Beasthide Coat of Strength
| Type | Armour |
|---|---|
| Discovered By | Terrence de Vere |
| Discovery Date | 6 November 2010 |
| Discovery Location | Aspar, Dwilight |
| Abilities | Prestige +4 |
| Current Owner | Terrence de Vere |
Terrence had received word from some frightened farmers about a large group of undead warriors that had been terrorising the surrounding villages. The young adventurer searched the Asylonian region of Aspar for many days, trying to track down the raiders. Finally attracted by a thick plume of smoke, he came upon the skeletal group attacking a large farmstead near the village of Torhaven amidst a cacophony of screams and cries.
The undead creatures were slaughtering the inhabitants, cutting them down as they tried to run and butchering their corpses. Most of the wooden buildings were already on fire. As Terrence ran to aid the farmers, he saw a group of a dozen children and a man run into a barn, pursued by a mob of undead and the raiding party's leader, a gigantic abomination that seemed to shake the ground with every step. Once all the children were in the barn, the man, who was dressed in a strange coat made of the hide of some unidentifiable creature, turned to block the doorway. As the undead bore down upon him the unarmed man planted both feet on the ground and braced himself. Sure the man would be cut down in seconds, Terrence ran as fast as he could toward the barn, knowing he would never reach it in time.
As the first skeletal warrior reached the man, it was met by his fist swinging through the air. As the punch connected, the creature's skull instantly shattered, pulverised into dust. The now headless warrior waved its weapon around wildly before collapsing into the dirt. As more undead charged the man, he continued swinging, smashing apart their bony bodies like tissue paper. Skeletal limbs flew through the air as skulls and ribcages were pummeled into pulp.
As Terrence tried to fight his way to the man, cutting down the undead who stood in his way, he saw the undead captain grab the man in two huge claws, lifting him off the ground. Even the man's inhuman strength couldn't free him from the grasp of the behemoth. The creature squeezed the man, gouging terrible wounds into his body before tossing him through the wall of a nearby farmhouse in a crash of splintering timber and bones. A malevolent grin seemed to cross the face of the horror as it looked across to Terrence, attempting to fight his way out of a mob of undead soldiers. Turning, the undead leader entered the barn and the young warrior could do nothing but listen to the terrified screams of the children, cut horrifyingly short as a gout of blood sprayed out the door.
Hacking down the undead surrounding him, Terrence ran to the now-burning barn and stopped, shocked at the scene of carnage in front of him. Small bodies lay everywhere, torn apart by the fiend. It stood in the middle of the barn, covered in blood, a small girl's corpse still held in one claw. Tossing it aside, the child-killing monster turned to face Terrence. It grinned again and strode toward him, firelight glinting from its claws. Terrence attempted to catch its first blow with his own sword, but the strength of the creature was phenomenal and the adventurer was sent stumbling backwards. The creature was abnormally fast as well as strong, and Terrence could do little but dodge its swings as the beast bore down upon him.
With burning timbers falling all around them, a scratched and bleeding Terrence and the tireless undead horror fought on. Knowing he could not win, Terrence looked around him for a solution or an escape. Seeing it, the young adventurer swung his sword with all his might at the only wooden support beam not yet on fire. His blow cut it cleanly in two and he turned and dashed for the door as the roof of the barn groaned ominously. Looking back, he saw the undead horror look up at the roof an instant before it collapsed, crushing the beast under an avalanche of burning wood.
Terrence collapsed to the ground, injured and exhausted, before slowly making his way to the ruined farmhouse. He found the man in the kitchen, having been hurling through several walls by the creature. The man groaned, his life blood trickling from the wounds inflicted by the monster's claws. The adventurer dropped to his knees beside the man, who reached up and gripped Terrence's shirt, pulling him down further.
"Did..." The man stopped to cough and blood sprayed over his strange hide coat. "Did you...save them?"
Terrence couldn't look the man in the eyes. "I....I did. I killed the monster before it reached them."
The man smiled. "Good.....good. Take them to the village....the people there will look after them."
The man coughed again, more blood spraying from his mouth, and Terrence knew he did not have long left. The man spoke quickly, also realising his death was near. "A hero such as you deserves a reward...my coat...take my coat. It was my father's...he died protecting his family from monsters like these...he died a hero, and a hero should have it now."
Terrence shook his head, refusing. The man coughed again, then continued angrily. "Take it, damn you! It should not sit here with me, torn and bloody, in this hellhole."
The adventurer finally agreed and helped the man remove the coat, putting it on himself. The dying warrior smiled weakly. "A hero....." he managed, before the light disappeared from his eyes.
Standing up to leave, Terrence saw a loose bone lying on the floor, doubtless from one of the undead warriors the man had destroyed. On a hunch the adventurer picked up the bone and closed his fist over it. The bone shattered into fragments. Realising now the source of the man's power, Terrence felt sick. He did not save the children. He did not deserve this fallen warrior's blessing, nor his reward.
Resolving to get rid of the magical coat as soon as he could, Terrence left the farmstead burning behind him.