Keys of Naand - An isometric 2D RPG

That very night the priest and the hero are attacked again by agents of the Lord of Envy. It is a terrible battle in which the hero is grievously wounded while trying to defend the priest. But this time the hero realizes that the priest can defend himself after a fashion and once again helps the hero to beat back the invaders. After they are defeated the hero asks the priest why they are looking for him. The priest offers no answer but does state rather cryptically that he has something that the Lord of Envy wants (although he doesn't tell the hero what it is). The hero remembers his key but doesn't push his questioning further than that. At first light they arrive at the town.

They find the town is all but destroyed; the armies of the Lord of Envy have apparently attacked the town, and although the bulk of the army has already marched away, some troops and looters are left behind. The Priest and the hero make their way through the ruined town, killing the looters and the remaining soldiers. Finally, they make it to the temple of Dekk.

This is the worst of all the carnage. The temple is fouled with blood and the altar has been desecrated with fecal matter and urine. It's too much for the priest who breaks down and cries for a time. The hero says nothing but quietly leaves to inspect the rest of the temple and the town from the roof of the temple. When he reaches the top his fears are confirmed. Not only has the town been sacked but the soldiers of Envy have also started a “scorched earth” campaign in which all of the fields have been burned and the hero suspects that the water has been fouled as well. He sits and rests for a time until the priest manages to join him after exclaiming that he had been looking for him everywhere and had feared that the hero had abandoned him. The hero says nothing as the priest remarks on the carnage and elaborates a story of how he had spent the past 15 years at the temple. Then something akin to fire shows up in the priest's eyes. He states that he has to do something that will end the carnage once and for all, and that he has a mission to complete. Elaborating further, he states that evil, lawless men are seeking to rule the land through force and that the Lord of Envy is just the worst of a lot of evildoers who are from the Lords of Sin. Turning to the hero, he asks for him to come along to help him see to his mission. The hero states nothing until the priest offers to pay what meager funds he can. To some degree, this has awakened some old sense of righteous anger in the hero and he can't help but be compelled back to adventure. Perhaps helping this priest of Dekk do what he must will offer him redemption for his own soul.

Game Notes for Chapter 3:

This chapter is primarily player control. There are two cut scenes only. The first cut scene is when the hero first views the burning town, and the last cut scene is the scene at the temple. In between the player guides the hero as he and the priest as they fight the troops of the Lord of Envy.