Chapter #1152
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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 +
+ 1991-2024 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! +
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+ Peyton 11th level gnome thief +
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+ Date: 6/18/586 C.Y. (Common Year) +
+ Time: morning +
+ Place: the northwest reaches of the Abbor-Alz hills +
+ Climate: cool and dry +
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+ "Please tell me you have a brilliant plan." +
+ "I don't even have a regular plan." +
+ - from the _Arrow_ episode _Public Enemy_ +
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MCLII. The Lair of Father Eye
Following his party's foray into the old mines and then a subsequent
encounter with a powerful monster, Peyton woke up in a cell and had a
brief conversation with a fellow prisoner. Now, he has been removed and
is being led along a corridor by an inordinate number of guards.
desert troll #1: (clutching a length of heavy chain, the other end of
which connects to a giant manacle around Peyton's neck) No getting
away for you.
Peyton: (once again testing the ropes which bind his hands behind his
back) Sure does seem that way.
desert troll #2: (frowns at the gnome, exposing the stumps of numerous
rotten teeth) Heh, yer better off with us. If the gray dwarves had
their way, you'd suffer for weeks before dying. (it scratches the
mottled brown hide at the base of its neck) No surprise there, seein'
as how you and your friends blew up damn near all of their quarters
the other day, an' killed hundreds. Damn near all of 'em.
desert troll #1: Including the chief.
desert troll #2: And his priest and guards.
desert troll #1: ...and his concubines and spawn.
desert troll #2: All of them. (it frowns) And there were a lot.
Peyton: A tremendous loss to the world, no doubt.
desert troll #1: (shrugs) Maybe. Maybe not. But that's their problem.
desert troll #2: They're gonna need a new chief. (it grins) But, as
yer about to find out, them dwarves aren't the real power around here.
Peyton decided not to talk more than absolutely necessary, but he was
listening intently to everything these brutes said. He was also paying
close attention to the areas he was being led through. When they'd left
the cell, one passage had led straight ahead - and far in the distance
were what appeared to be scorch marks. The other passage, which had led
sharply away to the right, was wider and higher. Fully ten feet wide,
its ceiling was almost twice that and arched with simple but well-done
stonework. He assumed that they were leaving the primary duergar area
(or what was left of it) and entering the chambers of the beholder and
his minions.
They passed a door on the right, fashioned of thick wood banded with
iron and secured with two additional bars. The four dour-looking duergar
guards stationed outside of it suggested that it was some sort of vault
containing treasures as yet unknown. Peyton didn't have to meet those
gray dwarves' gazes to sense the anger and hate that the subterranean
demihumans bore toward him.
Peyton: (as he and the trolls pass by, he glances at the door, mumbling
quietly to himself) Don't worry, I'll be back.
desert troll #1: Huh? Did you say something?
Peyton: I said, this is a really nice hallway. Solid stonecraft.
desert troll #1: Hrm.
desert troll #2: (to Peyton) You poor bastard. The two of us may be
the only ones here who don't hate you for what you did.
After another fifty feet, the passage made a sharp and precise turn
to the left, then continued another forty feet before ending in a huge
door of fine black wood with an ornate handle fashioned from a single
thick curved branch. To the left, just before the massive portal, a side
passage led into a small chamber containing another dozen duergar guards.
Peyton made a mental note that so far, all of the surviving gray dwarves
appeared to be veteran warriors, with armor and weapons (and attitude)
to match.
desert troll #1: Stop here. (rattles the chain idly, perhaps in an
attempt to irritate the prisoner)
Peyton: (remains stoically silent)
desert troll #2: (takes hold of the wooden door's handle, then slowly
pulls it open)
Peyton: (whistles despite himself)
The massive hall beyond would have rivaled some of the finest palaces
in the world above. Well over a hundred feet long and nearly fifty wide,
it was lined with massive columns of white marble, inlaid with elaborate
golden designs. The floor was fashioned of dark green marble, through
which ran thin veins of black and white marble. Spaced along the hall,
at regular intervals, were a series of smokeless oil lamps with dark red
shades; these cast the huge chamber in an eerie crimson light. That glow
did not reach up to the ceiling, which while bathed in shadows yet had to
be at least fifty feet high.
Immediately to the right, perfectly placed between two columns, was
another massive door, nearly identical to the one that had afforded entry
into the hall. Ahead and to the left, perhaps halfway down the length of
the hall, a third such door between white columns could be seen. And at
the far end of the great hall, in the center of that wall and flanked by
a pair of huge statues twice the height of a man, was a fourth door of
fine black wood.
desert troll #1: Almost there. Try and keep up. (it strides down the
hall, heading for the door halfway down the hall and to the left)
Peyton: (finds that he has to walk quickly to avoid being pulled off his
feet and dragged)
desert troll #2: (follows behind the gnome) Heh.
When they reached the door, the second troll - rather surprisingly -
knocked softly and carefully on the thick wood. Peyton gathered his wits
and prepared to deal with the beholder...if such was possible. He wasn't
sure what method of interrogation would be used, or how painful it would
be. With any luck, he would find some opportunity to talk his way out of
being killed here today.
desert troll #2: (steps back as the massive door opens inward)
The chamber beyond, while not nearly as impressive as the main hall,
was yet magnificent to look upon. Gleaming white columns of marble were
set against a dark grayish-black floor, also of marble. A huge, elegant
crystal chandelier hung from the high ceiling, and most of the room was
taken up by a huge poster bed with numerous pillows. A small writing
desk and chair stood to one side, and several other pieces of furniture
rested here and there. Lush tapestries decorated the walls, giving the
whole area the feel of something other than the underground space that
it was. A short passageway led to an adjacent chamber which appeared to
be a library of some sort, judging by the multiple bookshelves visible
from the first chamber.
In a plush, cushioned chair there sat a man whose profession was easy
to guess, given his attire.
wizard: Bring him in. And remove that collar from his neck.
desert troll #1: (half-pushes Peyton into the room, then unlocks and
takes the neck-manacle off of him)
Peyton: (rubs the chafed skin of his neck, grimacing) Thanks. (he eyes
the wizard, sizing him up)
The man was of Baklunish descent, with golden skin and short, closely-
cropped black hair. His grayish-green eyes studied the prisoner with no
small amount of interest, and Peyton somehow got the feeling that this
wizard was both intelligent and cultured. The fellow's light blue robes
were fashioned of fine silk, with decorative hems and sashes that were
fashionable but yet bordered on gaudy. It was hard to tell for sure, but
Peyton figured the wizard was of average height for a human, and of lean
build.
Peyton: (flexes against the ropes that bind his wrists behind his back)
Any chance I can lose these bonds? My shoulders are killing me.
wizard: (says a few words, and the ropes unravel and float around the
gnome)
Peyton: My thanks-
wizard: (says a few more words, and the ropes re-bind the prisoner's
hands, but this time in front of his body)
Peyton: (sighs) Well, alrighty then.
wizard: (speaks in good but accented Common) I am no fool. (he turns
to the trolls) You may leave him.
desert troll #1: Err...
desert troll #2: But-
wizard: (dismisses them with a wave) Believe me, this one poses no
threat. Close the door on your way out, and wait outside. I shall
call upon you if I have need of you.
The trolls gave up and departed the chamber, pulling the massive door
shut behind them. This left Peyton facing the foreign wizard, not really
sure what was going to happen next.
wizard: (waves a hand, and an ornate padded chair slides over, coming
to rest behind Peyton) Please.
Peyton: Uh...
wizard: (scoffs) If you were to be killed, it would have happened by
now. (he nods to the chair) Now sit.
Peyton: Very well. (he sits down in the chair) What now?
wizard: I am He Chak, emissary of Rary of Ket...and I suspect we have
much to talk about.
next: an interesting conversation
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: 5/31/2024
notes: As I did before, I'm just taking some of the numerous
possibilities in the accessory and developing them on my own. It's
what any Dungeon Master would do, except I'm more of a writer. But
doing the same thing, toward the same end.
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