The apostle against the followers of Osmirnis

The thieves, butchers and robbers, along with the followers of Osmirnis, crawled out of all the holes, entered the walls of the tomb and tried not to give way. Even though the sight of Mortis took most people's breath away and raised hope among the merchants and adventurers, the leader would not back down. The bravest among them, probably the leader, a rough, muscle-bound fellow, but probably not particularly intelligent, spoke up.

"This continent is ours. Even if you are a king, you have nothing to command us or the right to judge us. How about we let you go and forget the whole thing?" he suggested. But Mortis only laughed evilly at this suggestion.

"You want to let me go? You want me to forget? You dare to speak to me at eye level? Don't you know who I am?" Mortis roared. The air grew colder, and the cold fog of death enveloped the area.

"I am the champion of Primus, the apostle of death. And I am supposed to forget what you do with the resting place for the buried? How you prevent the dead souls from finding peace? I am no king in this land, nor do I care for that title, for my goals extend beyond this little land and the squabbling for power. But you have dared to disturb nature and the balance. I will judge you and clear the waters. Realize your folly and die, so that you may learn what you have denied other souls."

An elderly old man, candle and bells in hand, stepped forward. The followers of Osmirnis called him Master Pumalor and seemed to venerate him like a saint. But Pumalor was determined to confront Mortis. The bandits hesitated, some of the weaker ones knelt down and begged for mercy. Surprisingly, the merchants and adventurers stood behind Mortis, united in their pride as adventurers.

Master Pumalor, seeing this, smiled darkly and declared in a broken voice that this place belonged to Osmirnis and would always belong to him. He called Mortis a heretic of a false god and proclaimed that the true followers of Death would be his judge. Then he ordered Mortis to leave, as he was a demon. Bells rang out, candlelight spread, seeming to attack Mortis, but neither the fog lifted nor a sound was heard from Mortis. His scythe swung, the light receded and he stood there unharmed.

Mortis moved towards the old necromancer, who backed away and cast spell after spell. But when he realized that he had no chance, he sent his spirits to hinder Mortis. Mortis could feel the spirits hardening, but they didn't make a sound.

"Can you feel that?" asked Mortis. "Can you feel where your power originally came from? Did you really think my words were empty chatter? No, old man, I am showing you the truth and you are powerless. You are weak, but I am gracious. Confess and be tested to see if you are worthy to be saved. Otherwise, it will be I who will lead you to the new life."

Master Pumalor fell to his knees, pleading for mercy, which stunned the other followers and bandits. But some, facing the madness and knowing they would barely emerge unscathed, took up their weapons and charged towards Mortis and the adventurers. Some even tried to take at least one merchant with them. But Lina pierced one of them with a steady hand, her red hair stood on end, and two fox ears and a fox tail suddenly appeared. Her father, ashamed of his own reaction, also intervened and dispatched the scum with swift movements and large claws.

Even Mortis was surprised that his clients were actually beastmen, but he quickly refocused on the enemies in front of them, who would rather die in battle than face the judges and soldiers.

The battles did not last long against the madmen, who had forgotten everything and had their backs to the wall. They were no match for Mortis or the adventurers, who picked themselves up. The necromancers gave up before the battle was really fought and simply allowed themselves to be tied up. The leader of the bandits did not fight and also simply allowed himself to be tied up and arrested, even though he had little hope of surviving. Mortis had not yet gone over the wall of the tomb and seen what was going on inside and what machinations were afoot here.

Lina and her father, however, were not so patient and ran inside as if the devil was after them. Mortis followed them when he saw that his spirits and the adventurers had everything under control. The little fox woman howled and set off in search of something. Again and again she asked the bandits, but they remained silent, overwhelmed by what was being asked of them.

When Mortis entered the tomb, he almost jumped out of his skin. The crypts had been converted into cells where people were kept like cattle, and slave seals were branded on their skin. Women and children were broken, hungry and near death. As he walked on to the center where the necromancers were camped, he found piles of corpses, sacrificed on an altar. Mortis almost vomited, but he stood his ground and made his way to the underground where the statue of Osmirnis stood. The statue was surrounded by hearts and covered in blood. It did not depict a god, but a demon who seemed amused by the suffering his followers were inflicting on innocent people.

As Mortis stepped into the blood, black mist escaped from the statue and a familiar voice rang out. It said: "I was happy to give you the other continent, but I will not let you take this one. I hope you like the surprise, Champion of Primus."