Chapter #1153
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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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+ "That's not a choice, it's a lack of options." +
+ - from _Armageddon_ +
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MCLIII. Perilous Options
After being removed from the cell and marched to what he figured was
certain doom (or at least an unpleasant level of torture) Peyton is now
surprised to find himself within the lavishly-appointed chambers of an
unknown Baklunish wizard...
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.
Peyton: You don't look like a beholder, that's for sure.
He Chak: (shakes his head) That one resides in a nearby chamber, his
attention focused on things beyond what is right in front of him.
(he regards the gnome) Although it will likely not be long until he
shifts his focus to you. (he gathers his silken robes, then takes a
seat on a small couch) Depending upon what you are able to tell me,
I may be able to help you survive that.
Peyton: Hey, that sounds good to me. (he frowns) But what exactly are
you thinking you can learn here?
He Chak: Two years ago, my master fled his enemies and came here, to the
Bright Desert. He has spent that time building a fortress, and after
that, beginning to build a power base. He has grand plans for this
region.
Peyton: (playing along for now, he lets the wizard talk) Okay.
He Chak: ...and yet I have heard no word from my master for many weeks.
(he gestures to the adjoining library, in the center of which is a
wrought-iron stand topped by a large sphere of light blue crystal) The
crystal ball has remained completely silent. And complete silence from
Rary is not only unusual, it is unprecedented.
Peyton realized that this wizard had no idea that his master had been
overthrown and slain more than a month ago. While the gnome had never
been fully read into the larger plans of Belphanior, he was smart and he
paid attention. It had been obvious to him that there were other wizards
involved, that they had their own plans for the Bright Desert, and that
certain "dirty work" (such as the clearing out of these mines) had to be
taken care of as part of the overall effort. While Peyton and his team
remained unaware of whatever long-term goals Belphanior and his companions
had in mind, this wizard from the far West did not know that. And so the
gnome decided to not only take the initiative but also attempt to bargain
from a greater position than he actually occupied.
Peyton: (frowns) He Chak, my friend...I appreciate your honesty and
openness regarding these matters. And I _can_ help you out here. (he
clasps his hands together, thinking quickly) There's really no easy way
to put this, so I'm just going to say it. Rary has been dead for well
over a month now.
He Chak: (his eyes widen in surprise) Rary laid low? No. You jest.
Peyton: While Rary certainly had enemies in Greyhawk and other places,
he also had the misfortune of making a new one, one of singleminded
focus with regard to swift and total revenge. And so that individual
led a powerful group here and took that revenge. (he pauses) After
which he and the others began taking the desert as well.
He Chak: (sags back in his chair, seemingly in utter shock at this news)
Peyton: If you doubt what I tell you, it is simple to confirm. Just go
out into the desert and ask anyone - word's no doubt spread across the
entire region by now.
He Chak: (still at a loss for words)
Peyton: Which leads me to ask, why is it that you don't know all this?
You seem like a reasonably powerful wizard, and you obviously hold a
place of power here.
He Chak: No. Especially not now. (he shakes his head) My role here
is - was - to facilitate communication and planning between my master
and the eye tyrant. Rary knew what a powerful ally such a creature
could be, and was likely factoring that alliance into his long-term
plans for the wasteland, whatever they were.
Peyton: You don't know?
He Chak: Of course not. I have been kept here, inside the complex past
the mines...which, despite these luxuries you see around you, has begun
to wear on me.
Peyton now realized that without Rary in the game, this wizard was of
no use to the beholder. And he figured that He Chak was realizing this
too, now that he knew what had happened in the world outside and above.
Peyton: Why don't you just leave - teleport out of here and leave this
place behind forever?
He Chak: (sadly) My magical talents are substantial, but that spell is
yet beyond my grasp.
Peyton: Oh. Well, so much for that idea. (he ponders things silently
for another moment) Maybe we can help each other. No, there's no
"maybe" about it. (he locks eyes with the wizard) You help me get out
of here, and I'll make sure the new rulers of the region - the new ones,
I mean - know that you helped me and are not a foe. (he has another
idea) And your knowledge of Rary's past actions in the area could be
a damn good bargaining chip for you, too.
He Chak: (contemplates this)
Peyton: (thinking through things some more) Hmm. Come to think of it,
you're in a rather precarious position. If you agreed to my proposal
and flee now, you'll risk the wrath of the beholder, which I'm sure is
not to be taken lightly. On the other hand, if you were to instead tell
him everything I've just told you, then your own standing here - indeed,
your continued survival - would immediately be in jeopardy.
He Chak: (looking quite unhappy) As would yours, let me assure you. And
if you are considering just telling Father Eye everything in an attempt
to salvage your own life, I would advise against it. The eye tyrant can
be an impulsive and violent sort at times. It is quite possible that,
in retaliation for your involvement in the attack yesterday, he would
simply devour you and then await the next emissary.
Peyton: Well, that would be unfortunate. (he exchanges glances with the
Baklunish wizard) Sounds like we're both out of luck.
woman: (appears from somewhere beyond the library) Not if the two of
you instead work together and trust each other.
The young woman approached them through the library, and had presumably
come from some other chamber on the far side of that area. She appeared
to be of similar ethnicity as He Chak, with dark golden skin and medium-
length black hair tied behind her head. Perhaps twenty years of age, she
was short, lithe, and had the proud bearing of one used to roaming freely.
He Chak: (sighs) This is Kaya, of the distant Chaykik region, which you
might also know as the lands of the Tiger Nomads. She was a captive of
Father Eye and the duergar, but has been my companion here...(he trails
off, realizing how odd this could sound to an outsider)
Peyton: No worries. (to Kaya) You were saying?
Kaya: I say you're both thinking too much here. Father Eye is a fearsome
creature, but at the same time he does what he does for a reason. Just
because we don't know that reason doesn't mean we can't use it. While
he has gathered duergar to work the mines here...at the same time he's
built some of them into a fighting force.
He Chak: Or what remains of it. (he eyes Peyton)
Kaya: But still. He needs a force - whether to guard the ore, or guard
against outside enemies, or maybe guard against enemies we don't know
about, perhaps from the passages that lie beneath and beyond the mines
themselves. So he needs allies - especially now, with so many slain in
the recent fiery destruction.
Peyton: (looks around innocently) Unfortunate, that.
He Chak: (nods) So perhaps we must now offer him new allies.
Peyton: Rather than new enemies. Right now, he's basically come under
attack. I was just sent here to scout...and there will be others, with
far greater power and magic...especially if I don't return. Hell, they
could be on their way here even now, who knows. But if Father Eye makes
peace with those outside the mines...not only do those new enemies stop
being enemies, they become new allies. (he rubs his gray-bearded chin
thoughtfully, then regards the pair) What if we presented me to Father
Eye as an emissary of the new power in the desert? And say that I tried
to reason with the guards but they attacked my group? It's not like any
of those from the mine entrances are around to dispute the tale. (he
frowns) Unless one of the monster's abilities allows him to talk with
the dead?
He Chak: No. His talents lie in rendering people dead, not speaking with
them afterward.
Peyton: (grins) I just thought of a way to make this story even better,
and more believable - and more less risky for you, too. We don't tell
him that Rary's dead, but rather that he's come under attack from other
foes. That would explain why he's not answered your communications.
He Chak: Actually, I had not revealed Rary's recent lack of communication
to Father Eye. I had not yet thought of an explanation, and had been
hoping that the silence would soon end.
Peyton: (nods) So I'll say that I was part of an exploratory force from
those others who are at odds with Rary...we came here and then had the
big misunderstanding that led to the fireball. Logically, the beholder
can't possibly know which side will win, so he can't kill either one of
us just yet.
Kaya: Well, he could.
He Chak: (frowns at her) We must think more positively. And I think the
gnome is correct. Father Eye initially sought an alliance with Rary for
the same reasons he would now be open to a new alliance. From what I
have seen, he wishes to fortify these mines and have allies if he needs
them.
Peyton: And what if he prefers to side with Rary, instead of those who
now attack Rary's interests in the desert?
He Chak: Then you become a hostage - a valuable one, much too valuable to
kill.
Peyton: We hope.
Kaya: With that one, there is no telling. But this is the best plan we
have, I think.
Peyton: So that's our third option. We tell him Rary's at war, we claim
misunderstanding, and see who he wants to back in the conflict. Whether
he chooses the Rary or the invaders, the result should get us out of the
mines...and then we'll have the advantage.
He Chak: (nods) I can't say I like this plan, but it is the best of a
number of poor options.
Kaya: And will hopefully get us out of here alive.
Peyton: (frowns) Do you really think he'd go for it?
Just then, there was a series of loud knocks on the thick door of the
chamber.
He Chak: We are about to find out.
next: Father Eye
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: 6/7/2024
notes: This is the first story ever released to the world on a day
I didn't work at Georgia Tech (granted, in the beginning in 1991 I was
a mere student worker, but still). And my full-time career was fully
contained within the span of my planning, writing, and publishing of
episodes 0001-1152. That's staggering.
So as of June 1, I'm retired from that. The pension will be enough
to live comfortably on, though if I want to be rich I'll need to find
another job. But not yet. As I've said often in the last couple of
months, I've been employed at one job or another since 1985, and have
never know a time when I didn't have to think about and worry about the
happenings at that job - whether that simply meant having to report for
duty, or more recently the incessant 24x7 demands and stress of being a
leader in IT at a huge workplace.
I've made up my mind about one thing for sure: I'm not doing a damn
thing I don't want to do for at least the next couple of months. This
is the end of the rainbow, I've worked hard for it for decades, and I
deserve it. And now it's mine.
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