Chapter #1230
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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 +
+ 1991-2026 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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+ Pallin 18th level grey elven wizard, teleporter +
+ Socrates large albino hound +
+ Talos adamantine golem +
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+ Date: 6/1/587 C.Y. (Common Year) +
+ Time: early morning +
+ Place: the Brass Hills, within the Bright Lands +
+ Climate: hot and dry +
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+ "I taught him everything he knew...I didn’t teach him everything _I_ +
+ know." +
+ - Jesse Hooker, from _Near Dark_ +
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MCCXXX. Pallin
After the immense amount of effort he'd spent on the construction of
the fortress and the larger pieces of the city below, Pallin found the
building of his own tower to be almost anticlimactic. It was a simple
obelisk of brown rock, eighty feet high and twenty feet square at the
base. Only two windows interrupted its smooth sides, both of them far
above ground level. There was no roof, just the pointed tip where the
four faces met at the top. The thin, almost needle-like tower didn't
look like it could possibly have enough space for someone to live and
work within - because from a normal perspective, it technically didn't.
The interior of the obelisk was much larger than its outer dimensions
suggested, due to powerful enchantments that distorted and expanded
that space; anyone who entered would find themselves standing within
a spacious entrance hall, with guest quarters and an elaborate staircase
leading up to the second floor. That entry was afforded by the single
large, stone door at the base of the thin spire. Flush with one wall
and practically invisible when closed, this door had the same physical
and magical protections and resistances as the rest of the tower.
Pallin kept the design simple, as he'd had his fill of large, overly
complicated layouts from all his previous work in the vicinity. There
were three floors - again not corresponding to any of the physical space
outside the structure - with the first being an entry hall plus storage
and spare chambers for the rare guest. The second floor held the mage's
rather sparse living quarters and personal space. The third level was
completely functional, housing all of the wizard's books, magical items,
and other possessions. It also featured an adjacent workroom, beyond
which was a very special and highly secure chamber that was still under
construction; this room would one day serve to amplify and focus Pallin's
teleportation magic, allowing him to reach faraway places both on Oerth
and elsewhere. Such a place would be inherently risky, and indeed quite
dangerous, which was why it remained unfinished until such time as the
wizard could ensure a high measure of safety against anyone or anything
venturing there. Any successful intrusion of this sort would put his
tower - and indeed the entire fortress - in danger.
Notably, Pallin's home here lacked an observatory, for a very simple
reason: the one atop the watchtower, which itself rose from the massive citadel of magic, was more than enough to suit his needs. Indeed, it was
he who had argued for that observatory, which would allow him (and others
of they were ever so inclined) to study the night sky and all its varied
and wonderful contents. In a sense, he had moved a piece of his work out
of his home and into - or more accurately, atop - another location.
Of course, there was also the matter of how to allow Pallin's personal
teleportation efforts while preventing all others. The unique stone of
his tower - a fusion of natural granite, numerous metallic ores, and at
least three other substances - completely blocked all magic having to do
with movement and transportation. It was that simple; nothing could get
in or out, an achievement that was no surprise coming from an archmage
who had completely mastered such things. Pallin also had access to the
assorted notes and spells of others (namely Cespedes, Mesoloth, Rary, and
Chargrim) who had dabbled in teleportation magic and protections...and he
had taken the best knowledge from each of them, using it to augment his
own work. As a result, Pallin's tower had inherent defenses that were
stronger than those of any of the other wizards of the Bright Alliance.
Indeed, while he'd helped advise some of them with their own homes' wards
and construction - and of course worked on the main fortress as well - he
hadn't shared everything he knew.
Pallin had minimal companions in his tower. The large albino hound
Socrates, while a normal (if sizable) animal, benefitted from a couple of
permanent magical effects. In addition to somewhat-enhanced strength and
speed, the dog could also sniff out magical auras, and he wore a collar
that regenerated his wounds at a slow but steady rate. Loyal to Pallin
and Pallin alone, the hound would never be found interacting with others;
it was a faithful companion at normal times and a fierce guardian during
battle. The wizard's obelisk also held a pair of unseen servants who
handled mundane tasks such as cleaning and laundry. There were no true
guardians, however, as Pallin's magical security measures for the tower
were practically impenetrable. He did control the adamantine golem now
(a responsibility he'd taken over after Cespedes' death) but the massive
construct remained outside the spire when not engaged in other work. It
would never enter the tower, nor would it have reason to.
When it came to adventuring and combat, Pallin's inventory and arsenal
were fairly simple. He wore a fine gray cloak of protection - a very
powerful one linked to the deity Celestian, which worked by shifting and
redirecting physical and magical attacks away from the space occupied by
its wearer. Upon one finger, he wore a ring that held various magical
spells of movement: blink, dimension door, teleport without error, and
plane shift. On the other finger was a ring that functioned just like a
cube of force, allowing him to protect himself quickly and efficiently.
He usually carried a wand of magic missiles, using it only in emergency
situations when he needed to back a foe off but didn't have time to cast
a spell. He possessed a wand of earth and stone (basically "inherited"
from Cespedes) whose power was almost completely depleted after all the
recent work on the massive fortress. Pallin did not engage in physical
combat, and carried no weapons other than the wand of magic missiles; he
relied exclusively on his spells during battle. He also owned a Daern's
Instant Fortress which was typically kept on his person. Aside from those
magical items, he also owned two that remained at home unless needed, due
to their power, value, and size. The Eye of Fharlanghn was a large globe
whose surface was an ancient parchment; this object depicted the entire
world of Oerth, with some parts fully mapped while others were yet blank.
If its owner explored a land, ocean, or other region not yet detailed on
the globe, the knowledge thus gained would then be magically added to the
globe. The other wondrous magical item Pallin owned was the legendary
Book of Stars, a treatise on the stars, the spaces between them, and the
various things found there. This thick tome also contained a number of
unique spells having to do with such things, including one that the grey
elf had used several times to venture to and explore the moon Celene, a
celestial body that (unlike the dead moon Luna) was lush, fertile, and
teeming with strange forms of life. Of note, like many of the others,
Pallin also had another stronghold in a distant place; whether he would
keep that home and continue to use it, only time would tell.
Like most archmagi, Pallin had researched and developed some unique
magical spells over the years. One allowed him to scan nearby structures
or land features to determine their general layout and composition; while
this had been designed to help him determine whether an unknown place was
safe to teleport into, he'd once used it to survey the Fortress of the
Nine prior to assaulting it. Another of his spells could breach another
wizard's protective barrier, briefly creating a narrow corridor through
which the caster and his allies could pass. A third incantation allowed
almost a score of people to fly together as one group, propelled by the
single spell. Pallin had also invented two methods for moving very large
numbers of people and items across great distances: a mass teleportation
spell that could take a couple dozen people from one place to another in
the blink of an eye, and a huge, temporary portal suitable for greater
numbers moving at slower speeds. While these both accomplished the same
basic thing, they functioned in different ways. The portal in particular
had been helpful in bringing many hundreds of people halfway across the
world in an orderly fashion.
Any teleportation spells cast by Pallin tended to be more powerful, and
more efficient, than those of others - they were faster, less unsettling,
more accurate, and (most importantly) less risky. This was a result of
his long association with, and service to, the god Celestian. However,
the elf's magic was not infallible: his magic had proven unable to get
an invading party into the Fortress of the Nine, and they had sought an
alternate method to attack. Despite this, none of the Bright Alliance
had yet to meet anyone better when it came to magical movement between
places or even planes of existence.
Pallin had few hobbies to speak of. His interests, like his magic,
favored all things having to do with the sky, the stars, and the space
within which they existed. The bulk of his small library pertained to
these topics or the history and lore of Celestian. His appearance and
demeanor were similarly unassuming: he was thin, about five and a half
feet tall, and physically weak - a fact that he tried to compensate for
with his magic and knowledge. The grey elf almost always had a stern
look on his face...a look that turned into a full-on scowl whenever he
was annoyed, which was often. Pallin tended to measure others by their
intellect and ability to utilize it, and often talked down to people who
didn't measure up or who he perceived as less intelligent. Tangentially,
he didn't care much for loud or brash people, and preferred to avoid such
company if he could.
The grey elf had mixed feelings about his companions within the Bright
Alliance. He was close with Parekh, having known and adventured with her
for a long time. He respected and appreciated Alindyar's unique powers,
which meant he respected Lyra as well. He also didn't mind the company
of the two older human members - Dexitheseus and Wu - mostly because they
stayed quiet and got the job done when necessary. As for Kronos...while
Pallin appreciated the vast experience and immense power the lich brought
to the group, he had some concerns about that one's potential differing
perspective and views due to his great age. At greater than two hundred
years old himself, Pallin knew that longer-lived individuals had to take
the long view and might have motivations and goals far different from
others. He had similar worries about Belphanior and Shemeya - the elf
because of his similarly long lifespan, the fiery Sulmish sorceress due
to her millennia of life experience while trapped in time within her tower.
In both cases, Pallin disliked their quick tempers and direct methods of
getting things done once they'd made up their mind. So far he had kept
these thoughts to himself, not even discussing them with Parekh...but the
time for that might well come in the near future. For now, Pallin felt
strongly that all the work the group had done in the desert was good and
right and would reap even greater benefits in the future. As long as
this continued to be the case, he was fully invested in the work they'd
done so far as well as the work yet to come.
next: Bright Alliance member profiles, part six: Parekh
map: http://www.peldor.com/world/atlas/Bright-Desert_1226.png
www: http://www.peldor.com/download.html
homepage: http://www.peldor.com/
email: tmiller@peldor.com
released: 10/9/2026
notes: Five down, three to go. Regarding the new spells mentioned
for Pallin, the scanning one first appeared in episodes 763. I haven't
yet tracked down the usage history of the narrow tunnel and the mass
flying. And the mass teleport and big portals, he's used several times
over the years.
Writing about the second of those spells - the tunnel through magical
barriers - made me think of that, and teleportation in general, in the
same manner as firewalls and pinholes. Just a tidbit for those readers
with a networking or firewall background.
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