Thaddeus (Chapter 3)

Template:Thaddeus nav They poured out innocent blood, and abhorred their heritage.

The land was polluted, made unclean by their acts.

Thus, they became unclean by their acts,

And played the harlot for those who ruled over them.

But the covenants were remembered. With mighty arms

Twice ten-thousand chariots rode upon them.

-- The Book of Radenis, c. 36, v. 39-44

On his way out of the camp, Thaddeus was accosted by Kashya. "My scouts have reported an abomination in our monastery's graveyard! Our own dead are being pulled from their graves and raised with demonic magics!"

"Yes, the dead have been raised, many of them."

"This is different," Kashya snarled. "They are not content with the bodies of peasants and foreigners, the demons are defiling the holy ground of our own order! The blessed earth has been violated... and by my own sister in battle, Blood Raven."

Calmly, Thaddeus said, "One body or another makes little difference to the infernal spirit, once the soul is gone. Few are so holy that even their dead flesh resists dark influences. But tell me, what is a Blood Raven?"

Kashya glared at Thaddeus, then snorted. "Her name is, or was, Rabina. She was a priestess in our monastery, and my closest friend. We always called her Blood Raven for her indomitable spirit. I never imagined she could fall to the demons. Not only has she fallen, she is the one in the graveyard, raising a new cohort of undead for them!"

Thaddeus nodded, considering this. "You found in her a kindred spirit, then."

"Yes," Kashya said, a nervous blink breaking her intense gaze for a moment. "We were very much alike. I do not know why she fell, or how she could fall so far. But this violation cannot be allowed to continue. She must be stopped. She must be killed."

"I agree, she must be stopped. Every moment that passes, a new soldier of darkness is raised. Where is the graveyard?"

"Some five hundred yards from here, and to the west, is a small plateau on top of a hill. You will see two tall mausoleums, dedicated to the earliest leaders of the sisterhood. She is there, engaged in foul sorceries, but know that she is strong and quick of body as well. I was never able to best her in any contest of arms."

Thaddeus nodded. "I will do all I can. What else could I do?"

Kashya crossed her arms, her lip curled in a sneer. "You could run."

"No, I could not," Thaddeus looked to the west. "Excuse me now."

The conversation left Thaddeus worried, and wondering. Not about this corrupted priestess; he was sure she would be fierce and difficult to stop, but that did not worry him. Kashya was not upset about Zombies being raised, only that they were being raised from among the Rogues' dead. There were other graveyards, obviously - many of them, to judge from the numbers of animated dead - but their violation did not seem to concern her. Her friendship with this "Blood Raven" might also be cause for alarm. What sort of person would want to be called such a thing? Troubling speculations leapt to his mind, but he tried to dismiss them. After all, he knew little of Kashya, and it would not do to judge her too hastily.

The ground turned rocky as Thaddeus moved deeper into the wilderness. The hills rose on either side of the field, and would soon turn to mountains as he approached the pass and the monastery that sat across it. A fence had been strung between the hills, and at a gap, a single Rogue stood guard.

"Greetings, I am Thaddeus. What is this place, I wonder?"

The Rogue gave him a dubious look. "Hi, I'm Flavie. This... is a fence."

An accurate answer, but not an informative one. Thaddeus began to feel a little irritated. The day was not starting well. "Why was a fence built here?"

"Crowd control. This is the only pass through these mountains, you know. A lot of people come through some months, and we don't want them wandering all over destroying things."

"I do not quite understand."

"Lots of people go through the pass. Or did, when it was open. Right?"

Frowning a bit, Thaddeus nodded. "So I have heard."

"Right. There are inns and taverns strung out up to the monastery, right?"

"Ah, that I did not know. Each tavern owner owns the land within his fences?"

"No, we own the land. But they are responsible for any drunken sots who do something they shouldn't near their watering hole. If the damage is on their side of the fence, they have to pay a fine. Keeps them from dispensing too much ale."

"An unfortunate necessity of peacetime, then. I thought this fence was too open to serve a defensive purpose."

"You thought right. What are you doing here?"

Thaddeus rubbed at his temples. This Flavie seemed to admire Kashya enough to emulate her approach to interpersonal relations. "I am going to the monastery. Tell me, is there a graveyard near here?"

From the look on her face, Flavie's opinion of Thaddeus' intelligence did not improve with that pronouncement. "There is mortal danger for the likes of you out there. Our corrupted sisters are not to be trifled with. What's wrong?"

"Just a slight headache. You do not seem afraid to be here alone."

"I'm a lookout, I'm under orders to run and warn everyone if they approach. You're a Paladin, right? You're not supposed to run from anything."

"The Protectors of the Word are not required to fight on when all hope is lost. Our order frowns on suicide. I would appreciate knowing the location of a graveyard, which should be a short distance from here."

"It's on that hill," Flavie said, pointing. "The quickest way to get there is to follow the fencing around to the left."

"Thank you. Do commend yourself to Kashya. You are performing your duties exactly as I believe she would herself."

The land beyond Flavie's watch point grew rockier, and bare in large patches. No flowers were left here. In the distance, Thaddeus could see a large building. It was on fire, smoke pouring out in the light rain. As Thaddeus moved forward, a group of people ran towards him... women, with axes and clubs. Once he got a good look at them, he realized they were almost entirely naked. Strange green and black growths had erupted from their skin, especially along their legs and feet; their breasts were bare, and their eyes empty of all but demonic rage. These had to be corrupted Rogue sisters, but why didn't they have bows? Judging from the look in their eyes, they might have forgotten how to use them.

Thaddeus stood his ground and awaited their approach. There was no sense of tactics to their attack, or even an awareness of self-preservation; they shrieked and dove straight for him, bashing at his shield when he put it up. Thaddeus retreated in a small circle so they couldn't surround him, but never once did they try to head him off, or attack his back. All he had to do was put his shield in their faces, and they hammered away at it without thought or reason. It was frightening and pathetic all at once, how a human being could be reduced to something like this. How had this happened? What could have done this? Demons can seek out weaknesses in a person's soul, but these poor women seemed almost soulless.

Pity welled up in Thaddeus' heart. Somehow, he had to find a way to free them. Exorcism might work, but the ritual of exorcism is time-consuming. And he couldn't possibly capture all of these women and take them back to camp for the ritual anyway. Whispering a prayer, he raised Knell Striker, and brought it down on the head of the nearest Rogue. The skull caved in like a rotten melon, and with a gurgling scream, a vaporous spirit rose and dissipated out of the body. She dropped to the ground, gushing blood, very dead. Knell Striker was indeed a powerful weapon. Either that, or the Rogue's flesh and bones weakened as the spirit within twisted them into a shape more to its liking. The next one, Thaddeus didn't hit as hard, and she fell intact, incapacitated but alive.

Of the bunch, Thaddeus was able to keep two alive, and returned to the Rogue camp with them over his shoulders. They didn't even look peaceful when they were unconscious; they kept snapping and biting, their bloody raw fingers clawing as the demons inside them tried to get the body moving again. Akara had them tied to fence posts, and began the exorcism. Back out in the cold plains, Thaddeus met a few more Rogues, and tried to keep as many alive as he could. The demons he slaughtered without remorse. There were many more demons than Rogues, thankfully, all red and fiery except one. That one was poisonous green and attended by a crowd of shamans; obviously a demon of importance, so he killed it first.

Along the western side of the field, Thaddeus found a side path which lead to the hill. From this short distance, he could see the iron fence which surrounded the hilltop, and the nearest of the mausolea. A few Skeletons were wandering down the path towards him. Thaddeus met them, and smashed them to bone splinters. By now, Thaddeus had brought back seven corrupted Rogues. Before he entered the graveyard, he returned to camp to see if anything was coming of the exorcisms. He was glad to see a young woman he recognized, wrapped in a blanket and sitting by the fire. At Akara's, two more corrupted Rogues were left; the others he did not see.

Before Thaddeus could approach the girl, Warriv intercepted him, and spoke in a hushed voice. "I... think it might be a good idea if you left this one alone for a bit."

"What is wrong?" Thaddeus asked.

"Well..." Warriv scratched his beard. "I think she was aware of... she knows what she was doing. It is a terrible thing."

"Hello," Thaddeus said, kneeling next to the girl. She did not respond.

Clearing his throat, Warriv patted Thaddeus on the shoulder. "Kashya has already been speaking with her, at great length. You do not need to say anything more."

"No, I am not angry. I want to know if there is hope." Placing a hand on the girl's shoulder, Thaddeus said, "I'm sorry I hit you. I was afraid. What is your name?"

"You should hit me," she numbly answered. "I wanted to hit you."

"You don't even know me. Did you want to hit everyone?"

"Everything."

Thaddeus looked down at her hands. They were moving under the blanket, pulling at her legs. Her feet were raw and bloody where he could see them; all the strange growths had been pulled off, and took the skin with them. "What did you think?"

She was silent for a long time. Then, "I couldn't think. I just felt."

"I think the demon told you what you felt. It wasn't you. You were not in your mind." Quietly, Thaddeus listened to the tearing sounds under the blanket. He wasn't sure if he should get her to stop. Those growths looked hideous. "You were not in your mind."

"I killed my best friend," the girl sobbed, curling up even further. "I cut her heart out in her bed and took a bite out of it!"

"It was not you," Thaddeus repeated. "What did the demon make you feel?"

"Powerful," she immediately said. "I felt like I did when I came back from Tristram."

"Tristram?"

"A bunch of us went there, when Diablo was there."

"Tristram is a farming town southwest of here," Warriv said. "There are rumors that the Lord of Terror returned to the world there, and many went to do battle with him."

That was a great surprise for Thaddeus. The Protectors of the Word were unaware of that, he was certain. It is true, they were spread thin across the west... but how such a thing could happen, without anyone in the order hearing of it, was inconceivable. "What happened to you, in Tristram?"

"There was something in the church. They had a bishop. He disappeared. Some of us went in after him. The church was big, really deep. I kind of wondered about that."

"What do you mean?" Thaddeus asked.

"It was, like, this little town, with a huge cathedral, and deep catacombs, and caves underneath it. I didn't go any deeper than that, but I think it went deeper."

A cathedral in a small town is an odd thing. "Did you keep anything from there?"

"Yes. I found a powerful suit of ring mail."

"Did you all find items of power there?"

"There was a lot of magic stuff in there."

A cathedral where it should not be, full of tempting objects, and the Protectors were kept from hearing of it. This stank of something rotten, but there would be no time to travel to Tristram and investigate. "I must go speak with Akara. Young girl?"

She smiled, a little. "I'm Avilli."

"You rest, and please, stop tearing those things off. They will fall off on their own, and will bleed much less if you let them."

"Thank you."

Kashya was with Akara, who was exhorting a demon to leave the last of the living corrupted Rogues. It was laughing, snarling a few coherent words, and spitting with impotent rage. As Thaddeus watched, he could see the exorcism was not working. Akara was exhausted, and stopped, stumbling over to sit on the wall next to her tent. "Greetings, Paladin. Please, sit with me for a while."

Thaddeus did as he was asked. "The spirit seems... unyielding."

"I do not know why," Akara said. "When I think it is gone, it returns. It is as though it has bound itself into her body in a way beyond my reach."

"You have had one success, prioress... how was she different?"

Akara thought for a while. "It is a mystery to me. This has been very tiring, in mind and body, and I cannot be certain I have accomplished anything."

Thaddeus smiled. "One soul is free."

"And we all may die in the morning." Akara sighed. "Even if the monastery is liberated, I fear for our sisterhood. What is to become of them, and of us?"

"I cannot answer, prioress." Thaddeus bowed his head. "The first strike of evil is always terrible, and leaves a deep wound. It comes from hiding, and may seem strong. But once good people have armed themselves, the power of evil dissipates. They fall to squabbling among themselves, or greedy looting... or perhaps their courage simply leaves them when faced with a determined foe."

"I only hope that nothing worse will happen," Akara said. "Your words comfort me. Tell me, where have you found yourself, and what is there?"

"I was outside your monastery's graveyard. Kashya told me of a corrupted priestess there, but I did not want to move against her, until I knew whether there might be hope for her."

Akara looked up, to where Kashya was taking away the body of the last corrupted Rogue. "Hope... these ones you returned to us were filled with nothing but anger. Rabina is actively participating in her own corruption. I fear I could do nothing for her now."

As he approached the graveyard fence, Thaddeus found more Skeletons and Zombies, either wandering aimlessly or staring into space, in the way of the lesser undead. Quietly, he lured them away in groups, then destroyed them. He could faintly hear the sound of digging in the graveyard; Blood Raven was there, but there was no need to alert her while she still had an army to use. When he was satisfied that there he was no more he could do outside the fence, he ventured in. Blood Raven was a tall, fiery Rogue, still wearing scraps of chainmail and bearing a recurved long bow. Two horns had grown at least four inches from her skull, and her fang-filled jaws extended like an animal's.

"My army will destroy you!" Her voice was still clear, at least. The Zombies stopped digging and shambled to the attack. Blood Raven dashed atop a high tombstone, and quickly fired an arrow, which burst into flame in mid-flight. It shattered in a fiery burst on Thaddeus' shield, and stung a bit. He wondered if the other Rogues could do that.

"Your army is nothing to me. Stop what you are doing, this is madness."

"This is power! This is revenge! This is death! Join my army of the dead!" Methodically, Thaddeus smashed each of Blood Raven's Zombies down. She raised new ones from fresh bodies, in between shooting at him. With Knell Striker in his hand, her army really was no threat for him, and she herself wasn't making much of a dent in his armor. One last time, he tried to appeal to her.

"Rabina! This brings you no power. No one hates you. There is no point to this. You have been deceived. Think of what you are doing!"

"Rrrrrahh!" Gnashing her teeth, she fired arrow after arrow at him. Sadly, Thaddeus ran after her, jumping over the fallen tombstones as she darted lightly away from him. After much maneuvering, he got her into a corner, and as she continued to madly fire, stunned her with a blow from his shield before beating her to a pulp. There was no other way.

Blood Raven's body burst open, and lightning arced into the iron graveyard fence. Finally, a ghostly humanoid shape flashed up into the sky, and her empty shell of a body collapsed to the ground. Looking around, Thaddeus saw the graveyard had been invaded before. Three dead Rogues were hanging from the willow tree in the center; perhaps they weren't "ripe" enough to make into Zombies yet. Kashya was amazed that Thaddeus had defeated Blood Raven, yet wasn't greatly injured. She even offered the service of one of her Rogues, to accompany Thaddeus into the field.

"I'm afraid I cannot accept that," Thaddeus said. "Your women are needed here, I could not conscienceably place one in danger."

"My warriors are strong," Kashya said. "I have trained them myself to work together, and the beasts will be more dangerous the closer you go to the monastery. Even you will need someone to watch your back."

"Their strength is not an issue. So few have survived, I could not allow more to be lost unnecessarily. This battle will be won, but without your sisters, the peace that comes after would be lost. You must be able to hold your monastery once it is taken."

"Then you will need more than a weapon," Akara said, as she glided over to the fire. "Your shield may be faith, but a more material one could not possibly hurt. I believe you must take up the other half of your gift. Since we cannot keep them safe, they should keep you."

The Umbral Disk was light as a feather, quicker than any piece of iron should be. The light within it hummed like a single note, and the blue gem in its center sparkled with unearthly luminescence. Arguing with Akara's wisdom was fruitless. Her vision was indeed great. "It is clear to me," she said, "that we need guidance from one wiser than myself. Perhaps that one can answer the many mysteries we have been confronted with. There is no one in this part of the world wiser than Deckard Cain, the last sage of the Horadrim. But he was, when last I heard, living a quiet life in Tristram. There seems little hope that he is still alive."