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Story Hour
From the Diary of Doorag Marzipan
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<blockquote data-quote="cthulhu42" data-source="post: 6582025" data-attributes="member: 6792361"><p><em> Epilogue </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>The days that followed the end of Melesandre were filled with celebration, </em></p><p><em>rebuilding, and acclamation. </em></p><p> <em></em></p><p><em> The crew were, of course, regarded as heroes and adulation was showered on </em></p><p><em>them. Idas Whitestock, king of Havilah, rewarded them with key items of near</em></p><p><em>legendary magical status, as well as a sizable sum of gold. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em> They were also given, at long last, some much needed time off. The next seven</em></p><p><em>months were spent in the city, though their rest was not without productivity. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em> Doorag had been awarded very special new accommodations within the academy</em></p><p><em>that included a state of the art wizards laboratory sized to fit his small stature. He </em></p><p><em>would spend the better part of his vacation locked away in his lab pursuing the craft</em></p><p><em>of making magical items. Flush with gold, Taklinn and Happy both took advantage</em></p><p><em>of Doorag’s offer to fashion items for them as well. Perhaps the most interesting </em></p><p><em>build was a special request from Happy. She wished for something to make her</em></p><p><em>bigger, and for as long as she wanted, hinting that such a thing wasn’t so much for</em></p><p><em>field work as it was to facilitate romance. Five days later he presented her with a </em></p><p><em>bracelet that would add two feet to her size, putting her just on par with a small</em></p><p><em>human. She was delighted, and after that she and Griff seemed to become even</em></p><p><em>closer. The rest of the crew wondered about their relationship, and some even asked </em></p><p><em>outright. Happy would neither confirm or deny anything, and Griff would simply</em></p><p><em>ignore the question. </em></p><p> <em></em></p><p><em> Doorag was also able to visit his family, as well as see The Old Man In The </em></p><p><em>Pointy Hat again. The pride he had won in his mentors heart was, perhaps, the best</em></p><p><em>reward Doorag could have hoped for.</em></p><p> <em></em></p><p><em> Doorag and Taklinn also took on the task of retrieving the remaining people from</em></p><p><em>Edik, and it was discovered that it was indeed possible. Magic’s were used, and</em></p><p><em>within a day they had returned the women, children and elderly to their families. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em> Caribdis became a very busy young man. As he had hoped, Freya was utterly</em></p><p><em>swept away by his heroism and gallantry. Only days after her rescue Caribdis was </em></p><p><em>puffing his chest and declaring himself a man. He bought her a fine house, then a</em></p><p><em>tavern he dubbed the Broken Blade. Griff even went so far as to give him the</em></p><p><em>remains of Everyman’s Blade which Caribdis displayed in a place of honor. The </em></p><p><em>Broken Blade was soon the premier meeting place and performing theater in all of</em></p><p><em>Havilah. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em> Caribdis and Freya were inseparable. This was the young girl who had once </em></p><p><em>ignored Caribdis when he was a boy, and here she was, the realization of his quest.</em></p><p><em>He had tracked her across two worlds and had rescued her, and had won her love. </em></p><p> <em></em></p><p><em> And yet, Caribdis found out that sometimes the dream is better than reality. As the </em></p><p><em>end of their time off grew near, his friends began to notice that he always seemed to</em></p><p><em>be at the Broken Blade, working day and night, and sleeping there as well. They</em></p><p><em>wondered if he might not be trying to avoid Freya. When pressed about it he </em></p><p><em>confessed. His vision of Freya had been one of perfection, while the actual young</em></p><p><em>woman was, in fact, not perfect. He found her a bit short sighted. She was intent on</em></p><p><em>day to day things that offered security and routine while Caribdis began to yearn </em></p><p><em>for the open road and the adventures that lie there. She also hinted incessantly</em></p><p><em>about marriage, children, and his possible retirement from the Crew that he might</em></p><p><em>better focus his talents to business propositions. And she...well, she nagged. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em> By the time Caribdis finally spilled all of this to his friends he was well and truly</em></p><p><em>tired of Freya, and wished nothing more than to never see her again. He was</em></p><p><em>probably the most eager of them all to go when duty finally called again. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em> Taklinn left Havilah to return home for a good long stretch. It was a time for him</em></p><p><em>to be under the stone again, to live with his family and to see his fiance. His deeds </em></p><p><em>had certainly not gone unnoticed by his clan, and his name was carved into the</em></p><p><em>Stone of Heroes. He was frugal with his money, and talked often of opening his own</em></p><p><em>temple to Clangeden one day. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em> Griff and Happy spent most of their days together, enjoying the city and each</em></p><p><em>other. Griff trained new recruits in both Havilah’s army and the academy. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em> One of the more sad casualties of the final battle with Melesandre had been Don</em></p><p><em>Kay. Happy’s beloved donkey had found herself in the area of one of the witch </em></p><p><em>queens more foul spells, and the poor beast had been overcome, dieing on the battle</em></p><p><em>field. Happy mourned her passing, as did the rest of the crew. They all raised their</em></p><p><em>cups to the staunch animal, and Taklinn gave Hap a rare apology for having once </em></p><p><em>clouted Don Kay on the head.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em> Griff also spent considerable time with the people from Edik. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em> Nanden’s people were strangers in a strange land, and their acclamation took </em></p><p><em>some doing. Because Griff spoke their language (Everyman’s Blade had instilled</em></p><p><em>this knowledge upon him) he was able to help them in this. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em> It was soon obvious, though, that the natives of Edik were ill suited to city life. </em></p><p><em>For the most part they were tribesmen and herders. They missed the once lush hills</em></p><p><em>of their home and most of them wished to find a place of their own within Havilah.</em></p><p><em>With Griffin’s help, Nanden took his plea to King Whitestock, and the king, </em></p><p><em>appreciating full well the part that Nanden and his people had played in freeing his</em></p><p><em>own kingdom, granted them their choice of several sites within his borders. They</em></p><p><em>had only to look them over and choose one. It was this task that was set before the </em></p><p><em>Crew. King Whitestock asked that they accompany a representative of Nanden’s</em></p><p><em>people to these locations that he might decide which would best suite them. They</em></p><p><em>readily agreed, for all of them were beginning to chafe at their inactivity. Even </em></p><p><em>Doorag, content to while away endless hours tinkering in his lab, was eager to</em></p><p><em>serve Havilah again, and this seemed like a perfect and worthwhile peacetime</em></p><p><em>assignment. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em> Nanden’s people cast their lots and chose their representative. It was decided that</em></p><p><em>Nanden would stay with his people to govern them, so they chose one of their most</em></p><p><em>trusted to go in his stead. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em> He was called Mardath of the line of Roland, and he wore his name with pride.</em></p><p><em>The crew had noticed him during their fight on the fields of Havilah, for none</em></p><p><em>among his people had fought so fiercely. He had put himself between crew member </em></p><p><em>and undead time and again, and both he and his greatsword had been coated with</em></p><p><em>gore by the time Melesandre fell. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em> He was tall, and his arms were corded with lean muscle. He bore a wild look </em></p><p><em>about him, but was surprisingly polite and soft spoken in social settings, as if he</em></p><p><em>were embarrassed at his broken command of the language. He had only been</em></p><p><em>learning for seven months, but had caught on quite well, proving that he possessed </em></p><p><em>intelligence as well as strength. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em> On the last day of Growfest celebration they strapped on their well worn gear,</em></p><p><em>mounted up, and rode out of the city in search of a new home for the people of Edik. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em></em></p><p> <em></em></p><p><em>From the Diary of Doorag Marzipan: Book II</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em>Prologue</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><em> They departed Havilah on the first day of Growfest, and though the idea of</em></p><p><em>leaving without first properly celebrating banapis did not agree with all of them, </em></p><p><em>Mardath, at least, was eager to be off, having had quite enough of city life. He was</em></p><p><em>the first to arrive at their meeting place near the city gates. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em> One by one the crew arrived, except Happy and Griff, who showed up together. </em></p><p><em>All arrived with mounts, save Doorag, who had other ideas. Glad for the chance to</em></p><p><em>use the blasted spell for its intended purpose, he cast a Firebird, and mounted up.</em></p><p><em>There was some consternation caused by the sudden appearance of the flaming</em></p><p><em>eagle among the city guard, but these were, after all, the heroes of Havilah, and </em></p><p><em>they raised not a finger to stop Doorag, who appeared quite oblivious to the panic</em></p><p><em>he had caused in the nearby equine population. He mounted up, commanded the </em></p><p><em>bird to lift off, and flew in an ever widening spiral that leveled out to follow the</em></p><p><em>north road. Griff rolled his eyes a bit, but spurred his mount along to follow. The</em></p><p><em>rest did likewise, and with that, the Crew took to the road again. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em> The ride was a relaxing jaunt through the crisp air that smelled of a coming</em></p><p><em>spring. All around them the earth was waking up, and they could already see</em></p><p><em>sprouts pushing their way upwards through the destruction left in Melisandre’s </em></p><p><em>wake. Even seven months had not been enough time for the earth to heal itself from</em></p><p><em>the damage she had caused, but there was ample evidence that it was on the mend. </em></p><p> <em></em></p><p><em> Taklinn, Happy, Griff, Caribdis and Mardath rode their mounts on an ever </em></p><p><em>northward path, talking all the while, laughing at what being back in the saddle</em></p><p><em>could do to a behind gone seven months soft. Mardath proved to be an amicable</em></p><p><em>companion, and though his command of the language was far from fluent, he </em></p><p><em>enjoyed listening to the banter between the crew, sometimes chiming in himself with</em></p><p><em>a surprising sense of humor. Now and again, they would look overhead and spot the</em></p><p><em>soaring dot of red that was Doorag on his bird. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em> For the little wizard, watching the world unfold below in a breathtaking</em></p><p><em>panoramic view was something he never tired of. He would fly in lazy circles above</em></p><p><em>the crew, scouting for danger, and grinning at the wind in his face. He did not have </em></p><p><em>to pick very many bugs out of his teeth before he realized that a scarf to cover his</em></p><p><em>mouth was a prerequisite of this flying business. </em></p><p> <em></em></p><p><em> At times, Taklinn, who could cast Firebird as well, would cast his own and soar </em></p><p><em>alongside Doorag. The two of them amused themselves with races, though it was</em></p><p><em>obvious that Doorag was the more comfortable in the air. Though Taklinn could</em></p><p><em>appreciate the exhilaration of flight, he was forever nervous when his feet were not </em></p><p><em>fully planted on terra firma. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em> They left the north road after two days, and struck off overland, northwest. At</em></p><p><em>night Caribdis would employ a new spell he had acquired. It was a long lasting </em></p><p><em>Leomund’s Secure Shelter that provided them with beds and fireplace. A far cry</em></p><p><em>from their old tents and campfires to be sure! They spent long hours after dinner,</em></p><p><em>sitting outside beneath the stars, retelling stories and enjoying each others company </em></p><p><em>as they had not done for what seemed like a very long time. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em> Or at least most of them did. Caribdis had taken to bringing a bottle of strong</em></p><p><em>drink with him to the fireside, and he would brood over it, taking long swallows and </em></p><p><em>adding little to the conversation until he would fall into an alcohol induced</em></p><p><em>slumber. Taklinn always carried him into the shelter and put the boy to bed.</em></p><p><em>Caribdis had also, apparently, stopped shaving or combing his hair. By the fourth </em></p><p><em>day on the road his beard was showing signs of life, while his appearance was</em></p><p><em>steadily declining. Taklinn made a comment on this at last, but Caribdis merely</em></p><p><em>grunted and shrugged, obviously not caring what the dwarf thought. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em> On the fifth day Caribdis’ appearance was forgotten, for they came at last to the</em></p><p><em>first of the plots of land being offered to Nanden’s people by the king of Havilah.</em></p><p><em>They followed their map to a lush valley that rippled with spring grasses. A clear </em></p><p><em>river flowed through ripe farmlands and pasture while miles of oak, elm, and fir</em></p><p><em>bordered the valley. It was a prime plot, and Mardath nodded appreciatively as</em></p><p><em>they let their mounts meander to a campsite located near the river. Doorag </em></p><p><em>settled his mount some distance from the horses, and was about to dismount and</em></p><p><em>join his friends when it became apparent that the valley was not without</em></p><p><em>inhabitants. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em> From a grove of trees a stones throw from the campsite stepped five monstrosities</em></p><p><em>the likes of which they had never seen. They were giant sized and grotesque. Each</em></p><p><em>of them sported a third arm swinging from their chests, and each of them was</em></p><p><em>festooned with copious amounts of gaudy jewelry. Their size was such that they </em></p><p><em>wore necklaces as bracelets and bracelets as rings. They carried crude clubs and</em></p><p><em>tree trunks which they held menacingly. </em></p><p> <em></em></p><p><em> The two groups eyed each other for a long moment, neither of them sure of the</em></p><p><em>others intentions. It was, of course, Caribdis who broke the stalemate. The bard</em></p><p><em>stepped forward, uttering a particularly chilling poem of death and slaughter. </em></p><p><em>Doorag could practically see the magic flowing from the boys mouth. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em> The creatures felt it, the fear as it welled up inside them, but was, apparently,</em></p><p><em>pushed back down again. These monsters were made of sterner stuff and they </em></p><p><em>howled their disapproval at having been the target of such a spell. Clubs were</em></p><p><em>raised. Griff’s sword appeared in his hand. Taklinn stepped up, angling to get</em></p><p><em>between the three-armed giants, and Caribdis, who said, "Uh oh." and reached for </em></p><p><em>an arrow. Happy stepped into Griff’s shadow, shielding handfuls of daggers from</em></p><p><em>the eyes of the giants. Doorag spurred his bird and the great flaming eagle heaved</em></p><p><em>into the sky, banking around to circle the clearing. And Mardath. Mardath broke </em></p><p><em>into a dead run, charging one of the giants, his greatsword held away from his</em></p><p><em>body. His teeth clenched into a gate, opening only to allow the escape of a tribal</em></p><p><em>war shriek that caused one and all to snap their heads to follow him for an instant. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em> The clash of flesh and steel echoed above the tree tops as Doorag surveyed the</em></p><p><em>battle from thirty feet in the air. He pulled the reins of the bird, and it banked hard,</em></p><p><em>coming around to let him see that these giants were not to be trifled with. He saw </em></p><p><em>Taklinn head off one of them that had been making its way toward Caribdis, but</em></p><p><em>another slipped by. It took three arrows, point blank, from the bard, and never</em></p><p><em>faltered. The giant slammed Caribdis with the business end of a tree trunk, and he </em></p><p><em>was sent reeling, franticly drawing his sword. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em> Doorag put the heels to his bird, and it swooped in low as he let fly a</em></p><p><em>Hold Monster at the giant. It stopped in its tracks, and Caribdis waved his thanks to </em></p><p><em>Doorag before picking his bow back up. He did not have far to look for a target. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em> Griff and Happy flanked a third giant, the warrior keeping the thing busy with</em></p><p><em>hard cuts to its midsection while the halfling dodged between its feet to deliver </em></p><p><em>crippling stabs to vital organs. The giant sagged and faltered, but a second giant</em></p><p><em>soon joined the fight, and the duo suddenly had their hands full.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em> Mardath and a giant stood toe to toe, swinging, being hit, swinging again, making </em></p><p><em>contact, breaking bones and spraying blood. Mardath gave not an inch. The</em></p><p><em>muscles on his neck stood out like sail rope as he pressed his much larger and</em></p><p><em>heavier opponent. He forced the giant back a step with a long gash across the leg, </em></p><p><em>but the giant gave as good as he got, smashing Mardath again and again with a six</em></p><p><em>foot long club. As Doorag circled around, he could see that Mardath would not last</em></p><p><em>long, and he readied another spell. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em> Taklinn seemed somehow at ease with his giant, as if he took particular delight</em></p><p><em>with the trouble the giant had hitting him. Again and again the dwarf either dodged</em></p><p><em>or angled himself so that the club merely glanced off his armor. Then Taklinn would </em></p><p><em>answer with his pair of axes, shattering a kneecap, hacking open a thigh. Blood</em></p><p><em>flowed unchecked down the giants lower extremities, and it was failing fast, for</em></p><p><em>Caribdis had begun to fill it full of highly potent arrows. The bard was now capable </em></p><p><em>of greatly enhancing his shafts, and it showed. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em> Griff and Hap finished off one giant and focused on the second. The monster beat</em></p><p><em>away at the fighter, but Griff merely grunted and rushed in to close with it, stabbing </em></p><p><em>deep with his sword while Happy hamstrung the giant from behind. </em></p><p> <em></em></p><p><em> Mardath was in real trouble, though one would not have known from the look on</em></p><p><em>his face, which was still contorted in rage and battle lust. Again and again his </em></p><p><em>greatsword bit into the giant, but the fact was, he was losing. Doorag could hear</em></p><p><em>the crunch of bone as the giant hit Mardath, finally sending the warrior stumbling</em></p><p><em>back a step. He knew that Mardath would not likely survive another such blow. He</em></p><p><em>decided to try a long shot, knowing that the odds were against him, but the prize </em></p><p><em>was high. The Polymorph spell caught the giant in mid swing, and just like that, it</em></p><p><em>was a kitten; a furry, tabby with a look of utter shock on its face. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em> Doorag turned to see how the rest were doing just in time to watch Caribdis fire</em></p><p><em>an arrow into the forehead of the giant he had held. The monster died instantly.</em></p><p><em>Happy and Griff had already killed theirs, and Taklinn’s lay dead as well. Mardath </em></p><p><em>seemed to come out of his frenzied state. The tall warrior staggered across the</em></p><p><em>clearing, reeling drunkenly and supporting himself with his sword. He made it to</em></p><p><em>where Taklinn stood and said, in his broken Havalihan, "So, I hear you can heal!" </em></p><p><em>And then he fell over, unconscious and losing blood. The dwarf was quick to kneel</em></p><p><em>over Mardath and pull him from the brink of death. </em></p><p> <em></em></p><p><em></em></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="cthulhu42, post: 6582025, member: 6792361"] [I] Epilogue The days that followed the end of Melesandre were filled with celebration, rebuilding, and acclamation. The crew were, of course, regarded as heroes and adulation was showered on them. Idas Whitestock, king of Havilah, rewarded them with key items of near legendary magical status, as well as a sizable sum of gold. They were also given, at long last, some much needed time off. The next seven months were spent in the city, though their rest was not without productivity. Doorag had been awarded very special new accommodations within the academy that included a state of the art wizards laboratory sized to fit his small stature. He would spend the better part of his vacation locked away in his lab pursuing the craft of making magical items. Flush with gold, Taklinn and Happy both took advantage of Doorag’s offer to fashion items for them as well. Perhaps the most interesting build was a special request from Happy. She wished for something to make her bigger, and for as long as she wanted, hinting that such a thing wasn’t so much for field work as it was to facilitate romance. Five days later he presented her with a bracelet that would add two feet to her size, putting her just on par with a small human. She was delighted, and after that she and Griff seemed to become even closer. The rest of the crew wondered about their relationship, and some even asked outright. Happy would neither confirm or deny anything, and Griff would simply ignore the question. Doorag was also able to visit his family, as well as see The Old Man In The Pointy Hat again. The pride he had won in his mentors heart was, perhaps, the best reward Doorag could have hoped for. Doorag and Taklinn also took on the task of retrieving the remaining people from Edik, and it was discovered that it was indeed possible. Magic’s were used, and within a day they had returned the women, children and elderly to their families. Caribdis became a very busy young man. As he had hoped, Freya was utterly swept away by his heroism and gallantry. Only days after her rescue Caribdis was puffing his chest and declaring himself a man. He bought her a fine house, then a tavern he dubbed the Broken Blade. Griff even went so far as to give him the remains of Everyman’s Blade which Caribdis displayed in a place of honor. The Broken Blade was soon the premier meeting place and performing theater in all of Havilah. Caribdis and Freya were inseparable. This was the young girl who had once ignored Caribdis when he was a boy, and here she was, the realization of his quest. He had tracked her across two worlds and had rescued her, and had won her love. And yet, Caribdis found out that sometimes the dream is better than reality. As the end of their time off grew near, his friends began to notice that he always seemed to be at the Broken Blade, working day and night, and sleeping there as well. They wondered if he might not be trying to avoid Freya. When pressed about it he confessed. His vision of Freya had been one of perfection, while the actual young woman was, in fact, not perfect. He found her a bit short sighted. She was intent on day to day things that offered security and routine while Caribdis began to yearn for the open road and the adventures that lie there. She also hinted incessantly about marriage, children, and his possible retirement from the Crew that he might better focus his talents to business propositions. And she...well, she nagged. By the time Caribdis finally spilled all of this to his friends he was well and truly tired of Freya, and wished nothing more than to never see her again. He was probably the most eager of them all to go when duty finally called again. Taklinn left Havilah to return home for a good long stretch. It was a time for him to be under the stone again, to live with his family and to see his fiance. His deeds had certainly not gone unnoticed by his clan, and his name was carved into the Stone of Heroes. He was frugal with his money, and talked often of opening his own temple to Clangeden one day. Griff and Happy spent most of their days together, enjoying the city and each other. Griff trained new recruits in both Havilah’s army and the academy. One of the more sad casualties of the final battle with Melesandre had been Don Kay. Happy’s beloved donkey had found herself in the area of one of the witch queens more foul spells, and the poor beast had been overcome, dieing on the battle field. Happy mourned her passing, as did the rest of the crew. They all raised their cups to the staunch animal, and Taklinn gave Hap a rare apology for having once clouted Don Kay on the head. Griff also spent considerable time with the people from Edik. Nanden’s people were strangers in a strange land, and their acclamation took some doing. Because Griff spoke their language (Everyman’s Blade had instilled this knowledge upon him) he was able to help them in this. It was soon obvious, though, that the natives of Edik were ill suited to city life. For the most part they were tribesmen and herders. They missed the once lush hills of their home and most of them wished to find a place of their own within Havilah. With Griffin’s help, Nanden took his plea to King Whitestock, and the king, appreciating full well the part that Nanden and his people had played in freeing his own kingdom, granted them their choice of several sites within his borders. They had only to look them over and choose one. It was this task that was set before the Crew. King Whitestock asked that they accompany a representative of Nanden’s people to these locations that he might decide which would best suite them. They readily agreed, for all of them were beginning to chafe at their inactivity. Even Doorag, content to while away endless hours tinkering in his lab, was eager to serve Havilah again, and this seemed like a perfect and worthwhile peacetime assignment. Nanden’s people cast their lots and chose their representative. It was decided that Nanden would stay with his people to govern them, so they chose one of their most trusted to go in his stead. He was called Mardath of the line of Roland, and he wore his name with pride. The crew had noticed him during their fight on the fields of Havilah, for none among his people had fought so fiercely. He had put himself between crew member and undead time and again, and both he and his greatsword had been coated with gore by the time Melesandre fell. He was tall, and his arms were corded with lean muscle. He bore a wild look about him, but was surprisingly polite and soft spoken in social settings, as if he were embarrassed at his broken command of the language. He had only been learning for seven months, but had caught on quite well, proving that he possessed intelligence as well as strength. On the last day of Growfest celebration they strapped on their well worn gear, mounted up, and rode out of the city in search of a new home for the people of Edik. From the Diary of Doorag Marzipan: Book II Prologue They departed Havilah on the first day of Growfest, and though the idea of leaving without first properly celebrating banapis did not agree with all of them, Mardath, at least, was eager to be off, having had quite enough of city life. He was the first to arrive at their meeting place near the city gates. One by one the crew arrived, except Happy and Griff, who showed up together. All arrived with mounts, save Doorag, who had other ideas. Glad for the chance to use the blasted spell for its intended purpose, he cast a Firebird, and mounted up. There was some consternation caused by the sudden appearance of the flaming eagle among the city guard, but these were, after all, the heroes of Havilah, and they raised not a finger to stop Doorag, who appeared quite oblivious to the panic he had caused in the nearby equine population. He mounted up, commanded the bird to lift off, and flew in an ever widening spiral that leveled out to follow the north road. Griff rolled his eyes a bit, but spurred his mount along to follow. The rest did likewise, and with that, the Crew took to the road again. The ride was a relaxing jaunt through the crisp air that smelled of a coming spring. All around them the earth was waking up, and they could already see sprouts pushing their way upwards through the destruction left in Melisandre’s wake. Even seven months had not been enough time for the earth to heal itself from the damage she had caused, but there was ample evidence that it was on the mend. Taklinn, Happy, Griff, Caribdis and Mardath rode their mounts on an ever northward path, talking all the while, laughing at what being back in the saddle could do to a behind gone seven months soft. Mardath proved to be an amicable companion, and though his command of the language was far from fluent, he enjoyed listening to the banter between the crew, sometimes chiming in himself with a surprising sense of humor. Now and again, they would look overhead and spot the soaring dot of red that was Doorag on his bird. For the little wizard, watching the world unfold below in a breathtaking panoramic view was something he never tired of. He would fly in lazy circles above the crew, scouting for danger, and grinning at the wind in his face. He did not have to pick very many bugs out of his teeth before he realized that a scarf to cover his mouth was a prerequisite of this flying business. At times, Taklinn, who could cast Firebird as well, would cast his own and soar alongside Doorag. The two of them amused themselves with races, though it was obvious that Doorag was the more comfortable in the air. Though Taklinn could appreciate the exhilaration of flight, he was forever nervous when his feet were not fully planted on terra firma. They left the north road after two days, and struck off overland, northwest. At night Caribdis would employ a new spell he had acquired. It was a long lasting Leomund’s Secure Shelter that provided them with beds and fireplace. A far cry from their old tents and campfires to be sure! They spent long hours after dinner, sitting outside beneath the stars, retelling stories and enjoying each others company as they had not done for what seemed like a very long time. Or at least most of them did. Caribdis had taken to bringing a bottle of strong drink with him to the fireside, and he would brood over it, taking long swallows and adding little to the conversation until he would fall into an alcohol induced slumber. Taklinn always carried him into the shelter and put the boy to bed. Caribdis had also, apparently, stopped shaving or combing his hair. By the fourth day on the road his beard was showing signs of life, while his appearance was steadily declining. Taklinn made a comment on this at last, but Caribdis merely grunted and shrugged, obviously not caring what the dwarf thought. On the fifth day Caribdis’ appearance was forgotten, for they came at last to the first of the plots of land being offered to Nanden’s people by the king of Havilah. They followed their map to a lush valley that rippled with spring grasses. A clear river flowed through ripe farmlands and pasture while miles of oak, elm, and fir bordered the valley. It was a prime plot, and Mardath nodded appreciatively as they let their mounts meander to a campsite located near the river. Doorag settled his mount some distance from the horses, and was about to dismount and join his friends when it became apparent that the valley was not without inhabitants. From a grove of trees a stones throw from the campsite stepped five monstrosities the likes of which they had never seen. They were giant sized and grotesque. Each of them sported a third arm swinging from their chests, and each of them was festooned with copious amounts of gaudy jewelry. Their size was such that they wore necklaces as bracelets and bracelets as rings. They carried crude clubs and tree trunks which they held menacingly. The two groups eyed each other for a long moment, neither of them sure of the others intentions. It was, of course, Caribdis who broke the stalemate. The bard stepped forward, uttering a particularly chilling poem of death and slaughter. Doorag could practically see the magic flowing from the boys mouth. The creatures felt it, the fear as it welled up inside them, but was, apparently, pushed back down again. These monsters were made of sterner stuff and they howled their disapproval at having been the target of such a spell. Clubs were raised. Griff’s sword appeared in his hand. Taklinn stepped up, angling to get between the three-armed giants, and Caribdis, who said, "Uh oh." and reached for an arrow. Happy stepped into Griff’s shadow, shielding handfuls of daggers from the eyes of the giants. Doorag spurred his bird and the great flaming eagle heaved into the sky, banking around to circle the clearing. And Mardath. Mardath broke into a dead run, charging one of the giants, his greatsword held away from his body. His teeth clenched into a gate, opening only to allow the escape of a tribal war shriek that caused one and all to snap their heads to follow him for an instant. The clash of flesh and steel echoed above the tree tops as Doorag surveyed the battle from thirty feet in the air. He pulled the reins of the bird, and it banked hard, coming around to let him see that these giants were not to be trifled with. He saw Taklinn head off one of them that had been making its way toward Caribdis, but another slipped by. It took three arrows, point blank, from the bard, and never faltered. The giant slammed Caribdis with the business end of a tree trunk, and he was sent reeling, franticly drawing his sword. Doorag put the heels to his bird, and it swooped in low as he let fly a Hold Monster at the giant. It stopped in its tracks, and Caribdis waved his thanks to Doorag before picking his bow back up. He did not have far to look for a target. Griff and Happy flanked a third giant, the warrior keeping the thing busy with hard cuts to its midsection while the halfling dodged between its feet to deliver crippling stabs to vital organs. The giant sagged and faltered, but a second giant soon joined the fight, and the duo suddenly had their hands full. Mardath and a giant stood toe to toe, swinging, being hit, swinging again, making contact, breaking bones and spraying blood. Mardath gave not an inch. The muscles on his neck stood out like sail rope as he pressed his much larger and heavier opponent. He forced the giant back a step with a long gash across the leg, but the giant gave as good as he got, smashing Mardath again and again with a six foot long club. As Doorag circled around, he could see that Mardath would not last long, and he readied another spell. Taklinn seemed somehow at ease with his giant, as if he took particular delight with the trouble the giant had hitting him. Again and again the dwarf either dodged or angled himself so that the club merely glanced off his armor. Then Taklinn would answer with his pair of axes, shattering a kneecap, hacking open a thigh. Blood flowed unchecked down the giants lower extremities, and it was failing fast, for Caribdis had begun to fill it full of highly potent arrows. The bard was now capable of greatly enhancing his shafts, and it showed. Griff and Hap finished off one giant and focused on the second. The monster beat away at the fighter, but Griff merely grunted and rushed in to close with it, stabbing deep with his sword while Happy hamstrung the giant from behind. Mardath was in real trouble, though one would not have known from the look on his face, which was still contorted in rage and battle lust. Again and again his greatsword bit into the giant, but the fact was, he was losing. Doorag could hear the crunch of bone as the giant hit Mardath, finally sending the warrior stumbling back a step. He knew that Mardath would not likely survive another such blow. He decided to try a long shot, knowing that the odds were against him, but the prize was high. The Polymorph spell caught the giant in mid swing, and just like that, it was a kitten; a furry, tabby with a look of utter shock on its face. Doorag turned to see how the rest were doing just in time to watch Caribdis fire an arrow into the forehead of the giant he had held. The monster died instantly. Happy and Griff had already killed theirs, and Taklinn’s lay dead as well. Mardath seemed to come out of his frenzied state. The tall warrior staggered across the clearing, reeling drunkenly and supporting himself with his sword. He made it to where Taklinn stood and said, in his broken Havalihan, "So, I hear you can heal!" And then he fell over, unconscious and losing blood. The dwarf was quick to kneel over Mardath and pull him from the brink of death. [/I] [/QUOTE]
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From the Diary of Doorag Marzipan
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