The Cursed Pendant
I never wanted to be a killer. I'd like to start off by saying that, I don't know how most other killers are, but I never wanted it. I never wanted to take their life. I'm so...so...sorry. I guess that shows the confession was right, I knew what I was doing, and I did it. I had a reason, sure, right. They all do, don't they? A reason to snap and finally chuck the body off the cliff, as it were. It weren't, in my case anyway. I had to strangle the bastards with my own hands to solve the problem. Even then... Well, I suppose I should start with how it happened.
My name is Art Millers, and I used to work at the mill round the old hold of Crestwind. It was a strange old keep, home to a hero some decades back I heard. Didn't matter much to me, not at the time. I lived down in the village, the one that, when the light was right, would cast the whole place in an eerie darkness. It always seemed to last just a little too long. Like it wasn't really a shadow, but something... else. I'm not sure, but whatever it was made my skin crawl. I often kept my days in town short and to the point.
I should state, I got along fine with everyone around town. As far as I knew, no one was really a problem, and we all drank and sang and joked like good mates when I was around. I wasn't around often, mind you. Still, I think it's unfair to say that I had a grudge against anyone. I loved everyone as the words of the creator say. I tried so desperately to live by that book and its guidance. Afterall, when nothing makes sense, you'll cling to any hope of reality, right?
Well, one day when I was in town, I saw the exchange of owner ship. The new noble, the one who'd come to replace the former lord, was making his way around the new lands he seemed to own. It seemed to me that he'd been doing this for sometime. I have an eye for these things, I could usually look at someone and pretty well determine how tired they actually were. It wasn't much of a magic power, just a feeling, but it helped me determine moods pretty well. This man, this new lord, was tired. He'd seemed like he'd been traveling a lot, and maybe this was the last stop for him.
The Villages Elderman came to greet them, and held a big ceremony for their arrival. They introduced themselves as Baron Herchveld, and claimed they'd be taking the lands from the previous lord, who'd fallen onto some debt recently. Taxes had increased around that point, but I hadn't thought much of it, they took the money out of the wages and their was still enough to eat and drink so I wasn't complaining, but it seemed that others were more pleased with the news. A new, wealthy lord meant they may have a lower rate than the previous, as they wouldn't need to fill their coffers to such an extent.
I never understood wealth, maybe thats why I'm not wealthy, but it never made sense to me. At a certain point, you just have too much. You need to do something with it, make something or help people, otherwise what good were you with it. If you had more than you needed to live atleast comfortably, why not use the rest to help others? Anyway, it doesn't matter, it isn't important I mean.
This Baron Herchveld seemed to feel similarly, though. Because when he arrived, he offered the whole village a gift each. Money, jewels, Gewels, armors, swords, anything. It was a remarkable display, did I say that right? Remarkable, yeah, a lot of things are remarkable. The whole village got something, even me. I got this, this small saphire ring. Here, you can look at it. It isn't that special, I had it appraised when I arrived in the capital. Before I turned myself in, that is. I wanted to know, I needed to know rather, that it was me. Or if it really was that pendant.
The Baron gave the Elderman a beetle Pendant, strung on gold chains. It was a nice thing, a bit much on the eyes, but fine enough. The Elderman seemed to love it though, because he actually hugged the man, blessing and praising him for the gift. When they'd finally handed out everything, the Baron climbed back into his cart and rode off towards the keep. Our road led directly there, and was the last on the line, so we got the pleasant view of him leaving the whole way. We thought it was nice, at the time.
I went back to the mills, there wasn't much there in town at the time. I had planned to use the ring to propose to a young woman I'd fallen for, but someone else had beaten me to the idea. I tried to fight him for her, but... well, I have the scar as the result. He was a hiander, and it made sense that he'd have won. He was so much bigger than I was. I should have been happy for her and accepted the loss, but maybe it wasn't meant to be that way, because something about him felt... different. When he stepped through the shadows as they walked away, he almost looked like, like... like something else.
I was welcomed back pretty warmly, the crew I was with was nice enough, and most did their best to comfort me after hearing the story. It didn't help much, but it meant something to me that they tried. I found out from the others, the ones from further towns, that the Baron had visited them as well, and had offered the same thing to all in the other towns. It seemed as if he'd gone through a spree of kindness as recom..recompen.. as a way of saying he was sorry for the way things had been. He hadn't the need to, but it seemed he was a kind man. That was rare, and even more so now,
The village was less than a few hours journey with the wagon, and seeing as how I was the native son, it fell to me often enough to go into town and get the supplies that the others wanted. We had most of what we needed supplied to us by those that came, and the supplies given monthly from the keep, but that did little for fun. So these trips were made to bring back some of the finer things in life. I didn't mind it any when I was trying to court someone in town, but when that failed it became far more difficult to work up the nerve to go. Still, I had made the promise long before the new flame, and there would likely be another after, so I still went.
It had been a few weeks since I'd seen the town, not since the Baron had come by, and when I arrived to vist, things were strange. The shadows seemed longer, and the streets were mostly empty. Few people walked or rode and most of the shops either seemed abandoned or broken down. I didn't know what to say, even the air felt dead and lifeless as it clung to my lungs.
I'm no coward, but I won't lie and say that I spent much time in town that day. I left as fast as I could, and made sure I got everything we needed, in double, so I wouldn't have to come back for some time. That would have been a bit more difficult, if it weren't for the fact that most of the things we wanted were still well stocked on the shelves, while regular food items were more or less empty.
I rushed through my usual conversation with the man behind the counter, but I don't think he noticed. If he did, he hardly acknowledged it. He seemed... wider. Taller too. It's hard to describe, but the best way I could put it would be that you see a toddler one day, and then see that same toddler the next week with the body of a man. It looked unnaturally smooth and slimy, and when he spoke I heard a clicking in the back of my ear that set my nerves on edge. I can't be sure, but when I left town that day, I'm pretty sure there was a crowd of people that watched me go. From the quck glance I had, it looked like they were all like that.
I didn't go back for another month, making sure to avoid the subject everytime that someone brought it up. I wasn't about to walk calmly back into something like that without first bringing a form of protection with me, but getting a knife wasn't as easy as I had imagined it would be. Out at the mill, were seperated from the world slightly, so its rare that we see traders or craftsman, and unless I wanted to go back into town to look, I had to wait. It was on the third week that a smith finally arrived and I was able to trade some grain for a cheap blade the mans son had made. It wasn't the best, but it was something I could use to defend myself with.
I know I've mentioned the shadows before, but I feel its important each time, because they were longer and longer each time I went. Some areas were completely dark and in them, I could almost make out the sight of people hiding away in them, but as I would approach with the cart, they would rush away. If they were even there to begin with. I kept the knife close at hand when I went back, and had it tucked away in a little sheathe I'd made for my belt. I wasn't planning on attacking anyone at the time, but I wasn't certain what was wrong. The world seemed on edge and even the slightest hint of movement seemed to upset the whole balance.
I entered the store, expecting to find the small supply of foods mixed with the large supply of dry goods and liqours, and sure enough it seemed that way. It wasn't until I was reaching for a bottle of wine that I smelt something horrid, it was the scent of sweet decay, the kind from fruit, and I looked around trying to find anything that could fit the description in my mind. I found a pile of apples in a bin that were molded and sickly, stuck in the center of the room with a sign reading "Free Apples".
I'll admit, I laughed. I laughed harder than I should have at it, because it was so strange. So odd. So... not what I was expecting, that it shattered my illusion of the town for a second. Only for a second however, because my laughter alerted whatever was in the room with me, and that alerted me to the fact that something else was there. I saw the movements out of the corner of my eye, and realized what it was. The Owner, normally composed behind the counter, was fully upright with long spindel legs and a thin bulbous body. The head was turned sideways and he was devouring some thick creature that was spewing entrails and guts across the floor in a viscous fluid.
I nearly gagged, but kept it down, and tried to reassert the situation in my mind. The creature had clearly done the same, but much faster, because it turned to look down at me, then dropped onto all fours and dashed towards me. I screamed and ran out of the door as fast as I could, with the creatures arms spilling from the doorframe moments later. I heard the squelching of the body squeeze through the tight fit and pop out onto the exterior.
I broke into a full sprint and dove for the cart, hoping to escape into the ether of the world and liquid of the night, but was unfortunately grabbed by the beast before I could make my espace. Its sickening thick arms were far stronger than anything that thin had the right to be. It was as if I'd been grabbed by iron, and pinned with my arms to my side. I wriggled and wretched as best I could, but nothing seemed to break free the hold the damn thing had on me. My mind was racing with possibilities, when I suddenly remembered the knife. I had brought the knife with me, I knew because I could feel the poor sheathe cutting into my waist.
With as much strengh as I could muster in the moment, I pulled a hand free and yanked the knife from the sheathe. I heared it whistle in the air as I stabbed hard into the creatures chest. The grip didn't loosen, in fact it only seemed to get tighter. I stabbed again, and again, and again. Each time a black fluid gushed out and coated me. It tasted like metal and felt like pus, slowing my motions with each viscous spray from the weighty body. Eventually the grip loosened, and I was sent falling onto my rear.
The creature reared back and writhed in a screaming, clicking sound of pain and distress. It fell back onto its side and jolted several times before it eventually fell limp. My knife still stuck in the last place I'd struck, its head. I'd managed to get it right in the head. I scrambled forward immediately and wrenched the knife from the things head, it was stuck slightly and took a bit more effort than I'd anticipated. During a particularly tough pull that eventually popped the blade out, I noticed the glowing of eyes in the shadowy corners.
I'd known that something had been watching me, but I was certain that it was just my imagination. Now, however, it was impossible to ignore the eyes. There were dozens, peering through corners and over wooden barricades. They reminded me of insects, and suddenly a strange thought came into my head. The necklace. The one that the Lord had given to the Elderman. For some reason, that damned necklace came into my head, and I remembered what it was that it looked like. It was shaped like an insect.I heard a buzzing in my ear that seemed to be coming from behind me, and when I turned to look, nothing was there. The sound continued however, and it started to grow closer, and closer.
I won't lie and say that I was a brave man. I'd just killed something, hopefully, and it was the first time I'd ever taken somethings life. I don't even like killing insects normally, they freak me out somewhat. Something so small that can move and live, but also has the potential to be deadly. It was terrifying to me as a child, and I guess that had stayed the case, because the sounds of wings were far bigger than anything that should have been able to fly. I ran, I ran back to the cart and charged the horses onward, getting us out of the town as fast as the hooves and wheels could carry us.
I didn't go back to the mill that night. I couldn't. I couldn't face the others, I just couldn't do it. I didn't want to think about the fact that I'd just taken somethings life. I curled myself up into a ball after find a small cave set into the nearby moutains and stayed there for the night. It was cold, I don't remember much more than that.
I had strange dreasm that night though. I remember one, just one in particular. I was standing against a field of reeds, and a cool wind was blowing by. It cast a shape over the field as the wind cut its path through, bending the reeds in the process before they righted themselves once more. It was a kind sorta swaying that seemed to linger longer and longer with each passing minute.
I was alone, stading there, surrounded by reeds, when I heard a sound. The beating of tiny wings, so fast that the shrill noise alerted me to its presence long before I could see. In fact, I couldn't see it. Where ever or whatever it was, was so small but so fast that it kept zipping around past me faster than the eyes could follow. I tried to keep the position of the creature in my head, tried to track its motions with the noise, but I couldn't manage to do it. Instead, it just kept sounding like it was getting closer, and closer.
Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, I was holding a torch, and screaming. I swung wildly with the flame, trying to strike whatever it was that surrounded me, but all I managed to do was fling sparks and ash around. Then I felt a crawling on my feet, and looked down to see a sea of insects were slowly climbing up my legs. I screamed, but instead of releasing a voice, the beating of wings came out instead, then more insects spilt from my lungs. I dropped the torch, fear taking over my body, and the flames caught instantly. The reeds around me lighting and taking to the flame like a hungry man to poridge.
When I awoke, I was drenched in sweat and morning dew from the settling of the nearby ponds. Nights often had a strange haze that came from them, and I was begginning to understand what that feeling was truly like, standing in the cold alone.
I decided to head back to the mill, though I didn't know what I would find when I got there. Maybe I was expecting to find Marcus and Delina, standing in their usual positions, ready to berrate me for taking so long from the night before. Though, if that had been the case, I'm sure that situations would be different now... wouldn't they?
The mill was burning when I returned, still alight with fire licking the skies. I could see the flames from nearly a mile away, but I couldn't believe that it was actually the Mill, it couldn't have been. The mill was the only one for miles around, certainly the only one that the town had access to. Now it was alight like a bonefire, screaming flames reaching like an angry god for the heavens above.
I found their bodies. They had been in the front room when the attack had happened, apparently unprepared for the coming violence that was going to be set upon them. I couldn't tell what had killed them, I'm not a doctor, but I know death when I see it, and when the bodies are dried up husks with no life left, yeah you get the idea that things are dead.
I think that was when I snapped. I couldn't say for sure that this was the work of the townsfolk, but they were the closest around and the only ones that knew about me. I had killed one of theirs, and they had killed mine. We were even, likely in their minds anyway. For me, though. No, we were far from even. They'd taken my life, my sanity, my reality. I couldn't stand to be apart of that any further.
I don't really remember what happened that night, I just know that I had made it up in my head that I was going to kill every last one of those damned bug-people. I was going to kill them all, and take back my world from their poisonous hands. I grabbed what weapons we had around the shop, an old sword mainly that Marcus kept sharp and would practice with, and a set of leathers from my youth of wanting to be a Pere, and set back to the town.
Like I said, I don't really recall what happened that night, but apparently I killed them. Killed most of the town from the sounds of it, maybe the whole place. I don't remember the blood that got on me, but for someone reason there was a lot of it. I wasn't sure how it got there, but I guess it must have been from stabbing someone. I'm still not sure.
I'll tell you what I do remember though, the part that you can write down and keep. I know for a fact, that I killed that Elderman. I killed him, and I would have killed him again and again. I feel nothing but pleasure in the fact that I took his life, ripped it from his smilling, toothless face. He grinned as he died, you know that. I don't think they're supposed to grin like that. I don't think their heads are supposed to turn around and around, and the body is supposed to shrink.
Before it died, the creature whispered something to me. It brought its filthy, disease filled face close to mine and told me that, "No one will ever believe you.". I snapped its neck then, making sure to finish the job. I needed to watch the light drain from its eyes as it went. No one came to stop me, and there wre plenty of otheres there that could have, but instead they watched as I popped the head off their leader, right before their very eyes.
So there, I did it. The confession was correct. I killed the Elderman and the town, I guess. What more was it that you wanted? Or was that it?
History
Early records state that certain items of power were created over the course of many of the dangerous and magical wars of the past. Including and not limited to, the first, second, and third expansionary wars, as well as the expanse wars and those of the minor control wars. These resulted in the outcome of various grousp dedicated to best their foes. These would eventually culminate in the works of the Great Smith Jal-Ful-Amun from within the Hestria Desert.
One of these was the necklace dedicated to the God of Insects, though the name is currently unknown and has been lost to time. We've done our best in recovering all that could be about the necklace, however it has proved to provide very little in the way of outcomes. The only bit we could actually consider fact was that several necklaces, rings, bracelets, and crowns were produced and enchanted with dark magics.
The necklace has its origins in the proper worship of the great divine responsible for the insects and bugs of the world, and was known for helping to bring one closer to the actual beings. It has since been lost and destroyed, or atleast that is the hope, and has dropped off the face of the planet. There is no further information regarding the object.
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