Trouble Brew

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Storyteller
Sojourner
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Apr 25, 2003 9:17 pm

Trouble Brew

Postby Storyteller » Wed Jul 16, 2003 3:35 am

Ah my friends, welcome back to my table. Hungry for another tale perhaps? It so happens that I am able to pick up this tale where I left it, many moons ago...

Llandrien Brightwater and his Company found themselves in need of rest after their journeys across the length and width of Faerun. But evil does not sleep when the heroes do, and fell forces were afoot even as the Company took their rest. A wizard of dark arts and awesome power recruited allies of his own, even as the old woman had asked the aid of Llandrien. Dark elves, Trolls and an Illithid this wizard, Trobriand recruited to do his bidding.

He too knew of the tome the Company sought, and he set his minions on the trail. It was no matter for the cunning dark elves to trace the tome to a book collector. This collector was searching the ruins of a monastary near the City of Splendors, and it was there that Trobriand's minions cornered him. But he did not hesitate in the face of such might; the collector agreed to provide a copy of the tome in exchange for his life and the materials needed to craft such a replica. They grudgingly agreed, and together this Dark Company journeyed forth to produce the necessary components.

Tears from a black unicorn. The dark host fell upon the unicorns companion and slew him brutally. At this, the unicorn shed huge darkly glimmering tears which were gathered. Next was the feather from a Tressym to serve as a quill. The small winged feline tried to escape, but one might grasp from a troll brought an end to that creature. Finally, the collector required the hide of a grey wyvern. For this they had to travel into the dread halls of Undermountain, and there do battle with one of the Mad Mage's pets. They were successful in that battle; how could they not be?; and thusly returned to the collector where they gained a copy of the much sought after literature. It would seem that Trobriand had attained his goal before the old woman.

It was shortly after this that the Company re-assembled. Some of the members could not rejoin, although there were as ever fresh heroes to take up the cause. The too, travelled to visit the collector in the monastary. But there the Company discovered they were too late; the poor man had been reduced to the state of a babbling idiot, no better than a babe in his conversation. But this was a company composed largely of the long lived of Faerun, and they were able to coax a few fragments of note from the aimless babble.

A library. Netheril. Fast rage. Dark elves and humans in allegience. Extra-dimensional. All this and more they learned from the collector's ramblings, and from it they were able to deduce that speaking with the noted scholar Ragefast would aid their quest. As before, the scout Tiran was dispatched and this time it was the druidess Deshana who provided transport via enchanted waters. After exchanging banter with the old scholar, they settled to the business of discussing their purpose. From this sage, they learned not only that extra-dimensional pockets were used occasionally as secure storage for posessions, but that the talisman they'd managed to coax from the Collector was the key to one such repository. He needed only one other component - an element of the the Ethereal plane and he would be able to retrieve what the Company sought from the pocket.

Obtaining such was no difficulty for Llandrien and it was only a short time before Ragefast was able to begin. The spell he cast, it was unknown to all but at the end he managed to extract an ancient tome, bound in a grey hide and embossed with darkly shimmering letters. This he gave to the Company with regret, but the search was theirs and he was but a scholar.

With the tome held triumphantly in their grasp, the Company journeyed south to visit their sponsor. Instead of the elderly old woman though, the Company beheld an enormous silver dragon. She spoke gently, her deep voice rumbling but still kindly as she thanked the Company for their efforts. It was here that the dragon revealed her identity, an ancient silver named Tsakchanar.

She also told the Company what they fought for. An ancient artifact that Trobriand also wanted, which had its resting place described within the pages of that ancient book. Tsakchanar was confident that there was only a slight danger of the wizard learning the contents of his copied teasure, as it was written in elder draconic.

But this is not the end of our tale, for a few moons later Tsakchanar was once again out of her lair, looking for brave adventurers to aid her cause. This time she sought those who would hunt down Trobriand in his lair, and wrest from him the tome that described the resting place of this artifact, a Prism from the days of the Netheril. There were new members of the Company that set out on this newest quest from the dragon, as many of the original Company had been called away on other business. But the famed dwarven pirate Touk was on hand to guide this group into the wizards lair, located in the depths of Undermountain.

Into the halls of the Mad Mage they journeyed, through the twisting labrynth and past the monsters that stood to bar their way. The lair was well hidden, but the hiding place was revealed by the sounds of Trobriand's minions. Metallic beasts sculpted in the form of scorpions and rust monsters, they shifted and clattered and alerted this Company as to the wherabouts of Trobriand. However, they were possessed of some tact and opted to discuss with the wizard the merits of turning over his tome.

The conversation was a mix of barbs and please between Trobriand and the Company's spokesman, Jayden. He prevailed upon the wizard to co-operate so that the tome's knowledge could be learned by all parties interested. Trobriand would have nothing of it, and indeed he detected with the Company two of the original members, Perzan the holy knight and Iduna the priestess of Twilight Raven. At this he commanded the Company to depart and sent a threatening prismatic spray towards where they clustered in his lair.

The Company moved, not in fear but in preparation. It was obvious that the wizard would not yield his tome as the dragon had requested, and they would have to resort to an assault. The wizards, clerics and shamans cast their protective enchantments, warding the party as best they could from harm. Then with a mighty bellow, Touk charged through the door and slammed his shield into Trobriand's face. The battle was joined!

And what a battle it was. Trobriand was attended by five servants, 3 metallic scorpions that drew upon divine magic in their battle and two of the tentacled beasts. One was felled by a precise strike in the opening exchange, before spells and blades began to flash in earnest. Skin shed magical dragonscale only to have it replaced rapidly, whilst the healers repaired the damage being caused by the mighty blows of the scorpions. Trobriand himself struggled under the combined efforts of Touk's shield and Cirath's garrote wires, and found himself scarecely able to draw upon his own magics. Finally, with his followers shattered around him and foes closing in from all sides, Trobriand vanished in an abrupt burst of light, promising vengeance another day.

Wounded and weary from the battle, the Company tried to ascertain if the wizard had simply fled to somewhere nearby. Alas, there was no trace to be found and they were left to fight their way out of the Undermountain, and report to Tsakchanar. She received their news with some cheer, for she herself was close to deciphering the tome and learning of the resting place for the Prism.

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