The Realms of Enlightenment: The Grey Companions

[Jon Potter]

[Realms #267] The Great Goblin Hunt

While Ledare made her way back toward camp, Karak continued to watch the underbrush. He could neither see nor hear anything telling in the surrounding area. He grabbed the arrow sticking out of his side and jerked it free with a grunt. The ones in his left arm and leg followed and he tossed them into a pile before crouching to examine the ground.

"Well lads, I must say, I do believe one got away!" the dwarf grumbled loudly so that the others could hear his basso voice clearly. "If I know gobbos like I know gobbos, they'll be back an' in greater numbers, if they want'n to be."

He could see no identifiable tracks in the soil.

"They may even bring one o' their shamans too," he added and rose to his feet and started to move off in a likely direction. "I'm after 'im, though."

"What?" Morier shouted back, halting Karak momentarily in his tracks. "You should not travel into the night alone hunting goblins! Allow me a moment to put my armor on and I shall accompany you." The albino hefted his hauberk of fine steel scales.

"Aye, lad, I appreciate your gesture," the dwarf snorted. "But by the time you or I be armored the gobbo'll be gone. The time is now. Let's go if ye will. One gobbo can nae stop us. That be for sure."

Vade looked at Morier hastily scrambling into his armor with a little help from Ixin and then listened to the sound of Karak stomping off into the trees beyond the wall. He looked stricken but he called out bravely, "Okay! Maybe I... or someone borrowing the Invisibility Ring... could scout out the area to see if there are any remnants of the goblin crew that attacked us!"

There was a moment of silence, then Karak laughed in the distance. "Oi! Are ye nae a brave wee one!" he called. "But nae, lad. You stay here. Smashin' gobbo's be a dwarf's duty. Beside ye can nae see in the dark, and I can run a wee bit faster'n ye, lad. I be right back."

And with that, Karak trotted off.

"I think Karak is right. We need to find that extra gobbo if we can," Ixin asserted and called out to her owl who was perched on an overhead branch. "Marty, can you take a look from a higher vantage point? And keep an eye out for Karak as well when he goes to look." The owl hooted and took silently to the air.

"Ixin. Would you come with me to follow Karak?" Morier asked the mage as they struggled together with his armor. "Your connection to your familiar could provide us with an aerial perspective. And I'm assuming that the sound of a dwarf trudging through the woods will be sort of easy to follow."

"I don't know..," Ixin hesitated, looking at Ledare for some guidance. The Janissary shrugged in response.

"I can't stop Karak from doing what he thinks he must," she said. "But I think rushing off into the forest unprepared is ill-advised."

"I'll go with him," Feln grunted and performed a running jump up and over the wall before anyone could stop him.

Ledare sighed and shook her head.



Karak wasn't having any luck uncovering the trail of the fleeing goblin, but he didn't give up hope. He knew that, while the green-skins were faster than the average dwarf, Karak had spent a goodly part of his youth running in the wilds and could easily outpace even the fastest of his kin when free of the fetters of his armor. He also knew that if the gobbo were trying to move undetected - which the sneaky bastard was clearly doing - then it wouldn't be moving all that fast to begin with. So he pressed on, beating the underbrush with his waraxe to flush the gobbo out of hiding.



"Why would goblins attack us?" Ixin wondered aloud as she worked at one of the straps on Morier's scalemail. "Could they be part of the guard for this particular portal?"

"They're goblins," Vade said by way of explanation. "That's just the way they are."

Morier clucked his tongue. "It's possible for individuals to transcend the stereotypical morality of their race," the albino argued and something about the way he said it made the others think that he'd probably given the subject a good deal of previous thought. "No one is bound to align themselves with the ethics of their ancestors."

"Morier's right," Ledare agreed. "Plenty of goblins live peacefully in Barnacus. I think that the owner of The Crossroads Inn is a goblin and there's been no trouble with him that I'm aware of. He even took a human wife."

Vade shrugged. Most of what he knew about goblins he'd learned from Dairgren back in Thumble, and the retired adventurer hadn't spoken highly of the creatures.

"I wonder if the goblins work for the apprentice?" Ixin continued to wonder. "Perhaps they are mutated? They seem smarter than the goblins of my own land."

"They used good tactics," Ledare nodded. "We could learn a bit from them in that regard."

"I miss my rollicking adventures with my brothers in the meadows just south of here... a few days," Vade said with a wistful smile. "If we get through this, can we please go visit my home town of Thumble? I miss my Mama and Papa. And my brothers and cousins. And Cora and Miss Calwee. And Perythea's pies and..."



Karak thought that he'd been heard some movement in the underbrush - stealthy creeping such as a sneaky gobbo might do. So Karak had done a little stealthy creeping of his own and moved toward the sound as silent as a dwarf walking very quietly on his tippy toes. That is to say, not very quietly at all. He had no training in it and very little patience for skulking about in shadows when there was an enemy that could be met with a swinging axe. Still, despite his rather guileless approach to the time-honored skills of moving silently and hiding in shadows, the environment was on his side with little light, clattering branches overhead, soft loam underfoot, and the incessant hooting of an owl in a tree up ahead.

Mokar, jabaj-net of the Habozargar clan, never heard him coming.



'I can't believe I am even thinking that we should explore the secret door," Vade said and gave a shiver. "Underground... eww!"

"I can't believe you are suggesting it either," Ixin said, tugging one of Morier's last straps into place. "That could get us trapped underground and we have no clear reason for exploring there anyway."

"I think our immediate goal was to get to Myth Drannor," Morier said securing the last of his straps and grabbing his greatsword. "We're getting sidetracked by this secret tunnel."

"But there could be-" Vade started to say and Ixin held up a hand.

"Martivir is agitated," she said, a look of concentration on her face. "I think he found the missing goblin. That way!" She pointed off into the trees and Morier took her by the wrist as they raced toward the wall. Vade went to follow and Ledare grabbed him by the shoulder.

"We should stay here to guard the camp," the Janissary said. "They might be trying to lure us all away and leave our gear lying here unprotected."



The sound of the hooting owl was beginning to grate on Karak's nerves, and he gritted his teeth together so loudly that Mokar, squatting in the bushes five feet away jerked his head in that direction. A yellowed grin split the goblin's mean little face as he drew his matched daggers and eyed the dwarf's broad back.

The bearded creature wasn't Mokar's favored prey, human, but he would still enjoy the opportunity to slide his blades between the thing's ribs and watch it bleed its life away into the forest floor. He would skin his kill and bring dwarf meat back to the clanhome. His kublaj-zenkal, Herruk, would be pleased as would Sheesak, the zenkal. His place of honor within the clan would be assured and they would sing his praises around the firepits!

He thought this right up until the instant the shuriken struck him in the small of the back, severing his spine roughly a hand-width above his weapon belt. At that moment, his dreams of stabbing his way up the clan hierarchy died in a wave of pain. He let out a gurgle of pain and fell forward, slumping to the ground at Karak's feet. The dwarf looked down and casually split open the goblin's head with his axe just as Feln dropped down from a nearby tree.

"Oi!" the dwarf grunted at the half-orc. "How'n did ye spot that wee goobo? He was hid well enough from my eyes!"

Feln pointed to the branches overhead where Martivir was perched, regarding the dwarf with its big round eyes. "The owl's been trying to get your attention," the martial artist pointed out before turning to head back to their camp. "And I count two kills for me to your one. Perhaps you were just lucky last time we fought."

"Lucky!?" Karak roared, starting after the martial artist. "I'm ready for a rematch whenever ye like! We'll see who's lucky!"

 

[Hairy Minotaur]

"They're goblins," Vade said by way of explanation. "That's just the way they are."

Morier clucked his tongue. "It's possible for individuals to transcend the stereotypical morality of their race," the albino argued and something about the way he said it made the others think that he'd probably given the subject a good deal of previous thought. "No one is bound to align themselves with the ethics of their ancestors."

"Morier's right," Ledare agreed. "Plenty of goblins live peacefully in Barnacus. I think that the owner of The Crossroads Inn is a goblin and there's been no trouble with him that I'm aware of. He even took a human wife."

Vade shrugged. Most of what he knew about goblins he'd learned from Dairgren back in Thumble, and the retired adventurer hadn't spoken highly of the creatures.

No, I think Vade got it right

You used Hamlet of Thumble as well? Do tell...............

 

[Jon Potter]

No, I think Vade got it right

You used Hamlet of Thumble as well? Do tell...............

So far, it's just background info.

Vade's player (Mark) has been making up tales of the halfling's past since before the character was introduced and has been pining for a trip home to see his family. He wanted a community of halflings and I won the copy of The Hamlet of Thumble from Ed Cha (autographed even!).

It seemed a natural fit.

Of course, I'll have to expand the Hamlet to accommodate the Vadenhuffer clan, and the party's much too experienced to be challenged by the Yappies, but it should be an interesting experience, none the less. You can be sure that, should they give in to Vade's incessant pleading and visit the halfling community, you'll hear about it here.

And I'm still waiting to find out what happens with Tharhack in Oester!

 

[Hairy Minotaur]

Do you have Village of Oester as well?

 

[Jon Potter]

Do you have Village of Oester as well?

Not yet. But if it lives up to Thumble, I may just have to get it.

 

[Jon Potter]

[Realms #268] The Great Debate

Morier and Ixin met up with Karak and Feln as the latter two returned from their search and destroy mission. The dwarf and half-orc were arguing in hushed tones that would occasionally flair into near shouting. Most of the shouting came from Karak.

"Did you find the last goblin?" Morier asked at once and Feln nodded.

"The owl found it. I killed it," the half orc explained.

"Ye do nae get to count one runt gobbo that I was just about to squish between me axe and a rock," Karak protested loudly.

"It was my kill," Feln replied softly.

"Nae! That be unfair," the dwarf argued. "But I'll be keepin' an eye on your count, that be for sure!"

"It was my kill," Feln muttered again.

"What happened exactly?" Ixin asked and they recounted the goblin's quick demise. There was some dispute over whether the shuriken sneak attack or the waraxe coup de grace had done the creature in.

"It was still twitchin' when I split its head! But that was a nifty bit of throwin' with those forged disks, though," Karak admitted, pointing at the half-orc with his gore-smeared waraxe. "Might nice work those things. I bet ye a dwarf made those, eh?" Feln merely shrugged in response.

"Let's get back to camp," Morier suggested and the others agreed.



They recounted the tale again for Ledare and Vade once they'd all safely returned to their campsite. Ledare listened politely as she cleaned Ravager's blade with a torn bit of goblin-cloak. Watching her work, Karak raised his waraxe and glowered at the blade critically.

"Well, it'n be a long long time since ye tasted gobbo blood, eh?" he said to the weapon. "I figurin' it be nigh time I bless ye an' clean ye up."

He went and rummaged noisily through his pack until he produced a bundle of tools for the care of arms and armor. He stuffed this under his arm and trundled over to confront Feln. "I dare say, lad, ye understand I hold ye no personal grudge, see'n as how ye can nae help how ye been born or who ye been born to," Karak said, sneering in disgust at Feln's orcish features despite his best attempts to be diplomatic. "Plus ye 'n' me fought and that makes it a'right for us to travel together. But ye see, I have to clean and bless this 'ere axe from tastin' the goblin blood, and whilst I do that the axe can nae see orc blood too. You be gettin' me meaning?"

Feln glowered down at the dwarf, but said nothing.

"I'll just have to ask ye to stand over here for a spell, won't ye, good lad?" Karak asked and then headed off for the far side of the clearing without waiting for an answer.

Vade edged up to Feln's side and said, "That's just how dwarf's are, buddy. Don't let it bother you too much." The half-orc grunted and laid a hand on Vade's slim shoulder.



"I like exploring as much as the next orc but I think we need to take a moment and decide what our priority is," Feln growled as they huddled around a small fire while Karak tended his gear in private. They were - temporarily at least - unwilling to succumb to sleep and risk another goblin attack. Vade had again raised the subject of the secret tunnel and the debate over how to proceed raged again.

"No secret tunnels!" Ixin asserted with a stern shake of her head. Her stunted wings spread wide, casting a monstrous shadow on the crumbling wall behind her. "On to Myth Drannor!"

"Amen to that," Morier groaned. He traced lightning bolts in the dirt with one pale finger.

"And just what will we do once we get there?" Ledare asked. She took a sip from a waterskin and waited for an answer that Ixin didn't have.

"We need to stay on the trail while our leads our fresh," Feln offered.

"Going into the secret area could be a good idea," Vade said with a shrug. "Somebody went to a lot of trouble to hide it."

"We are in good health," Feln told the halfling and poked purposefully at the glowing coals. "A trip underground may cost us that advantage or even cost us a party member."

"We'd have to be extra careful, of course," Vade said brightly. "If it was worth hiding, it is worth investigating." There was a glimmer in his eye that might have been the gleam of imagined gold, but Feln quickly snuffed it out.

"These woods are difficult enough without worrying about a wounded comrade!" the hal-orc growled.

"Oi!" Karak chuckled as he tramped back to the group. "If you'n don't all be a bunch of sallies!"

"Sallies?" Ledare asked and Karak nodded, planting the haft of his axe at the fire's edge and resting his arms across the weapon's great blade.

"That be what we call little dwarven girls back in the delve," he explained with a snort. "What? You all scared of a little tunnel? Why, I was runnin' down tunnels like that'n when I was but a wee one - gettin' rid o' all sorts o' filth: goblins, skaven, trolls, an' orcs." Looking up at Feln, he added, "Ummm... Sorry about that last reference, orc-blood."

Feln said nothing, but turned pointedly back to stare into the fire.

"Let's nae be afraid of a little dark tunnel," Karak went on after an awkward pause. "I mean ye have a dwarf with ye, and a tunnel. I mean ye can see that be nae problem!"

"We're not all like you. I don't like it underground," Vade said and Karak harrumphed.

"Now for the white skinned elf, I can understand it for the forest be his trompin' ground. And for you woman folk, I can understand it too - you all not bein' dwarvenkind an' all," the dwarf continued. "But Vade and Feln, ye two can nae be afraid of no tunnel, now can ye?"

Again Feln was silent, but this time, Vade filled the uncomfortable pause. "I... Well, I am a little afraid of the dark," he said and eased up to Karak's side. He held out his little hand and with a grin asked, "Will you hold my hand? Ha ha! Just kidding..."

The dwarf scowled down at the halfling and Vade swallowed audibly. "Uhhh... I will have my weapon ready, instead!" he said quickly. "Yeah. That is it!"

"We're kind of just ambling along to Myth Drannor without really knowing what we'll do there anyhow." Ledare spoke up. "I think it would make sense to explore these caves."

Flen nodded his head and added, "These portals are just as important to our mission as anything else and there has to be some tie between these altars and the portals. The more we know about the portals the better."

"Aye, lad!" Karak cheered. "That be the spirit!"

"Allright, Karak, I think we can take some time to explore this dungeon," the half-orc said and rose lithely to his feet. "But I propose we move now, not after sleep. I don't want to deal with another gobbo raid."

Ixin sighed and got up from the ground. "What say you, Morier? This goes against my better judgement, but I can't have this dwarf thinking me a sally."

Morier rose to stand beside Ixin and nodded grimly.

"Sally," Vade said, letting the word roll around on his tongue. "That is a pretty name. I like that for you, Ixin. What do you think, Kitten?"

Ledare stood and sheathed Ravager with a single lightning quick motion. "There are no Sallies here," she said regarding Karak archly.

"Aye! That be plain enough!" the dwarf guffawed and thumped her on the back. "Here be what I propose. Me an' Vade up front. Vade checkin' for traps. Ixin an' Morier in the middle for sorcery, And Ledare and Feln in the rear."

"Vade, remember to keep your ring on and be ready to climb the walls if trouble arrives," Feln offered and the halfling looked skeptically at the Ring of Invisibility.

"Well..." he muttered. "It's not really my ring. It's Ledare's and-"

"Keep the ring, Vade," the Janissary said with a wave of her hand. "I've never used it to its full advantage. Sneaking around lightly and being devious isn't first nature to me. You're a much better man for that job! Consider it a gift." With a wink she added, "But keep your hands off my other stuff."

Despite her light-hearted warning, Vade threw his arms around Ledare's knees and pressed his face against her thigh. "Thank you, Kitten!" he exclaimed. "That was the nicest thing you have ever said to me."

Karak harrumphed again and produced the Wand of Regeneration from amongst his gear. "Now any o' ye want me to whack ye with this 'ere magic stick?" he asked, thumping it against his palm in an almost threatening gesture. "It'n must be ye all be hangin' out too long with faeries an' ye need a real fighter to hit ye with this 'ere magic stick."

He grinned at the prospect of distributing some healing.

 

[Jon Potter]

No one took the dwarf up on the offer to be healed, choosing to conserve their resources until they were truly needed. Instead, Karak and Ledare tended to everybody's wounds using what little first aid they remembered from their warrior training. Karak's application of healing salve from a small flask that his brother had given to him seemed to work wonders on the relatively minor injuries.

"A night's rest'll do everyone a dragon's hoard o' good," Karak announced as he carefully wiped the metal flask dry and returned it to his pack. Before it disappeared, however, the dwarf planted a kiss on its side and muttered, "Thank ye, chalak. Seems yer Queenies' holy water's good fer somethin' after all."

"I agree," Morier admitted. "Without some uninterrupted rest, I won't be able to regain my spells."

Karak harrumphed. "Can't ye jus' read em outta yer fancy wizardin' book, come morning?"

"It doesn't work like that," Morier said, shaking his head. He pressed his lithe hand against his chest. "The magic comes from in here, not from a book. But I still need to rest or the spells don't... recharge, I guess is the best word for it."

Ixin, who's magic was also inherent to her very nature, had always assumed that her draconis fundamentum was the source of her own spell-casting abilities. It was the gland responsible for elemental resistance and the wellspring of a dragon's breath weapon, so it made sense that it would also allow her to channel arcane energies. That had been Dwardolin's assertion, at any rate. The Hibernian had spent a man's lifetime studying draconic lore, and he gave a great deal more thought to the whys of a dragon's abilities than a true dragon ever did.

Ixin was quite certain that Morier possessed no draconis fundamentum, but she supposed he might have some other organ in his chest that gave him magical powers.

"I could use some more rest too," she said. "Especially if we're sticking with the same watch rotations."

"Fine," Feln huffed and stalked off into the shadows. "We'll go in the morning."

"I hope the goblins don't come back," Vade said before activating the Ring of Invisibility. What he did after that was anyone's guess.

Waterday the 20th of Wealsun, 1269 AE​

The day dawned gray and damp. It didn't actually rain on the group as they went about their routine, but the humidity in the air soon made it a hot, sweaty morning.

"Oi, Morier!" Karak called after he and Ledare had finished strapping on his full plate armor. "I'm gonna venture down that secret tunnel a bit an' I want ye at the tunnel entrance for backup. Ye can see in the dark, can ye nae?"

"I can," Morier replied. "But I-"

"Good lad!" Karak cut him off thumping the albino solidly on the back. "So I'll head out the standard tactical distance - about ten paces, that be - so's to keep ye in range o' me darkvision and me in range o' yers. From there I'll see what me dwarven eyes can see about the tunnel."

The dwarf started to head for the hole with his waraxe ready, but Morier grabbed a hold of his gorget as he went and drew him up short. (No pun intended.) "I still think that we should not be distracted by this tunnel. Our goal is to get to Myth Drannor, and a spelunking mission to search for treasure only sidetracks us from that."

Karak harrumphed. "He who fears death invites it to visit," he grumbled meaningfully.

"What are you-" Morier started to ask, his face knotted with confusion.

"It means: don't worry too much. The worrying is usually worse than what you're worrying about," Vade answered. When everyone looked at him, including Karak, Vade shrugged. "My Papa used to say that all the time."

Karak gave a belly laugh that sent birds flying up from the trees nearby. "Yer dad be a wise one, fer a halfling!" he roared and Morier threw up his hands.

"Fine," the eldritch warrior sighed. "But mark my words: nothing good ever lived in a cave."

"My grandmother lives in a cave," Ixin muttered as Karak climbed into the tunnel.



He returned a few minutes later with a report.

"The tunnel only goes in one direction - into the hills that way," he said, pointing off away from the ruins. "Runs pretty straight, too. It slopes down some as it goes, but nothing too severe. Seems stable enough, but the air's pretty stale in there."

"Any sign of monsters?" Vade gulped and Karak shook his head.

"Just empty tunnel as far as the eye can see," the dwarf reassured. "We can walk two abreast. Me an' Vade in front. Then Morier 'n' Ixin. Ledare and Feln bring up the rear."

"Karak, you want me to wait outside the tunnel for a few minutes so you can try and get some extra kills?" Feln asked with a wry tone. "I mean, you already have me at the back of the line. I don't know what else to do; should I go blind-folded."

"Oi, Feln. That be funny," the dwarf said sarcastically. "O' course, ye could always take the front, so ye disappear down a hole or become a pin cushion for an arrow trap. Then I get all the kills."

"I think we'll stick with the current marching order," Ledare interceded. She gestured for Karak to re-enter the tunnel.

"Remember that we keep goin' to the right," Karak reminded tapping his finger to the right side of his helm. "So when presented with an option, we go to the right. That be the dwarven way. In a maze if ye always go right then eventually ye explore the whole place."

Unfortunately, they never got a chance to explore in the dwarven style.



The tunnel ran unwaveringly in one direction. The walls and ceiling and floor were always a constant distance from one another and despite seemingly interminable stops to search for any further hidden passages, they found nothing to break up the monotony of the tunnel. This particularly chafed on Feln, who was frustrated being at the rear anyway; if there had been an option to do so, he would surely have slipped off down a side passage to explore on his own.

They marched on, stopping at one point to eat a desolute meal in the wan glow of Vade's magical dagger before Karak announced a change. "We're slopin' up down, lads," he said excitedly. No one else noticed any change, but they were all thrilled when they finally noticed pale, gray light filtering down to them from somewhere ahead. Vade wanted to dash toward it, but Karak reminded him of their methodical plan and the halfling stayed on task as trap-spotter.

Eventually, they reached the end of the line; the tunnel opened into a slightly wider natural cave that had been carved everywhere with symbols of acorns and intertwining vines. The stonework was intricate and very old. One side of the cave was open to the outside, but overgrown with thick roots and brambles. Karak quickly cleared them with a few swings of his axe.

They stepped out onto a grass-covered ledge on the side of a steep hill. A huge briar bush claimed the side of the hill around and below the ledge apart from a narrow set of stone steps that led upward to the hill's top. It was darkening toward evening, and the sky above looked ready to shed rain at any moment.

"Well," Feln sneered. "That was both enlightening and exciting, Karak." The dwarf harrumphed and began stomping up the narrow steps.

At the top of the steep hill was a natural bower of oak trees surrounded by a verdant carpet of lush grass that seemed both wild and carefully manicured at the same time. Five cairns of piled stones were just visible nestled amidst the intergrown oaks.

"Oh ho!" Karak announced, pointing to the cairns with his axe. "The trip may yet be worth our trouble." He started forward and then stopped dead in his tracks.

The top of the hill presented a commanding view of the surrounding forest and the dwarf could clearly see the overgrown gleam of white stonework in the trees to the left of where he stood. It was miles away, to be sure, but the distance only reinforced the enormity of the ruin. An entire city, partially reclaimed by the forest, lay in ruins there. And in the center, surrounded by what appeared to be a hedgelike ring of thorns, was an unnaturally vivid tree with leaves so green that it made the surrounding plantlife seem drab by comparison.

 

[Jon Potter]

[Realms #270] The Path to Ruins

"I think we found Myth Drannor," Vade whispered at Karak's side.

"I think you may be right," Ixin replied as she stepped up to stand next to the halfling. Morier took a position beside her followed by Ledare and Feln.

"Has anyone ever heard of this place, or something like it?" Feln grunted. "Vade, surely you have heard a tale or two about a place as odd as this." The halfling shrugged, reluctantly tearing his eyes away from the verdant tree in the center of the ruins.

"I never came into these woods. No, sir!" the halfling told his friend. "I hear if someone straggles away from their party and the trees don't like you... Whooosh!!! They come and snatch you away and you are never heard from again!"

"That sounds a little far-fetched," Ledare argued but Morier disagreed.

"Sounds like the work of treants to me," the albino offered. "Malcolm told me that there were a few of them active in the old woods of the Realms. I've never seen one myself, but that sounds like what Vade is describing."

"Does that sound familiar, Vade?" Ixin asked and Vade scratched his head.

"I always just thought that the trees snatched up stragglers," he told them. "At least that is what Mama told us boys when we were traveling just outside the forest. Anyway, you won't catch me alone in these woods! No, sir."

"I think it would be better if we stayed close to each other," Feln said with a firm nod. His calculating eyes surveyed the flat meadow on which they stood, paying particularly close attention to the shadowy bower and the cairns within. "There could be any number of evils stalking this... shrine. If that is what it is."

"We should examine the cairns an' determine their maker," Karak said, turning to survey the sheltered area beneath the oak trees.

Ledare looked up at the sky and frowned. "We haven't much daylight left," she told them. "We should stop for the night here. It seems like a sensible place to be - high enough to watch the surrounding area for anything that might approach, with an eye kept on the tunnel we just exited."

"Aye," Karak nodded. "A goodly plan."

"I say we set our watch schedule as before, with additional consideration for those who did not sleep much," Ledare went on, nodding at Morier and Karak. "No fire. We're too exposed here."

"Let's explore this area first," Ixin suggested and Ledare nodded in agreement.

"At the very least, we ought to examine the tree prior to pitching camp around it," the Janissary told them. She looked at Vade and gestured for him to go search the area.

"Me?" Vade gulped. "Go first? It's not really my job to go first, Kitten. I'm here to tell you stories and keep your stuff safe and make sure people like us."

"Then go and make nice with those trees over there," Ledare advised. "Make sure that they like us."

Vade gulped and proceeded forward.

"Hey trees, we are the good guys," the halfling called as he edged toward the bower. "I think we need to get to Myth Drannor... for some reason that I can't remember right now." He chuckled. and stopped at the edge of the group of inter-grown trees. "I'm not the brains of the party; I just am along for the ride and to save the world like Roland, Roland Roland. Deconik, Brinn-Toth and Roland!"

There was no response from the trees to his singing. And he shot a glance back over his shoulder at the other members of the VQS before ducking beneath a low-hanging branch and stepping into the cool darkness of the bower. There was an almost hallowed sanctity to the place. Sounds seemed muted and the shadows within cast the area into sudden twilight. The air smelled sweet. Branches overhead creaked rhythmically in the breeze.

"Any way, it would really be nice of you if you could lead us to a really nice path. We have a lot of elves in the party and I think you guys like elves... right?" the halfling went on. "Can you talk? I have heard of trees that can talk. I know you can move, but talking would be really cool."

He examined the cairns as he waited for a response, his eyes squinting in the half-light. They were all roughly the same, being oblong, composed of well-rounded river rocks, and capped with a slab of smooth white stone. A lace of ivy grew over two adjacent cairns. Honeysuckle was creeping over another and accounted for the sweet scent in the air. The three most heavily-shaded were green with moss. If there had ever been any markings on the stones, they were long-ago erased by the passing of the seasons.

"I really like trees and I find them helpful," Vade continued after it became apparent that he wasn't going to get any response form the oaks. As he spoke, he moved around the edge of the bower, looking for anything of interest in the cairns. "One time my brother Trey and I sto...I mean 'accidently ate' my brother, Duece's, dillenberry pie that my Aunt Pery made for him. He was so mad! We out ran him and hid up in our favorite tree. It must have been 100 feet tall! Not as big as your friends out in the forest, but a really nice tree. We stayed there at least three hours until it was after dinner. We knew Duece would not be as mad if he wasn't hungry."

Vade chuckled nervously. He'd completely circumnavigated the area and found nothing of inordinate importance. He shrugged and ducked back outside the area, waving as he went. "Bye!" he said. "Nice talking to you."

"Did you find anything?" Ledare asked and Vade shook his head.

"Not really," he admitted. "But the trees are very good listeners."

Karak harrumphed and stalked over to find a good place to make camp.

"I think it's going to rain," Morier noted as he sniffed the air. And he was right.



It started a few hours after sundown while he was on watch with Karak and continued throughout the night. Prior to that, the dwarf and the elf had spent their time on watch studying the distant cluster of fires they could see on another rocky hill some distance away. The flickering points of light were accompanied by the chaotic thumping of goblin war drums and the sound put Karak in a foul mood. The rain was really just the topper.

As the first fat drops of rain began to pelt down, the dwarf woke everyone and hustled them down into the dry cave. Morier lingered behind for a time, watching as Hubris and Garn-Zanuth traded lighting bolts and thunderclaps behind the dark clouds above, until he was soaked to the skin with rain.

Earthday, the 21st of Wealsun, 1269 AE​

​

The rain slowed to a drizzle by daybreak, but gave no sign of stopping, so the party decided to head out despite the weather. Likewise, they chose to descend the rocky hill rather than return to the forest floor via the tunnel. This decision presented another interesting problem: none of them had any rope. Vade, of course, had no concern about the climb thanks to his magical footwear and Feln was nearly as good thanks to his own ability and the aid of the ring Ixin had found in the bug queen's lair. Karak had picked up some minor skills in his misspent youth, but Ixin, Morier and Ledare were completely untrained in the art of rock climbing.

In the end, the trip took several hours to get started thanks to the need for careful planning. They all stripped off their armor and redistributed it as best they could amongst various packs so that no one was overly encumbered during the climb. Ixin's Cloak of Many Pockets came in very handy in this regard as did her under-developed wings. She was able to use them to slowly lower herself to the forest floor by rapidly fluttering as she jumped from the hilltop.

The controlled fall was physically taxing but none the less exhilarating for she had always harbored a secret desire to soar unfettered through the heavens on powerful scaly wings. True, falling to the ground as lightly as a feather wasn't the same as thrusting oneself through the clouds, but the feeling of being unbound by the constraints lesser beings endured sent a thrill of pride through her draconic heart. The fatigue she felt upon landing was a small price to pay; she was able to put it out of her mind by dreaming of the day when her wings had developed enough to carry her up into the sky...

The others descended with painful slowness. Taking as much time as they needed, with Vade and Feln offering what aid they could to Morier and Ledare. Karak declined assistance, but it was all he could do to make it down on his own in one piece. Once they had gathered together at the bottom, they reassembled everyone's armor and ate a wet and uncomfortable lunch of trail rations.

"Let's have that bird o' yers fly o'erhead to act like a compass," Karak advised. "Like we did before."

Ixin nodded, offering Martivir a morsel of food before tossing him into the rain. "Lead us to the ruins," she called as the owl took wing.

Feln headed into the trees without a word.

"Where are you going?" Ledare asked as she slung her shield over her shoulder.

"I will be right in your shadow," the half-orc told them before stepping into the trees. "I'll be just off the trail, keeping an eye for danger." And then he disappeared into the shadows.

"Give a yell if there's trouble," the Janissary called. "And don't stray too far from us. We don't need you getting lost again." There was no reply.

"Boy! Feln sure is brave," Vade said with an admiring sigh.

"Or foolish," Morier offered as he headed off after Ixin. "Let's go."



It was an hour before they came across a path. And during that time each and every one of them had to dodge falling deadwood or branches that whipped around in the wind. Both Ixin and Karak had close calls with the mishaps, but no one was injured. And to add insult to injury, the path ran perpendicular to the direction that Ixin kept indicating Martivir was following. They ignored the trail and continued toward their goal, and it was another hour before they crossed another path, one which ran almost directly in the direction that they needed to go.

"Should we take it?" Vade asked and then shouted, "Look out!!" as another bit of deadwood fell from above the group.

Everyone dove for cover, but the stout end struck Karak in the shoulder while the slender end cut a bloody scratch across Morier's cheek. The injuries were insignificant but unsettling; it was hard to deny the fact that the forest didn't seem to want them traipsing about.

"Let's take the path," Ixin suggested and they did, making much better time on the trail than they did through the trees. They were able to cover twice the distance in an hour's time than they had otherwise, and just as they were coming to a spot where the trail crossed a small stream, Ixin announced that Martivir was waiting at the ruins and that he was likely no more than another hour or two away.

It was at that point that Karak and Morier both fell into the concealed pit trap. The eldritch warrior was slightly in the lead, and although it was his weight that triggered the trap, he almost managed to snag the edge of the pit on the way down. Two hundred and fifty pounds of steel-plated dwarf slamming into the albino's back more or less prevented him from succeeding, however. They both landed in a clanging heap at the bottom of the pit.

"By Ibrahil's blade!" Ledare cursed as she watched her companions disappear into the earth.

"We've got other problems!" Ixin noted, pointing to the branches above. Hidden amidst the shadowy canopy of the trees overlooking the trail were a pair of shiny black spiders. They were the largest spiders that any of them - with the exceptions of Ledare and Morier - had ever seen. Each was easily as large as a warhorse.

"Flesssh! Flesssh!" they heard a hoarse croaking voice bellow some distance off the trail and they spotted a grotesque creature that looked to be partly man and partly spider jumping up and down excitedly. It had a soft, bloated torso and long, spindly limbs with a flat, utterly inhuman head complete with mandibles and glittering red eyes.

"Eewww!" Vade moaned, clutching Ledare's thigh. "What is that thing, Kitten?"

Ledare, of course, couldn't answer. She was staring up at the spiders, paralyzed by fear.

 

[Jon Potter]

[Realms #271] What a Tangled Web...

"Why the bloody hell do you call me kitten?" Ledare asked looking away from the spiders as if they bored her. She blinked at Vade and the halfling saw nothing recognizable in her eyes.

"Uuhh... I think something's wrong with Ledare," Vade announced and Ixin stepped between the Janissary and the pit edge.

"Take care of her!" the mage told Vade as she began to weave magic with her hands. She pointed at the spider-headed humanoid and shouted, "Magicus telum!" Two bolts of pure force arced from her fingertips and sizzled into the creature's right shoulder.

"You've got really nice breasts," Ledare told the drakeling, spinning Ixin around and pointing needlessly at the taller woman's chest. "Everyone thinks so."

"I could use your help up here, Morier!" Ixin shouted as she self-consciously pulled her cloak closed.

"If you can get Karak off of me, I might be of some use!" Morier yelled up to her even as the dwarf rolled to his feet.

"Quit yer complainin', elf!" Karak growled. "It was ye who stepped into this pit in the first place!"

The dwarf gripped his waraxe in both hands and swung it with all of his might at the spider that was creeping down the side of the pit. The blade crunched sickeningly through the exoskeleton on the spider's abdomen, releasing a gusher of milky gore. The spider shrieked in pain and sank its fangs into Karak's right arm. He gritted his teeth as he felt poison burn into his system.

"Ye'll hafta do better'n that' ta hurt a dwarf!" he grunted and, as if in answer to his challenge, the second spider dropped down into the floor of the pit and sank its own mandibles into Karak's left leg. Again, the dwarf's incredible fortitude kept the venom at bay.

Morier clambered to his feet, avoiding an opportunistic bite from the spider on the floor of the pit and drove his greatsword up and through the thorax of the spider on the wall. He pinned it momentarily to the side of the pit with his blade, and when he jerked the weapon free, it was clear that the creature was done. With more of its lifeblood painting its shell, the monstrous spider spasmed and fell to the ground.

"Food burnsss me," the spider-man hissed, looking at the two scorch marks that Ixin's Magic Missiles had left in its hide. It looked up momentarily at Ixin before turning quickly to look at Feln. The half-orc had been sneaking up on the thing's flank, but its keen senses alerted it to his approach. Seeing that stealth had served him little, the martial artist focused on the core of his strength, drawing forth a surge of power from within that fueled his body.

He closed the distance with the spider-man with a superhumanly fast charge. It tried to run, but it was no good; Feln was almost twice as quick as it was in a straight run. He spun his quarterstaff at his side as he came and struck a solid blow to its left arm. It hissed and whirled around unexpectedly. Feln bent sinuously backward to avoid its fangs. His quarterstaff came up and struck against the thing's arm a second time.

Vade tugged at Ledare's belt, drawing her away from the spider that was moving still in the pit. "My Uncle Havadag was crazy too, and we all learned how to deal with him," the halfling told Ledare. From her belt pouch, his nimble fingers produced the small vial he had purchased for her back in Hillville Junction. "Don't worry, Kitten. I know you are not crazy."

"This is bad," the half-elf answered. "Now I'm really going to have to eat all the leftover meat pies. I think there should be dancing."

"There should be drink too," Vade told her and handed Ledare the potion of Remove Fear. She smiled and tossed in back in a single gulp.

"I don't usually drink," she said, smacking her lips. "One time I- I-" She blinked as the magic took hold.

Ixin saw Feln engage the spider-man and stepped up to the edge of the pit. "Magicus telum!" she intoned again as her hands moved through the intricate gestures of the spell. She pointed down at the huge arachnid below her and two pulses of force slammed into its back.

It shrieked and jumped straight up onto the wall, easily avoiding Karak's blade as he brought it down to split the thing's head. The dwarf cursed, but Morier merely let go of his greatsword with one hand and mouthed a few words of power. An Electric Jolt sprang from his fingers. His intent was to strike the spider, but in his haste he missed badly.

Karak jumped as the spark landed on his helm.

"Sorry," the albino apologized even as he watched the spider scurry up the side of the pit and jump for the trees above.

It would have escaped to the leafy canopy if Ledare hadn't regained her senses. The spider was in mid-leap when Ravager's blade connected with the cluster of eyes and snapping jaws that served the creature as a head. The blow, however, was a glancing one and not enough to kill the vermin outright. It was just enough to delay the spider long enough for Ixin to hit it with another pair of Magic Missiles.

It fell twitching at the edge of the pit.

"See, Kitten? They are just spiders," Vade said as he got to his bare feet. He didn't seem convinced of his own words. "Really big, scary spider-mutant things, but still spiders." He looked down into the pit and dropped his slippers in. They landed on Karak's head and the dwarf looked up indignantly.

"What are ye-?" he started to complain and Vade shouted over him.

"Put them on and climb out!" he demanded. "I don't care if they look girly they can make even a fat dwarf like you climb walls."

"Who are ye callin' fat?" Karak growled as he inspected the purple and red Slippers of Spider Climbing.

"Just put them on," Morier said as he failed in his own attempt to climb out of the pit. "If you don't, I will!"

Ledare moved to help Feln, as the half-orc's opponent was the only one visible. As she went to close the distance to the melee, she couldn't help but be reminded of the chagmat. The thing engaged with Feln was clearly similar to those monstrous humanoids, but it was different in many respects as well. For one thing it fought unarmed with its own natural weapons - something that the chagmat never did. And it had only half as many limbs as the followers of Chag.

The spider-man withdrew from the martial artist confronting it, darting out of reach of his quarterstaff before changing direction and heading for the trunk of one of the trees. It couldn't avoid the two bolts of raw force that Ixin sent into its abdomen, however, and it sagged lifelessly against the tree after only a few paces. Feln started forward to make certain it was dead when Ledare shouted.

"Feln! Stop!" she pointed with her sword to the ground at the half-orc's feet. "There's another pit right in front of you!"

"I hate traps!" Karak grumbled as he climbed out of the pit with Morier holding on around his neck.

 

[Jon Potter]

[Realms #272] The Lost City

Vade worked his dagger through the last of the heavy strands and the body fell to the ground with a brittle clatter.

"Oops!" the halfling called from the branches above. "Sorry! I was just trying to get a look at this other guy - Eeeeww!"

"Are you alright?" Morier yelled up.

"Yeah! It's just another dead goblin. It's just so gross!" Vade answered. "Why am I the one doing this, anyway? This is yucky."

"Because you're the only one with magical slippers that let's you walk straight up the side of a tree and a ring that let's you move through the webs without getting stuck to them," Ixin shouted.

"Oh yeah!" Vade answered.

"And ye're the one what wanted to look for treasure!" Karak added rubbing his head with his hand.

"Oh yeah," Vade said again, with somewhat less enthusiasm.

There was silence for a time as Vade picked his way through desiccated bodies above. Ledare continued to stare with obvious revulsion at the dead spider lying crumpled on the trail so that Morier, who understood her fears was obliged to push it down into the pit with his foot. Only after it crunched to the pit floor did the Janissary look at Morier.

"Thank you," she said seriously and the eldritch warrior nodded.

"Think nothing of it, Ledare," he replied with a wave of his hand. Karak started to duck away from the elf at sight of the gesture.

"You best watch where ye be pointin' those faerie fingers, eh, elf!" Karak grumbled, glaring at Morier. "Or maybe I might just lose me grip on me axe next time I be swingin' it."

"I am sorry, Karak," Morier said with an embarrassed grimace. "It was an accident and-" The dwarf cut him off with a wave of his own hand.

"I now've a 'eadache the pain o' which I've nae endured since the mornin' after the squash-goblin tournament last Auraunangazan time," he explained, and, although none of the others had even seen a squash-goblin match let alone an entire tournament, and not a single one had ever attended the 'Night of Silver Beer' festival, they all got his meaning.

"If you need a healing potion, I have one for you," the albino told him, quickly popping one of the vials out of his potion belt but again Karak waved him off again.

"Save it for when it's needed. I've a bit more life left in me yet," the dwarf told him and examined the puncture wounds in his forearm. "But I must be admittin' these bites do be stingin' a mite."

"Perhaps you should use Vade's wand?" Ixin suggested and Karak snorted.

"Oh, aye!" the dwarf scoffed. "Ye'd like to see ol' Karak a wackin' himself in the head with that there magic stick now wouldn't ye?"

"I could use a good laugh," Feln muttered and Karak fixed the half-orc with a withering eye.

"By my count, orcblood, I have two spiders to your man-spider, an' I be down in a pit fighting from a lower position." the dwarf challenged. "So I be ahead. Ah haaaa!"

"You're a dwarf," Feln deadpanned. "You always fight from a lower position."

"Oh, so it's ta be short jokes now, is it?" Karak bellowed, starting towards the martial artist. Ledare stepped between them.

"I won't stand for in-fighting," the Janissary commanded, her voice strained with emotion. "We've got enough problems without the two of you at each other's throats. Understood?"

Karak glowered up at her for a moment before turning away. "I need to tend to me wounds, anyway," he said and Ledare turned to look at Feln.

"I was just getting ready to head up one of those big trees to get our bearings," the martial artist said, getting to his feet with a slight groan. Tapping into his inner energy always left him fatigued when the extra reserves ran out. "I'd also like to know if there are more of those spiders lurking about."

"Good idea," Ledare said with a nod. "But let's be ready to move on as soon as Vade finishes his search."



Karak stripped off his gauntlets and the vambrace on his right arm as well as his left greave in order to attend to his injuries. He cleaned the bites with some more of his brother's holy water and grumbled aloud the whole time.
"Now what would me chalak be saying at a time like this?" he asked himself as he worked. "Probably be mutterin' to his supposed Queen. But then where was she when he needed her?" He snorted and took a swig from Malak's flask before raising it in a toast to the heavens. "Well, Queen if you'n be listenin' I could use ye now to be takin' the sting out o' these bites, the aches out o' me bones, an' bit o' help with this 'ere 'eadache I be livin' with."

There was no response from the sky, and it wasn't until he was putting away the flask of holy water that the dwarf noticed his headache was gone. He got a puzzled look on his face and stroked his beard. "Hmm. That do be odd," he remarked. "I do feel better."



While Karak attended to his wounds, Morier and Ixin examined the cocooned goblin corpse that Vade had dropped out of the tree. Ixin's claws made short work of the webbing, but even freed of the confines, the dried body remained curled in on itself, like a mummified fetus. Its gear was largely intact but of such poor quality as to be entirely worthless. It wore tattered hide armor and futilely clutched a crude bone-handled axe in one shrivelled fist. Its face was twisted into a rictus with dried lips pulled away from cracked teeth and eye sockets that gaped wide around the dried raisins of its eyes. The whole conveyed the last expression of a creature that had died a slow and painful death... and been awake and aware the entire time.

"Horrible," Ixin said, turning away from the body.

"This goblin isn't equipped nearly as well as those we encountered two nights ago," Ledare remarked, looking over Morier's shoulder at the desiccated body. "Those carried steel swords and wooden bows, not bone axes."

"Why do you think the gobbo's who attacked us earlier were better equipped?" Feln asked as he sidled up to the other three. "Could they have been sent to attack us?"

"It's possible," Ledare remarked. "It is also interesting to note that that man-spider had only half as many limbs at a chagmat. Could it be possible that this, too, is some transmogrified creature hatched from Andamacles' transmogrification program? They're everywhere, it seems!"

"Nae, lass!" Karak remarked as he approached. "That' thing be an ettercap! They're found now an' again in the lower reaches o' some dwarven delves. Come up out o' the Dark Below, they do! If'n they was hatched by anybody, twas them spider-worshippin' drow!"

Karak turned and spat distastefully over his left shoulder. Emotion flared across Morier's face like a sudden storm, but the elf soon regained control and retreated a few steps from the others. "Vade?" he called, his voice creaking with feeling. "How goes it up there?"

"Just about done!" Vade called after a moment's hesitation. "Sorry, though. I don't see anything... Oops!" A crudely made wooden box fell out of the branches above and shattered against the ground below sending an explosion of polished coins went everywhere.

"Well, what have we here?" Vade called sheepishly from above.



It soon stopped raining, but it was another two hours and just nearing sundown before they reached the city proper.

The place had toppled in the distant past and been almost entirely reclaimed by the woodland. The group passed many crumbling stone structures covered over by undergrowth with only the occasional glimpse of polished white stone behind the ever-present green to indicate that a building had once stood there at all. As they trudged onward, warily probing the ground ahead of them, the group found the overgrown ruins to become more and more numerous until walking down the remains of a cobbled street became almost like walking down a shallow, brush-covered valley. It was beautiful in a haunting, melancholy way that spoke of glories long past.

A weighty silence hung over the ruins, but it was not like the sepulchral stillness of a tomb, but rather the respectful hush of a temple. Only the intermittent call of a bird, the droning hum of insects, or the drip-drip-drip of water broke the quiet, and even they seemed to come from a far way off, falling dead and muted on the ears of the VQS as they explored.

The path through the woods deposited them at the bottom of a steep incline that they were obliged to scale before reaching the level of the central tree which continued to dominate the sky above with its achingly vibrant green leaves. It was their goal, and it drew them like lodestone draws iron filings.
They passed a wide plaza of standing stones whose carvings of men and elves and wild things had long ago worn away to near illegibility before discovering a cobbled road - all overgrown with moss and vines - that led in the direction of the tree. They picked their way along it for a time while the shadows grew thick around them. It meandered up a subtle incline facing a row of mostly intact stone buildings on the right and a dense stand of trees and shrubberies on the left. It was through this tangle of plant life that they caught their first glimpse of the wall.

It was utterly black and polished to such a finish that each of the group could see themselves reflected darkly within its glassy depths. It was rose straight up, at least a dozen feet above their heads, and as they approached it blocked the great tree from their sight. No tree grew close enough to extend its limbs out and over the wall, and likewise no clinging vine had crept up its surface.

"It be granite," Karak announced in an uncharacteristically hush voice. He ran his hands lovingly over its smooth surface. "An' not a single seam in it what I can see."

"Perhaps there's a way around," Feln suggested and started to head off along the perimeter. He turned and motioned to Vade. "Coming?" he asked.

The halfling grimaced, but gave a nod and went to follow.

"Oh aye," Karak called after them. "We'll just wait 'ere then."



It was almost full dark by the time Feln and Vade returned, and the hushed silence that had predominated the ruins during the day had been replaced by a chorus of insects and frogs that nearly threatened to drown out conversations. The air came alive with the flitting glow of fireflies lending the ruins the quality of a fairy wonderland. Only Ixin - who had had unpleasant experiences in so-called fairy wonderlands - was disturbed by this.

The half-orc trotted out of the shadows with Vade clinging to his broad back. He returned from the opposite direction in which he'd left and the expression on his face indicated that he'd not discovered good news.

"The wall goes all the way around," he told them. "It's square. Has to be a good 150 paces to a side. With only four ways in."

"Well let's be off!" Karak suggested, shouldering his axe even as Vade dropped down from Feln's back.

"It's not that easy," the halfling explained. "The ways in are four metal gates, but they're rusted shut."

"Well did ye-" the dwarf started and Vade cut him off.

"There's no lock to pick," he told him. "And no way to force them that we could see."

Feln nodded. "They're covered with these protruding latticework bits. Anybody trying to shoulder them open'll get mangled long before they get the gates unstuck."

A morose silence settled over the group for a moment. At last Ledare spoke up. "So we're at an impasse," she announced and Vade sighed.

"Unless anybody's got any bright ideas," he said looking around at the group.