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Story Hour
From the Diary of Doorag Marzipan
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<blockquote data-quote="cthulhu42" data-source="post: 6582027" data-attributes="member: 6792361"><p>Grwfst 6 </p><p></p><p> This has certainly been an eventful day! </p><p> </p><p> After having defeated the grip of three armed giants we decided to camp for the </p><p>night. Caribdis cast his shelter and we bedded down. Unbeknownst to us, Taklinn</p><p>was paid a night time visit.</p><p></p><p> I am unsure whether our cleric was visited in a dream or if his vision was more </p><p>"real", but in any case when I awoke early the next morning I was surprised to find</p><p>him already up, his bearded face locked into a dour grimace as he absentmindedly</p><p>poked the ashes of our fire from the previous night. Thinking nothing of it, I chirped a </p><p>pleasant good morning to him and went about my morning rituals. From time to</p><p>time I would catch him from the corner of my eye as he sat there, stoically,</p><p>apparently lost in deep thought. I resolved not to bother him, and as it turns out, my </p><p>questions were soon answered anyway. </p><p></p><p> An hour later the rest of the crew had risen and breakfast was well under way.</p><p>Caribdis washed down his rations with something that smelled oddly of alcohol, </p><p>and I glanced to Taklinn for the disapproving frown that should have been there, but</p><p>he was still in a world of his own. His eyes seemed not to focus on anything beyond</p><p>his own nose, and I began to wonder very much what was on his mind. </p><p></p><p> I did not have to wait long. </p><p></p><p> Our stout cleric sighed and pushed away his half eaten meal. He stood up,</p><p>brushing away the dust, and cleared his throat with a gravely rumble. </p><p></p><p> "I must take my leave of you." he announced, without fanfare.</p><p> </p><p> A bit of milk shot out my nose at his declaration as it took all of us off guard.</p><p>Even Griff raised a questioning eyebrow, and Caribdis, though he seems to have </p><p>been distancing himself from Taklinn a bit of late, looked as if he had been pole</p><p>axed by the statement. </p><p></p><p> "Leave us? What do you mean, leave us?" I asked. </p><p></p><p> "Just what I said. I have business to attend to that I cannot ask you to help with. I</p><p>hope to rejoin you, but I don’t know..."</p><p></p><p> Happy had leapt to her feet, real concern on her face. "This is awfully sudden, </p><p>Taklinn," she said, "Maybe you should tell us what your talking about and let us</p><p>decide if we can help you or not." </p><p></p><p> I was surprised to hear Mardath chime in on this, but his words were full of </p><p>simple wisdom. "Yes," he said, struggling to put the words into our language, "Are</p><p>we not brothers in arms? I will help if I can."</p><p></p><p> Taklinn sighed again and began to pace slowly across the campsite. I could tell </p><p>that he was trying to put his words together. "You remember when I lost my arm?"</p><p>he asked after several minutes.</p><p></p><p> "How could we not?" Griff grunted. "Yigil had to reattach it." </p><p></p><p> "Yeah, well, Yigil didn’t exactly put my old arm back on," Taklinn explained, "He</p><p>sort of... replaced it. Or rather, he asked a favor on my behalf of some very </p><p>powerful beings. They granted the favor and gave me this limb, but Yigil told me</p><p>then to expect a price to be paid for it one day. What could I do but agree, though it</p><p>galled me to owe a favor to an entity I know nothing of. All Yigil could, or would, </p><p>tell me was that those who gave me the arm are celestial beings of sorts. They are of</p><p>the light, so I fear not the infection of evil, yet they share no direct connection to</p><p>Clangeden, and therefore I have never been entirely comfortable with the bargain. </p><p>Still, what could I do? By the time I awoke the arm was already attached to my</p><p>shoulder, and I could not bare the notion of serving Clangeden at half strength. To</p><p>have lost that arm forever would have meant my leaving this crew and returning </p><p>home a failure."</p><p></p><p> "’They’?" I asked.</p><p></p><p> "Yes, there are more than one. I do not know the nature of these beings, but </p><p>according to what little I do know we are talking about a consortium of beings who</p><p>dwell outside the ken of mortal men. Yigil assures me that they seek only to foil the</p><p>plots of evil in this and all realms. I have thought little about it as of late. It has been </p><p>a long time, and I wondered if I were ever to be asked to repay the favor, but last</p><p>night I was visited with a vision and told me that payment is due." Taklinn glanced at</p><p>the sky to check the time. "Supposedly, when the sun has reached noontime today, </p><p>there will come an emissary from this cabal to explain all of this in detail. Yet the</p><p>point remains, this is my debt to pay. I will not ask the rest of you to risk yourselves</p><p>for it." </p><p></p><p> Griff rolled his eyes and barked a short laugh. "Ever noble, Taklinn. Fat chance</p><p>we’re gonna let you have all the fun!"</p><p></p><p> "He’s right, Taklinn," Happy interjected, "We’re a Crew. More than that, we’re </p><p>your friends! Of course we’ll help you!"</p><p></p><p> A chorus of ’ayes!’ sounded from all of us. Even Mardath showed no hesitation at</p><p>plunging into unknown danger. Taklinn sighed again. "Thank you." he said. "I </p><p>feared that such would be the case. I cannot force you to not follow me, but first we</p><p>should wait until the emissary has given us more information. Also, it must be taken</p><p>into consideration that we already have a job to do. We are currently under orders to </p><p>find Mardath’s people a home. I feel that my debt usurps that, but it doesn’t for the</p><p>rest of you."</p><p></p><p> And so we waited, nervously sitting around the campsite, all eyes continually </p><p>watching the sun crawl across the sky, waiting for it to reach its zenith, not knowing</p><p>what noon would bring.</p><p></p><p> When, at last, the sun hung directly over our heads, the emissary came. It was as </p><p>if every dappled beam of sunlight suddenly coalesced into a figure so bright that we</p><p>could barely look at it without shielding our eyes. It took the form of a man, yet its</p><p>visage was that of oil on water, for its body shimmered and swam with every color </p><p>of the rainbow. Light radiated from it with fierce intensity, yet we were all strangely</p><p>calmed by its presence. It’s voice resonated and seemed to echo within us. It was the</p><p>voice of not one, but a chorus of many within one body. I was immediately </p><p>fascinated.</p><p></p><p> "Taklinn." It spoke without fanfare, "Are you ready to receive your direction?"</p><p></p><p> "I am." Our cleric answered bluntly. </p><p></p><p> "And your companions?" The being intoned.</p><p></p><p> "They have resolved to accompany me.</p><p></p><p> "It is as We have foreseen. This is good. You will need help in your coming trial." </p><p></p><p> I could stand it no longer. My curiosity got the better of me and I strode forward,</p><p>eyeing the things mirror-like, rainbow patterned surface closely. "What do you</p><p>mean, ’We’?" I questioned.</p><p></p><p> "Doorag..." Taklinn tried to interrupt. </p><p></p><p> "How many of you are there?" I asked, ignoring Taklinn.</p><p></p><p> "Doorag!" the dwarf tried again. </p><p> </p><p> "And for that matter, just exactly who are you? And how did you attach that arm</p><p>to Taklinn, and what’s it made of? Oh, and where do you come from..."</p><p></p><p> "DOORAG!" Taklinn’s boom finally cut me off and I flinched sheepishly. </p><p></p><p> "Fear not, Taklinn," the emissary cut in mildly, "It is natural for the little one to</p><p>have questions. It is his nature. We are sure that many questions must be</p><p>forthcoming. We will answer what We must, but know that not every question will </p><p>be satisfied, not every answer will be clear, and there is much that We must allow to</p><p>remain unseen. As for who We are, We can tell you only that We are celestials,</p><p>outsiders, who seek balance and truth, not only on this world, but on all worlds. We </p><p>are many, yet We are one. We work in unison to advance a greater good where ever</p><p>evil seeks to insinuate itself. As for Taklinn’s arm, We do not wish to reveal its</p><p>secret, though its origin is of little immediate importance." </p><p> </p><p> Griff, having had enough of this Q&A, decided to get right to the point. "Just tell</p><p>us what we’re supposed to do already." he stated. </p><p></p><p> Though the being had no facial features of which to speak, I felt its smile at </p><p>Griff’s words. </p><p></p><p> "We feel a great evil presence upon this world, an evil with which you are</p><p>qualified to contend. We ask that you seek out this evil and put an end to it. It’s </p><p>name is Acessiwall, and it is a dragon. The creature resides to the far north, encased</p><p>in a lair of ice and snow as befits one of his ilk. He could be considered weak for</p><p>his species, for he is a white dragon, and therefore technically inferior to his </p><p>cousins. Yet Acessiwall is quite ancient and ambitious. He possesses an intelligence</p><p>far beyond the ken of his kind, and he seeks to spread his influence across</p><p>the realm through machinations even We have been unable to ascertain. We would </p><p>have you seek him out and destroy him. That is your task."</p><p></p><p> Silence followed this announcement, broken at last by Caribdis, who had been</p><p>strangely silent thus far. </p><p></p><p> "A dragon?" he gulped. "A dragon! You must be out of your mind! Or minds! We</p><p>fought a dragon a long time ago and it nearly killed us! This dragon sounds a lot</p><p>bigger and badder than that one!" </p><p></p><p> "It is." the emissary answered blithely.</p><p></p><p> "Consider it done." Taklinn said bluntly. </p><p></p><p> "Now just a dog gone minute..." Caribdis began, but Taklinn cut him off. </p><p></p><p> "I told you that you didn’t have to go, boy. This is my debt, and it will be repaid.</p><p>One way or another." Caribdis bit back his words and visibly sulked. </p><p></p><p> "A dragon?" Mardath intoned wonderingly, "I have heard of such beasts on my </p><p>own world, but have never seen one. They are said to be the most dangerous of all</p><p>enemies. I will fight with you, dwarf."</p><p></p><p> "Yep." said Griff. </p><p></p><p> "Umm, well, I guess so..." Happy chimed in, though she didn’t sound nearly as</p><p>sure about it as our two fighter friends. As for me, there had never been a question</p><p>as to whether or not I would follow Taklinn into the very pits of hell. Still, the </p><p>notion of taking on an ancient white dragon was a bit disconcerting. We are a</p><p>powerful Crew, no doubt, but a dragon? Still, I nodded and resolved to help Taklinn</p><p>in any way I could. </p><p> </p><p> The emissary seemed satisfied with our responses. "Acessiwall is a powerful</p><p>creature and cannot be defeated by your lot without aid. To this end We provide</p><p>you with this." In his hand there appeared an amulet of strange stone which glowed </p><p>mellowly. It’s dull light faded as the emissary handed it to Taklinn, but I knew that</p><p>its shimmer was just beneath the surface. My curiosity was piqued anew. "This</p><p>token will help in your battle, though its secrets must be uncovered. About it We</p><p>will say no more. Acessiwall holds his council many months ride from here in the </p><p>frozen wastes of the north. We will transport you closer to his lair, though there will</p><p>still be much travel before you find him. We will take you to the village of Finch </p><p>where you will meet another who will ally with you against the dragon. Are all</p><p>agreed?"</p><p></p><p> "Meet with someone else? Who...?" Caribdis began. But Griff was getting antsy. </p><p></p><p> "We’re agreed already!" he rasped, "Do what your gonna do!"</p><p></p><p> "Gather your belongings and your mounts." The emissary said. Make haste, for</p><p>my time here is short. </p><p></p><p> Silently, and a bit uncertainly, we did so, bringing the horses together and</p><p>shouldering our packs. The emissary instructed us to clasp hands, to form an</p><p>unbroken chain of man and beast, and I knew we were about to be teleported. There </p><p>was that feeling of the ground dropping away beneath our feet, a flash of blinding</p><p>light, as we passed through the dimensions of time and space. In the next instant,</p><p>we felt the knife like blast of a wind so cold I feared it would tear my cloak straight </p><p>from me! All around us was snow covered forest, and Hap and I immediately sank to</p><p>our thighs in the powdery stuff. The emissary was nowhere to be seen, but it was</p><p>evident that he had left us on a path of some kind that meandered through the trees. </p><p>And we were not alone. A straggling caravan, heading the opposite direction,</p><p>shared it with us. They were humans, heavily bundled up against the weather, and</p><p>our arrival caused great chaos within their ranks. </p><p></p><p> "Gods save us!" cried one old woman, "More of them have come to slay us!</p><p>Cirilli! More demons!" </p><p></p><p> We looked around franticly, weapons at the ready at the word, ’demons’, but soon </p><p>realized she was referring to us as she made the sign of the forked horns at us and</p><p>scurried away. We made to call out and assure her that we were certainly not</p><p>demons, but she and the rest of the caravan of folk were in a panic, plunging into </p><p>the forest in an attempt to flee. At last, a short fellow with a bulbous, red, nose</p><p>approached us. He pushed his hood from his face and I could see that he was</p><p>probably a gnome. His stature was roughly that of mine and Happy’s, but he </p><p>appeared a bit more robust. He gave us the once over and spat onto the snow. </p><p></p><p> "Yer no demons!" he announced.</p><p></p><p> "No. We’re not." Griffin agreed wryly. "Who are you and what’s going on?" </p><p></p><p> "I’m Cirilli Treetrapweaver, sheriff of Finch. Right now we’re fleeing from a</p><p>demon that has taken over our village! It’s back that way about half a mile! If I were</p><p>you, I’d come with us! The beast is hideous! Dead set on killing us all! Quick, </p><p>follow me and I’ll lead you to shelter!"</p><p></p><p> "Hmph!" Taklinn sniffed, hefting his axe, looking down the trail in the direction</p><p>of the village. </p><p></p><p> "A demon?" Mardath repeated, "I have never seen a real demon! I should like to</p><p>kill it!" He grinned an unsettling grin and swung his greatsword in a lazy swath. </p><p></p><p> "We’ll take care of your demon." Griff said to Cirilli, and without another word he </p><p>made off through the snow.</p><p></p><p> "Your crazy!" the gnome cried at our backs. "It will kill you all! It will..." but his</p><p>words were lost in the howl of wind and snow. We marched through the forest, </p><p>huddled in our cloaks, and presently we rounded a bend that allowed us to see the</p><p>tiny village of Finch, blanketed in thick snow, and utterly silent. Everyone had</p><p>apparently fled, and the village was eerily quiet and covered in white. We spread </p><p>out a bit and entered the village cautiously. I cast a Fly on myself just in case, and</p><p>Caribdis softly whispered a rhyme as he knocked an arrow. Griff, Mardath and</p><p>Taklinn strode forward, weapons at the ready, while Happy pressed herself against </p><p>a building, sliding along its length for maximum cover, her daggers pressed against</p><p>her inner arms. </p><p></p><p> Presently we discovered a set of tracks in the snow that did not match any of the</p><p>booted prints we’d seen leaving Finch. These tracks certainly looked demonic </p><p>enough, what with their claw markings. They led to the door of what appeared to be</p><p>a general supply store. Hap pressed her ear to the door and nodded, signifying that </p><p>she could hear movement within. We looked at one another and readied ourselves</p><p>to face an unknown foe. Griff took a breath, and with Mardath and Taklinn flanking</p><p>him, he kicked open the door. </p><p></p><p> Grwfst 6 (con’t)</p><p> </p><p> An instant before Griff kicked open the door I reached out and cast invisibility on</p><p>Hap. As she faded from view I pitied anyone she blindsided. </p><p></p><p> The door gave way easily under Griff’s boot. He followed it in, sword at the </p><p>ready, with Taklinn and Mardath following. I knew that Happy would slip in behind</p><p>them. Caribdis went in last, while I stayed outside for the moment, not wanting to</p><p>put all of our eggs into one basket. I listened closely for a moment, heard Griff ask, </p><p>"Who the hell are you?". I could not hear the reply, but a short laugh followed it. I</p><p>could wait no longer, and attempted to slide into the store with as little fanfare as</p><p>possible. </p><p></p><p> There I beheld the Crew standing in a rough semicircle around a creature whose</p><p>type I have read about, but never dreamed of actually seeing. He was a half-dragon,</p><p>and stood well over seven feet tall, not even taking into account his folded wingtips </p><p>that arched above his back. His flesh was leathery white, with little body hair to</p><p>speak of. His hands and feet were bare and taloned, and it was easy to see how the</p><p>lesser educated could mistake him for a demon. </p><p></p><p> The half-dragon was standing near the store counter, a pile of goods stacked there,</p><p>and more in his hands. He dropped a coil of rope and some hard tack, raising his</p><p>hands in surrender. Mardath looked from the half-dragon to Griff and back again, as </p><p>if for a command. "So we kill him now?" he finally asked. </p><p></p><p> "I told you, I’m no demon!" the half-dragon spoke, with surprising eloquence. My</p><p>name is Taigel, I am dragon spawn, but I mean no harm!" </p><p></p><p> Griff did not sheath his sword, but he did lower it a tad. "Hmmm, probably not</p><p>this time." he answered Mardath. I could detect just the faintest hint of</p><p>disappointment in his voice. Griff glanced at me and I nodded. </p><p></p><p> "He’s telling the truth about being dragon spawn. I’ve studied his kind in the past,</p><p>and he fits the description of an advanced example of his species to a tee."</p><p></p><p> "That’s because its exactly what I am." the half-dragon snorted indignantly. My </p><p>father is a white wurm, my mother, a human seduced by him in the form of a man.</p><p>But I am not my father! I wish only to live in peace, which is why I reside in this</p><p>forsaken wood. I come to Finch only for necessary supplies. The folk here are </p><p>superstitious and will not be swayed in their belief that I am a demon. Every time I</p><p>come here they break into panic and flee, so I take what I need and leave payment</p><p>behind. See?" He jingled a purse at his side to signify that he possessed coin. </p><p></p><p> Griff scowled and I knew we were all thinking the same thing. Taklinn put it into</p><p>words. "A white dragon, you say? Does your father have a name, Taigel?"</p><p> </p><p> "As a matter of fact, he does. It is Acessiwall." </p><p></p><p> Caribdis groaned at this news and Happy laughed sardonically.</p><p> </p><p> "It would appear that your celestial friends have put us here in Finch at a most</p><p>fortuitous time, Taklinn." I said. The dwarf grunted a reply at me. </p><p></p><p> "Taigel," Taklinn said, "How do you get on with yer old man?"</p><p> </p><p> "Well, not that its any of your business, but since you are the ones with swords,</p><p>I’ll tell you that I don’t get on with him at all. He is evil to the core and was the </p><p>cause of horrible pain to my mother. I would see him dead, but I am no match for</p><p>him."</p><p></p><p> "Really?" Griff stepped in, smiling dangerously, "And do you know where old</p><p>Acessiwall lives?" </p><p></p><p> "Yes." replied Taigel, innocently enough, "About three hundred miles north of</p><p>here in the mountains of ice." </p><p></p><p> I clapped Taklinn on the back. "Taklinn, my friend, I think we have found</p><p>ourselves a guide!"</p><p> </p><p> Grwfst 6 (con’t)</p><p> </p><p> As it turned out, Taigel not only hated his father, but had actively sought out a </p><p>means of his death. He would never be a match for the old wurm himself, but given </p><p>the possibility of assistance, his interest was piqued. </p><p></p><p> We rolled barrels onto their ends to use as stools while we came to a mutual </p><p>understanding. Taklinn produced his strange amulet and contemplated it. "It must</p><p>be consecrated in dragons blood." he stated flatly.</p><p></p><p> "It does?" I asked, "How do you know that?" </p><p></p><p> "I just do!" Taklinn gave me a look. </p><p></p><p> "Ah. Forgive me, I am not as used to celestial visions."</p><p> </p><p> "Dragon’s blood!" Caribdis piped up, "You don’t think it’d work if we used his </p><p>blood, do you?" He eagerly looked at Taigel. The half-dragon’s reptilian/human</p><p>eyes narrowed, and he showed a glimmer of snow white fang. Caribdis did not</p><p>suggest such a thing again. </p><p></p><p> Though I must admit, the idea isn’t so far off base. Taklinn did not say, and</p><p>apparently doesn’t know exactly how much dragons blood is required. Could a pin</p><p>pricks worth of blood possibly empower the relic? </p><p> </p><p> Still, we do not even know what the amulet does. I shall have to study it further. </p><p></p><p> Happy tossed a dagger casually into a knothole the size of a silver piece from</p><p>fifteen paces. It thunked satisfyingly as Griff got to the point. "Look," he laid it out </p><p>for our new friend, "We’ve been, err, commissioned to slay Acessiwall. That amulet</p><p>is supposed to be able to help us do that. Now, you also want him dead, and you</p><p>know where he lives. It wasn’t coincidence that dropped you in our laps, so join us </p><p>and lets kill this bastard!"</p><p></p><p> Taigel could hardly argue the wisdom of Griff’s words. We had been paired by</p><p>forces far larger than ourselves. The hands of immortal beings was at work here, and </p><p>I, for one, felt a certain foreboding because of that. Still, it was a good match. In short</p><p>order Griff had found the shopkeepers selection of ales and was pouring not only</p><p>for himself, but Mardath, Caribdis and Taigel as well. By this time Cirilli returned to </p><p>find out what had become of his town, only to find the heroes cavorting with the</p><p>demon! In the end, the gnome was made to understand that Taigel meant no harm,</p><p>possessed gold to pay his supply and drink bill, and would be leaving in the </p><p>morning with us. The sheriff still looked at Taigel distrustfully, but it beat spending</p><p>the night in an old bear cave. Taklinn escorted him to retrieve the townsfolk. </p><p></p><p> We paid our bills and arranged for them to stable our mounts for the coming </p><p>weeks. There was no inn, per se, but we managed to rent the common room at the</p><p>villages only tavern. I gathered everyone about me. "Before you boys get too much</p><p>further into your cups and your warrior talk, we have a couple of things to address. </p><p>For one thing, we are still under obligation to Havilah to seek out a home for</p><p>Mardath’s people. Nanden provided us with much during the war with Melesandre,</p><p>and we owe him our attention in this matter. Still, this is a personal debt owed by </p><p>Taklinn. He cannot devote himself to our appointed task until he completes this one.</p><p>Without him, we are at a severe disadvantage. Without us to aid him against the</p><p>dragon, I fear that he will be at an even greater disadvantage. No offense, Taklinn." </p><p> </p><p> "None taken, lad."</p><p></p><p> "Therefore," I continued, "It is our duty to petition the Academy and the King to</p><p>release us from our current mission, or to at least postpone it. It should be</p><p>understood that there is a very real possibility of our request being denied." </p><p></p><p> I let that sink in a little, sighing inwardly. I knew that if Havilah bid us stay our</p><p>ordered course, we could be looking at a very serious situation indeed. Taklinn </p><p>would certainly still seek to repay his debt. Loyalty to a kingdom was one thing. A</p><p>debt to a dwarf is, apparently, an entirely different matter. </p><p></p><p> If Taklinn went, odds were that Caribdis would go. And it was hard to see Griff </p><p>and Happy waving goodbye to those two while they elected let someone else tell</p><p>them what to do. </p><p></p><p> Still, perhaps it wouldn’t be an issue. </p><p></p><p> "There is another point." I said, "I know a little about dragons, but not nearly</p><p>enough to properly be prepared against an ancient wurm the likes of Acessiwall. I</p><p>need access to the Academy library. To those ends, I’m going to teleport to Havilah </p><p>and hopefully resolve both of them. If all goes well I’ll be back in several hours.</p><p>Agreed?"</p><p></p><p> "Yer right, Doorag." Taklinn nodded. "I follow Havilah’s law and know we need </p><p>to do what is right. I trust Nivin Motel’s judgment on this matter. And if he does</p><p>give us the stamp of approval, we’ll need all the information about these lizards you</p><p>can cram into yer little head!" </p><p></p><p> The others agreed, and I wasted no time. Stepping back from them, I waved</p><p>goodbye, pictured the Academy courtyard, and said the words. </p><p></p><p> And I was there. </p><p> </p><p></p><p> </p><p> Grwfst 6 (con’t)</p><p></p><p> In the blink of an eye I was standing in courtyard on the east side of the Academy. </p><p>Several people gawked and I startled one old woman rather badly, I’m afraid, but I</p><p>am now well recognized among most of the citizenry due to the bards and artists</p><p>who have had their way not only with our story, but with our images. </p><p> </p><p> I’m not overjoyed to have been made an icon, but I suppose it comes with the</p><p>territory. </p><p></p><p> The change in weather was dramatic. Even with the fire stoked in Finch’s Inn the </p><p>wind had still cut right through the stout wood walls. Here in Havilah, the birds</p><p>sang in the trees that lined the wide path that led to the Academy’s east entrance,</p><p>and the sun baked away the bit of chill that remained in the air. </p><p></p><p> I made my way directly to Nivin Motel’s office and informed his secretary that I</p><p>needed an audience with the Dean. The old man noted the set of my jaw and hurried</p><p>to relay my message. Unfortunately I was told that I would have to wait an hour, as </p><p>Nivin was attending an audience with the King. I told the secretary that I</p><p>understood and would return. </p><p></p><p> With a bit of time to kill I returned to my chambers, making sure that everything </p><p>was still the way I’d left it. I had an unseen servant clear away the dust while I</p><p>pursued what information I could about dragons from my own library. My</p><p>bestiaries told me what I already knew and clarified a few points, but I knew that I </p><p>would still need to visit the schools library. </p><p></p><p> A short time later I was back in Nivin’s antechamber and presently was ushered</p><p>through his office doors. </p><p></p><p> The old man greeted me warmly as I entered, and despite the fact that I was</p><p>supposed to be in the field on Academy business, he seemed genuinely happy to see</p><p>me. He tugged his beard and poured me a glass of something that crackled a bit as I </p><p>sipped it before we both took our seats, he, behind his massive, oak, desk. His tom</p><p>cat familiar sat serenely and still as a statue on top of a small pile of books. I sat in a</p><p>comfortable leather chair on the opposite side. I had to use a pillow to sit on so I</p><p>could see him. </p><p> </p><p> "Now then, Doorag, what brings you back to Havilah?" He asked with a twinkle</p><p>in his eye, "I trust everything goes well on your surveying expedition," </p><p> </p><p> I took a deep breath. "Well, sir," I began, "Actually there has been a bit of a</p><p>snag..."</p><p> </p><p> And I told him everything. Taklinn’s arm, Yigil’s aid, Taklinn’s debt, his vision, </p><p>the visit by the celestial emissary, our detour of many hundreds of miles to the</p><p>northern wastes, Acessiwall, Taigel, and so on and so forth. </p><p></p><p> "So you see, sir," I finished my fifteen minute diatribe, "We have a bit of a </p><p>situation where Taklinn is torn between his loyalty to Havilah, and his honor. His</p><p>dilemma carries over to us all, and therefore I must petition, on behalf of myself and</p><p>the entire crew, Mardath included, a suspension of our current mission so that we </p><p>can aid Taklinn in satisfying his debt. We also wish to point out that slaying this</p><p>Acessiwall would probably be in the best interest of the world as a whole."</p><p> </p><p> Nivin looked thoughtful and tugged his beard a bit more. He scratched himself a </p><p>bit, coughed, looked thoughtful some more, and at last said, "Doorag, it appears that</p><p>your crew has already made their decision. You are already far beyond Havilah’s</p><p>borders, and with the obvious exception of yourself, they have no readily available </p><p>means of returning." He picked up a battered old pipe and began to fill it with</p><p>smokeweed.</p><p></p><p> "Ah, well, yes, there is that." I replied, "That was a rather spur of the moment </p><p>choice, I’ll admit, but Taklinn, at least, was going to go no matter what."</p><p></p><p> "So it was a matter of duty verses friendship?" Nivin asked, tamping the weed</p><p>into his bowl with a thick finger. </p><p></p><p> "I suppose it was, sir." I admitted. </p><p></p><p> "Tell me, Doorag, what do you think your crew would do if I were to tell you that</p><p>they must return and fulfill their appointed task?" </p><p></p><p> I cleared my throat. "Well sir, honestly I’m afraid that Taklinn would ignore your</p><p>order. It would break his heart to do so, but in the end Clangeden and his family’s</p><p>honor will always usurp his loyalty to a human ruled government. I don’t think I </p><p>have to tell you what Griffin thinks of other people telling him what to do. He’ll</p><p>follow an order as long as it’s what he wants to do, but I think, if pushed, he’d shrug</p><p>off the Academy in about two seconds. Same goes for Happy, not to mention that </p><p>she and Griff are quite close. I think she would take his lead. And Caribdis, well, to</p><p>be quite honest, I don’t even think he knows what he’s going to do at any given</p><p>moment. I might just as well flip a coin to give you his supposed answer." </p><p></p><p> Nivin had gotten his smokeweed packed just so, and lit it with a flame from his</p><p>finger. He drew deeply and leaned back in his chair. "It sounds as if you're not</p><p>terribly confident in your crews loyalty to Havilah, Doorag." </p><p></p><p> I shrugged. "They are who they are, sir. I can’t fault them for their individualistic</p><p>ways or sense of honor. Perhaps it’s their strong sense of identity that makes us</p><p>work so well together. I’m not sure, but I do know that I wouldn’t change them if I </p><p>could."</p><p></p><p> Nivin pursed his lips and drew on his pipe stem before considering me through a</p><p>thick cloud of blue smoke. "And you, Doorag?" he said, at last, "What would you </p><p>do? Would you choose your friends, or Havilah?"</p><p></p><p> I stared at him. "Sir, its hardly fair to ask me this. Even my suppositions about my</p><p>friends could well be wrong. Your asking me to confirm my loyalty, when I would </p><p>hope that it would be unquestioned!"</p><p></p><p> "No one is questioning your loyalty, Doorag," Nivin smiled his grandfatherly</p><p>smile with no hint of malice, "But I am within my right to ask, and ask I shall." </p><p></p><p> I swallowed hard. "Is that an order, sir?" Nivin raised his eyebrows in surprise,</p><p>and seemed to chuckle at the idea.</p><p></p><p> "Well, yes. I suppose it is." </p><p> </p><p> I nodded glumly and got down from my chair so that I could go to the open</p><p>window and look down on the courtyard. I stood there, my back to Nivin, </p><p>considering the question at length. Finally, I whispered, "Havilah. I would choose</p><p>Havilah." I regretted the words as soon as they came out of my mouth. I felt</p><p>ashamed, as if I had betrayed my friends, but I knew that they were true. </p><p></p><p> Nivin stood beside me and rested a hand on my shoulder. "Do not be glum,</p><p>Doorag. You simply see a different picture than your friends. You hold a slightly</p><p>different set of values. Yet they are not so far removed that they invalidate each </p><p>other. I know that you consider the people of Havilah your family. You have made</p><p>the Academy and this city your home. There is no shame in loving your home and</p><p>family enough to forgo all others. Havilah is lucky to have protectors such as you. </p><p>And she is still also lucky to have friends like Taklinn and Happy and Griff and</p><p>Caribdis." </p><p></p><p> I sighed and straightened a bit. He continued. </p><p></p><p> "Doorag, I grant you your request. Your crew may follow it’s own instincts as you</p><p>have in the past, for that is how you seem to best serve Havilah. You have the</p><p>blessings of the Academy and the court. Fear not, I shall inform the king. He will </p><p>understand. I will also speak with Nanden, and perhaps another crew can be put to</p><p>use in finding his people a home. I wish you well, and will expect a full report upon</p><p>your return." </p><p></p><p> "Thank you, sir." I said, bowing low and saying no more. The hard question as to</p><p>where my heart lay still hung heavily upon me. I bid him farewell and closed the</p><p>door behind me. Once in the hall, I took a deep breath and resolved to focus on the </p><p>task at hand. I walked toward the library.</p><p></p><p> Grwfst 6 (con’t) </p><p></p><p> As it turns out, dragons are an oft studied species and there was an entire shelf</p><p>dedicated specifically to their reference material. I was soon sequestered in a</p><p>reading room, flanked by stacks and stacks of books that focused on dragons. Their </p><p>ecology, diet, variances, strengths, weaknesses, life cycles, history, and on and on.</p><p>Many of the tomes contradicted each other, but several offered reputable and</p><p>invaluable information. Gwostell’s, Dragons By Their Color, Bindibat’s, Wurms of </p><p>the World, and Aaron the Blind Sage’s, White Dragons: A Complete Study were full</p><p>of hard fact that I could use. Even a small treatise called, So You Want To Kill A</p><p>Dragon? by someone called Hadrian Epfhresure contained a few choice iota’s of </p><p>white dragon weak spots and gave a strategic tip or two on fighting them.</p><p></p><p> I filled several pages with notes. It took me the better part of five hours, but in the</p><p>end I was satisfied that I now understood our enemy much better than previously. </p><p>Unfortunately, what I had learned filled me with dread. </p><p></p><p> With my notes secured in my haversack, I made for the courtyard once again,</p><p>eager to return to Finch. Once in the fading daylight, I walked to a spot under an </p><p>ancient oak, pictured the interior of the tavern, and disappeared.</p><p></p><p> When I arrived back in the inn, it was quiet. All were well asleep except for </p><p>Griff, who sat leaning back in a chair, his boots on a table with a bottle nestled on</p><p>his hand. Caribdis was at the same table, still in his chair, passed out. His hand still</p><p>gripped an ale mug. Happy snoozed in a makeshift hammock suspended from a </p><p>beam, while Taklinn, Mardath and Taigel all used tables as beds. Obviously</p><p>Caribdis had gotten too drunk and had passed out before he could provide proper</p><p>shelter and beds via his Leomund’s shelter. Still, compared to many of the places </p><p>we’ve slept, it could have been far worse. </p><p></p><p> Griff raised an eyebrow at my entrance and tipped his bottle toward me in salute. I</p><p>walked to the table and helped myself to a mug of water from the clay pitcher there. </p><p></p><p> "Everything go alright in Havilah?" Griff asked, matter of factly, taking a pull</p><p>from the bottle. </p><p></p><p> "Not bad." I replied, "We’ve been released from our mission for Nanden and I</p><p>found out a few things about white dragons. I’m tired, but I got what I went there</p><p>for." I did not mention Nivin’s pointed questions, and I felt another small wash of </p><p>shame. Perhaps I had been wrong, I thought. Looking at Griff now, it was hard to</p><p>picture him turning his back on Havilah. I hoped that I was wrong.</p><p></p><p> "I still have some work to do." I said. Griff grunted and took another swig. I made </p><p>my way to a table near the fire, lit a candle, and began this diary entry.</p><p></p><p> It has indeed been an eventful day, and I believe that tomorrow will bring more of</p><p>the same. We are slated to traverse an impossibly large expanse of tundra in search </p><p>of Acessiwall. I suppose I will want to be sharp for that. It’s time I got some rest.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="cthulhu42, post: 6582027, member: 6792361"] Grwfst 6 This has certainly been an eventful day! After having defeated the grip of three armed giants we decided to camp for the night. Caribdis cast his shelter and we bedded down. Unbeknownst to us, Taklinn was paid a night time visit. I am unsure whether our cleric was visited in a dream or if his vision was more "real", but in any case when I awoke early the next morning I was surprised to find him already up, his bearded face locked into a dour grimace as he absentmindedly poked the ashes of our fire from the previous night. Thinking nothing of it, I chirped a pleasant good morning to him and went about my morning rituals. From time to time I would catch him from the corner of my eye as he sat there, stoically, apparently lost in deep thought. I resolved not to bother him, and as it turns out, my questions were soon answered anyway. An hour later the rest of the crew had risen and breakfast was well under way. Caribdis washed down his rations with something that smelled oddly of alcohol, and I glanced to Taklinn for the disapproving frown that should have been there, but he was still in a world of his own. His eyes seemed not to focus on anything beyond his own nose, and I began to wonder very much what was on his mind. I did not have to wait long. Our stout cleric sighed and pushed away his half eaten meal. He stood up, brushing away the dust, and cleared his throat with a gravely rumble. "I must take my leave of you." he announced, without fanfare. A bit of milk shot out my nose at his declaration as it took all of us off guard. Even Griff raised a questioning eyebrow, and Caribdis, though he seems to have been distancing himself from Taklinn a bit of late, looked as if he had been pole axed by the statement. "Leave us? What do you mean, leave us?" I asked. "Just what I said. I have business to attend to that I cannot ask you to help with. I hope to rejoin you, but I don’t know..." Happy had leapt to her feet, real concern on her face. "This is awfully sudden, Taklinn," she said, "Maybe you should tell us what your talking about and let us decide if we can help you or not." I was surprised to hear Mardath chime in on this, but his words were full of simple wisdom. "Yes," he said, struggling to put the words into our language, "Are we not brothers in arms? I will help if I can." Taklinn sighed again and began to pace slowly across the campsite. I could tell that he was trying to put his words together. "You remember when I lost my arm?" he asked after several minutes. "How could we not?" Griff grunted. "Yigil had to reattach it." "Yeah, well, Yigil didn’t exactly put my old arm back on," Taklinn explained, "He sort of... replaced it. Or rather, he asked a favor on my behalf of some very powerful beings. They granted the favor and gave me this limb, but Yigil told me then to expect a price to be paid for it one day. What could I do but agree, though it galled me to owe a favor to an entity I know nothing of. All Yigil could, or would, tell me was that those who gave me the arm are celestial beings of sorts. They are of the light, so I fear not the infection of evil, yet they share no direct connection to Clangeden, and therefore I have never been entirely comfortable with the bargain. Still, what could I do? By the time I awoke the arm was already attached to my shoulder, and I could not bare the notion of serving Clangeden at half strength. To have lost that arm forever would have meant my leaving this crew and returning home a failure." "’They’?" I asked. "Yes, there are more than one. I do not know the nature of these beings, but according to what little I do know we are talking about a consortium of beings who dwell outside the ken of mortal men. Yigil assures me that they seek only to foil the plots of evil in this and all realms. I have thought little about it as of late. It has been a long time, and I wondered if I were ever to be asked to repay the favor, but last night I was visited with a vision and told me that payment is due." Taklinn glanced at the sky to check the time. "Supposedly, when the sun has reached noontime today, there will come an emissary from this cabal to explain all of this in detail. Yet the point remains, this is my debt to pay. I will not ask the rest of you to risk yourselves for it." Griff rolled his eyes and barked a short laugh. "Ever noble, Taklinn. Fat chance we’re gonna let you have all the fun!" "He’s right, Taklinn," Happy interjected, "We’re a Crew. More than that, we’re your friends! Of course we’ll help you!" A chorus of ’ayes!’ sounded from all of us. Even Mardath showed no hesitation at plunging into unknown danger. Taklinn sighed again. "Thank you." he said. "I feared that such would be the case. I cannot force you to not follow me, but first we should wait until the emissary has given us more information. Also, it must be taken into consideration that we already have a job to do. We are currently under orders to find Mardath’s people a home. I feel that my debt usurps that, but it doesn’t for the rest of you." And so we waited, nervously sitting around the campsite, all eyes continually watching the sun crawl across the sky, waiting for it to reach its zenith, not knowing what noon would bring. When, at last, the sun hung directly over our heads, the emissary came. It was as if every dappled beam of sunlight suddenly coalesced into a figure so bright that we could barely look at it without shielding our eyes. It took the form of a man, yet its visage was that of oil on water, for its body shimmered and swam with every color of the rainbow. Light radiated from it with fierce intensity, yet we were all strangely calmed by its presence. It’s voice resonated and seemed to echo within us. It was the voice of not one, but a chorus of many within one body. I was immediately fascinated. "Taklinn." It spoke without fanfare, "Are you ready to receive your direction?" "I am." Our cleric answered bluntly. "And your companions?" The being intoned. "They have resolved to accompany me. "It is as We have foreseen. This is good. You will need help in your coming trial." I could stand it no longer. My curiosity got the better of me and I strode forward, eyeing the things mirror-like, rainbow patterned surface closely. "What do you mean, ’We’?" I questioned. "Doorag..." Taklinn tried to interrupt. "How many of you are there?" I asked, ignoring Taklinn. "Doorag!" the dwarf tried again. "And for that matter, just exactly who are you? And how did you attach that arm to Taklinn, and what’s it made of? Oh, and where do you come from..." "DOORAG!" Taklinn’s boom finally cut me off and I flinched sheepishly. "Fear not, Taklinn," the emissary cut in mildly, "It is natural for the little one to have questions. It is his nature. We are sure that many questions must be forthcoming. We will answer what We must, but know that not every question will be satisfied, not every answer will be clear, and there is much that We must allow to remain unseen. As for who We are, We can tell you only that We are celestials, outsiders, who seek balance and truth, not only on this world, but on all worlds. We are many, yet We are one. We work in unison to advance a greater good where ever evil seeks to insinuate itself. As for Taklinn’s arm, We do not wish to reveal its secret, though its origin is of little immediate importance." Griff, having had enough of this Q&A, decided to get right to the point. "Just tell us what we’re supposed to do already." he stated. Though the being had no facial features of which to speak, I felt its smile at Griff’s words. "We feel a great evil presence upon this world, an evil with which you are qualified to contend. We ask that you seek out this evil and put an end to it. It’s name is Acessiwall, and it is a dragon. The creature resides to the far north, encased in a lair of ice and snow as befits one of his ilk. He could be considered weak for his species, for he is a white dragon, and therefore technically inferior to his cousins. Yet Acessiwall is quite ancient and ambitious. He possesses an intelligence far beyond the ken of his kind, and he seeks to spread his influence across the realm through machinations even We have been unable to ascertain. We would have you seek him out and destroy him. That is your task." Silence followed this announcement, broken at last by Caribdis, who had been strangely silent thus far. "A dragon?" he gulped. "A dragon! You must be out of your mind! Or minds! We fought a dragon a long time ago and it nearly killed us! This dragon sounds a lot bigger and badder than that one!" "It is." the emissary answered blithely. "Consider it done." Taklinn said bluntly. "Now just a dog gone minute..." Caribdis began, but Taklinn cut him off. "I told you that you didn’t have to go, boy. This is my debt, and it will be repaid. One way or another." Caribdis bit back his words and visibly sulked. "A dragon?" Mardath intoned wonderingly, "I have heard of such beasts on my own world, but have never seen one. They are said to be the most dangerous of all enemies. I will fight with you, dwarf." "Yep." said Griff. "Umm, well, I guess so..." Happy chimed in, though she didn’t sound nearly as sure about it as our two fighter friends. As for me, there had never been a question as to whether or not I would follow Taklinn into the very pits of hell. Still, the notion of taking on an ancient white dragon was a bit disconcerting. We are a powerful Crew, no doubt, but a dragon? Still, I nodded and resolved to help Taklinn in any way I could. The emissary seemed satisfied with our responses. "Acessiwall is a powerful creature and cannot be defeated by your lot without aid. To this end We provide you with this." In his hand there appeared an amulet of strange stone which glowed mellowly. It’s dull light faded as the emissary handed it to Taklinn, but I knew that its shimmer was just beneath the surface. My curiosity was piqued anew. "This token will help in your battle, though its secrets must be uncovered. About it We will say no more. Acessiwall holds his council many months ride from here in the frozen wastes of the north. We will transport you closer to his lair, though there will still be much travel before you find him. We will take you to the village of Finch where you will meet another who will ally with you against the dragon. Are all agreed?" "Meet with someone else? Who...?" Caribdis began. But Griff was getting antsy. "We’re agreed already!" he rasped, "Do what your gonna do!" "Gather your belongings and your mounts." The emissary said. Make haste, for my time here is short. Silently, and a bit uncertainly, we did so, bringing the horses together and shouldering our packs. The emissary instructed us to clasp hands, to form an unbroken chain of man and beast, and I knew we were about to be teleported. There was that feeling of the ground dropping away beneath our feet, a flash of blinding light, as we passed through the dimensions of time and space. In the next instant, we felt the knife like blast of a wind so cold I feared it would tear my cloak straight from me! All around us was snow covered forest, and Hap and I immediately sank to our thighs in the powdery stuff. The emissary was nowhere to be seen, but it was evident that he had left us on a path of some kind that meandered through the trees. And we were not alone. A straggling caravan, heading the opposite direction, shared it with us. They were humans, heavily bundled up against the weather, and our arrival caused great chaos within their ranks. "Gods save us!" cried one old woman, "More of them have come to slay us! Cirilli! More demons!" We looked around franticly, weapons at the ready at the word, ’demons’, but soon realized she was referring to us as she made the sign of the forked horns at us and scurried away. We made to call out and assure her that we were certainly not demons, but she and the rest of the caravan of folk were in a panic, plunging into the forest in an attempt to flee. At last, a short fellow with a bulbous, red, nose approached us. He pushed his hood from his face and I could see that he was probably a gnome. His stature was roughly that of mine and Happy’s, but he appeared a bit more robust. He gave us the once over and spat onto the snow. "Yer no demons!" he announced. "No. We’re not." Griffin agreed wryly. "Who are you and what’s going on?" "I’m Cirilli Treetrapweaver, sheriff of Finch. Right now we’re fleeing from a demon that has taken over our village! It’s back that way about half a mile! If I were you, I’d come with us! The beast is hideous! Dead set on killing us all! Quick, follow me and I’ll lead you to shelter!" "Hmph!" Taklinn sniffed, hefting his axe, looking down the trail in the direction of the village. "A demon?" Mardath repeated, "I have never seen a real demon! I should like to kill it!" He grinned an unsettling grin and swung his greatsword in a lazy swath. "We’ll take care of your demon." Griff said to Cirilli, and without another word he made off through the snow. "Your crazy!" the gnome cried at our backs. "It will kill you all! It will..." but his words were lost in the howl of wind and snow. We marched through the forest, huddled in our cloaks, and presently we rounded a bend that allowed us to see the tiny village of Finch, blanketed in thick snow, and utterly silent. Everyone had apparently fled, and the village was eerily quiet and covered in white. We spread out a bit and entered the village cautiously. I cast a Fly on myself just in case, and Caribdis softly whispered a rhyme as he knocked an arrow. Griff, Mardath and Taklinn strode forward, weapons at the ready, while Happy pressed herself against a building, sliding along its length for maximum cover, her daggers pressed against her inner arms. Presently we discovered a set of tracks in the snow that did not match any of the booted prints we’d seen leaving Finch. These tracks certainly looked demonic enough, what with their claw markings. They led to the door of what appeared to be a general supply store. Hap pressed her ear to the door and nodded, signifying that she could hear movement within. We looked at one another and readied ourselves to face an unknown foe. Griff took a breath, and with Mardath and Taklinn flanking him, he kicked open the door. Grwfst 6 (con’t) An instant before Griff kicked open the door I reached out and cast invisibility on Hap. As she faded from view I pitied anyone she blindsided. The door gave way easily under Griff’s boot. He followed it in, sword at the ready, with Taklinn and Mardath following. I knew that Happy would slip in behind them. Caribdis went in last, while I stayed outside for the moment, not wanting to put all of our eggs into one basket. I listened closely for a moment, heard Griff ask, "Who the hell are you?". I could not hear the reply, but a short laugh followed it. I could wait no longer, and attempted to slide into the store with as little fanfare as possible. There I beheld the Crew standing in a rough semicircle around a creature whose type I have read about, but never dreamed of actually seeing. He was a half-dragon, and stood well over seven feet tall, not even taking into account his folded wingtips that arched above his back. His flesh was leathery white, with little body hair to speak of. His hands and feet were bare and taloned, and it was easy to see how the lesser educated could mistake him for a demon. The half-dragon was standing near the store counter, a pile of goods stacked there, and more in his hands. He dropped a coil of rope and some hard tack, raising his hands in surrender. Mardath looked from the half-dragon to Griff and back again, as if for a command. "So we kill him now?" he finally asked. "I told you, I’m no demon!" the half-dragon spoke, with surprising eloquence. My name is Taigel, I am dragon spawn, but I mean no harm!" Griff did not sheath his sword, but he did lower it a tad. "Hmmm, probably not this time." he answered Mardath. I could detect just the faintest hint of disappointment in his voice. Griff glanced at me and I nodded. "He’s telling the truth about being dragon spawn. I’ve studied his kind in the past, and he fits the description of an advanced example of his species to a tee." "That’s because its exactly what I am." the half-dragon snorted indignantly. My father is a white wurm, my mother, a human seduced by him in the form of a man. But I am not my father! I wish only to live in peace, which is why I reside in this forsaken wood. I come to Finch only for necessary supplies. The folk here are superstitious and will not be swayed in their belief that I am a demon. Every time I come here they break into panic and flee, so I take what I need and leave payment behind. See?" He jingled a purse at his side to signify that he possessed coin. Griff scowled and I knew we were all thinking the same thing. Taklinn put it into words. "A white dragon, you say? Does your father have a name, Taigel?" "As a matter of fact, he does. It is Acessiwall." Caribdis groaned at this news and Happy laughed sardonically. "It would appear that your celestial friends have put us here in Finch at a most fortuitous time, Taklinn." I said. The dwarf grunted a reply at me. "Taigel," Taklinn said, "How do you get on with yer old man?" "Well, not that its any of your business, but since you are the ones with swords, I’ll tell you that I don’t get on with him at all. He is evil to the core and was the cause of horrible pain to my mother. I would see him dead, but I am no match for him." "Really?" Griff stepped in, smiling dangerously, "And do you know where old Acessiwall lives?" "Yes." replied Taigel, innocently enough, "About three hundred miles north of here in the mountains of ice." I clapped Taklinn on the back. "Taklinn, my friend, I think we have found ourselves a guide!" Grwfst 6 (con’t) As it turned out, Taigel not only hated his father, but had actively sought out a means of his death. He would never be a match for the old wurm himself, but given the possibility of assistance, his interest was piqued. We rolled barrels onto their ends to use as stools while we came to a mutual understanding. Taklinn produced his strange amulet and contemplated it. "It must be consecrated in dragons blood." he stated flatly. "It does?" I asked, "How do you know that?" "I just do!" Taklinn gave me a look. "Ah. Forgive me, I am not as used to celestial visions." "Dragon’s blood!" Caribdis piped up, "You don’t think it’d work if we used his blood, do you?" He eagerly looked at Taigel. The half-dragon’s reptilian/human eyes narrowed, and he showed a glimmer of snow white fang. Caribdis did not suggest such a thing again. Though I must admit, the idea isn’t so far off base. Taklinn did not say, and apparently doesn’t know exactly how much dragons blood is required. Could a pin pricks worth of blood possibly empower the relic? Still, we do not even know what the amulet does. I shall have to study it further. Happy tossed a dagger casually into a knothole the size of a silver piece from fifteen paces. It thunked satisfyingly as Griff got to the point. "Look," he laid it out for our new friend, "We’ve been, err, commissioned to slay Acessiwall. That amulet is supposed to be able to help us do that. Now, you also want him dead, and you know where he lives. It wasn’t coincidence that dropped you in our laps, so join us and lets kill this bastard!" Taigel could hardly argue the wisdom of Griff’s words. We had been paired by forces far larger than ourselves. The hands of immortal beings was at work here, and I, for one, felt a certain foreboding because of that. Still, it was a good match. In short order Griff had found the shopkeepers selection of ales and was pouring not only for himself, but Mardath, Caribdis and Taigel as well. By this time Cirilli returned to find out what had become of his town, only to find the heroes cavorting with the demon! In the end, the gnome was made to understand that Taigel meant no harm, possessed gold to pay his supply and drink bill, and would be leaving in the morning with us. The sheriff still looked at Taigel distrustfully, but it beat spending the night in an old bear cave. Taklinn escorted him to retrieve the townsfolk. We paid our bills and arranged for them to stable our mounts for the coming weeks. There was no inn, per se, but we managed to rent the common room at the villages only tavern. I gathered everyone about me. "Before you boys get too much further into your cups and your warrior talk, we have a couple of things to address. For one thing, we are still under obligation to Havilah to seek out a home for Mardath’s people. Nanden provided us with much during the war with Melesandre, and we owe him our attention in this matter. Still, this is a personal debt owed by Taklinn. He cannot devote himself to our appointed task until he completes this one. Without him, we are at a severe disadvantage. Without us to aid him against the dragon, I fear that he will be at an even greater disadvantage. No offense, Taklinn." "None taken, lad." "Therefore," I continued, "It is our duty to petition the Academy and the King to release us from our current mission, or to at least postpone it. It should be understood that there is a very real possibility of our request being denied." I let that sink in a little, sighing inwardly. I knew that if Havilah bid us stay our ordered course, we could be looking at a very serious situation indeed. Taklinn would certainly still seek to repay his debt. Loyalty to a kingdom was one thing. A debt to a dwarf is, apparently, an entirely different matter. If Taklinn went, odds were that Caribdis would go. And it was hard to see Griff and Happy waving goodbye to those two while they elected let someone else tell them what to do. Still, perhaps it wouldn’t be an issue. "There is another point." I said, "I know a little about dragons, but not nearly enough to properly be prepared against an ancient wurm the likes of Acessiwall. I need access to the Academy library. To those ends, I’m going to teleport to Havilah and hopefully resolve both of them. If all goes well I’ll be back in several hours. Agreed?" "Yer right, Doorag." Taklinn nodded. "I follow Havilah’s law and know we need to do what is right. I trust Nivin Motel’s judgment on this matter. And if he does give us the stamp of approval, we’ll need all the information about these lizards you can cram into yer little head!" The others agreed, and I wasted no time. Stepping back from them, I waved goodbye, pictured the Academy courtyard, and said the words. And I was there. Grwfst 6 (con’t) In the blink of an eye I was standing in courtyard on the east side of the Academy. Several people gawked and I startled one old woman rather badly, I’m afraid, but I am now well recognized among most of the citizenry due to the bards and artists who have had their way not only with our story, but with our images. I’m not overjoyed to have been made an icon, but I suppose it comes with the territory. The change in weather was dramatic. Even with the fire stoked in Finch’s Inn the wind had still cut right through the stout wood walls. Here in Havilah, the birds sang in the trees that lined the wide path that led to the Academy’s east entrance, and the sun baked away the bit of chill that remained in the air. I made my way directly to Nivin Motel’s office and informed his secretary that I needed an audience with the Dean. The old man noted the set of my jaw and hurried to relay my message. Unfortunately I was told that I would have to wait an hour, as Nivin was attending an audience with the King. I told the secretary that I understood and would return. With a bit of time to kill I returned to my chambers, making sure that everything was still the way I’d left it. I had an unseen servant clear away the dust while I pursued what information I could about dragons from my own library. My bestiaries told me what I already knew and clarified a few points, but I knew that I would still need to visit the schools library. A short time later I was back in Nivin’s antechamber and presently was ushered through his office doors. The old man greeted me warmly as I entered, and despite the fact that I was supposed to be in the field on Academy business, he seemed genuinely happy to see me. He tugged his beard and poured me a glass of something that crackled a bit as I sipped it before we both took our seats, he, behind his massive, oak, desk. His tom cat familiar sat serenely and still as a statue on top of a small pile of books. I sat in a comfortable leather chair on the opposite side. I had to use a pillow to sit on so I could see him. "Now then, Doorag, what brings you back to Havilah?" He asked with a twinkle in his eye, "I trust everything goes well on your surveying expedition," I took a deep breath. "Well, sir," I began, "Actually there has been a bit of a snag..." And I told him everything. Taklinn’s arm, Yigil’s aid, Taklinn’s debt, his vision, the visit by the celestial emissary, our detour of many hundreds of miles to the northern wastes, Acessiwall, Taigel, and so on and so forth. "So you see, sir," I finished my fifteen minute diatribe, "We have a bit of a situation where Taklinn is torn between his loyalty to Havilah, and his honor. His dilemma carries over to us all, and therefore I must petition, on behalf of myself and the entire crew, Mardath included, a suspension of our current mission so that we can aid Taklinn in satisfying his debt. We also wish to point out that slaying this Acessiwall would probably be in the best interest of the world as a whole." Nivin looked thoughtful and tugged his beard a bit more. He scratched himself a bit, coughed, looked thoughtful some more, and at last said, "Doorag, it appears that your crew has already made their decision. You are already far beyond Havilah’s borders, and with the obvious exception of yourself, they have no readily available means of returning." He picked up a battered old pipe and began to fill it with smokeweed. "Ah, well, yes, there is that." I replied, "That was a rather spur of the moment choice, I’ll admit, but Taklinn, at least, was going to go no matter what." "So it was a matter of duty verses friendship?" Nivin asked, tamping the weed into his bowl with a thick finger. "I suppose it was, sir." I admitted. "Tell me, Doorag, what do you think your crew would do if I were to tell you that they must return and fulfill their appointed task?" I cleared my throat. "Well sir, honestly I’m afraid that Taklinn would ignore your order. It would break his heart to do so, but in the end Clangeden and his family’s honor will always usurp his loyalty to a human ruled government. I don’t think I have to tell you what Griffin thinks of other people telling him what to do. He’ll follow an order as long as it’s what he wants to do, but I think, if pushed, he’d shrug off the Academy in about two seconds. Same goes for Happy, not to mention that she and Griff are quite close. I think she would take his lead. And Caribdis, well, to be quite honest, I don’t even think he knows what he’s going to do at any given moment. I might just as well flip a coin to give you his supposed answer." Nivin had gotten his smokeweed packed just so, and lit it with a flame from his finger. He drew deeply and leaned back in his chair. "It sounds as if you're not terribly confident in your crews loyalty to Havilah, Doorag." I shrugged. "They are who they are, sir. I can’t fault them for their individualistic ways or sense of honor. Perhaps it’s their strong sense of identity that makes us work so well together. I’m not sure, but I do know that I wouldn’t change them if I could." Nivin pursed his lips and drew on his pipe stem before considering me through a thick cloud of blue smoke. "And you, Doorag?" he said, at last, "What would you do? Would you choose your friends, or Havilah?" I stared at him. "Sir, its hardly fair to ask me this. Even my suppositions about my friends could well be wrong. Your asking me to confirm my loyalty, when I would hope that it would be unquestioned!" "No one is questioning your loyalty, Doorag," Nivin smiled his grandfatherly smile with no hint of malice, "But I am within my right to ask, and ask I shall." I swallowed hard. "Is that an order, sir?" Nivin raised his eyebrows in surprise, and seemed to chuckle at the idea. "Well, yes. I suppose it is." I nodded glumly and got down from my chair so that I could go to the open window and look down on the courtyard. I stood there, my back to Nivin, considering the question at length. Finally, I whispered, "Havilah. I would choose Havilah." I regretted the words as soon as they came out of my mouth. I felt ashamed, as if I had betrayed my friends, but I knew that they were true. Nivin stood beside me and rested a hand on my shoulder. "Do not be glum, Doorag. You simply see a different picture than your friends. You hold a slightly different set of values. Yet they are not so far removed that they invalidate each other. I know that you consider the people of Havilah your family. You have made the Academy and this city your home. There is no shame in loving your home and family enough to forgo all others. Havilah is lucky to have protectors such as you. And she is still also lucky to have friends like Taklinn and Happy and Griff and Caribdis." I sighed and straightened a bit. He continued. "Doorag, I grant you your request. Your crew may follow it’s own instincts as you have in the past, for that is how you seem to best serve Havilah. You have the blessings of the Academy and the court. Fear not, I shall inform the king. He will understand. I will also speak with Nanden, and perhaps another crew can be put to use in finding his people a home. I wish you well, and will expect a full report upon your return." "Thank you, sir." I said, bowing low and saying no more. The hard question as to where my heart lay still hung heavily upon me. I bid him farewell and closed the door behind me. Once in the hall, I took a deep breath and resolved to focus on the task at hand. I walked toward the library. Grwfst 6 (con’t) As it turns out, dragons are an oft studied species and there was an entire shelf dedicated specifically to their reference material. I was soon sequestered in a reading room, flanked by stacks and stacks of books that focused on dragons. Their ecology, diet, variances, strengths, weaknesses, life cycles, history, and on and on. Many of the tomes contradicted each other, but several offered reputable and invaluable information. Gwostell’s, Dragons By Their Color, Bindibat’s, Wurms of the World, and Aaron the Blind Sage’s, White Dragons: A Complete Study were full of hard fact that I could use. Even a small treatise called, So You Want To Kill A Dragon? by someone called Hadrian Epfhresure contained a few choice iota’s of white dragon weak spots and gave a strategic tip or two on fighting them. I filled several pages with notes. It took me the better part of five hours, but in the end I was satisfied that I now understood our enemy much better than previously. Unfortunately, what I had learned filled me with dread. With my notes secured in my haversack, I made for the courtyard once again, eager to return to Finch. Once in the fading daylight, I walked to a spot under an ancient oak, pictured the interior of the tavern, and disappeared. When I arrived back in the inn, it was quiet. All were well asleep except for Griff, who sat leaning back in a chair, his boots on a table with a bottle nestled on his hand. Caribdis was at the same table, still in his chair, passed out. His hand still gripped an ale mug. Happy snoozed in a makeshift hammock suspended from a beam, while Taklinn, Mardath and Taigel all used tables as beds. Obviously Caribdis had gotten too drunk and had passed out before he could provide proper shelter and beds via his Leomund’s shelter. Still, compared to many of the places we’ve slept, it could have been far worse. Griff raised an eyebrow at my entrance and tipped his bottle toward me in salute. I walked to the table and helped myself to a mug of water from the clay pitcher there. "Everything go alright in Havilah?" Griff asked, matter of factly, taking a pull from the bottle. "Not bad." I replied, "We’ve been released from our mission for Nanden and I found out a few things about white dragons. I’m tired, but I got what I went there for." I did not mention Nivin’s pointed questions, and I felt another small wash of shame. Perhaps I had been wrong, I thought. Looking at Griff now, it was hard to picture him turning his back on Havilah. I hoped that I was wrong. "I still have some work to do." I said. Griff grunted and took another swig. I made my way to a table near the fire, lit a candle, and began this diary entry. It has indeed been an eventful day, and I believe that tomorrow will bring more of the same. We are slated to traverse an impossibly large expanse of tundra in search of Acessiwall. I suppose I will want to be sharp for that. It’s time I got some rest. [/QUOTE]
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