Sojourns in Vana

By Jason Kalinowski

Vorclaw must pay! General Baltus Blackpool continues to enact his revenge for his wife’s untimely death by placing the nation of Vorclaw under his military control and begins to hunt down the rulers of Vorclaw, known as The Council of Twelve.
Queen Ooktha, ruler of the arch-goblins, realises she is betrayed and is willing to sacrifice her followers and her own safety in order to garner revenge against the Blackpool brothers
– even if it means devastating her lover, Leif Foehammer!
Hundreds of miles far to the north, Leif and Bjorn Foehammer, Dru Blackpool and others are cut off from returning from their mission. They are forced to fight for their lives against the undead and other creatures. As they sojourn through the mountains to find a new way home, they encounter unexpected allies and a potential revelation about Leif’s past! But if they return, will it be a happy homecoming?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Apr 29, 2022
• ISBN: 9781398431195

Jason Kalinowski

This is a follow-on to Jason’s first book titled Vorclaw. Jason was born in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania in 1974. Since he was eight years old, he delved into science fiction and fantasy, following the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and Gary Gygax. His favorite book, however, is Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. Jason began writing during his many deployments and travels as a member of the United States Air Force. After travelling all over Europe and the Middle East for nearly 24 years in the military, he is ready to put writing at the forefront of his life. Jason’s true motivations are his daughters Eve and Ella who have read more books by the time they became teenagers than he had in his entire life!

Book preview

About the Author

This is a follow-on to Jason’s first book titled Vorclaw. Jason was born in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania in 1974. Since he was eight years old, he delved into science fiction and fantasy, following the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and Gary Gygax. His favorite book, however, is Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. Jason began writing during his many deployments and travels as a member of the United States Air Force. After travelling all over Europe and the Middle East for nearly 24 years in the military, he is ready to put writing at the forefront of his life. Jason’s true motivations are his daughters Eve and Ella who have read more books by the time they became teenagers than he had in his entire life!

Dedication

To my brother Dan who had one of the best characters during game nights but always fell asleep during the game!

Copyright Information ©

Jason Kalinowski 2022

The right of Jason Kalinowski to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781398431171 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781398431188 (Hardback)

ISBN 9781398431195 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published 2022

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd®

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E14 5AA

Introduction

The arch-goblin-warrior known as Lorez sat comfortably at the cave opening above a necropolis where his companions had entered. Although his homeland was in the arch-goblin stronghold of Blood-helm, located in the mountains outside the country of Vorclaw, the armored arch-goblin was nowhere near it. As he ate his apple and dead squirrel rations, the arch-goblin-warrior marveled at how he had come to be up in these mountains just south of the Land of the Great Glaciers.

He inherited, so to speak, a large warrior elf named Leif Foehammer who was raised by humans. Lorez’s complicated story was set in the task to escort this elf and a party of humans to this necropolis. He was to ensure they went in and hopefully return with the soul of an ancient revenant known as Rom-Seti. It was the same revenant who attacked his vampire-queen—Queen Ooktha. It was more convoluted though. He was given a device called a soul sucker by his queen and instructed to hand it over to Leif once they departed Vorclaw; through the magical means of course, this item had the power to capture the soul of the undead.

The team’s instructions were to weaken the revenant’s life force so the soul sucker, a small Jade Tower that could fit into a man’s fist, could capture the soul of this powerful undead being. Once the command word was spoken by the wielder, the item would pull on the soul and store it within. How the party was to weaken their target, Lorez didn’t really know. If they were to return with the soul of the revenant, then there was to be peace between both the arch-goblins and Vorclaw, or so it was led to believe.

A Vorclawean general however, had secretly bargained with Lorez’s own arch-goblin chieftain, Chieftain Merka, behind the back of their leader, Queen Ooktha. General Baltus Blackpool would hand over the fortress, known as the Tor or Fort Adamant, to Chieftain Merka’s tribe. During their negotiations, Chieftain Merka revealed that Queen Ooktha herself also planned to betray Vorclaw. While General Blackpool and Queen Ooktha hatched their devious plan to attack the Vorclaw capital, Queen Ooktha intended to do more than raid the city; she was going to stay much longer than agreed. With this new information, General Blackpool readied his own soldiers for her betrayal.

Meanwhile, poor Leif and much of the party was led to believe that this task would result in a supreme peace. However, this task was only just a way for Ooktha to get revenge on Rom-Seti for his attack, nothing more. It also kept her involvement secret from Rom-Seti should the mission fail and she could also remain in the good graces of the Union of Undead. Leif was also led to believe this mission would allow him to go freely from his arch-goblin captures but still travel between his home in Vorclaw and the land of his lover who also happened to be, Queen Ooktha.

Lorez laughed out loud at how devious and twisted it all was and how the only ones that truly knew it all was himself, General Blackpool and Chieftain Merka. Oddly enough, Lorez hoped they succeeded. He enjoyed Leif’s company and respected the young elf soldier that his chieftain captured those many months ago. Lorez watched Leif battle in the arch-goblin arena, warned his people of the kelpie-folk attack aboard ship, championed the arch-goblins against the orcs and won; the two black smithed together and even battled lycaons just a few days prior. Leif wanted to let the lycaons off with a warning but the rest of the party, Lorez included, thought it best to dispatch the lot. What was odd, he thought, was he could smell the beastly lycaon’s at this moment. It must be his imagination?

However, after hearing a noise from within the cave, he now realized that lycaon’s were in fact, advancing on his position. The lycaons they dispatched days ago, must have had friends and now tracked them through the mountains!

Part I: Into the Fray

Chapter 1

The Unexpected

The skeletons and the revenant known as Rom-Seti had vanished. It was difficult to discern at first because of the green burst of light and wind that exploded from the small Jade Tower device known as a soul sucker. The whole occurrence made everyone disoriented. But the undead that were present either vanished or were sucked into the tower. Their entire bodies, even the severed arm of Rom-Seti, were gone. All that remained were the skeletons previously vanquished by Dru and Damon prior to Sker invoking of the soul sucker. Rom-Seti’s spells were also gone, even most of the fires were extinguished.

As soon as Leif gained his senses, he was upon Bjorn who lay on the floor.

Damon made his way to Erik who lay on the floor as well.

Dru made his way to join Leif and Bjorn.

Sker shivered with fright just before the doorway. Both Erik and Bjorn were helped to their feet.

Talk to me Bjorn, implored a concerned Leif.

I am alright, I think, he responded whispering and grasping his neck.

Your neck, interjected Dru, Its flesh is burnt red.

Aye, and it hurts, responded Bjorn regaining his voice and sitting up. Rom-Seti grasped the large priest of Matronae by the neck shortly beforehand causing apparent damage to Bjorn’s skin.

Dru made his way over to Erik and his eyes widened at the sight of him. You look like you been to the underworld and back, said Dru. Erik’s face was swollen and bleeding from the barrage he sustained from Rom-Seti’s armed defense spell. Erik spat out a tooth at Dru in response while trying to ascertain what just happened and recalling the bludgeoning, he took from the multicolored arms that materialized from the floor to beat him senseless.

Well done mage, said Damon. Erik beamed a bloody smile with a new gap between his remaining teeth. However, Damon was not complimenting the mage but being sarcastic. Oh, you think I was praising you? You almost got us killed thanks to your ineptitude.

How do you mean? demanded Erik.

You assured me you could defeat the revenant with all your enhancements. But you were defeated by a bunch of monster arms!

"The armed defense spell is a powerful incantation that I did not foresee, Sorry," said Erik.

Leif made his way to Sker.

You done well my friend, said Leif, kneeling to his lizard-goblin friend.

I guess the real praise goes to the runt, said Damon referring to Sker. Are they all in there? Is he in there? asked Damon of Sker still holding the Jade Tower. Sker did not know and handed the item to Leif.

Leif stood up and peered into the Jade Tower with some of the remaining fire light in the background. I can’t quite tell, stated Leif. But given there isn’t any of the undead left in the room, saved the ones you already vanquished, I would bet they’re all in there.

Bjorn, queried Erik, Can you heal me? he asked standing upright now.

Dru still supported Bjorn, keeping him on his feet. It was clear to all that Bjorn was not well. His neck was red, and his appearance seemed drained. Bjorn summoned a divine cure for the wizard’s wounds. Erik’s seemed better somewhat but Bjorn seemed even worse after his efforts. The large man fell to one knee. Anyone else need aid? asked Bjorn of the party but no one dared, not even Damon who could see Bjorn was unwell.

We need to get you out of here and to a healer, said Leif. Can you summon your master to extract us?

Before Erik could answer, a large creature was trying to come through one of the normal sized doorways.

By the gods, shouted Dru, What is that?

It’s a flesh-golem! replied Erik. It’s made from a giant of some kind. We must be gone from here!

Dru and Leif helped Bjorn to his feet and the party escaped down the corridor from which they entered. The flesh-golem broke through the stone worked door frame as soon as they had exited, using a great mace.

The creature’s flesh also tore from its shoulders, but it did not notice pain. It only knew what its master, Rom-Seti shouted moments earlier in his native-otherworld tongue. Come to the throne room, kill the intruders, and do not rest until they’re all dead! The creation did as his master commanded. Now it tried to wriggle its oversized bulk of flesh, muscle and bone down the narrow corridor from where the intruders escaped.

Once Bjorn got moving, his adrenaline took over and he started to make his way more easily down the passage. Once they got back into the grand library, Bjorn was able to move under his own strength although his throat and neck ached.

They all made it outside, escaping down the great ramp of the red stone pyramid. Leading the way was Damon Crag followed by Erik, Sker, Dru, Leif and Bjorn.

Look! shouted Damon. The dead are awake!

The undead that were at the bottom of the ramp were indeed moving around looking for something to attack. Damon’s warning also served as an accidental announcement to their presence.

The assassin obliged the undead and went for one with his swords. He dispatched it with a block from upon high with right sword and took out the undead skeleton warrior by slicing at the knees of the creature with his left. Once it was squirming on the ground from lack of legs, Damon snuffed it out by crushing its skull with his boot.

Erik cast a minor spell, a mage’s dart, at the skull of the next skeleton warrior, shattering its head causing it to go limp. He did so with the next undead and the next. All the party was now out and down the ramp. They were about to take off the way they came and back up to the mountainside where Lorez should be waiting. However, they saw Lorez in the distance, running at full speed, a mass of undead creatures in slow but hot pursuit.

He is leading them right to us! announced Erik.

Thank you for stating the obvious, said Dru.

Directly in front of them was a great chasm filling slowly with water that came from a small stream to their right from around the pyramid. Beyond the chasm was the necropolis. To the south and on their left, Lorez was unintentionally leading the undead horde to them. To the south and to their right, beyond the stream, was a wall of natural rock but still a path that lead them into the necropolis. Going around the chasm and then into the necropolis seemed the best choice. Otherwise, they would return into the pyramid, face the flesh-golem and become trapped inside by the undead hordes.

The decision was made for them once the flesh-golem emerged from the red stone pyramid.

This is so unexpected, said Damon. "How much time do you need to create the mage’s gate to get us out of here?" asked Damon of Erik.

More than we have with that looming, replied Erik.

The flesh-golem moved with longer than normal strides down the ramp.

Let’s get to the other side of the stream and make our defence there, shouted Leif.

Move then! shouted Damon.

They made their way across the slippery rocks of the small stream. It was not deep at all, knee high at best in places. They slipped in several spots, slowing their escape. Bjorn fell and in his weakened state went down stream a few feet with the minor current coming close to the edge of the chasm. The flesh-golem was down the ramp by the time the first of them, Damon, made it across. He was followed by Leif, Dru, then Bjorn and Sker. Erik, battered from battle and sickness over the last few days, also slipped. He struggled to get across the stream from lack of strength. Help me! shouted Erik, his robes waterlogged and weighing him down.

The flesh-golem was already making its way for the party, ignoring Lorez and the undead horde slowly following the arch-goblin.

Damon shouted at the creature to gain its attention further upstream. Dru joined him shouting as well. After Leif helped Bjorn to his feet, he turned in horror to see the flesh-golem was already upon them. The creature had sought easy prey, the closest, Erik.

He had his back turned as he was still fumbling to his feet trying to get clear of the stream. Leif went for Erik shouting a warning with his sword and shield leading the way, but it was too late. The flesh-golem swiped at Erik knocking him unconscious and sending him down the stream, over the small waterfall and down into the chasm below.

Leif easily dodged the backhand swipe of the creature’s mace. Leif drove his dao sword into the gut of the monster. It did not even flinch and responded with another swipe of that great mace that landed hard but also deflected upward off Leif’s shield. Leif then retracted his sword and backed away to avoid the backhand return swipe. Leif’s attacked landed a gnarly gash on the creature’s forearm and again, it did not even flinch.

Both Dru and Damon now flanked Leif, all three taking turns slicing at the flesh-golem as the creature emerged from the stream. All the while everyone was careful to avoid that great mace. Had the three swordsmen had more time they surely would have been able to eventually cut an arm off with all their cuts and slices. However, time was not on their side as some more undead skeleton warriors began to emerge from the pyramid.

Then Bjorn, when the flesh-golem was turned facing up stream at Dru, launched a body assault into the shoulder of the monster. Bjorn’s head only reached the shoulder of the creature, but he had enough mass and strength to send the creature off balance and back into the stream where it slipped to one knee. Bjorn then took a swipe with his own mace at the side of the flesh-golem’s exposed knee cap. The monster fell into the stream and began a slow decent downstream. It wasn’t enough to send it over and the monster regained control and stopped. It stood up erect but was now hobbling on the damaged knee. Again, it showed no fear or pain.

How do we kill it? begged Leif.

I don’t know that we can, said Dru.

Hack it to pieces when it comes out of the stream, said Damon.

As soon as it was close enough again, they all took swipes at the flesh-golem who in turn began its own wild swings of its great mace. However, the sudden appearance of Lorez, whose heavy boots seemed unaffected by the slippery rocks, resulted in the unthinkable. The arch-goblin came in diving at the knees of the flesh-golem from behind. Then the strong arch-goblin lifted his own body up and sent the creature over backwards and back into the stream, headfirst. Then Lorez grabbed the feet of the creature and pushed it right over the falls.

Well, that was unexpected, said Bjorn.

And none too soon, the undead horde is advancing on us, said Damon. Dru looked over the falls and saw a withering flesh-golem that was still alive if that’s what it was called. However, he also saw a bloodstain on the rocks and the corpse of Erik the mage.

Come on, shouted Lorez. We have to go.

Around the chasm they went only this time they travelled on the opposite side from which they had come. Into the necropolis they went, leaving the undead horde to cross the slippery stream.

* * * * *

General Baltus Blackpool’s soldiers arrived by ship just outside Sedgedunum. The ships were provided by Admiral Kahee prior to his departure from Fort Adamant. The rally point for General Blackpool to link up with Admiral Kahee was preset months in advance in expectation of the capital going under siege by the arch-goblin horde. It was General Blackpool who conspired with the arch-goblin ruler, Queen Ooktha to make the onslaught happen.

Many working pieces, reasoning and conspiracies played a part in making the seemingly surprise attack of Sedgedunum happen. General Blackpool had his reasoning; his wife was an accidental casualty during a wizard’s duel between two aspiring mages from the Sedgedunum Wizard’s College. She was killed many years ago in the capital while he himself was protecting the country. He was never notified officially and found out about her demise through the wife of his sergeant major who cared for the general’s son, Dru Blackpool, until Baltus returned. The general never forgave the ruling council nor the Sedgedunum Wizard’s College for that matter.

Admiral Kahee’s reasoning on the other hand was different. The admiral was a childhood friend and he had turned a blind eye to the admiral’s son’s piracy exploits. Whether out of guilt or friendship, Admiral Kahee, for some reason, was compelled to aid the general’s desire for revenge.

The shape-changer named Mimdrid had once tried to replace Baltus Blackpool by unsuccessfully attempting to kill the man. However, the shape-changer was spared and instead, recruited by the general to further benefit the man. Unfortunately, evil begets evil it seems as several other players stood to gain in the conspiracy but also developed their own agendas and profiteering behind one another’s backs.

The general’s own brother Anthon, from The Shadow Company, was more than happy to aid his older brother. Once considered a disgrace for being expelled from the Sedgedunum Wizard’s College, Anthon had his own agenda, as determined by The Shadow Company.

Queen Ooktha herself agreed to the union for a different reason. She needed a means to maintain her hold over the three arch-goblin chieftains. Therefore, when Baltus came asking for her to invade, it was at a perfect time concept that would unite the three tribes in a common goal. However, she planned on staying much longer than the agreed week before retreating. She intended to ransack the city of all the wealth she could and for as long as she could. She was well aware of General Blackpool’s plan to ride in with a force from Fort Adamant in seven days and take only a few losses on her part. However, she hatched a plan with her horde near Fort Adamant to lay siege to the fort instead.

While Baltus agreed to give the arch-goblins a week to plunder, he too had his own hidden agenda. He had no intention in sticking with that plan of arriving after a week. Instead, he planned to arrive a few days into the assault, trap most of the arch-goblins in the city and wipe out as many as he could. He would use the invasion as his catalyst for regime change and revenge for his wife’s untimely death by appearing the hero by arriving with a force of his own. He also ensured the arch-goblins near Fort Adamant did not actually lay siege but instead brokered a deal too good for the chieftain to refuse. The general promised to surrender the fort and offer that chieftain a chest of gold and silver. That agreement was hammered out through Mimdrid and his own brother Anthon. And it went perfectly!

General Blackpool landed his force at Sedgefen, a small village just outside the capital. The general knew it well as it served as the home to his old friend Sergeant Major Magnus Foehammer and his wife Disa. They were the parents of Bjorn and their adopted elf son, Leif. The flotilla surrounded the small town’s harbor. They began to offload horses, weapons and troops just before dawn. The general had wagon carts for troop transport already staged. As daybreak approached, they could see smoke rising from the distant capital. By emptying Fort Adamant and coordinating with Admiral Kahee to pick up troops from other parts of the nation, General Blackpool was able to muster two battalions of Vorclawean soldiers, over two thousand strong. The logistics of it all might seem too perfect to the ruling council but he was on that council as the commander of the military. Besides, after this was all over, the council may have a diminished role in the welfare of Vorclaw, if any at all.

* * * * *

Magnus Foehammer continued through the night building defensive fortifications along the roads and ground they had gained back into the northwest of the city. He returned to the docks after a while to see the makeshift infirmary that his wife Disa and the other clergy had created. He also looked for Ruko the sea captain and his men who joined Magnus on his initial assault into the eastern section of the city.

Magnus was surely defeated by a vampiress that appeared on behalf of the invading arch-goblins. However, a sea captain named Ruko announced to the vampiress that he was Magnus Foehammer. Why his name meant anything to the creature or Ruko was a mystery. Further still she then asked Magnus if he was Leif’s father. Magnus mourned Leif as he had been considered missing or dead. The vampiress knew of his adopted elven son, but before he could dare question them, Disa arrived with a new band of volunteers to aid Magnus and turned the undead creature before he could gain any more insight regarding Leif.

Both Disa and himself now believed Leif was alive or at least had contact with the vampire. However, those sailors and that sea captain were nowhere to be found. The whole evening was so unexpected.

* * * * *

It took Anthon Blackpool years to construct the iron-golem. Using spells from the Shadow Company and resources quarried by the arch-goblins of Ironhold the creature was lost in one night. After painstakingly toppling the Wizard’s College, the tower came down upon the creation, ending the iron-golem. Although disappointed, the wizard was in fact satisfied. He had taken his revenge on the wizards who excommunicated him. What was unexpected, the sun was coming up and Chieftain Merka’s warning of Queen Ooktha’ s plot to kill him never materialized.