Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="simmo" data-source="post: 1383108" data-attributes="member: 9744">Part 8 Some Earth Genasi Like It Hotchapter 1 Cooling One's Heels at the Temple of Tomeri"There is a scholar in the temple who can identify your hammer for you." Ejelka, the tiefling priestess of Tomeri, informed Caleb. The tall and willowy priestess was an albino with spiky white hair, pink eyes and a hairless tail. She was dressed in the typical white robes of a priestess of Tomeri, but these robes were somewhat too small and they clung to her form, highlighting her contours. "I used to be really good friends with him, but he's gone off me. I'll bring you to where he... resides.”“THANKS YOU.” Caleb, oblivious to the looks that Ejelka was giving him, followed her by stomping up the stairs.The tiefling priestess led the earth genasi up through the levels of temple. On the ground floor were the chambers of worship, on the first floor were rooms for meditation and on top floor the sleeping chambers were located. On the walls inside the temple were many paintings with suggestive themes. Such as a series of three paintings in which a satyr chases a nymph in the first one, he catches her in the second and in the third the nymph walks away in disgust from an embarrassed satyr.The earth genasi admired the good stone walls, but simply saw the paintings as smears on the walls. His thoughts turned to giving them a nice white wash. It was not until later on during the evening that the meaning of the paintings finally became clear to him.The two arrived at one of the meditation chamber which had vapours escaping from beneath the door. Caleb entered to find that the room was full of steam issuing from coals in the corner. Sitting on the stone bench was a dwarf with a long, thick bushy beard and wearing only a small white towel. Caleb called upon the aid of Grumbar to allow him to endure the hateful elements and to shield the heat of the steam. He then entered the sauna and paused to consider whether or not to sit on the bench.“HELLO,” said the earth genasi using his most successful opening line for witty banter.“Do you like to come in here with all your clothes on or.. are you prepared to strip now that you're inside?” The dwarf looked Caleb up and down, admiring the bronze coloured plate mail as we as his big hammer.“OH, I DON'T MIND TAKING MY CLOTHES OFF," stated Caleb. "I JUST DON'T WANT TO CREASE MY ARMOUR.”“Sounds like a good plan," the dwarf laughed a deep belly laugh. "Perhaps I should take this chainmail off too.”“YOU'RE NOT WEARING ANY CHAINMAIL.” Caleb peered through the steam at the half naked dwarf and could not see any metal on him.“I like to be modest about it." The dwarf patted his lap, rubbing the towel up over his knee. "Cover myself with a towel, you know." He smirked at the earth genasi who was oblivious to the dwarf's facial expressions."Was that Ejelka in the corridor?” the dwarf asked after there was a short pause in the conversation.“YES” replied Caleb simply.“That woman is bad news," the dwarf shook his head and took in a deep breath of steam. "Bad with a capital G.”“YES” Looking around nervously, Caleb made sure that there was no one else in the room."SHE CERTAINLY SEEMS TO ALWAYS BE WEARING THE WRONG DRESS," said the earth genasi who usually did not pay much attention to what people wore. However, since entering the Temple of Tomeri, goddess of Love and Wisdom, he was beginning to understand that there was more to clothing than simply covering the body to protect it from the elements.“Humph," the dwarf sounded disgusted. "That's because she does not own any.”“YES..." Caleb's mountainous patience was beginning to wear thin. "ANYWAY ENOUGH SMALL TALK.”“OK," The dwarf sat up straight on the bench and peered at the earth genasi intently. "What are you really here for?”“SHE SAYS THAT YOU MAY KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT THIS.” Caleb pulled out his hammer and handed the five foot long item to the dwarf.“Very impressive.” The dwarf said spending his time glancing between the hammer and Caleb.“YES I LIKE TO THINK SO," said the earth genasi. "AND THE HAMMER IS NOT BAD EITHER.” Caleb's laughter sounded like an avalanche.“These are dwarven runes.” Running his thick stubby fingers over the markings on the hammer, the dwarf's eyebrows rose in surprise as he realised what the hammer was called.“YES, I KNOW...” began Caleb."Let me meditate upon this” The dwarf interrupted Caleb mid-sentence. He paused, closed his eyes and placed both hands on the head of the hammer. “Tomeri the Wise, show me it's powers, show me it's strengths, show me how to make it strike true.” He spoke in a strong and powerful voice, almost singing the words.“Humph, yes." He nodded and gave the hammer back to Caleb. "Pass the soap will you.”“DO YOU HAVE SOAP ON A ROPE IN THIS PLACE?” the earth genasi asked somewhat surprised.“Soap on a hammer." The dwarf corrected Caleb. "It's the only way to break it up, before you can rub it on yourself.”Caleb picked up soap by bending at the knees instead of the waist. After handing it to the dwarf he stepped back to stand against the wall and could barely see the dwarf beginning to lather himself. Feeling small rivulets of moisture running down his shoulder pads, Caleb wiped the water off with a nearby towel.“Humph. Legends tell of a great dwarven potter who could fashion anything out of clay, any implement." The dwarf began to speak of the hammer's history. Covered in soap bubbles, he rested his head against the wall with his eyes closed. He spoke slowly in a sing song voice. "So one day the king challenged him and said: make me a hammer that is stronger than one your brother can make. And so he took up the challenge. He forged a hammer out of clay and his brother forged one out of steel. The king sent forth his two champions. To fight. And the hammer of clay was victorious. It shattered the one made by his brother. So impressed by the gods by this feat that they transformed the hammer after his death." The dwarf opened his eyes to gaze at the hammer with undisguised admiration. "It is now known as Aggemam the Destroyer. It can shatter other weapons, as if they are clay... or soft butter... or soap.” His voice faltered at the end as he sought to find a suitable example.“Most impressive. It is said...” the dwarf was about to continue his story telling when Caleb interrupted him.“I LIKE POTTERY,” said Caleb approvingly whose, mind was still digesting the part about a dwarven potter.“It is said that you can call down the wrath of the gods themselves. But once per wielder can such an action be taken.” He spoke in a hushed voice and the room was filled with the rush of steam as more water poured out of the pipe on to the glowing coals.“WHEN YOU MEAN WRATH,” Caleb asked sounding intrigued. “WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT – MINOR IRRITATION? OR THE KIND OF THING THAT YOU GET WHEN YOU HAVE SAT IN HOT ARMOUR FOR TOO LONG.” He paused for a moment to think further. “OR ARE WE TALKING ABOUT INCANDESCENT RAGE OF A PANTHEON, REALLY, REALLY PEEVED!”“Aye, lad. The strike of doom, with the fury of the gods themselves. Clangeddin's axes can level mountains, Moradin's hammer can level plains.” The dwarf raised his hand above his head and brought down his fist on the palm of his other hand to illustrate his point.“SO IT'S QUITE GOOD THEN.” Caleb pondered on his new hammer for awhile.“Aye, lad yes. Where did you get it?” The dwarf asked with a cunning glint in his eye.“I CANNOT REMEMBER,” Caleb began.“I know a man who can give you a good deal of money for this." The dwarf interrupted him. "On the open market, of course.”“REALLY?” asked the earth genasi raising one eyebrow. He paused to think about whether he should be deceitful or not.“I can offer you 500,000 jinks for it.” The offer came with a big grin.“WOW," replied Caleb sounding impressed. "I COULD AFFORD TROUSERS OF SPLENDIDNESS FOR THAT.”"Hey lad," the dwarf winked. "I'm already wearing them.” They both laughed and then the conversation paused for awhile.“Master it hurts." A small gurgling voice came from the corner of the sauna. "I'm melting. Please let us get out of here soon?” When the ooze mephit spoke, bubbles of slime popped from it's mouth.“I found this wonderful coal to play with." The earth mephit spoke slowly and his voice had a hollow sound. "They're nice and hot.”“Keep them away from me.” The ooze mephit tripped over his feet trying to get away from the earth mephit.“Yes, they're my coals, precious coals." The mineral mephit made an attempt to snatch the glowing coal from the earth mephit's hand. "No one can touch them.”“Aargh!” The mineral mephit cried out in pain and dropped the coal. The sauna was filled with the smell of burning mica and the coal rolled over to the ooze mephit which also cried out in pain. The stench of slime and mica made staying in the room almost unbearable.“No one can touch them.” The mineral mephit whispered fiercely.</blockquote>

Verification