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Story Hour
From the Diary of Doorag Marzipan
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<blockquote data-quote="cthulhu42" data-source="post: 6585712" data-attributes="member: 6792361"><p>From out of the darkness a huge shape formed and came into sharp focus.</p><p>Acessiwall, the ancient white dragon that we had hunted for so long flew on silent </p><p>wings, gliding with incredible speed out of the inky blackness. He was upon us</p><p>before any of us had a chance to react. At least fifty feet long and fifteen feet at the</p><p>shoulder, I knew that he was small by dragon standards, but his very speed and </p><p>visage made my blood run cold. I had no doubt that, were it not for the ‘hero’s</p><p>feast’ I’d eaten earlier I would certainly have bolted from the caverns, running for</p><p>my life. </p><p></p><p> Acessiwall pumped his wings, buffeting us with the downdraft as he came to light</p><p>on a plateau that towered some forty feet above the cave floor. With a mighty roar,</p><p>he exhaled, catching Taigel, Taklinn and myself in his freezing breath ray. I felt the </p><p>chill numb me briefly, but the protection from energy spells did their jobs, and we</p><p>took no damage from his breath. Acessiwall roared again, and this time I recognized</p><p>it as a challenge. </p><p></p><p> Taklinn was the first to react. “Clangeden!” He bellowed, casting a ‘righteous</p><p>might’ on himself. His size doubled as the spell took hold, and he flew straight at</p><p>the wurm, axes held at the ready. </p><p></p><p> Taigel flew upwards toward his father and slashed a wound onto his own forearm,</p><p>coating the amulet worn around his neck with his own blood. Acessiwall’s eyes</p><p>narrowed as he looked straight at our half-dragon friend, but he must have shaken </p><p>off the effects, for he turned his attention back on Taklinn. Before he could attack,</p><p>however, I wove a spell and hurled it at him, hoping against hope that I would</p><p>defeat his spell resistance. </p><p></p><p> I did. The ‘dispel magic’ stripped away several protective spells. Acessiwall’s</p><p>body seemed to shimmer for a brief second, and then remain firmly within my</p><p>vision. I shuddered, realizing that I’d just got rid of a ‘displacement’. The wurm </p><p>snarled in my direction, long strands of bile dripping from his fangs, but he</p><p>unleashed his fury upon Taklinn.</p><p></p><p> Acessiwall struck like a snake, his jaws clamping into Taklinn and tearing at him </p><p>before letting go, only to lash out with his cruelly hooked claws. Our priest took all</p><p>three hits, but wavered not a bit. His ‘stone skin’ soaked up the majority of the</p><p>damage and he was well able to take the rest. Acessiwall also managed to slap</p><p>Taigel with a wing, knocking the ranger back several feet. </p><p></p><p> By now Griff was in motion. He flew straight at the dragon’s flank and brought</p><p>the Talon down in an arc that could have sundered steel, but it merely glanced off </p><p>Acessiwall’s scales, and Griff’s curse echoed through the cave. </p><p></p><p> Taigel had been knocked down to a ledge beneath the plateau by Acessiwall’s</p><p>wing, and as he struggled to right himself a creature appeared from behind a rock </p><p>outcrop that made my blood run cold. </p><p></p><p> It was a Hezrou, a demon apparently summoned by Acessiwall to aid him against</p><p>us. The sickly beast was upon Taigel as fast as thought, snapping at him with an </p><p>ugly mouth full of teeth. Taigel twisted away, avoiding the bites and flying out of</p><p>it’s reach. I watched as a second hezrou appeared from the opposite side of the</p><p>plateau. This was a worrisome development, but I vowed to concentrate on </p><p>Acessiwall.</p><p></p><p> Happy flew forward, searching for a position from which her dagger could do the</p><p>most good. Seeing the second hezrou looking upward, as if to climb up to Griff, she </p><p>hurled a knife, taking the creature by surprise and causing it to howl in pain.</p><p></p><p> Taklinn roared his own challenge at Acessiwall, bringing the full fury of</p><p>Clangeden to bare and attacking again and again with his axes. Twice his blades </p><p>clanked off the wurm’s scales, but his third attack hit home, eliciting a hiss of</p><p>unfamiliar pain from the dragon. Taklinn had drawn first blood.</p><p></p><p> Taigel was out of the hezrou’s reach and once again within his fathers line of </p><p>sight. He splashed more of his own blood across the amulet as he closed. This time</p><p>it worked. Acessiwall’s head snapped around to regard his son. The dragon’s eyes</p><p>glazed in a rage that I had expected. A shriek of pure hatred filled the cavern and he </p><p>bared foot long fangs at Taigel. </p><p></p><p> A black ray beamed in from the darkness and struck Acessiwall as he prepared to</p><p>unleash his fury on Taigel. I recognized it as an ‘enervation’, and I was glad to see </p><p>that Scylla had found her range. Unfortunately, the ray fizzled against the dragon</p><p>and I heard Scylla mutter an expletive behind me. </p><p></p><p> I decided to try an offensive spell of my own, firing off three ‘scorching rays’. To </p><p>my pleasant surprise, they worked! My dispel must have stripped him of his fire</p><p>protections as well, for when my three rays of fire overcame his spell resistance</p><p>they burned him badly. I grinned with deep satisfaction at having actually hurt the </p><p>wurm.</p><p></p><p> But Acessiwall barely noticed. So intent was he on the bearer of the amulet, he</p><p>shrugged off the damage I had caused and hit Taigel with everything he had. Taigel </p><p>was enveloped in a hurricane of teeth and claws. Wings and tail lashed out at him as</p><p>well, and blood gouted from several wounds as he was sent reeling. The ‘stone</p><p>skin’ I had provided him with soaked up much of the damage, but I could tell that </p><p>our friend had taken much of it himself. I knew that he could not take too many hits</p><p>like that.</p><p></p><p> Griffin did his best to help Taigel, bringing his sword down again and again </p><p>against the dragon’s hide until finally the blade bit deep, cutting through scales and</p><p>into flesh. The dragon bane enchantment I had imbued upon the sword caused</p><p>Acessiwall added pain. </p><p></p><p> I had been watching, waiting for Acessiwall to act so that I might try to foil him</p><p>should he go for a spell, but I had neglected the hezrou. I barely had time to see the</p><p>one that Hap had stuck with a dagger twisting it’s claws in a spell gesture. The </p><p>‘unholy blight’ saturated the area around me… and bounced back at it’s caster! The</p><p>‘spell turning’ I’d cast on myself earlier saved me from the effects, turning it</p><p>instead on it’s caster. Unfortunately the hezrou was not affected by the spell, though </p><p>Griff and Taklinn were in the area of effect. I saw Griff wince and wobble a bit, but</p><p>Taklinn seemed barely to notice as he stepped inside the dragon’s reach again,</p><p>hammering away with his axes and drawing still more blood with two long gashes</p><p>across it’s flank. </p><p></p><p> Happy moved within range and let fly with three daggers at the hezrou that had</p><p>just tried it’s spell on me. All three of them slammed home, and the hezrou shrieked </p><p>in unexpected pain, looking about wildly for it’s invisible attacker.</p><p></p><p> On the opposite side of the plateau Taigel went toe to toe with Acessiwall, and I</p><p>beheld an eerie calm on his face as he ducked a claw, coming in with his twin short </p><p>swords flashing. Once, twice, three times he made contact, opening up new wounds</p><p>in his fathers breast and neck. The dragon screamed in pain and rage, his eyes</p><p>flashing, and I knew his counter attack would be bad for Taigel. Determined not to </p><p>let that happen, I desperately cast ‘haste’ from a wand, hitting Taigel, Taklinn and</p><p>Griff with it just as Scylla cast a scorching ray of her own from behind me. Two of</p><p>her rays hit, breaking the dragons resistance and burning it. </p><p></p><p> But neither my ‘haste’ or Scylla’s fire could prevent Acessiwall’s attack on</p><p>Taigel. Maddened with pain and fury, the dragon struck again and again, teeth</p><p>ripping, claws rending, wings and tail whipping forward to slam our ranger over </p><p>and over again. Taigel was hit too many times to count and blood splashed from</p><p>him in obscene fountains. Staggering back, he raised his sword in a futile attempt to</p><p>fend off the terrible bite, but Acessiwall forced through the defense and clamped his </p><p>jaws onto Taigel’s shoulder, snapping his head back and forth, shaking his son as a</p><p>dog would a rat. I saw Taigel go limp, and he crumpled to the icy floor as</p><p>Acessiwall released him and raised his great reptilian head in a roar of victory that </p><p>drowned out our own cries of anguish. Taigel lay in an unmoving heap on the</p><p>ground, his life blood flowing from a dozen wounds. Even the ‘stone skin’ had not</p><p>been able to protect him, and I knew that Taklinn did not even need to check him </p><p>for a heartbeat, for even I could see that the damage was too great. </p><p></p><p> Taigel was dead. </p><p> </p><p> As the last of the life drained from Taigel I could see the rage clear from</p><p>Acessiwall’s eyes. The dragon looked about him as if understanding for the first</p><p>time how wounded he was. True, he had killed one of us, but blood poured freely </p><p>from him now and we were pressing the attack with renewed vigor, eager to avenge</p><p>Taigel’s death even as the dragon’s allies deserted him. The hezrou that Happy had</p><p>wounded so badly disappeared, followed closely by the second demon. Acessiwall </p><p>flexed his great wings as if to flee, but not before we set upon him again. Taklinn</p><p>hacked away with all his might against the wurm’s breast, but was unable to pierce</p><p>the tough scales. Scylla hit with two more scorching rays, and we could tell that her </p><p>fire burned him to the core. </p><p></p><p> Griff, beside himself with bloodlust at seeing Taigel go down did the unthinkable.</p><p>He flew above the dragon and straddled him as one might a horse. The Talon came </p><p>down again and again, biting deeply.</p><p></p><p> But Acessiwall was already in motion. With a great beat of his wings the dragon</p><p>launched himself from the plateau and took flight. We could do little but watch </p><p>helplessly as he disappeared into the darkness with Griff still hanging on to his</p><p>back!</p><p></p><p> “Griff!” Happy screamed as she landed near us on the plateau. She and Scylla ran </p><p>for the fallen form of Taigel, each reaching for the amulet as Taklinn and I took</p><p>flight in a desperate attempt to reach the dragon, even though we knew that he was</p><p>more than twice as fast as we were. </p><p></p><p> The events that followed are a bit of a blur and much of it took place out of the</p><p>line of my vision. I have been able to piece together what I believe happened after</p><p>hearing my comrades versions of things. </p><p></p><p> Taklinn and I plunged into the inky blackness, but we could see no sign of either</p><p>Griff or Acessiwall. According to Griff, the dragon flew several hundred feet, trying</p><p>to shake him off as Griff clung tenaciously to his scaly back. Nearing the rear of the </p><p>cavern, Acessiwall banked hard and doubled back toward us, but instead of</p><p>continuing his attack, escape was now his desire. </p><p></p><p> “Hang on, friend!” The old wurm hissed at Griff as Taklinn and I saw the pair</p><p>headed straight for us. We braced for the attack, but at the last moment Acessiwall</p><p>beat his wings furiously and headed straight up. Like an arrow, the dragon bore </p><p>toward the roof of the cavern, smashing through a thin spot in the cave roof and</p><p>flying into open air. </p><p></p><p> According to Hap, she watched as Scylla flew forward after Taklinn and I, </p><p>perhaps sixty or seventy feet, and then disappeared when she saw Acessiwall head</p><p>for the cave ceiling. I must assume now that Scylla teleported.</p><p></p><p> Happy snatched up the amulet and a strip of Taigel’s bloody shirt. She took to the </p><p>air, flying after us.</p><p></p><p> Taklinn and I flew after Acessiwall with dwindling hopes, knowing we would</p><p>never catch him in the open sky. </p><p></p><p> Griff still clung to Acessiwall’s back, the wind whipping at him as the dragon</p><p>flew ever upwards. A thousand feet high he flew with only a few mighty wing</p><p>strokes. He then folded his great wings against him and turned toward the earth, </p><p>plummeting downward in a terrifying dive, heading straight for the frozen river. I</p><p>must assume that he intended to get to the water and swim back into the sanctum of</p><p>his lair. </p><p></p><p> The impact with the water would surely have killed Griff, but he had no time to</p><p>think about it, for as they streaked downward, Acessiwall was suddenly engulfed</p><p>with a fireball that could only have come from Scylla, who had teleported to a spot </p><p>near the river. Unfortunately her spell did not overcome the dragons resistance,</p><p>though it did do a fair amount of damage to Griff. </p><p></p><p> Cursing, Griff tried a desperate move, releasing a hand from the dragons back to </p><p>take a swing with his sword. But he was moving too fast. Acessiwall gave a sudden</p><p>jerk, and Griff was forced to let go of his sword to regain his handhold or lose the</p><p>dragon. The Talon tumbled to the earth below and was swallowed by the snow. </p><p></p><p> Down and down they plummeted, only four or five hundred feet from the river.</p><p>Taklinn and I finally rose from the cavern into open air just in time to see them pass</p><p>us on their way down. We flew toward the edge of the cliff and were just in time to </p><p>witness Scylla’s second fireball erupt over Acessiwall. </p><p></p><p> This one took. The already wounded dragon felt the burn of the fireball, unable to</p><p>either resist or dodge the magical flame. It scorched every inch of his body, and </p><p>Griff had no choice but to feel the pain of it as well. </p><p></p><p> But Acessiwall was far more wounded than Griff. The dragon gave out a terrible</p><p>roar, attempted to gain control with it’s weakening wings, but they suddenly went </p><p>limp. The dragon’s head tucked beneath itself and it began to tumble like a stone in</p><p>free fall. Griff let go, using his ‘fly’ spell to stay aloft, and we all watched as</p><p>Acessiwall fell, end over end, to earth, smashing into the snow with a muted thud. </p><p>Hap reached us, panting, as we peered over the edge of the cliff. Acessiwall did not</p><p>move. The old wurm’s arms and legs bent at impossible angles, and his neck</p><p>stretched out against the ground. One wing lay trapped beneath his body, while the </p><p>other fanned out on the snow, shattered and scorched. </p><p></p><p> Griff joined us as we flew down to the body, and Scylla was suddenly there as</p><p>well. The five of us stood around Acessiwall, scarcely able to believe that he was </p><p>dead. I think we kept expecting his eyes to pop open and for him to attack us again.</p><p></p><p> But he did not. </p><p></p><p> Acessiwall was dead. </p><p></p><p> There was no rejoicing. There were no cheers. Somberly I turned and flew</p><p>upward, back toward the hole in the roof of the cavern. I flew back into the cave</p><p>and went to Taigel’s body. Our ranger friend lay there, twisted and battered, </p><p>covered in blood. As my friends joined me, I straightened Taigel’s arms and legs</p><p>and closed his eyes. There was silence among us. </p><p></p><p> Then, from the corner of my eye, I saw Scylla fly away into the darkness. My</p><p>eyes narrowed and I left Taigel’s side to follow her. The sorceress flew across the</p><p>cavern, skirting a wall until she came to a spot that was well worn. This, I assumed, </p><p>had been where Acessiwall had spent much of his time. I landed next to her and she</p><p>seemed a bit surprised to see me. </p><p></p><p> “It’s not that I don’t trust you, Scylla,” I said, “But I don’t trust you.” </p><p></p><p> She gave me a wolfish grin. “Well spoken.” She said.</p><p></p><p> I watched Scylla as she scanned the cave walls, searching. At last she seemed to</p><p>see something, and the two of us flew up to an outcropping of rock that could have </p><p>easily been missed. There, behind the barrier of stalagmites, we saw the first glow</p><p>of Acessiwall’s horde. </p><p></p><p> The rest of the crew joined us soon after, and we spent the remainder of the </p><p>afternoon going through a treasure the likes of which I have never seen before. Coin</p><p>of every denomination was heaped in piles. Gems and jewelry lay scattered and</p><p>draped everywhere. Our ‘detect magic’s’ picked up item after item, and pieces of </p><p>art decorated the scene. It was amazing to behold. </p><p></p><p> We collected and organized the treasure as best we could and then sat down to</p><p>discuss our next move. </p><p></p><p> “What shall we do with Taigel?” Hap asked. We had all been thinking the same</p><p>thing, but none had thus far dared to voice it, as if talking about what to do with his</p><p>body would make his death more real. </p><p></p><p> “Well, he didn’t want to come back,” Scylla remarked, “Why don’t we just leave</p><p>him here?”</p><p></p><p> Taklinn’s eyes flashed at the sorceress. “I found a symbol to Heironious on him. </p><p>If he was a follower he should be taken to the church for proper burial. It is the least</p><p>he deserves. We will take him to Havilah and commit his remains to the priests</p><p>there.” </p><p></p><p> Griff cleared his throat. “This is gonna seem weird,” He said, “And you might not</p><p>believe me, but Taigel asked me something before we went out this morning. He</p><p>told me that if he didn’t make it, he wanted me to take care of his equipment and </p><p>weapons. I don’t know what I ought to do with them, but there you have it.”</p><p></p><p> “Of course we believe you, Griff.” I said. “You’re hardly the type to take</p><p>advantage of a companions death for the sake of a few trinkets and a couple of </p><p>swords.”</p><p></p><p> Griff grunted and spat.</p><p></p><p> “Look,” Scylla insisted, “Why should we take him all the way back to Havilah? </p><p>He deserves a heroes tomb, and this is as good as any. In fact, I think we should cut</p><p>him out a share of the treasure and bury him with it. We could entomb him where we</p><p>found the horde, buried forever with his share of the loot!” </p><p></p><p> “No!” Taklinn rounded on her. “We are taking him back to Havilah!”</p><p></p><p> “Why?” She pressed the point. “I don’t see why…”</p><p> </p><p> “Because,” I cut her off, “It would be only too easy for someone to wait a few </p><p>days, teleport back here, strip all the treasure from his body and keep it for herself!”</p><p></p><p> Taklinn looked at me, his eyes wide with shock at my words. “Doorag, do you</p><p>really think…” </p><p></p><p> “I don’t know what I think. But I do know that I don’t trust her.” </p><p></p><p> “Do you really want to address that here? Now?” Taklinn asked me.</p><p></p><p> I looked straight at Scylla. “I just did.” </p><p></p><p> Was it hurt that filled Scylla’s eyes? Anger? I am not sure. She looked back at me</p><p>for long seconds and silence hung between us. When she spoke at last, it was but a</p><p>single word. It was the verbal component to her teleport spell, and just like that, she</p><p>was gone. </p><p></p><p> “Doorag, perhaps…” Taklinn began, but I cut him off, turning in anger. </p><p></p><p> “Perhaps what?” I asked him. “Perhaps I was too harsh? I think not, Taklinn. </p><p>Acessiwall is dead and our ties to Scylla are now broken. For months now I have</p><p>been waiting for the other shoe to drop. For months now I have been wondering</p><p>what her ultimate plan is. Perhaps she has none, but she has given me no cause to </p><p>believe that! Every time we turn around we are faced with her lies and</p><p>machinations, or have you forgotten that? I have tried to trust her, but the fact is, I</p><p>have not been able to comfortably turn my back on her since the day we met. She is </p><p>the product of Melesandre and Sensesi. She flaunts spells before you that cause you</p><p>distress. She delights in suffering and shows no compassion whatsoever, and might</p><p>I remind you that she has shown no loyalty to us at all. She was only too content to </p><p>let us all stay in the danger of this lair while she ported back to Finch for a cozy</p><p>nights rest! You think I was too harsh? I have been holding my tongue for a long</p><p>time, Taklinn, but no more! She is entitled to a share of the treasure, and I will do </p><p>my best to see that she gets it, but beyond that, she has a long way to go to gain my</p><p>trust.”</p><p></p><p> Taklinn nodded, stroking his beard. Griff and Hap said nothing. I took a deep </p><p>breath and turned, casting a ‘mord’s mansion’. I opened the door and disappeared</p><p>inside. </p><p></p><p> The others joined me after a few moments and it was decided that we would stay </p><p>here tonight. The mansion was comfortable, and we still had a bit of business to</p><p>attend to in the lair. We have brought Taigel’s body into the mansion and he lays</p><p>now, wrapped in clean sheets, upon a bed in a comfortable room of my design. It is </p><p>beside him that I sit now, scribbling furiously in this journal and wondering about</p><p>all of the things I never got to know about him. So often am I buried in books that I</p><p>oft times neglect to explore the friendships that I have. </p><p></p><p> I realize now that my anger toward Scylla was largely born of my anger at</p><p>Taigel’s death, though in the end I meant every word I said. </p><p></p><p> Tomorrow, if she does not return, I shall try to scry her. She should, at the very </p><p>least, receive her share of the horde. </p><p></p><p> I must be to bed soon, but I cannot stop looking at Taigel. I keep wondering why</p><p>he did not wish to be returned. Was life so cruel to him? What a shame that such a </p><p>magnificent creature could find peace only in death. </p><p></p><p> Yes, I must be to bed soon. But perhaps I will sit here for just a while longer. </p><p> </p><p></p><p> Rping 28</p><p> </p><p> Today we have wrapped up the few loose ends that needed to be taken care of in</p><p>Acessiwall’s lair. </p><p></p><p> I should have mentioned that I went in search of Griff’s sword before settling in </p><p>for the evening yesterday. I put far too much work into that blade to let it be lost in</p><p>a snow bank, and when Griff reminded me that that’s where it was I immediately</p><p>set out to locate it. It took an hour of flying around and scanning the area with </p><p>several ‘detect magic’s’, but at last I spotted it’s glow buried beneath a mound of</p><p>snow. Griff was pleased to have it back.</p><p></p><p> Griff and Happy also spent some time combing the areas in the lair that we had </p><p>passed over in our haste to get to Acessiwall yesterday, and found a few more items</p><p>and some treasure, which is good; I’d hate to leave anything behind.</p><p></p><p> My first order of business this morning was to analyze our finds and organize the </p><p>horde. The scope of the wealth we will take from this lair has left me quite</p><p>breathless! Being a practitioner of the arcane arts comes with a high price, not the</p><p>least of which is monetary. I never seem to have enough gold, but my share of </p><p>Acessiwall’s fortune will go a long way toward my goals. The final list of our</p><p>discoveries is as follows. </p><p></p><p> 42,672gp worth of miscellaneous coinage. </p><p> 3,500 in various gems and jewelry. </p><p> A pair of jeweled gloves.</p><p> A fire opal pendant.</p><p> A string of pink pearls. </p><p> A silver scroll case.</p><p> A polished obsidian mug.</p><p> A silver snuff box. </p><p> A silk pillow.</p><p> A wool tapestry with images exalting the deity, Cord.</p><p> A mithril and ruby hat pin set. </p><p> A teakwood serving tray.</p><p> A silver anklet decorated with elephant charms.</p><p> An onyx statuette of a centaur. </p><p> A cape made of vrock feathers.</p><p> A lion skin cloak.</p><p> An antique carpet depicting the god, Herionious. </p><p> A lovely crystal lamp.</p><p> A gem of Brightness with 19 charges left.</p><p> A Staff of Transmutation with 13 charges left. </p><p> A vial containing a potion of ‘shield of faith’.</p><p> A Rod of Cancellation.</p><p> A Ring of Evasion. </p><p> A Short Sword of subtlety (Happy’s jaw hit the floor when I told her what this</p><p>sword does).</p><p> An Iron Flask. </p><p></p><p> This list does not include the hundreds of diamonds we have recovered</p><p>throughout out journey through this lair, both mined from the walls and found in the </p><p>wake of golem battles, not to mention the several fine magical items taken from the</p><p>bodies of our dead foes. All told, if we were to decide to sell everything we would</p><p>all walk away with something in the neighborhood of 50,000 gold apiece (if </p><p>Happy’s assessment of the values of the art objects is correct). Of course there will</p><p>be magical items that we wish to use instead of sell, and Taklinn seems intent upon</p><p>turning over the tapestry of Cord and the rug of Herionious to their respective </p><p>churches, which will cut the portion down a bit, but still, it is more gold than I ever</p><p>dreamed of having at a single time. </p><p></p><p> We have seen no sign of Scylla today. I tried to scry her, but to no avail. I will </p><p>attempt it again tomorrow, and I also plan to learn the spell, ‘sending’ as soon as</p><p>possible, with which I can send her a message. </p><p></p><p> Our last order of business was to deal with the ettin and giant that still sat, </p><p>imprisoned, in cells. After some discussion on exactly what we should do with</p><p>them, we were faced with the distasteful task of setting them free. True, they are</p><p>evil at their core, but they pose no immediate threat, and have done nothing we </p><p>know of that would justify execution. Leaving them to starve was not an option, so</p><p>we unlocked their cells and led them to Acessiwall’s cavern where Taklinn issued a</p><p>stern warning to both of them that if he ever found out that they were meddling in </p><p>the affairs of the civilized races he would personally hunt them down. I seconded</p><p>this threat, assuring them that no place was safe from my scrying eyes, which</p><p>appeared to make believers out of both of them. I cast a pair of fly spells on the two</p><p>and they (rather clumsily) extracted themselves from the lair. </p><p></p><p> Toward late noon we gathered outside at the body of Acessiwall. The old wurm</p><p>was semi-frozen now, but we were able to take a trophy or two. I had Griff dig me </p><p>out a tooth and a claw for my personal collection, after which Taklinn chopped off</p><p>the entire head! </p><p></p><p> “It is done!” He cried at the sky, presumably to the celestial folk to whom he had </p><p>been in debt. “I am beholdin’ to no one!” He used magically enhanced strength to</p><p>hoist the dragons head to his shoulder, cast his ‘word of recall’, and spirited the five</p><p>of us back to Havilah. </p><p></p><p> I must say, the urchin that keeps out rooms at the Academy in order (Crispin, I</p><p>believe his name is) was awestruck at our appearance, especially given the fact that</p><p>Taklinn dumped a dragons head in the middle of the room. The youngster is utterly </p><p>star struck with Griff, and he immediately bombarded our warrior with excited</p><p>questions. His chatter tired me within seconds and I retired to the calm of my lab for</p><p>a well deserved bit of peace and quiet. Ambros and I spent the rest of the day in </p><p>relative calm, doing a bit of research on the outer planes. </p><p></p><p> At dinner this evening there was talk of Griff and Happy’s wedding. They wish to</p><p>be married before we go in search of Caribdis. I was a bit taken aback at this, and </p><p>asked them how they could even think of having their wedding without Caribdis</p><p>present, but they explained that they felt that they had waited long enough, not to</p><p>mention the fact that Griff really does not believe that the boy can even be brought </p><p>back. I think he believes our quest to find Caribdis a fool’s errand, though I have</p><p>little doubt that he will accompany us. </p><p></p><p> At any rate, there are some logistical dilemmas surrounding their wedding, not the </p><p>least of which is the transportation of several dozen halflings from the green</p><p>mountains to Havilah. I wonder at the wisdom of bringing so many of them to the</p><p>big city, but Griff did promise Hap’s father that her entire family would be hosted at </p><p>the wedding. I wonder if he knew just how big Hap’s family is when he made that</p><p>promise. </p><p></p><p> I suppose I will aid them with a few teleports to expedite the process. Happy is </p><p>quite excited at the prospect of her upcoming nuptials, and intends the wedding to</p><p>take place some forty days from now. This will give me a bit of desperately needed</p><p>time to learn some of the spells contained in Helious’ book, not to mention crafting </p><p>a few items that I have been wanting.</p><p></p><p> I savor the notion of a rest, but at the same time I find myself eager to be after</p><p>Caribdis. I feel as though each day we delay our odds of bringing him back grow </p><p>slimmer and slimmer. </p><p></p><p> </p><p> Gdmnth 1</p><p></p><p> Our first full day back in Havilah, and I can already feel myself begin to breath </p><p>easier, despite the fact that Scylla has still declined to make an appearance, and the</p><p>sorrow with which we turned Taigel’s body over to the priests of Heironious today.</p><p>I know they will care for his remains well, but still, it was difficult to let him leave </p><p>my sight.</p><p></p><p> Taklinn has sent a sending to Scylla requesting an audience with her. I would do</p><p>the same if I had the spell, but alas, I do not. It is in Helious’ spellbook, but I have </p><p>had no time to learn it yet, and probably will not for some time. </p><p></p><p> Despite our desire to be off after Caribdis, we have decided to spend at least a</p><p>month and a half in Havilah. We need this time to liquidate our treasures, and Hap </p><p>and Griff’s wedding must be planned. Both of them are already hard at work with</p><p>the organization of the event. As for myself, I have already begun work on</p><p>something that I have been wanting to craft for several months now. It is in it’s</p><p>beginning stages, and I have yet to even get any more than the raw materials for the </p><p>item. My plan is to craft an anti-magic vest for Griff. It seems appropriate for him,</p><p>given his general distrust of magic; it simply feels right, and I vowed some time ago </p><p>that he would have such an item.</p><p> </p><p> I want to craft the actual vest from the leather I’ve taken from Acessiwall’s wing.</p><p>I have the material, now it is a matter of turning it into a vest in a timely manner. </p><p>Rather than waiting through the tanning and sewing process, I have elected to track</p><p>down a scroll of ‘fabricate’. It will not be inexpensive, but time is of the essence if I</p><p>am to complete both this vest and the wedding gifts that Taklinn and I intend to </p><p>make for Griff and Happy. What I spend in gold, I make up for in time.</p><p></p><p> There is also the matter of the iron flask. It is easily the most valuable item we</p><p>found amongst the dragon’s horde, yet is potentially the most dangerous, for, </p><p>according to my research, it’s purpose is to trap dangerous outsiders and bend them</p><p>to the owners will. Therefore, it is conceivable that the flask could contain anything</p><p>from an elemental to a balor. We have no way of knowing until we uncork it, </p><p>although Taklinn has found a way to circumvent this problem through his</p><p>divinations. He has communed with an agent of Clangeden with regard to the flask,</p><p>and the agent has revealed to Taklinn that the flask contains a glabrezu, a </p><p>particularly loathsome and dangerous type of demon.</p><p></p><p> This is a potentially deadly problem, but we think we may have a way to</p><p>effectively deal with the demon, since the flask will allow us to command the </p><p>demon for the period of one hour. Our plan is to force it to lower it’s resistances,</p><p>after which Taklinn will ‘dismiss’ it back to the abyss. Taklinn assures us that it</p><p>will work, but I am sure that Griff and Happy, like myself, will take all available </p><p>precautions when we attempt this tomorrow. </p><p></p><p> </p><p> Gdmnth 2</p><p></p><p> Our good luck continues. Not only did I manage to procure a scroll of ‘fabricate’ </p><p>this afternoon, we were also able to deal with the iron flask.</p><p></p><p> Taklinn’s plan of dismissing the demon actually worked flawlessly. Griff, Taklinn</p><p>and I (I don’t know where Hap was) took the flask several miles outside of the city, </p><p>and after much preparatory spell casting on the part of both myself and Taklinn, I</p><p>unstoppered the cork and uttered the command word. </p><p></p><p> An oily, black, smoke issued forth, swiftly forming itself into the dog muzzled </p><p>freak of evil that stood before us, balefully awaiting my command. With a shiver, I</p><p>forced it to accept Taklinn’s ‘dismissal’, and in a flash, it was gone, sent back to the</p><p>pits to rejoin the blood war. With a collective sigh of relief, we headed home. </p><p></p><p> Taklinn is already at work on finding a buyer for the flask, though I must admit</p><p>that, at least on an academic level, it pains me to see it go.</p><p></p><p> We have also split the few items of magical treasure. Which reminds me, Taklinn </p><p>got a reply from Scylla today. He sent her another sending, and was told that all of</p><p>her share of the treasure was to be dealt with through Happy!</p><p></p><p> The revelation that Hap had somehow been in contact with Scylla was startling </p><p>indeed, but she would give little detail, other than to say that she considered Scylla</p><p>a friend, and that we ought to reconsider our positions toward her. Griff bristled at</p><p>this, and Taklinn seemed none too pleased either. As for myself, I care little either </p><p>way at this point. I am bothered to think that Hap might be somehow deceived by</p><p>the sorceress, but I must trust her to take care of herself. I wish for Scylla to have</p><p>her fair share of the treasure gained from Acessiwall, but beyond that, I consider </p><p>our relationship at an end. I haven’t the time for ill will, and I do not consider her an</p><p>enemy, but the plain fact of the matter is, I cannot trust her.</p><p></p><p> I will spend tomorrow learning the ‘fabricate’ spell! Ironic that this one spell that</p><p>I need was not contained in Helious’ book, and cost me over a thousand gold to </p><p>purchase. Still, that cost will be minimal compared to the cost of enchanting the</p><p>vest itself. I have no regrets though. This will be a masterpiece; a one of a kind item </p><p>that will serve Havilah’s greatest hero. If my name lives on only as that of the</p><p>artificer that crafted some of Griff’s most cherished items, I will have done well by</p><p>it. </p><p></p><p> Griff, of course, would never understand that. He does not realize that people</p><p>need heroes, and in a sense, that is the quality that makes him the best kind of hero</p><p>of all. His very reluctance; his continued ascertains that he is simply in it for the </p><p>gold; his reticence toward fame; all of it makes him all the more heroic, and I love</p><p>him for that. </p><p> </p><p></p><p> Gdmnth 3</p><p> </p><p> The ‘fabricate’ spell is mine! It has been an exhausting day, as it always is when I</p><p>must learn a spell, but the exhaustion carries with it the delicious satisfaction that</p><p>only comes with unearthing a new secret. “Fabricate’ can hardly be considered the </p><p>gem of my arsenal, but the thrill of learning a new spell never fails to please me, no</p><p>matter how benign the dweomer. </p><p></p><p> Tomorrow I will cast it on the leather of Acessiwall’s wing, and with any luck, I </p><p>will have the beginnings of Griff’s vest.</p><p></p><p> I have also decided to make use of my ‘permanency’ spell, and to that end I have</p><p>created a permanent ‘familiar pocket’ inside of my hat in which Ambros may spend </p><p>his time in safety and comfort. He is in there now, and while it is odd not to feel his</p><p>weight on my head, he tells me that the small space is a large step up in terms of</p><p>comfort. It is worth the spent life essence to keep him out of the line of fire. </p><p></p><p> I cast a second ‘permanency’ on myself, in conjunction with ‘detect magic’. This</p><p>one has been a long time coming, and is probably something I should have done for</p><p>myself months ago, yet ‘permanency’ carries with it it’s own risks, and it is only </p><p>now that I feel that I am powerful enough that my spells will stand a decent chance</p><p>of resisting possible dispels.</p><p></p><p> Tomorrow I intend to finish the job with permanent ‘darkvision’ and ‘see </p><p>invisibility’. The cost in essence is high, but being caught without these two spells</p><p>can be deadly, and I never want to suffer that again.</p><p> </p><p></p><p> Gdmnth 4</p><p></p><p> The vest is finished! Well, at least the physical vest now exists. It is of fine and tough </p><p>leather, white, and has a texture unlike any bovine leather creation. I believe it will</p><p>be well suited to Griff. </p><p></p><p> My research into the ‘anti-magic’ spell is also complete. It is necessary to tweak </p><p>the spell a bit with regard to it’s area of effect. It’s ten foot radius would, I believe,</p><p>get in the way at times and make it difficult on his other party members. Therefore I</p><p>have reduced it’s area to a five foot radius. The cost will be slightly higher, but not </p><p>prohibitively so.</p><p></p><p> I now have permanent ‘darkvision’ and ‘see invisibility’ on myself.</p><p></p><p> Each day sees more and more of our treasure liquidated, and Taklinn drops off the </p><p>new portions to us as soon as he can. All told, we will each take away nearly</p><p>50,000gp from the dragon, and we all appear to be doing our best to spend it as fast</p><p>as possible. While I have hardly left the lab, I still hear of the obscene amounts of </p><p>gold that Griff is spending on his wedding, and Taklinn has told me that he is</p><p>having his armor further enhanced. I would love to do it for him, but we simply</p><p>haven’t the time. </p><p></p><p> Happy, apparently, has made sure that Scylla is receiving her share of the</p><p>treasure. While I know that the very idea of Hap paling around with the sorceress </p><p>grates on Griff’s nerves, I can only shrug and hope she knows what she’s doing. I</p><p>am a little put out, though hardly surprised, that Scylla will not talk to us. Truth be</p><p>told, I don’t know that I have much to say to her. </p><p> </p><p></p><p> Gdmnth 5 </p><p></p><p> The true work on the vest has begun. I doubt I will make many entries in this</p><p>journal other than specific working notes simply due to the fact that the crafting </p><p>process is so exhausting. Still, it gives me such a sense of satisfaction. </p><p></p><p> I have always wished that I was more skilled in the arts. How I envy the painters</p><p>and musicians; yet I am beginning to realize that the creation of enchanted items is </p><p>an art unto itself. Perhaps I am more creative than I gave myself credit for.</p><p></p><p> </p><p> Gdmnth 19</p><p></p><p> What a long and interesting day this has been! </p><p></p><p> It was an hour past noon when I imbued the vest with it’s final incantation and</p><p>stepped back to admire my work. It was complete, and ready to wear, and I could</p><p>hardly wait to give it to Griff. We were due to all meet for dinner this evening, and I </p><p>resolved to give it to him then.</p><p></p><p> But the day would hold much more in store that just that!</p><p></p><p> Late last night I received a written message via currier from Happy. Our roguish </p><p>friend is obviously too busy to come see me herself, and I do not begrudge her for</p><p>that, for I know that the planning of her wedding has taken them nearly every</p><p>available moment. That, and I daresay she probably would not have wanted to field </p><p>all of the questions that her note brought to my mind.</p><p></p><p> “Doorag,” the letter began, “Scylla has been in contact with Nivin Mottul and</p><p>Yigil. She wishes to join the Academy and become a protector of Havilah, and they </p><p>support her in this. I ask you to give her a second chance.”</p><p></p><p> I was quite taken aback by this news, for certainly the idea of Scylla being</p><p>sponsored by Nivin and Yigil was an unexpected twist. Still, doubt nagged at me. </p><p>The odds were simply too great that this was an example of still more of Scylla’s</p><p>machinations, and I resolved not to take her at face value. Yet, if these esteemed</p><p>and learned men could give her their trust, then I knew that I must at least hear her </p><p>out, should she decide to come to me. </p><p></p><p> So I was surprised, but not shocked when, an hour before dinner was to be served,</p><p>there came a knock on our door and I answered it to find Scylla standing there. </p><p>Beautiful as ever, yet still with her icy cold eyes, she regarded me cautiously, and I</p><p>her. </p><p></p><p> I was on my guard. “Are you here to fight or dine?” I asked, taking a step back, </p><p>prepared for anything.</p><p></p><p> “Well,” she laughed easily, “I certainly didn’t come to fight.”</p><p></p><p> “Then make yourself comfortable.” I said, showing her in. </p><p></p><p> She did, and I had my unseen servant pour her a glass of wine, though I did not</p><p>turn my back on her. We sat in silence, each regarding the other for the better part</p><p>of an hour until the others began to arrive. </p><p></p><p> Happy smiled at Scylla and Griff scowled. Taklinn gave her a noncommittal nod.</p><p>We sat around our communal table and Crispin began to bring in the food. Talk was</p><p>light at first. We have seen little of each other over the past two weeks, and there</p><p>was much catching up to do. Griff and Happy, of course, had been deep in wedding </p><p>plans, not the least of which was the transportation of some twenty-six of Happy’s</p><p>family members to Havilah. To that end Griff had approached me about possibly </p><p>teleporting them here, and I had told him that I would be only too happy to do so</p><p>when the time came.</p><p></p><p> The pair had finally set a date. They will be married on Harvester 11, which </p><p>means that I will just have time to finish their wedding gifts.</p><p></p><p> Taklinn had gone back to his home in the mountains and had returned with</p><p>several of his family, not to mention his fiance and her chaperone. He introduced </p><p>me to them, and I must say that she is… handsome? He is putting them up at</p><p>Havilah’s finest inn, which must be costing him a fortune, but what good is gold if</p><p>not to be spent on ones family and friends? </p><p></p><p> As dinner winded down and Crispin cleared the table, I had my servant pour us all</p><p>wine, and Griff stood up as he produced several tightly wrapped parcels. I</p><p>had been about to present him with his vest, but, not wanting to interrupt him, I said </p><p>nothing. </p><p></p><p> “Taklinn, Doorag,” He said, clearing his throat, “Since you're both going to be in</p><p>my wedding, I’ve gotten you a couple of things.” He passed a parcel to each of us, </p><p>and, unwrapping mine I was delighted to find a beautiful robe of ceremonial design</p><p>in the blues and whites of Havilah. Taklinn received clerical robes of similar make. </p><p></p><p> “Why, thank you, Griff, you needn't have bothered…” I began, but he cut me off. </p><p></p><p> “Yeah, whatever,” He gruffed, “It’s also customary for the groom to get his honor</p><p>guard a little something, so these are yours. Don’t get all weepy on me either!”</p><p>Griff slid two more bundles to us. Mine was long and thin, a while Taklinn’s was </p><p>wide, flat and round. </p><p></p><p> Pleasantly surprised by this unexpected outburst of generosity, I unwrapped my</p><p>gift and stared in awe at the bronze wood staff I held in my hands. Taklinn </p><p>unwrapped one of the most beautiful shields I have ever seen, and we both looked</p><p>at Griff, mouths agape. </p><p></p><p> “It’s a staff of fire.” He said to me. “And Taklinn, that shield is made of </p><p>Acessiwall’s hide and it’s magiced all to hell.” Indeed, Taklinn’s shield was a work</p><p>of art. It was white, and engraved with a series of dwarven runes and the symbol of</p><p>Clangeden. </p><p></p><p> I hefted the staff, savoring the feel of it. “Griff, you should not have done this!”</p><p></p><p> “Shut up.” Griff muttered, and I laughed.</p><p></p><p> “Griffon Dorjan, I thank you!” Taklinn rumbled, his voice nearly cracking with </p><p>emotion as he fit the shield onto his arm. “It is beautiful and I shall wield it with</p><p>pride!”</p><p></p><p> Griff muttered something else, and I laughed again at his discomfort. </p><p></p><p> “Well, Griff,” I said, “As long as we’re giving gifts, I suppose now is as good a</p><p>time as any to give you this.” And I produced a parcel of my own, sliding it across</p><p>the table toward him. His eyes widened a bit, obviously not expecting such a thing. </p><p>He unwrapped it and held up the white vest, obviously wondering what it was.</p><p></p><p> “Griff,” I said, “I know that you have never been very comfortable with magic,</p><p>and to that end I have been wanting to make you something like this ever since we </p><p>battled Helious. It is my position that you should not be bothered by magic if you</p><p>don’t want to be, and therefore I have imbued that vest with an ‘anti-magic’ spell.</p><p>You need only utter the command word, and it will envelope you in an anti-magic </p><p>field once per day.”</p><p></p><p> Griff’s eyes widened even further and his mouth dropped open. It is perhaps the</p><p>only time I have ever seen the gruff warrior at a loss for words. “Doorag, I… it’s </p><p>incredible!” He finally said. “Thank you! I shall wear it with pride!” </p><p></p><p> We toasted each other, lifting our glasses to the Band of the Broken Blade. Only</p><p>Scylla did not join in our festive talk, and I knew that the time had come to deal</p><p>with her. </p><p></p><p> I set down my glass and regarded her across the table. “Well, Scylla,” I said, “I </p><p>know you didn’t come here for the food. I take it we have a few things to discuss?”</p><p></p><p> “Indeed.” She nodded, smiling demurely.</p><p></p><p> “Yes, we do have much to discuss.” Taklinn agreed, stroking his beard. “Am I to </p><p>understand that you have been in contact with Yigil and Nivin Mottul?”</p><p></p><p> “As a matter of fact I have.” She said.</p><p></p><p> Griff leaned back in his chair, cradling his glass in his hand and watching with </p><p>interest, and Happy scooted forward, her eyes bright.</p><p></p><p> “I know what the message I received told me,” I said, “And apparently Taklinn</p><p>has heard the same. I must assume that Griff knows of this as well since Happy and </p><p>you are now such good friends. But I’d like to hear the whole story from you,</p><p>Scylla, if you wouldn’t mind.”</p><p></p><p> The sorceress coughed and gave me a disarming smile that immediately put me </p><p>on my guard. “Of course I wouldn’t mind. I have been in touch with Nivin and</p><p>Yigil in an attempt to further clear my good name. It is my desire to be accepted as</p><p>a full fledged member of the Academy, and they have agreed, though they request </p><p>the good word and backing of at least four other Academy members, specifically,</p><p>yours. They feel that, having traveled with me, you four are in the best position to</p><p>judge my intentions. That is why I am here, to humbly beg you for a chance to </p><p>prove myself, not only to you, but to Havilah at large.”</p><p></p><p> The table fell silent as we digested this surprising new development. Across the</p><p>table, Hap dug and elbow into Griff’s ribs. The warrior scowled, but finally sat </p><p>forward in his chair. </p><p></p><p> “Look,” He said, “If Hap says your ok, then I say you’re ok. But hear me now,</p><p>I’ve given you chances in the past and you’ve blown it! This is the last chance you </p><p>get from me. Put any of us in danger again, and I swear by every god in the heavens</p><p>and hells that I’ll take your head off. You got that?”</p><p></p><p> “Of course.” Scylla nodded. </p><p></p><p> Happy looked hopefully at Taklinn and myself. Our cleric was the first to speak. </p><p></p><p> “I have been speaking at length with Happy about you, Scylla,” He said, “And she</p><p>has convinced me that you have gone through many changes in these past weeks. I </p><p>know that I have sometimes been less than kind towards you during our time</p><p>together, and I also know that it has not always been warranted. I have been</p><p>meditating upon my own shortcomings recently, especially with regard to my </p><p>attitude toward those who do not necessarily fall in line with my philosophy, and to</p><p>that end I am trying to be more open minded and accepting. Happy and I have, until</p><p>only recently, had an axe to grind, but hopefully we have buried it. Part of the peace </p><p>we have made concerns you. To facilitate that peace, and to attempt to turn over a</p><p>new leaf myself, I will offer you my support in your sponsorship to join the</p><p>Academy. I may have my reservations, but I believe that few are irredeemable. I </p><p>welcome you into the fold, and hope that this will mean a future of friendship</p><p>between us.” </p><p></p><p> “Thank you, Taklinn.” Scylla said, quietly. And then all eyes were turned to me. </p><p>“Doorag?” </p><p></p><p> I sighed and pursed my lips, narrowing my eyes, attempting to see past the</p><p>innocent expression on Scylla’s face. Many thoughts whirled around in my head, </p><p>but at last I straightened them out.</p><p></p><p> “Scylla,” I said, “Understand that I have nothing personal against you. I admire</p><p>your talents, and I believe that your skills would be invaluable in the service of </p><p>Havilah. However, there is still the matter of history, which weighs heavily against</p><p>you. You ask me to extend my trust to you, yet, upon reflection, I can find no</p><p>reason to do so. The fact is, while you seem sincere enough, I am reminded of all</p><p>the lies; all the layers we have had to get through to find the truth in the past, and I </p><p>can only wonder if this is not yet another in a long line of your seemingly endless</p><p>machinations. That said, I’m afraid that I cannot, in good conscience, put my </p><p>reputation on the line for you. I applaud Taklinn and Griff for taking the leap of</p><p>faith, and I pray that my concerns are unfounded. I hope that you do become a</p><p>member of the Academy and prove me wrong, but until then I must err of the side </p><p>of caution. I would hope that my vote on this will not be the difference between</p><p>your sponsorship.”</p><p></p><p> Sadness clouded Scylla’s eyes. “Actually, I’m afraid it might.” She said. </p><p>“Certainly I can never become a full fledged member of this crew without</p><p>unanimous consent.”</p><p></p><p> “I’m sorry, what?” Taklinn shook his head as if to clear his ears. </p><p></p><p> “A full fledged member of this crew?” Griff sat bolt upright in his chair. Even</p><p>Happy’s head snapped around, as if startled by Scylla’s desire, not only to join the</p><p>Academy, but our crew. </p><p></p><p> “Well, of course.” Scylla said, “What better crew to join than this one?”</p><p> “Now just a damn minute!” Griff pointed at her, “You never said nothing about</p><p>joining up with us on a full time basis!” </p><p></p><p> “No,” Agreed Taklinn, “You didn’t.”</p><p></p><p> “Why would I want to join any other crew?” Scylla asked, as if it made perfect</p><p>sense. “I have traveled with you, we know what we can all do, and I’m certain that </p><p>we’ll soon be working as a smoothly oiled team.”</p><p></p><p> “No,” I interrupted, “We won’t, because I absolutely will not agree to that!”</p><p></p><p> “Nor can I.” Taklinn shook his head. </p><p></p><p> “Hell no!” Griff said, his jaw set. He glanced at Hap, ready to fend off her</p><p>arguments, but she was strangely silent.</p><p></p><p> Scylla sighed, and a hint of anger flashed in her eyes. “I should have known. You </p><p>have always treated me as if I were beneath you, why would you change now?”</p><p></p><p> “Now just a minute!” Taklinn said, “Perhaps I have not always been kind to you</p><p>in the past, but I am willing to let bygones be bygones. I will support your decision </p><p>to serve Havilah, but you cannot expect any of us to open the doors to this crew to</p><p>you without your having proven yourself!”</p><p></p><p> “Ha!” She smirked, “I have to prove myself to you!” </p><p></p><p> “You find that ironic?” Taklinn asked.</p><p> </p><p> “I do.”</p><p></p><p> “Pray, tell me why.” </p><p></p><p> “I rather think I should spare you my personal observations, Taklinn. I doubt your</p><p>ego would let you hear them.”</p><p></p><p> “Try me.” Our cleric said, leaning back in his seat. </p><p></p><p> Obvious anger now boiled in Scylla’s eyes, and I tensed a bit as she seemed to</p><p>warm to a topic which she had obviously dwelt much upon. </p><p></p><p> “Very well then. You are a priest of Clangeden, are you not?” </p><p></p><p> “I am.” Taklinn replied</p><p></p><p> “And you follow the law of Clangeden?”</p><p></p><p> “I do.” </p><p></p><p></p><p> “You are Clangeden’s representative, his voice in the mortal world, are you not?”</p><p></p><p> “I am one of many, but yes.”</p><p> </p><p> “You hold his laws above all others?” </p><p></p><p> “Of course! Get to the point, Scylla.”</p><p></p><p> “Is it not your duty to enforce his laws upon this world? Is it not your duty to</p><p>quash evil in all it’s forms?” </p><p></p><p> “It is.”</p><p></p><p> “And do you do so?”</p><p></p><p> “Yes, I do!” </p><p></p><p> Scylla smiled, but there was no humor in it. “Ah,” She said, slyly, “But you do</p><p>not!” </p><p></p><p> “Explain yourself, Scylla.” Taklinn said.</p><p></p><p> “Taklinn, you call yourself a man of god, yet you turn your back on evil again and</p><p>again. You allowed the release of that giant and ettin from Acessiwall’s lair, </p><p>knowing full well that they were, at their very core, evil.”</p><p></p><p> “They had done nothing for which I might convict them.”</p><p></p><p> Scylla ignored him, pressing on. “I have seen you pick and choose, Taklinn. I </p><p>have watched you argue for mercy towards the blatantly evil. I have watched you</p><p>let others carry out justice. You do not have the courage of your convictions! You</p><p>are a coward, Taklinn the Shorn.” </p><p></p><p> I gasped at her words, and even Griff moved away from Taklinn a bit, as if to</p><p>allow him room to swing an axe. Taklinn’s jaw stiffened and I saw pure ice behind</p><p>his eyes, but he remained calm. </p><p></p><p> “I will assume you are trying to make a point, Scylla,” He said, slowly, “So I will</p><p>ignore your insult.</p><p></p><p> She barked a mocking laugh. “My point? Yes, I am trying to make a point. The </p><p>point is, that you will not carry out the wishes of your own god! You allow evil to</p><p>go free in the name of mercy, but at what cost? You really think that giant we let go</p><p>will just change his ways? How many innocents will die because of that decision? </p><p>Do you recall your arguments when we planned to go after Helious? The point is,</p><p>Taklinn, that you are utterly qualified to play the role of judge, jury and</p><p>executioner, yet you shirk that responsibility, instead placing it in the hands of your </p><p>companions, or, worse yet, the hands of judges who have no idea of the</p><p>circumstances! You do not trust your own judgment.” </p><p> </p><p> Taklinn’s face darkened, and the danger in the air was palpable. Yet, with </p><p>supreme self control, he said only, “If accepting quarter when asked is a crime, than</p><p>I accept my guilt.”</p><p></p><p> Scylla scoffed derisively again, but by this time I had had enough. </p><p></p><p> “How dare you!” I said, my voice shaking with anger. “Taklinn may be many</p><p>things, but a coward is not one of them. You cross a bad line when you call him</p><p>that!” </p><p></p><p> “I agree.” Griff put in. “Taklinn is no coward.”</p><p> </p><p> “The fact is,” I said, “I may not always agree with Taklinn’s decisions, but I never</p><p>have to worry about trusting him. He is a good dwarf, and a credit to his race and </p><p>religion. He follows his path and we accept him for that. You, on the other hand,</p><p>have shown time and again that you cannot be trusted! That is the basic difference</p><p>between all of us and you, Scylla. I can place my wealth, my loved ones, or my life </p><p>in the hands of any at this table and not think twice about it, with one glaring</p><p>exception, and that exception is you! If Taklinn, or indeed, if any one of us says that</p><p>we will do something, if we make a vow, you can rest assured that we will see it </p><p>though. With you, not so much. Such concepts as loyalty and trust are alien to you.</p><p>You have proven that time and again, and frankly I am tired of constantly waiting</p><p>for the other shoe to drop. I am tired of wondering what your real agenda is. I am </p><p>tired of having to question your motives, and I am tired of needing divination spells</p><p>to assure me of your sincerity! You dare question the honor of Taklinn? That is a</p><p>thinly veiled attempt to muddy your own mirror, Scylla.” </p><p></p><p> “Thank you, my friends.” Taklinn said, quietly. </p><p></p><p> “Look,” Griff cut in, obviously tiring of this debate, “I already said I’ve got no</p><p>problem with you joining the Academy, and I don’t even give a crap if you want to </p><p>come with us on this cockamamie search for Caribdis, but it won’t be as a full</p><p>member of this crew. I’d have to see you change first.”</p><p></p><p> “Griff speaks wisely.” Taklinn said. “I would also agree to a trial should you wish</p><p>to travel with us.” </p><p></p><p> “As would I.” I agreed. “At this point we may be able to start with a clean slate,</p><p>but a trial period would be expected of any perspective member of this crew.” </p><p></p><p> “So I must prove myself yet again!” Scylla snapped.</p><p></p><p> “You have not proven yourself a first time!” I retorted. “You are a talented spell</p><p>caster, that is true, but you give no thought to the ramifications of your magic. You </p><p>cast carelessly. You fire spells into melee and hit your own companions, not just</p><p>once, but over and over! I am glad that you and Happy have found common ground,</p><p>but I daresay she would be singing a different tune had you accidentally killed Griff </p><p>with one of your misplaced scorching rays.” I glanced at Happy, and she favored</p><p>me with a glare, but I knew I had spoken the truth.</p><p></p><p> “And let us not forget the matter of simple, decent, loyalty.” I pressed on, “In </p><p>Acessiwall’s lair you gave not a second thought to leaving us to rot in the mines</p><p>while you ported back to Finch for a nice warm bed. That, Scylla, was the straw that</p><p>broke the camel’s back for me. You think that I could not have done such a thing? </p><p>You think that I would not have preferred the safety of a cozy inn? Yet I stayed,</p><p>even though I could do little more than hunker in a rope trick and rest, I stayed. Do</p><p>you even understand why I would choose to stay, Scylla? Do you even comprehend </p><p>the concept of friendship?”</p><p></p><p> “When have you ever treated me as a friend?” She shot back.</p><p></p><p> “When have you given me reason to?” I answered, coldly. “All things considered, </p><p>I believe that I have been more than decent to you.”</p><p></p><p> Scylla choked out an ugly laugh but said nothing. She looked at Happy for</p><p>support, but still our halfling friend said nothing. </p><p></p><p> “Ah, screw this!” Griff exclaimed. “This is getting us nowhere! We’ve put our</p><p>offer on the table, Scylla. We’ll back you for Academy membership, and we’ll even</p><p>let you come with us when we go after Caribdis. If you can convince us that you’ve </p><p>changed, then fine, we’ll talk about crew membership then. There it is, take it or</p><p>leave it.”</p><p></p><p> Scylla’s eyes smoldered for several long seconds, and I half expected her to </p><p>simply teleport away again in a fit of pique, but she only said, “I shall have to think</p><p>on it.”</p><p></p><p> “You do that.” I said. “Think on it very hard.” </p><p></p><p> She shot me a last look and spun on her heel, heading for the door, but Taklinn’s</p><p>voice stopped her as she reached for the handle.</p><p></p><p> “Scylla!” He barked. </p><p> </p><p> She turned and waited for what he had to say.</p><p></p><p> “I meant what I said about clean slates,” He said, “And I still have hope that we</p><p>can start fresh. But know this: If you ever call me a coward again, we shall cross </p><p>more than words.” His voice was even and without threat, but they carried the</p><p>weight of ten thousand years of dwarven pride, and they sent a shiver down my</p><p>spine. Scylla said nothing. She flung open the door and disappeared. </p><p></p><p> “That went well.” Griff said, sarcastically, and Happy shot him a scathing look.</p><p>She groaned.</p><p></p><p> “I didn’t know she wanted to join the crew.” Was all she said. </p><p></p><p></p><p> Gdmnth 20 </p><p></p><p> It is late evening now, and still we have heard nothing from Scylla. Her silence</p><p>worries me, but I suppose that I would have to thing twice about anything she did </p><p>say, so there’s no point in losing sleep over it one way or another. </p><p></p><p> I have begun work on Happy and Griff’s wedding presents. Taklinn and I were</p><p>thinking along the same lines when it came to a gift for the pair, and we have</p><p>pooled our resources to make the items. We are crafting them a pair of amulets with </p><p>a permanent ‘status’ spell imbued within them that will only work for them. This</p><p>way, as long as they wear the items, they will know the health and whereabouts of </p><p>each other. I would have liked to have included a teleportation ability as well, but</p><p>the cost would have been prohibitive, not to mention the time factor. Perhaps in the</p><p>future I can add the port ability. </p><p></p><p> Taklinn has agreed to cover the monetary cost of the amulets while I will take on</p><p>the cost in life essence. He will also cast the ‘status’ spell daily, while I do the</p><p>actual crafting, so this is truly a combined effort. If all goes well, I should have </p><p>these items finished by the day before the wedding.</p><p></p><p> </p><p> Gdmnth 23</p><p></p><p> Damn that woman! </p><p></p><p> Three days have gone by without a word from Scylla. Taklinn finally sent her a</p><p>‘sending’ this morning asking her what decision she has made, and she replied to</p><p>him with a very curt, “I do not consider ourselves to be allies anymore.” </p><p></p><p> Taklinn told me this, this morning when he arrived to cast the ‘status’ spell, and I</p><p>was so angry that I could not concentrate on my work. Instead, I shelved the</p><p>amulets and dug out Helious’ spellbook and spent the day learning ‘sending’ for </p><p>myself. I fully intend to give her a piece of my mind come tomorrow.</p><p></p><p> </p><p> Gdmnth 24</p><p></p><p> My ‘sending’: “Do you still intend to attend Happy and Griff’s wedding? She is </p><p>expecting you.” Happy had asked Scylla to be her maid of honor (much to Griff’s</p><p>chagrin. </p><p> </p><p> Scylla’s reply: “No.”</p><p></p><p> My second sending: “Grow up! Do not make your only friend suffer for our </p><p>differences!”</p><p></p><p> Scylla’s reply: “Happy did not stand up for me during our conversation. I will not </p><p>come.”</p><p></p><p> My third sending: “Wallow in your pettiness then!” </p><p></p><p> She made no reply at all to this. Was I harsh? Perhaps I was, but I am through</p><p>handling her with kid gloves. If we are no longer allies, then I must assume we are </p><p>enemies. This state of affairs saddens me, but I will not live in fear of her. Part of</p><p>me thinks that a pre-emptive strike against her is in order, but I realize that that</p><p>might be an overreaction. I will hope that we can both find peace in neutrality. I </p><p>wish her no harm, but I will shed no tears if I never see her again.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="cthulhu42, post: 6585712, member: 6792361"] From out of the darkness a huge shape formed and came into sharp focus. Acessiwall, the ancient white dragon that we had hunted for so long flew on silent wings, gliding with incredible speed out of the inky blackness. He was upon us before any of us had a chance to react. At least fifty feet long and fifteen feet at the shoulder, I knew that he was small by dragon standards, but his very speed and visage made my blood run cold. I had no doubt that, were it not for the ‘hero’s feast’ I’d eaten earlier I would certainly have bolted from the caverns, running for my life. Acessiwall pumped his wings, buffeting us with the downdraft as he came to light on a plateau that towered some forty feet above the cave floor. With a mighty roar, he exhaled, catching Taigel, Taklinn and myself in his freezing breath ray. I felt the chill numb me briefly, but the protection from energy spells did their jobs, and we took no damage from his breath. Acessiwall roared again, and this time I recognized it as a challenge. Taklinn was the first to react. “Clangeden!” He bellowed, casting a ‘righteous might’ on himself. His size doubled as the spell took hold, and he flew straight at the wurm, axes held at the ready. Taigel flew upwards toward his father and slashed a wound onto his own forearm, coating the amulet worn around his neck with his own blood. Acessiwall’s eyes narrowed as he looked straight at our half-dragon friend, but he must have shaken off the effects, for he turned his attention back on Taklinn. Before he could attack, however, I wove a spell and hurled it at him, hoping against hope that I would defeat his spell resistance. I did. The ‘dispel magic’ stripped away several protective spells. Acessiwall’s body seemed to shimmer for a brief second, and then remain firmly within my vision. I shuddered, realizing that I’d just got rid of a ‘displacement’. The wurm snarled in my direction, long strands of bile dripping from his fangs, but he unleashed his fury upon Taklinn. Acessiwall struck like a snake, his jaws clamping into Taklinn and tearing at him before letting go, only to lash out with his cruelly hooked claws. Our priest took all three hits, but wavered not a bit. His ‘stone skin’ soaked up the majority of the damage and he was well able to take the rest. Acessiwall also managed to slap Taigel with a wing, knocking the ranger back several feet. By now Griff was in motion. He flew straight at the dragon’s flank and brought the Talon down in an arc that could have sundered steel, but it merely glanced off Acessiwall’s scales, and Griff’s curse echoed through the cave. Taigel had been knocked down to a ledge beneath the plateau by Acessiwall’s wing, and as he struggled to right himself a creature appeared from behind a rock outcrop that made my blood run cold. It was a Hezrou, a demon apparently summoned by Acessiwall to aid him against us. The sickly beast was upon Taigel as fast as thought, snapping at him with an ugly mouth full of teeth. Taigel twisted away, avoiding the bites and flying out of it’s reach. I watched as a second hezrou appeared from the opposite side of the plateau. This was a worrisome development, but I vowed to concentrate on Acessiwall. Happy flew forward, searching for a position from which her dagger could do the most good. Seeing the second hezrou looking upward, as if to climb up to Griff, she hurled a knife, taking the creature by surprise and causing it to howl in pain. Taklinn roared his own challenge at Acessiwall, bringing the full fury of Clangeden to bare and attacking again and again with his axes. Twice his blades clanked off the wurm’s scales, but his third attack hit home, eliciting a hiss of unfamiliar pain from the dragon. Taklinn had drawn first blood. Taigel was out of the hezrou’s reach and once again within his fathers line of sight. He splashed more of his own blood across the amulet as he closed. This time it worked. Acessiwall’s head snapped around to regard his son. The dragon’s eyes glazed in a rage that I had expected. A shriek of pure hatred filled the cavern and he bared foot long fangs at Taigel. A black ray beamed in from the darkness and struck Acessiwall as he prepared to unleash his fury on Taigel. I recognized it as an ‘enervation’, and I was glad to see that Scylla had found her range. Unfortunately, the ray fizzled against the dragon and I heard Scylla mutter an expletive behind me. I decided to try an offensive spell of my own, firing off three ‘scorching rays’. To my pleasant surprise, they worked! My dispel must have stripped him of his fire protections as well, for when my three rays of fire overcame his spell resistance they burned him badly. I grinned with deep satisfaction at having actually hurt the wurm. But Acessiwall barely noticed. So intent was he on the bearer of the amulet, he shrugged off the damage I had caused and hit Taigel with everything he had. Taigel was enveloped in a hurricane of teeth and claws. Wings and tail lashed out at him as well, and blood gouted from several wounds as he was sent reeling. The ‘stone skin’ I had provided him with soaked up much of the damage, but I could tell that our friend had taken much of it himself. I knew that he could not take too many hits like that. Griffin did his best to help Taigel, bringing his sword down again and again against the dragon’s hide until finally the blade bit deep, cutting through scales and into flesh. The dragon bane enchantment I had imbued upon the sword caused Acessiwall added pain. I had been watching, waiting for Acessiwall to act so that I might try to foil him should he go for a spell, but I had neglected the hezrou. I barely had time to see the one that Hap had stuck with a dagger twisting it’s claws in a spell gesture. The ‘unholy blight’ saturated the area around me… and bounced back at it’s caster! The ‘spell turning’ I’d cast on myself earlier saved me from the effects, turning it instead on it’s caster. Unfortunately the hezrou was not affected by the spell, though Griff and Taklinn were in the area of effect. I saw Griff wince and wobble a bit, but Taklinn seemed barely to notice as he stepped inside the dragon’s reach again, hammering away with his axes and drawing still more blood with two long gashes across it’s flank. Happy moved within range and let fly with three daggers at the hezrou that had just tried it’s spell on me. All three of them slammed home, and the hezrou shrieked in unexpected pain, looking about wildly for it’s invisible attacker. On the opposite side of the plateau Taigel went toe to toe with Acessiwall, and I beheld an eerie calm on his face as he ducked a claw, coming in with his twin short swords flashing. Once, twice, three times he made contact, opening up new wounds in his fathers breast and neck. The dragon screamed in pain and rage, his eyes flashing, and I knew his counter attack would be bad for Taigel. Determined not to let that happen, I desperately cast ‘haste’ from a wand, hitting Taigel, Taklinn and Griff with it just as Scylla cast a scorching ray of her own from behind me. Two of her rays hit, breaking the dragons resistance and burning it. But neither my ‘haste’ or Scylla’s fire could prevent Acessiwall’s attack on Taigel. Maddened with pain and fury, the dragon struck again and again, teeth ripping, claws rending, wings and tail whipping forward to slam our ranger over and over again. Taigel was hit too many times to count and blood splashed from him in obscene fountains. Staggering back, he raised his sword in a futile attempt to fend off the terrible bite, but Acessiwall forced through the defense and clamped his jaws onto Taigel’s shoulder, snapping his head back and forth, shaking his son as a dog would a rat. I saw Taigel go limp, and he crumpled to the icy floor as Acessiwall released him and raised his great reptilian head in a roar of victory that drowned out our own cries of anguish. Taigel lay in an unmoving heap on the ground, his life blood flowing from a dozen wounds. Even the ‘stone skin’ had not been able to protect him, and I knew that Taklinn did not even need to check him for a heartbeat, for even I could see that the damage was too great. Taigel was dead. As the last of the life drained from Taigel I could see the rage clear from Acessiwall’s eyes. The dragon looked about him as if understanding for the first time how wounded he was. True, he had killed one of us, but blood poured freely from him now and we were pressing the attack with renewed vigor, eager to avenge Taigel’s death even as the dragon’s allies deserted him. The hezrou that Happy had wounded so badly disappeared, followed closely by the second demon. Acessiwall flexed his great wings as if to flee, but not before we set upon him again. Taklinn hacked away with all his might against the wurm’s breast, but was unable to pierce the tough scales. Scylla hit with two more scorching rays, and we could tell that her fire burned him to the core. Griff, beside himself with bloodlust at seeing Taigel go down did the unthinkable. He flew above the dragon and straddled him as one might a horse. The Talon came down again and again, biting deeply. But Acessiwall was already in motion. With a great beat of his wings the dragon launched himself from the plateau and took flight. We could do little but watch helplessly as he disappeared into the darkness with Griff still hanging on to his back! “Griff!” Happy screamed as she landed near us on the plateau. She and Scylla ran for the fallen form of Taigel, each reaching for the amulet as Taklinn and I took flight in a desperate attempt to reach the dragon, even though we knew that he was more than twice as fast as we were. The events that followed are a bit of a blur and much of it took place out of the line of my vision. I have been able to piece together what I believe happened after hearing my comrades versions of things. Taklinn and I plunged into the inky blackness, but we could see no sign of either Griff or Acessiwall. According to Griff, the dragon flew several hundred feet, trying to shake him off as Griff clung tenaciously to his scaly back. Nearing the rear of the cavern, Acessiwall banked hard and doubled back toward us, but instead of continuing his attack, escape was now his desire. “Hang on, friend!” The old wurm hissed at Griff as Taklinn and I saw the pair headed straight for us. We braced for the attack, but at the last moment Acessiwall beat his wings furiously and headed straight up. Like an arrow, the dragon bore toward the roof of the cavern, smashing through a thin spot in the cave roof and flying into open air. According to Hap, she watched as Scylla flew forward after Taklinn and I, perhaps sixty or seventy feet, and then disappeared when she saw Acessiwall head for the cave ceiling. I must assume now that Scylla teleported. Happy snatched up the amulet and a strip of Taigel’s bloody shirt. She took to the air, flying after us. Taklinn and I flew after Acessiwall with dwindling hopes, knowing we would never catch him in the open sky. Griff still clung to Acessiwall’s back, the wind whipping at him as the dragon flew ever upwards. A thousand feet high he flew with only a few mighty wing strokes. He then folded his great wings against him and turned toward the earth, plummeting downward in a terrifying dive, heading straight for the frozen river. I must assume that he intended to get to the water and swim back into the sanctum of his lair. The impact with the water would surely have killed Griff, but he had no time to think about it, for as they streaked downward, Acessiwall was suddenly engulfed with a fireball that could only have come from Scylla, who had teleported to a spot near the river. Unfortunately her spell did not overcome the dragons resistance, though it did do a fair amount of damage to Griff. Cursing, Griff tried a desperate move, releasing a hand from the dragons back to take a swing with his sword. But he was moving too fast. Acessiwall gave a sudden jerk, and Griff was forced to let go of his sword to regain his handhold or lose the dragon. The Talon tumbled to the earth below and was swallowed by the snow. Down and down they plummeted, only four or five hundred feet from the river. Taklinn and I finally rose from the cavern into open air just in time to see them pass us on their way down. We flew toward the edge of the cliff and were just in time to witness Scylla’s second fireball erupt over Acessiwall. This one took. The already wounded dragon felt the burn of the fireball, unable to either resist or dodge the magical flame. It scorched every inch of his body, and Griff had no choice but to feel the pain of it as well. But Acessiwall was far more wounded than Griff. The dragon gave out a terrible roar, attempted to gain control with it’s weakening wings, but they suddenly went limp. The dragon’s head tucked beneath itself and it began to tumble like a stone in free fall. Griff let go, using his ‘fly’ spell to stay aloft, and we all watched as Acessiwall fell, end over end, to earth, smashing into the snow with a muted thud. Hap reached us, panting, as we peered over the edge of the cliff. Acessiwall did not move. The old wurm’s arms and legs bent at impossible angles, and his neck stretched out against the ground. One wing lay trapped beneath his body, while the other fanned out on the snow, shattered and scorched. Griff joined us as we flew down to the body, and Scylla was suddenly there as well. The five of us stood around Acessiwall, scarcely able to believe that he was dead. I think we kept expecting his eyes to pop open and for him to attack us again. But he did not. Acessiwall was dead. There was no rejoicing. There were no cheers. Somberly I turned and flew upward, back toward the hole in the roof of the cavern. I flew back into the cave and went to Taigel’s body. Our ranger friend lay there, twisted and battered, covered in blood. As my friends joined me, I straightened Taigel’s arms and legs and closed his eyes. There was silence among us. Then, from the corner of my eye, I saw Scylla fly away into the darkness. My eyes narrowed and I left Taigel’s side to follow her. The sorceress flew across the cavern, skirting a wall until she came to a spot that was well worn. This, I assumed, had been where Acessiwall had spent much of his time. I landed next to her and she seemed a bit surprised to see me. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, Scylla,” I said, “But I don’t trust you.” She gave me a wolfish grin. “Well spoken.” She said. I watched Scylla as she scanned the cave walls, searching. At last she seemed to see something, and the two of us flew up to an outcropping of rock that could have easily been missed. There, behind the barrier of stalagmites, we saw the first glow of Acessiwall’s horde. The rest of the crew joined us soon after, and we spent the remainder of the afternoon going through a treasure the likes of which I have never seen before. Coin of every denomination was heaped in piles. Gems and jewelry lay scattered and draped everywhere. Our ‘detect magic’s’ picked up item after item, and pieces of art decorated the scene. It was amazing to behold. We collected and organized the treasure as best we could and then sat down to discuss our next move. “What shall we do with Taigel?” Hap asked. We had all been thinking the same thing, but none had thus far dared to voice it, as if talking about what to do with his body would make his death more real. “Well, he didn’t want to come back,” Scylla remarked, “Why don’t we just leave him here?” Taklinn’s eyes flashed at the sorceress. “I found a symbol to Heironious on him. If he was a follower he should be taken to the church for proper burial. It is the least he deserves. We will take him to Havilah and commit his remains to the priests there.” Griff cleared his throat. “This is gonna seem weird,” He said, “And you might not believe me, but Taigel asked me something before we went out this morning. He told me that if he didn’t make it, he wanted me to take care of his equipment and weapons. I don’t know what I ought to do with them, but there you have it.” “Of course we believe you, Griff.” I said. “You’re hardly the type to take advantage of a companions death for the sake of a few trinkets and a couple of swords.” Griff grunted and spat. “Look,” Scylla insisted, “Why should we take him all the way back to Havilah? He deserves a heroes tomb, and this is as good as any. In fact, I think we should cut him out a share of the treasure and bury him with it. We could entomb him where we found the horde, buried forever with his share of the loot!” “No!” Taklinn rounded on her. “We are taking him back to Havilah!” “Why?” She pressed the point. “I don’t see why…” “Because,” I cut her off, “It would be only too easy for someone to wait a few days, teleport back here, strip all the treasure from his body and keep it for herself!” Taklinn looked at me, his eyes wide with shock at my words. “Doorag, do you really think…” “I don’t know what I think. But I do know that I don’t trust her.” “Do you really want to address that here? Now?” Taklinn asked me. I looked straight at Scylla. “I just did.” Was it hurt that filled Scylla’s eyes? Anger? I am not sure. She looked back at me for long seconds and silence hung between us. When she spoke at last, it was but a single word. It was the verbal component to her teleport spell, and just like that, she was gone. “Doorag, perhaps…” Taklinn began, but I cut him off, turning in anger. “Perhaps what?” I asked him. “Perhaps I was too harsh? I think not, Taklinn. Acessiwall is dead and our ties to Scylla are now broken. For months now I have been waiting for the other shoe to drop. For months now I have been wondering what her ultimate plan is. Perhaps she has none, but she has given me no cause to believe that! Every time we turn around we are faced with her lies and machinations, or have you forgotten that? I have tried to trust her, but the fact is, I have not been able to comfortably turn my back on her since the day we met. She is the product of Melesandre and Sensesi. She flaunts spells before you that cause you distress. She delights in suffering and shows no compassion whatsoever, and might I remind you that she has shown no loyalty to us at all. She was only too content to let us all stay in the danger of this lair while she ported back to Finch for a cozy nights rest! You think I was too harsh? I have been holding my tongue for a long time, Taklinn, but no more! She is entitled to a share of the treasure, and I will do my best to see that she gets it, but beyond that, she has a long way to go to gain my trust.” Taklinn nodded, stroking his beard. Griff and Hap said nothing. I took a deep breath and turned, casting a ‘mord’s mansion’. I opened the door and disappeared inside. The others joined me after a few moments and it was decided that we would stay here tonight. The mansion was comfortable, and we still had a bit of business to attend to in the lair. We have brought Taigel’s body into the mansion and he lays now, wrapped in clean sheets, upon a bed in a comfortable room of my design. It is beside him that I sit now, scribbling furiously in this journal and wondering about all of the things I never got to know about him. So often am I buried in books that I oft times neglect to explore the friendships that I have. I realize now that my anger toward Scylla was largely born of my anger at Taigel’s death, though in the end I meant every word I said. Tomorrow, if she does not return, I shall try to scry her. She should, at the very least, receive her share of the horde. I must be to bed soon, but I cannot stop looking at Taigel. I keep wondering why he did not wish to be returned. Was life so cruel to him? What a shame that such a magnificent creature could find peace only in death. Yes, I must be to bed soon. But perhaps I will sit here for just a while longer. Rping 28 Today we have wrapped up the few loose ends that needed to be taken care of in Acessiwall’s lair. I should have mentioned that I went in search of Griff’s sword before settling in for the evening yesterday. I put far too much work into that blade to let it be lost in a snow bank, and when Griff reminded me that that’s where it was I immediately set out to locate it. It took an hour of flying around and scanning the area with several ‘detect magic’s’, but at last I spotted it’s glow buried beneath a mound of snow. Griff was pleased to have it back. Griff and Happy also spent some time combing the areas in the lair that we had passed over in our haste to get to Acessiwall yesterday, and found a few more items and some treasure, which is good; I’d hate to leave anything behind. My first order of business this morning was to analyze our finds and organize the horde. The scope of the wealth we will take from this lair has left me quite breathless! Being a practitioner of the arcane arts comes with a high price, not the least of which is monetary. I never seem to have enough gold, but my share of Acessiwall’s fortune will go a long way toward my goals. The final list of our discoveries is as follows. 42,672gp worth of miscellaneous coinage. 3,500 in various gems and jewelry. A pair of jeweled gloves. A fire opal pendant. A string of pink pearls. A silver scroll case. A polished obsidian mug. A silver snuff box. A silk pillow. A wool tapestry with images exalting the deity, Cord. A mithril and ruby hat pin set. A teakwood serving tray. A silver anklet decorated with elephant charms. An onyx statuette of a centaur. A cape made of vrock feathers. A lion skin cloak. An antique carpet depicting the god, Herionious. A lovely crystal lamp. A gem of Brightness with 19 charges left. A Staff of Transmutation with 13 charges left. A vial containing a potion of ‘shield of faith’. A Rod of Cancellation. A Ring of Evasion. A Short Sword of subtlety (Happy’s jaw hit the floor when I told her what this sword does). An Iron Flask. This list does not include the hundreds of diamonds we have recovered throughout out journey through this lair, both mined from the walls and found in the wake of golem battles, not to mention the several fine magical items taken from the bodies of our dead foes. All told, if we were to decide to sell everything we would all walk away with something in the neighborhood of 50,000 gold apiece (if Happy’s assessment of the values of the art objects is correct). Of course there will be magical items that we wish to use instead of sell, and Taklinn seems intent upon turning over the tapestry of Cord and the rug of Herionious to their respective churches, which will cut the portion down a bit, but still, it is more gold than I ever dreamed of having at a single time. We have seen no sign of Scylla today. I tried to scry her, but to no avail. I will attempt it again tomorrow, and I also plan to learn the spell, ‘sending’ as soon as possible, with which I can send her a message. Our last order of business was to deal with the ettin and giant that still sat, imprisoned, in cells. After some discussion on exactly what we should do with them, we were faced with the distasteful task of setting them free. True, they are evil at their core, but they pose no immediate threat, and have done nothing we know of that would justify execution. Leaving them to starve was not an option, so we unlocked their cells and led them to Acessiwall’s cavern where Taklinn issued a stern warning to both of them that if he ever found out that they were meddling in the affairs of the civilized races he would personally hunt them down. I seconded this threat, assuring them that no place was safe from my scrying eyes, which appeared to make believers out of both of them. I cast a pair of fly spells on the two and they (rather clumsily) extracted themselves from the lair. Toward late noon we gathered outside at the body of Acessiwall. The old wurm was semi-frozen now, but we were able to take a trophy or two. I had Griff dig me out a tooth and a claw for my personal collection, after which Taklinn chopped off the entire head! “It is done!” He cried at the sky, presumably to the celestial folk to whom he had been in debt. “I am beholdin’ to no one!” He used magically enhanced strength to hoist the dragons head to his shoulder, cast his ‘word of recall’, and spirited the five of us back to Havilah. I must say, the urchin that keeps out rooms at the Academy in order (Crispin, I believe his name is) was awestruck at our appearance, especially given the fact that Taklinn dumped a dragons head in the middle of the room. The youngster is utterly star struck with Griff, and he immediately bombarded our warrior with excited questions. His chatter tired me within seconds and I retired to the calm of my lab for a well deserved bit of peace and quiet. Ambros and I spent the rest of the day in relative calm, doing a bit of research on the outer planes. At dinner this evening there was talk of Griff and Happy’s wedding. They wish to be married before we go in search of Caribdis. I was a bit taken aback at this, and asked them how they could even think of having their wedding without Caribdis present, but they explained that they felt that they had waited long enough, not to mention the fact that Griff really does not believe that the boy can even be brought back. I think he believes our quest to find Caribdis a fool’s errand, though I have little doubt that he will accompany us. At any rate, there are some logistical dilemmas surrounding their wedding, not the least of which is the transportation of several dozen halflings from the green mountains to Havilah. I wonder at the wisdom of bringing so many of them to the big city, but Griff did promise Hap’s father that her entire family would be hosted at the wedding. I wonder if he knew just how big Hap’s family is when he made that promise. I suppose I will aid them with a few teleports to expedite the process. Happy is quite excited at the prospect of her upcoming nuptials, and intends the wedding to take place some forty days from now. This will give me a bit of desperately needed time to learn some of the spells contained in Helious’ book, not to mention crafting a few items that I have been wanting. I savor the notion of a rest, but at the same time I find myself eager to be after Caribdis. I feel as though each day we delay our odds of bringing him back grow slimmer and slimmer. Gdmnth 1 Our first full day back in Havilah, and I can already feel myself begin to breath easier, despite the fact that Scylla has still declined to make an appearance, and the sorrow with which we turned Taigel’s body over to the priests of Heironious today. I know they will care for his remains well, but still, it was difficult to let him leave my sight. Taklinn has sent a sending to Scylla requesting an audience with her. I would do the same if I had the spell, but alas, I do not. It is in Helious’ spellbook, but I have had no time to learn it yet, and probably will not for some time. Despite our desire to be off after Caribdis, we have decided to spend at least a month and a half in Havilah. We need this time to liquidate our treasures, and Hap and Griff’s wedding must be planned. Both of them are already hard at work with the organization of the event. As for myself, I have already begun work on something that I have been wanting to craft for several months now. It is in it’s beginning stages, and I have yet to even get any more than the raw materials for the item. My plan is to craft an anti-magic vest for Griff. It seems appropriate for him, given his general distrust of magic; it simply feels right, and I vowed some time ago that he would have such an item. I want to craft the actual vest from the leather I’ve taken from Acessiwall’s wing. I have the material, now it is a matter of turning it into a vest in a timely manner. Rather than waiting through the tanning and sewing process, I have elected to track down a scroll of ‘fabricate’. It will not be inexpensive, but time is of the essence if I am to complete both this vest and the wedding gifts that Taklinn and I intend to make for Griff and Happy. What I spend in gold, I make up for in time. There is also the matter of the iron flask. It is easily the most valuable item we found amongst the dragon’s horde, yet is potentially the most dangerous, for, according to my research, it’s purpose is to trap dangerous outsiders and bend them to the owners will. Therefore, it is conceivable that the flask could contain anything from an elemental to a balor. We have no way of knowing until we uncork it, although Taklinn has found a way to circumvent this problem through his divinations. He has communed with an agent of Clangeden with regard to the flask, and the agent has revealed to Taklinn that the flask contains a glabrezu, a particularly loathsome and dangerous type of demon. This is a potentially deadly problem, but we think we may have a way to effectively deal with the demon, since the flask will allow us to command the demon for the period of one hour. Our plan is to force it to lower it’s resistances, after which Taklinn will ‘dismiss’ it back to the abyss. Taklinn assures us that it will work, but I am sure that Griff and Happy, like myself, will take all available precautions when we attempt this tomorrow. Gdmnth 2 Our good luck continues. Not only did I manage to procure a scroll of ‘fabricate’ this afternoon, we were also able to deal with the iron flask. Taklinn’s plan of dismissing the demon actually worked flawlessly. Griff, Taklinn and I (I don’t know where Hap was) took the flask several miles outside of the city, and after much preparatory spell casting on the part of both myself and Taklinn, I unstoppered the cork and uttered the command word. An oily, black, smoke issued forth, swiftly forming itself into the dog muzzled freak of evil that stood before us, balefully awaiting my command. With a shiver, I forced it to accept Taklinn’s ‘dismissal’, and in a flash, it was gone, sent back to the pits to rejoin the blood war. With a collective sigh of relief, we headed home. Taklinn is already at work on finding a buyer for the flask, though I must admit that, at least on an academic level, it pains me to see it go. We have also split the few items of magical treasure. Which reminds me, Taklinn got a reply from Scylla today. He sent her another sending, and was told that all of her share of the treasure was to be dealt with through Happy! The revelation that Hap had somehow been in contact with Scylla was startling indeed, but she would give little detail, other than to say that she considered Scylla a friend, and that we ought to reconsider our positions toward her. Griff bristled at this, and Taklinn seemed none too pleased either. As for myself, I care little either way at this point. I am bothered to think that Hap might be somehow deceived by the sorceress, but I must trust her to take care of herself. I wish for Scylla to have her fair share of the treasure gained from Acessiwall, but beyond that, I consider our relationship at an end. I haven’t the time for ill will, and I do not consider her an enemy, but the plain fact of the matter is, I cannot trust her. I will spend tomorrow learning the ‘fabricate’ spell! Ironic that this one spell that I need was not contained in Helious’ book, and cost me over a thousand gold to purchase. Still, that cost will be minimal compared to the cost of enchanting the vest itself. I have no regrets though. This will be a masterpiece; a one of a kind item that will serve Havilah’s greatest hero. If my name lives on only as that of the artificer that crafted some of Griff’s most cherished items, I will have done well by it. Griff, of course, would never understand that. He does not realize that people need heroes, and in a sense, that is the quality that makes him the best kind of hero of all. His very reluctance; his continued ascertains that he is simply in it for the gold; his reticence toward fame; all of it makes him all the more heroic, and I love him for that. Gdmnth 3 The ‘fabricate’ spell is mine! It has been an exhausting day, as it always is when I must learn a spell, but the exhaustion carries with it the delicious satisfaction that only comes with unearthing a new secret. “Fabricate’ can hardly be considered the gem of my arsenal, but the thrill of learning a new spell never fails to please me, no matter how benign the dweomer. Tomorrow I will cast it on the leather of Acessiwall’s wing, and with any luck, I will have the beginnings of Griff’s vest. I have also decided to make use of my ‘permanency’ spell, and to that end I have created a permanent ‘familiar pocket’ inside of my hat in which Ambros may spend his time in safety and comfort. He is in there now, and while it is odd not to feel his weight on my head, he tells me that the small space is a large step up in terms of comfort. It is worth the spent life essence to keep him out of the line of fire. I cast a second ‘permanency’ on myself, in conjunction with ‘detect magic’. This one has been a long time coming, and is probably something I should have done for myself months ago, yet ‘permanency’ carries with it it’s own risks, and it is only now that I feel that I am powerful enough that my spells will stand a decent chance of resisting possible dispels. Tomorrow I intend to finish the job with permanent ‘darkvision’ and ‘see invisibility’. The cost in essence is high, but being caught without these two spells can be deadly, and I never want to suffer that again. Gdmnth 4 The vest is finished! Well, at least the physical vest now exists. It is of fine and tough leather, white, and has a texture unlike any bovine leather creation. I believe it will be well suited to Griff. My research into the ‘anti-magic’ spell is also complete. It is necessary to tweak the spell a bit with regard to it’s area of effect. It’s ten foot radius would, I believe, get in the way at times and make it difficult on his other party members. Therefore I have reduced it’s area to a five foot radius. The cost will be slightly higher, but not prohibitively so. I now have permanent ‘darkvision’ and ‘see invisibility’ on myself. Each day sees more and more of our treasure liquidated, and Taklinn drops off the new portions to us as soon as he can. All told, we will each take away nearly 50,000gp from the dragon, and we all appear to be doing our best to spend it as fast as possible. While I have hardly left the lab, I still hear of the obscene amounts of gold that Griff is spending on his wedding, and Taklinn has told me that he is having his armor further enhanced. I would love to do it for him, but we simply haven’t the time. Happy, apparently, has made sure that Scylla is receiving her share of the treasure. While I know that the very idea of Hap paling around with the sorceress grates on Griff’s nerves, I can only shrug and hope she knows what she’s doing. I am a little put out, though hardly surprised, that Scylla will not talk to us. Truth be told, I don’t know that I have much to say to her. Gdmnth 5 The true work on the vest has begun. I doubt I will make many entries in this journal other than specific working notes simply due to the fact that the crafting process is so exhausting. Still, it gives me such a sense of satisfaction. I have always wished that I was more skilled in the arts. How I envy the painters and musicians; yet I am beginning to realize that the creation of enchanted items is an art unto itself. Perhaps I am more creative than I gave myself credit for. Gdmnth 19 What a long and interesting day this has been! It was an hour past noon when I imbued the vest with it’s final incantation and stepped back to admire my work. It was complete, and ready to wear, and I could hardly wait to give it to Griff. We were due to all meet for dinner this evening, and I resolved to give it to him then. But the day would hold much more in store that just that! Late last night I received a written message via currier from Happy. Our roguish friend is obviously too busy to come see me herself, and I do not begrudge her for that, for I know that the planning of her wedding has taken them nearly every available moment. That, and I daresay she probably would not have wanted to field all of the questions that her note brought to my mind. “Doorag,” the letter began, “Scylla has been in contact with Nivin Mottul and Yigil. She wishes to join the Academy and become a protector of Havilah, and they support her in this. I ask you to give her a second chance.” I was quite taken aback by this news, for certainly the idea of Scylla being sponsored by Nivin and Yigil was an unexpected twist. Still, doubt nagged at me. The odds were simply too great that this was an example of still more of Scylla’s machinations, and I resolved not to take her at face value. Yet, if these esteemed and learned men could give her their trust, then I knew that I must at least hear her out, should she decide to come to me. So I was surprised, but not shocked when, an hour before dinner was to be served, there came a knock on our door and I answered it to find Scylla standing there. Beautiful as ever, yet still with her icy cold eyes, she regarded me cautiously, and I her. I was on my guard. “Are you here to fight or dine?” I asked, taking a step back, prepared for anything. “Well,” she laughed easily, “I certainly didn’t come to fight.” “Then make yourself comfortable.” I said, showing her in. She did, and I had my unseen servant pour her a glass of wine, though I did not turn my back on her. We sat in silence, each regarding the other for the better part of an hour until the others began to arrive. Happy smiled at Scylla and Griff scowled. Taklinn gave her a noncommittal nod. We sat around our communal table and Crispin began to bring in the food. Talk was light at first. We have seen little of each other over the past two weeks, and there was much catching up to do. Griff and Happy, of course, had been deep in wedding plans, not the least of which was the transportation of some twenty-six of Happy’s family members to Havilah. To that end Griff had approached me about possibly teleporting them here, and I had told him that I would be only too happy to do so when the time came. The pair had finally set a date. They will be married on Harvester 11, which means that I will just have time to finish their wedding gifts. Taklinn had gone back to his home in the mountains and had returned with several of his family, not to mention his fiance and her chaperone. He introduced me to them, and I must say that she is… handsome? He is putting them up at Havilah’s finest inn, which must be costing him a fortune, but what good is gold if not to be spent on ones family and friends? As dinner winded down and Crispin cleared the table, I had my servant pour us all wine, and Griff stood up as he produced several tightly wrapped parcels. I had been about to present him with his vest, but, not wanting to interrupt him, I said nothing. “Taklinn, Doorag,” He said, clearing his throat, “Since you're both going to be in my wedding, I’ve gotten you a couple of things.” He passed a parcel to each of us, and, unwrapping mine I was delighted to find a beautiful robe of ceremonial design in the blues and whites of Havilah. Taklinn received clerical robes of similar make. “Why, thank you, Griff, you needn't have bothered…” I began, but he cut me off. “Yeah, whatever,” He gruffed, “It’s also customary for the groom to get his honor guard a little something, so these are yours. Don’t get all weepy on me either!” Griff slid two more bundles to us. Mine was long and thin, a while Taklinn’s was wide, flat and round. Pleasantly surprised by this unexpected outburst of generosity, I unwrapped my gift and stared in awe at the bronze wood staff I held in my hands. Taklinn unwrapped one of the most beautiful shields I have ever seen, and we both looked at Griff, mouths agape. “It’s a staff of fire.” He said to me. “And Taklinn, that shield is made of Acessiwall’s hide and it’s magiced all to hell.” Indeed, Taklinn’s shield was a work of art. It was white, and engraved with a series of dwarven runes and the symbol of Clangeden. I hefted the staff, savoring the feel of it. “Griff, you should not have done this!” “Shut up.” Griff muttered, and I laughed. “Griffon Dorjan, I thank you!” Taklinn rumbled, his voice nearly cracking with emotion as he fit the shield onto his arm. “It is beautiful and I shall wield it with pride!” Griff muttered something else, and I laughed again at his discomfort. “Well, Griff,” I said, “As long as we’re giving gifts, I suppose now is as good a time as any to give you this.” And I produced a parcel of my own, sliding it across the table toward him. His eyes widened a bit, obviously not expecting such a thing. He unwrapped it and held up the white vest, obviously wondering what it was. “Griff,” I said, “I know that you have never been very comfortable with magic, and to that end I have been wanting to make you something like this ever since we battled Helious. It is my position that you should not be bothered by magic if you don’t want to be, and therefore I have imbued that vest with an ‘anti-magic’ spell. You need only utter the command word, and it will envelope you in an anti-magic field once per day.” Griff’s eyes widened even further and his mouth dropped open. It is perhaps the only time I have ever seen the gruff warrior at a loss for words. “Doorag, I… it’s incredible!” He finally said. “Thank you! I shall wear it with pride!” We toasted each other, lifting our glasses to the Band of the Broken Blade. Only Scylla did not join in our festive talk, and I knew that the time had come to deal with her. I set down my glass and regarded her across the table. “Well, Scylla,” I said, “I know you didn’t come here for the food. I take it we have a few things to discuss?” “Indeed.” She nodded, smiling demurely. “Yes, we do have much to discuss.” Taklinn agreed, stroking his beard. “Am I to understand that you have been in contact with Yigil and Nivin Mottul?” “As a matter of fact I have.” She said. Griff leaned back in his chair, cradling his glass in his hand and watching with interest, and Happy scooted forward, her eyes bright. “I know what the message I received told me,” I said, “And apparently Taklinn has heard the same. I must assume that Griff knows of this as well since Happy and you are now such good friends. But I’d like to hear the whole story from you, Scylla, if you wouldn’t mind.” The sorceress coughed and gave me a disarming smile that immediately put me on my guard. “Of course I wouldn’t mind. I have been in touch with Nivin and Yigil in an attempt to further clear my good name. It is my desire to be accepted as a full fledged member of the Academy, and they have agreed, though they request the good word and backing of at least four other Academy members, specifically, yours. They feel that, having traveled with me, you four are in the best position to judge my intentions. That is why I am here, to humbly beg you for a chance to prove myself, not only to you, but to Havilah at large.” The table fell silent as we digested this surprising new development. Across the table, Hap dug and elbow into Griff’s ribs. The warrior scowled, but finally sat forward in his chair. “Look,” He said, “If Hap says your ok, then I say you’re ok. But hear me now, I’ve given you chances in the past and you’ve blown it! This is the last chance you get from me. Put any of us in danger again, and I swear by every god in the heavens and hells that I’ll take your head off. You got that?” “Of course.” Scylla nodded. Happy looked hopefully at Taklinn and myself. Our cleric was the first to speak. “I have been speaking at length with Happy about you, Scylla,” He said, “And she has convinced me that you have gone through many changes in these past weeks. I know that I have sometimes been less than kind towards you during our time together, and I also know that it has not always been warranted. I have been meditating upon my own shortcomings recently, especially with regard to my attitude toward those who do not necessarily fall in line with my philosophy, and to that end I am trying to be more open minded and accepting. Happy and I have, until only recently, had an axe to grind, but hopefully we have buried it. Part of the peace we have made concerns you. To facilitate that peace, and to attempt to turn over a new leaf myself, I will offer you my support in your sponsorship to join the Academy. I may have my reservations, but I believe that few are irredeemable. I welcome you into the fold, and hope that this will mean a future of friendship between us.” “Thank you, Taklinn.” Scylla said, quietly. And then all eyes were turned to me. “Doorag?” I sighed and pursed my lips, narrowing my eyes, attempting to see past the innocent expression on Scylla’s face. Many thoughts whirled around in my head, but at last I straightened them out. “Scylla,” I said, “Understand that I have nothing personal against you. I admire your talents, and I believe that your skills would be invaluable in the service of Havilah. However, there is still the matter of history, which weighs heavily against you. You ask me to extend my trust to you, yet, upon reflection, I can find no reason to do so. The fact is, while you seem sincere enough, I am reminded of all the lies; all the layers we have had to get through to find the truth in the past, and I can only wonder if this is not yet another in a long line of your seemingly endless machinations. That said, I’m afraid that I cannot, in good conscience, put my reputation on the line for you. I applaud Taklinn and Griff for taking the leap of faith, and I pray that my concerns are unfounded. I hope that you do become a member of the Academy and prove me wrong, but until then I must err of the side of caution. I would hope that my vote on this will not be the difference between your sponsorship.” Sadness clouded Scylla’s eyes. “Actually, I’m afraid it might.” She said. “Certainly I can never become a full fledged member of this crew without unanimous consent.” “I’m sorry, what?” Taklinn shook his head as if to clear his ears. “A full fledged member of this crew?” Griff sat bolt upright in his chair. Even Happy’s head snapped around, as if startled by Scylla’s desire, not only to join the Academy, but our crew. “Well, of course.” Scylla said, “What better crew to join than this one?” “Now just a damn minute!” Griff pointed at her, “You never said nothing about joining up with us on a full time basis!” “No,” Agreed Taklinn, “You didn’t.” “Why would I want to join any other crew?” Scylla asked, as if it made perfect sense. “I have traveled with you, we know what we can all do, and I’m certain that we’ll soon be working as a smoothly oiled team.” “No,” I interrupted, “We won’t, because I absolutely will not agree to that!” “Nor can I.” Taklinn shook his head. “Hell no!” Griff said, his jaw set. He glanced at Hap, ready to fend off her arguments, but she was strangely silent. Scylla sighed, and a hint of anger flashed in her eyes. “I should have known. You have always treated me as if I were beneath you, why would you change now?” “Now just a minute!” Taklinn said, “Perhaps I have not always been kind to you in the past, but I am willing to let bygones be bygones. I will support your decision to serve Havilah, but you cannot expect any of us to open the doors to this crew to you without your having proven yourself!” “Ha!” She smirked, “I have to prove myself to you!” “You find that ironic?” Taklinn asked. “I do.” “Pray, tell me why.” “I rather think I should spare you my personal observations, Taklinn. I doubt your ego would let you hear them.” “Try me.” Our cleric said, leaning back in his seat. Obvious anger now boiled in Scylla’s eyes, and I tensed a bit as she seemed to warm to a topic which she had obviously dwelt much upon. “Very well then. You are a priest of Clangeden, are you not?” “I am.” Taklinn replied “And you follow the law of Clangeden?” “I do.” “You are Clangeden’s representative, his voice in the mortal world, are you not?” “I am one of many, but yes.” “You hold his laws above all others?” “Of course! Get to the point, Scylla.” “Is it not your duty to enforce his laws upon this world? Is it not your duty to quash evil in all it’s forms?” “It is.” “And do you do so?” “Yes, I do!” Scylla smiled, but there was no humor in it. “Ah,” She said, slyly, “But you do not!” “Explain yourself, Scylla.” Taklinn said. “Taklinn, you call yourself a man of god, yet you turn your back on evil again and again. You allowed the release of that giant and ettin from Acessiwall’s lair, knowing full well that they were, at their very core, evil.” “They had done nothing for which I might convict them.” Scylla ignored him, pressing on. “I have seen you pick and choose, Taklinn. I have watched you argue for mercy towards the blatantly evil. I have watched you let others carry out justice. You do not have the courage of your convictions! You are a coward, Taklinn the Shorn.” I gasped at her words, and even Griff moved away from Taklinn a bit, as if to allow him room to swing an axe. Taklinn’s jaw stiffened and I saw pure ice behind his eyes, but he remained calm. “I will assume you are trying to make a point, Scylla,” He said, slowly, “So I will ignore your insult. She barked a mocking laugh. “My point? Yes, I am trying to make a point. The point is, that you will not carry out the wishes of your own god! You allow evil to go free in the name of mercy, but at what cost? You really think that giant we let go will just change his ways? How many innocents will die because of that decision? Do you recall your arguments when we planned to go after Helious? The point is, Taklinn, that you are utterly qualified to play the role of judge, jury and executioner, yet you shirk that responsibility, instead placing it in the hands of your companions, or, worse yet, the hands of judges who have no idea of the circumstances! You do not trust your own judgment.” Taklinn’s face darkened, and the danger in the air was palpable. Yet, with supreme self control, he said only, “If accepting quarter when asked is a crime, than I accept my guilt.” Scylla scoffed derisively again, but by this time I had had enough. “How dare you!” I said, my voice shaking with anger. “Taklinn may be many things, but a coward is not one of them. You cross a bad line when you call him that!” “I agree.” Griff put in. “Taklinn is no coward.” “The fact is,” I said, “I may not always agree with Taklinn’s decisions, but I never have to worry about trusting him. He is a good dwarf, and a credit to his race and religion. He follows his path and we accept him for that. You, on the other hand, have shown time and again that you cannot be trusted! That is the basic difference between all of us and you, Scylla. I can place my wealth, my loved ones, or my life in the hands of any at this table and not think twice about it, with one glaring exception, and that exception is you! If Taklinn, or indeed, if any one of us says that we will do something, if we make a vow, you can rest assured that we will see it though. With you, not so much. Such concepts as loyalty and trust are alien to you. You have proven that time and again, and frankly I am tired of constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. I am tired of wondering what your real agenda is. I am tired of having to question your motives, and I am tired of needing divination spells to assure me of your sincerity! You dare question the honor of Taklinn? That is a thinly veiled attempt to muddy your own mirror, Scylla.” “Thank you, my friends.” Taklinn said, quietly. “Look,” Griff cut in, obviously tiring of this debate, “I already said I’ve got no problem with you joining the Academy, and I don’t even give a crap if you want to come with us on this cockamamie search for Caribdis, but it won’t be as a full member of this crew. I’d have to see you change first.” “Griff speaks wisely.” Taklinn said. “I would also agree to a trial should you wish to travel with us.” “As would I.” I agreed. “At this point we may be able to start with a clean slate, but a trial period would be expected of any perspective member of this crew.” “So I must prove myself yet again!” Scylla snapped. “You have not proven yourself a first time!” I retorted. “You are a talented spell caster, that is true, but you give no thought to the ramifications of your magic. You cast carelessly. You fire spells into melee and hit your own companions, not just once, but over and over! I am glad that you and Happy have found common ground, but I daresay she would be singing a different tune had you accidentally killed Griff with one of your misplaced scorching rays.” I glanced at Happy, and she favored me with a glare, but I knew I had spoken the truth. “And let us not forget the matter of simple, decent, loyalty.” I pressed on, “In Acessiwall’s lair you gave not a second thought to leaving us to rot in the mines while you ported back to Finch for a nice warm bed. That, Scylla, was the straw that broke the camel’s back for me. You think that I could not have done such a thing? You think that I would not have preferred the safety of a cozy inn? Yet I stayed, even though I could do little more than hunker in a rope trick and rest, I stayed. Do you even understand why I would choose to stay, Scylla? Do you even comprehend the concept of friendship?” “When have you ever treated me as a friend?” She shot back. “When have you given me reason to?” I answered, coldly. “All things considered, I believe that I have been more than decent to you.” Scylla choked out an ugly laugh but said nothing. She looked at Happy for support, but still our halfling friend said nothing. “Ah, screw this!” Griff exclaimed. “This is getting us nowhere! We’ve put our offer on the table, Scylla. We’ll back you for Academy membership, and we’ll even let you come with us when we go after Caribdis. If you can convince us that you’ve changed, then fine, we’ll talk about crew membership then. There it is, take it or leave it.” Scylla’s eyes smoldered for several long seconds, and I half expected her to simply teleport away again in a fit of pique, but she only said, “I shall have to think on it.” “You do that.” I said. “Think on it very hard.” She shot me a last look and spun on her heel, heading for the door, but Taklinn’s voice stopped her as she reached for the handle. “Scylla!” He barked. She turned and waited for what he had to say. “I meant what I said about clean slates,” He said, “And I still have hope that we can start fresh. But know this: If you ever call me a coward again, we shall cross more than words.” His voice was even and without threat, but they carried the weight of ten thousand years of dwarven pride, and they sent a shiver down my spine. Scylla said nothing. She flung open the door and disappeared. “That went well.” Griff said, sarcastically, and Happy shot him a scathing look. She groaned. “I didn’t know she wanted to join the crew.” Was all she said. Gdmnth 20 It is late evening now, and still we have heard nothing from Scylla. Her silence worries me, but I suppose that I would have to thing twice about anything she did say, so there’s no point in losing sleep over it one way or another. I have begun work on Happy and Griff’s wedding presents. Taklinn and I were thinking along the same lines when it came to a gift for the pair, and we have pooled our resources to make the items. We are crafting them a pair of amulets with a permanent ‘status’ spell imbued within them that will only work for them. This way, as long as they wear the items, they will know the health and whereabouts of each other. I would have liked to have included a teleportation ability as well, but the cost would have been prohibitive, not to mention the time factor. Perhaps in the future I can add the port ability. Taklinn has agreed to cover the monetary cost of the amulets while I will take on the cost in life essence. He will also cast the ‘status’ spell daily, while I do the actual crafting, so this is truly a combined effort. If all goes well, I should have these items finished by the day before the wedding. Gdmnth 23 Damn that woman! Three days have gone by without a word from Scylla. Taklinn finally sent her a ‘sending’ this morning asking her what decision she has made, and she replied to him with a very curt, “I do not consider ourselves to be allies anymore.” Taklinn told me this, this morning when he arrived to cast the ‘status’ spell, and I was so angry that I could not concentrate on my work. Instead, I shelved the amulets and dug out Helious’ spellbook and spent the day learning ‘sending’ for myself. I fully intend to give her a piece of my mind come tomorrow. Gdmnth 24 My ‘sending’: “Do you still intend to attend Happy and Griff’s wedding? She is expecting you.” Happy had asked Scylla to be her maid of honor (much to Griff’s chagrin. Scylla’s reply: “No.” My second sending: “Grow up! Do not make your only friend suffer for our differences!” Scylla’s reply: “Happy did not stand up for me during our conversation. I will not come.” My third sending: “Wallow in your pettiness then!” She made no reply at all to this. Was I harsh? Perhaps I was, but I am through handling her with kid gloves. If we are no longer allies, then I must assume we are enemies. This state of affairs saddens me, but I will not live in fear of her. Part of me thinks that a pre-emptive strike against her is in order, but I realize that that might be an overreaction. I will hope that we can both find peace in neutrality. I wish her no harm, but I will shed no tears if I never see her again. [/QUOTE]
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