Dark was the night, but darker still were the thoughts of the exorcist as he led his small party of adventurers through the forest.
Over their heads, the old trees groaned and moved in the midnight breeze, allowing only shafts of moonlight to reach the narrow path. The lamps which the villagers had brought with them were insufficient at best, serving only to make the darkness seem even more dreadful. Their group was small, only consisting of the exorcist, a group of handpicked villagers who were carrying the special cargo, and his two companions. One of his two special companions was the local hunter, a large muscular man with an extraordinary hat and a crossbow. He didn’t talk very much, but he seemed earnestly concerned about the fate of the people in his village, so the exorcist trusted him. Trust wasn’t exactly the feeling he felt towards his other companion though. Both relief and worry were mixed in his mind when he threw a side glance at the witch. She was clothed in a night black robe and her pointy hat was almost covering her face entirely. She had been sent to their aid by the congregation of witches, an act so unprecedented and surprising that the exorcist simply accepted the offer. In all fairness, even with all his preparations, he wasn’t sure whether they would be able to defeat the ancient evil that plagued the villagers.
Every year in October, a monster appeared from within the crypt in the forest and spread chaos across the land. People vanished, farms were destroyed, and all the pumpkin heads of the village were vandalized. After long preparation and research, the Exorcist found out that this monster must be the headless rider, a creature described in old stories. A criminal and dark sorcerer in his lifetime, the black knight had enacted a fearsome ritual on himself, attempting to achieve immortality. But something must have gone wrong, turning him into an undead creature of mad fury. But now, after many centuries of terror, his reign would end. The exorcist was determined to lead this small group of brave adventurers to the crypt in the middle of the forest and face off against the headless Horseman. He believed they carried with them special objects that would allow them to cause significant damage to the monster. It had taken him quite some time, but after long months of searching, the Exorcist had been able to locate the head and the corpse of the rider. He was sure that these would prove invaluable in the coming fight.
A sudden howl split the silence of the night and tore the exorcist from his thoughts. They had come upon an opening in the forest, a large empty field with weathered headstones strewn about. And in the middle stood the large entrance to a crypt, old and white like bones in the full moon. Carefully and stealthily, they began preparing their weapons, when suddenly the howl once again pierced the night. Everyone looked up and with a shriek, the last of the villagers fled, leaving the head and corpse of the headless horseman behind. In the doorway of the crypt stood the rider.
The moonlight shone brightly on the tall knight, gleaming on his imposing black armor and revealing the unquestionable reality of his missing head. He sat on a horse black as the darkest night and with eyes burning like red coals. A third time the howl was heard, coming out of the hole where the neck of the Horseman should have been.
The fight was about to begin.