Several Hours Earlier

The javelin made the sound of fruit being crushed under foot as the blade tip was pulled from the halfbreed's body. Blunted. Must have happened when it hit the armor. Veldrane tossed it aside, the unpleasant clatter it created contrasting with the scene of him heroically standing one foot on the Hobgoblin, full plate shining in the sun light the danced through the shattered stained glass. The former Knight, a man of faith, thought that long ago this place must have been a sight to behold. "If this lot was camping in this chamber, then it's likely there are bigger things down below."

A younger man, the only one with mismatched garb from the men in plainwear, took his feathered cap off and mopped the sweat that had begun to gather on his brow. "Sir Veldrane, it is truly an honor to watch you and the militiamen work. You could all make lead guard back in Puertovale."

"It is not so often that I find myself getting praise from nobility. It is an honor, my lord." He paused. "On second thought, the goblins are superstitious, and tales of spirits in this old place are common even among the town. I know the druids heed them as well. It could be empty, with simple ghost stories keeping these things out. Still, let us proceed forward with caution." Two of the militia members took step behind Veldrane and ahead of the young man, with two taking the rear. Together, they slowly descended the stairs. "If it is the last thing I do, I promise you will leave this place safely, Lord Hendrik."

Hendrik pulled his lips tight, somewhere halfway between a smile of acknowledgement and a stern looking carrying the knowledge of what could lie deeper in this tomb. Putting good men at risk was not his goal, however he strongly believed in what he was here to accomplish, and each footstep down the stairwell into the maw of the catacombs carried with it the conviction of a man of greater stature. What Hendrik lacked in martial prowess he made up for in willpower. His will was set, afterall, on the shoulders of his people. The shield stood between them, he believed, and a more bleak future.