[Realms #179] A Gathering Storm
After they had all eaten their fill of chicken pastries and lamb stew (which in Kirnoth's case wasn't much - he left several fatty gobbets of lamb in his bowl) the conversation turned from pleasantries to talk of strategy. At the first mention of it, Abernathy hurriedly began gathering plates and bowls, the signal to Gwaedry and Allylra that it was time for the family to retire to the kitchen.
"Abernathy?" Ledare said to get the man's attention before he left. "Could you possibly show Draelond, here the way to the Day Room. Maybe he could pick out some libations for us all."
Draelond looked a little puzzled, but he nodded and got to his feet.
"I would be happy to-" the manservant began to protest, but seeing the look on the Janissary's face, he realized that the tactic had more to do with getting the big warrior out of the room and less with thirst. His face went blank, betraying not a hint of emotion and he bowed his head to Ledare.
"It would be my honor," Abernathy said. "Please follow me, Goodman Draelond."
The two men left and Ledare immediately leaned forward. "Draelond has offered his sword to help our cause," she told them.
"Really? Why?" Kirnoth asked, a trifle surprised that anyone would want to put himself so readily in harm's way.
"He says that he owes much to the king, and would be willing to assist us in our assignment," the Janissary explained. "He seems sincere, and quite sure of himself."
"Well, he did help us once, already," Finian said. "He seems worthy enough."
"I have no objections," Kirnoth put in with a nod.
"What do you think, Ledare?" Ruze asked.
Ledare considered for a moment, her eyes studying the tabletop and her trigger finger gently tapping her lips as she pondered. At last she looked up and nodded her head. "He certainly is strong," she admitted. "And we could use his help."
"If Ledare approves," Ruze said, "that's good enough for me."
Everyone looked over at Omrixx and the half-elf sat up in his seat. "I get a vote?" he asked.
"Why wouldn't you?" Finian asked.
"You are one of us, are you not?" Ledare added.
"Being so new to your group, I questioned whether I would get to voice an opinion," Omrixx said. "But, if my opinion is wanted it would be to let this young human join us. More numbers will only help us in future confrontations, be it Nunzio or anything further."
"Then it is settled," Ledare said.
"I found something interesting when I was going through the stuff we found on Mice and Fendy," Finian began. "They might be even more appropriate now. Let me go grab them."
He stood up and Omrixx got to his feet at the same time.
"Let's grab everything, I'd like another chance to look at what we've got," he said and he and Finian hurried off into the Audience Chamber.
When they both returned, Draelond had also come back from his foray to the Day Room. A two-gallon keg of Bone Hill Ale sat on the tabletop beside him. Ledare was explaining to him the nature of the King's mission and the uncertain path that lay before them.
"We have to weigh our options," she concluded. "The king has charged us to deal with the skaven, which we have not done. That was primarily due to the fact that we lacked a plan and the manpower to pull anything off. We may be better equipped now."
Draelond grinned and nodded. "I hope that I may live up to the faith that you all have showed in me," he said.
"I think she was talking about all this stuff," Omrixx chuckled as he lay the double armload of miscellaneous gear on the table.
"No, I was talking about Draelond, but all of this stuff might help too," she said.
Finian put the gear that he was carrying on the table beside Omrixx's load and then pulled out two necklaces from the pile. Most of them recognized the mithral coin that was the symbol of the Grey Company as he held them aloft.
"I think that these definitely should go to Draelond, for helping save us, and to Omrixx, who gave his away," the Archer announced. With a smile at Omrixx he added, "Provided he does not trade this one for a pile of magic beans."
The half-elf's face darkened, however and through gritted teeth he growled, "I believe those "beans" saved us from Nunzio and I will be more prepared to kill him next time because of that wise choice."
Finian blinked and lowered the two necklaces. "I was just teasing," he said.
"Sorry," Omrixx muttered, not looking the Archer in the eye.
"Well, I, for one, will accept this token with all due reverence," Draelond said. "I am truly honored to be counted amongst your number." He took one of the coins from Finian and slipped the leather thong over his own head, smiling broadly all the while.
"It seems I am just in time," Abernathy announced as he re-entered the Dining Room with a tray of shining silver mugs. "A toast is in order."
Abernathy distributed mugs while Draelond insisted on dispensing the beer and they all (except for Abernathy, of course) raised a mug to their newest member. No one noticed the half-elf do anything, but the mithral coin that Finian had laid on the tabletop when he'd gotten his beer had somehow migrated to hang around Omrixx's neck by the time they all shouted "Huzzah!"
Once again, Ledare stopped Abernathy before he could slip back to the kitchen. "When will we find out about this secret transportation possibility?" she asked the manservant and Abernathy clutched the round tray in front of himself like a shield.
"I will begin looking for all of the necessary references in the morning," he told her. "Master Mirelich keeps meticulous notes. It shouldn't take me more than a day or two to find what I'm looking for. Is that acceptable?"
"I imagine we'll be busy over the next few days, anyway," she told him. "But I'm also curious to know what contingencies have been left by the Grey Lords in their absence?"
The manservant sighed. "Very little, I'm afraid," Abernathy explained. "The Grey Lords are often absent from Grey House for extended periods on one quest or another so they left no specific instructions this time. They certainly didn't expect to die this time."
Abernathy's face fell and in that moment, he looked very old.
"I can't imagine that they are all dead," Ledare said, intending to lift his spirits a bit. "Perhaps they are fighting a bigger battle on some other kind of plane of existence."
"Perhaps," Abernathy reluctantly agreed.
"If that is the case, what could we possibly hope to accomplish by following them?" Ledare asked and Finian shrugged.
"And if they are actually dead, I hate to say it, but we would do very little good in that case either," the Archer admitted. "I suggest we stay here and pursue an immediate assault on the sewer to find Nunzio."
"I think it is possible the Grey Lords are fighting on another plane," Kirnoth told them. "But if they are or if they're dead, as Finian thinks, I believe our first obligation is to Grey Company. That is particularly true given that the skaven fit into the evil we would be fighting by going to Myth Drannor."
"So you think," Ruze said, taking a long pull on his beer. "There is no strong evidence that the trouble in Myth Drannor is related to the troubles here. We KNOW there's a Chaos temple in Othelwood. We have no idea what awaits us in Pellham."
"Ruze is right. After we take care of Nunzio and any other skaven, I say we head to Othelwood," Finian suggested and Kirnoth groaned.
"Our focus should be on the troubles in Myth Drannor," the mage reiterated.
"I'm afraid that the King's mission must take precedent," Ledare told Kirnoth.
"I was not one of the original members to have been procured by the King, but I seem to be involved none the less," Omrixx spoke up. "And regardless of the path we take toward stopping this evil, the outcome should be the same as the King would desire, anyway. Yes?"
Finian nodded.
"I say we finish the King's mission first," Omrixx went on. "Finian is right, with the festival going on, Nunzio may be able to harm many more innocents, if that is his cause. Now would be an ideal time for him to strike with the festival's added populous."
Heads nodded around the table and the elf let out a resigned but exasperated sigh. "Fine," Kirnoth acquiesced. "We deal with the skaven first, then go to Myth Drannor."
Several of his Companions opened their mouths to protest, but Kirnoth raised his hand to silence them. "At least, that's where I'll be going, unless Abernathy uncovers information to change my mind," the elf told them. "I would love to have all of you accompany me, but I'll be going one way or another."
"I will try my best to find out what I may," Abernathy told the assemblage. "I will spend tomorrow writing letters to each of the Grey Lords and researching a way to cover the distance between here and Myth Drannor."
"Thank you, Abernathy," Ledare said and the manservant started to turn toward the door.
"Wait, Abernathy!" Omrixx called and the man turned back toward him. "Could you take a look at some of this gear and see if you recognize their make."
"I'm sure that that's beyond my-" Abernathy started to say and then his eyes fell on Fendathiel's matched scimitars. He picked them up and closely examined the bears carved into the hilts and pommels of both weapons. "Oh my," he said, sounding every bit as surprised as he looked. "I do recognize these. Masters Mirelich and Ocif made them for Mistress Cerakkean. They're called Scimitars of Doubling. When she got her current weapons Mistress Cerakkean must have given these to Fendathiel."
"What do they do?" Finian asked but Abernathy just shrugged.
"I don't really know," he admitted. "I believe they allow the wielder to use them both without suffering the usual troubles from wielding two weapons."
"None of the rest of this stuff you recognize?" Omrixx asked again, holding up the spectacles and one of the wands for the manservant to see. Abernathy just shook his head again.
"Give me those," Kirnoth said, accepting the spectacles from Omrixx. "I'll examine them before I go to bed. But right now, let's decide on a plan of action to get the skaven immediately."
Ledare rolled her shoulders to work some of the kinks out of them. "Let's discuss it in the morning," she said. "Some of us haven't slept since night before last."
Omrixx stayed up for a while after the others had gone to bed and copied another spell out of the tome Kirnoth had liberated from Andamacles' stronghold. Kirnoth spent a number of hours carefully examining the spectacles, the sets of keys, the two chests, and finally the various gems. He checked them all for any of the hallmarks of magical construction or any sign of enchantment whatsoever. There was none. They were all mundane. Disappointed, the elf contented himself by transcribing two new spells from Andamacles' tome to his own spellbook. He climbed the stairs to his room with the spells Stinking Cloud and Spider Climb waiting to be cast once his manna had recharged overnight.
Sometime later they were all jolted out of a sound sleep by a brilliant flash of lightning that left a blurry white after-image burned into their fields of vision. They each sat bolt upright in their narrow beds with adrenaline coursing through there veins. The sound of rain or hail pounding down on the roof of Grey House soon followed and one by one they crept across their darkened rooms and opened the heavy shutters to look outside.
It was raining hard outside, but there was something very wrong. As a gust of wind blew some rain drops against the pain of glass separating them from the outside, they each saw, to their horror, what was wrong.
It was raining blood.