FitzTheRuke
Hero
At first there was no anwser, and Kalorn carefully climbed the icy slope to the chamber above. Because of his familiar, Kalorn knew what to expect by the time he arrived, but the sight was still unusual: A large shelter was constructed in the middle of the ice-chamber, built of scraps, and in the style of the tents used by the desert nomads of Calimshan, some two thousand miles to the south.
The shelter was made from huge colourful tapestries and was large enough to hold multiple rooms. The bottoms of the walls draped down onto the ground, leaving no gaps underneath. The tent had no obvious entrance, but it appeared possible to slide between any two overlapping tapestries to arrive inside the shelter.
A voice came from inside the shelter and said flatly, "I suppose you should come in, then."
As others came up behind him, Kalorn pushed aside a heavy tapestry. The interior of the shelter was surprisingly warm, thanks to a small stove and simple lamps that were burning aromatic whale oil. Carpets were heaped on the floor in thick layers, and the tapestries that were styled from many different cultures were suspended from a sturdy frame of whale ribs.
Books and scrolls were stacked neatly on tables and reading stands made of hide and whalebone. The only furnishings in the shelter not made from these natural materials were the carpets and tapestries, and a portable writing desk that was likely to have been taken from a sailing ship.
Seated at the writing desk was a female tiefling wearing a blazing crimson cloak over tailored furs. The cloak was fastened with a silver-and-ivory brooch bearing a design reminiscent of a stylized, branching tree — the symbol of the Arcane Brotherhood. Two kobold attendants stoond nearby, glancing nervously between Kalorn and the tiefling, as if expecting trouble.
After a few brief moments, the tiefling looked up with an expression of pale disinterest and asked, “Have you come to save me or to kill me? Not that there can be much difference between the two.”
The shelter was made from huge colourful tapestries and was large enough to hold multiple rooms. The bottoms of the walls draped down onto the ground, leaving no gaps underneath. The tent had no obvious entrance, but it appeared possible to slide between any two overlapping tapestries to arrive inside the shelter.
A voice came from inside the shelter and said flatly, "I suppose you should come in, then."
As others came up behind him, Kalorn pushed aside a heavy tapestry. The interior of the shelter was surprisingly warm, thanks to a small stove and simple lamps that were burning aromatic whale oil. Carpets were heaped on the floor in thick layers, and the tapestries that were styled from many different cultures were suspended from a sturdy frame of whale ribs.
Books and scrolls were stacked neatly on tables and reading stands made of hide and whalebone. The only furnishings in the shelter not made from these natural materials were the carpets and tapestries, and a portable writing desk that was likely to have been taken from a sailing ship.
Seated at the writing desk was a female tiefling wearing a blazing crimson cloak over tailored furs. The cloak was fastened with a silver-and-ivory brooch bearing a design reminiscent of a stylized, branching tree — the symbol of the Arcane Brotherhood. Two kobold attendants stoond nearby, glancing nervously between Kalorn and the tiefling, as if expecting trouble.
After a few brief moments, the tiefling looked up with an expression of pale disinterest and asked, “Have you come to save me or to kill me? Not that there can be much difference between the two.”
