The journey back to Belhaim, for some reason, seems to go much quicker than
your trip to the Arenway. By the time
night falls on the second day you would estimate that perhaps only five or six
more hours’ travel will get you there.
Almost a full 2 days before the auction.
As you try to decide whether to camp or press on, thunder and lightning
fill the sky as rain pours down, quickly making the decision obvious. You come upon a small clearing by the side of
the path, clearly a well-worn campsite.
Enough trees create a canopy that shelters you from the soaking
sky. Eventually, late in the night the
rain stops, and you are able to get a nice fire going. Bugs and frogs make a tender lullaby as you
begin discussing watch duties.
You all sit around the fire, contemplating the past several
weeks, looking at each other. Suddenly
you realize you are not alone. Sitting
on the log next to Mal is a small monkey.
He is starting to pick at Mal’s wet hair.
“Soba! Leave young
Mal alone! After all, we are guests
here.” A voice emanated from the
darkness beyond the camp as a halfling dressed in earth tone clothing steps
out. “It’s good to see you all
again. And together!" Smiling, he looks to each of your faces, finally
resting his gaze upon Kulman. He extends his hand. “I don’t
think we have met. I am Heschen Turngrace”
Chad immediately extends his arms and yells "Soba!"
ReplyDeleteThey embrace, roll around on the ground, and begin to pick through each other's hair.
The monkey picks a flea off you. Happily, he pops it in his mouth.
DeleteChad picks a flea off of Soba. Happily, he pops it in his mouth.
DeleteWong raises a hand in greeting to the new arrival.
ReplyDelete"Well met, Heschen Turngrace. Mal has spoken so highly of you... Its nice to have a face along w/ your name. What brings you out to such a place... in such conditions?"
ReplyDeleteHe turns from the gnome. "Ah, good Mr. Xorn. Actually, we have already met." He pauses, as if waiting for some recognition from Samanthi. "I don't expect you to remember, after all it was some time back. I was a guest of one of the Kalistocrats in Kerse. You were at a dinner party. Quite droll affair, I recall. Lots of talk of trade routes and such." He pauses again, still seeing no sign of remembrance. "Well, droll for me at least. You and your fellow merchants seemed quite animated. I suppose that is the Drumish way."
DeleteThorbjörn thunders, "Heschen, you tiny bastard! It's good to see you. Come have some mead. I have some questions." He fills a mug from a small keg in his pack, holds it out to Heschen and continues, "This job seems to have fuck all to do with a destiny to save the northlands and is more akin to sowing the whitecaps." Thorbjörn drains his own mug. Wiping his chin with his sleeve, he says, "Can't you at least tell me what this necklace is for? Don't get me wrong, it's fine piece of work the like of which I could ne'er afford even were I to do naught but raid every day for the rest of my life." He glares at his companions for a moment as if to discourage anyone who might be thinking to steal it. "If you could throw in a few details about the saving the world thing, that'd go down mighty nice as well." Thorbjörn mutters, "Not that I particularly care for much of this world or the people in it--but it should be one hell of a fight and I like glory as much as the next man."
ReplyDelete“Well my large friend, I knew you would have questions, and I intend to answer what I can.” Says the smiling halfling as he puts his hand on the arm of the sitting half-giant. “Your necklace, it is something special. Often, people from the north carry such crystals. It holds part of your homeland, and can bring comfort in certain situations. It is to be treasured.” The druid sighs, as he looks to the rest of the group. “As to saving the world, well that is a different matter. As I have told most of you, my attention was grabbed, and focused on some sort of old power rising, and destroying much of this realm as we knew it. I wish I could say I knew more, but most of how I learn things comes in vague, dreamlike ways. In this case, I had such a dream. It showed me darkness and suffering. The dream repeated itself several times. Then, as time went on, I saw other things. I saw the image of the Drow High Priestess, Mesh’a’tiandre, and her people in pain. Then I saw the gnomes…the bleaching coming on hard and fast. In fact, I saw pain for most Fey. Then fire. Eventually I took on a fever, allowing me to see other things…yourselves, Silas Gribb, and this book. I am sure none of these things was shown to me without reason.” He looks again to Kulman. “I saw everyone but you.” He sits.
DeleteTala abruptly stands as the group greets the Druid. "Enough of the niceties. Let us get to the point. Turngrace, we have retrieved a portion of the book you seek, specifically Chapter Two. How many other parts are necessary for you to accomplish your goal and what other tasks may we help you with? Time is of the essence, we are sure, so we will abide by no delay..."
ReplyDeleteThe halfling, about to address the gnome, stops. His eyebrows raise in surprise. “You have part of the book?” He fully digests the Drow’s question. “My goal…well, funny thing is I am not sure what the goal is. If I can change my dreams, if I can deal with the rise of whatever is coming, I suppose that is my goal. My hope is to use the book to determine whatever that is. If you have the chapter with you, I will need to examine it. Where did you find it? Who had it? Silas? What was he going to do with it? I need to know more.”
DeleteKulman stands to address Heschen, and the group as a whole...
ReplyDelete"Heschen Turngrace, you are well met and welcome here. It seems that everyone has crossed your path at some time in the not so distant past, and all here welcome you as a friend. I for one have not met you, but recognize the use of the magics when I see them. As a wanderer myself, and a distant child of the fey realm, I know there are many tools at the disposal of one capable of communing with the other worlds, but what you know and why you have used that knowledge in the way you have I still do not understand. It is true what Tala says, we have found a chapter of this book of dragons that you informed some of us about. I am confused, because as you were discussing the book with so many of the others here, it was at that time that I actually had ownership of the text. I did not know it's purpose, or even it's content, but it seems you have a deep concern for this text, why is it that you have such concern? And please, as we all stand here as one, tell us frankly, for the amount of work you have placed in amassing all of these people but for myself sounds exhausting...."
With that Kulman smiles..
"so it seems I have not formally introduced myself...My name is Kulman Broadtoe. Years, weeks, and days before this book came into my possession I would have defined myself as a young man dreaming of finding a purpose, a quest, a crusade. This book does seem to bring death and misery to those who come into contact with it, and I am one of the few who has escaped that fate. So why us? How did you come by the knowledge that you imparted onto some of us and not others? and why the partial truths or stories given to some and not others? I guess, as many here already have placed faith and trust in your words I ask simply, Why should I trust you? If you tell me that the world is at danger, my younger self would have valiantly, and stupidly, charged off at the mention of righteousness. I vow now, in front of you all, that if this quest has the potential to save one single soul, whether human, or gnome, or goblin, or drow who has done no wrong and requires my sword and my lance to survive than I give it willingly and without hesitation...."
With those words you all see a sadness in Kulman, a realization that by not asking questions in the past he has given his word without understanding the consequences of upholding his promises, even if the ones given the promise were not perfectly forthcoming....
"So to partake, to protect, to defend the defenseless I simply ask you to be honest and tell us the whole truth of why we are here, help us to believe that our goals are not only united, but for the good of those who are less capable that we, and upon those words I will ride to the ends of Golarion and back again if it shall protect those in need..."
A seriousness drops over the previously pleasantly demeanored halfling. “Mr. Broadtoe, first, I must say it is a pleasure to meet you. Over my lifetime I have had the honor of meeting several of your brethren of the First World, but I must say I have never met one such as you, one with such a noble and defined purpose. Most gnomes, in my experience, have a wandering mind, yours, I can see, is set upon a course. That is curious to me, and perhaps part of the reason I have not seen you in my visions. The First World magics are a finicky thing. It sees some, ignores others, often on the nature of the subject. Perhaps we can discuss your, and your family’s history later, and that may shed some light on the situation.” He looks across the fire at Mal, then to Samanthi, then to Tala. “What you say is true Kulman, death seems to follow this book, and I am anxious to know how you eventually came across part of it, but you are incorrect on one point, it does not bring death. Books do not typically kill. Evil deeds of people, mechanisms of scheming individuals who will to cause death, cause the untimely loss of life. As I have said, I am unsure as to what is coming, but to answer your question, will innocents die? In my visions they will. Can the circumstances surrounding this book, and can potential future actions of those seated around this fire stop innocents from death and suffering? I believe the answer to that is absolutely yes.” Heschen pulls a small canteen from his belt. Soba quickly comes over to him and sips from it. The monkey seems to smile in a bit of drunken joy. The halfling also drinks. “I have told the truth to all of you. There is a danger. To be totally honest, I have told some more than others. In my experience, it is easy to convince some to join in a quest…”, he glances at Chad, “…and it is difficult to convince others of its necessity.” His eyes look to Tala. “I have no doubt that ALL of you are important to this endeavor, even you Mr. Broadtoe. As for me convincing you of your need to work together, perhaps, deep down, you have already been convinced of that.
DeleteI just came from Belhaim. After you and Silas left Yanmass I heard nothing. Fearing that a dire fate had befallen you already, I took it upon myself to track you down.” He stops, thinking for a moment. “But perhaps I shall explain as much as I can from the beginning. I digress. As I said, I had visions and dreams. Some of these involved each of you, aside from Mr. Broadtoe, as previously mentioned. Interestingly, I already had known Chad. Have for some time. Fine boy.” Soba jumps back on Chad’s shoulder. “Others of you I was forced to seek out. I know many people, and those people know many people. I utilized all of my resources, magical and non-magical, in this matter of highest importance. For example, I met Tala through her high Priestess. Having to convince Mesh of the cause was not difficult, as it turns out, she herself, through her goddess, had already seen portended suffering of her people. I came upon Mal lying almost half dead while actually searching for him. And so on. You must understand, my magics, at times frustratingly, don’t guide me in specific directions. I rely on a type of divine, often vague, guidance.
DeleteOne other person I examined Mr. Gribb, having seen him as well. I looked into Mr. Gibb. Subsequently, after seeing what Mr. Gribb did for a living, and having suspected Mr. Gribb being of the unsavory sort, I determined that having all of you, accompany him, and this suspected book would be the best course. I often find that following the strings I have been given in visions leads to a much larger tapestry. In this case, we need to know that design, and we need to find that loom. So I kept an eye on you, from a distance, following your progress. That progress seemed to stop in Belhaim. Having heard nothing, I traveled there, arriving yesterday, finding them preparing for an event, an auction, as it turns out. After some inquiry, I was relieved to find you all well, albeit no longer with Mr. Gribb, as he seems to have run afoul of the law. I was also pleased to hear that, working together, you helped the citizens there, finding missing villagers and dealing with a kobold problem. This encouraged me. You, it would seem, are already working together well, and evidently, are heroes in this small town. This is one suspicion I was hoping to be true.” He smiles slightly. “You see, our realm has a lack of heroes nowadays, and it would appear that there may be a need for them now.” After finding out you headed to the Arenway for a delivery, I thought perhaps I would find you there. And here we are.” He pauses again. “Now tell me how you got the book from Silas, and of this dead Wizard that I have heard of, Hunclay, what does he have to do with this? Dead wizards, in my experience, rarely end up dead for no reason.”
DeleteWait.... you were searching for me?
Delete"As I said, I was looking for all of you." He puts his hand on Mal's shoulder. "I had envisioned all of you playing a part in this. It was by the Land's luck that I found you when I did, you were nearly beyond help."
DeleteMaster Wong gingerly removes a finely crafted shallow wooden box from his backpack. He slides out three duty looking tomes. “Ancient Osiriani texts. Good, of some value, but not extraordinary.” He sets them aside, and slides out a slender black volume. “This one is . . . disturbing. It touches on a Dark Tapestry, some references to the Void. In my lands, the Void is seen as a . . . fifth element. Darkly magic. I not research Void much, but might if I have chance to look at book for any length of time. Might it have anything to do with your dark Dreams?” Wong pulls out the final book. “This one . . . gibberish. Filled with wingdings and other nonsense, unless it is some code I cannot understand. However,” at this point he pulls a slender sheaf of papers from where it is tucked just within the back cover of the book, “I believe this is at least part of what you seek. Appears to be chapter of greater book of Dragons. Titled the Chromatics. Details the colorful dragons, as opposed to the Metallics. Hand written notes in the margins, appear to be perhaps lineages of dragons. Presumably of the relevant colors, though perhaps not.” He shows the chapter to Heschen.”
ReplyDeleteWong proceeds to tell Heschen about what has been learned of the original caravan ambush, the party’s travel to the village of Belhaim, the happenings in the town, the “arrest” of Silas Gribb and everything Gribb told the party, the collapse of the tower, the search of the tower ruins, the events involving the kobolds, the details of the inventorying of the wizard Hunclay’s home and all that happened therein (including the release of the shadow creature Shea, the Wall of Light, the clockwork lab, the contents of the wizard’s to-do list and journal entries, etc.) the cavern where the books and otherworldly creature were found, and the trip to Arenway (including the barroom brawl and the dragon-faced sorcerer.) He will stop if any party members interrupt, but otherwise tells the complete tale of what has happened to date.
At some point off to the side, Wong asks Heschen to pass on this same information to the Most Honored Master Dreng in Absalom.
Delete"And, apparently, there is to be auction back in Belhaim shortly. Supposedly there will be many interested parties traveling to small village to examine what shall be sold from remnants of wizard Hunclay's earthly possessions."
DeleteMal nods excitedly throughout Master Wong's rendition of the group's activities, and, barely able to contain his excitement, interrupts from time to time. He then falls silent and nods an apology to Wong and nods for him to continue, but then interrupts again every few minutes.
DeleteAs Henchen describes the state of things, Mal looks around with a broad smile and nod, and even murmurs, "I TOLD you we were supposed to be together!"
Heschen sits quietly, nodding here and there. Soba continues to pick bugs from Chad’s hair. When Mal utters his last words, the halfling responds. “Indeed Mal, as suspected, you are to be together. Well, that is quite a tale. Many things concern me. What this wizard was up to with such books, how Gribb was involved, and this man with the dragon tattoo. Only a fool would consider it coincidence that there is a book on dragons involved, and a man with a dragon on his face shows up, eh? Only a chapter of a book on dragons you say?" His voice sounds more grave with each short question. "Ancient Osiriani texts? A book on the Dark Tapestry and the Void? This wizard seems to have had a lot going on. Very curious. Wizards in these parts have a reputation for having a dangerous curious streak." He eyes the books at Wong's feet. "May I see the books? Perhaps I can make some sense of them.”
Delete"Wizards in 'these parts' you say? Why do you think that Wizards in this part of Taldor are worse than in other areas? I myself have only tangentially dealt w/ wizards in that sometimes they need certain items acquired. I don't think I've actually ever talked w/ a wizard at any length... though their pointy, star covered hats and long beards are fascinating..."
Delete"Additionally, Heschen, are you familiar w/ the history around this area? There seems to be reference to the founders of the town of Belhaim having destroyed the dragon Aterprax... but the kobolds that were terrorizing the town that we so graciously dealt w/ seem to be worshiping something also called Aterprax. What do you make of that?"
"TREASURE you say... as in valuable items that can be sold in a market for a hefty markup?"
DeleteRubbing his chin for a moment, Samanthi adds, "So you think a few days of study might help unravel what these books have to offer? And I assume that peace and quite will help your studies??? So, really, it would be BEST for "the cause" if we occupied ourselves for the time being?..." Turning to the group, "You know, IF we are just going to sit idly by while he studies, we might as well make the most of it. Seems like one of these "vaults" might be a good use of our idle time..."
“I know some of the history, but specific to Belhaim, I do not. Aeteprax is a name in this book. I recall long ago there were several dragons who roamed the area, terrorizing the entire realm. I seem to remember reading that a famed group of dragonslayers came from this area. I would have to do more research. As for wizards, have none of you heard of the dark wizard Nhur Athemon? Master Wong? He lived a thousands of years ago in these parts. His knowledge was great, but so was his propensity for evil and cruelty. Legend was that he built five “vaults”, scattered around Taldor. There he kept his most prized possessions. Those legends were confirmed as of late, as three of the vaults have been discovered and explored. The last two, his rumored “Dark Menagerie” and his “Inner Sanctum” have yet to be found, but treasure hunters from all over the realm still search.” Heschen looks like he contemplates saying more but hesitates.
DeleteHeschen listens to Xorn, then responds. “My circle believes it knows the location of the Dark Menagerie, and are close to discovering his sanctum’s location. Truth be told, it is not far from here, just to the north, on the way back to Belhaim. We were going to investigate it ourselves, but as it may have some ties into the goings on here, time is of the essence. You could probably investigate it on the way back, and still make the auction…hopefully.” He thinks for a moment. “I did mention that there was a rumor that the dark wizard had, among his collection of pets, a dragon…”
DeleteWong nods thoughtfully. "Nhur Athemon was a noble of ancient Azlanti empire . . . a wizard-lord, who was rumored to worship demons. Supposedly he traveled the land, building vaults for himself, storing his most prized treasures. He is thought to be dead over 10,000 years, but some believe he survived, and continued to build vaults to placate his vast ego. Apparently, some of his vaults have been discovered. Supposedly they have hardly aged a day, as if preserved by strong magics. They could hold some of his ancient treasures."
DeleteWong nods, carefully pulling the Dark Tapestry book from the box and handing it over to Heschen. He will pull the other books out one at a time and hand them to Heschen as he gets the prior books back to place safely in the case.
ReplyDeleteHe nervously takes The Secrets of the Dreaming Dark from you and gingerly flips through it. “This….this is most disturbing. This volume, although it will require some study of course, seems to speak of contacting and summoning things from the Dark Tapestry.” He pauses on a page. “It also speaks of another realm, or place, or something…the void. Do you have any idea why the wizard had such a book?” He carefully hands it back to you.
Delete"While completing the task of inventorying the wizard's home, we ventured upon a creature who claimed to be from the shadow realm. Perhaps the wizard used this book to summon the poor creature and torture it."
Delete"Interesting." He takes the pages of the Dragon book. He examines each carefully, removes a piece of paper and begins to jot down notes. "The book appears to be a reference book. Very old. These names, you said they were perhaps lineages, why do you think so?"
DeleteWrong pulls out the wizard's to do list and journal. He points out the references to the dominion of the black, summoning, Mr. B, Aeterperax, and the dark tapestry. "Also, the kobolds seemed to have Some kind of relationship with an Aeterperax. Also, they had these." Wrong pulls the five green dragonscales and one slightly larger black from his pack.
Delete"As to the lineage, the handwritten names appear to be some kind of . . . hierarchy? Since I have yet to hear of dragon army, assume is dragon bloodline, perhaps. Guess. But good guess."
DeleteDude, that's like, totally what I would have guessed too.
DeleteA dragon army would be so cool tho...
"This 'Void', what does the book say about it? Have you heard of such a realm? What effect, if any, does a creature crossing over from the Shadow Realms have on the population of our realm?"
Delete“A dragon army?” Heschen snorts. “Master Wong, I believe your instinct is correct. As no dragons have been seen in Golarion, outside of Hermea of course, I would agree, a dragon army is improbable. And Chad, I assure you it would NOT be cool. Dragons were known to be destructive, evil creatures. If given the chance, they would kill you, and everyone you cared about. There are many who believe that if the dragons came back, it would mean the end of all we know. It would make the Worldwound look like a child’s game. I am one who loves the land and all its creatures, but dragons, in my opinion don’t fall in that category. They are magical abominations.” He looks at the pages again. “I will research these names, perhaps I can come up with something.” Heschen looks at the books in ancient Osiriani. “These books seem to be history books. It talks of old pharaohs and their pursuit of magics. Some say the old pharaohs are the ones who founded the schools, even before the Runelords got involved.” Finally, the halfling looks at the scales, and goes pale. He pulls from his pocket a looking glass. He studies the black scale first. “This is from a very old dragon. Taken from it after its death. You see, when a dragon dies, like a snake or a kobold, the scales begin to erode, then fall off. If you look carefully, at the roots of this scale, they were dead before coming off.” He then looks at the green scales. His eyes grow wide. “This however, is a different story. This came of a young dragon, and it was likely shed. You cannot see any cut marks, and the roots are not necrotic. They do not appear to have been shed long ago.” The glass falls from his hand. “If I did not know better, I would say that these were recently lost from a living green dragon.”
DeleteHe puts the scales down and drinks from his canteen. Tala’s question hangs in the air. “Shadow? A creature of the shadow realm? To be honest, that really is nothing unusual, there are several types that walk this land. As for the Void, when we get back to Belhaim, I will take a closer look at the book on the Dark Tapestry and the Void. It will require a more formal setting, allowing for concentration for a period of time. Master Wong, as you know, some books take time, in this case, two days should do. Also, sometimes books such as this are dangerous, I will assume the risk. I believe you all have a room at the inn that I could use?”
"I agree with Xorn. The opportunity to examine such vaults could be most valuable, in terms of both knowledge and treasure.
Delete"Good, then in the morning I will take you to the vault, from there I will head to Belhaim to begin my studies...."
ReplyDelete