An Offering To Thule

You say, ‘Hail, Tiseth the Thrall’

Tiseth the Thrall says ‘With your pledge, Cazic Thule has taken notice. I can feel his power building all around us. It is finally time to [meet] our God! He will reward our efforts to spread fear in this realm, and spare us from his vengeful wrath. Followers of Thule will be welcomed into Cazic’s fearful embrace, and allowed to rule alongside him in the Plane of Fear.’

You say, ‘Let’s meet him…’

Tiseth the Thrall says ‘I will gather our fellow followers, and together we will sacrifice every living creature within this realm as an offering to Cazic Thule. He cannot ignore our devotion! Are you ready to [begin]?’

You say, ‘Ready to begin!’

Tiseth the Thrall says ‘We will meet again, PlayerName, before our God!’

You say, ‘Hail, Tiseth the Thrall’

Tiseth the Thrall says ‘This is it, PlayerName. The moment we have been preparing for. We are in the presence of a God! Cazic Thule shall recognize our efforts to spread fear, and welcome us into him realm. Come, let us confront our God and receive our humble reward!’

Tiseth the Thrall says ‘Cazic Thule, God of Fear, hear us! Your loyal servants, eager to do your bidding! We await your command.’

Cazic Thule’s spikes bristle, and a guttural rasp penetrates your mind. ‘Death is not the only thing a mortal fears. I am an adder beneath the brush; I am a wolf beyond the gleam of campfires. I am a spy in a kingdom at war; I am a bastard in the castle of a king; I am a traitor in the ranks of an army. I am the loss of an eye or limb; I am the humiliation of courtesans; I am the scorn of a desired lover. And I am everlasting punishment.

Cazic Thule says ‘How many like you have I killed, tortured, maimed? Here their blood surges with the fear of imminent death, as undoubtedly yours does. I could dismember you inch by inch, staunching your blood each time I tear off more of your body. I could flay you and splay your living flesh like a banner over my spines, every exposed nerve pierced and wailing. I am unbearable pain that does not end in death.’

Cazic Thule says ‘I am the obliteration of you and all of your companions. You have fought together and bled together. Now you shall die together.’

Cazic Thule’s labored words form in your mind. ‘I did not think this possible, but you have proven it to me. Somehow, this plane is not my own. How long ago was it? My daughter, Terris, appeared to me and bade me walk with her. She showed to me a mansion as expansive and resplendent as the very rays of Sol. We entered, and her voice faded into memory, like chimes on the wind. I was again here, in my plane.

Cazic Thule says ‘The hills soon ran with blood. Adventurers came by the thousands. I dashed their skulls against this obelisk and pulled apart their bones. They flung themselves at me, cowered, and then died in agony. But never had there been so many. And they began to look the same.’

Cazic Thule says ‘I wandered this plane but found no escape. I began to see visions: A luminous horn pulsing at the edge of perception; the voice of my son, Morell, rising above my daughter’s. And my strength began to wane. Longer and longer it took for me to decimate an entire regiment of soldiers.’

Cazic Thule says ‘And now you have me on the cusp of death. Yes, I am now certain: My children have imprisoned me, and they weaken me unto destruction. To what end I do not know. What drives a child to harbor malice and guile against their parent? Are not dreams and nightmares bastions of fear? Does not the child learn to fight or flee from the vicious predator in the safety of dreams or nightmares? Without me, my children have no purpose.’

Cazic Thule’s words come slowly. ‘And what of you? What power do you have over me? What quarrel do we have? Would you walk blithely into a throng of swords and spears arrayed against you? Would you sacrifice yourself for another without hesitation, or would you thrust a companion into a rain of arrows to shield yourself from death? I can save or destroy you. You hate me, but I bring balance to your existence. Without Fear, you are all doomed.’

You have defeated Cazic Thule within his dream realm, and are now able to further explore the House of Thule.

Terris Thule stares at the corpse of her father. ‘You were a fool, Cazic. Your power was instinctual, but mine is intellectual; you controlled the body, but I control the mind. And now I will have both. He cannot stop me; you cannot stop me!’

Terris Thule says ‘Do you hear me, adventurers? It constantly amazes me how stupid you are! Did you think you defeated me? Did you think you had any power over nightmares? Did you think these hills and corpses were anything other than dreams? And now you have killed my father. Do not fear, though. You are my precious little puppets, always running around, killing everything that poses the slightest bit of threat to you. If you had not killed him, I would have done so myself. His time was at an end.’

Terris Thule says ‘When he took me to the house, his horn was glowing brighter than ever. He said his power resonated within the walls, and near the winged statues his thoughts sprang to life: hallways that submerged into sunken caverns, gables that floated off into clouds. I touched a statue, and a banister changed to a hundred writhing adders. Morell pressed deeper into the house, but I had other plans.’

Terris Thule says ‘I brought Cazic inside, rested my hand on his arm, and touched a statue. He fell into the nightmare you see now, never to awake. Morell objected, but he was more interested in his augmented powers than my designs. And besides, since when have dreams alone held more power than nightmares? How would that weakling be able to challenge me?’

Terris Thule says ‘And now he will certainly have no recourse. I will draw to me the remnants of Cazic’s power…’

Terris Thule screams in pain and anger as a portal opens around her. ‘Is this your doing, adventurers? You have no idea what magnitude of power you are playing with! Morell, help me! Do not let them take our father!’

You say, ‘Hail, a frightened follower’

a frightened follower says ‘Please, don’t hurt me! I… I can show you the way [out] if you’ll spare my life.’