by Lars M.
Benneth's group were the first ones to count themselves satisfied, outfitting themselves with minor magical jewelry and all the leather armor, bows, and arrows from the fallen enemy archers that held no interest to the rest of us. They argued over the issue for a while, but ended up leaving half of the pile for the harpies for their help in the second half of the battle. Darya was cooing over a brand new arm guard of some sort. The rest of us took longer. Items were piled up and rearranged as we haggled over different distributions, until people bowed out in satisfaction one by one, leaving to admire their hard-earned goods.
Jebediah excused himself early, choosing a handful of minor magical jewelry to boost his stats. Wise choice, in my opinion. He needed buffs all across the board and would probably gain more from several small buffs than a single large one. Arack gleefully kept a pair of +2 rings that affected her throwing skill and alchemy, respectively. She also got to keep the entire handful of vials of blood from Othell's pet, since she was the only Alchemist. That left four of us to bargain over the remaining six items. Lord Tergeth's gloves and helmet were clearly magical, and Sareena had both a wonderful, glittering necklace and a fancy magical belt inlaid with crystals in various colors. An unnamed warrior had equipped a nasty spiked necklace and, finally, Othell had a single magic ring - a bit underwhelming for all the trouble he'd brought us, I thought.
Except for the fancy belt, I was able to identify all of them - my Lore skills were finally improving to the point where they were useful.
Dread Helmet
This leather helmet has clearly known a life of blood and battle. The reinforced leather is further strengthened by the bones of a Dread Naga. The Naga are constructs, fashioned to elicit fear in their enemies, and to a certain degree, the wearer of the helmet will master the same ability.
+1 agility
+7 Armor Class
Once a day: Cast Fear. Affects all creatures in a 50-meter radius, granting a -2 debuff on all actions against the wearer. Duration: 2 minutes.
Workmanship: Good
Durability: 92/100
Debilitating Gloves of Movement
These monstrous gloves are made from plated steel over a boiled leather inner glove. The short steel spikes have been enchanted with demonic magic, sapping the strength of anyone who is struck.
+2 Agility
-1 Strength to target per hit
Workmanship: Good
Durability: 52/60
Monstrous Necklace
This spiked necklace has been infused with massive amounts of nature magic. It jacks up the wearer's Strength at a minor cost to Agility.
+3 Strength
-1 Agility
Ring of Bending Light
This ornate ring has been fashioned from a series of smaller rings linked together, all crafted from white gold in exquisite detail. The ring allows the wearer to release the magic stored within a set number of times, bending light around the wearer and making it incredibly hard to spot him for a short period of time.
Once a day: Cast Blur on wearer. -5 debuff to all attacks against the caster for 30 seconds.
Necklace of Transfer
This necklace, while gaudy, is of the highest quality. The five rows of overhanging jade gemstones have been exquisitely carved and range from green-gold to green-black in color. The necklace allows the wearer to divert incoming energy, soaking up most damage taken from a single attack with their mana instead.
Once a day, cast Mana Shield. 90% of the damage from the next attack is drained from the wearer's mana instead of health. Duration: 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes of haggling, I rubbed the bridge of my nose, sighing. "So let me get this straight. You're both adamant about wanting Lord Tergeth's helmet?"
Kiff grinned. "And the gloves. Yup. You have no idea how much my luck with the ladies is going to improve when I parade that one around back home."
Morak scowled at him. "What a glorious plan. I at least intend to use it in battle, not let it gather dust beside my bed."
"Aha. And since there's six items left, you both want either the gloves or the necklace as well?"
"I don't care about the necklace," Kiff drawled. "But yeah, nobody gets to cheat me."
Morak just nodded.
"All right." I weighed my words. "Well. That leaves us at a bit of a stalemate. Lyle and I don't like being cheated, either - and having you two run off with four items, two of which are among the strongest, would feel very much like being cheated." Thankfully, Lyle kept quiet. He'd told me right away that he just wanted to say no to the items, like his dad, but eventually, I talked him into letting me barter on his behalf. "So, in order to ensure that we're not staying here for the rest of the night, here's our final offer: We will let the two of you haggle between yourself for any three of the items - and we'll even let you decide which ones," Their eyes gleamed in avarice, but I held up a finger, "but I want the spiked necklace - for Atlas."
Morak started protesting immediately, but Kiff, seeing that he was closer to getting what he wanted, agreed. A minute later, the surly kobold finally caved, and a short while later, they walked off with Lord Tergeth's helmet and gloves, as well as the ring.
Lyle yawned, rubbing his eyes. "So, did you get what you wanted?"
I grinned. "Yeah. Got the two necklaces and this unknown fella here.” I let the crystal-inlaid belt dangle from my hand. ”Well, it would had been even better if we could have kept that ring for you, but I’m not going to complain."
"Why do you look like a cat that stole a salmon?"
"Well, because I think I did. First I need to ask, though. Are you sure you don't want the necklace? It would make you able to take a punch like a bear."
"Yeah. I'm still getting used to my armor, and I don't need any additional skills to learn right now. Besides… that necklace is a bit too flashy for my taste."
I grinned. "Right there with you. Also, these items are pretty much what I was looking for for Atlas and Arack. Atlas is going to become a force in close combat with this necklace on and as for Arack… well, it’s not flawless, but it should be able to save her life at least once a day.And the belt... well." I smiled again.
"Is the belt the reason you're looking so smug?"
"Got it in one. Without fail, there's been only one common trend for me. If my lore isn't good enough to identify it, it's ended up being the best of the selection." I huffed on one of the crystals, buffing it with my sleeve.
"Oooh. But... what if it's just a type of item you're unfamiliar with?"
I shrugged. "In that case, it's still an item for casters and bound to be something I can use or sell. But seriously, look at it. Those gaudy crystals. That sophisticated silver fili-whatchamacallit. It just screams expensive mage equipment." Also, the haggling had given me a skill point to barter, inching me just across the threshold to level 10 and the Apprentice level.
Congratulations. You have reached the Apprentice level with your skill:
Barter
You know how to open the coffers of any merchants. From now on, no merchants with a reputation above the Hated level will close their shops to you
We debated striking camp, but in the end, nobody except Benneth and Naevys wanted to sleep outdoors when there was a perfectly fine castle within shouting distance. Arack, Darya, and Benneth toiled for ten minutes, and suddenly we had a working rope ladder reaching up to the floating island - and we slowly worked our way up to see what was waiting for us.
Chapter 40 – A New World Opens
I stood for a moment, staring down upon the corpse of Othell, arrows embedded in his back. He had made it almost all the way to the safety of the castle before the harpies had finally struck him down, no doubt due to that magical blurring ring of his. I spent a moment considering how different things could've been if he'd chosen a different path, before I shook my head and turned back to the island itself.
Dawn was breaking, and, for the first time, I was able to see the place clearly. While the castle was
definitely in a bad condition, the Order had done a decent job of clearing the place for everyday use. There was very little rubble lying around the courtyard, and the hard-packed earthen surface was even and easy to traverse. The same applied to the inside of the castle. I had expected much worse conditions - piled up junk,
bottles, leftovers - what we'd seen in Othell's lair, amplified by a dozen. Instead, there were signs of practice and regular meetings. Training dummies were placed alongside one of the intact castle walls, and targets for ranged shooting hung on the other side. Benneth centered his focus on a wooden pole erected in the center of the courtyard. The hiss that erupted from him caused me to raise a questioning eyebrow. He traced the pole with his claws. "Chain marks. Burns. Hrrm. Whips. These people? Not nice."
Where the walls still stood, they were in decent condition. The stone looked like it could stay unbroken for decades still. Upon the walls themselves, a handful of gargoyles stood, facing the forest with snarls and grimaces. I wanted to get a closer look, but... it would have to wait.
By unspoken agreement, we gathered in the courtyard. The silence was oppressive. The regular animal sounds had not returned, and the dark keep towered above. The iron-banded wooden double doors were clearly created for durability and not for looks. I took Darya's hand. "Want to do the honors?"
One side of her mouth quirked up. "Do I want to be the first to enter a creepy, possibly trapped keep that could still hold enemies?"
"Yeah. Do I know how to treat a lady, or what?"
Smiling and shaking her head, she passed me by and flung open the double doors, granting us our first glimpse of the Keep of the Order. One word: underwhelming. We stared right into a stone passage, going both left and right, with candle holders set into the walls. Thinking of all the games I'd played where every second hallway would be trapped, I set a hand on Darya's shoulder to propose that we split up and search each our way, when somebody cleared their throat behind me.
Arack was tapping her foot, "So, are you going to smooch all day, or do you plan to make way for us?"
"But shouldn't we-"
"Coming through." One by one, the others filed by us, while Darya was doing her best not to laugh out loud.
Once Lyle passed as the last one, she held out her hand. "Care to join me, good sir?"
"I thought you'd never ask, madam."
Hand in hand, we entered the keep and went exploring. The place was larger than it appeared from the outside. There were four stories, all in wildly fluctuating states of repair. In some spots, interim repairs had been performed, and in others, a pile of bags and clothes was the only indication that somebody had been staying in the room. The common rooms had clearly received the majority of attention - gaps to the outside had been fixed or blocked up, old furniture had been repaired or refurbished, and everything was kept relatively clean. The place had probably not seen this level of activity since... forever. Everywhere, our people were running, laughing, and digging through the stacks, crates, and chests. I knew we'd agreed to share everything, but I had a hunch that we were going to find that some people had bulging pockets even before we started fighting over the spoils. As we walked through a hallway on the second floor, we spotted Arack perched on a bed in a bedroom on the left, rummaging through a pile of books on a shelf. Meanwhile, Kiff was on our right, testing the balance of a spiked mace.
I grinned at Darya. "This looks more and more like a competition."
She raised an eyebrow, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
I nodded sagely, and then blurted out, "Last one to the top's a rotten egg!" and took off sprinting.
Laughing, pulling, and prodding like kids, we raced to the end of the hallway. I managed to enter the stone staircase first, but within seconds, Darya passed me by, laughing as she went. As she reached the top, just before me, the heavy wooden door slammed open and Morak waltzed out, frowning.
As he spotted us, he shook his head. "Don't waste your time. Nothing but books and stuff in there."
When he'd passed, I shrugged. "Sounds like the place to be. I really want to know what they were up to."
She gave me a tight smile. "Me too. And if they have any friends that are going to miss them."
"Oh." As she walked in before me, I shuddered. Wouldn't that just be the thing? Another ticked-off organization of crooks laying down the hurt on Grant's Crossing because I had messed with their fun.
The room was, as Morak had indicated, somewhat disappointing. Furnished to the point of austerity, there were none of the trappings one would expect from the leader of a band of villains. It was a circular tower room. Clearly, the tower had been higher before, as the staircase outside continued, only to end in a mess of rocks and rubble. This space was a simple one. One window, that had once held glass panes, now only had a couple of shutters to unsuccessfully hold back the whistling cold wind. The fireplace was stocked, but completely cold. One bookcase, a small chest at the end of the bed, and a simple, splintered desk with an accompanying chair indicated a person who did not care about earthly trappings. The strict order of all documents, writing utensils, and books in the room spoke of a need for organization. What lay on the desk... I did not know what that meant. I had to ask. "Is that a cattle brand?"
Darya walked over, prodding the thing in distaste. "I think so. Who in their right mind keeps a cattle brand on their desk?"
"Pretty sure he wasn't - in his right mind, I mean." The look on Lord Tergeth’s face as he had stood over Lyle near the end could very well cost me some sleep. I shook my head. "This is so wrong. How is this the room of a boss? Where are the heavy carpets? The magic items and gold strewn everywhere? Next, you'll tell me there's no gold in his chest."
"Are we even sure it's his room?" Darya asked, looking over some of the titles on the bookcase.
"Pretty sure." I looked down on the bed. "I didn't see anybody else there with long, white fur."
She screwed up her face. "Ew. Too much realism. Hey, you're a Chronicler. That's pretty much a librarian. You handle all these books, and I'll search for hidden treasures."
"Har har." I gave her a gentle push away from the bookshelf and started looking over the titles. Maintaining the Equilibrium - a Historical Treatise. Duties of the Nobility and Why Blood Should Matter. The Weight of Power - an in-depth explanation on the Constellation of the Cabal. I was pretty much falling asleep just looking at the shelves, but it was easy to conclude that Lord Tergeth had been interested in understanding the gears of society. Some of the books didn't disclose their purpose right away, and I dug them out to see what they held. A series of books were basically censuses from the last several decades, concentrating on population count and distribution throughout Aeion. One massive scroll turned out to be a large furled up length of copies of the same scrolls, painstakingly scripted again and again with the exact same text. Some appeared brand new, while others were flaky and hard to read. "Oh yeah, this is the stuff."
"What?" Darya didn't look up from investigating the walls of the room.
"Let me read it for you. Ahem." I laid back on the bed - it was as comfortable as a wooden board - and started reading out loud with a proper, theatrical accent.
The Cabal and the Rothian Republic are liars.
- The Cabal did not avert the Separation - they caused it!
- They do not care about the plight of the races of Aeion - only for holding onto their own power.
- By holding the knowledge of our continent in a death grip, they indoctrinate all races into accepting their propaganda.
If you have been chosen to receive this testament to truth, you already know this, or some of it. However, it goes deeper than you think.
Even confronted with the truth, however, not everybody is in a position to act. We know this. You may have loved ones, obligations, and promises to keep to. Keep this scroll, however, and stay mindful of its message. When you decide to act, we will be waiting.
You have been informed of a contact. Once you are ready, presen
t them with the item you received and you will be able to become part of the solution. Join us and prepare to do your part to finally create true freedom in these glorious lands of ours.
Freedom, Truth, and Reunion.
The Order of the Broken Earth.
I turned my head. Darya had paused in her investigations, frowning. "That's... recruiting? Sounds like something you'd hand out to those you're trying to bring to your cause."
"Agreed. I mean, I don't know much about cults, but it does sound like step 1 on the checklist of how to end up wearing nothing but tinfoil."
She groaned. "I have an aunt like that. Essential oooooils." The grinning half-orc continued to the table and following a crushing sound, she yelled out, "Bingo!"
I glanced up to find that she had forced open a drawer below the table with her dagger. "Nice lockpicking there. You multiclassing into barbarian?" Smiling at her rude gesture, I moved closer. "That's a notebook? It has to be a journal, right?"
"You mean the one where he painstakingly explains his plans and connections?" She nodded. "It has to be." Darya rifled through a couple of pages and I watched as her face fell. "Sad to disappoint you. They look like ledgers."
"Oooh. That could be even better. Can I look?" At the questioning look on Darya's face, I asked, "What?"
"You get excited over ledgers?"
In the driest voice I could summon, I said, "You get those eyebrows down, right away, missus. Before I started working in the bank, I had my own tiny shop. It failed horribly, but that's not the point. The point is... now what?"
