Jamaros: 91% health

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