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Travels through the Wild West: a Forgotten Realms Story
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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 62500" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Book II, Part 14</p><p></p><p>“I think I’ve got it!” Benzan exclaimed loudly, as he came up onto the main deck of the <em>Raindancer</em>. His companions and many of the crew were out on the deck, enjoying the first thoroughly sunny day that they’d had in a while. Cal and Delem shared a look and turned toward the tiefling—they’d heard such claims before, and they’d all come to naught, thus far.</p><p></p><p>Still, they gave their friend their attention as Benzan, taking a deep breath and putting a look of intense concentration on his face, began speaking a series of arcane syllables while his hands wove a pattern before him in the air. </p><p></p><p>“…plaribus morix calan!” he concluded. </p><p></p><p>For a moment it looked as though the attempt was yet another failure, but then, as they watched, thick clouds of clinging mist rose up seemingly out of the planks of the deck around Benzan. Within moments the entire main deck was cloaked in a thick obscuring mist, which started to dissipate almost immediately in the brisk afternoon breeze. </p><p></p><p>“Impressive,” Lok said.</p><p></p><p>“Isn’t it?” Benzan said, a wide grin on his face, as he shot a ‘told you so’ look at Delem and Cal. </p><p></p><p>“Congratulations,” Cal said, extending a hand to his friend. “So it was the conjuration magic that ultimately drew you, then?”</p><p></p><p>“Yes—I don’t know why, the spells of that school just seemed to call me, somehow. I can’t really explain it.”</p><p></p><p>“Magic is a strange and wondrous thing, my friend. You do know that the armor you wear, even the exquisite mithral chainmail, will interfere some with the gestures needed for most spells?”</p><p></p><p>“A price I’ll have to pay, for now,” the tiefling said. “Finally casting my first real spell doesn’t mean I’m going to abandon my other talents, and there’s no way I’m going into battle as unprotected as you and Delem, even with your mage armor.”</p><p></p><p>“As your talents improve, you may be able to master the skill of casting familiar spells without the somatic component,” Cal suggested. </p><p></p><p>“Perhaps. Now that I have mastered this new talent, though, I have a favor to ask. I’ve seen that you have great talent in woodcarving. Could you carve a small token for me, a replica of an archery target?”</p><p></p><p>Cal nodded in agreement, recognizing the component for a spell designed to grant exceptional accuracy to its user in his next attack. They continued their discussion of Benzan’s new abilities, while the others around them returned to their previous activities.</p><p></p><p>They were only one more day out of the city of Memnon, along Calimshan's northern border, by Captain Horath’s estimation. Their journey had been smooth since their encounter with the strange lightning-birds, save for a few storms that had given them little trouble save for some light rain. As they neared the coastline where Tethyr and Calimshan intersected they had started seeing more vessels, although none of them turned out to be hostile. This part of Faerun was known to travelers as the ‘Lands of Intrigue,’ and there was a great commerce in goods, ideas, and secrets between the various southern nations. </p><p></p><p>Benzan was not the only one to hone his skills over the recent period. Lok seemed to have finally gotten his sea legs, and he now spent more time above-decks, sparring with some of the crewmembers of the <em>Raindancer</em>. Cal was finally able to recall much of the magical lore that he’d lost through the traumatic stress of being raised from the dead, while Dana and Delem both were able to draw upon more of the power of their respective deities. Collectively, they were growing more powerful, but each felt driven to practice more, study harder, or focus their minds, as they could not shake the feeling that even greater trials would lie ahead for them. </p><p></p><p>They arrived at the port city of Memnon the following day without incident. They unloaded some of their cargo there, and took on fresh supplies, but Captain Horath made it clear that they would not be staying long. Ruath had been growing somewhat agitated as they drew nearer to their ultimate destination, but she still refused to reveal to any of them any details of her assigned mission. Her desire to press on swiftly was a little contagious, however, and they all felt the passing of time as they disembarked into the city. Still, even hurried as they were, none of them were going to pass up some relaxation on land before the next leg of their journey. </p><p></p><p>Cal and Dana went off together to the temple of Anachtyr, the local name for the Just God, to see about purchasing some additional healing magic. The others left together on an undefined errand, heading toward the city’s trade quarter. Memnon had been founded as a military outpost, and it still bore a heavily martial atmosphere, but they had little difficulty finding many different sorts of merchants willing to take their precious metals in exchange for goods of any sort. </p><p></p><p>They returned to the ship before nightfall. Dana had a new wand of healing, purchased through her and Cal’s combined resources. Delem, Benzan, and Lok were a little evasive about how they had spent the day, but they finally revealed their secret as they presented a wrapped package to Cal in their quarters. </p><p></p><p>“What...?” the gnome exclaimed in surprise. </p><p></p><p>“It’s a gift,” Benzan said. </p><p></p><p>They all gathered around him as he carefully peeled back the packaging to reveal an exquisitely crafted lute, polished to a sheen that seemed to drink in the light of their lantern. Cal lifted it wonderingly, and when he strummed a faint melody on it, the music seemed to float through the air of the cabin like a warm breeze. </p><p></p><p>“It’s amazing!” Cal said in wonder. </p><p></p><p>“Magical, too,” Benzan pointed out. “Played properly, it can cast several spells a day, including that invisible armor you use, and the sleep spell. Plus it can heal wounds, even. The guy said that in the hands of a ‘true player’, it would automatically communicate the right notes if the user tries to listen.”</p><p></p><p>“Amazing!” Cal repeated. “How much did this cost?”</p><p></p><p>“Ah, it wasn’t that much,” Benzan said, in such a way that it was immediately clear that he was lying. “We all chipped in, and unloaded some of the stuff that was just taking up space in the bag of holding, like Lok’s old crossbow, and my old chain shirt.”</p><p></p><p>“Thanks, all of you,” Cal said.</p><p></p><p>“We’ve been a little worried about you,” Delem admitted. “You’ve hardly been interested in playing, lately, and rarely sing your battle-songs any more. We just wanted to remind you that we’re here for you, and that we miss the old Cal a little.” Having finished his comment, Delem looked a little embarrassed, but Cal’s smile reassured him.</p><p></p><p>“You guys are great friends,” he said. “And thanks for being patient with me. It hasn’t been easy… after dying, music and all that bardic stuff didn’t seem to be all that worthwhile. I have to admit, lately I’ve been called more by my magic than by the muse, but I promise you that I’ll always be willing to put this to good use.” He patted the lute, which already seemed well-placed at his side. </p><p></p><p>“Tomorrow we’ll be back on the high seas,” he told them with a laugh. “Let’s go above decks, watch the waning of the day, and have some fun, eh?”</p><p></p><p>Laughing, they all joined in a shout of approval. </p><p></p><p></p><p>* * * * * </p><p></p><p>As you might have guessed, the group has leveled up again; I'm off to post an update to the Rogues' Gallery TttWW thread shortly. As always, feel free to let me know what you think about the current progression of the characters. </p><p>LB</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 62500, member: 143"] Book II, Part 14 “I think I’ve got it!” Benzan exclaimed loudly, as he came up onto the main deck of the [I]Raindancer[/I]. His companions and many of the crew were out on the deck, enjoying the first thoroughly sunny day that they’d had in a while. Cal and Delem shared a look and turned toward the tiefling—they’d heard such claims before, and they’d all come to naught, thus far. Still, they gave their friend their attention as Benzan, taking a deep breath and putting a look of intense concentration on his face, began speaking a series of arcane syllables while his hands wove a pattern before him in the air. “…plaribus morix calan!” he concluded. For a moment it looked as though the attempt was yet another failure, but then, as they watched, thick clouds of clinging mist rose up seemingly out of the planks of the deck around Benzan. Within moments the entire main deck was cloaked in a thick obscuring mist, which started to dissipate almost immediately in the brisk afternoon breeze. “Impressive,” Lok said. “Isn’t it?” Benzan said, a wide grin on his face, as he shot a ‘told you so’ look at Delem and Cal. “Congratulations,” Cal said, extending a hand to his friend. “So it was the conjuration magic that ultimately drew you, then?” “Yes—I don’t know why, the spells of that school just seemed to call me, somehow. I can’t really explain it.” “Magic is a strange and wondrous thing, my friend. You do know that the armor you wear, even the exquisite mithral chainmail, will interfere some with the gestures needed for most spells?” “A price I’ll have to pay, for now,” the tiefling said. “Finally casting my first real spell doesn’t mean I’m going to abandon my other talents, and there’s no way I’m going into battle as unprotected as you and Delem, even with your mage armor.” “As your talents improve, you may be able to master the skill of casting familiar spells without the somatic component,” Cal suggested. “Perhaps. Now that I have mastered this new talent, though, I have a favor to ask. I’ve seen that you have great talent in woodcarving. Could you carve a small token for me, a replica of an archery target?” Cal nodded in agreement, recognizing the component for a spell designed to grant exceptional accuracy to its user in his next attack. They continued their discussion of Benzan’s new abilities, while the others around them returned to their previous activities. They were only one more day out of the city of Memnon, along Calimshan's northern border, by Captain Horath’s estimation. Their journey had been smooth since their encounter with the strange lightning-birds, save for a few storms that had given them little trouble save for some light rain. As they neared the coastline where Tethyr and Calimshan intersected they had started seeing more vessels, although none of them turned out to be hostile. This part of Faerun was known to travelers as the ‘Lands of Intrigue,’ and there was a great commerce in goods, ideas, and secrets between the various southern nations. Benzan was not the only one to hone his skills over the recent period. Lok seemed to have finally gotten his sea legs, and he now spent more time above-decks, sparring with some of the crewmembers of the [I]Raindancer[/I]. Cal was finally able to recall much of the magical lore that he’d lost through the traumatic stress of being raised from the dead, while Dana and Delem both were able to draw upon more of the power of their respective deities. Collectively, they were growing more powerful, but each felt driven to practice more, study harder, or focus their minds, as they could not shake the feeling that even greater trials would lie ahead for them. They arrived at the port city of Memnon the following day without incident. They unloaded some of their cargo there, and took on fresh supplies, but Captain Horath made it clear that they would not be staying long. Ruath had been growing somewhat agitated as they drew nearer to their ultimate destination, but she still refused to reveal to any of them any details of her assigned mission. Her desire to press on swiftly was a little contagious, however, and they all felt the passing of time as they disembarked into the city. Still, even hurried as they were, none of them were going to pass up some relaxation on land before the next leg of their journey. Cal and Dana went off together to the temple of Anachtyr, the local name for the Just God, to see about purchasing some additional healing magic. The others left together on an undefined errand, heading toward the city’s trade quarter. Memnon had been founded as a military outpost, and it still bore a heavily martial atmosphere, but they had little difficulty finding many different sorts of merchants willing to take their precious metals in exchange for goods of any sort. They returned to the ship before nightfall. Dana had a new wand of healing, purchased through her and Cal’s combined resources. Delem, Benzan, and Lok were a little evasive about how they had spent the day, but they finally revealed their secret as they presented a wrapped package to Cal in their quarters. “What...?” the gnome exclaimed in surprise. “It’s a gift,” Benzan said. They all gathered around him as he carefully peeled back the packaging to reveal an exquisitely crafted lute, polished to a sheen that seemed to drink in the light of their lantern. Cal lifted it wonderingly, and when he strummed a faint melody on it, the music seemed to float through the air of the cabin like a warm breeze. “It’s amazing!” Cal said in wonder. “Magical, too,” Benzan pointed out. “Played properly, it can cast several spells a day, including that invisible armor you use, and the sleep spell. Plus it can heal wounds, even. The guy said that in the hands of a ‘true player’, it would automatically communicate the right notes if the user tries to listen.” “Amazing!” Cal repeated. “How much did this cost?” “Ah, it wasn’t that much,” Benzan said, in such a way that it was immediately clear that he was lying. “We all chipped in, and unloaded some of the stuff that was just taking up space in the bag of holding, like Lok’s old crossbow, and my old chain shirt.” “Thanks, all of you,” Cal said. “We’ve been a little worried about you,” Delem admitted. “You’ve hardly been interested in playing, lately, and rarely sing your battle-songs any more. We just wanted to remind you that we’re here for you, and that we miss the old Cal a little.” Having finished his comment, Delem looked a little embarrassed, but Cal’s smile reassured him. “You guys are great friends,” he said. “And thanks for being patient with me. It hasn’t been easy… after dying, music and all that bardic stuff didn’t seem to be all that worthwhile. I have to admit, lately I’ve been called more by my magic than by the muse, but I promise you that I’ll always be willing to put this to good use.” He patted the lute, which already seemed well-placed at his side. “Tomorrow we’ll be back on the high seas,” he told them with a laugh. “Let’s go above decks, watch the waning of the day, and have some fun, eh?” Laughing, they all joined in a shout of approval. * * * * * As you might have guessed, the group has leveled up again; I'm off to post an update to the Rogues' Gallery TttWW thread shortly. As always, feel free to let me know what you think about the current progression of the characters. LB [/QUOTE]
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