Chapter #1134
previous chapter (#1133)
next chapter (#1135)
+
+ +
+ +
+ +
+ +
+ +
+ +
+ THE ADVENTURERS +
+ +
+ Epic VI +
+ +
+ +
+ +
+ +
+
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+ 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 +
+ 1991-2024 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! +
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+ Alindyar 18th level dark elven wizard +
+ Lyra 14th level female drow wizard +
+ Belphanior 18th/18th/18th level elven fighter/wizard/thief +
+ Cespedes 19th level human wizard, elementalist +
+ Dexitheseus 17th level human wizard, jack of all trades +
+ Kronos ancient lich wizard +
+ Pallin 18th level grey elven wizard of Celestian, teleporter +
+ Parekh 18th level female human wizard, innovator +
+ Wu 18th level human wizard, transmuter +
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+ Date: 6/6/586 C.Y. (Common Year) +
+ Time: midday +
+ Place: the Brass Hills, within the Bright Desert +
+ Climate: hot and dry +
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+ "It'll never be an ideal world as long as there are people in it." +
+ "Maybe the right kind of people can MAKE it ideal." +
+ - from _The Incredible Hulk_ issue 379, 3/1991 +
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
MCXXXIV. Plans For Progress
In the month since the defeat of Rary, the alliance of wizards has been
busy...and has accomplished a great deal.
Alindyar: Perhaps first and foremost, we can rest assured that all hidden
clones of the slain Rary have been found and destroyed.
Parekh: You're sure?
Lyra: (nods) We, and Tenser, spent a great deal of time and effort on
this matter.
Kronos: Excellent.
Belphanior: We've not only searched and then dismantled Rary's stronghold,
but also worked on forging alliances with the desert centaurs, the hill
barbarians, and even some of Rary's former soldiers.
Dexitheseus: (nods) Kalki's Leap is now ours. Lord Marcus and his men
are quartered there, and are integrating with the troops who formerly
manned the fortress.
Belphanior: And before anyone asks about their pay, I've got it covered.
Rary's troops who joined us have now been paid for their service last
month - Flocksun - which made them happy since that pay had never come
due to Rary's demise. I've also set money aside to pay them for the
current month of Wealsun, once it ends...and I'm prepared to cover their
wages for quite a bit longer if necessary. (he folds his arms, pleased
with himself for being prudent and growing his fortune over the last few
years) Similarly, Lord Marcus' mercenaries are also paid for their work
through the end of this month. I'm not sure how long we'll need them,
but they're crucial for the short term at least.
Pallin: You are certainly fast and free with your money. No one asked
you to fund all of these things, and-
Belphanior: (raises both hands, palms out, in a conciliatory gesture)
It's no problem, it's my choice, and I'm certainly not asking for or
expecting reimbursement. I've made a lot of money in my ventures over
the years, much of it with the help and support of some of you. I want
to be clear that I'm spending my money willingly and openly, on things
that we need in order to build a long-term kingdom in the Bright Desert.
(he frowns) I've accumulated a thousand times what I'll ever need to
live comfortably and happily, and I am simply choosing to invest it in
something greater than myself.
Alindyar: (thinking about some of the treasure hoards that the elf has
plundered in the past, he realizes that Belphanior may have even more
gold than anyone ever thought) Aye.
Parekh: (coming to the same conclusion on her own, she nods to the elf)
Your generosity is appreciated. I suspect most if not all of us have
our own fortunes, and that perhaps some of us may one day follow your
example.
Belphanior: (shrugs) Money is fleeting. Happiness, peace, safety - and
a region where those things are normal and expected - last much longer,
and mean more to more people. With my elven lifespan, I have to take
the long view. (his thoughts turn to the unknown cities and tombs that
await them someday soon, buried beneath the desert sands) Besides, we
can always acquire more wealth if we need it.
Dexitheseus: So, Kalki's Leap is ours, and manned by soldiers under our
purview. After securing it to his satisfaction, Lord Marcus will take
a smaller force and head to the village of Kalundi, to determine how
strong a garrison is needed there to protect the place from bandits.
Hell, knowing Marcus, he may even find and slay those bandits, for the
good of Kalundi and the desert in general. After Kalundi, he will head
to Fort Whiterock, to ensure that it too is manned and ready.
Belphanior: (frowns thoughtfully) These actions are necessary if we're
to have a military as well as a magical presence throughout the desert.
Pallin: But can he do these things on his own, without...oversight?
Dexitheseus: He can. Aside from being a great warrior and a born leader,
Lord Marcus is fully aware of what we're trying to do here, and supports
such an effort. I have known the man for almost two decades; we need
not fret about his motivations or his competency.
Belphanior: (nods) So...one by one, through diplomacy or battle, these
forts and strongholds will be converted and then manned by our forces.
Parekh: "Our forces" are really just a sizable group of mercenaries and
repurposed soldiers from Rary's time. We'll need something much more
substantial - and permanent - in the long term.
Dexitheseus: I have an idea or two about that.
Kronos: As do I. (he pauses) While we are discussing potential allies,
what of the dragon atop Dagger Rock?
Cespedes: The wyrm is called Volte, and in my opinion he seems to desire
nothing other than a remote home, a large pile of treasure, and perhaps
future revenge on the adventurers who drove him from his previous home
more than a century ago. I made him aware of our collective power, and
also the idea that we had no desire for conflict. I suspect he will
take time to ponder all of this.
Wu: (chuckles) As a dragon, he may need years.
Cespedes: But I also suspect he will recognize and respect our collective
power, if nothing else.
Parekh: Aside from the fact that he's a blue dragon and we probably can't
really trust him, the main problem I see is that there's no food source
readily available for his prodigious appetite.
Cespedes: That's not how the dragon sees it. There are plenty of men and
other meals roaming this desert.
Parekh: So this is something we may have to revisit, once we know if any
compromise can be reached on the matter. (she sighs) At least we've
established contact and let the dragon know we're here, and that we mean
business.
Belphanior: We've also eliminated several local problems - the chimera
that prowled the valley known as Fool's Nest, and the bandits within
Griffon's Nest - which not only directly benefits those areas but also
gains us some goodwill from their inhabitants. And we know which other
such things are important to those nearby...namely the mines within the
hills to the north. One of my team suggested that we simply destroy
the place using a tactical strike with fireballs, but that underground
complex may have resources we can use. I think we have to clear it out
the hard way.
Parekh: It sounds like you have a plan for that.
Belphanior: I suppose I could lead that expedition, but I'll most likely
task it to certain others. (he frowns) I'll need a bit more time to
sort that all out.
Alindyar: (ignoring the mundane issues, he turns to Kronos) What of this
mysterious Tower of Sleep, and its strange ruler?
Kronos: Shemeya is the last surviving inhabitant of ancient Sulm...the
last _living_ one, anyhow. There are of course countless undead within
the various ruins and buried cities of the Bright Desert, and some of
the people of Sulm still exist as scorpion-creatures. The wizardess,
however, managed to escape that fate by surrounding her tower with a
powerful and unique magical field in which time passes much more slowly.
While over two thousand years have passed in the outside world, she has
only experienced a fraction of that span within her tower. (he frowns)
It is quite intriguing, actually.
Pallin: It certainly is. But do we know how and why the tower moves from
place to place, only appearing at certain times?
Kronos: The tower exists partially in the Astral Plane, and its location
changes periodically as Shemeya searches for a way to remove the curse
of Shattados. I suspect that at some point in that process, she began
to focus primarily on her research and let the tower continue to shift
through space in some predetermined pattern, which I was able to discern
and predict.
Parekh: Trapped in a tower for even a small fraction of two millennia...
that's bound to have worn on her.
Kronos: Yes, especially as she had no companions aside from automatons
and magical servants at the moment of the curse's initiation.
Lyra: That poor woman. It's a wonder she hasn't gone insane.
Kronos: True. I...sometimes forget that being alone for long periods of
time is not suitable for everyone.
Parekh: At least she's had plenty of time to focus on her problem.
Kronos: Indeed. Unfortunately for her, she has seen little success due
to inadvertently ending up in...what do mortals call it...a "chicken
and egg" situation. Shemeya knows where to find Shattados, which is
the most likely place to find the Scorpion Crown, whose destruction
would end the curse...but she cannot actually bring any of that about
because she must remain in her tower lest she become a scorpion-beast
like all the rest of her people did long ago. If the curse is broken,
she can return to the outside world - but not before.
Parekh: There's also the matter of defeating the one who bears the crown,
and then actually figuring out how to destroy it.
Kronos: True. So instead of pursuing the solution she knows but cannot
implement, she has spent all this time searching in vain for some other
way to end the curse and escape the home which is also her prison.
Belphanior: She needs outside help. And luckily for her, we're here and
our goals align with hers.
Lyra: We must not ignore the fact that she's also a powerful archmage.
Trapping one's tower in a time-proof protective field is not something
done - or taken - lightly.
Kronos: Indeed. And she claims to know much about not only the desert
but also the long-dead kingdom of Sulm. This would prove useful.
Belphanior: Right. With her knowledge and guidance, we can accomplish
much, beyond just dealing with the crown and its curse.
Kronos: I have made arrangements to visit her again, in the near future.
Given the potency of the magic around her tower - which may truthfully
have more to do with time than sleep - I may be the only one who can.
Parekh: That's fine. (she sighs) Our list of things to do only seems
to grow longer.
Belphanior: Forging a kingdom isn't easy. It takes time and work, and
probably a lot of luck as well. But, as I've said before, we have a lot
more power and resources than the typical kingdom or its builders. Each
of us sitting here around this table could rule elsewhere, or at least
provide the magical power needed to rule. I claim that the combination
of us all will be far greater than the sum of the parts.
Parekh: (slightly annoyed) Yes, I for one figured that out a long time
ago. And we'll see what the future may hold. For now, we need to focus
on what's before us. (to Wu) What of your recent endeavor? Did you
find anything at the Shembai Oasis?
Belphanior: (realizes he had practically forgotten about the wizened old
fellow, who hadn't appeared to have done much - if anything - during the
last few weeks)
Wu: That place, supposedly haunted at night, had a simple but dangerous
problem. It contained the ruins of an ancient gateway to the Abyss...a
portal that was, shall we say, ajar.
Pallin: Interesting.
Wu: It was, but in a bad way. The thing only opened fully during the
very dark of the night, during which time demons emerged and roamed the
nearby area for victims. (he smiles enigmatically) After an encounter
with someone who could fight back, the demons were slain or driven back
from whence they came...and that infernal gate was then destroyed once
and for all. Demons shall trouble the oasis no more.
Pallin: Even fragments of stone from such places may hold residual magic-
Wu: (shakes his head) All remnants of the thing are now dust, scattered
to the five winds.
Parekh: Impressive work.
Wu: (nods wearily) It was not a trivial undertaking. I benefitted from
the element of surprise, but even then...well, as I said, not all of the
fiends were vanquished. I more or less swept the trash into a hole and
then buried it forever, before it could come back out.
Dexitheseus: Interesting analogy.
Wu: (shrugs, mumbling) I had to employ the six-demon bag, but it was
worth it.
Kronos: So...we have done much, and are planning more. But there are
some things that we need - sooner rather than later - before achieving
them becomes more challenging. Might I suggest we determine our next
priorities?
Belphanior: Agreed. It's time to focus...and then bear down.
After further discussion, a multi-tiered plan of action was drawn up
and its pieces assigned to various of the wizards:
Pallin and Cespedes would begin work on an expansive new stronghold
amidst the Brass Hills. No one wanted to build upon the site of Rary's
demolished tower and fortress, although it had yielded a rather large
quantity of stone which could be repurposed as raw material for any new
construction. Besides, the group needed something much larger for a base
of operations...something that could house not one but nine (or possibly
even more) archmagi.
Dexitheseus would work with Lord Marcus to find the best, most expedient
way to recruit and assemble a standing military force based in the region.
His other task was to explore the feasibility of growing crops in this
arid climate - a challenge for which he would surely enlist the wisdom of
his old friend (and the Great Druid of the Flanaess) Oakly Greenleaf.
Belphanior would travel to various places throughout the Bright Desert
and continue to work with the natives - centaurs, barbarians, and as-yet-
unapproached groups such as the desert nomads - to forge alliances and
identify things the wizards could do to secure such allegiances. He would
also devise a plan to explore the mines in the northern hills, overcome
anyone within, and determine whether the tunnels and passages contained
any useful natural resources.
Kronos and Parekh would learn all they could about the various cities,
tombs, and ruins scattered on or beneath the desert sands. This was sure
to include another talk with Shemeya, as well as the involvement of Neera
and possibly some research in the Free City of Greyhawk. The key goal was
to determine the location of the Scorpion Crown, with the additional goal
of identifying any promising sources of treasure to plunder. Belphanior
had stated aloud his realization that the Bright Desert's most abundant
resource might in fact be buried beneath its rolling sands: the wealth
of a long-dead nation. It was certainly an idea worth investigating.
Alindyar, Lyra, and Wu were in charge of organizing and carrying out
supply runs - for there was no ready source of food, drink, sundries, and
other necessary items in the desert. This endeavor would surely utilize
the newly-safe Knife's Edge Pass to the north, and possibly spur the
creation of other such routes through the hills that ringed the desert.
Commerce using the Sea of Gearnat to the west and south was another
potential option, albeit more likely in the future, after some sort of
coastal base or fort could be established.
With all of this now in motion, one thing was certain: the wizards
and their associates would be very busy in the near future, with myriad
and exciting opportunities for adventure waiting at every turn!
next: things get underway
map: http://www.peldor.com/world/atlas/bright_desert.jpg
www: http://www.peldor.com/download.html
homepage: http://www.peldor.com/
email: tmiller@peldor.com
released: 1/26/2024
notes: I feel that I might get some criticism for this plotline and
the way I'm going about it, perhaps from people who would say "this is
NOT what my player character would do in this situation" or similar. I
ask you to bear in mind that I'm not sitting here with a bunch of people
who have sheets of paper in front of them...I'm not looking at this from
the point of view of a D&D game, but rather from the perspective of this
small but powerful group of individuals who are gradually uniting around
a vision. I grant you that it could be odd that some of them are so
trusting of others, but I skipped that step; this alliance was possible
only because most of the group had _already_ united, as the Cabal.
Although, if I was a player in an actual campaign and had a high-level
character who was one of a group of similar, who had worked together and
overcome many challenges...this is EXACTLY what I would want to do. Now
I'm not typical in many ways - story of my life for over a half-century
now - but that's what I would want to do.
Coming up next: I'll show each of the above efforts happen, one at a
time. Should be fun.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
previous chapter (#1133)
next chapter (#1135)