by C. M. Carney
“How do we get this quest?” Gryph asked.
“It is hard to say, but I would start by finding this Sean.”
“If he ever came into the Realms.” Lex said.
“And if he did, he probably isn’t here any longer.” Barrendiel said. “Nearly all the players disappeared after the Pantheon’s conquest.” The Regent looked at Gryph. “You, my friend, are the only one I have heard anything about in years. You may be the only one left.”
“No, there is at least one other player in the Realms,” Gryph said and looked at Lex.
“Eris,” Lex said, his eyes going wide. "Oh crap, don’t say it.”
“We need to go to where she meant us to go. We need to go Harlan’s Watch,” Gryph said.
“Dude, I told you not to say it.”
20
The Round Table debated their next course of action. Some legitimately feared that going to Harlan’s Watch would expose them to the High God’s wrath, but it was the Regent himself who stated that eventuality was inevitable.
“My cousin’s actions have announced us to the world,” Barrendiel said. “The scrying magics that protect this valley still hold, for now, so it is unlikely that Aluran knows where we are, yet. But like all of us, he now knows the power of the Black Fog. Beings like him cannot abide the existence of a power they do not control, a power that can control him.”
“Then let us use that power against him,” Thaldrain, the young dwarf brewer exclaimed. “Take control of the Pantheon and use their power fer good. We could make the Realms a wonder.”
“Who would wield this power, youngling?” Belgaarm, the older dwarf smith said. “Who would ye trust to lay it aside once he be done remaking the Realms in their image? And when would that task be done?”
Silence hung as Thaldrain and the others let the potential horror of that idea move through them.
“The road to hell is paved with good intentions,” Gryph said.
“Mayhap you should have thought of that before ye came here player,” Thaldrain grumbled. “We were doing just fine before ye showed up.”
“Fine? We were a stagnant people, wasting away under the memories of what we once were,” Reynglain, the elderly dwarf Earth Mistress said. “Ye be a dwarf, a descendent of the Thalmiir, do ye think we were doing our ancestors proud? Do ye think we were abiding by the will of the Long Beards? We needed an outsider to show us the way.” She looked at Gryph and dipped her head. “No disrespect intended my Lord.”
“None taken,” Gryph said, bowing his head back.
Thaldrain tugged at his beard, hearing the truth of the dwarf woman’s words.
“We have cowered long enough and what has been done cannot be undone,” Reynglain said and then glanced at Lex. “Even by this wee time traveling man.”
“Wee?” Lex complained, but nobody paid him any heed.
“Aluran will come for us, eventually. It be not a matter of if, but of when,” Grimliir said. “I say our best chance tae be ready, tae have any chance of winning the fight is with this man taking the lead.” He pointed at Gryph. “Gryph says that saving his sister will be a blow tae Aluran. I say we hit the High God before he hits us.”
“It is too risky,” Thornley said, an uncharacteristically dour expression clouding his face. “What if the High God captures Gryph and his Godhead? What if he captures this Lexicon?”
Silence hung over the Round Table as Thornley’s words sunk in. Is he right? Have I let my desire to find Brynn cloud my judgement? Gryph thought. Before he could dwell too long on the dilemma a most unexpected voice spoke up.
“Errat is, well Errat, but I know one thing. All of us are adrift on the aether like boats made of paper.” He used his hands to mock a pair of boats and crashed them into each other with childish smashing noises.
The others looked back and forth, some in confusion, others in annoyance. Finally, Lex spoke up. “Yo, Errat, I like playing Pirates of the Caribbean as much as the next guy, but do you have an actual point?”
Errat smiled, showing no sense of embarrassment at Lex’s words. “Yes, Errat has an actual point, and it is this. We can try to hide, try to make no waves in the aether and try to pass unnoticed, but all things are known to the aether and it will take us where it will. The aether has but one function, to make a record of all that was, is and will be. Eventually we are all pulled back into the aether. Nothing is created without something else being destroyed. Therefore, if inevitably, Errat is to be destroyed, I want that destruction to serve a purpose, even if Errat cannot yet understand what that purpose is. “
“Wow I cannot believe I’m going to say this, but Conan Forrest Gump may be onto something,” Lex said. “Plus, if we can save Brynn, we’ll not only take away one of Aluran’s allies, we’ll be able to unleash this guy.” Lex pointed a stumpy finger at Gryph. “And boy oh boy, is that something I want to see.”
“As do I,” Urgyyn, the silent warborn said, earning surprised glances from the other members of the Round Table.
“Yay, friend Urgyyn talks,” Errat said. Then the room went quiet for several moments.
“So we are in agreement. I am going after Brynn,” Gryph said and stood.
“We are going after Brynn,” Ovrym said.
“Yeah buddy, I ain’t letting you out of my sight ever again,” Lex said. Several sets of eyes turned to the NPC. “That came out creepier than I meant it to.”
“Nah, that’s the exact amount of creepiness I expect from you,” Vonn said.
“Can we leave him behind?” Lex mumbled.
“I’ve got ye back laddie,” Grimliir said, ignoring Lex’s question.
Gryph eyed the powerful dwarf and though he’d love to have the venerable warrior and his battle tested Thalmiir rig along, he needed the dwarf for another task. “You’re staying here.”
“By the beards of my ancestors I will not!” Grimliir roared.
“Yes, you will,” Gryph said, resting an easy hand on the stocky man’s shoulder. “I’ll need someone to run this place while I’m gone.” He gave Grimliir a moment to understand where he was heading, taking the man’s irritated grunt as comprehension. “Grimliir, son of Braigmond, I, Gryph the Stone Lord of Dar Thoriim, name you Steward of Dar Thoriim. You will rule in my stead when I cannot whether from absence, mental infirmity or death. You will counsel me, and you will question me. You will be my right hand and my conscience. What say you?” Gryph extended his hand.
Grimliir glared at Gryph for several moments in that way that nobody but a dwarf could manage, but eventually he nodded. “I swear tae uphold the tenets of our compact. I swear tae do my best tae serve ye and the people of this city, the people of this alliance.” He grabbed Gryph’s hand and squeezed, causing Gryph to grunt in pain. “And I promise tae kick yer ass if I deem that Yer Lordship is bein’ a damned fool.”
“I would expect nothing else.”
A prompt popped into Gryph’s vision.
You have made your first City Appointment.
You have named Grimliir, son of Braigmond to be the Steward of Dar Thoriim. He now has access to the City Interface and can make decisions on your behalf with the full force of your authority. You have made a wise choice and earned the following benefits for your city and your people.
Grimliir can assign qualified persons to other Appointments and City Jobs.
Grimliir now has access to the City Interface, with full executive authority in all areas. You can adjust permissions as you see fit.
Naming a Steward has increased the Efficiency of all work done within the city by 5%.
Naming a Steward has reduced the Material Cost of all crafted goods made in the city by 5%.
Naming a Steward has reduced the Material Waste of all foods and consumables used by the city by 5%.
For choosing your Steward wisely you are awarded +2 Reputations Points with all citizens of Dar Thoriim.
“Oooh, can I promise to kick your ass too?” Lex chirped up.
“No,” came a chorus
from all around the table, startling Lex with its intensity.
“Bunch of boring ninnies,” he muttered.
“Focus Lex,” Gryph said and after a pause, his NPC nodded. “First things first, where is this Harlan’s Watch?”
“No idea, we took a port stone to get here,” Lex said. “It is near a river and has a tower.”
“Real helpful,” Ovrym muttered.
“It is in the northern part of the Myrric Mountains near the Western edge of the Eldarian Dominion,” Vonn said.
“That’s nearly a thousand miles from here,” Barrendiel said.
“I do not want to walk that far,” Lex grumbled.
“We cannae waste that much time walkin’ boyo,” Grimliir said. “We need another way.”
Gryph felt Ovrym’s gaze upon him and shook his head no. He knew the xydai was thinking the Prime ship at the bottom of Deep Water could provide a perfect method of transport, but it needed a pilot to bond with it and that bonding was permanent. Gryph was not willing to force that sacrifice on anyone. There has to be another way.
“It is too bad we don’t have any Icons capable of opening the port gate to the Barrow.” Tifala said. “You could use that to get closer at least.”
Gryph heard the life mistresses’ deliberate use of the word ‘you.’ It hinted something he both feared and hoped for. She’s not coming with us. He had little time to think on what that meant and how it made him feel when Yrriel spoke up.
“I may be able to help there.”
All eyes turned to the elf woman. She was a Master Imbuer, a crafter who made magically enhanced gemstones, called Icons, that enhanced the power of weapons, armor and other magical devices.
“How so?” Gryph asked.
Yrriel placed a metal box on the table and opened it to reveal a large white gem. “I found this while doing the inventory of Dar Thoriim’s treasury. It is a Port Icon.”
Gasps of surprise flowed around the table. The Nimmerians had built the Port Gates long before the Ruin. They allowed for instantaneous travel via portals opened between far distant places if you had a Port Icon to power the Port Gate. Unfortunately, the magical gems, and the knowledge of how to make them, were lost when the Nimmerian city of Xygarrion was destroyed.
The box made its way around the Round Table, each member pausing to gaze upon in with reverence. Gryph had only ever seen one Port Icon, and that had been in the Barrow. Simon had used it to send Gryph and his friends into those same Nimmerian ruins. At the time he hadn’t known just how rare they were. When the box reached him, his sense of wonder dimmed.
“It’s cracked.”
“Yes, it is,” Yrriel agreed. “Which means it may not function at all, and if it does … well let’s just say that it could close without warning."
“What would happen if someone was walking through it when it failed?” Ovrym asked.
Yrriel made a slicing motion with her hand accompanied by the universal sound of something being cut in half.
“I vote no on the vivisection,” Lex said, hand raised like a kid in a classroom.
“Dinnae mean tae stomp through yer flower garden lassie, but the short fella be right. How does it help us if we cannae trust it?” Grimliir asked.
Yrriel nodded at the Thalmiir. “It may have enough power to open a smaller portal, one we can speak through.”
“Long enough to tell Simon to open it from his end?” Gryph asked.
“There’s only one way to find out,” Yrriel said with a shrug. “But I’ll have to teach you how to Imbue or you’ll blow yourself up." She leaned back with a grin. "Probably will anyway.”
“I like her,” Lex said. Yrriel winked at Lex and the NPC flushed.
“Then we're in agreement. We take this fight to Aluran,” Gryph said, looking around the room to see nods of agreement from all those sitting at the Round Table. He stood. “We leave in the morning.”
21
The members of the Round Table broke into small groups, some conferring, some gossiping. Before any of them could leave the Nexus, Grimliir smashed his mug of ale on the table. All eyes turned to the elder Thalmiir.
“I have something tae say, if ye dinnae mind?” He did not wait for their approval before he continued speaking. “What I am about tae suggest will go against millennia of so-called tradition, but I ask ye tae keep yer gobs shut and hear me out. Can ye dae that?” The powerful dwarf stared around the room, and one by one everyone nodded.
“Good.” Grimliir stood tall and proud. “Knowledge and power have long been jealously guarded commodities in the Realms, rarely shared, even among friends and allies. I have been guilty of this many a time in my long life. But I will no longer let fear and greed stay my hand when I have within me the power tae help my friends not only tae survive, but tae thrive. If we truly desire tae build something new here, then we need tae be a wee bit more altruistic. Tae that end I offer training tae any member of the Round Table that requests it and tae any pupil nominated and vetted by this council.”
Several members of the council exclaimed in shock, but none were foolish enough to complain. “Now, I dinnae expect ye tae provide this training for free. After all, ye all earned it through sweat and blood. It only be fair if those we teach also pay a price.” Several nods flowed around the table, but some faces remained grim. “But, it will be a fair price. We will no longer gouge our students tae fill our pockets and live like fat bastards. The prices paid for this training will be fair."
“And who is to set these prices?” Thaldrain the brewer grumbled. “Ye?”
“Why Thaldrain are ye afraid of some competition? Yer porter has been a wee bit weak these last few batches. Maybe we could use some new blood in the brewing game.”
Laughter flowed around the room and Thaldrain’s face turned as red as a blazing forge. Gryph hid a smile. Grimliir knows how to work a crowd.
“But tae answer your question, if ye will engage in equitable negotiations then we will set prices together. If ye try tae be a cheatin’ slash weasel, then I’ll kick yer arse and set a fair price myself.” He turned to Gryph. “With Yer Lordship’s permission of course.”
“I trust your ability to be equitable, in both negotiations and arse kicking.”
More laughs and several guffaws filled the Nexus. Grimliir grinned and then his face grew serious once more.
“Hear this and understand. Gone are the days of decades long servitude in exchange for knowledge. Gone are the days of workin’ apprentices like slaves. Gone are the days of abuse and largess. Does anyone have a problem with this new policy?””
There was a bit more grumbling, but it pleased Gryph that more heads were nodding than were not. We can build something amazing here.
“Good. I did nae want tae wrestle ye into doin’ what yer heart already knows tae be right. Tae usher in this new era of knowledge I ask one more thing of all of ye. I ask that any Masters of a magical sphere teach yer magic tae our Lord and any member of his Adventure Party that shows an affinity. I also ask that ye teach any useful base tier spells they know. I ask that ye do this with no material recompense. Think of it as an investment in yer future, but if ye cannot set aside yer greed then speak with me and I will see that ye are fairly paid for yer generosity.” He said the last bit in a tone that sounded decidedly unfriendly and Gryph suspected the fair pay would not be to the liking of those who balked. “Will ye help our Lordship on his mission tae secure all of our futures?”
“Aye, I will,” Reynglain, the dwarf Earth Mistress said in a loud clear voice.
“As will I,” Tiflala said.
“Thank ye all. Please stay behind and see what wonders ye can teach our boys here. The rest of ye be well, be at peace and get tae work.”
The Round Table dispersed, but the two Masters, Reynglain and Tifala, stayed behind as promised. Ovrym, Errat, Vonn and Lex stayed behind as well, as if each understood on an instinctive level they would be Gryph’s Adventure Party. Gryph thanked both Masters and then let them teach.
/>
Lex and Vonn both had a high affinity for Earth Magic. Ovrym could learn the skill, but his lower affinity meant any Earth Magic spells would cost more mana. Errat’s affinity of 25% in the sphere was the lowest among the group and meant only a Grandmaster could teach him the skill. Gryph, thanks to the Godhead, had a 100% affinity in all spheres of magic, but already possessed the Earth Magic skill. Reynglain taught several Base Tier spells to those able to learn them.
You have learned the Spell Acid Splash.
Sphere: Earth Magic - Tier: Base.
This spell will fire a sphere of acid that will fly wherever the caster points.
Base Damage: 10 points of Earth damage +2 points per level of Earth Magic mastery. If the target does not counteract the acid with magic or other agent, then it takes a further 10 points of damage per second for 5 seconds.
Mana Cost: 40 Casting Time: 2 seconds
Duration: N/A Cooldown: 1 minute.
You have learned the Spell Blade Ward.
Sphere: Earth Magic - Tier: Base.
This spell is cast in advance and stored for later use. It enables the user to manipulate the magnetic field of a ferrous metal weapon to deflect a successful attack by an opponent. Base tier users of this spell cannot control when the spell triggers, and it will deflect the next successful attack that meets the above conditions. Apprentice and higher-level users may choose which attack to counter.
Mana Cost: 40 Casting Time: 5 seconds (see above)
Duration: Until triggered Cooldown: 5 minutes.
You have learned the Spell Stone Skin.
Sphere: Earth Magic - Tier: Base.
This spell will turn the user’s (or a willing target’s) skin as hard as stone. The target has a 20% resistance to slashing, piercing or blunt weapons per tier for the duration of the spell. Their Dexterity is reduced by 10% - 2% per tier for the duration of the spell.
