Chapter #1115
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+ THE ADVENTURERS +
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+ Epic VI +
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+ Many of the locations, non-player characters, spells, and other +
+ terms used in these stories are the property of Wizards of the Coast +
+ which has in no way endorsed or authorized their use. Any such +
+ property contained within these stories are not representative of +
+ Wizards of the Coast in any fashion. +
+ The player characters depicted in these stories are copyright +
+ 1991-2022 by Thomas A. Miller. Any resemblance to any persons +
+ or characters either real or fictional is utterly coincidental. +
+ Copying and/or distribution of these stories is permissible under +
+ the sole condition that no money is made in the process. In that +
+ case, I hope you enjoy them! +
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+ Belphanior 18th/18th/18th level elven fighter/wizard/thief +
+ Paige 13th level human female warrior +
+ Razor Charlie 12th level human fighter +
+ Skektek 14th level human wizard +
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+ Deryck 13th level half-elven ranger +
+ Nenya 12th/12th level female grey elven warrior/wizard +
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+ Date: 4/19/586 C.Y. (Common Year) +
+ Time: afternoon +
+ Place: the Gedlands, west of the Free City of Greyhawk +
+ Climate: warm +
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+ "I only wanted to do good." +
+ "Then actually do good." +
+ - from _Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D._ +
+ episode _Identity and Change_ +
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MCXV. Prosperity and Fortification
Following a morning spent in the Vesve with Peyote (and his family, and
the strange denizens of that vast woodland area) Belphanior and his three
companions have arrived in the plains west of Greyhawk...within the region
known by multiple names, the most common being the Gedlands.
Paige: The "Gedlands"? That's got a strange sound to it.
Skektek: For once, we agree on something.
Belphanior: That's enough of that. The area is named in honor of an old
friend of mine, who has been dead for many years.
Skektek: What happened?
Belphanior: He was blasted by a demon lord as we fled the Abyss after
finding a powerful artifact and then bartering it away. (he frowns)
It was...a bad day. And one that I'll always regret.
Paige: Oh. (she looks around at the relatively flat grasslands and the
castle in the distance) Well, this region seems pleasant enough. How
far across the world did we travel this time?
Belphanior: Not that far, actually...less than a week's ride south and
east of the forest we were just in. If you think about it, we basically
traveled in a big circle around the continent to make these six visits.
Skektek: And this is the last one?
Belphanior: Yeah. (he thinks about Kronos, who has been working toward
finding the identity of whoever plundered the vault...and he also thinks
about a secondary measure he initiated toward that same end, before he
left to visit Mongo a couple of days ago)
The castle in the distance was perhaps an hour's walk from their present
location, and as expected, it didn't take long for someone to notice them
and act on it. The difference this time was in the speed and nature of
the response...and those involved in it.
Belphanior: (scrutinizing the distant speck in the sky, whose size grows
as it gets nearer)
The elf's crystal eye, a gift from some grateful deep gnomes, conferred
numerous powers...one of which was the ability to see distant things as if
they were much closer. This confirmed what he had already suspected to be
the case.
Belphanior: No cause for alarm. In this case, the masters of the domain
themselves are coming out to meet us.
Paige: That's a good thing, I take it?
Belphanior: (nods) They also happen to be the last of the friends we've
sought out.
Skektek: (having been thinking about which spell to use to blast the
approaching object out of the sky, he relaxes)
Belphanior: Go easy there. Nenya is a powerful wizard, on par with any
of us. She was the disciple of my slain companion Ged, and inherited
not only his lessons but also all of his knowledge, not to mention the
lands we now stand in, as far as you can see. Including that castle in
the distance. And she's also one of the world's leading authorities on
all things Suel.
Skektek: (nods, impressed) Mm.
Paige: (to Belphanior) You sure do have a lot of friends...and what a
variety. Hopefully the other side of the scale, that holding your foes,
is not as weighty.
Belphanior: (smiles thinly) I've always done my best to make sure none
of them remain alive. Although it's far too easy to make new ones.
Paige: True.
Belphanior: But yes, I do have a lot of friends. Some of the ones you've
met in the last couple of days...I've known for almost two decades. We
had many adventures, vanquished countless foes, and won untold wealth.
(he frowns) But there's one more who we should be visiting, but can't.
Rob sacrificed himself right in front of me, to destroy a vampire lord,
just a couple months ago. (he pauses, then shakes his head) Or five
years ago. Whatever. The point is, he was a good man who stood by what
he believed, and he deserves to be remembered.
Skektek: Damn right.
Razor Charlie: (grimaces) They all do.
Belphanior: We've buried far too many of our own along the way.
Paige: I know the feeling. I'll hear of these companions, another day.
(she looks up) Anyway, they're here. (she frowns) Whoever they are.
The flying carpet descended as it closed the final gap, soon landing
gently on the grassy ground. The two riders stepped off, regarding the
four visitors.
Nenya: Belphanior. It has been...awhile.
Deryck: (nods to the elf) Well met.
These two hadn't changed much in the nearly six years since Belphanior
has last dealt with them. Nenya was short and thin, and at first glance
would never be mistaken for a warrior of surpassing skill - as well as a
wizard of great power. Her pale skin, silver hair, and pointed ears gave
away her grey elven heritage. As for Deryck, the half-elf was lean and
powerful, and had no doubt stayed that way all this time through his hard
work as a ranger and leader of the military forces in this region. After
introductions were made all around, Belphanior got right to the point.
Belphanior: I'm glad to see you alive and well.
Nenya: Why wouldn't we be? We're not exactly on the front line of the
conflicts, at least not the ones that have come before.
Deryck: But maybe the ones yet to come.
Nenya: Our role in the wars was primarily to help protect Greyhawk and
the surrounding area, which mostly meant bolstering our defenses and
garrisons. We also helped a great deal of people in need, with either
shelter or food or supplies. (she frowns) And sometimes blades and
magic.
Deryck: (crosses his arms, pleased at the memories of all their good
deeds during the last few years)
Nenya: And truthfully, the Gedlands have never been stronger. We've got
more people living here, more farms, more soldiers...the crops have done
exceedingly well. (she pauses) But enough about us. What of you and
your companions?
Belphanior: Well, therein lies a tale...
Nenya: Excellent. You can tell it as we ride our magic carpet back to
the castle.
Belphanior: Will we all fit- (he gets a good look at the unusually large
size of the thing) Hmm, maybe we will.
Skektek: (stepping gingerly onto the cloth surface, he comments to Nenya)
I didn't know they made flying carpets this big.
Nenya: They don't...not normally. This one was a special commission, by
a mage in an exotic land far to the west. It can comfortably hold six
passengers. (she notices Razor Charlie's hesitation, and also Paige's
nonchalant study of the carpet) Are you two in?
Paige: Eh? Oh, hell yes. (she quickly walks onto the thing) Looks like
fun.
Razor Charlie: (grimacing, he also gets on board, sitting down in the
center of the carpet)
As the carpet slowly floated up off the ground, those who hadn't ever
ridden on one of these objects were nervous at first. However, it soon
became apparent that the magical rug was kept level and stable by forces
both magical and powerful, which allowed the passengers to sit back and
enjoy the ride. After gradually rising several hundred feet into the air,
the carpet began flying toward the distant castle in a long, curving arc.
During this time, Belphanior gave a quick accounting of his group's recent
adventures and challenges.
Nenya: So basically, you were trapped in a strange, dark world of myriad
horrors...until Neera fished you out?
Belphanior: I like to think of it as something like ice fishing. We were
trapped beneath, and carefully sought out the place where the ice was
thinnest. Then Neera, on the top side and looking for us, saw us and
took advantage of that thin spot to break through and pull us out of
there.
Nenya: And then you almost immediately left Oerth again, for a mission to
another distant plane...and in doing so, unwittingly lost five years of
time here?
Belphanior: Unwittingly and unwillingly.
Nenya: You missed it all, then...the wars, all the fighting and bloodshed.
A bad time for many, although as we've said, we actually made out pretty
well.
Deryck: That might have been due to our location close to Greyhawk, since
we weren't on the front lines of any of the big battles. In truth, we
and our population played more of a support role. The sheer number of
foreign refugees who needed safety and food, over those two years, was
staggering. I'm happy to say that we found permanent homes and work for
a great many of those people, too.
Belphanior: Excellent.
Nenya: (quietly speaking to the flying carpet, she steers it around in a
slow curve) Below, you can see the newest homes in our lands...those
are mostly the people we've helped.
Deryck: We keep things simple. Everyone has some sort of skill, and thus
does something to contribute to the community. Some breed livestock,
while others grow fruits and vegetables, and yet others know some trade
like blacksmithing, leatherworking, stonemasonry, healing, whatever.
Belphanior: (frowns)
Deryck: If you're wondering about those people with no real skill, rest
assured we found jobs for them too. There is no shortage of manual work
to be done here...digging, building fortifications, and such. Those who
have the aptitude are trained to fight as soldiers.
Belphanior: I see.
The actual physical changes in this area were nothing short of amazing.
The last time the elf had been here, the Gedlands were little more than a
large swath of land, amidst which stood the castle built by Ged years ago.
Around that castle had been the beginnings of a farming settlement, with a
few dozen families living there. But now...after the passing of more time
and the infusion of both monies and new residents, the area was thriving.
It had become a true community, with thousands of inhabitants, each having
a defined and useful role. And this was no random helpless, undefended
land either; from the aerial vantage point, Belphanior could see a number
of large guardhouses (or small keeps, depending on one's viewpoint) placed
at key points atop small hills or anywhere else defensible or strategic.
More of these were currently under construction, and ramparts connected a
number of the squat, sturdy buildings.
Deryck: We haven't connected them all with walls because we're not sure
if we'll gain more land soon. That is currently under negotiation with
the Free City.
Nenya: It seems that they enjoy the benefits of having a small military
force nearby...we're a buffer zone between them and Dyvers, as well as
Furyondy to the north.
Deryck: And it hasn't hurt that we've aided those in need, easing some
of the pressure from Greyhawk.
Belphanior: Sounds like a hell of a deal.
Deryck: It's worked out favorably for both sides. Definitely for us...
since we don't have to worry about all of the administrative issues of
running a huge city. I've been able to focus on doing what was needed
to make this region both prosperous and defensible. We have a standing
force of five hundred soldiers, all well-trained and well-disciplined.
With more residents, and some work, I could double that within a year.
Nenya: And I've taken on a handful of apprentices. Greyhawk's overfull
of young, aspiring would-be wizards, and there isn't enough room for
them all in the city's Guild of Wizardry. It wouldn't be a stretch to
say that I've had my pick of the leftovers - and sometimes those are
better. The fastest runner in a pack has often never had to struggle
with adversity, whereas the ones in the middle of the pack constantly
have to try harder. And _those_ tend to make more resilient students.
(she smirks) I sometimes feel like I've outsmarted the city's wizards.
Belphanior: I'd say you have. And Otto once said something very similar
about soldiers...the ones who had to work harder are the ones you want.
Deryck: (pointing as they near the castle itself) As you can see there,
we've also expanded the castle proper.
Belphanior: (whistles) I'll say.
The last time he'd seen Ged's castle, it had been a relatively modest
structure, with a central keep, a few smaller towers and buildings, and
a short wall surrounding everything. Now, however, it was at least twice
its former size. The former outer wall was now an inner wall, with at
least three dozen new buildings between it and the new outer wall - which
at fifty feet high was much stronger and more defensible than the previous
one. Stout guard-towers had been placed all along this perimeter, every
hundred feet or so. Overall, the current castle was significantly more
formidable than before.
Belphanior: Damn. You two have done amazing things here.
Nenya: Indeed we have. We also moved the Suel museum out of Greyhawk
and into our castle. I decided it was better to have those items and
that knowledge close at hand. (she nods to the elf) The more dangerous
objects, like your black ruby, are safely stored in an underground vault
where none can easily get at them, and where they can't otherwise cause
any harm.
Belphanior: That sounds sensible.
Deryck: A nice bonus was that the Free City really wanted that space for
their own uses, and was willing to barter for it. So once again, we got
something we needed and gave up something we didn't. A unique form of
political maneuvering with which we've had exceptional luck.
Paige: I don't know you two at all, but this all sounds great - I love
it! If I ever build my own castle and raise a small army, I know who
I'm going to ask for guidance.
Nenya: (smiles, amused)
Belphanior: Oh, I almost forgot to ask. When last we met, you two were
expecting. How did...?
Nenya: All is well there. Our son just turned six.
Deryck: His name is Tyril, and he's already bound and determined to be
a warrior, or a ranger-
Nenya: And maybe a wizard too! That boy spends as much time in the books
as he does following you around and learning swordplay.
Deryck: (proudly) Well, we shall see what becomes of him. Our aim is
to help create a world where he - and the thousands upon thousands of
other young children like him - can grow up to be whatever they want.
Belphanior: (nods) A worthy goal.
Razor Charlie: (watching in anticipation as the carpet lands on the roof
of the castle's central keep)
Belphanior: (steps off the carpet and onto the stone surface, turning in
place as he surveys the lands all around, taking in the magnificent view
of the Gnarley forest to the south, the Cairn Hills to the east, and the
Nyr Dyv to the north) Ahh.
Skektek: (having joined the elf on the keep's roof, he also admires the
view) Remind you of something?
Belphanior: Helgate.
Skektek: (nods) It had a hell of a view, too.
Belphanior didn't say anything, but the skinny wizard had misunderstood
his comment. Skektek was remembering what it had been like to enjoy an
impressive view from atop a high castle...while Belphanior was remembering
what it had been like to rule.
Belphanior: (smiles grimly)
Nenya: Do you need lodgings for the night? We have plenty of bedchambers
for guests.
Belphanior: Thanks, but I think we're going to get back to the others
before the day's out. Hell, we might even walk, since Greyhawk is near.
Deryck: Nonsense. We'll lend you four of our finest horses, along with
a handful of guardsmen who can accompany you there, and then bring the
animals back.
Skektek: Or we could just fly.
Nenya: So what now? After you regroup and find out who robbed your home,
you're going after all of the magical items that were stolen?
Belphanior: Something like that.
next: Irina visits her goddess' temple in Greyhawk
www: http://www.peldor.com/download.html
homepage: http://www.peldor.com/
email: tmiller@peldor.com
released: 7/8/2022
notes: Now these two were a lot harder to pin down, as far as their
most recent activities...because they've been all over the place.
In episode 642, they hired soldiers to protect Ged's lands, which they
also renamed "Endymion"...which apparently didn't take since I still
referred to them as the Gedlands in episodes 683, 694, 776, and 795.
Also in episode 642, they got a ton of land from Greyhawk in exchange
for organizing an expedition to the city of Hommlet (which was the first
appearance of the Misadventurers, Peyton Farquhar and the other five).
This continued into that group's dungeon delve near Hommlet, while Nenya
and Deryck had an adventure in the Suel museum in Greyhawk, contending
with an evil artifact that had ties to Xusia.
Then in episode 795, less than a year later in game time, the pair
decided to stop adventuring, and spent their loot from the adventure
at Xusia's fortress to help bolster the defenses of the castle in the
Gedlands. They also became pregnant, the progress of which was noted
in episodes 800 and 816. Next, Nenya was consulted by Belphanior for
help with Suel lore (episodes 874, 881, 882) and then help with the
cursed helm that rendered Ys inert (episodes 901-903) by which time the
baby had been born. And the last we heard of Nenya and Deryck was in
episode 932, when a cursed black ruby was said to be in her possession
for safekeeping...which come to think of it is pretty damn irresponsible
considering there was a baby around. Cursed gemstones and newborns do
not mix well, I'd think. Parenting fail!
Anyway, it looks like Nenya and Deryck have kind of been in the middle
of everything, and dealt with just about everyone. If they'd only gone
on the great exploration voyage of the _Odyssey_, their resumes would
be complete. Regardless, they came out of the wars in a much stronger
position, with more land/people/soldiers and a solid alliance with the
nearby Free City of Greyhawk.
By the way, the Gedlands (I've decided to just call them that now,
instead of "Endymion") have been variously noted as being located "near
Greyhawk" and "southwest of Greyhawk" and "west of Greyhawk" so after
consulting the maps, I have made a decision about exactly where the
Gedlands are located: they are on the other side of the Selintan River
from Greyhawk, about halfway between the Nyr Dyv and the big bend in the
Selintan river where Ford Keep is located. This puts it about a third
of the way to Dyvers, but not directly on the river, the lake, or the
road to Dyvers.
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