The Terral Gate

Chapter 1

Lodi sat at the end of the bar- not the far end of the bar, towards the back where you’d normally see an out of place orc pounding mead in a dark corner, but the brighter end- the stool by the door. Lodi wanted nothing more than to sit, rest, have a normal conversation with somebody and drink a pint to calm his nerves. He focused until his hand stopped shaking and flagged down the man behind the bar.

“Excuse me,” Lodi smiled weakly and waved the barkeep over. “Could I trouble you for a pint of your cheapest? I haven’t got any money, but I can stay once you close and help clean the place up.”

The jolly looking barkeep scratched his bushy white beard and seemed to decide Lodi was a trustworthy patron after noticing the insignia of The Order on his armor. “Sure thing, lad. Have as much as you’d like. Just don’t go causing a scene like that hobgoblin was earlier.”

“A hobgoblin? Is he giving you any trouble?” Lodi couldn’t turn down the opportunity to help these people if they needed it even if he was exhausted. The barkeep slid a full pint down the bar and Lodi caught it, but not without spilling a bit of foam.

“You ever been to Brecken before?” The barkeep smirked and Lodi shook his head innocently, sucking the beer foam off his gauntlet. “He’s a good enough creature. Can’t hold his liquor too well, though. Comes to town now and then to visit the whorehouse. Causes more than his fair share of excitement, but no harm.”

Lodi shrugged and relaxed back on his stool, raising his pint glass and nodding to the barkeep. As he put the glass to his lips, his arm resting on the edge of the bar, the glass began to vibrate against his teeth. His arm was shaking. The bar was shaking. The whole tavern was shaking! 'An earthquake?' he wondered. The other patrons all looked around with bewilderment. Lodi was about to ask the barkeep if his glassware was going to be alright when a bright orange light suddenly reflected from those glasses, distracting him. It was as if the harvest moon was rising right over Lodi's shoulder and illuminating the tavern.

The shaking stopped abruptly, but the light persisted. Lodi turned around to investigate, leaving his drink on the countertop. The others in the tavern were confusedly chattering and looking around. That's when Lodi realized the strange light was coming from the sky outside and he stood up to go get a better look.

When he stepped outside Lodi immediately felt the changed atmosphere in the town. Not an hour prior, when Lodi first found himself in Brecken, the early winter sky was overcast and dull. Now it looked like the gray clouds were completely replaced with an unsettling red-orange sky.

The air was heavier, strangely humid, and uncomfortable. Something was not right.

Looking back down around the town, Lodi noticed that while there were many townsfolk outside observing the strange sky, nobody was speaking. He approached a rather distressed looking man.

“Sir, my name is Lodi Gamelyn. I’m new to this town. Do you know what’s going on?” Lodi put his hand on the man’s shoulder to express concern, but the townsman’s face grew even more twisted with horror as his gaze landed behind Lodi somewhere down the road. The stranger tried speaking, but only managed to sputter out a few unintelligible sounds before grabbing Lodi’s arm off his own shoulder and shoving to turn Lodi’s body around. Behind him, about 50 feet down the road, a small patch of dirt was shifting. It looked like someone was trying to dig a ditch, but there was nobody standing there. Just unsettled dirt that kept getting pushed aside by more dirt. Then he saw bone. First, just a glimpse, but quickly a whole skeletal hand braced itself on the fresh pile of dirt. Then another hand. Then two more. Within a few seconds, two skeletons had pulled themselves from the ground. That’s when the screaming started. The silence that had filled the town like a fog was warped into a terrified panic and there was shouting in every direction. Lodi spun around once more. There were similar piles of dirt forming all around, accompanied by similar undead creatures. Some still had rotting flesh clinging loosely to their frames and others were chillingly and familiarly bare.