Kid Charlemagne's Story Hour, Pt II
Kid Charlemagne
I am the Very Model of a Modern Moderator
Kid Charlemagne
I am the Very Model of a Modern Moderator
The Interdimensional Castle, January 12th, AE 420
The Drow prisoner looks stoically back at the arrayed party. He does not seem intimidated or afraid.
“Do you speak common?” Jovah asks. The prisoner does not reply.
“He speaks undercommon, I’d wager,” Aris says, and switches to that language.
“What’s your name, and who are your commanding officers?”
The prisoner raises an eyebrow almost imperceptibly, but does not answer. Aris cracks a slight smile, and continues.
“Why did you attack Kazathun?” The Drow looks away. Aris’ smile vanishes. The party had tried to use a charm spell on him, but it was a long shot, and apparently failed.
“Are you working with the Caradinians? Do you have anything to do with the disappearing Rangers in the Sylvan Fields area? Do you know anything about a small, jade, Egg?”
The prisoner’s eyes open a little wider at that last question. He looks at Aris, and then at the rest of the group.
“What do you know about an egg?” he asks in undercommon.
Aris is surprised to have gotten an answer from him, especially since he was just fishing for anything to get a reaction.
“Just that the Drow are interested in it,” he says. “But you’re the one being interrogated. What do you know about it?”
The prisoner bites his lip for a moment; the wheels are clearly spinning behind his white, salamander eyes. Finally he answers.
“I know that it is magical. And I know that the Loraxites want it. I do not know why.”
“Loraxites?” Aris leans forward. “What’s a Loraxite?”
The Drow grins. “The surface elves are well-known for rewriting history. Perhaps you should not take the stories of your elders for granted on matters of your own past. The Loraxites are followers of Loraxus, of course.”
Aris looks back stoically. In fact, he had generally skipped history class at the University of Cape Varna.
“Never mind that. Who are they, and why do they want the Egg?”
“The Loraxites are… shall we say, dissenters. A rival faction in the underdark. They do not accept the primacy of Lolth. As I said, I do not know why they want the Egg. My superiors have merely indicated to me that their interest in this thing could help us locate them. They have told me nothing more, if they even know more themselves.”
“Why are you looking for the Loraxites?” Aris asks.
“We seek their destruction. They are heretics, rebels, traitors to the Drow cause.”
Jovah leans over to catch Aris ear.
“So, are Drow that are the enemies of evil Drow good?”
Aris shakes his head, “I wouldn’t count on it. I also wouldn’t count on him not understanding common just because he says he can’t.”
“Um, right. Carry on.”
Aris continues the conversation. “So why did you attack Kazathun?”
“The Loraxites had a base in a Duergar city near here called Druga. We needed to wipe them out, and establsih a base near the surface. The Loraxites have been making inroads near the surface. We need to be able to counteract them more easily. We had not intended to re-establsih ourselves so soon.”
Aris fishes a little further. He describes the Drow girl from his waking vision on the Belluin docks.
”Does that girl sound familiar to you?”
The Drow’s eyes widen perceptibly. “You have seen Illyana? Well done, none of us has seen her in ages. Where did you see here?”
“I’m the one asking questions. Who is she?”
“The leader of the Loraxites.”
Batista taps Aris on the shoulder, and the party retires to the far end of the room, leaving Gavin and Reana to watch the prisoner.
“Aris,” Batista says. “Why is this guy telling us all this?”
“I think he’s trying to figure out what we know about the Loraxites,” Aris offers. “He’s interrogating us as much as we are him. He might also think that if he gives us some info on his enemies, we might take care of his problem for him.”
“What are we going to do with him?” Sir Brennen asks.
Jovah replies, “I think we should deliver him to the Duke of Belluin. The dwarves we dropped off down there can give testimony as to what the Drow have done here, and he can get a trial. I’m sure it won’t be a very pleasant outcome for him, but it’ll get him out of our hair.”
Everyone agrees on that course of action, and Aris returns to his interrogation.
“How do we know that this information is true? How are you in a position to know these things?”
“I am a liason,” the prisoner replies. “I receive information from Thetra, and pass it up the chain of command.”
“Who’s Thetra?”
The Drow grins and points at Batista.
“He knows Thetra. Quite well, if memory serves. Thetra certainly remembers him… he still bears a scar from their last meeting, long ago.”
Batista’s eyes go wide, and his face flushes with anger. Gavin holds him back before he can rush the Dark Elf.
Batista’s mother was killed by a Drow about ten years ago in game time – Batista was kidnapped and almost killed before being saved by Vershanion who put an arrow through the Drow’s hand in the fight that ensued. The full story is here.
Aris is also quite angry; he feels fairly protective (and a little conflicted) towards Batista.
“Watch yourself!” he hisses at the Drow, and gets up to confer with his compatriots.
“Do we need any more from him?” he asks. The group thinks for a while, then decides that they have gotten all the useful information hey will get from their prisoner.
“Let’s deliver him to Belluin then. We’ll go back to Kazathun using Jalea’s ring,” Aris says. “I wouldn’t want to go back to that bar full of Drow.” Not without a Fireball memorized, he thinks to himself.
The Drow prisoner looks stoically back at the arrayed party. He does not seem intimidated or afraid.
“Do you speak common?” Jovah asks. The prisoner does not reply.
“He speaks undercommon, I’d wager,” Aris says, and switches to that language.
“What’s your name, and who are your commanding officers?”
The prisoner raises an eyebrow almost imperceptibly, but does not answer. Aris cracks a slight smile, and continues.
“Why did you attack Kazathun?” The Drow looks away. Aris’ smile vanishes. The party had tried to use a charm spell on him, but it was a long shot, and apparently failed.
“Are you working with the Caradinians? Do you have anything to do with the disappearing Rangers in the Sylvan Fields area? Do you know anything about a small, jade, Egg?”
The prisoner’s eyes open a little wider at that last question. He looks at Aris, and then at the rest of the group.
“What do you know about an egg?” he asks in undercommon.
Aris is surprised to have gotten an answer from him, especially since he was just fishing for anything to get a reaction.
“Just that the Drow are interested in it,” he says. “But you’re the one being interrogated. What do you know about it?”
The prisoner bites his lip for a moment; the wheels are clearly spinning behind his white, salamander eyes. Finally he answers.
“I know that it is magical. And I know that the Loraxites want it. I do not know why.”
“Loraxites?” Aris leans forward. “What’s a Loraxite?”
The Drow grins. “The surface elves are well-known for rewriting history. Perhaps you should not take the stories of your elders for granted on matters of your own past. The Loraxites are followers of Loraxus, of course.”
Aris looks back stoically. In fact, he had generally skipped history class at the University of Cape Varna.
“Never mind that. Who are they, and why do they want the Egg?”
“The Loraxites are… shall we say, dissenters. A rival faction in the underdark. They do not accept the primacy of Lolth. As I said, I do not know why they want the Egg. My superiors have merely indicated to me that their interest in this thing could help us locate them. They have told me nothing more, if they even know more themselves.”
“Why are you looking for the Loraxites?” Aris asks.
“We seek their destruction. They are heretics, rebels, traitors to the Drow cause.”
Jovah leans over to catch Aris ear.
“So, are Drow that are the enemies of evil Drow good?”
Aris shakes his head, “I wouldn’t count on it. I also wouldn’t count on him not understanding common just because he says he can’t.”
“Um, right. Carry on.”
Aris continues the conversation. “So why did you attack Kazathun?”
“The Loraxites had a base in a Duergar city near here called Druga. We needed to wipe them out, and establsih a base near the surface. The Loraxites have been making inroads near the surface. We need to be able to counteract them more easily. We had not intended to re-establsih ourselves so soon.”
Aris fishes a little further. He describes the Drow girl from his waking vision on the Belluin docks.
”Does that girl sound familiar to you?”
The Drow’s eyes widen perceptibly. “You have seen Illyana? Well done, none of us has seen her in ages. Where did you see here?”
“I’m the one asking questions. Who is she?”
“The leader of the Loraxites.”
Batista taps Aris on the shoulder, and the party retires to the far end of the room, leaving Gavin and Reana to watch the prisoner.
“Aris,” Batista says. “Why is this guy telling us all this?”
“I think he’s trying to figure out what we know about the Loraxites,” Aris offers. “He’s interrogating us as much as we are him. He might also think that if he gives us some info on his enemies, we might take care of his problem for him.”
“What are we going to do with him?” Sir Brennen asks.
Jovah replies, “I think we should deliver him to the Duke of Belluin. The dwarves we dropped off down there can give testimony as to what the Drow have done here, and he can get a trial. I’m sure it won’t be a very pleasant outcome for him, but it’ll get him out of our hair.”
Everyone agrees on that course of action, and Aris returns to his interrogation.
“How do we know that this information is true? How are you in a position to know these things?”
“I am a liason,” the prisoner replies. “I receive information from Thetra, and pass it up the chain of command.”
“Who’s Thetra?”
The Drow grins and points at Batista.
“He knows Thetra. Quite well, if memory serves. Thetra certainly remembers him… he still bears a scar from their last meeting, long ago.”
Batista’s eyes go wide, and his face flushes with anger. Gavin holds him back before he can rush the Dark Elf.
Batista’s mother was killed by a Drow about ten years ago in game time – Batista was kidnapped and almost killed before being saved by Vershanion who put an arrow through the Drow’s hand in the fight that ensued. The full story is here.
Aris is also quite angry; he feels fairly protective (and a little conflicted) towards Batista.
“Watch yourself!” he hisses at the Drow, and gets up to confer with his compatriots.
“Do we need any more from him?” he asks. The group thinks for a while, then decides that they have gotten all the useful information hey will get from their prisoner.
“Let’s deliver him to Belluin then. We’ll go back to Kazathun using Jalea’s ring,” Aris says. “I wouldn’t want to go back to that bar full of Drow.” Not without a Fireball memorized, he thinks to himself.
Last edited:
Matchstick
Adventurer
A-ha!
I have arrived!
I was going to make a smart-arse comment about the Loraxites and how they fight for the trees (Dr. Seuss) but I'll hold off. Oh wait...
It seems like the scope is getting wider here, involving multiple factions in the underdark, dwarves, humans. And it seems like Aris is somehow finding himself right in the middle.
Glad your're posting Brennan, it's good to see some of this stuff from a players perspective, not to mention you drop intriguing hints!
Didn't the rings have limted uses? I thought I remembered that, but I didn't look back to check. If so, they're using them pretty freely here!
I have arrived!
I was going to make a smart-arse comment about the Loraxites and how they fight for the trees (Dr. Seuss) but I'll hold off. Oh wait...
It seems like the scope is getting wider here, involving multiple factions in the underdark, dwarves, humans. And it seems like Aris is somehow finding himself right in the middle.
Glad your're posting Brennan, it's good to see some of this stuff from a players perspective, not to mention you drop intriguing hints!
Didn't the rings have limted uses? I thought I remembered that, but I didn't look back to check. If so, they're using them pretty freely here!
Kid Charlemagne
I am the Very Model of a Modern Moderator
Re: A-ha!
The line forms behind my players. Mock my Loraxites will they?
MWAHAHAHAHAHA.
Yes, they do have limited uses. There might be a total of 5 round trips left at this point of the story, in both rings combined. That kind of accentuates teh danger they felt they were in, and the importance Aris gave the idea of getting a prisoner.
Matchstick said:I have arrived!
I was going to make a smart-arse comment about the Loraxites and how they fight for the trees (Dr. Seuss) but I'll hold off. Oh wait...
The line forms behind my players. Mock my Loraxites will they?
MWAHAHAHAHAHA.
Yes, they do have limited uses. There might be a total of 5 round trips left at this point of the story, in both rings combined. That kind of accentuates teh danger they felt they were in, and the importance Aris gave the idea of getting a prisoner.
Attachments
Kid Charlemagne
I am the Very Model of a Modern Moderator
Belluin, Ghithor, January 13th, AE 420
The next day the party folds to Belluin and deposits the prisoner in the surprised hands of the Duke’s jailor. Having taken care of that, they contemplate their next piece of business.
“We need to take care of Ekozius,” Reana says. “He’ll probably besiege Mahanaim in the spring.”
“Yeah,” Gavin says. “But in the meantime its mid-January. All the news from there is that its all quiet for right now. We’ve got a couple of months to play with.”
“I want to do some more investigation on the Egg,” Aris says. “If I go to Cape Varna and get some help from Tolaro, I can search the University archives. If there is any information about the Egg, or about these Loraxites, it would be there. It’s the best library in the world.”
“Maybe we should split up and take a short vacation,” Jovah says. “I’ve got some business to attend to at the Fox Club, and Samsen is going to be made Marquis in less than a month. I’d like to do some work on possible damage control, so that if he starts letting the Reksus people take over right away, I’m ready for it.”
“Alright,” Brennen says. “We’ve all got individual things to take care of, and no incredibly pressing issues. I’d like to take care of the Drow in Kazathun, but it will take months to get suitable forces to Shadow Springs to retake the Underdark areas. That will have to wait till spring, too. Maybe we’ll just split up for now, and regroup back in Fencig for the Marquis’ coronation?”
They all agree on this course of action. Then attention turns to Batista.
“The Drow seem to have some interest in you,” Reana says. “Maybe we should get you somewhere safe for the winter, if we’re not going to be doing much till spring.”
Jovah thinks for a while. “How about Cristof’s place? He owes us one, and I can fold us there and back easily enough. That mountaintop will be as inaccessible to anyone as anyplace we could pick. We’ll all fold to Fencig, and I’ll fold people to wherever they’re going.”
“Sounds good to me,” Aris says. “Maybe I can get Cristof to finally give me that reading he promised.”
Batista is not too thrilled at being stashed in a remote corner of the country for the winter months, but agrees to go to Cristof’s home for safe keeping. The party folds to the Fox Club, but first Aris writes a quick letter to Tolaro indicating that he will be returning to Cape Varna within the week.
As an afterthought, he scribbles a final note after his signature:
PS: What’s a Loraxite?
The following day, Jovah folds Aris and Batista to Cristof’s place. They explain their situation and Cristof agrees to look after the half-elven Ranger.
“So I’m going to have to come back here to fold you to Cape Varna, huh?” Jovah asks Aris.
“Don’t worry about that,” Cristof says. “I can cast dimensional folding, too.”
Jovah folds back to Fencig, and Aris tells Cristof he’d like to have that reading now, thanks.
“Certainly. I will begin my preparations. What question would you like answered?”
“I want to know what my visions mean.”
Aris has had three separate visions since he started poking around with the Egg. The first two were while asleep, and while the Egg was in his possession. The third was while awake, and after he had returned the Egg to Lord Masato, the Ralt Gaitherese emmissary whose quest it was to recover the Egg for the Emperor.
In the first vision, Aris saw (from the point of view of the owner of the Egg) the Egg being placed in the Song-Ling Monastery; and the subsequent stealing of it by a thief.
In the second, he saw the Egg being handed over to Virenzo Staris by the thief, and the subsequent killing of the thief by Virenzo. The vision ended with Virenzo’s death, seen by Aris through Virenzo’s eyes, as the necromancer was run through by Gavin.
The third vision involved a sea journey interrupted by a Drow attack, and the owner throwing the Egg overboard to keep it out of the Drow’s hands.
Aris believes that the Egg must have left the monastery at some point and been lost beneath the sea at some point in its history. That missing bit of history might give an important clue to the Egg’s power, and its value to both Virenzo and the Drow.
Aris enters into Cristof's room in the back of the small house he lives in on the mountain. Cristof has candles lit, and a fire is roaring in the fireplace. There is a table with a cloth embroidered with astrological and mathematical symbols (it looks somewhat like a black, silver and gold version fo the map from Time Bandits).
He sets a bowl out on the table, and two decanters. He pours liquid from one into the bowl, and then from the other he pours a small amount of a different liquid. To Aris' eyes, it appears merely to be oil and water, as the smaller amount of oil moves over the surface of the water.
"So, you want to know about your visions, and what they mean..." Cristof says in a low voice. "Let's see..." his voice trails off, and he closes his eyes. Aris watches him intently, but suddenly realize that the water and oil are beginning to bubble, to boil. Cristof's hands are on the table next to the bowl, face down, and some of the waterbubbles over the edge, scalding him slightly and jarring him from his trance-like state.
There is a sharp intake of breath, then he looks at the water, whose bubbling is subsiding, and says, "Interesting... I've never seen that happen before.
"I'm sorry, Aris, I don't think I got anything. Quite unusual."
Aris utters a sigh of dissapointment, and slowly gets up and turns to leave.
"But you do realize that you're seeing things in the order they happened, don't you?"
Aris stops dead in his tracks, still turned away from the Oracle. Cristof can only see the elf’s hand grasping the stair rail, and his knuckles going white as he grips the rail ever harder.
Aris turns back towards Cristof, his eyes wide as saucers.
“But… that means…” He stops in mid-sentence, and turns, running out into the snowy night.
“Batista! Get your things! We’re leaving! NOW!”
The next day the party folds to Belluin and deposits the prisoner in the surprised hands of the Duke’s jailor. Having taken care of that, they contemplate their next piece of business.
“We need to take care of Ekozius,” Reana says. “He’ll probably besiege Mahanaim in the spring.”
“Yeah,” Gavin says. “But in the meantime its mid-January. All the news from there is that its all quiet for right now. We’ve got a couple of months to play with.”
“I want to do some more investigation on the Egg,” Aris says. “If I go to Cape Varna and get some help from Tolaro, I can search the University archives. If there is any information about the Egg, or about these Loraxites, it would be there. It’s the best library in the world.”
“Maybe we should split up and take a short vacation,” Jovah says. “I’ve got some business to attend to at the Fox Club, and Samsen is going to be made Marquis in less than a month. I’d like to do some work on possible damage control, so that if he starts letting the Reksus people take over right away, I’m ready for it.”
“Alright,” Brennen says. “We’ve all got individual things to take care of, and no incredibly pressing issues. I’d like to take care of the Drow in Kazathun, but it will take months to get suitable forces to Shadow Springs to retake the Underdark areas. That will have to wait till spring, too. Maybe we’ll just split up for now, and regroup back in Fencig for the Marquis’ coronation?”
They all agree on this course of action. Then attention turns to Batista.
“The Drow seem to have some interest in you,” Reana says. “Maybe we should get you somewhere safe for the winter, if we’re not going to be doing much till spring.”
Jovah thinks for a while. “How about Cristof’s place? He owes us one, and I can fold us there and back easily enough. That mountaintop will be as inaccessible to anyone as anyplace we could pick. We’ll all fold to Fencig, and I’ll fold people to wherever they’re going.”
“Sounds good to me,” Aris says. “Maybe I can get Cristof to finally give me that reading he promised.”
Batista is not too thrilled at being stashed in a remote corner of the country for the winter months, but agrees to go to Cristof’s home for safe keeping. The party folds to the Fox Club, but first Aris writes a quick letter to Tolaro indicating that he will be returning to Cape Varna within the week.
As an afterthought, he scribbles a final note after his signature:
PS: What’s a Loraxite?
The following day, Jovah folds Aris and Batista to Cristof’s place. They explain their situation and Cristof agrees to look after the half-elven Ranger.
“So I’m going to have to come back here to fold you to Cape Varna, huh?” Jovah asks Aris.
“Don’t worry about that,” Cristof says. “I can cast dimensional folding, too.”
Jovah folds back to Fencig, and Aris tells Cristof he’d like to have that reading now, thanks.
“Certainly. I will begin my preparations. What question would you like answered?”
“I want to know what my visions mean.”
Aris has had three separate visions since he started poking around with the Egg. The first two were while asleep, and while the Egg was in his possession. The third was while awake, and after he had returned the Egg to Lord Masato, the Ralt Gaitherese emmissary whose quest it was to recover the Egg for the Emperor.
In the first vision, Aris saw (from the point of view of the owner of the Egg) the Egg being placed in the Song-Ling Monastery; and the subsequent stealing of it by a thief.
In the second, he saw the Egg being handed over to Virenzo Staris by the thief, and the subsequent killing of the thief by Virenzo. The vision ended with Virenzo’s death, seen by Aris through Virenzo’s eyes, as the necromancer was run through by Gavin.
The third vision involved a sea journey interrupted by a Drow attack, and the owner throwing the Egg overboard to keep it out of the Drow’s hands.
Aris believes that the Egg must have left the monastery at some point and been lost beneath the sea at some point in its history. That missing bit of history might give an important clue to the Egg’s power, and its value to both Virenzo and the Drow.
Aris enters into Cristof's room in the back of the small house he lives in on the mountain. Cristof has candles lit, and a fire is roaring in the fireplace. There is a table with a cloth embroidered with astrological and mathematical symbols (it looks somewhat like a black, silver and gold version fo the map from Time Bandits).
He sets a bowl out on the table, and two decanters. He pours liquid from one into the bowl, and then from the other he pours a small amount of a different liquid. To Aris' eyes, it appears merely to be oil and water, as the smaller amount of oil moves over the surface of the water.
"So, you want to know about your visions, and what they mean..." Cristof says in a low voice. "Let's see..." his voice trails off, and he closes his eyes. Aris watches him intently, but suddenly realize that the water and oil are beginning to bubble, to boil. Cristof's hands are on the table next to the bowl, face down, and some of the waterbubbles over the edge, scalding him slightly and jarring him from his trance-like state.
There is a sharp intake of breath, then he looks at the water, whose bubbling is subsiding, and says, "Interesting... I've never seen that happen before.
"I'm sorry, Aris, I don't think I got anything. Quite unusual."
Aris utters a sigh of dissapointment, and slowly gets up and turns to leave.
"But you do realize that you're seeing things in the order they happened, don't you?"
Aris stops dead in his tracks, still turned away from the Oracle. Cristof can only see the elf’s hand grasping the stair rail, and his knuckles going white as he grips the rail ever harder.
Aris turns back towards Cristof, his eyes wide as saucers.
“But… that means…” He stops in mid-sentence, and turns, running out into the snowy night.
“Batista! Get your things! We’re leaving! NOW!”
Kid Charlemagne
I am the Very Model of a Modern Moderator
MasterOfHeaven
First Post
Nice story hour. How soon will the campaign shift into 3rd Edition, by the way? I'm looking forward to reading more.
Kid Charlemagne
I am the Very Model of a Modern Moderator
MasterOfHeaven said:
Thanks! This entire Story Hour is 2nd Edition, but we've redone all the characters for 3e, and are actually starting play again the second weekend of February. I hope to have this Story Hour completely posted by that time - at least that s the goal.
Then I will start a new one up with the new adventures.
Similar Threads
