Fed Starving
Active Member
There was a time in London when a heretic's curse descended on the inhabitants. The curse spread quietly and quickly and constricted the minds of innocent men and women with confusion and lies. Clouded were their hearts with causeless conceit and terrible was their agony. They declined in their productivity, blunders were numerous, errors abounded. Life sauntered on through the thornbushes of hardship, conflict arose between brothers and sisters, friends and family. London was thrust into a murky well of poisonous corruption.
The quality of work and the product of men devolved under their inabilities to keep focused while the curse deepened the reach of its skeletal hands. Food stores would spoil and the young would rebel against their elders without cause and with an insidious disdain. Elders would press to hold control over their progeny. The curse was corrosive and the potency of it only increased. Life became misery and torment and London longed to return to the relative peace of the days of harmony and even temperament.
At this time in the outlying districts of London was a weaponsmith named Cadmus the Hurried. He was apprenticed to a Knight at an early age, intent to become a King's soldier before altering his life path to become apprenticed as a smithy. He was trained well in the use of weapons and warfare. His new apprenticeship was won on the merits of his abilities, granting him a weekly allowance greater than the accepted norm. He learned fast and contributed a great deal. His apprenticeship ended years ago and now he owned a tradehouse of his own.
Withdrawing a generous bank loan partially approved on grounds of his growing reputation he would open his tradehouse with three anvils and plenty of equipment. He succeeded in paying off his loan within a year's time, operating his tradehouse with a full staff of top notch smiths. His shop and tradehouse became one of the most popular go to locations for Knights whom needed to fix their equipment or place special orders for newly forged weapons. Knights traveling to and from London would stop there often and spread the word across England that his knowledge and skill on the shaping of weapons was rarely surpassed. Though a full grown man, he was young for his noteriety. Business increased in surges. Cadmus the Hurried would soon need to purchase another anvil.
His shop was a single room with a window and a nice rug, displaying the collection swords that he and his apprentices created and some smaller gear that would interest a shopping Knight. Also on display were maps made of leather that a London mapmaker was selling on consignment. Maps of the Kingdom and of the European mainland.
You could say that life was great for Cadmus the Hurried. That was before the poisonous curse started affecting the Londoners.
He already banished one of his apprentices for his heretical behavior, threatening visiting Knights and forcing Cadmus to arbitrate peace, muttering nonsense and ultimately, forging a cursed sword that caused its weilder to get maimed in two horrible accidents. The man was lucky to have survived, returning the sword and showing Cadmus his irreversable bodily damages. He accused the swordmaker of his misfortunes, not knowing what smith that could have been. Cadmus checked the sword for a makers mark and found that it was the same smith that was causing trouble with his customers. The sword was unused, not even for practice. Possessing the sword seemed enough to spread the curse.
Cadmus was already familiar with the London curse, having seen the madness captivating some of its victims. The majority of the cursed were on the south side of London within the more populous areas. He didn't see it much out on the edge of London.
Since the bad apprenticed was already banished Cadmus couldn't address the accusation properly. He offered a refund with a bonus and the choice of a Royal sword that he made with his own hands. The Knight took the refund but refused the sword. Cadmus apologised to him.
The cursed sword was destroyed in the kiln and poured into a bucket of limesalts and rice, said to have an effect on holding the curse within the item. The bucket of cursed material was then sent to a shipyard to be taken to sea and thrown into the ocean. Days later the banished weaponsmith returned in a fit of rage and swiftly hung for being a heretic and spreading curses with putrid intent.
Cadmus the Hurried forbid his wife and children to go out into public, fearing that the curse would attack them as well. Many men did the same throughout London. A great silence and sadness penetrated the city as many heretics were sacrificed. They all wanted to win the goodness of God that he shine his love over them and heal them of their curses. The heretics would come in waves and would sadly be sentenced to death in numbers and as the heretics began to disappear a new wave of them would emerge and the cycle would continue anew.
The King sent his Holy Knights to discover the origination of the curse with the help of church guidance. They sent for Cadmus, he receiving an official request that he join them in their mission to restore peace and health to the city of London. He agreed proudly.
The Holy Knights would invite Cadmus the Hurried to a secret meeting in a church bell tower where they would tell him their knowledge of the curse and its origination and how to defeat it.
The head of the Holy Knights greeted Cadmus with honor and said, "Welcome Cadmus, the Hurried of London. We pray that grace of Gods holiness watch over us while we find and then attack this dreadful curse. That the spirit of angels support the strength within us. That the light of Holiness warm our souls with the love of God. We shall rid this curse and restore life. Amen."
Everyone repeated, "Amen."
Cadmus was then told the secret story of the origination of the curse. The Holy Knight said, "You see, Cadmus, a century ago, as the Kingdom was boiling in the turmoil caused when contenders to the throne perished one after the other in their greed for power, a troll uncovered an item imbued with the curse that you see here in London. He used this item to gain wealth through his devious dealings. As more and more people were disenchanted with his bad deals, he was increasingly accused of his treachery. This troll was a clever one, always slipping out of consequence and punishment. He eventually fled when the Kingdom started to settle into a new period of peace and threats to the throne had ceased. With less confusion and turmoil across London the troll could be more easily seen for what sort of miscreant he truly was. His infamy multiplied and a lynch mob went to kill him but he made his escape in time."
The Holy Knight continued, "The item was shown at a checkpoint on the outskirts of London and the troll lied about what it was to dissuade the attention upon the ethereal glow pulsing from inside. The soldiers at the checkpoint weren't yet informed of the troll or the plan to lynch him so the troll was let go. The guard would learn of the mistake he'd made a day later but obviously it was too late. A search party was sent to catch the troll but no matter how far and wide they searched, the troll could not be found."
The Holy Knight continued, "This account was recorded as dozens of witnesses that dealt with the troll testified their grievances to the head of the lynch mob. No official testimonies on the troll or his supernatural item are kept at the palace or anywhere in the Royal hall of records. Many of the disgrunted clients of the troll sited that the glowing item would appeare to have a great influence on his ability to decieve. His name was also recorded as being Thal'hli or Tal-hyle."
The Holy Knight continued, "Those were the end of tumultuous times for London and as the condition of life improved tales spread about Thul, the rotten troll. Some believed the troll to keep a cauldron of gold and if you should find Thul and slay him the treasure can be yours. Those tales are no longer told and forgotten. And here we have noterized documents certified with the hand of the King himself, that Thul was real and that the item that grants Thul power is the cause of the curse. The item was created in distant antiquity and is well known among a small circle of elite scholars in few countries. All that is known about the item is that it glows and contains a cursing power that increases the longevity of its possessor. Destruction of the item is necessary and we are to return with the head of the troll."
The Holy Knight continued, "Cadmus, we are pleased that you have joined us to help slay the troll. You are known as a swordsman of great aptitude and a man of class and virtue. You are friendly with the Church and trusted here. We ask that you better equip us where our own weapons and armors fall short of your creations. At morning sunrise we shall attack the troll and bring peace to London once more and show his evil head to the King."
All of them bowed their heads in reverence. Cadmus then knelt into the circle, accepting the status of Holy Knight.
***************************************************************************************************
They all went to stay at the tradehouse till morning where Cadmus redressed the Holy Knights as they requested, fitting them with his best armors and swords. They ate dry meats and breads that Cadmus' wife made for them and drank wine. They would leave early and reach the property that the troll was believed to live at sunrise.
The Holy Knights were interested in knowing about how Cadmus became such as he was; wealthy and skilled. One of them asked, "Cadmus, tell us, where do you get your name, the Hurried?"
Cadmus laughed, "I suppose that since I was a boy to keep still wasn't my best trait. I was always running with my wooden sword and leaping at imaginary enemies. When I was older and apprenticed to a smith that owned three shops around London he would put me on errands, delivering materials and retrieving orders. We would sometimes be quite overloaded and I would rush with my top speed around the city on horse. The smith I was apprenticed to started the name and always since then it has stayed."
***************************************************************************************************
Early morning and they were at the dilapidated house that the troll believed to live in. They could feel the ominous presence of evil permeate the air. The head Knight entered the yard through an opening in the rotting picket fence. He walked slowly towards the main entrance through an overgrown lawn that stood waist high.
Cadmus and the other two Holy Knights watched a demon race out of the woods and blur across the small yard, long green limbs flashing with speed and a gross toothy mouth hanging open. The Knight was not quick enough to react defensively in time and the demon latched onto his arm and spun him around, trying to throw him down, vicious claws scratching at the openings in the Knights armor. The demon outweighed the Knight and nearly knocked him off his feet. The Knight swung at the demon with his sword but the angle of attack wasn't sufficient. The demon pierced the Knights neck with a long hideous claw.
Cadmus lept into action and the two Holy Knights followed close behind. Cadmus cut one of the demon's legs off with a hard swing of his sword and the demon let go, running away like a three legged animal. No screams out of the demon but the Knight was bleeding and trying to breathe. They were able to stop the bleeding but the Knight could not proceed. He was hidden under branches and given some water. They would return for him.
The inside of the house piles of items crowded all of the rooms. The troll like to collect random things for reasons unknown. Hoards upon hoards of benign and useless things made the house look like a dump. They didn't find the troll anywhere in the house and there was no sign of recent occupancy. No food scraps or dishes, no recently burnt lanterns or candles.
A foyer area outside of the hallway in the side of the house was protected with high walls but contained an entranceway into the ground with a rotted double door.
The Knights lit a lantern and then entered the staircase behind the double doors, leading deep underneath the house. Cold and damp, a feeling of danger swept into them. At the bottom of the staircase the was a hallway that forked in three directions. One of the two remaining Holy Knights went towards the larger of the three doorways. The cobblestone floor crumbled beneath him and he sunk through into a deep cavern below. Cadmus and the last Holy Knight couldn't rescue him and he perished quickly.
Saying a prayer, they blessed the dead Knight's soul that he was saved in the afterlife.
They went forth without fear to find the troll. The halls worked like a maze with false doorways and dead end hallways. They walked carefully and slowly to avoid falling through another sink hole. The maze was much larger than the house above them, stretching out beyond the limits of the property. An hour of careful searching the empty maze finally brought them to a lavishly decorated door, golden symbols and troll faces were carved all over it. Languages that the Knights could not read were on a metal plate attached to the door as if it were a title or a name.
Cadmus tried the handle but it would not open.
A voice yelled through the door, "Who dare enter here?!" The sound was garbled and scratchy and sounded very old, the sound of a monster. The Holy Knight replied, "We seek the troll who has cursed the world above, that we behead him and bring peace to our land!"
"Then you shall die!" The garbled voice echoed once again, "For I am Thul-Hyle-Cauk! I have killed many a man who dare cross me and I shall kill you!" The door then slowly opened of its own accord. The Knights cautiously entered.
Clear of debris, the tiles inside were made of finely laid squares carved in stone. The room reached far and wide to the estimate of a hundred legs in either direction. There was a fireplace that ran the whole length of the walls, burning with an otherworldly light without coal or wood to feed on. Contorted faces in desperate need swam through blue flames like captured souls.
The troll was nowhere in sight.
The Holy Knight went forth into the center of the room with his sword drawn, searching for any sign of where the troll could’ve gone. There was only one door, the door that they two had entered, it was inconceivable that the troll could’ve left the room. That is, unless he made his way through a secret passage.
The Holy Knight told Cadmus, “The troll has gone, so let us search for the secret passage for whence he went.”
Cadmus drew his sword then gave the enchanted fires one more look. At that second the Holy Knight was knocked off of his feet and he hit the floor with a hard crack of his backside armor plate. Cadmus saw a flash of green gaseous light in the shape of the troll flicker into and out of sight.
Cadmus yelled, “Raise your defenses! The troll has gone invisible! I saw him for a moment! There! Above you!” The Holy Knight rolled left as he saw green flashes where the troll was swinging a heavy club at him. Cadmus dashed at the faded green flashes at a full run with his sword drawn out before him. The Holy Knight rolled out of Cadmus’s path and Cadmus hit the invisible troll with his hardest fist. The Holy Knight watched as Cadmus was halted, crashing into the invisible troll with a loud clink of his armors. His sword wildly deflected in an odd direction and he became unbalanced but held himself upright.
Cadmus crouched as The Holy Knight returned to his feet. The Holy Knight yelled, “Watch out, on your flank!” Cadmus turned his head in time to see another green flash of gaseous shapes at his blind side, mere feet away. Cadmus tried to sidestep the attack but was dealt a hard hit that made him see red. His knees weakly disobeyed his desire to run and he stumbled sideways in the other direction. He was hit very quickly in his side letting his sword fall hitting face first into the tiles made of stone.
The Holy Knight produced an bauble that contained a golden liquid and sprinted along the wall. He reached the end of the room that opposed the door, finding the spout that fueled the blue flames. He threw the bauble at the spout and the bauble burst in an icy cloud of sparkly crystals. The Knight could hear the trolls feet hitting the tiles and knew it was charging him. The icy cloud was drawn into the blue flames and shot through the whole length of the fireplace to the other end of the room, crystalline bursts followed the same path, ending the blue fires. A thin white mist dissipated.
The only light left was a supernatural green glow pouring out of the troll, unveiling his position, running towards the Holy Knight.
Cadmus got to his feet and took his sword up, seeing the troll charge at the Holy Knight. In fact, he thought he could see through him. Cadmus went full sprint towards the troll.
The troll swung a hard fist at the Holy Knight's stomach but he sidelined the attack and hit a swift elbow on the troll's back, throwing the troll away. The troll spun around, the Holy Knight leaping to the side, raising his sword. The troll went at him and he swung downwards, landing his sword on the troll's shoulder, cutting into his bone.
A second later Cadmus reached them, running full speed with his sword out directly before him. Cadmus impaled the troll through his lower chest, his sword sunk to the hilt. He let go of the sword and watched the troll give up. The Holy Knight removed his sword out of the trolls shoulder and the troll clutched the handle of the sword impaling him.
The troll lost consciousness then smacked into the tiles, still glowing.
Green blood oozed out under the edge of the troll's body, thicker than paint, with the odor of mold. The troll quit breathing but continued to glow. The only light. The Holy Knight beheaded the troll, slipping the head into a sack.
They searched the troll for the cursed item and found that the troll had fashioned it into a bracelet. The relic was a flat disk with a glowing half-globe infused to the center of the disk. A swirling mist of green in continuous motion. This was the relic that the record told of. "Take this." said the Holy Knight then handed Cadmus the head in the sack. He laid flat the relic so that the half-globe orb was facing straight up and then destroyed the relic, hitting the half-globe directly with his gauntlet fist.
He collected the broken relic up and they left the underground maze. The Holy Knight whose neck was pierced at the entrance was saved but the other Holy Knight whom went through the sinkhole could not be saved. They returned to the center of London to report to the King.
The curse over London was lifted and there was a great celebration in honor of The Holy Knights and Cadmus. A memorial was held in honor of the dead Knight. Cadmus was officially knighted and was thereafter known as Sir Cadmus, the Hero. He and his wife went on and lived a long and productive life. They lived happily ever after.
The quality of work and the product of men devolved under their inabilities to keep focused while the curse deepened the reach of its skeletal hands. Food stores would spoil and the young would rebel against their elders without cause and with an insidious disdain. Elders would press to hold control over their progeny. The curse was corrosive and the potency of it only increased. Life became misery and torment and London longed to return to the relative peace of the days of harmony and even temperament.
At this time in the outlying districts of London was a weaponsmith named Cadmus the Hurried. He was apprenticed to a Knight at an early age, intent to become a King's soldier before altering his life path to become apprenticed as a smithy. He was trained well in the use of weapons and warfare. His new apprenticeship was won on the merits of his abilities, granting him a weekly allowance greater than the accepted norm. He learned fast and contributed a great deal. His apprenticeship ended years ago and now he owned a tradehouse of his own.
Withdrawing a generous bank loan partially approved on grounds of his growing reputation he would open his tradehouse with three anvils and plenty of equipment. He succeeded in paying off his loan within a year's time, operating his tradehouse with a full staff of top notch smiths. His shop and tradehouse became one of the most popular go to locations for Knights whom needed to fix their equipment or place special orders for newly forged weapons. Knights traveling to and from London would stop there often and spread the word across England that his knowledge and skill on the shaping of weapons was rarely surpassed. Though a full grown man, he was young for his noteriety. Business increased in surges. Cadmus the Hurried would soon need to purchase another anvil.
His shop was a single room with a window and a nice rug, displaying the collection swords that he and his apprentices created and some smaller gear that would interest a shopping Knight. Also on display were maps made of leather that a London mapmaker was selling on consignment. Maps of the Kingdom and of the European mainland.
You could say that life was great for Cadmus the Hurried. That was before the poisonous curse started affecting the Londoners.
He already banished one of his apprentices for his heretical behavior, threatening visiting Knights and forcing Cadmus to arbitrate peace, muttering nonsense and ultimately, forging a cursed sword that caused its weilder to get maimed in two horrible accidents. The man was lucky to have survived, returning the sword and showing Cadmus his irreversable bodily damages. He accused the swordmaker of his misfortunes, not knowing what smith that could have been. Cadmus checked the sword for a makers mark and found that it was the same smith that was causing trouble with his customers. The sword was unused, not even for practice. Possessing the sword seemed enough to spread the curse.
Cadmus was already familiar with the London curse, having seen the madness captivating some of its victims. The majority of the cursed were on the south side of London within the more populous areas. He didn't see it much out on the edge of London.
Since the bad apprenticed was already banished Cadmus couldn't address the accusation properly. He offered a refund with a bonus and the choice of a Royal sword that he made with his own hands. The Knight took the refund but refused the sword. Cadmus apologised to him.
The cursed sword was destroyed in the kiln and poured into a bucket of limesalts and rice, said to have an effect on holding the curse within the item. The bucket of cursed material was then sent to a shipyard to be taken to sea and thrown into the ocean. Days later the banished weaponsmith returned in a fit of rage and swiftly hung for being a heretic and spreading curses with putrid intent.
Cadmus the Hurried forbid his wife and children to go out into public, fearing that the curse would attack them as well. Many men did the same throughout London. A great silence and sadness penetrated the city as many heretics were sacrificed. They all wanted to win the goodness of God that he shine his love over them and heal them of their curses. The heretics would come in waves and would sadly be sentenced to death in numbers and as the heretics began to disappear a new wave of them would emerge and the cycle would continue anew.
The King sent his Holy Knights to discover the origination of the curse with the help of church guidance. They sent for Cadmus, he receiving an official request that he join them in their mission to restore peace and health to the city of London. He agreed proudly.
The Holy Knights would invite Cadmus the Hurried to a secret meeting in a church bell tower where they would tell him their knowledge of the curse and its origination and how to defeat it.
The head of the Holy Knights greeted Cadmus with honor and said, "Welcome Cadmus, the Hurried of London. We pray that grace of Gods holiness watch over us while we find and then attack this dreadful curse. That the spirit of angels support the strength within us. That the light of Holiness warm our souls with the love of God. We shall rid this curse and restore life. Amen."
Everyone repeated, "Amen."
Cadmus was then told the secret story of the origination of the curse. The Holy Knight said, "You see, Cadmus, a century ago, as the Kingdom was boiling in the turmoil caused when contenders to the throne perished one after the other in their greed for power, a troll uncovered an item imbued with the curse that you see here in London. He used this item to gain wealth through his devious dealings. As more and more people were disenchanted with his bad deals, he was increasingly accused of his treachery. This troll was a clever one, always slipping out of consequence and punishment. He eventually fled when the Kingdom started to settle into a new period of peace and threats to the throne had ceased. With less confusion and turmoil across London the troll could be more easily seen for what sort of miscreant he truly was. His infamy multiplied and a lynch mob went to kill him but he made his escape in time."
The Holy Knight continued, "The item was shown at a checkpoint on the outskirts of London and the troll lied about what it was to dissuade the attention upon the ethereal glow pulsing from inside. The soldiers at the checkpoint weren't yet informed of the troll or the plan to lynch him so the troll was let go. The guard would learn of the mistake he'd made a day later but obviously it was too late. A search party was sent to catch the troll but no matter how far and wide they searched, the troll could not be found."
The Holy Knight continued, "This account was recorded as dozens of witnesses that dealt with the troll testified their grievances to the head of the lynch mob. No official testimonies on the troll or his supernatural item are kept at the palace or anywhere in the Royal hall of records. Many of the disgrunted clients of the troll sited that the glowing item would appeare to have a great influence on his ability to decieve. His name was also recorded as being Thal'hli or Tal-hyle."
The Holy Knight continued, "Those were the end of tumultuous times for London and as the condition of life improved tales spread about Thul, the rotten troll. Some believed the troll to keep a cauldron of gold and if you should find Thul and slay him the treasure can be yours. Those tales are no longer told and forgotten. And here we have noterized documents certified with the hand of the King himself, that Thul was real and that the item that grants Thul power is the cause of the curse. The item was created in distant antiquity and is well known among a small circle of elite scholars in few countries. All that is known about the item is that it glows and contains a cursing power that increases the longevity of its possessor. Destruction of the item is necessary and we are to return with the head of the troll."
The Holy Knight continued, "Cadmus, we are pleased that you have joined us to help slay the troll. You are known as a swordsman of great aptitude and a man of class and virtue. You are friendly with the Church and trusted here. We ask that you better equip us where our own weapons and armors fall short of your creations. At morning sunrise we shall attack the troll and bring peace to London once more and show his evil head to the King."
All of them bowed their heads in reverence. Cadmus then knelt into the circle, accepting the status of Holy Knight.
***************************************************************************************************
They all went to stay at the tradehouse till morning where Cadmus redressed the Holy Knights as they requested, fitting them with his best armors and swords. They ate dry meats and breads that Cadmus' wife made for them and drank wine. They would leave early and reach the property that the troll was believed to live at sunrise.
The Holy Knights were interested in knowing about how Cadmus became such as he was; wealthy and skilled. One of them asked, "Cadmus, tell us, where do you get your name, the Hurried?"
Cadmus laughed, "I suppose that since I was a boy to keep still wasn't my best trait. I was always running with my wooden sword and leaping at imaginary enemies. When I was older and apprenticed to a smith that owned three shops around London he would put me on errands, delivering materials and retrieving orders. We would sometimes be quite overloaded and I would rush with my top speed around the city on horse. The smith I was apprenticed to started the name and always since then it has stayed."
***************************************************************************************************
Early morning and they were at the dilapidated house that the troll believed to live in. They could feel the ominous presence of evil permeate the air. The head Knight entered the yard through an opening in the rotting picket fence. He walked slowly towards the main entrance through an overgrown lawn that stood waist high.
Cadmus and the other two Holy Knights watched a demon race out of the woods and blur across the small yard, long green limbs flashing with speed and a gross toothy mouth hanging open. The Knight was not quick enough to react defensively in time and the demon latched onto his arm and spun him around, trying to throw him down, vicious claws scratching at the openings in the Knights armor. The demon outweighed the Knight and nearly knocked him off his feet. The Knight swung at the demon with his sword but the angle of attack wasn't sufficient. The demon pierced the Knights neck with a long hideous claw.
Cadmus lept into action and the two Holy Knights followed close behind. Cadmus cut one of the demon's legs off with a hard swing of his sword and the demon let go, running away like a three legged animal. No screams out of the demon but the Knight was bleeding and trying to breathe. They were able to stop the bleeding but the Knight could not proceed. He was hidden under branches and given some water. They would return for him.
The inside of the house piles of items crowded all of the rooms. The troll like to collect random things for reasons unknown. Hoards upon hoards of benign and useless things made the house look like a dump. They didn't find the troll anywhere in the house and there was no sign of recent occupancy. No food scraps or dishes, no recently burnt lanterns or candles.
A foyer area outside of the hallway in the side of the house was protected with high walls but contained an entranceway into the ground with a rotted double door.
The Knights lit a lantern and then entered the staircase behind the double doors, leading deep underneath the house. Cold and damp, a feeling of danger swept into them. At the bottom of the staircase the was a hallway that forked in three directions. One of the two remaining Holy Knights went towards the larger of the three doorways. The cobblestone floor crumbled beneath him and he sunk through into a deep cavern below. Cadmus and the last Holy Knight couldn't rescue him and he perished quickly.
Saying a prayer, they blessed the dead Knight's soul that he was saved in the afterlife.
They went forth without fear to find the troll. The halls worked like a maze with false doorways and dead end hallways. They walked carefully and slowly to avoid falling through another sink hole. The maze was much larger than the house above them, stretching out beyond the limits of the property. An hour of careful searching the empty maze finally brought them to a lavishly decorated door, golden symbols and troll faces were carved all over it. Languages that the Knights could not read were on a metal plate attached to the door as if it were a title or a name.
Cadmus tried the handle but it would not open.
A voice yelled through the door, "Who dare enter here?!" The sound was garbled and scratchy and sounded very old, the sound of a monster. The Holy Knight replied, "We seek the troll who has cursed the world above, that we behead him and bring peace to our land!"
"Then you shall die!" The garbled voice echoed once again, "For I am Thul-Hyle-Cauk! I have killed many a man who dare cross me and I shall kill you!" The door then slowly opened of its own accord. The Knights cautiously entered.
Clear of debris, the tiles inside were made of finely laid squares carved in stone. The room reached far and wide to the estimate of a hundred legs in either direction. There was a fireplace that ran the whole length of the walls, burning with an otherworldly light without coal or wood to feed on. Contorted faces in desperate need swam through blue flames like captured souls.
The troll was nowhere in sight.
The Holy Knight went forth into the center of the room with his sword drawn, searching for any sign of where the troll could’ve gone. There was only one door, the door that they two had entered, it was inconceivable that the troll could’ve left the room. That is, unless he made his way through a secret passage.
The Holy Knight told Cadmus, “The troll has gone, so let us search for the secret passage for whence he went.”
Cadmus drew his sword then gave the enchanted fires one more look. At that second the Holy Knight was knocked off of his feet and he hit the floor with a hard crack of his backside armor plate. Cadmus saw a flash of green gaseous light in the shape of the troll flicker into and out of sight.
Cadmus yelled, “Raise your defenses! The troll has gone invisible! I saw him for a moment! There! Above you!” The Holy Knight rolled left as he saw green flashes where the troll was swinging a heavy club at him. Cadmus dashed at the faded green flashes at a full run with his sword drawn out before him. The Holy Knight rolled out of Cadmus’s path and Cadmus hit the invisible troll with his hardest fist. The Holy Knight watched as Cadmus was halted, crashing into the invisible troll with a loud clink of his armors. His sword wildly deflected in an odd direction and he became unbalanced but held himself upright.
Cadmus crouched as The Holy Knight returned to his feet. The Holy Knight yelled, “Watch out, on your flank!” Cadmus turned his head in time to see another green flash of gaseous shapes at his blind side, mere feet away. Cadmus tried to sidestep the attack but was dealt a hard hit that made him see red. His knees weakly disobeyed his desire to run and he stumbled sideways in the other direction. He was hit very quickly in his side letting his sword fall hitting face first into the tiles made of stone.
The Holy Knight produced an bauble that contained a golden liquid and sprinted along the wall. He reached the end of the room that opposed the door, finding the spout that fueled the blue flames. He threw the bauble at the spout and the bauble burst in an icy cloud of sparkly crystals. The Knight could hear the trolls feet hitting the tiles and knew it was charging him. The icy cloud was drawn into the blue flames and shot through the whole length of the fireplace to the other end of the room, crystalline bursts followed the same path, ending the blue fires. A thin white mist dissipated.
The only light left was a supernatural green glow pouring out of the troll, unveiling his position, running towards the Holy Knight.
Cadmus got to his feet and took his sword up, seeing the troll charge at the Holy Knight. In fact, he thought he could see through him. Cadmus went full sprint towards the troll.
The troll swung a hard fist at the Holy Knight's stomach but he sidelined the attack and hit a swift elbow on the troll's back, throwing the troll away. The troll spun around, the Holy Knight leaping to the side, raising his sword. The troll went at him and he swung downwards, landing his sword on the troll's shoulder, cutting into his bone.
A second later Cadmus reached them, running full speed with his sword out directly before him. Cadmus impaled the troll through his lower chest, his sword sunk to the hilt. He let go of the sword and watched the troll give up. The Holy Knight removed his sword out of the trolls shoulder and the troll clutched the handle of the sword impaling him.
The troll lost consciousness then smacked into the tiles, still glowing.
Green blood oozed out under the edge of the troll's body, thicker than paint, with the odor of mold. The troll quit breathing but continued to glow. The only light. The Holy Knight beheaded the troll, slipping the head into a sack.
They searched the troll for the cursed item and found that the troll had fashioned it into a bracelet. The relic was a flat disk with a glowing half-globe infused to the center of the disk. A swirling mist of green in continuous motion. This was the relic that the record told of. "Take this." said the Holy Knight then handed Cadmus the head in the sack. He laid flat the relic so that the half-globe orb was facing straight up and then destroyed the relic, hitting the half-globe directly with his gauntlet fist.
He collected the broken relic up and they left the underground maze. The Holy Knight whose neck was pierced at the entrance was saved but the other Holy Knight whom went through the sinkhole could not be saved. They returned to the center of London to report to the King.
The curse over London was lifted and there was a great celebration in honor of The Holy Knights and Cadmus. A memorial was held in honor of the dead Knight. Cadmus was officially knighted and was thereafter known as Sir Cadmus, the Hero. He and his wife went on and lived a long and productive life. They lived happily ever after.
