The Story So Far

CHAPTER 36

01/19/746 A.E.

"Ornate the carving held by Rile, imbued my power of thought and guile, let not the feathers of beasts so low, keep you from the Ranger's bow; not here upon this mortal's plane, but astral bound to that domain, follow spinward as I guide, and take the power that we did hide; Time draws near for one more try, to claim thy throne and speak no lie, but power 'or Mostoli rule, will come when Salter's no longer cruel."

Slightly taken aback by the mentally delivered poem, all spell casters and Gillmesh, he who held Ekibar, stood in silence for a moment, looking at the ruins of the temple of earth, where hammer and tong had already desecrated it long ago.

Jarmain asked who could have done such a thing to the temple, but that mystery had no apparent answers they could find. Thinking to keep a close eye upon any possible changes to Ekibar, the party soon decides to depart the dreary realm and head home. They began but immediately had a slight problem with some cave creatures, some giant bug-like nasties blocking their path. The dark undead troll offers to take them on a longer route around them after they decline his generous invitation to feats upon the large monsters.

Bell tries a Color Spray, but they turn out to be blind already and are unaffected, though two take notice of her and attack her as she retreats. Just two, however, are not such a huge problem, and the welcome they received from the rest of the party soon brought the creatures' worldly concerns to an end. Fighting a few dozen, however, might be nasty. Still, Bell went forth with her Flaming Sphere spell, and though it was sufficient to kill a few of them, dozens remained and they scattered rather than fight fire (they hate fire).

Keeping a close eye on the troll seemed a good idea as they continued, and they made their way upward, through the catacombs and past the maze, through the fallen temple of water, and then under the standing lake. Lytha almost drowns but Jarmain saved her life. The dark troll chastises the cleric's foolish actions. "She likes the water not, lord. You missed a fine opportunity to let her die and take her items of power. Are you a fool, lord?" They ignore the troll. Resting a bit first, they eventually press on, back up they went, following the troll, until they finally arrived at the rune-covered wooden door Lytha had opened for them. The dark troll sneered at it as if it were an old and hated enemy.

There is concern the troll may try to escape while they pass through the open door, but as they guard against this, it does not happen. As they leave, the troll speaks one more time to them. "Lord, after you cross the warded area, I feel it incumbent to tell you, lord, should you pass this way again, I will have your marrow to sup upon." Cyris waves "Timmy" at him since he earlier discovered that it made the troll uncomfortable. The troll cloaks itself in darkness and disappears back into the shadows from whence it came. Then Lytha seals the door once again, leaving the Underdark of Esterark and the dark undead, Shadow Troll behind.

Entering the sunshine once again, the feeling of well being returns to those of piety and wisdom. The Germanhop and Captain Nerm and the crew await, and having no reason to stay, they are soon on their way. They discuss where they should next go. Lytha is invited to tag along and see to the completion of the quest, and since her duties more or less could be described as adventuring for the good of Corellon, she decides to do just that for a time. They make sail for Alodar, and with good winds they arrive without incident in just under three days.

02/03/746 A.E. Alodar.

Isabelle buys some maps from the harbormaster, Abraham C. Lane (chapter 3), spending about 50 GP but acquiring many maps of interests, including a nice one of her home, the Emerald Island, where the city of Coniperus is located. The party generally returns to Little Falls, a small city of perhaps 4,000 souls, where the butler, Carl, and the maid, Lina, await their pleasure while maintaining their masters' hard won mansion for whenever they might return.

02/04/746 A.E. Little Falls

Disharmony runs through the group, for lack of leadership or want of common goals, who can say? One key point of contention is few are totally happy with Bell's reckless actions of late, even feeling a definite pattern of recklessness there would likely get somebody killed. Others are less than pleased with Cyris attacking and harming Bell, and just general strife and tension rule the day.

NOTE: (Lots of good roleplaying takes up a session or two just working out some problems between characters, and even then, things are not completely settled).

Jarmain spends some time with Stephy, the innkeeper's daughter. Cyris devotes much time to having a special staff made of exceptional quality. For the first time, they actually spend more time getting the feel of their own home, Carl (the butler) and Lina (the former prostitute turned maid) seeing to their every domestic need.

Aarkon prays at Vista Temple for guidance. Bell plans to build a home. Lytha looks around Little Falls for some of the time. Gill ponders his sword, not relishing the idea of talking to yet another sage.

Holden Waverly, the Mayor of Little Falls, visits and asks if they might entertain the town by putting on a show of skill during the festivities in a few scepters (toward the beginning of summer), and they say they'll think about it.

The evening meal is good but conversations afterwards dwell on the party strife problem intermixed with the Ekibar quests issue. Eventually, they retire. Lytha and Bell have a heart-to-heart talk and the priestess develops a strong measure of empathy for Bell.

02/05/746 A.E. Little Falls

In the morning things continue where they left off. A misunderstanding makes Lytha feel insulted by Jarmain and very unwelcome, so she decides to leave the party. Seeing this, Jarmain implores her to stay and helps clear up the misunderstanding, but emotionally, Lytha feels spent. As they all head into Alodar, Lytha seeks out and finds the local temple (a grove actually) of Corellon Larethian. The high priest, Byron, helps center her emotionally once again.

Byron cast a ceremonial spell, one of cathartic response (non-standard spell, naturally;-). Lytha could tell from this he must be a high priest of Corellon (9th level or higher). He caressed her arm and took her with him into the spell's power.

Lytha felt the sorrow of all Orlantia beneath her and soon was crying her eyes out; she couldn't help herself. Byron was crying too, though not sobbing as she, his tears were rolling off his face, but soon they were hidden as the torrent of rain in the grove fell, soaking them both. They wept in unison with the sky, minutes passed, the pain, the anguish flowed throw them, she felt the suffering of past spirits that roamed the grove and the land, and she wept for them and with them, and they with her (and her own problems began to seem tiny in comparison). The loss of a child, a bride, a father, they all came, she could feel their loss as their loved ones were taken from them, a mother, a brother, a lover, a friend, struck down before their time, ripped out of their lives worse than a tooth from jaw, the open wound of emotion plain to see and feel. The tears continued even though the rain on her face washed them away. Then it faded and the sky brightened after a while. They were both no longer crying. The sun shined down into the grove and the freshness permeated her spirit. She felt the grief was gone, a feeling of acceptance, then light happiness seemed to fill her spirit and she found herself smiling. The birth of a baby, her first lover, the union of two spirits intermingling into one, now and forever. They came and offered their thanks for untold happiness, a joy they often felt they didn't deserve, but the world granted it freely and without condition. Like a fresh new day, a brand new morning to which you were looking forward, like a kid on Christmas morning (though Lytha doesn't know what that holiday is), she felt eager to meet the challenge with joy in her heart, just knowing she was not alone. She would never be alone.

Lytha began to regain her composure and found herself in Byron's arms. She looked up at him and he smiled, having shared the cathartic ritual with her, and they both understood each other a little better, and their place in the world.

"Though all this will not, perhaps, solve your problems, I often find it helps add perspective to them. And I'll always be here to talk whenever you wish," said the high priest, and with that, Lytha went on her way, well centered, feeling quite capable of dealing with the strife thrown in her path.

Meanwhile, the others once again make base camp at the Ferryman Inn and go their separate ways. They agree to meet back there later when they'll all head off to see The General Knowledge Sage, Pierce, having dealt with him before (the Sir Gerald Cumferance/Mireus incident).

Bell gets involved in another bet with a tough looking sailor named Becker. The party does not generally approve, but she wagers a night's pleasure and 600 GP against his magic dagger (about 1,200 GP in value). It is a significant bet and they agree to meet back there tomorrow night for the game (Becker doesn't trust her companions and wants more of his own around him to make sure it's a fair game).

At the generalist sage's place, they hold a meeting in his gardens. Cyris discovers, by Pierce's suggestion, "Timmy" is a Figurine of Wondrous Power. Turns out it is a charged item, a little sage that may be employed up to 11 times (10 more since he threw it down and activated it, each sagely session lasting randomly between 10 and 30 minutes). Timmy is extremely intelligent and wise as well as knowledgeable about things in general. Talking to both Timmy and Pierce proved insightful. Though not highly useful for specific knowledge questions, they feel Timmy is quite valuable. Cyris also learns the Bag of Ice Crystals is random magic (similar to a Bag of Beans), and may have been what was bothering the dark troll, random magic being so . . . unpredictable and powerfully dangerous at times.

Pouring over the Ekibar riddle, Timmy and Pierce surmise a few points of interest, but Pierce later directs them to Baler, a local dwarven sage who may be better suited to help them in that endeavor. They feel they will go to him the next day. They pay Pierce 300 GP (Gasp!!!), though he didn't ask for that, they just offered it, and wow, he was happy. They also secure his silence for another year on the Mireus information. They break out a bottle of 714 rosewine and toast to the agreements. Then they leave the sage behind.

02/06/746 A.E. Alodar

In the morning, after breakfasting once again on the excellent meals served in the Ferryman Inn, they head out as a group to find the sage Baler. Bell was so intent on other matters that she clumsily ran into a leather clad young woman named Ryosielle

(Thud). It was a busy intersection, after all, and Bell was looking at something more interesting than her path.

The fountain there was built around a statue of some noble heroine, elven it appeared, atop a unicorn. The horn of the unicorn cast a shadow that served as a sundial, the fountain's perimeter being so marked so one could tell the time thus (within 10 minutes). City ordinances held that public statues, though they may be commissioned by anyone and depict most anything or anyone, should not depict a person who was still alive. They figured if still alive they might yet dishonor their name and then you'd have a statue no one wanted, but once dead, well, they knew everything about you. Thus, it was a good bet, whoever she was or had been, she was now dead.

Aarkon shook his head at Bell's clumsiness and walked over to the young woman in leather into whom Bell had stumbled. "I apologize for my friend here who has temporarily lost her sense of awareness," he began, but an old woman started cackling at him from a narrow gap between two buildings where she had a tent set up. "Ah, a chance meeting under the shadow of the unicorn, it was foretold," she said, playing with her tarot cards. "It was foreseen you should meet, aahwhhaaahhhaaaa ha, hummm." She picked up her tarot cards and began shuffling them.

A few of the group pay one EP each to have their fortune told by the old Vistantie woman. Her predictions are cryptic, but there's a hint of truth to them too, and she seems to know things about the party's individuals. "All that comes to pass is not ordained to be. If only we take the time to see our possible futures, we may yet choose the correct path."

Jarmain sits down in the only other chair there, apparently reserved for her customers. The old woman smiles and says, "Ah, lay the token of electrum and your future shall be gleaned from the beyond." He puts an electrum coin on the table. "You are, hmm, yes, you are a priest of Zeus, but that's obvious. You are, I see it clearly, yes, desired. A love in your life, yet to be, she seeks your love. But there is danger. In the gray fog, you must not use the magic of healing. That's, I'm sorry, that's all I see."

"Who else will brave their future?" she asks, and Aarkon sits down, also tossing an electrum coin on the table. "The Vistantie see, Athenian favor is with you, but you may not travel alone now. Your path is rife with danger. Never travel alone this next Pholar while it is night. Men will try to kill you. Yes, they seek, they seek . . . ahhh, ooohhhhh, they seek favor and will take your life to win it. That is all I see."

"The cards speak true for those who will but look. Cross me with electrum, and gaze upon your possible futures." Bell sits down next. "Ah my sweet child, the cards hold the power to see. I see a man, a strong man. He waits for you, but something is wrong. It is not clear." Bell THEN remembers to pay her coin. "Yes, it is clearer now, yes. Ummmmm, ahhhh, dice? I see tumbling dice. But there is more, but your path is so very confused. Ah, you must be careful, and pay heed, for love is not won by dice. Hmmmfff, that's makes little sense even to me, but that's what it says. The cards, my dear, the Tarot of the Vistantie, they hold the answers, but I confess the answers are not always that clear."

Gill takes his turn and pays 1 EP. "Ah, brave, the warrior is, the plains of Hotoru, your ancient home. I see them. All is well at home, but your path is not so free of plight. You are troubled about something? What is it that troubles your traveled brow?" she shuffles the cards while Gill answers. "Ah have two roads Ah kin take. Which to take is nea clear ta me. Tell me this," he places Ekibar onto the table in front of him. "Does he an Ah walk tha same road in the future?" The old woman deals the cards and gazes into them. "Ummmmm, he could, but the path is not . . . it is not in your nature. Another path, follow the ranger, her path will be a more natural reward for you. That is all I see."

Ryosielle's jaw drops, for she is a ranger, but one can hardly tell that at a glance. This woman holds some genuine power to see what is not obvious. Anxious to try, Ryo fumbles for a coin, but the woman seems fatigued. "There is no more. The cards are tired now. Perhaps again tomorrow," the old woman said, closing up her tent while Ryo introduces herself to the party, wondering very much indeed if she should get involved with these people, and what the old woman meant by their meeting being foretold.

As the dwarven sage will not be home (they learn) until the next day, they break up and spend the day shopping and getting acquainted with Ryo and other things.

Gillmesh heads for the Temple of Kos to buy a Commune spell (900 GP +50 GP/question! Sages are cheap in comparison to divination magic, but now he's getting information from GOD). They tell him the ritual will be ready in the morning. He promises to return then.

That evening, Bell and Becker face off in a rip-roaring contest of dice. She beats him badly, leaving him feeling quite dejected. His friends will not even meet his gaze. He downs his whisky and then leaves, slinking away, having lost a fortune (for him; damn it, for most people), though it was as easily earned (luck of the sea, he found the dagger, but I digress). Bell feels quite badly about winning too, and she wonders if Becker will be all right. Again, she turns to drink.

Later that evening, when they begin to turn in (Cyris already having turned in an hour earlier), they hear a commotion outside. Running out (or staggering, depending), they hear a fight in the same back alley where Brenick had nearly killed Drael (chapter 3 on 20/20/744, and Gillmesh had slept through it just yards away in a room at the Ferryman after having come to Alodar for the first time. Ah, memories). Of course this time it was an imperial guard (sky blue capes are a dead giveaway) fighting 5 undead Shadows (wispy shadowy shapes are an undead give away). By the gods! Here, in the capital! Undead!

"Stay, foul creature, your evil shall not gain foothold here!" screamed the guard. Then he noticed the party. "Fly, run, save yourselves. Flee, flee, undead assail us. Run for help," but they pay him no heed, figuring they are the help, and they enter the fray.

(Standard Shadows, they like it not when drained of their strength, but the party members quickly recover after such injuries). They win the battle, and Ryo more than proves her skill in combat.

Sergeant Telly thanks them and they confer about the situation. Apparently, someone unblocked a bricked up cellar leading down to the sewers.

NOTE: The sewers under Alodar are maze-like and extensive and part of the old city, but they are storm sewers only, human waste being handled in a different manner (Green Slime pits). Though citizens are 'encouraged' to stay well above ground, non-citizens (such as adventurers) may do what they wish, and often do).

Telly posts a guard, a Private Jonjon, and begins an investigation. Telly informs them he had been investigating a report made by a citizen when he found the shadows, who immediately attacked him. They ask who this citizen was, but the guard refuses to divulge privileged information. Telly refuses to answers their further questions, and then he leaves.

NOTE: (Those I/O amulets the imperial guards wear are quite impressive. Communications, information storage and retrieval, they are a major part of what makes the imperial guard so effective).

"Psssssssssst," Jarmain hears a beaconing whisper. A sinister looking man offers to sell them information since he claims to know who summoned the guard. They agree to pay 10 GP after some haggling. The mysterious man informs them Horry (a citizen) summoned the guard, but Horry is the brother of a thief named Jasper (a non-citizen, of course). The gist of the conversation is that Jasper unbricked the sewers looking for something, and he had Horry stand watch, but Jasper never returned. Horry got worried and summoned the guard since he feared Jasper might be dead. What Jasper was looking for is not known, but they figure a thief named Black-eyed Egger may know, and they learn where they might find him. Asking Private Jonjon what he knew about Jasper, he simply replied "The thief?" (though he said it like a title or profession instead of one of moral judgment), but he didn't know much without looking into the 'files,' and doing that was against the rules, but he could tell all he knew of his own accord, which wasn't much, except Jasper was not well liked. They asked him to confirm the brother relationship to Horry. "I'm sorry, but I cannot confirm or deny anything about a citizen without due authorization," giving the standard reply, which wasn't very helpful. The party retires to the Ferryman for the evening.

02/07/746 A.E. Alodar

In the morning they again go off in different directions until noon when they plan to see Baler.

Ryosielle spends the morning watching and talking to a thatcher while pondering her path. Later, she gets involved in a dispute between a shopkeeper (Balemen) and a dwarven miner (Detterrock). She helps settle the matter, gaining the thanks from both (a set of clothing from Balemen and some information from Detterrock about a foul creature lurking in their mines. Though they sealed off that area for now, if they wish to return, the beast would have to be dealt with. She agrees to think about the job).

Bell finds Becker's ship (The A.I.V. Minneapolis) and returns the dagger to him. He is beside himself and doesn't know what to say since no one has every been so generous or kind to him before. They spend the morning together and they start to develop a lasting friendship. Bell promises to return and talk some more whenever she can, and she invited him to Little Falls when he's around, too. Then she heads off to the sage.

Aarkon and Lytha visit The Parthenon, the main temple of Athena, though there are probably 20 smaller temples of Athena scattered throughout Alodar (the city is that big). The Parthenon is magnificent, with column after column of white marble, statues, and wow, the statute of Athena herself, an impressive 55 feet high (10 to 1 scale, they say it must be magic just to support its own weight). It is the second biggest free-standing statue on planet (the first biggest being Zeus', also paid for by the temple of Athena to honor her father (it's 60 feet tall, though he is sitting on a throne, but that statue is not here but elsewhere in the city at the main Temple of Zeus).

Each wall and each column in the Parthenon is covered in relief depicting many angelic scenes, glorious battles, and religious moments of importance. Fantastic work and artistry was everywhere one looked, and the place had a majestic feeling of age and history about it. Though 80% of the temple was apparently open to the outside (columns), those who knew could feel warding magics staving off wind and rain and dust and leaves and bugs and, perhaps other things, as well. Many say the Parthenon is the most impressive (and expensive) temple on all of Orlantia. Perhaps they are correct.

NOTE: Athena is the most popular, and therefore the most powerfully influential God/Goddess on the planet Orlantia right now, but religious freedom is the standard, and The Alodarian Empire, while seemingly good and above board in most things, has darker influences within it as well, the overall drive being toward Lawful, of course, but it is less rigid and more Neutral in its pragmatic practices while maintaining order.

Gillmesh returns to the temple of Kos and asks, "Were Ah to continue the Quest of Ekibar, will Ah be bound or forced to rule the dwarves?" Though his questions must be in the form that may be answered by a yes or a no, the gods often answer as they wish, frequently expounding on an answer should they feel so inclined to do so. "Success would tend to stop your travels. Probably it would be so." He asks another question. "If Ah were to continue these quests, would this be your will?" Again, the shaman intones the word of Kos. "It would not serve my purpose, though would not hinder me either. However, the devout hand can be used better when free." Gillmesh bowed his head and nodded to the shaman, indicating that he was finished. He then made his way to the sage.

At noon they all find themselves at Baler's place, a small, run down set of offices where the sage rents some space. They confer at length and learn much.

This is what they believe by the end of the meeting:

Rile was probably a mage who helped The Oroto Clan make Ekibar for some quest.

Ekibar must be intelligent and might become more powerful (ego) than even Gill, should they continue to complete its quests.

The Ranger's Bow must be something on the astral plane. They feel if they go there and spin Ekibar, like a compass, it will point in the correct direction.

But the sword is leading the holder in a direction to claim the ancient dwarven throne. About 999 years ago, the last of the Oroto failed in this quest, but time draws near for another attempt.

Salter is commonly thought to be like the boogieman of the dwarven people, but Baler believes he is real and responsible for smashing the dwarven people thousands of years ago (causing the dwarven exodus from the north).

Ultimately, if he who commands Ekibar can destroy Salter (who may be coming back for unknown reasons), they may claim the throne. Actually, Baler believes this is unlikely unless they have additional claims to the throne as the Oroto clan must have had long ago.

They feel uneasy that they may be holding the key to the dwarven race's survival, but Baler also suggests that may have been true a thousand years ago, but way back then, magic was not nearly as powerful as it is today, so though Salter is a great cause for concern (especially if you're a dwarf), it might not be as epic in this day and age as it probably was way back then. But he cautions too much of this is speculation to be sure of anything.

Gill feels he should sell the sword to someone worthy. Two suggestions are made by Baler. Fenlar of Pedas (rich but sort of mean) and his cousin, Corris of Pedas (much younger, not as wealthy, and better loved). Gill must decide which dwarf to sell Ekibar to, and soon, if he decides to sell at all, but he knows little of Dwarven politics and doesn't have any great preferences for which cousin might rule the Mostoli (aka, the dwarven people).

Meanwhile, Bell, not having a lot of room in the office and not really interested anyway, is out in the hall, waiting, when she hears the little laughter of a child. She tracks it back to its source and finds a little girl, Gemmy, playing with dolls in a dirty office. Gemmy is recently orphaned (damn trolls), but her uncle, William, is an accountant there. Though he cannot really care for her properly, he cannot simply let Bell adopt the child when she expresses an interest to do so later. He says he will, however, think about it, if Bell (who seems wealthy enough, like any adventurer would), and who apparently already has genuine affection for the 6 year old, has any friends of good character and social standing vouch for her, he will let her adopt Gemmy. Bell leaves 15 PP ($15,000) to tide them over (a real help since William is "Bob Cratchet" poor).

Lytha knows of an elven woman, Ember, who is the main accountant of the Pedas Royal Family, since Ember is often a liaison between the elven and dwarven people (and a worshiper of Corellon). She suggests Ember (who lives in Pedas) might help them if they travel there.

Later that evening, party strife again flares up and Lytha, Cyris, and Gillmesh have it out. During this time Gill learns Bell is in love with him and he isn't exactly pleased since he thinks she's too dangerous. Though Bell's ultimate fate in the party is yet to be determined, it seems she can stay for now on a probationary basis, but Gill promises if she continues to endanger them all, he'll not have her in the party anymore, or at least, he won't adventure with her. That, alone, gives the erratic girl something to think about since it could lead to having to part with Gill, which she did not want to do.

SESSION ENDS:

The Story So Far

CHAPTER 36

End Of Chapter 36