The Black Grimoire: Tales of the Masked One, the Hand of Death

[JDodger]

The phial is heavy in his hand, and he cannot look away...

Heavy in his hand as he studies the liquid within, and he cannot look away...

The liquid within swirls black and amber, and he cannot look away...

Swirls black and amber and full of visions, and he cannot look away...

Full of visions of death and killing, and he cannot look away...

Death and killing, and his heart trembles and laments, but he cannot look away...


What he cannot see, for he cannot look away, is the handful of horsemen that follow.

Their ponies are short and strong, and they themselves are short as strong boys and wiry as bowstrings.

They have waited a long time...


The phial is heavy in his pocket...

It is so close, and he can feel its yearning...


Hurry cowardly and shrinking one

Subservient and appeasing one hurry

There is no time for your waitings your watchings

Your writings and your askings hurry

I have waited and watched long enough

Watched and waited for the one who would come

The one who would come from across the sea

From across the sea bearing the blood of my blood

Blood must be had blood and killing

Blood and killing and I am so close

I am so close and I must return

The Masked One the Hand of Death must return

Must return and I am so close

Hurry killer

[JDodger]

Letter from Caladar Rizz
Message sent to all nobles of Reven (18 recipients) -many moons ago

Diplomacy

Letter from Caladar Rizz
(Personal message to Ryosuke Guile) - just in

Greetings Hierophant

My thanks for your welcome to Firbalt your kind invitation

To Firbalt the city once fallen to darkness

Daimons claimed this city once upon a time

And wicked ones men who slicked their hair with oil

And sold their souls and bodies to the daimon kiss

And made war upon man in service and subservience

Service and subservience to the ones who are apart

The daimons old ones killers of men and monsters and elves and each other

Yes they kill each other as men do killer they war in the realm apart

We made war upon them the wicked men and wicked daimons

And there was much killing in the deserts and wastelands

Caelum fell and realms have come and gone since

Come and gone like the lazy one Tiberius we know him well

Know him well for killing underestimate him not killer

When he is not siezed by sleepings he kills and kills again

Many realms come and gone like the winds in the desert

Winds in the desert that stir the sands

Stir the sands and uncover the bones of empire

Like a mother waking her child from its cradle

Caladar Rizz
Knight of Vozzessdor

Kill smarter not harder killers

Caladar Rizz
Knight of Vozzessdor

[JDodger]

Securing the Hierophant's invitation has been just enough of a delay.

The little brown horsemen skirt around the camp where Caladar and his archers spend most of the afternoon. Once out of sight, they urge their horses into a quick canter and make for the city.

They are known at the gate - they have been coming here for years, the funny little men with the odd speech and odd habits. In the city most assume they are from the desert, and hardly bat an eye anymore when they come to trade their animal skins for women and sundries.

And they are small, no larger than a strong lad of twelve summers, so it is easy enough for them to slip unnoticed into the inner city,

In the city of Firbalt once gone to darkness

The city that spirals down into itself at its heart

Its heart black and beating with malice and memory

There shall you find it the Black Temple of Zraath

[JDodger]

Letter from Caladar Rizz

(Personal message to Mandolyn Aurelle) -

Greetings rich Margrave

We received no orders for a week

No orders and no discussions in the war council

Though this killer is a Vice Marshal he receives nothing

We found more valuable ways to spend our hours

More valuable than sittings and waitings

We are not finished in Firbalt

We shall come in the time that suits us

Change not my army rich one

Caladar Rizz
Knight of Vozzessdor

Letter from Caladar Rizz

(Personal message to Mandolyn Aurelle) -

My thanks to thee rich Margrave

I will put on my iron mask tonight

Caladar Rizz
Knight of Vozzessdor

[JDodger]

Letter from Caladar Rizz

(Personal message to Aren Von Montgomery) - 5 hours, 10 minutes ago

Yes killer

Loot the peasantries of Zwering kill as many as you can

Caladar Rizz
Knight of Vozzessdor

Personal message to Aren Von Montgomery) - 4 hours, 54 minutes ago

Did you forget killer

This killer is a Vice Marshal

Conduct your killing as you like in Zwering

Run the peasantries over with your rhinoceroses

Gore them with their great horns

Kill them and take their golds

Caladar Rizz
Knight of Vozzessdor
Vice-Marshal of the Depraved Legion

Personal message to Aren Von Montgomery) - 4 hours, 52 minutes ago

Scratch that killer

The impoverished ones likely have no golds

Stomp them gore them kill them and take their coppers

Caladar Rizz
Knight of Vozzessdor
Vice-Marshal of the Depraved Legion

Message sent to all nobles of Reven (19 recipients) - 4 hours, 46 minutes ago

The shattered ones will not know One Winged one

Will not know unless they are in Zwering themselves

Allow the little killer who rides upon a rhinoceros his killing

His killing and taking the coppers of the impoverished ones

Caladar Rizz
Knight of Vozzessdor

[JDodger]

Message sent to all nobles of Reven (19 recipients) - 4 hours, 30 minutes ago

What justification One Winged one

One Winged one who speaks only to interrupt others

Interrupt them in their businesses and dealings

Interrupt them in their killings and their lootings

What have you given us to be interested in

Spare us your commandings of denial

There will be much killing

If you do not give it to us we will take it

Caladar Rizz
Knight of Vozzessdor

Letter from Caladar Rizz

Message sent to all nobles of Reven (19 recipients) - 3 hours, 3 minutes ago

You write not only to a small child killer

For he is indeed a small child a foolish

Write it

Write it killer the Masked One the Hand of Death commands you

Write it killer write it now

Obedient killer a small one as I said before

Small and foolish one delaying and prevaricating

He will write what he is commanded

Commanded by the Masked One the Hand of Death

Killer of men and monsters and daimons and elves and the old dark ones

What do you know of flames killer

Flames that burned down townsland and city alike

Flames that were the pyre of empire

Torches to guide them on the path to death

Slow and slow burning they were

Burned by the flames of silence but for no

Caladar Rizz
Knight of Vozzessdor

[JDodger]

Letter from Caladar Rizz

(Personal message to the One Winged One) - 3 days, 8 hours, 28 minutes ago

You are a funny one killer

Do you have scrolls of teleportations

Or perhaps scrolls of magic steeds

If so send them

We shall require them to arrive in Ircymbar in the time you desire

Our steps wend not to Ircymbar at this time we are busy

Where were you a week ago with your orderings

A week ago when you might have 

Caladar Rizz
Knight of Vozzessdor

[JDodger]

Letter from Caladar Rizz

Message sent to all nobles of Reven (17 recipients)

We did go for payments killer

Did you read the words of the Masked One

The Hand of Death to the shattered one

Payments were made killer pay heed

Letter from Caladar Rizz
Message sent to all nobles of Reven (16 recipients) - 4 days, 11 hours, 3 minutes ago

Payments delivered killers

Letter from Caladar Rizz
 (Personal message to Jecht Tideweaver) - just in

Payments shattered one

Payments on behalf of the Depraved one who even now enjoys your company

100 golds have we brought to the city of Gethsemene

The city of Gethsemene where once I took the throne

The throne of Gotland of the goat people I did wear my mask

My goat mask gently cut from a dead one fresh slaughtered

Many years before as I led the Agyrians across the border

The killers who ride on bears yes they know the Masked One

For it was to them and the Thalmarks I did say

Put on your goat masks killers

And there was a mask for each

But many more did we kill of men than goats

There in the plains of Gotland and Caelint

There did I declare myself the Masked One of Gotland mighty in the north

And there was much killing

Take these 50 golds shattered one your bureaucrats have taken the others

Seek not enmity with the Masked One the Hand of Death

Caladar Rizz
Minister of Defence of Reven
Knight of Vozzessdor
Marshal of the Depraved Legion

Witness killer

We did pay him 50 golds

Did we not come in peace

Caladar Rizz
Minister of Defence of Reven
Knight of Vozzessdor
Marshal of the Depraved Legion

[JDodger]

Letter from Caladar Rizz

Message sent to all nobles of Reven (17 recipients)

Killers pay heed

The Masked One the Hand of Death is a man as men are

I come with killing not claimings of divinities

They send us writings askings of an idol of death

Pay heed killers what need of maskings

What need of masking has the one

The one who is almighty

Maskings are for the weak the dissimulating killers

And there are levels of weakness killers remember

The Masked One the Hand of Death is stronger than you yet

Despite his mortality his weakness his smallness in comparison

To the mountains high ones Pel Mark and Iknopata

We did loot them upon a time killers you were unborn ones yet

Not even sparklings in the eyes of your grandfathers when I

Did much killing in these very lands you would weep and moan

Weep and moan to see the mountains crumble beneath the boot

Of the Masked One the Hand of Death seek not enmity we did not

Seek enmity with you killers but that is immaterial like the stars

And new superstitions masqueradings of old religions

We did stand upon the border of Gotland and wear our masks

Let whatsoever Masked One who desires contendings

Contend with the Masked One

The Hand of Death there will be much killing

Caladar Rizz
Knight of Vozzessdor
Marshal of the Depraved Legion

[JDodger]

He has come this far, all the way to this clearing in western Zuhle, this clearing bare and blackened but for one tree.

The tree stands in the middle of the clearing, and it is bone-white and dead, its branches naught but skeletal arms and fingers pointing up accusingly at the cloud-draped night sky, a great hollow in its trunk gaping like a mouth mid-scream.

The night sky is draped in clouds, but there has been no rain in this land in years, and there may be none for years yet to come. All here is dry and dead, even on this side of the barrier.

Caladar hesitates for long minutes, pacing back and forth before the dead tree as his few remaining killers wait in silence but for the occasional scuffing of a boot in the dry and dead leaves.

At long last Caladar sighs, and his head drops to his chest, and he approaches the tree, puts his hands inside the screaming-mouth hollow in its trunk, and pulls out a bundle wrapped in cloth.

Foolish one

Pretending and dissimulating one

Your regrettings and desirings do you think you hide

Think you hide well your hesitating intentions

Your fruitless regrettings they are nothing you did choose

Choose your destiny yes choice without choice

Did you not turn your back upon the dead lands and turn your face to the desert of Kording

The desert of Kording where my word was once law

And shall be again and did you not spill your blood upon the stone

The stone like any other but for the markings

And was the way not revealed

The way on to Firbalt the city once fallen to darkness

The city of Firbalt city of the men who slicked their hair with oil

Slicked their hair with oil and sold their souls and bodies to the daimon kiss

The city of Firbalt birthplace of so many things great and terrible

And did you not enter its black heart

The black heart of the city of Firbalt where it spirals inward

Spirals inward and downward down into itself

Down into itself and down into darkness

And did you not enter the Black Temple of Zraath

You made your choice killer the path is now yours to walk

Not the path of the dead ones they feel not you know this

I was there when he called them the Old Dark One-Eyed One

There when he called them the dead ones that walk and kill

What need have you for experimentations they feel not

Walking upon unfeeling feet killing with unfeeling tooth and claw

That is not your path little killer

You will feel everything

And there will be much killing

[JDodger]

Report from Caladar Rizz

(Personal message to Aibhlidhn Dubhaine)

Letter from Caladar Rizz
 
Message sent to all nobles of Thalmarkin (18 recipients) - 1 hour, 41 minutes ago

Diplomacies killers

Friendly words for our friend the shattered one

Letter from Caladar Rizz
 
(Personal message to Jecht Tideweaver) - just in

You cause delayings shattered one

Delayings of marchings to the southlands

The building of friendships they call

The dead ones who walk and kill they call

Call with silent tongues empty eyes and growling

Growling stomachs hungering for human flesh

Witness killer the hordes do grow and wander

Grow and wander there will be much killing

Seek not enmity shattered one we did send warnings

Warnings and golds both did you forget killer

We did bring 100 golds to the city of Gethsemene

50 were taken by your bureaucrats greedy ones

We did intend their sendings as payments for the killers

The killers of Reven foolish ones we did seek to aid

They desired not killing shattered one

You have shattered them into weak ones and spineless

They were unprepared for killing we did move on

The killers of Thalmarkin do stand prepared for much killing

Much killing killer whether here or in the southlands

We are pleased with our new realm our new ruler new titles

And much killing killer the choice is yours

We do but send friendly advisings shattered one

Seek not enmity with the Masked One the Hand of Death

Caladar Rizz
Knight of Unger
Marshal of the Great Thalmarkin Horde