Chapter #1168
previous chapter (#1167)
next chapter (#1169)
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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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+ Alindyar 18th level dark elven wizard +
+ Lyra 14th level female drow wizard +
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+ Adolphus 8th level half-ogre warrior +
+ Damien small, renegade imp +
+ Peyton 9th level gnome thief +
+ Rogar 8th level human priest of Olidammara +
+ Sylus 7th/7th level dark elf warrior/thief +
+ Wembly 7th level human wizard +
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+ Date: Richfest day 3, after 6/28/586 C.Y. (Common Year) +
+ Time: late morning +
+ Place: the northwest reaches of the Abbor-Alz hills +
+ Climate: warm and dry +
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+ "Fighting isn't about fair. It's about winning." +
+ - Eddie Huang, from the _Fresh off the Boat_ book +
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MCLXVIII. The Eyes Have It
The negotiations with Father Eye, the beholder who rules the mines
within the hills north of the Bright Desert, had been proceeding well
until a moment ago...
Lyra: Oh, and there is one more thing we desire as part of this bargain.
The wizard He Chak can be of great use to us, with regard to unraveling
certain mysteries that the wizard Rary left behind. These are urgent
and need to be dealt with soon, thus we ask that you allow him and his
companion to accompany us back to the Brass Hills.
He Chak: (taken completely by surprise, his eyes widen)
Father Eye: (his huge central eye narrows) NO.
Alindyar: We urge you to bear in mind that the secrets of Rary may well
lead to more resources to assist you with-
Father Eye: THE ANSWER IS NO. ABSOLUTELY NOT. THE WIZARD HE CHAK HAS
DUTIES HERE, SERVING ME.
Lyra: (ESPing to Lyra) That likely isn't true. From what Peyton found
out before, He Chak was never in Father Eye's service. I think the eye
tyrant just wants to keep him around.
Alindyar: (ESPing to Lyra) Aye. And I grow weary with this monster's
continued arrogance and interruptions.
Father Eye: YOUR UNEARTHING OF RARY'S MYSTERIES, NO MATTER HOW IMPORTANT
THEY SEEM TO YOU, WILL HAVE TO TAKE PLACE WITHOUT THE HELP OF HE CHAK.
THERE IS WORK FOR HIM HERE.
He Chak: (forces himself to remain silent as he wonders how this will
play out, and if the beholder will take out any anger on him later)
More than a week ago, the wizard had been told in no uncertain terms
that his continued survival hinged on the success of an agreement with
the alliance of wizards. It was amazingly ironic, then, that he was not
being permitted to speak or shape those negotiations. Such was life in
the service of a beholder - and it was not a life he wanted. To be sure,
he hadn't even wanted the assignment from Rary, but there had been no
choice; the old wizard had been in a frenzy every since the violence in
Greyhawk two years ago. But that was history now, and if anything, the
group that now sought to shape the desert's future seemed more calm and
deliberate, and their plans more subtle and flexible.
And that gave He Chak some hope...hope that these two dark elves, who
were obviously powerful and used to getting what they wanted, would be
able to compromise with the often-temperamental beholder and settle on
terms. If they did, then He Chak (and Kaya) might still be alive a week
from now. But if they didn't, the outlook was grim.
Alindyar: (sighs loudly, removing his arms from his robe and steepling
his hands on front of him) So to summarize: we provide the necessary
forces to rid you of your foes beneath, and to reinforce these mines,
and you will cease all marauding on the surface above plus pay us in
gold and silver and - eventually - knowledge of the desert?
Father Eye: (grins, displaying dual rows of fearsome dagger-like teeth)
THAT IS CORRECT. THE CONTINUED OPERATION OF THE MINES IS ESSENTIAL,
AND THESE TERMS ALLOW THAT WHILE BENEFITING ALL OF US. IT IS A GOOD
DEAL- (he pauses, the two smaller eyes on his left flank pivoting to
study something elsewhere in the huge, dim, domed chamber) WHAT ARE
YOU DOING THERE?
The eye tyrant was talking to Sylus, who had silently and deliberately
crept deeper into the chamber while the creature was preoccupied with the
potential allies, who had to be watched closely due to the great power
they surely possessed. Sylus had blended with the many shadows in the
room and worked his way around to the side of a large bookcase - which
was full of sizable tomes that were likely both rare and strange - before
the beholder spotted him.
Sylus: (steps away from the shelves) My apologies. I was only-
Father Eye: I'LL ROAST YOU ALIVE FOR THIS, AND FEAST ON YOUR STEAMING
FLESH!
Alindyar: (having taken advantage of the distraction to remove the tiny
brass cage from his pocket, he quietly speaks a few arcane syllables
as he holds the item out toward the beholder)
Father Eye: (suddenly finds himself unable to speak or move)
Alindyar: (to the immobilized monster, who is now shrinking rapidly)
No, you will now.
Sylus: And thank the gods for that.
The once-gigantic beholder was now about two feet across...and a few
moments later, he was the size of a pumpkin...and then a melon...and
then an apple...and finally his body stopped shrinking when it was no
larger than the average walnut...at which point the monster suddenly
vanished from sight.
Damien: Whoa! (to Rogar) No agreement was made. I win the bet. Pay
up, motherfucker.
Rogar: (sighing, he opens a pouch and counts out ten gold coins, then
hands them to the demonoid)
Peyton: What- where'd he go?
Alindyar: (holds up the small magical cage, within which the now-tiny
beholder floats)
Peyton: Oh. Neat trick.
Alindyar: I could not have done that - at least not so flawlessly - if
not for the assistance of friend Sylus there.
Sylus: (smiles thinly) When you told me your plan and your signal of
the loud sigh and crossing of your fingers, just before we arrived
outside these mines, I wondered if it would actually work.
Alindyar: And I assured you it would. The ploy was based on the most
basic illusionist's trick: multiple layers of distraction. The eye
tyrant was focused on Lyra and me from the beginning, because we had
established ourselves as being in charge and made sure he knew of our
power. Then - with a simple and subtle pre-established signal, the
distraction was initiated. (he nods at Sylus) Something initiated
by the one of our number most able to take advantage of the dim light
in this chamber...which we knew about thanks to Peyton's description
of his last visit to this room.
Rogar: But..what if the monster had instead met us out there in that
long hall, where it's a lot brighter?
Alindyar: (shrugs) I had an alternative plan for that situation.
Damien: (hovering near the small cage, he raises his tiny pitchfork to
poke at the imprisoned beholder)
Alindyar: (turns to the small, flying imp and regards him sternly) No.
Damien: Ack. (he flies away to check out other parts of the chamber)
Wembly: Seems to me that you intentionally got the monster riled up.
Lyra: Not at first, but after talking to him for a while...his rude and
condescending attitude called for a different approach.
Alindyar: (nods) We didn't really need He Chak to solve any leftover
mysteries from Rary. There are no such mysteries, at least not any
that can be solved in the near future. (to He Chak) No offense meant.
He Chak: (still in shock over everything that just happened) Uh...
Wembly: So you never really intended to negotiate with the thing?
Alindyar: We intended to try.
Lyra: And we did.
Alindyar: Until its demands became too much. At which point we simply
neutralized it. (he holds up the cage and its new, powerless occupant)
Lyra: The terms the beholder offered were ridiculous. We'd do all of
his dirty work - without any help from his own powerful forces - just
to get some gold and silver, and keep his now-vastly-reduced force of
deep dwarves from roaming around above? No thanks. We'd have been
idiots to accept that deal. And if we refused, the creature likely
would have grown angry and turned on us.
He Chak: You are correct. He is - was - not one to negotiate.
Alindyar: (coldly) Neither are we.
Adolphus: (scratching his head) Me still not know what happened to big
ball of eyes.
Several of those present were thinking the same thing at the same time,
and it was only a matter of which one said it out loud first.
Peyton: We've got another problem...the array of big, bad guards who
wait outside this room. The good news is that there was no battle and
no noise, and thus they don't know anything happened to their master.
Lyra: Good points, all.
Alindyar: (to He Chak) You are free now, liberated from the beholder's
service. Any knowledge you have about the forces in the grand hall
would be most welcome.
He Chak: (focuses himself) Apologies. I was thinking of Kaya, trapped
in our quarters which can only be reached via that hall. And before
you suggest a spell to move through the stone, know that Father Eye
built in protections against stone-shaping, dimension doors, and the
like when he built this place.
Alindyar: Really? (he scans the walls of the chamber, then abruptly
walks in one direction, pocketing the miniature cage as he goes)
He Chak: What are you-
Alindyar: (waves a hand as he nears the wall, causing the stone to part
and walking right through it)
He Chak: -oh.
Lyra: Don't worry about your companion. We need to you tell us what you
know concerning the guards outside, before one of them decides to come
in here.
He Chak: Heh. (he shakes his head) That will not happen. Father Eye's
control over them is near-total, and they all fear him. Except for the
two golems, which are mindless, and which will be inert for now. They
have but two directives: defend him from attack, and obey any other
commands he gives. With him...gone, they will do nothing. It's the
fire giants you need to worry about-
Lyra: We. _We_ need to worry about.
He Chak: Ah, yes. We need to worry about those fire giants because,
while they are mercenaries and well-paid by Father Eye, their source
of income is now gone. Once they realize this, and that those who
defeated him most likely do not want them running wild in the lands
above...they will probably want to fight their way out. As for the
ten desert trolls, they would think the same...if they thought much
at all, which they do not. So essentially you've got over a dozen
large, strong creatures who can't easily be controlled.
Peyton: (helpfully) There's also a prison cell which, last time I was
there, held a combination of hill barbarians, desert bandits, derro,
and a couple of halflings.
He Chak: And let us not forget about Kaya-
The conversation was interrupted by a rippling in the stone of the
wall, followed by the re-emergence of Alindyar...who was not alone.
Kaya: (terrified at first, she sees He Chak and then everyone else,
and dashes over to the wizard, hugging him tightly)
Alindyar: And that is one problem solved. (to Lyra) What news?
She brought him up to speed, conveying everything that He Chak had
talked about. As for the slender wizard from the far western lands, he
was beaming now, clearly happy with this development.
He Chak: You have my deepest thanks. Whatever I can do to repay you,
just say it.
Kaya: (frowns) We're not out of peril yet. We still have to deal with
the giants and such, and get out of this place. (she regards Alindyar
with a fair measure of awe) Can you do it?
Peyton: (not used to not being in charge, he takes this opportunity to
pipe up) Yeah, what's the plan?
Alindyar: (thinking) I could transport us all out of here, but then
we'd leave powerful foes behind, not to mention the gold and silver in
the mines.
Lyra: (shaking her head) I still can't believe the monster's demands...
defeat his enemies and provide guards and miners. If we did all that,
what the hell would we have needed _him_ for?
Alindyar: Or I could transport all of us out of here and then collapse
the mines, which would take care of the powerful foes - the giants and
trolls as well as anything beneath this place - but then the precious
metals would be lost to us, not to mention everything the beholder and
his guards might possess.
Peyton: (muttering to himself) It's too bad we can't get those giants
and trolls to dig out the ore for us...they could do all the work and
we could take all the treasure...although we'd have to figure out a way
to keep them from leaving, or hiding the loot.
Alindyar: Eh?
Lyra: What's that?
Peyton: Huh?
Alindyar: (exchanges glances with Lyra) Brilliant!
They quickly created a general plan, and then figured out the finer
details of that plan. The first step would be to immobilize the giants
and trolls, which would be done using spells of holding, rock to mud,
webs, and a few others as necessary. (For any of the foes that didn't
succumb to any of those methods, there were always lightning bolts and
the like to simply destroy them.) The second step would be the careful
and controlled use of charm spells to ensorcel the creatures, one by one
if necessary. As each fell under the spell of the controlling magic, it
would be put to work in the mines.
Peyton: It _is_ brilliant. Those big bastards can dig ten times faster
than regular people, and the central mineshaft is big enough for them
to work.
Lyra: (nods) I want to be clear...we're not enslaving these brutes or
making them work forever.
Alindyar: No. Just for a few days or until the veins of ore are tapped
out. At that time, I shall release them, likely to somewhere else in
the world far from here, where they can do no harm.
He Chak: That is more than fair. I've seen those trolls devour more
than one prisoner, and the giants are mean and like to bully anyone
smaller than them.
Alindyar: As for the occupants of the prison cell...we will free the
hill barbarians, as well as the desert bandits. The latter will, of
course, be warned about what will happen if they ever again engage in
banditry in the Bright Desert.
He Chak: You'll be lucky if they and the barbarians don't attack and
kill each other the moment they leave the mine.
Alindyar: That is their problem. All of them, of both dispositions,
should simply be thankful that they were freed, rather than left in
the cells or slain outright.
Peyton: Free the two halflings - they're good guys.
Alindyar: Of course. As for the derro, I am honestly not sure what to
do with them.
He Chak: They're likely to turn and attack you after you free them.
Because derro are all insane.
Lyra: If they try that...well, we'll no longer have to worry about what
to do about them.
He Chak: What will you do about the unexplored passages to the Underdark
and the risk of things coming up through them? Father Eye was correct
about all of those concerns.
Alindyar: While the soon-to-be-charmed giants and trolls dig out silver
and gold over the next week, we will thoroughly explore this place and
take anything of value, including all of Father Eye's books and items.
As we find unsecured ways into this complex, I will seal them one by
one. And then later, when the mines' veins are tapped out and the ore
is piled high, we will transport everything to the Brass Hills...and
as the final step, we will destroy this entire complex, collapsing its
passages and chambers to prevent anything from ever coming up again.
That will endear us to the hillfolk, based on what Belphanior has said
of their concerns...and we will never have to worry about these mines
or their occupants again.
Lyra: (to Peyton and his team) We will need your help to explore and
empty this entire place, after which all of you will receive a hefty
bonus for your hard work. (to He Chak and Kaya) He Chak...we might
have work for you here, if you want it. We have a number of the pieces
of the puzzle that was Rary's master plan, but a fresh look at those
from one who knew and served him could prove beneficial. In return,
we can fund and support you-
He Chak: (holds up a hand) We owe you our lives, for freeing us once
and for all from the beholder and the miserable life down here. While
I cannot say for sure what the far future may hold...Kaya and I are
ready, willing, and able to remain here for the short term and assist
you in any way we can.
Kaya: (nods happily)
Lyra: Excellent.
Alindyar: (looking around the domed chamber that holds all the secrets
of the beholder) A fine day's work, this.
next: we switch again, to construction and worker efforts
map: http://www.peldor.com/world/atlas/bright_desert_1156.jpg
www: http://www.peldor.com/download.html
homepage: http://www.peldor.com/
email: tmiller@peldor.com
released: 9/20/2024
notes: I considered having Alindyar's command word for the Prison
of Zagyg be "Klptzyxm" which a few of you may recognize.
So, regarding Father Eye and the outcome of the discussions...I had
not decided the outcome, but as I wrote the conversation and tried to
imagine the selfish views of the beholder, I realized that it would be
fairly easy to piss off the dark elves and make them say "fuck this"
and come up with another solution besides an accord with a powerful,
unpredictable monster who brings more liabilities than assets. I'll
tell you what, that blue dragon Volte had better watch out.
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next chapter (#1169)