Of course, this may change, but the general jist for the story currently is it begins with these two mercenaries.
There's Lye, a halfling about 3 feet tall and proficient in archery; She's generally the more responsible of the two. Then there's Naroluck, a hulking orc who acts as her shield. Together, they typically escort merchant wagons through dangerous territory, but this time, they'd accompany a client into an infamous castle titled Estavroth Crypt.
Why's it infamous? Well, it used to be the center of a sprawling kingdom. That's before a powerful lich, emboldened by the god of death, wreaked havoc upon the kingdom. It became his fortress, and he began to defile the dead through necromancy as he pleased.
A demigod, Freyria, became enraged and offered whoever dared to slay the lich a prize for his head. The prize is a wish granted to all those who helped in his demise. Freyria's offer tempted many adventures to flock to the crypt, including their client.
Anyway, returning to Lye and Naroluck, they embark to meet their client near the outer walls of the dilapidated kingdom. From a letter they received, their path to the castle would be from the north fracture of the wall; from there, they'd thread through the town and enter from the back entrance of the castle to avoid the legions of undead protecting the front doors.
When they get there, they meet with their client, a High-elf named Aeverie, an influential cleric of a prestigious church. Unfortunately, a storm had arrived when they planned to continue. Leaving most of the village flooded, they had to take a different route through the town.
Of course, they fight plenty of undead, but mostly waterlogged zombies. They almost get jumped by bandits, taking advantage of the poor weather, but fortunately escape somewhat unscathed.
Due to the worsening weather, they take hold in a somewhat stable house. They wait there until the storm blows over to continue their journey. While waiting, they make a fire for warmth and begin discussing details about themselves, quickly interrupted by the sudden introduction of a Bard named Hedymeles.
He saw them enter the home and followed them for help, as he was alone and injured. His whole party got merked by the same bandits that attacked them because his party couldn't fight back in the severe conditions.
Aeverie heals him and allows him to take refuge with them until the storm ends. They all sat around the fire in awkward silence because they didn't want to disturb Hedymeles but offered him help beforehand if he needed it.
Everyone then goes to bed except for Naroluk, who watches for enemies and keeps an eye on Hedymeles. Naroluk, while on watch, thinks he sees a person staring back at him from far away in the rain who will be a future important character, but brushes it off as they quickly disappear. The character in question is a cursed human named Gerwin, who will join the party for a while before being separated and turned into another antagonist; more on that later when I figure that out.
They all wake up in the morning, and with the rain calmed down, they continue their route to the back entrance. Heydmeles, with no one to travel with and still wanting to explore the castle, requests to join their group and offers services. Lye isn't sure about him, but Aeverie welcomes him with the expectation that he will be helpful.
With their new member, they proceed and eventually arrive at the back entrance. Unknowingly being stalked, they enter into unknown territory, fully prepared to fight.
The area they enter is the castle dungeon, dangerous as it's full of traps and monsters. Lye acts as the party's trap detector, while Naroluk acts as the brawns to fend off the monsters that come their way. Hedymeles, intrigued, asks how Lye became so good at trap disarming, where she explains that her father trained her to look for, disarm, and assemble traps from a young age. Upon further discussion, Lye reveals that her entire family is dead. Surprise, surprise, it's the reason she wants a wish. Disheartening Hedymeles and surprising Aeverie as neither knew of her history.
Later in the dungeon, they meet what's essentially a boss. It's a mass of dead rats bound together by the tail but reanimated through necromancy guarding the way into the barracks, which is the next section of the story.
They all work together to fight the beast but are pushed back into the hallway before the chamber. Unknown to them, Lye missed a spike trap, which Naroluk, while fighting the monster, steps on the trigger and impales them both.
Left alive, Naroluk tells the party that he'll be able to rest at peace as he gets his wish; he only wants acceptance. Before Naroluk was a mercenary, he once served as a warrior of his family clan but was kicked out when he failed to defend their honor. He wished to be accepted back into his biological family, then realized on the edge of death that Lye and the other party members, although once strangers, were his new family.
Naroluk dies, and the party's left in shambles, especially Lye, who feels guilty for his death. Even though they want the wish, the sorrow of loss and the fear of death set in, and they wonder if they should continue. Aeverie speaks up as the leader and says, "If we stop here, his death will be for nothing." essentially. Lye takes Naroluks axe to carry him with them, even in death. And so, they continue deeper into the crypt.
I'm going to apologize for cutting it short; I'm still working on the rest of the story and how to piece it together like a puzzle; for sure, Aeverie and Naroluk will die; I'm still deciding whether Lye or Hedymeles will die as well, but someone will survive and get their wish by killing the lich. Gerwin, on the other hand, will be condemned to insanity.
So, TLDR, A group of 5 characters ascends a castle to slay a lich to get their wishes granted. They become friends, but things always somehow go to shit; two of them die on the way to the lich, one gets separated and goes insane, later returning to kill another character after the final battle with the lich, then disappears after failing to kill the last survivor. Said survivor gets their wish granted, and the story ends there.
ns 15.158.61.20da2
