A little over a tenday ago...
Your escort guided you to a predetermined place at the table and bid you good meal.
Soon after, the doors opened and Archibald entered. Once again, the doors seemed to have moved of their own accord to let the Master of the house in. He strode in the room and exclaimed :
“Ha ! I see you are all here.” He arrived at the head of the table. ”Let us eat, and I will tell you about my cause, and what I need to be done” he looked at Jalon, ”and you can decide if you are interested or not.”
He sat down and servants entered the room, bearing trays of food and drink : Steaming beef and roasted chicken, fresh and cooked vegetables, bread and cheeses, as well as fresh cool beer, red and white wine and pure sparkling spring water. There were even imported delicacies from faraway Kara-Tur. As the servants busied themselves offering to fill up plate and mug, Archibald took centerstage once again.
“It is clear that you do not know me by reputation. Let me tell you of my cause.”
“As you are already aware, some people call me Scourge of Dragonkind. That is a title that I have earned in the past 20 years while fighting the evils of the elder race. It all started in Teziir, in which I dwelled at that time along with my wife and daughter.” For a moment, you thought you saw his face soften, and then it was gone. “Then the Cult of Dragons came to Teziir. They began to terrorize the region, robbing the richest caravans and plundering rich temples of good deities. They had a half-dozen dragons with them and for a while, it seemed nobody could stand up to them. But I, along with a band of adventurers from Cormyr, finally succeeded in killing 4 of the beasts and most of the human cultists and driving them from the region. This incident opened my eyes to the danger posed by dragons to the civilized people of Faerun. You may not know it, but we are at war with dragonkind. And I intend to make sure we win that war.”
“That is my cause.”
“To help this cause, I am currently researching spells and enchanting magical items for use against those beasts. One of those items I am making is a Dragonslaying Sword, specifically enchanted to kill red dragons, the most evil and powerful of dragonkind. But I have run into a problem. And that is where you come in.”
Murhid signaled with a clean fork in hand.
"Pardon me for interrupting Sir 'Scourge of Dragonkind' but why is this war not so evident to many like myself?"
“It is really quite simple, really, young monk. This war is not fought with armies and does not involve lenghty battles. No, this war is fought mainly by heroes, bands of adventurers who oppose the plans of those great beasts, delving into deep caves or ruins to bring the fight to the enemy. It is also a slow paced war, because the wyrms are patient. But their goal is to regain the dominion they once held over all sentient beings, to rule supreme as our masters. I cannot allow that.”
“To accomplish their goals, dragons use mortal agents, such as the Cult of Dragons and other misguided beings who see no problems betraying their own race for a profit. That is why you have not heard much of this ‘war’.”
"There is always war." Despite her harsh words, Kytess relaxed somewhat, sat, and resumed eating.
“You see, my friend ? She understands…”
The elf then interrupted, "Sir, could you tell me more about this band of adventurers? What are their names, and where are they now?"
Archibald took a sip of his wine glass before answering.
“It is not really important right now, but there were 4 people that helped me that fateful time. The leader of the band was Sir Marek of Arabel, a paladin of Torm. Kalkin Silverbeard was a dwarf, as highly skilled with the bow as he was with the axe. Stephen was not much more than a kid, grown on the streets of this very city and very good at spotting traps and ambushes. And finally, Jolanda was a priestess of Ilmater the Crying God. Unfortunately, our fight with the Cult ended up costing their lives to Kalkin and Stephen. But their deaths were not in vain. In the end, we vanquished our foes and saved Teziir.”
Taz had looked up, while Archibald talked about dragons and war, and when he paused, she said...
"Red dragons? I've heard about, but alas, never seen one myself. I figure, we are not meant to do so, right? Ooh, too bad. But I also heard, that they are evil, indeed. I think I will help you!"
"So we know your cause now, but what are we supposed to do to further it?"
“Oh, you better pray you do not meet a red dragon, young halfling. They are indeed very evil and very, very powerful. As good as your performance was today, you are most definitely not ready to fight dragons, much less red ones.”
"Keep talking, Archie - Ubaar's listening "
“As I was saying, I have stumbled onto a problem three days ago while designing that Dragonslaying Sword. My magical research have shown me that I would need a very specific and rare component to be the focus of the sword’s magic : A huge fire opal. Red Dragons have an affinity for such gems.”
“Now normally, that would not be a problem. I could order such a thing from any one of many gem merchants in town. But the fire opal in question also has to be infused with magic. Such an item is rarer.”
He took a mouthful of chicken, then another sip of wine.
“Through magical means beyond your comprehension, I have found such a gem. About 20 years ago, there was a group of monks known as the Order of the Opal Fist whose most sacred relic was a fire opal carved in the shape, and the size of, a fist. These monks dwelled in a monastery in the mountains to the south-west of Teziir. They kept to themselves, with very little presence in the surrounding lands. I do not know what happened to them, but their monastery was destroyed at that time.”
“I would like you to go there and retrieve the gem that is supposed to lie there still. The monks are all dead, so they certainly do not need it. And I cannot go myself because there are … things … in this house that required my daily attention. A gem of that size is worth about 7000 pieces of gold, but at that price, you would not be able to sell it easily or quickly, nor at full price. I intend to give you the full 7000 gold pieces if you bring me the gem. Provided you all accept, it would mean 1000 pieces of gold each, plus whatever you find in the Monastery ruins. Quite a fortune.”
