Chapter #1127
previous chapter (#1126)
next chapter (#1128)
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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 +
+ 1991-2023 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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+ +
+ THE PRIMARY GROUP +
+ +
+ Alindyar 18th level dark elven wizard +
+ Lyra 14th level female drow wizard +
+ Belphanior 18th/18th/18th level elven fighter/wizard/thief +
+ Hope 16th level female human wizard +
+ Poulos 8th level human warrior +
+ Irina 14th/7th level female human priestess/warrior +
+ Neera 12th level female human wizard (sage/astrologer) +
+ Arusha 6th level human female wizard/alchemist +
+ Judhon 7th level gnomish illusionist +
+ Otto 12th/14th level dwarven fighter/thief +
+ Paige 13th level human female warrior +
+ Razor Charlie 12th level human fighter +
+ Skektek 14th level human wizard +
+ Ys 14th level reptilian fighter +
+ Cespedes 19th level human wizard, elementalist +
+ Talos adamantine golem +
+ Dexitheseus 17th level human wizard, jack of all trades +
+ Kronos ancient lich wizard +
+ Pallin 18th level grey elven wizard of Celestian, teleporter +
+ Socrates large albino hound +
+ Parekh 18th level female human wizard, innovator +
+ Drak 15th level human barbarian +
+ Wu 18th level human wizard, transmuter +
+ 6 elite ogre magi +
+ +
+ +
+ +
+ CURRENT ALLIES +
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+ Bosco 14th level halfling thief +
+ Oakly Greenleaf 14th level human Great Druid of Obad-Hai +
+ Relmar 18th level human high priest of Pelor +
+ Tenser 21st level human wizard +
+ Cymria 12th/11th level female sylvan elf fighter/wizard +
+ Batavius 6th level human priest of Heironeous +
+ Boothe 7th level human paladin of Heironeous +
+ Leznurp extraplanar ki-rin +
+ Sparnock 7th level human warrior +
+ 12 mounted elven archers from the Celadon Forest +
+ 33 light cavalry w/lances, swords +
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+ Date: 5/24/586 C.Y. (Common Year) +
+ Time: midday +
+ Place: the Brass Hills, within the Bright Desert +
+ Climate: hot and dry +
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+ "Didn't you ever want to change the world?" +
+ +
+ "Yeah, once. But it didn't work out, it was never organized well +
+ enough, no one ever wanted to hit the world where it lived...we +
+ always went after the soldiers, not the generals..." +
+ +
+ "I still want to change the world. And I'll hit the world +
+ wherever I damned well have to, in order to see it done." +
+ +
+ - Henry Bendix and Jenny Sparks, from _Stormwatch_ +
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
MCXXVII. Bright New Beginnings
Nearly three weeks have passed since the overwhelming assault on Rary's
fortress, and the evil wizard's final defeat at the hands of Belphanior
and his allies. Aside from people recovering from various injuries, much
has happened in that time, both within the elf's own team and within the
larger group of wizards.
Belphanior: (stands atop a hill, gazing into the distant sky, his keen
mind whirling with goals, agendas, and ideas)
Beyond the assorted casualties, the battle had taken tolls on certain
participants. Bosco's prized magical chess set - a veritable army in a
box - had been smashed in the fighting, and was now damaged beyond any
hope of repair or recovery. At first, the halfling had been nearly as
crushed as his former possession...
Bosco: (wanders about, moping) So much for the Army of Bosco. It
didn't last long, but...it sure was glorious. (he shakes his head
sadly)
Belphanior: Well, Bosco, the good news is that there's an upside.
Bosco: (perks up) There is?
Belphanior: Indeed. (he guides a floating disc toward the halfling)
Bosco: (seeing the piles of coins and bars of gold and silver, along
with dozens of small but high-quality gemstones, his eyes widen as
he exhales slowly) Whoaaaa...
Belphanior: As promised, this is your share of the treasure found in
the wizard's fortress.
Bosco: (somehow refrains from drooling)
Belphanior: You'll also note the small bag there...it's magical, one
of several that Rary had that can hold a larger amount of contents.
We thought it might help you carry all this loot back to Greyhawk
without attracting the wrong kind of attention.
Bosco: (absolutely beaming now) Thanks!
For the halfling, that had been enough - perhaps not an equal trade, but
one that made him feel better about the loss of the magical chessboard (and
also a magical dagger, potion, and bag.) Shortly after receiving and then
taking stock of his loot, he had departed for Greyhawk, mumbling something
about buying a mansion. Unlike the halfling, pretty much everyone else had
had a greater role to play in the exploration of Rary's tower, the fortress
that surrounded it, and the dungeon levels beneath it all. Given that many
of these areas had suffered significant damage and were also collapsed (or
else weakened) in multiple places, the process had been slow, tedious, and
dangerous. Golems and elementals had been used to do the heavy work, with
a great deal of help and oversight from several of the wizards and other
adventurers. Spells of digging and other earth-manipulation - as well as
other magicks - had been employed liberally but carefully. Tenser had
volunteered himself and his small force to assist with these efforts too,
as had Belphanior; the veteran adventurers Relmar and Oakly Greenleaf had
also remained on site to assist, each one lending his own unique skills
and powers to the excavation and recovery efforts.
Although it had taken weeks, the assembled group was quite capable, and
so they had succeeded in unearthing, exploring, and finally disassembling
Rary's tower, starting from the top and working their way down; after the
tower came the fortress, followed by multiple levels of dungeons beneath.
Overall, this effort had yielded numerous useful results. First, what
little of Rary and Robilar's forces remained hidden below had now been
flushed out and eliminated. Second, the wizard's vast hoard of treasure
had been found and recovered. Besides coins and gems and such, the haul
included a number of magical items, as well as various notes both magical
and otherwise. The latter included a wealth of information about the
Bright Desert, the kingdom of Sulm that had preceded it, and the progress
of Rary's various searches and explorations of strange and unique sites
amidst the arid sands of the wasteland.
Aside from the special cases of Bosco (who had brought an outside force
to the battle, and had thus needed to be compensated for doing so) and
Tenser (who had lost a number of his magical items to Rary two years ago,
and wanted them back) and Belphanior (pretty much the same, except that
he was missing a much greater quantity of such items) the alliance of
wizards had previously agreed that all monetary and magical treasure was
to be pooled for the future use of the group in its future endeavors.
There was also a series of disks, previously built and placed by Rary,
that allowed instantaneous teleportation within the tower and dungeons;
although these were now nonfunctional, their capabilities (and the chance
that the notes could be used to create more) were of great interest to
Pallin in particular. Last but not least, hidden within a gigantic hall
beneath the complex, they'd uncovered Rary's secret weapon...a colossal
metallic dragon, a construct as unique as it was potentially powerful.
Unfortunately, the thing had been damaged and half-buried by a collapsing
section of ceiling...and worse, the exact details of its construction,
animation, and operation seemed to have been retained only in Rary's mind.
Unless related notes existed (and were found) it appeared that the great
winged automaton might never actually come to life. Nevertheless, given
his specialty and past work with automata and such, the giant inert dragon
had piqued Cespedes' interest, and he made no secret of his desire to more
extensively study the unique construct.
All in all, the sheer quantity of treasure recovered from Rary's tower
was vast - both in monetary value and otherwise. Belphanior was saddened
to find that the great majority of his stolen magical items were missing;
it stood to reason that they had been distributed or traded long ago, given
that five years had passed since the initial theft. Oddly, the elf hadn't
been overly concerned; aside from the fact that he still had the best and
most powerful of his items, he also found in retrospect that simply having
his revenge was enough. Besides, something else was now afoot...something
far greater in scope than dozens of purloined magical items.
With Rary and his forces out of the way and their stronghold dealt with,
some people might have slowed in their efforts, or perhaps even stopped
entirely, figuring that the most pressing matters were behind them. This
was not the case with the current alliance of wizards and associates; as
intelligent and successful adventurers and people, driven by goals beyond
the reach of most people, they wanted and needed more than common folk (or
even common wizards.) The key, as Belphanior had deduced some time ago,
was finding a way to unify them for the long term. Much of the work had
already been done by Parekh when she formed her original enclave; now that
the larger group had worked together and succeeded in two rather dangerous
endeavors, it was time to see how deeply the vein of potential here could
be mined. The discussion now in progress was necessary before anything
else could happen in this area.
Parekh: It seems we have won ourselves a land.
Lyra: (looks out over the hills, and the desert beyond) Albeit not much
of one.
Belphanior: No...not yet. But we need to think about what this land -
this wasteland that nobody ever showed interest in - could yield if we
put forth the effort.
They were seated upon furniture that one of their number had conjured
into being and placed atop a large slab of intact stone. The immediate
area was shielded from scrying by a powerful, short-term magical field
summoned by another of the group. Thusly situated and protected, they
could converse openly and freely; had a historian somehow been present,
that individual could have noted for posterity that today's conversation
might well have been one of the most important in the long history of the
Flanaess.
Alindyar: (also eyeing the harsh terrain surrounding them) While this
wasteland is indeed not much to behold...(he frowns) There are indeed
possibilities.
Kronos: Agreed. This place is ancient, and was once the site of a great
and prosperous kingdom.
Wu: (nods) Sulm. (he gazes at the desert in the distance) There are a
number of notable sites here...great power, great magic. (he smiles
thinly)
Cespedes: The wizard's tower was simply one of those. (he considers the
various animated constructs and automatons that Rary had fashioned, and
wonders if this desert holds the secrets to more such things)
Kronos: And the tower of Rary was far from the oldest such site.
Cespedes: (leans back in his chair) I must confess...I am intrigued.
Parekh: I think we all are.
Pallin: (considering various challenges with this area) We would do well
to bear in mind that we all have homes and responsibilities elsewhere.
Exploring and uncovering the many mysteries of this region would prove
challenging and time-consuming.
Dexitheseus: (holds up a thin finger) Yet potentially rewarding.
Belphanior: (his fingers steepled as he thinks through things, he sighs
and leans back in his chair) I'm just going to say what's on my mind,
which I have to believe is the same thing some of you are thinking about
right now. (he stands) We've accomplished a lot in recent weeks...and
I now propose that we take the next step. I've talked previously about
making the world a better place, and all of you agreed and helped in the
effort to overthrow Rary. He's gone, Robilar's gone, their forces are
gone, and the bulk of their allies are gone, or fled into the desert.
(he smiles thinly) A desert wasteland that used to be a lush, thriving
kingdom, as has been said. Rary thought to rule that desert, but there
is an even better outcome: what if we could...(he struggles to come up
with the right word)..._undo_ this wasteland, and make it lush, green,
and fertile again? No sand, no giant scorpions, no buried evils?
Kronos: (taken aback, a rare occurrence for him, he turns to the elf)
You propose that we restore the lost kingdom of Sulm?!?
Belphanior: Hell, no. It's lost...gone. Its time is over. I propose
that we reverse what happened to Sulm, and restore the region...and use
it as our base of operations. Forge a new land, here, in this forsaken
place that nobody ever wanted, that no one cared about. (he gestures
at the wasteland all around, excitedly) Think about it...a ready-made
kingdom, in an ideal spot within the continent, close to everything and
strategically relevant...a place no one else was interested in because
it's a wasteland right now. But- (he snaps his fingers) -what if we
could change that?
Parekh: ...go on.
Belphanior: I provided Neera with some of Rary's notes and journals that
we recovered - specifically the ones having to do with Sulm, the Bright
Desert...and the Scorpion Crown.
Pallin: Madness. That thing is evil. And responsible for the ruin of a
mighty kingdom. Even if we could find it, it is surely cursed in worse
ways than anyone can imagine.
Dexitheseus: I agree. No good can come of finding and wearing the crown.
Belphanior: Right you are. Which is why I don't want to wear it. I want
to destroy it.
Wu: Eh?
Belphanior: (smirks) Give me some credit. Even from what little lore we
have about the crown, it's obvious that its evil far outweighs any power
it might give the wearer. I don't know what Rary's exact intentions for
the artifact were, but he was in a difficult position because he'd fled
here from numerous powerful enemies. Not to mention that he might have
been insane to begin with. (he shakes his head) I believe that if we
unearth the crown and destroy it, this cursed land...would be cursed no
more.
Lyra: (nodding slowly) Is it possible...?
Cespedes: This idea makes some sense. I concur.
Parekh: But even if all of this will work...how will we find the thing?
Rary's been looking for it all this time, without success.
Belphanior: The crown is tied to the region somehow, or vice versa. Rary
hasn't - hadn't - even been here two years, and he was occupied with all
sorts of other things...moving his tower here, expanding the structures
around it, recruiting new forces from the peoples of the desert, fending
off attacks from those who wouldn't join him, building that giant metal
dragon, and who knows what else? I claim that he had scant little time,
at least so far, to actually search the desert for the Scorpion Crown.
(he pauses) Rary was but one wizard. One. (he looks around the table)
Whereas there are nine of us. We have more resources to devote to this
challenge. Far more. (he nods to Kronos) Our friend Kronos has proven
adept at locating things, and we also have Neera, who is gifted in lore
and research. Before we assaulted Rary's stronghold, I directed her to
scour Greyhawk's libraries for everything she could find about Sulm and
the Bright Desert-
Pallin: You were making plans for what we'd do after we won...before the
battle even took place?
Belphanior: (nods) Indeed. And even now, Neera is hard at work studying
everything Rary had learned about Sulm and the crown, everything he did,
and everywhere he'd looked up to this point. She'll help us find that
damned crown, as well as a way to destroy it.
Kronos: (nodding) This idea has merit. If the crown truly is affecting
the region's climate and terrain, and is removed...the area might well
become more habitable within a century. Or a few decades. Who can say?
Belphanior: Actually, I think we can do a lot better than that. We have
as an ally the Great Druid of Obad-Hai, whose domain encompasses the
entire continent of the Flanaess. I would think that a new woodland
here, in what used to be a desert wasteland, would be something he'd be
quite interested in helping cultivate in the years or decades to come.
We might have to cede him some authority there one day, but that's a
relatively small price to pay.
Parekh: That's...actually brilliant. Where are you coming up with these
ideas?
Belphanior: Oh, I've got more. If we succeed at this and make a kingdom
where none has stood for centuries-
Kronos: Millenia.
Belphanior: (nods) -then we'll also need temples, which means we ought
to consider two or three deities that best align with the idea of a
powerful, peaceful kingdom led by fair and proactive rulers.
Dexitheseus: Hmm. I know Relmar well, and he might be interested in
building a new temple of his god Pelor.
Belphanior: Pelor, Trithereon...Obad-Hai, for the forest, if the druid
Oakly agrees with this idea. We'll also need to raise an army, which
will be hard to do until we have a populace...maybe a force of veteran,
well-trained mercenaries, short-term. (he stops, surveying those seated
at the table once again) We're getting far ahead of ourselves. For now
we need to figure out what the few most important things are, that need
doing. Aside from finding and destroying the Scorpion Crown, we should
divert some of our resources to some other things, and perhaps sooner.
Pallin: Such as?
Belphanior: We need to come to an accord with the desert centaurs. They
helped us against Rary, but that may have only been because they didn't
want anyone ruling their homeland. Not to mention that they won't be
happy with the desert becoming something else besides a desert. Let's
worry about that later; I'm just saying that we should assign someone
to talk to them, try and forge an alliance.
Wu: The same must happen with the nomads out there, the ones who had not
joined Rary.
Parekh: Perhaps we can offer them food, water, or other goods.
Kronos: Or protection. With Rary now gone, others will come. And soon.
Belphanior: That's our problem, and demonstrates another thing we need to
take care of, soon: we need a stronghold here.
Cespedes: (drily) To be fair, we just destroyed a perfectly good one.
Belphanior: It wasn't ours, and it was damaged anyway. These hills are
vast - there's plenty of room to construct something else...something
much larger, something that can be seen from afar...something that will
project power and authority.
Lyra: I'm not sure I like the sound of that.
Belphanior: Don't misunderstand. We need to show our power and authority
because first, those are necessary if people are going to want to live
here. The average person doesn't wield the magic we do, and can't stop
some of the greater threats out there in the world. The average person
just wants to feel safe in their daily life...protected, and with laws
in place that make sense and are enforced. And second, sooner or later
someone is going to challenge us here. It won't mean we did anything
wrong, just that someone wants something we have. In order to secure
peace...sometimes conflict is necessary. So we had best prepare for it.
Kronos: Well spoken.
Belphanior: Thanks. While I'm coming up with great ideas, we might want
to think about inviting Tenser to join our ranks. We know he's friendly,
and he's certainly powerful enough.
Parekh: (shaking her head) This...is a lot to consider.
Alindyar: And yet, a lot that needs doing.
Belphanior: But wait, there's more. From our planning, we know about a
score of places of significance in this region, either amidst these very
hills or else the desert outside...buried ruins, haunted tombs, outposts
that are still full of Rary's troops, bandit outposts, neutral towns,
several oases, even a tower that supposedly appears and vanishes at
random locations and times. (he cracks his knuckles) All of these have
to be dealt with as well, if we're to establish something beneficial and
long-lasting here. And there are also pockets of people who need help
right now - both here in the desert, and elsewhere in the world, where
they have never recovered from the wars or other misfortunes.
Dexitheseus: You propose to offer them all a home?
Belphanior: Why not? The time is ripe for this...kingdom-building. (he
shakes his head suddenly) No, not a kingdom. A land. A new land, one
planned and run the right way, from the beginning. We have a golden
opportunity here, a unique opportunity...to make all that we've done so
far matter even more over the course of time. The momentum is with us,
if we act swiftly and decisively. As I've said, we have the collective
power and resources here to accomplish anything we set our minds to.
Failure to at least TRY to put that to good use would be, to me, insane.
Parekh: The idea is sound, but it comes with certain questions.
Pallin: Significant questions.
Kronos: This is true, but I agree with Belphanior on this. Those can be
answered in time, but if we spend time answering them all now, we could
get mired in discussion for days. And in that time, we would quickly
lose ground on matters that need to be dealt with immediately.
Belphanior: (wastes no time) Like dealing with Rary's remaining troops,
or anyone else who might make a move...and fortifying this land we've
taken, in preparation for the inevitable visit from some neighboring
kingdom.
Dexitheseus: Are you suggesting that we just assume we'll all agree to
jointly govern this land in the future, and in the meantime just throw
ourselves into the work of securing it? Without a solid plan?
Belphanior: To an extent. I don't think any of us actually want to rule
this place, not even as a council. We can have someone else do that,
and we'll stay behind the scenes to guide things - but we will show our
hand when necessary, for example if an invading force shows up, or if
there's some terrible natural disaster. In general, though, the goal
wouldn't be to rule the land, simply to create and grow it.
Alindyar: (he frowns) To be blunt...do we possess the trust necessary
for this bold and ambitious endeavor to succeed?
Belphanior: I think we do have some basic level of trust, but just as
important is mutual respect, and we do have that. There's also power,
specifically the fact that any of our individual enemies would now have
to deal with nine wizards rather than one...strength in numbers.
Pallin: Some of us may have more worries of this sort than others.
Belphanior: (smirks) Even I haven't been able to eliminate all of my
enemies.
Parekh: (thinking about how effective some or all of this group have
actually been, in recent years, at ridding themselves and the world of
dangerous foes) Hmm.
Dexitheseus: For the sake of argument...what if - in time - one of us
decides they no longer wish to participate in this effort?
Belphanior: Well, then, they simply leave. Or temporarily vacate their
role if they so wish. By the same measure...what stops one of us from
going rogue or tries to do something crazy? (he crosses his arms and
surveys the others) The rest of us.
Parekh: (nods)
Belphanior: No, it's not perfect - but nothing is. There will be things
to work out over time, but I'm optimistic that nine accomplished magi
such as ourselves can and will be able to communicate, address issues,
and solve them. Together. Logistics, politics, economics, whatever.
We don't have to worry about the whole collective thing at once, either,
just one problem at a time. Which brings me back to my previous point
that we need to move NOW while we still have the advantage.
Kronos: I concur.
Wu: (nods) I have done much in my long life, but never made a kingdom
where there was none before.
Belphanior: Also...it should go without saying that any further treasure
we find in this desert in the future - monetary or magical - should be
split simply and equally. I'm trying for once to look beyond that sort
of thing - as evidenced by my recent acceptance of the loss of dozens
of my own magical items to Rary's past actions - so that we can get the
pressing needs taken care of.
Alindyar: Which, I am sure, can be done in a matter of days, given our
power. I would support using the next week to strengthen our position,
and then have the discussions about longer-term matters.
Belphanior: Exactly! We can hash out all the details in the coming days
and weeks...but for now, let's deal with the most crucial loose ends,
local forces, and unknowns that we inherited along with this blighted
land. (he crosses his arms, his gaze shifting to each of the others
at the table) What do you say? Do we want to declare the overthrow of
Rary a success and then go our separate ways, perhaps regrouping only
sporadically in the future when some great need arises...or do we want
to strive for more...to remain here and work together toward something
far greater than any one individual and their ideas and aspirations?
(he gazes out into the desert) Is it possible that, from all this war
and death and destruction, we can forge...the Bright Lands?
next: the "to do" list for the desert
www: http://www.peldor.com/download.html
homepage: http://www.peldor.com/
email: tmiller@peldor.com
released: 12/8/2023
notes: This was the "let's address the ton of loose ends, both from
before and from the Bright Desert, that have piled up" episode. While
I didn't list them all (much less begin to deal with them all) I think
the major ones have now been brought up. There are, of course, also the
other things that pertain to specific members of Belphanior's team, that
will have to be dealt with in parallel. It's going to be a busy time.
Fun fact: I wrote 1126-1134 in summer 2022 but then realized that
this sort of thing (basically figuring out how to forge a new kingdom)
would not be as simple and straightforward as I first thought. While
I fussed about that, life got in the way. So now, in late 2023, I've
finally found the time and energy to go through and tackle this and get
the story arc moving again.
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