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A Fairy Taleby Fanella the Brownie"Aha! A royal party! They will have beer!" Fingalla had hardly waited until the Ambrian King’s messenger was finished before she began cheering. It was just a chance trip to Lantern Town to speak with my fen- er...ah sales contact that allowed us to be party to the King’s invitation, so we immediately rushed back to Thimblewood (and then on to Greatwood) to invite all of our friends. The day of the wedding, all of Ambria was in attendance, including the Elven King. Being close personal friends of all the royalty, Fingalla and I were asked to carry the Lady Mara’s train. I have never seen anyone so excited about a silly old wedding; if we hadn’t been there, I doubt that Lady Mara would have made it down the isle. Being the observant sort, I thought I recognized a few old acquaintances in the crowd; that ever-preening, perfumed lizard, Ranier Jean Claude Lizard, and that aberrant guy in the mask, Blackthorn. Of course, lizardmen don’t grow old, they just grow, and it had to be Blackthorn’s son since human’s age so quickly. I would have to check them out after the ceremony. The ceremony was never finished. (These humans are always so long- winded that they spoil all the fun.) Just as the priest was finishing the "We are gathered here today.." speech, the cathedral was bathed in frigid cold. Knowing that only a Bloodshadow could bring about such a drastic change in temperature, Fingalla and I began edging to the nearest door (because only a fool messed with a Bloodshadow). Most of the fairy folk were following our example. All of the attendees were witness to an unbelievable phenomenon. Not just one, but three Bloodshadows. One of them stepped to the front of the church and spoke. It congratulated the happy couple, picked up a sword from the wedding gifts, and left the couple with a "gift" of eternal life. No one moved for a moment after they left. The silence was broken by a sudden booming "I feel fainted!" from the crowd, and the bridal couple were whisked away. As the King announced that the feast would still go on, Fingalla and I sought out the only being that could have "felt fainted," Monsieur Lizard. We followed him to a tavern, where we proceeded to drink a little courage and stow away in his pocket. A short time after, the King summoned us. "It seems;" the king said, "that Prince Arinor and Lady Mara have been afflicted with a debilitating disease that destroys their physical being but does not let them die. Only you, Fanella and Fingalla, can save them. I will send you to the Elven King and he will give you further instructions. For your protection, I will send my two best knights, Sir Richard Burke and Sir Reginald Fur; Blackthorn, and of course Monsieur Lizard. (Lizard says that is not what the King said, but I remember distinctly -and I was not drunk!) We traveled up the river to Moondeep. As usual, we were welcomed with open arms and a really terrific feast. The king informed us that the only way to correct the Bloodshadows’ curse was to visit the Emerald Wizard. Only one man knew the way to the Emerald Wizard, and he was only rumor. We would have to go the Witchwood and ask the Hermit for a map to the Emerald Wizard. To help us, the Elven King would add Parin (call me "Rat") Rathorn, a wood elf, and Dorin Bramblebush, a mountain dwarf with half an arm (well, actually an arm and a half). We left the following morning. For three days, we traveled without incident. Junior Blackthorn was just like his father, and refused to eat with us. Sir Fir, a centaur, seemed to be somewhat addle-minded; he considered himself human and refused to acknowledge his (as far as I was concerned) his better half. In fact most of our trip through the Greatwood consisted of apologies to him for what he termed "big butt jokes." We proceeded on schedule thanks to my expert leadership, and by the middle of the third day we had reached the edge of the Greatwood Forest. After careful consideration, I decided that we should camp within the Greatwood for protection. It would be another half day to the foothills of the Grand Range. That night, we were awakened by an attack. Fifty werewolves attacked the camp. Our party fought valiantly; Fingalla and I saved the day by striking the werewolves most vital area. Both Lizard and Burke were wounded by the time Fingalla and I drove the horde back into the night. Shortly after they were driven off, Blackthorn returned from wherever he had run to. After Fingalla magically healed all our injured, we all returned to a fitful sleep. Following the Elven King’s directions, we found the pass through the Grand Range. By the end of the next day, we reached the top of the mountains. Dusk was setting in when we came across a small encampment. Fingalla and I went ahead to announce our arrival. Not knowing how important we were, the humans in the house were unwilling to open the door. I decided to take a more direct approach. As Sir Fir galloped into town (really, there is no other word for it), Fanella and I climbed up to the chimney. I was sure the humans just didn’t understand what I was saying when they built up the fire, so I decided to put it out. Scrambling back and forth between the street and the chimney, we finally put down enough sand to put the fire out and get into the room. After convincing them that we were harmless (quite a job considering the rest of the party), their leader, Justin, wisely invited us to spend the night. Given the size of the room, we gave Sir Fir the noble job of guarding the horses. Rat kept him company. Refreshed (but needing a bath), we gathered our party to continue. Lizard put on a fresh coat of perfume and we were on our way (most of us up wind from Jean Claude). We were in high spirits until noon brought a sudden storm. Rat led us to a cave where we could take refuge. I asked Dorin and Blackthorn to explore our shelter. It wasn’t long before they discovered a nasty troll and called for our help. There were several injuries, but we defeated the troll with little trouble. Once again, Fingalla tended to the injured while I salvaged five troll knuckles. Rat burned the troll and divided the spoils; some gold, a diamond (Rat kept that), a ruby(that was mine), and an emerald (Fingalla claimed that). Since it was late, we established watches and bedded down. On our watch, Fingalla and I returned to the troll’s lair to explore. We followed a small fissure in the rock back to a large lake (which Fingalla fell into). Our exploration brought to an untimely end, I fished Fingalla out of the water, returned to our camp, stoked the fire, and woke Junior for the next watch. We had hardly been asleep for a moment when it was dawn. The rain stopped about mid- morning. We proceeded down the mountains with only one minor incident. The centaur, Sir Fir, was so engrossed in being two-legged that his other two legs slid the majority of the way down the last slope. There in the foothills, we came across the only discrepancy to the Elven King’s map (It must have been a human error).As small city, Cromton, rose to greet us. As we approached, we were more than a little concerned. The guards at the gate wore wolf pelts over their chain halberds. Introducing ourselves as emissaries of the Elven King and the King of Ambria, we demanded to have audience with the local Lord. Our audience was granted for the following day, so we rested in one of the taverns near the huge cathedral in the center of town. (Not as large as the Ambrian King’s cathedral of course, but almost as impressive as some of the Elven King’s smaller buildings). Lizard spoke with the Lord and Sir Fir signed on for the tournament that was being held. With assurances that Sir Fir would catch up with us, we then proceeded to Witchwood. Arriving about midday, I sent two groups to explore the outskirts of the wood. Sir Fir arrived shortly before evening and we then made camp. Our sleep was tormented by the odd sounds escaping the Witchwood (and rat dreams). The following morning we began our trek into the blackness of Witchwood. Soon it was too dark to see and some of us had to light lamps. When the rest of the group became worried, Fingalla and I climbed to the top of the trees to get our bearings Of course, we weren’t lost, but we had to make the effort so the rest of the party would feel better). After a short reconnaissance at the top of the trees, Fingalla and I led the group to the center of the forest, where we would find the Hermit. There we were stunned ("I feel fainted!") to find a large circle of eight standing stones covered in runes. After reviving the lizardman, we discovered a square stone in the center of the circle, raised about a foot and a half out of the ground. I sent the centaur out to the center of the circle to raise the stone. It took him, Dorin, and Junior to lift the stone. We left the centaur to guard the entrance (of course, he couldn’t fit down the hole, but we couldn’t tell him that). Down below, we found a corridor leading to a wooden door. When we passed through the door, it closed behind us and we were attacked by twenty skeletons. Rat went crazy, attacking the door and trying to get out. The rest of us attacked the skeletons and worried about getting out later. When we finally defeated the skeletons, and Fingalla healed everyone (again), we proceeded down the corridor to another door. Beyond that door, we found the Hermit (Just as I said we would). After describing our quest, the Hermit rummaged through his collection of items and produced a scroll and a large diamond. The diamond, he said, would take us to wherever we wanted to go without crossing a body of water. just throw it to the ground, speak the name of where you wish to be, and the entire group would be transported there. The scroll was a somewhat cryptic instruction on how to find the Emerald Wizard.
To the West across the Opal Sea you will find an Emerald Isle. On the Emerald Isle you will see a mountain from which the Daemons breathe. You must sneak up upon the Daemons that guard this Isle or else they will crush you with their teeth and claws. So, you must land at the far side of the Emerald Isle from the Daemon’s Breath Mountain. Then travel across the Isle until you reach the base of that mountain. Then you must search for the wisdom of Thoth, seek out its source. Once you have found it, LET NO BARRIER STOP YOU. Travel on with the faith of Osirus to guide you. Once you have passed this final test, you will be in the lair of the Emerald Wizard. So writes Odum Bengali. Stonewal was a wonderful place. Fingalla met some pirate that she’d heard of; I couldn’t even drag her away for a day on the town. Rat, Dorin and I decided to pick-up a few items. We had a wonderful day. The vendors were so courteous and more generous than they knew. With our newly found wealth and full bellies, the three of us located a wizard. (I was really surprised - this was the first real wizard I’d seen in thirty years, and he wasn’t even an elf). We worked out a trade for the troll knuckles (after I did some business with a jeweler down the street - wizards are so particular). It only cost me twe nty gold apiece for each healing ring. I now had enough magic (for the right price) to protect the rest of the group. When we finally pulled Fingalla away from her hero worship, Monsieur Lizard had arranged a ship to sail to Dornica. I sold a healing ring to everyone except Junior (who was just cheap) and Rat (who had bought one from the wizard), for thirty gold apiece. We were ready for the next leg of our journey. Sailing was just as much fun as I remember, although some Dwarves (who will remain nameless) could have sailed a little better. We were well received in Port Regency; it seems this was Lizard’s home base. I had heard rumors that this was a pirate city, but most of the inhabitants seemed just like Monsieur Lizard (minus the perfume, of course). Either way, it took no time at all for Lizard to acquire a ship and crew for our trip to Chune. The route to Chune was fraught with danger. If Fingalla and I had not been in charge, the pirate ships that we saw surely would have attacked us. As it was, a few choice words shouted across the water sent the offending ships on their way. We arrived at the mouth of the Lost River without any further incident. Leaving the ship, we proceeded up the river in one of the long boats. Chune is a hot, steamy island. Fortunately, Fingalla and I had brought appropriate clothing. Unfortunately, Lizard had brought inordinate amounts of perfume. We made sure that he stayed downwind from us as much as possible. Not knowing what to expect, we made sure that we set guards for the night. We camped near the river, as far away from all the strange sounds as we possibly could get. Fingalla kept us up part of the night with her rat dream, but that wasn’t so bad compared to the lizardmen. We had finally settled down when twenty or thirty lizardmen attacked our camp. As usual, Sir Burke was injured first. Lizard kept shouting something like "Esshimesshinissh." He said it was supposed to send lizardmen away, but it just seemed to annoy them. Sir Fir said he was saying ‘Bring me your mother." After we killed enough of them, the rest ran away and we weren’t bothered the rest of the night. We returned to the river at sun up. We hadn’t traveled very far when we were attacked by spears. We couldn’t see our attackers, so it was very hard to tell where the spears were coming from. Lizard tried to tell them to stop ("Please do not hurted us, we are friendes! Esshi messhi nissh!"), but they did not seem to understand. It was while I was trying to spot the creatures throwing the spears that one of the spears struck the boat where I was standing. Of course, I wasn’t hurt, but I had to make sure that they understood that they had struck an emissary of the Elven King and would be punished. We finally left the spearmen behind and continued along the river until sundown. While we searched for a suitable campsite, we were aware of someone watching us. Fingalla and I coaxed him out of hiding; a man in a tiny loincloth and a helmet. He introduced himself as Argus, formerly of Dornica and happily now of Chune. When we explained where we were going, Argus offered his services as a guide through the jungle when we left the river. Three days later, with Argus leading the way, we left the river and set out across the jungle. The going was tough, especially when the wind shifted. We all smelled like a bathhouse that hadn’t been cleaned. Lizard had run out of perfume, and now we knew why he used it in the first place. The smell must have attracted all the predators within ten miles. That night, we were attacked by a giant lizard-like creature. It stood so high that we couldn’t see its head. Junior jumped high into the air to attack it. The lizard-thing grabbed him with its mouth and nearly killed him. The rest of us attacked as best as we could, Dorin struck a huge gash into its underside, but the creature didn’t even seem to feel it. It took all of us to bring it down and free Junior. As soon as Junior regained consciousness, I offered the healing ring to him again. This time he bought it.( Of course, I would probably have healed him anyway.) The next day was the worst yet. Junior looked like a big black puddle walking through the underbrush. Even Lizard’s plume was drooping. Argus informed us that the next water was nearly a whole day away. We pushed on, grabbing a coconut or two as we trudged along. Finally, we arrived at a much welcomed waterfall. We bathed and rested, and finally decided to camp behind the waterfall. When Sir Fir and Dorin couldn’t decide watches, I decided to stop (or at least slow down) their argument so the rest of us could get some sleep. A little fairy dust in the right place and Sir Fir quickly changed his tune. ("Even though you are short, pudgy and repulsive, do you know when you get mad you are quite beautiful? Please accept this coconut as a token of my esteem.") Dorin was quite speechless, but at least they were quiet for the rest of their watch and the rest of the night. The following afternoon, we arrived at the foot of the mountain. After reviewing the Hermit’s scroll; I instructed everyone to climb the rock face to find the origin of the waterfall. By closing our eyes, we were able to pass through the wall and into an emerald cave. At the back of the cave sat the emerald wizard, his eyes lost in the giant emerald that he held in front of him. "You are late, ‘ he said without even looking up from his stone. "There is just barely enough time to reach the temple before it sinks. Here are your instructions. Go through that passage and take the transportation provided. Follow the instructions to the letter." We went through the passage and mounted the saddled Rocs we found there. Rat went over the instructions with us.
The next room we came to was all stone. In the center of the room was a grouping of rocks surrounding a large stone in the center as we approached, we could see the fissure for the sword. It took all three of us to steady the sword. When it was placed in the fissure the rock began to crumble, giving way to a large pillar with a gilded urn at the top. I instructed Sir Fir to fling me into the air. Using one of my many brownie tricks, I glided to the top of the pillar. Removing the lid to the urn, I found the scroll that had brought us here. I glided back to Fingalla and Sir Fir, and we began our race back out of the temple. When we arrived in the entrance of the temple, we found the decapitated bodies of Dorin and Rat (boy, those rings were going to be working overtime). Junior was busy keeping the golden boy distracted as we made our way to the exit. The island was already beginning to sink, so we had no choice but to leave. Sir Fir grew back to his normal size en route. The Rocs flew us directly to Ambria and the King. When the scroll was successful, the King rewarded all of us with 500 gold pieces. Sir Fir gave the sword from the temple to the Elven King (where it truly belonged). And we lived happily ever after (at least until the next time). |
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