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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JollyDoc" data-source="post: 7126342" data-attributes="member: 9546">Of Dragons and Princesses - 8 Pharast, 4718 - 9 Pharast, 4718Six weeks later, once the snows had thawed enough to make the route into the Vale of Valtaerna passable, the Nessian Knot marched out at the head of the remains of their rag-tag army. The bugbear commander Shagoroth Night-mane looked appreciatively at the carnage they were leaving behind and chuckled."I don't think we're getting invited back."They made their way north through the pass, and then turned southeast for Daveryn.Once clear of the mountains, the Knot took their leave of their troops, trusting their bugbear commanders to get them the rest of the way safely. The newly-turned vampires were not enthusiastic about the idea of several days travel overland, hiding by daylight, their vulnerable coffins exposed to potential threats. Instead, Kelvin gathered everyone close to him as the moon rose high in the night sky and teleported them all instantaneously outside the walls of Daveryn, a city of sixty-thousand, the jewel of Talingarde's western coast. They arrived expecting to find a city under siege. Instead they found it in ruins. It seemed that the Fire-Axe had gotten restless and decided to make his assault without reinforcements. He was apparently successful. Everywhere bugbears camped, having built great bonfires from wrecked homes and shops. Ogres, trolls, goblins and even giants moved amongst the detritus and debris searching for loot and survivors.Their arrival did not go unnoticed, and it was not long before a bugbear runner came for them, telling them that the Fire-Axe requested their presence. They were led inside the city walls to where the bugbear leader had set up his headquarters in the City Hall. The Fire-Axe struck an impressive figure when they were brought into his presence.  He was no longer clad in ill-fitting stolen knight's armor.  Instead, he wore a black suit of infernal armor, a gift for sacking the city from Thorn.  He truly looked the part of a dread bugbear tyrant of the north. The city hall itself was crowded with bugbear lords, ogre chieftains, hill giant thugs, scampering goblins and even a frost giant jarl that stood uneasily beside the Fire-Axe.  All of them stopped and stared at the companions as they enter the hall.  The Fire-Axe rose.  "My lords," he said in a booming voice, "welcome to Daveryn! With your skill at throwing open gates, I had hoped to have your aid.  But it seems this city could not wait to fall beneath my killers' blades. ” That earned a clamorous yell from the assembled throng."Come," Sakkarot said, "We have matters to attend to.”   The companions followed the Fire-Axe out of the main hall to a private chamber. The mayor's chambers, where once the future well-being of Daveryn was plotted, had become the Fire-Axe's war room. The accommodations were much more spacious than the cramped Westkirk castle and much more civilized than the war camp north of the Watch Wall. The Fire-Axe sent away his lieutenants and underlings to be alone with the Knot.“Are you here on a mission?” he asked without preamble once they were alone.“I have one for you if you are not, and if you're interested. The Duke of Daveryn has escaped me. It's possible he's just gone. He may have had some magical means of leaving the city, so it may be a fool's errand. But I suspect not. Duke Martin famously hated wizards. I suspect he's holed up in the city somewhere, but so far my killers have failed to find him. I would love to have him dragged before me in chains. It would be good for morale. Other than that, enjoy the city. I care not what you do to this place.  I'll be rid of it soon enough. There are pockets of resistance here and there, I'm told. You are welcome to deal with those however you see fit. Or you can simply loot the ruins. I'll warn you though, my killers are thorough.  If you want the best treasure, you'll have to find places they can't get. Ah, look at me. Lecturing you like you were whelps. You know all of this.”He took a long deep drink of wine and suddenly turned  more melancholy. “Truth told," he continued, "that isn't what I wanted to talk to you about. This city was so easily taken because the Duke was an idiot and it was lightly defended. The baron of Westkirk revealed a secret entrance from the sea caves to the palace. Anyone with any sense would have collapsed it as soon as my army drew near, but Duke Martin imagined he could escape through it if things got bad. I have captured a hollow city. Most of the army was missing. They mass in the south under the king's banner. I know it. An army marches towards me led by King Markadian himself. It is an army I cannot hope to defeat on the open field. Do you know anything of this?”"We have heard rumors to that effect," Kelvin said, "but we saw no sign of them personally.""What is Thorn's plan to deal with the king's forces?" Sakkarot asked. "He must have one! Yet whenever I speak to the devil-harlot Tiadora all I get are sneers and japes. Do you know Thorn's mind? What does he intend?”"Alas," Kelvin sighed, "he has been no more forthcoming with us than yourself."“I was supposed to be victorious against the armies of Talingarde," the Fire-Axe growled. "I was supposed to crush them!  That was always the plan! I was only to lose to… ”  The bugbear chieftain paused, cutting his eyes uncertainly at the members of the 9th."As I mentioned," Kelvin began, choosing his words cautiously, "Cardinal Thorn has not been very forthcoming with us either. We are given an assignment, and we carry it out, not knowing what waits for us next. At least with you, it seems, he has perhaps revealed a broader picture...?"Sakkarot paused, collecting his thoughts.“When Thorn found me," he began, "I was dying, poisoned and weak. I had been outcast from my tribe and branded across my chest with a giant slash from a shaman's obsidian blade – the mark of the defeated and the banished.  I was cast out into the ice to die alone and unmourned. Thorn took me in, healed me. He drew the poison from my wound. And with his magic, the scar of the outcast was remade into the Asmodean star. He marked my flesh and my soul – I was then and forever bound to the Cardinal and to the Lord of Hell. Do not think me a victim. Willingly I gave myself to his service. What did I have to lose? All that remained of my old life was death and disgrace. Thorn set me upon another path.  The Cardinal said that if I would but serve him, he would  give me all I wished for. He has been true to his word. He has made me mighty amongst my people. He has erased the dishonor of banishment and given me a new name. He has bestowed me with mighty gifts. I am most famous for my axe, true enough, but even more than that, he gave me this.”  He reached up and removed an iron circlet that had blended into his black fur.  “This crown of iron – it makes me wise and wary. I am able to speak to my people with authority. It makes me truly worthy of being a king.” He replaced it and it again faded from view.“But there was always a price. In time, I will face an army not of Talireans but of those under the banner of Asmodeus. And when I face that army, I will lead my force to utter destruction and defeat.  All those who chant my name and honor me now, I will betray. My killers have become like my children and upon the altar of war, I will sacrifice them for the glory of Asmodeus the most high. Then I will go to the Throne of Iron far in the north. I will serve there for the rest of my life at the side of Thorn. My time of glory will be over. Then begins my time of service to pay for what I have been given.”He took another deep drink, emptying the wine bottle. “I enjoy every day of my dominion. I savor every moment of my prize.” He smashed the wine bottle against the far wall. “But I know it will not last."_________________________________________________________________After their meeting with the Fire-Axe, the Nessian Knot was left to their own devices. Katarina began wandering amongst the encamped troops, searching for any rumors that might lead to information about the Duke's whereabouts. She overheard two bugbears talking about a "damn wizard" that was still hold up in his tower in the artisans district of Bandelthyn. "Anyone gets near the place gets fried," one of them grumbled. Kat recalled Sakkarot saying something about the Duke hating wizards, so that seemed as good a place to start as any.She had no trouble finding the tower once she reached Bandelthyn. It was one of the few buildings still intact in the district. She made her way cautiously up to its door, certain she would trigger some arcane trap at any moment, but was pleasantly surprised to find the portal not only trap-free, but also unlocked. Blending seemlessly into the shadows, she quietly opened the door and crept inside. The lower floor was typical of what she expected to find in a wizard's lair: jumbles of books, scrolls and parchments overflowing various tables and desks. A single spiral staircase wound up to the second floor, where Kat could see the flickering of lamp light. Stealthy as a breeze, she moved upwards until she came to a combination work room/bedroom. An old man sat with his back to her at a desk, furiously scribbling with quill and ink. He hummed softly to himself and seemed to have no clue that he was being watched. Kat settled down to wait and observe. He would have to sleep sooner or later.________________________________________________________________While Kat was away on her secret mission, Kelvin, Lemmy, Roger and Grumblejack ventured to the noble district of Duward in search of records that might divulge any bolt holes where the Duke might be holed up. On the way, they encountered a group of bugbears camped outside a small tower. "What is this place?" Kelvin asked one of the bugbears.The creature turned on him with a snarl, prepared to eat the pathetic human who dared speak to him. When he saw the hulking winged ogre standing behind the wizard, however, his jaw dropped open and he took several steps back."S..s....sable Tower," he stammered. "S'posed to be where the Dukess jooles is hidden. We seen'em! Sittin' out just as plain as you like, but they's trapped. Five of our brothers already tried to take'em. Got fried."Kelvin nodded and thanked the guard for the information. Then he and his companions simply strode into the tower, to the disbelief and consternation of the surrounding humanoids. Inside and upstairs they found an open room, at the center of which was a locked glass case. Inside where the crown, scepter and ceremonial robe of Daveryn on display in all their bejeweled splendor. It would seem, at first glance, that all one had to do was walk across the room and smash the glass case. Of course, the five blasted bugbear corpses laying around it demonstrated that would be a singularly bad idea. Kelvin concentrated for a moment and then pointed towards a brilliant sapphire held in a golden cage hanging from the ceiling."The magic's coming from there," he said. "Give me a moment."He focused again and spoke the words to an incantation of dispelling. The light and energy around the gem immediately vanished."There," Kelvin said. "It's only temporary, but should be long enough."Roger walked over to the case and smashed it open with his sword, then picked up the treasures and stuffed them in a sack. When the companions came back out of the tower, one particularly large bugbear strode up to them."What you find?" he asked."Nothing," Kelvin shrugged. "It was all an illusion meant to lure in thieves. Nothing more to see."With that, he turned and walked away, leaving the bewildered bugbears to stare after him, wondering what had just happened.________________________________________________________________'Were are they??' Kat wondered to herself for the tenth time in as many minutes.Kelvin had contacted her via a sending spell, checking up on her as he was wont to do, but this time she didn't mind it. Especially after she had heard the old wizard speaking some strange tongue to what appeared to be thin air, after which someone, or something had replied in the same language. Kat hadn't seen anyone else enter nor leave the tower. She had told Kelvin about her particular predicament and he had told her they were on their way. That had been ten minutes ago. She remained crouched in the shadows, trying to stay out of line of sight of the upper windows of the tower. She heard voices and footsteps behind her...loud ones. She cursed her bumbling friends and relatives, who couldn't be low-key if their lives depended on it."Who's down there?" The voice had come from the upper tower. "Leave now or face the wrath of Polydorus!"Kelvin smirked and glanced around at the others. "Really, Kat?" he asked his little sister. "This is what you called us for?"Before Kat could snap back a retort, a whistling sound came from the tower, getting louder and closer rapidly."Incoming!" Lemmy bellowed.An explosion of fire detonated in the midst of the companions, scattering them like leaves in the wind. Kat managed to roll with the brunt of the blast and came quickly to her feet, just in time to see Grumblejack, still struggling to recover from the explosion, get knocked back to the ground from some unseen blow. She grimaced in confusion, and then Lemmy cried out. His head snapped backwards and blood flew out of his nose and mouth but there was no attacker to be seen. He began crawling towards the door of the tower, but then two more blows landed, driving him back down. Kat wasn't sure what was happening, but she knew she didn't like being out in the open like a sitting duck. Sticking to the shadows, she made a break for the tower door, pushed her way inside and crept quickly up the stairs. Grumblejack drew his massive greatsword and begin flailing wildly around him as he struggled to his feet. Nearby, Roger stood up and drew upon his small repertoire of prayers to allow him to see the unseen. Immediately he saw several humanoid figures surrounding his friends. They floated several inches off the ground and moved with the grace of clouds on a breeze. Just as he was about to shout a warning to the others, a bolt of lightning struck from the top of the tower and sent every muscle in his body into spasmodic writhing. One of the invisible stalkers flew at him while he was defenseless and slammed him to the ground again. Another clubbed Grumblejack in the back of his skull, while a third hammered into Lemmy one last time before the dwarf managed to drag himself into the tower and slam the door behind him. Katarina reached the top of the tower stairs just as the wizard turned away from the window. To Kat's shocked surprise, Polydorus stared directly at her. She flicked a dagger his way, but the old man was spry for his age and he ducked aside as the blade flew past him to stick in the wall behind. Kat prepared to charge him before he could use his magic against her, but that's when the entire upper floor of the tower erupted in an inferno. Kat leaped backwards and tumbled down the stairs, leaving her only mildly singed. When she looked back up, she saw only smoke billowing from the second floor. She didn't see how anyone could have survived that. Kelvin's handiwork, more than likely.    Grumblejack finally managed to connect with something solid in his random sword swings, and when he did so it was spectacular. He heard an inhuman wail rise up and then vanish on the wind. "You got one!" Roger called, giving him a thumbs-up.The anti-paladin then turned to his own foe and drove his sword through where he felt its heart should have been. He was rewarded to see it dissolve into nothingness as its shriek joined that of its brother. He turned around just as Grumblejack went down again, a pair of the stalkers raining blow after blow on his head. Then Roger was struck again from behind as well. He whirled, hand outstretched, and channeled unholy power into the creature behind him. It erupted into black flames that burned it instantly to ash. At that moment, Katarina leaped from the upper window of the still-smoking tower and landed nimbly near Grumblejack, plunging two daggers into the back of one of the stalkers as she did. It vanished, as did another one when Kelvin loosed another fireball, this time in the midst of both friends and foes, though the flames only touched their opponents. "Only two left!" Roger shouted to Grumblejack."Make that one!" Grumblejack growled back as he thrust his sword behind him and impaled another Stalker through sheer luck. Roger turned to face the last one, but then the tower door creaked open and Lemmy, still on his belly, sent a blast of metal shards tearing into the stalker, ripping it to shreds.______________________________________________________________Despite Kelvin's explosive intervention, much of the wizard's books and journals remained intact. Likely the old man had warded them against just such an eventuality, given the volatile nature of magic in general. Among his writings, Kat discovered a diary in which Polydorus revealed that, unlike every other remaining resident in Daveryn, he was not trapped. He was waiting. As the horde of the Fire-Axe approached, he promised that if Duke Martin could get to his tower in Bandelthyn, the wizard would teleport the lord to safety. The duke  had scoffed at his offer. “They will never take this city in a hundred years!” Duke Martin had boasted. Daveryn fell in less than two days. Still, Polydorus intended to honor his promise. He hoped that by saving the duke he could change the way wizards were viewed throughout all of the kingdom of Talingarde. There was also a strange letter written on a scrap of untanned skin, with jagged writing as if it had been etched by a claw:To Polydorus, Seer of Daveryn, Unwinged but wise:Behold, I the Stormborn King need your  counsel. I have taken Chargammon's whelp, the black dragon Jeratheon Knightsbane. He foolishly tried to lay claim to my dominion and by talon and thunderbolt did we humble this night hunter. My heart speaks to slay this monster and see his evil forever removed from both earth and sky. Still, I worry this would bring the wrath of his sire.So I send to you. What say the stars? Will the death of Jeratheon invite disaster or will it bring only justice and relief? I await your word.I remain the Lord of All Eagles and the Stormborn KingKelvin was not sure what to make of the letter, but they also discovered a book written by Polydorus entitled Dragons of Talingarde, which detailed the five greatest dragons of the land: Antharia Regina – a silver elder wyrm from the north not seen in a century; mother of Argossarian; presumed dead. She could take human form and loved to move amongst mortals.Eiramanthus the Traveller – an ancient copper dragon famed for his planar travels. It mentioned his three beloved consorts who would die to defend him: Setia Swims-the- Sea-of-Stars; Sakura Yoshimune of the Toshigami; and Shakti Shobhana the Redeemed.Chargammon the Black – a black dragon elder wyrm. “The vilest serpent in a nest of vipers;” It gave the location of his lair. This beast had spawned more than twenty- seven young, many of which still troubled the world.  Amongst them:Jeratheon Knightsbane – an adult black dragon and hunter of men. He dwelt in the swamps of the Caer Bryr.Nythoggr, Striker-in-the-Dark – An ancient cairn linnorm of the Savage North of whom little was known."Mysteries for another day," Kelvin sighed, tucking the book into his robes.He, for one, had no intention of hunting down any more dragons any time soon.</blockquote>

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