Kid Charlemagne
I am the Very Model of a Modern Moderator
Tor, June 18th, AE 420
Gavin looks skeptically at the bookish man, and then realizes what he means. Reana is under the effects of a confusion spell. Not caring to be diced into pieces by the Ranger, he knocks her shortswords from her hands. Just in time, as it turns out. Reana’s face suddenly contorts into a mask of rage, and she picks up Gavin bodily, and slams him to the ground, driving him into the flagstones.
Gavin grunts, and tries to fight back, but Reana has him pinned. Then, just as suddenly as she contorted into rage, she relaxes and releases him. The others swiftly tie her up to make sure she’s secure until the spell wears off. They drag Dahloss into the house, and close it up. Jalea sneaks off upstairs to search out the second floor.
The party sets Dahloss in a chair, and look him over. He’s a young man in his late twenties, early thirties. He is rather bookish looking, and his house reflects that. Books and loose scroll pages are neatly stacked and categorized in shelves, and ink wells and blotters are neatly stored in cabinets.
“Alright, talk!” Brennen orders Dahloss.
“Talk?” he replies. “I have no idea why you’re here, who you are, or what you want!”
Brennen pulls Jovah aside. “Is it possible that he’s not in this with Kentfield and Quinn? That he’s just helping them out in some way, innocently?”
“I suppose it’s possible,” Jovah says. “We can try telling him what’s going on, and see what he says.”
Brennen sits down in front of the frightened man again.
“Okay, let’s start over. First, tell us who you are and what it is you do.”
“My name is Dahloss, and I am a sage. A respectable scholar! And who are you…”
Aris holds up his hand to stop the sage. “What’s your field of expertise?”
“Well, matters arcane, specifically those relating to Shadow, particularly the Plane of Shadow.”
Brennen looks at Jovah. Jovah nods in return.
“Do you know a man by the name of Arlen Kentfield? He’s a nobleman from Ulfang.”
“I’ve never heard of him.”
Hmm, Brennen thinks. “How about a wizard named Quinn?”
“Quinn? The Alienist? Yes, I know him, I’ve had dealings with him on a couple of occasions. Why?”
“He may be involved in something very bad. Demon cults, and such.”
Brennen takes a deep breath, and then explains most of what the party knows about Kentfield and Quinn. Dahloss is mortified that his acquaintance has been up to such horrible dealings.
“I had no idea he was involved with such horrible people! I mean, he’s a little odd, being an alienist, but…”
“Excuse me,” Corwin interrupts him. “But what is an alienist?”
“An alienist is a wizard who specializes in very esoteric and exotic planes of existence. Places commonly held to be beyond the known realms that ordinary wizards draw their power and summoned creatures from.”
“What was the nature of your dealings with Quinn?” Brennen asks.
“He came to consult with me last summer,” Dahloss answers. “He was interested in the Plane of Shadow, and wanted to visit there. He had heard that there was a Gate in this area, and that I would be able to show it to him. I did, and that was about the end of it.”
“When did he come back?”
“I don’t know. I just took him to the Gate, and he went in, along with some hired guards. I didn’t see him again until this past winter.”
The party decides that they trust him, and unties him. Brennen apologizes for all the hassle, and offers to pay him for his time. Dahloss is unhappy, but accepts their offer. As they are about to leave, he stops them.
“Does this have anything to do with Johann, Quinn’s friend?”
Jovah turns and looks at the sage. “Yes. What do you know about him?”
“That’s why Quinn came back the second time. Johann came here last winter, and said he was supposed to meet Quinn here in Tor. He was here for a few weeks, then Quinn showed up, and they left.”
“Anything else?”
“Well, he’s a Maulaugrym…”
“Whats that?”
“The Maulaugrym are a race of shapechangers that dwell in the Plane of Shadow. They may be native to it, or perhaps not. No one really knows for sure. There’s one other thing…”
“And that is?”
“He was very interested in acquiring diamonds. Big ones. He quizzed me a couple of times on where he could find cut diamonds of at least twenty-five carats.”
“Whew!” Jalea says. “A 25 carat diamond is big. Pricey too. Probably 20,000 gold pieces, maybe more. Not likely to find those anywhere but the biggest collections, and crown jewels. Maybe Dwarven mining towns, too. Did he find any here?”
“Not that I know,” Dahloss said. “I pretty much told him the same thing. Very rare, very expensive.”
“What did he want them for?” Aris asks.
“He never told me,” Dahloss answers.
Gavin looks skeptically at the bookish man, and then realizes what he means. Reana is under the effects of a confusion spell. Not caring to be diced into pieces by the Ranger, he knocks her shortswords from her hands. Just in time, as it turns out. Reana’s face suddenly contorts into a mask of rage, and she picks up Gavin bodily, and slams him to the ground, driving him into the flagstones.
Gavin grunts, and tries to fight back, but Reana has him pinned. Then, just as suddenly as she contorted into rage, she relaxes and releases him. The others swiftly tie her up to make sure she’s secure until the spell wears off. They drag Dahloss into the house, and close it up. Jalea sneaks off upstairs to search out the second floor.
The party sets Dahloss in a chair, and look him over. He’s a young man in his late twenties, early thirties. He is rather bookish looking, and his house reflects that. Books and loose scroll pages are neatly stacked and categorized in shelves, and ink wells and blotters are neatly stored in cabinets.
“Alright, talk!” Brennen orders Dahloss.
“Talk?” he replies. “I have no idea why you’re here, who you are, or what you want!”
Brennen pulls Jovah aside. “Is it possible that he’s not in this with Kentfield and Quinn? That he’s just helping them out in some way, innocently?”
“I suppose it’s possible,” Jovah says. “We can try telling him what’s going on, and see what he says.”
Brennen sits down in front of the frightened man again.
“Okay, let’s start over. First, tell us who you are and what it is you do.”
“My name is Dahloss, and I am a sage. A respectable scholar! And who are you…”
Aris holds up his hand to stop the sage. “What’s your field of expertise?”
“Well, matters arcane, specifically those relating to Shadow, particularly the Plane of Shadow.”
Brennen looks at Jovah. Jovah nods in return.
“Do you know a man by the name of Arlen Kentfield? He’s a nobleman from Ulfang.”
“I’ve never heard of him.”
Hmm, Brennen thinks. “How about a wizard named Quinn?”
“Quinn? The Alienist? Yes, I know him, I’ve had dealings with him on a couple of occasions. Why?”
“He may be involved in something very bad. Demon cults, and such.”
Brennen takes a deep breath, and then explains most of what the party knows about Kentfield and Quinn. Dahloss is mortified that his acquaintance has been up to such horrible dealings.
“I had no idea he was involved with such horrible people! I mean, he’s a little odd, being an alienist, but…”
“Excuse me,” Corwin interrupts him. “But what is an alienist?”
“An alienist is a wizard who specializes in very esoteric and exotic planes of existence. Places commonly held to be beyond the known realms that ordinary wizards draw their power and summoned creatures from.”
“What was the nature of your dealings with Quinn?” Brennen asks.
“He came to consult with me last summer,” Dahloss answers. “He was interested in the Plane of Shadow, and wanted to visit there. He had heard that there was a Gate in this area, and that I would be able to show it to him. I did, and that was about the end of it.”
“When did he come back?”
“I don’t know. I just took him to the Gate, and he went in, along with some hired guards. I didn’t see him again until this past winter.”
The party decides that they trust him, and unties him. Brennen apologizes for all the hassle, and offers to pay him for his time. Dahloss is unhappy, but accepts their offer. As they are about to leave, he stops them.
“Does this have anything to do with Johann, Quinn’s friend?”
Jovah turns and looks at the sage. “Yes. What do you know about him?”
“That’s why Quinn came back the second time. Johann came here last winter, and said he was supposed to meet Quinn here in Tor. He was here for a few weeks, then Quinn showed up, and they left.”
“Anything else?”
“Well, he’s a Maulaugrym…”
“Whats that?”
“The Maulaugrym are a race of shapechangers that dwell in the Plane of Shadow. They may be native to it, or perhaps not. No one really knows for sure. There’s one other thing…”
“And that is?”
“He was very interested in acquiring diamonds. Big ones. He quizzed me a couple of times on where he could find cut diamonds of at least twenty-five carats.”
“Whew!” Jalea says. “A 25 carat diamond is big. Pricey too. Probably 20,000 gold pieces, maybe more. Not likely to find those anywhere but the biggest collections, and crown jewels. Maybe Dwarven mining towns, too. Did he find any here?”
“Not that I know,” Dahloss said. “I pretty much told him the same thing. Very rare, very expensive.”
“What did he want them for?” Aris asks.
“He never told me,” Dahloss answers.
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