DoctorB's Legacy of Alexander Story Hour

[DoctorB]

Interlude - Alexander

Alexander

Nonus 21

The low dry hills passed swiftly by as he ran. As dawn approached, Alexander hurried now northeast toward a distant man-made shape. He knew that his former comrades probably stood somewhere far to the north, near the Dwarvenrealm. For his part, he had left Sazon and traveled south along the mountain range until it gave way to desert. There he had turned east, sure of his destination: home.

It was somewhere along the edge of the desert that he had first noticed his shadow. So self-absorbed had he been as he left the Champions of the Lady and renounced his calling that it could have been with him from the beginning. His eyes revealed nothing; just a feeling of something following him as he traveled. That first night, he had slept little as he tried to see if the presence would enter his camp. It did not. After a time, he almost welcomed the company.

The hills ahead of him showed his journey’s end. These lands had known a younger and more idealistic Alexander. He could see a shadow of himself, dancing and playing in the harsh landscape. He had imagined service to the Lady would be heroics and inevitable victories for good. As a third son of the Tilea family, he was free to choose the monastery, leaving his brothers to govern the family lands. How naïve he had been, to think it was so simple. How could he have known the bitterness of the path the Lady would set for him?

He had first felt a twinge of doubt when Valeriu died. How could the Lady allow one of her Champions to fall? Why would she allow one of her chosen ones to die to someone not equally supported by the Triad? It made no sense.

Claudia caused a new suspicion in his mind. First he had heard the disturbing news of his father’s illness and the death of his brothers. He could be the heir of the Tilea lands if he returned home. If not, their ancient rival, the Nistor, would hang their garish red scorpion over his family’s lands. After some thought, he had decided to stay with the Champions. If only he had abandoned the Lady then!

When Claudia died fighting the chaos worms he became the last member of the Tilea family. If anyone were to hoist the banner of the White Eagle, it would be him. The thought nagged at him. Did the Lady think to test his resolve by destroying his family? If so, it was a cruel test.

The last exam was more difficult still. He had spent weary years learning to understand and control his body, so that he could be the perfect instrument of Her will. The mutilation of that body left him without focus, without center in a chaotic world. How could the Lady allow these things to happen?

As the castle drew closer, Alexander squinted in the morning light for the eagle banner on the tower. He could see something waving there but his mind refused to accept what it was until he drew closer.

Soldiers moved along the battlements but the gates to the family keep were open. Echoes of Claudia’s childhood laughter rang in his ears as he increased his speed. Even now, the Lady hurt him. The remains of a bonfire stood outside. Many relics of his childhood no doubt smoldered there. A terrible anger suffused him.

One maimed man against the keep. He laughed bitterly at the thought. At least the Lady will be rid of me at last. Let her find other champions more gullible to do her deeds while she watches them die! This one would choose the hour and the manner of his passing.

As the sentries on the walls challenged him, he felt his shadow coming alongside on his left. He nodded at it in greeting as cold fury clouded his eyes. Only the red scorpion remained in his view as he attacked.

 

[KidCthulhu]

Ah. We're getting there are we? I love knowing what's happening in this campaign. Perhaps some of the players might want to make me an trade for information. TypeIIGamer or Joy could ply Pkitty with libations and pry secrets out of him, and I'll return the favor....


Hmmm. Tinker, tailor, soldier, game spy?

 

[DoctorB]

Hey!
We'll have none of that!
Besides, telling you guys helps me be patient with all the cool plots I have brewing...

 

[DoctorB]

Secrets

My name is Rolf Wolfcaller. I am a dwarf of the Mountain and a servant of Her spirit. I am also a keeper of secrets.

Others have spoken of my first meeting with the Champions of the Lady when they rescued me from torture and death at the hands of several hill giants. I owe them a life-debt for that, though I would never speak of such a thing to them openly. They did not know the service they did for the Mountain. I am the eyes and ears of the High General, the Kurnzarn, in the wider world. I travel in the Free Kingdoms in the guise of a merchant selling my trained animals. My animals aid me in watching for danger to the Dwarvenrealm. I have trained hundreds, but my dearest friends are Nar and Ang, my wolf companions.
When the Champions approached the sacred Mountain of the Dwarvenrealm, I recalled my debt and made sure to aid them in whatever way I could.

Having settled them into the trading town, I went to the Council of Nine to petition for the Champions’ entry into our home. As one of the nine Defenders of the Mountain I have some sway with the council, but I was not prepared for the reaction when I told of their errand. Cobbe had told me they are seeking the Salutorum, a gift given by Lord Horus to Regor Blackblade, a Companion of the great Alexander. The Council erupted into argument. It seems the Council already had a secret plan to try and retrieve the weapon of Regor Blackblade and they worried that these humans had suspicious timing arriving at the time they did.
The Drukar, Rigall Stronhome, though physically frail, looked through me with his piercing eyes.

“How can these people have our own interests at heart when they concern themselves with the entire world?”

I answered the leader of the council with a proverb:
“Both gold and granite fear the touch of the pickaxe.”
Rigall nodded.

“How do you explain these outsiders’ incredible timing?” demanded Sidroc Warweaver, the Kurnzarn.

“I believe, High General, that their own goddess and Mother Mountain have sent them here to aid us when we might have failed alone.”

I bowed and took my leave, but heated argument followed me out until the great doors closed, cutting off the sound.

After four days of waiting, the Council still could not decide. Rigall held a narrow majority in favor of granting the Champions entry and asking for their help, but he hoped to convince the others. They finally decided to see the strangers, though. I watched from the observation seat as they confronted Cobbe and his companions. Sitting at their raised half-circle stone table, the Council seemed to tower over their visitors.

After formally hearing Cobbe’s request to retrieve the Salutorum so the Champions could recall Lord Horus, the Council displayed their uncertainty. The Kurnzarn finally allowed that they might be able to help, but first he insisted that they must swear to reveal nothing of the secrets of the Dwarves to anyone else. While most of the Champions quickly agreed, Toiva recoiled. As he had announced to any who would listen, he had become a Holy Liberator of the Lady and would not have himself constrained.

“Why can you not rely on my discretion?” He asked.
“We trust your discretion,” replied Sidroc, “but if you tell someone we must rely on their discretion and then that of every person he tells. Eventually, someone’s discretion will fail.”
Finally, Toiva nodded. Grumbling to himself he swore on the grave of Claudia of Tilea. That seemed to satisfy the Council.

Galena seemed pleased she had sworn only not to tell anyone. Sidroc cautioned the others to watch her.
“She is of the Tower,” he said “and we do not yet know if they are enemies or allies.”

Smiling at the wrangling over oaths, Rigall turned his gaze on the Champions.
“Before you will understand the difficulty of what you ask, I must relate to you something only dwarves of the Mountain have known for four hundred years. You see, though the Sazoni threaten us, we are already at war…”

 

[Piratecat]

Ah, yes; incredible timing. Most people just pretend that this sort of thing happens all the time. Nice change!

 

[DoctorB]

Drukar Rigall's Story

“I traveled with Regor Blackblade. It was my honor to command the soldiers the Mountain sent to fight alongside Alexander in the Great War. Regor became a Companion to the General and won great fame in his own right.

Soon after we had returned from the war, the explorers in the lower levels of the mountain, in digging for elusive mithril deposits, broke through to the edge of an underground world we call the Underdark. Pouring out of that world came creatures we had never seen. Undergoblins swarmed into our mines under the leadership of dark elves called the Drow. They pushed us out of the lower levels and threatened to force us out of the Mountain. I still suffered from a wound taken during the war, and Regor would not be denied command of our counter-attack.

At great cost, we drove them back into the lower levels and then back to the place they had first come from, but we could push them no farther. These Drow and their allies seemed to have limitless numbers of soldiers. We saw that we could not defeat them utterly so we decided to hold them indefinitely.

It was for that purpose that we constructed the Silver Door. Made of mithril, and woven with protective miracles and spells, we hoped it would seal the Underdark away from our Mountain for all time. We would set a guardian on the other side and the dark elves would never again threaten us. The problem was that to finally close the door and call the guardian, someone had to remain on the other side. Though many volunteered for the task, Regor Blackblade insisted on going himself. Perhaps he thought to escape somehow, or he needed their power to call the guardian, but Regor entered with Titansbane, his great axe, and with the Salutorum. Both were lost when he sealed the Door.

Now, though we do not know how, the Silver Door opened again only a few months ago. The Drow seemed prepared and attacked us again. This time they brought more than undergoblins. They have a great dragon-like lizard with many heads and three armed giants to aid in their attack. Again, they have pushed us out of the lower mines, and wear down our numbers defending the passages to the heart of our realm. Our forces are exhausted and demoralized, and the Council has agreed that the recovery of Titansbane, Regor’s powerful weapon, would give new strength to our fight and to our morale. Even before you arrived we had decided to send a stealthy force to try and locate it. If you agree to accompany that force and succeed in recovering Titansbane, then you will have earned the right to take the Salutorum.”

As I knew they would, the Champions agreed even before Rigall had completed his question. He continued:

“This cannot be a mission of direct attack. The enemy has too many for us to drive through them to the other side of the door. We have tunneled around the dark forces’ lines and are prepared to send you through the new tunnel just before our attack there. Our priests and mages will aid you with darkvision and invisibility for the start of your journey, but we cannot say what dangers you may see on the other side of the Door. Only Regor knows what lies in those depths.
Since you are six, the Council will choose three champions of the Dwarvenrealm to travel with you. That way you will have an auspicious number.
Good luck!”

 

[KidCthulhu]

[chanting] Underdark! Underdark! [/chanting]

And I get to come play this weekend? Cool.

 

[DoctorB]

Secrets (continued)

From the writings of Rolf Wolfcaller:

Naturally, as a Defender of the Dwarvenrealm, I was one of the three who would accompany the Champions on their quest though Nar and Ang would have to stay above. I met them in their rooms in the Mountain to talk about tactics for the journey beyond the Silver Door. Since we did not know what lay beyond the door, the Champions and I agreed that Cobbe and Toiva must wear their heavy armor. Fortunately, Joy could keep them silent for some portions of the trek. For the rest, we would have to rely on good fortune.

That evening, we met the other two the Mountain had chosen to accompany us on our quest. I was surprised to see that Onyx was one of them. A wizard of great power in the Mountain, he gave up his clan name for the sake of his wizardry. Onyx had gained a reputation for distrusting non-dwarves even more than most of us do. I hoped he would be able to work with these outsiders. Though he remained cold to them, he indicated he considered the mission worthy.

The other addition to our excursion was Karl Bloodaxe, an interesting choice. Karl served once as the master of secret operations in the Mountain but quit the job when the former Kurnzarn gave him an order he didn’t agree with.
“The reason the humans are on this quest is because the Council did not want to risk too many dwarves. They are expendable.”
I knew his unkempt appearance hid a clever mind. At least he and Liana could move silently when we needed it apart from Joy’s silence.

After a day traveling to the lowest levels of the Mountain, we arrived near the battle lines. Dwarves passed us wearing gear for battle rather than mining. I couldn’t help but notice how tired they seemed.

At last, we came to the rough newly cut passage that would be our way around the Drow lines. An attack force lined up behind us as we waited for the miners to finish opening the passage to the space beyond. When they did, my heart quailed at what I saw.

We were nearly opposite the tunnels where battles constantly raged. The open cavern had very little light in it, but I could see that the floor was crawling with the pale undergoblins. The shadow of the great hydra (for so Cobbe had named the beast) could be seen some distance away. Also moving through the crowd were giant humanoid creatures with a third arm coming from their chest.

Onyx had equipped Champions with darkvision, and had made all of us invisible for a short time. Held together by short ropes, I led them around the edge of the seething mass toward the Door. We arrived at tunnel leading deeper into the Mountain without incident and found the Mithril Door.

The intricate carvings of the door and the surrounding wall stood out clearly against the rough stone surrounding it. The Door, twenty feet square of shining mithril, stood open and we slipped through. The passages beyond seemed carved out of the Mountain, but more irregularly than a dwarf would allow. They also seemed very old. Hiding to avoid two groups of undergoblins led by dark elves, we proceeded for some time.

Our invisibility had worn off when Liana, who had been scouting ahead, returned to us. She looked confused.
“There is some kind of hot river up ahead,” she said “it is red but with black pieces moving with it.”
“Lava” said Karl.
I knew what it was. The blood of Mother Mountain! This was a holy site!

As we rounded the last corner we could already see the glow and feel the heat from it. As we looked upon the river of lava hundreds of feet wide we also saw a white crystal arc perhaps ten feet wide spanning the living flow.
I bowed my head to pray to the Mother when Galena spoke up.
“Look, creatures are swimming in it,” she pointed out “I am sure I can talk with them”
As we all looked, we could see beings of earth and fire swimming in the great river.

 

[KidCthulhu]

Yeah, and those are just the babies!

 

[DoctorB]

Into the Underdark

From the journal of Rolf Wolfcaller, Defender of the Mountain

The lava elementals seemed friendly enough to Galena. They spoke a strange combination of Ignan and Terran and chatted about how new the magical bridge spanning the river was and stressed that “Father” could wake up at any time. Thinking about a “father” to these nine-foot creatures would seem strange, but we had our proof soon enough.

Something began rising out of the lava downriver. As it reared itself to full height, the creature’s head almost touched the 150-foot ceiling. It looked like the smaller elementals but on a vast scale. As it looked around the cavern, the elemental speaking to Galena scrambled back into the fiery river.

“Who are you?” the giant creature asked, its deafening voice echoing in the cavern,
“Have you come to renew the terms of the Blackblade?”
I stepped forward to the edge of the bridge.

“I am the heir of Blackblade” I told the Father, “What were the terms of your agreement?”

“The terms were for 40 Annos, and those terms are complete.”

Arin supplied that an anno was equivalent to forty seasons or ten years. The creature had watched for 400 years, but its contract had lapsed.
“We wish to renew the terms of Blackblade,” I answered. “What will be required?”

“You are ignorant for the heir of Blackblade. I will give my name and my service only for the greatest magics or the Heart’s Blood of the Mountain.”

He laughed at the tiny magic items in our possession. Perhaps the final use of the Titansbane would be to renew the guardian.

As we negotiated with the Father of Elementals, a company of undergoblins led by two dark elves arrived on the other side of the bridge. Toiva already stood nearby and attacked boldly. Others fired from a distance as the goblins stopped in confusion. Looking past Toiva to the great creature in the river, the undergoblins turned and fled. One of the drow escaped as well, but the other fell with an arrow from Liana’s bow in its throat.

We followed as we could, but the fleeing enemies quickly outdistanced us. We soon came to an intersection of two tunnels. Listening to our left and right, Liana said she could hear the sound of goblins, and possibly something more. We decided to continue straight and slowly down.

After another thirty minutes of walking, Liana heard voices ahead of us. She could make them out talking quietly but not the language. She and Karl decided to sneak up to see. They found two drow guards in chainmail talking among themselves in front of a cavern entrance. Looking to each other they agreed to kill the guards quickly.

Liana struck one immediately and killed him instantly. Karl was not so lucky. His stroke at the other guard went astray and the guard called out an alarm. We all looked at each other. We had lost the element of surprise. As the sound of moving enemies beyond the entrance increased, we retreated to the last turn in the passage and awaited the onslaught…