The Hinterland Ruins

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The Hinterland Ruins is a novel written by Sym Brightarrow , first published under the name of Y'niel Darksun. The Hinterland Ruins is a horror novel set in the Hinterland's troll ruins. It was first released fifty years ago.

A short-lived play adaption was made and the script was published with the fiftieh anniversary edition.

## Short Summary

*"A group of friends taking a leisurely Hinterlands holiday takes a turn for the worse when they, along with a Quel'dorei ranger, are forced to flee into the jungle to the remote troll temple. Something evil lives among the troll temple, long ago left to the ravages of time. An evil even the trolls avoid lives there.*

## Plot

Two young human couples- Jon and Jane, Eric, and Mary travel to the Hinterlands. They meet a Queldorei Ranger, Zelien Farsunder, who is tracking Troll activity in the region. The Quel'dorei's trail crosses that of the human couples and he warns them of troll activity in the region, telling them to leave before they become victims. The Quel'dorei's  mage friend runs up, badly injured, telling the Ranger that trolls aren't far behind. Outnumbered, with the trolls quickly gaining speed the whole group is forced to flee into the forest to a place where even the trolls fear to tread- the time ravaged ruins of an ancient temple.

The group reaches the ruins of the temple with the group of trolls on their heels. Once they cross into temple grounds the trolls refuse to follow. The Quel'dorei's friend tries to speak to the trolls but is shot in the neck with an arrow and dies before the group can help. Unable to leave the group flees into the temple, away from the trolls and their ranged weapons.

After half an hour walking through dark tunnels they find an abandoned archeological camp. With no hearthstone or mage the group cannot flee the ruins. They hear a faint cry for help farther in the tunnels. Believing others might be trapped there Eric walks toward the tunnel where the noise echoes, despite the Quel'dorei ranger's warning. Eric trips, falling down a stairway and badly twisting his ankle. Jon and Jane go back the way they came to try and reason with the trolls and plead to be allowed to leave. With no sucess Jon throws a handful of dirt at the trolls and hits one. the other trolls promptly kill their friend. Jon and Jane conclude the trolls are afraid of the ruins and won't let them leave since they entered them.

When Jon and Jane return they find  the ranger wrapping up Eric's ankle. The sound of crying in the tunnel grows louder and Jon complains of feeling something bite his ankle as he fell. It's revealed that there's a bitemark on his ankle. Jane, mary, and Jon go to investigate the cries, using a sputtering candle from their packs as light. At the end of the tunnel they find several rotting coffins and a single, small corpse on the floor. The crying comes again as the candle begins to die and the small corpse gets up. They realize the corpse was making the noise as it begins to attack them, crying like a child.

They flee, returning to the camp where the Quel'dorei ranger has set up a small fire and the corpse chasing them stops just short of the fire. The corpse's eyes glow red and several more red dots appear in the dark behind it. The group now realizes why the trolls fear this place and won't let them leave. The corpses had awoke when they entered.  Eric gets worse as night falls, falling ill.

The Quel'dorei ranger argues with them to leave Eric behind and flee. Jon, Jane, and Mary refuse, arguing. As the Ranger gathers his supplies and prepares to leave they hear a gutteral groan from Eric. Jane kneels by Eric as he lurches up to try and push him down- and Eric's eyes glow red as he grabs her, snapping her neck. The group flees down the tunnel they entered.

Without the sun  a crowd of red-eyed undead shamble around the ruined temple. The ranger kills the corpses as Jon and Mary start to climb up the temple. When the ranger asks for them to  draw the attention of the shambling corpses so that he can follow Jon and Mary refuse, frunning along the temple roof and leaving the ranger to fend for himself.

As morning behins to  come Jon and Mary are able to spot the trolls keeping watch on the ruined temple. Jon and Mary argue heatedly about their next course of action. Jon tells Mary he has an plan of escape and cuts himself, smearing Mary with blood. When the corpses shamble inside to avoid the sunlight Jon carries Mary in his arms and sets her on the ground.  He goes to the trolls , provoking them and getting their attention away from Mary. The trolls shoot Jon with arrows as Mary flees into the forest away from the temple. As some of the trolls chase after her Jon is executed with a arrow to the throat.

Just as Mary reaches the same place they met the Quel'dorei ranger and his friend  one of the trolls catches up, throwing an axe that lodges in Mary's back, paralyzing her. Paralyzed Mary falls to the ground and begins to sob as she's picked up by the trolls and carried back into the forest.