Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
The Gate Pass Irregulars: A War of the Burning Sky Campaign
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Cafu" data-source="post: 6065355" data-attributes="member: 6692807"><p>The next morning, I woke up remarkably refreshed. One of the advantages of not suffering the cold or heat was that one was not woken up in the middle of the night by the cold. There is little to beat an uninterrupted night’s sleep. </p><p>At breakfast, we met Lord Dashgoban. The aged dwarf was sitting at a table, sipping a hot drink, with a scroll in front of him. He looked up as we entered the room: </p><p></p><p></p><p>“Ah, Jinis, gentlemen, sit down, sit down.”</p><p></p><p></p><p>When we did so, he continued: “As I stated yesterday, Gallo has called for aid and I will answer; one thousand of my cavalry will join his forces within days; with them I shall also send two thousand of my infantry and I will make sure they reach Gallo’s Fend before Steppengaard’s forces.”</p><p></p><p></p><p>Then, he handed us the scroll. “This is a letter instructing the Elder of Pitchwoodsburg to follow your orders. Now I suggest you have your breakfast and ride. I hope to see you all again soon.”</p><p></p><p></p><p>Nothing loth, we followed his instructions and left his castle after breakfast, riding towards Pitchwoodsburg. We skirted the southern edge of the forest and rode hard. Reaching the settlement was accomplished without any mishap. Truth be said, it was little better than a hamlet, but as was the wont in this region, it was well ordered and looked prosperous. However, it was obvious that it relied solely in its farming for both survival and income. As we arrived, the few people that were outside stopped and looked at us, surprised to see travelers here in these conditions. We dismounted and led our horses to one of these individuals. Longhelim approached him:</p><p></p><p></p><p>“Good sir, we seek your Elder. Would you be so kind as to tell us his name and where he would be please?”</p><p></p><p></p><p>The man gaped at him, startled to have someone in heavy armour address him as “good sir” and above all, being polite. </p><p></p><p></p><p>He replied: “That would be Father Albert and he be over there,” pointing to the largest building in the hamlet. </p><p></p><p></p><p>Longhelim thanked him and then we walked to said building. There was a tree nearby and we were able to tie our horses before knocking on the door; it took a little while, but it was finally opened by a tall man with a beard, a weathered face and the wide shoulders of someone who had done hard physical work all his life. </p><p></p><p></p><p>“Yes?” he asked. </p><p></p><p></p><p>“Father Albert?” asked Longhelim. “If that is you, please invite us into your house. We need to speak with you.”</p><p></p><p></p><p>The man wordlessly opened the door. It led into a large room, almost a hall, which contained several other people; men, women and children. Several of them bore a distinct resemblance to Father Albert. He turned to us and Longhelim handed him the scroll written by Dashgoban. Albert took it and then called to one of the younger men. As this individual approached, Albert handed him the scroll and the younger man read it. He paled as he informed Albert what it said. </p><p></p><p></p><p>It was then that Longhelim interrupted: </p><p></p><p></p><p>“While we bear Lord Dashgoban’s authority to order you to spread and light the pitch on the ice as stated on the scroll, we also have the authority to make reparations in lieu of the harvest that this will spoil next year. Please name the amount that will be needed to cover this loss.”</p><p></p><p></p><p>In fact, we were acting on our own initiative in this case but we had discussed it and both Felix and Longhelim, who were acquainted with farms and farming, were aware that a loss such as this would devastate this community for years if not destroy it outright. Thanks to our spoils of war, we had a little spare coinage at this time and we were willing to share it with the farmers. </p><p></p><p></p><p>Father Albert quickly went to his family and guests; they consulted for a little time and then he returned. Rather tentatively, he said: </p><p></p><p></p><p>“A thousand gold pieces?” </p><p></p><p></p><p>We found the coinage from various sources. If it was the opening gambit in a bargaining session, then he won out but frankly, we did not care. If a thousand was more than they would expect to gain in a year’s harvest and it provided coinage they could either use for a few luxuries or put away for a bad year then good luck to them. They deserved it. Their hamlet was likely to be razed by Steppengaards forces as they swept past anyway and they would also need funds to rebuild. </p><p></p><p></p><p>We spent the next few hours discussing what we wanted them to do; namely, to spread the pitch and begin burning it at a specific time; the timing would have to be just right; that is, making sure that it was done at a point when Steppengaard’s army would be delayed, yet at the same time allowing enough time for those responsible for the fire to be able to get away. Father Albert assured us that this would be possible. </p><p></p><p></p><p>After that, we left, mindful that time was of the essence. </p><p></p><p></p><p>As we were travelling on the frozen river, suddenly Drudge softly called for us to stop. Quickly he rode ahead for a moment and then returned: </p><p></p><p></p><p>“There is a patrol ahead. It’s still quite far away but it is wearing the King’s colours. They also have some huge being with them; definitely not human. They haven’t seen us as yet.”</p><p></p><p></p><p>Longhelim frowned: “If we go ahead, we’ll have to fight them; if we avoid them, we’ll have to go into the Pitchwood and meet the Pitchlings again no doubt; mind you, they know us now so maybe they won’t be as hostile.”</p><p></p><p></p><p>That swung it to the latter option and again we prepared, giving the magical necklace to Longhelim; then we entered into the outskirts of the Pitchwood. We did meet the Pitchlings again almost immediately; they must have been on high alert with all this activity around the wood; yet again, Longhelim managed to talk us through their domain. The man really did have a silver tongue.</p><p></p><p></p><p>It was dark as we emerged on the other side and settled for the night. Looking around, we finally saw the Glasskeel Cliffs, the natural borders of Lady Timor’s domain. They did look forbidding; sheer, hostile, grey, windswept and without any signs of a path to the summit. To get up there, we would need to think of a way to get up there by magic or we would need to try to climb up. This last option filled me with trepidation; we dwarven magicians were not reknowned for our climbing ability. </p><p></p><p></p><p>We decided to camp before attempting to scale them in the morning. As we were settling down for the night, John said pensively: </p><p></p><p></p><p>“Faden, do you remember one night in Seaquen, we were discussing a spell that would allow one to stick to walls; we were discussing how it could help me to scale buildings. Did you ever develop that magic?”</p><p></p><p></p><p>“Yes, very recently in fact. I haven’t tested it yet, but I don’t see why it shouldn’t work.”</p><p></p><p></p><p>John took a mouthful of his stew and added: </p><p></p><p></p><p>“Well, I can’t think of a better opportunity to try it out then tomorrow.”</p><p></p><p></p><p>Everyone else was listening with interest. </p><p></p><p></p><p>“What new magic is this Faden?” asked Longhelim</p><p></p><p></p><p>“John and I were talking in the library at Seaquen about a spell that would allow him to scale surfaces, even sheer ones; basically I got the idea when I was watching a spider on a wall. John said that it would be very useful. I have been developing it for the last few weeks. Thankfully, there was a very similar spell in one of the books in Seaquen that pretty much duplicated what I was trying to do, so it didn’t take that long.”</p><p></p><p></p><p>The paladin shook his head: “You and that book of yours; you’re always full of surprises. How many people can you cast this spell on?”</p><p></p><p></p><p>“Well, it’s one person per spell, but it’s not that complicated, so if we have to, I can cast in on everyone.”</p><p></p><p></p><p>Felix chimed in at that point: “I was going to cast some magic on two people tomorrow which would achieve the same but in a different way. It will allow them to walk on air as if it was normal ground. It is not like flying but scaling the cliff should be like going up a set of steps to the top. In case something up there decides it doesn’t like us, it would be good to have a couple of people with hands free. Who do you think it would be best on?”</p><p></p><p></p><p>John thought briefly: “Drudge because he needs his hands for his bow and he can cover the enemy from a distance; and Victor as he is our close quarters warrior.”</p><p></p><p></p><p>Longhelim puffed his pipe: “So, we are agreed; Victor and Drudge will walk on the air alongside us as we use Faden’s magic to scale the cliffs.”</p><p></p><p></p><p>Everyone nodded and after a little time, settled down for the night. </p><p></p><p></p><p>The next morning, the appropriate spells were acquired and then we looked at the Glass Keel Cliffs. They looked formidable indeed. I was very excited. I had never tried to use this new spell before; if it worked, well that would be very gratifying. Felix used his magic on Victor and Drudge initially and they gingerly stepped on thin air……again and again and again until suddenly Drudge was a little distance above our heads, almost without realizing it. Then I cast my spells on everyone else and then I tried to scale up one of the walls of the cliffs; and it worked! It was hard work as I still had to support my weight on my hands and legs but I did climb up a sheer surface which would have been impossible for me to do without the spell! </p><p></p><p></p><p>Everyone was looking at me. No one showed a great deal of reaction with the exception of Jinis who was looking amazed; I suspect that such overt demonstrations of magical powers were not common in is world. I think our group was more used to seeing Felix, John I and to a lesser extent Longhelim slinging spells around. </p><p></p><p></p><p>So, we roped ourselves together and began the ascent. Drudge was walking in front, keeping a good lookout for trouble, with this arrows ready; Victor was in the back just in case someone had an accident and dropped. Judging by the whipping of our hair and clothes, I presumed that it was very windy which could have been a problem…..had we been affected but due to our strange transformation since our emergence from the Forest of Innenotdar we did not feel anything at all. </p><p></p><p></p><p>We were about half way up the Cliffs and began to encounter a series of small ledges; as we climbed up one of those, suddenly another creature made an appearance: it looked like an enormous ape, except that it had snow white fur…..and four arms; oh, and very big teeth and very long claws. It was territorial as it gave out a scream and charged. It was on a ledge slightly above us and thankfully the person nearest to it was Victor, who calmly drew his falchion and readied to meet it; not before several accurately placed arrows sprang from its chest, showing that Drudge was also alert to the danger. Blood began gushing out of its wounds almost immediately, forming a powerful contrast to the white of its fur; Longhelim also reacted, reaching just under its lodge and swiping at it with his sword; unfortunately, the paladin had to also cling to the cliff and therefore his blow was off balance; no such problems with Victor though, who stepped in and began to methodically dismember it with accurate slashes of his falchion. Every so often the creature would swipe out with its claws or try to bite either Longhelim or Victor but it was a difficult for it to make an impression on their heavy metal armour. Drudge also began to use it almost like target practice; it did manage to hit and batter Longhelim a few times but the outcome of this conflict was resolved fairly quickly as the creature toppled over just after Victor slashed at it again. </p><p></p><p></p><p>After this, we continued our ascent and reached the summit of the cliffs without further incidents. </p><p></p><p></p><p>Discerning the location of Lady Timor’s castle was not difficult. One couldn’t really miss it, so once everyone was ready, we set out towards it. It looked to be a fairly short distance away. As we approached, I could see that the castle was in fact a series of towers that were joined by several bridges. Various figures could be seen patrolling these bridges and it quickly became obvious that our approach had been noted. As we reached the gates of the nearest towers, we were met by a functionary who invited us in; Jinis presented his credentials and we were informed that the Lady Timor would see us shortly. </p><p></p><p></p><p>As we were led into the towers, I could see that amongst the patrols on the bridges were many magicians, or at least individuals who looked like magicians and I remembered that Lady Timor styled herself a mage with an affinity for the arcane arts. </p><p></p><p></p><p>We were led to a comfortable reception chamber and a short time later, the Lady herself entered; she was young for her position with a severe face, long hair and a slim figure clothed in a simple, expensive dress; she would be judged beautiful as humans perceived these things. </p><p></p><p></p><p>Jinis bowed: “My Lady, I bring news. By right of ancient treaty, Duke Gallo calls for aid. This document proves the perfidy of the Ragesians.” He then handed over the papers we had found. She unrolled the scroll, read them and then handed it to one of her advisors. </p><p></p><p></p><p>In a low voice, she murmured: “Take these to the mages; check them.”</p><p></p><p></p><p>As the man left, she turned to us: “Gentlemen, I believe I know who you are; the Resistance from Gate Pass; who did the impossible, going through the Fire Forest of Innenotdar and putting out the fires. Are you aware what you have done? For decades, the Alydi Gap was the only feasible invasion route for the Ragesians; with the quenching of the fires in the Forest, another route has been opened into Dassen.”</p><p></p><p></p><p>I was startled. I had no idea as to how she knew that it was us. I realised that Ragesian intelligence would know about our achievements, mostly through the reports of Lee Sidoneth; there was also the absence of my journals, stolen during our captivity in Bresk. However, neither of these explained how the Lady Timor knew that we had put out the fires. </p><p></p><p></p><p>Before I could say anything though, John jumped in: “You are stating this to us as if you think we had a choice. Do you know everything that happened?”</p><p></p><p></p><p>She replied: “No, but the fires are out and once the Ragesian army that is besieging Gate Pass finishes sacking it, there is nothing stopping it from marching through my lands.”</p><p></p><p></p><p>None of us said anything to that; it was a feature of her character that she casually mentioned the sacking of our home city with all of our families as if it was only a matter of time and a fait accomplit in the same breath as a possible invasion of Dassen through Timor; which may or may not happen bearing in mind that Gate Pass was on the direct trade route that led to the capital of the Shining Lands of Shahalesti.</p><p></p><p></p><p>“Just don’t say anything and think diplomatically, Faden. After all, we are trying to obtain aid from this woman” I thought to myself. </p><p></p><p></p><p>Obviously everyone felt the same way I did because no one else said anything after that and the tense silence stretched until the advisor returned with the order and whispered to the Lady. </p><p></p><p></p><p>She turned to us: “Nevertheless, I see that these papers bear the truth. Whatever my feelings about the Fire Forest, for this at least you have my gratitude; the Ragesians play many games and we shall have to see how this plays out. Thank you.”</p><p></p><p></p><p>Then she turned to Jinis and louder and more formally she announced: “Duke Gallo seeks aid by right of ancient treaty and I will respond to his call for aid: I will send a squadron of fifty war mages, with an escort of eight hundred foot soldiers and two hundred cavalry to aid his cause. Furthermore, a powerful elemental ally will be lent to him for the duration of the conflict. My forces will muster with the Duke’s before the imminent battle. </p><p></p><p></p><p>Please return to him with this news. My magicians will aid your descent of the cliffs. Fare you well.”</p><p></p><p></p><p>With that she swept out of the room. </p><p></p><p></p><p>“Well, that could have gone better,” murmured Longhelim. “She is obviously not our greatest supporter.”</p><p></p><p></p><p>I replied quietly: “Not surprisingly, Timor is the most important thing to her; Gate Pass can burn for all she cares; as for the people inside the Forest itself, they were an irrelevance; she didn’t even ask for details…… Let’s just avoid her from now on. Hopefully, we won’t have to see her again. We managed to get what we needed.”</p><p></p><p></p><p>At that moment, a servant arrived and guided us out of the castle to the gate. After that, we were escorted by a group of mages to the edge of the cliffs; there, they put a flying spell on us and we flew down to the river this time. Thankfully, our horses were still tied where we left them. Felix put his usual spell on them and we rode back to Gallo’s Fend. As we approached the city, we saw that most of the outside villages had now been evacuated and the inhabitants had moved into a tent city inside the walls. </p><p></p><p></p><p>The ride back to the fortress was uneventful and as soon as we arrived, we were conducted to the presence of the Duke in the war room as usual. I presumed the man slept sometime but…….</p><p></p><p></p><p>Jinis bowed and related our success. He did not embellish the account, just gave Duke Gallo the results of his call to aid. When he heard the report, the Duke visibly brightened. </p><p></p><p></p><p>“Jinis, gentlemen, you have done very well; I am very aware that the task I gave you was not the simplest and you have my gratitude; I promise that when this is all over, I will do my utmost to protect Seaquen.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Cafu, post: 6065355, member: 6692807"] The next morning, I woke up remarkably refreshed. One of the advantages of not suffering the cold or heat was that one was not woken up in the middle of the night by the cold. There is little to beat an uninterrupted night’s sleep. At breakfast, we met Lord Dashgoban. The aged dwarf was sitting at a table, sipping a hot drink, with a scroll in front of him. He looked up as we entered the room: “Ah, Jinis, gentlemen, sit down, sit down.” When we did so, he continued: “As I stated yesterday, Gallo has called for aid and I will answer; one thousand of my cavalry will join his forces within days; with them I shall also send two thousand of my infantry and I will make sure they reach Gallo’s Fend before Steppengaard’s forces.” Then, he handed us the scroll. “This is a letter instructing the Elder of Pitchwoodsburg to follow your orders. Now I suggest you have your breakfast and ride. I hope to see you all again soon.” Nothing loth, we followed his instructions and left his castle after breakfast, riding towards Pitchwoodsburg. We skirted the southern edge of the forest and rode hard. Reaching the settlement was accomplished without any mishap. Truth be said, it was little better than a hamlet, but as was the wont in this region, it was well ordered and looked prosperous. However, it was obvious that it relied solely in its farming for both survival and income. As we arrived, the few people that were outside stopped and looked at us, surprised to see travelers here in these conditions. We dismounted and led our horses to one of these individuals. Longhelim approached him: “Good sir, we seek your Elder. Would you be so kind as to tell us his name and where he would be please?” The man gaped at him, startled to have someone in heavy armour address him as “good sir” and above all, being polite. He replied: “That would be Father Albert and he be over there,” pointing to the largest building in the hamlet. Longhelim thanked him and then we walked to said building. There was a tree nearby and we were able to tie our horses before knocking on the door; it took a little while, but it was finally opened by a tall man with a beard, a weathered face and the wide shoulders of someone who had done hard physical work all his life. “Yes?” he asked. “Father Albert?” asked Longhelim. “If that is you, please invite us into your house. We need to speak with you.” The man wordlessly opened the door. It led into a large room, almost a hall, which contained several other people; men, women and children. Several of them bore a distinct resemblance to Father Albert. He turned to us and Longhelim handed him the scroll written by Dashgoban. Albert took it and then called to one of the younger men. As this individual approached, Albert handed him the scroll and the younger man read it. He paled as he informed Albert what it said. It was then that Longhelim interrupted: “While we bear Lord Dashgoban’s authority to order you to spread and light the pitch on the ice as stated on the scroll, we also have the authority to make reparations in lieu of the harvest that this will spoil next year. Please name the amount that will be needed to cover this loss.” In fact, we were acting on our own initiative in this case but we had discussed it and both Felix and Longhelim, who were acquainted with farms and farming, were aware that a loss such as this would devastate this community for years if not destroy it outright. Thanks to our spoils of war, we had a little spare coinage at this time and we were willing to share it with the farmers. Father Albert quickly went to his family and guests; they consulted for a little time and then he returned. Rather tentatively, he said: “A thousand gold pieces?” We found the coinage from various sources. If it was the opening gambit in a bargaining session, then he won out but frankly, we did not care. If a thousand was more than they would expect to gain in a year’s harvest and it provided coinage they could either use for a few luxuries or put away for a bad year then good luck to them. They deserved it. Their hamlet was likely to be razed by Steppengaards forces as they swept past anyway and they would also need funds to rebuild. We spent the next few hours discussing what we wanted them to do; namely, to spread the pitch and begin burning it at a specific time; the timing would have to be just right; that is, making sure that it was done at a point when Steppengaard’s army would be delayed, yet at the same time allowing enough time for those responsible for the fire to be able to get away. Father Albert assured us that this would be possible. After that, we left, mindful that time was of the essence. As we were travelling on the frozen river, suddenly Drudge softly called for us to stop. Quickly he rode ahead for a moment and then returned: “There is a patrol ahead. It’s still quite far away but it is wearing the King’s colours. They also have some huge being with them; definitely not human. They haven’t seen us as yet.” Longhelim frowned: “If we go ahead, we’ll have to fight them; if we avoid them, we’ll have to go into the Pitchwood and meet the Pitchlings again no doubt; mind you, they know us now so maybe they won’t be as hostile.” That swung it to the latter option and again we prepared, giving the magical necklace to Longhelim; then we entered into the outskirts of the Pitchwood. We did meet the Pitchlings again almost immediately; they must have been on high alert with all this activity around the wood; yet again, Longhelim managed to talk us through their domain. The man really did have a silver tongue. It was dark as we emerged on the other side and settled for the night. Looking around, we finally saw the Glasskeel Cliffs, the natural borders of Lady Timor’s domain. They did look forbidding; sheer, hostile, grey, windswept and without any signs of a path to the summit. To get up there, we would need to think of a way to get up there by magic or we would need to try to climb up. This last option filled me with trepidation; we dwarven magicians were not reknowned for our climbing ability. We decided to camp before attempting to scale them in the morning. As we were settling down for the night, John said pensively: “Faden, do you remember one night in Seaquen, we were discussing a spell that would allow one to stick to walls; we were discussing how it could help me to scale buildings. Did you ever develop that magic?” “Yes, very recently in fact. I haven’t tested it yet, but I don’t see why it shouldn’t work.” John took a mouthful of his stew and added: “Well, I can’t think of a better opportunity to try it out then tomorrow.” Everyone else was listening with interest. “What new magic is this Faden?” asked Longhelim “John and I were talking in the library at Seaquen about a spell that would allow him to scale surfaces, even sheer ones; basically I got the idea when I was watching a spider on a wall. John said that it would be very useful. I have been developing it for the last few weeks. Thankfully, there was a very similar spell in one of the books in Seaquen that pretty much duplicated what I was trying to do, so it didn’t take that long.” The paladin shook his head: “You and that book of yours; you’re always full of surprises. How many people can you cast this spell on?” “Well, it’s one person per spell, but it’s not that complicated, so if we have to, I can cast in on everyone.” Felix chimed in at that point: “I was going to cast some magic on two people tomorrow which would achieve the same but in a different way. It will allow them to walk on air as if it was normal ground. It is not like flying but scaling the cliff should be like going up a set of steps to the top. In case something up there decides it doesn’t like us, it would be good to have a couple of people with hands free. Who do you think it would be best on?” John thought briefly: “Drudge because he needs his hands for his bow and he can cover the enemy from a distance; and Victor as he is our close quarters warrior.” Longhelim puffed his pipe: “So, we are agreed; Victor and Drudge will walk on the air alongside us as we use Faden’s magic to scale the cliffs.” Everyone nodded and after a little time, settled down for the night. The next morning, the appropriate spells were acquired and then we looked at the Glass Keel Cliffs. They looked formidable indeed. I was very excited. I had never tried to use this new spell before; if it worked, well that would be very gratifying. Felix used his magic on Victor and Drudge initially and they gingerly stepped on thin air……again and again and again until suddenly Drudge was a little distance above our heads, almost without realizing it. Then I cast my spells on everyone else and then I tried to scale up one of the walls of the cliffs; and it worked! It was hard work as I still had to support my weight on my hands and legs but I did climb up a sheer surface which would have been impossible for me to do without the spell! Everyone was looking at me. No one showed a great deal of reaction with the exception of Jinis who was looking amazed; I suspect that such overt demonstrations of magical powers were not common in is world. I think our group was more used to seeing Felix, John I and to a lesser extent Longhelim slinging spells around. So, we roped ourselves together and began the ascent. Drudge was walking in front, keeping a good lookout for trouble, with this arrows ready; Victor was in the back just in case someone had an accident and dropped. Judging by the whipping of our hair and clothes, I presumed that it was very windy which could have been a problem…..had we been affected but due to our strange transformation since our emergence from the Forest of Innenotdar we did not feel anything at all. We were about half way up the Cliffs and began to encounter a series of small ledges; as we climbed up one of those, suddenly another creature made an appearance: it looked like an enormous ape, except that it had snow white fur…..and four arms; oh, and very big teeth and very long claws. It was territorial as it gave out a scream and charged. It was on a ledge slightly above us and thankfully the person nearest to it was Victor, who calmly drew his falchion and readied to meet it; not before several accurately placed arrows sprang from its chest, showing that Drudge was also alert to the danger. Blood began gushing out of its wounds almost immediately, forming a powerful contrast to the white of its fur; Longhelim also reacted, reaching just under its lodge and swiping at it with his sword; unfortunately, the paladin had to also cling to the cliff and therefore his blow was off balance; no such problems with Victor though, who stepped in and began to methodically dismember it with accurate slashes of his falchion. Every so often the creature would swipe out with its claws or try to bite either Longhelim or Victor but it was a difficult for it to make an impression on their heavy metal armour. Drudge also began to use it almost like target practice; it did manage to hit and batter Longhelim a few times but the outcome of this conflict was resolved fairly quickly as the creature toppled over just after Victor slashed at it again. After this, we continued our ascent and reached the summit of the cliffs without further incidents. Discerning the location of Lady Timor’s castle was not difficult. One couldn’t really miss it, so once everyone was ready, we set out towards it. It looked to be a fairly short distance away. As we approached, I could see that the castle was in fact a series of towers that were joined by several bridges. Various figures could be seen patrolling these bridges and it quickly became obvious that our approach had been noted. As we reached the gates of the nearest towers, we were met by a functionary who invited us in; Jinis presented his credentials and we were informed that the Lady Timor would see us shortly. As we were led into the towers, I could see that amongst the patrols on the bridges were many magicians, or at least individuals who looked like magicians and I remembered that Lady Timor styled herself a mage with an affinity for the arcane arts. We were led to a comfortable reception chamber and a short time later, the Lady herself entered; she was young for her position with a severe face, long hair and a slim figure clothed in a simple, expensive dress; she would be judged beautiful as humans perceived these things. Jinis bowed: “My Lady, I bring news. By right of ancient treaty, Duke Gallo calls for aid. This document proves the perfidy of the Ragesians.” He then handed over the papers we had found. She unrolled the scroll, read them and then handed it to one of her advisors. In a low voice, she murmured: “Take these to the mages; check them.” As the man left, she turned to us: “Gentlemen, I believe I know who you are; the Resistance from Gate Pass; who did the impossible, going through the Fire Forest of Innenotdar and putting out the fires. Are you aware what you have done? For decades, the Alydi Gap was the only feasible invasion route for the Ragesians; with the quenching of the fires in the Forest, another route has been opened into Dassen.” I was startled. I had no idea as to how she knew that it was us. I realised that Ragesian intelligence would know about our achievements, mostly through the reports of Lee Sidoneth; there was also the absence of my journals, stolen during our captivity in Bresk. However, neither of these explained how the Lady Timor knew that we had put out the fires. Before I could say anything though, John jumped in: “You are stating this to us as if you think we had a choice. Do you know everything that happened?” She replied: “No, but the fires are out and once the Ragesian army that is besieging Gate Pass finishes sacking it, there is nothing stopping it from marching through my lands.” None of us said anything to that; it was a feature of her character that she casually mentioned the sacking of our home city with all of our families as if it was only a matter of time and a fait accomplit in the same breath as a possible invasion of Dassen through Timor; which may or may not happen bearing in mind that Gate Pass was on the direct trade route that led to the capital of the Shining Lands of Shahalesti. “Just don’t say anything and think diplomatically, Faden. After all, we are trying to obtain aid from this woman” I thought to myself. Obviously everyone felt the same way I did because no one else said anything after that and the tense silence stretched until the advisor returned with the order and whispered to the Lady. She turned to us: “Nevertheless, I see that these papers bear the truth. Whatever my feelings about the Fire Forest, for this at least you have my gratitude; the Ragesians play many games and we shall have to see how this plays out. Thank you.” Then she turned to Jinis and louder and more formally she announced: “Duke Gallo seeks aid by right of ancient treaty and I will respond to his call for aid: I will send a squadron of fifty war mages, with an escort of eight hundred foot soldiers and two hundred cavalry to aid his cause. Furthermore, a powerful elemental ally will be lent to him for the duration of the conflict. My forces will muster with the Duke’s before the imminent battle. Please return to him with this news. My magicians will aid your descent of the cliffs. Fare you well.” With that she swept out of the room. “Well, that could have gone better,” murmured Longhelim. “She is obviously not our greatest supporter.” I replied quietly: “Not surprisingly, Timor is the most important thing to her; Gate Pass can burn for all she cares; as for the people inside the Forest itself, they were an irrelevance; she didn’t even ask for details…… Let’s just avoid her from now on. Hopefully, we won’t have to see her again. We managed to get what we needed.” At that moment, a servant arrived and guided us out of the castle to the gate. After that, we were escorted by a group of mages to the edge of the cliffs; there, they put a flying spell on us and we flew down to the river this time. Thankfully, our horses were still tied where we left them. Felix put his usual spell on them and we rode back to Gallo’s Fend. As we approached the city, we saw that most of the outside villages had now been evacuated and the inhabitants had moved into a tent city inside the walls. The ride back to the fortress was uneventful and as soon as we arrived, we were conducted to the presence of the Duke in the war room as usual. I presumed the man slept sometime but……. Jinis bowed and related our success. He did not embellish the account, just gave Duke Gallo the results of his call to aid. When he heard the report, the Duke visibly brightened. “Jinis, gentlemen, you have done very well; I am very aware that the task I gave you was not the simplest and you have my gratitude; I promise that when this is all over, I will do my utmost to protect Seaquen. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
The Gate Pass Irregulars: A War of the Burning Sky Campaign
Top