A Cazic Thule Tale

Fear drove them; it coursed through their very being. They were drawn to the statue of Cazic Thule on the Isle of Dread, a foothold on Tunaria from the Plane of Fear. The minions of Fear gathered around it. The terrifying voice of Cazic demanded an answer as to why no adventurer had appeared before him upon passing the trials that he had hosted on the island.

At once, the statue became even more frightening than before. The lesser minions of the god of Fear trembled. Those with great power were terrified for their existence; for, the awaking of the statue of Cazic meant that their Lord was becoming weary of simply watching over his Plane.

As the statue stood upright, its gruesome features sent of a pulse of power that would affect all of the inhabitants of Norrath. Festering Jack lurched scarecrow-like; then bowed down before the image of Cazic. As he spoke, straw and rot poured out of his head. "Lord, embodiment of the fear within all, we had thought you said the trials were to be impossible, and that... Arrreeeooooo!" The scarecrow's voice was then nothing more than the sound of ash falling as his burnt husk hit the ground.

The eyes of the statue opened. They were glowing a sickening color of the harvest moon. "You worthless creations!" The statue shouted, "My trials were to be impossible to all but the most worthy and powerful adventures. Those who would benefit would truly learn the meaning of fear by standing in my presence."

"Cazic, my Lord," cried Bloodletter, "We allowed adventurers to pass, even if they used trickery to prevail. However, it appears that Kithgrin's teleportation magic was faulty at times and travelers would tire of waiting for him and leave."

At that time, the strings that held up Kithgrin the marionette started to pull tight and cause a great tear in him. Ripped from the crowd of inhabitants, the statue of Cazic held Kithgrin's strings, and gazed into his horrified eyes. The mouth of the statue opened and breathed deeply onto the puppet. In that vile cloud, came the voice of Cazic channeled from the Plane of Fear itself.

"Kithgrin, you wretch," the statue bellowed, "I allowed you to live in this world on the condition that you bring me souls of those with no fear; to show the all others the true meaning of dread. My minions tell me that you have not allowed any to pass through the barrier. What is your excuse?" The statue's hand opened, and a ball of what can best be described as pain formed in the palm of the stone hand.

Kithgrin fell to his knees. "Cazic, it is this teleportation magic that has caused this. It takes hours for me to move from one place to another. If you would take these shackles off my feet and allow me to simply walk..."

The spell that the statue had been casting faded into nothing. Everyone looked intently first at the statue of Cazic; then at Kithgrin, who appeared to be intact, alive, and unchanged.

"Thank you for sparing my life once again," cried Kithgrin, "I shall work on my teleportation skill," he said, rising from his knees.

Terror ripped through the crowd. It felt like a thousand needles on their spine. Great mystical chains rose up from the ground under the marionette, twisting around his body and into his mind. The voice of Fear spoke again. "No need, you pathetic excuse for a soul. Once you have left these chambers, time will slow for you. Minutes in this realm will feel like hours for you. This will allow your horrible skills to be effective in a timely manner. Now, my minions, you shall receive my gift, a projection upon you of my vision of horror."

The wings of the Thoughtbleeders curled and singed as though a great fire had entered the chamber. Through their frantic buzzing, they realized it was just a vision of what was to come if their tolerance of trickery continued. Through this horrifying experience, they were shown a way to further fulfill the desire of their lord Cazic.

The lesser minions were thrust into darkness, alone, with only Qual Tin, Cazic's child in this realm, to guide them.

All of a sudden, their thoughts were frozen and attention grasped, as an average-looking phantasm appeared. Cazic raised his hand and struck the phantasm down. The result left the minions slack-jawed and speechless.

The booming voice of Thule echoed throughout the chambers. "Guide only the most skilled adventurers through these trials. Bring before me only those who are worthy of receiving the gifts of terror that I have given you."

And then the statue was silent, and the room grew cold.