Sagiro's Story Hour Returns (new thread started on 5/18/08)
- Thread starter Sagiro
- Start date
RangerWickett
Legend
Very glad to read the update, Sagiro, thank you. Might I suggest that, if the next hiatus is as long as this one was, that you preface the next section with a bit of recap.
Previously, on Dranko's Angels. . . .
Previously, on Dranko's Angels. . . .
RangerWickett
Legend
I just meant something like, "Stranded from their own timeline, in a fractured planar landscape, the party has traveled through several dimensions, finally finding a safe haven at an inn where people are nice." I know, I know, I'm just lazy.
Sagiro
Rodent of Uncertain Parentage
Sagiro’s Story Hour, Part 212
a startling resemblance
When the laughter has died down a bit, Dranko looks around and gestures toward the Slice map.
“It would good if we could get the Green Valley people here,” he muses.
“You’d just have to get them past the Storms…” begins Morningstar.
“…And the Orcish Hub,” adds Ernie.
“And the desert,” finishes Grey Wolf.
“Maybe Green Valley connects up through a Way we never found, and they could get here some other way,” says Ernie. He also points to the map, and they all consider it for a minute or two.
Gloriana clears her throat. “From the deranged babbling of someone who once came through the Chaos, we think it’s possible that this area connects up to the Demonic Slices. But we don’t know for certain.”
“I still think we’re destined for the Gate of No Return,” says Aravis, shaking his head.
Dranko perks up. “Which would mean we could be total jerks here… since the punishment would just be to kick us where we were headed anyway!”
After a beat of silence, Flicker says, “Dranko, the jokes are funnier when they’re at your expense.”
“We should stay here long enough to find out if anyone has seen an Eye of Moirel,” says Morningstar, studiously ignoring her betrothed.
“Do you know if it’s possible to teleport across Slices?” Kibi asks.
“It’s not,” says Mercury. “Most magics of all kinds don’t work across the Ways. Certainly transportations and divinations don’t. The only exception I can think of is summoning spells. But Gloriana thinks those will only get you a creature that’s in another Slice.”
The talk turns to ways in which the Company can provide magical support to the Eye of the Storm. Ernie explains about the iron heart spell, and Dranko offers to make some magical weapons and armor. Part way through this discussion, as Dranko is taking the opportunity to extol the virtues of Delioch, Gloriana rises suddenly and excuses herself. The Company looks after her, puzzled. Mercury looks down at the table and frowns.
“I apologize for her attitude,” he says, his voice somber. “The three of us were actually five when we arrived. We fought our way through the Demon Slices to get here ourselves, from a small Slice of our home world. It opened directly into a very Slice of the Abyss. Gloriana’s husband was a priest, of the God Oronthon. Where we come from there is only one God, and Oronthon is that one. The fifth of our number was named Fortilon, a mighty warrior. Only Aristus saw him die. He was taken by the Cleaners.”
Aristus shudders again.
“What do the Cleaners look like?” asks Dranko, oblivious to the gnome’s discomfort.
Mercury pauses, glances at his friend, then turns back to Dranko.
“I gather there are tentacles involved.”
“Riiiight,” says Dranko, thinking that’s all he really wants to know.
“Ugh!” adds Ernie.
“Gloriana was not always as… curt… as she is now, but I don’t hold it against her.”
The party understands.
While the Company doesn’t need healing, what with all the clerics, Mercury tells them that there is a powerful priestess currently at the Inn who has been serving as the medic. Her name is Medina.
“Anyone here diseased? Anything she can’t handle?” asks Dranko.
Mercury smiles. “There is very little she can’t handle in that regard, but we’ll consider your healers on call in an emergency. She doesn’t talk much about her experiences, but I believe that she came through the Chaos… though sane, unlike most others.”
A short, plump human woman comes bouncing out of the kitchen. “So, where’s the new cook?” she asks, looking from party member to party member. Ernie brightens and leaps to his feet.
“Ernie Roundhill, at your service!”
“My name’s Spinnizia. Come on, come on, come on!”
She takes Ernie’s hand and pretty much drags him into the kitchen, though it’s not like he struggles.
“Whatcha got on?” asks the halfling, sniffing the air. “Beef, potatoes, garlic…and sage… and…”
He screws up his face, thinking hard.
“One more, one more!” encourages Spinnizia.
“Chervil!” exclaims Ernie at last.
“Excellent!” Spinnizia beams. “I had one other cook who knew something, but he left with some others about a year ago.”
“I don’t know how long we’ll be staying, but I’d love to help however I can!”
Ernie’s like a pig in good-tasting slop. The kitchen is beautiful and well-stocked. He pokes his head out the door.
“I’m staying!”
The kitchen is also filled with kids of various ages, chopping and stirring and running errands. Only later does it occur to Ernie that has no idea how old any of them are, but that they’re all older than they look.
Since the moment the Company entered the Eye of the Storm, there’s been one fellow over in a corner of the commons who’s been watching them the whole time. That doesn’t make him stand out much from the others, since as the “new guys” everyone’s been taking an interest in them. The man is making no effort to hide the fact that he’s staring at the Company, and at Kibi in particular. He’s dressed entirely in black.
“Who’s that?” Grey Wolf asks Mercury.
“Ah. Omar. He’s what we like to call around here a ‘mystery man.’ Sometimes people come here but don’t want to talk about who they are, what they’ve done, where they’ve come from. But I tell you what, he’s a mean one with that rapier. He helped fend off the last incursion from the Demon Slices, two years ago. His skills are incredible. He stays, he does his work, and he keeps to himself. I’ve never had cause to complain.”
Kibi gets right to it. He walks straight over to Omar’s table, and in a good-natured sort of way remarks, “Hello. I noticed that you were staring at me. How do you do? I’m Kibilhathur Bimson. I take it you’re Omar?”
In a strange and exotic accent, translated in the now-expected time-delayed fashion, Omar stands and bows.
“Yes. It’s a pleasure.”
Omar looks wiry and well-muscled, and even his smaller movements have a fluid grace to them.
“I hear you did very well defending the Inn against the Demons,” continues Kibi affably.
“Yes, thank you. I do my best. And where are you from?”
“Well, it’s a long story, but we came through the Storm gate, and before that we were…”
“Have you been to the Slices of Demons?” Omar interrupts.
“No.”
“Are you certain of that?”
“Well, you think we’d have noticed. We’ve fought some big monsters, but I don’t think they were demons.”
“So, you have not been to the Demon Slices, you say.” Omar narrows his eyes a bit.
“Why, have you seen me there?” asks Kibi, chuckling.
“Yes and no.”
Thinking he’s talking about the multiple-versions-of-people theory that came up when Kay vanished, Kibi asks Omar if he’s seen her, and starts describing Kay. Omar soon interrupts the dwarf again.
“No, that’s not what I mean.”
Kibi is a bit taken aback, but Omar’s voice still sounds friendly, and he's still smiling.
“You were talking for a long time with Mercury, and Gloriana, and Aristus. They must be very curious about you,” Omar says, sitting back down.
“That’s because we came through the Storm Gate,” says Kibi. “I understand not many people do.”
“You have plans to stay or go? Do you know where you’re going to go?”
“No,” says Kibi truthfully.
“Ah.”
“You ask a lot of questions!”
“It’s because I am curious. You, in particular, make me curious.”
“Why is that?” asks Kibi.
“I don’t trust you yet enough to tell you. But there is definitely something about you that’s interesting. Tell me a bit more then about yourself and then maybe I share with you, eh?”
“Well, I’m a Dwarf,” begins Kibi.
“Yes, yes, I see that, but…”
“And here’s my familiar!”
“Yes… the pile of rocks.”
“Scree’s not just a pile of rocks. He’s my friend!”
Scree forms up loyally around Kibi’s feet.
“Ah, it’s good to have friends, yes?”
The others by this time have sauntered over to listen; Omar has noticed but seems unconcerned.
“Maybe you’d like to tell us why you think Kibi’s been to the Demon Slices,” says Dranko.
Omar looks the lot of them over. “Mercury seems to trust you. Aristus trusts you. I share with you then. First, I came from the Demon Slices.”
“From beyond them, you mean?” asks Dranko.
“Yes, of course. I was not in one, when my world was removed and brought here, but to get here I fought my way through them. I do not wish to discuss the details, but… I took some items from a demon. They carry around things they have taken from others. I have seen terrible things…”
He trails off for a second, but then rummages around in his pouch for a moment.
“In the belongings of the demon, I found this.”
He reaches into his pouch and puts something into Kibi’s hand. It is small but heavy, a stone statuette five inches high. Kibi looks at it and his eyes widen, as do the eyes of the rest of the Company.
Kibi is looking at a perfect likeness, carved in stone, of himself.
Grey Wolf is the first to speak: “Oh my god!" This is soon followed by a few seconds of general babbling, during which Kibi just stares at the figurine. He notes that as part of the statue, around the base, there’s a pile of rocks like Scree.
“How long have you had that, sir?” Dranko asks.
Having heard the excited babble, Ernie sticks his head out of the kitchen. “What just happened?”
“I’ve just been given a statue of myself and Scree,” says Kibi.
“I found that about … two and a half years ago, I would guess,” says Omar, answering Dranko’s question.
“We’ve only been here about two weeks,” says Kibi.
“So tell me then,” says Omar slyly, “why would a demon be carrying around a figurine of you?”
“I sure would like to know that!” exclaims Kibi. “Did you find any other statues, of me, or anyone else?”
Omar shakes his head.
Aravis speculates that perhaps this has to do with Kibi’s earlier summoning into another world, but Kibi claims not to have seen any demons there. Morningstar points out that the Company has been involved in an unusual number of prophecies, all things considered.
“Yes, but how would they know what I look like?” asks Kibi.
“Perhaps there is someone out there…” Omar waves. “…you should ask?”
“Hey, Aristus!” shouts Kibi. “Look what I was just given. Do you know anything about me? You said I looked familiar before…”
But it’s not ringing any more bells for the gnome, and though there’s lots of general speculation about Kibi’s statue, the conversation soon turns to other things. Delilah brings by another tray of drinks and winks and Aravis, who blushes.
It turns out there about a hundred people around the Inn at the moment, most of who stay in rooms, but some of whom prefer to camp outside. Despite the agreements Mercury, Aristus and Gloriana have with the Storms and the Formians, they prefer to keep good defenders around, particularly with the ever-present threat of demons. Dranko asks why iron grilles aren’t put up to block some of the Ways.
“I wouldn’t want to find out the hard way that the Cleaners consider that an obstruction,” says Mercury. “We err on the side of caution. Also, we get many folk who are fleeing from the Demon Slices. I would not want to keep them out.”
Ernie goes back to the kitchen and while discussing local produce learns that the weather doesn’t change much. There’s good farming, and frost only a couple of days out of the year. The peaches are especially good this time of year.
Dranko and Morningstar go off to find Medina and talk with her. The wizards head upstairs to find the wizard Chiswick. Ernie stays in the kitchen, to the overwhelming joy of Spinnizia, who can’t stop talking about cooking now that she has someone to talk about it with.
Hours later, they’re happily making brandy-peach pies.
…to be continued…
a startling resemblance
When the laughter has died down a bit, Dranko looks around and gestures toward the Slice map.
“It would good if we could get the Green Valley people here,” he muses.
“You’d just have to get them past the Storms…” begins Morningstar.
“…And the Orcish Hub,” adds Ernie.
“And the desert,” finishes Grey Wolf.
“Maybe Green Valley connects up through a Way we never found, and they could get here some other way,” says Ernie. He also points to the map, and they all consider it for a minute or two.
Gloriana clears her throat. “From the deranged babbling of someone who once came through the Chaos, we think it’s possible that this area connects up to the Demonic Slices. But we don’t know for certain.”
“I still think we’re destined for the Gate of No Return,” says Aravis, shaking his head.
Dranko perks up. “Which would mean we could be total jerks here… since the punishment would just be to kick us where we were headed anyway!”
After a beat of silence, Flicker says, “Dranko, the jokes are funnier when they’re at your expense.”
“We should stay here long enough to find out if anyone has seen an Eye of Moirel,” says Morningstar, studiously ignoring her betrothed.
“Do you know if it’s possible to teleport across Slices?” Kibi asks.
“It’s not,” says Mercury. “Most magics of all kinds don’t work across the Ways. Certainly transportations and divinations don’t. The only exception I can think of is summoning spells. But Gloriana thinks those will only get you a creature that’s in another Slice.”
The talk turns to ways in which the Company can provide magical support to the Eye of the Storm. Ernie explains about the iron heart spell, and Dranko offers to make some magical weapons and armor. Part way through this discussion, as Dranko is taking the opportunity to extol the virtues of Delioch, Gloriana rises suddenly and excuses herself. The Company looks after her, puzzled. Mercury looks down at the table and frowns.
“I apologize for her attitude,” he says, his voice somber. “The three of us were actually five when we arrived. We fought our way through the Demon Slices to get here ourselves, from a small Slice of our home world. It opened directly into a very Slice of the Abyss. Gloriana’s husband was a priest, of the God Oronthon. Where we come from there is only one God, and Oronthon is that one. The fifth of our number was named Fortilon, a mighty warrior. Only Aristus saw him die. He was taken by the Cleaners.”
Aristus shudders again.
“What do the Cleaners look like?” asks Dranko, oblivious to the gnome’s discomfort.
Mercury pauses, glances at his friend, then turns back to Dranko.
“I gather there are tentacles involved.”
“Riiiight,” says Dranko, thinking that’s all he really wants to know.
“Ugh!” adds Ernie.
“Gloriana was not always as… curt… as she is now, but I don’t hold it against her.”
The party understands.
While the Company doesn’t need healing, what with all the clerics, Mercury tells them that there is a powerful priestess currently at the Inn who has been serving as the medic. Her name is Medina.
“Anyone here diseased? Anything she can’t handle?” asks Dranko.
Mercury smiles. “There is very little she can’t handle in that regard, but we’ll consider your healers on call in an emergency. She doesn’t talk much about her experiences, but I believe that she came through the Chaos… though sane, unlike most others.”
A short, plump human woman comes bouncing out of the kitchen. “So, where’s the new cook?” she asks, looking from party member to party member. Ernie brightens and leaps to his feet.
“Ernie Roundhill, at your service!”
“My name’s Spinnizia. Come on, come on, come on!”
She takes Ernie’s hand and pretty much drags him into the kitchen, though it’s not like he struggles.
“Whatcha got on?” asks the halfling, sniffing the air. “Beef, potatoes, garlic…and sage… and…”
He screws up his face, thinking hard.
“One more, one more!” encourages Spinnizia.
“Chervil!” exclaims Ernie at last.
“Excellent!” Spinnizia beams. “I had one other cook who knew something, but he left with some others about a year ago.”
“I don’t know how long we’ll be staying, but I’d love to help however I can!”
Ernie’s like a pig in good-tasting slop. The kitchen is beautiful and well-stocked. He pokes his head out the door.
“I’m staying!”
The kitchen is also filled with kids of various ages, chopping and stirring and running errands. Only later does it occur to Ernie that has no idea how old any of them are, but that they’re all older than they look.
Since the moment the Company entered the Eye of the Storm, there’s been one fellow over in a corner of the commons who’s been watching them the whole time. That doesn’t make him stand out much from the others, since as the “new guys” everyone’s been taking an interest in them. The man is making no effort to hide the fact that he’s staring at the Company, and at Kibi in particular. He’s dressed entirely in black.
“Who’s that?” Grey Wolf asks Mercury.
“Ah. Omar. He’s what we like to call around here a ‘mystery man.’ Sometimes people come here but don’t want to talk about who they are, what they’ve done, where they’ve come from. But I tell you what, he’s a mean one with that rapier. He helped fend off the last incursion from the Demon Slices, two years ago. His skills are incredible. He stays, he does his work, and he keeps to himself. I’ve never had cause to complain.”
Kibi gets right to it. He walks straight over to Omar’s table, and in a good-natured sort of way remarks, “Hello. I noticed that you were staring at me. How do you do? I’m Kibilhathur Bimson. I take it you’re Omar?”
In a strange and exotic accent, translated in the now-expected time-delayed fashion, Omar stands and bows.
“Yes. It’s a pleasure.”
Omar looks wiry and well-muscled, and even his smaller movements have a fluid grace to them.
“I hear you did very well defending the Inn against the Demons,” continues Kibi affably.
“Yes, thank you. I do my best. And where are you from?”
“Well, it’s a long story, but we came through the Storm gate, and before that we were…”
“Have you been to the Slices of Demons?” Omar interrupts.
“No.”
“Are you certain of that?”
“Well, you think we’d have noticed. We’ve fought some big monsters, but I don’t think they were demons.”
“So, you have not been to the Demon Slices, you say.” Omar narrows his eyes a bit.
“Why, have you seen me there?” asks Kibi, chuckling.
“Yes and no.”
Thinking he’s talking about the multiple-versions-of-people theory that came up when Kay vanished, Kibi asks Omar if he’s seen her, and starts describing Kay. Omar soon interrupts the dwarf again.
“No, that’s not what I mean.”
Kibi is a bit taken aback, but Omar’s voice still sounds friendly, and he's still smiling.
“You were talking for a long time with Mercury, and Gloriana, and Aristus. They must be very curious about you,” Omar says, sitting back down.
“That’s because we came through the Storm Gate,” says Kibi. “I understand not many people do.”
“You have plans to stay or go? Do you know where you’re going to go?”
“No,” says Kibi truthfully.
“Ah.”
“You ask a lot of questions!”
“It’s because I am curious. You, in particular, make me curious.”
“Why is that?” asks Kibi.
“I don’t trust you yet enough to tell you. But there is definitely something about you that’s interesting. Tell me a bit more then about yourself and then maybe I share with you, eh?”
“Well, I’m a Dwarf,” begins Kibi.
“Yes, yes, I see that, but…”
“And here’s my familiar!”
“Yes… the pile of rocks.”
“Scree’s not just a pile of rocks. He’s my friend!”
Scree forms up loyally around Kibi’s feet.
“Ah, it’s good to have friends, yes?”
The others by this time have sauntered over to listen; Omar has noticed but seems unconcerned.
“Maybe you’d like to tell us why you think Kibi’s been to the Demon Slices,” says Dranko.
Omar looks the lot of them over. “Mercury seems to trust you. Aristus trusts you. I share with you then. First, I came from the Demon Slices.”
“From beyond them, you mean?” asks Dranko.
“Yes, of course. I was not in one, when my world was removed and brought here, but to get here I fought my way through them. I do not wish to discuss the details, but… I took some items from a demon. They carry around things they have taken from others. I have seen terrible things…”
He trails off for a second, but then rummages around in his pouch for a moment.
“In the belongings of the demon, I found this.”
He reaches into his pouch and puts something into Kibi’s hand. It is small but heavy, a stone statuette five inches high. Kibi looks at it and his eyes widen, as do the eyes of the rest of the Company.
Kibi is looking at a perfect likeness, carved in stone, of himself.
Grey Wolf is the first to speak: “Oh my god!" This is soon followed by a few seconds of general babbling, during which Kibi just stares at the figurine. He notes that as part of the statue, around the base, there’s a pile of rocks like Scree.
“How long have you had that, sir?” Dranko asks.
Having heard the excited babble, Ernie sticks his head out of the kitchen. “What just happened?”
“I’ve just been given a statue of myself and Scree,” says Kibi.
“I found that about … two and a half years ago, I would guess,” says Omar, answering Dranko’s question.
“We’ve only been here about two weeks,” says Kibi.
“So tell me then,” says Omar slyly, “why would a demon be carrying around a figurine of you?”
“I sure would like to know that!” exclaims Kibi. “Did you find any other statues, of me, or anyone else?”
Omar shakes his head.
Aravis speculates that perhaps this has to do with Kibi’s earlier summoning into another world, but Kibi claims not to have seen any demons there. Morningstar points out that the Company has been involved in an unusual number of prophecies, all things considered.
“Yes, but how would they know what I look like?” asks Kibi.
“Perhaps there is someone out there…” Omar waves. “…you should ask?”
“Hey, Aristus!” shouts Kibi. “Look what I was just given. Do you know anything about me? You said I looked familiar before…”
But it’s not ringing any more bells for the gnome, and though there’s lots of general speculation about Kibi’s statue, the conversation soon turns to other things. Delilah brings by another tray of drinks and winks and Aravis, who blushes.
It turns out there about a hundred people around the Inn at the moment, most of who stay in rooms, but some of whom prefer to camp outside. Despite the agreements Mercury, Aristus and Gloriana have with the Storms and the Formians, they prefer to keep good defenders around, particularly with the ever-present threat of demons. Dranko asks why iron grilles aren’t put up to block some of the Ways.
“I wouldn’t want to find out the hard way that the Cleaners consider that an obstruction,” says Mercury. “We err on the side of caution. Also, we get many folk who are fleeing from the Demon Slices. I would not want to keep them out.”
Ernie goes back to the kitchen and while discussing local produce learns that the weather doesn’t change much. There’s good farming, and frost only a couple of days out of the year. The peaches are especially good this time of year.
Dranko and Morningstar go off to find Medina and talk with her. The wizards head upstairs to find the wizard Chiswick. Ernie stays in the kitchen, to the overwhelming joy of Spinnizia, who can’t stop talking about cooking now that she has someone to talk about it with.
Hours later, they’re happily making brandy-peach pies.
…to be continued…
Last edited:
Knightfall
World of Kulan DM
Sagiro said:
Hey, I know that god!
Got some cross pollinating of story hours here. Nice touch Sagiro!
Cheers!
KF72
Last edited:
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