The Ambergate Chronicles - Galahorn or the Curious Adventure of the Glass Coffin

[eris404]

In the room beyond, Ishii hunches low to the ramp and watches. The cavern, widened and smoothed by labor and magic, is well-lit by torches. He notices at once the green-skinned goblins working among the ruined furniture. The floor was once burnished copper, but is now scratched and tarnished green and black. What was once a beautiful chamber created for a majestic dragon ruler is now a small goblin village, complete with a livestock pen, a firepit, workbenches and bedrolls.

He notices a metal cage holding a sleeping human girl and a human boy who paces and figets. In the center of the cavern is another boy gagged and bound to a large block. He shies away from a goblin who is trying to hold the boy's head still, but Ishii cannot see for what purpose. The child slumps unconscious.

In the far side of the room, Ishii sees the dragon corpse, its hide a papery dried husk, its giant maw propped open. A blue-skinned goblin wearing an tin crown casually walks out of the dragon's mouth.

Ishii crawls backwards to the others.

"I count nine goblins," he tells them. "Two of them have blue skin and one of them wears a crown. One of the goblins is quite large."

"The children?" Dante asks.

"I saw three. They're captive, but they seem unhurt. There's about a 20 foot drop from this ramp into the chamber. It's quite large. And there's a dragon corpse in it."

Dante's eyes glitter with greed at this.

George holsters his empty pistol. He's nearly out of bullets, but he has a small crossbow for emergencies. Jade nods at him, and George closes his eyes. The wall still seems solid to him, until he tumbles, with a yell, into the room beyond. He lands and fires a bolt. Ishii drops in with Jade tumbling artfully after him. Serai manifests a power and climbs spiderlike down the ramp.

Dante, ever so carefully, lowers himself to ground. Even so, a jolt a pain shoots up through his ankles and calves.

The goblins are enraged. They close in and the students are assaulted first with the smell of goblin sweat and goblin breath, sour and rotten.

The blue-skinned, crowned goblin grabs the bound boy and uses him as a living shield while the boy cries in terror. The blue screams something in his language and the goblins fall back towards the dragon.

George and Jade cover Ishii with fire from their bows while he moves to engage the largest goblin. A well-placed shot from Jade hits a blue-skinned goblin in the skull, killing it and freeing the child it held captive. Ishii finds himself surrounded. He knocks out one goblin that Dante quickly pounces on with a dagger. As the goblin expires, Dante forces open its mouth and places a small gem inside. He whispers dark words of necromancy.

The body rises. Dante points to the crowned goblin and the zombie obeys.

While the other goblins fall back and draw their bows, Ishii is in a desperate duel with the hulking, slavering goblin. He lands several blows from his fists and feet, but the goblin is larger and far stronger. He lands several punches to Ishii's stomach, winding him. A hard blow to the gnome's chin renders him unconscious.

Meanwhile, Serai, attracted to the strange blue light radiating from inside the dragon's corpse, recklessly runs towards it. Dante shouts to Serai to stop, but the grinning goblin stomping on Ishii's head demands his immediate attention. He points at the goblin and with an arcane word, a small, screaming skull hits the goblin in the chest. The beast hesitates, clutching his bruised sternum, and it gives Jade just the opening he needs. A razor-tipped arrow from his longbow finishes the goblin.

Jade reaches Ishii first. Seeing George's worried face, he waves him on towards the dragon. "Get to Serai," Jade yells. "And get Dante away from these archers!"

George grabs Dante by the collar as two arrow narrowly miss the wizard. Instead, they strike George in the thigh; dragging his wounded leg and pushing his friend ahead of him, he finds cover in the dragon's mouth.

Steadying himself, George works the arrows out of his leg. Tears blur his vision and his hands shake; he feels nauseous and faint and guilty. Searching through his bag, he finds two small vials.

"These had better work," he says weakly. He glups the liquid, which seems to burn like alcohol down his throat. For a moment he is afraid that it was a horrible trick, for burning spreads through his skin and bones. He feels numb for a moment, then tentatively he touches the arrow wounds on his thigh. Perhaps they weren't as deep as he first thought, because he sees now that they are mere scratches, sore but not bleeding.

He turns to Dante and realizes that his friend is quite hurt as well, a thick flow of blood rolling from a wound in his scalp. Dante is fatigued and barely conscious, so George shakes him and hands him an unstoppered vial, forcing him to drink from it. He checks the wound and notes that the bleeding has stopped.

"She's gone," Dante whispers. He nods towards the dragon's throat, just wide enough for a person to crawl through on her hands and knees.

"Why would she do that?" George asks. He peeks through the dragon's teeth to look for signs of Ishii and Jade. He winds his crossbow and takes a few futile shots at the goblin archers.

"George, we have to stop her."

"But Jade..." George protests.

"Can take care of himself," Dante replies firmly. Without waiting for George, he crawls down the desiccated throat. The papery flesh disgusts George and he is reluctant to touch it, but he holds his breath, shuts his eyes and follows.

He opens them just in time to see Dante strike Serai.

"George!" She screams. "Dante is under a spell! He's trying to kill me!"

"She's lying George. She under the influence of that." Dante points to a large gem glowing bright blue.

"George!"

"George!"

The poor lad looks from one to the other. He has no idea who to believe.

 

[eris404]

Meanwhile, Jade is calculating. The archers, he decides, are worrysome, but overall, the goblins are disorganized. With the blues and the hulking nightmare of a goblin dead, there is a desperation to their attacks. He decides they will flee or try to, if he lets them. With a glance at Ishii's prone form, he makes his choice.

He drops his bow and makes a quick lunge towards the gnome. Jade places both hands on the gnome heart and feels its weakened beat through his palms. He concentrates and speeds up time for the gnome. He breathes in and with the exhale, broken bones and torn flesh knit together, leaving only a bruise where once life-threatening wounds existed.

Ishii opens his eyes and kips up to his feet in a fighting crouch.

Nodding in approval, Jade says in a low voice, "You've only been out a moment. There are still goblins to deal with." He draws a scimitar from his belt.

"The others?"

Jade shakes his head. "They're in... the dragon, or what's left of it anyway. I heard shouting."

One of the goblins drops his bow and runs towards the ramp. His former fellows howl in anger.

"Go to them," Jade says with a nod at the dragon.

"What about you?" Ishii says, wary of the goblins.

"I'm not worried," the elf replies.

In the dragon, Serai is manifesting a power. Her eyes glow with strange light that raises the hackles on George's neck.

"Don't," Dante warns. He gives her a rough shove that breaks her concentration.

"George! Please!" she pleads. "How could you let him do this?"

"George, what's going on?" Ishii asks, startling him.

"I don't know," George moans in confusion. "I mean, I don't know..."

With a boxer's instinct, Ishii quickly assesses the situation on his own. "Who do you trust, George?" Ishii presses.

"I don't know!" George shakes his head, then blurts out, "Dante! I trust Dante."

It is all the confirmation the gnome needs. A well-place blow stuns the girl and she crumples to the ground.

George is horrified. "You hit a defenseless girl."

"She was hardly defenseless," Dante replies dryly.

Ishii checks her pulse and breathing, then loads her body across his shoulders. Both George and Dante are surprised by the gnome's strength.

"She will be fine," Ishii says. "But we must get out of here. Jade may need us." He looks at the glowing stone. "Did that do something to Serai?"

Dante nods. "I think that might have done something to a lot of people."

Outside of the dragon, Jade is going through the pockets of a dead goblin. It is quiet except for the soft sobbing of the captive children. One child lies still unconscious near Jade.

The students look around at the crumped bodies of the goblins. Dante notices his zombie, now inanimate and lying like a broken doll among the other goblin bodies.

"They're not all here," Dante notes.

"One or two got away," Jade says. He pulls a few paltry coins from the goblin's pocket and shakes his head. "I don't think they'll give us any grief, though." He frowns as Ishii lays Serai gently on the ground and demands, "What happened?"

"I think we found the source of the nightmares," Dante explains. "It was controlling her, I think."

 

[eris404]

Jade arranges the sleeping boy and Serai side by side on the ground and tends to them. Their pulses and breathing are strong, so he leaves them for the moment to free the children in the cage.

The encaged boy is suspicious and watches the elf closely as he picks the lock on the door. Opening the door, Jade says, "It's alright. We're here to help you."

There is a bright flash in Jade's face. He is blinded by the afterimages dancing before his eyes, but he still has his wits about him.

"The children are under a spell!" Jade warns. He grabs the sleeping girl and realizes she is comatose, her breath frighteningly shallow.

"You're evil!" the boy hisses. "You're here to kill us!" His face is a snarling mask twisted by fear and anger. He reaches for the girl, but Vor (Martha) lashes out from under Jade's cloak. With a menacing hiss, the snake snaps at the boy, barely missing his pudgy hand.

Both George and Dante try to placate the boy, who fights and spits at them passionately, and so they find themselves simply tying his hands and feet. He squirms violently and curses as they carry him to rest with the others.

While Jade minds his charges, George loots the bodies of the dead and drags them to the firepit. He loathes the idea of burning them here and now and decides to wait until the others are ready to leave.

Jade gently shakes Serai awake. She blinks in confusion, looking first at Ishii, then Dante.

"I'm sorry, Serai," Dante says, but she turns away, her face as cool and set as stone.

"We should rest here," Dante suggests. Looking around at the blood and bodies, he amends, "Just for a bit, of course. We'll need our strength for the journey back."

George finishes his grim work and crouches next to Serai.

"I'm sorry, too," he whispers.

"George, keep an eye on them," Serai whispers back, eyes wide with fear. "They're still under the nymph's charm. They might do something...rash."

Unnerved, George rises and backs away. With relief, he notices that Jade, Dante and Ishii are huddled together a little way away. Between them, he sees the glowing blue crystal which they are contemplating.

 

[eris404]

"Well?" George asks.

"I have no idea what it is," Dante whispers. "And the person who might we can't trust right now."

"What's there to know? Shouldn't we just destroy it?"

Jade rolls his eyes. "Yes, George, that's what Dante is saying. He doesn't know how."

George frowns. "Maybe I could just shoot it? I have a few bullets left."

Jade exchanges looks with Dante, who shrugs. "It's as good as anything else we could try."

Setting the crystal on the ground, the others back off, while George chooses a good distance, loads his pistol, takes aim and fires. The bullet reflects off the crystal, turning it momentarily a deep red.

The boy howls in pain.

George looks to his friends, who nod encouraginly. He loads again, takes a few deep breaths to steady his aim and fires. Again the bullet reflects off the stone without any apparent damage to it, but it glows an angry red. The boy rolls on the ground shrieking, cursing and crying.

"May I try something?" Serai is barely audible above the boy's fit, but the others, curious but skeptical, urge her to go on. "I think this might do it." Theatrically, she produces the crystal whistle in her open palm. She rises, a bit unsteady, to her feet and motions to the other to get behind her, out of the way of the sonic blast. With a deep breath, she produces a long, loud, shrill note that rattles their teeth and hurts their ears. The crystal glows red, but again is otherwise untouched.

"Dammit!" George shouts, frustrated. "How the hell are we going to destroy this thing?"

"We'll think of something," Dante mutters, his mind already lost in thought, looking for solutions.

"You shouldn't curse," a weak voice adds. Surprised, all of our little party turn towards the voice. It is the tied-up boy, no longer wailing or thrashing about. A thin trickle of blood runs from his nose. "Mama says you shouldn't curse."

Dante reaches the boy first. "What's your name? Are you alright? Do you remember anything? "

"Caleb," the boy replies in a small, fearful voice, his eyes darting from Dante to Jade to George. "I want my mom!"

While the others sleep, George and Ishii stand guard. How they can sleep is beyond George, who can't stop looking at the grotesque pile of bodies in the fire pit. Perhaps he should have set fire to them right away. Perhaps the dried dragon husk, too. The crystal still glows, the blue light somehow menacing and poisonous. If only the bullets or Serai's whistle had smashed it to bits! As it was, they'd probably have to take the thing back with them to the University where mages more powerful than they could destroy it. How disappointing.

And George had been so confident that his pistol would do it. It had seemed, to him at least, that it had been more effective than the whistle, that the crystal had glowed brighter and longer when struck by the bullets. Why that should be mystifies him; after all, the whistle is magic and while his pistol is loud and dangerous, it is all too mundane.

George leaps up, shrieking in delight, startling the others from a deep sleep.

"Dante! I know how to destroy it!" George crows. "It's not the bullets! It's the loud noise! Dante, we have to use the bell!"

Annoyed, Dante snaps, "George, what are you talking about? What bell?"

"The town bell! Don't you see? We have to get it to the town bell!"

 

[eris404]

Negotiating the way out of the mines is tricky. The little band is now burdened with extra gear and three exhausted children. No one has slept well, nor eaten recently. Ishii is still bruised and George's leg, though nearly healed, is still tender and trembles when he puts any weight upon it. They are relieved that they encounter no one on their way out, though they give the nymph's grotto a wide berth just in case. The rope climb leaves them shaky, sweating and panting. Night is descending - again? No one can say how long they have been underground.

They pause at the river to drink and wash the grime and blood from their faces. Jade leads them through the woods, which, even with its mysterious evening noises, is refreshing and peaceful compared to the mines. They dream of hot food and warm beds.

Jade notices the villagers first. In truth, it is a farmer living on the town's outskirts; he stands still as a scarecrow in his fields, but Jade feels the man's eyes upon them and is unnerved by his open stare. Closer to town, they encounter a few more townsfolk standing quietly and very still, blocking the path to the town. Their eyes shine in the gloom. The party alters its course through the fields and the sentinels react, running with a loping, animal gait towards the town.

Closer yet: the villagers move in dense, synchronized packs, hunting our terrified little party. The children are too frightened to even cry and cling to the arms and clothes of the students. It makes running difficult.

In the town, they chose a lane, find it choked with villagers. A quick dodge down an alley finds a temporary escape route. The plaza beyond is filling with people with burning eyes.

"They move quicker than zombies," Dante observes between gulps for air. "I don't think they're dead. Don't hurt them."

George exchanges a look with the elf and sees agreement in his face: they might not have a choice.

Their lungs are on fire from exertion when they reach the belltower at the town's center. Of course, its door is locked; George recalls, in between hysterics, that the townsfolk told a legend about a drunken man had fallen asleep and died in the tower from the force of the bell's ringing. His hands shake as he out digs the bits of copper wire he had hidden in his pocket. He shapes the wire and realizes its too soft to make a good tool. It bends in the lock. He wipes his forehead with his sleeve.

Serai, Ishii and Jade have formed a small circle around the children, Dante and George. The townsfolk, the entire population of the town, are rushing towards them now; they are pushing each other, stepping over their fallen neighbors, all trying to grab, to maul, to bite the students at once. It is difficult to remember that these snarling, living zombies are innocents, but the students do their best not to hurt them. Serai uses her powers to create bright, stunning flashes, but she is too tired to do so for long. Jade wrestles with one villager only find three others clutching at his hair and clothes. Ishii fairs somewhat better. He is smaller and quicker and can land precise blows that incapacitate without doing great harm.

George reshapes the wire, doubling it for strength, and tries again. It's difficult in the din to hear or feel the lock's tumblers move. In his mind, he prays to whatever god will listen and swears he will study with great diligence every lock, every mechanism, any and every device with complex moving parts, if only he can pick just this one lock.

He feels a piece move, tries the handle and nearly faints when the door opens. Dante shoves past, with three terrified children clinging to his coat. George follows, shuts the door and locks it.

"There's another fricking door!" Dante shouts from the stairs. Panicked, he grabs the doorknob and rattles it, vainly hoping to force it open. George brushes him aside; wielding his misshapen wire, he catches the pins and forces the lock open. The door is heavy to protect against the sound of the bell and it takes both students to open it wide enough for Dante to slip through.

The bell at the top of the tower is massive. Inscribed on its rim is a single word: Wyrmcall. Dante is in awe of it; suddenly it doesn't seemed so far fetched that someone this close to it could be killed by pealing. He lays the glowing crystal on the groaning floorboards beneath Wyrmcall and runs.

"Ready, George!" he yells down the stairs. George is at the door when Dante slips through and they shoulder the door in place. Dante is downstairs pulling at the rope before George reaches the bottom.

The entire tower seems to shake as the bell tolls. Even with the door closed, George has to cover his ears to protect from the noise. Dante pulls on the rope and is swept off his feet by the power of the bell's motion. The children and George watch as the Dante rings Wyrmcall over and over, until he is too exhausted to hang on.

After the last peal, George asks, "Did it work?"

Dante opens the tower door. The three students outside are facing a crowd of bewildered, frightened villagers, stunned into silence. No one says anything for a long a moment, until one man steps foward, shyly twisting his cap in his hands. It is the workman from the foundry they spoke to the first day they came to Bellhold.

"I expect your bell will be first in line," he says.

 

[eris404]

Epilogue

Summer is definitely over; one morning, the students awaken to find their breath misting in their cold rooms. After they have washed up and dressed, the pretty maid brings up a fresh load of wood for the stove. With eyes lowered demurely and a lovely blush to her cheeks, she tells them Cook has made them special treats if they want them. No one has called them "heroes" directly, but the entire town treats them differently now. Shy and reverent children follow them around and whisper in awe. Some of the girls have taken to wearing their hair in the same fashion as Serai. People smile. There's always an extra treat or someone willing to buy another round. The barkeep refuses payment for food and one night they find coin on their pillows, suspiciously the same amount they paid for the rooms.

And with great fanfare, the bell is completed and loaded onto their wagon. True to his word, the mayor give each a purse filled with gold and a firm handshake. He takes Dante aside, though, and asks, "Now about that mine. I don't suppose you'd be willing to sell it back to me? After all, you're students. You don't have the manpower or capital to make it a working mine. What do you think, lad? Could we come to an agreement?"

Dante smiles crookedly and replies, "I'll have to think on that."

The trip back in the wagon seems almost anti-climatic, especially since the bell and its straw padding now takes up most of the wagon bed. It is uncomfortable to sit for too long in the cramped, cold wagon, even with the blankets and hot drinks the townsfolk thoughtfully provided. Serai picks a straw fight with Dante, who for once doesn't immediately pick up his book. George's leg is still sore and he can't find a good position to sit anywhere. He's miserable and wonders if this year will be any different from, any better than, the last. One thing he's certain of: he's no longer going to take the abuse of the Atli Crows and Maleks of the world.

At the university's gate, Ishii unceremoniously jumps off the wagon and waves good-bye. The gnomes are working in the gardens, putting the flowers to bed for another season. Ishii hands an eldery gnome a bag of seeds and though the students are too far away to hear their conversation, the elder gnome laughs heartly and slaps Ishii on on shoulder. His bet is won.

Sobering thoughts occur to each of them then. Dante and George will soon be busy with lessons and exams. Serai, of course, will be working on campus, but will have little time for them. Jade's position with the Embassy will keep him from the campus for long stretches. And Ishii is a gardner, a servant of the University; students rarely mingle with the staff.

They decide not to speak of it. Instead, with great and forced joviality, they deliver the bell to the Headmaster, who had already heard something of their exploits and orders them to the infirmary. It is then that Dante and George truly realize how difficult it is to be back, to be mere students among other students, to answer to teachers and headmasters who see them as no more than apprentices and children.

But for them there is only one year left before they get their rings, which will proclaim them as fully-licensed wizards. George looks at the gear tattooed on his left palm, the mark of his school etched in his flesh on his very first day of school. So much time has passed since then and yet, there is still so much to do and so much to learn.

George smiles. "So Dante," he asks, "What are you going to do with all that gold?"

---

SO ENDS OF SOUND MIND​

The adventures of Dante, George Barleycorn, Jade Harkith, Ishiro Longshears, and Serai will continue in GALAHORN.

 

[eris404]

Galahorn or the Curious Adventure of the Glass Coffin

EDIT: Much to my embarrassment, I got some of the details wrong, so I needed to repost this section with corrections. I also wanted to add some background to KidCharlemagne's campaign setting and Master Lykor's lecture seemed like a good place for that.

I suppose you hear that infernal clanging down the hall. I hate it myself; too loud and bright, if a noise can be called “bright.” It’s the kind of sharp noise that makes you squeeze your eyes shut with each ringing clash. I suppose you also want to come closer, investigate the source. Please do, if you must. Down this dark passage, at its very end, you will see the orange glow of the forge before you feel its heat.

The forge is filled with apprentices this time of day, all glad to be indoors near the open flame on a day as chilly as this. The apprentices are not at all what you imagine wizards to be: no skinny lads these, they have arms hardened from swinging hammers against anvils. They are dirty from toil and when they wipe the sweat from their foreheads it leaves a gray smear on their shirt sleeves.

Over there, you see a familiar face: it’s George, the tall, thin Mavarran lad with the pale blond hair. Our young friend is here visiting his mentor, Unna, a tiny, wrinkled gnome with hair the color of iron. Unna’s arms may not be as strong as they once were, but her hands are still clever and nimble. She’s leaning over a disemboweled clockworks and peering, through spectacles sliding down her nose, at its entrails.

The clockworks is enormous, even in comparison to the tiny gnome, with gears ranging from the size of George's hand to one the size of a wagon wheel. It is only a small part of a larger mechanism, the internal works of the school's clocktower.

"Again, George," she says in Gnomish.

"All that's just for telling time?" he asks in the same tongue, ignoring her command. "I heard the clock is magical. What does it do?"

Without looking away from the gears, she repeats, “Try again. This is detention, not recess. If you're in my forge for anything else besides a class, you better be practicing or making yourself useful. It's either magic or a broom, you decide."

George sighs, exasperated. He replies, “I still don’t get why I have to gesture. Why can’t I just say the words?”

“Hmmmm,” she murmurs to herself. “I think it’s this one.” She plucks out a gear with one slightly worn cog. “Because, my lad, that’s how it’s done. Perhaps if you learn this trick, I can teach you to pull while standing perfectly still and not saying a word. But you need something to focus on first. Draw the area on the ground. Say the words. Concentrate. Focus. Again.”

George smiles at the Gnomish idioms; Gnomes call spells “tricks” in their own language and rather than “cast a spell,” one “pulls a trick” or “makes a prank.” This appeals to George’s sensibilities. He exhales and clears his mind. He imagines drawing a large box on the floor and says the words. This time he feels the familiar electric tingling on his neck flowing through his arm and out his pointed finger. The floor hisses and inky black oil bubbles to the surface.

“Unna!” He exclaims. The excitement in his voice makes her look where he is pointing. She drops the gear, kneels next to the greasy substance and groans in discomfort as her old knees pop and protest. With two fingers she scoops up a bit of the oil and tests it against her thumb.

“It’s good,” she notes. “Very slick. With a little more practice, you’ll be able to coat this on any surface with ease. A very good prank indeed.”

George smirks, thinking of course of all the pranks he will be able to pull with this particular spell.

“Grab those ropes, will you, dear,” she adds. “Let’s rope off this section until the trick wears off. I don’t want to cause any accidents.”

George helps her tie ropes to tables and chair legs, making a neat little fence around the grease on the floor. A young wizard, just out college, passes by and whistles through his teeth.

“That’s a nice one, George,” he says in the Imperial language and claps him on the shoulder. “Good job!”

When the fellow moves on, Unna chides George, “See, people do like you. You need to make more friends your own age, not sit around chatting with old gnomes in the mother tongue no less. Where is that nice girl, Serai?”

“She’s working,” George says with a blush. “She's always doing her research in the library. And I do have friends. I see Dante all the time.”

Unna rolls her eyes.

“And I see Ragi, too.”

Unna rolls her eyes again. “Oh, that one. The musician! Too old, by far, and I don’t trust her by half.” She clicks her tongue and shakes her head. “She’ll break your heart, I tell you. And that elf! Didn’t he slip something into your beer last time?”

“Some herb…” George mutters, embarrassed.

The gnome snorts angrily and wags a finger in warning. She is not even as tall as George’s waist and yet he backs away from her temper. “You’re too trusting by far, my lad. I’d like to see him try something like that when I’m about. Now, you’ve been hiding in here too long, my lad. You need fresh air and sunshine, and besides, Master Lykor’s Planar Mechanics lecture starts in less than twenty minutes. Off with you!”

Unna hands George his overcoat, tri-cornered hat and a woolly muffler his mother sent from home, knitted by her own hands. Then she shoos him out the door.

Outside, George takes his time. The lecture is a mile or so outside of the college in the outskirts of the Old Forest. It is quite cold, cold enough to make your breath fog, and he’s forgotten his mittens so he has to shove his hands deep into his pockets. It hasn’t snowed yet, but the leaves on the ground are crispy and laced with frost. The sky is a brilliant gray-white. He hates winter. Until he came to Ambergate, all George knew of winter were his mother’s tales of the Marklands, her cold, hostile homeland north of the islands of Mavarre. Now it seems he can’t escape it. The air passes through his coat unimpeded and he’s lost one mitten already and had to find a new pair. The stiff wind steals his hat and even if it is unfashionable, it’s the only one he has. He pushes it down securely and with a set jaw, he marches up the hill to meet the rest of his class.

He is surprised to see the Head Master among the students, then more surprised to see his guests.

Serai, the beautiful Murkraali girl, looks as uncomfortable as George in the cold weather. She seems almost oppressed by the heavy wool cloak she clutches tightly around her. Her long dark hair is loose and the cold wind playfully blows it about. The blue stone on its dainy gold still adorns her forehead.

The tall elf, Jade, stands beside her and seems untouched by the cold. His dark green cloak is open, revealing that he is armed with a bow and quiver and wears well-worn leather armor.

George quietly sidles up to him and whispers "How did you two get here? And why are you dressed like that?"

It is Serai who answers. "The Head Master permitted it, because it relates to my research about Dreams. Jade is interested in Fey and thought we might need some protection."

"Protection?" George hisses in disbelief.

Jade fixes an unblinking, serious gaze on George. "Have you ever met a Fey?"

George rolls his eyes. "Have you ever seen one around here?"

“Master Barleycorn, so good of you to join us!” Master Lykor announces in a too-loud voice. “Can you enlighten us on the nature of this object?” He point to a large red mushroom on the ground.”

George blushes to the tips of his ears. “It’s…a mushroom?”

A few of the students snicker.

“Yes, of course it is Master Barleycorn. Perhaps Master Dante can explain to you its significance?”

Dante clears his throat. “It’s a part of a mushroom ring, which at one time were used as portals into the realms of Faerie.”

“Excellent! So, if I step within this circle, I should be whisked away to a Fey realm, correct?”

The snickering stops. The students watch nervously as the master steps inside the ring. He does not disappear.

“Can anyone explain why I am still here?”

The students look away, so Dante dutifully raises his hand. When called upon, he explains, “There is a spike of cold iron, right there. During the War, many of these portals were closed by the Church of Alioth to keep the Fey from slipping through unnoticed.”

“And why cold iron?” Master Lykor asks.

“It is poisonous to Fey,” Dante answers.

Lykor leans towards Dante and murmurs, “Well done. You are ready.”

In a louder voice for the rest of the class, he continues, "The Church of Alioth has always had, at best, difficult relationships with the non-human races. The Church has formally ruled that the Fey, being immortal, do not have souls and have often debated whether this extends to our Elvin and Gnomish friends."

Jade stiffens at this comment, but Lykor closes his eyes and gives him a slight nod, as if to ask his pardon. The master continues his lecture.

"In the year AF 864, Cardinal Gregor of Carn took this belief as a mandate to break any relations with the Fey, whether Seelie or Unseelie. With full support from His Majesty, King Farghus, he issued an order to the Inquisition to block all Fey Circles and other Gates in Kintayne. The Church mobilized thousands of priests and lay worshippers to seek out and 'seed' these naturally occuring Gates with Cold Iron."

"As soon as the Seelie realm of Alfar and the Unseelie realm of Umbria realized what was happening, they responded. The Seelie used their contacts with the Wizards and Gnomes of the Guildlands of Khoria to put pressure on the Kingdom and Church, and defended their forests. The Unseelie, however, were openly hostile, sending small raids into Kintayne, assassinating and terrorizing the Church leaders and the Kingdom's nobility. Kintayne responded with a declaration of war."

"The war was disasterous for Kintayne. Can anyone give a reason why?"

Determined to redeem himself, George raises his hand. "The Merchant League was formed when the gnomes refused to sell smokepowder to the Empire."

That is a mistake. George feels the cold stares of the other students on him. Most of them are Imperial, born in Kintayne and devoted to the Empire. His accent marks him as Mavarran, an outsider only marginally a part of the Empire, and possibly a rebellious one. Never mind the war was one hundred years ago, there are still hard feelings towards the city-states that rebelled against the King and the gnomes who refused to help him.

Master Lykor nods and adds smoothly, "Yes, that is very true. The southern cities broke away from the Kingdom in order to continue trade with the Guildlands. Keep in mind all of you that gnomes are part Fey. If the Church believed that Fey were souless, that insult would include our friends the gnomes as well. Can anyone else give a reason?"

One student timidly raises her hand. "An entire Kintish army went missing."

"Yes, The Lost Regiment, very good. Anyone with another reason?"

"Taxes," someone called out.

Lykor nods. "Yes, indeed, very good! The peasantry were taxed heavily, some might say disasterously. It was a very costly war, both in trade, money and lives. But, this is no history class. I think we should move on to our next stop."

He ushers the group on to the next point of interest on this field trip, but Dante hangs back to speak to George, Serai and Jade alone.

“Dante!” George exclaims. “Unna taught me a new spell-"

“George, wait. There’s something important I have to tell all of you. Worthen is missing.”

George frowns. “How do you know?”

“He left two week ago on an errand in Dunbar. He hasn’t come back yet.”

George shrugs. “Maybe he’s just late.”

“No, not like this. I think he tried a shortcut through the Woods.”

George shakes his head. “No, not Worthen. He’s not stupid. He knows how dangerous the Woods are.”

Dante sighs. “George, you’ve seen him. Since we’ve come back from Bellhold, he’s been different. He’s always been obsessed with seeing Fey and now he’s even worse. I think he would take that risk. Master Lykor thinks so, too. That’s why he wants us to go look for him.”

George is stunned by this news. “Really? He really wants us to go?”

Dante nods, grinning. “Amazing isn’t it? He was impressed by how well we did at Bellhold. More than likely it will be as you said, that Worthen just got caught up in something innocent. But he trusts us to find out.”

For a moment, George is rendered speechless by this responsibility. Students are not usually trusted outside of the college walls let alone on a mission, even if it is a minor one. Neither he nor Dante is a licensed wizard as yet, which means that neither can legally cast spells. It just isn’t done, sending students on a wizard’s errand.

“We have to tell Ishii, too!” George blurts out, excited. “When do we leave?”

“Tomorrow, if we can.”

 

[Lela]

I really enjoy these more personal moments with George and Dante. More than the quests themselves actually.

 

[eris404]

Thanks, Lela!

If anyone else has read the first post in this new storyline, please reread it. I needed to post corrections today; besides getting the story straight, there are some details that will be important later in the campaign.

 

[Lela]

Now that's a cool backstory. Hmmmmm, I'm always looking for ways to get the good guys to fight each other. It forces the party to really think. I love that. Was it played out in an earlier campaign KidC?

And Eris, I'll say it agian, I love the more personal moments. It flows so well and keeps me going. Appreciate it.

I suppose you hear that infernal clanging down the hall. I hate it myself; too loud and bright, if a noise can be called “bright.”

It can and often is. It means reverb in the higher frequincies. Basically, go into a bathroom and say something. Listen to the little echos. That's reverb and it tells your brain about the room you're in. Higher frequincies bouncing around is refered to as "bright." A wooden room would be a great example.