We rested for the remainder of the day
after our unpleasant meeting with the Red Wizard and his followers. Everyone seemed subdued, for I think that
some of the young humans were still dismayed at having to take lives in the
struggle with Nethimil’s servants. I
have begun to sense that Covenant is perhaps not as forthcoming as one might
wish; not that he dissembles, for I think that is not in his nature, but that
he dislikes admitting that all may not be well.
I remarked on this to the dwarf, as he has traveled longest in
Covenant’s company but for Liadan. I
fear that the young human lady may be too awed by Covenant’s presence to admit
of any shortcomings in him. Rock agreed
with me, I think, but does not seem much concerned by Covenant’s overly
optimistic attitude.
The remainder of the day passed without
incident and we rested comfortably during the night. This morning we were startled by the
appearance of a trail of green smoke that rapidly approached our camp with a
sinuous motion like a snake. Some of our
more experienced members seemed concerned, though Covenant was not. When the smoke trail had come very near it
resolved itself into an older human man clad in long robes and a tall pointed
hat. This was Gadron, the wizard whose
arrival we awaited. He brought with him
an object referred to as a glowstone, a thick and heavy disk of amber that did
indeed glow from within. It is
apparently a magical artifact of some considerable power. Covenant plans to trade this to the dragon in
exchange for the Gauntlet of Dawn. This
prospect did not appear to please Gadron, who expressed a desire to keep the
glowstone himself and offer the dragon some other item from his own personal
collection. When the mages discussed how
powerful this glowstone is, Phaele spoke up and asked if it was wise to give an
abyssal dragon an object of such power that the dragon might put to ill
use. Though Havin seemed to think it
unlikely that the dragon would misuse the object, Gadron appeared to find this
a valid concern and asked to speak privately with Covenant.
They talked for some little while,
eventually inviting Jastra to join their conversation. Though I tried to ignore them, I saw that the
conversation did become heated at one point.
Covenant’s normally cheerful mood darkened somewhat. He then asked for all of his old companions
to join him and requested that the rest of us return to the ruins and seek the
reason the Red Wizard had come to that site.
This request I found a bit disappointing, for it seemed yet another
example of Covenant’s desire to present only the favorable side of his affairs
to us. Phaele was quite angry with him,
I think. As we prepared to ride off,
Covenant approached our group and made apology for sending us away. He explained that his church has forbidden
him to speak of certain matters. This
went a long way toward assuaging my own doubts, and I think soothed Phaele’s
ire as well.
We rode back to the ruins a bit
apprehensively, having only the day before been engaged in deadly combat in
that place. In our effort to see what
about the place might have attracted a Thayan wizard, we intended to first
examine the ancient temple. Liadan and
Fallon went ahead to make certain the ruin was safe to explore. While they climbed up the slope the rest of
us noticed that the graves we had dug on the previous morning for Nethimil’s
slain servants had been disturbed. Rock
heard some noise nearby and went to investigate. We had seen signs that goblins had been about
the area, and the dwarf soon found that they had been disturbing the
graves. When several goblins swarmed up
to attack Rock, Erim suddenly cast some spell in that direction. It seemed to cause a number of goblins to
fall to the ground – but it also caused the dwarf to collapse as well.
I had little time to reflect on this,
for more goblins appeared. I meant to
rush to the dwarf’s aid, but was drawn aside when I saw that Liadan was being
attacked by an orc that had appeared from another part of the ruins. The orc struck her but she withstood his blow
and I was able to catch him from behind as he tried to flee. Then several more orcs appeared and I was
occupied in helping Liadan and Fallon to battle them. Fallon was also wounded but Corellon smiled
on me and spared me from harm. When the
group of orcs had been slain I ran back to where Rock had fallen and fought
several goblins. I did not see much of
what the others did, but all of them were hurt.
The goblins that had fallen to Erim’s magic began to rouse themselves,
as did the dwarf. We struck the goblins
down swiftly. When Rock was able to get
to his feet again he seemed most angry, and to my amazement he struck a blow
with his fist at the young wizard from Evermeet! It is fortunate indeed for Erim that the
dwarf did not mean to kill him. I am not
quite certain why Rock behaved in this manner, but I have little knowledge of
dwarves.
We determined that it would now be wise
to return to our camp down the mountain and meet with our friends. Liadan was able to use the power of her god
to heal several of the others’ wounds, but we were all wearied and we knew that
another wave of goblins would likely be too much for us. As we made to mount our horses and depart,
however, a piece of ground collapsed near to where Erim and Sandrue stood. Sandrue was scarcely able to keep from
falling into the resulting pit. Erim
tumbled in but by some magic was able to float lightly to the ground. At the bottom of the strange pit we could see
an unusual amount of light.
5. A New Companion
It has been a very strange day. Erim fell into a pit that opened before us as
we prepared to depart the ruins and return to our companions. Sandrue very nearly fell in as well, though I
was able to help him back to solid ground.
It seemed that the pit contained some glowing runes upon its walls,
though I could not see this for myself. In
the moments after Erim’s sudden descent, we were surprised by the arrival of a
young woman on horseback. She did not
appear to wish us any harm, though she carried a weapon of very strange design,
an axe-like blade set vertically at either end of a long pole. I have never seen its like before. While Sandrue and Liadan spoke with this
newcomer, Erim appeared to have discovered some subterranean ruins.
When Erim did not immediately make to
climb up, Sandrue suggested that Liadan should aid him. She clambered down into the pit at once. Thinking that she would tie a rope about
Erim’s waist to draw him up, I took charge of Shadowcast and began to back her
away from the pit to pull them up. But
it seemed that the young mage had other thoughts than getting out of the pit at
once. While we waited for him to finish
his examination of the underground structures, we learned that the new arrival
was called Nekaya. She seems to be
partly of elven blood. She claimed to be
seeking the fire priest who had been in Nethimil’s retinue. She told us that the priest had slain her
master. We did not have time to explain
to her the previous day’s events, but she was much interested when Covenant’s
name was mentioned. Her master was
evidently a friend to Covenant and had intended to meet him elsewhere.
After some little while Erim was
persuaded to come up out of the pit and Liadan with him. He had observed some strange doors – or
perhaps a cupboard, I am not certain – that he found intriguing. Sandrue hazarded a guess that this might have
been what Nethimil sought among the ruins.
We agreed that Nekaya should accompany us back to our camp and tell
Covenant of her master’s sad demise. On
the ride back we explained to her how Nethimil’s folk had battled our
companions, and that Covenant himself had slain the fire priest she
sought. She had vowed vengeance upon the
priest, and now wished to express her gratitude to Covenant.
We found that in our absence our
companions had finished their discussion and broken camp. Gadron had vanished. When we arrived we were told that Covenant
wished to leave at once. He welcomed
Nekaya and greeted the news of her master’s death with sorrow. I am not certain if he was surprised or
disconcerted when she pledged her allegiance to him. Rock did not appear to care, but I suspect
that Liadan will be disturbed by this development. When some in our group wondered why we must
leave so quickly, Havin expressed his desire to speak with us all. Covenant agreed with him, and so we gathered
to hear what they would say.
It was explained that time is short for
completion of Covenant’s mission. He
still intends to meet with the dragon and attempt to trade the glowstone for
the gauntlet he seeks. But my wife and
her friends seem more dour in their outlook now. Jastra has made a divination that proclaims,
“By this quest the chorus will fall silent”.
Long ago some person of power told my wife and her friends that they are
like a chorus, best when all work together.
They all appear to believe that this prophecy means one or all of them
will die in their current quest. I
hazarded to remark that perhaps the prophecy only means that the chorus will
cease to sing together, but none seemed to find this thought heartening.
The mood has grown much more somber
among us, particularly since Covenant has forbidden those of us newer to this
adventuring life to accompany the others to the dragon’s lair. I think that Phaele and Liadan especially
were very angry with this. They argued
that we too are part of the chorus now.
Rock has not said much since he struck Erim, but he now spoke up and
made a worthy point that a chorus must have a conductor who tells each member
when to sing, and Covenant is ours. I do
not think this assuaged the frustrations of some of the others, but I agree
with him.
Sandrue then surprised our other
companions by calling all of our group aside.
Covenant has offered us the choice of remaining in a nearby town or
camping near the dragon’s lair. We have
discussed this and chosen not to wait in town.
As I told the others, the waiting is not so strange for me as it must be
for them, but this time I will have companionship during the wait.
It will take us four days to reach our
destination. Covenant wishes to move
swiftly. Though I try to recall my own
thoughts on the prophecy’s true meaning – who can ever understand fully such
things? – I find that the oppressive weather and the mood of my companions has
begun to weigh upon me. I have always
known that one day my Erendis might not return.
It is much more difficult to face knowing that I might be close by and
unable to help. I must be patient and
trust in Lord Corellon’s mercy.
6. Farewells and Departures
Our journey to meet with the abyssal
dragon continues at a somewhat hurried pace.
Jastra has divined that we have four days to complete this portion of
our quest. Though Covenant maintains his
usual cheerful demeanor, I have observed that he is less talkative than
before. This could be said of our entire
group in truth. The weather continues to
be oppressive and we have all grown tense with anticipation – and not a little
fear, I think.
So eager is Covenant to proceed without
delay that when we came to a river that flowed too rapidly to swim the horses across,
my wife expended a portion of Corellon’s magic to allow all the mounts to
stride across the surface of the water as if it were earth. I must confess I am impressed by the power
that she is granted by Corellon Larethian.
She has little occasion to display such divine blessings when we are at
home in Evereska.
It seems that though most of us have
accepted that we shall await our companions while they seek audience with the
dragon, Fallon argues with Garret that he should be allowed to continue to the
dragon’s lair. I have not heard their
words, but there is a certain tension in Fallon’s manner that suggests to me he
is not willing to remain behind.
Our companions have begun to prepare
themselves for greater danger than we have faced on our journey here. Havin now bears a sword, and Jastra has armed
herself with both sword and bow. It is
strange to see them armed. If they do
not believe their spells to be sufficient weapons, then this dragon is truly
more fearful than I had imagined. As we
ride, Havin tells us that the nearest town is called Camber, and gives some
rough directions. Perhaps it is as well
to be prepared for any eventuality.
Without the spells of conjuring food and drink that my wife can call
upon, the remainder of our party will run out of supplies in a short
while. I doubt that many of us are good
at hunting, other than the dwarf, who seems to have some knowledge of survival
in the wilderness.
In the late afternoon of the third day
we make camp. Jastra has detected
magical wards that she believes to indicate the presence of the dragon. Garret has found a campsite that had been
used in the recent past by unknown travelers.
I wonder who else would come here.
Our companions at first intended to depart at once, but Covenant decided
that a meal together would be pleasant, particularly since our meals during the
rest of the trip have been brief and simple.
Rather than conjure foodstuffs from the air, Havin has volunteered to
prepare a meal. Our companions have
taken up most of the duties of setting camp.
My wife and I remain close to one another, speaking only of
inconsequential things.
After the meal it is time for our
friends to depart on their mission. Rock
has said farewell to everyone as if he expects never to see them again. Perhaps that is a dwarven trait. I attempt to act as I would at any time that
Erendis prepares to depart from me. It
is difficult now. This is very different
from our partings in the past. I try to
convince myself that the prophecy is not as dark as my friends believe. To my surprise she has given me a sword that
she says is especially effective against goblin-kind. I will hold it for her until she returns and
use it to protect my friends if need be.
To occupy ourselves for the remainder of
the evening we have practiced with our weapons and determined a schedule of
watches for the night, as these mountains may be infested with goblins. The watches must be longer because there are
fewer of us to watch. I meditated during
the first watch, preparing for my time to watch with Rock during the middle
portion of the night. After I had said
my prayers to Corellon I went to check on the horses – our companions did not
take their mounts to the dragon’s lair, so we have quite a number of animals to
look after. Nekaya had volunteered to
watch with Fallon during that period.
She came to me to tell me that Fallon had gone off into the darkness,
telling her to wait, and that he had not returned.
After we had waited some little while
longer to see if he would reappear and had not heard or seen anything, I
awakened Rock and told him what had occurred.
We decided to search in the direction in which our friends had departed,
hoping that perhaps Fallon had followed them.
It is very difficult to look for any signs of his passage in the
oppressive darkness of this mountainous land.
We do not wish to stray too far from our camp. Rock’s vision is keen, but we found little to
tell us if Fallon had passed this way.
It does not seem wise to go roaming
about in the darkness, so we have waited until sunrise to search again. Sandrue and Phaele, who are especially quiet
since the departure of our other companions, have volunteered to watch the camp
while the rest of us search. This time
we will seek in the direction in which Fallon departed the camp.
Some way from the camp, after seeing a
few signs that may or may not have been left by Fallon, Erim has detected
something magical ahead. He suspects it
may be the ward that Jastra warned of. We
do not wish to risk crossing it, having no knowledge of what effect it may have. We have approached it cautiously, hoping to
find Fallon there. Nekaya has found a
boot print and hand print on a rock that seem very likely to have been made by
Fallon. But we have seen no other sign
of him since discovering these marks. He
has either passed the ward or gone on so far ahead that we have no chance to
catch up with him.
Rock is furious with Fallon for
deserting us in the dark of the night.
At first the rest of us thought that perhaps some ill had befallen him,
but now it appears most probable that he did desert us deliberately. I have come to think that Fallon is a very
foolhardy young man.
This day has been very quiet. Covenant had remarked that he thought our
friends would return by this morning, but we have not seen them and none of us
are surprised by this. There has been no
sign of Fallon. I have taken some time
to familiarize myself with the sword my wife gave to me, and Liadan and I have
grazed the horses. We have decided to
take it in turns to prepare meals for ourselves. Liadan and Nekaya did well enough at the noon
meal, but Rock’s effort to make the evening meal was rather disappointing. I hope that we will not have to rely on our
own cooking skills for long.
This night we have determined that due
to Fallon’s disappearance we must handle our watches differently. Because some of us need not sleep, we will
overlap our watches with those of the humans.
This means that Erim and I must maintain our vigilance longer than we
have done in the past. I hope that the
young wizard is up to the task.
It is my turn to stand watch with Rock
and Nekaya. Something is watching us.
7. Waiting
I feel a great darkness has descended
upon my heart. I will not allow myself to
think the worst. I must put my faith in
Corellon Larethian.
Our watcher appeared to flee when
detected. It seemed a creature of
man-like size. Rock and I determined not
to awaken the rest of our party. When
Nekaya grew too weary to remain awake I roused Erim again. I hoped this would not disrupt his ability to
memorize his spells. The remainder of
the night was fortunately without disturbance.
On the morrow Liadan, Nekaya and Rock
searched for the tracks of the watcher to determine if it was a goblin. The watcher wore boots, which Liadan tells us
is not usual for goblin-kind, but perhaps the goblins of this land differ from
those of Cormyr with which she is familiar.
Little else could be determined from what they found. We decided to make two fires in the evening
in an effort to light a greater area. After
this was done we began a discussion of how long we should wait for our
companions to return. We have only
enough food for perhaps a little more than a week. We determined that we should wait a week and
depart before our supplies fall too low.
We will most likely travel to the nearby town of Camber that Havin told
us of to seek further supplies. I
suspect after that we would return to our campsite here.
I do not know if our darkest fears have
been realized, but Califax has fallen.
We were roused during the first watch by a terrible cry of pain and
despair. I confess that I was so
panicked by this sound that I sprang up in confusion. When I saw that some of the horses had broken
their picket line and were fleeing into the darkness, I pursued them without
thought for my friends. By the time I
managed to catch one animal I came to my senses, but by then I had to calm the
frightened horse before I could return with it to our camp.
When I returned I found that Califax had
fallen to the ground and lay insensible.
The terrible cry, it seemed, had come from that mighty steed. Liadan was beside herself with grief. Nekaya explained that a paladin is bonded to
his mount in a way that no ordinary horse and rider can understand. Califax’s condition indicated that something
dire may have befallen Covenant. Liadan
at once swore that she would go to the mountain as soon as it was light. I foolishly promised to accompany her. I would not go back on my word, but it would
have been better had I thought before speaking.
I could only think that if Covenant has fallen, what may have become of
my beloved?
As we spoke of seeking our companions,
Sandrue seemed to lose all confidence.
He felt that he was too weak and useless to offer any aid. Phaele spoke urgently with him to convince
him to remain with us. I think he might
have packed up and gone to Camber alone, but she was able to persuade him that
this would be a foolhardy choice here in the goblin-infested mountains.
Thanks to Corellon, we were able to
recover all the horses. Liadan would
have spent all night praying at Califax’s side, but Rock and Nekaya were able
to persuade her to attempt to sleep. She
also agreed not to make any decision until Califax’s condition could be seen in
the light of the sun.
Other troubles soon distracted us from
our worries about Covenant. Brigands
attempted to steal some of our horses later in the night. They fled when I challenged them, which woke
some of my companions. Phaele was able
to return to sleep, but Sandrue remained awake.
I fear that he has lost hope.
When dawn arrived Sandrue seemed to have
recovered some of his confidence. Ever
the mediator, he called upon us to think carefully on what we would do. He is right to think that we have no hope to
fight the dragon. None of us are so
foolish as to think we could take on such a powerful creature. But we will not be satisfied until we can at
least attempt to determine what has become of our teachers and loved ones. We cannot seek them while Califax lies
helpless, however, for it is part of Liadan’s charge to care for the
horse. Liadan is not happy with
this. I am certain it must chafe her to
remain here looking after a sick animal, particularly one that has always been
most unfriendly toward her. Only
yesterday he bit her, though it seemed a rather half-hearted snap compared to
his usual demeanor. But she agreed that
it would not be right to leave him untended, and we are not willing to split up
our party.
While Liadan and Rock made an attempt to
get Califax on his feet, Sandrue and Erim discussed going to further examine
the magical ward that surrounds the mountain.
It would be well to know more of this before we attempt to pass through
it. Nekaya and I agreed to accompany
them as guards. They took some time to
cast spells that would allow them to learn more of the ward, which is invisible
and intangible to me. They spoke of
necromancy and various other schools of wizardry, but it seemed that their
spells could not tell them precisely what effect the ward would have on one who
passed through it.
As we stood near the ward, we caught a
glimpse of a man peering among the rocks at us from the other side of the
barrier. Soon two other heads were
glimpsed. Sandrue and Nekaya called out
to them. One man spoke with them,
seeming quite interested when Nekaya introduced herself as a paladin. This appeared to assuage some of his
fear. He came out and introduced himself
as Stork, asking if we had any food.
Nekaya tossed packets of trail rations to him. He indicated that he knew where our camp lay
and that he was aware we had many horses, and he asked if we could spare some
for himself and his companions. He was
told that we could spare some food but not any of our mounts. Sandrue attempted to question him about his
knowledge of the mountain area. At
length Stork and two of his companions, Van and Essex, came down to join us and
agreed to accompany us back to our camp for more food.
Though they denied this, we are certain
that some of Stork’s companions were the would-be horse thieves of the previous
night. As we came down to our camp we
found that some others of their group had been spying upon the camp and had
aroused Rock’s ire. He had struck down a
man called Igenhaus and chased away another fellow. Liadan had bound the unconscious Igenhaus and
held him prisoner. Stork did not seem
much concerned with this and chatted quite companionably with Sandrue. He had not seen our other companions, nor
anyone else among the mountains. Though
he did not say so in so many words, it seemed that he and his friends were
fugitives.
While Sandrue spoke with Stork some of
Stork’s other compatriots appeared among the rocks to the west of our camp and
called upon us to release our hostages.
Stork and his two friends departed to show their other companions that
they were not held prisoner. Liadan
released Igenhaus and Nekaya expended some of her holy power to heal his
injury. He fled at once when he caught
sight of Rock.
A short while later Stork and the rest
of his group returned and sought parley.
Their leader, a man called Filit, swore to offer no harm to us and to
take nothing that was not offered. In
return Nekaya prepared a meal for all of us.
The fugitives outnumber us, but they are not heavily armed and they are
poorly provisioned for life in the wilderness.
I would not relax our vigilance, for despite Filit’s promises I am not
certain they will not again attempt to steal our mounts, but I do not fear that
we could stand against them if they attempt to attack us.
It seems that perhaps we will not need to
concern ourselves with these fugitives.
As Sandrue spoke with Filit, I noted that the sword my wife had given me
had begun to glow. A goblin had entered
our camp. Much to our surprise the
fugitives seemed to recognize the creature by name, but rather than greet or
attack it they sprang to their feet and fled the camp.
Next: parts 8-12
Next: parts 8-12
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