Rel's Faded Glory III: Glory Reborn (FINAL UPDATE 6/22 - SHE'S DONE, BABY!!)
- Thread starter Rel
- Start date
Rel
Liquid Awesome
Darklone said:
As usual, thanks for the bumps, Darklone.
Life has been busy around here. I'm pleased to report that my campaign came to an exciting and satisfying conclusion. You'll (eventually) be able to read about it here as I continue to update. My ability to do this lately has been impaired by me gearing up my PC that I'm playing in Raven/Lazarius' new Arcana Unearthed campaign. There's also been a lot of family oriented stuff and some good, old-fashioned goofing off.
But never fear, I will continue to post updates and now that my schedule is clear of GMing responsibilities I'm hoping it will proceed a bit faster. I'll definately be posting an update before the weekend with more to follow next week.
!
Rel
Liquid Awesome
An apology is in order since I didn't get an update up last week or over the weekend. I failed to account for how hectic my schedule was going to be with us being involved in a wedding this weekend. The early part of this week isn't looking much better with watching my daughter yesterday, gaming last night and the Jimmy Buffett concert tonight.
Looks like you'd better start writing that Story Hour, Darklone.
Looks like you'd better start writing that Story Hour, Darklone.
Rel
Liquid Awesome
Crossroads
On and on and on went the tunnel. Its course was not perfectly straight but it did not curve appreciably up nor down nor left nor right. It just shot off into the darkness, always the same width, always the same height, always appearing just at the edge of their torchlight and receding behind them into the darkness.
They had begun to lose track of time. They walked until they tired. They ate when they were hungry. They slept until they awoke. Marcus prayed when it seemed like it might be time.
At a time that may or may not have been approximately three days from when they started up the tunnel, the monotony was broken as a wall appeared before them out of the darkness. Lazarius gasped, not in shock or horror, but simply out of surprise that this wall would have the utter temerity to break the monolithic monotony of this seemingly never ending passage. This upstart wall did at least have the politeness to contain an opening barred by a portcullis, allowing at least the potential that the passage might continue beyond. Lazarius raised an eyebrow and reach his hand into his purse to withdraw one of the strange gold coins they had found amongst the Scorpion Folk. There upon the coin was stamped a wall, set in a circle, boasting a portcullis. It looked remarkably similar to the view ahead of him, excepting the fact that the wall and portcullis were not made of gold. Pity that.
Before the group could do more than close ranks a bit, a voice came from an indeterminate point ahead of them. It spoke in accented Fodoran, “Your presence has been noted. Unless we are mistaken, you have never before been here. We are very rarely mistaken.”
The party exchanged glances for a moment or two before Marius stepped forward and replied in his own (differently) accented Fodoran, “Um, yeah. We’re new here.”
“Indeed. The information you are about to receive will be the last that is bestowed upon you without cost: You have arrived at the great city of Do-kun Ghul. We buy things and sell things. Among these things are information, passage, provisions and protection. If you do not wish to buy or sell any of these things at the present, you are invited to remain camped outside the entrance for the price of 50 pieces of gold for each period that we determine to be equal to a surface day. If you cannot or will not pay this fee, you are invited to retreat back the way you came a distance that you can travel in the course of approximately one surface day. You are not to vandalize, collapse, or otherwise deface or compromise the integrity of the tunnel through which you have the privilege to pass. Any violation of these edicts will result in the cessation of any trade with our city and may result in our ending said violation through the use of physical force. I hope I have made myself clear, however any misunderstanding of these rules on your part does not make you any less bound by them. I await any reply or request you may have.”
The party looked back and forth amongst the group with more eyebrows raised than not. While they were pleased to meet someone who was not bent on their immediate destruction for a change, they were not used to such formal rules. Marius assured them however that he was trained in making contact with strange cultures and negotiating with them. He stepped to the fore and addressed this mysterious voice, “Greetings, I am Marius Flavius of Emor. I am pleased to make your acquaintance. May I enquire as to your name?”
“Greetings to you as well, Marius Flavius of Emor. You may enquire as to my name. That particular piece of information will cost you only 200 pieces of gold. Until you pay said fee, you may refer to me as The Gatekeeper.”
Lazarius let out a somewhat derisive laugh, “Way to go, Marius. You told him your name for free.”
“Shut up, Lazarius!” barked Marius, loud enough for the Gatekeeper to hear. He returned his attention toward the gate as Lazarius frowned at having lost the potential to sell his identity to the Gatekeeper, “I’m content to call you The Gatekeeper for the time being. We are in search of a man from one of the tribes of the Fodor, a Brigante tribesman by the name of Ilrath. Has he passed this way?”
After a brief pause The Gatekeeper responded, “I am in possession of information pertaining to this individual. I am willing to part with all of it for the price of 500 gold coins.”
Marius consulted briefly with the rest of the group whereupon they decided that with their coins being so few and the information they desired being rather vast, they would rather not pay that fee at the moment. Instead they sought to enlarge their supply of coin first to better establish their bargaining position.
Marius extricated himself from his knot of companions, “Leaving aside the issue of our friend, Ilrath, I believe you said that you purchased information as well?”
“That is correct.”
“Then I believe that we may have some information of value to sell you. How much will you give us for it?”
“That, of course, depends entirely upon the nature of the information. I’m afraid that here we must enter the realm of trust. You must relay the information and I will place a value upon it and you will be paid accordingly. Or that value will be paid against any further costs you incur by way of purchase you make from us.”
Marius considered this matter for long enough for Marcus to step up to his side and bellow some low incantations as he used a simple spell to Detect whether those beyond the gate were Evil. He determined decisively a moment later that they were evil an instant before The Gatekeeper spoke loudly and leaving little doubt about his displeasure. “The price for whatever you next purchase from us has just doubled and I can assure you that these negotiations and your welcome here will come to an abrupt end if your companion directs any further magic at us or our gates again!”
Marius gave Marcus such a withering gaze that it would have sent a lesser man running. In a feat of ventriloquism seldom matched in human history, Marius told Marcus to “get back over there with the others” without moving his lips at all. His teeth never even parted. Before retreating to the rest of the group, Marcus leaned in close to the Imperial Explorer and whispered conspiratorially, “They’re Evil!”
“They’re the LEAST of your worries!” Marius said as he gave Marcus a firm shove on the shoulder to propel him in the direction opposite that from which the diplomacy was supposedly taking place. He then whipped back around in the direction of the gate, magically transforming from near-homicidal rage to smiles and sunshine in an immeasurably small period of time, “Pardon my friend. He is from a far distant land and is poorly schooled in the local manners and customs. Ahem, now as to the information we would like to sell…”
Marius proceeded to relate, in exquisite and exacting detail, everything they had learned about the Scorpion Folk, up to and including the fact that they had been killed, right down to the very last hatchling. A few moments passed in silence before The Gatekeeper replied.
“We are in possession of much of the information that you related already. However, the fact that the ‘scorpion folk’, as you call them, are no longer a force to be reckoned with is new information and is of interest to us. For this information, we offer the sum of 250 pieces of gold.”
Marius had no idea as to whether that price was fair but, not wishing to offer any further insult, he accepted this price and proceeded to make a couple of purchases. “We assume that Ilrath passed through your gates and proceeded on his journey. If he had not, we would have encountered him on our way here. We would like to know where he went after that and what lies in that direction.”
The Gatekeeper replied after only a short pause, “The direction in which he went we can sell you for the price of 200 pieces of gold. How complete do you wish the information to be regarding what lies in that direction?”
Marius was guessing that as much information as they had would cost them more than they wished to pay (and perhaps even more than they had to spend). “Just a general idea of what lies in that direction including any hazards.”
“Very well: Ilrath proceeded on to a passage that leads generally northward. In that direction lies the realm of the…Spider Folk. For this additional information we require gold in the amount of 200 pieces.”
“I see,” replied Marius, “and what will it cost us to access that same passage?”
“200 pieces of gold for each of you. The Wizard may bring his pet along at no additional charge but we require payment for the beast.”
All of their eyes turned to the hulking form of Scipio. After that they began to search their purses in order to bring forth the required payments they had to make. They all felt the pinch of the heavy toll they were being asked to pay but they were in a poor position to demand that it be reduced and getting what they wanted by force promised to be extremely difficult at best. They gathered the gold necessary and, as instructed by The Gatekeeper, they placed it inside the portcullis and withdrew a respectful distance away. A few moments later, the bags seemed to lift from the floor of the passage of their own accord and drift into the darkness beyond. A door was heard to slam and a few minutes passed while the gold was presumed to have been counted. At last The Gatekeeper spoke.
“Your passage has been duly purchased and you will shortly be free to go on your way. Before you do, I have another proposition for you, by which you could replenish much of the coin that you have just parted with.”
Marius perked up at this suggestion, “We await your proposal.”
“There are caverns nearby that house a group of slavers with whom we occasionally have dealings. They are despicable creatures who trade in the lives and misery of others. We have determined that we no longer desire to have them as our neighbors and would be willing to pay well for their demise. These creatures are called the Neoghi in their own tongue and among their slaves are these hulking, insectoid beasts known as Umber Hulks. We would pay a bounty of 500 pieces of gold for the head of each Neoghi that you can hunt down and an additional 200 for the head of any of the Umber Hulks. The toll for passage into the caverns that lead to their realm would of course be waived.”
The party conferred for a few moments at this offer. All of them now had a need for coin and Marcus, having previously stated a preference for leaving a wide trail of slain evil beings in his wake, noted that these ‘Neoghi’ and their insect horrors would work fine in that capacity, seemed enthusiastic about this side jaunt. The remainder of the group was less eager to deviate from their path however and now that they finally had some confirmation that they were on the trail of Ilrath and his party, they wished to press forward with all haste.
“I’m afraid that we must decline your generous offer, Gatekeeper. Perhaps another time.”
“I cannot promise that these bounties will remain unclaimed for long. But if you have a change of heart, please return and we will be happy to offer you the job at a later time. You may now approach the portcullis and should proceed through the door to your right as you enter the chamber within. Follow this down, then along a lengthy corridor, up a set of stairs and out of the gate at the other end.”
The group did as he instructed and concluded that they had very likely passed entirely beneath the city of Do-kun Ghul. They emerged into the passage beyond to find it almost identical to the one that they had been following for what may or may not have been approximately three days. They gazed back, almost longingly at the wall and gate of Do-kun Ghul before they turned and began to make their way up the tunnel. It seemed to go on and on and on.
NEXT: Enwebbed
On and on and on went the tunnel. Its course was not perfectly straight but it did not curve appreciably up nor down nor left nor right. It just shot off into the darkness, always the same width, always the same height, always appearing just at the edge of their torchlight and receding behind them into the darkness.
They had begun to lose track of time. They walked until they tired. They ate when they were hungry. They slept until they awoke. Marcus prayed when it seemed like it might be time.
At a time that may or may not have been approximately three days from when they started up the tunnel, the monotony was broken as a wall appeared before them out of the darkness. Lazarius gasped, not in shock or horror, but simply out of surprise that this wall would have the utter temerity to break the monolithic monotony of this seemingly never ending passage. This upstart wall did at least have the politeness to contain an opening barred by a portcullis, allowing at least the potential that the passage might continue beyond. Lazarius raised an eyebrow and reach his hand into his purse to withdraw one of the strange gold coins they had found amongst the Scorpion Folk. There upon the coin was stamped a wall, set in a circle, boasting a portcullis. It looked remarkably similar to the view ahead of him, excepting the fact that the wall and portcullis were not made of gold. Pity that.
Before the group could do more than close ranks a bit, a voice came from an indeterminate point ahead of them. It spoke in accented Fodoran, “Your presence has been noted. Unless we are mistaken, you have never before been here. We are very rarely mistaken.”
The party exchanged glances for a moment or two before Marius stepped forward and replied in his own (differently) accented Fodoran, “Um, yeah. We’re new here.”
“Indeed. The information you are about to receive will be the last that is bestowed upon you without cost: You have arrived at the great city of Do-kun Ghul. We buy things and sell things. Among these things are information, passage, provisions and protection. If you do not wish to buy or sell any of these things at the present, you are invited to remain camped outside the entrance for the price of 50 pieces of gold for each period that we determine to be equal to a surface day. If you cannot or will not pay this fee, you are invited to retreat back the way you came a distance that you can travel in the course of approximately one surface day. You are not to vandalize, collapse, or otherwise deface or compromise the integrity of the tunnel through which you have the privilege to pass. Any violation of these edicts will result in the cessation of any trade with our city and may result in our ending said violation through the use of physical force. I hope I have made myself clear, however any misunderstanding of these rules on your part does not make you any less bound by them. I await any reply or request you may have.”
The party looked back and forth amongst the group with more eyebrows raised than not. While they were pleased to meet someone who was not bent on their immediate destruction for a change, they were not used to such formal rules. Marius assured them however that he was trained in making contact with strange cultures and negotiating with them. He stepped to the fore and addressed this mysterious voice, “Greetings, I am Marius Flavius of Emor. I am pleased to make your acquaintance. May I enquire as to your name?”
“Greetings to you as well, Marius Flavius of Emor. You may enquire as to my name. That particular piece of information will cost you only 200 pieces of gold. Until you pay said fee, you may refer to me as The Gatekeeper.”
Lazarius let out a somewhat derisive laugh, “Way to go, Marius. You told him your name for free.”
“Shut up, Lazarius!” barked Marius, loud enough for the Gatekeeper to hear. He returned his attention toward the gate as Lazarius frowned at having lost the potential to sell his identity to the Gatekeeper, “I’m content to call you The Gatekeeper for the time being. We are in search of a man from one of the tribes of the Fodor, a Brigante tribesman by the name of Ilrath. Has he passed this way?”
After a brief pause The Gatekeeper responded, “I am in possession of information pertaining to this individual. I am willing to part with all of it for the price of 500 gold coins.”
Marius consulted briefly with the rest of the group whereupon they decided that with their coins being so few and the information they desired being rather vast, they would rather not pay that fee at the moment. Instead they sought to enlarge their supply of coin first to better establish their bargaining position.
Marius extricated himself from his knot of companions, “Leaving aside the issue of our friend, Ilrath, I believe you said that you purchased information as well?”
“That is correct.”
“Then I believe that we may have some information of value to sell you. How much will you give us for it?”
“That, of course, depends entirely upon the nature of the information. I’m afraid that here we must enter the realm of trust. You must relay the information and I will place a value upon it and you will be paid accordingly. Or that value will be paid against any further costs you incur by way of purchase you make from us.”
Marius considered this matter for long enough for Marcus to step up to his side and bellow some low incantations as he used a simple spell to Detect whether those beyond the gate were Evil. He determined decisively a moment later that they were evil an instant before The Gatekeeper spoke loudly and leaving little doubt about his displeasure. “The price for whatever you next purchase from us has just doubled and I can assure you that these negotiations and your welcome here will come to an abrupt end if your companion directs any further magic at us or our gates again!”
Marius gave Marcus such a withering gaze that it would have sent a lesser man running. In a feat of ventriloquism seldom matched in human history, Marius told Marcus to “get back over there with the others” without moving his lips at all. His teeth never even parted. Before retreating to the rest of the group, Marcus leaned in close to the Imperial Explorer and whispered conspiratorially, “They’re Evil!”
“They’re the LEAST of your worries!” Marius said as he gave Marcus a firm shove on the shoulder to propel him in the direction opposite that from which the diplomacy was supposedly taking place. He then whipped back around in the direction of the gate, magically transforming from near-homicidal rage to smiles and sunshine in an immeasurably small period of time, “Pardon my friend. He is from a far distant land and is poorly schooled in the local manners and customs. Ahem, now as to the information we would like to sell…”
Marius proceeded to relate, in exquisite and exacting detail, everything they had learned about the Scorpion Folk, up to and including the fact that they had been killed, right down to the very last hatchling. A few moments passed in silence before The Gatekeeper replied.
“We are in possession of much of the information that you related already. However, the fact that the ‘scorpion folk’, as you call them, are no longer a force to be reckoned with is new information and is of interest to us. For this information, we offer the sum of 250 pieces of gold.”
Marius had no idea as to whether that price was fair but, not wishing to offer any further insult, he accepted this price and proceeded to make a couple of purchases. “We assume that Ilrath passed through your gates and proceeded on his journey. If he had not, we would have encountered him on our way here. We would like to know where he went after that and what lies in that direction.”
The Gatekeeper replied after only a short pause, “The direction in which he went we can sell you for the price of 200 pieces of gold. How complete do you wish the information to be regarding what lies in that direction?”
Marius was guessing that as much information as they had would cost them more than they wished to pay (and perhaps even more than they had to spend). “Just a general idea of what lies in that direction including any hazards.”
“Very well: Ilrath proceeded on to a passage that leads generally northward. In that direction lies the realm of the…Spider Folk. For this additional information we require gold in the amount of 200 pieces.”
“I see,” replied Marius, “and what will it cost us to access that same passage?”
“200 pieces of gold for each of you. The Wizard may bring his pet along at no additional charge but we require payment for the beast.”
All of their eyes turned to the hulking form of Scipio. After that they began to search their purses in order to bring forth the required payments they had to make. They all felt the pinch of the heavy toll they were being asked to pay but they were in a poor position to demand that it be reduced and getting what they wanted by force promised to be extremely difficult at best. They gathered the gold necessary and, as instructed by The Gatekeeper, they placed it inside the portcullis and withdrew a respectful distance away. A few moments later, the bags seemed to lift from the floor of the passage of their own accord and drift into the darkness beyond. A door was heard to slam and a few minutes passed while the gold was presumed to have been counted. At last The Gatekeeper spoke.
“Your passage has been duly purchased and you will shortly be free to go on your way. Before you do, I have another proposition for you, by which you could replenish much of the coin that you have just parted with.”
Marius perked up at this suggestion, “We await your proposal.”
“There are caverns nearby that house a group of slavers with whom we occasionally have dealings. They are despicable creatures who trade in the lives and misery of others. We have determined that we no longer desire to have them as our neighbors and would be willing to pay well for their demise. These creatures are called the Neoghi in their own tongue and among their slaves are these hulking, insectoid beasts known as Umber Hulks. We would pay a bounty of 500 pieces of gold for the head of each Neoghi that you can hunt down and an additional 200 for the head of any of the Umber Hulks. The toll for passage into the caverns that lead to their realm would of course be waived.”
The party conferred for a few moments at this offer. All of them now had a need for coin and Marcus, having previously stated a preference for leaving a wide trail of slain evil beings in his wake, noted that these ‘Neoghi’ and their insect horrors would work fine in that capacity, seemed enthusiastic about this side jaunt. The remainder of the group was less eager to deviate from their path however and now that they finally had some confirmation that they were on the trail of Ilrath and his party, they wished to press forward with all haste.
“I’m afraid that we must decline your generous offer, Gatekeeper. Perhaps another time.”
“I cannot promise that these bounties will remain unclaimed for long. But if you have a change of heart, please return and we will be happy to offer you the job at a later time. You may now approach the portcullis and should proceed through the door to your right as you enter the chamber within. Follow this down, then along a lengthy corridor, up a set of stairs and out of the gate at the other end.”
The group did as he instructed and concluded that they had very likely passed entirely beneath the city of Do-kun Ghul. They emerged into the passage beyond to find it almost identical to the one that they had been following for what may or may not have been approximately three days. They gazed back, almost longingly at the wall and gate of Do-kun Ghul before they turned and began to make their way up the tunnel. It seemed to go on and on and on.
NEXT: Enwebbed
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