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
The
VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX
is coming! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Forgotten Lore (Updated M-W-F)
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="Lazybones" data-source="post: 7395478" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Chapter 147</p><p></p><p>Bredan started as he came awake. For a moment he did not know where he was; he must have dozed off while absorbed in his recollections. The familiar stinks and the clinking of his chains quickly reminded him of his reality.</p><p></p><p>He was about to try to fall back asleep when he heard something, a soft footfall from outside his cell door. Alert now, he straightened while carefully trying to keep his chains from making noise. He did not know how long he had slept, but from his thirst he guessed that it had not been long enough for another meal period to come. In his current circumstances, any novelty in his routine had to be respected with his full interest.</p><p></p><p>The lock worked and the door swung open. The light from outside revealed someone that Bredan did not recognize, an older man of maybe fifty or sixty years. His beard was solid gray and trimmed close over a heavy jaw lined with old scars. He was dressed in a dark cloak over plain clothes that would have fit in just about anywhere in the city. He seemed rather nondescript overall, if one didn’t catch the look in his eyes or the way he moved.</p><p></p><p>The old man carried a stool which he set down in front of him, just out of reach of Bredan’s chains. He left the door open behind him, allowing a bit of light to enter the cell. Even in that weak illumination Bredan could see that the man’s hands were rough and calloused, confirming the impression that he’d picked up earlier. Despite his apparent age, this man was a warrior. There was something else about him, something vaguely familiar that he couldn’t quite place as the man sat down and looked at him.</p><p></p><p>“Hello, Bredan,” he said.</p><p></p><p>“Where’s Glori?” Bredan asked. “What have you done with her?”</p><p></p><p>“My name is Pentar,” the man said. “I apologize for the rough treatment you’ve been subjected to. I was away from the capital when you arrived, and the members of my organization felt it was better to wait for my return before speaking to you.”</p><p></p><p>“Who are you, and what do you want with me?” Bredan asked.</p><p></p><p>Pentar leaned forward and folded his hand together. “As I said, I’m Pentar. As to what I want, that is a more… complicated question. But I want you to know, that we are not your enemy.”</p><p></p><p>Bredan rattled his chains. “If this is how you treat your friends, then I’d hate to be your foe,” he said.</p><p></p><p>“I understand how you feel. The nature of our meeting like this… it is regrettable. But there are reasons for our actions. We have learned to be mistrustful of things that look too good to be true. Even after we found out who you are, <em>what</em> you are.”</p><p></p><p>“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Bredan said.</p><p></p><p>“Have you ever heard voices in your head? Maybe a dream that seemed too real to be a dream, but too strange to be real? Or received messages that no one else could see. Maybe in a book, or a scroll, or even scrawled onto a wall, perhaps.”</p><p></p><p>Bredan just stared at him.</p><p></p><p>“I see that you know what I am talking about.” Pentar smiled, the scars near his mouth the only thing keeping him from having a grandfatherly look to him. “You’ve probably thought that you were going mad. You’re not mad, Bredan. It’s the world that’s gone mad.”</p><p></p><p>Bredan circled his head to give their surroundings an exaggerated attention. “Again, you’re not really making a good argument here with all this.” He held up his shackled wrists.</p><p></p><p>“The bindings are necessary, for now. My associates told me that you were quite… difficult… to secure.”</p><p></p><p>“If I could get free, you’d see how difficult I can be,” Bredan said.</p><p></p><p>His bravado failed to shake Pentar’s calm. “What if I told you that we knew your father?” the old man said.</p><p></p><p>“I’m not sure I’d trust anything you’d say right now,” Bredan said.</p><p></p><p>“Prudent. But true nevertheless. Your family name, it isn’t Karras. Your father wasn’t the only one to change his name, after what happened. Those that survived the purge… finding a new identity became an exigency for those of us who did not elect to continue after the sundering of the Order.”</p><p></p><p>“You mean the Silver Gauntlet?” Bredan asked.</p><p></p><p>Pentar shook his head. “I can only imagine what propaganda those wizards have fed you. I’ll tell you the truth, Bredan, but it will take time for you to see it as such.” He got up, grimacing slightly as he bent to pick up the stool. “I apologize for breaking your connection to the Book,” he said. “Like the chains, it is necessary until you are ready to listen to what we have to tell you. There are wardings embedded in these walls that interfere with your power. Don’t worry, we haven’t permanently damaged your bond. We would never do that, even to an adversary.” He turned to the door. “We’ll talk again soon.”</p><p></p><p>Bredan had stared at Pentar as he’d spoken, but as the old man started to leave he thrust forward until his shackles drew him up short. “Wait! Tell me… please. What happened to Glori? Is she all right?”</p><p></p><p>Pentar looked at him with an expression that might have been pity, though it was impossible to be sure in the poor light. “I’m sorry, Bredan. We never meant to hurt you.”</p><p></p><p>“If you’ve killed her, I swear…”</p><p></p><p>“We didn’t kill her, Bredan. You did.”</p><p></p><p>Bredan felt an icy chill penetrate him to his core. “No. You’re lying.”</p><p></p><p>“Again, I’m sorry.” Pentar retreated, closing the door behind him.</p><p></p><p>“No! You’re lying!” Bredan screamed. He thrust to his feet, yanking on his chains with all his might as the lock was worked shut. “You’re lying!” He lunged toward the door, but the chains failed to give way and he fell to the ground. He hit the bare stone hard enough to knock the air from his lungs.</p><p></p><p>The old man lingered on the far side of the door for a moment, listening to the wretched sobs that came from within the cell. Then he turned and silently headed back the way he had come.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 7395478, member: 143"] Chapter 147 Bredan started as he came awake. For a moment he did not know where he was; he must have dozed off while absorbed in his recollections. The familiar stinks and the clinking of his chains quickly reminded him of his reality. He was about to try to fall back asleep when he heard something, a soft footfall from outside his cell door. Alert now, he straightened while carefully trying to keep his chains from making noise. He did not know how long he had slept, but from his thirst he guessed that it had not been long enough for another meal period to come. In his current circumstances, any novelty in his routine had to be respected with his full interest. The lock worked and the door swung open. The light from outside revealed someone that Bredan did not recognize, an older man of maybe fifty or sixty years. His beard was solid gray and trimmed close over a heavy jaw lined with old scars. He was dressed in a dark cloak over plain clothes that would have fit in just about anywhere in the city. He seemed rather nondescript overall, if one didn’t catch the look in his eyes or the way he moved. The old man carried a stool which he set down in front of him, just out of reach of Bredan’s chains. He left the door open behind him, allowing a bit of light to enter the cell. Even in that weak illumination Bredan could see that the man’s hands were rough and calloused, confirming the impression that he’d picked up earlier. Despite his apparent age, this man was a warrior. There was something else about him, something vaguely familiar that he couldn’t quite place as the man sat down and looked at him. “Hello, Bredan,” he said. “Where’s Glori?” Bredan asked. “What have you done with her?” “My name is Pentar,” the man said. “I apologize for the rough treatment you’ve been subjected to. I was away from the capital when you arrived, and the members of my organization felt it was better to wait for my return before speaking to you.” “Who are you, and what do you want with me?” Bredan asked. Pentar leaned forward and folded his hand together. “As I said, I’m Pentar. As to what I want, that is a more… complicated question. But I want you to know, that we are not your enemy.” Bredan rattled his chains. “If this is how you treat your friends, then I’d hate to be your foe,” he said. “I understand how you feel. The nature of our meeting like this… it is regrettable. But there are reasons for our actions. We have learned to be mistrustful of things that look too good to be true. Even after we found out who you are, [i]what[/i] you are.” “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Bredan said. “Have you ever heard voices in your head? Maybe a dream that seemed too real to be a dream, but too strange to be real? Or received messages that no one else could see. Maybe in a book, or a scroll, or even scrawled onto a wall, perhaps.” Bredan just stared at him. “I see that you know what I am talking about.” Pentar smiled, the scars near his mouth the only thing keeping him from having a grandfatherly look to him. “You’ve probably thought that you were going mad. You’re not mad, Bredan. It’s the world that’s gone mad.” Bredan circled his head to give their surroundings an exaggerated attention. “Again, you’re not really making a good argument here with all this.” He held up his shackled wrists. “The bindings are necessary, for now. My associates told me that you were quite… difficult… to secure.” “If I could get free, you’d see how difficult I can be,” Bredan said. His bravado failed to shake Pentar’s calm. “What if I told you that we knew your father?” the old man said. “I’m not sure I’d trust anything you’d say right now,” Bredan said. “Prudent. But true nevertheless. Your family name, it isn’t Karras. Your father wasn’t the only one to change his name, after what happened. Those that survived the purge… finding a new identity became an exigency for those of us who did not elect to continue after the sundering of the Order.” “You mean the Silver Gauntlet?” Bredan asked. Pentar shook his head. “I can only imagine what propaganda those wizards have fed you. I’ll tell you the truth, Bredan, but it will take time for you to see it as such.” He got up, grimacing slightly as he bent to pick up the stool. “I apologize for breaking your connection to the Book,” he said. “Like the chains, it is necessary until you are ready to listen to what we have to tell you. There are wardings embedded in these walls that interfere with your power. Don’t worry, we haven’t permanently damaged your bond. We would never do that, even to an adversary.” He turned to the door. “We’ll talk again soon.” Bredan had stared at Pentar as he’d spoken, but as the old man started to leave he thrust forward until his shackles drew him up short. “Wait! Tell me… please. What happened to Glori? Is she all right?” Pentar looked at him with an expression that might have been pity, though it was impossible to be sure in the poor light. “I’m sorry, Bredan. We never meant to hurt you.” “If you’ve killed her, I swear…” “We didn’t kill her, Bredan. You did.” Bredan felt an icy chill penetrate him to his core. “No. You’re lying.” “Again, I’m sorry.” Pentar retreated, closing the door behind him. “No! You’re lying!” Bredan screamed. He thrust to his feet, yanking on his chains with all his might as the lock was worked shut. “You’re lying!” He lunged toward the door, but the chains failed to give way and he fell to the ground. He hit the bare stone hard enough to knock the air from his lungs. The old man lingered on the far side of the door for a moment, listening to the wretched sobs that came from within the cell. Then he turned and silently headed back the way he had come. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Forgotten Lore (Updated M-W-F)
Top